ã€ŠRise of the Living Forgeã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Cost of Peace

    Chapter 1: The Cost of Peace

    Ever since Arwin had been summoned as a child, all he had known was war. He had killed enemies. He had killed friends. And now, to kill the demon queen, he was going to kill himself.

    Corpses covered the ruined battlefield around Arwin, strewn about like the discarded toys of an unruly child. Thousands had stood strong that morning, and across from him was the only one that still remained.

    The demon queen. A faded scar ran down her right eye, left there from a battle they¡¯d had years ago. Her armor smoldered with embers that had once been roaring mes, and the dark, leathery wings sprouting from her back were shredded to bloody ribbons.

    ¡°Hero of Lian,¡± the demon queen said,ing to a stop ten paces away from Arwin. Her voicecked the thunderous presence that it normally carried. There was no need for it. Nobody was left from their armies to hear them, and so she spoke in a normal, weary tone that matched exactly how he felt. She raised her sword and pointed it at Arwin¡¯s throat. ¡°Today¨C¡±

    ¡°Is there a point?¡± Arwin asked, cutting her off. ¡°I have energy for onest blow, not a conversation.¡±

    A small, wry smile tugged at the corner of the demon queen¡¯s lips. ¡°As do I. Good riddance.¡±

    Arwin readied his sword. His armor creaked around him, the enchantments covering it sputtering with effort to keep themselves active. The only thing that even kept his body standing were the considerable number of Titles and Achievements that he had built on the graves of friends and enemies alike. But today, as Arwin¡¯s exhausted arms raised his sword onest time, he knew that it would end. The fifteen-year nightmare would finally be over.

    They charged. In truth, it was more of a sad stumble. They both reached each other at the same time, driving their des for each other¡¯s hearts. Neither tried to block or dodge,cking the energy to do any more than what they¡¯d already mustered.

    Arwin¡¯s de pierced through the demon¡¯s armor, driving straight through her chest and grazing her heart. In the same instant, her sword shattered the cracked surface of his breastte and did the same to his.Blood poured down Arwin¡¯s chest, dripping to the ground at his feet. Dizziness gripped his mind as the world spun around him. If he had the energy, he would haveughed.

    They''d both missed the final blow, but it hardly mattered. It wouldn''t be long before they were dead anyway.

    At least the war was over. His job was done.

    Darkness started to swallow his vision, taking life with it. It was peace. It was the release that he had sought, a way to finally rest ¨C

    Rude light shed before his eyes.

    <strong><em>The conditions for [Sunset] to activate have been met. [Sunset] has been consumed. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s breastte shimmered. His weary eyes just barely managed to pick up a small ck gemstone glittering at its center, burning with magical power. If he¡¯d had the energy, he would have been surprised. The demon queen didn¡¯t seem to recognize it either.

    <em>Huh. This wasn¡¯t supposed to be there. What is it?</em>

    And then, with a tiny pop akin to a cork from a bottle of wine, the gemstone cracked.

    The world copsed.

    A massive wall of force mmed into Arwin, driving the breath from his lungs and scorching his body. His armor and magical equipment vaporized as it tried and failed to resist the massive outpouring of energy, and then the true force of the explosion hit him with nothing left to obstruct it. He didn¡¯t even get a chance to scream.

    His consciousness sputtered and blinked out like a candle in a hurricane, and then there was only blissful nothingness.

    ***

    But, like all things, the peace ended.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes fluttered. Then they snapped open. He drew in a desperate, ragged breath as his heart mmed desperately in his chest, suddenly remembering that it had to beat. His throat was impossibly dry and his lips cracked.

    He was alive. Far above, the warm sun shone down on him from a cloudless sky.

    Warm, wet dirt pressed against his back. The smell of moss and mildew surrounded Arwin, but the fact that he could breathe anything was a miracle. Coughing and gritting his teeth, he pushed himself into a seated position.

    The ground released its grip on Arwin¡¯s back with a wet squelch, but something was wrong. His body felt¡­ strange.

    Empty.

    It was a vaguely familiar body ¨C one that he¡¯d had before he¡¯d advanced his Pdin ss to Master Tier, but without most of the muscle he''d spent years earning. His clothes had been turned to ribbons; the magic that had once made them nearly as powerful as the strongest armor nowpletely lost.

    All the power he¡¯d once possessed was muted and distant, but he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to care. He didn¡¯t need it anymore. The demon queen was vanquished. His power was a small price to sacrifice for peace.

    There was a thick, ropey scar right beside his heart, where he had been run through. Arwin instinctively reached for his sword, but his hand found nothing. The only thing he could find were the tattered scraps of his pants. Not even his shirt remained. A dull, gnawing pain clenched his stomach, but it was surprisingly bearable and not at all like a stab wound.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Arwin choked on his own words. He doubled over in a coughing fit for several seconds before managing to regain control of himself.

    <em>What was that ck gemstone? I oversaw the forging of my armor with my own eyes, but the gemstone was clearly embedded within it. It was clearly some sort of magical bomb. Perhaps it was a failsafe to destroy the Demon Queen even if I died? No, that couldn''t be it. A failsafe would have triggered after I died. Not before. That gem didn¡¯t feel like any form of magic we possess, but I¡¯ve never seen the monster army use its like either. </em>

    <em>Is it possible I was betrayed and someone in the guild was working with the Demons? That wouldn¡¯t make sense, though. The explosion should have killed both me and the Demon Queen. I still don¡¯t know how I survived. And what is Sunset? That was not a title I had. </em>

    There were far too many questions and far too few answers. One thing Arwin knew for certain was that he would find no solutions whilstying on the ground. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. He was somewhere in arge, marshy field. Crops surrounded him, so there was probably civilization fairly close. There were no answers in the wilderness, but the nearest city could tell him what happened.

    Scanning the horizon, Arwin spotted a small gray plume in the far distance. It might have been a cloud, but he was fairly certain it was smoke from a chimney. At least, that¡¯s what he hoped it was.

    Arwin almost called on the Mesh, just to see if any of his former magic remained. But, before he could, he stopped himself. With magic came responsibility. He would be the Hero once more if anything remained. Sending onest nce down at his body, Arwin shook his head and trudged in the direction of the plume.

    Hourster, a city came into view. It wasn¡¯t one he recognized, but the stone walls stood proud, manned by several guards at the gate. They wore in but effective chainmail armor. Even without his magic, Arwin could sense faint power emanating off them. A sigh of relief slipped from Arwin¡¯s lips. If a city still stood, the Horde had fallen.

    <em>I won. </em>

    The guards watched Arwin with wary expressions as he approached. The dry mud caked to his body and the exhaustion on his face likely didn¡¯t do him any favors.

    ¡°We don¡¯t wee beggars in Milten,¡± the lead guard said, cing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

    <em>Milten? Doesn¡¯t bring up any memories. It must be toward the edges of the Kingdom. </em>

    Arwin almostughed. ¡°My name is Arwin. I know I look different, but I¡¯m no beggar.¡±

    ¡°A beggar with a name is still a beggar,¡± the guard said, his eyes narrow.

    <em>I suppose I can¡¯t me them for not recognizing me. I don¡¯t look like what I once did. There¡¯s no point bothering to convince them. It may actually be better that people don¡¯t recognize me. Maybe I can finally rest and take advantage of the peace. </em>

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    ¡°I just want to bathe and hear the news,¡± Arwin said wearily. ¡°I can assure you I can pay for any services I need. I will not trouble any of your citizens.¡±

    The guards exchanged a nce. With a shake of his head, the lead guard stepped to the side. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t do this, but fine. You seem honest enough but get to an inn and wash off immediately. If I catch you begging on our streets, you¡¯ll get a boot up your ass.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Arwin strode past the guards, not wanting to try his luck. He didn¡¯t actually have any coin on him, but as long as someone was willing to offer him a bath, he¡¯d happily wash dishes in a kitchen for as long as it took.

    Despite the sun hanging straight above, the city of Milten was surprisingly quiet. There were only a few other people on the roads, and none of them gave Arwin so much as a second nce.

    Stone buildings with just enough variety to avoid being an eyesore lined the streets in neat rows. After several minutes of walking, Arwin finally spotted the subject of his search. An inn, identified mostly by the cauldron burnt into a wooden sign hanging above its door, sat near the center of town.

    Smoke curled from the three-story building¡¯s chimney, and warm firelight flickered within its window from a firece. A newspaper had been wedged into the window, and Arwin paused for a moment to read it.

    <em>The Horde grows in power. The Kingdom of Lian calls for all capable adventurers to take to arms in its defense. Great rewards will be given to those who bring proof of their victories in battle back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. We must strike before the Horde can mount an offense. It is time the Kingdom takes control of the war.</em>

    <em>For any adventurers over Expert Tier, the Hero of Lian is in need of a party. Auditions are being held in the capital for the privilege of adventuring alongside him.</em>

    <em>Toy down one¡¯s life for the kingdom is the greatest service one can do, and you will be remembered for all eternity. </em>

    <em>Please note: The Fallen Hero informed the Adventurer¡¯s Guild that he would donate all his belongings to their cause just minutes before his wounds from the demon queen proved too much to bear. Praise be to his generosity. His body was treated with highest honor after it was brought back to the guild, but the funeral has been canceled due to weather conditions. Tickets will not be refunded.</em>

    At the bottom of the words was an image of a heavily muscled man holding a glowing sword aloft, a courageous expression on his handsome features. It was signed by the Hero of Lian ¨C but the man on the paper wasn¡¯t Arwin, and the signature wasn¡¯t his either.

    He stared in disbelief.

    <em>I said no such thing. I didn¡¯t speak to anyone after the explosion. And how could they have recovered a body when I¡¯m right here? Why would they lie about that? It would have been easy to say a failsafe destroyed both of us, if that was what it was. But, if they aren¡¯t mentioning it¡­ was I betrayed? Could that gem have been a way to make sure I didn¡¯t survive the war? But why? I don¡¯t understand. I need answers. </em>

    Arwin grabbed the paper and pulled it away from the window, ripping the edges in the process. He shoved the door open and entered the inn, making a beeline for the thin innkeeper behind the bar.

    ¡°Gods, man. What happened to you?¡± the innkeeper asked with a grimace. ¡°You reek.¡±

    Arwin mmed the paper down. ¡°What is this?¡±

    Something about his voice must have given the innkeeper pause, because he swallowed and looked down at the paper.

    ¡°It came in the news a week ago. What about it?¡±

    ¡°Everything! The demon queen is dead! How is the Horde back?¡±

    The innkeeper blinked, then let out augh. ¡°Ah. You went on a solo adventuring trip after the war ended, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    <em>So it did end?</em>

    ¡°I ¨C yes,¡± Arwin said, deciding it would be easier to go with the man¡¯s assumptions than correct them. ¡°I left right after the demon queen was struck down.¡±

    A smile crossed the innkeeper¡¯s face and he nodded. ¡°I understand that. What a party it was. I swear the entire kingdom celebrated for a week straight.¡±

    ¡°So what happened? Why is there a missive about another war?¡±

    The smile fell away and the innkeeper shook his head. ¡°Sorry you¡¯ve got to find it out like this,d. After the celebrations, a new demon queen was discovered about a monthter, gathering the remnants of the Horde. It¡¯s been about two weeks since then. Luckily for all of us, the Kingdom actually had another Hero in training. We¡¯ll all be safe, don¡¯t you worry.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s ears rang and he tasted metal in his mouth. He leaned against the counter, staining it with mud, but he barely even noticed.

    ¡°So the war ended, but then it started again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more like it paused.¡± The innkeeper rubbed the back of his head, then let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Just when it looked like everything would let up. I suppose it¡¯s not like we aren¡¯t used to it, though. You¡¯ve got the build of a warrior, so you should be happy too. There¡¯s a lot of opportunities for adventurers¨C¡±

    Arwin grabbed the paper from the counter and spun, striding out of the inn as his mind roiled. A throbbing pain built in his stomach, eating at his insides like a lump of molten coal.

    He¡¯d won the war ¨C or, at least, his war. Sure, the peace hadsted all of a month. He had no idea where a new demon queen or Hero hade from, but the relief he felt was so intense that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care.

    His duty was finished. There was a new Hero for a new war, and he was no longer required. He, along with the men and women that had fought alongside him, could rest. But still, the gemstone lingered in Arwin¡¯s mind.

    <em>Someone tried to kill me with magic that I¡¯ve never seen. The options are the guild, someone within the guild working for the demons, or the demons themselves. I don¡¯t think someone nted anything on me, but I just don¡¯t have any way to tell. </em>

    <em>Every single aspect of my armor should have been checked over by dozens of people, which means all of them had to have been involved somehow. Hell, the head of the guild literally handed me the armor and confirmed it was prepared and ready on the day I set out for what should have been my final battle. He was thest one to check it.</em>

    <em>Sure, something could have gotten changed while I was headed to battle, but I don¡¯t think anyone got that close to me. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m thinking this, but I think the guild ¨C or someone with a lot of influence in it ¨C must have been heavily involved. </em>

    <em>But, if it really was them, then, my very existence proves their lies, and they¡¯ll definitely kill again to keep me silent. Even if it¡¯s just a few people at the top ¨C I can¡¯t handle them yet. When I was at the peak of my power, perhaps I could have. But now¡­ I¡¯ll need toy low until I can regain my strength. </em>

    There was no more dying it. He had to see how much had changed. Arwin finally reached out to the Mesh. The sentient magic that permeated the entire world, rewarding those who sought to advance their strength and sought challenge, had been one of the only constants in his life.

    And, as it always had, the Mesh responded. Glowing golden letters, visible to only him, traced through the air before him.

    <strong>Name</strong><strong>: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss</strong><strong>: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 1)</strong>

    <strong>Skills</strong><strong>:</strong>

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) ¨C <em>All items forged by your hand have the potential to Awaken. In addition, they have the potential to take on a trait, determined by [Unknown].</em><em>The potential for the trait to be detrimental scales inversely with your Tier. It is currently [80%] </em></strong>

    <strong>Titles</strong><strong>:</strong>

    <strong>[Scourge] ¨C <em>You have faced an entire army inbat and emerged victorious. Your physical strength can be significantly intensified at the cost of magical energy.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Indomitable Bulwark] ¨C <em>You have withstood a blow that would have leveled a city. Damage from all attacks is reduced significantly. </em></strong>

    <strong>[The Hungering Maw] ¨C <em>An enormous burst of energy has permanently infused you with magic, but not without cost. You must consume magical objects or items to survive. Consuming an item temporarily grants you some of its properties. </em></strong>

    <strong>Achievements</strong><strong>:</strong>

    <strong>[Broken Bearer of Last Light] ¨C <em>Awarded for meeting the conditions of </em>[Sunset]. You survived an explosion that could have leveled a city. Effects<em>: ss Changed to Living Forge. All other Achievements andpeting Titles have been consumed. This Achievement will be consumed upon advancing your tier. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s hand dropped. His ss and skills were gone, reced by what seemed to be some form of craftsman ss. His Tier was back to Apprentice. The vast majority of his Titles ¨C gone as well. He didn¡¯t have any Achievements left, but at least that wasn¡¯t a surprise, as they were consumable and weren¡¯t meant to stick around. But, on top of everything else, he¡¯d gained a new Title that forced him to consume magical items in order to survive.

    And yet¡­ the ss was almost exactly what he had once hoped for. A chance to create rather than to destroy. Even though he hadn¡¯t actually chosen Living Forge, it was as if the Mesh had known what he desired.

    <em>Actually, that¡¯s likely exactly what happened. The Mesh gives rewards that let you upgrade your ss or skills whenever you get Achievements or Titles. This was my reward forpleting the purpose I¡¯ve been pursuing ever sinceing here. The actual ss must havee from that achievement, Sunset¡­ but why this particr one? I¡¯ve never had interest in cksmithing before, though I¡¯ve always loved the idea of being a creator. </em>

    <em>Perhaps it had to do with all the armor and weaponry that I had on me. I did have an extensive presence in helping make my weapons and armor, so perhaps that strongly influenced it. I certainly can¡¯tin. </em>

    <em>I¡¯m finally free. And, so long as the guild doesn¡¯t find out I survived, I can figure out what happened. And, if they really did betray me, I can tear them down from the inside out¡­ after I rebuild my own life. They¡¯ll pay, but I¡¯m not dying for a cause again. Besides, I need a damn break. </em>

    <em>As for the Hungering Maw passive¡­ it¡¯s problematic right now, but it¡¯s clearly tied deeply to the ss itself. That means, if I get stronger, I¡¯ll be able to upgrade the passive and get more out of it than just temporary boons. The potential is ridiculous. </em>

    For the first time in his twenty-five years of life, he felt unburdened. For everyone else, the war was still going. It bore the promise of power and riches, and the draw was too great to resist for many adventurers.

    But, for him, the war was over. He¡¯d done his part, and they¡¯d turned on him. As to why, he didn¡¯t know. At the moment, he didn¡¯t particrly care. Arwin started tough. It was on that day, covered in mud and crouched in a dark alley cackling like a madman, that the true Hero of Lian died. The man that rose in his ce was simply Arwin. There was only the man who would forge his new life one hammer blow at a time.

    Arwin didn¡¯t get to enjoy his newfound freedom for long, though. Even as hisughter echoed out, the burning pain in his stomach intensified. His face creased in pain and he doubled over, drawing in a ragged breath.

    Through squinted eyes, he could just barely make out the glowing words of the Mesh taking form before his eyes.

    <strong>[The Maw within you hungers for power. If you do not consume a magical item within 1 hour, your body will copse.]</strong>

    Arwin stared at the glowing words with dread. He shoved his hands into his pockets, but he already knew what he would find. They were empty. Arwin didn¡¯t have a single thing of worth to his name.

    In fact, the only thing he did have of worth <em>was </em>his name ¨C and if he used it anywhere, the guild woulde for him. He grit his teeth, waving the words away and turning away from the inn to stumble into a dark alleyway nearby.

    <em>I might be in trouble. </em>

 Chapter 2: Exceptions

    Chapter 2: Exceptions

    The pain in Arwin¡¯s stomach intensified with every passing second. He wasn¡¯t even sure what he was searching for. It wasn¡¯t like he could just break into a shop and steal a magical item, nor was he going to find one lying around on the ground.

    <em>I suppose I could break in somewhere, but then I¡¯d be a wanted man. No. I need a smithy. This ss should let me forge something. If I can just find a smithy somewhere, I¡¯ll be fine. </em>

    That was easier said than done. The agony was so intense that Arwin could have sworn that his stomach was actually eating itself. He¡¯d been stabbed, cut, and ripped up by magic more times than he could count ¨C none of it came close to this.

    His body begged him to lie down and curl into a ball. To give into the pain in hopes that it would end sooner. Arwin¡¯s mind rebelled. He ground his teeth and pressed on, leaning on a wall for support as he staggered through the dark alleyways.

    As Arwin turned an alleyway, muted voices reached his ears. He forced his eyes up, squinting. Standing just feet away from him in a corner of the alley well within the shadows was a bald man in dark clothes.

    He had his dagger to the neck of a short, hooded woman with blonde hair and a scarred face. She looked to be roughly in herte teens. She and the man were arguing about something, but Arwin¡¯s ears barely even registered the words. He mustered his energy and took a step toward them.

    ¡°You,¡± Arwin growled, his pained wordsing out coarse. ¡°Smithy. The nearest one. Where is it?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re doing something here,¡± the bald man said. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas. Get lost before you get run through as well.¡±<em>I don¡¯t have time for these damn games. </em>

    ¡°Answer the question,¡± Arwin spat. His stomach spasmed and his hand bit into the wall in attempt to support himself. ¡°Now.¡±

    ¡°You trying to be a hero?¡± the bald man shoved the woman back, pointing his dagger at Arwin and taking a step forward, a cocky smirk on his face. Inwardly, Arwin twitched. The man¡¯s stance was all wrong.

    His feet were unbnced, and he gripped the dagger between two fingers like it was a fork rather than a weapon. If he was meant to be intimidating, it wasn¡¯t working.

    ¡°That dagger magic?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Think you¡¯re funny, do ya?¡± the bald man bared his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll gut you like a fish, big man. I don¡¯t see a sword on you. Muscles won¡¯t stop you from bleeding out.¡±

    Arwin stopped listening to his words after he realized that the man wasn¡¯t answering his question. If he wouldn¡¯t say if the dagger was magical or not, then Arwin would have to find out himself.

    He shoved the pain down, just like he¡¯d done in countless battles before, and <em>moved</em>. The bald man¡¯s eyes widened and he thrust the dagger for Arwin¡¯s stomach. It was such a pathetic blow that Arwin almostughed.

    He drew on the Mesh. He might have lost his original ss, but some of his titles had remained. With just a small injection of magic into [Scourge], Arwin felt power flood him.

    His hand came down on the other man¡¯s wrist, and bones shattered like dry sticks. Arwin¡¯s fingers wrapped around the man¡¯s crushed wrist and his other fist mmed into the man¡¯s stomach.

    The man crumpled with a pained scream, dangling by one arm from Arwin¡¯s grip. Disgust washed through Arwin and he released [Scourge], driving an open palm into his would-be murderer¡¯s skull.

    Just like that, the screaming stopped. The man fell limp, unconscious but not dead. Shaking his head, Arwin grabbed the dagger from the man¡¯s limp fingers. All that his fingers found was in metal. It didn¡¯t have the telltale tingle of magic within it.

    ¡°Worthless,¡± Arwin growled. He knelt beside the man and rifled through his pockets. They were, just like his, empty. Arwin¡¯s eye twitched.

    <em>Just my luck to get robbed by the cheapest thief to ever live. </em>

    His eyes flicked over to the girl at the back of the alley, who was staring at him in a mixture of horror and awe.

    ¡°You,¡± Arwin growled, straightening back up. The gnawing in his stomach was back and stronger than ever, but he couldn¡¯t afford to give it heed. He didn¡¯t remember how long he had left and it didn¡¯t look like the Mesh nned to enlighten him.

    <em>Forty-five minutes? Thirty? More than that, I think. I hope. </em>

    ¡°Yes?¡± the girl squeaked.

    ¡°Smithy. Where is it?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C there¡¯s an abandoned one about ten minutes from here, but the street is haunt¨C¡±

    ¡°Show me. Now.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she stammered. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t bother replying. He just jerked his head in acknowledgement. The girl swallowed heavily, then edged along the walls toward a connecting alleyway.

    ¡°It¡¯s this way,¡± she said hesitantly.

    ¡°Lead. Quickly, now.¡±

    She hurried toply, and the two of them headed deeper into the city. Arwin was relieved to find that the girl took his words to heart. She was practically scampering away from him, but it was all he could do to maintain his fast walk.

    Anything more felt like it would rip him apart from the inside out. The girl kept throwing nces over her shoulder at him as if she expected Arwin to suddenly decide to change his mind and rip her head off.

    They walked for roughly ten minutes. At least, Arwin was pretty sure it had been that long. Time felt like it was blurring together. What mattered was that he was still alive when the girl came to a stop in front of a dark, run-down street.

    Grey cobblestone was stained ck and dull moss grew in the cracks between it. The buildings were crooked and crumbling, with some of them havingpletely given way to ruin. The faint scent of rubbish and mildew permeated the air, but with such intensity that Arwin knew for a fact it was never going to leave his clothes.

    ¡°T-this building. The whole street is abandoned and cursed. Anybody that tries to stick around here ends up dead. There¡¯s a ghost¡­ or something,¡± the girl said, pointing at a crumbling stone storefront. What had once been a window was now just a hole, the grey brick around it badly cracked. Weeds had tried to take root around the building, but they¡¯d all withered and died.

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    The chimney poking out of the top of the building hadrgely fallen apart and was just a pile of bricks that vaguely resembled a rectangle.

    Arwin didn¡¯t even bother saying anything. If it had a forge, he didn¡¯t care what it was or what was wandering around near it. He staggered across the street and nearly tripped on the jagged, ill-kept steps leading inside. There were the remains of a rotting wooden door baring his way, but Arwin quite literally walked straight through it.

    Fragments of dust and rancid wood flew up around him as the door crunched. Arwin¡¯s eyes scanned the dust-covered interior of the building, instantlynding on the back, just beyond a counter.

    An open door led into another room where the tip of an anvil stuck out into view. Arwin increased his speed, pushing through the remains of the building. He stepped into the room at the back.

    What greeted him was far from inspiring. Piles of scrap metal were piled in the corners, and not a single part of it looked like it had been touched in years. And yet, tools still hung from the forge¡¯s walls. An anvil sat in its center, beside a pair of rotted buckets that had fallen in on themselves.

    Beyond them was the forge, cobbled brick leading up to the crumbled chimney that he¡¯d seen from above. There was still dry wood within it, ckened from being partially burnt. Mixed in with the wood was some charcoal, as if the smith who hadst used had tried to save money bybining the two. It wasn¡¯t much to work with, but it was all Arwin had, and he¡¯d be damned if he went out without giving his all.

    Arwin had never forged something himself, but he¡¯d closely overseen the manufacturing of his armor. A memory of the ck gemstone flitted through his mind and a bitter smile pulled at Arwin¡¯s lips.

    <em>I suppose I oversaw the forging of most of my armor, not all of it. </em>

    Either way, the first step he could recall was fire. And, to get fire, Arwin needed ¨C

    <em>There.</em>

    Sitting near the hearth was a ck brick. A piece of flint. It was mostly used up, but all he needed was a spark. Arwin heaved himself over to it, grabbing the piece of flint, and struck it with the dagger that he¡¯d taken from the thief.

    It scraped against the flint, sending up a tiny cloud of dust and doing nothing more. Undeterred, Arwin struck it again.

    And again.

    The fourth time, his efforts were rewarded. A tiny spark leapt as he struck the flint,nding on one of the dry, burnt pieces of wood nestled amongst the charcoal. Perhaps fortune smiled on Arwin, or perhaps the gods were smiling on him. Regardless of the reason, the spark took. He struck the flint a few more times until a tiny fire started to spread across the dry wood.

    Arwin fanned the mes as they grew, flitting across the dry wood and quickly filling the hearth. He grabbed the handles of the bellows, squeezing them desperately and pumping air into the me.

    In minutes, a fire started to roar. Arwin¡¯s stomach reminded him that he didn¡¯t have minutes to work with. At any point, his time would run out and he would die.

    <em>I¡¯m not even guaranteed to make a magical item. I hardly know what I¡¯m doing, but I have no choice but to try. </em>

    Arwin staggered over to the pile of metal and grabbed a piece, barely pausing for long enough to check how good it looked. They were all garbage, and he didn¡¯t need to make a work of art.

    He practically threw it into the fire, then immediately remembered that he had to take it back out. Cursing under his breath and pumping the bellows to keep the me going, Arwin scanned the room once more. There was a poker already resting in the hearth, but it wasn¡¯t exactly what he needed.

    His eyesnded on a pair of crusty tongs lying on the ground in a pile of rotted wood. Beside it, leaning against the anvil, was an old hammer. The wood making up its handle didn¡¯t look particrly reliable, but it was better than nothing.

    Arwin turned his attention back to the piece of metal. It was only barely starting to heat, but he didn¡¯t have any way to make it hot faster. All he could do was continue pumping the bellows, gritting his teeth as the pain continued to scale.

    It was another five precious minutester when the metal finally seemed hot enough to work with. Arwin released the bellows, lurching forward and grabbing the tongs with fumbling fingers.

    He stuffed them into the hearth, sending out a shower of sparks as he grabbed the slightly reddened piece of metal and mmed it onto the anvil. Snagging the hammer with his other hand, Arwin brought it down on the piece of metal.

    It struck with a resounding ng, and Arwin immediately found a problem. The hearth hadn¡¯t been anywhere near hot enough, and the metal had only slightly bent at his strike. The amount of time it would take to let the hearth heat properly was too great, though.

    Arwin raised his arm and called on [Scourge]. His hand fell, power infused into his muscles, and he struck the metal again. This time, it gave beneath the blow and bent. Arwin suppressed a pained grin and raised the hammer once more.

    If he didn¡¯t have time, he¡¯d just have to cut a few corners. Over and over, Arwin¡¯s hammer fell on the strip of metal.

    He ttened it out, using the tongs to hold it in ce as he pounded away. Arwin stuck it back into the hearth as it cooled, then pulled it back out as soon as it felt ready to work with. He had absolutely no idea how to forge just about anything, but a bracelet seemed easy enough. It was just a circle, after all.

    He hammered at the metal again, starting to put a curve into the metal. With every blow, he felt the molten coal inside his stomach start to burn hotter. Time was nearly up.

    But nearly wasn¡¯t the same thing aspletely, and so he kept at it. The strip of metal started to curve, and the two pieces finally came around to touch each other. It was, without a doubt, the ugliest bracelet that Arwin had ever seen.

    And yet, a bracelet it still was.

    Even though it still glowed with faint heat, Arwin felt the Mesh rise up within him.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Garbage Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [The First Step] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[The First Step] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first item.</em> Effects: Your first item has been granted magic. May it serve you well. <em>This achievement has been consumed upon creation of your first item. </em></strong>

    The Mesh traced words through the air as Arwin inspected his newly made bracelet.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Garbage Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Running Hot]: This item was forged hastily, imbuing it with the panic of a dying candle. While wearing it, you may use a small amount of your magical energy to imbue your attacks with the Fire element. </strong>

    Arwin could have cried in relief. He grabbed the Bracelet, the heat still singing his skin, and brought the bracelet to his mouth. It was a monumentally stupid idea to try to bite down on a piece of hot metal, but he had no idea how else he was meant to eat something.

    As his mouth opened and his teeth touched the bracelet, a surge of energy raced down his body and into his stomach. The metal groaned within his mouth. And then, with a loud crack, it shattered.

    Relief flooded through Arwin as the pain started to abate. He chewed, unaware and uncaring of how he was eating straight metal as if it were bread, and then swallowed. The pain continued to recede, but Arwin wasn¡¯t taking any chances.

    He took another bite from the bracelet, grinding the metal between his teeth. As Arwin went to take another bite, he heard a foot fall behind him. He turned, still chewing on metal, as five cloaked men stepped into the shop, their weapons drawn.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Arwin asked, taking another bite from his bracelet. The taste was starting to grow on him. It almost felt a little bit spicy, but that might have been his tongue burning. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±

    ¡°This is the guy that roughed Blin up?¡± one of the men asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± another said, tapping his nose. ¡°Followed him here.¡±

    The first man nced at thergest with an ufortable frown. ¡°Boss, I¨C¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± therge man snapped. ¡°You don¡¯t fiddle with the Brothers Six and just waltz off. He only got a dagger, idiots.¡±

    ¡°Brothers Six? What are you, a circus troupe?¡± Arwin asked. He finished off thest of his bracelet, then let out a slow sigh. Thest traces of pain had finally vanished.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Garbage Quality] has been consumed. Trait temporarily added: Running Hot. </strong>

    Heat coiled in Arwin¡¯s fists, and a cold smile split his lips. He could think properly again. ¡°Get out, you corny shits. I value my solitude.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who calls the shots here,¡± therge man said, pointing his sword at Arwin. Magic crackled around his hand and entered the de, igniting it with hissing yellow lightning. ¡°And you¡¯re paying in blood for what you did.¡±

    <em>Of course he¡¯s got magic. This is going to be a little more annoying than I was hoping for. </em>

    ¡°Idiots.¡± Arwin grabbed the poker from the hearth and pulled it free, its tip glowing red-hot. ¡°Come on, then. I can¡¯t say I enjoy moving much after a meal, but I¡¯ll make an exception if it shuts you up.¡±

 Chapter 3: Forge

    Chapter 3: Forge

    The first man charged. Arwin took care to avoid getting a good look at his face. In hister years of fighting against the monster horde, he¡¯d taken to avoiding staring into someone¡¯s eyes as they died.

    At first, he¡¯d always seen monsters as nothing more than mindless killers that sought blood because it was their nature.

    That wasn¡¯t true. It was said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, and Arwin had seen everything in the eyes of those he had cut down. He had seen desperation ¨C he had seen fruitless hope ¨C and, inevitably, he had seen death.

    It was much easier to kill without looking at the eyes. Arwin leaned back, letting the thief¡¯s dagger sh past his face, and brought his fist up. He fed a small amount of magical power into his hand, and heat surged around it as his knuckles connected with the man¡¯s chin.

    There was a loud crack as the thief¡¯s head snapped back. Fire red around Arwin, scorching the man badly. He let out a terrified scream, but Arwin didn¡¯t leave him to suffer long. His fist crashed back down, taking the man in the head and putting him to eternal sleep.

    ¡°I already gave one of you a second chance,¡± Arwin said as the man crumpled at his feet. He turned to the others, who were staring in disbelief at the speed that their ally had been killed. ¡°If you take one step closer, you will meet the same fate.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t expect his words to work. Nobody had ever taken him up on them before. But, to his surprise, one of the four remaining men turned on his heel and fled. Thergest of them called out a curse, but the man didn¡¯t heed it.

    ¡°He is wiser than you,¡± Arwin said, pointing his hot poker at them like a sword. ¡°Last chance.¡±

    ¡°Murderer!¡± the boss screamed, charging at Arwin. Lightning crackled around his body and gathered at the tip of his sword.<em>Could you telegraph that any harder?</em>

    Arwin lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding the magic. It mmed into the ground where he¡¯d been standing with a loud crack, shattering the stone and sending up a wisp of smoke. The other two men sprinted toward Arwin as well, aiming to surround him.

    He didn¡¯t n to give them a chance. Arwin lunged, driving his hot poker for therge man¡¯s back. To Arwin¡¯s surprise, the thief was decent with his de. He knocked Arwin¡¯s attack to the side, then swung for his head.

    Arwin ducked the blow, then twisted out of the way as one of the other men tried to stab at him. He went to dodge an attack from the third man, but for some reason, it never came. Arwin didn¡¯t question his luck and lunged again, this time drawing on [Scourge].

    Therge thief made to block Arwin¡¯s attack again, but this time, his sword rang off the hot poker like he was a child batting at a bear. His eyes only had an instant to widen before Arwin¡¯s makeshift weapon ran him through between the eyes.

    Arwin ripped the poker free and spun, raising it defensively just in time to block a desperate blow. For an instant, he locked eyes with a terrified thief. Then Arwin¡¯s poker struck again, and another corpse fell to the floor.

    <em>Damn it. One more memory to add to the pile. </em>

    He turned in search of the final man, then blinked. The man was right in front of him ¨C his throat slit. Behind him stood the girl with blonde hair, a dagger clutched in her hands.

    She quickly dropped the de and raised her hands into the air. ¡°I ¨C I was just trying to help. Please don¡¯t kill me.¡±

    Arwin nced back down at the dead men, then let his poker lower. ¡°I didn¡¯t need help.¡±

    ¡°I could tell,¡± the girl said. She swallowed. ¡°But even a master swordsman can slip on a rock.¡±

    A small grin tugged at the corner of Arwin¡¯s lips. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong, and I¡¯m no master swordsman. I¡¯m only twenty-five. Why did you help?¡±

    ¡°Because you helped me. That¡¯s how it works.¡±

    Arwin nearlyughed, but he caught himself at thest second. If that was actually how the world worked, then it would have been a far better ce. If that was how the world worked, the guild wouldn¡¯t have betrayed him after he¡¯d given his life for them.

    A flicker of anger passed through Arwin¡¯s eyes, but he wrestled himself under control. The guild¡¯s time woulde.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    <em>Well, the guild or whoever it was within it that took me down. For now, the entire guild will have to be suspect until I learn more. </em>

    ¡°An old sentiment that I do not believe many mirror. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Reya.¡±

    ¡°I am Arwin.¡± He wasn¡¯t worried about sharing his real name ¨C almost nobody in this world actually knew him as anything other than the Hero. His name was one of the few things that he hadn¡¯t lost when he was summoned from earth.

    Reya gave him a small nod, her shoulders rxing. Arwin wasn¡¯t surprised ¨C generally, people didn¡¯t kill people that they gave their names to. Then again, there were some that always asked for the name of a worthy opponent. He wasn¡¯t going to remind her of those, though.

    Kneeling beside therge thief, Arwin took the sword from his hands. To his disappointment, the sword was as in as in could be. There was nothing magical about it. He set it to the side and went through the rest of the men¡¯s pockets, gathering their weapons and belongings.

    His efforts were not well rewarded. Aside from a small pile of daggers and two swords, all he managed to get his hands on was a meagre nine gold. When Arwin looked back up, he found Reya still standing in ce.

    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°We¡¯re even.¡±

    Reya shifted ufortably as Arwin¡¯s gaze bore into her eyes. She looked away from him, suddenly finding a pile of rotting wood fascinating. ¡°You just killed the rest of my guild.¡±

    ¡°Those idiots were your guild? You weren¡¯t even in the name.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. There aren¡¯t a lot of options. They seemed fine enough when I joined, but¡­¡± Reya trailed off, then shrugged. ¡°I was wrong. I tried to leave, and you saw how that turned out in the alleyway. I¡¯m not great at frontal confrontations. The Mesh hasn¡¯t graced me with a ss yet, so I¡¯m not too strong either. I didn¡¯t have a good way to fight back when they were watching me.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you should learn how to use a sword.¡±

    That clearly wasn¡¯t the answer Reya had been expecting. She winced, then gave him a small shrug. ¡°I guess. I¡¯m not very strong, and I don¡¯t really love fighting. I¡¯m much better at nicking things.¡±

    ¡°And you are telling me this because¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re moving in, right?¡± Reya nced around the crumbling smithy, then cleared her throat. ¡°I was¡­ uh, hoping you might be recruiting.¡±

    Arwin blinked in confusion. ¡°Recruiting? For what?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something. A gang?¡±

    A snort slipped out of Arwin¡¯s nose. He grabbed the dead men¡¯s bodies and dragged them over to the corner, stacking them until he could figure out what to do with the bodies. ¡°I¡¯m not starting a gang.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Reya twiddled her thumbs, but she still made no signs of leaving. Arwin nced down at his hands. They were wet with blood. Letting out a sigh, he turned to face her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ally with people you fear.¡±

    <em>And I don¡¯t want to deal with anyone right now. I just want to be left alone. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s better than getting stabbed in the back while I¡¯m sleeping.¡±

    ¡°There are a bunch of empty houses on this street. Go take one of those.¡±

    ¡°I might run into one of the other gangs,¡± Reya said, wincing at the re in Awin¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you want me to leave, I¡¯ll leave. I just thought it could be mutually beneficial.¡±

    ¡°Mutually beneficial? How so?¡±

    She turned,tching onto the small branch that Arwin had unwittingly extended. ¡°What do you need? I can do it for you. I¡¯m not the best at fighting, but I¡¯m great at stealing things. People tell me things too. I can get information, or I could find other gangs for you to take over. You really wiped those guys out, so I bet¨C¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to stave off the flood of words. He didn¡¯t relish the idea of stealing from anyone or going around murdering all the criminals hiding in the slums of the city, but information ¨C that was something he needed more than anything else. ¡°You said you could get information?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s about anything or anyone in Milten, I¡¯ll get it. I swear. Give me a test to let me join your gang. I¡¯ll pass it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not starting a gang,¡± Arwin snapped.

    <em>I¡¯m not a criminal. I do not kill needlessly ¨C and I definitely don¡¯t want to y politics with a bunch of idiots. </em>

    ¡°But I thought¨C¡±

    ¡°I am willing to trade,¡± Arwin said, cutting Reya off. ¡°And if you can bring me useful information, then I will not object to your presence so long as you remain silent when you do not need to speak. Is that eptable?¡±

    Reya opened her mouth, then closed it again. She very pointedly crept over to her dagger and, after a quick nce at Arwin to make sure he didn¡¯t object, picked it up and returned it to a sheathe at her side.

    She then, moving with the speed of a crippled sloth, inched her way over to the wall and sat down against it. The whole process took nearly a minute, and Arwin couldn¡¯t bring himself to do anything other than watch.

    <em>Is she screwing with me?</em>

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that quiet,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you if you sneeze. Just¡­ don¡¯t bother me.¡±

    Reya let out an explosive breath. ¡°Oh, thank the Mesh. I was going to suffocate from trying to breath quietly.¡±

    Arwin shook his head and turned back to the pile of scrap on the ground. He¡¯d figure out what to do with Reya ¨C and the bodies ¨Cter. Right now, the most pressing matter was still his magical affliction.

    He could still feel the energy from the bracelet burning within him, but there was no way to tell how long it wouldst. At any moment, the Mesh could warn him that his energy was going to consume him again, and he wouldn¡¯t have another guaranteed magical item to fall back on.

    <em>Up until now, I¡¯ve been running off luck. I need to take things into my own hands.</em>

    And, if he wanted to do that, it meant he was going to need to get to work. All Arwin had to work with was a run-down smithy, some shitty weapons, a pittance of gold, and metal that was little better than garbage. His lips pulled back in what might have been one of the first genuine smiles he¡¯d had in years.

    It was time to forge.

 Chapter 4: Tiers

    Chapter 4: Tiers

    Fire roared in Arwin¡¯s hearth. He¡¯d heated the hearth for thest twenty minutes, burning the wood within it to a crisp and bringing the piece of metal within it to a orange-red. There wasn¡¯t much charcoal left to burn in the first ce ¨C he was pretty sure his hearth would be out of fuel within the hour, but Arwin was determined to get everything he could out of it before his time ran out.

    The brick of metal that he¡¯d selected from the pile was far from perfect. Even he could see the imperfections running through it, but it wasn¡¯t like there was a manual he could reference.

    <em>Practice makes perfect. </em>

    Arwin grabbed the brick with his tongs, moving it over to the anvil and grabbing the hammer. He was a little drained from the fight, but there was still more than enough energy left in his body to power [Scourge] for a short while.

    The sound of ringing metal filled the old smithy as Arwin beat away at the brick, doing his best to shape it to his desires. Unfortunately, his best wasn¡¯t quite, well, the best. It was definitely taking on some semnce of a dagger, but that was about where it ended.

    What should have been a straight de was jagged and chipped, and the handle was more of a blobby tube. He hadn¡¯t even bothered trying to make a hilt ¨C that was beyond him at the moment.

    He¡¯d been at it for about an hour. The hearth was dying down to embers, and his reserves of magical energy had almostpletely been drained. For thest half of the hour, he¡¯d just been beating away at the dagger with his normal strength.

    With no more fire to reheat the weapon, Arwin was forced to lower the hammer and study his creation. He was pretty sure he was meant to quench it to ensure the steel cooled properly or something along those lines, but he doubted the dagger could actually get worse.

    <em>It¡¯s hideous. </em>And, worse, when Arwin studied it, the Mesh gave him nothing. The weapon wasn¡¯t magical. It was just a dagger. But, in spite of all that, he couldn¡¯t keep a grin from his face. He¡¯d <em>made </em>something.

    Instead of taking life, he¡¯d created something, purely because he wanted to. And, as far as daggers went, he was pretty sure this one wouldn¡¯t be killing anyone anytime soon. A satisfied chuckle slipped from his lips as he walked in a circle around the anvil.

    Reya watched him with a mildly confused expression on her face, but she didn¡¯t say anything. A few minutes passed before Arwin touched the dagger with the back of his hand, making sure it was cool enough to hold before picking it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nice,¡± Reya said hesitantly.

    ¡°It is a good start,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°And, speaking of starts, I think you should get one as well.¡±

    She scrambled to her feet, straightening out her shirt and giving him a sharp salute. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Arwin stared at her. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Saluting.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    Reya let her hand drop. ¡°Okay. I thought we might be mercenaries since we weren¡¯t a gang.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how ¨C ah, never mind. I want you to get information of everyone that lives on this street. Do you think you could do that safely?¡±

    Reya gave Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°Yeah, sure. I already know some of it, so I don¡¯t think it should be too hard. I can figure it out by tomorrow.¡±

    <em>That fast?</em>

    Arwin didn¡¯t bother questioning her. He just shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be here. Probably.¡±

    With one final nod, Reya turned and jogged out the door. Once she left, Arwin turned back to the bodies that were starting to stink up his shop and scrunched his nose in distaste.

    <em>I¡¯m not used to having to dispose of the kills I leave behind. I wonder if there¡¯s a ditch somewhere I can toss them into. I definitely don¡¯t want to go around dragging a corpse behind me in broad daylight, though. Good way to piss off a guard. But first¡­ they¡¯ve got some clothes. Waste not, want not. </em>

    ***

    There was indeed a ditch. It was down the street and behind a crumbling stone building one firm breeze away from copse. While it wasn¡¯t as deep as Arwin had hoped, it was still more than enough to toss a few naked bodies into. Their clothes now rested in a corner of his smithy, with one set having reced the rags that Arwin had been wearing.

    He shoved some dirt over the top of the corpses, moving just enough to cover them before heading back to the forge. Arwin couldn¡¯t be bothered giving them a proper burial ¨C it would have taken too long, and there were other things he wanted to do.

    <em>Criminals, the Guild¡¯s adventurers, monsters; is there really any difference? Nobody gave my friends proper burials when they died. It¡¯s just life ¨C and I don¡¯t want anything more with the guild, the monsters, or any of that. Not yet, at least. Not until I¡¯m ready to make them pay for what they did. </em>

    Arwin paused by a wooden building on his way back to the smithy. He nced around, but the street waspletely empty. He poked his head inside, but it was just as deste as the street.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like anyone is living here,¡± Arwin mused. He didn¡¯t even want to risk going too far inside, so he gathered as much fallen wood as he could carry, then piled it into his arms and lugged everything back to his smithy.

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    The pathetic excuse for a dagger that he had forged wasn¡¯t enough. It was a start, but Arwin had never been a fan of mediocrity. As soon as he got back, he added some of the wood into the hearth and brushed the splinters out of his shirt and arms.

    <em>I still need oil to quench the stuff I forge, but that cer. Right now, I just need to work on my technique. </em>

    Arwin struck the flint with his shoddy dagger and a spark leapt onto the dry wood. It caught quickly, and he turned his attention to the bellows, pumping air into the me. He couldn¡¯t help but notice the cracks running along the leather that made up the back of his bellows.

    It probably wouldn¡¯t be too long before they broke, but that was another problem forter. Right now, the only thing that mattered was practice. Sweat beaded at Arwin¡¯s brow as he worked the forge.

    Minutes stretched on. The ringing of his hammer filled the forge, bearing with it a strange but wee sense of peace. All but smithing faded, leaving Arwin in a trance as he worked.

    As his hammer rose and fell, he could start to see another dagger take shape before him. Every blow he made felt more intentional ¨C and more effective. He alternated between using [Scourge] and just striking the metal purely on instinct, immersing himselfpletely in the process.

    In and out of the mes the block of metal went, taking more and more shape with every pass. At some point, Arwin finished. He barely even registered it. The new dagger was better than the first, but it still wasn¡¯t what he wanted.

    Not even stopping for a rest, Arwin grabbed another piece of scrap metal and threw it into the hearth.

    The cycle continued. Hours ground by, and daggers piled at Arwin¡¯s feet. He reced the wood in the forge as it burned away, chewing through his pile of liberated fuel without even realizing it. The bellows groaned and creaked with every movement, but still Arwin ground on.

    His entire upper body was soaked with sweat, but there was something primal about the whole process. A grin pulled across his face, growing wider with every strike until he was nearlyughing with joy.

    Forging felt incredible. He was exerting his will on a mere block of metal, and that block was transforming into the item that he envisioned within his mind. And, with every ringing strike, Arwin could tell he understood the material he was working with just a little better.

    It was brittle and of poor quality, but just as Arwin desired to form it into something more than trash, the metal had simr longing. He wouldn¡¯t im that the metal lived, but he would have sworn on his life that it <em>desired. </em>

    Just like everything else, the metal sought a purpose. It was more than trash, but it had been left to rot for who knew how long. To a random smith, the voice of the metal likely would have been indiscernible ¨C but Arwin was not just an amateur smith. He was potential. And, once he started to understand the longing of the metal, the world shifted.

    Parts of the metal glowed. At first, Arwin thought it to be residual heat from the forge, but he quickly realized that it was a different light. This one was a faint, warm yellow as opposed to the cherry red of the hearth.

    Every time Arwin¡¯s hammer struck, the changes to the dagger became even more noticeable. The metal was telling him what it wanted to be. It was guiding his hand.

    And, as Arwin raised his hammer to deliver another blow, he paused. The glow had vanished. He had no idea how long he¡¯d been working on the de, but the fire in the forge had dwindled to dull embers.

    A dagger sat on the anvil before him, and it actually looked like a dagger. It was in and didn¡¯t even have a hilt, but it was a dagger ¨C just one without an edge. Arwin¡¯s eyes scanned the room in search of something to sharpen the de with, and theynded on a circr stone in the corner of the room that he¡¯d overlooked before.

    Walking over to it, Arwin was mildly relieved to find that it was indeed a whetstone. He was less relieved to find it was barely in workable condition, but anything was better than nothing. He worked the de of the dagger against the stone, alternating sides and slowly bringing a sharp edge to the de.

    His efforts were slow, and they smarted of inexperience, but the dagger sharpened, nheless. And, after some time, he found himself holding a piece of metal that could be considered apleted product.

    Before Arwin could so much as smile, he felt something stir within him as the Mesh burst forth.

    <strong>[Dagger: Poor Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank. </strong>

    <strong>[Broken Bearer of Last Light] has been consumed. </strong>

    Arwin¡¯sughter echoed through the forge. The Mesh had recognized his efforts. He¡¯d created another magical item, and this time entirely without the Mesh just handing it to him. Arwin picked the dagger up and inspected it.

    <strong>Dagger: Poor Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder. </strong>

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Arwin breathed, holding the dagger out before him and watching the ember light reflect off its de. He¡¯d seen many weapons in his years of work. He¡¯d wielded artifacts that could topple cities and tossed them aside when even more powerful ones came along ¨C but not once had he ever seen one that lived, much less had the potential to change. It wasn¡¯t much now, but with enough time, it could be quite an interesting weapon.

    <em>Not bad at all. Maybe I can sell this for a bit of gold and get a few improvements to the smithy. I¡¯ll have to find out how fast it grows. If it¡¯s fast, it might be incredibly expensive. I have no need for a dagger, but this has immense potential. </em>

    Arwin set the dagger back down, then turned his eyes back to the forge. His eyes flicked over to the remainder of his dwindling wood pile. There was still more scrap, there was still more wood, and the night was still young.

    <em>But first, I have more power to work with. When was thest time I was excited about growing stronger? I can¡¯t remember, but I can¡¯t wait to see what skills I can unlock. </em>

    The Mesh bloomed before Arwin, golden letters scrawling through the air before his eyes.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 2)</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong>

    Arwin reached out to see what new skills he could earn. As soon as his finger touched the golden lettering, it dissipated into dozens of little motes of light that formed into new words.

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>[Hammering Blows] (Passive) ¨C <em>Your efforts in the smithy have granted you increased strength and efficiency. All hammer strikes will be stronger and faster, scaling based off your Tier. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Soul me] ¨C <em>Passion burns within you with such intensity that it can heat metal. You may draw out your Soul me, empowering the fire of your forge, but be wary ¨C any magical damage done to the Soul me will transfer onto your soul. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Avenging Strike] ¨C <em>War is no stranger to you, and your hammer crushes bones and metal alike. Spend a portion of magical energy to empower your next hammer strike. It will strike living beings harder than non-living ones, scaling based off your Tier. </em></strong>

 Chapter 5: Gifts

    Chapter 5: Gifts

    Arwin dismissed [Avenging Strike] immediately. He was already good enough at killing things, and while he suspected [Avenging Strike] and [Scourge] would likely stack on top of each other, he really had no desire to take anotherbat skill.

    Both of the other two Skills were interesting, though. [Hammering Blows] would make smithing considerably faster. It didn¡¯t sound very impressive, but over time, it was likely to save him thousands of hours.

    [Soul me] was a little less clear with exactly what it did. Having an endless source of fire was definitely useful, but the skill had used the word <em>empowering</em>, implying it did more than just rece normal me.

    If that was the case, Arwin was willing to sacrifice efficiency for potential. He could always get stronger and faster with time. And, if [Soul me] gave him a higher chance to imbue his weapons with magic, then it was a shoe-in.

    Arwin selected the middle skill, and the other two shimmered and faded away. Energy trickled through his body, and he felt a faint heat form within his chest. As soon as he turned his attention to it, the heat intensified.

    Holding a hand out, Arwin drew the warmth through his arm and into his palm. A dull yellow spark formed in the air between Arwin¡¯s fingers, swirling into an orb of me. It crackled patiently, waiting for him to do something.

    Even though the fire was warm, it didn¡¯t feel <em>hot. </em>Arwin reached out, holding the back of his other hand against the me. It wasn¡¯t ufortable. If anything, it just felt like he was holding a loaf of freshly baked bread.

    He touched the fire. To his delight, it didn¡¯t burn him. Arwin walked over to the pile of wood and picked up a small piece, holding it to the fire. The wood crackled, starting to smoke. He pulled it away before it could properly catch fire ¨C there wasn¡¯t enough of it to waste.

    ¡°So it can¡¯t burn me, but it¡¯s definitely real fire,¡± Arwin said. He closed his fist around the me and it vanished, darting back into the center of his body. ¡°That¡¯s useful already. I suppose it¡¯ll remain to be seen exactly what it can do, but there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡±Fire coiled from Arwin¡¯s palm, catching onto the wood in the hearth and igniting with a <em>whoomph</em>. Golden-yellow light washed over him, bringing with it aforting warmth. The wood crackled merrily, though it didn¡¯t smell quite as great as he¡¯d hoped.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s what I get for working with rotten wood,¡± Arwin grumbled. He held a hand out toward the fire, testing its heat. To his delight, it wasn¡¯t too hot. In fact, it felt identical to the normal ball of [Soul me].

    In what was probably the nightmare of any parent with an overly curious child, he stuck his hand right into the me. And, to his delight, it didn¡¯t burn in the slightest. The me was nothing more than aforting caress.

    Arwin grabbed a piece of scrap metal and stuck it into the me, turning his attention to the bellows to heat the hearth to even greater degrees. He continued until the mes roared furiously and the metal within them had turned a deep golden orange.

    Once he was confident the heat was high enough, Arwin held his hand out, leaning back to make sure his clothes didn¡¯t catch. While his body might have been safe, he only had a few pairs of clothes and he wasn¡¯t eager to identally set any of them on fire.

    The heat was just asfortable as it had been before. Arwin brought his hand closer to the piece of metal, but he couldn¡¯t feel any real difort from being near it. Using a single pinky, he tapped it.

    Nothing.

    Arwin grinned. He wrapped his hand around the bar. It was hot, but not unbearably so. A chuckle slipped from his lips.

    ¡°That¡¯s a fun little trick. Now¡­ let¡¯s see. What would this bar like to be?¡±

    ***

    Arwin was still working the forge when Reya returned. He barely even noticed her enter, and didn¡¯t spot her until he reached for the small sword in the furnace with his bare hands.

    ¡°Careful!¡± Reya yelled.

    Arwin froze, spinning to look back at her. She flinched at his gaze.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°You ¨C you were going to reach into the fire with your bare hand,¡± Reya said. ¡°I was worried you¡¯d burn yourself.¡±

    Arwin blinked, then chuckled. He held a hand out, pulling the burning fire from the hearth and into his palm. The hearth went dark instantly. He¡¯d been working with his Soul me for the past few hours, but he loved his choice already. Any me that he made waspletely safe to work with.

    He looked down at the crooked sword on the anvil before him and grimaced. Despite his best efforts, he¡¯d been unable to re-create his experience with the dagger. He¡¯d certainly gotten close ¨C at times, he could have sworn that the metal was speaking to him.

    But, at some point, he¡¯d lost its voice. Something had gone wrong, and he was left with a sharp piece of scrap. It was still leaps and bounds better than some of the work he¡¯d done earlier, though.

    <em>Oh well. Practice is practice. Can¡¯t get good at something without failing in the process. </em>

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Arwin blinked, realizing that he¡¯d been ignoring Reya. He turned back to her. Her eyes were transfixed on the dagger that he¡¯d made some time ago. ¡°Did you need something?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry. I got distracted,¡± Reya said, yanking her eyes away from the dagger. ¡°You¡­ uh¡­ have an interesting dagger. It might be a good idea not to leave that lying around, sir.¡±

    <em>Shit. Even though it¡¯s pretty useless right now, this is probably a pretty decent weapon even in its current, untested state. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s just a test,¡± Arwin said, picking the dagger up and holding it out so it caught the dim light of the moon shining down through the cracks in the smithy. ¡°Turned out decently enough, I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡°You made that?¡± Reya stared at Arwin, then swallowed and shook her head. ¡°I ¨C never mind. Sir, I¡¯ve got the information you asked me to get.¡±

    Arwin hadpletely forgotten that he¡¯d asked Reya to get anything for him. He lowered the dagger, then cleared his throat and gestured for her to continue. ¡°Ah. Right. Out with it, then. What did you find?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t too many people that really live in this area that make themselves known. There are a fair number of small-time thieves, murderers, and the lot,¡± Reya said, confidence starting to seep into her tone as she spoke. ¡°The main people that controlled this area were the Brothers Six. They mostly had the street about ten minutes away from here, since nobody actually lives on this one. You know, I only remembered there was a smithy here because I kept thinking how much money I could make if I stole the anvil. Never got around to it because of the rumors of a ghost ¨C and the fact that I wasn¡¯t strong enough to lug it out. I guess they¡¯re the Brothers One-and-a-half now, though.¡±

    ¡°One and a half?¡±

    ¡°One fled and you crushed the other one¡¯s wrist back in the alley before smacking his brains in.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hit him that hard.¡±

    Reya stared at Arwin. ¡°Right. Brothers Two, then.¡±

    Arwin sighed. ¡°Those jokers were the ones controlling this area?¡±

    ¡°Not all of it, but a good part of it,¡± Reya confirmed. She tilted her head to the side, digging through her thoughts before speaking again. ¡°Nobody else sticks around long, though. The rumors of the street being haunted are enough to make sure nobody dares try anything. There are a <em>lot </em>of people that go missing around these parts. Even the Brothers Six kept to the streets around this and did their best to avoid this particr one.¡±

    Arwin shrugged. ¡°Okay. Anyone else?¡±

    ¡°Not really. There were a few people passing through, but everyone here is jumpy. I asked everyone I saw, but most people just ignored me.¡±

    Arwin started to nod again, then paused. ¡°Wait. You just¡­ asked them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I just wandered through all the houses and asked what they were doing and how long they¡¯d be there. Almost everyone ignored me.¡±

    <em>Well, nobody can say that she isn¡¯t efficient. She¡¯s certainly bold as well. If she¡¯s worried about fighting, shouldn¡¯t she be at least a little more apprehensive about strolling up and starting chats with known criminals?</em>

    ¡°Were any of the passersby interesting?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say. One of them was so drunk that he couldn¡¯t understand a single word that came out of my mouth. I¡¯m pretty sure the one that got him drunk was ady that imed she was starting a tavern, but I¡¯m also pretty sure she was drunk too.¡±

    Arwin snorted. ¡°I¡¯d agree with your assessment there. Nobody is starting a tavern where there¡¯s literally no one around to sell to that isn¡¯t going to just try to rob you. Who else?¡±

    ¡°Just a few thieves and cutthroats. I let them know to stay away from the smithy if they knew what was good for them.¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side. Threats didn¡¯t usually go well if you didn¡¯t have the strength to back them up, and Reya had yet to give him any reason to believe that she did. ¡°I see. And how did that go?¡±

    ¡°Not great, until I told them to go look in the ditch where you tossed the Brothers.¡±

    ¡°You found that? I thought I buried them well enough.¡±

    Reya stared at Arwin, a grin starting to cross her face but fading quickly when she realized he wasn¡¯t joking. She cleared her throat, then nodded. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Really well buried. The, uh, wind kind of just¡­ unveiled them. It isn¡¯t your fault, though. It happens all the time.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to butter me up,¡± Arwin said, rolling his eyes. ¡°They clearly weren¡¯t buried quite enough. No matter. It sounds like that turned out to be useful. Is there anything else I should know?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the street being haunted?¡±

    ¡°The street seems fine to me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The only people haunting it are the idiots that tried to kill me.¡±

    Reya nced over her shoulder, then rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­ considerably less terrifying than I thought it would be. Maybe all the rumors of it being cursed were fake, or maybe the ghost left after scaring everyone off.¡±

    ¡°Whatever the reason, I¡¯m d for it. It made someone leave behind a whole smithy, even if it¡¯s in horrid condition,¡± Arwin said. ¡°No other problems, then?¡±

    Reya¡¯s stomach grumbled. Loudly. Her cheeks reddened and she hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No. Nothing at all. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Arwin let a small smile cross his features. Even though he¡¯d only known her for a short while, the girl was starting to grow on him. She reminded him of ke. An image of his former friend¡¯s ssy, dead eyes staring up at Arwin shed through his mind.

    The smile that had been forming cracked like a dropped pane of ss. He couldn¡¯t remember what the man ¨C little more than a boy when he¡¯d died ¨C even looked like anymore. ke had been one of the earliest people he¡¯d made friends with in this world, and he¡¯d been one of the earliest to die.

    Arwin shook his head and took the dagger, tossing it to Reya. Her eyes widened and she snagged it by the handle before it could hit the ground.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to go around threatening people, you should have something that lets you back it up,¡± Arwin said. The dagger had an interesting effect, but he wasn¡¯t about to go around stabbing people to see how well it worked. Besides, its make was still a little shoddy. It was a far cry from the beautiful weaponry and armor that he envisioned himself making in the future. ¡°I¡¯d suggest finding a way to conceal it, though. I¡¯d be embarrassed if people thought I was going around selling sub-par equipment.¡±

    Reya stared at the dagger in disbelief. ¡°And¡­ I can have it?¡±

    ¡°Just make sure to put it to use on people that actually deserve it,¡± Arwin said with a wave of his hand. ¡°And tell me how fast it grows, if you would.¡±

    Reya¡¯s hand snapped up to her head in a salute. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me sir,¡± Arwin grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-five.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±

    ¡°Commander?¡±

    ¡°Just call me Arwin,¡± Arwin said, massaging his forehead. ¡°And let¡¯s go back to Rule 1.¡±

    ¡°Rule 1?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me,¡± Arwin said, turning back to his forge. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bag of coins he¡¯d collected, tossing it to Reya. ¡°Go see if you can get dinner. Eat, then bring me back whatever is left. I¡¯ll be here.¡±

    Reya swallowed, nearly giving him another salute before she stopped herself and settled for a nod. She darted out of the crumbling smithy and Arwin turned back to his forge, his fingers twitching in excitement.

    There was still much to do, and he wasn¡¯t even slightly tired.

 Chapter 6: Deals

    Chapter 6: Deals

    Reya¡¯s heart raced in her chest. She could feel the dagger in its sheath at her side like a hot coal. Even though nobody could tell what it was while it was hidden, she couldn¡¯t help but feel like every single eye in the darkness was watching her every move.

    <em>This is the most incredible weapon I¡¯ve ever seen in my life, and he just¡­ gave it to me? For free? Who in the Nine Undends did I find?</em>

    A shiver ran down Reya¡¯s back. Arwin terrified her, but for all the wrong reasons. She would have taken him to be an adventurer if she¡¯d run into him on the street, but his eyes burned with an intensity that Reya had never seen before.

    Whenever he locked eyes with her, it felt like she was trying to stare down a volcano that was just waiting to erupt. The casual ease he¡¯d handled the Brothers Six made it absolutely clear that Arwin didn¡¯t belong in Milten.

    Reya didn¡¯t know where he¡¯de from or what his goals were ¨C and she didn¡¯t care. She¡¯d lived on the streets for long enough to know that attaching herself to someone strong was the best way to stay alive.

    Unfortunately, she¡¯d had pretty poor luck with that in the past. Her lips pressed thin and she shook her head. Arwin cared so little about her that she didn¡¯t suspect she even properly registered in his eyes, and that was just fine with her.

    <em>So long as he keeps his space and I keep mine, I might be able to actually sit around and gather a little wealth for myself. I¡¯m fed up with getting robbed every single time I gather up enough coin to get out of this shithole. </em>

    The thought of coin sent a tiny sliver of guilt through Reya. Distributed across her body in a dozen small pouches was well over a hundred gold ¨C all the savings she¡¯d managed to keep over the years.

    It was a pittance inparison to all the gold that had been stolen from her, but it was still everything she had. Arwin had been under the impression that she was broke, which was exactly what she expected. The less interesting she was to his eyes, the better.What she <em>hadn¡¯t </em>expected was for Arwin to offer to pay for her meal. Nine gold was far too much for two portions, but he¡¯d tossed it to her like it was nothing. Reya squished the guilt down.

    <em>The way he treats money and magical items means he¡¯s got to be pretty damn rich. I¡¯m not going to steal from him, but there¡¯s obviously no need for me to waste my coin when he¡¯s offering to feed me. </em>

    That didn¡¯t make the guilt sting any less. Reya¡¯s stomach rumbled again, the dull, gnawing pain in it reminding her that it had been far too long since she¡¯dst eaten. Her eyes flitted around the street.

    There really wasn¡¯t much in the way of food in the area. Nothing that wasn¡¯t dead rats, anyway. Reya grimaced. She would have loved nothing more than to head into the city proper and get a real meal, but that was a fantastic way to get herself killed. This street might have been haunted, but at least that meant it was abandoned.

    She¡¯d made a few too many enemies among the guards and criminal underground alike. The Brothers Six had been assholes, but everyone had hated them and they¡¯d been strong enough to maintain control over their territory.

    <em>Oh well. No use crying over spilled milk. I¡¯ll just head to one of the taverns at the edge of the slums. They¡¯re dangerous, but no more dangerous than pissing Arwin off. If I¡¯m in and out fast enough, I doubt anyone will recognize me. </em>

    Reya set off, but she barely managed to make it more than ten feet before a woman called out to her.

    ¡°Hey! You there!¡±

    Reya turned toward the voice. A tall woman with dark, bordering on purple skin waved to her. A ropey scar ran down one of the woman¡¯s eyes and her dark hair stuck out against the sttered apron she wore. She might have been attractive if she wasn¡¯t covered with dirt and grime. Her hands dripped with a dark red substance, and the stains on her apron were a matching color.

    It was the woman who had insisted she was starting a tavern.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Reya asked, putting a hand on the hilt of her dagger and turning her back to a wall. She wasn¡¯t about to get ambushed by some madwoman trying to stuff her into a stew.

    ¡°You look hungry,¡± the woman said,ing to a stop on the other side of the street.

    ¡°How does someone look hungry?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I¡¯m just wandering around.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± the woman said, her voice so dry that it could have grated wood. ¡°Sure you are. I smell the hunger on your breath.¡±

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re selling, but I¡¯m not interested,¡± Reya said with a shake of her head. ¡°And I¡¯m not¨C¡±

    Reya¡¯s stomach rumbled, and the woman sent her a pointed nce.

    ¡°Just one gold. Come on,¡± the woman offered. ¡°It¡¯ll be good.¡±

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.

    <em>Who in the Nine Undends charges an entire gold for a te of food? That better be something fit for nobles at that price, and I¡¯m pretty sure there aren¡¯t any nobles around here. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m not buying it,¡± Reya said. ¡°Literally and figuratively. One gold? Are you insane?¡±

    If anything, the woman just looked confused. Her brow furrowed and she pursed her lips. ¡°Oh. Is that too much?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too much!¡±

    ¡°What about a silver?¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be guessing about this kind of thing. Why are you asking me?¡± Reya asked. She scanned the road, but it didn¡¯t look like anyone else was there. It was just the two of them.

    <em>If this is a robbery, it¡¯s the strangest robbery I¡¯ve ever seen. </em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m new to this,¡± the woman said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m Lillia. You are?¡±

    Reya heaved a sigh and, against her better judgement, she answered. ¡°Reya. Look, you really shouldn¡¯t be doing this. You could get hurt.¡±

    For some reason, Lillia seemed to find that amusing. The corner of her mouth quirked up in amusement and she let out a small snort. ¡°Sure. Whatever. You want some food or not?¡±

    ¡°Depends,¡± Reya said suspiciously. ¡°Are you going to try to convince me to follow you into a dark alleyway and strip first? Because I¡¯m getting that kind of feeling from you.¡±

    ¡°What? No,¡± Lillia said, drawing thest word out and clearing her throat. She nced over her shoulder, nodding to a small stone building that looked like it had once been a restaurant or storefront. It was directly in the shadow of arger building, and Reya couldn¡¯t see more than a foot into the darkness. ¡°Just in there.¡±

    ¡°That is no better than a dark alleyway. If you think I¡¯m following you in there, you¡¯re delusional.¡±

    ¡°What if I bring the food out?¡± Lillia asked, almost desperately. ¡°It¡¯s going to go bad if nobody eats it, and everyone keeps ignoring me when I approach them on the street. Please?¡±

    Against Reya¡¯s better judgement, she let out a heavy sigh and inclined her head. The pleading expression on Lillia¡¯s face finally managed to chip away at her. ¡°Fine. One silver, and you¡¯re bringing it out here. Deal?¡±

    Lillia nodded, then quickly started backing away, not taking her eyes from Reya. She reached the edge of the door. ¡°Stay right there! I¡¯ll be right back!¡±

    Reya gave Lillia a fake smile and nodded. The other woman disappeared into he darkness, and the urge to turn and sprint in the other direction gripped Reya. She wasn¡¯t sure what stopped her.

    Perhaps it was the remnants of manners that she really had no ce in keeping, or perhaps it was sheer curiosity. Today ¨C though it was nearly tomorrow, if she was going by the position of the moon in the sky ¨C had been interesting.

    A few minutes passed before Lillia came out carrying arge te covered with a silver bowl. Reya¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. It wasn¡¯t the fanciest bowl she¡¯d ever seen, but it definitely resembled the tes that she¡¯d asionally seen served in fancy restaurants.

    Only when Lillia got closer and properly stepped into the moonlight did Reya realize what the bowl was. Rather than a smooth, glossy sheen, it was rough and bumpy. It looked like someone had hammered several sheets of trashy metal together. Nails jutted out of it at odd angles, and the whole thing was so roughly formed that she had to suspect it had been formed by hand rather than with tools.

    ¡°Here!¡± Lillia eximed, thrusting the bowl in Reya¡¯s direction. ¡°All yours.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks,¡± Reya said hesitantly. She eyed the handle, which was a random stone that had been stabbed into the top of the bowl. ¡°Should I open it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll charge you extra if you try to eat the metal as well.¡± Lillia didn¡¯t sound like she was joking.

    <em>She¡¯s definitely off her rocker. Or really, really drunk. I don¡¯t smell any alcohol on her breath, though. </em>

    ¡°Right. Logically,¡± Reya said with a smallugh. She grabbed the bowl by its makeshift handle and lifted it back.

    Her eyes widened. Sitting on the te were several drumsticks. From what bird, Reya wasn¡¯t sure. They were prettyrge, and while they barely looked seasoned, they had salt and pepper on them.

    She licked her lips. As far as food here went, she was practically staring down a feast. Reya pulled out the coins that Arwin had given her and handed Lillia a gold coin, taking the tray from her. ¡°You have change for that?¡±

    Lillia took the coin, eyeing it hungrily. She nced back to her, then reddened. ¡°Uh¡­ no. You¡¯re my first customer.¡±

    <em>Figures. </em>

    Reya scrunched her nose and took one of the drumsticks, taking a bite out of it. Juice dripped down her chin as she chewed and swallowed, her eyes widening. It wasn¡¯t the greatest meal she¡¯d ever had in her life, but it wasn¡¯t bad at all.

    ¡°Whoa. This isn¡¯t bad.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lillia beamed. ¡°It¡¯s my fourth serving today. The others didn¡¯t go nearly as well.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Reya asked through a mouthful of meat.

    ¡°Well, the feathers were really scratchy on the first one,¡± Lillia said, ticking a finger off on her hand. ¡°I removed them on the second bird, but its beak was kind of sharp. Also, I burnt that one ck. Burnt the third one too. This one turned out great, though!¡±

    ¡°So it did. What was the secret?¡±

    ¡°I killed it before putting it in the oven.¡±

    Reya nearly choked, but she managed to keep the food in her mouth. She¡¯d gone hungry too many times to waste it over anything like that. It was impossible to tell if Lillia was joking, but the woman looked dead serious.

    ¡°Oh. Well¡­ uh, congrattions,¡± Reya said. She took the other drumsticks from the te and handed it back to Lillia. ¡°How about this? You give me five more meals like this, and you can keep the gold.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s mouth split into a wide, hungry smile. A chill ran down Reya¡¯s spine as an ill feeling gripped her. It felt like a shadow had fallen over her shoulders. She spun, but there was nobody behind her.

    When Reya turned back, the feeling was gone.

    ¡°It sounds like we¡¯ve got a deal,¡± Lillia said with a nod. ¡°Could you tell anyone else you meet about my tavern as well? I¡¯m trying to build up some business.¡±

    Reya did her best not to send a pointed nce around the abandoned street. She just nodded. ¡°Okay. I will.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then.¡±

    With that, she turned and strode back into the darkness of her <em>tavern</em>. Reya squinted at it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t see into the darkness covering the windows.

    <em>Tavern my ass. More like a dungeon. </em>

    Shaking her head, Reya turned and headed back toward Arwin¡¯s smithy. At least she¡¯d managed to get them food for a fairly decent price, assuming Lillia hadn¡¯t scammed her. Another shiver ran down her spine and she nced over her shoulder.

    <em>I just got a pretty good deal. Why does it feel like I just made a huge mistake? </em>

 Chapter 7: Incident

    Chapter 7: Incident

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said, chewing and swallowing before speaking again. ¡°This is okay. I wasn¡¯t expecting there to be much of substance in the area.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Reya admitted. ¡°Turns out, thedy that wanted to start a tavern was serious about it. She promised to give us five more meals, free of charge.¡±

    The two of them had polished off the remaining drumsticks and had piled the bones between them. There weren¡¯t any chairs or a table in the smithy, so they just sat cross-legged on the floor. Arwin wasn¡¯t particrly bothered by the chill, but Reya had progressively scooted closer and closer to the warmth of the hearth until she sat right beside it.

    ¡°Did you get a chance to test my dagger?¡± Arwin asked, covering a yawn. The day was finally starting to catch up with him.

    ¡°No, s ¨C uh, Arwin. I don¡¯t gut random people I walk by.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. Good point.¡± Arwin rubbed his eyes, then pushed himself to his feet and wiped his hands off on his shirt. Napkins were another item on his growing list of necessities, but those coulde after he patched the rest of the ce up.

    He¡¯d managed to forge a single sword while Reya had been out. It wasn¡¯t anything special, but it looked like a sword and handled well enough. It would probably sell for a bit, so long as he could find a buyer.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try to start making some money,¡± Arwin said, stretching his arms over his head. ¡°Keep an eye out for anyone who might need the services of a smith, would you?¡±

    Reya squinted at Arwin, as if she were trying to determine if he was joking.¡°What?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Do you mean like¡­ horseshoes and the like? Or swords?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. I haven¡¯t made a horseshoe yet, but I¡¯ll do whatever people want. I¡¯m just trying to earn some gold right now. If anyone¡¯s in the market for something better, then great. I¡¯ll do that. In the meantime, I¡¯ll just keep forging things until I¡¯ve got enough to set up a little stand somewhere.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± Reya said, sounding like she did not think it was a good idea in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡±

    Arwin just nodded. He didn¡¯t much care if Reya approved of what he was doing or not. The most important thing he could do right now was learn more about his ss and keep his head low.

    <em>Actually, scratch that. The most important thing I can do right now is find a goddamn bed. I¡¯m exhausted. </em>

    There were, unfortunately, no beds in the smithy. There wasn¡¯t anything soft either ¨C or, at least, nothing soft that Arwin was eager to put his head on. He scrunched his nose in distaste and leaned against the wall, raising a hand to suck the me from the hearth.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Don¡¯t rob me.¡±

    Reya paled and she nodded hurriedly, raising her hands. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do something like that. I value my life.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. Then he closed his eyes and, minutester, drifted off to sleep.

    ***

    Arwin dreamed of home. Not the home that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had built for him, but the small, one-story house that he¡¯d lived in as a child ¨C the home that had been his before he¡¯d been summoned to this world by the guild.

    His memories of it were fuzzy at best, but he still remembered more than he suspected he should have. He couldn¡¯t remember the faces of his parents, but he remembered their love.

    Arwin had a brother as well. Aiden. He couldn¡¯t remember his face either. Arwin wasn¡¯t even sure if any of them were still alive. Traveling between dimensions or universes ¨C he still wasn¡¯t sure where it was that this world existed ¨C had to take time.

    Maybe they were all already dead, or perhaps they still wondered what happened to him. Arwin had been ten on the day he¡¯d been ripped from hisfortable bed and found himself here. There had been a time when he¡¯d longed to return, but that feeling was gone.

    Earth was his first home, but it was his home no longer. He was part of this world, now. And yet, he didn¡¯t even know if this world had a name. Amusingly enough, he knew more about Earth than he knew about the world around him now.

    Every waking moment he¡¯d spent here, going from when he was summoned until when he struck down the Demon Queen, had been spent in training. Training tactics, fighting monsters to gain strength and rise in Tiers, and training against the other adventurers.

    That was all he¡¯d known. It had been for the best. Even if he hadn¡¯t had a childhood, he was fighting to protect the childhoods of everyone who lived within the Kingdom of Lien.

    At least, that was what he thought he¡¯d been doing. Now, he wasn¡¯t so sure. The Guild had betrayed him without even blinking an eye, and the kingdom was at war once more.

    <em>Why? What was the purpose? I did everything I was meant to. We should have been at peace. </em>

    The answers didn¡¯te. No matter what should have happened, the new war <em>had </em>started. Mercifully, there was someone else to deal with it now. Arwin couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the new Hero was the same as he had been ¨C another child stolen from their family on Earth, forced to give their life in trade for peace.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that. He didn¡¯t get a chance to find out. Sleep ripped itself away from him and his eyes snapped open. Bolting upright with a start, Arwin leapt to his feet and grabbed for a sword that wasn¡¯t there.

    The smithy was empty. His heart mmed in his chest as he spun, searching for an enemy. His hand slowly lowered and he swallowed, shaking his head and letting out a slow breath.

    Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the smithy roof above him. He stretched his arms out, then popped his neck. The subjects of his dreams had already started to drift away from him, but that was fine.

    <em>The past doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m free now, and I¡¯m going to abuse that to its fullest extent. This smithy is a perfect ce to get started. It¡¯s got a lot that I need to get around to fixing, but I can already picture it in its full glory. </em>

    A smile drifted across Arwin¡¯s face at the thought. He rubbed his hands together, warming them back up, and turned to the hearth. A new morning meant more time for work, and he had some swords to work on.

    He grabbed thest of his wood pile and tossed it into the hearth. Then, summoning his [Soul me], Arwin sent a small orb of fire into the dry wood. It quickly started to crackle as the me took, and he got to work with the bellows to bring the heat up faster.

    Once the me was properly roaring, Arwin picked out another few pieces of metal and tossed them into the forge. He vaguely remembered one of the artificers making his weapons hammeringyers of metal together, iming they were stronger that way.

    <em>No clue if he was right, but I¡¯ve got nothing but time. Experimenting will be fun.</em>

    Arwin waited until the metal was properly heated before setting the first one out on the anvil andying into it with his hammer. As he had previously, Arwin quickly fell into a rhythm. His hammer rose and fell, striking the glowing portions of the metal.

    This piece seemed particrly determined to guide him in the right direction, and he made good time. Once it was ttened out, Arwin imed another one of the pieces and hammered it out as well.

    He started toyer them, folding them in on themselves as he worked. It was getting harder to read the metal¡¯s intent, but there was just enough to follow by. It helped that every [Scourge] empowered blow struck the metal like a hundred individual strikes, drastically increasing the speed he worked at.

    Before long, the shape of a sword took form before Arwin. A grin stretched across his lips as he worked, feeling his desires mixing with those of the metal and starting to take form on the anvil before him.

    Arwin elerated. This was going to be a magical weapon. He could feel it in his very bones. Every minute he made the world wait felt like a disservice.

    He worked for a little under an hour before the glow finally faded and Arwin let his hammer lower, breathing heavily as he took in his creation. There was no real hilt, and the handle was more of a spike than afortable grip.

    Arwin brought the de over to his old whetstone and got to work, sharpening the de. He was starting to get better at it, though his efforts still weren¡¯t exactly those of a master. But, even after he raised the de from the stone, nothing changed.

    Magic simmered within the metal ¨C and yet, it wasn¡¯t finished. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked down on the sword.

    ¡°Do I need to get you a proper handle?¡± Arwin murmured. ¡°I suppose that would make sense. Can¡¯t call it a proper sword if you¡¯re holding it by that little nub.¡±

    He scanned his shop, but he didn¡¯t exactly know any woodworking. Still, he wasn¡¯t about to be dissuaded. Arwin set the sword down on his anvil and departed the smithy, returning to the wooden house he¡¯d looted the day prior.

    After a quick search, he spotted a piece of wood that looked to be in pretty good condition. He snagged it and headed back to his smithy without a second nce. As soon as he returned, Arwin used one of the swords he¡¯d taken from the Brothers to shave away strips of wood until he had something that vaguely resembled a hilt.

    Arwin then took the sword and held it to the anvil, pounding the wooden hilt in at its bottom with his hammer. Each strike impaled the wood a little farther on the tang until it was all the way up to the de.

    He took a step back, studying his creation. It didn¡¯t have a proper hilt, and he knew for a fact that he¡¯d made itpletely wrong. But, despite that, he felt the Mesh tingle against his skin.

    <strong>[Short Sword: Garbage Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    Arwin wasn¡¯t exactly surprised. The sword looked like it had been dropped down a flight of stairs while it was being forged, and the impurities in the metal had done a serious number on its potential.

    That said, he¡¯d still made a magical weapon. Arwin inspected the weapon closer to see what properties he¡¯d imbued it with.

    <strong>Short Sword: Garbage Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Brittle]: This weapon has a chance of shattering on every blow. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion. </strong>

    A burst ofughter slipped out of Arwin¡¯s mouth. He carefully carried the sword over to the corner of his forge and set it down, taking care not to move it too aggressively. It wasn¡¯t a sword he was inclined to use himself, nor did he want to find out what would happen if he ate its power, but it wasn¡¯t bad as a throwing weapon.

    ¡°I suppose this is the detrimental quality my skill talked about.¡±

    <em>I wonder if the gemstone that was meant to kill me worked in a simr manner. Maybe forging a few more weapons with Brittle would actually be a good way to research what happened ¨C but I¡¯d rather make something actually useful. </em>

    Arwin studied the de, pondering on what he¡¯d done wrong. The first and easiest problem was obviously his materials. He needed better metal to work with, but that would be fixed when he started earning more money.

    The bigger issue was with his actual technique. He was pretty certain that he¡¯d made the handle entirely wrong, and now that he thought about it, when he¡¯d seen his smith making a sword for him, the man had twisted two metal rods together rather than just hammering some scraps.

    <em>Maybe I need to get some metal rods first. They would certainly lend themselves to the shape of a sword better. I think that should be my next step. </em>

    Arwin was still nodding to himself when he heard gravel shift near the entrance of the smithy. He nced over as Reya walked inside, chewing on a chunk of meat on a bone. She froze as she saw Arwin.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m awake,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°What else would I be? It¡¯s the middle of the day.¡±

    ¡°Uh, right. Yeah.¡± Reya cleared her throat. ¡°It¡¯s just that you slept for like¡­ two days straight. I was wondering if you would wake up.¡±

    ¡°Two days?¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes widened, but Reya¡¯s word did make a certain amount of sense. ¡°I suppose I was rather tired.¡±

    ¡°Are you hungry? I didn¡¯t get food for you, but¡­¡±

    Arwin shook his head, surprised to find he meant it. His stomach didn¡¯t exactly feel full, but he didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d slept for two days at all. As a matter of fact, he actually felt rather good.

    <em>Interesting. Do magical items sustain me for longer than normal food does? Does that mean I don¡¯t need to eat food at all? Eh. Even if I didn¡¯t, I still would. There aren¡¯t enough joys in life to skip out on one. </em>

    ¡°Forget food for a moment. Did anything interesting happen?¡± Arwin asked.

    Reya crossed her arms behind her back and suddenly found one of the broken-down walls fascinating. ¡°Uh¡­ nothing too interesting, no.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Out with it.¡±

    ¡°I, uh, may have killed someone.¡±

 Chapter 8: Journeyman

    Chapter 8: Journeyman

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Did they deserve it?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then that doesn¡¯t seem particrly interesting. Who were they?¡±

    ¡°A member of the thieves¡¯ guild.¡±

    That got Arwin¡¯s attention. His eyes narrowed and he turned his full attention to Reya. ¡°Arge one?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± Reya said hurriedly. She held her hands up defensively. ¡°A tiny one, and they aren¡¯t even from this area. They control the territory a few streets down, and they were poking around to see what had happened after the Brothers Six got gutted.¡±

    Arwin pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not seeing the part where this ended with you stabbing someone.¡±

    ¡°Well, one of them tried to sneak into the smithy. I knew you were sleeping in it, and I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to be bothered. I told him to turn around, but he ignored me, so I stabbed him.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Pragmatic,¡± Arwin said. He shrugged. ¡°Sounds like he had iting. I appreciate it. Where¡¯d you put the corpse?¡±¡°In the pile with the others.¡±

    ¡°We should probably avoid making that a habit,¡± Arwin mused. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. ¡°Did he have anything on him?¡±

    ¡°About ten gold.¡± Reya pulled a pouch out and tossed it to Arwin. He caught it with a surprised blink.

    ¡°Why are you giving it to me? You¡¯re the one that killed him.¡±

    Reya give Arwin a sheepish grin and shuffled her feet. ¡°Ten gold is what was left after I took my cut. You¡¯re the boss, so you get a split.¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side, studying Reya for a few seconds. Then he gave her a slow nod, sliding the pouch into a pocket. He needed gold if he was going to get better materials to work with.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take it. I suppose it¡¯s about time I went shopping for some supplies,¡± Arwin said. He headed out of the smithy and Reya followed him. Arwin nced at her over his shoulder. ¡°Say, how did that dagger work out? Did it change from the kill?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Reya said. ¡°I think I have to use it more.¡±

    Arwin grunted.

    <em>That¡¯s a disappointment. Oh well. I gave it to her for free, so it¡¯s not a big deal. No matter what happens, I¡¯m making a sword that I can use myself today. A good one. It doesn¡¯t have to be great, but it¡¯s going to be good. </em>

    Reya came to a stop as they reached the edge of the street. Arwin took several steps before he realized she wasn¡¯t following behind him. ¡°Are you noting?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some more to take care of back home,¡± Reya said with a shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to establish rtionships with the other people on the street.¡±

    Arwin shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself. Try to make sure nobody gets their hands on the sword I left in the smithy. It¡¯s liable to blow up the moment someone starts swinging it, and I have no idea how big the explosion will be. It would be unfortunate if my smithy got damaged any further.¡±

    Reya¡¯s face paled. She looked back at the crumbling building, then gave Arwin a hurried nod. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure nobody touches it.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. He set back off, leaving Reya behind him.

    ***

    Arwin walked in as straight of a line as he could so it would be easy to retrace his steps. The alleyways weren¡¯t the easiest to traverse, but by the time he returned to the city proper, he was pretty sure he¡¯d memorized the way back.

    It took a little under half an hour of aimlessly wandering around Milten until Arwin¡¯s nose led him to a market. The scent of freshly baked bread, greasy meat, and about a dozen other vors he couldn¡¯t ce hung low in the air.

    A small crowd bustled around the street. There weren¡¯t too many people, especiallypared to the capitol, but there were still more than enough to make the city feel alive. Arwin couldn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯d been in a city without an escort from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    For that matter, he couldn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯d been anywhere in the Kingdom of Lian without a guard of some sort.

    The smells were tempting, but Arwin only had a single thing on his mind at the moment. His eyes scanned the roofline of the shops near the market, and it wasn¡¯t long before he found what he was looking for.

    Smoke rose up from a small stone chimney near the end of the market. Arwin made his way over to it, and the crowd gave him a wide berth on his way over. He sniffed at his arms, but he didn¡¯t smell <em>that </em>bad.

    <em>Weird. </em>

    Arwin arrived at the smithy and stepped inside. Arge man with a bushy ck beard and musclesrge from years of work sat at the counter, staring off at the wall inplete boredom.

    The smith nearly leapt out of his chair when he spotted Arwin. The man¡¯s eyes narrowed and he rose to his feet, brushing himself off.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± the smith asked in a brusque tone. ¡°I don¡¯t give handouts.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    ¡°Handouts?¡± Arwin squinted at the man. ¡°Why would I need handouts? I¡¯m here to buy some materials.¡±

    The cksmith blinked. ¡°You are? You should have said so. My name is Taylor. Please feel free to take a look around. You just didn¡¯t look much like the ¡®buyin sort.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that meant to mean?¡± Arwin looked down at his clothes. They were dirty, sure, but it didn¡¯t look like they were that out of ce. He looked back to the cksmith. ¡°Do I have dirt on my face?¡±

    ¡°Well, it looks like you slept in a pile of soot.¡±

    Arwin reached up and touched his cheek. His fingers came away gritty and he grimaced. ¡°Ah. Yes, that would do it. No matter. Do you have metal rods?¡±

    ¡°Rods? You don¡¯t want a weapon?¡±

    ¡°Just rods,¡± Arwin said firmly. ¡°Or any sort of metal scrap that isn¡¯tplete trash, now that we¡¯re at it. I¡¯m trying to learn forging.¡±

    The smith¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Arwin realized he might have made a mistake. Telling someone that you were going to start up a business inpetition with them wasn¡¯t really the greatest idea.

    ¡°You want me to sell topetition?¡± Taylor asked.

    Arwin scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Yeah. Your work should speak for itself, right? No shame inpetition if they¡¯re worse than you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a shameless one, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. I¡¯ve also got ten gold here, and I¡¯m willing to spend as much of it as I need to for some rods. Save us both the trouble of dancing around and tell me if you¡¯re willing to sell or not. If you aren¡¯t, I¡¯ll just find someone else to give them to me.¡±

    Taylor¡¯s frown split into a mildly amused grin and turned, heading into the back of his store. A few minutester, he came back out with four metal rods and a small tarp bag bulging at the seams. He thumped everything down on the counter.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to get your hands on it regardless, I might as well make some profit in the meantime,¡± Taylor said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you the best price, though. You want a better one, go find someone else.¡±

    ¡°I respect the honesty.¡± Arwin tossed Taylor the bag of coins, and the smith counted everything before giving Arwin a curt nod.

    ¡°And I respect the balls. Next time, find someone else to buy from. I¡¯m not outfitting mypetition.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said, gathering up everything he¡¯d bought. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Taylor just shook his head. As Arwin headed out the door, the other smith called out to him.

    ¡°Say, where are you opening up shop? It better not be too close to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°It¡¯s somewhere in an alley. I¡¯ll let you know once I rebuild it.¡±

    He headed back out onto the street, leaving Taylor gawking at his back. He had what he needed, and now all he had to do was head back and get back to work. A grin crossed Arwin¡¯s lips and he increased his pace, striding back into the dark alleys and toward his smithy.

    Fortunately for his dwindling patience, Arwin didn¡¯t have to walk long. He¡¯d memorized the way back pretty urately, and he soon found himself back on the alleyway that wasn¡¯t quite home yet.

    But, as he approached his smithy, a frown crossed over Arwin¡¯s face. There were noisesing from inside it that definitely weren¡¯t meant to be there ¨C in particr, voices that he didn¡¯t recognize.

    <em>I suppose I should have expected this. </em>

    Arwin ducked through the crumbling doorway and stepped into his building. Reya stood with her back to the wall and her dagger in her hands, facing off against two men wearing loose green clothes.

    As soon as Arwin entered, one of them spun toward him.

    ¡°We¡¯re not open for business yet,¡± Arwin said, setting the materials he¡¯d purchased from Taylor down on the ground. ¡°Get out.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± one of the men asked.

    ¡°When asking a name, it is polite to introduce yourself first.¡±

    ¡°Jin,¡± the man said, putting a hand on the hilt of a short sword at his waist. ¡°Your turn.¡±

    ¡°Arwin. Pleasure to meet you, Jin. Now get the hell out of my smithy.¡±

    ¡°This is your smithy?¡± Jin¡¯s head tilted to the side. Arwin was more focused on Reya, who looked like she was about half a step away from stabbing Jin or hispatriot. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t have particrly minded, but that would mean he¡¯d get even more blood on his floors.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. We¡¯d be pleased to leave,¡± Jin said, inclining his head and giving Arwin a slight bow. ¡°Rex and I don¡¯t have any interest in bothering you. We¡¯re just after the little rat.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes flicked to Reya, who swallowed. Her grip tightened on the dagger.

    ¡°There seems to be a misunderstanding here,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Jin tilted his head to the side, shifting his stance. It was a subtle move, but Arwin had been in enough fights to recognize it. Jin knew how to fight ¨C at least, he knew more than the Brothers Six had.

    ¡°Anything that happens to be inside my smithy is part of my smithy,¡± Arwin said. He jerked his chin in Reya¡¯s direction. ¡°And she is inside my smithy.¡±

    <em>Just leave so I don¡¯t have to get blood on my floor, </em>would<em> you?</em>

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Jin asked, his eyes narrowing. He drummed his fingers on his sword. ¡°You¡¯re a big guy, and you clearly know how to carry yourself. But you¡¯re sticking your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong. This is guild business.¡±

    ¡°Not my guild,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And not my problem. You want to start shit, then do it outside. I¡¯m going to be pissed if I get more blood on my floors.¡±

    Jin¡¯s gaze flicked down to the dry splotches near the forge. His lips pressed thin and he snapped his fingers. Rex took a step back, sheathing his de. Arwin was actually somewhat impressed ¨C he¡¯d fully expected the men to attack.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Jin said. He didn¡¯t say another word as he swept past Arwin. Rex trailed after him, giving Arwin a re before stepping out the front door. Arwin waited until he heard their footsteps fade down the street before he turned to Reya.

    ¡°Huh. I¡¯m surprised they had the brains not to attack,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Lucky me. The floors are spared.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t brains,¡± Reya said, biting her lower lip and staring out the door. ¡°Jin''s one of the thieves¡¯ guild enforcers. He has a bit of a grudge against me, but he¡¯s not stupid. He knows you killed the Brothers Six, so he doesn¡¯t want to get into a fight with you.¡±

    Arwin grunted. ¡°Clever thieves. Lovely. At least he left.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t leave,¡± Reya said, swallowing heavily. ¡°But we probably should. Jin is going to show back up with more people. He hates losing. The only reason he backed off is because he felt like he was outnumbered.¡±

    ¡°More people? I thought you said this was a small guild.¡±

    ¡°I may have over-exaggerated their small-ness,¡± Reya said, clearing her throat. ¡°They have thirty members.¡±

    ¡°Thirty members?¡± Arwin eximed. ¡°What the hell did you get me wrapped up in? And what is it with you and getting into trouble? Every time I leave, you manage to get into something new.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not new!¡± Reya protested. ¡°I just have a bunch of old things that kind of keep stacking up on each other. I haven¡¯t done anything that bad recently!¡±

    ¡°You stabbed someone.¡±

    ¡°They had iting.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fair. You aren¡¯t avoiding this, though. Answer the question. Why is a thieves¡¯ guild pissed at you?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of the smithy. I¡¯m getting the feeling it isn¡¯t the shitty old building they care about. They followed <em>you </em>here.¡±

    Reya¡¯s shoulders slumped and her eyes fell to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. They did.¡±

    ¡°I gathered as much. I want to know why.¡±

    ¡°Well, long story short, I may have stolen something from them.¡±

    ¡°What did you steal, Reya?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°Stop hedging around it and tell me!¡±

    Reya bit her lower lip, then walked up to Arwin and leaned in close to whisper into his ear. ¡°The only key to a Journeyman Tier Dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 9: Opportunity

    Chapter 9: Opportunity

    It had been a long time since Arwin hadst thought about dungeons, but he was surprised to find that the word brought up warm memories. He¡¯d spent the majority of his earlier years in this world within the dungeons together with the men and women that had once been his friends.

    As far as Arwin had learned, dungeons were areas where the Mesh got caught up andyered over itself, growing unstable. Monsters were lured to the location and the Mesh fed them, letting them grow in strength and turning their flesh and bodies valuable.

    Most times, dungeons vanished forever once someone went through and killed everything within them. The Mesh would unravel, returning to its proper form, and whoever had cleared the dungeon would be the only one to benefit from it.

    But, in some situations, the bundled Mesh was so tight that it could be permanent. Anything that spent extended periods of time within these areas grew warped with power, and there was enough magic present that the dungeons would reform themselves and the monsters within them over periods of time.

    Dungeons such as those were incredibly valuable and highly monopolized by both the Mesh and people alike. Many of them had limited entrances to keep the dungeons from being over-cleared and risking the dungeon unraveling. Some of those entrances were man-made, and some of them seemed to be ced there by the Mesh itself.

    Arwin had never properly understood the Mesh¡¯s purpose. At times, it seemed to be to force people to grow and pursue their goals. At other times, it seemed as if it rejoiced in causing chaos and preventing peace from ever cementing itself. Nobody had ever given him a straight answer for what the Mesh truly was, but he knew one thing for certain ¨C it granted power.

    <em>A Journeyman dungeon wouldn¡¯t have been of any interest to me when I was still the Hero. It¡¯s only one Tier up from Apprentice. Things are different now, though. This is an incredible find. And, if there¡¯s actually only a single entrance, it¡¯s an incredible training ground and way to generate both money and materials. Granted, I¡¯d actually have to be able to survive it. As things stand, I can wipe the floor with some nameless goons, but I¡¯d get ughtered if I tried to solo a dungeon twice my Tier. </em>

    Arwin realized that he¡¯d drifted off in thought, and Reya was staring at him, growing progressively more and more worried by hisck of reaction.

    ¡°I know I should have told you earlier, but I was worried¨C¡± Reya started.¡°This is a huge opportunity,¡± Arwin said, cutting her off. ¡°I don¡¯t me you for not sharing your secrets. I¡¯ve hardly shared mine, but if you¡¯re willing to share that dungeon, there could be a lot we could get from it. Have you checked the dungeon out yourself?¡±

    Reya blinked at Arwin¡¯s excitement, but it wasn¡¯t long until her frown returned. ¡°I ¨C no, I haven¡¯t. The thieves¡¯ guild is watching the entrance, so I haven¡¯t had a chance. But¡­ do you mind if I ask a question?¡±

    ¡°You can ask, but I may not answer.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re pretty strong, but are you able to do a dungeon at Journeyman Tier? I don¡¯t doubt you or anything, but aren¡¯t you some sort of smith?¡±

    ¡°I am a smith, yes. What of it?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ a smith doesn¡¯t have any battle skills. No matter how strong you are, a Journeyman dungeon might be too much. I don¡¯t even have a ss, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to do anything. I suppose we could try to earn enough money to hire someone, but then they might just take all the good stuff themselves.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t have any mere crafting ss, though. I¡¯ve got a Unique one. I guess that may or may not be a good thing. The Unique modifier doesn¡¯t necessarily imply something is better or worse ¨C just that it¡¯s different from the standard. Only time will tell, but I¡¯m pretty sure Living Forge has more benefits than drawbacks. </em>

    <em>Either way, I still have some of my titles. With a little preparation, I think we could handle the dungeon. When I was still the Hero, training would have handled that. But now¡­ no. Training wouldn¡¯t hurt, but it¡¯s not what I need. If I want to be strong again, I need to build myself a set of equipment so strong that it can let me keep up with thebat sses. </em>

    ¡°We¡¯ll burn that bridge when we get to it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll be able to handle the dungeon at some point, but you were right to keep this secret. I trust you¡¯ve got the key stashed somewhere safe, where nobody can find it?¡±

    Reya cleared her throat loudly. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to tell me where it is. I¡¯m not going to rob you. Just make sure someone doesn¡¯t nick it while we¡¯re getting ready.¡±

    Reaching up to her chest, Reya pulled the top of her shirt back and pulled out a key dangling on a thin ne. ¡°I, uh, kind of just have it here. I didn¡¯t think about stashing it anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Put that away,¡± Arwin said hurriedly. He nced at the entrance of the smithy to make sure nobody was there, not rxing until the key was hidden once more. ¡°Holding onto it is fine. Just don¡¯t lose it. We can get a lot out of it.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s definitely a <em>we </em>thing now?¡± Reya asked, giving him a cheeky smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too big for your britches. You¡¯re the one that dragged me into this,¡± Arwin pointed out, but he couldn¡¯t keep a small smile from passing over his own features. ¡°And I¡¯ve dealt with worse than you. I¡¯m not opposed to a partnership so long as you don¡¯t go stabbing me in the back or doing anything overly stupid.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to make me share more about myself?¡±

    Arwin let out a burst ofughter. ¡°No, Reya. Why would I do that? If I asked you to spill your secrets, then I would have to do the same. I don¡¯t care about your secrets, so long as they don¡¯t affect us.¡±

    Shifting ufortably, Reya nced to the side. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What else have you done?¡±

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    ¡°You might have to be more specific.¡±

    ¡°How many enemies do you have that are actively looking for you?¡±

    Reya raised a hand, ticking fingers off on it. She quickly ran out of fingers and swapped to the other hand. Finding that one alsocking, she started pulling a shoe off. The other shoe soon followed after it, and Reya finally raised her gaze back to Arwin¡¯s, biting her lip.

    ¡°Arwin?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad, but I lost count.¡±

    Arwin heaved a sigh. ¡°Figures. Maybe we¡¯re more alike than I thought.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± Arwin said. He waved at her shoes. ¡°Put those back on before you step on something sharp on ident, would you? Do any of your enemies other than the thieves guild know where you are?¡±

    ¡°No, they shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry. I should have told¨C¡±

    ¡°Good. Keep it that way. I¡¯ve already spent enough time on this. I¡¯m going back to work. Could you get dinner?¡±

    Reya froze midway through pulling her socks back on, looking up at Arwin in shock. ¡°You¡¯re not kicking me out?¡±

    ¡°Of everyone I¡¯ve run into in the past few days, you¡¯ve been the most reliable. So long as things stay that way, I don¡¯t care who your enemies are. Just¡­ try to give me a little forewarning the next time, would you?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Reya saluted him, then scrambled to her feet and gave him another salute.

    ¡°Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sorry.¡±

    Reya slipped out the door and Arwin shook his head, a small smile on his face. ke would have loved her. He¡¯d been excited about just about everything, and he could barely remember a time when ke hadn¡¯t been smiling. Even hisst breath had passed with a grin sprawling across his lips.

    ¡°Could have used your help right about now,¡± Arwin muttered into the air. ¡°But maybe this is your way of sending it, eh?¡±

    There was no response, but Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure he hadn¡¯t already gotten one. Still wearing a small smile, he turned back to his forge and cracked his neck. There was a lot of work he had to get done, and the thieves¡¯ guild wasn¡¯t going to sit around forever.

    ***

    Days flitted by, and the thieves¡¯ guild still had yet to return. That was perfectly fine with Arwin. He barely left his forge, and Reya proved to be capable in more ways than one. She didn¡¯t just bring him food ¨C she also woke him up in the mornings and made sure he went to sleep early enough to avoid passing out for another few days at once.

    Beyond that, she also continued to procure a steady supply of metal scrap. It wasn¡¯t the highest quality material, but it was a lot better than the other trash that Arwin had to work with ¨C and it was free.

    Arwin didn¡¯t ask where Reya had gotten the materials, and she didn¡¯t offer an answer. He was going through supplies far too quickly to be picky, but his efforts were to great effect. Two piles of swords, daggers, nails, and other assorted objects started to form beside Arwin.

    The first ¨C andrgest ¨C of them was full of garbage that waspletely worthless and had no magical properties. The second was considerably smaller, but it had several swords mixed in with the daggers that Arwin wasn¡¯tpletely disgusted with. None of them had been magic, but they looked like real weapons. The rate he was improving at was, at least to his eyes, incredible.

    He¡¯d been sessful in making only a single magical item in his three days¡¯ work, and that had been a Garbage Quality magic dagger that he¡¯d promptly eaten upon feeling the pangs in his stomach.

    <em>It looks like I need to eat an item about once every four or five days. That should be sustainable, but I need to build up a bigger backlog of things to eat in case something goes wrong. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s hammer rung against steel as he thought, putting the final touches on the de he¡¯d been working on that morning. This particr piece had been singing him a song that was reaching its final notes, and Arwin was particrly optimistic about its chances.

    But, if he was going to make a sword that he could actually be proud of, he needed to do the full process, not just the first half. Arwin held the glowing hot de before him and nced around in search of liquid.

    There wasn¡¯t anything in the smithy that he could use ¨C which was probably a problem he should have rectified before starting his work. Arwin headed outside, walking around the back of the smithy and down the road.

    Luck must have been smiling upon him. After just a minute or two of walking, he spotted a deep puddle near the ditch at the side of the road. It was only a little longer than his body and barely as wide as his arm, but there was a quarter foot of water in it.

    <em>Better than nothing.</em>

    Arwin plunged the de into it. Steam erupted forth and the water bubbled furiously as it cooled the de. He held it beneath the water, enjoying the faint massage of roiling water against this hand. Only once the bubbles resided did Arwin lift the de free.

    It looked like a de. He wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. If he¡¯d known more about smithing he probably would have shuddered at the weapon before him, but in this particr instance, ignorance would be a blessing. Arwin headed back to the smithy, partially finished sword in hand.

    He took a slightly curved metal tube that he¡¯d formed the previous night and slid it over the tang of the de before taking the whole thing over to the hearth and sticking it into the mes.

    After letting them heat, Arwin brought the sword back to his anvil. He grabbed some nails and drew on [Scourge] to hammer them straight through the metal, holding the hilt in ce beneath the crossguard. He then lumbered over to a small roll of leather that Reya had <em>procured </em>and wrapped the hilt with the leather.

    As soon as Arwin¡¯s hands lifted off the sword, he felt the tingle of the Mesh race across his skin. A grin split his lips as magic swirled before his eyes.

    <strong>[Short Sword: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [More than Average] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[More than Average] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first Average Quality item.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    A faint feeling of strength seeped into Arwin¡¯s body and his grin grew wider. There were a very high number of adventurers who believed that the most important way to get stronger was purely reaching higher Tiers and upgrading their ss.

    While that was certainly <em>one </em>way to get stronger, Arwin¡¯s years ofbat had shown him that it was far from the most important one. The actual key to power was getting as many Achievements and Titles as possible, which would give the highest chance to get the best skills. There was no limit to how many of them someone could get per Tier, but there were only ten levels per tier. Unfortunately, Arwin had only learned thatte into his career as the Hero.

    <em>I always did wonder why the Adventurer¡¯s Guild never told me about how important getting good skills in each Tier was. Now that I suspect they tried to kill me, it makes me wonder what purpose they really summoned me for. It clearly wasn¡¯t to be the strongest warrior humanity had, or they wouldn¡¯t have withheld information. </em>

    <em>One day, I¡¯ll find out. For now, I¡¯ve got another chance. I¡¯m all the way back at Apprentice Tier, which means I have all the opportunities in the world to improve my skills. I can be stronger than I ever could have been as the Hero. </em>

    But that wouldeter. He picked the sword up and held it out before him, letting the Mesh tingle against his skin. For now, it was time to see what magic his first well-made sword possessed.

 Chapter 10: More customers

    Chapter 10: More customers

    <strong>Short Sword: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Ringing Blows]: This item remembers the ringing of the man who forged it. While wielding it, you may use a small amount of your magical energy to imbue your attacks to leave a faint resonance behind upon impact. Repeated strikes against the same area will cause increased damage.</strong>

    <strong>[Hungry]: This item hungers for power, and will consume more magical energy than necessary in order to function. </strong>

    ¡°Would you look at that,¡± Arwin mused, holding the sword up to the light. ¡°That¡¯s actually rather useful. Not bad. Not bad at all. It still managed to pick up a detrimental property, but considering the chance of that is eighty percent right now, I don¡¯t think I canin. It¡¯s good to know I can get two different properties on a single weapon.¡±

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Reya¡¯s voice came from behind him.

    Arwin turned, finding Reya standing in the doorway of the smithy, her eyes wide. He lowered the sword, then picked up the sheath from one of the swords he¡¯d taken from the Brothers Six, swapping the de out for his own.

    ¡°Staring is impolite,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Reya shook her head, blushing. ¡°I just saw the swords you were making before. No offense, but they sucked. You¡¯re getting better at a crazy rate. Were you just screwing around before?¡±

    Arwin looked over to the pile of garbage, then chuckled. ¡°No. I¡¯m just a fast learner.¡±¡°Right,¡± Reya said, clearly not believing him. Arwin¡¯s stomach rumbled before either of them could say anything else, and it was Reya¡¯s turn tough. ¡°Time for lunch?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°I hoped you¡¯d gone out to get it.¡±

    ¡°I did, but Lillia actually said I wasn¡¯t allowed to take food out anymore. She¡¯s trying a new strategy of getting people to stay in her tavern longer.¡±

    Arwin squinted at Reya. ¡°You say people, as in plural. Does she actually have other customers?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ she¡¯s got one. I¡¯ve seen a drunk guy passed out in her shop every once in a while. That¡¯s it, though. She¡¯s just really adamant that she can¡¯t have the right atmosphere if people are alwaysing in and leaving right after.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say the first problem is that she¡¯s trying to build an inn on the least popted street in the city,¡± Arwin said dryly. He brushed his hands off on his shirt, then shrugged. ¡°Her cooking seems to be improving, though. Perhaps it¡¯s worth a trip out of the old building.¡±

    Arwin nced around his smithy, but there wasn¡¯t much he really had to put away or move. He took a moment to take his potentially explosive magical sword and bury it beneath the pile of garbage before following Reya out of the open doorway, stepping carefully to avoid slipping on the rubble.

    <em>I really need to start looking into improving this building. It¡¯s depressing. </em>

    ¡°Do you think we can make this ce look a bit better soon?¡± Reya asked as they walked down the street, reading Arwin¡¯s thoughts perfectly. ¡°Or at least add some beds? I¡¯m not unused to sleeping on the floor, but I don¡¯t normally stay in one spot this long. I mean, I¡¯m not really bringing in any money so I can¡¯t tell you what to do, but¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯ve brought in more than enough supplies to give you some say over what we do,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to stall her. ¡°And I agree. Somefort would be nice, and improving the smithy will be important if I want more people toe. I think the first step will be finding a way to sell some of my work, though. I need a wooden cart or something of its like that I can bring to a more popted area of the city.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my eyes out.¡±

    Arwin suppressed augh. ¡°I need to get one the <em>proper </em>way, Reya. I don¡¯t want to have someone chasing me down the streets because they recognize the cart I¡¯m selling out of.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Reya said, her face falling. ¡°Right.¡±

    They came to a stop at the end of the street, before a building that was somehow in worse shape than Arwin¡¯s smithy. He squinted through the empty window frames, but it was so dark inside that he couldn¡¯t make a single thing out.

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    ¡°This is the tavern?¡± Arwin asked doubtfully. ¡°It looks like a morgue.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird looking,¡± Reya admitted. ¡°I try not to stay inside too long. If I¡¯m being honest, it kind of gives me the creeps. It¡¯s still a tavern, though! Or¡­ well, Lillia is good at cooking. That makes it a tavern. Right?¡±

    Reya sounded like she was hoping that Arwin would convince her. He let out a long-suffering sigh and shook his head.

    ¡°Well, the food certainly wasn¡¯t bad. Might as well take a look.¡± Arwin stepped through the doorway, ducking slightly to avoid hitting his head. He squinted into the darkness, just barely able to make out the room beyond.

    Broken tables and chairs littered the floor. A counter sat at the back, mostly rotted through and copsed. There was a single stool in front of the counter, and it didn¡¯t look like it could hold much weight. Piles of ss shards and other debris had been swept into the corners, just barely visible in the faint light that came from a doorway at the back. Faint scuffles came from through the doorway, as well as the muted noise of what Arwin suspected to be humming.

    Reya cleared her throat. ¡°Lillia? Are you here? I came back to get lunch!¡±

    Her words echoed through the darkness, making Arwin wince. He superstitiously nced over his shoulder, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. The back of his spine prickled, and his hair stood on end. Something about the tavern set him on edge. The shadows were too long, and it was far too silent ¨C and dark. Much, much too dark.

    It wasn¡¯t the same as his smithy. That building had been equally as run down, but it didn¡¯t feel nearly as ominous. Reya didn¡¯t seem particrly concerned, so she was eitherpletely oblivious to the sensation or had just gotten used to it.

    ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± a female voice called. It was followed by several choked coughs and a curse. Smoke curled out of the doorway and trickled out through the cracks in the precarious ceiling.

    ¡°That¡¯s Lillia,¡± Reya whispered before raising her voice to call back. ¡°It¡¯s me, Reya! I came back for lunch. You told me to, remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± There was a short pause. The smoke pouring out of the kitchen intensified, and Reya exchanged a nce with Arwin. There were some hurried thuds, followed by a loud crunch. The smoke stopped. ¡°Do you mind waiting a bit? I may have set lunch on fire.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Reya said before Arwin could say anything. She walked up to the counter, ignoring the small pieces of debris that crunched beneath her feet with every step, and carefully sat down on the stool. It creaked precariously.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Reya said. ¡°Only one chair right now.¡±

    ¡°So I see,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°And I suspect there are no chairs that hold my weight.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Lillia called from within the kitchen, her tone gaining a panicked note to it. The shuffling from behind the wall grew more aggressive. ¡°Did you bring someone else with you? Is that a new customer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just Arwin. You¡¯ve been cooking for him a while already,¡± Reya exined. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. This is a horrible precedent,¡± Lillia said. There was another crash, followed by a series of curses. ¡°I¡¯ll have food out as soon as possible, I promise! Just wait a little longer?¡±

    ¡°I thought she <em>wanted </em>more customers?¡± Arwin asked, whispering to avoid stressing the poor woman any further.

    ¡°She does,¡± Reya whispered back. ¡°But I think she¡¯s also worried about disappointing them, you know? I don¡¯t really know her that well, but she clearly cares a lot about what people think of her cooking. She plied me with questions about how we liked the food every time I got something from her.¡±

    Arwin grunted. He walked up to the counter beside Reya, ncing around for somewhere to sit before promptly giving the idea up. There really was only a single stool, and it definitely wasn¡¯t holding his weight.

    He put a hand on the bar, leaning gently against it to make sure it wouldn¡¯t copse beneath him. When the wood didn¡¯t make too many creaks of protest, he allowed himself to put the rest of his weight against it.

    The uneasy feeling still gripped him, but at this point, his desire to eat something was greater than his concern. He highly doubted that there would be anything truly dangerous in this backwater city, and even though he didn¡¯t seem to <em>need</em> real food anymore, he still relished the taste.

    Minutes ticked by. Arwin listened to Lillia¡¯s hurried cooking through the wall. He could hear her muttering to herself, but the exact words were lost. Reya didn¡¯t seem to mind the wait, and was busying herself by organizing tiny pieces of broken wood on the counter before her.

    ¡°Have you ever been in here before?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Only to wait while the food was getting made,¡± Reya replied, ncing up from her artwork. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just wondering. It feels a bit¡­ concerning,¡± Arwin said.

    Reya scrunched her nose. ¡°Oh, yeah. I felt like that at first too. I haven¡¯t gotten stabbed yet, though. That makes it better than most of the ces I¡¯ve been in.¡±

    ¡°Your standards are far too low,¡± Arwin informed Reya, shaking his head. She did have a point, though. Nobody had tried to stab them. Yet.

    Arwin was about a second from drumming his fingers on the countertop in impatience when Lillia finally called out to them again.

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯m so sorry about the wait, but I¡¯ve got your food ready!¡±

    Lillia hurried out of the kitchen, her dark purple skin nearly invisible in the dim light. It looked vaguely familiar, but Arwin didn¡¯t have much time to process it. He was much more interested in the food she was carrying. She moved so quickly that Arwin¡¯s eyes could barely track her, but she came to a stop on the other side of the bar when she went to put two steaming tes of fried rice down before them.

    ¡°Enjoy!¡± she said cheerfully.

    Arwin¡¯s gaze lifted to Lillia¡¯s ¨C and he froze. He recognized the scar that ran along her right eye. He recognized her features, even as covered in grime as they were. And, as her expression shifted from excitement to shock, Arwin knew without a doubt that she recognized <em>him</em>.

    Standing before him, two tes of fried rice in her hands and an award-winning smile on her face, was the Demon Queen.

 Chapter 11: Mere smith

    Chapter 11: Mere smith

    Arwin¡¯s ears rung, his mind refusing to believe the information that his eyes were conveying to it. The Demon Queen was dead. He¡¯d killed her ¨C run her through the heart with his sword.

    And yet, as if mocking his thoughts, the scar on Arwin¡¯s own heart tingled. The Demon Queen had run him through in the very same spot, and yet here he stood. Arwin swallowed, tasting metal.

    Every part of him wished that he was somehow hallucinating. He blinked furiously, trying to snap himself out of it, but nothing worked. There was absolutely no denying that the woman before him was the Demon Queen. He¡¯d put the scar on her eye there with his own sword, and she¡¯d returned the one along his cheek.

    It wasn¡¯t that much of a reach for her to have survived the explosion ¨C she and Arwin had been evenly matched for as long as he could remember, so if he¡¯d somehow made it out alive, he should have expected that she would have done the same. Truly, he should have recognized the ominous aura covering the tavern the instant he¡¯d stepped into it.

    But, somehow, the thought had never registered. Admitting that she was still alive would have been the same as admitting that he¡¯d failed, and his duties as the Hero still remained. Duty would havepelled him to return to his former role, no matter how little he wanted to. The concept made him feel physically ill.

    The surprise in the Demon Queen¡¯s eyes told Arwin that she was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Everything around Arwin felt like it had slowed to a crawl, but his heart raced in his chest as if to make up for lost time.

    If the Demon Queen was still alive, she would have been plotting and preparing to destroy the Kingdom of Lian once more. Two Demon Queens would have been impossible for a single Hero to handle, and the life Arwin had just started to get used to woulde crashing down.

    But¡­ she wasn¡¯t plotting. Arwin wasn¡¯t anywhere near stupid enough to believe that starting a tavern in the back of the least popted street in the empire and serving fried rice to strangers was in any way, shape, or form even remotely close to a plot.

    His mouth opened, but he wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted to ask. He wasn¡¯t sure what he <em>could </em>ask. His hand shifted, moving toward the hilt of his sword. But, before he could touch it, he paused. The moment his hand touched the hilt of his de, everything would return to how it had been.If the de came free of its sheath, their battle would begin anew.

    For a second, he didn¡¯t dare let himself move again. Then he made a decision.

    Arwin let his hand lower, scarcely able to believe the actions of his own body. Instead of doing what any sane man would have done and striking the first blow before the Demon Queen could react, he chose another option.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said, taking the te from Lillia¡¯s stunned hands. ¡°It looks delicious.¡±

    She stared at him in disbelief. The shadows had gathered behind her, and Arwin could tell that they were just inches from forming into wings at her back. For several seconds, neither of them spoke again.

    He¡¯d made his move. The sword hung at his side like a brick of lead, but Arwin made no moves to draw it. For years, he¡¯d fought. For years, he¡¯d tried to kill the woman before him. And now, the proverbial de was in her hands. If she wanted to keep their fight going, then she¡¯d have to make the next blow.

    A terse second ground by. Arwin could hear the blood mming in his ears like a roaring ocean, but he refused to let it show on his face. He just held Lillia¡¯s gaze, not letting his hands budge from the table.

    The shadows gathering behind Lillia slipped away. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then let it close again. For several seconds longer, none of them spoke.

    The silence was then promptly broken by Reya grabbing handfuls of rice with her hands and shoveling it into her mouth, chewing loudly. She waspletely oblivious to the nonverbal exchange that Arwin and Lillia were locked within, her eyespletely focused on the te in front of her. ¡°This is great, Lillia! Thanks!¡±

    Like a hammer through ss, the moment was shattered. Lilia gestured to Arwin¡¯s te. ¡°Are you going to eat? Or are you just going to look?¡±

    <em>Could it be poisoned? Is this a ¨C no. It can¡¯t be a trick. She didn¡¯t know I wasing, and I¡¯ve been eating her cooking this whole time. </em>

    There weren¡¯t any utensils, so Arwin copied Reya and scooped some rice into his mouth. He didn¡¯t break eye-contact once with her as he chewed, then swallowed. A small grin passed over his lips.

    ¡°This is fantastic,¡± Arwin said, genuinely meaning it. ¡°It must have taken a lot of work to make. Thank you.¡±

    Even more confusion passed over Lillia¡¯s face, but she gave him a small nod. ¡°It did. I¡¯m d to hear you enjoy it. I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t have another chair. I haven¡¯t had a chance to start properly renovating yet.¡±

    ¡°You just moved in, then?¡± Arwin asked, keeping his tone conversational. He wasn¡¯t sure where his life had taken a turn to the point where he¡¯d be enjoying a meal served to him by his mortal enemy, but he wasn¡¯t about to stop eating now.

    <em>The proper thing to do here is dig for information. This is just research to determine what her goals are. </em>

    ¡°Yeah, I did. Reya told me it¡¯s the same for you?¡± Lillia asked, her tone matching Arwin¡¯s.

    <em>She¡¯s aiming for the same goal that I am. I shouldn¡¯t reveal too much¡­ but do I even have anything to hide? </em>

    ¡°It is.¡± Arwin ate another mouthful of the fried rice. ¡°The building was conveniently unupied. It needs just a dash of repairs, though.¡±

    Lillia let out a small snort. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say. I saw that ratty old thing when I first got here. I¡¯m surprised you chose it.¡±

    ¡°I could say the same about the tavern,¡± Arwin countered. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get many customers if it¡¯s impossible to see inside it.¡±

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    Lillia¡¯s face fell. ¡°I know, but it was the only building that even resembled a tavern, and it¡¯s in a great location. Once I get it fixed up, I¡¯m sure more people wille around.¡±

    Arwin was suddenly struck with a small pang of regret. She genuinely looked unhappy about his words ¨C but when had the Demon Queen even cared about his opinions in the slightest? They¡¯d exchanged so many insults that he could barely remember the list.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°With food like this, you could be selling it out of a pigsty.¡±

    The corner of Lillia¡¯s lips quirked up, though it quickly returned to normal when she seemed to remember who she was speaking with. ¡°I¡¯m always pleased to hear a client enjoys my work. Is there anything else I could get the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± Reya asked through a mouthful of rice.

    Lillia cleared her throat. ¡°No. I¡¯m just trying to get into the habit. Hospitality is a bit new to me, but I¡¯ve always wanted to run a tavern. I¡¯m not being too oppressive, am I? Should I wait in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said, his words ringing in his ears as if someone else were speaking them. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are some people that would prefer to eat on their own, but if you¡¯re going to have a unique atmosphere, you might as well lean into it.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s brow furrowed as she tried to find a hidden meaning in Arwin¡¯s words. When it became apparent that there wasn¡¯t one, her confusion only grew more apparent. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    Arwin and Reya finished off the rest of their meals quickly, not speaking again until they¡¯d both polished their tes clean. Arwin was pretty sure he was in minor shock ¨C his brain still couldn¡¯t fullyprehend what was going on.

    <em>This is it? She really isn¡¯t going to do anything? I thought the Demon Queen hated humans. Why would she want to start a tavern for them? There¡¯s no way this is just some long plot to poison the city or something, is there?</em>

    He couldn¡¯t exactly ask her. That would be the same as admitting he knew who she was, and then the farce would be over. As long as he didn¡¯t reveal he knew who Lillia was and she did the same, things could remain as they were.

    And, just like that, the meal was over. Arwin quietly stacked his te on Reya¡¯s. ¡°Thank you for the meal. What do we owe you?¡±

    ¡°Reya already paid,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You¡¯re good, but if you run into anyone that looks hungry, I¡¯d appreciate if you send them my way.¡±

    ¡°Can do, so long as you send anyone looking for some smithing in my direction. I¡¯ve got some swords I¡¯ll be about to put up for sale, but I¡¯m sure I could figure out more specific requests,¡± Arwin said.

    Lillia nodded, and the two of them stood in ufortable silence for a second. Then, slowly, Arwin lifted his hand. Not to his sword, but palm out in offering. Lillia stared at it, then looked back to him.

    She took it, and the Hero of Lian shook hands with the Demon Queen. It was a strange feeling to hold hands with the woman that he had spent the entirety of his life trying to kill, but when he looked into her eyes, he saw himself within them.

    Arwin had fought her for long enough to understand her bodynguage perfectly. When she was going to summon her magic ¨C the kind of strike she was about to make. He could tell all of it just from a single look, and he suspected she could do the same for him.

    But, for the first time that he could remember, Arwin couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking. He abruptly realized that they¡¯d been holding hands for several moments longer than he¡¯d nned and let go, taking a step back.

    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± Reya said with a cheerful grin, waving farewell as she and Arwin headed out of the dark tavern. Arwin resisted the temptation to pause at the doorway and nce back at Lillia.

    His mind still spun, confusion ruling his emotions with an iron fist. For the first time, he spent more than a few moments wondering what in the world had happened at the end of their fight. He brushed a hand over the wound covering his heart.

    <em>I don¡¯t understand this at all. When I first arrived at this world, I thought everything was simple. All I had to do was kill the Demon Queen and everyone could be happy. What would I have thought if I¡¯d learned I¡¯d be eating her cooking? </em>

    A chilling realization set in on Arwin¡¯s shoulders as they drew back up to his smithy. If he wanted to figure out any answers to what had happened and how he¡¯d survived the explosion, the best person to speak with was probably the only other one that had been present for it.

    <em>That seems like a problem forter. I need to take my mind off all this, but I don¡¯t want to just mindlessly smith swords with no purpose in mind. </em>

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Reya asked. ¡°You¡¯ve seemed off ever since we met Lillia.¡±

    ¡°Everything is fine,¡± Arwin said with a hurried shake of his head. ¡°Just some old memories. You said you didn¡¯t have a ss yet, right?¡±

    Reya winced and nodded. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯d have thought I¡¯d have gotten Thief by now, but somehow the only thing I¡¯ve been handed is a fat zero. Why?¡±

    ¡°Just wondering,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°The Mesh gives you what you desire when you work toward it, you know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before.¡± Reya rolled her eyes. ¡°But, if that were true, I¡¯d have gotten a ss by now.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s true, unless the thing you were working toward wasn¡¯t at all what you actually wanted. </em>

    Arwin kept his musings to himself. Not for his sake, but for Reya¡¯s. Thest thing she needed to do was start doubting her desires, and Arwin didn¡¯t know her nearly enough to start telling her how to live her life.

    They stepped into the smithy ¨C and Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed instantly. There was a slip of paper pinned to the wall with a dagger that had been wedged through it and into a crack in the wall.

    He strode up to it, pulling the paper down and scanning over it.

    <em>We have given you enough time. Deliver Reya and the item she stole, or We shall be forced to act. Though We do not enjoy senseless ughter, those who unt our kindness will be met with Our de. </em>

    <em>You have two days. If she is not returned, then your life and building will be taken in rpense.</em>

    The letter was unsigned, but it didn¡¯t need to be. Reya¡¯s face paled as she read over it and she looked up to Arwin, her hands clenching at her sides. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is my fault.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t respond immediately. With every passing day, it became more apparent that this was his new life ¨C and he was starting to like it. And, if Arwin wanted to keep his new life the way it was, he was going to need to get stronger.

    A lot stronger.

    ¡°I was just thinking that it might be time to make some money tomorrow,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You can toss on a cloak and we¡¯ll bring the stuff I¡¯ve made that isn¡¯t horrible to the city center. We can try to sell it for half price and make a bit of coin.¡±

    Reya blinked in confusion. ¡°What? Did you see the letter? You¡¯ve been too kind to me. I¡¯ll hand myself¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not handing you over. We just need to get stronger,¡± Arwin corrected. He hadn¡¯t been kind to Reya at all. He¡¯d tolerated her, but that was a far shot from kind. The fact that she considered his actions kind spoke volumes for the kind of life she¡¯d lived.

    Deep within his heart, a feeling that he¡¯d nearly forgotten re-lit itself. The sensation that had driven him in his early days of adventuring. The feeling he¡¯d had before he¡¯d seen all his friends die, when he¡¯d still believed in the cause he¡¯d fought for.

    <em>It¡¯s been so long that I almost forgot why I fought. It wasn¡¯t just to end the war. It wasn¡¯t for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I fought to protect the people who needed me. I fought to keep someone else from being forced to be who I became. </em>

    ¡°Stronger than the thieves¡¯ guild?¡± Reya asked in disbelief. ¡°They have thirty men! All of them have sses!¡±

    ¡°Which is why we¡¯ll go out hunting.¡±

    Reya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The dungeon? But¨C¡±

    ¡°Not the dungeon,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°Not yet. Just normal hunting. We need materials and experience, and this will provide both. I just need a little more money to outfit us a little better first.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ how? You¡¯re a smith and I don¡¯t have a ss. If we run into anything powerful, we¡¯ll be dead.¡±

    A wry smile crossed over Arwin¡¯s lips. He¡¯d just made a new weapon, after all. Perhaps it was time to test it out. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised to find how misleading appearances can be. I¡¯m going to show you just how much this mere smith is capable of.¡±

 Chapter 12: Flinging swords

    Chapter 12: Flinging swords

    Early the following morning, Arwin and Reya made their way into Milten proper. Reya carried the weapons that Arwin had forged in a bundle of leather, a hood pulled low over her head to keep anyone from noticing her.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure exactly how many enemies Reya had in the city, but he didn¡¯t want to find out right now. It normally would have been safer to leave her back at the smithy, but he didn¡¯t put it past the thieves¡¯ guild to try something while he was out.

    With Reya at the lead, they arrived at the edge of the city markets as the other merchants had just started to set up. They made their way over to a corner that was a little less popted than the other areas ¨C and on the opposite side of the market as Taylor¡¯s storefront.

    <em>I do feel a bit bad stealing his business, but we¡¯re far out enough that hopefully it doesn¡¯t hurt him too much. Besides, anyone buying stuff from two dirty people on the side of the street probably isn¡¯t looking to spend their entire life savings. </em>

    Reya set the bundle of weapons down and rolled it out, adjusting everything so it looked a little neater. It still looked pretty suspicious, but at least they actually resembled dirty merchants rather than thieves.

    ¡°Now what?¡± Reya asked. ¡°We put it out.¡±

    ¡°Well, presumably, we wait until someone wants to buy something.¡±

    Reya scrunched her nose. She nced around at the few passersby that were already wandering through the market. Nobody was showing them very much interest. Arwin couldn¡¯t say he was surprised. They probably needed to get at least one person¡¯s attention before more would follow.

    ¡°It¡¯s not working,¡± Reya said.¡°We¡¯ve been out here for less than a minute. It takes time.¡±

    ¡°You know what takes less time?¡± Reya¡¯s gaze drifted to the coin purse of a passing man. Arwin pointedly cleared his throat and she tore her eyes away.

    ¡°We¡¯re not doing that right now.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s faster.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a perfectly legitimate business right here. We don¡¯t need to get kicked out.¡±

    ¡°Need I remind you where the materials for that business came from?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡± Arwin scratched at the side of his neck. ¡°It might take a bit before we get any attention. If I had more magical weapons for sale, I¡¯m sure that would be different. Unfortunately, the only one I¡¯ve got is the one that explodes.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you could try to sell it as a throwing weapon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a sword,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You don¡¯t fling swords.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure someone does.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Probably. But, even if they did, the damn thing isn¡¯t even guaranteed to blow up. It just <em>might </em>blow up. That makes it pretty useless for both hand-to-hand fighting as well as throwing. Completely worthless.¡±

    <em>And I can¡¯t even eat the damn thing because it might blow me up too. At best, it¡¯s a prank gift for a powerful adventurer. No matter. It¡¯s only a matter of time until I get someone¡¯s attention. It couldn¡¯t be that hard to sell a few weapons, right?</em>

    ***

    Three hourster, Arwin was starting to wish that he¡¯d just gone with Reya¡¯s n. He sat beside the roll of weapons, watching everyone walk straight past them without a second nce. Reya was beside him, very pointedly not pointing out how absolutely nobody was buying anything.

    Arwin resisted the urge to heave a sigh. Half the problem was actually getting people¡¯s attention. It wasn¡¯t like his weapons were bad, but he¡¯d never been that much of a salesman. Every time he tried to get someone¡¯s attention, it looked more like he was threatening to stab them than sell them the sword.

    Reya wasn¡¯t much better, as she couldn¡¯t so much as show her face. And so, the two of them just sat there,pletely unable to sell a single thing.

    ¡°At least it¡¯s nice out,¡± Reya said. ¡°Although it¡¯s kind of hot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only hot because you¡¯re wearing a cloak.¡± Arwin rubbed his forehead. ¡°But I must admit that this doesn¡¯t seem to be working nearly as well as I had hoped.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should try to show off your magic sword? Even if it¡¯s just a liability waiting to happen, at least it¡¯s cooler than normal weapons.¡±

    ¡°Not a terrible idea, but I¡¯m not sure anyone would really be that interested in a magic weapon that¡¯s just objectively worse than a normal one, especially if I don¡¯t have any others for sale.¡±

    <em>And I¡¯m not selling thest sword I just made. It¡¯s actually useful. You know, the more I think about it, what¡¯s the point of selling this trash? I have no desire to just be another smith ¨C and do I even want to outfit adventurers that are part of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? </em>

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    ¡°Arwin?¡± Reya asked.

    He blinked, then turned to her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were ring. We¡¯re not going to get customers if you scare them all off.¡±

    Arwin grunted. He pushed himself to his feet and rolled the bundle of weapons back up, hoisting it over a shoulder and shaking his head. ¡°Forget this. We¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Reya hurried to catch up with Arwin as he strode out of the market. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I realized this isn¡¯t what I want to do,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m d nobody showed up. I have no desire to outfit more Adventurers that I don¡¯t know ¨C and selling subpar work rubs me the wrong way the more I think about it. When you make someone a weapon, aren¡¯t they basically putting their life in your hands?¡±

    ¡°That seems a bit extreme. It¡¯s just a weapon, and everything is about how the weapon is used, not what the weapon is.¡±

    ¡°To a degree, yes. But when you buy weapons or armor from someone, it means you¡¯re trusting that they¡¯ll hold. Your smith holds your life in their hands. Imagine if your dagger shatters midway through a fight against a powerful monster.¡±

    <em>Or if your smith nts a magical bomb in your armor. </em>

    ¡°I guess I can see what you¡¯re saying,¡± Reya allowed. She nced over her shoulder at the receding market, then back to Arwin. ¡°But what do we do about money? I thought¨C¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll earn it the proper way,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Forget selling trash or unstable magical weapons. We¡¯re going hunting. Now.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have any equipment or healing potions!¡± Reya eximed. She quickly realized she¡¯d raised her voice too loud and lowered it back to a whisper. ¡°Without sses and gear, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll survive.¡±

    ¡°You have a dagger,¡± Arwin pointed out. He tapped the hilt of his sword. ¡°And I have a sword. All we have to do is hit the monsters harder than they hit us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me when I say that I think the chances of that aren¡¯t very likely. What about the monsters that are faster than we are? It doesn¡¯t matter how hard we can hit them if we can¡¯tnd a blow first.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple,¡± Arwin replied with a shrug. ¡°Just hit them first.¡±

    Reya let out a series of displeased mutters, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. The two of them continued out of the market, following the side streets until they drew up to the exit of the city.

    It was still manned by a guard, but the man didn¡¯t give them so much as a second nce as they passed him by. Once they¡¯d put some distance between themselves and the city entrance, Arwin nodded to Reya.

    ¡°You know a little bit about the surrounding area, right?¡±

    ¡°Some,¡± Reya allowed.

    ¡°Great. Take us to the nearest area where monsters congregate. I trust you know of one?¡±

    ¡°I know of the dungeon. There are a lot of monsters around there, but the thieves¡¯ guild is definitely watching it. I think there¡¯s a valley that¡¯s just a few hours away that we could try ¨C but I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯re both going to get killed.¡±

    ¡°And yet, here you are,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If you actually thought we were going to die, would you be here with me?¡±

    Reya heaved a sigh and stepped off the beaten path, starting along the ankle-high grass and down the sloping hill. Arwin followed after her, therge bundle of weapons still slung over his shoulder.

    The trip across the rolling hills took a little under two hours. Little was spoken throughout it, but Arwin didn¡¯t mind. He enjoyed the sanctum of his own mind, and it was a nice day. There was no need to muddle it with fear.

    He barely even noticed that they¡¯d arrived until Reya slowed to a stop. They stood at the edge of a very gently sloping valley. There was a small forest within it, and Arwin could hear the chirp of birds and insects from where they stood.

    ¡°Here,¡± Reya said wearily. ¡°I think the monsters in this area shouldn¡¯t be that much stronger than Apprentice Tier. Maybe we could throw things at them in hopes of killing something before it gets close? You¡¯ve got a whole bunch of weapons.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a terrible idea, but Arwin couldn¡¯t see any monsters yet, and tossing swords into the forest at random felt like a generally poor idea. He started down the valley, making for the forest. ¡°Do you know how aggressive the monsters in this area are?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve never done much more than look, and it was always when I was in arger group,¡± Reya replied. She stayed behind Arwin, keeping the dagger out before her defensively. ¡°I remember that there were some pretty big lizard things, though.¡±

    ¡°Lizards? Sounds like those could be useful.¡±

    ¡°Did you miss the big part?¡±

    ¡°Big means there are more spots to stab,¡± Arwin said. They drew up to the treeline a short whileter and Arwin squinted into it. The forest wasn¡¯t too dense at the edges, so he could see a good bit into it.

    ¡°Maybe we should be quiet,¡± Reya whispered. ¡°What if they hunt in packs?¡±

    ¡°You know more about them than I do. Do they?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe? I usually just saw one or two.¡±

    Arwin shifted the roll of swords off his shoulders and set it on the ground. He unrolled it and took one of the in swords he¡¯d made in his left hand, drawing his magical one with his right. Reya¡¯s eyes widened at the sight.

    ¡°You know how to use two swords at once? What kind of smith knows how to dual wield?¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t respond to her question. His attention was transfixed on two motes of yellow light glimmering in the darkness of the forest. They were eyes, each roughly the size of his fist. Arwin bared his teeth in challenge. ¡°I think I found one of your lizards.¡±

    <em>Perhaps it¡¯s a bitte to think about this, but it¡¯s been some time since I¡¯ve actually properly fought a monster. It would be morbidly funny if I find out I¡¯m nowhere near a match for them anymore, but confidence is half the battle. I will win because I must win.</em>

    Even if he couldn¡¯t speak the samenguage as the monster, he¡¯d spent enough time fighting them to know how tomunicate ¨C and direct eye contact was a clear challenge that few would ignore.

    Reya stiffened behind him as fallen leaves and sticks cracked. The draconic head of a six-foot tall lizard poked out from the darkness, its red tongue flicking out to taste the air. The rest of the monster¡¯s body followed after it.

    It had long, curved ws that dug furrows into the ground and was covered with glistening green scales. A row of spikes ran along the back of its head and several crooked fangs jutted out from random spots in its mouth.

    Arwin reached out to the mesh, and golden lettering shimmered above the lizard¡¯s head, visible only to him.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard ¨C Apprentice 5]</strong>

    The lizard¡¯s mouth opened in a hiss and its tail whipped out, mming into one of the trees. Wood shattered with a loud crash and the tree pitched to the side, mming to the ground. The lizard¡¯s head tiled back and it let out a hissing roar.

    <em>Only three levels above me in Apprentice and it can already do this much damage. Monsters really do have it lucky, but this thing isn¡¯t the only one here that can hit hard. </em>

    ¡°I think we might have made a mistake,¡± Reya said, clutching her dagger and swallowing heavily. ¡°Can we run?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an option anymore. Remember our conversation about speed? Well, this thing is faster than me. I¡¯ll do my best to keep its attention, but don¡¯t get caught off guard. Fight or die, Reya.¡±

 Chapter 13: Equipment

    Chapter 13: Equipment

    Arwin cracked his neck, then took a step forward and reared back, flinging one of his swords at the lizard¡¯s head mid-roar. It struck it with a thunk and the monster hissed in fury.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Reya eximed. ¡°You just threw away one of your weapons!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t dual wield,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. He pointed his enchanted sword at the lizard. ¡°Come on, then. Those scales of yours look like they¡¯d be good to practice making armor with.¡±

    That proved to be the final straw. Arwin still wasn¡¯t sure if the average monster was intelligent enough to understand his insults, but it definitely picked up on the tone of his voice. Letting out a furious hiss, the lizard¡¯s limbs blurred into motion and it charged.

    Arwin moved to meet it, old instincts kicking back in immediately. It felt like it had been a long time since he¡¯d been in a proper fight, and he didn¡¯t have the abilities he¡¯d had as the Hero, but he still had more than enough to work with.

    The lizard¡¯s head snapped down to bite at Arwin¡¯s neck. He jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, and brought his sword down on the monster¡¯s neck while sending some magical energy through the de.

    A dull hum rang out as the de rang against the Lizard¡¯s scales, failing to prate through them. Small ripples of dull, nearly invisible magic remained in the spot where he¡¯d struck the monster.

    Arwin jumped into the air as the lizard¡¯s tail whipped out and smashed into the ground where he¡¯d been standing. His jump didn¡¯t take him nearly as far as he¡¯d nned, though. Arwin dropped back to the ground far sooner than he¡¯d expected and the monster lunged for him again.

    Cursing, he threw himself into a roll. A loud crunch rang out as the monster¡¯s teeth mmed shut just above him, and Arwin mmed his sword into the same spot he¡¯d struck before. More magical power left his body as the magic resonating on the lizard¡¯s scales intensified, but they were still whole and undamaged.Reya stood on the other side of the lizard, frozen in fear. Arwin didn¡¯t me her ¨C the lizard was admittedly a bit stronger than he¡¯d been expecting. If it was giving him this much trouble, it probably really would have been fatal if she¡¯d fought it.

    <em>Well, this was a good exercise to see where I stand in my new body. Time to dial up the heat. </em>

    Arwin activated [Scourge] at its max power. Magic pumped through his body, but the lizard was oblivious to it. Having judged Reya a non-threat, it charged at Arwin again. Its massive mouth opened once more and it bit out at him.

    Reya called out a warning as Arwin remained solidly in ce, but it was toote. The lizard was upon him ¨C and Arwin¡¯s left fist was upon the lizard. His fist mmed into the monster¡¯s open jaw from below, and a loud crunch echoed out.

    Its head snapped back, mouth mming shut. Arwin¡¯s strike redirected the monster and it stumbled past him, tripping over its own feet. At the same time, a sh of pain flooded through Arwin¡¯s fist and he swore.

    <em>If it wasn¡¯t for [Indomitable Bulwark] halving the injures I get, I¡¯m pretty sure I would have just broken every bone in my hand. Damn. This thing must weigh a ton. </em>

    And, even with the Title, Arwin¡¯s fist stung furiously. He shook his hand off, gritting his teeth as the lizard¡¯s tail hurtled for his head. Arwin ducked out of the way and ran at the lizard while it was still midway through turning back to face him.

    The monster was pretty fast whilst moving forward, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere near as swift in its rotations. It let out a screech of fury as Arwin lunged, using another [Scourge] empowered blow to drive his sword forward.

    It punched through the scales of its side with a loud crunch, driving deep into the monster¡¯s flesh. Blue blood sttered across the grass as Arwin ripped the de free and hopped back, just barely managing to avoid the lizard¡¯s tail as it spun again.

    If there had been much intelligence in the monster¡¯s head, it probably would have registered that Arwin was more of a threat than he¡¯d initially appeared to be. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t.

    With another screech, the lizard charged him once more. Arwin could feel his energy starting to wane from the amount of power he¡¯d pumped into [Scourge], but he didn¡¯t have any other choice. Using the ability at its max power was the only way he could properly damage it, but it also chewed through his energy at disturbing speeds. He was pretty sure he only had the strength for one or two more blows.

    Ducking to the side to avoid a w swipe, Arwin brought his sword down on the already-ringing section of the lizard¡¯s neck with all his might and let out a roar of his own. Scales shattered as the enchanted de bit deep into the monster¡¯s neck.

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    Almost instantly, the resonating energy finally triggered. A shudder shook the lizard¡¯s body as Arwin ripped his de free and blood sprayed out of the new wound. The lizard wasn¡¯t done yet, though.

    It jumped at Arwin onest time, trying to crush him beneath his bulk. Even with [Scourge], Arwin didn''t want to take the weight of a massive hurtling monster straight to the face. Just because he could lift something didn''t mean he wanted to get hit by it.

    Instead of trying to counterattack, Arwin directed [Scourge]¡¯s power into his legs. He lunged to the side in a burst of speed, hitting the ground with a grunt and rolling across it in a rather undignified manner.

    Behind him, he heard the lizard m into the ground. He managed to stop his rolling and shot to his feet, acutely aware of just how little energy he still had left to work with. The lizard was already turning toward him, preparing to charge, but its eyes were unfocused. It was losing a lot of blood from the nasty wound in its neck and the one on its side ¨C but it wasn¡¯t dead yet.

    Arwin tightened his grip on his sword and sprinted at the monster, trying to take advantage of its weakness. It hissed a challenge, preparing to meet his charge. It was ready for him, but it wasn¡¯t ready for Reya.

    She sprinted at the monster¡¯s back, thrusting her dagger into the open wound in its side. Even with all the momentum her charge had given her, she hit it like a toddler sprinting into a brick wall and fell back with a pained grunt, but the damage was done.

    Her dagger had driven deep into the monster¡¯s already injured side, and it let out a pained scream. It spun toward Reya, making its final mistake. The momentary distraction was just enough for Arwin to close the rest of the distance between them. He brought his sword down, using thest dregs of his magic to drive his sword into the resonating wound on its neck.

    The lizard thrashed and screamed as the power thrummed through it, and a mixture from the magic and the deepening wound finally won over. It crashed to the ground, Arwin¡¯s sword nearly all the way through its neck, and spasmed in death throes.

    One of its thrashing ws caught Arwin on the chest as he tried to step out of the way. His flesh burned as he was thrown to the ground with a pained grunt. He rolled to safety and pressed a hand to his chest, feeling warm blood start to trickle down his chest.

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Reya yelled, running over to him. ¡°Are you¨C¡±

    The words died in Reya¡¯s mouth as she skidded to a stop, staring at the wound. It was little more than a nasty cut. It was bleeding pretty badly, but it was nowhere near the fatal wound it should have been. She blinked in disbelief.

    ¡°What? How? I saw its w go right into your chest!¡±

    ¡°I told you,¡± Arwin said with a dry chuckle. He pushed himself to his feet, brushing the dirt off his back and sides. ¡°I¡¯m more than a mere smith.¡±

    <em>And still, that was closer than I would have liked. I overestimated my strength ¨C but that was a good baseline for determining where I stand. I can probably handle monsters up to Apprentice 6 if I¡¯m doing everything perfectly, but it¡¯ll depend on how they fight. I¡¯m at a huge disadvantage against anything faster than me, and I¡¯m going to need some proper armor.</em>

    Reya looked from Arwin to the dead monster, disbelief and awe warring in her eyes. The awe won the fight and she ran her hands through her hair, then down her face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. You killed a monster. A crafter killed a monster stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°And you helped.¡±

    ¡°And I helped! How is that possible? How are we alive?¡±

    ¡°Pretty simple. We hit it harder.¡± A grin cracked Arwin¡¯s expression at the re Reya sent him. He trudged over to the body of the dead lizard. Reya¡¯s dagger still stuck out of its side, and he nodded to it. ¡°Take your weapon back. Did you get anything for helping me kill it?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t have a ss yet.¡± Reya finally snapped out of it and walked over to join him.

    <em>And I didn¡¯t get anything either. Makes sense. I¡¯m a crafter. The Mesh isn¡¯t going to reward me for killing things ¨C but that hardly matters. All the reward I need is right here in front of me. </em>

    Reya pulled her dagger out of the dead lizard with a grunt. She examined it for a moment, then wiped the blood off on the grass and returned the de to its sheath.

    ¡°What now?¡± Reya asked wearily. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re going after another one. We barely made it through one.¡±

    ¡°Depends how fast we work,¡± Arwin replied as he knelt, wedging his sword beneath one of the scales near the wound and leaning on it. With a crack, the scale popped off and fell to the grass. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until we scrape this thing dry of any useful materials. You keep watch and let me know if anything else ising. I¡¯ll cut this thing up, and then we can grab everything we can carry and head back to the city.¡±

    Reya swallowed and nodded, squinting into the forest while Arwin got to work.

    Perhaps it was because the corpse of thest monster that tried them was sitting in open view, or perhaps it was just sheer luck, but no other monsters emerged to attack over the next hour.

    Arwin worked in silence, ripping scales and ws off as efficiently as he could. He¡¯d never stripped a monster before, but to his luck, the lizard¡¯s scales were so firm that they were hard to damage unless he actively started wailing on them.

    ¡°Is this really going to be enough?¡± Reya asked. ¡°To beat the thieves¡¯ guild, I mean. There are thirty of them, and some of them are at the top of Apprentice. Their leader is a Journeyman.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be enough,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°It has to be, and so it will.¡±

    ¡°What kind of logic is that?¡±

    ¡°The logic of a man who is determined to win. It¡¯s logic that you should adopt if you want to survive,¡± Arwin suggested. He straightened up, looking around at all the materials lying on the ground in wait for him. ¡°For now, help me carry this. We¡¯re heading back.¡±

    Reya nodded and walked over, piling as much of the material as she could into the bundle of swords they¡¯d brought along. Once that was full, they both stuffed their pockets and filled their arms before heading back up the valley and back toward the town.

    ¡°We have one day left, though. What are we going to be able to do in one day?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a simple answer as well,¡± Arwin said, sending Reya a nce out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to make us equipment.¡±

 Chapter 14: In a corner

    Chapter 14: In a corner

    Arwin was unsurprised to find that Forest Lizard scales did not heat particrly well in the forge. In fact, they were slightly heat-resistant. And, even though they were made of harder material than the sub-standard metal he was growing used to working with, they didn¡¯t tolerate shape changes nearly as much.

    He lost count of how many scales he mistakenly shattered that day. Even though they¡¯d returned from their trip with a good portion of daylight left, it was now already dipping well into the night and he¡¯d only made minor progress along his ns.

    Normally, Arwin was pretty sure that making armor from scales was best done by stringing the scales together like chainmail, but he didn¡¯t have the leather to attach them to, nor did he have the talent to work with leather yet.

    The only thing he¡¯d really figured out how to do was hit things with a hammer ¨C and that was exactly what he continued to do. He was confident there was a way to work with them, but if he didn¡¯t find it before the next day ended, it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Arwin chewed his lower lip as he stared at the scale on his hearth. It rested in a bed of [Soul me], glowing faintly with heat. He picked the scale up, bringing it over to the anvil to try again.

    Almost as soon as it left the embrace of the fire, the scale¡¯s bright luster faded away. His lips pressed together in annoyance. It had only taken seconds for it to lose the majority of the heat that it had been building up, and attempting to change it would lead to the same result that he¡¯d been continuously earning that day ¨C another broken scale.

    A thought struck Arwin and he turned back to his forge, putting the scale back in. He picked up one of the other scales within the mes, then pressed it between his fingers without taking it out of the fire.

    He felt the faintest amount of give. It was so little that there was a good chance he¡¯d hallucinated it entirely, but Arwintched onto that feeling. He activated [Scourge] and sent energy into his fingertips, squeezing the scale again.

    This time, it warped around his thumb. It was far from a perfect bend, but it had moved. Arwin pulled it from the me, delight spreading across his features as the scale started to cool. He waited for it to lose the rest of its heat, then tapped the scale with his hammer.It remained firm. Arwin gave it several stronger strikes, but it took a blow with his full, normal force to finally crack the scale. Augh slipped from his lips and he turned back to the hearth.

    <em>Looks like this project will be one without a hammer. I¡¯m going to have to put everything together by hand without taking it out of the hearth. The next problem is figuring out how to connect the scales. </em>

    Arwin tried just pressing them together and repeatedly striking the scales in attempt to get them to meld together, but it amounted to nothing. They weren¡¯t metal, and they held their shape far too well to merge together.

    His next idea proved considerably more fruitful. Arwin made nails from normal metal, then slowly but steadily worked them into the scales. It was a fine line to work on. He did his best to move quickly and keep the nails from getting over-heated, but that meant he had a very limited amount of time to work on each piece before the nail lost too much of its strength and became soft.

    If he struck it too hard, the nail would bend or break before the scales would. If he struck too light, the nail wouldn¡¯t even get any deeper into the scales. The key turned out to be a steady, constant stream of firm taps.

    Nothing too hard, but nothing too soft. And, in that manner, one scale became linked to two and two became three. It was slow, tedious work, but Arwin loved it. Every single scale he nailed together felt like another step along his journey, and it filled him with delight.

    He didn¡¯t even bother keeping count of the number of rows he¡¯d need to make to outfit himself. Arwin just kept tapping away, sweat dripping down his forehead and rolling down his back.

    There was only a little more than a day left before the time woulde to use the armor. He didn¡¯t have time to fail. He didn¡¯t have time to take a break ¨C and he didn¡¯t want to. There was only one possibility in his mind, and he was determined to achieve it.

    ***

    ¡°I told you that I¡¯m not serving meals outside of the tavern,¡± Lillia said, pressing her lips thin as she red at Reya. The young woman shifted ufortably beneath her gaze, averting her eyes.

    <em>The Hero is avoiding me? Perhaps it¡¯s for the best. I just about had a heart attack when I saw that oaf standing at my counter like he belonged there. I can¡¯t believe he was actually the first one to call a truce. </em>

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    ¡°Could you do it just this once?¡± Reya pleaded. ¡°Arwin is really busy. He¡¯s¡­ making stuff.¡±

    Lillia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then he can take a break from making <em>stuff</em> ande here. If I want to build a group of regr customers, I need to make sure theye to my tavern, not summon me like some harlot.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t take a break! But, if he doesn¡¯t eat, I¡¯m worried he won¡¯t have enough strength to fi ¨C uh, to help.¡±

    <em>To fight? Who in the Nine Undends is he fighting? There¡¯s no way he actually managed to keep his Hero ss, is there? I didn¡¯t feel the strength that he used to have, and if my own ss was destroyed, I can¡¯t see why his would have survived. </em>

    <em>Does that mean he¡¯s nning to fight someone without his powers? I suppose that lines up pretty well with him, actually. </em>

    ¡°Perhaps he should do a little less fighting and focus a little more on the finer things in life,¡± Lillia said with a snort. The mere idea of running back off to fight after she¡¯d finally broken out of that endless cycle made her want to retch.

    The Hero clearly enjoyed the ughter far more than she had, but that was little surprise. Humans had always reveled in death.

    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault,¡± Reya protested. She wrung her hands together and threw a nce over her shoulder. Lillia nearly let out a derisive snort. It wasn¡¯t like anyone else was going to be there. Despite her words, aside from Reya and one drunkard that Lillia had yet to learn the name of, she¡¯d had absolutely no customers.

    ¡°How is it not his fault if he¡¯s running off to kill people? Sounds like it¡¯s entirely his fault.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s doing it because I need help,¡± Reya muttered. She stared down at her feet, clenching her hands. ¡°He¡¯s trying to make armor because I¡¯m in trouble with the thieves¡¯ guild.¡±

    ¡°The what now?¡± Lillia blinked in surprise. ¡°I think I¡¯mpletely lost. What do they have to do with any of this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble with a lot of people,¡± Reya said, flopping down in Lillia¡¯s chair and burying her face in her palms. Her hands dug into her hair and she pulled at it with a groan, sinking down and letting her head thunk against the wood.

    Lillia held a hand out, then pulled it back. She¡¯d dealt with a lot of things in life, but not one of them had ever beenforting someone. It had been so long since she¡¯d cared enough about someone to even think about their feelings that she could barely remember the feeling.

    <em>Everyone I¡¯ve loved is dead at the hands of the Hero. </em>

    And yet, sitting in front of her was quite literally Lillia¡¯s only customer. The tiny spark that gave her hope that her tavern might one day be a true business. A ce full of joy andughter, where she could live peacefully.

    <em>If I don¡¯t do something now, how will I help my future customers? I need to help her. </em>

    ¡°Maybe you could start from the beginning?¡± Lillia tried to make her tone as gentle as possible, but she wasn¡¯t so certain it was working. ¡°I think I¡¯m missing a lot of information.¡±

    ¡°I ran into Arwin a few days ago,¡± Reya said, her muffled words spoken into the countertop. ¡°I was with a group of thieves that got mad I wasn¡¯t giving them my life earnings. Arwin killed one of them.¡±

    <em>Sounds about right. </em>

    ¡°They were part of a guild?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°No. They were just some assholes. The rest of ¡®em showed up, and Arwin dealt with them too. I realized he was pretty strong, so I decided to hang around. Thought it would be safe. It was stupid. I should have kept moving. But I didn¡¯t, and the thieves¡¯ guild found me, and then Arwin got involved defending me, and now he¡¯s trying to forge armor that will let him fight them!¡±

    Reya¡¯s words quickened until they were spoken so fast that Lillia could barely make them out. The fact that she was face down on the countertop certainly wasn¡¯t helping her audibility.

    ¡°I see,¡± Lillia said slowly. ¡°So he¡¯s getting ready to fight the thieves¡¯ guild because they¡¯re after you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reya mumbled. ¡°I feel like such a piece of shit. I know he just wants to be left alone. He shouldn¡¯t be the one solving my problems, and I know I should just leave so he doesn¡¯t have to deal with them. I guess I¡¯m just selfish. I don¡¯t want to keep running, but I¡¯m not strong enough to change anything myself.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s back tickled in rm. Reya couldn¡¯t leave ¨C that would get rid of one of her three customers, and there was a good chance it scrapped Arwin as well. That would knock her all the way down to just the one homeless man, and she was pretty sure he¡¯d only stumbled into her tavern on mistake.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a little selfish,¡± Lillia said hurriedly. She reached out, cringing slightly as she set her hand on Reya¡¯s shoulder. She half expected the woman to knock her arm away, but to her surprise, Reya didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Easy to say when you aren¡¯t the one being selfish,¡± Reya said. ¡°There are thirty of them. How is Arwin supposed to kill thirty people?¡±

    <em>Nine Undends. Thirty? At the peak of my power, that would have been a heartbeat of effort. But now¡­ that¡¯s not possible. Maybe in a few months, but now? What is Arwin thinking? Is it possible that he retained more of his powers than I did?</em>

    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s stronger than you think?¡± Lillia asked. She went to take her hand back, but the moment it lifted off Reya¡¯s shoulder, the girl stiffened. Lillia quickly put her hand back.

    ¡°He¡¯s really strong for a smith, but he¡¯s not going to be able to take out thirty fighters. We just went hunting and he just barely beat an Apprentice 5 Lizard,¡± Reya said miserably. ¡°What should I do? Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t help him fight aside from maybe distracting a few people and gutting them from the dark. That¡¯s not going to do an ounce of anything against thirty whole people.¡±

    <em>He took out an Apprentice 5 monster? I¡¯d guess that¡¯s pretty close to what I should be able to handle as well. Shit. He¡¯s just a moron, then. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to be able to handle fighting thirty warriors. </em>

    That left Lillia with a prettyrge problem. Arwin had never been one to back down from a fight, and Reya didn¡¯t have a choice. That meant two of her customers were headed straight to their deaths.

    <em>Damn it all. I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m about to say, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got a choice.</em>

    ¡°I might be able to help,¡± Lillia said.

 Announcement: Patreon & More!

    Announcement: Patreon & More!

    Hey all! Thanks so much for reading Rise of the Living Forge - I''ve just brought the patreon up to chapter 40, or just about 25 chapters ahead of Royal Road! I''ll be continuing to expand it over theing days, though I wanted to make sure I didn''t go too fast and run out of backlog. I have the novel written up to Chapter 60 on the backend, but my main tier has ess to everything up to Chapter 40.

    Just like with my other novel, Runebound, I n to eventually get Living Forge to around 50 chapters of backlog. I don''t have an exact date of when it''ll grow thatrge, but just know it''s a work in progress!

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Anyway, thanks so much for reading and your support. Another thank you to everyone who has left kind reviews so far, they mean a lot to me! Until next next chapter (so tomorrow morning, at 11:30 AM CST)

    Also, be sure to check out the links below if you want to hop into the discord and chat with some other readers!

 Chapter 15: How much?

    Chapter 15: How much?

    Reya sat up so fast that she nearly slipped out of the chair. Lillia caught her by the shoulders. ¡°Careful!¡±

    ¡°You can help?¡± Reya asked eagerly. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Lillia grumbled, releasing Reya and letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s just consider it an advance payment, yes? You aren¡¯t allowed to go to any taverns other than mine. And, in exchange, I help out my most valuable customer.¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Reya said. She paused for a moment and her features crumpled again. ¡°Wait. How are you going to be able to help? Your food is good, but they aren¡¯t going to stop fighting us if you feed them.¡±

    <em>Didn¡¯t you specificallye here just to get food?</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m more than just some mere tavernkeeper,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with a few rowdy idiots before, and three bodies against thirty is much better than two. If you think about it, that means we each just have to take out ten of them.¡±

    ¡°You know, that¡¯s almost exactly what Arwin told me about himself. And you¡¯re right!¡± Reya¡¯s eyes lit with just a little hope. ¡°That¡¯s not too bad. As long as they¡¯re all looking in the other direction andpletely oblivious to my presence for the entire fight, I could probably do that.¡±

    <em>Do you want them to strip naked and point to their vital spots as well?</em>

    ¡°Right,¡± Lillia said. She could still barely believe a single wording out of her mouth, but it was toote to back out now. Despite what the humans had imed about her kind, a demon did not go back on their word.There was a moment of silence as the two regarded each other. Then Reya¡¯s stomach rumbled.

    ¡°Do you think you could still make that food, though?¡± Reya asked, her cheeks reddening.

    Lillia sighed. ¡°Just wait here. I¡¯ll be out in a moment.¡±

    ***

    Bearing a teden with food, Lillia followed Reya out into the street and over to the smithy. Rhythmic thuds echoed from within it, just loud enough to ring in Lillia¡¯s ears.

    Reya stepped right through the crumbling entryway, but Lillia paused just before she entered. Her skin prickled, her body screamed warnings at her not to press further. She was standing at the domain of her greatest foe ¨C the spot where he was mostfortable.

    <em>No. I¡¯m not backing out. He walked right into my tavern like he owned the ce, and I¡¯m going to do the same thing. </em>

    Lillia ground her teeth and stepped inside. Arwin stood, his bare back to them and his arms buried up to his elbows in the roaring mes. He didn¡¯t even look slightly bothered by the heat, and Reya held a finger to her lips as Lillia opened her mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t distract him too much while he¡¯s working,¡± Reya whispered. ¡°You know, I could have just brought him the food myself. You didn¡¯t have toe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d have gotten used to taking food out of my tavern if I did that,¡± Lillia grumbled, but she kept her voice low. ¡°I¡¯m not letting that happen. This is a one-time thing.¡±

    ¡°Well, you might be waiting a while,¡± Reya said. She squinted at the forge. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s anywhere near done yet, and if finishing that armor will give us a chance against the thieves¡¯ guild, I don¡¯t think we should bother him.¡±

    Lillia pursed her lips. Food was always best when it was fresh. At least, she was pretty sure that was the case. It certainly wasn¡¯t going to get any better if they left it out ¨C but any advantages for the uing fight would probably be invaluable.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Lillia said. She nced around the smithy, then sat down and leaned against the wall, beckoning for Reya to do the same. ¡°In that case, tell me about what we¡¯re up against. Maybe I can try to put some form of n together while we wait for him to finish.

    Reya nodded and sat down.

    It was in that position that hours passed. The night squirreled away and the sun rose, but Arwin didn¡¯t budge from his spot at the forge. Lillia was pretty certain he had absolutely no idea that they were even there.

    Her discussion with Reya only proved one thing, and that was that they were likely screwed. Going up against twenty-nine Apprentice Tiers and a Journeyman was a ludicrous fight. Sure, it was unlikely that all of the guild would be there at the same time, but there would still be far more enemies that they had any right to take on.

    To make matters worse, Reya didn¡¯t even have a ss. Lillia had been fairly certain that she was a Thief or an equivalent, but Reya didn¡¯t even have that. She had no Titles, no Achievements, and no skills. All she had was the dagger at her side.

    <em>This might well and truly be screwed. </em>

    Lillia pushed herself upright and brushed the gravel off her backside.

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    <em>He¡¯s been working at that armor all night and a good part of the morning. I wonder if he¡¯s actually making any progress, or if he¡¯s just banging away at nothing. </em>

    Ignoring the look Reya sent her, Lillia crept closer to the forge. She kept her distance, making sure not to get close enough to startle Arwin, and squinted into the mes. Her eyes widened as she got her first look on the armor.

    Layers of interconnected scales had been tightly woven together into a scale mail shirt. They all glowed with merry orange heat that Lillia could feel even from where she stood. It looked like there were only a few scales left to be ced.

    The Mesh tickled at the back of her mind as she studied the armor. It wasn¡¯t magical ¨C not yet ¨C but it certainly seemed as if it would be. Despite the person forging the armor, a flicker of awe passed through Lillia.

    <em>He can make magical items this soon? It looks like I¡¯m not the only one that got a Unique crafting ss, then. I guess I shouldn¡¯t even be surprised. We¡¯ve always been perfectly matched, so I don¡¯t know why this would have been any different. </em>

    Lillia made her way back to Reya and sat down.

    ¡°Well?¡± Reya whispered. ¡°Is it working?¡±

    ¡°You could look yourself, you know,¡± Lillia said dryly. She looked back to Arwin, a thoughtful expression passing over her face. ¡°But yes. I think it is.¡±

    ***

    Arwin worked the final nail into the armor. His fingers were sore and exhausted, and even though his [Soul me] didn¡¯t burn him, his entire body felt like it had been baked in an oven.

    He barely even noticed. Arwin lifted the scale mail, delight dancing in his eyes as he felt the Meshe to life within it.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard Scale Mail: Unique Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [I¡¯m Special] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[I¡¯m Special] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first Unique Quality item.</em> Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. <em>This achievement will be consumed immediately. </em></strong>

    <strong>[I¡¯m Special]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    Before Arwin could even think about what the Mesh had said, a list of his existing skills flickered to life before him, blinking impatiently.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    Getting his current skills upgraded was just as important as acquiring new ones, but Arwin¡¯s nose scrunched in distaste. As usual, the Mesh had given him absolutely no information about what the skill upgrades would actually be.

    There were certain Titles and Achievements that gave more information on upgrades that he¡¯d always found invaluable, but he didn¡¯t have the benefit of any of those this time. Fortunately, he only had two skills to choose between.

    <em>It¡¯s not hard to tell what upgrading Awaken would do. I¡¯d get magical items more often, and they¡¯d be less likely to have detrimental effects. Soul me, on the other hand, I¡¯m unsure. I¡¯d assume it would be more effective. </em>

    <em>Normally, I¡¯d go straight with Awaken. At some point, I¡¯d want to upgrade Awaken regardless. But¡­ if Soul me gives me the chance to make stronger weapons, even if they happen less often, wouldn¡¯t that be the better choice?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. It was just as possible that upgrading Awaken would result in the same improvement. It was difficult to tell because the description of the skill said that theponent that affected his chances of making a trait was unknown.

    After a few more seconds of deliberation, Arwin selected [Soul me].

    Both skills were tempting. Going with either one was a bet, and if he was going to bet, he wanted to bet on the one that he had the most information on.

    <strong>[Soul me] ¨C <em>Passion burns within you with such intensity that it be manifest. You may draw out your Soul me, empowering the fire of your forge, but be wary ¨C any magical damage done to the Soul me will transfer onto your soul. Your Soul me can pull all the traits from a magical item and allow you to transfer them onto other items without pre-existing magic. </em></strong>

    A delighted grin stretched across Arwin¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t a direct upgrade to his actual items, but considering the random nature of the traits he was able to make right now, this change would be invaluable.

    <em>The catch is that I have to take all the traits, so I can¡¯t just separate off the detrimental ones, but this will still be useful if I get a strong defensive trait on a dagger or something like that. </em>

    Arwin let the skill fade away. He was mildly surprised ¨C and pleased ¨C to find that he hadn¡¯t reached the next level in his Tier. It got exponentially harder to advance with every level, and Unique sses often took even more energy than normal to grow stronger.

    To Arwin, that was a blessing. It meant more time to im Titles and Achievements, which was exactly what he needed. Arwin summoned the Mesh once more, this time studying the newly made scale mail to see what rewards his efforts had reaped him.

    <strong>Forest Lizard Scale Mail: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Fury]: This item was not just forged in me ¨C it is one with it. The wearer of this item gains heat resistance. Upon being struck, this item may forcibly draw magical energy and release a whip of molten me at the attacker. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: Once donned, this item will bond with its owner. It will change sizes so long as material permits to fit them perfectly, and anyone else who attempts to wear it may suffer retaliation. Information about this item may be hidden from others after it has bonded. </strong>

    <strong>It possesses [1] concealed property.</strong>

    The armor was beautiful. Its scales rippled in the firelight, shimmering like green gemstones. The description of the armor was short and to the point, but Arwin could see exactly why it had been marked as Unique. The word was rather self-exnatory. Being Unique wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing, but it did mean that the item would be different ¨C and the addition of a concealed property was interesting. He had no way of knowing when it would show up or what it would do, but that just added to his interest.

    Of course, Arwin could see the potential risks of the armor immediately. It didn¡¯t say how much magical energy it would draw, nor did he have any way to control it. Hypothetically, it couldpletely drain him the moment he took a single blow. On top of that, there was always the chance that the additional property was actually detrimental and would make the armor worse.

    But, despite that, the armor was exactly what he needed. A wild card that would give them even the slightest edge up against the assassins.

    He turned to the door so he could show Reya ¨C and froze. Reya was there, but she wasn¡¯t alone.

    Sitting beside her was the Demon Queen, and her eyes were transfixed on the armor, her mouth slightly askew in disbelief. She¡¯d watched him forge a Unique magical item, and it looked like she¡¯d been there for quite some time.

    <em>Shit. How much did she see?</em>

 Chapter 16: Old fashioned

    Chapter 16: Old fashioned

    ¡°Nine Undends, that¡¯s the most beautiful piece of armor I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Reya breathed. ¡°What god do you pray to, Arwin? I¡¯m swapping.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just scale mail,¡± Arwin said, his eyes locked with the Demon Queen¡¯s. ¡°Nothing special.¡±

    ¡°Nothing special my ass,¡± Lillia said. ¡°How¡¯d you make that? That¡¯s impossible. You¨C¡±

    She cut herself off before she could continue, but Arwin knew what she¡¯d been about to say.

    <em>I¡¯ve only been at this for a short while. I don¡¯t have any formal training as a smith, and even though this item probably wouldn¡¯t be anything special to someone far above our Tier, it shouldn¡¯t have been possible for an amateur. But here I am. Maybe all the time I spent watching my equipment getting made transferred over. </em>

    It was a weak excuse and Arwin was all too aware of it, but he genuinely had no proper exnation for it other than that the materials seemed to beckon to him, begging him to form them into their proper forms. Even in the final stages of the scale mail, he¡¯d felt the call of the scales directing his movements.

    Making Average magical items was absolutely nothing to scoff at. The Mesh didn¡¯t even recognize non-magical items in most circumstances. The only exception was when they managed to earn Titles and Achievements of their own, but that was rare.

    The actual ranking of magical items scaled with the smith that made them and the materials that went into them. An Average item from Arwin, at Apprentice Tier, would be nothingpared to a Garbage item made by someone two tiers higher at Adept Tier.

    But, even despite that, being able to make Average magical items with the amount of practice Arwin had¡­ it was unfair, to say the least.¡°Why are you here?¡± Arwin finally asked, snapping himself out of his reverie.

    ¡°To help!¡± Reya answered for Lillia. She picked a te up off the floor and pulled the covering off, holding it out to Arwin so he could see the meat pie on it. ¡°Also, we brought you food!¡±

    It was cold, but Arwin grabbed it without hesitation. He still had some time before he¡¯d need to eat another magical item, so his body didn¡¯t necessarily need food, but the pie looked delicious.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said, swallowing before he spoke. ¡°But¡­ Reya, you were meant to keep people <em>out </em>of the smithy, not invite them in. Besides, doesn¡¯t the D ¨C ah, doesn¡¯t Lillia have a tavern she needs to run?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I found out that two of my only customers were about to get themselves killed,¡± Lillia said, the irritation clear in her expression. ¡°I had no choice but toe.¡±

    ¡°To hand deliver the food?¡±

    ¡°No, you oaf. Well, yes. But also to help you with your thieves¡¯ guild problem.¡±

    Arwin nearly choked on his own saliva. He waited for Lillia to burst intoughter at his expression, but her features were dead serious. She wasn¡¯t joking.

    <em>The Demon Queen is offering to help us? She¡¯s suggesting that not only do we call a truce, but we actually fight side by side? </em>

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡± Reya asked. ¡°We actually have a chance of surviving!¡±

    <em>If anyone heard of this, they¡¯d faint in terror. When I was still the Hero, I can remember people theorizing about ending the war by finding an enemy so great that neither the Kingdom of Lien or the Monster Horde could handle it on their own, so they¡¯d have to work together.</em>

    <em>I suppose now we know what that threat is. A second-rate thieves¡¯ guild that¡¯s after the key to a Journeyman dungeon that I never would have given a second nce at. </em>

    Augh slipped out of Arwin¡¯s lips. It was so ludicrous that he couldn¡¯t even try to hold it in.

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia demanded.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Arwin said, wiping the mirth from his eyes. ¡°I just never thought that you and I would be working together to fight off a bunch of worthless thugs.¡±

    The exact meaning of his words passed over Reya¡¯s head, but Lillia understood them immediately. She scrunched her nose and let out augh of her own.

    ¡°Yeah. I had a simr thought. I guess life finds it funny to y jokes on us.¡±

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    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Arwin muttered. He nced around the floor in search of his shirt, then located it near the anvil and pulled it on. Then, after a moment of hesitation, Arwin pulled the scale mail over his head.

    As soon as it settled on his shoulders, he felt the material shift. It tightened against him until it sat perfectly on top of his shirt, not too snug but not so loose that it would flop around while he walked. The faint tingle of the Mesh prickled against his skin as he felt himself connect with the armor.

    ¡°Looks good,¡± Reya said, giving him a thumbs up.

    Lillia reluctantly nodded in agreement, but she still added, ¡°for an amateur.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got more material.¡± Arwin looked back to the still-lit forge. ¡°How long was I working? Do I have time to make another piece?¡±

    ¡°The note said two days, and today is day two,¡± Reya said. ¡°If they¡¯re going to be really strict on their timing, then I¡¯d assume they¡¯ll show up tonight.¡±

    ¡°It might be better to bring the fight to them. They won¡¯t suspect it,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°They probably also won¡¯t send their entire guild just for Reya,¡± Arwin said with a thoughtful frown. ¡°We might be better off waiting for them to show up here, killing the ones that do, and then taking out the rest of them afterward.¡±

    ¡°Which would work if they didn¡¯t have any sort of informationwork, but they clearly respect that you¡¯re a threat.¡± Lillia shook her head. ¡°And that means that they¡¯ll be watching to see how things go. If people start dying, the rest of the guild will either show up prepared or will be lying in wait. It¡¯s much more efficient if we cut the problem out with one fell swoop.¡±

    She had a fair point, but taking them out in <em>one fell swoop </em>was considerably easier to say than actually do. Sure, getting the jump on the thieves would probably give them a few free kills, but there were still thirty of them. If ten were off watching the dungeon, that still left twenty people to handle between the three of them ¨C two, if Arwin didn¡¯t count Reya due to herck of experience.

    <em>The idea of trusting Lillia¡­ I don¡¯t know. A truce is one thing, but fighting side by side is entirely different. I can barely even remember a time when I wasn¡¯t trying to kill her and she wasn¡¯t aiming to do the same to me. </em>

    Arwin had no way to know for certain, but he got the strong suspicion that the exact same thoughts were passing through Lillia¡¯s head. There was little choice, though. Unless they abandoned Reya to her fate, they <em>had </em>to work together.

    <em></em>There wasn¡¯t any way to prove anything or ensure Lillia wouldn¡¯t turn against him, she had no way to know if Arwin would hold to his word either. It was like a snake eating its own tail. No matter how hard it tried to consume itself, it would never be able to finish.

    The only option was just to stop biting.

    ¡°Just this once, then,¡± Arwin said, holding Lillia¡¯s gaze. ¡°Until the thieves¡¯ guild has been dealt with.¡±

    ¡°Just once.¡± Lillia nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t n to make a habit out of killing people. I¡¯m trying to run an upstanding business, so this is going to have to be a cheat day.¡±

    ¡°So what are we going to do?¡± Reya asked, wringing her hands together. ¡°Are we just charging in and killing people?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to depend on where their base is,¡± Arwin said. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, holding a hand toward the forge. The [Soul me] he still had sitting in it sputtered and flew into his hand, returning to his body as his fist closed around it. ¡°I trust you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I can show you, but they¡¯ve definitely got lookouts.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already established that it¡¯s likely they¡¯ll be watching us,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There¡¯s even a chance they know what I¡¯ve been up to. And, speaking of which, hold on.¡±

    Arwin directed his attention to his armor, willing it to hide itself from anyone else¡¯s eyes. The metal rippled in response, but that was it. Arwin nced at the others, then tapped his chest. ¡°Well? Can you still tell what it is?¡±

    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Lillia said with a shake of her head. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d just think it was normal scale mail. You still might stand out a bit, though. I don¡¯t see a lot of people walking around wearing Forest Lizard armor.¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Arwin said with a low chuckle. He nodded over his shoulder at the pile of pieces left over from the Forest Lizard. ¡°I¡¯ve still got a good bit of material left, not to mention the ws and fangs. I¡¯m going to need some better tools if I¡¯m going to get around to using them anytime soon, though.¡±

    ¡°We should probably focus on surviving this fight first,¡± Lillia suggested. She went to continue, then paused as she took a closer look at the pile that Arwin had indicated. ¡°Do¡­ you think you might be able to make me some utensils? I don¡¯t have a knife. Or a fork. Or anything, really. I¡¯ve just got a bent piece of metal that I¡¯ve been using as a makeshift pan.¡±

    ¡°What have you been using to cook if you didn¡¯t have utensils?¡± Reya asked. Lillia looked down at her hands, then back up to her. Reya grimaced and held a hand up. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯d rather be ignorant. Can we go back to the part where we try to figure out how to kill thirty people?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple,¡± Arwin said.

    Lillia looked to him in confusion and Reya¡¯s eyes narrowed as she figured out what he was about to say before he could say it.

    ¡°Simple? How?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°All we have to do is hit them harder than they hit us.¡±

    Lillia and Reya rolled their eyes in unison. Arwin chuckled at their expressions, then looked around the forge. There wasn¡¯t much he needed other than a sword and his armor. It would have been nice to have more equipment, but time just didn¡¯t permit it. On a whim, Arwin grabbed his explosive sword and slid it into one of the Brothers Six¡¯ sheaths before hanging it on his waist.

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said, giving Reya a sharp nod. ¡°Lead on, then. It doesn¡¯t matter if they see using. It¡¯s time we check out this thieves¡¯ guild. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll be able toe up with a n once I see what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±

    ¡°And if we don¡¯t have time?¡± Reya asked.

    Arwin¡¯s features darkened and his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just kill them the old-fashioned way.¡±

 Chapter 17: Guild Leader

    Chapter 17: Guild Leader

    The thieves¡¯ guild was about a thirty-minute walk away through the alleys. It struck Arwin that Milten was considerably bigger than he¡¯d thought it was, and it had a lot more back streets and dark alleyways than it had initially appeared to.

    <em>Something tells me the guard saying they didn¡¯t want beggars in the city was projecting a bit. I get the feeling that Milten has more than enough beggars and their ilk to share with the rest of the kingdom and not be left wanting.</em>

    But, as he took in the other parts of the slums, he did have to admit that he¡¯d somehow chosen the ugliest, most run-down street in the entire city. Reya came to a stop at the edge of a cobbled road, then nodded across the street to a long two-story building. It was clearly old and run down, but it ¨C and everything else on the street ¨C was still in one piece.

    A few people milled about the street both around the building and near the others beside it. The building didn¡¯t stand out much aside from its size, but it only took a little attention to realize that it was different from the others.

    The people at its front were more attentive than random beggars, and Arwin could see the telltale bulge of weaponry poking against their clothes. His lips pressed thin, and he took care to keep to the shadows, not directing too much of his attention to the building to avoid standing out.

    ¡°They¡¯re organized,¡± Lillia murmured from beside Arwin. Her hands twitched at her sides, and it struck Arwin that she didn¡¯t have a sword.

    ¡°Should we have gotten you a weapon?¡± Arwin asked.

    Lillia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not very eager to pick up a sword again anytime soon. There are other ways of dealing with people that work just as well. The problem isn¡¯t going to be us. It¡¯s going to be how we can handle this many opponents at the same time. Besides, I don¡¯t have the ability to serve a de like I once did.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Serve a de? What do you mean?¡±She joined him in his confusion. ¡°You know. Wielding a sword. It¡¯s not like you can just carry one around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you can.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. You physically could, sure, but¡­¡± Lillia waved her hands in irritation, trying and failing to find the right words. ¡°You know. It¡¯s just wrong. If you carry a sword, you need to be able to use it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I follow,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Anyone can carry a sword. Sure, you might not be as good as you once were, but I¡¯m sure you can do a good bit. There are no rules as to who can carry a sword.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Lillia blinked. ¡°None at all?¡±

    ¡°None,¡± Arwin confirmed with a nod. ¡°Is it different for demons?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The only people can bear a sword are those who have earned one. It¡¯s a great service andmitment. Carrying one without being able to do it justice is taboo.¡±

    <em>Huh. Who would have thought. </em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not swimming in resources, so I suppose there¡¯s no reason to push you to break that. We can just go back to focus on dealing with these thieves.¡±

    Lillia nodded, and both of them fell silent in thought. Arwin chewed his lower lip. Charging straight into the guild was guaranteed to result in their death ¨C there was no doubt in his mind about it anymore.

    If they¡¯d been chaotic or unorganized, there would have been a decent chance he and Lillia could have just carved a path through their men and made it out before they could retaliate.

    But, with a watch and clear preparation for an attack, mounting an assault against a force ten times their strength wasn¡¯t going to work. He needed a different strategy, and it wasn¡¯t like he had an army to attack with.

    <em>If I was at all stealthy, I¡¯d consider breaking in on my own and just killing the leader. That would throw them into enough chaos to make ¡®em forget we exist. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible, though. Unless¡­</em>

    ¡°How stealthy would you say you are?¡± Arwin asked Lillia.

    ¡°Not very. I can be hard to spot, but that¡¯s a far cry from stealthy.¡±

    Arwin thought back to the oppressive aura that covered the entirety of Lillia¡¯s tavern and grimaced. That definitely wasn¡¯t what they needed. Reya was probably the sneakiest of the lot, and she wasn¡¯t going to be able to break into a den of thieves on her own.

    <em>I¡¯m so used to taking things on with a group of adventurers that I can barely even think on how I¡¯d do this with just three people. Ideally, I¡¯d just walk straight in and crush everything that fought back, but that¡¯s no more realistic than me nking up the walls in my new armor and hoping nobody notices me. </em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know of some sort of secret passage?¡± Arwin asked.

    Reya shook her head. ¡°Not really. I mean, we could try entering through the sewage, but I don¡¯t know where that is.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass,¡± Lillia said, scrunching her nose in distaste and grimacing. ¡°I think one thing of note is their surveince isn¡¯t <em>that </em>good. They still haven¡¯t noticed we¡¯re here. Or, if they have, they don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°Probably means we¡¯re a rtively minor problem for them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they¡¯re a branch of arger guild. A lot of the small thieves¡¯ guilds work together, and while thirty members is a lot to us, it¡¯s hardly many in the long run.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll get into more shit if we kill the guild leader?¡± Lillia asked.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yes. Which is why I¡¯m thinking about adjusting my n. Not that I¡¯ve managed to develop one in the first ce, but I think trying to destroy the entire guild by ourselves isn¡¯t the best idea. A more surgical strategy might be better.¡±

    ¡°What are we supposed to do, then?¡± Reya asked. ¡°They¡¯re not going to stoping after me, are they?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Probably not. But we can make them think twice about it. If we show them thating after us is more effort than its worth, then we get what we want.¡±

    ¡°How are we going to do that without pissing them off even further?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°If I had an enemy that fought back, I¡¯d strike back even harder to make sure they knew their ce.¡±

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    ¡°By hitting them hard enough that they think twice abouting after us again, but getting out before we cause a permanent vendetta.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Reya asked.

    The inklings of a n started to tickle at Arwin¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t exactly the smartest or most effective strategy he¡¯d ever thought of, but it was the best thing he could think of.

    <em>We¡¯ll still probably have to kill a few people, but it¡¯ll be better than having to take out an entire guild on our own. </em>

    ¡°It might be simpler than we¡¯ve all been thinking, but a lot of it will depend on you, Lillia.¡± Arwin said. ¡°Reya, can you check to make sure nobody is eavesdropping near us? Come running back if you get spotted, though."

    Reya blinked, then nodded. "Sure."

    She set off, and Arwin turned to Lillia. "Tell me, what is it that you¡¯re still capable of?¡±

    ***

    Arwin strode straight up to the front of the thieves¡¯ guild, his hands resting on the hilts of the swords at his sides. As if it hadn¡¯t already been obvious that the beggars at the entrance were more than they appeared, both of them stared at him with bored expressions. If they¡¯d been paying closer attention, they would have noticed that his shadow was considerablyrger than it should have been.

    ¡°Good day, gentlemen,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to the door. ¡°I have business with your boss.¡±

    The men exchanged a nce, then chuckled.

    ¡°That¡¯s not how this works,¡± the man to Arwin¡¯s left said. ¡°If you want an audience, then you have to beg for one unless the boss expressly invited you. Did he?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I don¡¯t believe he did.¡±

    ¡°Then get lost, idiot.¡± The other man let out a raspyugh. ¡°Or feel free to stick around and donate whatever you¡¯ve got in your pockets to us. Your choice.¡±

    Arwin let out a sigh. He rubbed his chin between two fingers, then let his hand drop and shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that was the answer I was looking for. See, your lot came to my smithy and asked for something of mine. I¡¯vee to discuss it.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t discuss,¡± the first man said. ¡°Did you bring whatever it was we asked for?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Do I look like an idiot? If I brought it, I doubt you¡¯d have much reason to bargain, would you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to bargain at all. Bring the shit or get out.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve possibly misunderstood something,¡± Arwin said. He drew the first magical sword he¡¯d made, holding it loosely at his side and letting the two men get a good look at its information.

    <strong>Short Sword: Garbage Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Brittle]: This weapon has a chance of shattering on every blow. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion. </strong>

    As their eyes transfixed on the sword, Arwin let [Scourge] m into his body with full force, driving his open palm into the wall of the building beside him. With a loud crash, the stone shattered. Debris fell down all around Arwin as a cloud of dust rose up into the air surrounding him.

    ¡°See,¡± Arwin said, pointing his sword at the first of the men. ¡°I¡¯m in a rather poor mood. Your folks thought it would be fun to stride right into my smithy and pin a little note to the wall. I didn¡¯t like that much, so here¡¯s how this is going to work. Your guild leader and I are going to have a chat. And, if he hides like a coward in this building, I¡¯m going to tear the whole thing down. Come at me, and I¡¯ll shatter this sword myself and send us both straight to the Ninth Undend. Sound good?¡±

    The thieves stared at Arwin in horror, and he suppressed the grin that threatened to split his face. People on the street hurriedly left, leaving it deste aside from the guards and the growing shouts of surprise from inside the building. Even though he didn¡¯t have the power of a full Hero anymore, Scourge gave him far more power than anyone his Tier had any right to possess.

    On top of that, the sword was a perfect threat. Nobody in a second-rate thieves guild like this was going to care about it more than they cared about their own life, and it wasn¡¯t exactly easy to counter an explosion.

    ¡°You¡¯re mad,¡± the first thief said, taking a step back.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m angry,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°And you¡¯re my guide. Step to it now,d. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to start killing people.¡±

    For a moment, none of them moved. The thief¡¯s gaze flicked from Arwin to the sword. Then he swallowed and gave him a nod. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s your death warrant. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Arwin just gave the man a cold smile, and the two of them headed into the building. The main room was surprisingly nice, with couches ringing its edges and a table piled high with food in the center. Thieves were already racing down to see what themotion was, pouring into themon room and staring at the hole in the wall in shock. About a dozen of them had arrived, and they all stared at Arwin as he followed the man inside.

    Flicking his sword, Arwin impaled arge apple sitting on one of the tables and brought it over to his mouth, taking a bite out of it. The more confident he looked, the less likely anyone would try something stupid.

    ¡°Carry on,¡± Arwin said, waving the sword with the bitten apple on its tip. Everyone¡¯s eyes followed the de, reading the information the Mesh gave them on its properties. Almost immediately, they paled and backed up.

    It didn¡¯t surprise Arwin. <em>Minor Magical Explosion </em>wasn¡¯t exactly reassuring, as there was no way to know exactly how small minor truly was. Nobody stopped them as Arwin and the thief walked across the room and up to arge wooden door at the far end of it.

    ¡°The boss is through here,¡± the thief said, watching Arwin warily, ready to bolt at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°I hope he kills you.¡±

    ¡°Your sentiment has been noted.¡± Arwin drove his foot into the door, using [Scourge] to add just enough force to his kick to m it open to reveal a long, well-decorated room. It had a high ceiling and a second floor that was mostly cast in shadows aside from a fewnterns running along its edges.

    A man with a salt and pepper goatee and a small moustache sat at a desk, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his green eyes focused directly on Arwin. Rows of tables covered with shimmering items and gold lined the sides of the room, making it resemble the banquet hall of King Midas.

    ¡°Did you miss the explosion outside?¡± Arwin asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind himself.

    ¡°I had trusted that my men would bepetent enough to handle it themselves. I have better things to do,¡± the man said, rising to his feet. He moved with the grace of a killer ¨C this man was no stranger to fighting.

    ¡°Not the best men if they leave you alone to fight an unknown threat,¡± Arwin said.

    The man chuckled and snapped his fingers. Several clicks rang out, and Arwin recognized them as the telltale sound of crossbows being cocked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not alone,¡± the man said. ¡°But you are. I¡¯ve never had someone so bold as to break straight into my dwellings on their lonesome. Who are you?¡±

    <em>He doesn¡¯t have an Identify Skill that¡¯ll let him see information about me or my ss, then. Good. I was betting on that, but you never know. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m hurt,¡± Arwin said. Arge portion of his shadow broke away and slipped into the darkness, but he didn¡¯t let his eyes follow it. ¡°You sent Jin to my smithy to leave a threat on my wall and you don¡¯t even know who I am?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the smith?¡± the guild leader blinked, then started to chuckle. ¡°A lone smith hase to challenge my guild?¡±

    ¡°Who said I was alone?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯m just the one speaking with you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re iming to represent an organization?¡± the guild leader watched Arwin carefully, clearly trying to read if he was lying or not. ¡°There was no information about a guild on that street. It sounds to me like you¡¯re bluffing to keep that key your girl stole.¡±

    ¡°We were a bit dyed on announcing it,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°Consider this our official announcement. That shitty little street is ours. Keep your paws off it.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll just take what we want instead,¡± the guild leader said softly, raising a hand. Arwin¡¯s skin prickled. He couldn¡¯t see the other thieves in the room, but he could tell their weapons were pointed straight at him.

    ¡°You know what that sounds like?¡± Arwin asked, keeping his tone even and tilting his head to the side. ¡°A deration of a guild war.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a guild! There¡¯s no war if you¡¯re alone, and the girl certainly doesn¡¯t count. She doesn¡¯t even have a ss.¡±

    Arwin smiled. There was a soft thud from the upper decks. Arwin and the guild leader both turned as a man¡¯s head rolled over the edge of the balcony and fell to the ground, striking it with a sttering squelch.

    For an instant, nobody spoke. Then the guild leader¡¯s eyes went wide. He jerked his hand down. ¡°Kill him! We¡¯re under attack!¡±

 Chapter 18: Plans

    Chapter 18: ns

    Five bolts screamed through the air toward Arwin, but he spun, holding his hands over the back of his neck and his eyes. A bolt mmed into his forearm with a thud, but Arwin ignored it and sprinted over to one of the tables, activating [Scourge] and lifting it into the air with a roar. Gold spilled to the ground, and an idle part of Arwin¡¯s mind noted that the clinks it made as it hit the stone weren¡¯t the right pitch. The gold was fake.

    Arwin hurled the table ¨C not at the guild leader, but at the double doors. Even as they started to open and the guildmembers tried to pour in, the table mmed into them and drove them shut.

    Not deterred, Arwin strode over to another table and lifted it while the crossbowmen reloaded, tossing the table next to the first. People pounded against the doors, but the tables were heavy ¨C they weren¡¯t going to get through them too soon.

    Another arrow struck Arwin¡¯s armor. He grit his teeth as he felt a rush of magical energy siphon from his body. The air around him heated as a molten strand of magic whipped from his armor and hurtled into the darkness. A man let out a pained scream, but it was abruptly silenced.

    Arwin turned back to the guild leader, ripping the arrows out of his arms and dropping them to the floor. They¡¯d barely prated an inch into his skin, and the wounds were nothing more than painful.

    Coils of me danced across Arwin¡¯s armor, rising up into the air around him as if waiting for another person foolish enough to test its powers.

    ¡°That¡¯s two,¡± Arwin said, stalking toward the man. This was the most important part. Killing a few Apprentice Tiers was well within his and Lillia¡¯s powers, but taking on a Journeyman was not. It was unlikely that he¡¯d be able to so much as injure the guild leader before his people managed to knock the doors down, and then he¡¯d really be in trouble.

    <em>Luckily, this was never a fair fight. Like any guild leader running a group of rabble, he¡¯ll try to show his strength off by making them do the hard work. No point wasting energy when you¡¯re in charge.</em>

    <em>That just means I have to scare the shit out of this guy. He doesn¡¯t know my exact rank, so as long as he thinks the fight isn¡¯t worth taking, we win. </em>¡°Who are you?¡± the guild leader demanded. ¡°You aren¡¯t a smith. Was this a setup?¡±

    ¡°Does that matter?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much¡­ what was your name again?¡±

    ¡°Briggs.¡± The guild leader watched Arwin through narrow eyes, ready to call on his own powers and jump into the fight at a moment¡¯s notice. His eyes traced the explosive sword in Arwin¡¯s hands ¨C likely more worried about his belongings than his life. Arwin doubted a Journeyman would get taken out by something like this, but all that mattered was that he had. Briggs¡¯ attention.

    ¡°Briggs. Good name,¡± Arwin said. He tapped the sword on the ground as he walked, hoping that taps didn¡¯t count as strikes. It would have been morbidly funny if he mistakenly blew himself up whilst trying to be threatening. ¡°Well, Briggs, I don¡¯t have any problem with you. What I do have a problem with is people shuffling around on the territory of my guild, leaving threats around like they own the ce.¡±

    None of the thieves on the upper level were shooting their crossbows anymore. Briggs looked from Arwin to the barricaded door behind him. People were banging on it, but it was clearly going to hold for at least another minute.

    ¡°You¡¯re stealing from us,¡± Briggs growled. ¡°You really think I¡¯m going to give a key to a dungeon up just like that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already spent two lives on it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°How many more is it worth? I can¡¯t say I have a taste for killing, but my friends are different.¡±

    He lifted his gaze to the balcony. Briggs followed it, and the man¡¯s face went as pale as a sheet. Standing beside the railing, the head of a thief gripped in its wed hands, was a Minor Imp.

    The monster¡¯s dull red skin glistened with blood and its yellowed ws nearly wrapped all the way around the head in its hands. Jagged teeth filled its mouth, so long that it couldn¡¯t even close its mouth properly.

    ¡°Nine Undends. You¡¯re allied with demons?¡± Briggs asked, terror seeping into his voice.

    The monster dropped the head and stepped back into the darkness, vanishing from sight as if it had never been there.

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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You might be seeing things, Briggs. I¡¯ve heard that happens to people that are about to die.¡±

    Briggs swallowed heavily. ¡°You¡¯re mad. What fool is stupid enough to make a deal with a demon? Haven¡¯t you heard what they do to men?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it firsthand, actually,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s not pretty, Briggs. It¡¯s unfortunate. Something tells me the Hero is too busy toe all the way out to this backwater city and handle a threat of demons from the lips of a tiny little thieves¡¯ guild. But, who knows. I could be wrong. What do you think?¡±

    The two men locked eyes, and Arwin could see the exact moment that Briggs¡¯ self-preservation won over his greed. The man¡¯s lips pressed thin and he jerked his chin. ¡°Fine. Keep the damned key. The dungeon is likely worthless.¡±

    ¡°And the girl?¡±

    ¡°By all means, we don¡¯t want her back.¡± Briggs spat on the floor. ¡°She¡¯s a curse, and I hope you both get devoured by the monsters you cavort with.¡±

    ¡°It was a pleasure doing business with you,¡± Arwin said. A shadow flitted through the room and attached itself to his, and this time, Briggs didn¡¯t miss it. The man¡¯s face paled even further. ¡°Stay off my street.¡±

    ¡°Only if you stay off mine,¡± Briggs said, finding a tiny spark of righteous fury to draw on. ¡°Back me into a corner and you¡¯ll find out just how dangerous my men are.¡±

    Arwin chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Briggs. I don¡¯t have any desires for your street. You can keep it. Just don¡¯t let me catch your men in my shop again unless they¡¯re there to buy something.¡±

    The banging on the door grew louder, and the tables started to scrape along the ground as the thieves on the other side slowly forced it open. Arwin nodded toward the exit.

    ¡°You might want to stop them.¡±

    Briggs ground his teeth. For a moment, Arwin wondered if he¡¯d pushed too far and if the man was about to snap and order everyone to attack. The moment passed and Briggs snarled in anger.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Briggs roared. ¡°Go back to your damn stations. Everything is fine.¡±

    The grinding stopped. Confused murmurs rang out on the other side of the door.

    ¡°I told you to leave!¡± Briggs yelled again. ¡°Get back to work!¡±

    Footfalls echoed out as the thieves broke rank and left. Arwin didn¡¯t bother saying anything else to Briggs. There was no point pushing his luck any further. He grabbed the first table with one hand, using [Scourge] to toss it to the side.

    The second table followed after it, and Arwin pulled the doors open. He strode out, ignoring the wide-eyed stares of all the thieves as he left the building. Their gazes bore into his back as he continued out into the street, following him all the way until he turned a corner in the alley and was entirely out of view.

    Even still, Arwin didn¡¯t allow himself to rx for another ten minutes. He followed the alleyways to the best of his memory, then finally came to a stop as he saw two familiar forms. Lillia and Reya sat on a pair of barrels, at the end of the alley.

    The shadow at Arwin¡¯s feet broke away the moment he saw Lillia, flitting across the ground and entering her own shadow. The alley was so dark that Arwin only noticed because he¡¯d grown used to watching the shadows while he fought, and Reya missed it entirely.

    ¡°Arwin! You¡¯re back! Did it work?¡± Reya asked nervously, ncing around the alley. ¡°Are the thieves after you?¡±

    ¡°I doubt I would have made it out of there if it hadn¡¯t worked,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. He followed Reya¡¯s concerned gaze to his bleeding arms and waved her away. ¡°Rx. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°It looks like you got shot. A lot.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly walking around in full te here.¡±

    <em>Though I really should be. </em>

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that worked,¡± Lillia said, shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°You really just strolled in there and they listened to you?¡±

    ¡°Having certain threats in the shadows can go a long way,¡± Arwin said. Now that it was all done, he wasn¡¯t so sure how he felt about feeding a Minor Imp a meal of fellow humans. It was probably the only reason he¡¯d managed to pull this off, though. ¡°People are terrified of ¨C well, you know. Really, really scared.¡±

    He¡¯d been one, at one point. Demons had been something reviled ¨C and something feared. They were among the most despicable monsters, taking delight in their ughter. At least, that was what Arwin had learned, and it was likely what just about everyone believed. Now, he wasn¡¯t sure what he believed.

    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t matter. The only thing that mattered was that everyone <em>else </em>was just as scared of demons as he¡¯d used to be. That had been what their entire n had hinged on.

    When Arwin had asked Lillia what abilities she¡¯d retained, he¡¯d expected it to be something to do with the darkness based on how her tavern felt, but he¡¯d been initially thrilled to hear she could still summon a Minor Imp. The monsters were nasty little buggers that only obeyed their masters, and they had the ability to hide in shadows. Most people didn¡¯t know the capabilities of the average demon, though.

    A wry smile crossed Arwin¡¯s face, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was born of bitter amusement or relief. He¡¯d killed more Imps than he could count, and now he¡¯d worked together with one to kill.

    ¡°How many of those things do you have to work with?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Lillia asked, sending Arwin a suspicious frown.

    ¡°Just curious,¡± Arwin said, shaking his head. They all set off down the alley, heading back toward their run-down street. He¡¯d have more than enough time toe to terms with what he¡¯d der.

    <em>Like it or not, I¡¯m not the man I used to be. I can¡¯t be. </em>

    Realizing that he¡¯d started tog behind the others, Arwin increased his pace to catch back up with them. The thieves guild was dealt with ¨C for the time being ¨C and that meant he had time to get back to doing what was important.

    <em>I need to get stronger. </em>

 Chapter 19: Take a look

    Chapter 19: Take a look

    me licked at Arwin¡¯s hands as he worked the lizard scales together, winding the final scale onto his third attempt at making a piece of armor for Reya. The first and second tries sat in a pile off to his side. The first had turned into a decent set of armor, but he¡¯d failed to capture any magic within it.

    The second attempt hadn¡¯t turned out much better, but he¡¯d worked out a few issues in his methodology. It was a lot easier to make himself a piece of armor than it was for him to make one for someone else.

    That felt like a no-brainer after Arwin realized it, of course. When he was working for himself, he knew exactly what he wanted. And, while he didn¡¯t have anyplete proof for it yet, Arwin was confident that when his will aligned with that of his materials ¨C that was when he could make a magical weapon.

    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the easiest to put himself into the shoes of someone else when he was specifically trying to make something for them rather than just a random piece of armor that happened to be magical.

    And yet, as Arwin finished working thest scale into the chest piece and held it up before the forge to get a good look at the finished product, he felt the telltale tingle of the Mesh race against his skin.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard Scale Mail: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Shoe Thief] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Shoe Thief] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging an item made specifically for someone other than you.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s lips creased with a smile. If he¡¯d been earning this many Achievements back when he¡¯d been this Tier as the Hero, he probably wouldn¡¯t have even flinched when the ck gem had blown up.<em>Also, it doesn¡¯t look like scales have to be quenched. Wonder if that¡¯s due to their magical properties or if it¡¯s because I¡¯m just doing it wrong. </em>

    That would be a problem to deal withter. He already couldn¡¯t wait to see what his next skill options would be, but that woulde when it came ¨C and, if he was <em>really</em> lucky, after he got another Achievement or two. Arwin turned his attention back to the scale mail shirt in his hands, examining it with the Mesh.

    <strong>Forest Lizard Scale Mail: Average Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Shimmerscale]: This item was made to protect a woman that stumbles into trouble a little too often. Upon being struck, this item may forcibly draw a small amount of magical energy and release a sh of light, blinding anyone looking too closely. </strong>

    Arwin smiled and nodded. This was exactly what he needed. Even though he hadn¡¯t had a specific enchantment in mind when he¡¯d been making the armor for Reya, it was definitely custom made for her.

    <em>Well, I was just thinking I didn¡¯t have confirmation that my thoughts truly influenced the kind of magic that goes into the equipment. This is that confirmation. I wonder if I can control the exact enchantment somehow. </em>

    Arwin dismissed the Mesh, thenid the armor out over the anvil as thest of the heat dissipated from its scales. Even though it wasn¡¯t hot to him, it would be unfortunate if Reya tried to put it on and ended up burning herself.

    To Arwin¡¯s mild disappointment, Reya wasn¡¯t there when he scanned the shop for her. It had been a little over a day since they¡¯d gotten back, and he couldn¡¯t tell if she was just enjoying her newfound sense of freedom or felt so bad about having to rely on him and Lillia that she¡¯d been working overtime.

    Either way, she¡¯d been out ever since, onlying back to sleep. Arwin considered going to look for her, but a familiar pang in his stomach stopped him before he could start.

    It was still small, but he doubted he¡¯d ever forget the sensation. The Hungering Maw was active again, and he needed to feed it a magical item if he wanted to avoid dying. Arwin took Reya¡¯s new armor and draped it over a fallen piece of rock to free up the anvil.

    <em>I¡¯m not wasting any of the armor, and I¡¯d rather not lose either of the swords. Guess I¡¯ll make something new and hope I can get it done before I run out of time. Worstes to worst, I¡¯ll eat the exploding sword. As long as I don¡¯t hit anything too hard, I should be fine. </em>

    Arwin grabbed a piece of metal and set it in the hearth, using the bellows and the enhanced heat of his [Soul me] to bring it up to heat. Once the metal was burnt orange, Arwin took it out and set it on the anvil.

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    His hammer sang as he struck the metal, not even entirely sure what he was trying to make yet. If the metal had something it wanted to be, then he was more than willing to let it guide him.

    Minutes stretched on and Arwin returned the metal to the forge, pulling it back out and setting back to work once it was hot enough. The impurities slowly left the metal ¨C or at least, as many of them as one could possibly remove from a piece this low quality.

    The faint glow of magic guided Arwin¡¯s strikes as he formed the metal into an ingot, then narrowed it out into the shape of a dagger, hardly even aware of his own actions. The gnawing in Arwin¡¯s stomach grew, but he hadn¡¯t gotten a warning from the Mesh yet, so he was more focused on making sure that he got it right on the first time.

    It took record time for Arwin to finish the metal parts of the weapon. It was nothing more than a de with a tang jutting out of the end for him to fasten the handle around, but he was still more than proud of his results.

    Even though the Mesh had yet to properly recognize the dagger, he could still feel the magic lying in wait beneath its surface. Arwin grabbed some wood and cut away two small chunks, whittling them down with the base of a sword until they were hemi-cylinders.

    Arwin then used the unfinished de to carve out a spot for the tang to sit before putting the halves of the handle around the tang. He grabbed some of the nails he¡¯d forged, hammering them into ce with just a few blows to secure the handle in ce.

    <em>Time for water. I hope my trusty hole is still there.</em>

    He re-heated the de and headed out of the smithy and over to the makeshift quenching station near the ditch. To his delight ¨C and relief ¨C the pool was still there. It must have been connected to a small wellspring. Either that, or someone really liked pissing here.

    That less than tasteful thought in mind, Arwin plunged the de into the water. It bubbled and hissed, frothing around his hand and forcing him to squint through the steam until it subsided.

    As he pulled the weapon free, the faintest traces of magic shimmered around the finished dagger, as if the Mesh could sense that Arwin was done working on it. Realistically, he was pretty sure that it could.

    <strong>[Dagger: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>[Sharp]: This item is abnormally sharp. It will cut through many things ¨C including the hands of whoever is holding it.</strong>

    Almost on cue, Arwin cursed as he felt something nip at his fingertip. He dropped the dagger in surprise, shaking off the small cut on his hand.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Arwin said dryly, the pang in his stomach growing slightly stronger. ¡°Lovely. Almost forgot about the detrimental bit, but color me reminded. I wonder what happens when I take on the properties of being sharp. I really hope I don¡¯t grow spikes.¡±

    He lifted the dagger up to his mouth, pausing for a moment. The idea of chowing down on a piece of metal still wasn¡¯t appealing, but biting into something that wasn¡¯t just sharp but <em>abnormally </em>sharp felt like it was definitely a good way to cut his insides open.

    <em>Then again, not eating this is a good way to blow up. Or implode. I¡¯m not actually sure what would happen if I don¡¯t eat magic in time, but I¡¯m not going to sit around and wait to find out. </em>

    His hesitation was rewarded with another cut on his hand ¨C he had no clue how, but the literal handle of the dagger was somehow managing to slightly injure him, even through the defenses of [Indomitable Bulwark].

    Not wanting to wait any longer, Arwin started at the back of the de, taking a careful nibble out of it. The metal melted beneath his teeth, ripping away easily. It still wasn¡¯t the most pleasant activity, but the pain in his stomach relented.

    Arwin worked his way around the dagger, eating the rest of it without too much difficulty. Every bite he took just turned into what felt like hot, metallic soup in his mouth. A warmth grew, spreading out through his entire body as he finished eating until the pain hadpletely vanished.

    <em>Well, at least I¡¯ve got a cool party trick. Does that always work, though? Or is it only when I¡¯m hungry? Actually, for that matter, does it even have to be magic at all? If I can eat a magical object, would I be able to eat a normal one as well?</em>

    Arwin nced around the smithy, then grabbed a bar of steel. He raised it before his mouth, studying it doubtfully. It didn¡¯t look any more edible than the dagger had, but if he could just chew through anything in his path, that was something he could incorporate into his fighting.

    <em>Not that I fancy the idea of trying to chew through my enemies, but if my life is on the line, it can¡¯t hurt to find out. </em>

    He brought the bar to his mouth and nipped at it. The metal seemed¡­ well, metal. It certainly didn¡¯t feel particrly edible, but Arwin wanted to be absolutely certain just in case he was psyching himself out.

    Opening his mouth a little wider, Arwin carefully bit at it, applying pressure but not enough to mistakenly break his teeth. And it was fortunate that he did ¨C the bar didn¡¯t give in the slightest. It was about as edible as a bar of metal should have been, and that was to say that it wasn¡¯t edible in the slightest.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Arwin said, lowering the bar. He turned, only to find Reya standing in the entrance of the smithy, staring at him with wide eyes. She hurriedly cleared her throat.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were busy.¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth, then looked back to the piece of metal and tossed it onto the ground, heaving a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to try to exin. Is that real food?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reya said. She tried to suppress a smirk and failed miserably. ¡°If you were so hungry, you should have gone to get something. I can¡¯t bring you food right now because Lillia is insisting that we eat at her tavern, but I didn¡¯t realize things got this bad.¡±

    Arwin rolled his eyes. ¡°Laugh it up all you want. It was an experiment.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Reya said, attempting to straighten her face and failing miserably.

    Arwin shook his head and grabbed Reya¡¯s armor from the stone he¡¯did it on, holding it out so she could get a look at it. ¡°Well, when you¡¯re doneughing, you cane take a look at what I made for you.¡±

 Chapter 20: Guild

    Chapter 20: Guild

    The smile vanished from Reya¡¯s face instantly, reced by wide-eyed disbelief. Her mouth dropped open and her gaze fixed on the armor in Arwin¡¯s hands. She started to reach out, then caught herself and pulled her hand back.

    ¡°You made that for me?¡±

    ¡°I told you I was going to outfit us, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, but you¡¯ve only made yourself one thing so far,¡± Reya stammered. ¡°And I didn¡¯t think you meant you¡¯d make me more <em>magical </em>equipment. I thought it was just going to be a leather cuirass or something!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured out how to work with leather yet,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And I did consider making myself some more scale equipment, but I already know how to make a chest piece and I haven¡¯t figured anything else out yet. Do you want it or not?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t afford anything like this,¡± Reya said. ¡°It has to be worth at least a few hundred gold. If you sold this¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not selling it. I decided when we went out to the market a little while ago,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I won¡¯t be selling magical equipment to anyone I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Reya blinked in surprise. ¡°What? But you could be rich! If you can make stuff like this, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would pay thousands of gold just to keep you on staff! Or if you wanted to remain independent, you could probably earn even more.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s features darkened and he shook his head firmly. ¡°I won¡¯t be working for the guild, and I¡¯m not outfitting anyone that isn¡¯t with me.¡±<em>I won¡¯t make weaponry for someone that I may have to eventually fight. I don¡¯t have any interest in crafting for normal adventurers either ¨C not magical items, at least. The best things I make will be reserved for people that actually deserve them. </em>

    Reya bit her lower lip. Her eagerness finally won out over her humility and she edged forward, carefully taking the armor from Arwin¡¯s grip. She ran her hands over its surface in mute awe, then quickly pulled it on over her shirt.

    She twisted her body, then stretched her arms over her head and swung them around in a few circles. The scale mail clinked slightly with her movements, but it didn¡¯t impede them.

    ¡°Whoa. This is incredible. I¡¯d have thought it was a Unique item if it didn¡¯t clearly say it was Average,¡± Reya said. ¡°This is the nicest thing I¡¯ve ever owned. Other than that dagger you gave me, that is. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ever going to be able to pay you back.¡±

    ¡°Your continued work will be more than enough. I need my allies to bepetent,¡± Arwin said with a wave of his hand. The delight in Reya¡¯s eyes was a little too much to handle. It felt eerily simr to the gazes people had given him when he was still the Hero.

    But, at the same time, it was different. Arwin had fought for<em></em>those people, but he¡¯d never truly known any of them. They¡¯d just been a teeming mass in the back of his mind ¨C an ideal rather than individuals.

    ¡°It fits, then?¡± Arwin asked, breaking himself from his thoughts to make sure the silence didn¡¯t stretch on so long it grew ufortable.

    ¡°Like a glove,¡± Reya said. She nced at her hands, then cleared her throat. ¡°Actually, it fits like scale mail. But it does it really well, you know? Kind of like a glove, but for my chest.¡±

    ¡°I get the picture, I think,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°I¡¯d suggest putting another shirt on top of it, or you might get people getting a little too interested. Once you¡¯ve got a ss, you¡¯ll probably get something that lets you conceal the equipment you¡¯re carrying. Then you can wear it normally.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to do that,¡± Reya said seriously.

    ¡°Good. In that case, we¡¯ve spent enough time on this. Did you hear anything interesting this past day? Is the thieves¡¯ guild actually holding up to their word and avoiding us?¡± Arwin headed over to the pile of metal scrap and started to shuffle through it in search of something useable.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Reya gave him a nod. ¡°At least as far as I can tell, none of them have shown up in the area. I don¡¯t exactly have much of an informationwork, but I¡¯ve been prowling around the street and it¡¯s been mostly empty.¡±

    ¡°Mostly?¡± Arwin found arge piece of iron riddled with impurities and picked it up, turning it over in his hands to try and feel it out. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, Lillia¡¯s been doing her best to get more people in the area, and I think her efforts are kind of working. She¡¯s been going out to some of the other streets and even the edges of the city, trying to bribe beggars over to her tavern with free food.¡±

    A small grin flitted across Arwin¡¯s lips. He brought the piece of iron back to the forge and set it in the hearth, letting fire roar up around it and starting to work the bellows.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    ¡°Is that so? And that¡¯s working for her?¡±

    ¡°Well, I did say kind of working, not working. I think most of them took the food and left, but I do think I¡¯ve seen one guye back twice. Her tavern is pretty creepy.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin agreed through a grunt. ¡°She should really y into it more if she wants to draw more attention.¡±

    With the enhanced heat of his [Soul me], the iron was soon glowing hot. Arwin took it from the forge and grabbed his hammer, starting to beat the impurities out of the metal.

    ¡°y into it?¡± Reya tilted her head and waited for gaps within Arwin¡¯s strikes to speak. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t respond until the iron started to cool down and he was forced to return it to the forge. He brushed the kes of metal away while the piece he was working on heated once again.

    ¡°If she¡¯s not going to be able to get rid of the creepy aura, she should pretend like it¡¯s intentional,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Think about it. Instead of a shitty old building in the corner of the road, it could be a haunted tavern.¡±

    ¡°Nobody would want to go to that,¡± Reya said with a shudder. ¡°Ghosts are terrifying!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fake,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°What do you mean? I thought you said she should make it haunted.¡±

    ¡°No. She should <em>act </em>like it¡¯s haunted,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°Think about it. People can pretend like the tavern is haunted, and her servers can wear sheets or something and pretend to be ghosts. Maybe that¡¯s too much, but you can see where I¡¯m going with this, can¡¯t you? She could have a spooky theme. The Monster Tavern, or the like. People love stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Huh. I never thought about that, but it would be kind of fun to get waited on by a giant hulking monster,¡± Reya mused. Her eyes lit up and she burst intoughter. ¡°Wait. I¡¯ve got it. Lillia could pretend to be the Demon Queen! Could you imagine that? Go to a tavern and have the Demon Queen herself waiting on you. I bet she could find some people to dress up as monsters from the horde. Adventurers would love it!¡±

    Arwin turned away from the forge to stare at Reya, but she was so busyughing to herself that she didn¡¯t even notice. His eye twitched.

    <em>I can¡¯t tell if Reya is an idiot or a genius. She somehow stumbled onto the actual truth of the situation and doesn¡¯t even realize it. </em>

    ¡°Perhaps that would be funny,¡± Arwin said with a small grin. ¡°I¡¯m certain Lillia would find that idea fascinating. You should suggest it to her.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Reya said with an excited nod. ¡°Probably tomorrow, though. It¡¯s kind ofte.¡±

    Arwin pulled the metal from the forge and went back to work on it, pounding out the impurities. He once again worked until it cooled, then returned it to the mes. He nced out the cracks in the wall at the dark purple night sky. Reya was right ¨C it had gotten prettyte.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be wrapped up here soon,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°I just want to get this finished up before tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What are you making?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t quite figured it out yet,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know once I get there.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t entirely true. He did have an idea of what he wanted to make, but he didn¡¯t want to say it out loud yet. Saying it felt like a curse. Logically, he knew it wouldn¡¯t change anything, but that didn¡¯t change a thing.

    Reya just shrugged and watched Arwin silently as he pulled the metal from the fire once more. He set it down on the anvil once more, but this time, he wasn¡¯t just trying to remove the impurities. He was shaping it.

    Faint shimmers of magic guided Arwin¡¯s hands as he hammered the iron into form. He¡¯d chosen this piece for a specific reason, and it wasn¡¯t because it was the highest quality piece of metal he had.

    In fact, it was one of the worst ones. But, despite that, it had a desire. He could feel the faint draw the metal had ¨C the longing to be something. But, unlike much of the other pieces in the pile, this one didn¡¯t want to be a sword or a dagger.

    It didn¡¯t want to be any sort of weapon. No, this piece wanted to be a pan. That was it. A simple goal, and while Arwin would swear up and down that it wasn¡¯t the one he¡¯d set out to make, it did happen to coincide with the request that Lillia had given him.

    Strike by strike, the piece of metal slowly ttened out and started to take a t, roundish shape. It wasn¡¯t perfectly smooth, nor was it even close to it. But, as the bed of the pan started to take form in Arwin¡¯s hands, he still found himself satisfied with it.

    He returned it to the forge once more to finish shaping it, then set it down and grabbed another piece of metal. He heated and shaped it into a handle, then used two nails to connect the handle with the bed, putting it back into the me and twisting the tips of the nails down into rounded nibs with [Scourge].

    His workpleted, Arwin took the pan from the fire and set it on the anvil to cool. It wasn¡¯t magic ¨C the Mesh didn¡¯t recognize his work as anything particrly special, but he didn¡¯t care. It was a good pan. At least, it felt like it would be. He was far from a pan expert.

    ¡°Can you give this to Lillia when you get food from her tomorrow?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°She asked for some utensils. I¡¯ll look into making some utensils for herter.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Reya said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it to her yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be busy tomorrow. I¡¯m going to be going hunting again.¡±

    ¡°You are?¡± Reya blinked. ¡°Am I noting?¡±

    ¡°Not until I get a better idea of what we¡¯re fighting in that forest. You cane next time,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I imagine that you¡¯ll be given a ss fairly soon, but we can¡¯t have you getting killed before that.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Reya said, a note of reluctance in her voice. ¡°By the way¡­ what is it that you actually want?¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side, holding his hand out to draw the fire out from the forge. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Lillia wants to have a tavern. What do you want?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. He almost said that his only goal now was to live a peaceful life, but that wasn¡¯t so true. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had to be dealt with, and the more he forged, the more he realized that he wanted to do more. Just living wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough.

    <em>I was mostly improvising when I spoke with Briggs, but maybe I spoke more of the truth than I realized. </em>

    ¡°You know what? I think I¡¯d like to start a guild.¡±

 Chapter 21: Party

    Chapter 21: Party

    Arwin woke to silence the next morning. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as sunlight filtered in through the cracks in the ceiling and walls. His back was stiff from the ufortable floor, but he¡¯d yet to get around to buying a proper bed.

    Reya slept on the other side of the smithy, curled into a ball beside one of the walls. She¡¯d taken the Forest Lizard armor off and had wrapped herself around it, clutching it like a nket.

    A small smile flitted across Arwin¡¯s lips, and a distant memory prickled at his mind. His mother had gotten him a themed nket of a movie he¡¯d really liked for Christmas ¨C Arwin couldn¡¯t remember the movie, nor could he remember what was actually on the nket, but he remembered holding onto it like the most important object in the world.

    Arwin ran his hands through his hair, straightening it out a little to avoid looking like he¡¯d just woken up, even if that was exactly what he¡¯d done. He grabbed his two swords and strapped their sheaths onto his sides before heading out of the smithy.

    He had a lot of ground to cover today, and the sooner he headed out, the sooner he¡¯d hopefully be able tond eyes on something interesting and bring it back to turn into more equipment.

    The street was as quiet as it always was, and Arwin set off in the direction of the gate, musing to himself as he walked.

    <em>I¡¯d like to make some greaves and gauntlets next. A helmet and boots are also on the list if I want to really outfit myself to the point where I can hold my own without having to rely on [Scourge]. </em>

    He could always hunt more of the lizards, but he needed to find a better way to fuse their scales together. Making a chest piece was one thing, but he didn¡¯t want to be running around jingling like a jester.

    <em>I want te armor. Heavy, scary ass te armor. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to get some better techniques to work with some of the more unique materials like lizard scales soon, though, so getting more scales is still a good idea. I can start with that and see where things take me. I doubt I¡¯m far from reaching the next Tier at this point. Probably going to reach it with the next magical item I craft. </em>Arwin¡¯s thoughts upied him all the way out of town and down the road. He only paid enough attention to his surroundings to make sure he was heading in the same direction that Reya had took him thest time they¡¯d gone to hunt.

    Some timeter, Arwin found himself rudely pulled from his reverie by a loud crash. He blinked, his mind snapping back into his body as he searched for the source. He¡¯d already arrived at the edge of the valley and wasn¡¯t too far from the forest below.

    The sound had definitelye from within the forest. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed as he squinted, trying to make out what had caused it. It wasn¡¯t like sounds happened for no reason. Either two monsters were fighting, or ¨C

    A man in full te armor sprinted out of the forest, clutching onto his helmet with one hand as his legs pumped as fast as he could move them. He had a woman slung over his shoulder with the other hand. Judging by her flowing white robes and the staff she held in her arms, she was some form of mage. With every step the man took, therge satchel on his back bounced frantically. And, even from the distance Arwin was at, he could see the panic on their faces.

    No more than a secondter, a massive lizard burst free of the treeline. The monster was several feetrger than the previous one that Arwin had fought. Its limbs scrabbled for purchase on the ground as it pursued the fleeing people, in what would have likely been fairly amusing if they hadn¡¯t been one bad step away from a grisly death.

    There were several cuts along the lizard¡¯s body, and some of its scales had been scorched ck. Clearly, the two adventurers had bitten off a fight that was more than they could chew, but at least they hadn¡¯tpletely failed to hurt it entirely.

    <em>Adventurers or not, I¡¯m not going to sit around while someone gets ripped to death in front of me. </em>

    Arwin reached out to the Mesh even as he burst into motion, checking how big of a threat the monster posed.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard ¨C Apprentice 8]</strong>

    <em>I think I should be able to handle that with the aid of the items I¡¯ve made. It would be better if I had full te mail, but it¡¯s already wounded, which gives me an advantage I can use to tip the scales. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s feet pumped as they hit the ground. The lizard was gaining on the adventurers, but both groups were running straight at Arwin. He activated [Scourge], funneling power into his legs and bounding forward with a roar.

    Shifting the focus of the magic into his arm, Arwin reared back and drove his fist into the monster¡¯s nose. A wave of magic rolled through him and the lizard¡¯s head snapped back, its momentum redirected. It tumbled across the ground and mmed into a rock with a loud crack.

    Tremors raced down Arwin¡¯s hand and he shook it off with a muted curse, feeling pain pulse in his knuckles. [Indomitable Bulwark] made it so that his body could handle some of the nastier attacks he could make, but it didn¡¯t remove their impact entirely.

    <em>I¡¯m pretty sure I just fractured a knuckle.</em>

    Even so, the strike had been to devastating effect. The lizard¡¯s scales had cracked around the impact zone and when it rose again, it staggered woozily. Blood dripped from its eardrums and its eyes were unfocused as it turned toward Arwin, baring its teeth in a warning hiss.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Arwin flexed his other hand and drew his sword, pointing it at the lizard and baring his teeth in challenge. He¡¯d already eaten a good ways into his magical reserves, but he had enough for one or two more max power strikes.

    That would be enough time for the adventurers to run for freedom, and with any luck, it would finish the lizard off as well and he¡¯d be able to strip the entire thing of everything it had without having to share.

    But, to Arwin¡¯s surprise, two pairs of footsteps ran up beside him. The man and woman skidded to a stop beside him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got good timing!¡± The man yelled, mming his face visor down and drawing his own sword. ¡°We¡¯ve got your back!¡±

    A wave of energy passed over Arwin, its warmth wrapping around his arm. He felt the cracked bones in his hand shift and re-connect. An immediate rush of relief washed over him, and the woman on his other side gave him a firm nod.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much energy left, but I can heal one more wound,¡± the woman said, her voice terse from exhaustion.

    <em>I honestly would have preferred if you both ran, but I suppose I can¡¯tin about them being respectable. </em>

    The lizard let out a screech and shook itself off. Its tongue flicked out and its ws dug into the dirt,unching it forward as it charged at them once again. Arwin and the armored man both stepped forward.

    A glow enveloped the other man¡¯s sword and he let out a battle cry, bringing it down for the charging lizard. The monster¡¯s tail flicked out and he was forced to duck out of the way, his blow scraping across its scales but failing tond a meaningful strike.

    Arwin took the opportunity to strike at the lizard with his own sword, thrusting it for one of the monster¡¯s eyes. It hissed and pulled back, narrowly avoiding the strike. It retaliated with a swipe of its w.

    He twisted to the side, avoiding the majority of the attack but failing to dodge itpletely. With a loud ng, the lizard¡¯s ws cut through his shirt and hit the scale mail armor beneath it.

    A rush of heat ran through Arwin¡¯s body as the armor activated, yanking away a portion of the power he¡¯d been saving up for another [Scourge] empowered attack. Before he could even curse, a whip of molten fire snapped out and struck the lizard straight across the face.

    It let out a pained scream and staggered back, iling blindly. The other adventurer lunged, taking advantage of the monster¡¯s distraction to drive his sword for arge wound just below its shoulder.

    His sword lit with a golden glow even as it drove deep into the lizard¡¯s flesh. It screamed in pain, and the man was forced to abandon his sword within it and jump back to keep himself from getting crushed.

    He wasn¡¯t quite fast enough topletely dodge out of the way and the monster¡¯s tail snapped out, catching him in the leg and shattering armor and bone alike. The man cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground, falling onto his back and scrabbling to move himself away from the monster.

    The Lizard thrashed as it tried to free the de from itself. Arwin ducked under a w and jumped over its tail, driving his open palm toward the other man¡¯s sword. He drew on most of his remaining reserves to activate [Scourge] and drove his palm into the hilt of the de.

    It sunk all the way into the lizard, wreaking havoc on its internal organs and punching straight through its heart. The monster let out one final pained hiss and crashed to the ground before Arwin, lifeless.

    Arwin turned as the woman ran up to the fallen man¡¯s side, a faint white glow emanating from her hands. She tugged on the armor on his legs, but the injury had warped it so badly that it was impossible to remove normally. Arwin strode up to join them and knelt beside the woman.

    ¡°Move,¡± Arwin said gruffly. ¡°If you heal him now, the armor will just rip his leg up.¡±

    He grabbed the top of the man¡¯s greaves and, finally using thest dregs of power he had left, activated what he could of [Scourge]. Gritting his teeth with effort, Arwin pried the greaves open like a lobster shell.

    It creaked in protest but pulled back, revealing the man¡¯s mangled leg. Arwin pulled until it finally snapped and fell away. The woman immediately sent her magic into the wounded adventurer and his leg straightened, the injuries slowly fading away.

    He¡¯d been hurt considerably worse than Arwin had, so the healing took nearly thirty seconds. None of them spoke until the man finally let out a breath and flexed his toes. ¡°Thanks, Anna. Good as new.¡±

    ¡°Forget me, you idiot,¡± Anna said, looking to Arwin with an appreciative smile. ¡°What¡¯s your name? You saved our asses.¡±

    ¡°Arwin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Anna, and this is Rodrick,¡± Anna said, helping the man sit up. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d rmend going into the forest right now. The monsters in there are all way more aggressive than they normally are. We had a small group of them copse on us and we barely made it out.¡±

    ¡°There are moreing?¡± Arwin asked in rm.

    ¡°No, this was thest of them,¡± Rodrick said with augh. ¡°You really did save our asses, though. I was basically all out of energy, and Anna wasn¡¯t far behind. Anyone ever tell you that you¡¯ve got great timing?¡±

    ¡°I try,¡± Arwin said, letting out a huff. He pushed himself back to his feet.

    ¡°Are you an adventurer?¡± Anna asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around Milten.¡±

    Arwin hesitated for a second, then shook his head. ¡°No. Nothing like that. I¡¯m just a¡­¡±

    <em>Just a what? I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a smith. Shit. </em>

    ¡°¡­a wanderer,¡± Arwin finishedmely.

    Rodrick pulled his helmet off his head, letting a mop of brown hair fall around a handsome face. ¡°Just a wanderer, huh? Well, for not being an adventurer, you¡¯re one strong bugger. Any way we can pay you back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lizard¡¯s body,¡± Arwin said, jerking a thumb toward it. ¡°They¡¯re useful.¡±

    Rodrick tugged at his ear, then shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s all you want, sure. Normally, people don¡¯t help out for that little. You aren¡¯t going to ask for gold or something?¡±

    <em>I could have done that? Well, toote to do it now. The body is more useful anyway. </em>

    ¡°This is more than enough. No need for me to be greedy.¡±

    ¡°World could use a few more people like that.¡± Anna sent a pointed nce at Rodrick, whose cheeks went red.

    ¡°We would have been fine if we had a full party. We almost handled all those lizards on our own. Imagine how much better it would have gone if we had someone else to keep them off you,¡± Rodrick said, clearing his throat sheepishly. ¡°Anyway, thanks for the help, Arwin. If we ever see you in a tavern, I¡¯ll get you a drink.¡±

    <em>I can think of one tavern, but I''m not so sure it''s ready for customers yet. </em>

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said, starting to turn toward the lizard. ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then.¡±

    ¡°Actually, do you have a moment?¡±

    Arwin and Rodrick both turned to Anna in surprise.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Well, you handled yourself pretty well and traveling alone is dangerous,¡± Anna said. ¡°Do you think you might like to temporarily join our party?¡±

 Chapter 22: Prey

    Chapter 22: Prey

    Arwin nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t just ask people to join your party, Anna,¡± Rodrick scolded. He adjusted the remains of his greaves, looking down at the shredded remains of his pants and coughing into his fist. ¡°We could use another member, though. Nomitments or anything, but I¡¯d really like to get a bit deeper into the forest.¡±

    Arwin nearly refused on the spot, but he hesitated before the words could leave his mouth. In his current form, he really couldn¡¯t fight more than one monster every hour or two before running out of energy.

    Having some help from people that knew what they were doing would be pretty useful. Anna and Rodrick seemed fairly genuine as well. Of course, they were still adventurers ¨C but having two extra bodies to stand by him so he could push deeper into the forest was hard to deny.

    <em>Reya isn¡¯t going to be ready for anything like this for a bit. She doesn¡¯t know how to fight and doesn¡¯t have a ss yet. These two are trained. I think it might actually be beneficial to take them up on their offer. </em>

    ¡°Just for today,¡± Arwin said after a few more seconds of deliberation. ¡°But it isn¡¯t going to be a regr thing, and you¡¯ll have to help me carry some of the loot. You can keep anything we get that isn¡¯t from the monsters, but I want the bodies.¡±

    Anna and Rodrick exchanged a nce, then both nodded.

    ¡°That works!¡± Anna said. ¡°We need around an hour to recover.¡±

    ¡°That should be enough for me as well, and I need to take this thing apart anyway.¡± Arwin jerked his chin toward the body of the Forest Lizard. If they were going deeper into the forest, he doubted he¡¯d be able to strip every single piece of every single monster he fought, so the ws and teeth would have to be abandoned. The scales were considerably more useful to him at the moment, and they were also much easier to carry.By the time Arwin finished with his work, his hands were covered with blood and he had a small pile of scales at his feet. He¡¯d discarded all the damaged ones ¨C it wasn¡¯t like they were going to have any shortage of material, so he had no reason to bring along anything that wasn¡¯t high quality.

    Arwin wiped his hands off on the grass and rose to his feet. Rodrick and Anna sat a few paces way from him, where they¡¯d been watching him descale the monster. Both had offered to help, but neither had a sword or a dagger small enough to safely remove anything without damaging it ¨C and Arwin wasn¡¯t about to lend his potentially explosive weapon out.

    ¡°All finished?¡± Rodrick asked, mirroring Arwin and standing up. He brushed the dirt off his backside, then helped Anna up. ¡°I¡¯m just about ready to go, so you¡¯ve got some good timing.¡±

    ¡°I just need find a way to carry this,¡± Arwin said, chewing his lower lip and scratching his back sheepishly. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring a bag.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡± Rodrick pulled the bag off his back and unbuckled the belts holding the top down, revealing it to bergely empty aside from a change of clothes and an empty potion vial or two.

    He and Arwin scooped the scales into the bag, filling it a good half of the way up. Compared to the number of broken and damaged scales littering the ground, it felt like a rather small amount.

    <em>I definitely would have gotten more if the thing wasn¡¯t so beat to hell. But, if I kill a few more of them, it¡¯ll hardly matter. I¡¯m more interested to see what this forest has to offer. </em>

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said with a nod as the two of them straightened back up and Rodrick slung the bag back over his shoulder.

    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s easy enough, but you might want to get a bag at some point in the future if you¡¯re going adventuring alone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll add it to the list.¡±

    ¡°How deep into the forest are youfortable going?¡± Anna asked. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to get some kills to get stronger, but I¡¯ve heard there are some pretty choice monsters deeper in there. There¡¯s also the Unique roaming around somewhere.¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side, his interest piqued. ¡°A Unique monster? Do we know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Anna sent Arwin a shocked look. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the main reason toe here?¡±

    ¡°I just like scales.¡±

    Anna¡¯s eyes flicked down to his exposed scale mail and she covered her mouth, letting out a smallugh. ¡°Okay, fair enough. There¡¯s a Wyrm somewhere in the forest. Nothing too crazy, rumored to be at low Journeyman Tier. But still, it¡¯s a Wyrm. Could you imagine if it had a hoard?¡±

    <em>Could you imagine what I could do with that thing¡¯s body? </em>

    If youe across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    <em>Wait, that sounds off. I didn¡¯t mean¨C</em>

    ¡°No need to be scared,¡± Rodrick said,pletely misreading the expression on Arwin¡¯s face. ¡°Wyrms stick to their dens. They¡¯re rted to dragons, but in the same way that a normal lizard is rted to the bugger we just killed. It might have a hoard and some interesting shinies, but nothing that it¡¯ll abandon to kill us.¡±

    <em>Unless you¡¯ve got fresh meat of anything they consider prey on you. That¡¯s a great way to lure them out of their nests, though. Wyrms are dangerous because they fight in enclosed spaces. Get them outside and they¡¯re easy pickings. </em>

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Anna asked, a note of concern in her voice. ¡°If you¡¯re notfortable with the Wyrm, we could always stick to the edges of the forest. There are more than enough monsters to fight in the area.¡±

    ¡°No, no. I just got distracted,¡± Arwin said with a wave of his hand. Either Rodrick and Anna didn¡¯t know how to fight Wyrms or they just didn¡¯t mention it because they had no ns of fighting the monster. Either way, he wasn¡¯t anywhere near prepared to handle a Journeyman Tier. Not yet, at least.

    ¡°I¡¯m good with going deeper, but let¡¯s take things slow,¡± Arwin suggested. ¡°You said the monsters were being unusually aggressive, right? It¡¯s pretty warm out, so it could be mating season.¡±

    Anna stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin mirrored. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°What does mating season have to do with how the monsters are acting?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°And why do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Arwin countered. ¡°If you want to master fighting an enemy, you need to understand them. It¡¯s not enough to just know how to swing a stick around. Knowing the circumstances that changes monsters¡¯ actions is just as important as being able to fight individual monsters.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ study that?¡± Anna asked slowly. ¡°Is that what you are? Some form of monster researcher?¡±

    <em>Oh, shit. Is this really notmon knowledge? I thought everyone knew about it, but I did spend years studying monster behavior whilst fighting the Demon Queen. It was hard not to pick up on a few things. I figured the Guild would have taught something as basic as this, though¡­</em>

    ¡°It¡¯s just a hobby,¡± Arwin said with a dismissive wave. ¡°Either way, if it¡¯s mating season, we just have to avoid the groups of monsters and go after the loners that couldn¡¯t get the interest of another monster. We should be able to avoid getting swarmed that way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kind of sad,¡± Rodrick said. A grin spread across his face and he gave Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°But, if it works, that would be huge. I was starting to wonder if we needed to get a bigger party or if the monsters were forming into a horde.¡±

    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know for sure. I¡¯m just taking a guess at it,¡± Arwin said with a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°Only way to find out is to head in and see what we find.¡±

    ¡°True enough.¡± Rodrick hoisted his sword and gestured to the forest. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Arwin nodded, and the three of them set off into the woods.

    Sticks crunched beneath their feet as they walked, Arwin and Rodrick taking up Anna¡¯s sides to make sure the more vulnerable mage couldn¡¯t get ambushed. As they continued, Arwin found that he was spending considerably more attention on his newpanions than he was on his surroundings.

    This was far from the first forest he¡¯d been in, and it wasn¡¯t anything to write home about. It had trees, dirt, and a general scent of distant rain. He¡¯d probably been in about twenty others just like this one, and the only thing missing from those scenes was the thick stench of blood.

    Anna and Rodrick, on the other hand, were new. Arwin had traveled with a lot of adventurers. He¡¯d been pretty confident that he¡¯d met just about every kind of person that entered the trade.

    All the men and women that joined to pursue riches, and the ones that just reveled in ughter. The rare ones that did it to protect others, and the ones that liked being the center of attention.

    These two didn¡¯t seem to fall into any of the categories. As they walked, instead of keeping to a tight formation, they spoke in hushed words, tiny smiles andughs dancing between them.

    It was like they were out on a pic, not in enemy territory. Arwin couldn¡¯t tell if it was driving him up a wall or intriguing him. He¡¯d bantered with his former colleagues, but only before and after the jobs were done, or if they were doing something so easy that it didn¡¯t require any attention.

    Rodrick and Anna weren¡¯t nearly that strong. They should have been as careful as possible, checking every shadow to make sure nothing lurked in it. But, instead, they were having fun.

    <em>They¡¯re being fairly quiet, so it¡¯s not like they¡¯re stupid. They¡¯re just¡­ carefree. Odd. It¡¯s certainly more rxed than I¡¯m used to, but it does make me wonder what¡¯ll happen when we get closer to a monster. </em>

    He didn¡¯t have to wait long to find out. Rodrick held a hand up and Anna abruptly snapped her mouth shut, freezing in ce. Arwin mirrored the motion, having seen simr gestures more times than he could count.

    Rodrick nodded into the forest, then leaned in closer to them to whisper.

    ¡°I¡¯m picking up some movement in that direction. Sounds like a few different things.¡± Rodrick tapped the side of his helm and sent a look at Arwin. ¡°I¡¯m a Warrior, by the way. Have a few sense enhancements. I¡¯m a bit new to this whole thing, but I¡¯m getting the hang of it.¡±

    <em>Yeah, the mad sprint out of the forest was definitely the sign of someone who has the hang of things.</em>

    ¡°How many of them are there? Are they headed toward us?¡± Anna asked in a hushed tone.

    ¡°Can¡¯t tell. Probably four. And they don¡¯t seem to be heading in any direction in particr. They¡¯re just moving around next to each other.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Arwin was right,¡± Anna said. ¡°Let¡¯s just avoid them. Can you pick anything else up?¡±

    Rodrick started to shake his head, but he stopped a second into the motion. A small grin passed across his lips and he turned to the side, squinting through the trees. ¡°It¡¯s kind of distant, but there¡¯s something shuffling around over there. Not too big, I don¡¯t think. It¡¯s not cracking a lot of leaves.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like it could be a good target,¡± Arwin said.

    <em>Fast swap from being rxed to working. They aren¡¯t new to this. </em>

    ¡°Lead the way, then,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Say, how do you think the lizards taste?¡±

    <em>A bit like really dry chicken. </em>

    ¡°Probably horrible,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Rodrick agreed. He set off into the forest and the others moved alongside him, their conversation dropping off as they did their best to avoid making any more noise while closing in on their prey.

 Chapter 23: Ideas

    Chapter 23: Ideas

    It wasn¡¯t a lizard they found but arge, silver-furred wolf curled up against a tree. Rodrick was the first to spot it, but by the time he¡¯d pointed the resting monster out, Arwin had already located it himself.

    There were probably a number of things he could do with a wolf pelt or its ws, but none of them were anything he knew much about yet. Still, it would have been rude to refuse to fight something purely because he didn¡¯t need to.

    <em>Besides, maybe I could make a rug out of it or something. Or a bed. Now that I think about it, I could definitely use it. </em>

    Rodrick gestured to the wolf, then raised his sword and nodded to Arwin, indicating that he¡¯d attack first and that Arwin could follow up behind him. Arwin inclined his head in agreement, and Rodrick crept forward.

    He moved with surprising grace, avoiding most of the dry foliage on the ground as he advanced. Whether by ident or on purpose, they were downwind of the monster, so it wasn¡¯t going to pick up on their smell.

    Rodrick¡¯s sword shimmered with light as he lifted it into the air and brought it down with a sharp chop. The monster¡¯s eyes snapped open at the motion, but it was toote. It barely even got a second to react before the de struck home, carving through its neck and killing it in a single blow.

    <em>That was well executed. </em>

    ¡°Clean,¡± Arwin said with an approving nod. ¡°Have you been an adventurer for a long time?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Rodrick replied with a shake of his head. ¡°My dad was a woodsman. Taught me a bunch of stuff before he retired. I only became an adventurer after I met Anna. It¡¯s just that a lot of the skills ovep.¡±<em>That would exin his more carefree attitude. If he¡¯s spent his whole life in the forests, then it would only be natural for him to be morefortable within them. </em>

    ¡°How does a woodsman not know about monster mating seasons?¡± Arwin asked.

    Rodrick¡¯s cheeks reddened and he cleared his throat as he wiped his sword off on the grass. ¡°I wasn¡¯t a woodsman. My dad was. I was, ah, how do you put it? More¨C¡±

    ¡°More interested in being a flirt,¡± Anna finished with a smirk. ¡°He only went into the woods to hunt things to show off to me. Can¡¯t say it didn¡¯t work, though.¡±

    ¡°And, more importantly, it looks like Arwin was right,¡± Rodrick said. He nced around, then lowered his sword. ¡°No monsters. They¡¯re all off screwing each other.¡±

    ¡°Mating season it is,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There¡¯s a phenomenon where all monsters start mating at the same time in an area, even though they¡¯re entirely unrted species that have nopatibility. One group starts, and then the others all follow.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like they¡¯re hor¨C¡±

    Anna shot Rodrick a sharp look and he cut himself off with a cough.

    ¡°Well, shall we continue?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But first, let me try to get the fur from this wolf. It could make a nice rug. By the way, how was it that you and Anna got surprised if you can hear this well?¡±

    ¡°That would be because I was beingzy,¡± Rodrick admitted as he rubbed the back of his head and his shoulders slumped. ¡°Having my hearing like this takes a toll on me. Gives me a headache like no tomorrow with all the noise I have to filter through, and we¡¯ve gotten pretty used to this area since we moved to Milten a few months ago. Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need to be using all my strength out here.¡±

    ¡°Comcency is usually the way people get killed,¡± Arwin said as he dug his sword into the wolf and started to separate the flesh from the pelt as best he could.

    <em>I wish I had a dagger, but I¡¯m not taking back the one that I gave Reya. It¡¯s not all that useful to me, and using it to gut animals would be a huge waste. I should have brought one of the ones I took off the Brothers Six. </em>

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re speaking from experience,¡± Anna said softly.

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. I hope we haven¡¯t offended you.¡±

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°The dead aren¡¯t going to sleep any better if I tiptoe around them. It¡¯s in the past. Just be careful if you don¡¯t want to join them.¡±

    ***

    After Arwin liberated a rather ragged pelt from the wolf, he and his newfound party trawled the forest for three more hours. Using Rodrick¡¯s advanced senses, they avoided several otherrge groups of monsters and picked off the lone ones they came across. Between avoiding the groups and the time it took Arwin to remove the pieces from the monsters, they only ended up killing three more ¨C one wolf and two lizards.

    Arwin draped the wolves¡¯ pelts over his shoulders and stuffed Rodrick¡¯s bagpletely full of scales until it bulged at the seams. Even though they¡¯d only taken out a few more monsters, none of the fights had been anywhere near as dangerous as the first.

    When they made their way back out of the forest, Arwin couldn¡¯t deny that he was pleased. It was a far better haul than he could have gotten on his own, and now he had enough materials to really practice with the scales and hopefully find some new ways to put them together.

    The trio made their way back to Milten, onlying to a stop when they passed through the gates and entered the city.

    ¡°Whereabouts do you live?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mind dropping your stuff off for you.¡±

    Arwin paused. He hadn¡¯t thought through what he¡¯d do with all the loot <em>after </em>they got back. Nobody other than Reya and Lillia knew where he lived, and he rather liked it that way. Of course, he¡¯d have to reveal it at some point when he started selling his normal weaponry, but the only thing he had to show was a broken-down smithy that definitely didn¡¯t look livable.

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    ¡°Not everyone wants to share where they live,¡± Anna scolded. ¡°Just give him your bag. He can give it back next time.¡±

    There was an unspoken invitation in her words, and it was one that Arwin was surprised to find he wasn¡¯t opposed to.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it,¡± Arwin allowed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll next be hunting, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just ask for Rodrick or Anna at the Glowing Swordfish,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It¡¯s an inn we¡¯ve been hanging out in. Fair warning, though. ce is run by a greedy asshole that¡¯ll try to charge you for breathing. Just ask one of the patrons for us, not the bartender. Hepletely runs our pockets. I¡¯d kill for a tavern that actually lets people stay without trying to rinse them clean.¡±

    ¡°Stopining,¡± Anna said. ¡°We¡¯re lucky there was an inn that epted adventurers that weren¡¯t part of the Guild.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t in the Guild?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said. He pulled the pack off his shoulder and held it out to Arwin. ¡°Didn¡¯t make the cut when I tested for them a year ago. I reckon I could make it now, but haven¡¯t bothered. Anna was part of them, but she left when I couldn¡¯t get in.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t missing out,¡± Arwin said. He took the pack from Rodrick with a nod. ¡°Thanks for this. Did you want to take anything out before you gave it to me? I¡¯ll give it all back, of course. It just might be a day or two.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Anna said with a smile. ¡°Looking forward to working with you again.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Rodrick said. He raised a hand in farewell and set off with Anna at his side. Arwin turned and left in the other direction, making for the dark alleyway at the back of the city that he called home.

    <em>I can¡¯t wait to see what I can make with all this extra material. </em>

    ***

    ¡°You look more energetic than normal today,¡± Lillia said as she stepped out of her kitchen with a te of what she was <em>fairly </em>sure were pancakes. She¡¯d learned the recipe by spying through the window of another tavern the previous night and had memorized the majority of the ingredients that went into them.

    Getting her hands on the ingredients had been considerably harder, but she¡¯d managed to scrounge up enough coin from what Reya had been paying her to splurge. She set the pancakes on the table and Reya¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°New dish?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What do you think?¡± Lillia asked, taking a step back.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of hard to see in the darkness,¡± Reya hedged. ¡°I do see a stack of stuff, though. That¡¯s probably a good thing.¡±

    <em>Damn it. I really need to do something about the environment if I ever want to get more customers. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Reya said hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m sure it tastes great! I can¡¯t wait to eat!¡±

    Lillia stepped to the side and Reya shifted. A small frown flitted across Lillia¡¯s face. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Doing? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hiding something.¡±

    ¡°What? How¡¯d you know?¡± Reya demanded, ring in Lillia¡¯s direction. She missed by a few inches, but she was just a human, so Lillia didn¡¯t me her.

    <em>Damn darkness. </em>

    ¡°I know a lot of things. What do you have? Ingredients?¡±

    ¡°Something better,¡± Reya said. She lifted her hands, setting a package on the table. It had been wrapped in discarded brown paper and had an odd, oblong shape. ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡±

    Lillia pulled the papers apart, her nose picking up the faint scent of blood. She was pretty sure Reya had found the paper discarded at the butchery, but the package didn¡¯t smell nearly enough of meat to be ¨C

    Her eyes widened. Before her eyes, which were adapted perfectly to see in the dark, was a beautifully made pan. She ran her hands over its surface, feeling the individual hammer strokes that had molded the metal.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you find this?¡± Lillia asked in awe. ¡°It¡¯s incredible. Did you steal it?¡±

    ¡°Nope! Arwin made it for you! I did steal the paper, though. You should probably wash the pan before you use it. The paper was lying crumpled out back of a butchery when I found it, and I think a few people might have stepped on it. Still, some wrapping is better than none.¡±

    ¡°Arwin made this?¡± Lillia asked, tearing her gaze away from the pan and looking to Reya.

    ¡°Yeah. Last night. He said he¡¯d try to get some utensils as well at some point.¡±

    <em>I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d actually make me anything. Is he expecting pay? I barely have enough money to keep cooking right now. Or is this a trick? It¡¯s not magical is it?</em>

    Lillia squinted at the pan, but it appeared to just be a normal pan. There was always the chance it was Unique and could hide its properties, but that felt like a little too much to do. Besides, they <em>had </em>called a truce.

    ¡°I ¨C oh. That was¡­ kind of him,¡± Lillia said, the words feeling strange in her mouth. ¡°Was there something he wanted in return?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a gift, as far as I know,¡± Reya said. ¡°He just said to give it to you.¡±

    <em>Why didn¡¯t he bring it himself then?</em>

    ¡°Oh!¡± Reya eximed, cutting off Lillia¡¯s thoughts. ¡°We also talked about your tavern.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Arwin thinks you should make it scarier.¡±

    Lillia stared at Reya. ¡°He thinks I should make my already inhospitable tavern¡­ worse? Is he trying to make sure I never get a customer?¡±

    Reya shook her head hurriedly, holding up a hand as her brow creased in thought. ¡°Wait, I got too excited and ended up misspeaking. Not just scarier. He thinks you should lean into the stuff about you more, and I think he¡¯s right. It¡¯s really hard to change yourself into something you think will attract people, so you should focus on the things that you already do and make those better instead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You¡¯re saying I should make it even <em>darker </em>in here?¡±

    ¡°Not darker. Scarier. Make it more like their of a monster, and then sell it as a monster inn or something. The rest of the alley already fits that motif anyway. I was thinking you could dress up as the Demon Queen! It would be hrious. People would love the atmosphere because of how ridiculous it was.¡±

    Lillia choked, coughing as her saliva went down the wrong pipe. She pounded a fist against her chest and cleared her throat, staring at Reya through squinted eyes. The girl lookedpletely sincere.

    <em>What in the Nine Undends, Arwin? I thought we had a bloody unspoken agreement!</em>

    ¡°That was Arwin¡¯s suggestion?¡± Lillia asked in disbelief.

    ¡°No, I came up with that myself. He just said you should dress yourself and the other waiters ¨C when you get them ¨C like monsters. Don¡¯t you think that would be pretty unique?¡±

    Lillia tilted her head to the side. It was tempting tough in Reya¡¯s face, but she was so genuine that she had to take a moment to actually consider the idea. And, to her surprise, it wasn¡¯t as horrible as she thought.

    Things were often easiest to hide when in in sight. Going so far as to pretend to be the thing that she quite literally was ¨C that was so ludicrous that it was unlikely anyone would ever see through it.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Lillia said, mulling over the sound as she rolled it around in her mouth. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m admitting this, but that actually sounds like it might have some potential.¡±

    ¡°We could start bringing some bodies to hang from the walls,¡± Reya offered.

    Lillia grimaced, but it slipped off her face as excitement started to take root. ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on that and stick to small things for a bit longer, shall we? I¡¯m going to need to get some money if I want to do anything, but I think you might have given me some ideas as to how.¡±

 Chapter 24: Broke

    Chapter 24: Broke

    Arwin¡¯s hammer broke.

    If anything, it was a surprise that it hadsted this long. He¡¯d been working on trying to hammer the scales whilst they were still in the hearth, which probably hadn¡¯t been his smartest idea, but he wanted a way to connect them that was better than scale mail.

    Even though Arwin had taken care to avoid letting the wood get too close to the fire, there was only so much he could do. It wasn¡¯t like the hammer had been in great shape to start with, and the extra stress on it finally proved to do it in.

    Arwin didn¡¯t even bother trying to pull the handle from the fire. He watched it burn beside the red-hot scales, his nose screwed up in annoyance. It had been two days since he¡¯d gotten back from the hunting trip, and he¡¯d spent both of thempletely focused on working with the scales.

    If he¡¯d focused on making what he already knew how to make, it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem to make a few more magical items. But, instead, Arwin put everything he had into figuring out how to make himself greaves.

    He¡¯d made several pairs of scale mail greaves without too much difficulty, but that had taken hours and the majority of them had all been eitherpletely non-magical or detrimental. Their actual shape had been decent, which was at least something to be proud of. His practice had started to spill over, but they still weren¡¯t perfect.

    He made a few more attempts, managing to make a grand total of two normal, non-detrimental sets of scale mail greaves before he decided to push things a bit farther.

    He attempted to hammer the scales together into a single te rather than individual links, and Arwin had been pretty sure that he¡¯d been making progress ¨C but all of that had ended with the breaking of his hammer.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s annoying,¡± Arwin said. He tossed the head of the hammer in his hand, chewing his lower lip as he tried to figure out what to do next. There wasn¡¯t a good answer beyond the most obvious one ¨C he had to go buy a tool to work with.<em>At some point, I need to make myself a hammer, but I need a hammer to make a hammer. Now isn¡¯t that a paradox? Armor first, though ¨C or greaves, at the very least. I feel like a moron walking around with just my chest piece. </em>

    That meant he needed to go shopping, and shopping meant he needed money. He¡¯d been unwilling to sell anything subpar thest time he¡¯d gone to the market, but things had changed slightly since then.

    Arwin had absolutely no ns of putting anything magical up for sale, but even though the two non-magical scale mail greaves weren¡¯t the greatest things he¡¯d made, they were definitely still nothing to be ashamed of.

    <em>Reckon I could probably sell these for enough money to buy myself a hammer and maybe some more metal to work with. The problem will be actually selling them in the first ce. Nobody wanted to buy anything thest time we went to the market.</em>

    <em>Either way, I might as well return the bag to Rodrick and Anna while I¡¯m at it. I don¡¯t want to hold onto this thing forever when they¡¯re waiting for it back. </em>

    Arwin gathered the two pairs of greaves he¡¯d made and slung them over his shoulder. He snagged the bag that Rodrick had given him and headed out of the smithy. Reya was still out doing whatever it was she did during the day, but Arwin wasn¡¯t all that concerned about someone breaking in. He had all his magical items on him and it wasn¡¯t like there were many people on the street in the first ce.

    He made his way through the city, keeping to the side of the road to avoid drawing too much attention. Arwin was more than aware that his clothes were still the ratty, filthy ones that the Brothers Six had worn, and he probably didn¡¯t look particrly friendly in them.

    <em>Just another thing I need to eventually invest in. Gah. I really need a good way to start making money, but I refuse to make magical weapons for random people. Selling these greaves will be a good start. </em>

    <em>Once I build a name for myself, maybe I could interview people that want magic items. I could even sell it as me personalizing it for them, and then just refuse to make things for people I don¡¯t like. </em>

    <em>I rather like the idea of that, actually. </em>

    A small grin slipped across Arwin¡¯s features and his pace increased as he continued through the city. He didn¡¯t actually know where the Glowing Swordfish was, but after wandering around pointlessly for a while he osted a few passersby until one of them directed him in the direction of the inn.

    The Glowing Swordfish was a three-story stone building that looked like it had been made in the previous century. Shingles hung crooked on its tall roofs, and many of the windows had been boarded over.

    A wooden sign bearing the faded carving of a blob with a point at its end that was probably meant to be a swordfish hung askew above a wooden door whose knob had fallen off. Arwin approached it and hooked a finger into the hole to pull the door open.

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    The smell of dust and stale bread greeted him as he stepped into themon room, which was surprisingly busy despite the depressing exterior ¨C and, for that matter, interior. There were half a dozen tables with mismatched chairs scattered around the room across from a bar that seated four people.

    Around three quarters of the tables were popted with adventurers, and fairly decently equipped ones at that. Many of them had armor that made Arwin¡¯s Mesh tingle in recognition, but he couldn¡¯t see the information on most of their equipment, which meant they¡¯d gotten strong enough to hide it from weaker outsiders.

    That wasn¡¯t saying much given Arwin¡¯s return to the Apprentice Tier, but it felt off to see so many rtively strong looking adventurers sitting around in such a dump. He would have wondered if the food here had something special about it if he couldn¡¯t smell it in itsplete and utter mediocrity.

    A chubby man in a dirty smock that Arwin presumed to be the bartender stood at the other end of the bar, his nose buried in a book. Arwin took a moment to study the bar, checking to see if it was doing anything to draw customers that Lillia could do.

    The thought caught in his head a moment after he thought it and a small frown flitted across his lips.

    <em>Why do I care what the Demon Queen is doing with her time? She¡¯s not hurting anybody, and that¡¯s all that matters. It was my job to kill her, not help her. </em>

    Arwin shook his head and nced around the tavern in hopes that Rodrick or Anna would already be down eating somewhere. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. They¡¯d specified that he wasn¡¯t to ask the bartender about them to avoid getting scammed, but the idea of just belting their names out at the top of his lungs didn¡¯t feel particrly inviting.

    <em>Oh well. I don¡¯t feel like dancing around this for too long. </em>

    Clearing his throat, Arwin drew in a deep breath and called out Rodrick¡¯s name. Several people nced up at him, but not a single one so much as reacted. An annoyed frown yed across the bartender¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t speak a word.

    <em>Looks like they¡¯re used to it. How cheap do you have to be to refuse to let people know when others show up looking for them? Wouldn¡¯t you make way more money by having an inn that people want to stay at?</em>

    Arwin didn¡¯t have to sit around wondering for long. After about a minute, footsteps rang out against the stairs as Rodrick headed into the bottom floor of the inn. Arwin barely recognized him in his normal cloth clothes rather than his armor.

    ¡°Good to see you again,¡± Rodrick said when he reached the bottom of the stairs and made his way over to Arwin.

    ¡°Came to deliver your bag.¡± Arwin held it out to Rodrick. ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Any time,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°Really, we¡¯re the ones that got away with the biggest wins. You barely dealt the finishing blow on anything.¡±

    Arwin shrugged. He wasn¡¯t about to tell Rodrick that dealing the finishing blow waspletely worthless for him. Whoever finished the monster off drew more of its life energy into themselves and advanced to the next Tier faster ¨C but when Arwin didn¡¯t get energy from killing things at all, it didn¡¯t even matter if he participated in the fight at all.

    <em>Now that I think about it, aren¡¯t crafting sses almost guaranteed to get more skills thanbat ones are? You grow at a much faster rate when killing monsters than it feels like you do by crafting. I wonder if that¡¯s intentional ¨C like a way to bnce things out. </em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about finishing blows. I was interested in the materials far more than anything else,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head.

    Rodrick looked to the greaves on Arwin¡¯s shoulder and raised an eyebrow. ¡°It looks like you put them to pretty quick use. You brought them to a smith to see if they could make anything good?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t love how they turned out, though.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°They look decent enough. Do you prefer heavy armor or something?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But they¡¯re also non-magical, which is less than ideal. I¡¯d prefer my gear to be of higher quality.¡±

    A bark ofughter slipped out of Rodrick¡¯s lips and he pped Arwin on the shoulder, nodding as if Arwin had just said a hrious joke. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we all? I tell you ¨C I wouldn¡¯t settle for anything less than Legendary gear, and it¡¯s all got to be part of a synchronized set. Nothing else is worthy.¡±

    <em>A full set of legendary gear would be rather nice, actually. I¡¯m not sure what the funny part is meant to be. Does Rodrick not have any magical gear at all?</em>

    ¡°How much are you looking to sell that stuff for? I usually use heavy gear as well, but my greaves got mauled ¨C though I suppose you were there for said mauling. I need a recement and haven¡¯t found anything in budget yet,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t put too much thought into it yet,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I was nning on taking them to a smith and seeing if they¡¯d buy them at a cut cost to sell themselves.¡±

    ¡°Buy from one smith, sell to another? What are you trying to do, start a crafter turf war?¡± Rodrick snorted. ¡°What about twenty-five gold? You¡¯d probably be able to get better if you went to a real merchant, though.¡±

    <em>Twenty-five isn¡¯t bad. I paid about ten for a bunch of materials from Taylor, the other cksmith. He tantly overcharged me, so I think I¡¯d be making decent money from this. Enough to save myself some trouble, at the least. </em>

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t argue that at all, twenty-five sounds good to me. You might want to make sure they fit, though,¡± Arwin said, holding the greaves out to Rodrick, who dug around in a pouch at his side to count out the gold.

    ¡°We¡¯re not that different in size, so it should be fine,¡± Rodrick said, exchanging the gold for the pair of greaves with a nod. ¡°And you cut me a pretty good deal, so I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s a bit loose. Damn, though. Look at these things glitter in the light. They¡¯re pretty.¡±

    Rodrick held the greaves up, to the dirty windows, and Arwin was pleased to agree that they shimmered pleasantly. Even though they weren¡¯t magical, he was pretty pleased with how they¡¯d turned out.

    ¡°I hope they serve you well,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they will. I¡¯m pretty sure you cut me a great deal. What are you going to do with the other pair?¡±

    ¡°Probably still try to sell it. A little more gold would go a long way.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡± a woman asked. Arwin and Rodrick both turned toward its source ¨C a middle-aged woman sitting at a table alone, d in normal clothes but with a well-worn sword hanging at her side. There was a twinkle of interest in her blue eyes, hidden behind strands of ck hair. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone try to make anything out of Forest Lizard scales before. You found a pretty interesting cksmith there,d. If you¡¯re still looking to sell, then I¡¯d be willing to bargain.¡±

 Chapter 25: Forward

    Chapter 25: Forward

    ¡°You want to buy these?¡± Arwin asked, trying not to sound surprised. Sure, he¡¯d fully nned to find someone to sell his work to, but Rodrick almost felt like he didn¡¯t count. He¡¯d met the other man already and they¡¯d worked together, so it was different.

    The woman at the table ¨C at least as far as Arwin was aware ¨C was someone he¡¯d never seen before. A small part of him was mildly surprised that someone he didn¡¯t know would want to buy some of his work.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re aiming for, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked, holding a hand out. ¡°I¡¯m Tix.¡±

    ¡°Arwin.¡± He shook her hand.

    ¡°Pleasure, Arwin. Mind letting me take a closer look at those fancy little things?¡±

    Arwin shrugged and handed over the greaves. Tix ran her hands over the scales, checking the inside of the armor out. Her expression was unreadable, but Arwin could tell she was interested by how much time she spent staring at the way he¡¯d woven the metal through the scales.

    He derived no little amount of pride from that. It had been a huge pain to weave metal and scale together, and even though it wasn¡¯t a style he had any interest in making a lot more gear in once he found a better way or material to work with, it had still been a lot of work.

    ¡°This is quite the piece,¡± Tix mused. ¡°What was the name of the smith that made these? They¡¯re not from around Milten.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a little reclusive,¡± Arwin said. There was no need to throw caution to the wind quite yet. ¡°How¡¯d you know he¡¯s not from the area, though?¡±¡°Nobody in this backwoods little town bothers experimenting,¡± Tix replied with a smirk. ¡°The person that made this was clearly trying to improve, not just churn out the same piece of shit over and over again.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pass yourpliment along if I ever see him again,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°That¡¯s not to say this is perfect. There are some pretty obvious imperfections,¡± Tix said, tapping some points on the greaves where the metal hadn¡¯t been perfectly bent or twisted and where some of the scales had been slightly tarnished. ¡°Still, this is a nice piece. You sold one to the other bloke for twenty-five gold, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin confirmed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do the same, if you¡¯re offering it.¡±

    ¡°That was a friend rate,¡± Rodrick pointed out. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you offer him a bit better?¡±

    Tix shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m buying it as a novelty, not to use. You never know where people will go in the future, and it could be worth a lot in the future ¨C or perhaps it¡¯ll be worthless. Twenty-five is a fair price for the time Arwin would save trying to sell it to some hawker that would take two hours before settling on thirty.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°Twenty-five works for me. I¡¯m not nning to make a living off selling scale mail greaves, so that¡¯s more than enough coin for my purposes.¡±

    Tix pulled a small bag out of her pocket and counted coin into it, tossing it up to Arwin. He grabbed it, then tucked the bag into a pocket.

    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Tix said. ¡°Did you say where the smith lived?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I did not.¡±

    ¡°Real reclusive, eh? Well, do you know if he¡¯s got any ns of showing himself in the near future?¡± Tix asked, tucking the greaves under an arm and rocking back in her chair. ¡°I¡¯d love to have a chat with him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if he does decide to do something, I¡¯ll let him know to try and get the word out,¡± Arwin said smoothly. Getting extra gold was great, but he wasn¡¯t about to give away his living situation to someone he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Any idea where word might get out?¡± Tix asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Maybe an inn that he frequents? Here, perhaps?¡±

    Something gripped Arwin. He wasn¡¯t sure quite what it was, but he spoke before the thoughts fully processed in his mind. ¡°I heard that someone was thinking about starting a monster themed tavern somewhere in the city. Maybe an inn too ¨C I¡¯m not sure. It was just rumor, but the smith said he¡¯d likely be around that area. He liked how secluded it was. Keep an ear to the ground for that.¡±

    ¡°A themed tavern?¡± Tix inclined an eyebrow, then smiled. ¡°That sounds rather fun, actually. Thanks for the information and the greaves, Arwin. Today was just a little bit more interesting than I was expecting.¡±

    With that, Tix pushed her chair back, downed the rest of her tankard, and headed up the stairs at the far side of the dining room. Arwin and Rodrick watched her leave, then exchanged a nce.

    ¡°You know her?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°No. Never seen her before,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°She carries herself like a warrior, though. Seems like a pretty strong one at that.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of warriors,¡± Rodrick hedged, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. ¡°Were you nning on heading out to hunt monsters again anytime soon? Anna and I are running a bit low on gold and we need to start taking on jobs again.¡±

    Arwin scratched the side of his chin. Right now, he was a little more concerned with upgrading his smithy and getting back to work than he was with killing more monsters, and he still had a good amount of scales to work with.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I had anything nned yet, but I suppose it depends what you were doing. My¡­ friend is working on setting out to earn herself a ss, and I was nning on helping her get that fairly soon. I have some preparation I need to do before I set out hunting again. When were you nning on leaving?¡±

    ¡°No rush, I¡¯d say.¡± Rodrick cleared his throat, then amended himself. ¡°Okay, a little rush. The end of the week?¡±

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    It took Arwin a few seconds to remember that it was Thirdday. The days had lost a lot of their meaning when he was locked up in the smithy working.

    <em>Six more days, then. I can handle most of what I need to do by then, and I¡¯ll be needing to make a magical item to eat as well soon. I¡¯ll probably have used up most of my supplies by then as well. </em>

    ¡°That should work,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I might even free up a little earlier, but if you end up finding a different person to head out with you, feel free to work with them. If not, I¡¯ll swing by the inn again in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Rodrick said with a grin. ¡°Thanks again, Arwin. I¡¯ve never been happier to have gotten my ass saved from a horny lizard by a random homeless man, but I¡¯m looking forward to working with you again.¡±

    Arwin nced down at his clothes. ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±

    ¡°In more ways than one.¡± Rodrick tapped his nose pointedly, then smirked. ¡°We can¡¯t all be perfect, though. I¡¯ve dealt with some nasty bastards in my time, and I know Anna has seen worse. Some adventurers wouldn¡¯t know what a brick of soap was unless it had a Title associated with it.¡±

    Arwin coughed into his fist as Rodrick chuckled and waved farewell, heading back up the stairs to his room. He left the inn, his pockets fifty gold heavier. It had been a long time since Arwin had done any proper shopping, so he wasn¡¯t exactly certain how far fifty gold would actually take him, but based on what the smith had sold him for ten, he was pretty sure it would be enough.

    His first task wasn¡¯t getting more materials, though. As tempting as that was, he had a basic level of hygiene that he still had to keep, and Arwin didn¡¯t want to think about how long it had been since he¡¯dst properly cleaned himself.

    He stopped by a tailor, buying three sets of clothing that he was pretty sure would fit him. He went with one of the cheapest options they had, opting to pay just two gold for the lot. None of it was worth writing home about, but it was better than what he was currently wearing.

    Arwin then set a course for the nearest bathhouse and lightened his purse by a gold, getting nine silver back in return. That in its entirety took about two hours ¨C Arwin barely wanted to leave the bath once he got in, but he eventually dragged himself out and changed into his new clothes before setting off to handle the real task for the day.

    <em>Priority number 1 is a hammer, one made entirely from metal rather than one with a wood handle. After that, I can split the gold between materials and things I can use to repair the smithy a bit. It really does need some patching up. A proper bed would be good too ¨C I don¡¯t want to sleep on a wolf pelt. It¡¯ll be a great rug, though.</em>

    Arwin meandered his way across town and to the market square. He wasn¡¯t sure where to get most things in Milten, but he did know the location of a cksmith. This time, though, he¡¯d just be a normal customer.

    Taylor¡¯s smithy had a few people milling about in it when Arwin arrived, which was just fine with him. He didn¡¯t need the extra attention right now. His eyes scanned the room and quicklynded on a in metal hammer made from rough ck metal at the back of the store.

    Picking the hammer up, Arwin tested its weight in his hands. It felt good. Not too heavy, but definitely heavier than the previous one. It had a sturdiness to it that sat right in Arwin¡¯s grip.

    <em>Solid. This should suit my needs perfectly for the time being. Wonder why the previous smith didn¡¯t have one of these.</em>

    Arwin spent a little time looking around the rest of the store, taking in the weapons and armor hanging from the walls. The majority of Taylor¡¯s goods looked to go for between ten and one hundred gold, depending on their detail and size.

    A few of them, such as an ornate breastte, were a much heftier four or five hundred gold, but none of it caught Arwin¡¯s eye. All the items were mundane.

    <em>The more I think about it, the more I wonder how rare magical items actually are. When I was the Hero, everyone had them. But I suppose those were the best of the best ¨C is it difficult to get magic weapons as a random adventurer? I¡¯ll have to be really careful with how much I share if that¡¯s the case. I don¡¯t want some crazed guild to try to kidnap me or someone to beat down the doors of my smithy begging for an item. </em>

    Arwin brought the hammer up to the front desk andid it down before Taylor.

    ¡°Ten gold,¡± Taylor said, ncing at the hammer whilst in mid conversation with another customer. Arwin didn¡¯t say anything ¨C he just quietly dug the gold out, set it on the counter, and departed the shop with his new hammer in tow.

    <em>Perfect. Now, some things to make that damn ce a little more livable. First off, it needs a door. A door and two beds. The other stuff cer. Who sells beds, though?</em>

    Arwin looked around the market for a few minutes, not particrly optimistic about his chances. A carpenter would definitely be somewhere in the general area, but there was no way Milten had enough demand for beds that there would be an entire store for ¨C

    There was an entire store for it.

    Arwin squinted at the wooden building in a mixture of shock and disbelief. Faded paint across the arch above its door identified the building as <em>Sleepy John¡¯s. </em>And, through the dirt-covered windows, Arwin could just barely make out rows upon rows of beds within the store.

    Barely able to believe it, Arwin stepped through the door and was instantly greeted by the strong smell of dust and cobwebs. A small bell rung, announcing his arrival, and a tired looking man at the back of the store raised his head from where it rested at a desk.

    ¡°Oh. Wee in,¡± the man said through a yawn. ¡°Can I do something for you?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C uh, how much is a bed?¡± Arwin asked, looking around the surprisinglyrge store. It was hard to believe that it made anywhere near enough money to be thisrge. He was the only customer in sight.

    ¡°Depends on the bed. You looking for something fancy?¡±

    ¡°Something rtively easy to move and not too expensive. I need two of them, so being on the smaller would actually be nice as well. Have anything for ten gold or less?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got an eight-gold option. Comes with a frame and a feather mattress. Just don¡¯t ask me what the featherse from. I don¡¯t know, and you don¡¯t want to know. It¡¯s eight gold.¡±

    Arwin snorted. He looked around the store again, but there wasn¡¯t a single part of him that wanted to spend more time in here than he had to. ¡°Two of those, then. Do you have a cart I can use to carry them?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll deliver it.¡±

    <em>Bullshit. You can¡¯t sell more than one bed a week. How do you possibly afford to not only have a store like this but also deliver stuff to your customers?</em>

    He nced around to see if there were bandits hiding in the rows of beds to ambush him, but that would have required someone else to have been in the store. Finally, Arwin shrugged. As suspicious as it was, he doubted Milten would allow a business to tantly rob people in broad daylight. That was the job of Milten¡¯s government, not the stores.

    ¡°Sixteen gold, then?¡±

    ¡°Plus four for delivery.¡±

    <em>Ah. That makes a little more sense. Four gold for delivery seems really damn steep, but I don¡¯t want to lug two beds across town. </em>

    ¡°Fine,¡± Arwin said, pulling twenty gold out and walking across the store to hand it to the employee. In turn, the man handed him a small wooden badge. Arwin felt the Mesh tingling within it as it rested in his hand.

    ¡°Just keep that on you and the movers will find you by tonight,¡± the man said, yawning. ¡°Anything else I can do for you?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯d say this is it,¡± Arwin said. He tucked the badge into his pocket. ¡°Thanks for your time.¡±

    The merchant didn¡¯t even respond. He just sank back into his desk andid his head in his arms, falling asleep. Arwin made a beeline out of the store, then nced back at it as he headed down the street just to make sure it was still there and hadn¡¯t been some form of illusion.

    <em>Ah, well. That¡¯s that. I have what I needed. Time to get back to work, then. I know I¡¯m close to making some proper scale te greaves, and I¡¯m going to make them before it¡¯s time to train Reya with Rodrick and Anna at the end of the week. </em>

    <em>I¡¯m looking forward to this. </em>

 Chapter 26: Amazing

    Chapter 26: Amazing

    Scales glowed in the mes of the hearth, heated as far as the [Soul me] could take them. Arwin hefted his new hammer, adjusting his grip on the haft. The rough metal wasn¡¯t the mostfortable, and it was a good bit heavier than his previous hammer.

    <em>Sitting around and staring at the scales isn¡¯t going to do anything, though. Only way to learn is to try. </em>

    Arwin arranged two of the scales so that they ovepped slightly, leaving them within the hearth. He then hefted his hammer, holding it near the head to avoid getting a little too much momentum in the swing and risk damaging the hearth.

    <em>Maybe I need to find a way to super-heat the surface of my anvil instead of working inside the hearth? That could work as well, but it¡¯s a problem for a different time. </em>

    The hammer fell, striking the scales with a loud thud. Sparks flew up and a powerful vibration raced down Arwin¡¯s arms with such force that he nearly dropped the hammer, even though he hadn¡¯t even hit the scales that hard.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°Forgot that metal carries the vibrations far better than wood. That¡¯s going to be a pain in the ass.¡±

    Arwin activated [Scourge] and steadied his grip on the hammer before striking the scales once more. The vibrations still mmed into him like a runaway horse, but he weathered them and swung the hammer once more as they faded.

    With every strike, Arwin could see the material of the scales start to meld together. It was far from perfect, but it was working. His idea had been correct ¨C so long as he tried to forge them within the fire, they could connect.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Arwin topletely connect the two scales, but he was far from done. As soon as he¡¯d confirmed that their material could be connected, he set about building a set of greaves.Even though he was distributing his usage of [Scourge] to withstand the hammer, Arwin¡¯s magical reserves couldn¡¯tst forever. He continued working on the project until his energy expired, then rested ¨C leaving all the scales within the me ¨C until he¡¯d built up enough to get to work again.

    In that cycle, Arwin continued to work on the greaves. The ring of his hammer echoed through the old smithy, each strike another step toward his lofty goals. Sweat rolled down Arwin¡¯s face and dripped from his lips as the heat caressed his body.

    Even with his magically enforced strength, soreness and exhaustion bit at Arwin¡¯s body. His arms ached and his back groaned with every swing. While he was far from weak, he didn¡¯t have the muscles he once did as the Hero ¨C and that was just how he liked it.

    Every blow was another step toward power. His own step. Not granted to him by the guild. Not given to him by someone that had already supposedly thought through every inch of his progression to ensure it would be ideal for the future of the Kingdom of Lian.

    There was none of it.

    All that remained was Arwin¡¯s body, the roaring hearth, and the scales within it. Blow by blow, hour by hour, Arwin forged.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how much time passed as he worked. At some point, he was aware of Reya passing through behind him, but Arwin was so focused on the greaves that he barely registered it beyond a passing thought.

    His ears rung violently, and the smell of steel and cinder filled his nostrils. He¡¯d stopped sweating at some point, his body no longer possessing the water to lose. The temptation to stop was there ¨C but it wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as the siren call of sess.

    Arwin¡¯s fingertips tingled with power from the Mesh as it swirled around him and the pair of glowing greaves that were steadilying together before him. They guided his movements, just as eager to be whole as he was to make them.

    And then, tremors running through his entire form from the repeated shocks the hammer had delivered unto him and with just the dregs of his magical power left, Arwin found that there was nothing left to do.

    All the pieces of the greaves he needed were finished. He wasn¡¯t done yet, though. They had to be connected and slotted together before the pieces were fixed in their proper ces whilst inserting hinges to avoid limiting movement.

    Arwin was exhausted, but he would be damned if he waited to do thatter. He grabbed a handful of the nails he¡¯d forged, dropping his hammer and setting to work with his hands. After the nails were heated to molten temperatures, he got to work working them into the scales in the same manner that he¡¯d woven them with, pressing the nails into the tough material and then warping them into sps so the greaves could close around his legs.

    He worked over every single piece of the armor with painstaking effort, connecting joints and testing them to ensure they functioned properly. And then, once he¡¯d finished one leg, he moved on to the other.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure where the energy to continue came from. Part of him suspected that he just hadn¡¯t realized how tired he was, but it was a moot point. His mind had made the decision that he would continue until the work was done, and his body would obey.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    But finally, his work came to an end. Arwin finished thest touches on the second leg and, even as he let his handse to a rest in the curling mes, he felt the Meshe to life within the armor.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard Scale te Greaves: Unique Quality] have been forged. </strong><strong>Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    Arwin waved the Mesh¡¯s words away. He¡¯d deal with the advancement in a moment ¨C right now, the most important thing to him was seeing if his work had yielded results. There was always the potential of a detrimental trait that couldpletely ruin all his efforts. Information shimmered to life in golden letters before Arwin as he watched with bated breath.

    <strong>Forest Lizard Scale te Greaves: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Heat Resistance]: The wearer of this item gains heat resistance.</strong>

    <strong>[Shock]: The tremors of a thousand mighty blows run through this item, attuning it to kic energy. This will passively store a portion of any impact it receives, lessening the damage to its owner. </strong>

    <strong>[Awe]: The tremors within this item long to be released. Upon reaching its limit, this item will free the kic energy within it at once, empowering its owners next movements for a short amount of time. The timing and duration of this effect cannot be controlled. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: Once donned, this item will bond with its owner. It will change sizes so long as material permits to fit them perfectly, and anyone else who attempts to wear it may suffer retaliation. Information about this item may be hidden from others after it has bonded. </strong>

    Arwin let himself have a relieved smile. He hadn¡¯t just gotten greaves. He¡¯d gotten exactly what he needed. He¡¯d have to test just how much energy the armor would absorb, but even a small amount would go a long way in making him considerably tougher to injure.

    The extra effect of speeding him up was also interesting. It was clearly partially detrimental without the ability to control its activation or duration, but power was still power. It just meant they would be harder to use. Beyond that, the skill was incredible. It was an alternative to using [Scourge] to empower his legs, which would save him a huge amount of magical energy.

    On top of that, getting movement skills for a nonbat ss was probably borderline impossible. Arwin hadn¡¯t spoken to any smiths extensively before, but not once had he ever seen one of them sprinting at the speed of a warrior, even for a short amount of time.

    ¡°Absolutely fantastic,¡± Arwin breathed. The armor had kept the heat-resistant properties of the scales and was already cooled off, so he started to pull it on. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to leave them off any longer and risk somehow letting someone else don them first.

    Arwin didn¡¯t imagine there was someone sitting around and waiting to put his pants on, but there was no need for paranoia when the problem was already solved. As soon as he fastened the final sp, he felt the armor shift and tighten around his legs.

    He moved his weight from one foot to the other, then raised a leg. The armor shifted seamlessly, perfectly melded to his form. He could still feel its weight, but they weren¡¯t nearly as hefty as metal would have been.

    ¡°Light. Effective,¡± Arwin said, well aware he wasplimenting himself. His smile stretched even wider and he ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair.

    <em>I feel better than I¡¯ve felt in years. This is amazing. </em>

    Arwin walked in a circle around the smithy, then hopped from one foot to the other. Everything about the greaves feltpletely natural. He picked his hammer up, giving it a few test swings to see how it felt.

    An eruption of soreness in his muscles quickly made Arwin reconsider that decision. He stumbled, nearly dropping the hammer in his haste to lower it. There was only so far that his adrenaline and tion would take him.

    Exhaustion had been knocking at the door for longer than Arwin was aware, and he was suddenly reminded of just how thirsty and drained he felt. He blinked heavily, bracing himself against the wall and weathering the wave of weakness that passed over him.

    Once it passed, Arwin sent a thought to his greaves, causing them to hide their properties from any prying eyes. If anyone figured out he was strolling around in two Unique items, he suspected that he¡¯d be in trouble.

    There had been a time when he hadn¡¯t thought much of it ¨C Unique items varied greatly. They were barely even a proper rarity, as they could both be better than Legendary items or worse than Garbage ones. But the more Arwin realized that not many people actually possessed magical items, the more he realized that it wouldn¡¯t matter <em>what </em>his items did. What would matter would be the fact that he had them.

    Arwin licked his parched lips. Even though he didn¡¯t have to eat anything other than magic, a nice drink sounded fantastic. He sent a nce around the smithy, but it was empty. Based on the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wall, it wasn¡¯t quite nighttime yet either.

    It was time to see what rewards all the achievements he¡¯d earned over the past few days had earned him. He called out to the Mesh.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 3)</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong>

    <strong>[More than Average] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong>[Shoe Thief] has been consumed.</strong>

    <strong><em>Two of your Skill options have been upgraded. </em></strong>

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>[Bleeding Heart] (Passive) ¨C <em>Repeated attempts to protect your allies grants all the armor you wear faint magical properties. All those you consider an ally within a set radius of yourself will receive a portion of the defenses your armor grants you, scaling based off your Tier. </em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Arsenal] ¨C <em>You live and die on your equipment, so you might as well make it part of yourself. Bind yourself to [3] pieces of equipment, summoning and dismissing it at will. The number of equipment you can bind to scales with your Tier, up to a total of 10. Unbinding a piece of Equipment will make this skill inactive for 1 day. </em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Firewrought Blow] ¨C <em>You have spent so much time within the me that it has be a part of you. Spend a portion of magical energy to empower your next hammer strike, releasing a burst of Soul me upon impact. </em></strong>

 Chapter 27: Class

    Chapter 27: ss

    Arwin studied his new skill options for several minutes, re-reading them to make sure he perfectly understood every single one. All the achievements had definitely been worth the effort ¨C the results he¡¯d received were incredible.

    [Firewrought Blow] was a goodbat skill on its own ¨C but there was more to it than just a mere attack. Sure, releasing a st of fire when hitting something was useful, but it wasn¡¯t just any fire. It was [Soul me] ¨C which meant any upgrades he got to his [Soul me] would affect it as well.

    On top of that, he could use the ability whilst forging. That would probably go a long way in improving his abilities and letting him forge new weapons. It was an incredible ability ¨C but the others were just as interesting.

    [Bleeding Heart] caught Arwin¡¯s attention even though it hadn¡¯t been upgraded by the Achievements. It wasn¡¯t immediately useful, but the better equipment he got, the more powerful it would be. If the other two abilities had been just about anything else, Arwin would have chosen it on the spot.

    <em>It would make training Reya so much easier, and if I want to start a guild, then abilities like this would be invaluable. But [Arsenal]¡­ </em>

    At first nce, [Arsenal] didn¡¯t appear incredibly strong. It was basically a glorified storage method, but it only took a little thought for Arwin to realize just how dangerous the ability was.

    It let him summon and dismiss equipment <em>at will</em>. There was no dy. He could carry a set of the heaviest te armor in the world around with him, swapping into it the moment he needed to fight.

    And, beyond that, he could swap weapons mid-fight as well. A sword swing could turn into a hammer blow, and that effect would bepounded even farther the more equipment he got. The potential for the ability was basically limitless so long as he had the right gear on hand.

    Every single one of the abilities was tempting, but it didn¡¯t take Arwin much longer toe to his final decision. He selected [Arsenal] without an ounce of regret and the glowing words of the Mesh shimmered and faded away, his choiceplete.Arwin wasted absolutely no time in testing it out. He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling the tingle of the Mesh as he drew it to his will. The pressure in his ear changed with a subtle pop as he bound the Forest Lizard Scale Mail to himself.

    No sooner than he imagined the armor disappearing did it vanish with a pop. He could still feel a faint pressure on his chest even though the armor wasn¡¯t there anymore. With another thought, Arwin summoned it back.

    The armor reformed instantly, as if he¡¯d never taken it off. Arwin grinned, then bound his greaves and sword as well. He dismissed and resummoned each piece a few times before dismissing all of them.

    [Arsenal] feltpletely natural to use, as if it had always been a part of him. A small thrill of excitement ran down his back. Arwin had never been one who had particrly looked forward to fighting, but he really wanted to see what the new ability would do for him in a real fight.

    <em>It¡¯ll take some training and better equipment before I can truly master [Arsenal], but I can already picture just how effective this will be. </em>

    Arwin wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a satisfied sigh. He was more than pleased with the results of the past few days, and now he¡¯d bought himself some time to rx and do a little more preparation before he took Reya out with Rodrick and Anna.

    <em>Maybe I¡¯ll just take a day off and enjoy not having to do anything at all. After that, I want to start looking into getting some more armor made for Reya and the others. Maybe I¡¯ll figure out what I¡¯ll need to make my hammer as well. </em>

    <em>So much to do, so little time. I don¡¯t even know where to ¨C </em>

    <strong>[The Maw within you hungers for power. If you do not consume a magical item within 1 day, your body will copse.]</strong>

    ¡°Oh, goddamn it,¡± Arwin muttered, a familiar clench wrapping its icy grip around his stomach. It didn¡¯t feel like it had been that long since thest time he¡¯d eaten a magic item, but evidently the time had flitted by far faster than he¡¯d realized. ¡°At least I got a whole day of warning this time. Can¡¯tin about that. Guess I¡¯m smithing more before I do anything else.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s gaze passed over the forge. He didn¡¯t really want to spend a huge amount of effort in making an item he was just going to consume to survive, but it would be a good idea to get around to making some magic items he could eat in abat situation that would give him a boost in power with Hungering Maw¡¯s beneficial ability that let him temporarily absorb a trait from an item.

    <em>More shit to deal withter. For now, I just need to focus on not dying. </em>

    ***

    It only took Arwin another half an hour to forge a crude magical bracelet. It had a detrimental effect that made it so that attacks against him had a chance of summoining a small gust of wind, but Arwin didn¡¯t particrly care ¨C he just stuffed the whole thing into his mouth so he could get on with his day.

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    The pain in his stomach didn¡¯t recede. Arwin¡¯s brow creased. He waited for a few seconds, trying to see if he¡¯d somehow tricked himself into thinking the ache was there when it wasn¡¯t, but there was no mistaking it.

    The pit in his stomach was just as intense as it had been before if not worse. It was as if he hadn¡¯t eaten anything. Arwin stood frozen in ce, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. He¡¯d done what the ability required him to.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it working?¡± Arwin muttered to himself, starting to pace around his anvil as he racked his mind in attempt to figure out where the mistake was. But, try as he might, only a single thought came to mind.

    A chill ran down Arwin¡¯s back and he grabbed several pieces of metal, returning to the forge and throwing his [Soul me] into it. If he was wrong, he¡¯d be even more screwed than he was now.

    <em>I¡¯ve got to be fast, but not too fast. I can¡¯t afford to make another crappy item. This one is going to need to be decent. </em>

    Arwin waited until the metal was hot enough, then got to work forging once more. With the metal as his guide, he set about making a in dagger. It wasn¡¯t anything special, but it still took considerably more time than the bracelet had.

    After about two more hours of work, Arwin was done. An average quality magical dagger sat in his hands, still warm from the forge. Its only Trait was being more resilient than normal, which was perfectly fine with him. Arwin stuffed the weapon into his gullet, devouring it in two bites.

    The pain relented almost instantly, and Arwin felt a surge of energy course through his body as he absorbed its Trait. A relieved sigh slipped from Arwin¡¯s lips, but it carried with it the disturbing knowledge that his guess had been right.

    <em>[The Hungering Maw] doesn¡¯t just need me to eat magical items. It needs me to eat stronger magical items. I can¡¯t just sit around and keep making the same crappy bracelets or I¡¯ll starve to death. If that holds true¡­ God, will I be eating Legendary weapons at some point?</em>

    Augh of disbelief forced its way out of Arwin¡¯s lips, and he sat down on his anvil, running his hands through his hair. The costs of what he¡¯d have to do if he wanted to survive were going to be astronomical.

    That didn¡¯t stop a small voice in his head from pointing out that, if he pulled it off, his power would eclipse what he¡¯d wielded as the Hero by an enormous margin.

    The Mesh was nothing if not fair. If he was walking around eating powerful Unique and Legendary weapons just to survive, the Mesh would have to be giving him equivalent benefits. He couldn¡¯t imagine how big the boons would be to someone who was forced to consume a Legendary weapon every week, but he knew they¡¯d be immense.

    ¡°All I have to do is survive,¡± Arwin muttered to himself. ¡°In the end, this doesn¡¯t change my ns in the slightest. I knew I had to get stronger. This is just a bit of encouragement.¡±

    <em>Very strong encouragement. Nothing more motivating than not spontaneouslybusting ¨C or whatever it is that would happen to me if I don¡¯t feed the Hungering Maw. </em>

    Stone shifted near the door. Arwin nced over as Reya walked inside, stepping over the wolf pelt at the door and raising a hand in greeting when she realized that he wasn¡¯t working the forge.

    ¡°Arwin! I was wondering if you were ever going to stop. It¡¯s been like four days,¡± Reya said, shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but are you okay? I¡¯m starting to think there might be something seriously wrong with you. Did you even stop to eat?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was just a very brief stop.¡±

    <em>That is technically not a lie.</em>

    ¡°Right,¡± Reya said, not looking like she believed him in the slightest. ¡°Where¡¯d your armor go? Thest time I was in here, it looked like you¡¯d nearly finished it. What happened?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s response was to summon the greaves using [Arsenal]. Reya¡¯s eyes widened as the scale te armor materialized around his legs.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see any information on it, but they just appeared out of thin air. Does that mean¨C¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re magical,¡± Arwin confirmed with a slightly smug nod. ¡°I did it.¡±

    ¡°Another Unique item. You¡¯re ridiculous. How is it that you can keep making these? Do you have some magic dust somewhere that you¡¯re just sprinkling on everything you make?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just incredibly talented,¡± Arwin said, keeping his facepletely straight.

    Reya squinted at him. ¡°Was that a joke? Did you just make a joke?¡±

    ¡°No. I would never do something like that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was thinking as well,¡± Reya grumbled. Her frown fell away. ¡°Thanks for getting the beds, though. They¡¯re amazing. I honestly can¡¯t remember thest time I slept on something soft.¡±

    ¡°Beds?¡± Arwin blinked. He vaguely remembered ordering them at a sketchy store, but he didn¡¯t recall anything ever actually showing up. He¡¯d been so caught up in his smithing that he¡¯d entirely forgot about the purchase.

    ¡°Yeah. Right there.¡± Reya pointed to the corner of the smithy and Arwin turned to follow her gesture. Sitting at the side of the smithy, nestled into a corner that was a little less cracked and broken up than the rest of the building, were two beds.

    <em>What the hell? When did those show up? I didn¡¯t notice anybody. </em>

    ¡°I ¨C uh, yeah. I did buy those,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Why does it sound like you¡¯re trying to convince yourself? Did you not buy them?¡±

    ¡°No, I did. I just didn¡¯t notice that they¡¯d shown up,¡± Arwin said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a frown. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve been caught up working. Has anything important happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing vital.¡± Reya shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve mostly been hanging around Lillia¡¯s tavern and trying to help her out with a few things whist keeping an eye out and making sure nobody too weird shows up at our door.¡±

    ¡°Too weird? We¡¯re the only ones on the damn street aside from Lillia and the one drunkard that passed through.¡±

    Reya nced at Arwin out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true anymore. Someone else was here! Someone new!¡±

    ¡°Today?¡±

    She cleared her throat. ¡°No. He showed up yesterday and ate at Lillia¡¯s tavern while I was there, then left pretty soon afterward. But still, a new customer! She was really excited.¡±

    ¡°That is good news,¡± Arwin said, pulling the [Soul me] from the hearth and back into himself. ¡°And I¡¯ve got more of it.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Reya blinked. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You said four days have passed? Then¡­ in three days, we¡¯re going hunting.¡±

    ¡°We are? What for? More materials?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s part of it, but it isn¡¯t the main goal,¡± Arwin said with a small smile. ¡°We¡¯re going to get you your ss.¡±

 Chapter 28: Live up

    Chapter 28: Live up

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Reya asked, her eyes going wide. ¡°You aren¡¯t messing with me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I joke about something like this?¡± Arwin asked. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. Now that his work on the greaves was done and he¡¯d gotten his tier advancement, he was exhausted. ¡°I¡¯m dead serious.¡±

    Reya swallowed. ¡°I ¨C thank you. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work out, but I really appreciate it. I¡¯m not so sure I¡¯ll be able to get a ss. If I could, wouldn¡¯t I have gotten one by now?¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t always dealt the hand we want, and the Mesh can be strange. From my experience with it, the thing you desire wille to you so long as you work toward it. If you don¡¯t have a ss yet, it¡¯s not because you can¡¯t get it. It¡¯s because you haven¡¯t been in the situation where you¡¯ve been doing what you truly want to.¡±

    Reya didn¡¯t lookpletely convinced, but she gave Arwin a nod. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll trust you, so just tell me what to do. Shouldn¡¯t I¡­ I don¡¯t know, train or something?¡±

    ¡°Do what you want. I¡¯m not an expert on this,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. ¡°For today, I¡¯m done doing anything other than sleeping. I¡¯m about an inch from passing out on my feet. Just make sure you¡¯re around three days from now.¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Reya promised hurriedly, her eyes shing with a mixture of excitement and determination. She caught herself and cleared her throat sheepishly. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Stop thanking me for something that hasn¡¯t happened yet,¡± Arwin grumbled. He trudged over to his bed and tested it with a hand. It sank beneath his palm ¨C not as much as he might have liked, but it was still far softer than the floor.

    <em>One more step toward making this ce a real home. </em>Reya edged toward the door. ¡°I¡¯m going to go practice, if that¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to sleep anymore.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself, but don¡¯t be out toote and end up exhausted when the timees for us to do the real work,¡± Arwin warned as he sat down on the bed. ¡°Just rx. You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll do just fine. And, even if you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t let you fail.¡±

    A soft breeze passed through the open doorway, reminding Arwin that he still needed to get a door for it ¨C and to find a way to patch the walls while he was at it. It was past time to make the smithy into a proper building rather than just a crumbling pile of stone.

    ¡°Why?¡± Reya asked softly.

    Arwin¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°Why what?¡±

    ¡°Why are you doing so much for me? You¡¯ve never asked for anything in return other than the most basic information on the area. I just don¡¯t understand what you get out of this.¡±

    ¡°Do you need a reason to help someone else?¡± Arwin asked after a few moments. He wasn¡¯t so sure he had an actual answer to Reya¡¯s question. He didn¡¯t have a reason to help her ¨C not a logical one, at least. ¡°I¡¯m helping you because we¡¯re a guild.¡±

    ¡°Not in name,¡± Reya said, clenching her hands and averting her gaze. ¡°We aren¡¯t registered, and there¡¯s only two of us! How can two people be a guild?¡±

    ¡°A guild is not about its size.¡±

    ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild would beg to differ.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about them,¡± Arwin said brusquely, waving his hand with a snort. ¡°A guild isn¡¯t about the number of people in it. It¡¯s about the people that are. It¡¯s not like getting officially recognized as a guild changes anything anyway.¡±

    ¡°I guess not. But¡­ why me?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I¡¯m not special.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly true,¡± Arwin said with an amused snort. ¡°To be frank, you¡¯ve got more problems than anyone of your standing has any right to. It¡¯s beyond me how you¡¯ve gotten yourself into this much shit, but that¡¯s a talent. It doesn¡¯t matter in the end. You¡¯re the one that decided to throw her lot in with me, and I¡¯m not going to leave a member of my guild unable to properly defend themselves. Everyone has problems, but the guild can¡¯t always help every single individual member. It¡¯s the responsibility of the guild leader to make sure everyone can handle their own problems whenever possible. And, when a problem that¡¯s too big for one person to handle on their own shows up ¨C that¡¯s what the guild is for. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said, pulling his dirty shirt off and tossing it to the ground as he got into the bed. ¡°You will.¡±

    Reya stood in the doorway silently for a few seconds. Then she gave him a small nod before turning and slipping into the night. Arwin watched her leave, thenid his head back against the mattress and let out a satisfied sigh.

    It had been so long since he¡¯d properly rested on somethingfortable that the instant he let himself rx for an instant, sleep rushed up to pull him into its embrace.

    ***

    When Arwin woke the next morning, Reya was still out. He didn¡¯t particrly mind ¨C there was more he had to handle before it was time to go out on their trip, and he¡¯d need as much time as possible to get it all done.

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    There was also a small part of him that felt it better for Reya to not be present for his current work. If she was around, she¡¯d see what he was working on, and then the surprise would be ruined.

    Arwin ambled over to the forge, sending a spark of [Soul me] into the hearth and pumping it with the bellows. Once the fire was roaring, he tossed some scales into it and waited for them to heat. If Reya was going to go out and fight monsters without a ss, she needed a way to avoid getting killed by the first blow she took.

    <em>Anna seems like a good healer, but no healing magic is perfectly reliable. Fatal wounds can happen faster than anyone expects. Prevention is far superior to reaction.</em>

    And, with that thought in mind, Arwin got back to work. He worked the scales, piecing them together one by one within the crackle of the mes. He worked quickly, moving faster than he had when making the greaves.

    A part of that was because he knew how to work the scales better, and a part of it was because he didn¡¯t need to make perfect armor this time around. He could feel the pull of the scales as he worked, but it wasn¡¯t as strong as they had been for the greaves. They were muted, and it wasn¡¯t hard to guess why.

    Right now, Arwin needed toplete a set of armor for Reya that wouldst her until she had her ss. She already had a chest piece, so what she needed now was something for her lower body. There was no point to make it too specifically tuned, though ¨C it would likely be irrelevant if her ss ended up being something that couldn¡¯t use it. Making magical te armor for someone trying to move stealthily would be quite the waste.

    <em>What I need is a set of armor perfect for someone who hasn¡¯t gotten their ss yet. Something that protects them but doesn¡¯t constrain them to a specific fighting style. Something fast, effective, and easy to move in. </em>

    Arwin didn¡¯t know what Reya¡¯s measurements were ¨C a problem that the scales fortunately seemed to understand. He still wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was their own desire and how much was his own magic, but as time slipped by, a set of greaves started to take shape in the forge. They were mostly made from scale mail, but he added curved tes to protect her knees and solid lines down the outside of the legs that would hopefully serve to deflect a ncing attack better.

    Arwin didn¡¯t work through the nights this time around, not wanting to be exhausted when it came time to set out with Reya. He stopped whenever it grew dark, retiring to his new bed and leaving the armor in a pile under it so Reya didn¡¯t see what he was working on.

    His work came to a close on the third day, just before the morning of when they¡¯d set out with Rodrick and Anna to get Reya her ss. Reya ¨C at least as far as Arwin was aware ¨C had no idea of what he¡¯d been working on.

    She¡¯d spent thest few days out and had alwayse backte and weary, dropping into bed without much more than a muttered greeting. He could see the stress weighing on her shoulders, but there wasn¡¯t much he could say to alleviate it.

    Reya was already asleep by the time Arwin finished, which made it considerably easier for him to put everything away without her seeing it. He slipped all the pieces of the armor under his bed, thenid down on top of it and let himself drift off to sleep.

    When the night came to a close and Arwin¡¯s eyes drifted awake the following morning, he found Reya already awake and pacing in front of the door. Her eyes snapped over to him as soon as she noticed he was awake.

    ¡°Is it time?¡± Reya asked, wringing her hands together and shifting from foot to foot.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be worried about it. If things don¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll just try again a different day,¡± Arwin said through a yawn. He rose to his feet and stretched his arms out, rolling his neck and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

    ¡°Not if I die,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die. We¡¯ve got two other adventurers with us, and they¡¯re both pretty good at what they do. One is a healer.¡±

    ¡°But what if I slip while I¡¯m fighting? I¡¯ve only properly fought other people. We¡¯re going to go fight some really powerful monster or something, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± Arwin tilted his head to the side with an amused grin. ¡°We could just be going after some weak ones.¡±

    ¡°If I haven¡¯t gotten a ss yet, then killing a bunch of pushover monsters isn¡¯t going to change anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s likely true,¡± Arwin allowed. ¡°Technically I think it would depend on exactly <em>how </em>you killed the monsters, but fighting something stronger is more likely to get you a good ss. If we can get you an Achievement or Title in the process, even better.¡±

    ¡°Before I even get a ss?¡± Reya shuddered. ¡°Are you trying to get me killed? All the Achievements for that kind of thing alwayse from defeating something way stronger than you. I¡¯ll get ripped in half!¡±

    ¡°No you won¡¯t,¡± Arwin said. He knelt beside his bed and pulled out the greaves that he¡¯d hidden beneath it the night before. Reya made her way over to him, looking curiously over his shoulder.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Reya asked. ¡°That looks a bit¡­ small for you.¡±

    ¡°You would be correct.¡± Arwin¡¯s voice was as dry as the desert. ¡°It isn¡¯t for me. It¡¯s for you.¡±

    Reya snickered and rolled her eyes. ¡°Right, sure. Did you getmissioned by the other adventurers or something? I bet these would go for a good amount. They look great.¡±

    Arwin just raised an eyebrow. Reya¡¯s smile flickered and fell away. She looked from the armor to Arwin, then swallowed. ¡°You weren¡¯t joking?¡±

    ¡°Dead serious. It¡¯s to keep the dead in the serious and not in you if you get hit by something nasty,¡± Arwin said. The joke had sounded considerably better in his head, but Reya was so engrossed with the armor that she didn¡¯t even notice.

    She hurriedly donned the greaves and fastened everything before rolling her shoulders and hopping from one foot to the other. The set he¡¯d started some time ago wasplete ¨C at least for the time being. The greaves weren¡¯t magical, but they were still more than enough to keep her safe.

    <em>I hope they are, at least. </em>

    As far as Arwin could tell, the armor fit her perfectly. A small smile flickered across Arwin¡¯s face. He¡¯d been more than a little worried that it would have been the wrong size, but his powers hadn¡¯t failed him.

    ¡°I think this might be the nicest thing anyone has ever gotten for me, much less made,¡± Reya murmured, running her hands along the scales in delight. ¡°This is incredible. It¡¯s such a huge step up from what you were making just recently as well. Were you holding back on purpose? Wait. I can¡¯t afford this, and you already gave me a magical chestpiece. I¨C¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t buying it,¡± Arwin said through augh. ¡°It¡¯s a gift. Just keep yourself from getting killed and I¡¯ll consider it a worthwhile investment.¡±

    Reya blinked heavily. She bit her lower lip, then turned away from him and wiped her face with the back of her hand. When she looked back, all that remained on her features was a determined expression.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure I live up to this,¡± Reya promised. ¡°I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing, but I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just start by surviving,¡± Arwin suggested. He tried not to show how pleased he was that Reya liked the gift, but he was pretty sure his efforts failed. He pped her on the shoulder, then nodded to the door. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s put that new armor to use. You¡¯ve got a ss to im.¡±

    <em>And I have some new abilities to test out. </em>

 Chapter 29: Lizard

    Chapter 29: Lizard

    Arwin led Reya to the front of the Glowing Swordfish, where Rodrick and Anna were already standing outside and waiting for them. Rodrick, who was wearing the old set of scale mail greaves that Arwin had sold him, did a double take as he saw the armor Reya was wearing.

    ¡°Arwin,¡± Rodrick said, raising a hand in greeting. ¡°This littledy must be your friend, then? It looks like she¡¯s certainly outfitted for a fight. More than I am, actually.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you keep breaking your armor,¡± Anna admonished. She sent a small smile in Reya¡¯s direction. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. Arwin bailed us out of some trouble a little while ago. I¡¯m Anna, and the oaf beside me is Rodrick.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Reya. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Reya shifted, clearly ufortable with all the attention being directed toward her.

    ¡°Did you bankrupt yourselves on getting all that armor? Or is that smith friend of yours doing loans?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°That¡¯s some real nice looking gear you¡¯ve got. It¡¯s probably toote for me to order anything right now, but you¡¯ve got to tell me who¡¯s making this stuff.¡±

    Reya sent a surprised nce at Arwin, and he realized he¡¯d forgotten to tell her that he¡¯d hidden his identity from the two adventurers. He just shrugged, speaking before Reya could say anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle around eventually, but we¡¯ve got things to do today. Shall we get on with it?¡±

    Thankfully, Reya picked up on what was going on and said nothing that would jeapordize his identity. Even though it probably wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal one way or another, it was still a bit of an inconvenience that Arwin preferred not to deal with on this particr day.

    ¡°dly. Lead the way,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Back to the forest, I assume? Pretty good distribution of monsters in there that shouldn¡¯t be impossible for someone new to the job to handle, especially with armor like that.¡±¡°It¡¯s a good spot to start,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Hopefully the monsters there have calmed down a little bit. It¡¯ll be a little annoying if we have to constantly avoidrge groups.¡±

    They all set off down the road, making for the town gate. Arwin couldn¡¯t help but notice that Reya was getting a few lingering nces from passersby. Nothing too concerning, but her armor was definitely drawing attention, and possibly a little more than he¡¯d originally nned.

    <em>This is good. At this rate, I might get enough attention that peoplee looking for the smith that made her armor. Then I¡¯ll be able to sell non-magical equipment and start making some money without worrying about arming someone with a terrifying weapon that they don¡¯t deserve. </em>

    ¡°So, what kind of ss are you looking to get?¡± Rodrick asked as they left the city and started through the hills. ¡°Some kind of warrior?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Reya admitted sheepishly. She scratched at the back of her head and craned her head back to look at the receding city behind them. ¡°Probably not someone that¡¯s on the front of the battle.¡±

    ¡°A mage of some sort?¡± Anna guessed. ¡°Magic can be incredibly rewarding. It¡¯s a lot of work and can be pretty risky, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted magic,¡± Reya allowed slowly. Rodrick was shaking his head before she finished her sentence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go muddling her goals, Anna. Anyone can get magic. Mages just focus entirely on it, and you get blown over by a light fart because of it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Anna admitted with augh. ¡°I don¡¯t have any good ways to defend myself. If I was abat mage, then I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be able to blow things up before they got to me. I went with healing instead, though. It wasn¡¯t easy, but there¡¯s few people that help a group more than a healer. I just can¡¯t fight very well.¡±

    ¡°Not being able to fight seems like a pretty significant drawback,¡± Reya hedged.

    ¡°It would be if I didn¡¯t have this idiot to stand in front of monsters for me,¡± Anna said with augh, shoulder-checking Rodrick. He shifted to the side and rolled his eyes ¨C Arwin was pretty sure Anna couldn¡¯t have moved him if she¡¯d wanted to, so he was just going along with it.

    <em>I almost forgot how close they were. It reminds me of things I¡¯d rather not remember. </em>

    Arwin shook his head to clear his thoughts while Reya worked to gather her own.

    ¡°I think I¡¯d rather be a bit farther away from the thick of things whenever possible, but being able to hold my own when the time calls for it would definitely be nice,¡± Reya said. She idly ran her hands over the hilt of the sheathed dagger at her side.

    ¡°Maybe some form of archer?¡± Rodrick guessed.

    <em>More like an assassin, I¡¯d say. </em>

    ¡°I hope not,¡± Anna said, giving Reya a quick look. ¡°She¡¯s not carrying a bow. You¡¯re not going to get an archery ss if you don¡¯t have a bow on you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a horrible shot, so archery isn¡¯t really my thing. Daggers aren¡¯t bad, though.¡±

    ¡°A rogue, then,¡± Rodrick concluded. ¡°That makes sense. You¡¯ve got the right build for it, and you look pretty fast. Suppose the only way to find out is to actually see, but that¡¯ll happen soon enough. I haven¡¯t seen many rogues decked out in fancy armor, though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more about the way she fights than what she¡¯s wearing,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t rely on the armor to block every single blow, Reya should be able to get the ss she¡¯s looking for. It¡¯s just a precaution.¡±

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    The other two adventurers nodded, and they all fell silent for the rest of the trip away from the city. Some hourster, the four arrived at the valley leading down into the forest. It was mostly silent, the only sounds being the faint chirp of the birds and the rustle of wind through the leaves.

    ¡°Start behind us,¡± Arwin advised as they started down toward the treeline. ¡°We need to make sure your opponents are the appropriate level of strength. Challenge is good, but putting you up against something you have no way to defeat is just suicide.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I won¡¯t take a step that you don¡¯t tell me to,¡± Reya promised. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I¡¯ll be able to handle anything here myself, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all anyone can ask,¡± Anna said with aforting smile. The group continued on, and Rodrick moved up to the front to use his enhanced senses and guide them toward a possible target.

    This time, no lizards were waiting in ambush. They walked for several minutes, taking a few turns. Rodrick asionally paused and held up a hand to listen closer but would then resume moving in another direction shortly afterward.

    After a few minutes of walking, Rodrick drew his sword. Anna moved to stand behind him and Arwin readied himself, using [Arsenal] to summon his sword to his hands. He didn¡¯t call his armor out yet, not wanting to encumber himself until he actually needed the defense.

    ¡°Lizard up ahead,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°At least, I think it¡¯s a lizard. About the right size for one, a little bit on the small side. This could be you, Reya.¡±

    Reya licked her lips and tightened her grip on the hilt of her dagger. Her eyes darted around the forest and Arwin could practically see her breathing get faster. She bit her lower lip and gave them a sharp nod.

    ¡°Okay. I- I¡¯m ready. I think.¡±

    ¡°We still have to make sure it¡¯s the right strength,¡± Arwin reminded Reya. He followed Rodrick¡¯s gaze and squinted into the darkness of the forest before them to see if he could make anything out, but the monster was still too far out.

    They all crept forward, taking even more care to remain silent. If the lizard hadn¡¯t noticed them yet, then they had a chance to get the jump on it. And, if Reya was looking to be a stealthy ss of any sort, that was probably a step in the right direction.

    It didn¡¯t take long for their efforts to be rewarded. After passing just a few more trees, they arrived at the edge of a small clearing with sunlight filtering in through a gap in the canopy. A lizardid on its back, its feet curled up before it as it basked in the light. The monster was indeed one of the smallest that Arwin had seen thus far ¨C Rodrick had done a good job in avoiding all the stronger enemies.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard ¨C Apprentice 2]</strong>

    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Arwin whispered, nudging Reya¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go. If you slit its throat before it notices you, you should be able to kill it before it can even fight back. It¡¯ll be easier if you go from a bit to the left so you¡¯re downwind of it.¡±

    Reya swallowed. Her fingers twitched and she gave Arwin a curt nod before creeping away from the party and toward the lizard. The others all watched her leave quietly, not wanting to distract her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for anything else in the area,¡± Rodrick said in a soft tone. ¡°This should be a pretty fast kill, though. That lizard ispletely oblivious to everything. It¡¯s got absolutely no idea we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Almost makes you feel bad for it,¡± Anna said, her hands clenched around her staff as her eyes traced Reya¡¯s steps.

    <em>Interesting. She¡¯s actually concerned for Reya even though they only met a short while ago. I made the right move in throwing my lot in ¨C at least temporarily ¨C with these two. They¡¯re decent folks. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t feel bad for us if we got caught with our pants down.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but isn¡¯t that the very reason we¡¯ve got to be better? We have the capacity to be more, so we should be.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not getting into this argument again,¡± Rodrick grumbled. ¡°You can be kind to other people and intelligent beings, but no feeling bad for the bloodthirsty creatures that want nothing more than to rip us to little shreds and snack on our bones.¡±

    ¡°Not every monster is unintelligent,¡± Arwin said quietly.

    Rodrick sent him a surprised nce. ¡°You¡¯re the one that brought us out here to hunt, man. Are you having second thoughts?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said, and he meant it. ¡°A lot of innocent people get hurt in war, and I don¡¯t think that all monsters are intelligent. Creatures like the lizard in front of us aren¡¯t mentally developed enough to have much intelligence beyond their desire to kill and survive. But others are different. There are¡­ asions where killing them may not be the right choice.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Anna asked curiously. ¡°I haven¡¯t met many warriors that hold that viewpoint. You¡¯re certainly an odd one, but don¡¯t take that in the wrong way.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Arwin said. He paused, watching Reya as she snuck closer to the lizard. They were close enough to intervene if something went wrong, but not so close that he couldpletely block a blow if shepletely screwed up. ¡°And it¡¯s just something thates with experience. Some things don¡¯t need killing.¡±

    Reya arrived beside the lizard. It had still yet to notice her presence ¨C it really was the most oblivious creature that Arwin had seen in a long time. All that remained was for Reya to deliver the killing blow.

    Her knuckles whitened around the hilt of her dagger. She started to draw it but froze midway through the motion. Seconds ticked by. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as Reya let the dagger slide back before it could clear the sheath.

    <em>Does she not want to let Rodrick and Anna see that it¡¯s magical? She should just be able to put her back to us so they don¡¯t see the de, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯s got another dagger from those idiot brothers I had to kill. </em>

    Reya backed away from the lizard, letting her hand drop from the de as she drew back alongside them, her jaw clenched.

    ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t kill this one?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°It¡¯s a free kill.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Reya said, her cheeks flushing with shame. ¡°But that¡¯s the problem. I¡¯ve killed before. You have to if you want to survive. But I¡¯ve never had a choice, you know? It¡¯s been death or life. That¡¯s it. There hasn¡¯t been another option.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to kill at all anymore?¡± Arwin asked. He couldn¡¯t fault Reya for that, but she wasn¡¯t going to be able to be any sort of adventurer if she didn¡¯t want to fight.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that. I¡¯m fine with killing. Just¡­ I¡¯d prefer to kill something that¡¯s going to fight back or something that deserves death. For once, I want to make my own choice instead of being forced into one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a lizard,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It¡¯s probably too stupid to even realize what death is.¡±

    Reya bit her lip and nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I still really don¡¯t want to do it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Arwin studied Reya for a second, then nced back to the lizard. It really did look quite content. He shook his head, his lips curling in slight amusement. ¡°It really does look too peaceful. The next fight isn¡¯t going to be this easy, though. Are you sure it¡¯s wise to pass up a free kill?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Reya repeated. ¡°But it just feels wrong. I¡¯d rather take a harder fight.¡±

    ¡°Well, she knows what she wants,¡± Rodrick said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s half the trouble with the Mesh in the first ce. Your call,ss. I can find us another monster in the area, but Arwin was right. I doubt we¡¯ll get a chance as good as this one again.¡±

    ¡°Better a difficult fight than a cheap one.¡±

    <em>Not exactly the words of an assassin. </em>

    ¡°Onward, then,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Rodrick is correct. Standing by your ideals is something that many forget to do in the pursuit of power. Let¡¯s go find you something that¡¯ll fight back.¡±

 Chapter 30: Conviction

    Chapter 30: Conviction

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts drifted as Rodrick led them in search of their next potential monster for Reya. Her refusal to kill the monster echoed dimly through the halls of his mind. It wasn¡¯t like the lizard was really worth thinking about, but he couldn¡¯t get it out of his head.

    He¡¯d killed thousands ¨C probably more, if he was honest with himself ¨C of equivalent monsters. And, despite everything, Arwin didn¡¯t regret any of the kills he¡¯d made. They¡¯d been done to save himself and to protect others.

    It wasn¡¯t the fact that he cared about the lizard¡¯s life either. He hadn¡¯t been exaggerating about its intelligence. The monster wasn¡¯t anywhere near smart enough to understand what had happened.

    <em>Really, calling it a monster is a rather odd choice. Lillia is a monster as well ¨C a demon. And yet, there¡¯s no more rtion between her and that lizard than there would be with me and a dog. </em>

    <em>I¡¯d have put the lizard down if it had been me that was fighting it, and I likely still would now if it tried to attack me or stood in my way. But¡­ perhaps it is worth adjusting my thinking a little more. </em>

    <em>Not all the monsters I encounter are going to be as soulless as this one. Some may have some degree of intelligence, and if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is not my ally, then am I truly their enemy? </em>

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Anna whispered, moving closer so her voice wouldn¡¯t carry too far into the forest. ¡°Is something happening?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Arwin said with a small smile. ¡°I was just lost in thought. Reya¡¯s an interesting one, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°The way you say that makes it seem like you¡¯re older than she is. Are you her brother or something?¡±Arwin chuckled. ¡°We don¡¯t look that alike, do we?¡±

    ¡°Siblings are made in spirit, not flesh.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Arwin inclined his head in surrender. ¡°No. She¡¯s not my sibling. She¡¯s just someone that I¡¯ve picked up on my journeys that needed a little bit of a helping hand. Her perspective is surprisingly fresh. Makes me think about some stuff that I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be thinking about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one of the things I like most about adventuring,¡± Anna said with a soft smile. It fell away as her features darkened, and she nced to the side. ¡°Meeting new people and finding out just how different they are to you. It is ¨C was ¨C incredible.¡±

    ¡°Ever regret leaving the Guild?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Not for a second.¡± Anna sent a look at Rodrick¡¯s back and the smile returned to her lips. ¡°I¡¯d trade it and more away every single day just to keep things the way they are. Sure, I¡¯d love to try to strive for more and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was a great way to do that, but the cost of remaining there was more than what I was willing to pay.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean.¡±

    They came to a stop as Rodrick lifted his hand. Reya, who stood a few paces ahead of Arwin, just beside Rodrick, stiffened. Something shifted in the shadows of the trees before them, and the tingle of the Mesh brushed across Arwin¡¯s skin.

    There was a loud crunch as leaves and sticks were crushed beneath the weight of somethingrge, and the sh of yellow eyes within the forest told Arwin that a monster had spotted theming.

    <strong>[Forest Lizard ¨C Apprentice 3]</strong>

    ¡°Shit. Didn¡¯t notice the bugger because he was up in a tree. You think you can handle this one?¡± Rodrick asked in a low tone, cing his hand on the sword at his side. ¡°Apprentice 3 might be a bit rough for someone without a ss.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that said that I¡¯d not get another easy shot,¡± Reya said, setting her jaw. ¡°It¡¯s not going to get any easier if I keep waiting.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have your back,¡± Anna promised. The lizard let out a warning hiss, and Reya drew her dagger. For a moment, Arwin was worried that she¡¯d just revealed the magic weapon to the other two, but the Mesh didn¡¯t register the de.

    It was just a normal weapon, not the one he¡¯d made.

    <em>That¡¯s probably for the best. I like these two, but power can make people do some pretty bad things. Better to take it one step at a time and avoid any unwanted incidents. </em>

    ¡°Remember that it¡¯s more important to survive the fight than kill your enemy,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Live and you can fight again. Victory means nothing if you don¡¯t live to tell the tale.¡±

    ¡°Says the man who goes down in almost every fight,¡± Anna quipped. ¡°Get out there, Reya. You have this in the bag.¡±

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    The lizard¡¯s tongue flicked through the air. It hissed, crawling toward them with measured movements that did nothing to betray the explosive power that Arwin knew to be within its body.

    Reya held her de before her and edged closer to the monster, staying on the tips of her toes. For a few moments, the forest was silent save the sound of her feet scuffling across the dirt and the lizard¡¯s dull hisses.

    Then they burst into motion in unison. The monster¡¯s thick tail whipped out, hurtling to m into Reya¡¯s side. Reya skipped back, dodging the attack with far more room than she needed to have moved, and then sprinted forward with a cry.

    The lizard snapped out at her and Reya stumbled, throwing herself into a roll. Shended gracefully and sprung back to her feet, staggering and narrowly avoiding the monster¡¯s fangs as it snapped for her head.

    Arwin¡¯s body tensed and the urge to rush into the fight gripped him, but he restrained himself. The Mesh wouldn¡¯t recognize Reya¡¯s work if he ran in to save her. She needed to handle this on her own ¨C and he needed to trust that she could do it.

    <em>And that¡¯s not to mention the way she must be feeling. Ever since she threw her lot in with me, I¡¯ve been bailing her out of trouble. She doesn¡¯t feel like she¡¯s in control of herself, and if I step in again here, that feeling may cement itself even further. </em>

    ¡°Aim for weak points!¡± Arwin called out. ¡°You can¡¯t break its scales with the dagger, so bide your time until you have an opportunity to strike! Don¡¯t overextend too early.¡±

    If Reya heard him, she gave no acknowledgement. She bounced from foot to foot, watching the lizard warily and prepared to jump out of the way of its next attack. Even though she had no experience fighting monsters, only a fool would have said that she wasn¡¯t used tobat.

    She moved with the grace of a street urchin that had grown up dodging pursuing guards their entire life, and while that wasn¡¯t enough to put her toe to toe with some of the rogues Arwin had known in his years, it was more than enough to give her a fighting chance against a lizard ¨C even if she didn¡¯t have a ss.

    The monster lunged, snapping at Reya and trying to strike her with its long ws. She dipped to the side, then lunged as it tried to regain its bnce. With a cry, Reya brought the dagger¡¯s point down toward one of the monster¡¯s bulging eyes.

    It twisted its head at thest second, and the loud scrape of her dagger against the scales ground through the air. The de shattered from the force of the impact. Arwin took a step forward, but Reya wasn¡¯t done yet.

    She threw herself out of the way, discarding the broken remains of her dagger, and ducked behind a tree a moment before the lizard¡¯s tail smashed through the trunk, sending splinters and dust flying everywhere.

    The tree pitched forward and crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. Reya dashed out from behind it, leaping into the air and throwing herself straight at the lizard¡¯s head in disy of either stupidity or bravery and possibly a mixture of both.

    Arwin felt the Mesh tingle in his mind as Reya ripped a dagger free of her belt. He only had an instant to look at it before Reya plunged the weapon into the lizard¡¯s eye with all her might and momentum, functionally sheathing it within the monster and snuffing the tingle in his mind before it could reveal any information.

    The monster let out a screech of pain and Reyaunched herself off its body, narrowly avoiding a tree branch as she hit the ground, holding her arms close to her chest to avoid breaking anything.

    She rolled several feet and thunked to a stop against a tree, scrambling to her feet the moment she stopped moving. The lizard let out a hissing scream, thrashing and spitting as blood dripped down the side of its head and sttered against the forest floor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush to finish it!¡± Rodrick warned, his expression just as scrunched in worry as Arwin felt. ¡°Take it slow! You¡¯re on the right track!¡±

    Reya¡¯s breath came out in short, adrenaline filled pants. Her hands and limbs twitched as her brain sent furious signals to them, but she forced herself to stay still and watch the monster.

    The lizard was far less patient. It let out a scream and charged toward Reya. Its steps were lopsided and heavy, but that didn¡¯t stop it from closing the small gap between them in just seconds and lurching in an attempt to take her down with it.

    Reya dropped to the ground, and the lizard hurtled over her head like a scaly missile. It mmed into a tree, shattering it, and rolled across the ground in a iling mess of limbs ¨C and then it vanished.

    Arwin blinked, then looked to the others. They looked equally as confused. There was no sign of the lizard. If it wasn¡¯t for all the destruction in the area around them, it would have been as if it had never been there.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Where¡¯d it go?¡±

    ¡°Are you okay, Reya?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Reya said, pushing herself up to her feet and frowning as she fought to catch her breath. She squinted into the forest. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Arwin walked in the direction the lizard had gone, his sword held at his side and ready to spring into action. He couldn¡¯t ce exactly what was causing it, but the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

    He inched closer to where the lizard had vanished, peering into the darkness, and froze as the breath caught in his throat. There was a huge hole, roughly the size of a house, in the middle of the ground.

    And, looking straight out of it were tworge green eyes, each the size of a shield. Glistening gray scales made up the draconic body surrounding them, and the tip of a forest lizard¡¯s tail stuck out of a mouth chock full of pointed yellowed teeth.

    Arwin¡¯s skin tingled as the Mesh identified the creature before him, but he barely even needed it.

    <strong>[Forest Wyrm ¨C Journeyman 8]</strong>

    A series of cracks split the air as the Wyrm chewed once, its powerful jaws grinding straight through the lizard¡¯s scales and bones alike. It chewed once more before swallowing the lizard in a single gulp. A dull rumble built in its chest as it reached up with a wed hand nearly asrge as Arwin and pulled itself out of the hole.

    Arwin took a step back, staring up at the massive monster as its maw split open. Hot breath bearing the scent of carrion washed over Arwin as he locked eyes with the massive monster.

    It was a whole tier stronger than he was, and even with the help of the others, they were nowhere near strong enough to even think about trying to defeat it.

    The only thing that the eyes of the Wyrm held was death ¨C and, judging by the way its tongue flicked out and tasted the air, it was still hungry.

 Chapter 31: Finish what you started

    Chapter 31: Finish what you started

    There was only one thing that Arwin could think of doing that wouldn¡¯t result in their immediate death.

    ¡°Run,¡± Arwin breathed, spinning and dashing in the opposite direction.

    He grabbed Reya by the arm, yanking her along and out of her stunned reverie. Rodrick and Anna both fell in beside them, their legs pumping as they ran as hard as they could. Behind them, a roar split the forest and the Wyrm burst into pursuit.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends is the Wyrm doing here?¡± Rodrick screamed, throwing a nce over his shoulder and nearly running straight into a tree in the process. ¡°It¡¯s meant to stay underground!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Arwin yelled back. Trees shattered behind them as the Wyrm plowed straight through their trunks, toorge to even bother trying to avoid the obstacles. ¡°Focus on running, not thinking!¡±

    He dodged away from a tree, nearly tripping over himself as another roar ripped through the forest. Hot air wafted over his back, and Arwin didn¡¯t want to think about how close the huge creature was to them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to kill that, do I?¡± Reya screamed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to get close to its eyes!¡±

    ¡°Forget killing it! Just run!¡±

    Arwin¡¯s feet mmed into the ground as he empowered his steps with [Scourge], using just enough to keep up with the others. It was only a temporary solution, though. There was only so far they¡¯d be able to run before the Wyrm caught up with them, and if it was still chasing after them after they escaped the forest, they were all dead.<em>We¡¯re only still ahead at all because the big bugger has to run through trees while we can avoid them. In open air¡­ there won¡¯t even be a fight. I need to do something to get this thing off us. </em>

    ¡°Keep going!¡± Arwin yelled. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to stall it!¡±

    ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Anna yelled back. ¡°You¡¯ll get eaten in one bite!¡±

    ¡°So will the rest of us if I don¡¯t do something. Just keep going and don¡¯t turn back.¡± Arwin spun, activating [Arsenal] and summoning his greaves and scale mail chest piece into ce on his body. He wasn¡¯t sure how much good they¡¯d do against a monster this powerful, but he couldn¡¯t afford to keep anything in reserve if he wanted even the slightest chance of surviving the next minute.

    <em>I might be able to survive one or two direct hits, but after that it¡¯s over. That¡¯s probably not enough for my greaves to properly absorb enough kic energy to fight back, but if I can take a few ncing blows, I might have a chance at hurting the Wyrm enough that it gets scared off. </em>

    The Wyrm skidded to a stop before him, confusion shing in itsrge eyes. This monster ¨C unlike the lizards ¨C was definitely intelligent. It might not have been as smart as a human, but there was thought behind the green disks.

    Arwin could see it trying to figure out why he¡¯d stopped running. Prey didn¡¯t stand in ce. Prey screamed and fled, and his deviation from the norm made him, at least for a flicker of an instant, a threat.

    ¡°Come on then!¡± Arwin roared, raising his sword overhead. And then, in what was possibly one of the greatest disys of stupidity in his life, he charged at the monster that was twice his tier and triple his height.

    From the Wyrm¡¯s perspective, he was probably something around the equivalent of an armored Pomeranian with an attitude, but this Pomeranian had a sharp stick in its hands. The Wyrm pulled back, letting out a confused hiss.

    Arwin took advantage of its confusion to close the distance between them. He drew power from within himself and shoved it into [Scourge], empowering his arms with all the magic they could handle before bringing the sword down on the Wyrm¡¯s arm with all his might.

    A resounding ng rang out through the air, and more magical energy left Arwin¡¯s body as the sword drew on him, trying to imbue the spot he¡¯d struck the Wyrm with resonance. As he lowered his sword, a chill swept over Arwin¡¯s spine.

    The scales werepletely undamaged aside from a small crack running along one of them. He¡¯d hit the Wyrm with the strongest blow he could muster in his current state, and he¡¯d probably barely even tickled it.

    For an instant, Arwin and the Wyrm stood in silence. The Wyrm stared at him, as if baffled that something would be so stupid as to even <em>try </em>striking it. Then it roared. Hot, rancid breath washed over Arwin, buffeting his hair back.

    The Wyrm raised a foot and brought it down for him, trying to squash Arwin like a bug. He dove to the side, hitting the ground in a roll anding up just inches away from where the monster¡¯s footnded.

    It was fast for its size, but he already knew that. Arwin rolled to his feet and let out a cry of his own to keep the Wyrm¡¯s attention on him. He had to buy more time for the others to escape ¨C but that didn¡¯t look like it was going to be hard.

    The Wyrm¡¯s eyes were locked straight on Arwin, and it wasn¡¯t impressed by his disys anymore. It reared back, casting a shadow over the forest as it rose onto its haunches, and then leapt forward.

    Arwin drew on [Scourge] and thrust power into his legs, bounding out of the way. The Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped around as itnded, hurtling for Arwin¡¯s chest. He only had an instant to react, and he chose to use it to jump, bringing his chest out of the way and leaving his legs in the path of the tail.

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    An immense force mmed into Arwin¡¯s lower body, spinning him like a top. He flew back and mmed into a tree with a loud crash. The air was knocked from his lungs and he dropped to the ground amid a rain of leaves,nding on his feet with a pained grunt.

    Energy hummed within his greaves and Arwin¡¯s body throbbed ¨C if it hadn¡¯t been for thebination of their absorbent properties and [Indomitable Bulwark], he was pretty sure the Wyrm¡¯s strike would have snapped him clean in half.

    The Wyrm looked just as surprised as he felt, but Arwin didn¡¯t give it time to gather its thoughts. He charged forward again, dismissing his sword as he ran so his hands were free. He desperately wished he had a blunt force weapon that he could use to shatter the monster¡¯s scales, but all he had was his sword.

    A huge, wed hand swiped through the air and Arwin threw himself to the ground, rolling beneath it and jumping back to his feet, his sword reforming as he brought it down for the same spot he¡¯d struck the Wyrm in before.

    Once again, a resounding ng echoed through the forest. The Wyrm snarled and snapped at Arwin. He jumped back, just barely clearing its jaws. The monster¡¯s head mmed into him like a wrecking ball and sent him rolling across the ground. His sword flew from his grip, spinning across the ground and embedding itself by the base of a tree.

    His greaves erupted with energy as [Awe] finally activated. Arwin¡¯s entire body buzzed as he shot back to his feet. He extended his hand and the sword vanished from where it had fallen, reforming in his palm.

    <em>That¡¯s convenient. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if I lost a weapon. Now I know. The extra speed is going to take some getting used to, but I don¡¯t even know how long it¡¯llst. </em>

    The Wyrm roared, watching Arwin warily. It wasn¡¯t about to charge him mindlessly again ¨C he had yet to actually hurt it, but he¡¯d survived two attacks now, and the monster wasn¡¯t dumb enough to dismiss that idly.

    <em>Well, the others should have had time to escape by now. All I have to do is find a way to get out of here myself¡­ but I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s possible. Even with Scourge and the boost from Awe, this thing is going to outrun me and I¡¯ve got no way to know if it¡¯ll stop at the edge of the forest. </em>

    <em>Shit. I might be in trouble. </em>

    Advancing far more carefully this time, the Wyrm loomed over Arwin and reared back, preparing to lunge at him. It wasn¡¯t going to be particrly easy to dodge an attack when it was taking this much effort to line it up, but Arwin wasn¡¯t so certain that he¡¯d be able to survive if the beast literally dropped itself on top of him. It must have weighed several tons.

    <em>Defense isn¡¯t an option. My only hope is to hit the bastard hard enough that he gets scared off. That might be a bit of a stretch, but it¡¯s the only way I can make it out of this. </em>

    Arwin tensed, preparing to move at just the right moment. If he hit the resonating area once more, there was a chance he¡¯d actually hurt the Wyrm.

    The problem was that he doubted the huge monster would be willing to let him get another blow off. It was paying far too much attention to him now. In his past life as the Hero, Arwin would have called for someone to draw the beast¡¯s attention with ranged attacks so that he could get closer, but there was nobody but him.

    Even as his mind raced, he knew that there were no more options. He wasn¡¯t going to be able to outrun or dodge the Wyrm again, but he¡¯d be damned if he went down running like a coward.

    ¡°What are you scared of?¡± Arwin roared, beating a fist against his chest. ¡°Try me!¡±

    The Wyrm obliged. It pounced, stretching its arms out to catch Arwin. He dashed to meet the strike instead of avoiding it, hoping to take a ncing blow and trade one in exchange. His feet mmed against the ground, and he nearly tripped over himself at the pace he was moving at due to [Awe].

    Arwin likely would have fallen t on his face had he not been used to empowering his legs with [Scourge]. Just barely managing to stay upright, he shed past the monster¡¯s arm and brought his sword down on the Wyrm¡¯s leg with all his might.

    Magic poured out of Arwin¡¯s sword and mmed into the Wyrm an instant before its massive body crashed to the ground. Arwin managed to twist out of the way, saving his upper body from getting crushed, but his right leg was considerably less fortunate.

    Even with [Indomitable Bulwark], he felt the bones in his leg shatter. Pain ripped up Arwin¡¯s waist, winding into his spine and gripping him in icy ws. He snarled in pain even as the Wyrm let out a pained cry and leapt to its feet like it had been stung.

    The scales on its leg were cracked, and blood trickled past its ws, dripping to the ground. Arwin drove his sword into the tree behind him and dragged himself upright, baring his teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got more where that came from,¡± Arwin promised, ripping his sword free and pointing it at the Wyrm. He didn¡¯t even try putting weight on his leg ¨C he was pretty sure the bones in it weren¡¯t just broken butpletely pulverized.

    <em>At least my greaves are still active. They must be absorbing all the damage I¡¯m taking, even while [Awe] is active. I can get one more nasty blow off before I go down. </em>

    The Wyrm¡¯s lips pulled back in a snarl, but it didn¡¯t attack immediately. Arwin nearlyughed. As massive and powerful as the beast was ¨C it was afraid. A Journeyman level monster feared a mere smith.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Arwin screamed, pounding a fist into the tree. The wood shattered beneath his [Scourge] empowered blow and it pitched back, crashing to the ground behind him.

    The Wyrm took a step forward. A rock whistled through the air. It was norger than a palm, but it flew with surprising uracy and struck the Wyrm straight in the center of its eye. The monster let out an annoyed roar and snapped its head around to look over Arwin¡¯s shoulder.

    Rodrick stepped out of the forest, tossing another rock up and down in his hand. ¡°Over here, you big oaf!¡± Rodrick yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking I wanted some fancy new armor, and I think you¡¯re wearing my scales!¡±

    <em>You bleeding idiot. Why are you here?</em>

    The Wyrm roared, turning away from Arwin and taking a step toward Rodrick. Its foot hit the forest floor with such weight that it trembled, making Arwin stumble as pain arced up his injured leg. The Wyrm might not have understood Rodrick¡¯s words, but it definitely didn¡¯t like having things flung at its eyes.

    And, as soon as the monster¡¯s attention was averted, Arwin felt a hand fall on his shoulder. A wave of warmth rushed over his body. The demolished bones in his leg knitted themselves back together and his torn flesh healed until the pain hadpletely vanished.

    Anna stepped out beside him, a weary expression on her face. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to do a powerful spell like that again. Help Rodrick.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have any time to ask Anna and Rodrick what they were doing here. For better or for worse, they¡¯d remained. Arwin rolled his shoulders and took a step forward, pounding a fist against his chest to draw the Wyrm¡¯s attention back to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m still here,¡± Arwin snarled, pointing his sword up at the monster¡¯s head and locking eyes with it. ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone ever tell you to finish what you started?¡±

 Chapter 32: Distraction

    Chapter 32: Distraction

    Another rock flew through the air and ¨C with unsettling uracy ¨C struck the Wyrm straight in the eye for the second time that day. It let out an annoyed screech. As it turned back toward Rodrick, Arwin lunged, swinging his sword for the small crack on its leg.

    The Wyrm noticed his attack and flicked its ws at him, trying to carve Arwin apart before his blow could connect. Using a st of energy from [Scourge], Arwin leapt over the monster¡¯s leg and mmed his sword home once more.

    More magical power raced out of him and into the wound, sending a dull thrum up into the air. The Wyrm roared and lunged at Arwin, forcing him to use even more of his power to throw himself to safety.

    Arwin could feel his magical reserves starting to run out. He¡¯d been using [Scourge] at max for the entire fight, and his sword drained power at a massive rate. He probably only had one or two more moves left in him before he waspletely dry.

    The Wyrm, on the other hand, had been barely injured. The damage to its leg wasn¡¯t much more than a bad scratch, but the fact he¡¯d managed to do anything at all to the enormous beast was a feat in itself.

    ¡°Get out of here!¡± Arwin yelled. ¡°We can¡¯t win this!¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t leaving you behind,¡± Rodrick yelled back. ¡°You can¡¯t win this either!¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t have a response to that. He grit his teeth and held the Wyrm¡¯s gaze as it contemted its next move.

    <em>At least Reya got out. Now only three of us will get killed. </em>¡°Hey, asshole!¡± A woman¡¯s voice rang out from the trees, and Arwin nearly pped himself in the forehead. ¡°Give me back my dagger!¡±

    A rock whistled out from the darkness, striking the Wyrm in the forehead and bouncing off harmlessly. Reya stepped out of the shadows and flung another rock, this time missing the monster entirely.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°Did nobody listen to a single thing I said?¡±

    ¡°It has the dagger you made for me,¡± Reya spat. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving without it.¡±

    ¡°I can make you another damn dagger!¡±

    ¡°Not if you die,¡± Reya countered. She threw another rock at the Wyrm, which now looked more baffled than anything else. Arwin nearlyughed in spite of their situation. Inparison with everything else in this forest, the Wyrm was the absolute peak. Nothing should have so much dared to look in its direction, but now a group of fleshy monkeys were flinging rocks at its head.

    ¡°How exactly do you think you¡¯re going to get the dagger back?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Were you nning on crawling into its mouth and asking politely?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that would work?¡±

    ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t,¡± Arwin snapped. The Wyrm bared its lips in a warning growl, but Arwin hardly even cared. It wasn¡¯t like the monster could do anything else to them, and every second that passed gave him a little more magical energy back. If it was going to sit around in befuddlement, then it only helped him. ¡°You¡¯re meant to listen to my orders.¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t give stupid orders.¡±

    ¡°Surviving isn¡¯t stupid. You know what¡¯s stupid? Coming back to fight a high-level Journeyman monster when you don¡¯t even have a damn ss yet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that told me I was going to get a ss today!¡± Reya snapped. ¡°I¡¯m doing that!¡±

    ¡°Getting yourself killed is not getting yourself a ss!¡±

    The Wyrm looked from Reya to Arwin, the disbelief in its eyes turning to hunger as it reared back and let out a roar. They both looked back to the huge monster.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°We can¡¯t beat this thing. Our best bet is to hurt it enough that it decides we aren¡¯t worth eating. Don¡¯t get close, your armor isn¡¯t going to save you from any of its attacks. Just¡­ fling rocks and don¡¯t close.¡±

    Arwin beat his hand against his chest again to draw the Wyrm¡¯s attention back to him. The maneuver worked a bit better than he¡¯d been hoping for and the monster finally lurched back into motion, flinging itself at him like a crazed flying squirrel.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    He swore and activated [Scourge] even as [Awe] empowered his legs even further, throwing himself out of the way. Arwin hit the ground in a run and skidded to a stop, spinning back to face the monster even as it rose back to its feet.

    A rock dinked off the back of its head, but the Wyrm didn¡¯t so much as nce back. It was fed up with the game and determined to finish off Arwin once and for all. Ripples of resonance still washed out from where Arwin had struck it several times before.

    <em>If I can reactivate the magic one more time, I might be able to actually do some decent damage to this thing. But there¡¯s no way it¡¯ll let me at it again. I need ¨C </em>

    Reya, devoid of a proper weapon and possibly her sanity, charged the Wyrm with a cry. It took Arwin by such surprise that it took him a moment to realize what she was doing.

    The Wyrm was equally as surprised, but it recovered quickly and spun toward her, its maw snapping open. The scales covering its body rippled as the muscles beneath them tensed, preparing to pounce.

    Arwin burst into motion. He didn¡¯t have any other choice. His armor would keep the ws of a normal lizard from ripping Reya to shreds ¨C it wasn¡¯t a magical wall that would stop the weight of the Wyrm.

    The Wyrm saw Arwin¡¯s approach out of the corner of its eye. Its tail shot out and Arwin jumped ¨C but the Wyrm wasn¡¯t trying to knock him out of the way. The massive appendage wrapped around his chest. He barely managed to lift his arms into the air before the tail tightened, starting to squeeze.

    Arwin¡¯s armor cracked and groaned, desperately trying to hold the monster off and failing spectacrly. He wasn¡¯t far from its leg, but his sword arm was pointed entirely in the wrong direction.

    The Wyrm lunged, aiming to swallow Reya whole. She tried to throw herself out of the way in the same way that Arwin had, but she didn¡¯t have [Scourge] to help her. Rodrick ran toward Reya, but he wasn¡¯t going to make it in time.

    Arwin drew on everyst ounce of magic he had, letting [Scourge] erupt through his entire body. He let out a snarl, shoving the Wyrm¡¯s tail back just enough to slip free of its grip even as it started to clear the ground. Arwinunched himself forward, moving with the Wyrm¡¯s momentum tounch himself up the side of the body.

    He was too close to the monster to rear back and swing his sword without hitting something else on ident. With only instants to act, Arwin brought the de up ¨C but not toward the monster.

    His teeth mmed down on the de, shattering the metal. Energy poured into Arwin¡¯s mouth and spread throughout his body. He ripped power from the sword, draining the rest of the weapon until it was ash in the wind within just milliseconds.

    Then, with a defiant roar, he drove his fist into the cracked scales. The power that the sword had once held was temporarily infused within him, and Arwin spent everyst drop of power he had pushing it out through his fist, activating his greaves at the same time.

    The ripples of resonating energy detonated with a brilliant crack. The Wyrm screamed in pain, twisting at thest moment. There was a loud screech and Reya went flying, but Arwin hit the ground before he could see the extent of the damage.

    A brilliant sh of light lit up the air and the Wyrm roared in surprise, buying them precious seconds.

    Arwin rolled across the ground, crashing into a tree with enough force to knock it back. His enhanced defenses were the only thing that kept him from passing out. Bright stars shed before Arwin¡¯s eyes and he drew in a hissing gasp.

    Pain rocked through his back as he forced himself upright, squinting through darkness dancing at the edges of his vision. The Wyrm hadnded several dozen feet from him, its momentum having carried it deeper into the forest and through a dozen trees.

    The scales on its right foreleg were badly damaged, and blood poured down it like a small river. Letting out a wail, the enormous monster tried to put weight on its leg before yanking the foot back into the air.

    Its eyes swiveled to stare at Arwin. Hunger and hatred mixed with fear within them as he staggered upright, baring his teeth and breathing heavily. He had absolutely nothing left ¨C but the Wyrm didn¡¯t know that.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Arwin rasped.

    The Wyrm didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Arwin screamed, pounding a hand against his cracked chest piece. The world swam around him, and trees danced when they should have been still.

    The Wyrm turned. It slunk back into the forest, limping to avoid putting weight on its injured leg. Deep, echoing thuds echoed through the darkness and faded into the distance. All that remained of it was a drying puddle of blood on the ground and a single, cracked scale.

    Arwin turned toward the others, leaning heavily against the tree. Reyaid on the ground several feet away from him, sprawled out beside Anna. Arwin staggered toward them, barely able to keep himself upright.

    ¡°Reya! Are you¨C¡±

    Reya pushed herself over. The front of her chest piece, running from her shoulders down to just above her waist, had been ripped to shreds. Several furrows ran through her skin, but they were no deeper than half an inch. The armor had stopped the damage from being fatal.

    ¡°Look at that,¡± Reya said with a weak smile. ¡°It held up after all.¡±

    Augh slipped out of Arwin¡¯s mouth, rocking his body with such intensity that he had to grab onto a tree to keep from falling over. And, in hisughter, he just barely noticed a flicker of golden light dancing through the air.

    <strong>Achievement: [Shieldbreaker] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Shieldbreaker] ¨C <em>Awarded for shattering the armor of an enemy more than 1 Tier stronger than you.</em> Effects: You may choose to add the [Shieldbreaker] trait to 1 item you forge. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon use. </em></strong>

    He had absolutely no idea what Shieldbreaker did, but he could venture a guess ¨C and it sounded like it would be perfect for his hammer when he got around to making it.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Reya whispered, pulling him from his thoughts. She spoke so silently that he barely overheard her over the rush of blood in his ears.

    Arwin turned toward her. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I got a ss.¡±

 Chapter 33: Class

    Chapter 33: ss

    The group hightailed it out of the forest as quickly as they could, only pausing so Arwin could grab the scale he¡¯d broken off the Wyrm. Anna had used just about all the healing magic she had to repair Arwin¡¯s leg as quickly as she had, so she had to sling Reya¡¯s arm over her shoulder and help her stumble through the trees.

    Rodrick offered simr help to Arwin, but he refused it. He was dazed andpletely drained of energy, but not to the point where he couldn¡¯t walk on his own. And, even if he¡¯d needed help, he was too curious about what ss Reya had been offered to consider it.

    They continued until they¡¯d left the forest and put about ten minutes of travel between it and themselves. Reya and Anna finally flopped to the grass, lying t on their backs. Rodrick and Arwin sat down beside them.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re alive,¡± Rodrick said,ughing into the palms of his hands. ¡°The gods damned Wyrm. Can you believe that?¡±

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends was it doing outside?¡± Anna demanded, sounding considerably less happy. ¡°Wyrms don¡¯t go above ground! Everyone knows that!¡±

    Arwin would have loved to correct her, but Anna was right. Everything he knew about Wyrms agreed with her im. They were wingless, basicallyrge dragon-lizards that relied on idiots stumbling into their nests rather than proper hunting.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why it was so aggressive, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with celebrating life.¡±

    ¡°You know what I want to know?¡± Rodrick looked over to Arwin. ¡°How in the world did you take a bite out of a bloody sword?¡±

    ¡°With my teeth.¡±¡°That¡¯s not what I meant and you know it,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I didn¡¯t see that wrong, did I, Anna?¡±

    ¡°No, he definitely ate his sword,¡± Anna said with a disbelievingugh. ¡°I figured we were kind of just going to ignore it. I¡¯ve seen stranger things in life.¡±

    ¡°Have you?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Anna admitted. ¡°I was trying to be polite. Maybe it¡¯s just a hobby.¡±

    ¡°Who eats swords as a hobby in the middle of a fight with a Wyrm?¡± Rodrick asked, aghast.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know,¡± Arwin said dryly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t eat my sword, please. I like it,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°No promises.¡± The corners of Arwin¡¯s lips quirked up in a smile and Rodrick hurriedly put his hand over the hilt of his sword, much to Anna¡¯s amusement.

    ¡°Odd hobbies or not, we won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Anna promised. ¡°It just took us by surprise.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s appreciated,¡± Arwin said, meaning it. It probably wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if people figured out he could eat metal ¨C a lot of sses could do some pretty strange things ¨C but it would give away that he had either a Unique ss or ability.

    ¡°Reya, how are you doing?¡±

    Reya poked at her damaged armor. ¡°Alive. It stings really bad, though.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You damn near got yourself killed. You¡¯re incredibly lucky to be alive, Reya. Don¡¯t get me wrong ¨C I deeply appreciate your help and you gave me the opening I needed, but you need to be careful. Your life is worth more than using it as a sacrifice to draw a monster¡¯s attention for a brief second.¡±

    Reya swallowed and nodded. ¡°Yeah. I just didn¡¯t know what else to do. It looked like you were about to lose and the only idea I had was¡­ well, that.¡±

    ¡°As long as the lesson was learned, then that¡¯s all that matters. Just don¡¯t do it again. What¡¯s done is done, so there¡¯s no need to dwell on it any further. There are much more interesting things to speak on.¡±

    ¡°My ss,¡± Reya finished. She touched her bleeding stomach again and winced slightly. ¡°What do I choose?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t told us what you got yet,¡± Rodrick said.

    Reya sent a nce toward Arwin, and he shrugged in response. Anna and Rodrick had returned to save his life when they hadn¡¯t had to. If Reya wanted to trust them, it was her decision, not his.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t have any more healing left right now,¡± Anna said apologetically. ¡°We could cover our ears if you¡¯d prefer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Reya said after a few moments. ¡°You won¡¯t tell anyone, right?¡±

    ¡°Not a soul,¡± Rodrick promised, pressing a hand to his chest. ¡°But I will be telling the story of how a girl without a ss charged a fucking Wyrm like she was the Hero himself. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ever going to forget that sight.¡±

    Reya¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°Arwin needed a distraction to hit the Wyrm again, and it wasn¡¯t going to do anything if we kept throwing rocks at it. I figured drastic measures were in order.¡±

    ¡°What, did you n on getting stuck in its teeth while it chewed you?¡± Anna asked with a mixture of humor and admonishment. ¡°You need to live through the fights you win, you know. Arwin was right.¡±

    ¡°I lived!¡±

    ¡°Barely,¡± Anna muttered. She rubbed her arm, then shook her head. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not your mom. But, if you¡¯re going to say what sses you can choose from, do it quickly. I¡¯m going to die from anticipation.¡±

    ¡°I got three options,¡± Reya said. ¡°The first one is Warrior.¡±

    ¡°Good ss,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°You¡¯re biased,¡± Anna replied without missing a beat. ¡°Warrior can be a good choice if you¡¯re interested in being at the front of a fight, but that didn¡¯t sound like what you were hoping for. What about the other options?¡±

    ¡°The second one was the Berserker,¡± Reya continued. ¡°It¡¯s Unique.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that one. The normal version of it, at least. Real strong warriors, very difficult to stop once they get going. That¡¯s a really good ss. I can see why you got it, considering you charged a Wyrm with no way to fight it.¡±

    ¡°What about thest one?¡± Arwin asked. Berserker still wasn¡¯t what Reya had been looking for, and he¡¯d known his share of berserkers. The ss was definitely powerful, and a Unique variant of it would be even stronger, but it didn¡¯t fit Reya¡¯s personality at all.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Warden,¡± Reya said, her voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°Unique as well.¡±

    Rodrick let out a whistle. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that. Anna?¡±

    ¡°Same, but let me remind you that Unique doesn¡¯t always mean good. It¡¯s just been differentiated by the standard for some reason or another. A lot of Unique things can be pretty damn bad, so don¡¯t go choosing anything just because it¡¯s different,¡± Anna warned with a shake of her head. ¡°Do you know what it is, Arwin?¡±

    To Arwin¡¯s surprise, he hadn¡¯t heard of it either. It wasn¡¯t like he knew of every ss in existence, of course, but he¡¯d expected to at least recognize the name if not understand it perfectly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea. Never heard of it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What does the information about it say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ss meant to control and restrain opponents rather than outright killing them by pitting our willpower against each other. It isn¡¯t very descriptive.¡± Reya bit her lower lip in thought. ¡°None of them are what I thought I¡¯d get.¡±

    <em>It sounds like she might have actually gotten Warden because she chose to spare the other lizard. I wonder if the Wyrm fight had anything to do with it. Interesting. I don¡¯t want to influence her choice, but a ss that I¡¯ve never heard of is pretty interesting. Then again, if the berserker has some form of draconic or Wyrm influence on it, that could be pretty nasty. </em>

    ¡°What are you thinking, then?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°You¡¯ve got some really good selections there. I could see all of those being very powerful in the future.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get the chance to choose at all,¡± Reya admitted. She touched one of the wounds on her stomach and winced slightly, pulling her hand back and rubbing her fingers together, smearing the blood across them. ¡°There¡¯s only one of these that I think I could see myself doing, though.¡±

    She reached out, touching something invisible in the air. Faint golden sparkles swirled around her, sinking into Reya¡¯s skin and ring behind her eyes. She stiffened, then drew in a slow breath as her eyes unfocused, likely reading information about her new ss.

    ¡°What did you go with?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Warden,¡± Reya replied, tearing her gaze away from the invisible presence of the Mesh before her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a warrior and running around with my top off didn¡¯t seem very appealing.¡±

    Anna let out a snort. ¡°Can¡¯t say I me you. Berserkers all have a death wish anyway. It¡¯s a good ss, but I think you probably made the right choice. You might have a little difficulty finding anyone to train you, but I suspect it¡¯ll be worth it in the long run.¡±

    ¡°I hope so,¡± Reya said. She touched the wound on her chest again, and Anna smacked her hand away.

    ¡°Stop doing that. You¡¯re going to get dirt in it, and it¡¯ll be harder to heal. Infections are much more difficult to repair than normal injuries.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a difference in healing wounds?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Yeah. The worse the damage is, the harder it is to heal. Pretty straight forward. It gets moreplex when viruses and diseases get involved, though. You can get little living things running around in your body wreaking havoc, and healing magic can¡¯t kill stuff. It¡¯s not pretty.¡±

    Reya swallowed and pointedly stuck her hands beneath her backside to keep herself from touching the wound again. ¡°Okay. Can you heal it soon?¡±

    ¡°In a few minutes. I don¡¯t have enough energy yet, and I want to get it all at once rather than sealing the wound over and leaving something behind that¡¯ll scar too badly.¡± Anna nced over her shoulder at the forest, then shook her head. ¡°My legs are still shaking. I don¡¯t understand why that Wyrm was there.¡±

    ¡°Monsters don¡¯t change their routines unless something makes them change,¡± Arwin said with a thoughtful frown. ¡°And for the Wyrm to change how it typically acts means that it¡¯s likely we aren¡¯t seeing the cause but rather the effect. Something happened in the forest.¡±

    ¡°The Wyrm is the strongest monster in there,¡± Rodrick pointed out. ¡°What¡¯s going to be enough of a threat to it that it would have to start being more aggressive?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest ¨C I¡¯m just happy to be alive and that Reya got her ss. I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t actually get to do any proper hunting, though.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? I think I just witnessed a legend in the making,¡± Rodrick said with a burst ofughter. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trade that for anything. Also, I¡¯m begging you at this point. Introduce me to the smith that made Reya¡¯s armor. That thing held up against a bleedin <em>Wyrm</em>.¡±

    ¡°Technically, it broke.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? That armor was made out of Forest Lizard scales, wasn¡¯t it? Those things have no right standing up to a Wyrm in the slightest, but it managed to stop a blow and didn¡¯t even have any magic infused into it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d say it stopped the blow,¡± Arwin said, sending a critical nce at Reya¡¯s armor. ¡°She got injured.¡±

    ¡°She should be dead,¡± Anna said. ¡°Rodrick is right. Forest Lizard scales couldn¡¯t have done that on their own. The smith made them harder whilst forging the armor. That¡¯s a really impressive piece of gear. We¡¯d understand if the smith isn¡¯t interested in new clients right now, though.¡±

    Anna sent Rodrick a pointed nce when she said thest sentence, making sure he wouldn¡¯t push any more. Arwin kept augh from passing through his lips as Rodrick sheepishly nodded his agreement.

    For a few seconds, he considered the two adventurers. He didn¡¯t truly know them that well, but if he wanted to start a guild, he needed people. These two had more than proven themselves, and they weren¡¯t aligned with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    <em>They came back to help me when they had no reward from it. If I can¡¯t trust them, then I don¡¯t know if I can trust anyone ever again. </em>

    ¡°Are you in a guild right now?¡± Arwin asked.

    Rodrick and Anna exchanged a surprised look before shaking their heads.

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We¡¯ve stayed away from them after our experience in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I know there are smaller ones, but they¡¯ve all got recruitment requirements that I haven¡¯t met. They¡¯d take Anna in a heartbeat, though.¡±

    ¡°Except I¡¯m not joining them without you. They¡¯d just use me as a mobile health station anyway. I don¡¯t want to lose my autonomy.¡± Anna crossed her arms and shook her head. ¡°Why do you ask? Are you part of one?¡±

    ¡°Technically, yes.¡±

    ¡°Technically, no,¡± Reya said, ncing at Arwin out of the corners of her eyes.

    Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°Okay, technically no. But in spirit, yes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that meant to mean?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°I started a guild myself. It¡¯s just a few people in it right now,¡± Arwin said carefully. ¡°We aren¡¯t official or anything, but there aren¡¯t any of the restrictions that other guilds have. It¡¯s pretty much just us right now.¡±

    ¡°The cksmith is part of your guild?¡± Rodrick tilted his head to the side. ¡°Damn. How¡¯d you pay him to join? Are you secretly rich?¡±

    Arwin burst intoughter. ¡°Money is the one thing I don¡¯t have.¡±

    <em>Not yet, at least.</em>

    ¡°I take it this is an invitation to join, then?¡± Anna asked.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t n to grow fast, but you¡¯ve both more than proven yourselves. I honestly don¡¯t know how much we can offer you, but I can promise that we won¡¯t screw you over.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d be able to hire the smith if we joined?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say so.¡±

    ¡°What about term limits?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°Is there a set amount of time we¡¯d have to stay?"

    Arwin hadn¡¯t put much thought into that. He hadn¡¯t actually been nning on recruiting new members quite yet, but the words had left his mouth before he¡¯d properly thought through them. ¡°No limits. Leave if you want, but I¡¯d ask that you keep anything you find to yourselves. It¡¯s not like I can enforce that, but I¡¯d ask it nheless.¡±

    Rodrick leaned in closer to Anna and whispered something into her ear. She thought for a second, then looked back to Arwin and gave him a small nod.

    ¡°If there aren¡¯t restrictions on it, then I think we can tentatively ept. You¡¯re the first one that hasn¡¯t tried to cheat or otherwise get an upper hand out of partnering with a healer.¡±

    ¡°Is thatmon?¡± Arwin blinked in surprise.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got no idea,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Half the people we join up with try to convince Anna to leave me and join their party. Bunch of assholes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pain,¡± Anna agreed. ¡°But you know what you¡¯re doing. So, for the time being, we¡¯ll join. It¡¯s not an official guild yet from the sounds of things, so it¡¯s really not that much of amitment. I promise we won¡¯t share anything you don¡¯t want us to, though.¡±

    Anna held her hand out and Arwin took it, shaking once. He¡¯d never had trouble getting healers as the Hero, but every day he spent in his new life reminded him of just how different things really were.

    ¡°So, about that smith¡­¡± Rodrick hedged. ¡°When can we meet him? I probably can¡¯t afford anything he makes yet, but I¡¯d love to have a look and start daydreaming.¡±

    Arwin grinned. ¡°The only people in my guild are Reya and I.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Rodrick¡¯s face creased with a frown. ¡°But you said¡­¡±

    ¡°That you could meet the smith,¡± Arwin finished with a nod. Rodrick¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers as Arwin held his hand out. ¡°Pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m the smith.¡±

 Chapter 34: Private

    Chapter 34: Private

    ¡°Wait,¡± Rodrick stammered, taking a step back. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. You can¡¯t be the smith. You were fighting!¡±

    ¡°So I was.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re better at fighting than I am!¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°Stronger, too!¡±

    ¡°Most definitely.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Rodrick demanded. ¡°A crafter shouldn¡¯t be able to do that!¡±

    Arwin shrugged in response. ¡°Not every ss is built the same, and not every person is content with their lot in life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Anna said, shaking her head and letting a smile slip across her lips. ¡°You¡¯ve got a Unique ss?¡±¡°I do,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°One that lets me ride the line between crafter and warrior. I made the armor that we¡¯re wearing.¡±

    Rodrick looked down to his scale mail greaves, then back up to Arwin, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m jealous. Screw you.¡±

    They all burst intoughter. Anna made her way over to Reya and pressed her hands to the wounds on her chest, sending soft light into the bloodied furrows and sealing them back over. Once she was finished, she helped Reya to her feet.

    ¡°So¡­ do we get a discount or something?¡± Rodrick asked with a sly grin. ¡°We¡¯re friends, right?¡±

    ¡°Friends get the right to buy gear from me in the first ce,¡± Arwin replied without missing a beat. ¡°No discounts.¡±

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Rodrick said. Anna red at him and he rubbed the back of his head, giving them a sheepish grin. ¡°It was worth a shot. How much would it run me to get a full set of armor like the stuff you¡¯ve got on your legs?¡±

    Arwin considered his greaves. They¡¯d definitely saved his life more than once during the fight with the Wyrm, and they were still in good shape. His scale mail shirt was in worse condition, and he was pretty sure his entire body was bruised, but he¡¯d avoided any further injury.

    ¡°The greaves were quite effective. I haven¡¯t figured out how to make them into a chest piece, helmet, gauntlets, or boots yet,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a more urate quote for how much it¡¯ll cost you once I have. For the greaves alone, I¡¯d probably ask for around one hundred gold.¡±

    Rodrick let out a whistle. ¡°Makes sense. It gives me something to save up for, then. Does that include cost of materials?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If you bring me all the scales I need, I can probably knock it down to eighty.¡±

    <em>Though, if you stick around the guild and prove to be trustworthy, I¡¯ll probably make something free of cost. Definitely not saying that out loud. I¡¯m not trying to bribe people to stay. That gets the wrong kind of attention.</em>

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Rodrick said with a grin. He rubbed his hands together, then froze when he spotted Anna ring at him.

    ¡°Stop doing business. We¡¯re supposed to be celebrating,¡± Anna admonished. ¡°Reya just got her ss!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel real,¡± Reya muttered, looking down at her hands before lifting her gaze back up to them. ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming, right?¡±

    ¡°If you were dreaming, I¡¯d hope you could think up betterpany.¡± Rodrick let out a cackle and pped Reya on her back. ¡°Wee to the life of an adventurer,ss. May it lead us to riches and ¨C well, more riches, hopefully.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we should head back to town,¡± Anna suggested. ¡°I think I¡¯ve had more excitement than I¡¯d nned on today. Do you have a guildhall?¡±

    Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°Er¡­ no. Not really.¡±

    ¡°We have a crumbling smithy,¡± Reya supplied.

    ¡°That¡¯s not all,¡± Arwin protested. ¡°We also have two beds.¡±

    Anna and Rodrick stared at them.

    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress,¡± Arwin dismissed his armor with [Arsenal] and scratched at his back. ¡°We¡¯ll get there.¡±

    ¡°You know what?¡± Anna asked. ¡°I believe you. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯d be willing to stab someone for a good meal and bed right about now. I¡¯m exhausted. Nearly watching people get killed will do that to you.¡±

    This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Arwin said absently, not thinking much of his words until he noticed the looks on Rodrick and Anna¡¯s faces. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been through some shit, haven¡¯t you?¡± Rodrick asked, the usual cheer gone from his voice.

    Arwin grunted and shook his head. Thest thing he needed was their pity. ¡°No matter. Anna was right. We should be celebrating Reya¡¯s new ss, and I¡¯ve got some work to do. Let¡¯s head back.¡±

    ***

    The group returned to town without any further incidents. Rodrick and Anna broke off when they passed by the Gleaming Swordfish ¨C they still had a few days paid for in the tavern, and there was no point wasting them.

    Arwin and Reya slipped into Milten¡¯s alleyways, traveling through the darkness until they found themselves back on their street. Before Arwin could make for the smithy, Reya caught his wrist. He turned to her in surprise.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Reya¡¯s cheeks reddened and she shifted her feet. ¡°Could we go to the tavern? I¡­ kind of want to tell Lillia that I got my ss. I¡¯m gonna wait for the right time, though. We can wait until she starts bringing out the food, and then I¡¯ll tell her. The look on her face will be great!¡±

    Arwin paused. He didn¡¯t have a good excuse to avoid the Demon Queen. It didn¡¯t look like either of them were going to blow the other¡¯s cover, but it was still stressful. Still, she hadn¡¯t done anything to justify his reluctance.

    Beyond that, there were some things he needed to ask someone who understood Monsters ¨C and Lillia probably understood them better than anyone else. Arwin sighed and nodded. ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Reya cheered, pumping a hand in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    She darted down the street and over to the tavern. Arwin shook his head and followed after her at a much more leisurely pace, arriving several seconds after Reya had already entered the building.

    The heavy darkness that followed the Demon Queen remained exactly as it had been before, cloaking the tavern before Arwin had even gotten a chance to step through the door. He squinted as he ducked through the doorway, but to his surprise, there was actually some light within it.

    Several faint spots of orange flickered on the walls, cast by candles within oldnterns. Their glow barely made it a few feet out, but it was just enough to see by ¨C at least, if one was close enough to the light.

    Lillia had also managed to procure several new mismatched chairs by her counter. One was far too short for its purpose, but chairs were still chairs. Reya had already taken one for herself.

    Walking up beside her, Arwin tested one of the other chairs before lowering his weight into it. The piles of dust and rubble that had covered the floor of the tavern had been removed as well ¨C Lillia had been hard at work. It still didn¡¯t look anything like a proper tavern, but it was several steps in the right direction.

    A shadow stretched out in the dim light as Lillia stepped out from the kitchen, a pan in her hands. She smiled as she saw Reya, then paused as she spotted Arwin behind her. Her eyes flicked down to the pan and her cheeks reddened.

    ¡°One moment,¡± Lillia said, darting back into the kitchen.

    ¡°Oooh,¡± Reya whispered, leaning closer to Arwin. ¡°She likes it. She took your advice about the monster theme as well! She¡¯s trying to make the tavern look like a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C yeah. I suppose so,¡± Arwin said, looking around again. Lillia really <em>did </em>look like she¡¯d liked the pan. She must have, if she was using it.

    Arwin still had a small frown on his lips when Lillia came back out from the kitchen, wiping her hands off on her apron. ¡°What can I get for you two?¡±

    ¡°I got my ss!¡± Reya eximed, unable to control herself any longer.

    ¡°I thought you were going to wait until the food came,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I got impatient.¡±

    ¡°You got your ss?¡± Lillia repeated, her eyes lighting up. ¡°That¡¯s incredible! Congrattions! What ss did you get?¡±

    <em>Ah, wait. Maybe we shouldn¡¯t be telling the Demon Queen¨C</em>

    ¡°A unique one called Warden,¡± Reya said without a second of hesitation. Arwin repressed a grimace, watching Lillia¡¯s expression closely to study how she reacted.

    To his surprise, the only thing he found in it was shared joy. Lillia was genuinely happy for Reya. It didn¡¯t look like she had any ulterior motives in the slightest.

    <em>Perhaps I¡¯m more caught up in the past than she is. We already called a truce, but some part of me never thought that the Demon Queen would be able to just¡­ start a normal life. Care about people like she cares about monsters. </em>

    <em>Could I do that if I were in her shoes? I¡¯m not sure. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Warden,¡± Lillia said. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. Great job, Reya. You have to be really proud of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I had a lot of help,¡± Reya said with a grin, looking back to Arwin. ¡°Also, my armor gotpletely destroyed.¡±

    ¡°So I see,¡± Lillia said with a wince. ¡°You look like you got healed, though. What hit you?¡±

    ¡°A Wyrm.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s eyes bulged out of her head. ¡°A Wyrm? You survived a Wyrm at your Tier?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If it wasn¡¯t for Arwin, I wouldn¡¯t have. It was terrifying,¡± Reya admitted. ¡°But we lived. That¡¯s what matters, right?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C yeah. It is,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Well, what can I get for you? It¡¯s on the house in celebration of your new ss.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Could I have cake?¡±

    Lillia cleared her throat. ¡°I should amend my offer. I only have ingredients to make a steak right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a steak, then.¡±

    ¡°Coming right up,¡± Lillia said, shing Reya a grin before darting back into the kitchen. It didn¡¯t take long before the sizzle of cooking meat filled the air. Arwin nced around the tavern while they waited.

    Lillia really had put a lot of effort into improving it. It was clear just how much she wanted everything to work out, and Arwin felt a pang of sympathy at theck of people in the tavern.

    <em>I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll starting soon enough once word gets out. </em>

    Minutes slipped by, and Lillia finally emerged from the back with a steak on a te of metal. It didn¡¯t have anything apanying it, but as far as steaks went, it actually looked pretty good.

    She set it down before Reya, then turned to Arwin. ¡°What about you? Want something?¡±

    ¡°I already ate today,¡± Arwin said, a small smile flickering across his face before falling away. ¡°But, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to talk. Privately.¡±

 Chapter 35: Games

    Chapter 35: Games

    Lillia didn¡¯t respond for several seconds. Arwin held her gaze while Reya looked from one of them to the other, then pulled her steak closer and very pointedly avoided looking up from it.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Lillia said curtly. She turned on her heel and strode into the kitchen. Arwin followed after her, assuming that she was giving him an unspoken invitation to follow. A part of him wanted to summon his armor and sword, but he¡¯d already eaten the sword and summoning his armor would only make it look like he was nning on fighting.

    Arwin stepped past the dim light of thentern and entered the kitchen. It was more of a long hallway with some cooking utensils and an old cooktop on one side. Lillia stood at the far end of the hall, leaning against the wall in a patch of shadow with her arms crossed.

    He could tell that her guard was up. Her eyes traced his movements and, despite her casual pose, the muscles in her body were tensed. She was ready to spring into motion the instant he did anything aggressive.

    For a moment, it felt like it had so many times before. Arwin had lost count of the number of times they¡¯d stood before each other just like this beforeunching into a fight. A fight that inevitably always ended the same way.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck tingled as his mind screamed at him to be wary of the shadows. He was within the Demon Queen¡¯s domain ¨C unarmed and unable to properly fight back if she tried to attack.

    ¡°Well?¡± Lillia asked, her lips thin. Her words were curt, but there was fear in them. Not fear of him; Arwin was certain of that much. They¡¯d never been scared of each other. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what the fear was.

    It was fear of losing what she¡¯d been building. Her tavern ¨C and his smithy ¨C both sat suspended on a thin cord. The moment either he or Lillia pulled just a little too hard, it would snap.

    And yet, ignoring the problem could only solve things for so long. There were too many questions. He had enemies, and he didn¡¯t even know who they were. At one point, the Demon Queen had been one of them.Now ¨C Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Stop staring at me. If you¡¯re going to try to run me through, I dare you to give it a try. See what happens.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Arwin finally asked, finding the words he was looking for.

    The Demon Queen stared at Arwin. ¡°What? Did you hit your head on something? You know damn well who I am, and I know who you are.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°You knew who I was. I¡¯m not that man any longer. He¡¯s dead. I didn¡¯t ask who you used to be. I¡¯m asking who you are. Right now. Who are you?¡±

    A second passed. Then two. The Demon Queen ran her tongue along her lips, considering Arwin quietly. Finally, a smirk flickered across her lips.

    ¡°What does it look like? I¡¯m living in a run-down tavern with nothing but a cobbled together kitchen. I¡¯m an innkeeper. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s all I want to be.¡±

    ¡°Then I am just the smith that lives down the road. That¡¯s all I want to be.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what it sounded like to me. Reya¡¯s been talking about how you want to start up a guild. That¡¯s not something a cksmith does.¡±

    ¡°A cksmith makes armor. I¡¯m just taking my armor a bit farther,¡± Arwin said, a wry smile flickering across his lips. ¡°Doesn¡¯t an innkeeper want more than just an inn? You want amunity.¡±

    Lillia let her head incline, the confusion and tension slowly leaving her form. She stepped to the side, then flicked a hand. Some of the darkness swirling around her abated, revealing a doorway that Arwin had previously missed.

    Within it was a matted pile of straw in the shape of a bed. It looked horribly ufortable, though Arwin suspected it was probably far better than the floor. After sending onest nce at Arwin, Lillia stepped into the room and sat down on the far end of the bed.

    It was a silent invitation, an eptance of the continued truce Arwin had offered. Every single thing Arwin knew about the Demon Queen screamed at him not to ept it. She was a devious opponent with immense power that grew stronger still the closer he got to her sanctum ¨C and if anywhere in her tavern was a sanctum, then it would be her room.

    <em>I¡¯m not speaking with the Demon Queen, though. The person before me is nothing more than Lillia the innkeeper. </em>

    Arwin stepped inside. He sat down on the far side of the straw mattress, leaving his sidepletely exposed. If Lillia had wanted to, she probably could have run him through before he even realized she was moving.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition.

    Granted, he suspected he could have summoned his armor before she did anysting damage, but Lillia made no moves. Neither of them spoke for a few more seconds. Finally, Arwin broke the silence.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you could reduce the darkness around you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy. Normally, I have topletely drain myself of my energy.¡± Li spoke softly, and Arwin could tell by how her voice was muted that she wasn¡¯t looking at him either. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on trying to control it more, though. Nobody wants to eat at an inn where you can¡¯t see the food.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an appeal to it if you sell it the right way,¡± Arwin said with a small smile. ¡°Especially if the food doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    ¡°Say that again and Lillia the Innkeeper is going to stab you with her tail.¡±

    Arwin snorted. ¡°I never said it didn¡¯t look good. I just said it would help if it didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°My point still stands.¡±

    ¡°Should an innkeeper even have a tail? I¡¯d think you¡¯d be trying to hide it.¡±

    Something moved in the corner of Arwin¡¯s vision and he nced over as Lillia brought her barbed tail to flick in the air before her, a pensive expression on her face. ¡°I was going to, until someone suggested that a monster themed inn might actually work.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really going with it, then?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a half bad idea.¡±

    Arwin grunted. ¡°I¡¯d say so. I just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d agree. Isn¡¯t it¡­ concerning? What if someone catches on?¡±

    ¡°Who would?¡± Lillia snorted. ¡°Let¡¯s be real. What would either of us ever be doing here? It¡¯s so ludicrous that it¡¯s impossible toprehend. The worst that could happen would be some idiot would think I¡¯m a lower ranked demon, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m anywhere near popr enough to draw attention that could make that a problem.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true enough,¡± Arwin allowed.

    ¡°Did you reallye here just to have small talk?¡± Her voice was guarded ¨C she was waiting for him to try something. Arwin didn¡¯t me her, since he half expected Lillia to do the same.

    ¡°Do you really get to talk to that many people?¡± Arwin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Perhaps I thought you just needed somepany.¡±

    To his surprised, Lillia winced. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. It¡¯s¡­ a nice change of pace. I¡¯ve started to get a little too used to the voice in my own head.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully only one.¡±

    Lillia red at him. ¡°I¡¯m not insane. There¡¯s only one. Usually. An inn isn¡¯t meant to be quiet, you know.¡±

    Arwin started to nod, then paused. ¡°Wait. I thought you wanted to cook. Did you want to have beds and such as well?¡±

    ¡°Both. One day, at least.¡± Lillia sighed, then looked up at the ceiling, letting a small smile flit across her features. ¡°I can picture it. Maybe I¡¯m delusional, but I can¡¯t shake the thought of a full room. It would be so noisy. I¡¯d have to yell over people so they¡¯d be able to hear what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    Arwin was surprised to find that he did understand what she meant. He wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted his smithy to be so popr he couldn¡¯t hear himself think, but the idea of lines stretching out the door just to buy his work did strike a hungry spark deep within him.

    Even though he was well aware that selling magical items to the general popce was a bad idea at the moment, it was nothing more than an idle daydream where logic had no ce.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s delusional,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s better than what we were doing.¡±

    The smile fell away from Lillia¡¯s lips. ¡°Yeah. It is.¡±

    ¡°Why were you doing it in the first ce?¡± Arwin asked, turning to look at her front on for the first time since they¡¯d sat down. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You aren¡¯t the person I thought you were.¡±

    ¡°The fact that you¡¯re referring to me as a person rather than a demon seems a bit off as well,¡± Lillia said with a snort, shifting and crossing her legs beneath her so she could match Arwin¡¯s gaze. ¡°I was about to ask you the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Ask me what? Why I was defending my people?¡±

    ¡°Defending?¡± Lillia scoffed. ¡°More like hunting.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°Hunting? All I ever did was keep your army from advancing. The only time I struck first was when your forces were pushed so deeply into human territory that I had to attack before you could torch viges. I just don¡¯t see how the person that¡¯s so eager to have a joyous tavern was ughtering entire families without leaving a single survivor.¡±

    Lillia nearly choked on her indignation as she thrust a finger into Arwin¡¯s chest. ¡°The absolute gall to im that when you¡¯re the one that murdered countless innocents and torched their viges to the ground. Your hands are stained with more blood than you can ever wash off.¡±

    ¡°Murder?¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°The only things I killed were the ones trying to rip my throat out.¡±

    ¡°Children were trying to kill you?¡± Lillia crossed her arms. ¡°Bullshit.¡±

    ¡°Children?¡± Arwin blinked. ¡°I never killed any children.¡±

    ¡°Just because you don¡¯t see monsters as rational beings doesn¡¯t mean¨C¡±

    ¡°Did they look like actual children?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia blinked. ¡°What kind of question is that?¡±

    ¡°Was it obvious they were children? They resembled human children?¡±

    ¡°With monster traits, but yes. Many of them did.¡±

    Arwin stared at Lillia, but he couldn¡¯t find any deception in her face. She seemed to be telling the truth, but that made absolutely no sense. Arwin didn¡¯t remember the face of everyone he¡¯d killed, but he¡¯d never killed a child.

    ¡°I never did that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill any children. I¡¯d remember that. I know I would. You¡¯re the one who¨C¡±

    Lillia was shaking her head before Arwin could finish speaking. ¡°I¡¯d never kill a kid. I¡¯ve killed more humans than I can ever remember, and some of them were younger than me, but no kids. Not unless you were sending kids against me in your armies.¡±

    ¡°Of course we didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin snapped. His mind whirred, trying to make sense of Lillia¡¯s words, but the answer was staring him right in the face, no matter how badly he wanted to ignore it. ¡°You¡¯re telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you thought I was going around ughtering viges of people for no reason?¡± Lillia demanded. ¡°What, did you think that I was just some monster that loved killing? I was defending mynd!¡±

    ¡°I think we both were.¡± A sinking pit formed in Arwin¡¯s stomach. ¡°We got yed.¡±

 Chapter 36: Long story

    Chapter 36: Long story

    ¡°yed?¡± Lillia asked, anger and confusion mixing in her tone. ¡°What are you talking about? Are you saying that everything that you did to my people was just a game to you?¡±

    ¡°What? No. It wasn¡¯t a game. <em>We </em>were the game. The pieces, at least,¡± Arwin said, speaking faster as pieces started to slot together. He wasn¡¯t sure if they were the right ones, but they began to form a picture he couldn¡¯t remove. ¡°Forget me for a moment. Did your guild ¨C or whoever it was that aided with your army and management ¨C did they ever do anything¡­ off?¡±

    Lillia blinked; the vexation taken from her features as she was forced to think for a moment. ¡°Off? What are you talking about?¡±

    There was a sinking understanding in her words that told Arwin he was on the right track. He just wasn¡¯t sure if that was something to be happy about or not.

    ¡°Actions that didn¡¯t line up with what they imed. The guild told me they wanted me to be the strongest adventurer so I could fight off the monster horde, and yet they didn¡¯t tell me how important getting Achievements early on was,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Anything like that?¡±

    Lillia swallowed, her eyes drifting as she sifted through memories. Her features went t. ¡°Yes. They did the same thing. I was Count Tier before I realized that the true power in sses came from Achievements rather than pure Tiers.¡±

    ¡°What about your army? Did they let you vet it?¡±

    ¡°No. They always said I had¨C¡±

    ¡°Other things that were far more important, such as training to defeat the Hero of Lian?¡±Lillia swallowed again, realization starting to set in. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°They told me the same shit,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Except my line was to defeat the Demon Queen. Everything else was the same. Did they let you use any of the armor or weapons you ever picked up?¡±

    ¡°No. I had to use the stuff they made in the guild. What about your orders? Did you ever speak to anyone outside of the guild for them?¡±

    ¡°No. Everything came from the guild leader or one of his subordinates. I didn¡¯t get any outside information aside from when I was out on missions, and the guild always herded my group straight to the battles without letting me spend too much time in the cities. They were always watching us to make sure we wouldn¡¯t learn too much, weren¡¯t they?¡±

    They stared at each other. There wasn¡¯t a single word that could properly encapste the emotions Arwin was feeling, but Lillia gave her best shot at it.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± Lillia leaned closer to squint at his features. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill kids?¡±

    ¡°No more than you did.¡±

    ¡°The viges?¡±

    ¡°Not me.¡±

    Lillia rocked back, her eyes wide with disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re telling the truth ¨C but I saw your men torching viges with my own eyes. I literally watched innocents get cut down in front of me. That was your army!¡±

    ¡°Just like I saw your army doing the same,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think either of us are wrong. Your army <em>did </em>destroy human cities, and I suspect mine did the same to monster cities. A portion of the army, at least. I can¡¯t imagine they were all in on it. It was always raids, and we always got the information toote to properly interfere. A few times, that could have been a coincidence. But with the amount it happened? The more I think about it, the more impossible it feels. The only way we could have kept missing the attacks and showing upte is if the other army knew exactly where we were.¡±

    ¡°I never saw you at the attacks, but I heard ims you¡¯d retreated. We only fought when our full armies were shing, and I never saw you retreat once. The Monster Coalition always sent people to pull me out, iming they¡¯d shown up just in time to save me. I never thought about it, but it looked like your soldiers reinforced you at the same time. I thought that was just them making sure we didn¡¯t overrun you, but did they tell you¨C¡±

    ¡°The same thing,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°They¡¯d arrive just as I was running low on energy and pull me out. It seemed like they were trying to keep me safe, but I think the truth was they wanted to make sure neither of us died yet.¡±

    Dread covered Lillia¡¯s features. ¡°Why? Why would anyone do that? And who? You¡¯re telling me the whole war waspletely artificial?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t understand it at all,¡± Arwin said, running his hands through his hair and shaking his head. It felt like the floor had copsed out from under him. Even though he¡¯d already decided that Lillia wasn¡¯t his enemy anymore, this was something more.

    She¡¯d never been his enemy in the first ce. She¡¯d been fighting for the exact same thing he had.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± Lillia muttered into the palms of her hands. ¡°So many people died. What about your closest group? The ones that were always with you? Were they¨C¡±

    ¡°Never left my side for long enough to destroy a town.¡±

    Lillia looked like she wanted to throw up. ¡°I killed so many of them. They were just trying to defend their homes?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s stomach sank even further.

    ¡°Fuck. Your lieutenants were the same?¡±

    ¡°Always with me. I chose them myself. The only members of my army I was allowed to choose,¡± Lillia muttered, her eyes boring into the ground.

    <em>Were we only allowed to choose our circles because they knew we¡¯d kill each other anyway?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s throat constricted and his hands tightened at his sides. He¡¯d always been convinced that his de had been wielded for justice, but it waspletely soaked through with the blood of innocents.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I thought¨C¡±

    ¡°We both did, didn¡¯t we?¡± Lillia asked bitterly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but I believe you. Things line up too well to pull wool over my eyes and even try to believe anything else.¡±

    They sat on either corner of the bed wordlessly for nearly a minute. Arwin stared at the dark wall until it swam before his eyes, but it wasn¡¯t changing anything. His friends were dead, and so were Lillia¡¯s.

    Someone had used both of them like puppets and thrown them to the side. Arwin had absolutely no idea why they¡¯d been left alive, but he¡¯d have been willing to bet everything he had that neither he nor Lillia had been meant to survive the explosion.

    He nced over at the former Demon Queen. Her shoulders were hunched, and her face was buried deep into her hands. Arwin had already suspected some degree of betrayal, so as hard as the news had hit him, his subconscious had already been prepared for it to some degree.

    To Lillia, it waspletely out of the blue, and he didn¡¯t envy her. Having to handle the full revtion at once would have shattered everything he knew. Arwin was far from the best atforting anyone, though.

    He raised a hand, staring at it as if it were a foreign instrument, before slowly reaching out and ufortably setting it on Lillia¡¯s shoulder. She stiffened but made no move to remove it.

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    ¡°Do you have any idea who would have done this?¡± Lillia asked, her voice muffled. ¡°What was the point?¡±

    ¡°I have a theory,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Two of them, actually.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s head snapped up and she locked eyes with him. Specks of molten fury danced within them. ¡°Tell me. Now.¡±

    ¡°Do you recall the gem that was in my armor?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°The ck one.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was a backup strategy to kill me, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No. I have no damn idea what it was,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°But I think it could have been a failsafe. I didn¡¯t put it there, and I oversaw my armor. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild would have been the only ones that could have modified it, but it doesn¡¯t make sense why they didn¡¯t tell me about it. If I knew I had a bomb that could kill you, I¡¯d have worked around that. I already nned to die for the victory, so it just doesn¡¯t line up.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you think it was the entire Guild? Not just one or two people?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I know the guild leader was in on it, because he inspected my armor. I just don¡¯t understand why we survived ¨C or what they even stand to gain from this in the first ce.¡± Arwin pressed his lips together. ¡°Which leads me to the other option. I don¡¯t know why we survived the explosion, but I suspect it was due to an achievement I got right before the explosion. There¡¯s a possibility that the achievement, the bomb, or both were put there by someone working <em>against </em>the guild to get us out. The end result is the same either way, though. The guild betrayed us. But what about you? Was there really nobody you knew that might have stood to gain anything from the war?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see what anyone gains from keeping the war going. The Monster Coalition were the ones that outfitted me and handled recruitment and management for the army. They hate humans.¡±

    ¡°And the Guild hates monsters. Their whole purpose is to destroy them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Nothing makes sense, and the more I learn, the more confusing it gets. I think I should make it clear that I don¡¯t hold the deaths of my friends against you, though. We were nothing but swords in someone else¡¯s hands.¡±

    Lillia wiped her face with the back of a hand and raised her head, giving Arwin a small nod. ¡°I ¨C the same. It makes me wonder how much of what I believed was a lie, though. What if everything was fake from the start?¡±

    A chilling thought struck Arwin. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidnapped from Earth as well, were you?¡±

    ¡°Earth? Why would I be from dirt?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he was relieved or disappointed to hear that. Arwin let out a breath and shook his head. ¡°Never mind.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, you can¡¯t just do that. We¡¯re the only ones that know the truth about what¡¯s going on,¡± Lillia said, her eyes narrowing. ¡°If you have any information, you need to share it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s particrly relevant.¡±

    ¡°Let me decide that. Don¡¯t deny me this,¡± Lillia begged. ¡°I need to know. I can¡¯t let things as they are, and every single piece of the puzzle could be vital.¡±

    It was hard to argue with that.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯m telling you that it isn¡¯t going to be useful, though. If anything, I think it¡¯s just going to confuse you even more. I¡¯m not from this world. I¡¯m from a called Earth, and I got magically kidnapped and brought here as a child, specifically to fight you.¡±

    Lillia stared at Arwin. ¡°Is that meant to be a joke?¡±

    ¡°I told you,¡± Arwin said with a sigh. He took his hand off Lillia¡¯s shoulder and made to rise, but she caught him by his wrist before he could stand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sit back down. Please.¡±

    Arwin nced back at her, then slowly lowered himself back to the hay.

    ¡°There are other worlds?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°You believe me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what in the Nine Undends to believe anymore, so I might as well start with you,¡± Lillia said dryly. Her eyes narrowed and she poked him in the chest. ¡°But if you¡¯re screwing with me, I swear I¡¯ll make you pay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. There¡¯s not much to say, unfortunately. There¡¯s at least one other world. Maybe it¡¯s a different universe. I don¡¯t know. There wasn¡¯t magic, and I really don¡¯t remember much of it. I was taken away when I was a child. I assume you¡¯re native to this?¡±

    ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, yes.¡± Lillia scrunched her nose. ¡°Well, shit. You were right. All that did was give me more questions and absolutely nothing useful in terms of what I actually wanted to find out. How long have you suspected that something was awry with the war?¡±

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d just been betrayed, not that the entire thing was a sham,¡± Arwin said with a disbelieving shake of his head. ¡°I only figured it out just now, together with you.¡±

    ¡°So why did youe here to talk with me?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°You must have thought I was a bloodthirsty monster.¡±

    ¡°I assumed you¡¯d finally changed your ways, and I was hoping I could ask you about the mating habits of monsters.¡±

    Lillia stared at Arwin, her cheeks tinging slightly red. ¡°Why in the world do you want to know about that?¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth, but he¡¯d butchered his wording so badly that he couldn¡¯t muster up an answer before a snicker slipped out of his lips. Lillia couldn¡¯t keep herself from matching it and they both doubled over in fits of poorly-suppressed, hystericalughter.

    It took Arwin nearly five minutes to fully gather himself. Every time he started to stopughing, he caught Lillia¡¯s eye and started tough again. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯dughed this hard.

    It wasn¡¯t like anything had been that funny, but he suspected his body had reached a breaking point and smashed right through it. There was only so much it could handle before emotions started to mix together and break down.

    ¡°Seriously, why do you want to know that, though? I assume you meant something by it,¡± Lillia said, her voice wavering as she tried topose herself.

    Arwin wiped away tears of mirth, forcing himself back under control. ¡°It¡¯s about the Wyrm in the forest. From what I know, Wyrms are ground dwellers that rarely emerge from their tunnel systems, but this one came out and tried to kill us. It was much more aggressive than I think it should have been. The rest of the forest seemed to be in mating season, and I was wondering¡­¡±

    ¡°If Wyrms get worked up enough to chase people away when they¡¯re in the mood?¡± Lillia asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m an expert on it. That¡¯s like me asking you how horny old humans usually get.¡±

    ¡°Very, but I get the point,¡± Arwin said. He heaved a sigh. ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I still can¡¯t believe you managed to survive a Wyrm at your Tier. That should have been impossible. How¡¯d you do it? Did you lie about your ss getting changed?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m a smith. I just have some ways to defend myself. And I wasn¡¯t alone. If I was, I¡¯d have died.¡±

    ¡°Well, damn.¡± Lillia studied the palms of her hands. ¡°They had to be quite some people if they helped you fend off a Wyrm. High Tier?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Apprentice, just like me.¡±

    ¡°And you fought off a Wyrm?¡±

    ¡°I cracked its knee enough to mildly inconvenience it,¡± Arwin corrected.

    ¡°That¡¯s impressive. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s appropriate to look on them fondly, but it reminds me a bit of when I still had a party,¡± Lillia said, a small smile crossing her face as she reminisced.

    <em>I guess she¡¯s just been sitting in this inn all day, waiting for people to show up. Sure, she¡¯s gotten a few customers, but I¡¯d already be insane if I were in her shoes. This sounds miserable for someone who was even more excited to be around others than I was. </em>

    ¡°You know, that really does sound like mating behavior. And if the Wyrm was mating, we might have a problem,¡± Lillia said.

    Arwin tilted his head to the side, pulled from his thoughts. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, Wyrmlings are pretty damn destructive,¡± Lillia said. ¡°And they usually have huge litters. There could be dozens of them, and they¡¯re going to seek out the nearest food source. I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t fancy a miniature horde of Wyrms at my door.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°I did not know that bit. I thought you said you didn¡¯t know much about them.¡±

    ¡°Everyone knows that you don¡¯t want to be near a Wyrm when it mates.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone.¡±

    ¡°Evidently,¡± Lillia said with a snort. ¡°That¡¯s going to be bad. What do you think the chances are that the Adventurer''s Guild does something about it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I trust the Guild,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want any attention on this city at all. Not until we¡¯ve learned more about what we¡¯re up against.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s we, then?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just agree on that?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°We were both used for something, and I¡¯m damn well going to find out what. I¡¯ll do it with or without you, but I imagine it¡¯s going to be really hard to figure anything out on my own. Only by putting together what we know are we going to be able to figure out where the cracks in this shit was.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s jaw set and she nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°Wee to the guild,¡± Arwin said, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to Lillia.

    ¡°Slow down there.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°The guild? I didn¡¯t say anything about that. An inn is one thing, but a whole guild? And one I¡¯m not the leader of? Are you really inviting the Demon Queen to a human guild?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m inviting an innkeeper,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°And it¡¯s my damn guild. I invite who I please.¡±

    Lillia snorted. ¡°A change of topic, then. I¡¯ve got a question.¡± She averted her gaze as Arwin looked to her.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Do you hate my cooking?¡±

    ¡°What? No. It¡¯s fantastic.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you never eat it? You¡¯ve onlye by a few times in recent times.¡± Lillia crossed her arms and pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯d rather you just tell me the truth. If there¡¯s something wrong with my cooking, I want to improve it.¡±

    Arwin grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s kind of a long story.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you just don¡¯t like my cooking.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fine.¡± Arwin threw his hands up in defeat. ¡°I eat magical items.¡±

    ¡°You <em>what</em>?¡±

 Chapter 37: Arwin and Lillia

    Chapter 37: Arwin and Lillia

    ¡°I take it this means that the explosion didn¡¯t¡­ change you somehow?¡± Arwin asked, ignoring the incredulous expression on Lillia¡¯s face.

    ¡°Change me? It damn well changed me, but it didn¡¯t let me start snacking on the Mesh itself!¡± Lillia eximed. ¡°You¡¯re not messing with me, right? You can actually eat magic?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not all sunshine and rainbows. It¡¯s not just that I <em>can </em>eat magic,¡± Arwin corrected, his features darkening. ¡°It¡¯s that I <em>have</em> to eat magic. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll die.¡±

    The surprise on Lillia¡¯s face turned to a confused frown. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of something like that before. So you can¡¯t eat normal food?¡±

    ¡°No, I can. It just doesn¡¯t sustain me in the way that magic does. I¡¯ll also ask you not to mention that ¨C you¡¯re the only one I¡¯ve told, and I¡¯ve only told you because I¡¯m hoping you might have some insight as to what happened to us.¡±

    Lillia pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and chewing her lower lip in thought. ¡°I definitely got changed by the explosion. It took my ss away and gave me a new one called Hearthkeeper.¡±

    ¡°Unique?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I got it from an Achievement ¨C probably the same one that you did. Does the word Sunset mean anything to you?¡±

    ¡°It does. That was the one I got as well,¡± Arwin rubbed the bridge of his nose with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that gives us more answers or questions.¡±¡°It could lend credence to the idea that someone nted the bomb to save us.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure he was optimistic enough to fullymit to the hope. The Achievement hadn¡¯t been <em>granted </em>by the explosion. The conditions to fulfill it had been met. That was a subtle difference, but it was still a difference. He¡¯d felt the power from the explosion. It had been meant to kill, not aid. There was no way to argue that someone knew that the explosion would cause an Achievement to trigger either ¨C nobody other than the Mesh itself knew what could make it assign Achievements or Titles.

    And, even if they¡¯d had a strong suspicion it would have worked, many Achievements or Titles would only appear for certain people, even if two people did the same thing. The fact that both Arwin and Lillia had gotten the Achievement meant something else was going on.

    ¡°No way to know one way or the other for now, so we¡¯ll just have to assume we don¡¯t. How different is your ss from anything else you¡¯ve seen? There¡¯s obviously a sliding scale for anything Unique that could make it either good, bad, or worthless, but my own ss is like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen. Does your ss have anything odd about it that makes it more than just a normal one? I¡¯m a smith, but some of the abilities I¡¯ve been offered look far more offensive than they should be for a crafting ss. It almost feels like I got a hybrid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed some simrities to what you¡¯re describing. I don¡¯t have anything nearly as problematic as having to consume magic to live, but I do gain benefits based on the people staying in my inn or eating at my tavern ¨C and drawbacks if it¡¯s empty.¡±

    ¡°Like it is now?¡± Arwin raised an eyebrow and Lillia grimaced.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Significant benefits?¡±

    ¡°Very. Especially for the inn.¡± Lillia swallowed heavily. ¡°Luckily, the drawbacks haven¡¯t activated yet, but it won¡¯t be long. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been so desperate to get more people, but nothing I do works. Nobody wants toe to this shitty old alleyway.¡±

    ¡°What happens when they activate?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°And how long do you have?¡±

    ¡°Two days. The tavern drawbacks make it so that all my abilities are weakened. The inn debuff¡­ it¡¯ll start by cutting my abilities off entirely. If I can¡¯t get anyone to stay after a month, I¡¯ll die.¡±

    ¡°You need to get this shithole good enough to convince someone to stay in it within a month?¡± Arwin asked, his eyes going wide. ¡°Oh, shit. That¡¯s bad.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Lillia asked dryly. ¡°I¡¯m focusing on the tavern right now. Nobody is going to bother staying if they don¡¯te in the first ce. That¡¯s why I was desperate enough to try out your monster inn suggestion ¨C and honestly, it seems like it might work. I just don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll pick up enough speed to convince anyone to stay here in time.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just make it free for a night or something?¡±

    Lillia shook her head. ¡°I already thought of that. It doesn¡¯t work. The buffs onlye into y if I¡¯ve properly earned them, so inviting a ton of people into in for free or paying them to stay doesn¡¯t do anything. They have toe in of their own volition and eat or sleep whilst paying for it.¡±

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    ¡°Ah,¡± Arwin said with a grimace. Lillia¡¯s abilities were clearly more limited than his were ¨C but the Mesh was fair. That meant her potential buffs were probably enormous as well, but getting to the point where she could use them would be incredibly difficult.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lillia agreed bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s still nice to live peacefully for a bit, though. I¡¯d trade a lifetime of living through war for a month of peace in a heartbeat. Besides, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll start getting customers soon.¡±

    Arwin could hear the doubt in her voice. She wasn¡¯t optimistic about her chances, and if he was honest, he wasn¡¯t either. Lillia¡¯s cooking was pretty damn good, but her location was horrible. Nobody lived on the street, and nobody woulde this far into the slums of the city if they were in their right mind.

    It would take a lot of time to build up a proper reputation, and by the time Lillia managed to do that, she¡¯d probably get killed by her own magic.

    <em>That¡¯s bad. I just got another ally and she¡¯s probably going to end up dying in just ¨C wait. Am I an idiot?</em>

    Arwin burst intoughter. Lillia blinked, taken aback, then narrowed her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you took that much joy in my uing death.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that,¡± Arwin said, trying to get hisughter under control. ¡°I just realized how stupid we both are.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You just need a few people to avoid dying?¡±

    ¡°To stay in the inn? Yeah. That wouldn¡¯t stop the debuffs, but it would be enough to keep me alive. Anything more than zero is going to be impossible at this rate, so it hardly matters. You can¡¯t strongarm them into doing it either. That goes against how it works.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to,¡± Arwin said. ¡°As I said, we¡¯re both stupid. You already have two people that can stay in your inn. Me and Reya.¡±

    Lillia opened her mouth, then paused. She blinked, her brow furrowing. Slowly, she let her mouth close again. ¡°I ¨C oh, shit. You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t even think about that because you were¡­ well, you know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware, yes. But that would work, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t,¡± Lillia said, excitement starting to enter her tone. ¡°You¡¯d still have to pay me for the rooms, though. It couldn¡¯t be free or it won¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°I think we can handle that as long as your prices aren¡¯t ridiculously high. It¡¯s not a big price to pay, at least until you can get enough people here to keep yourself alive. We might even be able to go farther. The other two members that joined my guild may be in need of an inn fairly soon. They might be able to move in as well.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s eyes lit up and she took a step forward. ¡°You¡¯re serious? Two more people?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯d have to have actual rooms for them, though. Does this crappy ce have anything like that?¡±

    Lillia cleared her throat. ¡°It¡­ well, not yet. I¡¯ve got two rooms upstairs that I trust the floor in. The rest of it is liable to copse ¨C but still! I can make do with that, and the money could go toward renovations and making more rooms and a better tavern! Having you and Reya here would also remove enough of the debuff on my abilities for me to get some helpers in the tavern.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got twenty-seven gold and nine silver right now,¡± Arwin said, looking through his pouch. ¡°Would that be enough?¡±

    ¡°Twenty-seven? Are you kidding me? Yeah, that¡¯s more than enough. I only have to charge a silver a day!¡±

    It was a bit odd, seeing excitement on the face that had belonged to his mortal enemy for so many years. He¡¯d never seen her direct anything toward him other than disgust, anger, or apathy.

    <em>I suppose I was no different. That smile definitely suits her well, though.</em>

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia asked. Arwin realized that he¡¯d zoned off and shook his head to clear it.

    ¡°I just got lost in thought. How strong are those buffs you get if we properly fill your tavern and inn?¡±

    ¡°Pretty damn powerful. I don¡¯t even know the full extent of what they do. A lot of it is gated behind how many people are staying or eating here.¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make it a priority to get more attention here, then. If your power is anything like mine, then I suspect you¡¯re going to have some form of scaling factor that means you need to get more and more people to stick around to keep yourself from dying.¡±

    Some of the excitement in Lillia¡¯s expression slipped away. ¡°Shit. That could be bad.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll handle it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°After all, we¡¯re going to have a whole guild to back you up soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Optimistic, are you?¡±

    Arwin chuckled. ¡°Perhaps. Either way, I get the feeling Reya is going to be ecstatic about this. She already eats your food constantly, so being closer to it will probably make her blow steam out her nose. I¡¯ll introduce you to the rest of the guild shortly ¨C assuming they stick around.¡±

    Lillia started to nod, then paused and looked down at herself, gesturing vaguely. ¡°Wait. What if they¡­ well, you know.¡±

    ¡°For now, I¡¯d suggest keeping up your disguise. They¡¯re decent people, but I don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll react to the truth.¡±

    ¡°Even if we¡¯re part of the same guild and they¡¯re staying here constantly? They¡¯re going to have to suspect something.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯d best make sure you <em>really </em>seem to be into your role,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll have the ce in a bit more order by the time theye around. Speaking of which, is there anything else you need made?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C oh, yeah. Definitely. I still need more utensils, and some more cookware would be incredible. I don¡¯t know if I can afford anything extra right now, though.¡±

    ¡°I could pay you with supplies. That wouldn¡¯t count against your ss, would it?¡±

    Lillia tilted her head to the side in thought for a few seconds, then grinned. ¡°I think that would work.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go tell Reya. We¡¯ll need to move the beds out of the smithy and into your inn.¡±

    ¡°I can help,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Seems only right. Can¡¯t say I ever thought I¡¯d be in this position. It kind of feels like I had some nasty mushrooms in my food and I¡¯m passed out somewhere in a field. I mean¡­ imagine that. The Demon Queen and the Hero of Man¨C¡±

    ¡°Both still out there, fighting somewhere,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The original ones are dead and rotting. The only people in this room are Arwin and Lillia.¡±

    Lillia smiled and nodded. ¡°Right. Thank you, Arwin. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve both got a lot we can learn from each other.¡±

 Chapter 38: One thing at a time

    Chapter 38: One thing at a time

    ¡°We¡¯re staying here?¡± Reya asked, her eyes nearly doubling in size as she looked from Arwin to Lillia. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s awesome! What happened back there? I thought you guys hated each other!¡±

    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Arwin blinked in surprise.

    ¡°I mean, yeah. Anyone would have seen the way you looked at each other.¡±

    ¡°Why did you keep trying to have mee along with you if you thought that?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°I thought you were oblivious!¡±

    ¡°So you <em>did </em>hate each other!¡±

    ¡°There was a misunderstanding,¡± Arwin said with a grimace. A misunderstanding might have been the biggest understatement of the century, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to give Reya their full backstory. She had enough on her te to deal with already.

    Reya arched an eyebrow and peered over their shoulders. ¡°Interesting. Now I really want to know what you did back there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What matters is that Lillia is going to be joining our guild, and we¡¯ll be moving into her inn ¨C at least for our night lodgings.¡±

    ¡°The ones you barely use because you¡¯re always working?¡±¡°Do you want to move in or not?¡±

    ¡°I definitely want to move in,¡± Reya said hurriedly. ¡°Especially if that means we get three meals a day instead of just one. I¡¯d be dining like a king.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. He jerked his chin toward the door. ¡°Come help me gather up the beds and bring them over here, then. After that, I¡¯ve got some work to do.¡±

    ¡°Can I help?¡± Reya asked as the trio headed out of the dark room and emerged into the sunlight outside.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be smithing, so probably not. If you need something to do, maybe try to help Lillia do some reorganization. Figure out what it is we¡¯ll need for the tavern to function better. It¡¯s part of the guild now, so we¡¯ll need to do some reworking to make sure it lives up to our name.¡±

    ¡°What name?¡± Reya asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t even an official guild.¡±

    ¡°The first step of bing is believing and acting as if you are.¡±

    ¡°That sounds more like bullshitting,¡± Reya said. Arwin red at her and she snickered, raising her hands in surrender. ¡°Okay, okay. Understood, Guild Leader Sir.¡±

    ¡°Do not start calling me that. My name is Arwin.¡±

    Reya just snickered harder, and a small grin passed over Lillia¡¯s face.

    ¡°You know,¡± Lillia drawled, a mischievous grin ying across her lips. ¡°In many monster cultures, the leaders of groups are called Mothers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure Mommy Arwin has the right ring to it, but it could grow on me,¡± Reya said, rubbing her chin.

    <em>I think I would genuinely rather die. </em>

    Arwin suppressed a sigh and shook his head, wisely choosing to abandon the topic. The more he insisted that Reya do something, the less he suspected she would actually do it.

    <em>At least she¡¯s being herself. That¡¯s a far cry from the desperate woman that showed me the smithy just a few weeks ago.</em>

    ***

    It took a little under an hour to move both beds over to Lillia¡¯s building. Getting them up the stairs was the hardest part, but between the three of them, they eventually managed it without destroying anything too important.

    As soon as they¡¯d finished, Arwin bid Lillia and Reya farewell before returning to his smithy. He took Reya¡¯s damaged armor with him and set about repairing it as soon as he got back.

    The repairs weren¡¯t too difficult, as all he had to do was remove the damaged scales and add in a newyer of fresh ones. Fortunately, the item hadn¡¯t been damaged badly enough to impact its magic, so It only took about an hour before he¡¯d finished and moved on.

    There was a variety of gear he still wanted to make, foremost amongst everything being a hammer for himself. Arwin was tempted to start immediately, but he resisted the urge. He wanted to use the Achievement he¡¯d gotten from scaring the Wyrm off on his hammer, but wasting it on a weapon made from poor materials would be pointless.

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    <em>I need to get my hands on something really nice. That probably means hunting a real nasty monster, so I should hold off on that. I¡¯ll start with making some cutlery for Lillia. Then I¡¯ll look into going hunting again once Anna and Rodricke join us. We¡¯re going to have to discuss the potential uing disaster with the Wyrms and what we¡¯re going to do about it. If we fight them, I get the feeling they¡¯d be perfect for this. </em>

    <em>For now, I might also spend some time shopping to fix up the smithy a little more. I still need a bloody door. </em>

    With his ns in mind, Arwin got to work.

    Time slipped away. Making utensils was far from a challenging task, and Arwin soon made a drawer¡¯s worth of forks, knives, and spoons. None of them were magical ¨C he had no idea what infusing a spoon with magic would do and he had no desire to find out. Someone would probably just steal it.

    The utensils were a bit rough, but they¡¯d serve their purpose. A quick nce out the cracks in the walls told Arwin that it was still early in the evening, so he took a trip into town.

    It didn¡¯t take much time for him to find a carpenter that had a door for sale. Arwin had never considered it, but apparently most doorways were the same size and shape. That made it considerably easier for him to purchase a door as well as some hinges and nails to secure it for just five gold.

    Arwin took it back to the smithy and hammered the nails into tight preexisting cracks in the stone. Once he¡¯d finished, Arwin took a step back and studied his handiwork.

    The door wasn¡¯t anything special, but it was a door. He had the key in his pocket, an item he wasted no time in applying to the lock, just to open and close the door a few times. It struck him that he probably looked insane opening and closing a door for no reason, but Arwin didn¡¯t care.

    It was a step closer to his goals. Soon he¡¯d have a proper smithy, and his guild was starting toe together. Sure, there might have been a potential horde of Wyrms just a few hours from town that could draw the attention of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and bring everything crashing down on their heads, but that was a problem forter.

    For the time being, Arwin just wanted to test out the new location of his bed. He headed inside and grabbed the utensils he¡¯d made for Lillia, then stepped back into the street and locked the door behind him. Nodding to himself, Arwin set off down the dpidated street and toward his new lodgings for the foreseeable future.

    He made his way into the back and up a set of rickety stairs, taking each one carefully. Lillia had assured them that the stairs were safe when they were bringing the beds up, but that didn¡¯t make him any less suspicious of them.

    <em>Never thought I¡¯d be sleeping in the Demon ¨C no. In Lillia¡¯s house. Certainly a bit odd, no matter what I say. </em>

    Reya had moved her bed into the room that Lillia had been using, so Arwin had a room entirely to himself. There weren¡¯t any doors on the upper floor, but it was still more privacy than he¡¯d had in the smithy.

    The bed took up nearly a quarter of the room, but he had a dirt-smudged window that someone had done their best to wipe down from the inside. It gave him a dim view of the city streets outside, but there weren¡¯t too many cracks in the walls and only a little wind managed to slip through.

    <em>Not half bad. </em>

    Arwin covered a yawn and slipped into bed, setting the utensils on the floor at the foot of the bed. It sounded like Lillia and Reya had already gone to bed, and he didn¡¯t want to wake them.

    <em>I¡¯ll give her the utensils tomorrow.</em>

    It felt a little odd falling asleep without the proximity of the forge, but it was only a few minutes before he drifted off and darkness swallowed his vision.

    The next morning came before it was wee and Arwin blinked awake as dull sunlight filtered through the window. Not much of it actually managed to make it through, but there was just enough to pull him from his rest.

    Arwin yawned and rolled out of bed, grimacing as he sniffed at his arms.

    <em>I need to ask Lillia if her tavern has a bath yet. If it doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m going to invest in one. </em>

    He scooped the utensils he¡¯d made the previous day off the floor and headed out. He could hear loud snoresing from the room across the hall to him, and he poked his head into it to see that Reya was still fast asleep, her head buried under a pillow to avoid the sunlight.

    Repressing augh, Arwin headed downstairs. The sound of clinking metal led him into the kitchen, where Lillia was busy trying to mix a bowl of batter with a metal rod. She nced up as he entered, then nodded slightly in greeting, her attention returning to her work before doing a double take.

    ¡°Are those forks?¡±

    ¡°Knives and spoons as well.¡± Arwin held the bundle out and she took it carefully from him, her eyes lighting up with delight.

    ¡°This is fantastic. Thank you. Now I¡¯ll actually have something people can eat with normally. All I have to do is actually get a few more customers,¡± Lillia said with a grin. She pulled the rod out of her bowl and imed a spoon, sticking it into the batter and giving it a spin. ¡°That¡¯s so much better. How much are these worth?¡±

    ¡°Probably about five silver,¡± Arwin said after a moment. ¡°They were pretty easy to make and aren¡¯t all that fancy. Maybe six?¡±

    ¡°Six seems correct. That¡¯s three days of stay for both you and Reya.¡±

    ¡°Good. Is there anything else urgent?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing that I need right now, but I always need more cookware.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into that in a few days, then,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°I¡¯m going to look into starting to make some gear. We should be meeting the other members of my guild soon, and they¡¯re going to want some equipment. I¡¯ll be in the forge if you need me.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand in farewell. ¡°Feel free to ask Reya for whatever help she can offer. She¡¯s bored out of her mind.¡±

    With that, he strode out of the tavern. He could already feel the call of the scales waiting for him in the smithy. There was a lot he needed to work on, and every item he crafted made the next one turn out just a bit nicer.

    <em>I can¡¯t wait to make my hammer ¨C but one thing at a time. For now, I need to work on some equipment. The stuff that turns out poorly can go into a pile to be sold. It¡¯s about time I started getting ready to make some real money. </em>

 Chapter 39: Beautiful

    Chapter 39: Beautiful

    Three days passed in a blur. Arwin spent all his time in the smithy, burning through the rest of his scales. He focused on making gear that he already knew how to do ¨C namely, chest pieces and greaves.

    By the dawn of the fourth day, Arwin¡¯s efforts had been rewarded with five normal sets of armor and one set of magically enhanced armor. Everything else had been detrimental and had promptly gotten consumed so as to avoid letting it damage anything.

    The one decent magical set he created was far from the strongest magical item he¡¯d made, with both the chest piece and the greaves possessing heat resistance and increased durability, but it didn¡¯t have any negative drawbacks either.

    <em>It¡¯s not Unique, so that¡¯s probably for the best. The enchantment on this is pretty weak, so it shouldn¡¯t bepletely unrealistic for Rodrick to have this. It¡¯ll serve him well until we can get him some more powerful armor that he can conceal the properties of. </em>

    In addition to Arwin¡¯s work on armor, he spent some time making one more magical item ¨C a bracelet. It took him a few hours and several tries before he managed to get something that fit his needs.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Resilient]: This item was forged by a man who felt like a strong bracelet was more important than a pair of greaves. hit it a few too many times, making it. It is considerably more difficult to damage or bend by any means. </strong>

    Arwin grinned to himself and slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. He pulled his sleeve down over his wrist to hide it from any prying eyes. The bracelet was far too thin to actually use defensively, but it would make a good snack if The Hungering Maw suddenly started acting up when he wasn¡¯t ready for it.

    All his work hadted him some magical energy and progress toward his next Tier advancement, but no movements in Titles or Achievements. That wasn¡¯t much of a surprise to him, though.Arwin peeled his attention away from the hearth and turned to head out of the smithy.<em></em>But, as he walked toward the door, something gave him pause. He couldn¡¯t ce what it was at first, but the smithy felt different. It took him a few moments to realize what it was. The floor had been swept.

    All the debris that had been scattered about was gone, and his piles of material had been organized slightly. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed.

    <em>When did that happen?</em>

    He stepped outside, locking the door behind him before making his way across the street to the tavern. To Arwin¡¯s surprise, he heard voicesing from within it ¨C voices that didn¡¯t belong to Reya or Lillia.

    He ducked through the dark doorway. Sitting at the counter, illuminated faintly by the light of thentern beside them, were Rodrick and Anna. Arwin nearly choked as an imp strutted out of the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter, setting down a handful of berries on each of their tes.

    The hideous misshapen creature, fangs jutting out of its mouth and a permanent snarl on its face, was wearing a dirty ck dress withcy white frills. It was in a maid¡¯s outfit. As Arwin watched, the imp gave them a sharp salute and hopped back to the ground, heading into the kitchen.

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Rodrick said through augh, pping the counter and shaking his head. ¡°Have you ever seen anything like that before? Best damn costume I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    Arwin tried to study the imp, but the Mesh rolled off it as if it wasn¡¯t even there.

    <em>How is she hiding their information from Rodrick and Anna? Actually, that might be a dumb question. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s chosen a few skills by now, and as a demon in a human city, I bet one of them was a form of concealment skill for herself and her demons. </em>

    ¡°I wonder how long it takes them to do that,¡± Anna mused. ¡°It must cost a fortune. I wonder why they chose such an odd ce to set up shop.¡±

    ¡°It adds to the ambiance,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I love it. Do you think they¡¯ll have an orc at some point? That would be hrious.¡±

    Arwin fought to keep the disbelief from his features as he walked up to join the two adventurers. They werepletely convinced that the imp was fake. Sure, he¡¯d told Lillia to lean into things as hard as she could, but he hadn¡¯t meant <em>this </em>hard.

    <em>Then again, nobody in their right mind would ever assume a real imp would be strolling around in a maid costume. Where did they get that?</em>

    ¡°Oh, Arwin is here!¡± Rodrick said, catching a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face Arwin and raised a hand in greeting. ¡°Pleasure seeing you again, mate. We came looking for you like we said we would. Reya found us a few streets over and brought us here. You should have said how damn good the food here is. Cheap, too.¡±

    ¡°She recently joined the guild,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What do you think of the tavern?¡±

    ¡°The theme is hrious. Never seen anything like it. I feel like this would be a hit if more people knew about it,¡± Rodrick replied, pausing to pop some berries into his mouth. ¡°Wait, did you say the innkeeper was part of the guild?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. As of a few days ago.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°You work fast,¡± Anna said with a soft smile. ¡°Rodrick is right. This is quite the spot. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d like it much, but I¡¯ve been pleasantly surprised. How have thest few days been treating you?¡±

    ¡°Quite well. I¡¯ve been mostly focused on work,¡± Arwin admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°Where¡¯s Reya, by the way?¡±

    ¡°Out in town looking for something. She said she¡¯d be back soon,¡± Rodrick said. He let some of the amusement fade out of his tone as his expression grew serious. ¡°Anna and I tried to look into what might have happened with the Wyrm, but we didn¡¯t have much luck.¡±

    ¡°I think I may have figured it out,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Or rather, Lillia did. She knows even more about monsters than I do, considering her¡­ well, appreciation of them.¡±

    Rodrick snorted and looked around the tavern. ¡°Appreciation is an understatement, but I love it. Nothing better than someone that¡¯s really invested in their passion. I hope she doesn¡¯t object to hunting, though.¡±

    <em>You know, I never considered that. I should probably ask her. It¡¯s not like we can stop hunting monsters to get stronger unless there¡¯s an alternative I don¡¯t know of, but it would probably be right to at least chat with her about it.</em>

    ¡°What¡¯s that about hunting?¡± Lillia asked, stepping out of the kitchen and wiping her hands off on her apron.

    ¡°We were talking about if you¡¯d be okay with it, considering how much you like monsters,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. ¡°The monsters you¡¯re talking about hunting aren¡¯t the same as the ones I care about. There are a lot of different species, and monsters is honestly a bit of a misnomer.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Rodrick asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°What do you mean? Is it just that you find some cuter than others or something?¡±

    Lillia snorted and shook her head. ¡°No. Well, yes, but that¡¯s not why. The difference is sapience. People generally refer to everything that isn¡¯t a <em>normal </em>animal or human as a monster, but there are actually two categories beyond that. There are monsters that don¡¯t have any intelligence beyond a desire to grow stronger by killing, and there are monsters that are just as intelligent as a human.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°You¡¯re not exaggerating?¡±

    ¡°Identical,¡± Lillia confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of them myself in my¡­ uh, studies.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a monster researcher, then? Just like Arwin?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Lillia said, sending a nce at Arwin.

    ¡°How do we know if we¡¯re fighting a smart one?¡± Anna asked, chewing her lower lip with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t want to mistakenly attack something that doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It would be like attacking a random human. It would be really obvious.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Anna let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Good. So you don¡¯t mind us talking about hunting in here, then?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. Feel free.¡±

    ¡°Great. Back to the Wyrm, then,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°What was it the two of you figured out?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Arwin shook his head, having temporarily lost his train of thought, before continuing. ¡°It might be about to have a litter. You recall how the forest seemed like it was¡­ ah, in the mood, right?¡±

    Anna and Rodrick nodded.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible the Wyrm is no different. And, if that¡¯s the case, there could be a bunch of Wyrmlings running around everywhere really soon. And, if I recall correctly, Wyrmlings are typically born around high Apprentice tier.¡±

    Rodrick and Anna both paled.

    ¡°That could be really bad,¡± Rodrick said, tapping a finger on the counter absentmindedly. ¡°Depending on the number, the guards could get overwhelmed. If the Wyrms go hunting with their spawn¡­ that¡¯s a lot of monsters, and at least two really powerful ones. Milten could get overrun.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention the Adventurer¡¯s Guild might send people,¡± Anna added, biting her inner cheek and furrowing her brow. ¡°The town would be insufferable for weeks, even if the horde was fought off.¡±

    ¡°Having the Adventurer¡¯s Guild show up would be¡­ less than opportune,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Which is why I think we should try to act <em>before </em>anyone figures out what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°You want us to try and take out two Wyrms when we barely managed to escape one?¡± Rodrick asked doubtfully. ¡°That kind of seems like a suicide mission.¡±

    ¡°It would be, if we were actually trying to kill both of them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯d be able to take them out. Not on our own, at least. But, if we could somehow get them to fight or otherwise distract them, maybe we could either get the upper hand or make them run away.¡±

    ¡°That seems a bit optimistic,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to hear you out if you had a n, though.¡±

    ¡°Well, I think we¡¯re going to need to get stronger before we even think about trying anything,¡± Arwin amended. ¡°As it stands, we¡¯d be ughtered no matter what we went for. Luckily, we¡¯ve got time. Wyrmlings don¡¯t just pop out in a day."

    ¡°It should be about two months before they¡¯re born.¡± Lillia put in. ¡°But it could be less. I wouldn¡¯t use that number as a hard deadline, but it¡¯s a rough one.¡±

    ¡°Two months isn¡¯t much time,¡± Rodrick hedged. ¡°Especially if we don¡¯t have a good ce to hunt anymore. The forest is too dangerous as it is right now.¡±

    ¡°We do have a spot, though,¡± Arwin said, a grin pulling across his lips.

    ¡°We do?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Where? Do you know of another location that¡¯s close to town?¡±

    ¡°I do. It¡¯s not the safest area, but we¡¯re the only ones with ess to it. Consider it a perk of being in the guild.¡±

    ¡°Stop dangling it over me and say what it is already!¡± Rodrick eximed.

    ¡°Are you sure? I was thinking about showing you the armor I made first,¡± Arwin said, grinning at the hungry look that shed across Rodrick¡¯s face.

    ¡°Wait, you made me armor? I can¡¯t afford anything yet!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an investment. Don¡¯t expect anything too great.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? Anything would be ¨C wait. You distracted me. This is bullying,¡± Rodrickined. ¡°Just tell us what you¡¯ve got already!¡±

    Arwinughed and held his hands up in surrender as both Lillia and Anna nodded in agreement, joining Rodrick in ring at him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got ess to a Journeyman dungeon,¡± Arwin said. ¡°One with only one key. It¡¯s going to be a tough one for our current abilities, but if we¡¯re all doing it together, I think we can handle it. The monsters probably won¡¯t be at the level of the Wyrm, so I think we could slowly make our way through it. They¡¯ll still be Journeyman level, but as long as we don¡¯t get too deep, I strongly believe we should be able to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Anna breathed, jumping to her feet. ¡°We have an exclusive dungeon? How is that possible? The guild isn¡¯t even official. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Technically, I think we stole an exclusive dungeon,¡± Arwin amended. ¡°There might be a thieves¡¯ guild that¡¯s still pretty miffed about that ¨C but who cares? It¡¯s the best option I can think of. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°I say you give me that armor and we get to it,¡± Rodrick replied, rubbing his hands together. ¡°This is either going to end in glory or a really, really pathetic death.¡±

    ¡°Way to spoil the mood,¡± Anna said, flicking Rodrick in the shoulder.

    ¡°Bah. At least I¡¯m going to leave a beautiful corpse. Let me see that armor you made,¡± Rodrick said eagerly. ¡°This is going to be glorious.¡±

 Chapter 40: Underway

    Chapter 40: Underway

    Everyone followed Arwin back to his smithy, where he very proudly unlocked his door, pausing to make sure everyone saw him push it open.

    ¡°Why¡¯s he doing that?¡± Rodrick whispered as Arwin walked inside.

    ¡°He got a door,¡± Lillia exined.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin anything.¡±

    ¡°No, it makes sense.¡± Lillia looked back at the door and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a nice door.¡±

    Rodrick didn¡¯t respond. He¡¯d spotted the pile of armor lying on the ground beside the anvil. Sitting on top of the anvil were a pair of scale greaves and a chest piece, both faintly shimmering with the Mesh¡¯s power.

    He stood in mute disbelief, staring at the items as if they were a pile of glittering gold. Rodrick swallowed heavily and looked over to Arwin, raising a finger toward the armor.

    ¡°That¡­ me? It¡¯s for me?¡±

    Arwin chuckled and nodded. Rodrick looked like someone had just told him he had a long-lost son. Edging toward the magical pieces of equipment, Rodrick drew up to the anvil and let his hands brush over the scale te.¡°This is incredible,¡± Rodrick muttered. ¡°I never thought ¨C I can¡¯t afford this. No way.¡±

    ¡°I told you it was an investment,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°The only rule is you can only keep this as long as you stay in the guild, and you can¡¯t sell it to someone else.¡±

    ¡°Sell it?¡± Rodrick eximed as if the very idea offended him. ¡°I would never. This is incredible. A work of art. Nobody would be able to buy it off me for any amount of money. And damn ¨C talk about a way to get your hooks in. I don¡¯t think I could leave if I wanted to anymore.¡±

    ¡°Try it on, then,¡± Arwin said, gesturing toward the armor. ¡°Make sure it fits. I made it with you in mind, but sometimes it can be hard to tell.¡±

    Rodrick didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He hurried to start pulling everything on, and Arwin sent Anna an apologetic look.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t make anything for you. I didn¡¯t think a healer would benefit much from metal armor. You probably aren¡¯t particrly strong.¡±

    ¡°No offense taken. You¡¯d be correct. I¡¯d probably suffer in just chain mail, much less anything like that,¡± Anna said with augh. ¡°It¡¯s more than enough to see Rodrick this happy. Besides, he¡¯s the one that takes the hits for me, so any armor for him is functionally armor for me.¡±

    Arwin noticed Lillia¡¯s eyes were firmly fixed on the armor. He hadn¡¯t made her anything yet, but she was definitely far stronger than any normal innkeeper.

    <em>I should try to make her something. I¡¯ve seen her wear some pretty heavy armor in the past, so as long as I don¡¯t go too crazy with the weight of the material, some armor would do her a lot of use. Then again, I don¡¯t know all the passives or abilities she kept. She might not be able to use heavy armor easily anymore. </em>

    ¡°It fits me perfectly!¡± Rodrick eximed in delight, twisting to test out his new range of motion. In some ways, he¡¯d reacted the exact same way that Reya had. Arwin chuckled at his expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. No problems, then?¡±

    ¡°None that I can feel. It¡¯s way lighter than I thought it would be too,¡± Rodrick said, rapping his chest with his knuckles. ¡°Definitely the best set of armor I¡¯ve ever worn. You¡¯re not going to get me into eternal debt by making me pay for repairs if this gets damaged, are you? I mean, I¡¯d probably take you up on it, but I¡¯m just checking.¡±

    Arwin rolled his eyes. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Just do your job and keep any monsters off our backline and you¡¯ll have earned it. You might want to find something to cover yourself with, though. I don¡¯t see a lot of people walking around with magic items.¡±

    ¡°Gee, I wonder why. Not everyone just pops them out,¡± Rodrick said, still looking down at himself in disbelief. ¡°Seriously, how did you get the materials to make this? Do you have a deal with a powerful demon or something? Enchantments are so expensive.¡±

    <em>They are?</em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just try to let me know if you find anything off. I haven¡¯t gotten around to making boots, gloves, or helmets yet ¨C so make sure you don¡¯t get hit there. I¡¯ll try to get to it soon enough.

    ¡°Are you seriously apologizing for not making enough magical equipment?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to run out and fight monsters naked wearing nothing but a thong if it was magical.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Arwin grimaced, banishing that mental image from his mind before it could permanently scar him. ¡°Then let¡¯s all thank God that I made armor and not a thong. I¡¯m rather eager to get things started, so if nobody needs anything else, we should look into finding Reya and getting to work. No reason to waste time.¡±

    Anna pulled her cloak off and tossed it to Rodrick. He wrapped it around himself, leaving the hood down. As soon as it covered his armor, the faint tingle of the Mesh faded away.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rodrick said. Anna nodded in response.

    ¡°What are you doing with the other sets of armor?¡± Lillia asked, nodding to the pile in the corner.

    ¡°Selling them, probably. They¡¯re nothing special. You¡¯re wee to try some on if you want, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll fit you,¡± Arwin warned. ¡°I made them all pretty generic for broad-shouldered male builds.¡±

    ¡°Oh. No problem,¡± Lillia said, waving a hand dismissively. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it, then. I haven¡¯t gone hunting in a long time. Maybe we can pick up some fresh ingredients for me to work with while we¡¯re out.¡±

    ¡°You know, I just realized how efficient of a pair you two make,¡± Anna observed, hiding a smile behind her hand. ¡°Arwin takes all the inedible parts of the monsters to make armor and weapons with, and you can use the rest for food.¡±

    ¡°Waste not, want not,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go find Reya.¡±

    ***

    Fortunately, finding Reya was a fairly simple task. By the time they left the smithy and headed toward the tavern, she was on her way out of it in search of them.

    ¡°Did I miss something?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Also, hi Arwin. Haven¡¯t seen you much recently. Did you like what I did with the smithy?¡±

    ¡°Wait, that was you? You swept everything up?¡±

    ¡°Yep! It looks way better, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Much better,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Thank you very much. It¡¯s looking more and more professional with every day. I still have no idea how you managed that while I was working, though.¡±

    ¡°No offense, but you¡¯re basically as dense as a brick while you¡¯re smithing,¡± Reya said through a snicker. ¡°I was singing to myself the whole time while I cleaned, and you didn¡¯t notice me once.¡±

    Arwin grunted. That was mildly concerning ¨C he¡¯d have to remember to lock the door while he was working in the future so nobody strolled in and robbed him blind.

    ¡°Noted.¡±

    ¡°So, what¡¯s everyone up to? You all look excited, and it¡¯s making me feel left out.¡±

    ¡°We decided it¡¯s just about time to use that key of yours,¡± Arwin said, bringing Reya up to speed on everything that they¡¯d just discussed.

    ¡°Are we really going to be able to handle a Journeyman level dungeon, though?¡± Anna asked once Arwin had finished, biting her inner cheek. ¡°I mean, we barely managed to handle a high Tier Apprentice Lizard.¡±

    ¡°That was some time ago, and there are more of us now,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Dungeon monsters, especially ones at the start, should be easier to handle. I¡¯ll admit that it¡¯s far from ideal, but the forest is too dangerous with the Wyrm roaming around it. This might be our best shot at a safe training space.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the thieves¡¯ guild will let us in? I bet they¡¯re still guarding it.¡± Reya warned.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. If they want to pick a fight, I think we¡¯re pretty well equipped to handle it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They won¡¯t have their whole guild there, and I think we more than made our point thest time we had a disagreement.¡±

    ¡°You had a disagreement with a whole guild? Were they a small one or something?¡± Anna asked.

    Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll tell you the story on the road. It¡¯s a bit of a long one, and all that matters in the end is that we¡¯ve got a chance to do something big here. If we can handle the dungeon and get strong enough to fight off the Wyrmlings ¨C not only will we get stronger, but I¡¯ll have a slew of powerful new materials to work with.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d have new ingredients to cook with as well,¡± Lillia said, licking her lips. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, but we¡¯re not getting anywhere by hiding like cowards. I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°I was in the moment you gave me this,¡± Rodrick said, tapping his armor. ¡°If you need a whole guild destroyed, just point me in their direction. I¡¯ll take ¡®em out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot,¡± Anna said with augh. ¡°I¡¯m in, obviously. Journeyman Tier monsters aren¡¯t going to be easy, but I¡¯ve seen almost everyone here fight. We can handle it as long as we can get past that guild, it¡¯s a chance. If we pull this off, we might actually have enough capital to look into bing a proper guild.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m obviously in as well.¡± Reya gave Arwin a confident grin. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you just take my key and waltz off with it. Besides, I¡¯ve got a new ss to test out. I want revenge on that stupid Wyrm for eating my dagger. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. We should wait for Lillia to take off her disguise first,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It can¡¯t befortable to fight in all that stuff.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s semi-permanent,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t reallye off easily. I¡¯ll just fight in it.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Rodrick let out a whistle. ¡°Wow. You¡¯re dedicated to the cause, aren¡¯t you? I respect it.¡±

    <em>I can¡¯t believe that actually worked. I suppose anything is more believable than her being a literal demon. </em>

    ¡°We¡¯re all in agreement, then.¡± Arwin scooped his cksmithing hammer off the ground and tested its weight. Even though it was meant for the forge, the thing was one hefty bastard. It would be perfect for bashing in the heads of anything that got in his way ¨C at least until he got the chance to forge his new weapon. ¡°Reya, care to take the lead? We¡¯ve got a dungeon to start clearing, and the only thing that might be standing in our way is a tiny little guild.¡±

    ¡°So they were small after all?¡± Anna asked. ¡°What, do they have five members or something?¡±

    ¡°No, it was more like thirty,¡± Arwin replied absently. He ignored the horrified looks that Anna and Rodrick sent him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We probably won¡¯t even have to fight them again. Thest time I confronted their guild I sent a pretty strong message.¡±

    ¡°You confronted them? Alone?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°Nah, I had a bit of help. It worked out in the end.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t leave it at that,¡± Rodrick protested. ¡°What happened? How¡¯d you handle a whole guild?¡±

    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a long story. Reya, care to take the lead? I want to get this underway.¡±

    Reya grinned and nodded. ¡°With pleasure. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 41: Wiggler

    Chapter 41: Wiggler

    The trip out of the city didn¡¯t take long and went easily. The only stressful part of their exit was the fear that someone might notice Rodrick¡¯s armor, but he kept the cloak Anna had given him wrapped tightly around himself. Lillia kept to the shadows, the ever-present cloak of darkness wrapped around her preventing anyone from ncing in her direction.

    Even though nobody had any way to tell what he had, none of them breathed easily until they¡¯d stepped out of the city gates and were well on their way toward the dungeon.

    ¡°I need to get strong enough to conceal my equipment,¡± Rodrick grumbled, ncing over his shoulder at the city walls as they followed Reya. ¡°That was horrible. I felt like every single person we passed was staring me down.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re already working on that, so all you have to do is keep at it,¡± Anna pointed out. ¡°I felt the same way, though.¡±

    <em>Makes me even happier I have [Arsenal]. Even if my equipment doesn¡¯t have the property that lets it appear mundane, I can still banish and summon it at will as long as I bind to it. Speaking of which, I only have two pieces of equipment bound right now since my sword got chomped. I wonder¡­ </em>

    Arwin activated [Arsenal] and bound the hammer in his hands. It wasn¡¯t magical, but it still counted as a piece of equipment as far as he was concerned. A momentter, the ck weapon vanished.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya said. ¡°That¡¯s so strange to watch.¡±

    The hammer reformed in Arwin¡¯s hands. ¡°It¡¯s quite convenient, though.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that for my stuff, can you?¡± Rodrick asked hopefully.¡°Unfortunately not. It¡¯s a personal equipment thing only. You¡¯ll just have to conceal things the old fashioned way,¡± Arwin said apologetically. ¡°Reya, how far are we from the dungeon? I want to make sure we¡¯re all ready when we get closer. Your old friends might be hanging around.¡±

    ¡°About an hour away, I think,¡± Reya said after a moment of thought. ¡°I thought you said they wouldn¡¯t put up much fight, though. Didn¡¯t wee to an agreement?¡±

    ¡°That kind of thing can fall through sometimes,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. He scanned their surroundings, but there didn¡¯t seem to be anything other than grass. ¡°Never hurts to be prepared, just in case something goes awry.¡±

    Their trek continued on in silence. Minutes slipped by and, soon enough, they¡¯d been walking for nearly an hour. The slope of the hills intensified the deeper they went, making it harder to tell exactly where they were.

    Reya seemed to have a pretty good grasp of their direction, though. She kept ncing up at the sky, then slightly rerouting and continuing on with almost no hesitation. Just when Arwin was about to ask how she knew where they were, Reya held a hand to her lips and pointed down the hill.

    From what he could tell, the only thing there was the bottom of a small, grassy hill and a small pile ofrge stones. It took Arwin a moment to notice what she was pointing at. Nestled behind the rocks was a thin rectangr outline in the ground.

    He would have missed itpletely if Reya hadn¡¯t pointed it out to him. Arwin nced around to see if there was anyone else in the area, but as far as he could tell, it waspletely empty.

    ¡°That¡­ almost seems too easy,¡± Rodrick muttered. ¡°I thought you said there was a guild guarding this?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they gave up since we took the key,¡± Reya said.

    That did seem a bit optimistic, but Arwin couldn¡¯t find any traces of other people in the area. It really did look like the thieves¡¯ guild had given up on the dungeon. He¡¯d definitely made a pretty strong impression on their guild leader, so it was possible that they¡¯d decided it wasn¡¯t worth the trouble.

    ¡°Well, sitting around here isn¡¯t going to make things any better for us. We¡¯vee this far, so let¡¯s keep pushing forward.¡± Arwin said.

    They crept down the side of the hill and approached the outline. After ncing around onest time to make sure they weren¡¯t being watched, Reya pulled the ne over her head and set it down on the grass, pressing it down.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck tingled. The feeling passed over the rest of his body, crawling down his spine and along his limbs as the Mesh¡¯s presence around them intensified. There was a sharp pop, followed by a wet squelch.

    Shimmers of energy lit up along the outline of the rectangle at their feet. The tingling grew stronger, and lines of magical power stretched out through the grass, forming into intricate patterns.

    With one final buzz, the Mesh faded away and the grass sank down, forming into a stairwell that wound deep into the earth. Faint flickers of light appeared within it as glowing motes of orange light appeared to guide their path.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya breathed, peering down the stairwell with undisguised awe. ¡°That¡¯s incredible.¡±

    ¡°Just remember the exit is only going to open back up for us as long as you¡¯ve got that key,¡± Arwin said. He let his armor manifest on his body, not wanting to risk a surprise attack hitting something important, and stepped into the darkness.

    The rest of the group followed behind him, Reya taking up their tail. As soon as she had passed several stairs and was out of the way of the entrance, it ground shut behind them, leaving only t stone.

    ¡°That¡¯s creepy,¡± Reya said, throwing nces back over her shoulder as they continued by the light of the faint glowing orbs. Arwin considered batting at one of them as he passed, but he pushed the intrusive thought away.

    Most dungeons were pretty much inanimate ¨C the only living things inside them were the actual monsters. There were a few that had did have a degree of sapience, though ¨C and those took rather poorly to anyone fiddling with them.

    <em>No point finding out the hard way. Right now, all we want to do is figure out if we can handle this dungeon. I don¡¯t want to mistakenly make anything harder for us. </em>

    They continued down the stairs for several minutes until they came to a stop at an archway that led into arge, square room made of old cobblestone. Vines crawled across the walls, half-dried out fromck of water.

    The faint smell of moss and stale water drifted into Arwin¡¯s nose as he squinted through the dim light, trying to see if there was anything in the room. There was no door that he could initially see, but there was a shallow pool of water in the center of the room.

    ¡°Emptier than I expected,¡± Reya said, peering over his shoulder. ¡°I thought there would be monsters.¡±

    ¡°There will be,¡± Arwin said absently, scanning the corners where the shadows were the darkest. No two dungeons were exactly the same, but there were usually simrities ¨C and monsters weren¡¯t stupid.

    They congregated to dungeons because of the condensed magical power within them, and the dungeons used the monsters to fuel themselves ¨C either through the blood they spilled from inquisitive adventurers or through their own blood.

    <em>Something might be in the water, or it could be hiding on the ceiling where we can¡¯t see it. I doubt the dungeon would just have an open room that does absolutely nothing this early on, especially since I don¡¯t see a door anywhere. </em>

    <em>The weakest monsters always hang around the upper levels of a dungeon because they aren¡¯t strong enough to make it deeper and closer to the more intense magical energy. The ones far out from the ground usually aren¡¯t the smartest of the lot, but ambush predators aremon.</em>

    ¡°Keep your guard up,¡± Arwin advised as he crept into the room, letting his hammer materialize in his hands and adjusting his grip on the rough metal handle. ¡°Watch out for little buggers lurking in the shadows or underwater.¡±

    ¡°You think they¡¯re small?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Figure of speech,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I have no idea how big anything here is. Reya, Anna, both of you stay back. Let me and Rodrick draw their attention. Lillia ¨C I¡¯m not sure how yourbat skills are now, but I imagine you can handle yourself without instruction.¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll hang back so I don¡¯t draw anything¡¯s attention too early. I¡¯m not in the best spot to fight anything right now.¡±

    Arwin crept further into the room. He could still remember countless other dungeons he¡¯d plowed through, but the difference in strategy was so stark that it almost hurt. He could recall wading straight into dungeons, power rolling off his body as he sent waves of molten light into the dark, ripping through everything that stood in his way ¨C often before they even realized they were under attack.

    His party had been full of trained warriors that had done the dungeons dozens of times over already, and they knew every single thing about what they were facing. The dungeons almost never held surprises, and they¡¯d certainly never held challenges.

    Now, it was different. Arwin had no clue what was waiting for him in the darkness, and there was a very real chance that whatever it was had the strength to kill him and everyone behind him if they weren¡¯t properly prepared to fight it.

    <em>I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m thinking this, but in a morbid sense, it¡¯s actually more interesting. Sure, we might all end up dead, but it feels like we¡¯re actually doing something, not just going through the motions that we have to go through to get stronger.</em>

    ¡°Sneaky little cretins in this room, aren¡¯t they?¡± Rodrick asked, spinning his sword in his hand and baring his teeth in a grin. ¡°What do you think the chances are we¡¯re up against some slimy creature that lives in the pool?¡±

    ¡°Considering we haven¡¯t been jumped yet? Pretty damn high,¡± Arwin said. He tried to squint into the murky water, but it was too dark to make anything out. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡±

    His foot shifted across the ground until it found a loose stone. Arwin kicked it, sending the rock sailing through the air and into the very center of the puddle, where it struck the water with a <em>sploosh, </em>sending ripples running out and vanishing beneath the surface.

    <em></em>Almost instantly, the water erupted. A slippery grey form burst out, tentacles whipping through the air as a screech split the air. Arwin swung his hammer, batting one of the tentacles out of the air as it shot out for him.

    The weapon hit the soft, fleshy appendage and ripped straight through it, spraying blue blood across the ground and drawing out another screech. The monster heaved itself fully out of the water, revealing a bulbous head and dozens of beady ck eyes scattered across a blobby body.

    <strong>[Landsquid ¨C Apprentice 9]</strong>

    ¡°Gods, that thing is hideous,¡± Anna eximed from behind them. ¡°Get it away from me, please!¡±

    ¡°That looks delicious,¡± Lillia said, running her tongue along her lips. ¡°Arwin, don¡¯t squish its body too much, please. I want it un-mushed.¡±

    ¡°I say we kill the damn thing and figure out what to do with it afterward,¡± Rordrick suggested, taking a step back as the monster whipped a tentacle at his head. ¡°Any info on this ugly bastard, Arwin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a variant of a Landsquid,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°They¡¯re not very dangerous, but don¡¯t let it grab you.¡±

    ¡°How do we kill it?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Stab it.¡±

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Rodrick said dryly, raising his sword and narrowing his eyes. The Landsquid let out another screech, its tentacles mming into the ground around it like the beat of a dozen furious drummers. ¡°One te of chopped wiggler,ing right up.¡±

 Chapter 42: Deeper

    Chapter 42: Deeper

    Lillia had specifically requested that Arwin avoid crushing the Landsquid too badly, but he didn¡¯t see how he was meant to fight the monster without crushing it. It wasn¡¯t like he had a particrlyrge variety of pointy weapons to work with ¨C all he had that was usable at the moment was his hammer.

    <em>I can¡¯t imagine she¡¯llin if I cave the monster¡¯s skull in. I¡¯ll just leave the rest of the tentacles as untouched as I can.</em>

    ¡°Focus on cutting the tentacles off,¡± Arwin ordered, ducking out of the way as the Landsquid sent two tentacles snapping out to try and grab Arwin while he was off guard. The monster was fast, but its attacks were fairly predictable.

    Rodrick didn¡¯t even waste breath on a reply. As the next tentacles shot out, he brought his de down and carved one of them apart right at the half-way mark. Blue blood sttered across the warrior¡¯s chest and he ducked back to avoid getting hit by the monster¡¯s follow-up attack.

    The beast still had ten tentacles left, and Arwin didn¡¯t know how deep the pool of water beneath the Land Squid was. With its gtionus body, he suspected it could probably fit itself into small spaces, but he wasn¡¯t about to bet that the watery pit didn¡¯t connect to a muchrger area beneath.

    If it did, the fastest way to get killed would be to let the Landsquid grab him and drag him into the dark waters below. For the time being, the best thing he could do was to keep the monster¡¯s attention and let Rodrick work.

    Arwin dismissed his armor and hammer to let himself move faster. He ducked and dodged away from attacks, letting each one pass by him harmlessly. Compared to much of the training he¡¯d gone through in his past life, this creature was nothing. It was a monster that fought by ambushing its prey and using the element of surprise, not through long, extendedbat.

    Another tentacle squelched to the ground, thrashing about even though it was no longer connected to its controlling body, and the Landsquid screamed in pain. It lurched forward in ast ditch effort to try and grab Rodrick ¨C and that was when Arwin struck.

    His hammer materialized in his hands as he took advantage of the monster¡¯s temporary distraction and he brought the weapon down clean on the side of the Landsquid¡¯s head, using [Scourge] to empower the blow.The Landsquid¡¯s squishy body gave way, and there was a loud crunch as the hammer hit something solid deep within it. It was lifted into the air and sent sttering across the ground until it hit the wall.

    Not defeated, the squid lurched forward and twisted across the ground, making to retreat back into the pool that it hade from. Rodrick ran to cut the monster¡¯s path off, but Reya was faster.

    She took a step forward and thrust her hand out. Faint blue light erupted at her palm, swirling through the air and forming a dull pir above the Landsquid. The monster slowed, struggling against an invisible force.

    It onlysted for an instant, but that instant was enough for Rodrick to close the space between himself and the squid and drive his sword forward, plunging it straight into the wounded monster¡¯s skull.

    The Landsquid lurched once, then the tension vanished from its body and it copsed in a wet pile at Rodrick¡¯s feet. He ripped his sword free, flicking purplish-blue goo from the de, and sheathed at his side.

    Arwin didn¡¯t get any energy from killing the monster, but that was hardly a surprise. He didn¡¯t get stronger from killing things ¨C he got stronger from forging them. And, unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much he could do with the gtinous monster¡¯s corpse other than hope that Lillia fed it to people she didn¡¯t like.

    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Reya eximed, running up to the monster¡¯s body. ¡°Did you see that? I helped!¡±

    ¡°That was actually pretty damn useful,¡± Rodrick said with an approving smile. ¡°What did you do? It felt like you slowed it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The first ability I chose was [Imprison]. It lets me reduce the physical attributes of any monster by a small percentage. It¡¯s stronger the closer in Tier I am to my target, so I can¡¯t do too much with it yet, but I think it still helped. I got some energy for aiding in the kill.¡±

    ¡°It was definitely useful,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m really curious to see what else your ss will be capable of. Any debuff abilities are really valuable, so I think we can safely say you definitely went with the right choice.¡±

    Rodrick nodded in agreement and let out a whistle. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re going to be in real high demand, kid.¡±

    ¡°I am?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Debuffs are one of the best ways to fight strong monsters,¡± Anna exined, walking up to stand beside Reya. ¡°There¡¯s only so hard you can hit things, especially ones with really powerful defenses. But, if you can chip away at those defenses, you can make really nasty fights much easier. Not many sses provide ess to strong debuffs.¡±

    This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I never thought about it that way. I just thought it sounded useful,¡± Reya said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°I guess I made the right choice.¡±

    ¡°And you all left the squid mostly intact as well,¡± Lillia said, kneeling beside the dead monster and prodding it with a finger. ¡°Thanks. I bet I could do a bunch of stuff with this thing, but it¡¯s just struck me it¡¯s probably going to go bad pretty quickly, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You should invest in an icebox when you can.¡±

    Lillia pursed her lips and groaned. ¡°Just one of the many things I need to get my hands on. I¡¯m pretty sure the list gets longer with every day.¡±

    She picked up one of the severed tentacles and held it out before herself, ignoring the sickening squishing noises the limb made. It looked like an odd cross between flesh and Jell-o, and from the strong fishy smell filling the room, Arwin suspected it tasted like brine.

    <em>Please don¡¯t try to turn that into sushi.</em>

    ¡°Does anyone want to carry this?¡± Lillia asked hopefully.

    Everyone suddenly found the walls fascinating. Lillia snorted and rolled the tentacle up as best she could before tucking it under an arm,pletely staining her clothes. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll carry it myself. True genius requires experimentation.¡±

    ¡°Does true genius also smell like fish?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re going to.¡±

    They all chuckled, and Arwin summoned his armor back as he walked ap around the room, checking to see if there were any other monsters lurking in wait. He kept his distance from the pool of water, not wanting to find out the hard way that there was another squid.

    ¡°For our first fight of the dungeon, that wasn¡¯t half bad,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Anna agreed. ¡°We didn¡¯t even get hit.¡±

    ¡°It was only an Apprentice Tier. I thought this was a Journeyman dungeon,¡± Reya said with a frown. ¡°Howe it was so weak?¡±

    ¡°Trust me, that wouldn¡¯t have been weak if we hadn¡¯t outnumbered it five to one,¡± Arwin said, still scanning the walls. ¡°And Journeyman dungeon means it¡¯s appropriate for Journeyman tier adventurers, not that everything within it is a Journeyman. The weakest monsters are always toward the entrance of the dungeon, and it¡¯ll only get harder the deeper we go.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why we can¡¯t clear out the whole thing yet?¡± Reya guessed.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯ll probably be able to go a few rooms deep at the most, but that should be more than enough for our purposes. I want you to make sure you don¡¯tnd any killing blows on any monsters yet, by the way.¡±

    Reya blinked in confusion. ¡°Really? Why? Wouldn¡¯t that get me energy faster so I could get stronger?¡±

    ¡°It would, but that would cripple you in the future,¡± Arwin said. He paused as some lines in the wall caught his eye. ¡°Power lies in Titles and Achievements, not through jumping through the Tiers as quickly as you can. Trust me on this.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Reya said with a mock salute. ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡±

    ¡°Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Reya didn¡¯t sound particrly mollified, but Arwin didn¡¯t press the issue.

    He let his hand run along a crack in the stone, searching for a loose brick. It didn¡¯t take long before he found it. There was a soft click and a portion of the wall ground back, swinging out to reveal another room.

    ¡°That was fast,¡± Anna said, her eyebrows crawling up her forehead. ¡°How¡¯d you know there was a secret door? I would have suspected something in the pool.¡±

    ¡°There might very well be something there,¡± Arwin allowed. ¡°But I didn¡¯t feel like going for a swim, and once you¡¯ve seen a few dungeons, you start to keep an eye out for crap like this. Most of them were originally forts or other structures that got warped by the Mesh. Who doesn¡¯t like a secret passage?¡±

    ¡°I only like secret passages when I find the stupid things,¡± Rodrick said as he walked over to stand beside Arwin. ¡°We going in there?¡±

    Arwin turned back to the pool and stuck his hammer out, extending until it was several feet beneath the water. He grimaced, then pulled it free and backed away from the water once more.

    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve got a deep pool over here, but nothing popped out when I tested it. I don¡¯t think the monsters should be that clever this far out, so we should be good to go deeper. Make sure to take things slowly, though.¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± Rodrick promised. The two of them stepped into the next room. As soon as their feet fell beyond the doorway, dozens of little orange motes of energy identical to the ones that had lit up the stairs erupted all around the room, bathing it in soft light.

    This room was even mossier than the first had been, and the vine growth was thick enough that it almost resembled roots running along the floor. Water dripped from the ceiling, pattering to the floor gently.

    Sitting in the center of the room, still unaware of their presence, was a hunched green humanoid creature. It was hunched over the body of a dead Landsquid, rippingrge portions of the fleshy body away and shoveling them into its fanged mouth.

    <strong>[Swamp Orc ¨C Journeyman 1]</strong>

    A rusty cleaver hung at the monster¡¯s side, still covered with goop from the Landsquid and dried blood from other victims. Rodrick gagged as the orc shoved a whole tentacle down its throat, barely even pausing to swallow. It wiped its mouth with the back of a wed hand, then ripped another piece of the dead monster away.

    ¡°That¡¯s one ugly bugger,¡± Rodrick muttered, just loud enough for Arwin to hear.

    ¡°Orcs are good fighters, but they¡¯re not particrly clever. They¡¯re more of a threat when they¡¯re in groups,¡± Arwin said, tightening his grip on his hammer. The orc hadn¡¯t noticed them yet, but it would soon ¨C and, unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have any ranged attacks that could take advantage of its distraction. ¡°Just remember they¡¯re a lot stronger than humans are on average, and it¡¯s also got the tier advantage. Try to dodge attacks more than block them.¡±

    ¡°Right with you. Do you want to take the lead, considering¡­¡± Rodrick gestured vaguely to the armor covering Arwin¡¯s body.

    ¡°Yeah. Wait until it¡¯s distracted by me, then see if you can cripple it. Don¡¯t go for a killing blow too early. It¡¯ll make you over-extend and you could end up getting hit. It¡¯s safer to just take this nice and steady. Reya, can you Imprison it when it looks like Rodrick is about to strike?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Reya whispered.

    Arwin crept forward and the others followed him. It had been a long time since Arwin had fought an orc, but he got the feeling this one wouldn¡¯t go down nearly as easily as their previous opponent had.

 Chapter 43: Ugly

    Chapter 43: Ugly

    No sooner than Arwin had inched a few feet into the room did the orc jerk upright from its meal, its dull eyes shing as it spun toward him. The gtinous body of the Landsquid sttered across the ground as the orc threw it to the side.

    It drew its cleaver and threw its head back, letting out a furious roar that sent spittle flying all across the floor. Even at the distance Arwin was at, he could smell the monster¡¯s rancid breath.

    Arwin moved carefully, not wanting to get his feet caught on the thick vines on the ground. One misstep would be more than enough to give the orc an advantage that he had absolutely no desire to hand over.

    He bared his own teeth in challenge and beat a fist against the armor on his chest, drawing the orc¡¯s attention to him. From what he remembered, orcs were incrediblypetent in physicalbat, but they weren¡¯t hard to trick.

    <em>As long as I can keep its attention on me, we should be able to handle this without too much trouble. I just have to make sure I don¡¯t take a blow to the head and die before Anna can patch up any damage I take. </em>

    The orc, fed up with waiting for an attack, charged. Its powerful muscles propelled the humanoid beast forward, closing the distance between it and Arwin in just a few steps. It reared back, bringing the cleaver down for the nape of Arwin¡¯s neck for what would have been a killing blow.

    Arwin spun his hammer, knocking the cleaver to the side with a grunt. He¡¯d nned to convert the momentum of the deflection into a counterattack, but the orc was <em>strong</em>. All the force he¡¯d put into the attack was absorbed, leaving nothing to press forward with.

    The orc, having a considerably nimbler weapon than Arwin, recovered first. It brought the cleaver back toward his neck with brutal speed. He leaned back, letting the blow whistle by harmlessly, and then drove his knee into the orc.

    It was like striking a brick wall. Arwin cursed, and his greaves tingled as a small portion of kic energy was stored within them. His attack had done so little that it had actually counted as an attack against Arwin.<em>Or is that just physics? If I hit something really hard, isn¡¯t that the same as it hitting me just as hard? The force has to go somewhere. Interesting thought. </em>

    If the orc could have read Arwin¡¯s thoughts, perhaps it would have been impressed with his budding career as a physicist. Unfortunately for him, it was entirely incapable of both mathematical calctions and mind reading, so it was forced to settle for a scream and a lunge.

    Arwin¡¯s foot caught on one of the many vines littered across the ground and he twisted as he fell, bringing his hammer around to keep the orc from instantly pouncing on him. He hit the ground with a grunt and rolled to the side without waiting.

    A loud screech rang out as the monster¡¯s cleaver scraped against his armor, leaving a furrow through the scales. Heat swirled in Arwin¡¯s chest and ash of molten me arced out from the armor, striking the orc across the face before it could react.

    It screamed in pain and stumbled back, dropping the cleaver. Rodrick took that moment to act. He burst into motion from where he¡¯d been standing at the sidelines, thrusting his sword forward without a sound.

    Even still, the orc managed to notice himing. It twisted at thest second, bringing its heart out of Rodrick¡¯s path. The sword bit deep into the monster¡¯s side and sent blood sttering across the damp floor.

    Rodrick nearly tripped over his own feet at theck of resistance his de met. He¡¯d been nning to run the monster through, not leave a nasty cut on its side. Even as he recovered, the orc lunged for his neck, reaching out with rancid, jagged ws.

    A sh of blue light enveloped the monster. It slowed, and Rodrick ducked out of the way. Arwin surged forward, bringing his hammer for the orc¡¯s side just as the blue energy wore off.

    In an impressive disy of acrobatics, the orc vaulted backward. It grabbed onto a vine hanging from the ceiling and swung itself even further,nding on the other side of the room. It pressed a hand to the bloody furrow in its side, then bared its teeth and let out a roar.

    Dull red energy ignited behind its eyes and the orc¡¯s posture shifted. It flexed its ws, hissing as it swayed from foot to foot. Arwin grimaced in distaste.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is it doing?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°Nobody told me the damn things could glow!¡±

    ¡°Orcs often have a berserker state that gets triggered when they¡¯re in a really intense fight or when their shaman triggers it intentionally,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Be careful. Back up and let me handle this.¡±

    ¡°What? But I thought¨C¡±

    ¡°Have you ever fought a rampaging orc?¡±

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    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then back up,¡± Arwin said, advancing to make sure he kept the monster¡¯s attention. Not every orc had the bloodline that let them rampage without the aid of a shaman, and he¡¯d been hoping to get lucky.

    Evidently, that had been a poor idea. In concept, a rampaging orc shouldn¡¯t have actually been that much more dangerous than a normal one. They didn¡¯t get stronger or faster ¨C in fact, they didn¡¯t change their physical abilities at all.

    Instead, theypletely lost their ability to feel pain. Their bodies basically forgot that they were living, breathing creatures and transformed into weapons hellbent on killing their target.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything dumb,¡± Lillia warned. ¡°You know what¨C¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arwin said briskly. Lillia did likely know more than he did, but she¡¯d been hiding her powers from Anna and Rodrick. He didn¡¯t me her, but it meant she couldn¡¯t do anything in the fight. If he wanted to make it out from this fight with his armor in one piece, he was going to need his full concentration.

    The orc roared and sprinted toward Arwin, its arms extended to rip him to shreds. Arwin empowered his legs and bounded to the side, swinging his hammer at the monster as he passed. It didn¡¯t even bother trying to dodge, and a loud crunch rang out as the weapon impacted the orc¡¯s shoulder.

    It lurched toward Arwin, shing with its ws and nearly catching him while he backed up and readied his hammer again. Arwin swung the weapon once more, this time empowering it with [Scourge].

    A keening wail filled the air as the hammer hurtled through the air and mmed straight into the center of the orc¡¯s chest, sending a spray of blood and bone up into the air with a sickening crunch.

    The force of Arwin¡¯s blow sent it tumbling across the ground. It bounced twice, then mmed into the wall. Blood pouring from the massive crater in the orc¡¯s chest, it mbered to its feet and swayed toward him, apparently unaware that it should have been dead twice over.

    <em>Annoying bastards. </em>

    The orc burst into motion, and Arwin matched the attack with his hammer. As the weapon neared the orc¡¯s head, it twitched to the side and just barely managed to avoid it. In the same motion, it lunged to bite at Arwin¡¯s neck.

    He used [Scourge] to empower his leg as he brought his leg up, driving his knee straight into the orc¡¯s chin. It snapped back with enough force to shatter the teeth in its mouth. Not finished, Arwin brought his bare fist down on the monster¡¯s head, pouring in all the power [Scourge] would let him.

    In a scene vaguely reminiscent of a very gorey whack-a-mole, the orc¡¯s head crumpled. Blood and gore seeped out of its face as it careened, still managing to rake its jagged ws across Arwin¡¯s chest as it copsed.

    His armor absorbed the blow, keeping it from prating, but Arwin earned four thick new furrows in his armor for his troubles. Even when the orc¡¯s body hit the ground, Arwin didn¡¯t hesitate.

    He brought his hammer down once more, driving it straight into the monster¡¯s back. Its body iled, then fell still. Arwin took a step back, breathing heavily as blood dripped from the end of his hammer.

    ¡°There,¡± Arwin said, pausing to swallow and catch his breath. ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Reya said. ¡°I knew you could fight, but I didn¡¯t know you could <em>fight</em>.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that meant to mean?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I fought the Wyrm.¡±

    ¡°We ran from the Wyrm,¡± Rodrick corrected, regarding Arwin in a new light. ¡°That was brutal. Have you fought orcs before? You ripped that thing apart.¡±

    ¡°On asion,¡± Arwin said. He saw the look in Lillia¡¯s eye and grimaced. He knew what she was thinking, even if she wasn¡¯t saying it.

    <em>She¡¯s seen me do that to a whole lot more than just an orc. </em>

    ¡°So the room is safe, now?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Can we look around and see if there¡¯s anything good?¡±

    ¡°There almost certainly is,¡± Arwin replied, kneeling to pick up the fallen cleaver. It had two rough initials carved into it, a <em>V </em>and an <em>A </em>oveid on top of each other. They probably belonged to the original owner of the cleaver, before it hadnded in the grasp of the mindless creatureying at Arwin¡¯s feet. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited yet, though. Take things slow. This room is pretty hard to see in, so there could be doors leading to other parts of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Do monsters actually travel between the rooms? I always thought they kind of just¡­ sat there,¡± Reya said.

    Arwin looked at Reya, blinking in surprise. ¡°Why would they do that? They want to get deeper and closer to the source of Mesh that lured them here in the first ce, so they rarelye back out of the dungeon into the worse rooms ¨C but rarely doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That was a good save, by the way,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°If Reya hadn¡¯t slowed that orc down, I¡¯d have taken a nasty hit. I didn¡¯t think the darn thing would be so aware when it was actively fighting you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to go for crippling blows, not finishing ones,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Harder to correct when you¡¯re throwing your whole weight behind an attack. Now, lets¨C¡±

    ¡°Hush!¡± Lillia hissed, slipping forward and pping a hand over Arwin¡¯s mouth. His eyes widened and he had to stop himself from throwing her arm away instinctively. The expression on her face was serious enough to kill any questions that Arwin had.

    They all went silent; eyes darting around the room to try and find what Lillia had spotted. It took Arwin a few more seconds than he would have liked, but he finally managed to locate what had drawn Lillia¡¯s attention.

    The vines near the far left wall were¡­ off. Their tone was just slightly different to the other vines covering the ground, and they were more tightly knit than they were in other areas. They weren¡¯t just vines ¨C it was the coiled body of arge snake. The Mesh didn¡¯t appear to identify the monster, so it had to have some form of stealth or concealment skill.

    The snake must have been at least three feet wide and eighteen feet long. It hadn¡¯t attacked yet, but it was ever-so-slowly making its way toward them.

    No sooner than Arwin had spotted the monster did he hear a grunt from down a hall at the room behind it ¨C a grunt that sounded suspiciously like an orc.

    ¡°More orcsing,¡± Arwin whispered, tightening his grip on his hammer. ¡°I knew it. They¡¯re rarely alone. The others must have gone deeper into the dungeon. Get ready to fight. Rodrick, do you see the snake?¡±

    ¡°Barely.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your job. Keep it off the backline. I¡¯ll hold the orcs off until you can back me up. Don¡¯t let the snake get behind me, or I¡¯m dead.¡±

    Dull red eyes appeared in the darkness of the doorway and Arwin suppressed a curse. The orc was already in a rampaging state ¨C but it wasn¡¯t running around like an idiot, which meant only one thing.

    There was an orc shaman.

    <em>This might get ugly. </em>

 Chapter 44: Use your head

    Chapter 44: Use your head

    Arwin charged the door. In general, charging an orc was the act of either a madman or someone so strong that the orc posed absolutely no threat to them. But, in this instance, he was neither.

    <em>I need to make sure they don¡¯t make it out of the doorway. There are going to be at least two orcsing out, and I can¡¯t fend them off if they gang up on me. Routing them at the door is my only option. </em>

    Arwin reached the doorway an instant before the orcs could emerge and thrust his hammer forward like a spear. The orc before him snarled and dodged out of the way, pressing its body to the wall to keep from getting struck. As soon as he got a good look at the monster, the Mesh identified it.

    <strong>[Swamp Orc ¨C Journeyman 1]</strong>

    In the darkness behind the orc, Arwin could make out a pair of glowing green eyes and the rough form of another orc.

    <em>That¡¯s the shaman. It¡¯ll stay out of the fight and try to whittle me down with magic while buffing up its warrior. I can¡¯t let this drag on for long. I¡¯m not going to win a battle of attrition. </em>

    Almost as if on cue, the Mesh shimmered forth once more.

    <strong>[Swamp Orc Shaman ¨C Journeyman 2]</strong>

    Behind him, Arwin heard Rodrick let out a battle cry. There was a loud thump, presumably the snake as it entered the fight with him, but Arwin didn¡¯t have the liberty to turn and see how their fight was unfolding.The orc before him lunged, thrusting its rusty sword for his chest. Arwin batted the blow away with the hilt of his hammer and drove his foot into the orc¡¯s stomach, using [Scourge] to give himself enough strength to throw it back several feet.

    His magical energy reserves weren¡¯t as high as he would have liked, but it wasn¡¯t like the orcs were going to sit around and wait for him to recover. The light in the orc¡¯s eyes turned even brighter and it let out a furious roar, charging Arwin like a mad bull.

    He drove his hammer forward, but this time, the monster didn¡¯t even bother dodging it. It thrust its sword forward, taking the hammer blow to the shoulder and striking Arwin in the chest with its own weapon.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for his armor, the blow would have gone straight through his heart. Instead, it rang off the scales and caught on the furrows already present in Arwin¡¯s armor, only leaving a superficial cut on his chest.

    In turn, Arwin¡¯s blow demolished the monster¡¯s left shoulder. Bone and blood sttered across the floor, but the orc didn¡¯t even notice. It thrust its de again and again, having gotten close enough to Arwin that his hammer was nowhere near as effective.

    He grit his teeth as the sword carved into his armor. He tried to shove the orc back, but it managed to dodge out of the way. Its sword rang off his greaves, giving them some kic energy, but Arwin wasn¡¯t going to be able to get much use out of it if ¨C

    The orc¡¯s sword mmed into his armor again. Heat swirled in Arwin¡¯s chest, and a whip of fireshed out, striking the monster in the eyes. It screamed, more in fury than pain, and Arwin took the brief reprieve to use a [Scourge] empowered kick to throw the orc back.

    His chest stung something furious and blood dripped down his front, but none of the cuts he¡¯d taken were fatal. His armor had held up against most of the monster¡¯s attacks, but it wasn¡¯t going tost forever.

    A loud hiss rang out behind Arwin, followed by the sh of metal on scale and a slew of curses. In the brief instant that Arwin was distracted, the shaman sent a bolt of green light into the back of the orc he was fighting.

    The wound on its shoulder stopped bleeding. It hadn¡¯t been healed, but it wouldn¡¯t be dying from blood loss anytime soon. Roaring, the orc charged Arwin again. The light in its eyes burned even brighter than it had before.

    <em>I can¡¯t keep trading blows like this. The shaman is going to keep picking this bastard back up until it¡¯s using the corpse like a puppet. I need to blow through and kill the real threat. </em>

    Instead of trying to fend the orc¡¯s blows off, Arwin threw caution to the wind. He drove his shoulder into the monster, mming it into the wall. He caught a sword to the side in the process, but it rang off his armor and failed to find purchase in his skin.

    Arwin charged forward, and he was rewarded with a sh of surprise and fear in the orc shaman¡¯s eyes a moment before he grabbed it by the neck. Letting [Scourge] empower his body, Arwin mmed the shaman¡¯s head into the stone.

    There was a sickening crunch and a stter, much like a watermelon being dropped. The shaman¡¯s body went limp in his hand and Arwin spun just in time for the other orc¡¯s sword to m into his shoulder with enough force to drive him to one knee.

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    He snarled, lunging forward and tackling the monster to the ground. The sword flew from the orc¡¯s hands and it reached up to w at his face. Arwin drew on [Scourge] once more, mming the orc¡¯s hands to the ground.

    It roared up at him ¨C but the roar was quickly turned to a garbled scream as Arwin drove his forehead into the beast¡¯s face, shattering its nose. One of its fangs caught his chin. If it hadn¡¯t been for [Indomitable Bulwark], the fang likely would havepletely ripped his face open. But, even with his empowered defenses, it still ripped across his flesh and left a deep cut.

    Arwin didn¡¯t give himself time to register the wound. It was taking literally all of his power to keep the struggling orc pinned down, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before the monster managed to escape him again.

    With a roar, Arwin activated [Scourge] once more, draining the majority of the magical energy he still had left to work with, and drove his head down once more. The orc¡¯s skull caved in beneath him.

    Blood sttered across his face, but Arwin didn¡¯t care. He leaned back, releasing the monster¡¯s hands and driving one more blow into its sternum to make sure it was well and truly dead before staggering back to his feet, breathing heavily.

    <strong>Achievement: [Use Your Head] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Use Your Head] ¨C <em>Awarded for using your head in a way in which you probably should not have used it. </em> Effects: The next piece of headgear you forge will be magical. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon creation of your next piece of headgear. </em></strong>

    Arwin dismissed the Mesh. He grabbed his hammer from where it had fallen on the floor and strode back into the other room, readying himself for another fight. But, when Arwin emerged from the hallway, he nearly ran straight into Rodrick.

    The man let out a scream and jumped nearly a foot into the air, bringing his sword to bear.

    ¡°Good gods!¡± Rodrick eximed, his eyes wide. ¡°You look like a monster!¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Reya asked, her face pale. Lillia looked like she wanted to say something as well, but she remained quiet. Anna hurried over to him and started to draw on her magic.

    Arwin looked down at his torn up armor, then wiped the blood from his face with the back of an arm. ¡°I killed the orcs. Where¡¯s the snake?¡±

    ¡°Dead,¡± Rodrick said, stepping back so Arwin could see the corpse of the monster behind him. It wasrgely in one piece, having been run through the eye. Arwin gave Rodrick an approving nod, letting himself rx slightly.

    Anna¡¯s magic washed over his body, stitching shut the wounds he¡¯d picked up.

    ¡°Thank you, and good job. We should pause here for a moment. That was¡­ a little harder than I expected.¡±

    ¡°You killed three of those things on your own?¡± Rodrick asked, looking over Arwin¡¯s shoulder and shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°Some smith you are.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about the tools you have. It¡¯s about how you use them.¡±

    ¡°Do you even have any tools other than that armor?¡± Rodrick asked with augh. ¡°With the amount of blood on you, it looks more like you used your head to beat the life out of them.¡±

    ¡°Your whole body is a tool,¡± Arwin said. He touched the damage to his armor, then frowned. It had taken quite the beating from the fight. It didn¡¯t feel like the magic within it was about to falter, but if he went through another fight that was as brutal as this one had been, there was a good chance it would be too ripped up to be repairable.

    <em>At least I got a pretty nice achievement out of this. I¡¯ve got more than enough scales to repair the damage I took back at home. If I can just gather some new material to work with, then I can consider this a huge sess.</em>

    Lillia dug through her pockets and pulled out a ck napkin, tossing it down to Arwin. He caught it with a hand and wiped the blood off his face, giving her an appreciative nod.

    ¡°Thanks. This is probably going to stain, though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I always use it to clean up blood. Butchering animals is messy.¡±

    Arwin looked at the napkin, then shrugged. It wasn¡¯t going to be any less dirty than he already was, so he wiped the rest of his face off. He gave himself another few seconds to recover before standing back up. He handed the napkin back to Lillia, who took it between two fingers.

    ¡°Should we go deeper?¡± Reya asked. ¡°If the next room is even harder than this one¡­¡±

    ¡°It could be difficult. My armor is pretty cut up,¡± Arwin said. He walked over to the snake and knelt beside it, examining the monster¡¯s body. He pulled at one of the scales, bending it until it snapped.

    <em>Not nearly as strong as the Forest Lizard scales. This thing must have been much more reliant on its stealth abilities. Not particrly useful for my forging, but it¡¯s a good thing Lillia spotted it. </em>

    Arwin pulled the monster¡¯s head up, holding it by one of the fangs to study the inside of its mouth. The fangs wererge, so he snapped them off and stuck them into a pocket. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could use them, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to keep them around.

    He then knelt by the dead orc and ruffled through its belongings. Aside from the cleaver, there really wasn¡¯t anything of real use on it. The first orc in the hallway was simrly useless, its sword far too rusted to be of use, but the shaman was different.

    Arwin hadn¡¯t had a chance to see it during the fight, but the monster had been holding a wooden wand of some sort. There was a glittering purple gemstone tied to its top. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure what it did ¨C if it did anything at all, as the Mesh didn¡¯t identify it. Either way, he ripped the gem free of the staff and tucked it into a pocket. At the very least, it would probably sell for a little.

    He returned to the room with the others in it. ¡°Nothing too useful yet.¡±

    ¡°I did get a good amount of energy from killing the snake,¡± Rodrick put in. Reya nodded. ¡°I did too, even though I only helped a bit.¡±

    ¡°Any achievements?¡±

    Both of them shook their heads.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s up to you lot,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to push forward for one more room. We haven¡¯t really gotten much out of this yet. If I rest for a few more minutes, I should be able to handle another fight without much trouble. I¡¯d like to try to get more out of the dungeon on our first run.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not keen on cooking orc, and the snake is kind of stringy,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯d like to go further as well, but I¡¯m not really doing much fighting right now, so it¡¯s up to you.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been hurt yet, so I¡¯m good to go deeper,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Same here,¡± Rodrick said, and Anna nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We go deeper.¡±

 Chapter 45: Crystal

    Chapter 45: Crystal

    After a few minutes of sitting around to recover their energy, the group crept down the hall. It had been long enough since theirst fight that it didn¡¯t seem likely anything else had overheard it, but there was no point taking chances.

    They crept down the dark hall, following its curves deeper into the earth. The scent of mildew grew stronger with every step, and a faint mist greeted them, prickling against their skin. It was mostly concentrated around their feet, sending wisps of swirling white up with every step they took.

    The Mesh prickled at Arwin¡¯s skin, telling him that there was faint power stored within the mist ¨C or, more likely, whatever had created it.

    After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the end of the hall. A stone door sat before them, its surface flush with the walls around it. It was in, aside from a small green crystal jutting out from one side of it like a doorknob.

    ¡°That¡¯s not suspicious at all,¡± Rodrick said, squinting at the door. ¡°Something nasty past this, you think?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯d say the mist ising from beyond the door. It¡¯s probably something a little stronger than what we¡¯ve faced before.¡±

    ¡°What are the chances it¡¯s waiting on the other end of the door to attack us?¡±

    ¡°Nonzero,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°But this mist could be a good sign. If we can take out whatever is waiting for us, I¡¯d be willing to bet we¡¯ll be able to get some good stuff from the victory.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be willing to try. I¡¯m topped up on magic right now, so as long as nobody gets hurt too seriously, I can keep everyone patched up for a while,¡± Anna supplied.¡°Can we just poke our heads in there and see what we¡¯re up against? Or will it chase us?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°No clue. Depends on what¡¯s there,¡± Arwin replied. He idly ran a finger along the damage to his armor. ¡°Not every monster is the same. I think it¡¯s worth a try, though. We can always use the door as a choke point if it¡¯s a real threat. Most monsters won¡¯t throw their lives away trying to kill you, so it¡¯ll try to run if we injure it enough. We¡¯re not that deep into the dungeon yet anyway, so I think we can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Reya said. She paused, then cleared her throat. ¡°You first though, please.¡±

    Arwin snorted and stepped toward the door. He wrapped his hand around the crystal and pulled. The door didn¡¯t budge, so he pushed instead. It swung open silently, gliding across the stone without a noise.

    More mist poured out of the room, rolling past their feet and going up to their waist. The sound of rushing water apanied it. A small waterfall poured from an outcropping of rocks at the far right of the room, its blueish-green water making a river that traveled across the ground and disappeared into a hole.

    Glistening teal gemstones jutted out of the walls and disrupted the flow of the river, sending faint flickers of light dancing across the walls and ceiling. Compared to the rest of the dungeon, it was shockingly beautiful.

    A pile of strangely shaped rocks and gemstones about seven feet tall caught Arwin¡¯s eye as the familiar tingle of the Mesh greeted him. He focused on it more intently and was rewarded by a swirl of golden letters.

    <strong>[Crystal Golem ¨C Journeyman 3]</strong>

    ¡°Over there,¡± Arwin whispered. The golem didn¡¯t seem to have noticed them yet ¨C or perhaps it simply didn¡¯t care about their presence. Not every monster in a dungeon was always hostile, though they usually didn¡¯t appreciate getting bothered.

    ¡°That thing is huge,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°Can we really fight it?¡±

    ¡°Smaller than the Wyrm,¡± Rodrick whispered.

    ¡°We had to run from that,¡± Reya pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ sitting there. What is it waiting for?¡±

    ¡°Us, probably,¡± Arwin replied. He adjusted his grip on his hammer. He¡¯d fought golems before. They were a rather interesting kind of monster, as they weren¡¯t naturally born. Instead, they formed when the environment had so much magical energy sitting around that it got infused.

    Most of the time, Golems tended to guard whatever it was that had formed them. They were asionally aggressive, but most of the time they didn¡¯t care about anyone unless they got near whatever it was they happened to be protecting.

    ¡°There might be something good in this room,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Golems are protectors, but I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s guarding. I have to say that I¡¯m a little tempted to try and harvest some of these crystals.¡±

    ¡°What are the chances that it¡¯s going to take offense to that?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Almost one hundred percent,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°Up to you all.¡±

    ¡°If you think we can handle it, I¡¯m willing to give it a shot,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Never fought a giant pile of rocks before, but I¡¯m always willing to try new experiences.¡±

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    ¡°The strategy for this should be pretty straight forward, then. Golems tend to embody the traits of whatever it is they¡¯re made of. Crystal and stone, in this case, so it¡¯ll probably be heavy and strong. Don¡¯t get hit. Focus on chipping away at it until we reveal its core. Once that gets shattered, it¡¯ll die,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I guess we just smack at it and Reya waits to use her power until one of us are about to get hit or we see it¡¯s core?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°And Anna will sit at the back and quickly heal anyone that does get hit. This should be a short fight, but it can go badly pretty fast if the golemnds a good strike on us and we can¡¯t get away in time. Sound good to everyone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sit here and provide moral support,¡± Lillia said with a grin. Arwin snorted, but he couldn¡¯t exactly ask her to do anything else. Unless they had absolutely no choice, it was better to keep her powers concealed.

    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s more of a curse than a support with that tentacle you¡¯re carrying around,¡± Rodrick grumbled. ¡°I keep seeing it out of the corner of my eye and shuddering.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with it,¡± Lillia said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s going to taste great.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see someone else try it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just kill this thing already, shall we?¡± Anna asked. ¡°The mist is tingly. I don¡¯t like it. I know it¡¯s not doing anything, but it kind of feels like I¡¯ve got ants trying to crawl up my pants.¡±

    Arwin grimaced at that thought, then hoisted his hammer and started toward the golem, Rodrick at his side. The monster didn¡¯t respond to their approach, and Arwin kept his guard up to make sure nothing else was lurking in the shadows.

    Golems were pretty non-confrontational so long as they weren¡¯t annoyed, so it was very possible for another monster to be in the room. But, at least as far as he could tell, there wasn¡¯t anything else in the area. He wasn¡¯t even sure where the door to the next room was ¨C though he would have bet a fair sum of gold it was probably behind the waterfall.

    Dungeons always liked sticking things behind waterfalls.

    As they grew closer to the golem, a dull grinding noise echoed through the room. The golem¡¯s head shifted up, dim green lighting in the sockets that made up its eyes. It hadn¡¯t attacked yet, but it was watching them.

    ¡°I think it sees us,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if sees is the right word,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t actually have eyes. It¡¯s just magic manifest. Golems don¡¯t process information or thought like we do, as far as I¡¯m aware.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means I don¡¯t have to feel bad about this,¡± Arwin replied, rearing back and swinging his hammer, empowering the blow with [Scourge]. The hammer mmed into the side of the golem¡¯s head with a resounding crash, sending a spray of stone fragments flying everywhere.

    The monster staggered, catching itself on the ground with an arm. It shoved itself upright, stone screeching against crystal as it stood upright. Rock flew from the ground, filling the crater Arwin had made in it.

    ¡°I think you pissed it off,¡± Rodrick said, taking a step back as a dull hum filled the air. The translucent green crystals covering the monster started to pulsate, their light reflecting in the mist around them.

    ¡°So I did,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°The core isn¡¯t on the left side of its head, in case you were wondering.¡±

    The golem lurched forward, bringing arge, rocky hand the size of Arwin¡¯s upper body down toward him. He dove to the side and the ground shook behind him from the force of the golem¡¯s blow.

    Rodrick darted at the monster and mmed the butt of his sword down into the top of its arm, cracking the stone slightly. His eyes went wide and he skipped back, avoiding the golem¡¯s other hand as it swept at him.

    ¡°Nine Undends, that thing is really hard to crack. How¡¯d you damage it so easily?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a bloody hammer,¡± Arwin replied.

    <em>And an ability that lets me grow far more powerful than I normally am. Just a small buff, really. Definitely not a big deal. </em>

    The golem rumbled toward them, raising a hand. Crystals shifted across its body, gathering in its palm and forming into arge, jagged sword. It swept the de and Arwin dropped to the ground, just barely ducking under the powerful blow in time.

    The rush of wind from its passing buffeted his hair, and Rodrick let out a slew of curses from behind him. There hadn¡¯t been a loud crunch, so the warrior must have avoided the attack as well.

    As the golem went to pull the sword back for another swing, Arwin attacked once more. He brought his hammer hurtling toward the other side of its head like a meteor, mming it into the stone with all the force his body could muster.

    Another loud crash echoed through the room. The force of his blow, empowered by [Scourge], sent the golem staggering several feet to the side. Rubble rained down from the huge crater, but there was still no core to be seen.

    The wound quickly started to patch over. Arwin went to attack again, but he was forced to abandon the attempt as the golem nearly impaled him with its enormous crystal sword. He twisted at thest second, letting the weapon scrape across his armor with a loud screech.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Rodrick yelled.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Arwin replied with a grimace. The golem was a bit faster than he¡¯d expected ¨C or perhaps he was just slower than he¡¯d once been. It was probably a mixture of the two. ¡°The golem¡¯s core isn¡¯t in its head. Let¡¯s go for the body, around the heart area.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll distract it,¡± Rodrick said, running up and smacking the golem on the arm before Arwin could respond. It turned toward him, bringing the crystal sword whistling for Rodrick¡¯s head.

    A blue glow enveloped the golem, slowing its movements for just an instant. Rodrick leapt back and the sword whiffed him. Arwin¡¯s hammer shot out and caught the golem in the shoulder with another spray of stone. A resounding chime rang out as he struck some of the crystal, and a tremor raced down his arms with such intensity that Arwin was forced to drop his hammer.

    He hopped back, cursing and shaking his arms off. Whatever the crystals were made out of, it was <em>really </em>strong. Arwin used [Arsenal] to summon his hammer back into his hands. The golem reached out for him, and Rodrick unleashed several rapid ¨C butrgely ineffective ¨C attacks into its back.

    This time, the golempletely ignored him. It had clearly registered that Rodrick didn¡¯t have a good way to injure it, and Arwin was the greater threat.

    ¡°Over here, you overgrown lump!¡± Rodrick called, racing past the golem to stand where it had risen. ¡°You¡¯re protecting something, right? Sure would be a shame if I¨C¡±

    Rodrick didn¡¯t get a chance to finish his sentence. The golem spun with such speed that its hand caught Arwin by surprise, striking him in the shoulder and sending him tumbling across the ground.

    He mmed into a wall and the world shed around him as the air was knocked from his lungs. The golem lunged for Rodrick. A sh of blue light enveloped it, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the monster.

    Its weapon came crashing down, on a collision course for Rodrick ¨C and the warrior wasn¡¯t anywhere near fast enough to dodge it in time.

 Chapter 46: Topple

    Chapter 46: Topple

    Lillia snapped her fingers and a shadow shot out from the darkness, wrapping around Rodrick¡¯s leg and yanking him to the side with a surprised yelp a moment before his head could get turned into a fine bloody mist by the swinging sword.

    Arwin stumbled to his feet, his head still ringing. Even the ncing blow had been enough topletely knock him out of sorts. Anna raced up to him, pping her palm against his shoulder.

    Healing energy rushed into him, pushing the dizziness back. Arwin sprinted back into the fight, not even spending the time to give Anna a grateful nod. The golem was already rearing back to swing at Lillia and Rodrick again.

    He swung his hammer with a roar, bringing it crashing into the golem¡¯s side whilst using the full force of [Scourge]. A powerful shockwave ran up his arms as his hammer struck home, crashing through the golem¡¯s body.

    For a brief instant, a flicker of green caught Arwin¡¯s eye. A gemstone, roughly the size of his fist, rested directly in the center of the monster¡¯s chest.

    ¡°The core is in the middle of its body!¡± Arwin roared, jumping back to avoid getting crumpled like a tin can by the golem¡¯s sword. ¡°One of you need to finish it off! If I kill it, you¡¯ll barely get any rewards!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m a little more concerned with not dying,¡± Rodrick yelled back.

    ¡°You¡¯ll not die more often if you get stronger.¡±

    The golem¡¯s limbs ground against each other as it stomped toward Arwin. Tremors ran through the ground with every step it took, and Arwin was forced to use [Scourge] to empower his feet and jump out of the way of a devastating sword swing.Stone had already started rolling up the monster¡¯s body, gathering and concealing the core once more. Arwin gritted his teeth. The golem wasn¡¯t exactly a sapient monster, but it could adapt. It wasn¡¯t going to sit around and let him wail on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to reveal the core again,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Reya, slow it down as soon as Ind the hit. Rodrick, finish it off. I¡¯ll make sure its attention is on me.¡±

    He didn¡¯t wait for any confirmations. Arwin activated [Arsenal] and dismissed his armor and hammer before bursting into motion. Without the heavy equipment, Arwin dove under the golem¡¯s next blow and rolled to his feet. He summoned his hammer back to his hands and armor to his body as he rose and brought his hammer up into the golem¡¯s chest.

    Stone shattered and rained against the wall behind the golem, revealing the shimmering core in the center of its chest. The golem brought a fist hurtling toward Arwin. He¡¯d put himself in a good position to hit the monster, but the same worked in the other direction.

    Rodrick ran forward, sword ignited with burning light as he swung it at the core, but it wasn¡¯t going to hit in time to stop the rocky fist from colliding with its target.

    Arwin yanked his hand up, ripping his sleeve back and shoving the bracelet into his mouth. He bit down on the metal an instant before the golem¡¯s fist mmed into him like a freight train.

    With just [Indomitable Bulwark], Arwin¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the blow. The golem was toorge, and its full force was directed straight into Arwin¡¯s chest. But, as the fist collided, energy flooded through his body.

    The strike threw Arwin back like a discarded toy, sending him hurtling across the room and crashing into the wall at the far end. He slid down it, dust and debris raining around him.

    Another wave of blue energy bound the golem. The monster mmed to a halt just as Rodrick¡¯s sword struck the green gemstone with a high-pitched clink. Cracks shot through the gemstone and it shattered, letting out a sh of faint light. The entire golem crumbled, stumbling forward and copsing into arge pile of debris.

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Lillia yelled, running up to his side ¨C and skidding to a halt as he rose. Her eyes went wide in disbelief.

    Arwin was uninjured. He could feel the magic from the bracelet already leaving his body, unable to handle the sheer force it had just absorbed for him. He shook his arms off, then grinned. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°What? How?¡± Anna demanded, running up beside Lillia. ¡°You should be dead!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a tough nut to crack,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. He was pleased to find that his armor wasn¡¯t too damaged from the strike either ¨C his body had failed to give way even slightly, so while it had warped a bit around him, it was still roughly in the right shape.

    Before anyone could say anything else, the Mesh swirled before Arwin.

    <strong>Achievement: [Topple the Strong] has been earned.</strong>

    <strong>[Topple the Strong] ¨C <em>Awarded for defeating an opponent one full Tier above you.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    A huge grin split Arwin¡¯s face. Even if they got absolutely nothing else from the dungeon, this single achievement made everything worth it. The value of upgrading uing skills had already been proven time and time again to be immense.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Rodrick breathed, staring into the air before him in mute awe.

    ¡°What?¡± Anna asked. ¡°What happened? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I got an Achievement,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°For killing a Golem with one strike.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions. What¡¯s it do?¡± Arwin asked., grateful for a way to switch the topic away from himself.

    ¡°It lets me upgrade one of my skills,¡± Rodrick replied absent-mindedly, his gaze still fixed on the air before him. ¡°And I got a pretty damn good upgrade out of it. My Empowered Strike now carries on into my next two attacks. That¡¯ll be pretty useful, since using it once draws pretty much all my magical energy.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get anything this time around, but I barely did anything to help in the fight so it¡¯s not much of a surprise,¡± Anna said. She gave Arwin onest look before turning away from him. ¡°What about you, Reya?¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Reya nodded mutely. She swallowed, then licked her lips. ¡°I ¨C yeah. I got something.¡±

    ¡°An achievement?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°No. A Title.¡±

    All of them froze. Rodrick drew in a sharp breath, letting it out in a whistle. Getting Achievements was incredibly important, but they were always consumed at some point. Titles, on the other hand, were arguably the most powerful boons that anyone could get.

    Barring the most extreme circumstances, Titles were permanent. Their benefits could range from borderline useless to incredibly powerful, but they never left. Every single title was immensely valuable. To get one this early was huge for Reya.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Anna asked, her eyes wide with shock. ¡°Is it a good one? I can¡¯t believe you got a Title at Apprentice 1. That¡¯s incredible. That could set your entire future up for you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget she got it by helping kill something more than twice her Tier,¡± Rodrick pointed out. ¡°She actually helped take it out, too. It wasn¡¯t just fed to her. That¡¯s not an easy feat to replicate.¡±

    ¡°Stop yapping and let me hear what the Title is,¡± Lillia said. She paused, then reddened. ¡°Assuming you want to say, of course. You don¡¯t have to tell us if you don¡¯t want to, Reya.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine,¡± Reya said with a hurried shake of her head. ¡°I was just distracted reading it. It¡¯s called Gaiac Heart.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± Arwin asked, a sh of concern passing through him. Not every Title was always beneficial. It was incredibly rare, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to get a detrimental effect from them. Anything that had the chance to affect the heart was a little worrying.

    Reya swallowed before speaking again. ¡°It¡¯s a passive that draws on my magical energy whenever I get injured, healing slowly depending on how bad the damage is.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Anna whispered. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely ridiculous. A healing passive?¡±

    ¡°A very slow one,¡± Reya said, but that did little to reduce the significance of the ability.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the Title,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯ll serve you well. I¡¯ve seen a lot of them, and I can say without a doubt that defensive and restorative Titles are almost always the best ones you can get. Even if it¡¯s just a small amount, that¡¯s going to be useful for as long as you live.¡±

    ¡°Might make you live longer too,¡± Anna mused. ¡°Aging is just destruction of the body. You might stay young for longer without even having to reach the higher Tiers and slow your aging by infusing yourself with magic.¡±

    ¡°Whoa. I didn¡¯t even think of that,¡± Reya said, blinking in surprise. She touched her face, as if trying to see if she¡¯d suddenly grown younger. ¡°Howe I got a Title when the rest of you got Achievements?¡±

    ¡°Questioning the Mesh is a pretty pointless task,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It does what it wants. If I had to venture a guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s because the difference in your abilities and those of the golem was reallyrge, evenpared to the rest of us. You basically just started fighting monsters, while everyone else here has been at it for at least a little while.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too bad we can¡¯t replicate the scenario by fighting some real big bad monster ourselves,¡± Rodrick mused, rubbing his chin. ¡°I¡¯d quite fancy a Title myself.¡±

    ¡°You could. Go try to beat up the Wyrm,¡± Anna said with a snort ofughter. ¡°See how it goes for you.¡±

    Rodrick grimaced and wasted no time in shaking his head. ¡°No thanks. I choose life.¡±

    Lillia didn¡¯t mention if she¡¯d gotten anything from the fight and nobody pressed her on it. Arwin suspected she¡¯d likely gotten a skill advancement simr to what he had, but reading the Mesh¡¯s moves was impossible. It was possible she¡¯d gotten nothing. Either way, they all had enough secrets to know not to go prying into those of others. When information wasn¡¯t offered, it wasn¡¯t asked for.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have more than enough time to get ourselves Titles and Achievements in the future,¡± Arwin said, approaching the remains of the golem and kneeling beside them. He pushed through the rubble and pulled out one of the faintly glowing crystals. To his disappointment, it crumbled to dust in his hand. Evidently, it had been integrally tied to the golem.

    Arwin tried picking up a few more crystals. They all ended in the same way. Cursing under his breath, he rose to his feet. He stepped over the monster¡¯s remains and headed over to the waterfall, stepping through the rushing water.

    The frown on his face vanished, reced by a delighted grin. Resting in a small pile in a small cave were two dozen crystals, polished and waiting for an owner. They were all around an inch wide and two to three inches long.

    He hadn¡¯t been left empty handed by the mesh. The ground beneath the crystals was mushy, and he was able to pull each one out without too much difficulty.

    Arwin scooped them into his arms and walked back through the waterfall. He turned one of them over in his hand, watching the light reflect off the walls. ¡°And I got what I was looking for as well.¡±

    ¡°The crystals?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I think I can use them,¡± Arwin said with a nod.

    <em>If I had a pickaxe, I¡¯d consider trying to take some of the crystal in the walls as well. That would have a pretty high chance of attracting more attention than we want, though. This is more than enough to work with for now. I couldn¡¯t carry more if I wanted to. </em>

    ¡°So, do we try to venture any deeper?¡± Anna asked while Arwin worked to collect the crystals.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be wise,¡± Lillia said, adjusting her grip on the tentacle tucked under her arm. ¡°We¡¯ve already gotten some pretty good rewards from going this deep, and the golem was already a pretty tough fight. Arwin¡¯s armor is already pretty damaged, so pushing further could mean biting off more than we can chew.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Reya said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should rush things. We should reset, get used to our new benefits, and let Arwin fix up his armor.¡±

    <em>And make my hammer. If I can figure out how to use this crystal, I bet it could be quite effective. With how hard it was to damage them, they¡¯d definitely pack a significant punch. I¡¯ll probably need to use a different material for the handle of the hammer if I don¡¯t want to vibrate myself to death every time I hit something. </em>

    ¡°No need to push ourselves farther.¡± Arwin straightened back up, every pocket he hadpletely stuffed full of crystals. ¡°We can all be pretty proud of our performance. Before we head out ¨C Anna, how is it that your ss gets strength?¡±

    ¡°Mostly throughbat. It¡¯s really hard to get energy as a healer,¡± Anna said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve got to participate in the fight, but I don¡¯t have any good ways to damage monsters. My healing counts, but the severity of the wound has to be pretty nasty for it to give a huge boost. Since I don¡¯t have the buffs or benefits that otherbat sses have, I¡¯m more liable to get chopped in half when I try to fight. It¡¯s okay, though. I get a really small amount just from standing around and keeping everyone safe.¡±

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not going to be eptable in the long run, and I¡¯m not particrly partial to standing around and letting myself get nasty cuts so you can get levels.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that would work anyway,¡± Anna said. ¡°The Mesh wouldn¡¯t recognize healing self-inflicted wounds as dangerous in most circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Right. We can¡¯t have you far weaker than the rest of us in the span of a few weeks, so we¡¯ll have to do something about that,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°A few weeks? Just how aggressively are you nning to push us?¡± Anna asked with a nervousugh. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can do much about it anyway. The only way for me to safely participate in a fight would be to get close, and my magic doesn¡¯t work on myself. I¡¯m just a liability unless you guys get really cut up.¡±

    ¡°Not if we hold the monster down for you,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°That¡¯s an assisted kill, though,¡± Anna said. ¡°You¡¯d lose so much energy for doing it, and I¡¯d barely get any because you basically fed it to me. The Mesh only awards challenge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s a good bit of challenge to get close enough to a monster that can kill you in one blow,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. ¡°Besides, Reya got a good bit of energy from sitting in the back. We¡¯ll be ensuring you get energy as well from here on out. We don¡¯t need an under leveled healer.¡±

    Anna bit the insides of her cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of energy you¡¯d be wasting.¡±

    ¡°Not my energy. I don¡¯t get shit for killing things,¡± Arwin said with a snort. ¡°What about you, Rodrick? Comints?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? No way in the Nine Undends. I¡¯d do it for Anna myself if I thought I could actually manage it safely,¡± Rodrick said with an eager grin. ¡°She¡¯s too damn polite to say yes, but I¡¯ll do it for her. Thank you. We¡¯ll dly do as you ask.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then. I¡¯ve got some armor to repair and some new toys to y with. I think I¡¯m going to try to make myself a hammer.¡±

 Chapter 47: Cant hurt

    Chapter 47: Can''t hurt

    Lillia had been pretty sure that someone would have been waiting for them the moment they left the dungeon, or that <em>something </em>would have gone awry.

    But, to her surprise, nothing did. The trip back from the dungeon went smoothly, though they did get some strange looks from the guards on the way back into the city. Fortunately, nobody asked too many questions and the group broke off once they¡¯d gotten deep enough.

    Rodrick and Anna returned to the Glowing Swordfish. Arwin headed back to the smithy to get to work, while Reya joined her in heading back to the tavern. The tentacle she¡¯d taken from the Landsquid was getting a little difficult to hold with how slippery it was, but she¡¯d carried it for this far, and she¡¯d be damned if she dropped it now.

    <em>I¡¯m starting to suspect that this isn¡¯t going to taste anywhere near good enough to justify all the effort I¡¯ve put into it. I¡¯ve already basically ruined my clothes with goo, but I¡¯m going to cook this piece of shit if it¡¯s thest thing I do. </em>

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Reya asked as they ducked through the doorway and entered the dark tavern. ¡°You¡¯ve got a really concentrated expression on your face. You aren¡¯t mad, are you?¡±

    Lillia hurriedly got her features under control and cleared her throat. ¡°I ¨C no, no. I¡¯m fine. Just¡­ thinking.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Also, can I have something to eat?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was going to try to cook this,¡± Lillia said, ncing down at the tentacle. Reya nched.

    ¡°You know what? I did just have a workout, and it¡¯s not a good idea to eat right after working,¡± Reya said hurriedly. ¡°It¡¯s bad for¡­ uh, digestion.¡±<em>I¡¯m pretty sure the rule was to not eat before exercise, not after it. Oh well. Can¡¯t force anybody to eat something. It¡¯s her loss. </em>

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. She stepped into the kitchen and set the tentacle down on the counter, wiping her hands off on the sides of her shirt before poking her head back out. ¡°You did a great job today, by the way. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what you can do after you¡¯ve got some more experience and training.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Reya said, her face turning serious. She ran a hand along her armor, then shook her head as a small smile appeared on her lips. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d get a ss, much less a Unique one. It feels like Arwin never even considered that an option, though. He kind of just plowed through everything in his way and got what he wanted. I feel like I don¡¯t even deserve the damn ss.¡±

    ¡°From what I heard, you¡¯re the one that charged the Wyrm. That wasn¡¯t him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the one that set everything up for me, though. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do any of that on my own.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t dismiss your own actions,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Arwin put you in the situation where you could seed, but you¡¯re the one that did it. I certainly won¡¯t argue about his determination, though. He¡¯s a force of nature.¡±

    A memory flickered through Lillia¡¯s mind. The crunch of bone giving way under the de of Arwin¡¯s sword, glowing with immense holy might as he carved through the neck of her closest friends.

    Her hands tightened at her sides and turned away from Reya, stepping back into the kitchen. It was difficult to associate the gruff but kind man that had just led them through the dungeon with the Hero of Man.

    The Hero of Man had killed everyone she¡¯d ever loved ¨C and yet, he¡¯d risked his life purely to get Reya a ss for no reason other than the fact that she hadn¡¯t had one. He¡¯d refused to let a healer he barely knew fall behind, just because it was the wrong thing to do.

    <em>If I ever get my hands on the people that turned me and Arwin into murderers, I¡¯m going to rip them to shreds and feed them their own innards.</em>

    ¡°Lillia?¡± Reya asked worriedly. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Lillia blinked, unclenching her hands anding back into the present. The darkness around her had intensified into a thick nket,pletely blocking out the light from thenterns. She hurriedly dismissed the magic, pushing it as far back as she could and letting the faint glowing lights re-ignite.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lillia said, coughing into her fist. ¡°Just¡­ worked up from the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I get that,¡± Reya said. ¡°It still feels like I¡¯m going to get attacked by a monster at any moment, even though I know that obviously isn¡¯t going to happen in the middle of town. There probably isn¡¯t anywhere safer ¨C from monsters, that is. I could definitely get jumped by someone from the thieves¡¯ guild. Or just about anyone else, for that matter.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    <em>Just how many enemies does Reya have?</em>

    Lillia couldn¡¯t keep augh from slipping out of her mouth. It was hard to stay angsty when Reya¡¯s wide eyes were peering into her.

    ¡°Maybe you should make sure that doesn¡¯t happen. It would be a shame if you got injured after all the work you¡¯re doing to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Reya said with a thoughtful nod. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°I think you just did but feel free to ask another.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think Arwin¡¯s bothering with all this?¡± Reya asked. ¡°He could be rich. He makes <em>magic</em> equipment. If he tried to sell his wares, he¡¯d probably be rich in the span of days. And yet¡­ he sits around with us. He gave me gear worth more than my life, and he didn¡¯t even ask for anything in return.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to choose not to take offense to that,¡± Lillia said dryly. ¡°And I don¡¯t know why Arwin does anything he does. He¡¯s an odd one. I think he just does what he thinks is right, regardless of if it¡¯s the smart move or not.¡±

    ¡°Why, though?¡± Reya asked. ¡°What does he get out of it? I mean, I appreciate it¡­ but why?¡±

    ¡°That might be something you have to ask him yourself,¡± Lillia said with a shake of her head. The more she spent time with Arwin, the harder it was to associate him with the man she¡¯d spent the majority of her life trying to kill. That was probably a good thing, but it certainly felt odd.

    ¡°I might be overstepping my bounds here, but did you really meet for the first time in the tavern? The way you both act seems like you¡¯ve known each other for a lot longer.¡±

    Lillia nearly choked. ¡°I ¨C what? No. No, we definitely just met. He just reminds me of someone I used to know.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Reya said. ¡°I guess that makes sense. I honestly thought you¡¯d been courting each other for a few years and broke it off or something like that.¡±

    This time, Lillia did choke. She doubled over, coughing into her hand in surprise. ¡°What? Date? No. Definitely not. Why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just a thought.¡± Reya shrugged. ¡°Well, I¡¯m probably going to go find some food. Not that I¡¯m hungry. It¡¯s, uh, to look at.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Lillia said, grateful for the change of subject. ¡°You do that.¡±

    Reya headed out of the tavern and Lillia watched her leave, a small frown on her face. Thoughts whirred in her head, so jumbled that she couldn¡¯t make out which ones were hers and which were just strays passing through.

    After a minute, she shook her head and turned back to the tentacle on the counter. It looked remarkably unappetizing. Grimacing, Lillia rolled her sleeves back. She had work to do, and she¡¯d be damned if she¡¯d done all the work lugging the stupid thing this far if it didn¡¯t taste good.

    <em>I¡¯m going to eat you, and I¡¯m going to like it. That isn¡¯t a threat. It¡¯s a promise. </em>

    <em>Oh, who am I kidding. It¡¯s also a threat.</em>

    <em>***</em>

    Arwin held a palm-sized crystal up to the light of his [Soul me], watching the light dance within its green depths. Before he started properly working the material, he needed to learn more about it.

    There was a faint hum within it ¨C the call of the crystal, asking to be turned into¡­ well, something. Thereiny the problem. Arwin could feel the call within the crystal. It hungered to be more than what it was.

    Unfortunately, unlike the other materials he¡¯d worked with, he had absolutely no idea how to understand it. The desire was there, but it was like he was listening to someone speaking in a differentnguage.

    ¡°But why, I wonder,¡± Arwin mused, turning the crystal over in his hand. ¡°Howe you can¡¯t speak to me? Is it because you¡¯re moreplex than the other stuff I¡¯ve worked with? Or am I just not listening properly?¡±

    The crystal, unfortunately, wasn¡¯t much help. Even if it could have answered, Arwin wouldn¡¯t have understood it anyway. He shook his head and set the crystal into the hearth, watching the mes lick at its sides.

    Unsurprisingly, it was resistant to fire. Arwin hadn¡¯t expected a bloody crystal to be particrly easy to melt. He worked the bellows, raising the intensity of the fire to see how it affected the green crystal.

    Fire danced all around it, licking at its sides. Arwin would have sworn that the fire wasn¡¯t just outside ¨C it was within the crystal as well. But still, the voice of the crystal eluded him entirely.

    There was nothing to do but to continue working the bellows, and so that was what he did. And, as the minutes ticked by, the crystal started to change. It was gradual, but its edges started to darken and turn a translucent ck.

    Arwin stopped as soon as he noticed the change start to happen. He took the crystal from the fire, wondering if he¡¯d somehow managed to burn it. However, the crystal¡¯s structural integrity seemed fine.

    He tapped a finger on the side of the crystal. It wasn¡¯t burnt. If anything, it felt like it might have hardened slightly. The greenish-ck material was oddly beautiful, and Arwin could just barely make out the faint flickers of me within the crystal.

    ¡°You¡¯re certainly magical,¡± Arwin murmured, running a finger along the crystal¡¯s smooth surface. ¡°But how do I work with you? I don¡¯t want to waste crystals testing things out. They¡¯re too valuable.¡±

    He chewed his lower lip, still turning the crystal over in his hand. He went to hold it up to the daylight, only to find that the sun had already set. It was already dark outside. Arwin¡¯s nose scrunched in annoyance, and he tucked the crystal into his pocket, drawing the [Soul me] out of the hearth.

    <em>Maybe Lillia will know more about this thing. It can¡¯t hurt to ask. </em>

    Arwin moved some scrap metal to cover the pile of crystals as best he could, then thought better of it and collected all his winnings, stuffing his pockets full once more before waddling out of the smithy ¨C making sure to lock the door behind him ¨C and heading for Lillia¡¯s tavern.

 Chapter 48: Digestion

    Chapter 48: Digestion

    It was, as usual, dark when Arwin stepped through the entrance. Faintnternlight illuminated the counter, where Arwin was surprised to find Lillia sitting in one of the stools, her head in her hands.

    A te of¡­ something sat before her. It was a gtinous pile of half-melted flesh, singed ck in some parts and semi-raw in others. Evidently, the tentacle Lillia had lugged all the way back to the tavern hadn¡¯t met a fortunate fate.

    ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± Arwin asked.

    Lillia turned, looking mildly surprised to find him standing there. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you got back. Sorry. I was¡­ uh, distracted.¡±

    <em>More like you were in mourning. </em>

    Arwin walked over to the stool beside her and tested it to make sure it would hold his weight before sitting down.

    ¡°Looks like you cooked the tentacle.¡±

    ¡°Cooked might be the wrong word for it,¡± Lillia grumbled. ¡°The stupid thing fought me, even in death.¡±

    ¡°It looks like you put up a valiant effort.¡±¡°Yeah, right. I put up a valiant effort and lost.¡±

    Arwin eyed the tentacle. He couldn¡¯t help but agree, but he wasn¡¯t dumb enough to voice that sentiment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that bad. At least, parts of it don¡¯t.¡±

    Lillia pierced him with a withering stare. ¡°My feelings aren¡¯t that fragile. You don¡¯t have to lie. It might possibly be the most horrendous thing I¡¯ve put on a te.¡±

    Arwin, against his better judgement, reached out and picked up one of the more burnt-looking pieces of squid. At least if it was burnt it wouldn¡¯t try toe back alive in his mouth.

    Lillia stared in disbelief as he brought it to his mouth and bit down. Arwin chewed slowly ¨C then chewed some more. It wasn¡¯t anything like what he¡¯d expected it to taste like. The meat was somehow simultaneously slimy and unbelievably chewy.

    It was, without a doubt, probably the worst textured food that Arwin had ever eaten. After chewing for about another minute, he gave up the battle and swallowed the piece. Despite its horrid mouthfeel, the taste wasn¡¯t <em>atrocious. </em>

    ¡°Wow,¡± Lillia said, blinking. ¡°I¡¯m impressed, honestly. I didn¡¯t think¨C¡±

    Arwin took another piece. Lillia¡¯s mouth nearly dropped open as he ate. She squinted at him, then stood up to walk around him and see if he was somehow hiding the squid with slight of hand.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Eating,¡± Arwin replied through a mouthful of squid.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s food. And, once you get past the texture, it¡¯s not all that bad. The vor is actually decent.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Lillia said, crossing her arms. ¡°It¡¯s horrible. Objectively horrible.¡±

    Arwin swallowed the second piece of squid and took a third. He arched an eyebrow, locking eyes with Lillia as he brought it to his mouth and popped it in. Arwin chewed deliberately, making sure she could see him eating it. ¡°There are good sides to most things.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s disbelief changed to a different emotion. Arwin couldn¡¯t quite tell which one it was ¨C but it was an emotion he¡¯d never seen on her face before. Before he could even try to properly read it, she brought her features under control once more.

    ¡°I suppose so. You won¡¯t catch me eating it, though.¡±

    ¡°More for me.¡± Arwin took another piece of squid and ate it. With his other hand, he pulled out the ckened crystal and waggled it in the air.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°The crystals from the cave?¡±

    ¡°I was hoping you might know something about it,¡± Arwin replied through a mouthful of squid, doing his best to not spray food everywhere while he spoke. ¡°It seems slightly magical.¡±

    Lillia reached out and took the crystal from him, a small frown creasing her lips as she held it up to the light of thentern. The mes from the forge still flickered within it like ayered mural, dancing in waves of green.

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    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Lillia murmured. ¡°Hard, too. It feels slightly magic resistant.¡±

    ¡°Resistant?¡± Arwin swallowed his food. ¡°I was thinking the opposite.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely resistant,¡± Lillia said. One of her nails, as ck as the night, elongated into a thin point and she tapped it against the green material. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much about it, but magical resistant and absorptive materials are usually a circle. You start with something that absorbs magic, and it absorbs all the energy it can until there¡¯s no room left. Then boom ¨C resistant.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin mused. ¡°I never knew that, but I wasn¡¯t exactly the most involved with the actual materials I used. I was more interested with seeing what could be made with them.¡±

    ¡°I had a friend who was really interested in gemstones,¡± Lillia said, lowering the crystal and handing it back to Arwin as her brow creased. ¡°Particrly magical ones.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t ask what had happened to the friend ¨C he was pretty sure he knew.

    ¡°Would it be possible for this resistance to cause them to be harder to work with?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got some form of magical fire, sure. You¡¯d probably have to work really fast if you¡¯re making something magical,¡± Lillia mused, chewing her lower lip. ¡°If you couldn¡¯t finish by the time the crystalpletely filled, it would probably be very hard to influence or change.¡±

    <em>And I¡¯d be willing to bet it would be borderline impossible to understand as well. That¡¯s it. I need to add the crystalsst, not first. That doesn¡¯t actually solve my issue understanding what they want, but if I introduce them to the project at the proper time, I¡¯d be willing to bet I¡¯ll be able to understand what they want far better.</em>

    ¡°I think you might have just solved my issue,¡± Arwin said, sliding the crystal back into his pocket. ¡°Thanks, Lillia. What do I owe you for the food?¡±

    ¡°I feel like I should be the one asking <em>you </em>that,¡± Li muttered, sending a nce over at the te of squid. ¡°Thank you, though.¡±

    ¡°Thanks? For what?¡± Arwin asked, blinking in confusion.

    ¡°Never mind.¡± Lillia shook her head and waved her hands dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ve got prep to do for tomorrow. Go to your room ¨C or back to your smithy, depending on whichever you¡¯re going to be doing tonight. Somehow, I think I¡¯ve already guessed which one it will be.¡±

    Arwin chuckled and nodded to her, turning to head out the door. ¡°Probably. Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Lillia replied, picking the te of food up and heading toward the kitchen. Arwin stepped out of the tavern and made a beeline back for his smithy.

    The excitement in his steps faltered slightly as he drew closer, recalling a slightly significant issue. He may have had crystals to work with, but he didn¡¯t have any material to make the rest of the hammer with.

    <em>Sure, I could use the crappy scrap metal I¡¯ve got, but that would be such a waste with the quality of these crystals. I need to use something nicer¡­ but what? Maybe I should go shopping tomorrow. More importantly, I really need to start selling some of my normal pieces. I keep telling myself I¡¯m going to do it and not getting around to it.</em>

    Arwin let his thoughts entertain him as he headed back down the street. He was so caught up in them that he almost didn¡¯t notice the figure standing at the entrance of the smithy ¨C almost. Arwin skidded to a stop and narrowed his eyes, nearly dropping into a fighting stance before he realized that the figure was just Reya with a bag over her shoulder.

    ¡°God, Reya,¡± Arwin said, shaking his head. ¡°What are you doing? I thought you¡¯d be asleep by now.¡±

    ¡°I was busy,¡± Reya replied, holding the sack out to him. The movement caused it to clink and sway precariously. ¡°Here!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Arwin asked, epting the sack. It was considerably heavier than he¡¯d been expecting and he almost dropped it in surprise.

    ¡°Well, you spent so much effort trying to help me get a ss that I figured I¡¯d try to do something back. I may have stumbled into a little gold, so I went shopping earlier today. Looked around for some good material for you,¡± Reya said, shifting her feet. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be useful, but I know you¡¯ve been trying to get better metal.¡±

    Arwin opened the top of the sack and peered inside. There were several glistening silver rods as well as a dozen bars of the same metal.

    ¡°Reya, this is incredible,¡± Arwin said, lowering the bag to look back to her. ¡°How did you know I needed this? I was just thinking¨C¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve kind of been muttering it under your breath the whole time you work,¡± Reya said with a relieved grin. ¡°It¡¯s useful, then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely better than anything else I¡¯ve got,¡± Arwin said with a huge grin. ¡°This is exactly what I need. Do you know what kind of metal it is?¡±

    Reya nodded. ¡°It¡¯s called Brightsteel. Not to be confused with Starsteel ¨C that stuff is actually from the stars. This is more just¡­ pretty metal, I guess. It¡¯s pretty sturdy, but the smith that sold it to me said it was great for the internals of weapons. It¡¯s apparently pretty decent at hitting things because it absorbs vibrations so you don''t hurt yourself. I didn¡¯t really understand more than that, but hopefully it will be useful.¡±

    ¡°It most certainly will be,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Thank you, Reya. How much was this?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Reya replied. ¡°Don¡¯t expect more of it anytime soon, though.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said as he slung the bag over his shoulder and unlocked the door to the smithy. ¡°I appreciate it. If things go like I hope, I¡¯m going to be making something really important with this.¡±

    ¡°Magic?¡± Reya whispered, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Arwin replied with a chuckle. ¡°For now, it¡¯s just a hope.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it, then. I¡¯m going to go sleep now, so I¡¯ll see you tomorrow ¨C or whenever you finish smithing.¡±

    ¡°Probably thetter,¡± Arwin said. He bid Reya goodnight and headed into the smithy. As soon as he drew up to the forge, Arwin dumped the crystals out of his pockets and emptied the metal from the bag beside them.

    He then drew a spark of [Soul me] from his chest and sent it into the hearth, filling the smithy with flickering light. Arwin picked up one of the pieces of metal and held it up before him, the me illuminating the smile that stretched across his lips.

    It was time to make a hammer.

 Chapter 49: Verdant

    Chapter 49: Verdant

    Arwin was delighted. Almost as if in spite of the crystal¡¯s stubbornness, the metal that Reya had brought him was perfect. Every blow of his hammernded exactly the way he wanted it to, and the handle of his hammer was taking shape perfectly. Small kes of metal fell away with every strike he made, falling around his anvil.

    The Brightsteel didn¡¯t just speak to him. It sang, and all he had to do was listen. His hammer rang again and again against the metal, coaxing it into position with every blow. Arwin almost felt as if the metal were forging itself, and he was just the tool with which it used to be more.

    Either way, he certainly wasn¡¯t going toin. The hard part of this piece ¨C both figuratively and literally ¨C was going to be adding the crystals into the head of the hammer. But that woulde when it came.

    For now, the only thing Arwin was concerned with was listening to the Brightsteel. Time passed, and the night slowly started to fade as dawn approached outside. Faint slivers of light broke into the forge, but Arwin barely noticed them.

    He¡¯d finished forming the handle of the hammer and went on tobining the ingots to form the head. He hammered the metal out, folding it over itself tobine the ingots together into onerge piece. A mold probably would have been a better way to form it, but he unfortunately didn¡¯t have anything like that to work with yet, so he resorted to what techniques he did have.

    Arwin hadn¡¯t exactly determined howrge he wanted the head of the hammer to be yet. Arger one would be better for crushing things with, but he wasn¡¯t going to be able to use it to forge if it was too big. He couldn¡¯t deny that the idea of having a weapon that he could both craft and fight with was quite tantalizing.

    It seemed like the metal agreed. As Arwin rained down blows on the glowing portions of the Brightsteel, a shape started to take form. The head of a hammer,rge on one end and focused on the other.

    And yet, as it took form, Arwin could immediately tell that it was iplete. The Brightsteel knew his thoughts just as well as he knew its, and the hammer was meant to be built around the glowing crystals, not just pure metal.

    A flicker of concern gripped Arwin as he let his hammer lower and grabbed a handful of crystals. If he made a mistake here, something told him that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to recover. The hammer would be ruined, and he¡¯d have to try to rip it apart and salvage what materials he could.<em>That degree of loss will dy for me days, if not more. It¡¯ll probably ruin the crystals as well.</em>

    <em></em>This wasn¡¯t the time for concern, though. Concern meant he was leaving the possibility of failure on the table, and that wasn¡¯t how things worked. There could be no doubt. No room to even consider anything but his goals would be aplished.

    If he allowed such thoughts to creep into his head, then it would have been no different from insulting the materials he was working with. They held all the potential he needed to make the perfect weapon, so it was unfair to disparage them.

    Arwinid the hammer to the side, leaving its head buried deeply within the heat of his [Soul me] within the forge. He needed to pick out the right crystals to use, and they all had to be inserted in conjunction. If he did them one at a time, they¡¯d lock up and stop absorbing magic before the item wasplete.

    It took Arwin about ten minutes to select all the crystals. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure which metric he judged them by beyond his gut, but he eventually found himself staring at a small pile of glistening green stone.

    He still couldn¡¯t quite understand what they wanted, but there was desire within them. Just like the Brightsteel, the crystals desired to be used.

    ¡°You and I,¡± Arwin informed the crystals, cupping them in his hands. ¡°I may not be able to hear your voice in the same way as that of the metal, but perhaps it can trante for me, eh?¡±

    Arwin pulled he hammer from the mes. Its head glowed red hot, barely still holding its shape from the heat that had been beating down on it. Wasting no time, Arwin picked up the first of the crystals and pressed it into the head, using [Scourge] to make himself strong enough to drive it through the metal.

    It wasn¡¯t the most elegant forging method, but it worked. The crystal sank deep. And, to Arwin¡¯s delight, he felt a flicker of acknowledgement from within the weapon. It wasn¡¯t quite a song, much less a word or any form of guidance, but it was something.

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    That was all he needed. Arwin grabbed the other crystals and got to work, driving them into the head of the hammer. He felt the Brightsteel shifting as he worked, trying to amodate the new material entering it. Arwin hammered the material as he worked, working the crystals in as if he were folding dough together.

    It was a strange way to look at it, but the Brightsteel was so easy to work with that he couldn¡¯t think of another analogy. More kes of ck rained down as he hammered away, pushing the metal together and hardening it.

    Arwin worked as fast as he dared without risking a mistake, piling the crystals into the hammer before embedding one right below where the head connected with the shaft. As an afterthought, Arwin also added a crystal to the bottom of the shaft.

    <em>It¡¯s practical, but that doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t look pretty. </em>

    Arwin set the hammer down on the anvil, grabbing his old smithing hammer and setting back to work as parts of his new weapon called to him, asking for help. The ring of metal rang out through the dpidated smithy once more.

    The sun continued to rise outside, the rays of light squeezing through the cracks in the walls growing stronger as they lit up the smithy. They passed over the hammer, causing metal and crystal to glimmer in unison.

    He returned the hammer to his hearth, letting the me scorch the crystal and meld it together with the Brightsteel.

    He pulled it free and nearly strode outside before he remembered he had a new barrel of oil to work with. The head of the hammer plunged down. mes erupted from the oil¡¯s surface as it hissed, cooling the hammer.

    As he turned it to get even cooling, the side of the hammer got a little closer to the walls of the barrel than he¡¯d nned. There was a hiss and the barrel cracked. Arwin let out a curse as oil poured out and ran across the floor. Luckily, the hammer was just about quenched and most of the me had already petered out. He looked out at the mess, then sighed. Finishing the hammer was more important now. At least the barrel had been small.

    Arwin got to cleaning the hammer up. It was a lengthy process that took longer than he¡¯d expected, but he eventually got thest of the weapon freed from the confines of ckened metal.

    The Mesh tingled at his fingertips, racing down his arm and into his heart. Power gathered around the newly forged weapon. The prickling turned into a pulse, and Arwin¡¯s hair stood on end as the air became charged.

    Ozone filled the air as a pop rang out and a delightedugh escaped Arwin¡¯s lips. Golden writing erupted before him and the Mesh finally acknowledged his creation in true. He felt a faint question tickle at the back of his mind as the achievement he¡¯d earned for scaring off the Wyrm felt an opportunity to take hold.

    Arwin sent a thought of approval without a second of hesitation.

    <strong>[Verdant ze: Unique Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>[Shieldbreaker]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    <strong>Title: [Stonesinger] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Stonesinger] ¨C <em>You crafted an Awoken item with a magicalponent that was beyond yourprehension, and your efforts have attuned you to the whispers of the world. If you listen close enough, you can speak with magical materials ¨C though they may not wish to reply.</em></strong>

    <strong><em></em></strong>¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Arwin breathed, not even daring to look away from the Mesh¡¯s words in case it decided to take his title away from him. It was vague, but everything he knew about crafting had alreadye from just barely being able to pick up on the desires of the material he worked with.

    <em>I always assumed that it was just the Mesh guiding me, or that the materials kind of had some vague sense of desire. I didn¡¯t realize that magicalponents could literally speak with me. They could tell me exactly what I need to do to make the perfect item with them! This is incredible. </em>

    That wasn¡¯t it, though. Arwin¡¯s eyes caught on the Mesh once more. It hadn¡¯t said he¡¯d crafted just a Unique item. He¡¯d made an Awoken one. A delighted grin stretched across his lips and he nearly pumped a hand in the air with delight.

    Arwin waved the window away, then quickly summoned his status to make sure the title remained. After confirming that it had, he turned his gaze to the newly forged hammer in his hands.

    It felt right. The hammer had a weight to it, but not so much that it would be unwieldy to use. Therge, fighting head had crystals jutting out of it, their points ckened and dancing with faint me.

    Its other side had a single crystal, turned t side out so he could use it to strike metal without putting holes in it. The perfect blend ofbat and crafting capabilities, condensed into a single weapon.

    The Mesh bloomed as Arwin inspected the hammer.

    <strong>Verdant ze: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes and every magical item it is used to craft, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Shieldbreaker]: This weapon hungers to destroy. Every consecutive blow against the same target will deal increased damage. Changing targets or blocking an attack with this weapon will reset any power that Shieldbreaker has generated. </strong>

    <strong>[Firestarter]: This weapon is one with the fire used to forge it. It will drink in [Soul me], imbuing its blows with it at the cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: This item was created for Arwin Tyrr, and it will never know another owner. This item will attempt to burn anyone who attempts to wield it other than its owner. Information about this item may be hidden from others. </strong>

    ¡°Now that,¡± Arwin breathed, letting the Mesh fade as he held the hammer before him, delight in his eyes, ¡°is one hell of a hammer.¡±

 Chapter 50: Ifrit

    Chapter 50: Ifrit

    Arwin wasted no time in trying to bond Verdant me to himself with [Arsenal], only to be reminded that he still had his other smithing hammer bonded to him. He found the mental bond to the weapon in his mind and severed it without a second thought.

    His armor instantly snapped into ce around him as [Arsenal] faded. ording to the skill description, it wouldn¡¯te back until the following day ¨C which meant Arwin wasn¡¯t going to let his new weapon out of his sight for just as long.

    He reached up to his armor, frowning slightly as his hands ran along a rough gouge in its center. He¡¯d still yet to actually get around to fixing the damage he¡¯d taken during the dungeon. And, as much as he wanted to show off his new creation, it was more important to make sure he didn¡¯t have a ring ¡®stab me here¡¯ target right in the middle of his chest.

    Arwin set his hammer down by his anvil and worked himself out of his armor, setting the scale mail down beside the hearth. He still had enough scales to patch the damage his armor had taken, but he did pause for a moment to consider if he should make himself a te chestpiece rather than a mail one.

    <em>No. Not yet. I promised myself I¡¯d try to sell some shit today, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. </em>

    He gathered some scales and brought them into the hearth, letting his [Soul me] heat them before setting about patching the damage to his shirt. He¡¯d gotten pretty decent at working with the scales, so the entire process took him less than an hour.

    Arwin pulled the [Soul me] from the Hearth and donned his armor once more. Nodding to himself, he slung his hammer over a shoulder and paused to hide its properties from any prying eyes before scooping up the armor he¡¯d made to sell and striding outside, bncing it on his shoulder in arge pile.

    He was a little weary for having missed sleeping, but something about forging almost seemed to sustain him. It definitely wasn¡¯t the same as getting a good night of rest, but he didn¡¯t feel anywhere near exhausted as he should have.

    <em>I wonder if energy from the Mesh counts as energy for your brain as well. That¡¯s an interesting thought. Could you hypothetically make so many items that the Mesh just gives you endless energy and you never have to sleep?</em>Arwin let out an amused huff and locked the door to his smithy behind him, double checking the handle before setting off. It wasn¡¯t like anybody was going to break into the smithy, but it was still his, and it was the first of many steps into turning the drafty old building into a home.

    <em>Once I get these things sold, I¡¯ll go spend some of the money getting materials to patch the ce up. I think it¡¯s about time those cracks go. I need a cart as well. Hm. Need a cart to sell the goods, but need to sell the goods to get the cart. </em>

    <em>That¡¯s bothersome. </em>

    He arrived at Lillia¡¯s tavern and stepped inside, blinking to let his eyes adjust. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d ever get used to it being darker inside the building than outside, even when the sun was literally sunning right beyond the doorway.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Reya said through a mouthful of food, raising a hand in greeting from where she sat by the counter. ¡°Lillia made pancakes.¡±

    ¡°Finish chewing before you speak,¡± Arwin said automatically, joining her by the counter. He¡¯d been taught a lot of things in his training as the Hero, one of which being the proper way to conduct himself amongst others. And, while some of that training had eroded over the years, a few bits still stuck around like stubborn specks of dirt.

    Reya started to nod, then froze as she caught a glimpse of Arwin¡¯s hammer in the dimntern light. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She swallowed her food. ¡°You¡¯ve got a new hammer. Did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Find it in the gutter? Yeah.¡±

    Reya frowned. ¡°Oh. I thought¨C¡±

    ¡°I lied,¡± Arwin said with a sigh. ¡°It was a joke. I thought it was funny.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there,¡± Reya said, not even paying attention. Her eyes were transfixed on the dull gemstones in the hammer¡¯s head. ¡°Is it magical? Did it work?¡±

    Arwin chuckled and nodded. ¡°Yes. Best weapon I¡¯ve ever made, without a doubt. Not that I¡¯ve made many, but still.¡±

    ¡°Best?¡± Reya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Evenpared to my dagger?¡±

    ¡°The one that¡¯s currently inside a Wyrm? Yes, I¡¯d say so,¡± Arwin said with a wry smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make you a new weapon at some point. I¡¯m not sure if a dagger fits your new ss anyway.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want a new weapon,¡± Reya muttered, sticking out her lower lip and crossing her arms. ¡°You made me that one. I want that one.¡±

    Arwin repressed augh at her expression. She looked like a child whose birthday present had just been confiscated ¨C which, now that he thought about it, really wasn¡¯t all that funny.

    ¡°We¡¯ll kill the Wyrm and take the dagger back,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s probably not actually in the Wyrm anymore. It¡¯s probably, well¡­ out.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences.

    ¡°As long as I get it back one day, I don¡¯t care where it is,¡± Reya said. ¡°What¡¯s the hammer do?¡±

    ¡°A lot,¡± Arwin replied honestly. He hoisted the armor he was carrying. ¡°But, for the time being, I want to follow through with what I was talking about yesterday and get to selling this stuff. It¡¯s starting to get heavy.¡±

    ¡°You really think it¡¯s going to go any better thanst time?¡± Reya asked doubtfully. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything magical in there, is there?¡±

    ¡°Just in old armor,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°But I¡¯m thinking this time we go buy a cart first. I¡¯ve still got 22 gold, which should be more than enough to get one. With that, we¡¯ll look more legitimate.¡±

    ¡°A sign would probably help.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have a sign. Maybe I¡¯ll buy one of those too,¡± Arwin said.

    Lillia poked her head out of the kitchen. ¡°Do you have a name for your smithy yet?¡±

    ¡°Well, no.¡±

    ¡°Then why would you get a sign?¡±

    ¡°Because Reya told me to,¡± Arwin said irritably. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I¡¯ll call it Arwin¡¯s Smithy.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Reya and Lillia said in unison.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked defensively. ¡°It¡¯s a good name.¡±

    ¡°No, it really isn¡¯t,¡± Reya said. ¡°And if you¡¯re going to sell stuff, don¡¯t you need a smith¡¯s mark or something?¡±

    Arwin frowned. ¡°A smith¡¯s mark?¡±

    ¡°You know, the little badge or stamp that shows you¡¯re the one that made something,¡± Reya said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°You put it on all the equipment you make so when people travel out with it, it¡¯s easy for them to figure out that you¡¯re the one that made something. It¡¯s good for brand recognition.¡±

    ¡°Brand?¡± Arwin raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I dunno. I just heard it somewhere. Do you want advice or not?¡±

    ¡°Please, continue,¡± Arwin said. He would have raised his hands in surrender if doing so wouldn¡¯t have caused him to drop everything he had on the floor. The idea of marking his work was actually rather appealing, and it made a lot of sense.

    <em>It¡¯s like free marketing. I just need to make sure the mark doesn¡¯t look stupid. Well, that and I also have to get around to actually making a brand of some sort to put my mark on anything I make. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of it. I didn¡¯t think of anything beyond that,¡± Reya admitted.

    <em>Why stop at just a mark, though? One of my biggest concerns has been that the guild could bring me trouble before I¡¯m ready to handle them if they figure out who I am. What if I get a whole persona, mask and everything? People love masks. I could make it as well, from a sheet of scrap metal or something. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯re a genius,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can¡¯t just be Arwin. I should pretend to be someone else.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about that at all,¡± Reya said, staring at him in befuddlement. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Perfectly,¡± Arwin replied with a grin. Heid the armor on the ground beside Reya, then nudged it with his foot. ¡°Watch over that, would you? I need to make something really quick.¡±

    Before either she or Lillia could respond, Arwin was out the door and down the street. He shot back into the smithy and hurried over to his forge, throwing some [Soul me] into it and pumping the bellows.

    While they heated, Arwin let his eyes drift over the room. He didn¡¯t have any of the metal that Reya had gifted him left over ¨C he¡¯d used every single piece of it in making his hammer. He still had some of the other stuff she¡¯d brought over, though ¨C and that would be more than enough for his purposes.

    Arwin gathered some of the scrap and tossed it into the hearth, more upied with figuring out exactly what his seal would be.

    <em>Something catchy. Maybe something to do with fire. me, perhaps? </em>

    <em>No. Too generic. </em>

    <em>What about¡­ ck me? </em>

    <em>Wait, that definitely won¡¯t work. It sounds badass, but I don¡¯t use ck me. Also, something tells me someone else is already using that. I mean, isn¡¯t every branding of me on a piece of armor going to end up being ck?</em>

    As Arwin mused, a thought struck him. A snicker escaped his lips, but the longer he thought about it, the more tempting it became. It was a bit on the nose ¨C more than a bit, if he was honest with himself.

    <em>I could be Ifrit. A monster known for immense magical power and the ability to grant wishes, though it twists them to make sure the result is always as horrible as possible. Calling myself a Genie would be too arrogant ¨C but this fits perfectly. And, once the guild learns who I am, I imagine it won¡¯t be long before they start calling me a monster as well. Might as well lean into it. </em>

    Arwin took a piece of metal from the hearth and set it on the anvil. He hoisted Verdant ze and brought it down on the burnt orange metal with a ringing crash. It was a bit awkward to hold because of its size, but after a few more swings, Arwin started to pick it up.

    kes of metal fell away from the piece as he worked, shaping it into a rough circle. It didn¡¯t take long before he had a several-inch thick disk resting on the anvil before him.

    <em>For the design, something simple and clear should work great. But how do I actually put the design in? I¡¯ll have to make it stick out so it gets pressed into whatever I¡¯m marking, but I don¡¯t really have any small tools. </em>

    Arwin looked around the shop, half-hoping he¡¯d find a Jeweler¡¯s kit lying around somewhere, but there was no such luck. Huffing, he brought the disk he¡¯d made back to the hearth to re-heat it.

    <em>Guess I¡¯ll do this like a kid. It¡¯s finger art time. </em>

    Once the puck was glowing, Arwin pressed a finger into the softened metal and started to ¨C very slowly ¨C press a design into it.

    It was slow, borderline infuriating work. Arwin had never been a master artist, though art had always fascinated him. Fortunately, the design he was hoping for was far fromplex. But, even still, it took him nearly five hours before he actually managed to get the disk to look the way he wanted it to.

    His Ifrit design consisted of two inversed shapes going down the center of the mask, each roughly in an ¡®F¡¯ shape with the back of the letters facing each other. They were stylized so that the lines sticking out their sides outlined the eyeholes and curled up like the wings of a bird to form something akin to a face. Arwin then added in a few flowing lines running out from either side of the mask to give the vague impression of fire.

    <em>Far from beautiful, but it looks how I wanted it to. Definitely recognizable. </em>

    Most people probably would have had to stick a handle onto the disk so they could handle it properly when it was hot, but Arwin wasn¡¯t most people. He stuck the disk into a pocket, satisfied with his creation.

    <em>Perfect. Now I just need to make a matching mask and I¡¯ll be good to go. Then I¡¯ll definitely gather a lot of attention ¨C everyone is going to want to know what the creepy smith with the metal mask has for sale. This is wless. I can¡¯t wait to see what Lillia and Reya think. </em>

 Chapter 51: Cart

    Chapter 51: Cart

    ¡°That¡­ is terrifying,¡± Reya said. ¡°And kind of ugly.¡±

    It was the following morning, and Arwin hadpletely missed his previously imposed deadline of the previous day to get to the market and sell his armor. He¡¯d spent the rest of the day making a metal mask that matched the design on his newly-made stamp, but he was proud of the results.

    The mask apparently didn¡¯t count as headgear because the Mesh hadn¡¯t recognized it. That came as a relief, as it wouldn¡¯t have been particrly useful if it was clearly magical, and he had no way to know if the mask would have been able to hide itself like some of his other items.

    Perhaps the dy had been a blessing in disguise because it had given him time to bind Verdant ze to himself with [Arsenal]. He¡¯d also dismissed his armor, so he was just walking around in his normal clothes.

    Arwin lowered the mask from his face. ¡°Right? It looks memorable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely something,¡± Lillia said, her features unreadable. ¡°Is there a reason you went with a monster design rather than a human or a symbolic one?¡±

    ¡°Nothing wrong with being a monster, is there?¡±

    Lillia tilted her head to the side. A small smile traced across her lips and she shrugged one shoulder. ¡°I suppose not.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, the mask isn¡¯t all I made. Take a look at this,¡± Arwin said. He held a hand out and summoned Verdant ze. Lillia¡¯s eyebrows lifted in surprise at the appearance of the weapon.¡°shy. Did you make that?¡±

    ¡°No. I found it on the side of the road.¡±

    Lillia snorted. ¡°Very funny. What can it¨C¡±

    Arwin dismissed the magic hiding the weapon¡¯s stats. Lillia¡¯s eyes zed over as she read over Verdant ze¡¯s lengthy description. Her lips parted in surprise until she finished and snapped her mouth closed.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia breathed. ¡°You made this? At this rank?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, eh?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Lillia asked as Arwin concealed the stats once more. ¡°This is ridiculous. You¡¯re an Apprentice Tier! For anyone at our level, that weapon is beyond bullshit.¡±

    She sent him a pointed look, likely trying to remind him of what weapons he¡¯d used when he was an Apprentice Tier Hero. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed in thought, but all he could do was shake his head helplessly.

    He couldn¡¯t remember much of that time, but he¡¯d always used more gear than Lillia had. Her ss had been a magic focused swordsman whilst he was a swordsman that happened to have magic. A subtle difference, but an important one, nheless.

    ¡°I just want to know what happens when it wakes up,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You think it¡¯ll start speaking?¡±

    ¡°I hope not,¡± Lillia said. ¡°That would be creepy.¡±

    ¡°And cool,¡± Reya added in, her eyes sparkling with delight and awe. ¡°That was the strongest weapon I¡¯ve ever seen in my entire life. You should make more.¡±

    ¡°No promises, but I can do my best,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°It just might take a bit to get around to. Did you want one?¡±

    "No. I want my dagger back," Reya said adamantly.

    Arwin snorted. "Figures. Well, we need to handle some other stuff first.

    ¡°Like getting some money?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Yeah, that might be a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re going to go try and sell the stuff now?¡± Reya asked, hopping down from her chair eagerly. ¡°You said we were doing it yesterday, but¨C¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Arwin grumbled. He dismissed Verdant ze. ¡°I got distracted. We¡¯re doing it today.¡±

    He slipped the mask back over his face. The eye and nose holes weren¡¯t quite in the spots where he would have liked them, but he could still see and breathe, which was all that mattered. ¡°I just have to do this first.¡±

    Arwin knelt beside the sets of armor and took out the disk bearing his mark. He let [Soul me] rise up from his palm and heat the mark until it was glowing red. He then pressed it into each piece of armor, just enough to burn the impression of the Ifrit onto them.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said, drawing his [Soul me] back out of the disk so he could return it to his pocket. ¡°Now we¡¯re ready. We just need to go get ourselves a cart and we can make some money.¡±

    ¡°I might know a ce that could have a cart,¡± Reya said. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye out.¡±

    ¡°Not a stolen one.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t stolen.¡± It was Reya¡¯s turn to be defensive, though Arwin strongly suspected that she¡¯d left off a <em>yet </em>somewhere in her sentence. ¡°It¡¯s just not getting used much. I¡¯m sure nobody would miss it.¡±

    ¡°So maybe we could buy it,¡± Arwin said with a grin. He then realized Reya couldn¡¯t see his face behind the mask and cleared his throat. ¡°Well, shall we? I¡¯m eager to do this already.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    <em>And I also should try to make some edible items again. I had a snack in the dungeon, but I should make sure to keep ahead of the Mesh so I don¡¯t have to panic and rush the next time a stomachachees on. I¡¯ll get materials and make something right after this is done. </em>

    ¡°Do you want toe, Lillia?¡± Reya asked as she headed over to the entrance.

    ¡°Who, me?¡± Lillia started.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think there were any other Lillia¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°I have to stay at the tavern,¡± Lillia said, putting a hand on the counter. ¡°What if someone shows up while I¡¯m out?¡±

    ¡°You left when we were doing the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°That was a special circumstance.¡±

    <em>And she didn¡¯t have to go into the town, dragging the cloud of darkness along with her. Someone would figure out something was off pretty quickly if she was just standing around on the street. </em>

    ¡°Maybe next time?¡± Arwin offered, giving Lillia a way out.

    ¡°Yeah, maybe that,¡± Lillia said with a grateful nod. ¡°Good luck, though. If you happen to find anyone looking for a good meal, send them my way. No inn-goers, though. I don¡¯t have enough rooms for more people right now.¡±

    Reya shrugged and scooped up half the armor on the ground. Arwin picked up the other half.

    ¡°Noted.¡± Arwin raised a hand in farewell, then followed Reya as she headed out onto the street.

    He followed her down the streets of Milten, still getting used to looking out of his new mask and barely keeping up with her brisk pace. After a few minutes of walking and weaving through the alleys, Reya brought them out onto a small street.

    There were a few storefronts and buildings along it, but it looked like a rtively quiet area. Reya walked over to a run-down, two-story building directly across from the alleyway they¡¯d stepped out of.

    ¡°This ce,¡± Reya said. ¡°They¡¯ve got a cart in the back, and it¡¯s never moved. I¡¯ve seen it from the rooftops.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing on the rooftops?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you don¡¯t want answers to. I don¡¯t like it up there.¡± Reya rapped on the door with her knuckles. ¡°I think this ce is a really small inn, but nobody ever uses it. I have no idea how it¡¯s still in business.¡±

    No sooner than she had finished speaking did the door creak open. An elderly man with an underbite and a thinning bed of white hair stood on the other side, his face already pinched in distaste.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± He stared at Arwin suspiciously, keeping a hand on the door to m it shut at a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking to buy a cart.¡± Arwin held his hands out in what he hoped was a cating manner. It was a little difficult to do with all the armor he was clutching to his chest. ¡°Something I could sell these out of. I¡¯m a smith.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a freak in a mask,¡± the old man said curtly.

    ¡°A freak in a mask that wants a cart,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Do you happen to be in possession of one that you don¡¯t want to be in possession of?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he squinted at Arwin. ¡°Speak louder. I can¡¯t see you.¡±

    <em>You can¡¯t what now?</em>

    ¡°A cart!¡± Arwin said, nearly yelling. ¡°Do you have one? I want to buy it!¡±

    ¡°Oh, a cart. I¡¯ve got an old piece of shit in the back, yeah. It rolls just fine, but I¡¯m not giving you a donkey to drag it with you.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t recall ever asking for a donkey. </em>

    ¡°That would be perfect,¡± Arwin said, keeping his raised tone. ¡°How much for the cart?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell,¡± the old man said with a grunt. ¡°Twenty gold.¡±

    ¡°Twenty?¡± Reya eximed. ¡°No! Five!¡±

    ¡°Five? It¡¯s not made of gold; it¡¯s made of wood!¡±

    They both stared at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s why we don¡¯t to pay twenty gold for it,¡± Reya said with a baffled frown. ¡°If it was made out of gold, we¡¯d pay more. It¡¯s not made out of gold, though.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure, yeah,¡± Reya said. ¡°Five gold.¡±

    ¡°Fifteen.¡±

    ¡°Seven.¡±

    ¡°Ten?¡± the old man offered. ¡°Last offer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s literally just sitting back there!¡± Reya protested. ¡°You aren¡¯t even using it!¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°Ten is fine,¡± Arwin said hurriedly, fishing five gold out of his pocket and handing the coins to the man. ¡°Other five once we take the cart out.¡±

    Shrugging, the man nodded over to a fence beside his building. ¡°It¡¯s open. Feel free to drag the cart out, but don¡¯t think about trying to take a step away from the street with it before you pay up, or I¡¯ll beat you for an inch of your life.¡±

    Arwin was pretty sure the man wasn¡¯t capable of beating amon cold, much less another person, but he didn¡¯t say anything. There was no reason to antagonize him and, while ten gold felt like it was more than a bit steep, he really didn¡¯t need people poking further into Reya¡¯s dealings.

    Reya ran over to the gate and pulled it open before heading through it. Arwin followed her in to find an old wooden cart wedged between the walls of the old man¡¯s house and the house next door.

    The wood was cracked and dry, covered with ayer of dust that spoke tales of thest time it had been used. But, in spite of that, the wheels looked to be in decent condition. They weren¡¯t great, but they weren¡¯t trash either.

    The wagon itself was a little on the small side, with just enough counter space on either side to support his arms if he wanted to lean on it. Old metal hooks hung along the ceiling, giving spots to hang merchandise from.

    ¡°This is perfect. Step out of the way, Reya,¡± Arwin said. He dumped his pile of armor down at the bottom of the cart. Reya did the same.

    Arwin then grabbed the handles at the front of the cart. He straightened and gritted his teeth, his muscles bulging as he pulled.

    The cart was stuck fast, buried in ayer of mud. Arwin activated [Scourge], letting power course through his body and empower his movements. With a snarl, he pulled the cart free of the ground with a lurch.

    He dragged it out onto the street, moving slowly at first to make sure nothing fell apart. When it became clear that it would stay in one piece, Arwin lowered the cart again. He walked over to the old man in the doorway and handed him thest five pieces of gold.

    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Arwin said, ignoring the wide-eyed look he was getting.

    ¡°You an Adventurer or something?¡± the old man asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t peg you for one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a smith,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°You can call me Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Hey, can I ride in the cart?¡± Reya asked, climbing in before waiting for Arwin to answer. She held one of the beams and grinned down at him. ¡°To make sure it can bear the weight of the armor and stuff.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it would be a good workout.¡± Arwin raised a hand in farewell to the stunned old man, then grabbed the cart and drew on [Scourge] once more, trotting off down the street with the cart rumbling behind him.

    Excitement swirled in Arwin¡¯s stomach. Even if he was only selling mundane gear, he was confident that he¡¯d be able to impress people with the quality of his work. He hadn¡¯t seen anything like the scale armor in the other cksmith¡¯s shop.

    <em>And, once I start to get a steady flow of money, I¡¯ll be able to start doing magical weapons and armor onmission for people that I think deserve them. Then I¡¯ll be able to upgrade the smithy even more. </em>

    It was time for Ifrit to make his name known.

 Chapter 52: Marketing

    Chapter 52: Marketing

    The market was busy when Arwin and Reya arrived. But, unlike thest time where not a single person had nced in their direction, their entrance drew a fair number of eyes. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of his mask or the cart at his back, but he didn¡¯t care.

    He scoped out an empty area beside a merchant selling dumplings and brought the cart over beside him, setting it down with a grunt. Reya hopped down and gave him a grin.

    ¡°Cart seems safe.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Arwin asked dryly, brushing his hands off on his shirt. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if I want to sell everything as fast as possible, or if I want to find the right person for the armor instead.¡±

    Reya rolled her eyes. ¡°Maybe worry about selling anything at all first? And this is just normal gear. Don¡¯t be picky about that stuff. You can be picky once you¡¯re famous.¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Arwin admitted. He picked up a set of scale mail and hung it from one of the hooks, holding his hands out to catch it in case the hook failed. Fortunately, it looked like the metal was in good condition and it held firm.

    Reya helped him hang the rest of the armor, and then they settled in to wait. It was still somewhat early in the day, and the market was just starting to get to its busiest hour.

    Minutes ticked by, turning to an hour. People walked by their cart, a few of them craning their necks as they passed, but nobody was stopping by. Arwin frowned behind his mask.

    ¡°Why is nobody stopping by? They aren¡¯t even trying to take a closer look.¡±¡°Probably because you look intimidating,¡± Reya said from where she sat at the base of the wagon. She stood up, brushing some specks of wood from her clothes, and nced around. ¡°Here. Let me try something.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to¨C¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Reya screamed, thrusting a finger at a bald man with a sword at his side. ¡°You!¡±

    The man froze in surprise, spinning to face Reya. ¡°Me? What¨C¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your armor?¡± Reya demanded, hopping down from the cart before Arwin could even think of saying anything. She stormed up to the man and thrust a finger at him. ¡°What if monsters attacked the town? You¡¯re an adventurer, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just not wearing it right¨C¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing it because it¡¯s no good,¡± Reya said. ¡°It¡¯s ufortable. It¡¯s unwieldy. Probably heavy and a huge pain to lug around, isn¡¯t it? But look at me!¡±

    Reya pped her chest. She¡¯d taken her armor off ¨C which was probably wise, as it was magical and had no way to conceal its properties ¨C then pointed over at the cart with her other hand. ¡°Look at that. Light, easy to wear ¨C and yet, just as effective as metal.¡±

    ¡°I already have¨C¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have <em>this </em>armor,¡± Reya said, fluttering her eyes. ¡°Though you¡¯re going to wish you did when a horde of Forest Lizards run you down and rip your limbs off in your nky, heavy armor. Good luck running anywhere in that crap. Your loss, though!¡±

    She spun, sauntering back to the cart with a smirk on her face that only Arwin could see. The adventurer¡¯s eyes traced Reya¡¯s walk, then lifted up to Arwin and the armor. His head tilted slightly to the side, and after a moment of standing in the middle of traffic, he walked over to join them.

    ¡°All you,¡± Reya whispered as she climbed back onto the wagon. ¡°Don¡¯t screw it up.¡±

    Arwin found himself supremely grateful for the mask on his face, as it was doing a fantastic job of covering his mouth, which was currently hanging open.

    ¡°What kind of shop you got here? Only four sets of armor?¡± the adventurer asked, peering past Arwin. ¡°Interesting design, though.¡±

    ¡°Scale mail,¡± Arwin said, getting himself back under control and taking down a set of armor so the man could inspect it. ¡°And the greaves are te, though made from the same material. It¡¯s considerably lighter than metal but has almost the same level of protection.¡±

    The adventurer ran his hand over the greaves, the mild interest on his face growing as he took in the armor. ¡°You made this?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you get the scales like this? I¡¯ve never seen someone make a set of armor with them that wasn¡¯t scale mail,¡± the man said, turning the greaves over in his hands to try and find if there was a trick to them. ¡°Is this really as effective as metal?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve tested them myself,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The shirt protected someone from a Wyrm blow, though it was badly damaged in the process.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me,¡± the man muttered. ¡°A Wyrm?¡±

    ¡°It did break,¡± Arwin reminded him.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°But the person wearing it lived,¡± Reya piped up. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a damn good trade.¡±

    ¡°So it is,¡± the adventurer mused. ¡°Can I try this on?¡±

    ¡°Help yourself, but don¡¯t run off with it. I¡¯m faster than you are.¡±

    The manughed at what he presumed to be a joke, then pulled the greaves on. Fortunately, his build wasn¡¯t too far from average, so they seemed to fit him pretty well. Arwin had left them fairly lose, and a lot of their fit relied on thetches, which he helped the adventurer fasten them properly.

    Shifting from foot to foot, the man¡¯s expression continued to grow more interested. He gestured for the scale mail and Arwin handed it over, letting the man pull it over his head.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. This is a lot morefortable than I thought it would be. Why is the shirt mail while the pants are te?¡±

    ¡°Still working on te chestpiece,¡± Arwin replied with a shrug. ¡°This is lighter, though. If you value your mobility, it¡¯ll give you the best of both worlds.¡±

    The adventurer nodded slowly. ¡°How much is it?¡±

    ¡°Forty gold a piece, or seventy for the pair?¡± Arwin offered, taking a shot at a price. He was pretty sure it was on the lower end, but he had no name as a smith yet. Getting some people to buy his gear and get the word out would be far more effective than trying to sell it at high prices initially.

    The adventurer considered Arwin for a moment, then reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a small leather bag. He sifted through it, removing a handful of coins, and then set the bag on Arwin¡¯s counter.

    ¡°Seventy. Feel free to count it.¡±

    Arwin quickly checked the bag, but it looked like the number of coins was right. He inclined his head. ¡°Thank you for your patronage. I hope the armor serves you well. If it ever gets damaged, feel free to bring it back to me. I¡¯ll repair it at a low cost.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± the adventurer grinned and held his hand out. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, mate. What¡¯s your name? You must be new around here.¡±

    ¡°Ifrit,¡± Arwin replied, shaking the man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ted. Pleasure, Ifrit. If your armor is half as good as it feels, you¡¯ll be seeing me again.¡±

    The adventurer strode off, raising a hand in farewell. Arwin looked down at the bag on the counter, then over to Reya. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°What was what?¡±

    ¡°When did you be so good at being a saleswoman?¡±

    ¡°Good? All I did was cut him off a bunch of times and sway my ass when I walked back here,¡± Reya said with a snort. ¡°You did everything else.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s one way topletely undersell yourself. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that was it. You definitely¨C¡±

    ¡°Eyes up ahead,¡± Reya said with a grin, looking past Arwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve got some more interest.

    Arwin turned to find that several other people had walked over to the cart and were studying the armor hanging around him. Now that one person had bought something, he¡¯d functionally proven himself and drawn the attention of other passersby.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Reya said, crossing her arms behind her head and closing her eyes. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to leave me a cut.¡±

    ***

    About five hourster, they sold out. Even though a lot of people came by to look at the armor, most of them didn¡¯t end up buying anything. But, even so, with the small crowd that Reya had summoned, there was enough interest to sell every piece of armor they¡¯d brought.

    Arwin found his purse had gone from a mere 10 gold to a hefty 362. In the span of five hours, they¡¯d gone from destitute to well off. If a meal cost around a silver or two, then one gold was roughly equivalent to five meals at worst. They weren¡¯t exactly rich, but they had a very healthy amount of coin.

    He wasted absolutely no time in counting out one hundred gold from his profits and tossing it to Reya.

    ¡°This much?¡± Reya asked, staring at the bag in disbelief. ¡°I barely even did anything!¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? I wouldn¡¯t have sold anything at all if you weren¡¯t here. You earned that.¡±

    ¡°You made the armor.¡±

    ¡°Are you really asking me to give you less gold?¡±

    Reya blinked, then shook her head. ¡°You know what? Never mind. I deserve this.¡±

    They bothughed.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to make a bunch more of that. I think I¡¯m going to get addicted to having this much money,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to end up spending almost all of this immediately,¡± Arwin said, feeling the bulging bag at his waist. ¡°I need some more of that metal you bought me as well. Could you say how much it was?¡±

    ¡°The whole lot was eighty gold, and I got it at a huge discount,¡± Reya said. ¡°Someone ordered a bunch of it and then didn¡¯t pick it up. I think it¡¯s normally around thirty gold a bar.¡±

    ¡°Could you get me three bars of it?¡± Arwin asked, pouring another hundred gold into Reya¡¯s bag. ¡°I need some to work with.¡±

    Reya blinked, then shrugged. ¡°Okay. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bring the cart back, then go shopping for some supplies to upgrade the smithy. Come tomorrow, we aren¡¯t going to have any more cracks in the walls.¡±

    Reya grinned. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. I¡¯ll see you back at the tavern, then?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Arwin said, hopping down from the wagon to lift it by the handles. He nodded to Reya, and the two of them set off, their spirits high from a sessful day.

    ***

    ¡°He was right here, Jessen,¡± Tix said, thrusting a finger at the open space in the market. ¡°I swear.¡±

    ¡°I believe you,¡± the man beside her said, running a hand through his dark beard. He wore heavy ck armor with spiked pauldrons and carried a huge greatsword on his back that shimmered with poorly hidden magical energy. ¡°Unfortunate. I had hoped to speak with him. Our guild needs a new crafter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to find the street that I heard he lived on, but I haven¡¯t had any luck thus far. I¡¯ve sent out some feelers to see if anyone has heard anything, but so far, the only ones that have imed to know anything are a bunch of worthless grubs.¡±

    ¡°Grubs?¡± Jessen asked, tilting his head to the side and ncing at Tix. ¡°I believe I told you to spare no expenses.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they¡¯re a gutter trash thieves guild,¡± Tix said. ¡°They¡¯d lie through their teeth just to get our coin. There¡¯s no point¨C¡±

    ¡°Tix?¡± Jessen asked, his voice cold.

    She cut herself off mid-sentence, then swallowed heavily. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with them.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Jessen said. ¡°It¡¯s just a little bit of gold. It hardly matters when there¡¯s so much profit on the line. In the meantime, how has our side project been going?¡±

    ¡°Well. We should have the materials we need soon. A month or two, if I had to guess,¡± Tix replied.

    ¡°As you were.¡± Jessen strode off, somehow blending in with the crowd in just seconds despite his striking armor and towering height. Tix turned back to the empty lot, then grimaced. She had a meeting with a bunch of worthless thieves to catch, and she wasn¡¯t looking forward to it in the slightest.

 Chapter 53: Zeke

    Chapter 53: Zeke

    Arwin got back to the smithy after spending a little over one hundred gold on various supplies and repair materials. He took them out of his cart and brought them into the cracked building one by one, stacking the extra stone and brick by the wall beside the mortar and a slew of new tools.

    Reya swung by with the Brightsteel he¡¯d requested, dropping it off by the forge before heading over to brag to Lillia about how well their efforts had gone and dragging the cart back with her. As tempting as it was to get started on the repairs, Arwin shifted gears and grabbed one of the Brightsteel pieces, firing up his forge.

    A tightness had started to form in the pit of his stomach, and it wasn¡¯t going to be long before he ran out of time and needed to eat a magical item. He had pretty high hopes for the new material.

    <em>Better stuff to work with means it¡¯s more likely I¡¯ll be able to sate the [Hungering Maw] without having to make a bunch of crap. The best way to test that would be to make a nice bracelet with this instead of some crappy metal. </em>

    And that was exactly what Arwin did. As the heat of his [Soul me] washed across the smithy, he got to work forming a bracelet out of one of the three ingots. He used Verdant ze to hammer it down, ttening the piece into a long strip before starting to work it into a ring.

    Instead of just making a basic circle, Arwin took one of the new tools he¡¯d purchased ¨C a small handle with a pointed end and used it to start tracing designs into the steel. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would actually change the quality of the magical item, but it probably couldn¡¯t hurt.

    He carved a vine that ran from one end of the circlet to the other, then started putting in leaves. The more he worked, the more the Brightsteel helped him. His design went from sub-average at best to something that he was actually rather proud of, and the steel matched his delight.

    Arwin set the tool down away from the me and held the finished bracelet up. It had been several hours since he¡¯d started working, but that only made the tingle of the Mesh as it raced across his skin all the more delightful.

    <strong>[Brightsteel Bracelet: Art Quality] has been forged.</strong>Arwin waited for more to appear, but it never did. That was it. He¡¯d never heard of Art quality before, but it wasn¡¯t hard to deduce what it meant.

    It was just a beautiful bracelet. It didn¡¯t do anything special, but at the same time, the Mesh recognized it as more than just a mere bracelet. It wasn¡¯t exactly magical, but it wasn¡¯t <em>not </em>magical either.

    Arwin examined the design on the bracelet for a few minutes, marveling at the work. It was hard to believe it hade from his hands ¨C but it wasn¡¯t long before curiosity overcame his other thoughts.

    He brought the bracelet up to his mouth and carefully nibbled at it. To his relief, the metal melted instantly as it met his mouth. It was still edible. Arwin ate the rest of the bracelet, then waited with bated breath.

    The tightness in his stomach faded. A huge grin passed over his lips and he let out a relieved sigh.

    ¡°Art Quality seems to be good enough, then. Lucky me,¡± Arwin said. He nced over at the other two pieces of Brightsteel. There was still a lot he could do with them, but he wanted to make sure he had an emergency backup in case he needed to eat more magic in the near future.

    <em>Probably best to save it for now. Maybe I should get some rest, then go about fixing up the smithy tomorrow. That¡¯ll be nice. </em>

    Arwin brushed his hands off and sucked the [Soul me] from the hearth, heading for the door. He paused as he reached the exit, putting his mask back on.

    <em>Now that I¡¯ve made my debut, I¡¯ll have to be more careful about wearing the mask whenever I enter or leave the smithy. Never know when someone will be waiting around to meet me, even though it¡¯s probably a bit too early for that.</em>

    Arwin headed into the street and locked the door behind himself. It was, as usual,pletely deste. Unbothered, Arwin headed off to Lillia¡¯s tavern. There was a lot he wanted to do the next morning, and he was worried he¡¯d start early if he didn¡¯t force himself into bed soon.

    Lillia and Reya had already retired by the time Arwin got there. So, after carefully making his way through the darkness of the tavern below, he ascended the stairs and slipped into bed whilst trying to make as little noise as possible.

    Sleep took him, but it felt like a fleeting embrace.

    Before Arwin knew it, the sun was streaming through the window once again. He was out of bed nearly instantly, his thoughts already on his new smithy repairs. He could practically see the remade building in his mind.

    Lillia nodded to Arwin as he stepped off the stairs and into the tavern. ¡°Reya told me yesterday went well.¡±

    ¡°Very well. She¡¯s a good saleswoman,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I got everything I needed to start some repairs, and I think we might be getting some more attention on the street pretty soon. Is your tavern ready for more customers?¡±

    ¡°Working on it,¡± Lillia said with a wince. ¡°It¡¯s hard to do much with no funds, but I¡¯m slowly getting there.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a bath, do you?¡±

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    ¡°Not yet. It¡¯s on the list.¡±

    Arwin counted out fifty gold and set it on the counter. ¡°Here.¡±

    Lillia stared at the pile of money with undisguised desire. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±

    ¡°I want a bath. Consider it an investment, not a donation. The more peoplee to the street, the better. We don¡¯t need anyone looking down on us.¡±

    Lillia looked like she wanted to refuse, but practicality won over ego. She swept the coins into her pocket and gave Arwin an appreciative nod. ¡°Thank you. This is going to go a really long way.¡±

    ¡°I figured it would. Maybe start with a door.¡± A grin flickered across Arwin¡¯s face. ¡°Doors are nice, you know?¡±

    ¡°What is it with you and doors?¡± Lillia asked with augh.

    ¡°It just makes it feel more like a home. If you can just stride in without having to stop and do something, it feels wrong.¡±

    ¡°You know what? That¡¯s fair enough,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ll get a door. And a tub, at the very least. At some point, I¡¯d love to have a whole hot spring. That might cost a bit more than 50 gold, though.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to it soon enough, though. You still have that Lesser Imp acting as a waiter?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just not out right now. No reason to waste energy when nobody is around.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense. I¡¯m going to go work on repairs, then,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be back for nightfall, so you don¡¯t get penalized for me not sleeping in the inn.¡±

    Lillia gave him a grateful nod and he headed off, whistling to himself as he pulled his mask on. It struck him that, despite everything that had happened, he was happier now than he ever had been as the Hero of Man.

    Before his supposed death, Arwin¡¯s life had consisted of war, killing, and training to kill. The best moments had been the ones when he¡¯d had a few seconds to breath and rx with his friends ¨C back when they¡¯d still lived.

    It had felt like he was living underwater, slowly drowning a little more every day. But now, the only things he had to do were make more armor, upgrade the smithy, and make sure they were ready to handle a small horde of Wyrms.

    It was far from apletely carefree life, but it finally felt like a worthwhile one.

    ¡°Wish you were here with me, ke,¡± Arwin muttered to himself, a pang of guilt shooting through him as he strode down the street. He¡¯d always dreamed of leaving the war behind after it was over and settling down, but the desire to be a crafter hadn¡¯t actually been his.

    It had been ke¡¯s dream. The man had talked Arwin¡¯s ear off for hours on end about all the things he¡¯d make once the demon queen had fallen, to the point where he¡¯d started paying more attention to his own armor and weapons purely because of how much he¡¯d inadvertently learned about smithing.

    <em>I¡¯ll live it for the two of us, ke. I can¡¯t help but feel as if you had some hand in me ending up as a smith. I bet you¡¯d have gotten a huge kick out of it. </em>

    A faint smile formed on Arwin¡¯s lips. He reached the smithy and lifted the key to the door, going to turn the handle ¨C and froze. It was already unlocked. Arwin¡¯s grin fell away and his eyes narrowed.

    <em>The thieves¡¯s guild? Did those idiotse back?</em>

    He threw the door open, striding in and preparing to activate [Arsenal] at the first sign of an ambush or an attack.

    But, instead of armed men, Arwin found the only person in his smithy to be a young teenager, probably around fourteen or fifteen years old. The boy was holding a brick of Brightsteel.

    He spun as he heard Arwin enter, dropping the ingot and lunging to grab it before it could hit the ground. The boy backed up, setting the brick on the anvil and swallowing as he held his hands out defensively. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize someone moved in here, mister. I don¡¯t mean any harm.¡±

    Arwin let his hands lower. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I used to use this ce as my hideout. Thought it was weird when someone put a door on it, so I picked the lock toe in,¡± the boy said hurriedly. He turned the pockets of his pants inside out. ¡°I didn¡¯t take anything, I swear. I was just looking around.¡±

    Arwin studied the boy for a moment, but it looked like he was telling the truth. He was as thin as a rail, and Arwin strongly suspected he didn¡¯t have a ss by how little threat he felt from him. ¡°What were you doing with my ingots?¡±

    ¡°I dunno. They were shiny,¡± the boy said sheepishly. ¡°Looked expensive.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize this was your hideout. I apologize.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s lots of other ces on the street,¡± the boy said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll find a different one. I just liked this one because my dad was a smith. Made me feel like I was with him.¡±

    Arwin coughed into his fist. It wasn¡¯t like anyone owned the smithy when he¡¯d moved in, but he still felt a pang of guilt ¨C though not nearly enough to offer up the smithy. There were other perfectly useable buildings around them.

    ¡°You hiding from something?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°What? No. Nothing like that, sir.¡±

    ¡°You can just call me Ifrit,¡± Arwin said, shaking his head. ¡°And you said this was your hideout, so I figured you were hiding.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. The thieves¡¯ guild just expanded and took over the area I was camping out in before, so I came back to this one. It¡¯s a bit farther from the markets, but¡­¡± he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Not too busy, aside from you.¡±

    ¡°And the tavern down the street,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can¡¯t rmend trying to rob either me or the tavern, though.¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t no robber!¡±

    Arwin raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m a re-allocator of goods.¡± The boy gave him a gap-toothed grin. ¡°Sounds better that way.¡±

    Arwin couldn¡¯t help himself fromughing. The kid had a certain upbeat air to him that made it difficult to stay uptight. ¡°What¡¯s your name? If you¡¯re moving in next door, I might as well get to know you.¡±

    ¡°Zeke. You aren¡¯t mad about me breakin¡¯ in then?¡±

    ¡°Not as long as you don¡¯t do it again or try to take anything,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve got bigger problems than people checking out my forge.¡±

    Zeke¡¯s stomach rumbled loudly. His face went bright red and he scampered to the side, making to loop around Arwin so he could leave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then. Sorry ¡®bout the bother.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You want to earn some coin? Actually earn, not steal.¡±

    Zeke paused. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing some repairs, if you couldn¡¯t tell,¡± Arwin said, nodding at the wall with all his neatly-stacked supplies. ¡°There¡¯s probably going to be a good bit ofbor. Dragging crap out, putting crap in. That kind of thing. I¡¯ll pay you five gold if you help me shuffle everything around today.¡±

    Zeke¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers. ¡°Five gold? I¡¯m your man, Mister Ifrit!¡±

    ¡°Just Ifirit,¡± Arwin corrected, grateful that he¡¯d worn his mask.

    <em>I better get that habit out of him before he and Reya meet, or I¡¯ll never hear my actual name again. </em>

    ¡°Yessi ¨C uh, Ifrit. I¡¯ll call you King if it gets me that gold.¡±

    Arwin rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on, then. Let¡¯s get started by taking out all the debris and cracked stones in the walls. We¡¯ve got a lot of work ahead of us.¡±

 Chapter 54: Tomorrow

    Chapter 54: Tomorrow

    Zeke was a hard worker, and he made clearing out the smithy considerably faster than it would have been if Arwin was working on his own. Between the two of them, in just a few hours, they¡¯d removed the majority of the worst damage in the building.

    After they''d finished, Zeke headed out to get some fresh air. Arwin took the opportunity to do a little more smithing. He hadn¡¯t forgotten just how useful the bracelet he¡¯d made had been against the golem ¨C and he never knew when [The Hungering Maw] would demand another sacrifice.

    He took a piece of scrap Brightsteel and brought it to the hearth, heating it and working it into a band. The metal was receptive enough to his work, and it only took around an hour of work to hammer it out and reshape it with the Mesh¡¯s guidance. Arwin tried a few times before he got everything shaped the way he¡¯d envisioned. Energy sparked at his fingertips as the Mesh recognized his work.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: average Quality] has been forged.</strong>

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Happy Feet]: This item was forged faster than it should have been, resulting in some imperfection in an otherwise decent band. It can provide increased movement speed at the cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Greedy]: This item draws more magical energy than it needs, causing its wielder to lose strength while its ability is active. </strong>

    Arwin nodded to himself. It was a good item. Nothing incredible, but it would serve as a snack if nothing else ¨C and he could see a number of situations where speed would be considerably more important than strength. He slipped it onto his wrist, heading out to find Zeke - if the boy hadn''t run off already.

    He found the kid standing outside the tavern, squinting inside. Zeke turned as Arwin approached. "Hungry?" Arwin asked.

    "Yeah," Zeke said, squinting through the shadows. "But why''s it so dark in there?"

    ¡°It¡¯s meant to be a little creepy. For fun,¡± Arwin exined. "Come on. I know it looks suspicious, but it''s just a bit odd. The innkeeper makes some great food."

    Zeke shot him a suspicious look, but he followed Arwin inside.

    All the suspicion vanished the moment Lillia stepped out of the kitchen with arge te of fried rice.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re eating real food today,¡± Lillia said. ¡°What ch¨C¡±

    She froze as she spotted Zeke standing beside Arwin. ¡°You brought someone new?¡±

    ¡°He broke into the smithy,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°And he¡¯s been helping me do some renovations. Can I get him lunch?¡±

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Lillia replied, setting the te down on the counter and snapping her fingers. ¡°Come. Eat.¡±

    Zeke sprung to obey, shoveling food from the te into his mouth without even waiting for Lillia to set out any utensils for him. Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce, but both chose to say nothing.

    It only took the boy a few minutes topletely mow through the entire meal. Once he¡¯d polished off thest scraps and licked the te clean, he leaned back in his stool and let out a satisfied sigh.

    ¡°Was it good?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Best food I¡¯ve had in years,¡± Zeke replied without a second of hesitation. ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Just call her Lillia,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°If you¡¯re up to it, let¡¯s get back to working, shall we? I¡¯d like to get the shop built up a bit more before tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna eat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arwin replied.

    Zeke nodded empathetically and hopped to his feet. ¡°Thanks for the food. It was really good.¡±

    He zipped out of the tavern, heading back for the smithy. Arwin shook his head as he watched the boy go.

    ¡°Interesting kid. Seems more than willing to work for his money.¡±

    ¡°Polite, too,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I kind of like the sound of Ma¡¯am. It feels really official, like I¡¯m a real tavern keeper.¡±

    ¡°What are you, an old woman?¡±

    Lillia red at him. ¡°Oh, stuff it. Go follow the brat.¡±

    Arwin chuckled and headed after Zeke. In the time it took him to catch up, the boy had already picked the lock to the smithy back open. Arwin stared at the lock, then looked over to the boy, who had started bringing bricks over to the gaps in the walls.

    ¡°Is this lock really that easy to break through?¡± Arwin asked as he joined Zeke.

    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m just good at it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s a good thing,¡± Arwin said dryly. The two of them got to sliding the stone into the gaps and applying the mortar to them with a t te of metal. They worked quickly, soon running out of easy fixes.

    Arwin set about using a small spike to carve the rest of the stones to fit into the oddly shaped gaps in the walls. Zeke continued supplying him with stones as he slid them into the gaps.

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    A few more hours of hard work passed, but it came with reward. By the time the sun started to dip in the sky, the cracks had been filled. Arwin¡¯s smithy was actually a proper building, without any holes in it that didn¡¯t belong.

    It was a bit darker than it had been before, with the only lighting in through the holes that had been windows, but Arwin couldn¡¯t have been more thrilled. The two of them spent a few minutes bringing all the extra materials over to a corner so they wouldn¡¯t be in the way.

    ¡°You did a pretty damn good job,¡± Arwin said, counting out 5 gold coins and handing them to Zeke.

    Zeke barely seemed to hear him. He stared at the gold in his hands, his eyes twinkling in disbelief. ¡°I can really have all this?¡±

    ¡°I promised it, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I kinda figured you¡¯d stiff me after the meal,¡± Zeke said.

    ¡°If you thought I¡¯d do that, why¡¯d you stick around?¡±

    ¡°In case you didn¡¯t.¡±

    The answer was so matter of fact that Arwin couldn¡¯t keep from snorting. ¡°Fair enough. Well, you earned it.¡±

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t. This wasn¡¯t worth 5 gold, but I¡¯ll take it anyway. If you can give money away like this, why are you moving into such a crappy building?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not crappy anymore,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m actually rather taken with it. With just a little more polishing up, this ce can be something incredible. It¡¯s not ugly. It¡¯s just got enormous potential.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what my mum used to say about my face,¡± Zeke said with a snicker. ¡°Thanks again for the food and the money. I won¡¯t break into your ce again, I promise.¡±

    Arwin started to nod, then caught himself. ¡°Say¡­ you have any interest in a longer term job?¡±

    Zeke blinked. ¡°What kind? You going to tear this whole ce down or something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that, but it could be useful to have an assistant,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Someone to help me get some things when I need them, or to help out in the forge while I¡¯m working.¡±

    Zeke¡¯s gaze bore into Arwin like twin drills. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Maybe a gold a day? I don¡¯t know how much money I¡¯ll have in the long run, but I imagine I should be able to¨C¡±

    ¡°A whole gold?¡± Zeke eximed. ¡°Every day? How long?¡±

    ¡°As long as I stick around, I guess,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Is that¨C¡±

    ¡°Done deal!¡± Zeke said, grabbing Arwin¡¯s hand and pumping it in a furious handshake. ¡°I¡¯m your man!¡±

    <em>Sad state of affairs when a kid his age has to be a man at all, but hey ¨C this is another person to stay at Lillia¡¯s tavern. </em>

    <em>Wait, didn¡¯t she say she didn¡¯t have room for more people yet? Whoops. Oh well, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll figure something out. </em>

    <em>Having an assistant should be pretty useful, especially as I start to expand and get more people. At some point, maybe I can have Zeke manage the storefront when Reya and I go out to the dungeons. And, who knows. In the long run, if he seems to be a genuinely decent person, I¡¯ll help him get a ss and he can join the guild. </em>

    ¡°Come along, then,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s go back over to that tavern so we can figure out your lodgings. I should also introduce you to everyone and we can figure out what your exact duties will be.¡±

    They returned to the tavern at the perfect time. Lillia and Reya looked like they¡¯d both just started on dinner. It was more fried rice, but Arwin suspected Zeke wouldn¡¯t mind all that much.

    ¡°We¡¯re back,¡± Arwin said, nodding for Zeke to take one of the stools. ¡°Do you have enough for another, Lillia?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Give me one second.¡± Lillia vanished into the kitchen, returning a few secondster with another te of metal stacked high with food. She set it down before Zeke, this time making sure to put down utensils for him.

    ¡°This is Zeke, then?¡± Reya asked. She noticed Arwin¡¯s surprised nce and grinned. ¡°Lillia told me.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yeah. He¡¯s been doing some pretty good work helping me rebuild the smithy today,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I hired him on to help out with some other basic tasks. Maybe run the storefront once we get a little more popr.¡±

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Reya said through a mouthful of food. ¡°You can¡¯t sit in the smithy the whole time. You¡¯ll have to leave asionally to get materials and stuff. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Zeke. I¡¯m Reya.¡±

    Zeke nodded in greeting, swallowing to make sure he didn¡¯t risk losing any food before responding. ¡°Yeah. Thanks. I¡¯m Zeke.¡±

    It was a tad awkward, but Zeke seemed considerably more interested in eating than he did in socializing. Arwin didn¡¯t me him. Considering how skinny Zeke was, Arwin suspected he didn¡¯t get much opportunity to eat.

    ¡°I know you said not to get more people for the time being, but do you have somewhere he could stay?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯ll look into getting another bed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle that,¡± Lillia said, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s my inn, and you¡¯ve already put in enough gold. Does he know any woodworking? If he could help me patch up some of the floor, we could get another room functional.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a fast learner,¡± Zeke said with a hopeful glint in his eye.

    ¡°Better than nothing,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. ¡°Mind if I steal him tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°All yours,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll be smithing again tomorrow, but nothing too crazy. I shouldn¡¯t need any help.¡±

    <em>Might be better to keep him out of the smithy for now anyway. I don¡¯t need to be broadcasting to the world what I can do yet. Either way, I want to try to make some headgear before we head back into the dungeon. </em>

    <em></em>¡°What about where he¡¯ll sleep tonight?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°I can take the floor,¡± Zeke said hurriedly. ¡°It¡¯s better than outside. If I have a real spot to sleep in tomorrow, then I¡¯ll have nothing toin about.¡±

    There was nothing to argue with there, so they all fell silent as Reya and Zeke finished off the rest of their food. Lillia caught Arwin¡¯s eye while the others ate and nodded to the kitchen before heading into it. Arwin followed, trailing Lillia back to her room.

    ¡°When are we heading back into the dungeon?¡± Lillia asked, keeping her tone low so nobody would overhear them. ¡°There are some things I¡¯d like to try.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking day after tomorrow, assuming Rodrick and Anna are both fine with it,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°We can probably push deeper than we didst time, especially if more monsters haven¡¯t moved in by the time we get there.¡±

    ¡°You think that¡¯s likely?¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°Dungeons never have a shortage of monsters that show up to use their energy, but I can¡¯tin. More monsters means more material for me to work with. Is there something in particr you need?¡±

    ¡°Mostly supplies, just like you. It sounds like we¡¯re going to have more peopleing by the street soon, and I want to try to get some more stuff to sell. I need a lot of expansions and more ingredients to cook with.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯ll aim for day after tomorrow, then. What do you think of Zeke?¡±

    ¡°He seems too young to be on the streets,¡± Lillia said with a frown. ¡°But I think he should be fine. Seems honest enough, and you¡¯re the only one that has anything really worth stealing.¡±

    ¡°The things I have that are most worth stealing are impossible to steal,¡± Arwin said, even more grateful for [Arsenal] than he had been before. ¡°Let me know if you have any trouble with him, though.¡±

    ¡°A human brat isn¡¯t going to give me any issues, but I¡¯ll take note of that. In any case, I¡¯m going to start cleaning up the kitchen and getting ready for tomorrow morning. You never know when people will show up.¡±

    Arwin nodded, thinking much along the same lines. His equipment was out on the market now, which meant that it wouldn¡¯t be long before his name started to build. He had a lot of smithing to do if he wanted to properly establish himself.

    But that woulde. For today, Arwin had done more than enough work on his smithy to be satisfied. Right now, the only other thing he wanted to do was get some rest and prepare for what tomorrow held.

 Chapter 55: Iron Hound

    Chapter 55: Iron Hound

    When Arwin got out of bed the following morning and stepped into themon room after pulling on his mask, he found he wasn¡¯t the first. In fact, it seemed like he might have been thest.

    Rodrick, Anna, and Reya all sat at the counter across from Lillia, who was busy trying to fix up the weathered wine rack with Zeke¡¯s help. Even though the shadows in the inn were just as dark as they always seemed to be, it felt brighter than normal.

    ¡°Were you hibernating or something?¡± Rodrick asked with a chuckle as he saw Arwin. ¡°Also, what¡¯s with the¡­ well, ugly thing?¡±

    ¡°My mask is not ugly,¡± Arwin said curtly. ¡°It¡¯s intimidating.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ugly,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night. It¡¯s to protect my identity. I¡¯m well aware it¡¯s far from the most effective way to handle things, but even a smallyer of defense is better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°I think you just like wearing ugly masks.¡±

    ¡°Oh, stop it,¡± Anna said, shoulder-checking Rodrick and nearly knocking him out of his chair. He grabbed onto the counter to bnce himself, chuckling.

    ¡°No rough housing,¡± Lillia said, ncing over her shoulder at them. ¡°Not unless you n to rece my barstools. In that case, feel free. They¡¯re kind of rickety. I¡¯m honestly hoping someone breaks one so I don¡¯t have to pay for an upgrade. Victor¡¯s Blood.¡± Everyone sent confused nces at Lillia and she blinked. ¡°What?¡±¡°What¡¯s Victor¡¯s Blood mean?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that saying.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lillia¡¯s cheeks reddened and she rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°It means whoever wins the fight has to pay up for the damage done by it. It¡¯s a deterrent to keep people from getting into shit because nobody wants to lose, but nobody wants to foot the bill.¡±

    <em>Demon culture is pretty interesting. That¡¯s actually a really clever way to keep people from fighting too much. It¡¯s a lose-lose situation.</em>

    Anna and Rodrick hurriedly straightened back up, taking on the posture of model adventurers and returning to their meals.

    From what Arwin could tell, everyone seemed to be getting on pretty well with each other. Zeke clearly knew his way around a toolset, and Arwin couldn¡¯t help but notice some of the tools he¡¯d bought to fix up his smithy were in the boy¡¯s hands.

    He didn¡¯t bother saying anything. Zeke was using them to fix up the tavern, and the kid seemed to have his head screwed on right. If he¡¯d wanted to steal, he could have done that in the night.

    <em>Guess the guild has another member. Faster than I expected, but I can¡¯tin. We need someone to hold the fort down while we go to the dungeon. And, judging by the presence we¡¯ve got around today, I think that¡¯s looking pretty likely. </em>

    ¡°Is today good, then?¡± Anna asked Reya.

    ¡°I think it should be.¡± Reya sent a look at Arwin. ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°Good? For what?¡±

    ¡°Heading to the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Arwin said, shaking his head andughing. ¡°Yes. I was just thinking about that, actually. I¡¯m prepared, so long as the rest of you are.¡±

    Zeke sent Arwin a surprised look. ¡°You go into the dungeon? You¡¯re a smith!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t do any fighting,¡± Arwin said as he raised his hands, showing hisck of a weapon. ¡°I just travel along and pick up the supplies that look useful. I bought a bag yesterday for that exact reason, actually. Stuffing my pockets got a bit old.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. Tell me about it. You can barely fit half a loaf of bread in,¡± Zeke said with a knowing nod.

    ¡°You can fit half a loaf into your pockets?¡± Reya eximed, her eyes going wide. ¡°I can barely get a pouch of coins in mine!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re wearing skinny women¡¯s pants. You gotta get the good stuff, not the pretty stuff.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize there was a difference. I stole these,¡± Reya said, looking down at her pants with a frown. ¡°Where¡¯d you get yours?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I stole them too.¡±

    They both snickered, and Arwin was struck with the realization that bringing two thieves together might not have been the best idea if he wanted to keep his guild strictly above the board. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

    ¡°No more stealing, please,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to avoid any trouble with the authorities.¡±

    Zeke rolled his eyes. ¡°As if I¡¯d get caught.¡±

    ¡°And as if they care,¡± Reya added. ¡°It¡¯s all just a front, you know. They pretend to care, but Milten is one of the crime-ridden cities in the kingdom. Even if you do get caught doing something, as long as you bribe them, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I¡¯d prefer to keep our activities legal,¡± Arwin said firmly. ¡°At least, whenever possible.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you technically squatting?¡± Reya asked.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Arwin opened his mouth, then closed it and crossed his arms. ¡°You may have a point, but it is a point that I am going to choose to ignore because I don¡¯t have a good argument for it. If we can¡¯t keep all our activities legal, what if we do our best to minimize the illegal ones?¡±

    ¡°Buddy, I think you¡¯re losing the argument,¡± Rodrick put in.

    ¡°You¡¯re on my side if you want more armor.¡±

    ¡°No doing illegal shit, kids,¡± Rodrick said.

    Anna smacked him on the back of the head. ¡°Don¡¯t curse in front of children.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid!¡± Zeke protested. ¡°I know a whole bunch of curse words, like¨C¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need a demonstration. I believe you,¡± Anna said curtly, cutting Zeke off while he was mid-breath, likely preparing tounch into a long list that he¡¯d been waiting to share for who knew how long. ¡°But Rodrick certainly isn¡¯t going to be encouraging you. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Yup. I¡¯d never do something like that. What¡¯s the kid going to be doing, Ar¨C¡± Rodrick caught himself as Anna pierced him with a sharp look. He cut himself off before continuing, ¡°doing with us? Surely not dungeons.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not ready for that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Zeke will be helping me with some smithing activities as well as with the repairs for the smithy and the inn.¡±

    ¡°Seems useful,¡± Rodrick said. He finished the rest of his te and slid out of his chair, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. ¡°In that case, should we get moving? No point letting good hours slip away, and I want to test out some moves.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. I¡¯ll just check up on the smithy before I leave,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You made sure to lock it, right, Zeke?¡±

    Zeke nced at the tools in his hands and his cheeks reddened. ¡°Yeah, I did. All locked up.¡±

    ¡°Good enough for me. I¡¯ll just see if there¡¯s anything that strikes me while I¡¯m there. I haven¡¯t had a chance to make a helmet yet ¨C I do want to get around to that, but it can wait for after we¡¯ve gotten back. I just need to grab my bag and I¡¯ll be good to go.¡±

    The others nodded and Arwin headed out, crossing the street and making for his smithy. He paused at the door, taking a moment to appreciate his newly built walls, all devoid of cracks and damage.

    Sure, the building still looked old, but it was in one piece. The next step would be to get some furniture and really spice the ce up, but that coulde after he¡¯d forged enough to really fill the shop out and draw customers.

    Arwin unlocked the door and headed inside. Zeke had barely disturbed the locations of anything he had, so it only took him a second to find the old tarp bag he¡¯d purchased along with all the repair supplies.

    He slung the bag over a shoulder and did onest check over the smithy to make sure nothing was out of ce before heading back outside. He went to lock the door behind him, but paused as the key entered the lock.

    A middle-aged woman was standing across the street, leaning against the wall of a crumbling building. It took Arwin a moment to realize he recognized her dark hair and blue eyes. It was Tix, the adventurer who had purchased some of his work from him at the tavern.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Arwin asked, locking the door and pocketing the key. He didn¡¯t even have to work on deepening his voice ¨C the mask muffled his words enough that they already sounded quite different.

    ¡°I believe you can,¡± Tix said, walking over to stand before him. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you. You¡¯re Ifrit, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d hope there aren¡¯t other people running around with my design on their masks,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Great. You have no idea how damn hard I¡¯ve been looking around to find you,¡± Tix said, holding a hand out to shake. ¡°My name is Tix. I¡¯m with the Iron Hounds.¡±

    Arwin took it. ¡°Pleasure. What is it that you need me for? I didn¡¯t realize I was worth drawing that much attention.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? Don¡¯t downy the value of the work you put out. I¡¯ve heard of people working with scales for armor, but not in the way you have. My people got their hands on some of the gear you put out yesterday, and I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±

    <em>It really isn¡¯t all that special. I know I¡¯ve seen simr before when I was the Hero¡­ which either means this ce is much farther out in the boonies than I thought, or Tix is trying to butter me up for something. </em>

    ¡°You overpraise me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And you still haven¡¯t said what you want.¡±

    ¡°Not one for small talk, are you?¡± Tixughed and shrugged. ¡°Fine with me. Neither am I. Look ¨C the Iron Hounds need someone like you. We¡¯ve been working our way up the guild ranks, and we¡¯re starting to get ess to some pretty big jobs, but it¡¯s really hard getting everyone outfitted. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m preaching to the choir here, but you have to know how hard it can be to outfit a raid group. Getting good quality armor that isn¡¯t magical is like ripping nails out.¡±

    ¡°Why not just get magical armor?¡±

    Tix burst intoughter and pped Arwin on the shoulder. ¡°Jokester, are you? I said that we were up anding, not filthy rich. We can¡¯t afford magic armor for everyone but the top of the guild. Buying enchantments and gathering the materials¡­ we aren¡¯t anywhere near the point of that for anyone but our main group. That doesn¡¯t mean we want everyone else getting cut down left and right, though.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Arwin allowed with a shrug. ¡°That makes sense. But I¡¯m not sure what your question for me is. You¡¯re wee to buy my work whenever it goes up for sale.¡±

    ¡°That would be great, but we need a lot more than that. Our guild has fifty members,¡± Tix said. ¡°Do you have any idea how long it would take to get individual sets from you that fit all of them?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking for custommissions?¡±

    Tix waggled a hand in the air. ¡°That would be nice, but then you¡¯d still be able to make gear for other guilds.¡±

    Arwin blinked in confusion. ¡°Why would that matter?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re ourpetitors,¡± Tix said, the smile fading from her lips as her eyes darkened. ¡°And they¡¯re the ones we¡¯re fighting. If you make us armor, and then you make them armor, it¡¯s no different than where things were before, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I see your issue,¡± Arwin said, grateful for his mask once more as it concealed the disgust on his features.

    <em>Why the hell are you fighting other guilds? That¡¯s not what guilds are meant to do.</em>

    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Tix said. ¡°Then you can imagine why I came here. We¡¯d like to offer you a position among the Iron Hounds. You¡¯d be well paid, and we¡¯d provide all the material you could ever¨C¡±

    ¡°I refuse.¡±

    Tix blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I have no interest in joining a guild,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Not yours, and not someone else¡¯s. I¡¯m sorry you came out here for nothing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better put more thought into this,¡± Tix warned. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to get another offer, and if you aren¡¯t with us, you¡¯re against us.¡±

    ¡°That sort of attitude is going to cause you a lot of problems,¡± Arwin said, unable to contain his distaste any longer. ¡°I am a smith. If you wish to purchase gear from me, you may join the line whenever I arrive at market. Just like all the other guilds.¡±

    ¡°Final answer?¡± Tix asked.

    ¡°Ah. By asking again, you have changed my mind.¡±

    ¡°I did?¡± Tix asked, her face brightening. ¡°Great. I¨C¡±

    ¡°I lied,¡± Arwin said tly. ¡°I appreciate your invitation, but I am unable to ept it. If it makes you feel any better, any other guilds that bring me the same offer will receive the same answer. It won¡¯t impact the Iron Hounds.¡±

    Tix¡¯s jaw clenched. For a second, Arwin thought she¡¯d start insulting him. But, instead, she just shrugged and turned, heading down the alleyway she¡¯de from.

    ¡°Suit yourself. Have a good day, Ifrit.¡±

 Chapter 56: Onward into the dungeon

    Chapter 56: Onward into the dungeon

    Arwin watched Tix until her back hadpletely disappeared into the darkness, remaining in ce for another minute before heading back to the tavern.

    ¡°You took a bit longer than I thought you would. What happened? Get lost?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°No. Someone from a guild called the Iron Hounds tried to get me to join their guild,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. ¡°They were a little pushy, but they gave up.¡±

    ¡°Iron Hounds? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± Reya said, chewing her bottom lip. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re new to the area.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of them either. Why¡¯d they want you to join? They need a personal smith?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It seemed like they were more concerned with stopping me from making gear for other guilds than they were with getting it for their own,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°Can you imagine that? What a stupid notion. It sounded like their opponents were the other guilds more than anything else.¡±

    Lillia nodded in agreement, but everyone else stared at Arwin as if he¡¯d suddenly sprouted a horn.

    ¡°That¡¯s like¡­ half the point of a guild,¡± Reya said with a snort ofughter. ¡°Of course they don¡¯t want you working for anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Fighting other guilds? That¡¯s not the point of a guild at all.¡±¡°Yes it is,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°What do you think they¡¯re for? Guilds are a way to get stronger in a safer environment. And, if you want to get stronger, the Mesh won¡¯t let you do that in any way other than seeking challenge.¡±

    ¡°Which is why you fight monsters.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but not everywhere has a ton of monsters to fight and a lot of dungeons are protected by guilds that don¡¯t let other people get to them,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Because if other people can, then they can get stronger. You keep the resources for yourself. That¡¯s how it works. Besides, if you¡¯re just worried about monsters, you go with a small team rather than a guild. It¡¯s not like you can fit an entire guild in a dungeon at once ¨C it would be too packed.¡±

    ¡°You rotate out.¡± Arwin frowned in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s the point. Everyone is good at their own things, so a guild lets you make sure you¡¯re properly outfitted for every kind of fight. They¡¯re not meant to¡­ fight off other guilds. We¡¯re meant to work together.¡±

    ¡°If you think that¡¯s how the guilds work, I don¡¯t know what to say other than sorry,¡± Anna said with an apologetic smile. ¡°Nothing is keeping our guild from being different, of course.¡±

    ¡°Until another guild shows up while we¡¯ve got our backs turned,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Then we be just like the rest of them.¡±

    ¡°What I meant was that we don¡¯t have to attack anyone,¡± Anna said, shooting a sharp re in Rodrick¡¯s direction.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the guilds have turned to fighting each other and are using that as challenge instead of defeating monsters?¡± Arwin asked in disbelief. ¡°Why? Guilds are meant to protect people!¡±

    ¡°Only in stories,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°The truth of the matter is exactly what you just said. Why protect when hunting down another guild will give you way more power? Safety is weakness. They want conflict.¡±

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged a look. Based on the expression on her face, Lillia definitely had the exact same view of guilds that he had. Arwin had never thought about it, but if some monsters were just as intelligent as humans, then it wasn¡¯t unrealistic for them to also have guilds.

    <em>Just how sheltered were we? I thought I knew almost everything there was to know this shit, but with every passing day, I realize that the Adventurer¡¯s Guildpletely kept me in the dark. I was just a puppet on their strings. </em>

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ disheartening to hear,¡± Arwin said, pursing his lips. ¡°But Anna is right. We won¡¯t be like them. We¡¯ll protect ourselves with all the force we need, but we aren¡¯t going to be preying on others.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring to hear, even if I already expected it,¡± Anna said. She rose from her spot by the counter and brushed her hands off on her pants. ¡°Is it time to get moving, then? All this talk of guilds puts a bad taste in my mouth.¡±

    ¡°I think it is,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Zeke, it¡¯s still a little too dangerous for you toe to the dungeon with us right now, but you¡¯re wee to hang out in the tavern, the smithy, or wherever you¡¯d like to.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Zeke asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have to leave?¡±

    ¡°Why would you?¡± Arwin asked with a chuckle. ¡°Just don¡¯t get into trouble and, if you do end up going into the smithy, make sure to lock the door behind you. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zeke said with a nod. ¡°Will do.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I need to give you the key?¡±

    Zeke grinned in response and Arwin shook his head, grinning. ¡°Figured. Let¡¯s go, everyone. Daylight is burning, and we¡¯ve got a dungeon to work through. I¡¯m looking forward to getting my hands on some more materials to work with.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ***

    Their second run at the dungeon kicked off much smoother than their first. With Arwin at the lead, the group advanced past another Landsquid without any difficulty ¨C though, this time, Lillia didn¡¯t try collecting any of its tentacles.

    None of them got so much as hit, much less injured ¨C though it dide a little close for Arwin, who had failed to take his mask off and almost didn¡¯t see a blowing. The mask came off soon after that, and that was the end of their issues with the Landsquid. Unfortunately, Anna didn¡¯t have a chance tond any blows on the monster. While they were able to take it down without too much difficulty, it was too dangerous to let her near it.

    That opportunity arose in the second room, which had changed considerably since their previous run.

    It had turned into a long rectangr room that vaguely resembled a banquet hall without any of the tables. Vines still hung from the walls and crawled across the floor, and water dripped from the ceiling and flowed in small rivers to pools that forms at cracks in the ground.

    Several short, bald creatures with wrinkly green skin and rusted weapons paced around the room and chewed at the vines,pletely unaware of the group of adventurers.

    ¡°Why¡¯d the room change? Did we get lost?¡± Reya whispered.

    ¡°Dungeons can change theiryouts. They¡¯re magic,¡± Anna muttered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting goblins, but I suppose I should have. They fit right into the swamplike environment this dungeon seems to favor.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t fought these before,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard they can be nasty in groups. Any suggestions, Arwin?¡±

    ¡°Nasty in groups is urate. But, alone, they should be quite simple,¡± Arwin said as he studied the nearest monster with a careful eye.

    <strong>[Swamp Goblin ¨C Apprentice 8]</strong>

    The other goblins were all roughly around the same tier, with a few going above or below by one or two spots. None of them were going to be a significant threat in any stretch of the imagination ¨C not to a trained fighter, at least.

    From Arwin¡¯s experience with goblins, he knew the monsters were far from the cleverest. They generally threw themselves at their enemy with reckless abandon, hoping to win through sheer numbers.

    They were also incredibly deaf, generally due to their ¨C

    One of the goblins let out an ear-splitting shriek and bashed its head against the wall, snarling in fury. A few of the others spotted it and did the same, filling the room with a cacophony of screeches and thuds for a few seconds before they went back to wandering around aimlessly.

    <em>Deaf and half ¨C blind. Typical. </em>

    ¡°We can handle them with no trouble,¡± Arwin said. ¡°This is a perfect opportunity for you, Anna.¡±

    ¡°For me?¡± Anna asked doubtfully. ¡°They might be stupid, but I don¡¯t think I can handle a fight with one of those things.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to handle a full fight. Just thest blow,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Rodrick, with me. Reya, stay farther back and focus on slowing the goblins ¨C and Rodrick, aim to cripple rather than to kill. The goblins are all going to horde, so let me take their attention initially. After that, just take them out one by one. Anna can just hang back for now.¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s eyes shed with understanding and he nodded. ¡°I¡¯m with you. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Reya added.

    Arwin strode forward and activated [Arsenal], summoning Verdant ze to his hands. He hadn¡¯t had a chance to use its [Soul me] rted abilities yet, but he wasn¡¯t about to stter a goblin with them and steal the chance to gain credit for the kill from Anna, Rodrick, or Reya.

    <em>I¡¯ll use the stronger abilities when we run into an enemy that I actually have to try against. Goblins aren¡¯t that enemy. </em>

    The first goblin spotted Arwin when he was already upon it. The monster¡¯s ears shot back as it bared its teeth, throwing its head back in preparation to let out a battle cry. Arwin¡¯s hammer fell on the creature¡¯s shoulder, pulverizing through flesh and bone as if nothing were there.

    Screeching in pain, the goblin crumpled. The other monsters in the room spun, finally spotting the adventurers. Their eyes locked onto Arwin and they sprinted toward him, drawing their weapons and screaming challenges.

    The first jumped ¨C only to be enveloped by a shimmer of blue energy midair. The hilt of Rodrick¡¯s sword mmed into its head, knocking the beast out cold and send it sprawling across the ground.

    None of the other goblins met better fates. Arwin and Rodrick carved through their ranks with the help of Reya¡¯s restraining abilities, putting the goblins down like they were cutting grass. Between the three of them, only two goblins ended up dead on Rodrick¡¯s sword. The restid, unable to fight, in piles around the ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± Arwin said, nodding to Anna. ¡°Get to it. None of us are going to get hurt fighting these things, so you can¡¯t get energy from healing us. That means you¡¯ve got to do the dirty work.¡±

    ¡°This¡­ somehow feels wrong,¡± Anna muttered. Rodrick walked up to her and flipped his sword around, offering it hilt first. She took the de, holding it awkwardly in her hands.

    ¡°You won¡¯t get much credit for this. The Mesh isn¡¯t stupid,¡± Arwin exined. ¡°But you¡¯ll still get some. There¡¯s a degree of risk, and any challenge can give energy. Just be careful and take care of business. Who knows when you¡¯ll get another free opportunity like this.¡±

    Anna nodded. She went up to the first goblin and plunged the sword down, missing its heart and driving through its chest. The monster hissed and bucked, trying to sh at her legs with its ws. She barely managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid getting hamstringed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t miss,¡± Arwin suggested. Lillia snorted, but Arwin could tell from the way that she was shifting from foot to foot that she was impatient to get to the point where she could do something. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to fight anything since they¡¯d entered the dungeon, and nothing they¡¯d met so far had been edible either.

    Anna plunged the sword back down, putting the goblin out of its misery, and then red at Arwin. He grinned in response. Shaking her head, Anna made her way around the room, killing the monsters.

    It only took about five minutes for her to finish the creatures off, but by the time she returned Rodrick¡¯s sword to him, her forehead was covered in a sheen of stressed sweat. Her gaze was unfocused, a telltale sign of reading a message from the Mesh.

    ¡°That was terrifying,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Arwin asked.

    Anna swallowed, then nodded. ¡°Yes. It worked. I can¡¯t believe it, but I got an achievement that will upgrade one of my new skills when I reach the next level in my Tier.¡±

    ¡°Just for putting down a bunch of goblins?¡± Reya asked, blinking in disbelief.

    ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t get much energy, I think the Mesh still sees me killing nearly ten goblins in the span of a few minutes as remarkable for a healer,¡± Anna said, chewing her lower lip. ¡°I imagine that won¡¯t work again to this effect, but¡­ how¡¯d you know it would do that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin replied, letting his hammer disappear and shrugging. ¡°But energy is energy, and I told you that you¡¯d be working to catch up with the rest of us. Now, shall we continue? I¡¯ve yet to find anything I can craft with, and I think we can go deeper.¡±

 Chapter 57: Peckish

    Chapter 57: Peckish

    The temperature dropped as Arwin approached the door leading into the next room. It was at the far end of the hall, isted from the rest of the room by a patch of dead foliage. The vines around it had withered and turned a dull white, and the water pooling near the base of the door looked sickly.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem hospitable,¡± Rodrick said, kneeling beside the puddle but taking care not to touch it.

    ¡°It feels¡­ off,¡± Anna added. ¡°Wrong, I guess.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree. Could be some form of necrotic presence in the area,¡± Arwin theorized. ¡°Or just normal dark magic. I doubt it¡¯s anything too powerful since we¡¯re still in a Journeyman dungeon, but we should still keep our guard up. I¡¯ll take the lead as usual.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll back you up,¡± Lillia said.

    Rodrick looked her in surprise. ¡°Really? Shouldn¡¯t that be me? I mean, I know you can handle yourself, but I¡¯m the warrior.¡±

    ¡°Someone needs to watch our back in case something happens to be behind us,¡± Lillia said smoothly, with all the grace of an older sister redirecting her sibling from something she wanted.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a good point,¡± Rodrick allowed, falling for itpletely. He stepped back, letting Lillia move up beside Arwin. With their new formation established, Arwin summoned his hammer back and pushed the door open with its head.

    Dried vines squelched and cracked beneath it as it swung open, opening a passageway into the darkness. Not too far down, two dim purple mes flickered at the end of the hall, illuminating an old stone door. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed.<em>That¡¯s definitely a secured room. Something strong is probably in there. </em>

    ¡°Probably got a nasty bugger up ahead,¡± Rodrick whispered. ¡°Look at those torches. The dungeon is warning us.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure warning was the right word. Dungeons did tend to mark their more powerful rooms, but it wasn¡¯t to scare people off. At least in his opinion, it was to bring them closer.

    When adventurers stumbled across a room that stood out, curiosity almost always got the better of them and drew them to investigate it further. Stronger monsters meant better rewards, and that meant people were willing to take bigger risks.

    And, in the end, magical energy was magical energy. Dungeons didn¡¯t care where it came from. They just wanted more. Monsters, humans, it was all alike. As long as more magical energy entered and didn¡¯t leave, the dungeon would be happy.

    <em>Those torches are bait, not a warning.</em>

    Of course, Arwin¡¯s thoughts were just theory. Nobody knew exactly how dungeons worked.

    <em>Then again, maybe the Adventurer¡¯s Guild lied about that as well. I bet there could be some people that have researched dungeons a lot and could tell me more about them, but now isn¡¯t the time to wonder. Warning or bait, the result is the same. I think we can handle this. We haven¡¯t gone deep enough to be at the base of the dungeon, so this enemy shouldn¡¯t be so strong that we can¡¯t handle them.</em>

    ¡°We can handle it,¡± Arwin said, edging toward the door. ¡°But, on the off chance that we can¡¯t, get out of the room. Let Lillia and I try to handle it while the rest of you run.¡±

    Nobody questioned his orders, and Arwin got a round of understanding nods. They advanced into the darkness until they stood before the stone door. There was no handle, but there was an imprint clearly inviting Arwin to push it open.

    <em>I suppose I¡¯d be rude to refuse at this point. </em>

    Arwin pushed the door open. Stone ground on stone and purple light spilled out, illuminating a circr room with several doors running along its edges. A locked stone chest sat in the middle of the room. Directly behind it was arge marble pir riddled with cracks and worn with age.

    And, clutching onto the pir with baster skin that matched it nearly perfectly, was a monster. Fangs jutted out from its lips and curled around them, and two massive wings were folded against its back.

    It had a humanoid body, but its hands and feet were disproportionallyrge and borerge ws that dug into the stone like butter. The monster was roughly eight feet long, from head to the base of its barbed tail.

    <strong>[Bone Gargoyle ¨C Journeyman 6]</strong>

    Unlike many of the other monsters, the gargoyle wasn¡¯t content to sit around while they figured out a n. As soon as Arwin stepped into the room, the monster¡¯s grey tongue flicked out and tasted the air.

    It released the pir, dropping to the ground with a crash. It stood on all fours like an irate cat. A very, veryrge irate cat. Bone wings unfurled from its back with a series of loud cracks, raining dust down onto the ground around it as the monster let out a deep, brassy hiss.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you count as a magical material?¡± Arwin asked the gargoyle. It roared in response. Arwin grunted and spun the hammer in his grasp, calling on his [Soul me]. A gargoyle wasn¡¯t an easy enemy, and they weren¡¯t going to win this if they pulled any punches.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Reya muttered, swallowing heavily. ¡°That¡¯s <em>big</em>.¡±

    ¡°Go all out, but focus surviving over doing damage,¡± Arwin ordered. ¡°Gargoyles are really difficult to keep injured, but we win the war of attrition. Let me and Rodrick take most of its aggression. Lillia ¨C well, do what you can.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t want to force you to blow your cover, but we might need the power of your demons if we¡¯re going to win this. </em>

    Lillia gave Arwin a slight nod, showing she would step up if they needed her to. They didn¡¯t have any more time to discuss strategy. The gargoyle leapt forward, letting out a catlike yowl.

    Stepping forward, Arwin poured [Soul me] through the handle of Verdant ze. The weapon responded with a roar of its own. The crystals in its head ignited, sending shimmering green light dancing across the room.

    He brought the hammer into the gargoyle¡¯s side as it charged him, empowering his blow with the full strength that [Scourge] would afford him. Fire erupted from the head of his hammer with a roar as it connected with the gargoyle and a wave of scorching heat rolled past Arwin.

    And, while the heat of the me didn¡¯t hurt Arwin, he couldn¡¯t say the same for the gargoyle. The monster hurtled back, coils of me rolling off the huge crater Arwin had just put in its side and mmed into the wall with a resounding crash.

    It dropped to the ground, a few wisps of persistent fire still burning at its side. Scrambling to its feet, the gargoyle let out a snarl. Even as chips of bone rained down from its body, the damage faded away as if it had never been there.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia muttered. ¡°Where in the Nine Undends did you learn how to do that?¡±

    Arwin adjusted his grip on the hammer, trying not to look too surprised at his own strength. Verdant ze vibrated in his hands, as if hungry for more. It was warm to the touch ¨C the [Soul me] hadpletely permeated the weapon, and it almost felt as if it was hungry.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the gargoyle is impressed,¡± Rodrick muttered under his breath. ¡°How do we kill it?¡±

    ¡°By hitting it a lot,¡± Arwin replied, striding toward the gargoyle to keep the monster¡¯s attention on him. Despite his words, he had no ns of blindly flinging himself at the gargoyle. The ws on its paws weren¡¯t just for show.

    Even with his armor and enhanced defenses, the gargoyle would probably shred him to ribbons pretty quickly. The monster was simple, but it was effective. Generally, the best way to defeat gargoyles was through magic.

    Unfortunately, Arwin¡¯s team didn¡¯t have a proper mage. The closest thing to that was probably Anna, and she had no way to fight back.

    <em>That¡¯s fine. Magic is the easiest way to take out a gargoyle, but it¡¯s not the only way. There¡¯s always another way. And, in this case, that other way is to wear this bastard down until there¡¯s nothing left of him to regenerate. Any healing skill is going to be either really slow or really taxing. And, considering the gargoyle regenerated that wound in just a second, we¡¯re looking at thetter. </em>

    ¡°It can¡¯t keep up the healing forever,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Just keep safe and wear it down. Reya, focus on slowing it if it¡¯s about to hit someone. Your job is to keep us safe, not to help usnd hits.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Reya said.

    The gargoyle threw itself for Arwin, turning into a white blur. If Arwin had been with anyone else, he would have tried to dodge the blow. Taking the monster head-on was far from the best way to handle it ¨C but he was the best defended out of the entire group, and they were all behind him.

    With a roar, Arwin channeled [Scourge] and swung Verdant ze. The head of the hammer erupted with me as it connected. At the same time, lines of heat carved through Arwin¡¯s shoulder.

    The gargoyle shot off like a bullet and mmed into the wall, shattering both the stone and its own body. At the same time, Arwin nearly lost his grip on the hammer. He stumbled, blood pouring down his arm in rivers.

    In the brief instant the gargoyle had been beside him, it had managed to snag his arm with one w. And, in that ncing blow, it had ripped his armor open like a can, gouging deep into the muscle and scratching the bone beneath.

    <em>If I didn¡¯t have [Indomitable Bulwark], I think I would have lost my arm there. </em>

    Anna rushed up to Arwin and pressed her hands to his arm. Relief flooded through him as the wounds knitted shut. The few seconds it took her to heal him were just enough for the gargoyle to rise as well, thest smoldering embers falling away as its body reformed.

    Arwin¡¯s second blow had done more damage to it than the first had ¨C likely because it had been head on and also had the additional force from [Shieldbreaker], but it still wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to kill the monster.

    ¡°How many times do you have to kill that thing?¡± Rodrick demanded, adjusting his grip on his sword.

    ¡°Until it stays dead.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡±

    The gargoyle charged again, screaming. This time, before Arwin could attack, Rodrick lunged forward. Despite Arwin¡¯s orders, Reya thrust her hand forward with a yell of her own. Blue light enveloped the monster and its dash slowed for a flicker of an instant.

    Rodrick¡¯s sword ignited with burning yellow light and he released a flurry of three blows into the monster¡¯s side in rapid-fire session before throwing himself back just in time to avoid getting carved apart.

    Each of his cuts left a deep gouge in the monster¡¯s side ¨C and the cuts weren¡¯t healing. Arwin nearly burst intoughter as realization struck him. The gargoyle craned its head back to study the damage it had taken, pping its wings and creating a powerful gust of wind to keep them back.

    ¡°Your attacks count as magic?¡± Arwin asked of the air rushing past them.

    ¡°Yours don¡¯t?¡± Rodrick demanded. ¡°What¡¯s all the fire if not magic? And why does that matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s [Soul me]. I think soul attacks count differently,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°And gargoyles can heal from physical attacks easily. Magic disrupts them.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Now really isn¡¯t the time for a lesson,¡± Arwin said as the gargoyle stopped pping its wings and turned baleful eyes toward them, its gaze locked on Rodrick with revenge promised in its eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re made of magic, and magic always disrupts magic,¡± Lillia answered for Arwin.

    Arwin started to nod, then paused.

    <em>Wait. It¡¯s made of magic, and gargoyles aren¡¯t technically living creatures. They¡¯re objects that have gained sentience, usually stone. </em>

    <em>Does that mean¡­</em>

    ¡°What¡¯s that look on your face?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Focus!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said, letting his tongue wet his lips as he moved to stand in front of the gargoyle. ¡°I just realized I was feeling a bit peckish.¡±

 Chapter 58: Chomp

    Chapter 58: Chomp

    ¡°You¡¯re what?¡± Lillia asked, but there was no more time for Arwin to reply. The gargoyle was already hurtling through the air toward them, propelled by a single beat of its enormous wings.

    The monster¡¯s path set it straight for Rodrick, and at the speed that it was moving at, Arwin wasn¡¯tpletely confident he¡¯d be able to hit it in time. If he got so much as a ncing blow, it would barrel through and carve the warrior to shreds.

    So, instead, Arwin shoved Rodrick to the side and threw himself forward with a roar. Perhaps he¡¯d caught the gargoyle byplete surprise or perhaps it was just luck ¨C either way, Arwin cleared the monster¡¯s ws and drove his shoulder into its side, throwing all [Scourge] had to offer behind the blow.

    It was just like sprinting into a wall at full tilt. Arwin¡¯s armor shuddered and the bones in his shoulder cracked. Without the extra force of his hammer, Arwin only just barely managed to redirect the gargoyle to the side.

    The monster spun, mming into the wall before it could fully skid to a stop ¨C but Arwin didn¡¯t wait for it to turn. He sprinted forward and dismissed his hammer before flinging himself at the gargoyle, much to the horrified yells of everyone behind him.

    Arwin ignored them. He wrapped his arms around the gargoyle¡¯s neck and swung himself onto its cold back, ignoring the pain that arced through his broken arm as he pulled himself close. The gargoyle let out a confused hiss, spinning to try and throw Arwin off.

    But, before it could, Arwin leaned in and bit into the monster¡¯s neck with all his might. It was as solid as, well, stone. For a horrifying instant, he thought he might have miscalcted and was about to earn himself some early dentures.

    Then, with a crunch, the monster¡¯s cold body gave way. His teeth dug through its flesh and power coursed into Arwin¡¯s body. The gargoyle screamed and bucked violently, finally throwing him free.

    Arwinnded on his feet, skidding a foot back. His arm popped and shifted. Blinking in surprise, Arwin flexed his hand. A grin crept across his face. It had healed. The power he¡¯d stolen from the gargoyle was already fading away, but it had been enough.¡°Oh yeah,¡± Arwin said, baring his teeth in a hungry grin. ¡°You¡¯re on the menu, buddy.¡±

    The gargoyle stared at Arwin, trying to process what had happened. And, in that moment, Lillia struck. Condensed shadows carved out from beneath her feet and drove up, sending spikes straight through the monster¡¯s stomach.

    Lurching, the gargoyle pped its wings desperately in attempt to free itself, but Lillia¡¯s magic had it pinned firmly in ce.

    <em>Damn, Ipletely screwed this up, didn¡¯t I? We do have an offensive mage. </em>

    The battlefield wasn¡¯t the spot toment mistakes. Arwin extended his hands and Verdant ze reformed within it, the crystals in the hammer¡¯s head igniting with power as he broke into a run.

    Struggling even harder, the gargoyle tried to free itself ¨C but a shimmer of blue light enveloped it, stopping the monster from ripping free of Lillia¡¯s bindings. Rodrick darted forward, gritting his teeth as his sword lit with burning light once more.

    Three shes of light cut into the gargoyle¡¯s neck as Rodrick unleashed his flurry of strikes into it. An instantter, Arwin¡¯s hammer came crashing down on the monster¡¯s head. Fire bloomed with a roar, blowing his hair back as he unloaded every ounce of strength that he could bring to bear on the monster.

    The gargoyle¡¯s head caved in and shattered. For a moment, the bone that made its body up started to knit itself back together, trying to reform the head, but a second set of unified strikes from Arwin and Rodrick put that notion to rest.

    Smooth bone turned grey and cracked. Arwin stepped back as the gargoyle crumbled away, copsing into a pile of discolored rubble at his feet.

    ¡°No!¡± Lillia groaned, dropping to her knees and rifling through the pieces of the monster. ¡°I can¡¯t cook any of this! It¡¯s inedible!¡±

    ¡°Tell that to him,¡± Rodrick said, sheathing his sword and eyeing Arwin. ¡°Did you take a damned bite out of a rock monster?¡±

    ¡°Bone,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°And I may have ¨C which is something I¡¯d appreciate you keep to yourself.¡±

    The air before Arwin shimmered, and he blinked in surprise. The gargoyle had been troublesome, but he hadn¡¯t expected to get any sort of achievement for taking it out. It wasn¡¯t like he was going toin, though.

    <strong>Achievement: [Rock and Stone] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Rock and Stone] ¨C <em>Awarded for hitting a magical rock with a magical hammer really hard. </em> Effects: Forging materials. <em>This achievement has been consumed. </em></strong>

    <em>This gargoyle wasn¡¯t made out of rock, though. It was made out of bone. </em>

    The Mesh seemed to take offense to Arwin¡¯s thoughts, because the materials he had been promised manifested themselves directly above his head. He jumped out of the way a moment before several ivory colored bars fell to the ground with loud ngs.

    ¡°Well,¡± Arwin said, brushing his shoulder off and clearing his throat. ¡°That was convenient. Nobody got hurt, right?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just gloss over the fact that you took a bite out of the gargoyle,¡± Rodrick said, looking at the others. ¡°Right? I mean, how are your teeth still in your mouth?¡±

    ¡°I was more focused on biting than it was on not getting bitten.¡±

    ¡°You ¨C oh,e on,¡± Rodrick groaned. ¡°That¡¯s just gibberish. You¡¯re screwing with me.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. ¡°Does it really matter? We¡¯ve all got our secrets.¡±

    Rodrick opened his mouth, then let it fall shut and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head. ¡°I suppose so. Fine. I figured you had some sort of nasty ability anyway, so I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±

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    ¡°If anything, I¡¯m more surprised by Lillia,¡± Anna said, ncing at the demon queen out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were a mage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I just have a fewbat abilities that I happened to earn. I¡¯m an innkeeper. Nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Anna said. ¡°Well, Arwin said it first. We¡¯ve got our own secrets, and it¡¯s not right to pry when Lillia just used her abilities to help us. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    It was Rodrick¡¯s turn to clear his throat. He nodded. ¡°Right. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t press. Just curiosity getting the better of me. But¡­ uh, could I ask one more question?¡±

    ¡°You can ask, but it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll answer.¡±

    ¡°What in the world is that hammer of yours?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a weapon literally spit me like that. Don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s also¡­¡±

    <em>I¡¯m not sharing too much information about Living Forge yet, but I trust Rodrick and Anna enough to spill a few secrets about my equipment. It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t already know I can make magical equipment. </em>

    ¡°Magical?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Yeah. It is.¡±

    Rodrick swallowed. Heavily. ¡°Feel free to ignore this, but that seems like a whole lot more than just a basic enchantment.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°It¡¯s a Unique weapon, so it can be hard to tell how good it is sometimes. It interacts with one of my abilities, which is probably why the fire was so impressive.¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s eyes bored into Arwin¡¯s head. ¡°You made a Unique weapon that specifically uses your abilities? It¡¯s not just synergistic? A weapon specifically made for you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of ways to say the exact same thing.¡±

    <em>All my equipment used to be custom made. I didn¡¯t think it would be that much of a big difference from a normal magical item. I mean, it was definitely more effort, but does it warrant a reaction like this?</em>

    The look on Anna¡¯s face told Arwin that it did. Her lower jaw hanging askew as she gaped at him in disbelief.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that hammer might be the most expensive thing I¡¯ve seen ever since leaving the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Rodrick breathed. ¡°I am unbelievably d that I can¡¯t see what its abilities are. I think I might actually die of jealousy. Can you¨C¡±

    ¡°Rodrick,¡± Anna snapped.

    He coughed, collecting himself as his cheeks reddened. ¡°Never mind. Sorry. If you ever decide you¡¯re looking to sell something like that, please keep me somewhere at the top of the list. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. Well, most things. Actually, just a few things. But most of them involve money.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m first,¡± Reya said, ring at Rodrick. ¡°I already booked my spot in line.¡±

    ¡°Then count me in as second. I¡¯ll be your man forever. Well, mostly. A few bits belong to Anna, but I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t mind if she also got on the list.¡±

    ¡°Depends which bits,¡± Anna said dryly, bumping her shoulder against Rodrick¡¯s yfully before giving Arwin a serious look. ¡°Seriously, though. Don¡¯t sh that thing around unless you want to get murdered.¡±

    <em>Noted. I wonder what Rodrick¡¯s reaction would be if he found out that the weapon gets stronger every time I kill or make something with it. He¡¯d probably pass out on the spot.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was that rare. Thanks for the heads up, Anna, Rodrick.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rodrick muttered, still staring in disbelief. ¡°No problem. You don¡¯t have to ask me to keep this secret, by the way. I¡¯ll die before I let anybody else know, if only to hope that I can hopefully get my hands one of those things first.¡±

    <em>As fair a reason as any. </em>

    Lillia stood up, brushing her knees off and gazing at the remains of the monster with a disappointed frown. ¡°I was really hoping I¡¯d be able to eat this.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t get an achievement for helping out?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I would have thought an innkeeper would get <em>something </em>for taking out a monster like this, even if it wasn¡¯t what you were looking for.¡±

    ¡°No, I did,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°It just wasn¡¯t what I was hoping for. It¡¯s an ability upgrade.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? You¡¯reining about that?¡± Reya demanded. ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡±

    Lillia sent a despondent look at the rubble. ¡°Yeah. I just got excited. Imagine how excited people would be to eat gargoyle. Could you imagine? It would be incredible. The meal of a lifetime.¡±

    <em>Talk about dedicated to her craft. Did Lillia always want to be a chef or something? </em>

    Arwin shook his head and knelt beside the bars of metal he¡¯d been awarded with. He picked one of them up, testing its weight in his hand. It was heavier than the Brightsteel, but not unbearably so. For a bar its size, it seemed quite bnced.

    <em>I¡¯ll have to test this outter. Doesn¡¯t seem magical, but it looks like good metal. There¡¯s a lot here ¨C probably sixty or so pounds worth. I can make a lot with that. I believe an average set of te armor is around thirty to fifty pounds, so I should be able to do a lot with this. Maybe I can finally get a full set.</em>

    Arwin nced down at his chest and grimaced. The left side of his chest piece waspletely shredded. The Mesh within it felt faint and distant. It had done a lot more for him than he¡¯d thought during the fight ¨C a furrow ran across the left half of his chest, only turning to a full rip when it reached his arm.

    <em>This piece is on itsst legs. For one of my first pieces, it served its purpose. The effect is pretty damn useful too, even if it doesn¡¯t always go off. Too useful to ignore. I¡¯ll see if I can get this back to the forge and use [Soul me] to break it down and put the ability to use in a different piece of armor. </em>

    ¡°Do we keep going?¡± Reya asked. ¡°The only one that got hit was Arwin, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but he nearly got ripped in half from just one cut,¡± Anna said, nodding to Arwin¡¯s armor. ¡°I mean, look at that. If that was anywhere else, he could be dead. I think we¡¯re pushing our luck.¡±

    ¡°We could go deeper,¡± Lillia said, but Arwin was pretty sure she was more concerned with getting something to cook than she was with the actual threat anything further posed them. ¡°The room after this one is likely going to be a little easier. There isn¡¯t going to be another powerful monster like this just sitting around.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should open the chest first?¡± Arwin suggested, nodding to the stone box beside the pir that the gargoyle had been hanging off. ¡°We can determine if we press farther or not after we see what¡¯s in it.¡±

    Nobody had any objection to that, so they crowed around the chest. Arwin knelt beside it and studied thetch, trying to figure out how it was locked. They hadn¡¯t been graced with a key, and a lot of chests had traps that would trigger if their locks were broken. But, still, the Mesh rarely offered up prizes that werepletely out of reach.

    He just had to figure out how to ¨C

    Lillia squeezed in beside Arwin, not even bothering to tell him to move. She reached out, grabbing the lock from Arwin¡¯s hands and sending a tendril of shadow into the hole. There was a soft pop a secondter and thetch clicked open.

    Arwin stared at the lock, not even registering their proximity. ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Made a shadow solid,¡± Lillia replied with a smug grin. She stood back up and brushed her pant legs off as she took a few steps back. ¡°Feel free to open that without keeping me in the st radius, though. You never know.¡±

    Arwin snorted. He tossed the lock down and pulled the lid of the crate open slightly, squinting to see if there was a thread attached to anything. There didn¡¯t seem to be, so he pulled the lid the rest of the way back.

    Resting within the chest was a single dagger, made out of the same material that the gargoyle had been.

    <strong>Bone Dagger: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Splintered Wrath] (3 Charges): This item was forged from the flesh of a living gargoyle, imbuing it with hatred. It leaves a piece of itself behind with every strike to worm into its victim¡¯s bloodstream and seek out their heart. After all charges have been consumed, this item¡¯s magic will be fully depleted, and it will irreparably shatter. </strong>

 Chapter 59: Work

    Chapter 59: Work

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya said. ¡°That¡¯s one nasty dagger. Who¡¯d make something like this?¡±

    ¡°I can think of a lot of people,¡± Rodrick muttered, looking over Arwin¡¯s shoulder at the bone dagger. ¡°Still, that¡¯s a magical weapon. Not the prettiest, but magic is magic. Could probably sell for around a hundred gold, maybe more. If it wasn¡¯t limited uses, it would go for a lot more.¡±

    ¡°Anyone want this?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I have a possible use for it, but I don¡¯t know how it¡¯ll turn out.¡±

    ¡°Not me,¡± Reya said hurriedly. ¡°I want <em>my </em>dagger back, not this one.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted tough or feel ttered by how much Reya liked the dagger he¡¯d given her. It had definitely been quite the weapon, but he was pretty sure he could always make another one.

    <em>Not sure if she wants another one, though. I suppose I¡¯ll have to hope the magic was enough to keep it safe in the Wyrm. With any luck, we¡¯ll be able to get it back after the Wyrm leaves ¨C or dies. </em>

    ¡°Daggers aren¡¯t of any use to me,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use them. Anna?¡±

    ¡°I prefer to heal, not kill.¡± Anna¡¯s lips pressed thin in distaste as she shook her head. ¡°And this dagger is meant for killing people. Not for me.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t cook with it. It¡¯ll get bone in the food,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. ¡°All yours.¡±Arwin wasn¡¯t surprised. The dagger hadn¡¯t been something that he thought any of the team would have wanted, but it was still good to check. And, if anything, their refusal to take it was a reassurance.

    He¡¯d known far too many people that would have gone for the weapon just so they could sell it. Money was a powerful lure, even when people had everything. A group that only took what they needed and nothing more was a group that would be able to work together for a long time.

    Arwin carefully ced the dagger in his bag, making sure to keep it as far from the metal ingots as possible. He closed the bag and straightened back up, nodding to the others.

    ¡°Right. Shall we continue on, then? We can take on one more room before calling it for the day and heading back to celebrate our victories.¡±

    ***

    The next room wasn¡¯t anything of particr interest to anyone other than Lillia. It contained arge, fuzzy monster that the Mesh only identified as a Wiggler. It was really more of a furry cylinder than anything else. Arwin hadn¡¯t even been able to figure out which end of the Wiggler had been its head, but it had gone down before it had a proper chance to fight back.

    None of them got any Achievements from killing it, a fact which Arwin was somewhat thankful for. If the Mesh was going around handing out Achievements for killing moldy turds, the world would have probably been headed for disaster.

    Unfortunately for everyone, the Wiggler had turned out to have a rather fleshy interior that very strongly resembled normal meat. Lillia carved the monster up, then stuffed her arms ¨C and the rest of Arwin¡¯s bag ¨C full of its meat. Considering it was the only thing that she was going to take from the dungeon, Arwin didn¡¯tin too much.

    The group didn¡¯t push their luck any further, not wanting to press so deep into the dungeon that they ran into something they couldn¡¯t handle yet. They retraced their steps and made their way back to Milten. Before they returned, Arwin pulled his Ifrit mask back on to hide him from any prying eyes. He dismissed his armor and hammer as well.

    As usual, Rodrick and Anna split off once they were inside the city, promising to meet back up with everyone after a few days. The remaining three headed over to Lillia¡¯s tavern, only to find that something had changed.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends?¡± Lillia asked, nearly tripping over her own feet as she entered the tavern. She managed to catch herself at thest second and Arwin grabbed a piece of Wiggler steak as it fell from her arms to prevent it from falling to the ground.

    Not that falling on the ground would have been much of an issue anymore. Someone had gone through the entire tavern and made it <em>spotless</em>. It had been rtively clean before, but now it was polished.

    Sure, the majority of the building was old and dpidated, but the worst of the cracked stones had been reced and repaired. The floor had been swept and thest remnants of dust that had been in the corners was gone.

    It was still dark, but the tavern looked¡­ fresh. Ready. Lillia hurried into the kitchen, only to find that it had received a simr treatment. Everything had been wiped off and dusted, and the damaged parts of the walls had been reced.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya said from behind them. ¡°It¡¯s almost shiny in here.¡±

    Lillia set the pile of steaks in her arms down and turned in a circle. Even in the darkness, Arwin could see the delight on her features.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lillia breathed, running a hand along the counter. ¡°It¡¯s so clean!¡±

    Arwin took the steaks out of his own bag and stacked them beside the pile Lillia had made. He then crouched and squinted at the grout that had been used to patch the walls over. It was the very same one that he¡¯d used to patch over the smithy, and the stones that had been put into the tavern in ce of the damaged ones were identical to the ones he¡¯d bought as well.

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    ¡°I think Zeke has been busy while we were out,¡± Arwin said, rising back to his feet. He headed out of the kitchen and headed up the rickety staircase to check out the second floor. It was identical to thest time he¡¯d seen it, which only made sense.

    There was only so much time in a day, and it would have been impossible for Zeke to singlehandedly repair every single part of the tavern in the hours they were gone. Still, it was a pretty impressive feat.

    <em>He must have been working ever since we left to pull this off. </em>

    Arwin headed back downstairs, where Lillia was walking around themon room. It was devoid of any tables and still painfully dark, but Arwin could almost picture what it would look like in a few more weeks.

    ¡°Zeke did a damn good job,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°He did,¡± Lillia agreed, pulling her gaze away from the walls to look at Arwin. ¡°Where¡¯d he go?¡±

    ¡°Probably the smithy,¡± Arwin replied, picking at the hole in his armor. ¡°Which is where I¡¯m going to head as well. I¡¯ve got some new toys to y with and new gear to make.¡±

    ¡°Let Zeke know I¡¯ve got a few meals with his name on them, would you?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I¡¯ll thank him personally whenever he swings around the tavern again. Maybe I¡¯ll work on patching up one of those second-floor rooms sooner than I¡¯d nned so he can have a room to himself.¡±

    ¡°I suspect he¡¯d appreciate that. You might want to focus on arge ice box first, though,¡± Arwin suggested, ncing at therge stack of meat on the countertop. ¡°Because most of that is going to go bad way before you can use it.¡±

    Lillia paled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, good point. I¡¯ll get on that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± Reya volunteered. ¡°I¡¯ve got a little gold, so some shopping would be fun.¡±

    The three all headed out of the tavern, splitting off in their respective directions. Arwin checked the door of the smithy when he got to it. It was locked, but he could hear ngsing from within it.

    Arwin slid the key into the lock and stepped inside, letting the door swing shut behind him. Zeke stood at the anvil, hammering away at a rough sword. The hearth flickered with faint light behind him, not nearly as hot as it should have been.

    ¡°Having fun there?¡± Arwin asked with a wry smile.

    Zeke nced up at him, his cheeks coloring. ¡°I¡¯m not using your metal. It¡¯s just scrap I found on the streets.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Arwin said, walking over to join Zeke and depositing his bag in a corner of the room. He studied the sword, tilting his head to the side. Even though it was still rough, it was surprisingly decent looking. Better than his first few attempts at a sword had been.

    Beyond that, there were waves in the metal where it looked like two different pieces had beenyered over each other. It was far from perfect, and the metal was separating at the seams instead of melding together.

    ¡°What were you going for with the kinds of metal you used?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Was it just that you couldn¡¯t find enough of the same kind?¡±

    ¡°No. I was trying toyer them,¡± Zeke said wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of a hand. ¡°My dad would always sayyering metal was the best way to make a sword. You use metals of different kinds so you get the best bits of each one, you know? Cuz some metal is springy and other metal is really stiff. So, if you mix them, you can get a bnce.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ve seen smiths fold metal together, but I just thought folding it was a way to work it into shape, not to mix different metals to get a better result. I guess it¡¯s almost like cooking.¡±

    Zeke stared at Arwin with doubt in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t really think it is.¡±

    Arwin burst intoughter and pped Zeke on the shoulder. ¡°Perhaps not. I¡¯m flying by the seat of my pants here. You¡¯re doing great, though. I haven¡¯t had a chance to really figure out how to be a proper smith yet. I¡¯ve been overly reliant on my ss, as the Mesh has been helping guide me to keep my work from beingplete trash. Without that, you might be better at this than I am right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that great,¡± Zeke grumbled, sending a nce over his shoulder at the hearth. ¡°That¡¯s not hot enough, and we don¡¯t have any oil to quench the stuff we make.¡±

    <em>Oil¡­ not anymore. I kinda torched up my barrel. I¡¯d tell him about my little hole next to the ditch, but I think that might just make things look even worse. Better keep that as a surprise. For a first weapon, water will be fine. I don¡¯t want to mistakenly break another barrel and pour ming oil onto Zeke. </em>

    ¡°Resources have also been tight up until recently,¡± Arwin said with a sheepish grin. ¡°That wille in time. And getting the hearth hotter is a pretty simple task.¡±

    ¡°I already used the bellows,¡± Zeke said, crossing his arms. ¡°But it¡¯s way too windy, even with all the repairs. Also, your wood supply is almost entirely gone. How was that thing hot enough to do anything?¡±

    ¡°If you can keep a secret, I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    Zeke¡¯s eyes widened and he nodded without missing a beat.

    ¡°Lillia says thank you for all the work you put into the tavern, by the way,¡± Arwin said as he approached the forge.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much,¡± Zeke said, ncing away as his cheeks reddened. ¡°I just wanted to help out a little more. I didn¡¯t have anything better to do with my day anyway.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll get that changed soon enough,¡± Arwin promised. He held his hand up and summoned a ball of [Soul me] to it, tossing it into the hearth. The fire roared up, instantly tripling in size.

    Zeke¡¯s eyes widened and he rushed forward ¨C though he made sure to keep enough space between himself and the crackling me to avoid getting burnt.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Zeke breathed. ¡°You can throw fire?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the abilities my ss got,¡± Arwin said. ¡°No sharing that, though. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal, but I don¡¯t want the extra attention, you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I won¡¯t say a word,¡± Zeke promised. He fidgeted in ce, and Arwin could tell he was resisting the urge to look back at his sword.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°Get your sword. Let¡¯s finish it, shall we?¡±

    Zeke didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He grabbed the de, then carefully edged forward and stuck the first half of the de into the fire. Arwin took the unfinished piece between two fingers and lifted it into the fire, ignoring Zeke¡¯s yelp of warning.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fire,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It won¡¯t burn me. You¡¯re a different case, though.¡±

    Zeke, who had been moments from sticking his hand into the fire, quickly yanked it back and cleared his throat. ¡°Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. I¡¯ll work the bellows.¡±

    He ran over to the other side of the forge and started to pump air into the fire, causing it to roar even higher. It wasn¡¯t long before the sword had turned a mixture of bright orange and cherry red.

    <em>As tempting as it is to whip out Verdant ze, I don¡¯t think this is the right spot for it. This is Zeke¡¯s sword, and he can¡¯t use my magic hammer safely. He¡¯ll have to settle for the normal one.</em>

    ¡°Go ahead and grab the hammer,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I trust you can swing it considering you¡¯ve already got this much of the sword made. Just be careful. It¡¯s kind of¡­ vibrate-y.¡±

    Zeke picked up the ck hammer and hoisted it over his shoulder with a grunt, giving Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°I can hold it.¡±

    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t hit my fingers,¡± Arwin said, bringing the heated sword over to the anvil. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it in ce. Get to swinging.¡±

    Zeke grinned, and then the two of them got to work.

 Chapter 60: Stonemaxer

    Chapter 60: Stonemaxer

    ¡°Tip of the sword, toward the left,¡± Arwin ordered.

    The hammer mmed home with a loud ng, and another shimmer faded from the sword as it continued toe together. Zeke shook his arms off, shuddering at the kickback from the metal hammer.

    Arwin could have finished the weapon a good bit ago if he¡¯d been working on his own, but this wasn¡¯t his weapon. He¡¯d let Zeke handle almost all the forging, only participating enough to make sure the Mesh actually acknowledged his assistance in making the sword so it would ¨C hopefully ¨C turn out magical.

    If anything, he was surprised his abilities were still working when he wasn¡¯t even the one technically forging the de. He certainly wasn¡¯t going toin, though. With Arwin¡¯s direction, Zeke continued to bring the sword closer topletion.

    Every strike made it just a little more whole, and the telltale tingle of the Mesh was already shimmering within the de. After a few more trips through the hearth and some more work by Zeke, thest of the shimmers faded.

    ¡°Nice,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to the tang of the de. ¡°We just need to quench it now.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a barrel for that yet, do you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something even better,¡± Arwin said, well aware he was lying straight through his teeth. He took the sword out of the smithy and Zeke followed behind him. The two walked over to a gutter near the ditch, a confused frown on Zeke¡¯s face.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Zeke asked.¡°Here,¡± Arwin replied, stopping and pointing at his makeshift quenching spot ¨C a hole in the ground that still had just a quarter foot of still water resting in it. He stuck the sword into the water, squeezing his eyes shut as steam hissed and erupted from the de as it was brought down to a cooler temperature.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Zeke said after the bubbles had stopped and the steam had abated. ¡°That can¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°It counts,¡± Arwin replied once the bubbling had stopped. He rose and picked at the de with [Scourge] to clean it up for a few minutes. They then brought the sword back into the smithy. ¡°Do you have wood for the¨C¡±

    Before he could even finish speaking, Zeke hurried over to the pile of organized supplies and brought back two pieces of a handle that had already been carved into shape. ¡°Made the handle before I started.¡±

    ¡°Anything to pin it?¡±

    ¡°Some nails.¡± Zeke slid the pieces of wood around the tang, then pulled several small nails out of his pocket. That wasn¡¯t the best spot that Arwin could think up to keep loose nails, but he shrugged.

    ¡°That works,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Get to it.¡±

    ¡°Something about this feels wrong,¡± Zeke muttered. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you quenched this in a puddle.¡±

    Despite his doubt, Zeke held one of the nails above the wood and started to tap away at it with the hammer. Arwin helped by holding the handle in ce, and Zeke soon had the nail driven all the way through.

    They repeated the process for several more nails, and Arwin then broke off the parts of the nails that jutted out the other end of the handle. He got to sharpening the de and Zeke procured a strip of leather before Arwin could dere the sword done. The boy wrapped it around the handle in a practiced pattern.

    ¡°Tell that to the Mesh,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Now we¡¯re done.¡±

    The Mesh agreed.

    <strong>[Sword: Average Quality] has been forged.</strong>

    <strong>[Sword: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Better Together] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Better Together] ¨C <em>Awarded for crafting your first magical weapon while working with another smith.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    <em>Holy shit. I got an achievement for helping him make a sword? Does that mean¡­</em>

    ¡°Nine Undends,¡± Zeke eximed, staring into the air above Arwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I got an Achievement! I don¡¯t even have a ss!¡±

    ¡°Not just that,¡± Arwin said, directing his eyes toward the weapon in his hands. ¡°You made a magical weapon.¡±

    <strong>Sword: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Resilient]: This item was forged by two burgeoning smiths, granting it the fortitude of an army. Its de has been magically sharpened and it will be considerably more difficult to damage or dull by any means. </strong>

    Zeke nearly choked as he took in the de. His mouth hung open and disbelief swirled within his eyes.

    ¡°What? How? It was just a normal sword!¡±

    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Arwin said. He set the sword down on the anvil and walked over to his supplies, ruffling through them in search of something he could wrap the sword with. He didn¡¯t have any more spare leather lying around, so he settled for grabbing a piece of canvas.

    Wrapping the de to keep anyone from realizing the weapon was magic, Arwin held it out to Zeke. ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°What? I can¡¯t take this.¡±

    ¡°Sure you can. You made it.¡±

    ¡°But¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours, Zeke,¡± Arwin said, pushing it into the boy¡¯s arms. ¡°You made it. I just helped.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d just make a magical weapon by ident,¡± Zeke said usingly, but he held onto the sword as Arwin released it. He clutched the weapon to his chest like a baby, unwilling to release it.

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    ¡°Perhaps not,¡± Arwin allowed. ¡°But you can keep a secret, can¡¯t you?¡±

    Zeke¡¯s eyes hardened with determination, and he gave Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°I won¡¯t tell a soul. I¡¯ll take this to my grave, I swear. I¡¯ve never had a magical item before.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t just get this,¡± Arwin reminded Zeke. ¡°You made it. And I¡¯d prefer you keep the sword until you don¡¯t need it anymore and then hand it off to someone else, not get yourself killed, eh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Zeke said with augh. He swallowed, his grip tightening on the hilt of the sword and lifting it into the air. ¡°A magic item. I can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a sword,¡± Arwin reminded him. ¡°Be careful with it. You don¡¯t want to¨C¡±

    Zeke gave the sword a test swing. The de flew from his hands and Arwin ducked as it spun across the smithy, striking a pot of grout and shattering it with a crash. Zeke yanked his hands back and froze in ce.

    Arwin¡¯s eye twitched, but he didn¡¯t let his annoyance slip out. Grout wasn¡¯t that expensive. He just shook his head and walked over to the sword, picking it up and wiping the grout off on a bag.

    ¡°I ¨C sorry,¡± Zeke stammered. ¡°I didn¡¯t¨C¡±

    Arwin spun the sword around and held it out handle-first to Zeke. ¡°Don¡¯t swing this around until you can actually use it.¡±

    Zeke swallowed heavily. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Just clean up the mess,¡± Arwin said, nodding to the grout. ¡°Then you can go show Lillia the sword. She might even show you a trick or two with it ¨C but please don¡¯t swing the damn thing until someone¡¯s supervising you.¡±

    Zeke hurried toply, not even risking so much as a word. Once he¡¯d cleaned the spilled grout up, he stood awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot and waiting for Arwin to say something.

    ¡°Go on. Git,¡± Arwin said, making a shooing motion. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone if you don¡¯t, so wipe that look off your face. You can trust anyone in the guild. You¡¯re part of it too, so long as you want to be. Lillia¡¯s got a hot meal waiting for you in the tavern.¡±

    Zeke¡¯s face lit up and he nodded. ¡°I will. Thank you, Ifrit! I¡¯ll never forget this, I swear.¡±

    He hurried out the door, closing it behind him. Arwin expected to hear him sprint away but was instead rewarded with the sound of Zeke picking the lock shut behind him. Grinning, Arwin shook his head as he heard Zeke¡¯s hurried footsteps fading in the direction of the tavern.

    <em>That puts me at two Achievements that upgrade my skills upon my next level advancement within my tier, as well as the improvement to the next helmet I make. Pretty damn solid, if I do say so myself. </em>

    <em>Zeke got himself a pretty good enchantment on that sword, but it makes me wonder. I feel like some of the stuff I¡¯ve made with simr material and less knowledge turned out better, and I refuse to believe that was entirely due to luck. </em>

    <em>Was it because Zeke was the one forging it instead of me, so my abilities didn¡¯t activate as much? Perhaps that¡¯s for the best, as it would have sucked for him to make a magic weapon with a nasty detrimental trait. </em>

    Arwin shrugged to himself and made his way back over to the bag he¡¯d left at the door. One way or another, Zeke would be a good addition to the guild. The kid had his head screwed on right, and hisck of a ss was hardly an issue.

    <em>Maybe we¡¯ll go try to get him one after the Wyrm¡¯s babies are dealt with. I don¡¯t think it would be safe for him in either the dungeon or the forest right now. </em>

    That woulde when it came. For now, Arwin had another goal in mind. He needed to make more armor, and he had to rece his chest piece. He had more than enough metal to work with between the remaining two pieces of Brightsteel and the three ingots of the new metal the Mesh had given him.

    <em>Let¡¯s see. The Brightsteel absorbs shock really well, so it would be a pretty good material to use on the inside of the armor. Maybe I couldyer it with the harder metal that the Mesh gave me? I don¡¯t see why the technique wouldn¡¯t work on armor if it works on a sword. </em>

    <em>Before I even start with that, I don¡¯t want to just walk around wearing a heavy breastte with no padding. I should get some leather for the inside and for any parts I need to attach without metal sps. I should really get a padded shirt so the armor doesn''t hurt like a bastard every time it gets hit, but I can handle it for now with [Indomitable Bulwark]. </em>

    Arwin took a moment to do an inventory of his smithy, then headed out for the markets at a brisk pace. It was alreadyte in the evening, and he didn¡¯t want to wait until tomorrow to get started on his new project.

    Fortunately, Arwin was able to find the leather he needed for ten gold. It ended up taking him considerably more time to walk over to the markets and walk back than it did to actually buy the materials.

    Now stocked with everything he needed, Arwin tossed an ingot of Brightsteel into the forge. Once it got hot enough, he took it out and set it on the anvil. Arwin then summoned Verdant ze and got to work hammering an ingot of Brightsteel out into a sheet. Time flew by, and it didn¡¯t take long before Arwin set therge sheet to the side, brushing the kes of metal off it, and got started on one of the ivory bars.

    Every strike he delivered with Verdant ze seemed to do twice what it should have and pouring [Soul me] into the weapon only increased his forging speed even further. The metal seemed to absorb the heat from the hammer strikes, staying hot for longer than it should have.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Arwin to have tworge sheets of different metals ready and waiting for their next step. He paused for a few moments to consider the design of what he was going for, then used his chisel to separate portions of the sheets away.

    Once he¡¯d gotten them to workable sizes, Arwin oveid the sheets of metal and started hammering once more. me coiled at the head of his hammer, flowing around Arwin with every strike.

    The temperature in the smithy rose. Sweat poured down his skin as he worked, but Arwin was too focused to stop now. His hammer rang out through the night, each strike bringing him closer and closer to his goal.

    Even though the materials he was working with weren¡¯t magical, Arwin could still feel them guiding his motions. The metal sensed his desire and matched it, aiding his blows with faint shimmers of energy only visible to him.

    As the hours ticked on, the front of a breastte took form. Arwin still had absolutely no idea if his folding of the two metals had worked, but the faint ripples running through the metal seemed to imply that it had.

    Even if it hadn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t truly know until his work was done. Once the front of the breastte was in roughly the right shape, he moved on to the back half of the armor, repeating the process.

    <em>I should bring everything to the spot where it¡¯s nearly finished, then wrap it all up at the end. That¡¯ll give me more room to modify things if I need to. </em>

    In that manner, Arwin continued his work. The back half of the chest piece took form, followed by both pauldrons. He brought every part of the armor to the point where it was the rough shape that it needed to be so he could envision the project as a whole, but he made no moves to put finishing touches on anything.

    But, as Arwin studied all the pieces of what would be his armor, he frowned. The base was there ¨C of that, there was no doubt. But¡­ for all the effort the was putting into it, the armor was strikingly in.

    It was beautiful, but it didn¡¯t have any ir. And, no matter how much Arwin would argue against it, he had a bit of a ir for the dramatic. Strong armor couldn¡¯t just be effective. It had to be cool.

    There was definitely something to be said for making a beautiful set of in armor, but the silvered-ivory mix of metal he had before him was screaming for something more. Arwin¡¯s eye caught on a glint sticking out of his belongings and his frown slipped away.

    He still had some of the green crystals from the dungeon left over ¨C not to mention the purple gem he¡¯d taken from the orc shaman. Arwin hurried over, scooping some of the crystals up and snagging the circr gemstone. He brought it back over to the armor and set it down on the anvil before holding up one of the gemstones to the pauldrons.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Arwin mused to himself. ¡°Good extrayer of protection. Maybe a few per pauldron? I don¡¯t want to be too shiny.¡±

    A dull, warm hum ran down his fingers, making him drop the crystal. Arwin scrambled, catching it an instant before it could hit the side of the anvil. He stared at it for a second, then let a slow grin cross his lips.

    <em>It¡¯s my Title, [Stonesinger]. The crystal approves, huh? Well, far be it for me to stand in the way of your destiny. Let¡¯s turn you into some armor. </em>

 Chapter 61: Good week

    Chapter 61: Good week

    Tix pulled a seat out across the table from a balding man, sitting down and letting out an exasperated sigh. The rest of the tavern around them was a dull roar of hushed conversations that mixed into a soup that made it impossible to make out anything farther than a few feet away from her ears.

    ¡°He refused, Erik. Told me to kick rocks,¡± Tix said.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. Did he cut you off before you could say anything?¡± the bald man asked, pausing to take a sip of ale from his wooden mug. Tix¡¯s throat was parched. She would have ordered something for herself if the tavern had anything other than swill.

    ¡°Yeah, he heard it. Said we could wait in line like everyone else.¡±

    ¡°Cocky bastard,¡± Erik said. ¡°That was a deal to die for. Most smiths would jump at it.¡±

    ¡°Well, not this one.¡± Tix grimaced at the rough wood digging into her back and shifted, trying to find a way to make herselffortable on the poorly made chair. ¡°And I don¡¯t think knocking on his door again is going to change anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. He didn¡¯t follow you here, did he?¡± Erik asked. He wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his head and Tix grimaced again. The room wasn¡¯t even hot. Erik might have been the most terrified man she¡¯d ever met. But, for some reason, Jessen had chosen <em>him </em>as second inmand of the Iron Hounds.

    <em>It makes no sense. This idiot¡¯s paranoia isn¡¯t even effective. He just jumps at every shadow and thinks everyone¡¯s out to kill him. Nobody even knows what your ugly bald face looks like, moron. </em>

    ¡°What do you think he is, Erik?¡± Tix asked, trying to keep her features patient. Stupid or not, Erik was still the second inmand of the guild. And, as bad as he was at tactics, he was a filthy good mage. ¡°He¡¯s a smith, not an adventurer. He might make good armor, but he¡¯s not going to start ying detective and track me down after a rejected offer.¡±¡°That¡¯s true. That¡¯s true,¡± Erik said, almost as if he was trying to convince himself. He nodded along with his words, then licked his lips. After draining the rest of his drink, Erik spoke again. ¡°No matter. There are other smiths. He would have been useful, but we can find someone else.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly reasonable of you. Maybe Jessen finally gave you the talk I¡¯ve been begging him to do. </em>

    ¡°How are things going with the Wyrm?¡± Tix asked, lowering her voice even in spite of the noise in the tavern. Nobody was close to their table and she highly doubted anything would get overheard, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

    Erik¡¯s features darkened. He peered into his finished mug, then set it on the table and sighed. ¡°Not good. Someone has been trying to screw with us.¡±

    <em>Sure they are. Just like someone was poisoning your foodst week. That definitely wasn¡¯t because you eat like a pig and forgot to wash your hands after taking a shit. </em>

    ¡°How so?¡± Tix asked. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Jessen¡¯s Wyrm is acting off. It¡¯s barely listening to his orders and has basically beenying around in the forest doing nothing for the past few days. It even snipped at him when he went to try and figure out what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s having a tantrum. Have you fed it well?¡±

    Erik¡¯s re bored into Tix¡¯s skull. ¡°It¡¯s in a damn forest full of food. Of course it¡¯s fed. I think it¡¯s been poisoned.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m sure you do. </em>

    ¡°Why would anyone bother poisoning a Wyrm?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Erik said with a shrug. He narrowed his eyes and nced over his shoulder ¨C as if Tix wouldn¡¯t have noticed someone standing right behind him ¨C before leaning in and lowering his voice. ¡°But what if they figured it out?¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me there¡¯s a leak?¡± Tix did her best to keep from retching at Erik¡¯s hot breath. He stank of carrion and poor beer. ¡°There are three people that know about the Wyrm, Erik. You, me, and Jessen. Which of us do you think went leaking things, when we all have so much to gain from this? Jessen certainly didn¡¯t. It was his idea. And you couldn¡¯t be using me of it, could you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Erik said. ¡°Maybe someone has a way to magically listen in.¡±

    ¡°Right. Someone with magic of that level would definitely be sitting around Milten, spying on Apprentice and Journeyman ranked adventurers,¡± Tix said dryly. She rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers under Erik¡¯s nose. ¡°Come off it, you idiot. Nobody knows. The Wyrm probably just ate some mushrooms or something. It¡¯s a high tier Journeyman monster. Do you really think there¡¯s poison anywhere in the area that¡¯s strong enough to cause it enough of an issue to kill it?¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Erik chewed his lower lip, then grunted an agreement. ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t be rxed until the n is finished.¡±

    <em>Up until the next minor inconvenience pops up and you suddenly get terrified of something new, sure. </em>

    ¡°I feel the same,¡± Tix lied. ¡°But just focus up. It¡¯ll only be a month until we¡¯ve finished all of our preparations, and then we¡¯ll be so strong that it won¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°Right. You¡¯re right,¡± Erik said, shaking his head and letting out another sigh. ¡°Whatever. For now, we¡¯re going to need another cksmith. Go back to the original ns, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Easy enough,¡± Tix said with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ve got so many people looking for a decent one that I¡¯ve got no doubt that we¡¯ll find someone smart enough to take us up on the deal in time.¡±

    Tix pushed her chair back and rose from the table, making to leave.

    ¡°Tix?¡±

    She gritted her teeth and turned back to Erik. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Deal with the other cksmith.¡± Erik¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice. ¡°We don¡¯t need him outfitting the other guilds. There can¡¯t be any threats to the n.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. He¡¯s just a random¨C¡±

    ¡°Deal with him,¡± Erik snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him selling on the market again, you hear me? The thieves¡¯ guild said he lived on an abandoned street haunted by some ghost legend, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°That was a legend,¡± Tix said, rolling her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t see how¨C¡±

    ¡°Nobody will hear anything. It¡¯s far from the rest of the city. Destroy the smith and any stock he¡¯s got, but make sure it can¡¯t be tied back to you. Strike at the right time,¡± Erik said, cutting Tix off again. ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    Tix¡¯s hands tightened at her sides. One day soon, when Jessen got his head screwed back on the right way, they¡¯d be rid of the fat idiot at the table. But, for now, all she could do was give him a curt nod.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ***

    Arwin hummed to himself as he worked, the ng of his hammer and the roar of the me filling the air around him. He¡¯d already worked the gemstones deep into the pauldrons, working the metal up and around them to only leave their tips exposed.

    The result was a set of ridges that ended in spikes jutting out from the end of the pauldrons, their ckened tips actually heat-treated crystals. Arwin had worked some of the crystal into the chest and back as well.

    He¡¯d quenched every piece of armor as he¡¯d made it and was now onto thest part ¨C the front of the chest piece. He could feel everythinging together, but it still wasn¡¯t quite there. Even as he smoothed out the metal and coaxed it to its finished state, there was one final piece missing. Fortunately, he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

    The purple crystal that he¡¯d taken from the Orc Shaman had been whispering at the back of his mind, waiting for its time. And now that he¡¯d finished just about every other piece of the chest te and could hear the Mesh tingling at his fingertips, he was ready for it.

    Arwin didn¡¯t know the proper way to slot a gem into armor. He was pretty sure there was a more elegant way to do it than sticking the entire piece into the me and using [Scourge] to shove the stone in and push metal over its top, but that was the only way he knew ¨C and so that was what he did.

    He smoothed the rough edges of the metal around the gem out, then shifted it slightly to the side to make sure it was centered right in the middle of his chest. The fire dulled the sheen of the gem to a faint purple that was only an inch past grey, but that suited him just fine. If anything, it suited the ivory armor even better.

    The forging wasplete ¨C but Arwin wasn¡¯t finished. He grabbed his Forest Lizard Scale Mail and tossed it into the [Soul me] burning within the hearth, letting it join the newly finished piece.

    Tingles raced down Arwin¡¯s arms and neck, but the Mesh held off as if it could sense what he was doing. In all likelihood, it probably could. Arwin extended his senses to the mes, and they responded instantly.

    A tiny mote of glowing light lifted out of the scale mail, so faint that he could barely see it within the fire. It drifted out, then sank into the new te armor he¡¯d just made. Grinning, Arwin reached into the fire and took the armor out, setting it on the anvil to cool.

    He¡¯d already cut some leather into the right shapes, so Arwin hammered it in ce with some pins he¡¯d made. He returned the armor to the fire briefly, just to make sure everything waspletely set, and then finallyid it out once more.

    The Mesh surged, finally freed from its reins, and flooded into the armor with such intensity that Arwin had to yank his hands back to avoid getting burned. Energy swirled before him and twisted into golden letters.

    <strong>Ivory Executioner Chestte: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Resonant]: The crystals buried within this armor sing with every magical attack it takes, absorbing a small amount of the attack¡¯s energy and storing it within the gem at its center. When the gem has filled, the bearer of this armor can infuse its power into their next attack. </strong>

    <strong>[Smelted Fury]: This item was born again within the mes of [Soul me]. The wearer of this item gains heat resistance. Upon being struck, this item may forcibly draw magical energy and release a whip of [Soul me] at the attacker. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: Once donned, this item will bond with its owner. It will change sizes so long as material permits to fit them perfectly, and anyone else who attempts to wear it may suffer retaliation. Information about this item may be hidden from others after it has bonded. </strong>

    <strong>It possesses [1] concealed property. </strong>

    Arwin wished he could use [Arsenal] to bond with the armor on the spot, but it was still bound to his old Scale Mail armor. He broke the bond and the ability instantly deactivated, turning itself off for the remainder of the day. That was fine ¨C Arwin didn¡¯t n to let the armor out of his sight any time soon.

    He scooped it up with a huge grin, already anticipating testing the armor out on their next trip to the dungeon. There was still a lot of metal left to work with, so he could make a helm next. After that coulde gauntlets and boots ¨C and then he¡¯d have a full set.

    <em>I kind of want to hide this until the dungeon. That might be a bit petty of me, but the looks on everyone¡¯s faces will be so much better if I can pull out a whole set. </em>

    Arwin stuffed the armor into a tarp bag. In a day, he''d be able to bond with it. He then adjusted his mask and left the smithy to return to the tavern, humming to himself as he pictured what his full set of armor would look like. This was going to be a good week.

 Chapter 62: Play

    Chapter 62: y

    The next week passed quietly, and Arwin enjoyed every second of it. He managed to keep his new armor hidden until he could bond to it, but he ended up spending considerably more time than he¡¯d nned to helping Lillia and Zeke refurbish the tavern.

    They rebuilt arge portion of the second floor, getting two more rooms into a usable state. Rodrick and Anna both moved into her tavern with almost no hesitation, taking one of the rooms so Zeke could have the other.

    Lillia added a proper bathroom at the back of the tavern through a door that she and Zeke installed, and Arwin spent most of his time polishing the smithy up even further or nning his next armor sets.

    The entire group ¨C Zeke excluded, of course ¨C made another dungeon run midway through the week and sold everything they¡¯d gotten for a tidy profit. Arwin then used all the money he¡¯d just earned to buy more metal to work with.

    A good portion of that metal had gone into making two magical swords that Arwin had eaten throughout the week to keep [The Hungering Maw] at bay, but weapons weren¡¯t currently his focus.

    He made several drafts for a helmet, but none of them sat quite right with him and they were scrapped. Several of them felt like they would have turned out magical, but none of them felt <em>right</em>.

    When he wasn¡¯t working on figuring out how to make his helm, Arwin spent his time in the smithy forging new sets of armor to sell at the market. He was out of lizard scales for the time being, but armor was still armor.

    Arwin also found himself spending far more time with Zeke than he¡¯d initially nned. While he¡¯d just wanted the boy to asionally help him tidy a few things up and give some slight help while smithing, he ended up letting Zeke work the forge nearly as much as he did.

    They invested in an oil barrel, and the two of them worked together on more sets of in armor than Arwin made himself. Zeke¡¯s snippets of memory paired with Arwin¡¯s pushed the two further, and the boy was a fast learner on top of everything.¡°You know what your helmet is missing?¡± Zeke asked on the night of thest day of the week.

    Arwin nced up from the half-finished helm in his hands, well aware that it was nothing like what he wanted it to be. ¡°No. What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not cool enough,¡± Zeke said.

    ¡°Not cool enough?¡± Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I need an effective helm, not a cool one. I mean, cool is good too, but the most important part is that it does its job.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but nobody is going to be scared of you if you show up with a bunch of crystals jutting out of your heads like a weird porcupine,¡± Zeke said with augh. ¡°I think armor is more than just what it does, you know? It¡¯s what it looks like. It¡¯s almost like fashion, but fashion that protects you.¡±

    Arwin nced down at the crystal he¡¯d wedged into the top of the helm and cleared his throat. Zeke had a point. He tugged the crystal out and sighed, shaking his head.

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve got a point. I see where you¡¯reing from,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to make a helmet look cool.¡±

    <em>I wonder what he¡¯d think of my new Ivory Executioner armor. It¡¯s too early to show it off, though. I need the helm at the bare minimum. It¡¯s just an unfinished set right now. </em>

    ¡°Horns?¡± Zeke offered.

    ¡°Why would I want horns? Where would I get those in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Not real ones. You could make ¡®em,¡± Zeke said. ¡°Think about it. Demons have horns. All the really big monsters have horns. They¡¯re scary.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I can agree to that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But do you really think the reason none of the helms are turning out the right way is because they don¡¯t look cool enough?¡±

    Zeke shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s your magic, not mine. I dunno. I just think that if something doesn¡¯t look the way you want it to, how can it act the way you want it to?¡±

    ¡°I guess appearance and ability can be two halves of the same coin when you¡¯re talking about pure armor,¡± Arwin said slowly, tapping a finger against his chin. ¡°I was just thinking that magic should make that irrelevant. As long as the helm is made properly, shouldn¡¯t it work regardless?¡±

    Zeke shrugged once more. He turned back to the hearth, where he had a metal ingot heating. They¡¯d invested in some normal coal and a new bellows for Zeke so he could work while Arwin wasn¡¯t actively working, and the hearth was currently crackling with normal me. Using a pair of tongs that Arwin had bought him, Zeke brought the ingot over to the anvil.

    ¡°It¡¯s magic. I don¡¯t know how it works,¡± Zeke said. ¡°But maybe it¡¯s because you aren¡¯t telling the magic what you want, so it¡¯s confused?¡±

    <em>That¡¯s not possible. I¡¯m literally speaking with the metal. Stonesinger lets memunicate with magical materials as well. It knows exactly what I ¨C </em>

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    Arwin blinked, a frown slipping across his features.

    <em>Wait. When did my mindset shift like this? I started by listening to the metal and helping it be what it wanted to be, but now I¡¯m telling it what it should be. Shouldn¡¯t the real answer be somewhere in the middle? I should be finding materials that actually want to be a helmet, and then I should be asking them to form into what I want, not just telling them. </em>

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arwin said, looking at his helm and shaking his head. ¡°I turned into an arrogant ass and I didn¡¯t even realize it.¡±

    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t do anything like that,¡± Zeke protested. ¡°I just meant¨C¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re fine,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that in regard with what you were saying. You just made me realize something really important. Thanks, Zeke.¡±

    ¡°I did?¡± Zeke raised his gaze from the metal rod to find Arwin¡¯s old hammer, then grinned. ¡°Well, you¡¯re wee, I guess. I¡¯m just a genius.¡±

    Arwin chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. I can just be a bit nearsighted sometimes. Either way, I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°You want the forge now?¡± Zeke asked. ¡°I can do thister.¡±

    ¡°Nah. You already started working, so I won¡¯t get in the way,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It would be rude. The forge is all yours tonight. I¡¯ll probably head back to the tavern and help Lillia on the second floor again. We¡¯re pretty close to getting a third room functional.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zeke said. ¡°I¡¯ll head inter, then. And I¡¯ll make sure to lock the smithy up, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t stay up toote. That¡¯s my thing, and I don¡¯t like sharing. You need some rest.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zeke asked. ¡°A few hours a night is more than enough.¡±

    ¡°Not if you¡¯re hunting monsters.¡±

    ¡°Hunting monsters? I¡¯m not¨C¡± Zeke cut himself off, his eyes going wide with realization. ¡°Wait. We¡¯re going to go get a ss for me? I was hoping I¡¯d get the cksmith one, but the Mesh hasn¡¯t recognized anything I made yet.¡±

    Arwin had been hoping the same thing, but Zeke had been in the forge and had helped with enough magical items by now to make it clear that smithing wasn¡¯t necessarily his final calling.

    ¡°We are,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°So long as you want to, of course. I won¡¯t force anything.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? Damn right I want to!¡± Zeke eximed, nearly dropping his tongs in his excitement. He hurriedly adjusted his grip on the hot metal, sending Arwin a sheepish look. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Just focus on your work,¡± Arwin said, setting the unfinished helmet on the ground at the corner of the room. ¡°And remember what I said. Don¡¯t stay up toote.¡±

    Zeke nodded absently, but Arwin could tell the boy wasn¡¯t paying attention as he headed out of the smithy and locked the door behind himself. If Arwin was honest, he couldn¡¯t me Zeke. There was something enrapturing about the feeling of creating something.

    A small shiver of desire ran down Arwin¡¯s spine.

    <em>I want to make my helmet. Not now, though. I¡¯ll wait. Zeke¡¯s already doing something, and he¡¯s been helping me out all day. He deserves a chance to use the smithy. I¡¯ll just upy myself helping Lillia out and then sleep until tomorrow. </em>

    ***

    Arwin was ripped from his sleep by a deafening crash. He flew from his bed, his armor mming into ce around him as his hammer materialized in his hands. Visions of past battlefields shed through his mind and tightened his chest, and he spun, searching for enemies in the shadows.

    He sprinted out of his room, thest vestiges of sleep gone by the time he took the second step, and raced down the stairs. Lillia was already in themon room, swirls of darkness gathered at her back and a Minor Imp standing at her side.

    The windows, which they¡¯d still been in progress of recing, were covered byrge tarps that blocked view of the street.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends was that?¡± Lillia¡¯s eyes darted around the room; her lips peeled back just enough to reveal fangs. Her eyes seemed to gaze into the same past that Arwin saw at the edges of his own vision.

    ¡°No damn idea,¡± Arwin said. His chest felt tight, but he didn¡¯t give himself time to consider it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the tavern. We¡¯d be smoldering by now if it was.¡±

    Light poured into the entrance of the tavern, though it didn¡¯t make it deep into Lillia¡¯s magical darkness. Confusion passed over Arwin¡¯s features.

    <em>It¡¯s the middle of the night. Why is it so damn bright?</em>

    Arwin stepped past Lillia, trying to get a look into the street ¨C and froze as he saw where the light wasing from. Fire twisted and smoke rose into the air from the shattered remains of his smithy.

    He burst into a run. Lillia yelled something behind him, but Arwin didn¡¯t even hear it. He skidded to a stop before the broken remains of his door, burnt ck by intense me ¨C me far too intense to have been created by any mundane means.

    Arwin¡¯s ears rang as he charged through the me, ignoring the heat as it burned his skin. He wasn¡¯t resistant to this like he was to [Soul me], but the heat resistance from his armor was enough to let him tolerate the inferno.

    He coughed as he pushed through the smoke, moving more from memory than from sight as he staggered into the smithy.

    ¡°Zeke!¡± Arwin roared. ¡°Where are you?¡±

    There was no response. Arwin¡¯s foot hit the anvil and he cursed in pain, doubling over as a coughing fit gripped him. His head spun at the intensity of the thick smoke pouring into his lungs, but he didn¡¯t care.

    He crawled, his hands desperately searching across the ground. ¡°Zeke! Say something!¡±

    A form took shape near the corner of the room, just barely visible from the light of the me in the rapidly deteriorating room. Arwin scrambled toward it, squinting as his eyes stung and watered from the acrid smoke.

    ¡°Zeke!¡± Arwin yelled, coughing and grabbing at the body. It was burnt ck and almost unrecognizable. Metal rang out as it rolled across the ground, inadvertently pulled free of the body¡¯s grip.

    Arwin¡¯s breathing sped up even as the world seemed to slow around him, his throat constricting as a shape took form in the shadows. A helmet, with two pieces of metal jutting out of the top. It was unfinished, but Arwin knew what they were.

    Horns.

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Lillia¡¯s voice rang through the darkness, muted by the roar of the mes and the thick smoke.

    wed hands dug into Arwin¡¯s arm as Lillia¡¯s Lesser Imp found him and let out a screech, but he didn¡¯t even notice. He couldn¡¯tprehend the scene before his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to look away either.

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Lillia yelled, choking and coughing on the smoke as she stepped out of the mes.

    She froze as she saw the body, but a cracking support beam spurred her back into motion. She grabbed Arwin, yanking him to his feet. ¡°We need to move! The building is copsing!¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t respond. Lillia grabbed him under the arms and yanked him back into the mes, dragging him toward the door. All Arwin could do was stare into the consuming fire as Lillia pulled him away and the smithy copsed all around him, the roaring mes drawing shut like curtains on a cruel y.

 Chapter 63: Together

    Chapter 63: Together

    mes danced in Arwin¡¯s eyes long after the smithy had burned to the ground and the consuming inferno that had swallowed it dwindled to embers and ash. The world transformed into a muted swirl of dimming color and sound.

    He vaguely recalled the others around him, but none of their words so much as reached his ears. It just sounded like mumbles beneath the ocean, lost within the crash of the waves. Arwin remembered getting pulled away from the street and into the darkness of the tavern. He didn¡¯t know who the guiding hands belonged to, and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care.

    Even in the darkness, me still crackled in Arwin¡¯s mind. The explosion rang through his mind over and over again, always ending with the same scene in the end. It burned itself into his mind, one more death to join legions of others.

    And yet, this one wasn¡¯t the same. The adventurers had known the risks that awaited them. They¡¯d entered the battle for money, glory, and power. They¡¯d been <em>prepared </em>to die.

    Zeke hadn¡¯t. The boy had barely even started to live. He hadn¡¯t had a ss. He¡¯d barely just joined the guild and gotten off the streets. And now he was a charred corpse in a broken building, beyond the reaches of even the strongest magic.

    Over and over, the scene ran through Arwin¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t seem to shake it from his mind. Time passed, but it was hard to tell how long. The darkness of the tavern was a nket, swallowing up the hours and leaving him with peaceful nothing.

    Nobody was trying to say anything anymore ¨C of that, Arwin was thankful. He didn¡¯t need words. He didn¡¯t want words. Words would change nothing.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what <em>would </em>change anything. Nothing he could do would ever bring Zeke back. There was no magic in the world that could raise the dead in true. There was no number of people he could kill that would undo what had happened.

    The darkness didn¡¯t carry any answers for him, but it didn¡¯t ask for them either. It simply epted and waited.At some point, Arwin became aware of a presence in the dark with him. He wasn¡¯t sure when it had arrived or how long it had been there. It simply sat in silence. In some odd way, even though not a word was said, Arwin took sce in its presence.

    But, as it always did, time continued to pass. A single mote of heat swirled in the sea of shadow, keeping him grounded. The visions of embers faded to memory, and Arwin could sit still no longer. He didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few days because [The Hungering Maw] had yet to activate.

    For the first time, Arwin turned toward the other presence in the room beside him. Even in the darkness, he recognized Lillia¡¯s features ¨C and he recognized the look in her eyes. It was the very same one that was within his own.

    ¡°I know,¡± Lillia said simply, and Arwin knew she did. If there was anyone else in the world who knew what it felt like to lose and lose, to watch their allies vanish before their eyes until only they remained, it was her.

    The mote of heat that had apanied him through the dark was her hand,id over his. A lifeline, possibly not just for him but for the both of them. Arwin drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly as a deep anger burned within his chest, begging for him to let it free. To destroy.

    ¡°That was an attack,¡± Arwin said, his voice raspy as he broke the silence. ¡°Magical fire. Someone was trying to kill me. I should have been in the forge. Zeke offered to let me use it, but he¡¯d started on something¨C¡±

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    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Lillia said, her hand tightening around his. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Arwin said, his teeth grinding against each other as he fought to keep his breathing under control. ¡°But someone did, Lillia. They tried to kill me, and they got him instead.¡±

    ¡°It will not go unanswered,¡± Lillia promised, and a sh of the demon queen that Arwin had once known passed through her features. ¡°Zeke was innocent. He didn¡¯t deserve this.¡±

    ¡°Nobody ever does,¡± Arwin said. For some reason, the only thing keeping his growing anger in check was the warmth of Lillia¡¯s hand against his.

    ¡°Could it have been the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way they found us, is there?¡±

    Arwin dug through his memories ¨C and one stuck out instantly. He hadn¡¯t made any enemies since the fight with Lillia. The guild shouldn¡¯t have had any way to know where he was. There were only two groups of people that even knew where he lived, not counting the members of his own guild.

    The first was the thieves¡¯ guild. There was a chance they were the ones that had attacked, but he doubted it. If they¡¯d had ess to the destructive magic that had been used to destroy the smithy, they would have used it when he¡¯d attacked their own base.

    No, it hadn¡¯t been them. And, if it wasn¡¯t the thieves¡¯ guild, then there was only one other person that knew where he lived.

    Tix. The woman that had invited him to her guild to monopolize his work. She¡¯d even bought armor from him before. She hadn¡¯t struck Arwin as the type of person to attempt a murder, but he didn¡¯t care about what her motives had been.

    She was the only possible one who could have wanted him dead and known where he lived. And, if her vile guild had been responsible, then Arwin could guess why as well. They had wanted him to exclusively sell to them. So, when he¡¯d rejected their offer to join, they¡¯d tried to make sure he could never sell to anyone.

    ¡°You know,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Who did it?¡±

    ¡°A guild called the Iron Hounds,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The ones that came trying to recruit me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±

    ¡°I strongly suspect. They were the only ones that had any reason to dislike me. And, other than the local thieves¡¯ guild, they were the only ones that knew where I lived. They must havee to the smithy, heard someone working in it, and assumed that it was me.¡± Arwin¡¯s voice broke and his brow tightened in anger.

    ¡°Then they will die,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We¡¯ll kill all of them.¡±

    It was so tempting to agree. Arwin nearly dragged Lillia out of the house then and there to track down the Iron Hounds, but a tiny portion of his mind voiced itself. And, to Arwin¡¯s infuriation, it was just loud enough to give him halt.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Arwin ground out.

    Lillia stared at Arwin in disbelief. ¡°What? You¡¯re just going to let them go? After what they did?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The ones that killed Zeke will die. Their guild isrge, though.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Lillia demanded. ¡°Both of us have ughtered entire legions. I think we can handle a godspitten group of fucking murderers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we could,¡± Arwin snapped. ¡°And what if some of them aren¡¯t murderers? Did we even know what our own armies were doing? How can we assume that the ones at the bottom of the guild knew about what the others did? Will we orphan more children? ughter more friends? How do we know, Lillia?¡±

    Lillia froze in ce, the anger creasing her brow flickering with shock. ¡°I ¨C but, they¡¯re a guild. They should know. They work together.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t we know?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°We led entire armies that didn¡¯t even follow ourmand. They may not have even been following our orders, and we knew nothing. If it was that bad there, how do we know it isn¡¯t the same here?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s jaw clenched. Her hand lifted from Arwin¡¯s slightly, but she stopped before breaking contact and let it sink back down as she cursed under her breath. ¡°Shit. What the hell are we supposed to do then, Arwin? I don¡¯t care how much blood I have to spill. I¡¯m not leaving things as they lie.¡±

    ¡°We find out who did this,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We figure out who they worked for, and everyone rted to Zeke¡¯s death. Then we kill them. Every. Single. One. Maybe it¡¯ll be the entire guild. Maybe it¡¯ll just be Tix. I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care. The ones responsible will die, but nobody else. I won¡¯t tarnish Zeke¡¯s afterlife with anything but the blood of the ones that killed him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Lillia said. The shadows twisted around her, betraying the fury and loss she felt, but the only thing in her eyes was cold determination. ¡°Together, then.¡±

    ¡°Together,¡± Arwin agreed without even a flicker of hesitation. If there had ever been even the slightest speck of doubt remaining in him about Lillia, it had long since vanished.

    The former Hero of Lian and Demon Queen would ride together.

 Chapter 64: Killed

    Chapter 64: Killed

    Arwin and Lillia didn¡¯t spend much time ruminating on their decision before a problematic thought struck both of them at roughly the same time. There was only so far that righteous fury could take them. What they needed was power ¨C something that crafting sses were hardly known for.

    ¡°How are we supposed to take on an entire guild?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I can fight a few people in Apprentice Tier, but from that explosion¡­ they have to have at least one Journeyman level member. Probably more.¡±

    ¡°With gear,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make armor for both of us. A weapon too, if you need it. Something enough for us to challenge the Journeyman level members as long as we catch them alone. We can¡¯t storm into their guildhall, but we can take them one at a time.¡±

    ¡°Armor would work for you, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something I can rely on anymore,¡± Lillia said bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m an innkeeper, Arwin. I don¡¯t have the strength that you do as a cksmith, much less what I used to have. I won¡¯t be able to move in anything heavy enough to let me survive an attack.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll work around it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll make chainmail, or I¡¯ll make armor with magic that makes it lighter. We can¡¯t bring the rest of the guild into this.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not ready for it,¡± Lillia agreed. She swallowed, a wave of emotion passing over her features. Arwin said nothing as she gathered herself, keeping the pain buried beneath the surface and refusing to let it seep out. Lillia had been there for him in the dark, and he would return the favor. ¡°We will be. If you can make me armor¨C¡±

    ¡°I can.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll kill them together,¡± Lillia said. ¡°And we¡¯ll do it before they can destroy any more lives. We¡¯ll rebuild the smithy or find enough of it for you to work with ¨C at least until we can take the rest of what we need from the ones that killed Zeke.¡±

    ¡°At least we won¡¯t have to worry much about the guards given what I¡¯ve heard about them,¡± Arwin said with a t, emotionless smile. ¡°We have to do this the right way, but I¡¯m not letting a single guilty person walk free.¡±Lillia nodded. She let out a slow breath and rose to her feet, keeping her hold of Arwin¡¯s hand and pulling him up beside her. The darkness in the corner of the room shifted and a Lesser Imp emerged from within it, holding a burnt metal helm in its hands.

    ¡°I had one of my imps grab this,¡± Lillia said, taking the helm and holding it out to Arwin. ¡°I thought you might want it.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s throat tightened as he took the helmet in one hand. He swallowed, blinking hard. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Lillia just nodded. ¡°I suppose we have to leave now. It¡¯s been a while, and the others are probably worried. I haven¡¯t been cooking recently.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said, nodding once. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You already said that.¡±

    ¡°That was for the helmet.¡±

    Arwin released her hand, taking onest moment to steady himself. The darkness around them peeled back just enough for Arwin to recognize that he was in Lillia¡¯s room. They walked out together, stepping back into the main room of the tavern.

    Reya, who sat between Anna and Rodrick at the counter, looked up at them. She started to rise from her chair, then stopped halfway up, her shoulders hunching.

    ¡°I tried to clean the smithy up a little,¡± Reya said, staring down at the counter. ¡°I tried to find Zeke¡¯s body, but¨C¡±

    ¡°He already had just about the best burial I think we could have given him. It¡¯s hard to beat a pyre,¡± Arwin said, his jaw clenched. ¡°That¡¯s more than what the people that did this to him will get.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you find them,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fight.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Reya demanded, pounding a fist against the counter. ¡°What, do you think I didn¡¯t care about him? He joined the guild! He was one of us!¡±

    ¡°And I don¡¯t want you joining him in the afterlife,¡± Arwin snapped. ¡°You aren¡¯t ready to go against a real guild, Reya. I¡¯m not going to lose you too.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°A guild?¡± Reya asked, taken aback ¨C but only for an instant. Her eyes narrowed. ¡°The ones that came after you. The Iron Hounds?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Arwin said softly. ¡°Lillia and I are going to handle this ourselves. You can help from the back, but I don¡¯t want you on the frontlines. Not this time.¡±

    ¡°Why not? I know how to fight. I¡¯ve got a ss! I¡¯m not just going to sit around while you take revenge!¡± Reya yelled, striding up to Arwin, the hurt clear in her eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one that cared!¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Arwin snarled. ¡°Do you think your ss is going to save you, Reya? Do you know how many people I¡¯ve seen die with stronger sses than you? Do you know how many of them I¡¯ve killed myself?¡±

    ¡°I¨C¡±

    ¡°Hundreds,¡± Arwin said, not giving Reya a chance to speak. ¡°I¡¯ve watched men die avenging their partners. I¡¯ve seen parents die for their children and children die for their parents. Their sses didn¡¯t fucking matter. Everyone dies the same with a piece of steel through their head ¨C especially ones that only got their ss a short while ago!¡±

    Reya took a step back, a flicker of fear passing over features. Arwin realized that his tone had been steadily raising into a yell, but it was toote to take his words back now.

    ¡°What kind of smith are you?¡± Reya demanded. ¡°Why do you talk like you were a soldier? What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I killed,¡± Arwin let out an explosive breath. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Reya snapped. ¡°Keep your stupid secrets and keep letting your enemies kill all of us. Maybe you cane get revenge for the rest of us after we all get killed too.¡±

    Reya spun and stormed out of the building without another word. Arwin made to go after her, but Anna stepped in front of him and shook her head.

    ¡°Not right now, Arwin,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with her, but you have to understand how she feels. I know why you¡¯re keeping her out of this, but you¡¯re keeping her from getting revenge for a friend.¡±

    ¡°Revenge doesn¡¯t heal wounds. It just makes sure that someone can¡¯t make more of them.¡±

    ¡°Spoken like someone who¡¯s taken it before. She hasn¡¯t,¡± Anna said. ¡°And I know you¡¯re trying to protect her from that, but shield her too hard and she¡¯ll set out on her own instead of doing it with you.¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°She¡¯s not ready for this.¡±

    ¡°For now? Nothing. I told you, I¡¯ll speak with her,¡± Anna said, putting a hand on Arwin¡¯s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°She¡¯s hurting. Just like you are.¡±

    Anna turned and headed out in pursuit of Reya. Arwin watched her leave, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles in his face ached.

    <em>What am I supposed to do? I can¡¯t let anyone else die. Not now. I don¡¯t think I could take it. </em>

    ¡°Reya didn¡¯t mean what she said,¡± Rodrick said as he slipped down from his stool. ¡°Anna will handle her, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all mad about this. I don¡¯t know what your background is, Arwin, but I¡¯ve seen men like you before ¨C and they never spoke about what they used to do. Just¡­ don¡¯t forget we¡¯re here, okay? Anna and I joined this guild because you seemed like you cared. Don¡¯t get so caught up in protecting people that you forget to let them grow.¡±

    Arwin let out a heavy sigh, wishing that there was something he could punch in the area. ¡°I know. If Reya shows back up while I¡¯m working, can you tell her toe speak to me? And please keep an eye out. I don¡¯t know if those Iron Hound bastards wille back, but if they do, I don¡¯t want anyone else dying.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will,¡± Rodrick said, his features as cold as ice. ¡°I assume you n to pretend to be dead?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. ¡°At least until I can start hunting the Iron Hounds, they need to believe they seeded.¡±

    ¡°What about the Wyrm problem?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still well over a month away,¡± Arwin said, anger sparking within his chest before he snuffed it once more. ¡°And if you think I¡¯ll let the bastards that did this live that long, you¡¯re sorely mistaken.¡±

    Rodrick gave Arwin a nod and stepped past him, heading toward the door. He paused right outside the tavern, ncing back over his shoulder.

    ¡°Make it painful,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Zeke was a good kid, but I know I¡¯m not strong enough to handle anyone that could blow up an entire building. Anna and I pooled some funds to help you recover, and we¡¯ll do anything we can to help from the sidelines. Just¡­ promise you¡¯ll help us get strong enough to fight alongside you at some point. I hate sitting around doing nothing.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I swear it.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Send them to the Ninth Undend for me. I¡¯ll make sure Anna and Reya are okay. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to travel without protection right now.¡±

    With that, Rodrick stepped out of view. Arwin and Lillia were left in the darkness of the tavern, staring out into the light pouring through the doorway.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you make the armor,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I can do, but I want to be involved if I can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find something for you to do,¡± Arwin promised, the knot in his stomach growing tighter as his thoughts drifted to Reya. He hadn¡¯t handled that conversation well. Thest thing he wanted to do was hurt even more of his friends. ¡°I¡¯ll probably need materials, and parts of the smithy will have to be rebuilt if I¡¯m going to do anything with it. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s left.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s something we can all help with,¡± Lillia offered. ¡°It would give the others something to do so they don¡¯t feel like they¡¯re beingpletely sidelined.

    That was a good idea ¨C and it was one Arwin wished he¡¯d had just a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do anything to wind back time. All he could do was forge onward.

    ¡°That could work,¡± Arwin said, looking out into the daylight pouring through the doorway. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have work to do, and I¡¯m not going to sleep properly until this is done.¡±

    They stepped out into the street, heading to the remains of the smithy. Arwin had armor to create, and he was going to start with the burnt helmet clenched in his white-knuckled grip. He hadn¡¯t thought that he¡¯d have to kill after he became a smith.

    Now he just hoped he¡¯d be able to stop.

 Chapter 65: Conversation

    Chapter 65: Conversation

    The smithy was not in good shape. That really shouldn¡¯t have been much of a surprise, but it hurt Arwin more than he cared to admit to see the building in smoldering shambles. All the materials that he¡¯d bought to repair it had beenpletely ruined.

    Cracked remains of pots littered the ground on top of burnt stone. The wolf pelt was nothing more than a scorch mark on the ground and the hearth had crumbled to bits. Even his tools hadn¡¯t been spared. The heat of the me had been so intense that their metal had warped and bent, bing unusable.

    Lillia walked beside Arwin as he waded through the soot, trying to see if he could find anything salvageable in the ruins. The Iron Hounds had taken care to make sure nothing within the smithy would survive.

    Several melted chunks of metal marked the sets of armor that he¡¯d forged to sell at the market. They¡¯d bent in on themselves and had been buried under ayer of brick that had copsed on top of the hot metal.

    Arwin still collected them, handing the dirtied chunks to Lillia who set them on the street, safely out of the wreckage. Unfortunately, his hearth had beenpletely destroyed. The bellows had gone with it, though the anvil had survived.

    It was too heavy to lift easily with his normal strength, so Arwin used [Scourge] to pry the huge chunk of metal out of the wreckage and lug it over to the street himself. He set it down with a ng, then straightened with a grimace. His hands and legs had been stained pitch ck by all the soot.

    ¡°There should be more pieces of metal somewhere here,¡± Arwin said as he waded back into the smithy¡¯s remains. ¡°Let me know if you see anything.¡±

    Lillia nodded, and the two of them got back to searching. Nearly an hour passed before they¡¯d gone through everything about as well as they were going to be able to without literally diving through the soot.

    They managed to rescue several sheets of the ivory metal and Brightsteel as well as a warped ingot of Brightsteel that Arwin had bought to make the suits of armor he¡¯d nned to sell on the market. Everything else had been lost to the mes.¡°What do we do with this?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Get rid of the soot and try to rebuild the smithy here?¡±

    ¡°No. Not yet,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If the Iron Hounds send anyone to check on the smithy, they¡¯ll obviously think something is up if the smithy is rebuilt. We leave it as is. I¡¯ll move the anvil to another building. We can rebuild after the Iron Hounds have been dealt with.¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°What building, then?¡±

    ¡°Something far from the tavern,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone getting caught up in another attack if the Iron Hounds do end uping back and figuring out I survived.¡±

    They looked over the surrounding buildings. They all looked like pretty basic shopfronts or in houses, with nothing particrly distinctive about any of them.

    ¡°The one at the side over there should work,¡± Arwin said, nodding to a dpidated building with a caved in window and rickety door. ¡°As long as the inside isn¡¯tpletely ruined, that is.¡±

    He headed across the street and pulled the door open carefully to avoid identally ripping the rotting piece of wood off its weakened and rusted hinges. It only had a single room, and whatever furniture may have been within it at one point had all been broken, stolen, or rotted away.

    Piles of mush and rot were strewn across the ground, but the walls looked mostly steady. There were only a few cracks that let light filter through, and it didn¡¯t look like the building was going to cave in any time too soon.

    An image of the repaired smithy flitted through Arwin¡¯s mind. Compared to it, this new building was aplete dump ¨C but that would change soon enough. For now, this one would suit his purposes.

    ¡°Yeah. This one,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s going to muffle what I¡¯m doing much, but there¡¯s not really a way to work quietly unless I somehow got deep underground, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible with our current resources.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Lillia agreed. ¡°Where are you going to put the fire, though? The whole building is wood.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the stones that aren¡¯tpletely ruined and try to build an area for it. It isn¡¯t going to be perfect, but I don¡¯t need a chimney because I¡¯m working with [Soul me] rather than normal me, and it doesn¡¯t send up smoke since there¡¯s nothing to burn.¡±

    This tale has been uwfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Lillia nodded, and the two of them headed back outside to start bringing in the pieces that they¡¯d rescued from the ruined smithy into Arwin¡¯s new workshop. That took considerably less time than finding them, and they soon had a pile of what amounted to garbage surrounding an anvil transferred into Arwin¡¯s new workshop.

    He and Lillia stood in silence at the entryway, staring at all that remained of everything he¡¯d built over the recent days. Drawing in a deep breath, Arwin closed his eyes and steadied himself as he exhaled.

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get to work. We have a lot to do,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Starting with making a spot for the hearth. I¡¯m going to need some grout for the stones.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any gold?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Or was it¡­ you know.¡±

    ¡°In the fire? No. I kept it on me,¡± Arwin said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out several pouches. ¡°I was going to the market so often that I figured it was easier than taking it on and off constantly. I¡¯ve got ny. Enough to get some grout. We can use brick from the smithy to save costs there. I think I¡¯ll need all the coin I can get for materials in theing days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d apany you to the market, but¡­¡± Lillia trailed off and nced at her tail. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would go well.¡±

    ¡°Probably not. It¡¯s fine. Just keep an eye on the street and make sure we don¡¯t have anyone rooting around where they shouldn¡¯t be. I won¡¯t wear my mask for now ¨C I don¡¯t think anyone from the Iron Hounds should recognize me without it other than Tix, and she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m the smith. At least, I¡¯m pretty sure she doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Lillia pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good risk to take. It might be better to send someone else.¡±

    ¡°Like who?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Everyone is¨C¡±

    ¡°Right here,¡± Reya finished.

    Arwin spun toward the door. He¡¯d been so distracted with his work that he hadn¡¯t noticed not just Reya, but also Anna and Rodrick walking up on the street behind them.

    <em>Damn it. I can¡¯t afford to be this damn distracted. I¡¯m going to get us killed at this rate. </em>

    ¡°Ah,¡± Arwin said intelligently. He nced over his shoulder at the soot-smeared metal behind him, then back over to the rest of his guild. ¡°How long were you there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the grout,¡± Rodrick volunteered. ¡°Anna cane with me.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make something for everyone to eat,¡± Lillia said, looking from Reya to Arwin. ¡°Let me know when I can help again.¡±

    Arwin nodded absently and tossed a bag of gold to Rodrick. ¡°There.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring back the change,¡± Rodrick said, tucking the bag into his waistband and heading off with Anna at his side. Lillia slipped past Arwin and out of the building, leaving him alone within it.

    Reya stood on the street across from him. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then Arwin sighed and stepped back, gesturing for her to follow him. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s talk.¡±

    After a moment of hesitation, Reya walked inside. Arwin sat down on the anvil, leaning forward and bracing his arms against his knees.

    ¡°Go on, then,¡± Arwin said wearily. ¡°Ask.¡±

    ¡°Ask what?¡±

    ¡°You wanted to know my secrets,¡± Arwin said, rocking back to catch Reya¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them to you, if you want me to. I¡¯ve just been trying to protect you, but that didn¡¯t work out so well for Zeke.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Reya¡¯s hands tightened at her sides and her eyes dropped to the floor. ¡°It was wrong of me to say you got him killed. It wasn¡¯t your fault. I ¨C I¡¯m just so mad. Why did he have to die?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Reya. You weren¡¯t entirely wrong. Zeke died because I was arrogant.¡± Arwin gritted his teeth. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that the Iron Hounds would try to kill me. I kept thinking that there was no way humans would do that to themselves, but I couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. If I¡¯d treated them the way I treat monsters, then I never would have dismissed the threat.¡±

    ¡°Nobody would assume that they¡¯re going to get killed just because they didn¡¯t join a guild,¡± Reya said, looking back up at Arwin. ¡°You can¡¯t me yourself.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t me myself, but he did die because of me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That was an attack meant to kill me, not him. My secrets have nothing to do with why we were attacked, but you¡¯ve been with me longer than any of the others. If you want to know who I really am, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Reya shook her head, her eyes watering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arwin. I really am. I was speaking without thinking earlier. I don¡¯t care about the secrets. I¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to cut Reya off before she could continue. ¡°You¡¯re right, Reya. Even though my secrets aren¡¯t the reason he died, I¡¯ve been treating you like a child, and I apologize for it. I thought I could protect everyone.¡±

    Reya wiped her face with the back of a sleeve, but Arwin continued speaking before she could say anything else.

    ¡°I was strong enough ¨C at one point. And, at one point, I will be again. But, right now, I¡¯m not,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can¡¯t protect you like I could. So, right now, all I can offer is knowledge. I¡¯m not giving this to you because you hurt my feelings, Reya. I¡¯m offering it because knowledge is <em>all </em>I can offer. Well, that and armor.¡±

    ¡°How could knowledge protect me?¡± Reya asked with a sniffle.

    ¡°Knowledge is a tool, just like everything else. Now think, Reya ¨C and tell me if you really want to know. You can¡¯t unlearn anything. But, if you want to know who I really am, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Reya didn¡¯t respond immediately, which Arwin was thankful for. He wasn¡¯t sure what answer he was hoping she¡¯d give him. Part of him wanted to bury his past and never think about it again, but another part desperately wanted to share it. Either way, Reya was actually debating her answer rather than just choosing impulsively.

    ¡°I want to know,¡± Reya finally said.

    Arwin let out a slow sigh and inclined his head. ¡°I figured you would. I¡¯m sure thises as absolutely no surprise to you, but I wasn¡¯t always a smith.¡±

    Reya nodded, a flicker of a smile passing over her lips. ¡°Yeah. I kind of guessed. What were you? A high-ranking warrior in a guild or something?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said quietly. ¡°I was the Hero of Lian.¡±

 Chapter 66: To know someone

    Chapter 66: To know someone

    ¡°What?¡± Reya asked, the corner of her lip twitching preemptively into a faint smile, waiting for Arwin to finish the second half of his joke. He didn¡¯t add anything else, and the grin fell away. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I was the Hero, up until just a short time ago.¡±

    He could practically see the gears spinning in Reya¡¯s head as she tried to determine whether to believe him or not. Slowly, her expression changed from disbelief to wide-eyed shock.

    ¡°They canceled the funeral,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°I saw it on the flyers. You mean you survived the explosion? I thought you killed the demon queen but died in the process!¡±

    ¡°Someone certainly tried to make it look that way. There was a bomb in my armor, and it¡¯s one that I believe the adventurer¡¯s guild nted. I was betrayed, but the Mesh saved me. I don¡¯t know why, but it took my ss and gave me the one I have now instead.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you know so much about monsters and fighting,¡± Reya said, pulling at her hair. ¡°You¡¯re literally the greatest warrior alive. And you¡¯re saying the guild betrayed you? Why? What¡¯s the point?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin replied with a shrug. ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that out yet, and something tells me I wasn¡¯t the greatest warrior either. I think the guild intentionally kept me in the dark, but that¡¯s a story for a different time. The point is, I used to be the Hero, but I¡¯m not the Hero anymore.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re so deadset on protecting everyone?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°I used to think that, yeah. Because it was my duty.¡± A short, bitterugh slipped from Arwin¡¯s mouth and he shook his head. ¡°Not anymore. I don¡¯t think I give a shit about duty or any of that. I just don¡¯t want to see my friends die anymore. When I realized I survived the explosion, I had just nned to lock myself away and never deal with people again. It would have been easier.¡±¡°If you were betrayed by the biggest guild in the kingdom, I can see why,¡± Reya said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Because I ran into you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And then I met Lillia ¨C and Rodrick and Anna after that. I realized that there wasn¡¯t a point living life if there weren¡¯t people to live it with you. Why be a smith if I can¡¯t make armor for the people that are important to me? Not that it did anything for Zeke. As I said ¨C I¡¯m not the Hero anymore. I¡¯m just a smith.¡±

    ¡°You already said you knew it wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Reya said, walking up to Arwin and putting a hand on his hunched shoulders. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine what it must feel like to have all that power and lose it ¨C but you¡¯re far from just a smith.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to turn this into a pity fishing session,¡± Arwin said, shaking his head and straightening back up. ¡°But now you know. I was acting like the Hero, even though I wasn¡¯t him anymore.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think people can change that quickly,¡± Reya said. ¡°It does make a lot of things about you make way more sense, though.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Arwin asked, a small grin gracing his lips. ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡± Reya waved vaguely in Arwin¡¯s direction. She paused as a thought struck her, face going pale as a sheet. ¡°Wait. There¡¯s a new Hero and a new Demon Queen, isn¡¯t there? Doesn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s a chance the first Demon Queen also survived? What if they team up against the Hero?¡±

    Arwin squinted at Reya, trying to figure out if she was serious or not. He felt like it couldn¡¯t possibly have been that big of a stretch to determine that Lillia wasn¡¯t just really, really into her role of pretending to be a demon waitress and was an actual demon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be a problem,¡± Arwin said finally. It was one thing to spill his own secrets, but Lillia¡¯s were hers. Reya would probably figure it out pretty soon either way. It may have seemed obvious to him, but nobody in their right mind would expect the demon queen and the former Hero were hanging out together on the same street.

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s good,¡± Reya said, letting out a sigh. ¡°What about the guild, then? If they betrayed you, doesn¡¯t that mean they were working with the demons? That¡¯s really, really bad.¡±

    <em>Pretty sure they aren¡¯t working with the demons either. Not in the way Reya is thinking, at least. Lillia got just as screwed as I did. </em>

    ¡°There¡¯s something going on with them, but I don¡¯t know if now is the time to delve into it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There¡¯s another guild that I need to handle first.¡±

    ¡°The Iron Hounds.¡± Reya¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I know I¡¯m not as strong as you, even as a smith, but can¡¯t I help somehow? I know you don¡¯t want me to fight, but I¡¯m sure I could do something!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You can.¡±

    ¡°Just let me do something! I¡¯m notpletely incapable ¨C wait. Did you say I <em>could </em>help?¡±

    ¡°I did. It wasn¡¯t right of me topletely exclude you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You have every right to want to avenge Zeke that I do, but I don¡¯t want you to die in the process. Revenge only matters if you live through it. Would you be willing to settle for helping making the armor that Lillia and I use to take down the people that killed Zeke?¡±

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    ¡°I think I¡¯d settle for that as a start,¡± Reya allowed. ¡°But if there¡¯s more I can do, I want to do it. I want to see them pay for what they did.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t feel the way you think it will,¡± Arwin warned. ¡°In the end, they¡¯ll just be dead. Zeke won¡¯te back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¨C¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you to forgive them, but I want you to really think about what you want. The people that killed Zeke will die ¨Cthat, I promise you. But what more do you want? Do you want to drive the de into their heart yourself? Maybe take your time with it, make sure they feel all the pain that they made you feel?¡±

    Reya nched. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know. I just want them to pay.¡±

    ¡°We all do,¡± Arwin said, rising to his feet. ¡°If you¡¯re still determined to fight when the timees, then I¡¯ll see what we can do. Until then, promise me you won¡¯t try anything on your own and that you¡¯ll stay away from the Iron Hounds. We do this my way.¡±

    Reya didn¡¯t respond for several seconds as she mulled over his words. He could tell she still wasn¡¯t happy, but she finally gave him a sharp nod.

    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t handle them on my own anyway. But¡­ why do you think Lillia can? She¡¯s just an innkeeper.¡±

    ¡°If you still think people are <em>just </em>anything after speaking with me, then you need to be more careful,¡± Arwin said, putting his hand on Reya¡¯s shoulder. Over her shoulder on the street, Rodrick and Anna stepped out from an alleyway and headed their way bearing two pots of grout.

    Reya noticed Arwin¡¯s distraction and turned to follow his gaze. ¡°Oh. They¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got more questions, you can askter,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Don¡¯t share what we talked about with them yet. It¡¯s not the right time, and I don¡¯t want to put undue stress on either of them.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Reya said, giving him a final nod. Arwin took his hand off her shoulder just as Rodrick and Anna came to a stop by the open door.

    ¡°Not interrupting, are we?¡± Rodrick asked.

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°No. We¡¯ve just finished up. You¡¯ve got good timing. Did you run the whole way over and back from the market?¡±

    ¡°Noment,¡± Rodrick replied, stepping through the doorway and setting the pot of grout down on the ground beside Arwin. He then held out the pouch of gold. ¡°Here. Got what you needed.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can get started, then.¡±

    ¡°How can we help?¡± Reya asked. ¡°You said I could help forge, right?¡±

    ¡°I need stone to make a hearth before I can do anything,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If you could look for stones from the smithy that weren¡¯tpletely destroyed in its copse, that would be really useful.¡±

    ¡°We can do that,¡± Rodrick said. They all started for the smithy, but Rodrick paused in the doorway, blocking Arwin from leaving.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to move for me to squeeze by you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m not that thin.¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking ¨C wouldn¡¯t it be better if you generally stayed inside?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed anyone spying on us, but it might be safest if the Iron Hounds have absolutely no reason to believe you might still be alive. The less prying eyes can figure out you¡¯re here, the better it is.¡±

    Arwin grimaced. As much as he wanted to dismiss Rodrick¡¯s concerns, the warrior brought up a good point. He let out a sigh and took a step back.

    ¡°Damn it. You¡¯re probably right, but I¡¯m not happy about it. I¡¯ll stay here, then.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t take long,¡± Rodrick promised, following after Anna and Reya. Arwin watched him leave, then walked back over to his anvil and sat down, drumming his foot on the ground.

    Thest thing he wanted to do right now was be left alone with his thoughts. They weren¡¯t going anywhere that he wanted them to, but it didn¡¯t look like he was going to have a choice.

    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to wait too long. It only took the trio around an hour to gather all the stone that they¡¯d need and bring it into the room, stacking it in a pile beside Arwin. Once they got enough to start working with, Arwin beganyering stones on the ground and spreading grout onto them.

    Reya joined him some timeter, and by the time evening rolled around, the group had a fully built, albeit slightly sloppy, stone dome. It vaguely resembled an oven and was nowhere near what an actual hearth should have looked like, but it would work for Arwin¡¯s purposes once the grout hardened.

    ¡°Now what?¡± Reya asked, wiping her dirty hands off on her clothes. ¡°What else can we do?¡±

    ¡°For today? Eat dinner,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°One step at a time. I can¡¯t do anything until the grout sets. Tomorrow, I think the main thing I¡¯ll need is supplies. That means either gold or hunting monsters, and I¡¯m not sure hunting is safe right now.¡±

    ¡°We can do it,¡± Reya said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find a way.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more important is not getting killed,¡± Arwin said gently. ¡°I know you want to help, Reya. But don¡¯t make me have to avenge two people instead of just one. For now, we¡¯ve got gold. We can use that. When I run out ¨C that¡¯s when we can look at alternative ways to get money.¡±

    Reya nodded reluctantly. ¡°Fine. Just make sure you think of something. I¡¯m not just going to sit around.¡±

    ¡°And neither will we,¡± Rodrick put in.

    ¡°I will,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°For now, just go get dinner. Lillia will be disappointed if nobody eats her food, and you aren¡¯t going to do anything on empty stomachs.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Anna asked. ¡°You need food as well.¡±

    ¡°Not that kind of food,¡± Arwin replied, turning to his makeshift forge. ¡°And I¡¯ve got something else to do.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Reya frowned. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t do anything until the hearth was ready to work with.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to forge,¡± Arwin said, picking the helmet Zeke had been working on up and running his hand over the burnt surface of the metal. Deep within it, a faint shimmer of intent spoke back to him. The helmet hungered to be more, and Arwin nned to give it exactly what it wanted. ¡°I¡¯m going to n. It¡¯s not something you can help me with.¡±

    Reya and the others exchanged nces.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stay up toote. Your own advice goes for you as well,¡± Rodrick said, putting a hand around Anna¡¯s shoulders.

    Arwin nodded absently as the three of them headed off, closing the rickety door behind them. His attention was fully focused on the helm in his hands. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Arwin murmured, his fingertips tingling as he felt for the faintest traces of the Mesh within the in, burnt helmet. ¡°What do you want to be?¡±

    And, deep within the charred, damaged metal, something responded.

 Chapter 67: Cider

    Chapter 67: Cider

    Initially, there was nothing but the faintest whisper. The brush of the breeze across Arwin¡¯s skin, so subtle that even a mouse might have missed it. And, from within it bloomed a distant crackling me.

    Arwin flinched back as a wave of emotion mmed into him. Hunger and heat mixed in a roaring inferno that sprung up within his mind unbidden with such intensity that he saw fire dance across his temporary forge.

    As soon as his hand left the helm, the vision vanished, and silence crashed back down over him. It did nothing to still his hammering heart. Arwin took a step back, staring at the in helm on the ground and pressing a hand to his chest.

    <em>What the hell was that?</em>

    Arwin crept closer to the helm, reaching out and brushing the backs of his fingers across it. There was no response. It was just a piece of metal. He carefully picked the helm back up, extending his senses toward it once more.

    And then, almost as if it had never left, the faint whisper of wind returned. Arwin hurriedly set the helm back down on the anvil, not willing to summon the vision forth again. He wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if he let it run its course, and he didn¡¯t want to find out until he was actually ready to forge it anew.

    Arwin tucked the helm under his arm and rose to his feet, pushing the rickety door back to stick his head outside. To his surprise, it was already well into the night. The moon hung high overhead, over halfway through its trip back toward the horizon.

    <em>How much time did I spend in those visions? It felt like I sank into them almost instantly, but that clearly isn¡¯t the case. </em>

    It was a question for tomorrow. Standing around in the middle of the night and waiting for someone to see him was a damn fool thing to do, so he closed the old door and strode toward the tavern.As usual, the tavern was somehow darker than it was outside. Arwin squinted as his eyes tried and failed topletely adjust to the dark. Thenterns had all been snuffed for the night, so the only thing he had to see by was memory.

    He worked his way across themon room and up the stairs, moving slowly to avoid running into anything too loudly and waking someone up. After sessfullypleting his ascent and finding his room, Arwin lowered himself into his bed andid back, letting his head hit the mattress with a soft thump.

    It wasn¡¯t as dark in his room as it was in the tavern, likely because Lillia was farther away. And, even though the amount of light was so faint that it might as well have not been there, it was still enough to bore into Arwin¡¯s eyes like screws and ward sleep away.

    Heid on his back, his mind rebelling against his desire to rest as it ran through the events of the previous day over and over. Things were only made worse by the presence of the room just behind him, now devoid of its upant.

    Arwin gave it another few minutes before cursing softly under his breath and rolling to his feet, resisting the urge to pound a fist into the bed. Hands clenched, he headed back down the stairs and into the tavern.

    <em>I wish the damn hearth was ready. At least I could do something through the night instead of just sitting around here like a damned idiot. Can¡¯t sleep. Can¡¯t work. All I can do is stand around. </em>

    He made his way over to the doorway and poked his head out, checking the position of the moon. It felt like it had been hours, but somehow, the shimmering sphere of silver had only inched ever so slightly across the sky.

    <em>Figures. </em>

    Arwin turned back, then nearly jumped straight out of his skin as he saw something shift in the shadows. He was halfway to summoning Verdant ze to his hands when a shimmer of pale moonlight forced its way through the darkness just enough to illuminate purple skin.

    ¡°Why are you awake?¡± Arwin asked in a hushed whisper.

    ¡°The same reason you are,¡± Lillia replied dryly. ¡°The light isn¡¯t going to help you sleep any better, though.¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure the darkness will either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something that might,¡± Lillia said. Arwin could just barely pick up the flickers of movement as she walked across the tavern and into the kitchen. He hesitated for a moment, then followed after her into the darkness.

    The faint trickle of liquid pouring into a mug led him toward the back of the long kitchen, but it took him a little too far and he nearly walked straight into her before she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

    ¡°Here,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°I have no idea where here is.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s hand found his and pushed a small cup into it.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Arwin asked, raising it to his lips and sniffing at it. His nose scrunched and he almost doubled over coughing at the strong scent ¨C berries, mixed with a sour undertone like the greenest apple.

    ¡°Painful,¡± Lillia said, a note of humor in her voice.

    Arwin shrugged, then tipped the cup back, draining it in one go. Fire stung his throat and worked through his chest like the fingers of a vengeful ghost. Arwin suppressed a cough, barely even able to notice the faint but pleasant aftertaste.

    ¡°Okay, now I really want to know what that was.¡±

    ¡°Something new I figured out,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°Cider. I think.¡±

    ¡°How is this going to help me sleep? I feel like I swallowed hot coal. Tasty coal, admittedly, but still coal.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about it instead of other things, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Arwin paused. Lillia wasn¡¯t wrong, and she took hisck of answer as affirmation.

    ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s far from a cure,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It just makes sitting around a little more tolerable.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got more of that?¡±

    ¡°Gave you thest of it.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    A shift in the darkness marked what Arwin suspected to be a shrug.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have given it to you if I was going to drink it myself. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s poisonous.¡±

    Arwin almostughed. ¡°You fed me poison?¡±

    ¡°You eat magic. You¡¯ll live. It¡¯s only mild poison.¡±

    Her footsteps headed off in the direction of her room, then paused. Arwin considered heading back to the tavern and trying to sit at the counter and wait for the morning toe, but that idea sounded about as appealing as trying to go back to bed.

    He followed after Lillia, and her steps resumed a secondter. Her actual room was even darker than the rest of the tavern, and he only managed to find where she was by following the rustle of straw.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit on anything important, am I?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯ve got no sted idea where I am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine. Just straw.¡±

    Arwin sat down on the makeshift mattress, then scooted back until his back was pressed against the wall. Lillia shifted beside him, copying his position. Neither of them spoke for several minutes.

    ¡°Of all the situations I would have seen in the future, I think this is the one farthest from anything I could have pictured,¡± Lillia said, breaking the silence.

    Arwin grunted. ¡°Tell me about it. I think the world got twisted on its head some time ago and nothing has been right since.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose anyone is going to twist it back?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want them to,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°If anything, I feel bad for our recements. I wonder if they¡¯re the same as we were.¡±

    ¡°It took us years to finally kill each other. I figure they canst until we get around to figuring that out ourselves,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Lofty goals,¡± Arwin said, shifting to try and get morefortable. The wall was a little colder than he¡¯d thought it would be, but it was better than just sitting without support ¨C and he wasn¡¯t about to sprawl out on Lillia¡¯s bed. ¡°We¡¯ve got to deal with our much smaller problems before we can even think about going up against the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ¡°We will,¡± Lillia said, a note of steel entering her voice. ¡°It might not be soon, but we will. They¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to them ¨C just like the Iron Hounds will.¡±

    ¡°Except sooner rather thanter for them. The new hearth will be ready tomorrow,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And I think I know how I¡¯m going to forge my helmet. I¡¯ll start on your armor after that. We¡¯ll have to deal with them before the Wyrm horde, or the entire city is going to have much bigger problems.¡±

    ¡°That could be the best time to strike,¡± Lillia pointed out. ¡°Chaos makes it difficult to react. Therger the organization, the worse it¡¯ll be.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to let anyone else die. Not if I can help it.¡±

    Lillia let out a softugh. ¡°Still the Hero, even without the ss. Using the horde would be distasteful anyway. I want them to know why they died, not cut them down in the midst of panic.¡±

    Arwin was pretty sure he should have warned Lillia off getting too caught up in revenge, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel the same way. He let out a huff. After everything he¡¯d told Reya, he was still nothing more than a hypocrite.

    Arwin shifted again, and his shoulder brushed against Lillia¡¯s in the darkness. Her arm was much warmer than the cold wall pressed against his back. Before Arwin could pull his arm back and apologize, she leaned slightly into him.

    Neither of them said anything. They¡¯d already spent all the words they had to share for the night, and now all that remained was the night and their looming thoughts. But, as Arwin¡¯s breathing slowed, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Lillia¡¯s drink had been a little more effective than she¡¯d said.

    He still wasn¡¯t anywhere near falling asleep and his heart still ached for what could have been, but the faintest flicker of warmth split through the cold, bringing with it the promise of sce.

    It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough to get through the night.

 Chapter 68: Helm

    Chapter 68: Helm

    As it always did, the morning eventually came. Arwin had no clue how Lillia knew, but she stirred from her spot beside him, quietly rising to her feet. Blinking himself out of the trance state that stood between sleep and awareness, Arwin stood as well. He took careful to move slowly, not wanting to identally headbutt Lillia on the way up.

    ¡°Are you going to need help on anything today?¡± Lillia asked.

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯ll probably take me the whole day to make my helmet, and that¡¯s something I¡¯m best off doing alone. Maybe keep Reya upied somehow so she doesn¡¯t feel like she¡¯s just wasting time?¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to bring me in to help when it¡¯s time for my own armor. I don¡¯t like sitting around and doing nothing any more than she does ¨C and right now, unless we go hunting, I¡¯m not going to have a whole lot I can do other than sit.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t forget,¡± Arwin promised. He found the wall with a hand, using it to guide himself out through the kitchen and out into the dining room. Lillia followed behind him, lighting thenterns to bring some light into the building.

    A nce out the doorway told Arwin that the morning was still young, so he crept up the stairs to avoid waking anyone on his way to retrieve the burnt helmet. Armed with what he needed, Arwin headed back down and out the door, nodding to Lillia as he left.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the previous night, or if he was allowed to feel anything at all. For the time being, his feelings didn¡¯t matter. The only thing that mattered was outfitting himself and his allies.

    Setting out into the street, Arwin nced around to make sure he couldn¡¯t see anyone lying in wait before stepping out. He kept to the darkness that hid from the rising sun by the edges of buildings, making his way across the street and into his temporary forge.

    Someone had brought a barrel into it. He walked up, peering inside, to find it full of water. A sad smile passed over his features. He¡¯d finally gotten a proper quenching station, but Zeke wasn¡¯t around to see it.Arwin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, centering himself. His makeshift hearth and anvil waited for him, along with all the metal that he¡¯d managed to salvage. He ran a hand along the stone, feeling the grout. It still wasn¡¯tpletely set, but it would be enough. He didn¡¯t have the patience to wait any longer.

    Summoning a ball of [Soul me] to his hand, Arwin tossed it into the hearth. Without any wood to burn, he had to use considerably more than he normally did, filling the mouth of the hearth with crackling, hungry me.

    He stared into the depths of the fire, then drew in a deep breath. As he exhaled, he sat down on the edge of his anvil and set the helm in hisp. Arwin ran his fingers along its rough, charred surface, letting himself sink into a reverie.

    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Arwin whispered.

    And, as it had the previous day, the helm replied. A whisper of wind danced across his arms and crawled up his back, followed shortly thereafter by the growing crackle of fire. This time, though, Arwin didn¡¯t shy from it.

    He remained still in rapt attention as the me spread through his mind, growing until it swallowed his view of the room entirely. His own body faded until the only thing that remained was the helm in a sea of me.

    The helm ¨C and its desires. They mmed into Arwin like a crashing tsunami, nearly overwhelming his mind in a deluge of information.

    Not all of it was useful. There were shes of hunger and the intense feeling of burning mixed in with a deep-sated conviction. The helmet wanted to be greater than it was, and he was just the vessel through which it could make its wants manifest.

    Arwin had been expecting the helm to give him some form of indication as to it shape or how to make it, but what he received instead was knowledge of the helm itself. He learned of the metal that had been used to make it.

    How it had been mined from a local quarry and stolen by a bandit on the way over to Milten, only to be confiscated by a corrupt guard who sold it to the very smith who had originally bought it.

    He saw himself forging it into a helm and felt the metal¡¯s disappointment that it would not be what it sought to be. And then he saw Zeke. The excited nervousness burning in the boy¡¯s eyes as he worked through the night, attaching the horns to the helm ¨C but not just that. His passion was like fuel, flooding into the metal and infusing its very being.

    It wasn¡¯t a work of art, but Zeke had given it the desire to be one. And, in that burgeoning joy, right in the middle of the promise that Zeke had been making to the helm, there was an inferno.

    The helm¡¯s future had been stolen from it. It burned away in the fire that scorched and warped its form, and the helm felt rage. The promise had been ripped away. The emotion was so intense that Arwin could feel it bubbling within his own chest like an overflowing cauldron.

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    There was no doubt in Arwin¡¯s mind that the helm was just a piece of metal. It was not sentient or sapient, but it had picked up on the environments it had passed through. It carried with it the desires and stories of everyone who had worked with it, and it was from those that its desires were born.

    And, through him, they would be reality.

    Arwin drew in a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open, the vision vanishing. He sat in the center of the room once more, cold sweat streaking down his back and his muscles tensed. Arwin¡¯s hand ran along the helmet, but he didn¡¯t need to hear it speak again.

    He knew what he had to do. Arwin summoned Verdant ze to his hands, then set the already-burnt helm into the awaiting maw of the [Soul me]. As it started to heat, Arwin infused Verdant ze with the same ability.

    Taking out his mask, Arwin set it at the edge of the mes. He headed over to some of the warped scraps and took a piece of the ivory metal, cing it into the fire beside the helm. His fingers drummed against the side of his leg as he waited for the metal to get hot enough to work with.

    Without a bellows, it took longer than Arwin would have liked. It probably wouldn¡¯t have grown hot enough at all if he hadn¡¯t been using the enhanced powers of his [Soul me]. But, soon enough, the metal turned from a cherry red to a deep golden orange.

    Arwin took the warped metal out first, hammering it back into a sheet. Every blow of Verdant ze sent up a puff of [Soul me], driving the impurities from the metal. ck kes fell away from the metal and he folded it in on itself, making sure it was as pure as he could get it.

    Arwin then returned the te to the fire for long enough to let itpletely re-heat. He set his hammer down and, grabbing the metal with both hands, pulled it apart into two pieces. Setting one of them to the side, Arwin used his hands to start forming the metal into a horn.

    He didn¡¯t pay attention to the time as it passed and barely even paused to breath. His entire being waspletely and utterly focused on executing the helmet¡¯s desires. The first horn took form and a second one followed after it. Arwin put details into them by pressing his fingernails into the molten metal, creating a spiral that ran from the tip to the base.

    With the hornsplete, Arwin took the heated helm and hammered it t, removing the impurities from it before forming it once more. He formed it with his own head, using his resistance to heat created by his own [Soul me] to his advantage.

    Arwin attached the ivory horns he¡¯d made to the top of the helm, then added another piece of ivory scrap to the me. Once it had heated, he set the helm aside to hammer the new piece out.

    When the impurities had been removed, Arwin ripped the metal apart with his bare hands, working it into thin strips. Those too went to the side and he turned his attention to his mask.

    Arwin brought it to the helmet, using his hands to press the metal together. It was a slow, arduous process. He didn¡¯t want to heat the mask so much that it lost any of its detail ¨C for some reason, keeping it exactly as it was felt¡­ right.

    At the same time, he needed to make sure the metal waspletely attached. He didn¡¯t need it falling apart when a well-ced strike hit it at the wrong angle. It wasn¡¯t long before his fingers started to ache, but Arwin was too caught up to slow down.

    The tingle of the Mesh started to gather in the helm as he worked, but Arwin didn¡¯t let it distract him. There was only one thing he was focused on right now, and it wasn¡¯t the Mesh. It was making the helmet exactly what it wanted to be. All else took second ce. His purpose was just to give the metal a voice.

    When the mask waspletely attached to the back of the helm, Arwin took the strips of metal and started to ovey them onto it, making the carved details pop with color. He didn¡¯t want anyone who ever saw the mask to be able to mistake it for something else.

    And, with every detail he finished, the Mesh grew stronger. Its buzzing became a dull roar, swirling into Arwin¡¯s arms and dancing around the helm with such anticipation that the air felt like it was electrically charged.

    Arwin worked the final strip of metal into ce, smoothing it out and setting it in the me. He took the metal out of the fire and plunged it into the water.

    Steam erupted and water sshed over the edges of the barrel, sttering against the ground and hissing. Arwin waited until the roiling bubbles had calmed down before pulling the helm free. He wiped the scale away from it and the metal ked as if it longed to free the helmet from its prison. Arwin held the finished helm up before his eyes. What stared back at him was the visage of a demon.

    The dull red from the fading heat made its eyes burn with molten fury. The horns jutted out from the helmet¡¯s sides, deadly sharp and sleek. It was done, and the Mesh knew it too.

    Verdant ze hummed at his side as the item grew stronger, having aided in forming a magical item. Arwin didn¡¯t have a chance to pay it any more attention as the Mesh¡¯s golden words traced through the air before him.

    <strong>[Use Your Head]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Ivory Executioner¡¯s Howl: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Setting up] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Setting up] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging an item of a Rare Quality set.</em> Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. <em>This achievement will be consumed immediately.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Setting up]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    For the first time, Arwin almost didn¡¯t want to see the achievement. He was far more interested in seeing what he¡¯d just created. He¡¯d had Set items before, but never at such a low Tier. But, no matter the tier, they were always rare ¨C and generally powerful.

    But, before he could see his item, he had a skill to upgrade.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal]</strong>

    <em>Decisions, decisions. I¡¯m pretty sure all three would be significant boosts to my power, and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get my next skill upgrade. But¡­ which one is the best right now?</em>

 Chapter 69: The Howl

    Chapter 69: The Howl

    Upgrading [Awaken] was immensely tempting. The skill was probably the one with the most potential out of all the ones he had, but he just didn¡¯t fully know what an awakened item would do yet. Getting stronger in the future was important, but Arwin needed to be strong now. It was without a doubt the safest choice ¨C but, at the same time, he could always reforge items if they turned out detrimental, and he had no way to know if upgrading it would make his awakened items better or just reduce his chance of a detrimental trait on them.

    Then there was [Soul me]. It had been the skill Arwin had probably used the most. He¡¯d gained several ways to use it offensively, and the previous time he¡¯d upgraded it had given him some pretty significant boosts. There was a good chance that upgrading it again would make it even stronger inbat.

    It was a very strong candidate ¨C but upgrading [Arsenal] was equally as tempting. The only thing that gave him pause was that he had absolutely no idea what upgrading it would actually do. The skill already scaled with his Tier, so upgrading it was unlikely to let him bond with more items.

    <em>It¡¯ll probably give me something that directly rtes to my items in some way or another. So, in summary, my options are upgrading future potential, a mixture of crafting andbat, or purebat. </em>

    Arwin thought for several minutes, not wanting to rush into anything. As much as he wanted to take [Awaken], the chances of it just giving him a t improvement to his crafting abilities that would benefit the long run far more than the short were too high. He mentally crossed it off the list. He needed something that would let him fight the Iron Hounds.

    Both [Soul me] and [Arsenal] would do that, and Arwin honestly couldn¡¯t decide which one would be better. The former was probably the safer bet, as he already had several ways to use it and knew that it woulde in handy no matter what.

    But, in the end, curiosity ended up winning out. An upgrade to [Soul me] would probably be useful, but Arwin didn¡¯t think it would be useful enough to make the difference between sess and failure in a really difficult fight.

    [Arsenal], on the other hand, was a morebat and item focused ability. Even though he was clueless as to what changing it would do, it was still the skill most likely to give him something immediately useful. He would upgrade [Awaken] the next time he got a chance to.

    His decision made, Arwin selected the skill. The writing in the air shifted before him as the Mesh tingled within his body.<strong>[Arsenal] ¨C <em>You live and die on your equipment, so you might as well make it part of yourself. Bind yourself to [3] pieces of equipment, summoning and dismissing it at will. The number of equipment you can bind to scales with your Tier, up to a total of 10. Unbinding a piece of Equipment will make this skill inactive for 1 day. You may temporarily bind yourself to 1 extra piece of equipment after holding it for an amount of time scaling with the difference between your current Tier and the Tier of the item¡¯s holder. Breaking this bond will not deactivate [Arsenal]. </em></strong>

    It took Arwin a few seconds to read the new description of [Arsenal], and then a few more to actually figure out what it meant. The original function of the skill hadn¡¯t changed at all. It still did exactly the same thing that it did before, but it now had a new addition.

    A temporary bond to an item, particrly that someone else was holding. That sounded like another way to say that Arwin could functionally steal someone¡¯s weapon if he managed to get his hands on it for long enough.

    <em>I can already see how that would be useful. It¡¯s not the direct offense ability I thought it would be, and everything will depend on how long it actually takes for me to bond with something. But, if the time is within reason¡­ this could be really nasty. </em>

    Arwin wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to grin but gave himself a satisfied nod. If he came across anyone that was a significant enough threat to need to steal gear from them, it would probably be difficult to hold onto them for long enough to steal anything. There were always ways to get around difficulties, though. An extra tool to rely on with the potential to turn a fight around as drastically as this wasn¡¯t one he was going toin about.

    But now that the Mesh had loosed him from its grip, Arwin¡¯s attention was back to what it had been on originally. He peered into his newly formed helm, and the Mesh bloomed before him for the second time.

    <strong>Ivory Executioner¡¯s Howl: Rare[?] Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. Forged in an apprentice¡¯s joy and quenched in his master¡¯s sorrow, this item resonates with the echoes of the past and burns with fury that may never be sated. </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Gaze]: The me of a broken promise burns within this item. After this item¡¯s wielder kills an opponent, it will ignite with magical power and release an aura that hinders the casting of magic nearby. This effect is magnified with every consecutive kill. </strong>

    <strong>[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Arwin Tyrr. Its abilities will not function for any other users.</strong>

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    <strong>[What Could Have Been]: This item¡¯s information is hidden from prying eyes until the time when it is whole once more. </strong>

    <strong>[Armor of the Executioner]: This is a set item of [?] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    <strong>[?]: This item¡¯s potential has not been fully tapped. It¡¯s full potential and rarity will update upon thepletion of its set. </strong>

    ¡°Would you look at that,¡± Arwin said, a softugh slipping from his lips. The sides of his eyes prickled as he read the description and he blinked to clear them. ¡°I guess you were right after all, Zeke. That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve made anything better than Average Quality, much less something with the potential to be even stronger than Rare.¡±

    <em>Well, some of my Unique items were much better than normal Average items, but Unique isn¡¯t on the rarity scale. It¡¯s an item that can either be utter shit, incredible, or anything in between. Rare, on the other hand, is a promise ¨C and it¡¯s a step closer to truly understanding what I¡¯m doing. My work needs to be replicable, not just one-off creations where I roll the dice and pray it turns out well. </em>

    Arwin slipped the helmet onto his head. It, unsurprisingly, fit perfectly. He could still tell he was wearing a helmet, but it was far morefortable than it had any right being. Arwin looked around the forge, testing his field of view, but it didn¡¯t seem to be as impaired as it had been when he¡¯d worn the mask normally.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d made the entire Armor of the Executioner set yet. That was hardly a surprise, as sets were generally at least three pieces. This one probably needed appropriate greaves and possibly gauntlets as well to bepleted.

    <em>Interestingly enough, the Executioner chest te didn¡¯t say it was part of a set. Does that mean I need to finish it somehow? Maybe this is actually a 2-part set and the first part just isn¡¯t done yet. I¡¯ve got no clue what I would do to change it, though. </em>

    Arwin reached up to his head and slid the helmet off, holding it under an arm and standing in silent contemtion for several seconds. If the set had said how many items it was, he¡¯d have been tempted to figure out how to make the correct chestpiece.

    But that wasn¡¯t how life worked. The set might have been 2 pieces, and it might have been six. There was always a chance it needed rings as well ¨C he just didn¡¯t know, and that meant that focusing on trying toplete it would be a huge gamble.

    <em>I can work on the set after I get armor for Lillia. We don¡¯t have much time before the Wyrms are born ¨C hell, we don¡¯t even have an exact date. The Iron Hounds need to be dealt with sooner rather thanter. </em>

    Arwin focused on the helm in his hands. It was in his own possession, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t test out the new ability he¡¯d gotten from [Arsenal]. His fingers warmed as the Mesh tingled, and he counted down three seconds in his head before he felt a faint pop in his mind.

    With a thought, the helmet vanished from Arwin¡¯s hands. He summoned it back, then ced it on his head and repeated the process. It was just as seamless as controlling any of the other items he was bound to, but this connection took longer to establish.

    <em>Fair enough. How about breaking it?</em>

    That, as it turned out, was instant. The moment Arwin tried to pull his mind away, his connection to the helm severed and it materialized on him like normal. Arwin re-bonded to it and dismissed the helm once more.

    <em>Three seconds again. That¡¯s a basis, at least. In a fight, that¡¯s a good bit, but it¡¯s not impossible. </em>

    Sending onest look around his rather pitiful looking temporary forge, Arwin stepped out into the street and headed for the tavern. It was already midday, so he¡¯d lost a fair portion of time sinking into the helm¡¯s visions.

    <em>Thank God it didn¡¯t have any detrimental elements. That would have been absolutely infuriating. Actually, now that I think about it, I have no clue if it has detrimental elements. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re marked, so the set ability or the effects of its aura could be bad for me. </em>

    <em>Oh well. I¡¯m still using the damn thing. I¡¯ll figure it out soon enough. For now, I need to fulfill on my promise. </em>

    Arwin stepped into the tavern, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Reya and Anna both sat at the counter, just barely illuminated by thentern hanging beside them. There was no sign of Rodrick, but a sizzling from the kitchen told him that Lillia was cooking something.

    ¡°Did you finish?¡± Reya asked as she spotted him enter, sliding off her stool.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°For the time being, at least.¡±

    ¡°Then, if you¡¯re here, I assume there might be something else we can do to help?¡± Anna guessed, turning to face him and taking a sip from an old wooden mug. Arwin didn¡¯t recognize it, so either Lillia had gotten a new cup at some point or it belonged to Anna.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be making something for Lillia, and it might take a few attempts. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be quite as¡­ guided as I was this time around,¡± Arwin said, his thoughts drifting to the visions.

    The helmet seemed magical, so he wasn¡¯t sure if it had been Stonesinger that had allowed him to get such a vivid picture of what it had wanted to be, but he wasn¡¯t too confident he¡¯d be able to replicate his results for anything intentionally. Not yet, at least.

    For the time being, the most important thing he could do would be to make Lillia the most effective set of armor as quickly as possible. They didn¡¯t know the exact date the Wyrmlings would show up, so that meant he realistically only had weeks topletely prepare a full set of armor for her as well as make himself some gauntlets.

    ¡°What can we do?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Do you need materials? We can hunt.¡±

    ¡°We already discussed how that would be a little too dangerous,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°But there are a lot of things in the forge that go faster when I¡¯ve got some assistance. Do you want to help me make Lillia¡¯s armor? We can have people rotate out.¡±

    Reya gave Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said, turning on his heel and jerking his chin toward the street. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do and not very much time to do it. There will be more than enough work for both you and Lillia to help, so you can aid in the initial parts and she can help finish it off.¡±

    ¡°I will. But¡­ what am I supposed to do? I¡¯ve never worked a forge before.¡±

    ¡°Whatever I tell you to,¡± Arwin replied with a flicker of a smile. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ve got some armor to forge.¡±

 Chapter 70: Location

    Chapter 70: Location

    ¡°So,¡± Reya asked, looking around the makeshift forge and shifting from foot to foot. ¡°Where do we start? Are you going to teach me how to forge?¡±

    ¡°That would be an interesting idea if we had more time,¡± Arwin said as he tossed his [Soul me] into the hearth. ¡°Teaching basically forces you to master topics, so it¡¯s a good way for me to improve as well. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified to teach anything.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re insanely good at making stuff!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am, actually.¡± Arwin headed over to the warped metal on the ground that had once been a suit of armor and picked it up, cing it in the hearth to heat. ¡°My ss is guiding me.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that basically the same thing?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It means I¡¯m good at following directions, and that I¡¯m learning what to do. But, the more I work, the more I realize that actually understanding what I¡¯m doing and working with a purpose are the real keys to actually creating something powerful.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to teach me?¡±

    Arwin chuckled and put his hand on the metal, rotating it to try to get it to heat faster and wishing he had a bellows to intensify the [Soul me] faster. ¡°If you decide you want to know more when I get better at it, then I¡¯d be willing to share. But, until then, I¡¯m going to be focusing on creating rather than teaching. See, I learned something when I was working with the helmet that Zeke¡­ left me.¡±

    Reya¡¯s hands tightened at her sides. ¡°What was it?¡±¡°When I just blindly follow the guidance I get from my materials, I can make Unique objects,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But Unique isn¡¯t on the rarity scale. It¡¯s on the side ¨C neither a failure nor sess, but an anomaly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It can be,¡± Arwin allowed. A thought struck him and he almostughed as he realized that his theory was even more urate than he¡¯d initially thought. Just talking about it to Reya had already revealed another aspect that proved his point. He lifted a hand to his head and his helmet manifested itself. He took it off and handed it to Reya so she could get a closer look.

    ¡°A Rare set item?¡± Reya asked after a second, her eyes going wide. ¡°Godspit. That¡¯s incredible.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°But the thing is, I¡¯ve made a piece of armor that has a matching name.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve got two matching pieces of a set already?¡± Reya handed the helmet back and Arwin returned it to his head before allowing it to disappear.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Unique items can turn out shit. They can turn out great ¨C but no matter what, they¡¯re Unique. You can¡¯t have a set from them, because they¡¯re one of a kind and bordering on random. Even though it <em>should </em>be a set item, it isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t fully understand what you were doing when you made it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s part of it,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s not to say that the armor is bad ¨C it¡¯s actually incredibly strong for our tier. It¡¯s a tradeoff, just like everything else in life. But, if I want to make a set of armor for someone I want to keep alive¡­¡±

    ¡°A set might be a lot stronger than a collection of Unique items,¡± Reya finished. ¡°I suppose it would be more manageable as well.¡±

    ¡°Most likely. You never know what you¡¯re getting with a Unique item, and surprises aren¡¯t exactly what I need right now. Getting items that I know can be trusted to work the same way in every situation is more important than one that¡¯s technically stronger but has a chance to chew up all your energy because someone winked in your direction.¡±

    A smile flickered across Reya¡¯s face and she almostughed, but neither of their spirits were quite high enough for that. Not yet.

    Arwin nodded to the hearth, where his [Soul me] had finally gotten the piece of metal to a deep orange.

    ¡°We¡¯ll start by beating the impurities out of this until it¡¯s a workable piece of metal again.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Reya said. ¡°How do I help?¡±

    If Arwin was entirely honest with himself, he hadn¡¯t fully figured that out himself yet. He was pretty sure he could have forged everything on his own, but with the amount he was excluding Reya from the rest of the n, it felt right to give her the opportunity to do at least something.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you temporarily take over whenever I need to step back and think,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°For now, just watch what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Reya nodded and Arwin picked the chunk of heated metal up, bringing it over to the forge. He beckoned for her to back up, then held his hands out and summoned Verdant ze into his grip.

    ¡°On second thought,¡± Arwin said, ncing over to Reya¡¯s clothes. ¡°You might want to go find something heavy to wear so the sparks don¡¯t burn you.¡±

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    Reya followed Arwin¡¯s eyes, then grimaced. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be right back. You don¡¯t have to wait for me, though. It won¡¯t take long.¡±

    He nodded in response and Reya hurried out of the building while Arwin got to work. [Soul me] pulsed through his hammer as it rang against metal, ttening the chunk out strike by strike.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Arwin to slip into the flow. He was vaguely aware of Reya¡¯s return some timeter, but he didn¡¯t stop immediately. She still needed to see what he was doing before she could do anything herself.

    He worked for another several minutes, brushing kes of ck away from the metal before delivering another round of ringing blows to it. Eventually, the metal started to cool and Arwin returned it to the hearth.

    ¡°Pretty straightforward, right?¡± Arwin asked, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He wasn¡¯t trying to actually make anything yet, so he didn¡¯t need to listen to the metal. All he had to do was prepare it.

    Reya nodded hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m going to be able to swing that big hammer, though.¡±

    Arwin hefted Verdant ze, ncing down at it. Now that Reya had mentioned it, he wasn¡¯t so sure that the weapon would even allow her to swing it. When he¡¯d worked with Zeke, the boy had used his old hammer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to learn how to swing the hammer anyway. It¡¯s not as easy as it looks.¡±

    ¡°I never thought it looked easy.¡±

    Arwin took the metal back out of the forge and set it on the anvil. He beckoned Reya over.

    ¡°Here. Try to hold onto this, but¡­ not too hard. It¡¯s somewhat bonded to me, so it¡¯s possible it might not like someone else touching it.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very safe.¡±

    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Arwin said, hoisting the hammer and giving it a pointed look. ¡°Just touch it slowly. I think it should register that I¡¯m letting you use it and you aren¡¯t trying to steal it.¡±

    ¡°Should?¡± Despite her doubt, Reya walked to stand beside Arwin. She brushed the back of a hand across the shaft of the weapon. When nothing happened, she slowly reached out and wrapped her hands around it.

    ¡°See?¡± Arwin asked, slightly more relieved that she hadn¡¯t gotten burned than he cared to admit. It had still been a possibility, and even if Anna could have healed a burn without too much trouble, it still would have been very unfortunate.

    ¡°Right. So what do I do?¡±

    Arwin moved behind Reya, adjusting her grip on the hammer. ¡°Try to lift it. See how it feels.¡±

    Reya raised the weapon, then shifted her stance to better her stability. She let out a surprised grunt. ¡°It¡¯s so much lighter than I thought it would be.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get away from you,¡± Arwin warned. ¡°It still hits like a bull. Start out swinging it a bit less than you think you need to. The hammer is heavy enough to do a lot of the swing for you, and we¡¯re only trying to work the impurities out of the metal right now.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Do I swing now?¡±

    ¡°Go for it,¡± Arwin said, keeping a light hold on the back of the hammer. Even if it was tolerating her now, he didn¡¯t want it to burn Reya the moment he let go.

    Reya raised the hammer, then brought it down on the metal with a resounding ng. She nced at Arwin over her shoulder and he gave her an encouraging nod.

    ¡°One down. A few hundred more to go. Keep at it.¡±

    ***

    Reya got tired. If anything, she managed to keep at it for longer than Arwin had expected. She was half his size and had considerably less muscle, and swinging a hammer for hours on end was exhausting.

    He¡¯d fully thought that he¡¯d have to take over before the metal was ready to start working with, but he¡¯d been incorrect. Reya managed topletely finish working the impurities out of the Brightsteel sheet they¡¯d been preparing, not stopping until Arwin had judged it finished.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Arwin said as Reya returned full control of the hammer to him.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Reya said with a weary smile. ¡°It¡­ feels good. To be able to do something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to do more in the future,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°But, for now, this is more than enough. Thank you. It gave me some time to rest.¡±

    ¡°Do you even need rest?¡±

    ¡°Everyone needs rest,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Even me.¡±

    Reya¡¯s stomach grumbled and her cheeks reddened.

    ¡°Might be time to get some food,¡± Arwin suggested, nudging her toward the door. ¡°Could you send Rodrick over as well? I¡¯ve got a favor I¡¯d like to ask for him, and I¡¯d imagine he probably wants to do something just as much as you did. Also, if you can get me some leather at some point, that would be really useful as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can do that,¡± Reya said. She paused at the door and sent a nce back at Arwin. ¡°Thanks. It feels nice to be able to do something. I just wish I could do more.¡±

    With that, she stepped out onto the street and headed off. Arwin picked up therge sheet of metal that she¡¯d hammered out, watching the light reflect off the shimmering steel, and sighed.

    <em>I wanted a rxing retirement, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be happening anytime soon. If I want peace, I need to be strong. This wasn¡¯t the way I wanted to be reminded that I¡¯m really not the Hero anymore, but I¡¯m not going to be forgetting it anytime soon. </em>

    The door creaked and Arwin turned as Rodrick stepped into the building.

    ¡°Arwin. Reya said you needed help?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯m going to be able to do with smith stuff, but I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t need any help with that right now,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I need something else.¡±

    Rodrick blinked. ¡°Really? What?¡±

    ¡°The Iron Hounds don¡¯t know you beyond someone who just happened to buy gear from me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to spend all this time making armor only to find out I have no idea how to find them.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to sniff ¡®em out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Starting with Tix,¡± Arwin said, his features going t. ¡°She¡¯s involved, but I don¡¯t know who else is.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find out,¡± Rodrick promised. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±

    ¡°Just Tix.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°Anything more is suspicious. Just figure out where Tix is and see if you can find out where she normally spends time. I don¡¯t want you getting gutted in a back alley.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Rodrick said, giving Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°I¡¯ll find her.¡±

    ¡°Just be careful,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t want any more of us dying. Oh, while you head out, could you find Lillia and send her over? She wanted to help on the armor. And maybe let Anna know you¡¯re going so she doesn¡¯t rip my head off.¡±

    Rodrick let out a bark of dryughter. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I will. I¡¯ll get Lillia as well. And I might not be the best warrior yet, but I¡¯m damn good at bullshitting. I¡¯ll have Tix¡¯s location, hobbies, and favorite food to you in a day.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s hands tightened around Verdant ze. ¡°Just her location will be more than enough.¡±

 Chapter 71: Fits

    Chapter 71: Fits

    After Rodrick left, Arwin got back to work. He re-heated and split the sheet of metal apart into workable pieces, then started to think on how he would form them into armor. He ran his hands over the metal sheets, trying to feel if any of them had desires that [Stonesinger] would pick up on. To his disappointment, there was no such luck.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise, though.

    <em>That¡¯s fine. It would be weird if I got such an intense vision every single time I tried to craft anything. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll be more forthright, then,¡± Arwin told the sheets of metal. ¡°Do you want to be a chestpiece?¡±

    He didn¡¯t get a response. The metal seemedrgely indifferent, but it definitely wanted to be <em>something</em>. It wasn¡¯t exactly a resounding round of apuse, but it was the best he had to work with at the time being.

    <em>Even if I can¡¯t get Lillia the best set of armor to ever exist, even something would be better than nothing. Might as well get started with things and see where they take me. I¡¯ve done all the diligence I can to hopefully make sure this is a high-quality piece, but something tells me it isn¡¯t going to turn out any better than Average. </em>

    Arwin set the metal back down, his forehead creased in thought. There was no answer waiting for him beyond the one that he would find when he finished the piece. He would have much preferred to have been doing this under different circumstances, but nobody could ever choose the hand the world dealt to them. The only thing anyone could ever truly have control over was the way they yed their cards.

    <em>I should go find Lillia and find out her thoughts. I wonder where she is. I swear Rodrick went to get her ages ago. </em>

    Arwin turned away from the anvil only to find that he wasn¡¯t alone in the room. Lillia sat against the back wall, watching him work silently. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat and Arwin coughed into his fist to hide his shock.¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were already there.¡±

    ¡°You really get into a flow state, don¡¯t you?¡± Lillia asked with a smallugh. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for at least an hour.¡±

    ¡°Hiding?¡± Arwin asked hopefully.

    ¡°Not even slightly. Just walked right in and sat down.¡± Lillia shifted and stood up, brushing the dust off her backside off as she walked over to look at what Arwin had been working on. ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡±

    ¡°Just a piece of metal right now. I¡¯m just hoping it doesn¡¯t end up getting a detrimental trait and end up being useless. Then again, I could always reforge it.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t control them either, huh?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Either?¡± Arwin blinked. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you had more than just straight buffs from your ss.¡±

    ¡°Eh. They kind of vary, but they change day to day based on the food I¡¯ve made and the people in the tavern,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I haven¡¯t really figured out what the metrics are, though. I thought it would be directly rted to how good my food was, but I¡¯ve gotten some shit buffs when I¡¯ve made some of my best dishes. At least, I thought they were my best. I don¡¯t know. It feels like I¡¯m trying to decode a message without a cypher.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Right now, my biggest problem is figuring out how to actually make this. I can¡¯t just let the Mesh guide me, but I can¡¯tpletely freehand it either. What do you think?¡±

    <em>Just epting what I get is a great way to get stuck only making Unique items and never being able to guarantee exactly what I need.</em>

    ¡°Me?¡± Lillia blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not a smith.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. But it¡¯s your armor, and it¡¯s going to be pretty unique. No guiding thoughts?¡±

    This tale has been uwfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°How close to leather can you get a piece of armor? Something that doesn¡¯t obstruct my movements would be best, I guess,¡± Lillia said, rubbing her chin. ¡°I know that really isn¡¯t all that useful.¡±

    Arwin focused his thoughts on trying to make something lighter ¨C something specifically for Lillia. He¡¯d done it for Reya, although to a lesser degree of intention. He didn¡¯t just need something that would fit onto Lillia. He needed something that was made for her. An idea started to take form.

    <em>Focus on defending vital areas, while leaving the other ones with thinneryers of metal. That would take some weight off the armor, even if it doesn¡¯t end up getting the enchantments I¡¯m hoping for. </em>

    Arwin turned to Lillia and held out his hammer. She took a hold of it, but Arwin didn¡¯t let go. He adjusted her grip on the weapon¡¯s haft and she stiffened for a moment before turning her gaze to the metal.

    ¡°So how do I do this?¡±

    ¡°Swing it where I tell you to,¡± Arwin replied, returning the metal to the fire to heat it. He moved to stand behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll help you guide the hammer. We¡¯ll start slowly and you¡¯ll figure it out from there.¡±

    Lillia let out a grunt that Arwin presumed to be a sound of understanding and not confusion. It might not have been the most efficient way to do things, but it was the best way he could think to let her help without letting things get too off the tracks - and he could still effectively control where the hammer fell, so there wouldn''t be a risk of poor quality forging. Not any poorer than normal, at least.

    ¡°Just tell me where to hit once the metal is ready,¡± Lillia said.

    ***

    Hours slipped by. It would have been a lie to im they were the most efficient team. Beating a piece of metal to get rid of impurities was one thing. Fine shaping was another. Still, they made progress, and it felt far better than Arwin suspected it would have if he did it on his own.

    They eventually found themselves rewarded with a chestpiece that actually looked like it held a good amount of promise. It was thin and sleek, with so little metal in some portions that he was a little worried it would be <em>too </em>thin. All the vital areas had extrayers hammered in over them, giving the armor rippling waves like it was a sculpt of the ocean. It was nearly finished and was only awaiting the final touches before the Mesh could enter it.

    Arwin had intentionally ignored some of the Mesh¡¯s suggestions that would have made the armor heftier and more effective ¨C whilst also taking it farther away from what Lillia had wanted. The result seemed like it had worked but doubt still lingered in his mind.

    <em>Are our changes actually going to make this better? Or is it just arrogance that I know better than the Mesh? I feel like trying to improve myself is the right strategy. There¡¯s no way the Mesh would give me a ss where I just sit and follow directions. Creating something is about doing it yourself.</em>

    <em>But, at the same time, are we just ignoring what the metal actually wants to be?</em>

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°It looks beautiful,¡± Lillia said. ¡°As nice as a lot of the armor I wore before the explosion. Maybe nicer than some. I can¡¯t believe we made that.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s let it cool for a bit so you don¡¯t get burned. I¡¯m immune to the heat from my [Soul me], but you certainly aren¡¯t,¡± Arwin said, setting the armor to the side. ¡°Do you mind sitting around for a bit while I make a meal?¡±

    <em>It hasn¡¯t been that long since Ist ate something magical, but better safe than sorry. </em>

    ¡°A meal? You mean ¨C¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. ¡°A magical item to eat. Probably a bracelet.¡±

    He still had the bracelet he¡¯d made some time ago while Zeke had watched, but its abilities were a little too useful to waste on a normal meal if he could avoid it. There was a different n in store for that particr bracelet.

    ¡°I¡¯d love nothing more,¡± Lillia said, gesturing eagerly. ¡°It¡¯s basically cooking. Well, not really. But for you it is. Go on. I¡¯ll watch.¡±

    She was a bit more eager than Arwin had expected, but he didn¡¯t let that stop him. He took some other metal and set about fashioning it into a bracelet over the course of the next thirty or so minutes. His reward was an Average Quality bracelet with a [Brittle] detrimental trait, but Verdant ze didn¡¯t even recognize its formation. It wasn¡¯t a bad bracelet, but Arwin got the sinking suspicion that Awakened weapons worked the same way that people did.

    If it didn¡¯t have at least some degree of challenge in forging something, the weapon wouldn¡¯t grow stronger. It only cared about improving. Given how the Mesh worked, that really wasn¡¯t all that much of a surprise, but it was still a mild annoyance.

    Arwin bit into the bracelet, making a mental note to avoid getting hit anytime in the near future. He really didn¡¯t want to find out what [Brittle] would do to him if he got smacked.

    ¡°Weird,¡± Lillia proimed.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°If it makes you feel better, it doesn¡¯t taste very good. Just¡­ metal.¡±

    ¡°So my food is better?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a contest. The only reason I eat this is that I need to.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a fair reason so I can let you slide,¡± Lillia said with a wry smile. She nodded over to the armor. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s ready to try on now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Arwin said, testing it with the back of a hand. He picked the armor up and held it out to her. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it fits on you, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 72: Just right

    Chapter 72: Just right

    Lillia slipped the armor on. Her nose scrunched as she tried to contort herself to grab the sps.

    ¡°Here,¡± Arwin said, stepping up beside her and tightening the sps himself as she lifted her arm out of his way. ¡°I suppose that might be a bit of a design w. It would be nice if the armor wasn¡¯t a two-person job to put on.¡±

    He walked to the other side and Lillia held her other arm up so he could finish securing everything. Once he finished, he took a step back and gave her a nod.

    ¡°It fits well,¡± Lillia said, twisting her upper body to test her range of motion. ¡°How¡¯d we guess my size that easily? Did you just eyeball it?¡±

    ¡°The Mesh helped,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°Does it feel too stiff?¡±

    Lillia bent forward, reaching for her toes, then straightened back up and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if stiff is the right word. I mean, it¡¯s armor. Armor is rarely going to give you one hundred percent of the mobility you had, even if it can get a lot of it. It¡¯s a tad restrictive, but not the worst of what I¡¯ve worn.¡±

    ¡°What about weight?¡±

    ¡°That might be a bit of arger problem. This is a lot better than I was expecting. It¡¯s pretty damn light, but if I add on greaves, a helm, gauntlets, and the rest, it might be a lot. My new ss is really more of a caster than a warrior, and too much restriction might be more of a drawback than an aid. It¡¯s better for me not to get hit than to get hit and survive it, you know? I¡¯m worried being weighed down too much will stop me from avoiding attacks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said, rubbing his chin in thought. ¡°You didn¡¯t manage to keep any of the strength or movement passives from your past, then?¡±¡°The only things I kept were the shadow maniption and my imps,¡± Lillia said. She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. ¡°And the darkness that seems to follow me around like a thundercloud.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad once you get used to it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s atmospheric ¨C and it definitely makes it easier to sleep. Once you get your tavern open, people are going toe flocking.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lillia said nomittally. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen if we never get a damn chance to breathe, though. First the Iron Hounds, then the Wyrms. What next? There¡¯s always something.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll find a way to make time in between the shitshow,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning smithing, and the Wyrm isn¡¯tpletely counterintuitive to what we want for ourselves. I can¡¯t imagine Wyrm meat has been eaten in this area often. Being able to serve it up could bring you some customers ¨C and I want its scales.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia mused. She walked in a circle, testing out the weight of the armor like it was a new pair of shoes. ¡°That¡¯s true. We have to make it there without somehow getting this entire street destroyed, though.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯re stronger, that won¡¯t be as much of a problem. It doesn¡¯t look like this area has anyone much beyond Journeyman tier right now,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That obviously might not be the case forever, but as long as we can get to the point where we can contest people at that level, we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Lillia said dryly,ing to a stop beside Arwin. ¡°I mean, we could probably rush to Journeyman, but the drawbacks¨C¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t worth it. We aren¡¯t just ying the short game anymore,¡± Arwin said. He gently moved Lillia¡¯s arm out of the way and started unfastening the armor. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are ways we can deal with a Journeyman or two. I doubt they¡¯ve got nearly as much gear as we do.¡±

    ¡°Fair point.¡± Lillia held her hands up and Arwin pulled the armor off her, setting it back down on the anvil. She adjusted her shirt, giving him a small nod. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Any modification requests beyond how stiff it felt?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It would be great if it was lighter, but honestly it seems fantastic even without any magic,¡± Lillia said after a few more seconds of thought. ¡°There really isn¡¯t something I feel I could fairly ask for.¡±

    ¡°What about unfairly?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°That would be something I¡¯m not sure anyone can give me.¡± Lilliaughed and shook her head. ¡°This is more than enough, Arwin. If anything, just make sure the greaves are on the lighter side.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Arwin said, but his eyes were still on the armor. Lillia didn¡¯t think it could get much more flexible, but he wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    <em>What if Ibine some of the elements of the scale mail and this? Couldn¡¯t I make something that gives her a little more freedom of movement?</em>

    ¡°What¡¯s that look on your face?¡± Lillia asked.

    <em>If I turn this solid piece into a bunch of segments from the upper chest down, I think this should be much more maneuverable. I¡¯d have to basically take all the leatherwork apart and then cut the armor into pieces, though¡­</em>

    ¡°I just had a bit of an idea.¡±

    ¡°Well? Are you going to tell me what it is?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Or are you just going to make me stare at you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I was still processing it. What if wepletely modify the armor? Take it apart, strip it down, basically scrap thest few hours of work and treat them as a learning experience. Then we remake the armor in sliding segments that you can move in easier.¡±

    Lillia blinked. ¡°Sliding ¨C huh. Interesting. I¡¯m for it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got anything better to do.¡±

    Arwin agreed. He had no interest in making anything but the best product possible. If that meant he had to scrap thest few hours of work and fix it, then so be it.

    He used [Scourge] to pry the bolts holding the leather in out, asionally bringing the armor to the hearth to heat it and make the metal easier to work with. It was slow, generally annoying work, as he wanted to be able to reuse the leather after he made the modifications to the armor.

    But, eventually, he got all the leather separated andid out on top of the stack. Arwin studied the metal, thinking on what the best way to split it apart would be. Something sharp would have been great, but most of his new tools had been destroyed by the magical fire.

    <em>I don¡¯t think the knife I made Lillia is going to be too useful either. I¡¯d probably ruin it if I used it for this, so I suppose we¡¯re doing it the old-fashioned way ¨C with fingers. </em>

    cing the armor into the me, Arwin waited until it had grown to a ruddy glowing orange before activating [Scourge] and pressing his fingers into it as precisely as he could. He made the smallest set of holes he could through the metal, working until he¡¯d severed both the front and the back halves of the chest piece just a few inches below the breast area. Arwin took the top half of the armor out of the fire and set it to the side.

    He then got some more scrap and inserted it into the me. After letting it fully heat, Arwin took the scrap out and brought it to the anvil. In his mind, he could already start to picture the final design of the armor. He had absolutely no idea if it would actually work, but it felt fine in his mental image.

    ¡°Your turn again,¡± Arwin said, holding the hammer out to Lillia. ¡°I need to hammer this piece out.¡±

    ¡°dly.¡± Lillia took a hold of the hammer. Arwin automatically adjusted her hands again, then shifted his position to avoid being in the path of the hammer. If the weapon¡¯s haft wasn¡¯t so long, it probably would have been impossible to use like this. Even using it as they were now was¡­ awkward at best. He tried not to think too much about his proximity to Lillia. This was about making her a powerful set of armor, not about feeling like a preteen idiot.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± Arwin said, guiding the hammer up, and they got to work striking the metal to tten it back out. The rhythmic ng of crystal on metal filled the air.

    Over the course of the next thirty or so minutes, they worked the metal into a t te. Sweat dripped down her forehead and soaked into the back of her shirt as Arwin gently took the hammer from her mid-swing.

    ¡°Done?¡± Lillia asked, wiping her face with the back of a sleeve.

    ¡°This step is,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn again.¡±

    He then separated the sheet into thin bands the width of his palm and quenched and cleaned every piece. He then sized the bands to the armor, oveying them on top of each other like the shell of an armadillo.

    Arwin studied his design for a minute, making sure everything looked right before he got about to making pins to secure them, allowing for just enough movement for the tes to slide without letting them open too far and leave an unarmored spot.

    Attaching them was slightly more problematic than he¡¯d expected, as even the slightest mistake in his measurements meant that the bands hung at an odd angle. He had to redo his work several times, but the armor inched closer to his goal with every passing minute.

    The Mesh fed into him, and he felt energy building at his fingertips the longer he worked. He worked out the shimmering lights that the Mesh suggested he fix, but the original design of the armor had been his rather than from the Mesh. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if that meant he¡¯d gone too far and had rebelled against the metal, but it didn¡¯t feel like the metal had exactly opposed anything he¡¯d done.

    It had wanted to be armor, but it hadn¡¯t had a specific desire to be any kind of armor, so Arwin¡¯s request for it to be armor perfectly made for Lillia didn¡¯t seem to be too much of a stretch.

    <em>At least, I hope it isn¡¯t. If it is, I think I¡¯m going to bepletely lost as to what I¡¯m supposed to do. This armor is either going to prove that the Mesh wants to guide me but still have me think for myself, or it¡¯s going to show that I have absolutely no goddamn idea what I¡¯m doing. </em>

    Arwin turned to the leather,yering strips of it over the metal bands so they wouldn¡¯t scrape against each other. He then put in the normal padding on the chest and shoulder areas, making sure it wouldn¡¯t be too ufortable to wear. He added the straps and the final touches before finally setting the armor down on the anvil, finished.

    The Mesh sparked, then swirled around his fingertips. Verdant ze hummed in approval at Arwin¡¯s side as the Mesh flooded into the newly made piece of armor.

    <strong>[Flowing Ocean Chestpiece: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Lillia breathed, unable to hold her silence any longer as she stepped up beside Arwin and stared at the finished piece of armor. A ripple of blue traveled across its surface, so faint that Arwin almost missed it.

    A wave of weariness wrapped around Arwin, but it didn¡¯t stop the smile from pulling at his lips.

    <em>I leveled off making that, huh?</em>

    <em>You know what? I think this piece might have turned out just how we wanted it to. </em>

 Chapter 73: Flowing Ocean

    Chapter 73: Flowing Ocean

    The Mesh and its information about his tier advancing could wait ¨C right now, the only thing that Arwin cared about was the chest piece sitting on the anvil before him. He peered at it and golden writing bloomed before his eyes.

    <strong>Flowing Ocean Chestte: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Ebb and Flow]: This item flows like a raging river, shifting its defenses to reduce the damage of a single blow at a time. Repeated strikes in a short period of time will spread it too thin, causing it to draw high amounts of magical energy to sustain itself. </strong>

    <strong>[Fragile]: This item has a high number of joints and movingponents. Powerful blows have a chance of severely damaging it, dampening its magical effects until repairs can be applied. </strong>

    <strong>[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Lillian Los. Its abilities will not function for any other users. </strong>

    <strong>[Flowing Ocean Chestpiece]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    <strong>It possesses [1] concealed property.</strong>

    ¡°Your full name is Lillian Los?¡± Arwin managed.

    Lillia ripped her gaze away from the armor to send a re at him. ¡°Why? Got something against it?¡±¡°No, nothing like that,¡± Arwin said, raising his hands defensively. ¡°Just surprised me. For some reason, I never thought¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d have ast name?¡± Lillia arched an eyebrow, then shook her head. ¡°Forget it ¨C we made this, and the first thing you take notice of is that my name is longer than you thought it was? Something¡¯s wrong with your head.¡±

    ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t turn out quite how I wanted it to,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There are detrimental traits.¡±

    ¡°Bah. Are you kidding?¡± Lillia asked, picking the armor up. A faint ripple of dull blue washed through the metal like a wave trapped within it. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Fragile part? Who cares? The item says it itself ¨C we¡¯ve got moving pieces in here. There¡¯s no way it would be as solid as a solid block of metal. That¡¯s the point.¡±

    She pulled it over her head, then sent Arwin an expectant look. Suppressing a smallugh, Arwin fastened the armor onto her. When he finished, he took a step back so Lillia could test the armor out.

    She twisted to the left and right, then reached down to touch her toes. Straightening back out, Lillia shook her head in mute disbelief.

    ¡°This is ridiculous. It almost feels like a second skin. It¡¯s not stopping my movements at all,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because we stopped it at the shoulders, so you aren¡¯t getting much of your arms covered,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s not the most defensive piece of gear I¡¯ve ever made.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s a set item,¡± Lillia pointed out, running a hand along the side of the armor. ¡°And one you made in just a day. I don¡¯t want to be greedy, but do you think we could make the other one as well?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re certain you don¡¯t want me to reforge that¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Lillia warned, thrusting a finger in Arwin¡¯s direction. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. It¡¯s perfect.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll see what I can do for the other item,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the other part of the set is greaves, but I have no way to know for sure.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a safe bet. Most 2-piece sets are a chest piece and greaves,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. ¡°Do you need any more supplies?¡±

    Arwin nced around the forge. He was running a little low on scrap, but he still wasn¡¯t near out. He still had some left-over sheets and the crumpled remains of the other pieces of armor he¡¯d made for the market.

    His supplies of leather were fine as well, thanks to Reya¡¯s delivery.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m probably good on just about everything,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Rodrick went out a little while ago to figure out where Tix ¨C the woman from the Iron Hounds ¨C was. Did he return?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He came by while you were doing some of the solo work on the armor. He¡¯s got the information you need, but we¡¯ve been holding off on telling you to avoid distractions,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Do you want to talk with him?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Arwin said. His hand tightened around the shaft of Verdant ze. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to keep myself here if I knew where she was. I need to get your armor finished, and then we¡¯ll head out afterward ¨C unless you want me to try and make you gauntlets and a helm as well?¡±

    ¡°I think the two pieces will be more than enough,¡± Lillia said. Her cheeks reddened faintly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just for you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s for Zeke.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Lillia¡¯s features hardened. ¡°I¡¯m more than aware. That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m letting you make me this for free. If it were any other situation, I¡¯d refuse to ept it until I was making enough to cover your costs and then some.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Your help dealing with these assholes is all I¡¯ll need,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And, after that ¨C and once we¡¯ve dealt with the Wyrms as well ¨C I want a damn break.¡±

    Lillia shot Arwin a look that matched what he felt deep inside. The chances of them getting a break probably weren¡¯t too high, but he¡¯d be damned if he couldn¡¯t carve out at least a week to rx and live his new life the way he wanted to.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go make something to eat, then,¡± Lillia said. ¡°If you¡¯re okay with making the second piece on your own, that is. Smithing is nice, but I feel like I like cooking more.¡±

    Arwin chuckled. ¡°I can finish up the second piece on my own no problem, so I certainly won¡¯t object to some food.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia agreed with a small smile as she pushed the door open. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    She stepped outside and let the door swing shut behind her. Arwin watched the doorway for a few seconds, then looked back to the [Soul me] in his hearth. He drummed his fingers on the hilt of Verdant ze, then dismissed the weapon and reached out to the Mesh.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 4)</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong>

    <strong>[Topple the Strong] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong>[Better Together] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong><em>Two of your Skill options have been upgraded. </em></strong>

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong> [Overdrive] ¨C <em>The heat of the forge burns in your heart. Let it free. Temporarily increase your resilience and power as your muscles are infused with magical power. The duration of this effect scales with your Tier. When this effect ends, the increased strain on your muscles will hinder you for five times the amount of time you spent in Overdrive.</em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Molten Novice] (Passive) ¨C <em>You have spent enough time working immersed in fire that you have begun to understand it. Unlock your potential to prepare for the first steps in the path of Dwarven forging.</em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Quench] ¨C <em>Even the greatest of fires must meet their end. Draw the heat out of a nonliving target, rapidly cooling it with magical energy. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as he studied the options floating in the air before him. The Mesh certainly didn¡¯t like making his options easy. All of the skills ¨C again ¨C were tempting. He could see pretty good use cases for literally every single one.

    [Overdrive] would pair perfectly with [Scourge], making his short-term fighting abilities even more powerful than they already were. Berserker skills were, in general, some of the strongest self-buffs due to the drawbacks that came with them.

    <em>The skill doesn¡¯t say just how extensive being ¡®hindered¡¯ is, but if its anything like the skills I once had, it¡¯ll be pretty brutal. I can basically count myself out of the fight until the debuff wears off. </em>

    <em>As it currently stands, without [Scourge], I still have the benefits of my armor. I imagine those benefits will only continue to go up so long as I survive and can keep crafting stronger weapons, but having a winning move to whip out certainly wouldn¡¯t be amiss. </em>

    <em>[Molten Novice] barely has any description at all. From what I can tell, it literally doesn¡¯t even give me anything yet. It¡¯s clearly a multi-stage ability that starts from basically nothing but could give me much better bonuses in the long haul. </em>

    <em>That¡¯s an interesting gamble. I don¡¯t get all that many abilities to work with before the Mesh stops handing them out like candy and makes me really earn everything, somitting one of them to something that might not even work¡­ that¡¯s a big risk. It probably wouldn¡¯t help me at all with the Iron Hounds.</em>

    <em>Then again, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to live purely for killing them. The Iron Hounds that had a hand in what happened to Zeke will be dead soon enough.</em>

    <em>That leaves me with [Quench]. Obviously useful for crafting but sucking all the heat out of something in a fight could be pretty effective as well. It¡¯s unfortunate it doesn¡¯t work on something living or I¡¯d take it in a heartbeat. </em>

    Arwin tapped his foot on the ground as he examined all of the abilities. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was happy that all his options were this beneficial or annoyed that the choice was going to mean he¡¯d have to always wonder what he¡¯d missed out on.

    And, in thinking that thought, he realized that he¡¯d probably made his decision. Arwin let out a huff as he gave the other abilities onest look, not wanting to miss out on something that coulde back to bite himter on down the line.

    [Overdrive] was powerful, but it wasn¡¯t the best berserker skill he¡¯d ever seen. As strong as it would be, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted topletely sacrifice future strength for a boost now. [Quench] was also powerful, but all of his abilities were already leaning toward fire.

    While diversifying his strength would be useful, the Mesh expected people to focus in on a motif as they grew stronger. It didn¡¯t force anything, but having a good vision of exactly what he wanted to be was imperative.

    <em>Granted, I¡¯m a smith. Part of smithing is quenching the shit you make, and relying on a scuffed old barrel is hardly ideal. But¡­ it¡¯s not like there are any smiths in the world better than the dwarves. </em>

    <em>Their gear was some of the best I¡¯ve ever seen, and the more I learn, the more I realize I probably haven¡¯t seen all that much at all. Even if it doesn¡¯t give me anything now, I think the potential of [Molten Novice] is just too high to pass up on. </em>

    His mind set, Arwin chose his skill. The Mesh shimmered, then swirled into new glittering letters.

    <strong>Your core skills have been chosen. </strong>

    Arwin waved it away. That was nothing of surprise. He¡¯d gotten his freebies. From what he remembered as the Hero, his levels from here on out would provide a variety of things, but they wouldn¡¯t always be skills anymore. Level 5 would let him choose a skill to specialize in, and advancing his Tier to Journeyman would give him his first ss advancement. After that, every 5 levels would provide skill rted boons while the other ones were ¨C well, whatever he managed to wring out of the Mesh.

    He reached out to see if he could feel anything from [Molten Novice]. The skill was a passive, so it wasn¡¯t like he could up and activate it. There was nothing apparent, but that changed little. He was confident in his decision. There were only so many things he could take for the immediate future. He also had to focus the long term, and the Mesh wouldn¡¯t give him somethingpletely worthless. Molten Novice woulde into y ¨C probably once he found something rted to how the dwarves actually forged. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for any dwarven forges in the near future.

    Arwin pulled up [Arsenal]. As he¡¯d expected, the skill¡¯s limit had raised from 3 pieces of equipment to 4. He summoned his helmet, releasing it from the temporary bond, and established a proper bond with it before banishing it once more.

    He then took a second to study the new skill he¡¯d gotten, but as he had expected, the passive didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything. Not yet at least.

    <em>That¡¯s fine with me. I¡¯ve got some greaves to forge.</em>

    <em>And, after that, I have some people to kill. </em>

 Chapter 74: Surprises

    Chapter 74: Surprises

    Lillia came back with food just as Arwin got ready to start working again. She rapped on the door after she¡¯d already entered and Arwin turned, a clump of melted metal in his hands just inches from the awaiting hearth.

    ¡°That was fast,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I made something quick because I figured you¡¯d be busy and not want to get interrupted after you got started. It pisses me off when I get halfway through a meal and then have to stop to do something else.¡±

    ¡°Has that happened a lot?¡± Arwin asked, sucking the [Soul me] out of the hearth and setting the metal down. He really didn¡¯t need the food, but Lillia had made a te of fried rice that smelled absolutely delicious.

    ¡°Surprisingly, yes.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s bothering you?¡± Arwin asked as he epted the te form her with a grateful nod. He dug into the food while waiting for her to respond.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not someone,¡± Lillia admitted reluctantly. ¡°It¡¯s more that I¡¯ve set fire to the kitchen once or twice. Kind of hard to keep cooking while everything is burning.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened and he almost choked mid-bite. ¡°Recently?¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m used to a much hotter environment, okay?¡± Li said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault there¡¯s so much damn wood everywhere. My old home was all stone. Can¡¯t set fires there unless you really want to. But here? Sure, there¡¯s some stone. But that doesn¡¯t help when the ceiling is half wood and everything between you and it is just as hungry for fire as your customers are for food.¡±¡°I suppose that¡¯s a fair point,¡± Arwin admitted through a mouthful of rice. ¡°I didn¡¯t really think about that. Were the houses you lived in that different from human ones? When you pointed out that we were simr, I think I kind of just assumed that your cities were the same as well.¡±

    ¡°How did you get this far without ever knowing? I know we¡¯ve fought in some of my cities before.¡±

    ¡°I never paid that much attention to the d¨¦cor. I was much more concerned with killing you, unfortunately. The only thing I really focused on was my immediate party and finding you as soon as possible. Did you really pay that much attention to human cities?¡±

    It was a second before Lillia responded. ¡°I¡­ did notice that they burned rather easily, now that you mention it.¡±

    Arwin grunted, then shoveled more rice into his mouth and swallowed before speaking again. ¡°So you weren¡¯t any better.¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Our cities weren¡¯t that simr, but they were less¡­ fragile, I guess? You use wood in so much, and you have trees and nts scattered around. Even your people tend to be softer than monsters. Monsters don¡¯t breed as fast as humans do, but they¡¯re also considerably stronger on average.¡±

    ¡°So I found,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But¡­ no trees? Was it just stone and nothing else?¡±

    ¡°What? No. Don¡¯t get me wrong ¨C some of our cities are beautiful.¡± Lillia¡¯s gaze drifted as she sank into memory. ¡°Carvings, statues, all kinds of art. We just kept it harder for things to get destroyed. For color, a lot of ces would have this beautiful moss.¡±

    ¡°Moss?¡± It was Arwin¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow. ¡°The fuzzy green stuff?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that rot you¡¯re talking about. The moss I¡¯m talking about is soft and fuzzy. It absorbs magic and glows with this soft, weing light. It¡¯s hard to describe. You¡¯d only really be able to appreciate it if you saw it with your own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll keep an eye out for it. I don¡¯t recall much of it from the battlefields, but I¡¯ll admit that my focus was on other things at the time.¡±

    ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll see it anytime soon,¡± Lillia said with a sad smile. ¡°The only locations the moss grows are in monster cities, and there aren¡¯t any of those in the area.¡±

    Arwin finished off thest of the rice, scraping everything off the te and into his mouth before lowering it. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. It would have been nice to see what you were talking about.¡±

    ¡°Not while the war is going on. You¡¯re a human,¡± Lillia pointed out. ¡°Great way to get yourself killed.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I could open a human themed cksmith.¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes and took the te back from Arwin. ¡°Right. Sure. I¡¯ll let you get back to work, then. I¡¯m still looking forward to those greaves. If you can actually finish the set, I don¡¯t even know what I would say.¡±

    ¡°Probably thank you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, get off it.¡± Lillia pushed the door open, then paused and nced back at him. ¡°Good luck, though. And don¡¯t stew on your own for too long. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±

    Arwin gave her a small nod. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    This tale has been uwfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Lillia headed out onto the street, letting the door swing shut behind her. Arwin sat there, listening to it creak back and forth until it finally settled down. He shook his head to clear it, then summoned [Soul me] to his hands and tossed it into the hearth.

    The mental break had been nice ¨C and likely needed. He hadn¡¯t realized quite how muddled his head was getting until after he¡¯d finished eating, but he was ready to work again. Picking up the piece of warped metal and setting it into the fire, Arwin settled in to wait for it to grow hot enough to work with.

    ***

    Arwin¡¯s hammer rang against metal, and [Soul me] washed off from every strike, illuminating the partially finished greaves before him. After his conversation with Lillia, he hadn¡¯t stopped working aside from when the heat got so high that he to stop and take a drink from the mug of water that seemed to refill itself whenever he turned his back on it.

    The greaves wereing along well. Arwin and the metal had an understanding. It still didn¡¯t have any real preference as to what it wanted to be, but it was more than happy to let him guide arger portion of the process.

    Arwin made the greaves in a simr manner to how he made the moving tes on Lillia¡¯s chest armor. By adding segmented tes and pinning them at the joints, he was able to make the armor surprisingly flexible.

    It still wouldn¡¯t bend too well to the sides, but if someone¡¯s leg was trying to bend in that direction in the first ce, Arwin was pretty sure they¡¯d have bigger problems.

    Making the armor out of so many pieces definitely didn¡¯t do any wonders for the amount of time it took him to finish it. Normally, Arwin was fairly confident that he could havepleted the work in a day or two.

    But, while he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how much time had passed, he was pretty sure he¡¯d seen night fall through the door at least three times. His efforts hadn¡¯t been wasted, though. The Mesh tingled with every modification he made and sang as he quenched and cleaned the metal.

    The Mesh pricked his fingertips every time he pressed a bolt into ce and melted it with the heat of his [Soul me], and it sang as he inserted leather from the pile that seemed to refill itself just as much as his water did.

    His work hadn¡¯t gone without trouble ¨C there was arge pile of burnt leather and damaged metal that Arwin had tossed to the side. The metal hadn¡¯t agreed with his desires and was no good for the current project, but it had taken him nearly three hours of working it to realize.

    As for the leather ¨C well, he¡¯d learned the hard way that there was only so long he could stick armor with leather already pinned onto it into the [Soul me]. That had been a mistake that cost him nearly two hours of re-working and reforging to make sure the armor wasn¡¯t so much as stained from the mistake, but now he was nearly done.

    He tapped at the metal with his hammer, limiting the energy that emerged from Verdant ze to make sure he didn¡¯t do more damage than he wanted to as he smoothed out thest few imperfections.

    The next step was inscribing the metal with his nail. It wasn¡¯t exactly necessary, but making itpletely in didn¡¯t feel right, especially since he¡¯d done simr work to the chest piece. If it was going to be part of a set, it had to look the part.

    Arwin reached back, not even looking. His fingers found the water mug and he brought it to his lips to take a long drink from it. By this point, he knew exactly where it was. As always, it had been refilled. He set it back down, his eyes fixed on the greaves.

    <em>Will this be the set item I need? I don¡¯t even want to know how much time I spent making these greaves. Definitely one of my longest builds, and not even because it¡¯s that much fancier. That¡¯s just the amount of effort this set needed. </em>

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d done everything correctly. Now that the greaves were nearly done, there were so many things that Arwin already felt like he could have done better. The inscriptions he was carving into the metal felt like they weren¡¯t quite smooth enough, and some of the tes felt like they were just bit toorge or small.

    There was no point sitting around and endlessly trying to change the armor, though. What was done was done. And, as he put the final inscriptions into the metal and the Mesh¡¯s buzz grew stronger, it struck Arwin that he probably didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. Verdant ze shuddered at his side, small arcs of [Soul me] crackling off it like electricity and scorching the ground.

    Golden letters swirled forth and Arwin pulled his hands back, able to do nothing but watch.

    The Mesh had acknowledged his item.

    <strong>[Flowing Ocean Greaves: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Unified] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Unified] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your firstplete set.</em> Effects: Your set¡¯s concealed property has been [UPGRADED]. <em>This achievement has been consumed upon creation of your first set.</em></strong>

    ¡°I did it,¡± Arwin muttered, barely able to believe his own words. Sure, he¡¯d been pretty sure his theory of finding a bnce between his desires and the metal¡¯s desires had been correct, but actually seeing it work was a whole different thing. He waved the Mesh away and peered down at the greaves.

    <strong>Flowing Ocean Greaves: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Ebb and Flow]: This item flows like a raging river, shifting its defenses to reduce the damage of a single blow at a time. Repeated strikes in a short period of time will spread it too thin, causing it to draw high amounts of magical energy to sustain itself. </strong>

    <strong>[Fragile]: This item has a high number of joints and movingponents. Powerful blows have a chance of severely damaging it, dampening its magical effects until repairs can be applied. </strong>

    <strong>[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Lillian Los. Its abilities will not function for any other users. </strong>

    <strong>[Armor of the Flowing Ocean]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked. When [Unknown] circumstances have been met, a concealed property will be unlocked. </strong>

    <strong>It possesses [1] [UPGRADED] concealed property.</strong>

    <strong>It possesses [1] concealed property. </strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eye twitched and he let out augh. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be shitting me.¡±

    He¡¯d made the set even better than he¡¯d nned ¨C and still the Mesh hid the final abilities from him. At least one of them was only a single Lillia away from being revealed.

    ¡°I hope she likes surprises,¡± Arwin said, scooping the greaves up and turning to head back for the tavern.

    The wait was over.

    Lillia had her equipment, and he didn¡¯t have the patience or time to spare to make anything else.

    The Iron Hounds responsible for Zeke¡¯s death had been living on borrowed time, and Arwin wasn¡¯t willing to lend them a single second more.

 Chapter 75: Talk

    Chapter 75: Talk

    ¡°Godspit.¡± Lillia¡¯s voice came from behind Arwin as he examined the greaves, and he spun. She was frozen just past the doorway, frozen halfway through bending over to pick up his mug of water. She was still wearing the upper half of Flowing Ocean Armor. ¡°You did it.¡±

    ¡°Turned out pretty good, I¡¯d say,¡± Arwin said, holding the greaves out so Lillia could get a better look at them. ¡°They¡¯re not quite as light as I would have hoped, but it¡¯s not like I had much to work with. If I¡¯d had a different metal, then I probably could have done better ¨C but then they wouldn¡¯t match the other piece of the set.¡±

    Lillia hefted the greaves, her brow furrowing. ¡°Didn¡¯t it say that the concealed property would be revealed when I put everything on? Why is there another one on top of that?¡±

    ¡°I got an achievement for making a set and the damn thing got changed,¡± Arwin said through a huff. ¡°It should be stronger than whatever it was before. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve got no idea how we¡¯re meant to trigger the new effect. Just put the dang things on so I can see what the normal property is.¡±

    Lillia didn¡¯t hesitate toply. set the mug down and put the greaves on, fastening the straps to tighten them around her legs. It only took her a few minutes to get them situated. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, then dropped into a fighting stance.

    Arwin watched, waiting to see the Mesh update the equipment and reveal their new abilities ¨C only to find the words vanish, snuffed like the wick of a candle.

    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The property makes it so you can¡¯t read the armor¡¯s stats?¡±

    ¡°Not just that,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It makes it harder to see me when I¡¯m moving. Is it working?¡±

    She stepped to the side and her body seemed to ripple. He could tell where she was, but it was like she was hidden in a wavy haze. He blinked and squinted, trying to push the vision out of his head.¡°That¡¯s¡­ really odd,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely working though.¡±

    ¡°These are amazing,¡± Lillia said, straightening back out and shaking a leg off. ¡°They¡¯re obviously heavier than just pants, but nowhere near as bad as I thought they¡¯d be. How are you getting so good at this so quickly? I¡¯m getting jealous.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Have you tried your own food? And you helped on the chestpiece.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hardlyparable. It¡¯s not like my food keeps people alive.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re speaking strictly technically, the only person your food doesn¡¯t keep alive is me.¡±

    Lillia let out a mildly amused huff. ¡°Very funny. Sure, technically. It just feels like you¡¯re powering ahead with your ss. Most of my Hearthkeeper abilities are still pretty limited. I can¡¯t grind out magical energy like you can.¡±

    ¡°Because you need more people to visit?¡±

    ¡°Partially,¡± Lillia said, waggling a hand in the air. ¡°It¡¯s more of a long-term thing. I basically need people¡¯s average stay quality to be high, and I get better rewards for longer stays. It¡¯s not something I can do at once, but it¡¯s more like a mental rating that everyone has of the tavern. It moves slowly and steadily, not suddenly.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. That¡¯s really different from my ss,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Living Forge almost forces me to move quickly. I wonder why the Mesh didn¡¯t give you a faster way to advance.¡±

    ¡°Maybe because it would be too difficult for an inn to expand at the rate that you do,¡± Lillia said after a few seconds of thought. ¡°The stronger we get, the more power we need to sustain ourselves. You can always make more powerful items to eat, but I can¡¯t force people into my inn.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can see how it would be frustrating, though. Once the Iron Hounds and the Wyrms have been properly dealt with, then maybe we can take some time to really focus on rebuilding our buildings.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯d like that, and gods know we need it,¡± Lillia muttered. ¡°When I say I¡¯d kill for some time to just live happily, I¡¯m not exaggerating.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Arwin held a hand toward the hearth and the [Soul me] leapt from it, swirling into his palm and sinking into his body. ¡°Because we might be just about to do that. Do you have anyst modification requests for your armor, or do you need a weapon? Because, if not, I don¡¯t want to wait any longer.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really need a weapon, I¡¯m more of a caster now than I am a swordswoman. Are you sure you don¡¯t need to rest first?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°It¡¯s been days since youst properly slept.¡±

    Arwin considered her question for a moment. He was pretty sure that he should have felt tired, but his body and his mind were in disagreement. There was no way he was going to be getting even the slightest amount of rest while Tix was still walking around.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an option. Don¡¯t worry ¨C I¡¯m not too tired to fight. If anything, I think I¡¯m going to get worse the longer I push this off. It¡¯s a festering wound, and the only way to deal with it is to cut it out.¡±

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go tell the others.¡± Lillia said. ¡°Do you have a n of some sort? Or were you nning on barging in and swinging your hammer until everyone responsible was dead?¡±

    ¡°A mixture of the two. We don¡¯t need to kill the entire guild ¨C in fact, I¡¯d much rather avoid that. Chances are, most of them are innocent,¡± Arwin admitted as he followed her out into the street and back over to the tavern.

    ¡°So you n to question Tix, then?¡± Lillia guessed, ducking through the doorway into the darkness of her tavern. All the others were sitting at the counter, and they turned as Arwin and Lillia entered.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Hopefully Rodrick¡¯s information is still up to date.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°It is. I¡¯ve been keeping tabs on her. Discreetly, of course,¡± Rodrick said, giving Arwin a nod of greeting. His gaze caught on the armor covering Lillia¡¯s form and his eyebrows crept upwards. ¡°Well, damn. That¡¯s a pretty set of gear. You might want to cover it if you don¡¯t want the entire city tracking you down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a cloak,¡± Lillia said, looking down at the gear. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to cover it yet. It almost feels like a shame to have to hide something so beautiful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be even more beautiful when it gets put to work doing what it was made for,¡± Reya said grimly.. ¡°Are you going to kill those bastards now?¡±

    ¡°The ones that deserve it, yes,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need rest?¡± Reya asked. ¡°It¡¯s been over a week since you started working.¡±

    Arwin stared at Reya in disbelief. He knew a few days had passed, but a whole week was far beyond his estimations. ¡°You¡¯re kidding. That long?¡±

    ¡°That long,¡± Reya confirmed. ¡°It might be dangerous to fight while you¡¯re exhausted.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m really not. I should be, but I¡¯m not. I don¡¯t think my body is going to let me rest until this shit is dealt with.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I can¡¯t me you,¡± Reya said. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you can show Arwin some of what you made?¡± Lillia offered.

    ¡°Oh, yeah. Hold on.¡± Reya slipped off her chair and headed into the kitchen.

    ¡°Made?¡± Arwin asked, but Reya had already returned with a small mug in her hands. It was difficult to make much out in the dim light, but it looked like it was full of a ruddy amber liquid. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Apple juice. Lillia got mad that I was pacing around the tavern and disturbing the vibes, so she made me help her cook,¡± Reya said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad.¡±

    Arwin took a sip from the mug, then downed the rest of it. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s pretty good. Maybe you could join Lillia as a cook at some point.¡±

    Reya snorted. ¡°I¡¯d really rather not. It was fun spending time with her, but I don¡¯t think cooking is my calling.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Arwin said. He set the mug on the counter, then looked to Rodrick. ¡°You said you were keeping tabs on Tix?¡±

    ¡°Vague ones. I didn¡¯t want to give anything away, and I¡¯m not exactly a master spy,¡± Rodrick said with a half-shrug. ¡°I do know a bit about her location, though. I drew up some information since I figured you and Lillia would probably be doing this as a duo mission.¡±

    ¡°That may be for the best. If things go poorly, I don¡¯t want anyone else getting caught up in it,¡± Arwin said. He didn¡¯t miss the dissatisfaction on Reya¡¯s face and added, ¡°this is thest time, though. In the future, so long as we¡¯re in the same guild, we¡¯re doing it together. I just need to make sure we¡¯re all ready for it.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I wonder what it is that a wanderer did to get himself ready for this,¡± Anna said, her voice soft. ¡°But I think I¡¯m willing to wait for the answer.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll get it, if you really want to know ¨C and assuming I survive this. If I don¡¯t, you can ask Reya. I¡¯ve already told her most of it,¡± Arwin said with a sigh. ¡°Just make sure you want to know. Some stones are better off left unturned.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it when the timees,¡± Anna said. ¡°For now, I just want to see the Iron Hounds pay.¡±

    ¡°As do I,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Rodrick, where can we find Tix right now?¡±

    Rodrick pulled a folded-up square of parchment out of his pocket and waved for them to follow him. ¡°Outside. It¡¯s too hard to see detail in here.¡±

    Arwin and Lillia tailed after Rodrick and he opened up the piece of paper, revealing a roughly drawn map of what Arwin assumed to be the city. Several buildings were circled and had numbers beside them. Beneath the map, each number had nearly a paragraph of description.

    ¡°This is everything I found out about Tix,¡± Rodrick said, handing the map to Lillia. ¡°From what I found in thest week or so, she tends to frequent a few different ces. The restaurant ¨C Brigsby¡¯s Kitchen ¨C is her favorite. She goes almost every other day. That¡¯s where she¡¯ll be right about now, but that area is pretty crowded.¡±

    Rodrick traced a street beside the restaurant with his finger, ending at arge building that he¡¯d circled. ¡°This is the path she takes back to the Iron Hounds guild house, which is this building over here. She usually takes about three hours at the restaurant, and she should have headed over to it about an hour and a half ago.¡±

    He moved his finger over to one of the buildings along the street that he¡¯dbeled with a small star and tapped on it. ¡°If you wait in the alleyways, you might be able to run out and tackle her into the building. This particr part of the street is dark, and it¡¯s already on theter side. Lillia¡¯s got that shadow magic of hers ¨C that might be enough to snag her before anyone notices. But, just in case you wanted to try something else, I¡¯ve got some other ns lined out over here.¡±

    Arwin stared at Rodrick. He imed to just know a bit about her location, but it sounded more like he¡¯d stalked her every move for the past week and written every single thing he¡¯d learned down.

    <em>Not a master spy my ass. </em>

    ¡°This is¡­ extensive,¡± Lillia said. ¡°How¡¯d you manage to get this much information on Tix?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it was pretty easy. The Iron Hounds are recruiting right now, so I went to the guild building and pretended to apply. It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out they like going to Brigsby¡¯s, so I went there and hung around until Tix showed up. It was pretty easy to time how long she spent there, and I talked to the waiter, who told me that Tix was a regr. Most of what I did was just talking to people and sitting around, really.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said slowly. He looked back down to the map. ¡°You said we¡¯ve got an hour and a half before she leaves?¡±

    ¡°Roughly. It¡¯s not like I can read her mind. I¡¯d y it safe and make sure you¡¯ve got at least half an hour of leeway in either direction.¡±

    ¡°So ¨C what, the n is to shove her into the room and then make her tell us who she worked with?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Pretty much. Maybe you guard the door to make sure nobodyes in?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°How popted is this street, Rodrick?¡±

    ¡°Not particrly, but there are a few other buildings. If you make too much noise, someone might overhear you. Either way, you¡¯ll have to be pretty fast.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Especially if Lillia makes sure we don¡¯t get interrupted. Tix looked like a warrior, but I didn¡¯t get the feeling she was so strong that I couldn¡¯t handle her.¡±

    ¡°Is the street dark?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°At the time you¡¯ll be there? Yeah. There arenterns lining it, though.¡±

    ¡°I can put those out and shroud the entrance of the house so people instinctively avoid it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait outside and make sure nobodyes in. If it sounds like you¡¯re having trouble, I¡¯lle in and back you up.¡±

    ¡°That works,¡± Arwin said, folding the map up. ¡°Thank you, Rodrick. You put in a lot of work.¡±

    ¡°It really wasn¡¯t that hard. But¡­ one more thing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°The guild leader, Jessen.¡± Rodrick¡¯s eyebrows knit together. ¡°You need to be careful with him. He¡¯s deranged.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Just evil to the core or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if those are the words I¡¯d use,¡± Rodrick replied with a pensive frown. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to find info on him. He¡¯s pretty well known around the area for being immensely arrogant and loving games more than anything else. Jessen likes ying with his prey. He¡¯s killed a lot of people, but almost exclusively ones that agreed to y along with him. He doesn¡¯t judge the others as worth his time. He¡¯s apparently traded the lives of his own men just to win bets. So, if you run into him, I don¡¯t think he should directly attack you ¨C but be incredibly careful. He might force you to agree to a really unfavorable deal that ends the same as a knife through your guts.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thank you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot.¡±

    Rodrick pressed his lips thin and shook his head. ¡°If anything, it feels like it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±

    ¡°It will be,¡± Arwin said as he put the map into his pocket, his features grim. ¡°Let¡¯s go have a talk with Tix.¡±

 Chapter 76: Speak

    Chapter 76: Speak

    For once, time seemed to crawl for Arwin. He and Lillia had found the house that Rodrick indicated on his map without too much difficulty, but waiting for Tix to actually show up was agony.

    He sat inside the house while Lillia lurked in the alleys just beyond it, watching for Tix. There was no way to know exactly when she would show up, and Arwin was pretty sure that his face would raise at least a little suspicion if she spotted him.

    If they wanted to properly get the jump on Tix, they needed her inside. She was a warrior, so Arwin doubted that he¡¯d have long to take her out if he wanted to make sure she couldn¡¯t call for help.

    After some discussion with Lillia, they¡¯de up with a strategy that Arwin felt was about as reliable as they were going to get. There was no way to keep Tix from calling for help ¨C even if he could kill her in a single blow, there was no point.

    Arwin didn¡¯t just need Tix dead. He needed answers, and that meant she had to be able to speak. And, if she could speak, she¡¯d have a chance to cry out for help. There was only one way they could realistically think of that would keep Tix from calling out the moment she came under attack.

    <em>She needs to think she¡¯s in control. Tix was definitely a warrior of some sort. If she¡¯s convinced that I can¡¯t put up a fight or I¡¯m not strong enough to defeat her, she¡¯s unlikely to go running for help. Her reputation would be ruined. </em>

    <em>I can¡¯t rely on that for long, but it¡¯ll be enough. It has to be.</em>

    Unfortunately, before any ns coulde into fruition, Arwin still had to wait for Tix to actually show up. The fact that he couldn¡¯t even see Lillia was making things worse. He knew she was just outside, waiting for an unsuspecting Tix to pass by, but that didn¡¯t make him any less tense.

    Seconds felt like minutes as they ground by. He could have sworn the hours had passed thrice over already, but still the house was silent. Arwin¡¯s hands were mmy ¨C not out of fear, but out of anticipation. The temptation to summon Verdant ze was strong, but he resisted it.Arwin didn¡¯t call on any of his weapons or armor. He needed to look exactly the same as Tix had first seen him. Anything else couldpletely ruin their n. If all went well, she¡¯d deduce that Arwin had been the one with the shadow magic and wouldn¡¯t even know there was a second person with him.

    But, until Lillia ran into Tix, there was absolutely nothing Arwin could do other than stew in his thoughts and wait. He was pretty sure she should have passed by now.

    <em>Maybe Rodrick¡¯s estimates were a little off, or she swapped something up today. I¡¯m not sure if ¨C </em>

    A startled curse from outside the building was the only warning Arwin got. He nearly tripped over himself as a woman stumbled through the door, propelled forward by a tendril of shadow that started to dissipate even as she spun, a sword flying free of its sheath.

    Arwin mmed the door shut, his body moving before his mind had even processed that their n had started in true.

    ¡°You!¡± Tix eximed, the tip of her de dipping slightly in surprise. ¡°What the hell is your problem?¡±

    ¡°You know what my problem is,¡± Arwin growled. ¡°What the hell did you do to my smith?¡±

    ¡°Your smith? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I never even met the guy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Arwin said, letting anger enter his voice as his lips pulled back. It wasn¡¯t difficult to fake the rage, considering almost all of it waspletely genuine. ¡°He told me you met. A few dayster, his forge goes up in a ball of fire ¨C and you¡¯re the only one that met him.¡±

    ¡°Look ¨C what was your name again?¡±

    ¡°Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Right. Look, Arwin. I never met your smith. It looks like you¡¯re in grief, so I¡¯ll let you off this once. Get out of my way, or I¡¯m going to cut you down where you stand.¡±

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re lying. Again. I know the Iron Hounds are the ones that destroyed the smithy, Tix. If you don¡¯t talk to me here and now, then I¡¯m going to take the information to someone that will.¡±

    Tix¡¯s eyes narrowed. For several seconds, the two of them stood in silence. Then Tix heaved a sigh, shaking her head in disappointment as the tip of her sword raised again.

    ¡°Idiot. You had to go and say that didn¡¯t you? I was trying to give you a way out, moron. Do you think I like going around murdering people? I can¡¯t let you leave after that. Jessen would have my head.¡±

    <em>Jessen? One of my targets, perhaps? It sounds like he¡¯s higher up in the guild than Tix is.</em>

    ¡°You¡¯re fooling yourself if you thought I¡¯d let you leave here alive after killing one of my friends,¡± Arwin growled. ¡°Tell me why you did it.¡±

    ¡°Idiot. I¡¯m not telling you anything,¡± Tix said with a scoff. ¡°Gods, I didn¡¯t think you were such an idiot when we met. I should have known when you sold me the damn armor for so much less than what it was worth. That¡¯s on you, kid. Just like your smith friend¡¯s life. I¡¯m just following orders.¡±

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    She lunged forward, her body blurring as she used some form of skill to elerate herself. The sword flitted for Arwin¡¯s neck, aiming to dispatch him in a single blow. Arwin had to admit that Tix was fast.

    There was no doubt that the woman was apetent warrior, but she wasn¡¯t faster than the speed of thought. [Arsenal] activated and all of Arwin¡¯s armor mmed onto his body an instant before the sword could connect. He shifted his stance just enough to make sure the de would connect with his shoulder instead of his neck.

    A resounding ng rang out and Tix staggered back, her sword reverberating in her hand. The shoulder guards were one of the most reinforced sections on Arwin¡¯s armor thanks to the crystals infused into them, and it was evident that Tix didn¡¯t have nearly enough strength to break through it.

    Tix¡¯s eyes widened as she looked into the carved metal of Arwin¡¯s helm. Her mouth opened, but Arwin didn¡¯t give her time to speak. He lunged forward, Verdant ze materializing in his grip, and he brought the hammer down for Tix¡¯s de.

    She shifted despite her shock, dodging the blow instead of trying to block it. The way she moved was enough to tell Arwin that she¡¯d fought hammer users before. Trying to block his blows was a great way to get pulverized.

    ¡°Impossible. You¡¯re dead!¡± Tix hissed, even as she thrust her sword for a gap in Arwin¡¯s armor. He blocked the blow with the haft of the hammer, then brought it down for her shoulders. Tix was forced to jump back, and Arwin positioned himself so that his back was to the door.

    Based on the way Tix was fighting, she was probably somewhere in the high Apprentice Tier. She knew what she was doing, but she wasn¡¯t at the point where should overpower Arwin through either skill or ability.

    Of course, she hadn¡¯t quite figured that out yet.

    ¡°Not me,¡± Arwin said, his knuckles whitening as his grip tightened. [Soul me] ignited at the head of Verdant ze, illuminating the darkness with its hungry light. ¡°Who worked with you, Tix? Who destroyed my smithy that night?¡±

    ¡°We heard you forging in it,¡± Tix said, taking a step back. ¡°You can¡¯t be alive. There¡¯s no way a smith could survive that.¡±

    ¡°The smith didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin said, advancing on Tix. ¡°You killed him. He burned to death in that building, Tix. Just like you wanted.¡±

    ¡°Then how are you here?¡± Tix demanded, lunging at Arwin again in an attempt to get past his guard. He activated [Scourge] and twisted out of the way, mming his hand down on her wrist and breaking it with a snap.

    The sword flew from Tix¡¯s hand, ttering against the ground. Arwin¡¯s other hand mmed over her mouth, muffling the scream before it could escape her lips. The anger in Arwin¡¯s chest burned brighter with every passing second.

    ¡°Answer the damn question,¡± Arwin growled, barely even able to form words. ¡°Who¨C¡±

    Tix bit down on his palm. Arwin snarled in pain, yanking his hand back and dropping her. She lunged for her sword, grabbing it with her good hand. Tix¡¯s bite was a lot stronger than it should have been ¨C an ordinary human¡¯s bite wouldn¡¯t have been able to get through [Indomitable Bulwark], so she must have had some body enhancing buffs active.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you came back to life. I¡¯m sending you back to the grave,¡± Tix snarled. Ghostly white energy swirled across the edge of her de and she lunged, her entire body blurring to the point where Arwinpletely lost track of her.

    The only thing that saved him was his instinct born from years of battle. His hands shot up, protecting his neck, and Tix¡¯s sword carved into the back of his forearms, sttering blood across the ground.

    By the time Arwin lowered his hands, she¡¯d vanished again. Arwin spun, jumping to the side. A screech rang out as her sword bit into the side of his armor. Energy poured out of Arwin as the armor activated, sending a whip of [Soul me] streaking through the air.

    Arwin didn¡¯t see it connect, but he heard Tix hiss in pain. He didn¡¯t have any time to gauge how effective the injury had been, though. Another blow carved across his back, digging deep into his armor but failing to prate it.

    ¡°Just die already!¡± Tix¡¯s voice demanded ¨C and a flicker of ironic amusement struck Arwin. She was trying to be just as quiet as he was. They both thought they were the hunter and the other the prey.

    There was only one way to find out who was right.

    Arwin couldn¡¯t tell where Tix was going toe from, but she¡¯d already tried attacking him from behind several times. Her buff made her considerably faster than anything he could hit, so there was only one option left to him.

    He spun, raising his hands once more. As he¡¯d predicted, Tix¡¯s de mmed into his forearms deep enough to strike bone ¨C but not enough to cut through it. And, in the brief instant that Tix was standing still to execute the strike, Arwin used [Arsenal] to banish his helmet and yanked his hands up, taking the sword in his forearms with it.

    Tix¡¯s grip on the de was too great to pull the de free of her hands, but he caught her by enough surprise to move it up just a few inches and worsen the wound in his arms. Tix didn¡¯t try to resist, and it wasn¡¯t a surprise.

    When an opponent helped you injure them, there wasn¡¯t a reason to oppose it. After all, moving the sword even closer to your own throat wasn¡¯t a move that would benefit anyone ¨C other than Arwin.

    With a roar and before Tix could pull the sword back to strike at him again, Arwin bit down on the de. There was a brief moment of resistance as the item desperately tried to hold its form.

    It was more resistance than anything else had ever given him, and it was just long enough for Tix to voice a surprised, ¡°What the fu¨C¡±

    The de shattered. Power pumped through Arwin¡¯s body and his fist shot out, mming into the side of Tix¡¯s head. She tumbled back, the fragments of the de ttering down as she rolled, mming into the stone wall with a thud.

    Arwin dropped his hands, ignoring the blood that dripped down them and onto the ground as he closed the distance between Tix. She tried to stumble to her feet, but the dazed look in her eyes told Arwin that she¡¯d hit her head against the wall.

    His hand shot out, wrapping around her neck as he activated [Scourge] and lifted Tix into the air. Pain pumped through his arms from the deep wounds, but it didn¡¯t evene close to distracting him from the ache in his heart.

    ¡°Who worked with you?¡± Arwin demanded, his helmet re-forming around his face as Tix nose-to-nose with the mask. ¡°Tell me their goddamn names, Tix.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Tix wheezed, trying and failing to draw in air. Even if she wanted to call for help now, Arwin¡¯s tight grip wouldn¡¯t let her. ¡°What are you? How can you be alive?¡±

    <em>Guess she didn¡¯t put two and two together. Can¡¯t really me Tix when she¡¯s getting the life choked out of her. </em>

    ¡°Last chance,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Names, Tix. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s every person in your guild or just two of them. I want to know names, and I want to know why.¡±

    ¡°Gods, I¡¯ll tell you! Just let go of me! I¡¯m going to suffocate. I told you I was just following orders,¡± Tix begged, pulling fruitlessly at his blood-slicked hand. With the power of [Scourge] strengthening his hand and no de to cut him with, there was nothing she could do butply.

    <em>Following orders isn¡¯t an excuse. You knew what you were doing. Coward.</em>

    Arwin loosened his hold by just enough to let Tix speak.

    ¡°Then speak.¡±

 Chapter 77: List

    Chapter 77: List

    Lillia stood by the door, her shadows wrapped around herself and the building like a cloak. Just like Rodrick had said, the street wasn¡¯t particrly popted. It must have been less than a minute since she¡¯d yanked Tix into the building, but it felt like a century.

    After a brief exchange, there had been only silence. If Tix had won, Lillia was pretty sure the woman would have tried to leave by now, so logically, Arwin should have been fine. Unfortunately, logic did nothing for the scenarios that shed through her mind.

    A passerby headed across the street, ncing over his shoulder as he passed the spot of darkness in the already ill-lit street. He shook his head and elerated, quickly turning a corner. There was something built deep into the human psyche that kept the smart ones from peering too closely into the dark, and it was working in Lillia¡¯s favor.

    <em>What is Arwin doing in there? I can¡¯t even hear anything. If he can¡¯t get the information from Tix, we¡¯re never really going to be able to take out everyone that killed Zeke unless we destroy the entirety of the Iron Hounds. </em>

    <em>Shit. I should have offered to help interrogate her when she went down. My imps could have scared the shit out of her until she spoke. I¡¯m not sure Arwin is going to be able to do anything ¨C</em>

    The door creaked, but it didn¡¯t open all the way. Lillia nced over her shoulder at the mostly empty street, then back to the building. That was pretty clearly an invitation to enter, and Tix shouldn¡¯t have known that there were two of them, so it had to be from Arwin.

    <em>Ah. He probably couldn¡¯t get the information from her after all. That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think many humans can stand their ground if I pull out a few Lesser Imps and make some shit up about eating them alive for eternity. </em>

    Lillia slipped through the door, intensifying the shadows around her even further to make sure nobody could peer into the building. She then turned, ready to y her part, and her heart locked in ce.

    Two charcoal red eyes burned in the dark, gripping her entire body with such intensity that it threatened to knock the breath from her lungs. They illuminated the air around a heavily armored figure, glowing with just enough intensity to cast shadows through the dark.Before she could stop herself, Lillia took a step back. Blood ran from the figure¡¯s arms and down his fingers, dripping to the ground, the rhythm of a fading heartbeat. It took Lillia a moment to realize that the visage of death standing before her was Arwin. But, even with that knowledge, the burning aura pouring off him continued to bind her chest with iron bands.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Are you¨C¡±

    ¡°Four,¡± Arwin said. His voice sounded muted and distant from behind the scowling mask that obscured his face.

    ¡°Four?¡±

    ¡°There were four of them,¡± Arwin said, drawing in a deep breath. His hands clenched into fists, causing the flow of blood trickling down his arms to intensify. ¡°Now there are three.¡±

    Lillia looked past Arwin, her eyes decoding the darkness. Evidently, Arwin hadn¡¯t needed any help getting information from Tix. Shey in a crumpled heap in the corner of the building, dead.

    ¡°Did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Torture her?¡± Arwin asked, his voice taut. ¡°No. I will not be a monster. She died a quick death. It was not a pretty death, but it was a clean one. Cleaner than the one that she gave Zeke.¡±

    Lillia recognized the note in Arwin¡¯s words from the tightness that never seemed to leave her own chest. Another might have mistaken the tightness in his words and the sybles he spat a sign of anger, but they would have been wrong.

    It was loss. Bitter, jagged loss. The kind that could onlye from seeing the people one cared about fall before them, over and over again. Zeke had been a kind boy, but it wasn¡¯t just his death that rested on their chests.

    Lillia pushed through the aura rolling off Arwin. As strong as it was, this wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d dealt with this unique vor of pain. It was the culmination of every single person that had been ripped from their grasp prematurely. A wound that had never gotten the chance to heal over; ripped open once more.

    She stepped forward, taking Arwin¡¯s bloodied hands in her own. Blood slicked her palms, but she was so used to it that she barely even noticed. ¡°Let go of that skill, Arwin. We got what we needed.¡±

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    Arwin didn¡¯t respond, but his hands tightened around hers.

    ¡°One step at a time,¡± Lillia said softly. ¡°Who were the other three?¡±

    ¡°Erik, Jessen, and Yul.¡±

    ¡°Did you find out more?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°What their roles were? Why they ordered you killed in the first ce?¡±

    The burning coals that were Arwin¡¯s eyes faded into the dark, returning to normal mask holes and revealing his eyes behind them. The questions didn¡¯t truly matter ¨C they were just something for Arwin to focus on and ground himself again. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

    ¡°Jessen is the guild leader. He didn¡¯t directly order the death, but everything that happened was because of his orders. Jessen is at Journeyman 3. Erik is the second inmand. He¡¯s not very strong, but Jessen trusts him. Tix doesn¡¯t ¨C didn¡¯t ¨C like him. He¡¯s the one that ordered me killed. Yul is a Journeyman 1 mage. He¡¯s the one that destroyed the smithy.¡±

    More of Arwin¡¯s normal tone returned with every word until he had control of himself once more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can go for them today,¡± Lillia said, looking to Arwin¡¯s arms. ¡°We need to get you to Anna.¡±

    ¡°That may be wise,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve lost a bit of blood. Tix was stronger than I thought she was.¡±

    Lillia drew a hand up through the air, pulling her fingers in toward her palm. The shadows at her feet expanded as two Lesser Imps rose up from the darkness and hurried over to Tix¡¯s body.

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to leave a corpse to notify the others what¡¯s going on,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It should be some time before anyone figures out what happened to her. That¡¯ll be long enough for us to take the others out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. His armor vanished, leaving him in his in clothes once more. ¡°We might need your shadows to get back home. If anyone sees me like this, I¡¯m going to look pretty suspicious.¡±

    ¡°I can do that,¡± Lillia said, guiding Arwin toward the door even as the muted crunch of bone echoed in the darkness behind them.

    ***

    ¡°Godspit, what did you do to your arms?¡± Anna asked, rushing over to Arwin as soon as he entered the tavern. She pressed her hands to his wounds, sending gentle golden light pouring out and into him.

    Reya and Rodrick stood to the side, watching with concern and trepidation as they waited to hear the results of the night mission.

    Arwin let out a sigh of relief as the wounds shrank, stitching themselves shut beforepletely vanishing. Anna kept her hands on him for a few seconds longer before letting the power fade.

    ¡°There. I can¡¯t replenish all the blood you lost, but you¡¯re a pretty big bastard. You should be fine. Is¡­¡±

    ¡°Tix is dead,¡± Arwin said, flexing his fingers and giving Anna a nod. ¡°And I got the names of everyone else involved. It wasn¡¯t as bad as we feared. There are three more people that have to die.¡±

    ¡°The guild leader?¡± Rodrick guessed.

    ¡°That¡¯s one of them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°There were rumors of him being really obsessed with getting stronger quickly. He basically shot up in power overnight,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°The Iron Hounds didn¡¯t even exist a month ago, but now he¡¯s somehow a Journeyman and considered one of the better guilds in the city. That kind of meteoric growth and being a nice guy tend to not go hand in hand.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know the extent of his involvement yet,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But he was at least partially responsible. The person with the most me is Erik, the second inmand of the guild. He¡¯s the one that ordered the smithy to be destroyed.¡±

    ¡°Then thest one was the one that actually destroyed it?¡± Anna guessed.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yes. His name is Yul. Once the three of them are dead, Zeke can rest. Perhaps we¡¯ll do the rest of the city a favor as well and purge it from some of the scum running around in it in the process.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into them,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I already know of Jessen and Erik. I haven¡¯t heard of Yul, but I don¡¯t imagine it should be too difficult to track him down.¡±

    ¡°Just be careful,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Now that Tix is dead, it won¡¯t be long before people start getting suspicious. We have one, maybe two days to take out the rest of them.¡±

    ¡°On your own?¡± Reya asked doubtfully. ¡°You barely beat Tix.¡±

    ¡°I had to fight her alone,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We were focusing on stealth for this kill because we needed information. That¡¯s no longer the case.¡±

    ¡°What, you¡¯re going to barge into their guildhall?¡± Reya asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯ll work again.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Jessen willest. Yul and Erik should be easier. Erik isn¡¯t strong and Yul is a caster. He¡¯s going to be horrible against anyone that can get up close and personal. We can take them both out pretty easily.¡±

    ¡°What about Jessen?¡± Anna asked. ¡°He¡¯s a Journeyman.¡±

    ¡°Anyone who rises through the ranks quickly is either an idiot or desperate,¡± Arwin said. ¡°He¡¯s trading his future power for a boost now. The only logical reason to do that is because you don¡¯t have another choice ¨C but you¡¯re right that he¡¯s likely too powerful to handle now. That¡¯s why he¡¯llest. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s got him cornered.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s the n? What are we doing?¡± Reya asked. ¡°You sound like you¡¯re going to need help this time around.¡±

    ¡°Help¡­ might be smart,¡± Arwin admitted reluctantly. ¡°I just want you out of harms way. You don¡¯t have the armor or defenses that I do. But, if we could have people all out gathering information tomorrow, it would go a long way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sneaky. I can do that no problem,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°I am not,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It¡¯s easy to keep people away from me, but a patch of darkness strolling around is about as subtle as a war drum.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but I¡¯m not particrly stealthy myself,¡± Arwin said. He leaned against the counter and let his gaze pass over everyone in the room. ¡°No risks. Lillia and I will handle the fighting. You all just help with figuring out where everyone is. Is that fine?¡±

    A round of determined nods answered his question and Arwin gave them a grim, tight-lipped smile.

    ¡°By tomorrow night, we¡¯re crossing Yul and Erik off the list.¡±

 Chapter 78: Panic

    Chapter 78: Panic

    Despite his weary body, Arwin didn¡¯t sleep that night. He did his best, but he once again found himself sitting next to Lillia on her bed, enveloped in a cloak of darkness as true rest evaded both of them.

    ¡°This is turning into a bad habit, don¡¯t you think?¡± Lillia asked as they waited for the night to pass.

    ¡°Certainly not a healthy one. You¡¯d think I¡¯d be exhausted by now, but my body just won¡¯t ept it. It just kicks me back into awareness the moment I even start thinking about sleep.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about Zeke, you know,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You¡¯re pinning everything on the Iron Hounds.¡±

    Arwin let out a muffled bark ofughter, unable to control himself but still doing his best to avoid waking anyone up. ¡°I know. I never said it was right. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is beyond me right now. I¡¯m not strong enough to handle them yet. But the Iron Hounds ¨C them, I can deal with.¡±

    ¡°And yet, they aren¡¯t the same,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You can¡¯t treat one wound by healing another.¡±

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Arwin asked. He leaned back against the wall and craned his head back to stare at the ceiling ¨C or rather, in the direction of the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t like he could make anything out in the nket of night enveloping him. ¡°Nothing I can do can ever bring anyone back, but doing anything feels better than doing nothing.¡±

    ¡°Certainly not arguing that,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I didn¡¯t really have a direction I was heading in, if I¡¯m being honest. I don¡¯t have advice. If I¡¯d been the one in the room with Tix, she¡¯d have met the exact same fate she met at your hands. Maybe a worse one.¡±

    ¡°If that would have done anything to bring someone back, I would have done it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But I¡¯ll settle for stopping the Iron Hounds from ever doing this again. It¡¯s to protect other people.¡±<em>At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to tell myself. Even if they never nned to kill another innocent, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d just let things go. Maybe I was never suited to be the Hero of Mankind at all. I¡¯m not nearly forgiving enough. </em>

    Arwin and Lillia fell silent. There was nothing left to be said, and they were both lost within the maze of their own thoughts. The morning woulde when it came, but it probably wouldn¡¯te anywhere near soon enough.

    But, eventually, the night came to pass. And, when the morning did roll around, everyone was ready. Lillia and Arwin emerged into the tavern to find the others all waiting for them, determined expressions on their faces.

    ¡°I¡¯ve mapped out a n,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°One that should utilize all of us as effectively as possible. We¡¯re all going to split up and focus on watching a different person.¡±

    ¡°All of us?¡± Arwin asked, his thoughts drifting back to the overlyplex map that Rodrick had drawn for locating Tix. There was no way the man was just a failed adventurer. He knew way too much about hunting people down, and Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if he was d to have Rodrick on his side or concerned as to why Rodrick knew all this.

    ¡°No.¡± Rodrick shook his head. ¡°I should correct that. Anna and I will be watching Yul and Erik, respectively. Reya is going to be the intermediary, because she can¡¯t be seen in public due to all the enemies she seems to have. She¡¯ll be running around on the rooftops, looking for signs that Anna and I give her. She¡¯ll then deliver that information to you and Lillia, who can close in on the targets.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°So what do we do in the meantime?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be lying in wait in an area roughly between Anna and myself,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to want to move quickly, but we have to move at the right time. Not only do we need to kill two different people, we need to do it without people figuring out who did it. That means they have to go down while they¡¯re close to each other, but not so close that they can help.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re confident that situation is going to show up?¡± Arwin asked doubtfully. ¡°Why would they be close but not together?¡±

    ¡°It would happen when they¡¯re heading back to their guild hall,¡± Anna answered for Rodrick. "Most people eat meals at roughly the same time, but unless Yul and Erik are close friends, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯re eating it together. As long as the timeframe for their meals isn¡¯t too far off, we should be able to get them one after the other.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a stretch, but I see where you¡¯re headed with this,¡± Arwin said. ¡°How do we keep the rest of the Iron Hounds from seeing this happen, though? If we do something that close to their guild hall, they¡¯ll almost certainly have someone that¡¯ll notice the sounds of themotion.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve ounted for that,¡± Rodrick said, a grim smile passing over his lips. ¡°But I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to like it.¡±

    ***

    The wind rustled the hood of Reya¡¯s cloak and nipped at her eyes. She stood at the edge of a roof, looking down at the city below her. It wasn¡¯t exactly the tallest building in the area, but she wasn¡¯t a huge fan of heights, so it was the highest she was willing to climb.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Day had already turned tote evening. Reya¡¯s legs were sore from running around the whole time, rying information from Rodrick and Anna to Arwin and Lillia, but her work wasn¡¯t done yet.

    Rodrick had been right. Arwin hadn¡¯t liked the idea at all, but he¡¯d eventuallye around. The n was just too good, and Arwin didn¡¯t have any good ways to turn it down. They all wanted the same thing, and she was done sitting around and watching other people do it for her.

    <em>I just need to keep myself from getting killed in the process. Just like Rodrick said, Yul and Erik have pretty close schedules. They¡¯re somewhere around ten to twenty five minutes off of each other, which means I need a distraction thatsts for at least thirty minutes. </em>

    <em>It¡¯s a damn good thing that Rodrick helped mee up with some different potential distractions for different times. He definitely knows what he¡¯s doing. I wonder if he was a master thief or something before. Maybe he was the guy that nned the heists, but his whole crew got caught and so now he¡¯s going around adventuring. </em>

    As fun as that thought was to y out, Reya brought it to a halt. She had more than a job to do tonight. She had a point to prove ¨C and she was in just the right spot to do it. The Iron Hounds¡¯ guild hall was only about five minutes to her north, but she couldn¡¯t head over quite yet.

    Reya considered dropping from the roof to the ground below. It probably would have been a pretty intimidating move for anyone that may have been watching, but she settled for saving her kneecaps and climbing down normally instead.

    Once she got down ¨C in one piece, without any cracked bones from overeager jumping ¨C she pulled her hood back and strode up to an old door in the side of a stone building. It wasn¡¯t anything particrly special, but Reya recalled this particr door.

    She¡¯d been at it not all that long ago. And, while she didn¡¯t remember exactly who was behind it, she was pretty sure they remembered her. Reya rapped on the wood several times, then took a step back to wait.

    A second passed. Reya got impatient and knocked again.

    The door swung open, revealing a rat-faced man with thinning brows and pinched features. ¡°What in the ¨C wait. You!¡±

    ¡°Hullo,¡± Reya said, pping the man full across the face before turning and sprinting in the other direction.

    ¡°It¡¯s the damn thief!¡± the man screamed, recovering from his shock with remarkable speed and darting out after her. ¡°Nate, get the others and get your asses out here!¡±

    Reya didn¡¯t wait to see if the other criminals responded to the man¡¯s calls. She still couldn¡¯t quite recall his name, but it didn¡¯t matter. What did matter is that she was faster than him.

    She took care to avoid getting too far ahead, always giving her pursuer just enough time to see her back disappearing around a bend. Entirely unbeknownst to him, she ran him in a full circle,ing back out in the street just as a dozen other men poured out from the building, half of them drunk.

    Reya blew a kiss to them, then jumped back as the rat-faced man lunged at her. His hands whistled through the air, catching nothing, and Reya took off once more.

    ¡°Get the little shit!¡± the man squealed, scrambling back upright and taking off with his horde at his heels.

    <em>Got them. </em>

    Reya skidded down an alley, then scrambled up a wall. She sat on top of it, waiting for the fastest of her pursuers to turn down the alley she¡¯d run into before dropping on the other side. Curses rang out as the men climbed the wall behind her. Reya didn¡¯t wait around for them. She was already almost to where she needed to be.

    Almost as if on cue, Anna dashed out of the shadows, a cloak over her head and breathing heavily. She dug through her pockets and thrust a key on a ne at Reya.

    ¡°Here,¡± Anna said between pants. ¡°You make running fast look much easier than it actually is. I got them. If Rodrick didn¡¯t n the path for me, I would have been screwed. You sure you can stay ahead of these guys?¡±

    ¡°Me? Easily,¡± Reya said with a scoff. She took the key and returned it to her ne. ¡°I¡¯m not that fast, but these idiots are slow ¨C in the feet <em>and </em>in the head. Get out of here so they don¡¯t keep thinking you¡¯re me.¡±

    Anna nodded, then ripped the cloak off and bundled it up in her arms as she strode off. Only a few secondster, Reya heard the sounds of her pursuit gaining on her. She waited around a little longer, letting them catch one more glimpse of her before she was off once more.

    It didn¡¯t take her long to run into the other half of the n. Another group of men headed down the alley straight in Reya¡¯s direction, their eyes widening in shock as they spotted her right in front of them.

    ¡°There she is!¡± One of them yelled.

    Reya jumped onto the side of the nearest building, climbing onto it and racing into the night in the direction of the Iron Hounds¡¯ base ¨C two different groups of thieves hot in pursuit. If she¡¯d been much farther from the guild house, it would have been nearly impossible to pull off.

    Fortunately, Reya had absolutely no shortage of enemies in the city, so it hadn¡¯t been hard to find two groups in roughly the same area. Reya lowered herself to the ground on the street right across from the Iron Hounds¡¯ guild house right as the first of the groups turned the corner.

    ¡°No more running,¡± the rat-faced man snarled, pointing a short sword that he must have borrowed from one of his colleagues at Reya. ¡°You die here, you thieving little shit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thieves too!¡± Reya protested. ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem.¡±

    ¡°You stole from us! That¡¯s the damn problem!¡±

    Reya didn¡¯t get a chance to respond. The other group sprinted out from the alley behind her, and she turned toward them with a wide, practiced smile. The men skidded to a stop, spotting the other group behind Reya.

    ¡°Get them!¡± Reya yelled, not giving either group time to process what they¡¯d seen. And, on cue, a rock flew from an alleyway, striking one of the men in the second group in the head. He stumbled, letting out a slew of curses as blood started to trickle down his scalp.

    It didn¡¯t take both of the groups long toe to the exact same conclusion ¨C that the opposing group had sided with Reya. If they¡¯d stopped to actually say anything, the entire n would have fallen apart in seconds.

    Unfortunately for them, the victor of a street brawl was generally the one that struck first. So, as one, the two groups charged each other, all seeking the head of the woman who stood in their center.

 Chapter 79: Yul

    Chapter 79: Yul

    Reya waited until they were upon her before making a mad dash to escape. She used [Imprison] on the fastest of the bandits, ducking under his frozen attack and throwing her cloak up behind her to buy another few seconds.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d run from an angry crowd, but it definitely was the first time she¡¯d run from one that she¡¯d intentionally made. Reya ducked and dodged to the best of her ability, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to avoid everything.

    A de cut across her cheek and another scraped along her back, cutting through her robes and colliding with the armor that Arwin¡¯ had made her. The armor shimmered and magical energy poured into it.

    Reya squeezed her eyes shut a moment before a brilliant sh lit the night. Surprised yells rose up, but it was toote. Reya used the distraction to slip away, sprinting into the alleyway.

    It was toote to stop the brawl, though. The fight had started in earnest, and as long as they didn¡¯t know where Reya was, it would continue for at least a little while. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the Iron Hounds came looking to figure out what in the world was going on outside their guild hall.

    Reya slipped into the darkness, where Rodrick stepped out of an alley to meet her, a stone in each of his hands.

    ¡°Nice work,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°You didn¡¯t get hurt too badly, did you?¡±

    ¡°Just a cut on the face,¡± Reya replied, wiping the blood from her cheek. The wound was a little deeper than she¡¯d initially thought, but it wasn¡¯t anything too serious ¨C though it would probably scar if Anna didn¡¯t take care of it.

    ¡°Good,¡± Rodrick said as the mor of battle intensified behind them. ¡°That¡¯s our role, then. Let¡¯s go meet back up with Anna and see if we need to bail Arwin and Lillia out.¡±¡°I thought the n was to let them handle things on their own because it was too dangerous?¡±

    ¡°I made the n, so I get to change it,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°Arwin is a better fighter than I am, but he¡¯s terrible at relying on people for anything that¡¯s important. Lillia is the same, even though she¡¯s not as vocal about it. With any luck, we won¡¯t have to do anything at all. But I¡¯d rather be overprepared than underprepared.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Reya said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±

    They headed into the night, and Reya hoped that Arwin and Lillia¡¯s side of the n had been having just as much sess as hers did.

    ***

    ¡°How are we supposed to know what Yul looks like?¡± Lillia asked as they stood in the darkness of the alleyway, listening to the fight start to break out in the distance. ¡°What if someone else is heading down the path that he chose?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have trust that Rodrick¡¯s information is correct,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But we can always ask. Just stick to the n the moment we confirm who this is.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Lillia said, but Arwin didn¡¯t have time to reply. Hurried steps echoed down the street in their direction. Arwin didn¡¯t have to step out to meet them. He¡¯d already positioned himself with his back turned, while Lillia had kept to the shadows to conceal her demonic appearance.

    Arwin craned his neck as if in surprise as a middle aged, balding man strode down the alley in the direction of the guild hall, his expression taut.

    ¡°Do you have any idea what¡¯s going on?¡± Arwin asked,cing his tone with concern as he studied the man. He really didn¡¯t look like anything special. His robes were those of a mage that preferred to avoid heavy armor, and the only weapon he carried was a dagger. Just another adventurer.

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m headed to find out,¡± the man replied. ¡°Who are you with? Another new recruit?¡±

    ¡°Me? I was actually heading over to apply when I heard themotion,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I heard you lot were looking for smiths.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. We are. Good thing I found you before the shitstorm made it this far,¡± the bald man said. He snapped his fingers impatiently. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll get you to the guild hall and then go deal with the idiots outside.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m Arwin, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure. I¡¯m Yul.¡±

    Arwin nodded a greeting, and Yul turned to head back toward the guild hall.

    Arwin¡¯s hammer mmed into his hands and he swung without an instant of hesitation. By some sheer stroke of luck, Yul managed to notice something was awry. He flung himself to the ground, but it wasn¡¯t enough topletely avoid the blow.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Verdant ze shattered his shoulder with a loud crunch, sending him spinning. Yul let out a pained snarl as rolled to his feet, right arm hanging useless at his side. The left arm crackled as me bloomed between his fingers, swirling together into a hissing and popping ball.

    <em>Explosion magic. If I didn¡¯t know for sure before, I do now. I just wish I killed the bastard with the first blow.</em>

    ¡°Idiot. Who are you, really? Actually, I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll let Jessen figure that out himself,¡± Yul snarled as he poured power into the spell, holding it in front of him. It was a clever strategy for a mage with immense destructive ability. By keeping the spell between himself and Arwin, he basically ensured that Arwin couldn¡¯t close the gap without getting hit.

    But, the longer he waited in attempt to find a hole in Yul¡¯s defenses, the stronger the spell would grow. Arwin had seen the strategy used before to devastating sess, and the best counter to it was generally someone else with range. But, there was one problem. Yul didn¡¯t have the whole strategy prepared. Mages <em>never </em>fought alone.

    The shadows snapped forth ¨C not at Yul, but at Arwin. At the same time, his armor mmed into ce. A tendril struck the back of Arwin¡¯s legs with a loud thud, sending him stumbling forward.

    Kic energy poured into Arwin as the greaves, having already beenrgely filled with kic energy earlier in the alley, were topped up. [Awe] activated and Arwin¡¯s body blurred forward as he activated [Scourge], sending the power into his legs.

    He couldn¡¯t even try to control himself at the speed he was moving. His head didn¡¯t run as fast or as strong as his legs did, but Arwin didn¡¯t need to control himself. Mages of nearly any sort were deadly, especially on the battlefield.

    Their magic could control fights more than almost any other ss, and their destructive power was second to none. But almost every single mage shared a verymon weakness ¨C the same weakness that Anna had.

    Arwin brought his wrist up, pulling the bracelet off it. The Mesh shimmered for an instant before him, even as he brought the metal ring to his mouth.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Happy Feet]: This item was forged faster than it should have been, resulting in some imperfection in an otherwise decent band. It can provide increased movement speed at the cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Greedy]: This item draws more magical energy than it needs, causing its wielder to lose strength while its ability is active. </strong>

    Arwin bit down. The bracelet turned to liquid heat and poured down his throat. Yul¡¯s hand raised, but power was already thrumming through Arwin¡¯s body. It poured into his legs, even as he felt his hammer grow considerably heavier in his hands and it dipped, pulled toward the ground.

    Fighting normally with it would have been nearly impossible.

    He had no ns to fight normally. Arwin blurred forward, his speed magnified by the powers of the bracelet. He mmed into Yul, throwing the man to the ground. The spell that had been forming in the mage¡¯s hands went wide, hurtling past Arwin and striking a building behind him. A massive explosion ripped through the air as a ball of fire rolled into the air behind him, but Arwin barely even took notice of it.

    His hammer fell. There was a sickening crunch, and then there was no more. Arwin¡¯s eyes ignited like molten coal as his helmet activated, releasing a wave of oppressive aura around him. He lifted his hammer, staring down at the body at his feet. Yul wasn¡¯t the first mage he¡¯d killed. They almost always went down in the same way.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to forget just how weak you are when you wield that much power,¡± Lillia said as she walked up beside Arwin. ¡°That was¡­ sad, honestly. I wanted more. A fight. Something. He did so much fucking damage, and this is it?¡±

    Arwin dismissed his equipment, and the blood that had covered the hammer¡¯s head sttered to the ground beside Yul¡¯s body. He still felt weak from the negative effects from the bracelet, but speed was paramount when fighting a mage. They couldn¡¯t afford to take any risks. The drawbacks would fade soon enough.

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s apt,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Disappointing, but even a Journeyman mage is still a mage if he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing. Yul seemed¡­ worse than he should have been. Even for a mage, standing around in the face of a threat is arrogant. The strategy he used only works when you¡¯ve got someone else guarding your nk. That¡¯s the mistake of a novice who has no clue what they¡¯re doing, not a mage that made it to Journeyman.¡±

    ¡°I just wish he begged for his life. Something to give me some damn satisfaction,¡± Lillia said, clenching her hands. She delivered a powerful kick into Yul¡¯s body. Arwin put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.

    ¡°What happened to the speeches you were giving me yesterday?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re easier to give when you were standing outside and didn¡¯t see anything,¡± Lillia snapped. ¡°The bastard got off light. He¨C¡±

    ¡°Is dead,¡± Arwin finished, his grip tightening on Lillia¡¯s shoulder. A huge part of him wanted to join her in raining blows down on the dead man, but she¡¯d been there to keep him stable, and now it was his turn. ¡°And now there are two. This isn¡¯t for us. It¡¯s for Zeke ¨C and for anyone like him in the future.¡±

    Lillia ground her teeth, then gave him a jerky nod. ¡°Right. Lead on. Yul was the tough kill, and he went down like a worthless little worm. Let¡¯s get rid of Erik and go home. Should I deal with the body?¡±

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to say no so we could let Jessen realize exactly what¡¯sing for him, you probably should,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s probably going to be rtively obvious already, but there¡¯s no need to help our enemies figure out who we are.¡±

    Lillia clenched a fist and two Lesser Imps rose up from the darkness, crowding in around the corpse and starting to devour it.

    ¡°They¡¯ll handle it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I take it you remember the direction Anna said Erik would being from?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said, setting off into the dark with Arwin at her side. ¡°It should be a little while until Erik makes it since he was farther. We don¡¯t know anything about him, so hopefully he isn¡¯t too difficult to spot. The fight is getting bigger behind us, so the guild might have gotten involved.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯ll buy us all the time we need,¡± Arwin said, but he couldn¡¯t shake a building unease in his stomach. Yul was dead ¨C of that, there was no doubt. Their n had gone exactly how he¡¯d wanted it to, but the man had truly been far too shit of a fighter to be a Journeyman. Something was going on, and Arwin didn¡¯t like not knowing what it was.

 Chapter 80: Trade offer

    Chapter 80: Trade offer

    Arwin and Lillia strode down the alley at a brisk pace. ording to Rodrick¡¯s guess, they should have had around ten or fifteen minutes before Erik showed up. The fighting behind them had grown a little, but it was already starting to fade into the distance behind them.

    Reya had done a great job creating a distraction. And, judging by the fact that it was still going, Arwin was pretty sure she¡¯d gotten out of it. That took arge weight off his chest. He knew she wasn¡¯t a child, but the idea of her getting killed while they were avenging someone else made him sick.

    <em>I can¡¯t protect everyone. Bah. Doesn¡¯t matter how many times I tell myself that. It doesn¡¯t change shit. </em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should have run into Erik by now?¡± Lillia asked from the shadows beside Arwin. ¡°It¡¯s been almost all the time that Rodrick said it should take him, and we¡¯re getting a little far from the guild.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he ended up staying at the restaurant for longer?¡± Arwin guessed. ¡°It¡¯s just across the street, and even though the fight is kind of far, that explosion was fairly loud. Maybe it spooked him.¡±

    ¡°What, you think he¡¯s hiding in there?¡± Lillia asked doubtfully. ¡°The second inmand of a guild, hiding like aplete coward when an explosion goes off in his own hall? Ridiculous.¡±

    Arwin shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have any better ideas. Do you see him?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°I suppose all we can do is wait here for a little. Walking into the restaurant would be way too obvious.¡±

    ¡°Probably. Let¡¯s just sit in the alley and wait for someone who sticks their head out and looks a little more concerned about the explosion than anyone else. There¡¯s always the chance that Erik managed to avoid us through the usage of a movement ability or something. He might have sprinted for the explosion the moment he heard it.¡±¡°Yeah, you could be right. I suppose that, for now, we just wait.¡±

    And that was what they did. Minutes turned to five, and five turned to ten. Arwin wished the windows of the restaurant wererger, but he had no such luck. There was no way to get near it without beingpletely obvious or sitting down for dinner. And, given the fact that there had just been an explosion, he doubted that trying to grab a bite to eat would be seen as very logical behavior.

    He was just starting to think that they really had missed Erik when the door to the restaurant creaked open and a pudgy man stuck his head out, squinting into the distance. All the sounds of the fight had finally petered off, likely contained by the Iron Hounds.

    The man nced around the street, then scurried off in the opposite direction of the guild. Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Who else? It¡¯s the only lead we¡¯ve got,¡± Arwin muttered, already setting off in pursuit.

    Erik ¨C assuming Arwin¡¯s assumption was correct ¨C was painfully easy to follow. He waspletely unaware of his surroundings, despite his constant stops to look around and check to see if anyone was on his tail. He looked so obviously guilty of something that Arwin would have suspected him of just about any crime in the vicinity.

    Arwin and Lillia caught up to him in less than a minute, using her magically enhanced darkness to walk right up to him along the side of the street. Erik shifted from checking to see if anyone was following him to listening intently.

    <em>Is he trying to see if the fight is already over? What a damn coward. I want to just kill him here, but I need to make sure this is actually the right guy. I¡¯m not going to murder some random paranoid guy because he didn¡¯t want to get caught up in a fight. </em>

    Arwin nced at Lillia, then nodded to Erik. She shrugged, indicating that she¡¯d stay back and be ready to support him if a fight started.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand in greeting as he stepped into the alley. Erik leapt nearly a foot into the air, spinning toward him.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Erik demanded. ¡°Where did youe from?¡±

    ¡°Running from the fight over there,¡± Arwin said, nodding in the direction Erik was heading. ¡°I was heading over to apply to the Iron Hounds, but a bunch of thieves got into a huge scuffle and a mage started blowing shit up so I got out of there before I got my head taken off by ident.¡±

    Arwin was pretty sure he¡¯d done a fairly convincing job in his speech, but Erik didn¡¯t even look slightly assured by it.

    ¡°Well, you should be on your way,¡± Erik said, flicking his hand irritably. ¡°I have business to attend to, and I have no desire to speak to anyone that approaches me in a dark alley.¡±

    <em>Honestly, probably a pretty good life motto.</em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t me you. I¡¯ll be out of your hair, then. I was just wondering if you happened to know where the guild leader was ¨C or anyone in power, really. I got wind that the Iron Hounds were in search of a smith and would pay well.¡±

    ¡°Well,e back to the guild tomorrow. We¡¯re obviously not going to be taking applicants while there¡¯s a sted fight going on right outside it.¡±

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re part of the guild?¡± Arwin asked, his eyes lighting up. ¡°Could you point me in the right direction?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve got no idea. I¡¯m just a schr. A rmendation from me isn¡¯t going to do anything, so don¡¯t even bother asking for it.¡±

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Arwin resisted the urge to blink. He¡¯d been pretty confident that ¨C no. He studied the man for a second, and the longer he looked at him, the more confident he became that this wasn¡¯t a schr.

    There were no ink stains on his hands, and his clothes were all far too neat and well cared for. Arwin hadn¡¯t known many schrs, but they¡¯d almost always been obsessed with their work ¨C and they definitely didn¡¯t earn enough to dress like the man before him.

    <em>He¡¯s lying. Is that enough for me topletely take a bet with someone¡¯s life, though? He could just be a scared member of the guild. The only way I know for sure who this guy is if someone else identifies him or if he tells me himself ¨C and if he lied about his ss, he definitely isn¡¯t going to tell me his name.</em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Onest question and then I¡¯ll be out of your hair, I promise.¡±

    ¡°Gods, you¡¯re persistent. What is it?¡±

    ¡°What does the name Ifrit mean to you?¡± Arwin asked, watching the man¡¯s face closely. He might have been willing to lie, but he was a damn shit liar. And, as soon as the words left Arwin¡¯s lips, he saw the flicker of recognition pass through the man¡¯s features. ¡°Ah. Hello, Erik.¡±

    Erik¡¯s hand blurred, magic glistening along his fingertips as they trailed through the air. A coward he may have been, but he was fast. A ck dagger shot through the air, heading for Arwin¡¯s throat. Li shot from the shadows and the de rang off her armor, spinning harmlessly to the side.

    Three other daggers ripped out from the darkness behind Erik at such speed that Arwin¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t properly trace them. They rang off Lillia¡¯s armor one after the other, allnding at a different spot ¨C and all failing to prate its magical defenses. Lillia tensed, likely from the power the armor had just pulled from her to sustain itself. She slipped back into the darkness, not pausing for long enough to let Erik get a good enough look at her.

    Arwin didn¡¯t give Erik time to figure out what had happened. He lunged, his armor mming into ce around him. His hammer materialized in his hands and he brought it down for Erik¡¯s head. The man let out a terrified scream and raised his hands as if they would somehow stop a massive hammer from crushing him like an overripe berry ¨C and a resounding ng echoed through the street.

    A powerful force mmed into Arwin¡¯s arms, flinging Verdant ze from his grip. He stumbled backward, dismissing the hammer with [Arsenal] before it couldnd on someone by ident.

    Standing before Erik was a tall man, a dark beard covering the bottom half of his face that matched the pitch-ck armor covering his body. It vaguely resembled the carapace of a beetle ¨C glossy and smooth, curling up to jutting points at his shoulders.

    The man lowered his sword, and the Mesh tingled at Arwin¡¯s eyes as he tried and failed to study it. The weapon was definitely magic, but the man either chose not to or was unable topletely hide its nature.

    <em>Did he use an ability to block me there? Because, if not ¨C holy shit. This guy is disgustingly strong. He definitely isn¡¯t an Apprentice Tier. The Guild Leader, then?</em>

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the man asked, tilting his head to the side and narrowing his eyes. ¡°And the woman¡­ her armor blocked an enchanted weapon. Fascinating. No mere thieves, I would say. Why are you trying to kill my second inmand?¡±

    Arwin held the man¡¯s gaze, not giving away an inch, but he prepared his legs to activate [Scourge] and sprint in the other direction. He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think he could handle a Journeyman Tier that actually knew what they were doing.

    ¡°You¡¯d be Jessen, then,¡± Arwin said, making no move to answer his question.

    ¡°It seems you have the advantage over me. I still have no idea who you are.¡±

    <em>And that¡¯s exactly how I want it to stay. If you find out who we are, youe after the tavern next. What the hell is Jessen doing all the way out here? It makes no sense. There¡¯s no way he cares this much about some random coward. Unless he¡¯s pretending to be some honorable figure rather than the murderer he is?</em>

    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to keep it that way,¡± Arwin said, fighting to keep his gaze on Jessen. If the man didn¡¯t recognize his mask, then it was very likely that Erik had been acting on orders but had never passed details along. And, if that was the case, the only way everyone had a chance to get out of this alive would be if Erik didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Then it seems we have a problem,¡± Jessen said. His voice shifted, turning to a syrupden drawl. ¡°I can¡¯t let anyone go around trying to murder my people in cold blood.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s teeth grit as he fought to keep his anger under control. iming that <em>he </em>was the one going around heartlessly murdering people when Jessen had been the one to kill Zeke was like grinding nails on chalkboard in Arwin¡¯s ears.

    His mind raced as he tried to find a way that would let him get to Erik and escape before Jessen stopped him, but nothing came to mind. He¡¯d already felt how much more power Jessen had than he did. Even with [Scourge], Arwin would only be able to put up a fight for a few blows before he lost.

    <em>Which means I need to y his game if I want a chance ofing out on top of this.</em>

    ¡°That¡¯s the angle you¡¯re going to take?¡± Arwin asked, his features twisting in disgust as he dismissed his helm. ¡°Your men murdered an innocent and destroyed my smithy, and you im that I¡¯m the one that¡¯s cold blooded?¡±

    ¡°An innocent?¡± Jessen tilted his head to the side. ¡°I gave no such orders.¡±

    ¡°Your idiots destroyed the smithy while a child was in it,¡± Arwin spat. ¡°Burned him alive. So go ahead. Give me your cold-hearted speech. Every word that leaves your lips might as well be poison.¡±

    Jessen¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if it was directed at his words or him, and he didn¡¯t particrly care. Jessen hadn¡¯t denied ordering the destruction of his smithy ¨C and that meant Jessen was responsible. He, like the others, would die.

    ¡°Who?¡± Jessen asked. ¡°Who did it?¡±

    ¡°What, are you going to punish them?¡± Arwin asked with a bark ofughter. ¡°A p on the wrist, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Jessen roared, mming his sword into the wall beside him. Stone crumbled away, cascading to the ground at his feet.

    ¡°Tix.¡± Arwin held three fingers up, then lowered one of them. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± He lowered a second finger and nodded toward the direction of the guild hall. ¡°Yul. Also dead.¡± Arwin was left with just his middle finger standing, and he turned his gaze to Erik. ¡°And the coward.¡±

    <em>And you, Jessen. But, if you¡¯re going to be pretending to be some righteous asshole, I¡¯ll y along. Let¡¯s see if you murder your own man for me.</em>

    ¡°Dead?¡± Jessen''s expression flickered, then turned t. ¡°I see. A smith has killed two of my men?¡±

    ¡°My only regret is that I couldn¡¯t kill them a second time,¡± Arwin said honestly. ¡°And the fat one is next.¡±

    Jessen pressed his lips together and let a sigh slide out from between them. ¡°Ah. I can¡¯t let you do that. I¡¯m afraid I have need of Erik.¡±

    <em>Of course you do.</em>

    A smug grin passed over Erik¡¯s features.

    ¡°Would you settle for his arms and legs?¡± Jessen asked.

    Erik¡¯s smile froze and fell away, and a pit formed in the center of Arwin¡¯s chest. He recognized the type of man that Jessen was.

    <em>He¡¯s the kind of guy that honestly thinks that he can trade lives like currency. He genuinely believes that this is a reasonable trade, and he doesn¡¯t care in the slightest about his subordinate at all. </em>

    <em>Making a deal with him is the same as putting your hand in a bear trap and waiting for it to go off ¨C and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve got any other options.</em>

 Chapter 81: Playing games

    Chapter 81: ying games

    ¡°His limbs,¡± Jessen repeated when Arwin gave no response. ¡°Would that be sufficient?¡±

    ¡°Why are you even offering that?¡± Arwin asked, taken aback despite himself. ¡°I thought you were going to¨C¡±

    ¡°Protect him?¡± Jessen¡¯s smile twisted into the sneer of a snake. ¡°I said I needed him, but I don¡¯t need him moving. You seem like apetent man, and it would be a shame to kill you when we could work together instead. After all, if our grievances are settled, there is no reason for us to fight.¡±

    ¡°Guild Leader, I¨C¡± Erik started, his face as pale as a sheet.

    ¡°Be silent, lest we decide your tongue a more appropriate payment,¡± Jessen snapped. ¡°The limbs or not, Smith?¡±

    <em>He said he needed this cowardly asshole. Why would Jessen offer me his limbs in payment? There¡¯s a trick. Rodrick warned us that Jessen liked ying with the people he killed, and I know how people like this work. I¡¯ve seen it before. He¡¯s going to try to use one of his rules to turn this against me without going against his fake moral code. So what is ¨C </em>

    <em>Ah. </em>

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it would.¡±

    ¡°I will not let you kill him,¡± Jessen said tly, but there was a spark of acknowledgement in his eyes. ¡°If you seek Erik¡¯s head, then I will be forced to kill you no matter how beneficial our future partnership could ever hope to be.¡±¡°Not that either,¡± Arwin said, bing more confident with every word that he spoke. ¡°I think an equal trade for the life you stole would be the lives that remain.¡±

    <em>At least until I get strong enough to kill Jessen ¨C but he¡¯s not making this offer because he genuinely thinks we could ever be friends. He wants something from me, and he was hoping to force me to bargain for it. Either that or he just wants to chop all my limbs off and use me as an example.</em>

    Jessen tilted his head to the side. ¡°Exin.¡±

    ¡°I killed two of your people,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Except they were worthless, pathetic excuses for life who killed a child. In return for us ceasing our pursuit of Erik, you will not attempt to retaliate against us or our street in any way, shape, or form.¡±

    A smile crawled across Jessen¡¯s lips, and a shiver ran down Arwin¡¯s spine. His guess had been right. Jessen had been nning to do whatever he did to Erik to at least some of his friends.

    ¡°I knew you were interesting,¡± Jessen said. ¡°Very well. I recognize when I have an interesting opponent. I ept your terms until we next meet. I do not believe either of us will be able to help ourselves after that.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin agreed, barely able to keep the disgust from his voice. ¡°We won¡¯t.¡±

    <em>All of that said¡­ I¡¯ll be damned if you think I¡¯m letting either you or Erik live through this. You want to y games? Fine. Let¡¯s y. </em>

    ¡°You fancy your guild something powerful, don¡¯t you?¡± Arwin asked abruptly. ¡°You¡¯re proud of what you¡¯ve made?¡±

    Jessen tilted his head to the side, surprised by the change of topic. He recovered quickly and a cocky smile yed across his lips. ¡°Yes. I do. I¡¯ve brought them far. It¡¯s pleasant to meet someone who understands just how difficult it can be. Perhaps your guild will grow as strong as mine one day.¡±

    False sincerity dripped from every word that came out of Jessen¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯re far weaker, and I¡¯m okay with that. We never would have challenged you if one of our own hadn¡¯t been killed.¡±

    ¡°His death will eat at me forever. My sincerest apologies for the terrible tragedy. I am d that we havee to an agreement on a resolution.¡± Jessen couldn¡¯t have sounded less distraught if he¡¯d tried.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to give an offer of my appreciation for your mercy in this decision,¡± Arwin said. ¡°An item we procured from a dungeon avable only to us. Even though we¡¯re far weaker than even your worst member, I believe it may be of interest to you.¡±

    Jessen¡¯s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what Arwin¡¯s angle was. Arrogance won out over suspicion and he inclined his head. There were few things that cocky bastards like him liked more than someone bowing down to their supposed superiority.

    ¡°We ept,¡± Jessen said.

    The cocky grin on Erik¡¯s face grew even wider and his back straightened as he found his spine in the strength of his master. It seemed he¡¯d already forgotten how close he¡¯d been to losing his limbs.

    Arwin reached to his side and rested his hand on an ivory white dagger in his pouch, not quite pulling it fully out yet. He used [Arsenal], temporarily bonding himself to the de. Even though he didn¡¯t reveal it, he could still recall the words that had drifted through the air when the Mesh had first revealed the weapon¡¯s abilities to him.

    <strong>Bone Dagger: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Splintered Wrath] (3 Charges): This item was forged from the flesh of a living gargoyle, imbuing it with hatred. It leaves a piece of itself behind with every strike to worm into its victim¡¯s bloodstream and seek out their heart. After all charges have been consumed, this item¡¯s magic will be fully depleted, and it will irreparably shatter. </strong>

    ¡°I hope this is sufficient apology for the trouble I¡¯ve caused,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Erik, I don¡¯t believe this item is worthy of your master, so I¡¯ll hand it to you instead. I hope you ept my sincerest feelings.¡±

    He procured the dagger, moving with measured movements that weren¡¯t fast enough to be misconstrued as an attack, and flicked the de without giving Erek or Jessen time to see the Mesh¡¯s description of the weapon. It traced through the air in a tight arc. Jessen¡¯s eyes traced the de, but he made no move to intercept it.

    Habit was a funny thing. In general, humans tended to be creatures of it. Whenever they could, they slept in the same beds, ate at the same tables, and shat in the same rooms. And, when someone threw something to them ¨C even if it was sharp ¨C they tried to catch it.

    Erik extended his hands, likely moving before his brain had even registered, and caught the dagger out of the air. Having been thrown de first, the weapon cut a thin line into his palm and he fumbled to keep hold of it.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Erik snapped. ¡°Why are you throwing it? Are you trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I believe I had already promised to avoid that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to break my promise to Jessen. Your own ipetence, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter.¡±

    Erik opened his mouth, but his words were reced with a surprised hiss. He shook the hand that had gotten cut. His eyes went wide and he let out a cry of pain, dancing around and shaking the entire arm.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Erik yelled, dropping the dagger and letting it tter to the ground. His yelps turned to a pained scream. He ripped at his shirt, fingers digging at skin like there was a colony of ants burrowing within it.

    Jessen watched on, his face t, as Erik¡¯s cries grew louder. He thrashed around on the ground and kicked, screaming desperately for help. Neither Arwin nor Jessen said a word as his screams grew louder.

    Erik clutched at his chest one final time, his back arching in agony, and copsed.

    Even though Jessen¡¯s features werepletely controlled, fury bubbled deep beneath them. Arwin could see it in the stiffness of the man¡¯s stance and how the veins in his neck bulged with the clenching of his jaw.

    <em>What¡¯s bigger? Your ego or your anger? Given how little of a shit you give about your subordinates, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the former. I certainly hope so. If I¡¯m wrong, I¡¯m dead. </em>

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I believed you when you said that your guild was stronger than mine. It seems that he has brought you shame in failing to prove your words true.¡± Arwin locked eyes with Jessen. ¡°His death will eat at me forever. My sincerest apologies for the terrible tragedy.¡±

    Jessen knelt, picking up the bone dagger by the handle with two fingers before rising once more. He didn¡¯t let his gaze drift from Arwin¡¯s the entire time.

    ¡°I have found that I no longer desire this gift,¡± Jessen said. The smug cockiness had vanished from his voice and left behind only ice and hatred. ¡°You may have it back.¡±

    ¡°I refuse,¡± Arwin said promptly. ¡°A gift given to one who has epted it is not one that I would ever be willing to take back. It would bring me too much shame. I am just sorry that your man was not powerful enough to handle it properly. One of its uses has been wasted.¡±

    He could have pulled the dagger back to himself with [Arsenal], but that would have been taking back the gift and could give Jessen an opportunity to try something against him or his people. Arwin didn¡¯t n to leave any such windows open. There was no reason to. The de was exactly where he wanted it to be. After what he¡¯d just done to Erik, Arwin was certain that Jessen wouldn¡¯t settle for killing him with any weapon other than the bone dagger ¨C the very one that was still bound to him with [Arsenal].

    Jessen nodded slowly. He put the dagger away and his lips pulled back in a predatory smile. ¡°Well yed, Smith. You have turned my own words against me. Very well. I look forward to our next meeting. It will not go so well for you.¡±

    Jessen strode into the darkness, and Arwin made no move to follow him. Several seconds passed before Lillia stepped out, a concerned frown on her face.

    <em>And the game is on. </em>

    ¡°Godspit, Arwin,¡± Lillia murmured. ¡°That was¡­¡±

    ¡°Incredibly risky. I took a risk that my read of Jessen was enough to gamble with. It lined up with what Rodrick said, so I was pretty certain it would work,¡± Arwin said as he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm his adrenaline-shot nerves. ¡°He¡¯s more than just fishy. Bastard is the whole damn ocean. He¡¯s not going to forget this.¡±

    <em>The only reason that worked is because he doesn¡¯t see us as a proper threat and his ego is so big that he can¡¯t admit to actually losing a verbal fight by killing me here and now. </em>

    ¡°How strong is he if he managed to knock your hammer out of your hand?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°That¡¯s terrifying. Definitely above what a Journeyman should be doing. He must be close to Adept tier.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t using [Scourge] at the time,¡± Arwin replied, shaking his head. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s powerful. That¡¯s the first real Journeyman adventurer we¡¯ve run into, and I agree that he¡¯s probably toward the top of it. If anything, that just makes me wonder why the hell the rest of his guild is so shit.¡±

    ¡°Something tells me we¡¯ll find out,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯m not done with him.¡±

    ¡°Neither am I,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But we got Erik. Now the only one left is Jessen. I wish we could have gotten him too, but if we drew weapons on him tonight, we were dead.¡±

    ¡°Almost certainly. Doesn¡¯t make me happy about it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But I¡¯ll sleep better knowing that Erik is rotting in the bottom of the Undends.¡±

    ¡°As will I. Jessen is going to be a dangerous enemy, but his time wille.¡±

    Lillia let out an explosive breath. ¡°You¡¯re right. I just can¡¯t help but wonder what Zeke would think.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to put words in his mouth, but I suspect he¡¯d be happier that none of us had died than he would be if we avenged him and lost half the group.¡±

    Thest of the tension left Lillia¡¯s body and she slumped. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think any of us would want anything else. I suppose we did buy ourselves some time, and I think I¡¯ll always remember the look on that smug bastard¡¯s face when he picked up the dagger.¡±

    A small grin twisted Arwin¡¯s lips. ¡°Yes. As will I. Let¡¯s go find the others. I need to tell them about what happened.¡±

    ***

    Guards meandered past Arwin as he headed down the street alongside Lillia, who kept to the shadows alongside him. Even though the guards were moving toward the Iron Hounds¡¯ guild house, none of them looked all that concerned. If anything, it seemed like they were dragging their feet to avoid getting there too soon.

    <em>Sad. They¡¯re hoping the guild will handle the fighting for them. The guards here really are all talk and no show, but I suppose that worked to our advantage this time around. It¡¯s still pathetic. </em>

    Arwin turned a corner, then came to a stop. Rodrick, Reya, and Anna all stood at the exit of an alley.

    ¡°How did things go?¡± Rodrick asked as Arwin approached them. ¡°You weren¡¯t in the area where you were supposed to be. Did Erik deviate from his trip home?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. He nced toward where Lillia hid in the darkness, but he couldn¡¯t make any of her features out. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well, I¡¯ll tell you all when we get back to the tavern.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Reya said. She wiped some dirt from her cheek with the back of a hand. ¡°Where¡¯s Lillia?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right over there, in the darkness. She¡¯s just keeping out of sight,¡± Arwin said, nodding to the patch of shadows at the edge of the alley. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Neither of us were hurt. I assume you¡¯re all fine as well?¡±

    ¡°Nothing but a minor injury,¡± Reya replied.

    They all set off. The city was strangely silent despite all the chaos that had swallowed it just a few minutes ago. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if it was because nobody cared or if it was because they just all assumed the problem had been handled.

    Either way, he appreciated it. He didn¡¯t quite feel like speaking anymore yet. They arrived at the tavern and headed inside. Lillia emerged from her patch of darkness, still barely visible as she made her way over to thentern near the counter and lit it.

    Everyone other than Lillia lowered themselves into the mismatched stools lined up before the counter.

    ¡°It¡¯s done, then?¡± Reya asked. ¡°All that¡¯s left is Jessen?¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure he knew the answer to that question himself. He used [Arsenal], summoning his helmet and lifting it off his head. Arwin set it on the counter, running his thumb along the curling horns jutting out of its top.

    ¡°Yes, but we can¡¯t go after Jessen now. He¡¯s much stronger than I thought.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Reya eximed. ¡°How do you know? I thought¨C¡±

    ¡°Jessen showed up to save Erik. He was powerful. If we¡¯d fought him, we¡¯d have died. Rodrick¡¯s info on him was right. Jessen was trying to y games with us,¡± Lillia said, walking to stand beside Arwin and Reya. ¡°He tried to bait Arwin into agreeing to let the rest of us get tortured.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d he know we were going to go after Erik?¡± Rodrick asked, his brow furrowing. ¡°Nobody should have been able to figure out what we were nning. I wasn¡¯t spotted, was I?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was you,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°Rx. Everyone did their jobs perfectly. We were just up against an opponent who we aren¡¯t prepared to face. I didn¡¯t think Jessen would be as dangerous as he was.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± Reya asked, her voice quavering as her hands balled at her sides. ¡°If you survived, did Jessen figure out who you are? Do we have to leave the street? And how did you kill Erik if this guy was so strong?¡±

    ¡°Jessen knows, but he¡¯ll stay away from us,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And technically, I didn¡¯t kill Erik. He killed himself. I just threw him a dagger.¡±

    Reya¡¯s brow creased in confusion. Realization set in and her frown turned to a cold smile. ¡°The bone dagger?¡±

    ¡°Only has two charges left, unfortunately,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°It was gifted to the Iron Hounds. It¡¯s just unfortunate that they lost a man in the process.¡±

    ¡°What about Jessen, then? When can we kill him? I bet we could take him if all of us¨C¡±

    ¡°No. Rx, Reya. There¡¯s something more important than throwing our lives away in revenge.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°And that¡¯s surviving to see it through. Zeke was murdered, but do you really think he wants us to follow him into the afterlife?¡±

    Reya¡¯s face crumpled. ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s painful,¡± Arwin said, softening his voice. ¡°But you need to remember something. You can¡¯t win every fight in the same way. There are times when your opponent is too powerful to just fling yourself against. A just cause does not win a battle.¡±

    ¡°How do you know Jessen isn¡¯t lying?¡± Anna asked. ¡°He has no honor.¡±

    ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t just want to kill us,¡± Arwin replied, a vision of Jessen¡¯s hungry eyes shing through his mind. ¡°He wants to win, and we can use that against him. He''s pissed that we outyed him, but I don''t think his ego will let him just send someone after us. That''s the same as admitting we actually beat him. He knows we''lle after him, so he''ll just wait."

    ¡°Why?¡± Reya asked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. He could juste after us now and we¡¯d all die, wouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°He could. But he won¡¯t because he¡¯s an arrogant bastard,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°And we¡¯ll use that against him. He doesn¡¯t see us as a real threat, and we¡¯ll kill him one day because of it. Until then, he¡¯s going to suffer knowing that he got outyed by a mere Apprentice Tier.¡±

    ¡°I understand. It really doesn¡¯t feel fair that he gets to keep living while Zeke doesn¡¯t, but I understand,¡± Reya muttered, staring down at her hands.

    ¡°The only fairness in life is what our strength allows us to create,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We won this round, Reya. Tix, Yul, and Erik are dead. They¡¯re the ones that had a direct hand in Zeke¡¯s death. And, more importantly, we¡¯re alive. And, as long as we¡¯re alive, we can grow stronger. Jessen¡¯s guild isrger and more powerful than ours, and yet his men lost to us. His arrogance won¡¯t let that stand. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t kill us. It would be cementing his defeat in stone.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave town to find somewhere safer to train, can we?¡± Anna asked. ¡°We coulde back to deal with the Houndster.¡±

    ¡°It would be really difficult for me to do that,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Not right now, at least. And, aside from the Hounds, Milten is perfect. We¡¯re far from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and all the problems they bring. This area iswless, but that¡¯s what lets us act freely.¡±

    Arwin nodded in agreement. ¡°Jessen¡¯s hands are tied by his own twisted morals right now. I won¡¯t be leaving, but I won¡¯t stop anyone if they want to.¡±

    Rodrick and Anna both shook their heads.

    Reya let out a slow breath and raised her eyes to meet Arwin¡¯s. ¡°We need to get stronger so we can get around to killing Jessen as soon as we can.¡±

    ¡°You can count on it. We¡¯re just going to do this the right way. I think Jessen will avoid us until wee for him again, but if you ever do see him again, just turn around and leave. Don¡¯t say a word. All he¡¯ll be able to do is fume and wait until the dayes where he meets justice,¡± Arwin said with a grim smile. ¡°It might not be today. It might not be this week, or even this month ¨C but they¡¯ve got an open tab with us, and they¡¯re going to pay it with interest.¡±

 Chapter 82: Picture

    Chapter 82: Picture

    For the first time in many nights, Arwin slept. The embrace of sleep that had avoided him for so long finally weed him back, though it didn¡¯t let him return with grace.

    Dreams dug into his mind like the fangs of a Wyrm. Possibilities of what could have been intermixed with the truth of what had been. His words to Reya may have been true, but he wasn¡¯t so sure he believed them himself.

    Three of Zeke¡¯s killers were dead. Their death had brought no sce. Jessen still lived, and Arwin still didn¡¯t have a way to kill him. The hunger in Jessen¡¯s eyes ¨C he wanted to crush it.

    His resting mind taunted him with the powers that had once been his tomand. Just a scant few months ago, Arwin could have killed him with no more difficulty than crushing a Lesser Imp.

    And yet, a scant few months ago, Arwin was alone. He would have had no reason to kill Jessen. He would have had nothing to lose. A guardian with nothing to protect aside from the distant memory of an ideal that he¡¯d clutched onto ever since he¡¯d arrived in this world.

    The only people that he¡¯d truly desired to save were already dead.

    A strand of amusement passed through Arwin¡¯s dreams like a swirl of paint through water. In losing his powers, he¡¯d finally found a reason to have them. The haunting dreams started to falter. They shrank before the growing determination that took hold in his mind.

    Revenge would be had, but not at the cost of their lives. Zeke was gone. More death would not let him rest easier. The only thing that could ever give his loss meaning was life. Jessen had to be stopped to keep others from meeting the same fate, but Arwin wasn¡¯t strong enough to protect everyone.

    And, for the first time, he was truly fine with that. Arwin didn¡¯t have to be strong enough to protect everyone. He just had to be strong enough to protect the people around him.Only once he could do that would Arwin allow himself to desire more. His eyes drifted open and the dreams shattered before the light of day. Sunlight filtered through the dirty window of Arwin¡¯s room and onto his pillow.

    Arwin¡¯s face felt warm. The temptation to lie in bed and let the world pass him by tried to pull at him, but its call fell on deaf ears. There was too much to do. He rose and strode out of the room. Stairs creaked beneath his weight as he headed down to the tavern.

    Lillia poked her head out of the kitchen. The light from thentern just barely illuminated her form.

    ¡°You slept?¡±

    ¡°For once,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°For once,¡± Lillia said, a note of amusement tinging her voice. ¡°What now? We throw ourselves into finding a way to kill Jessen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tempting,¡± Arwin admitted. He would have loved to do just that. It was definitely what Jessen expected. Another vision of Jessen¡¯s eyes passed through his mind, and a grin pulled at Arwin¡¯s lips. ¡°But no. That¡¯s not what we¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°What? Why not?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Because there¡¯s only one way to beat someone like this,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°And it isn¡¯t by ying their game. You got a read on him, didn¡¯t you? Jessen wants us to try him again. He thinks we¡¯lle knocking at his door with some scheme.¡±

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    ¡°Is that not what we were going to do?¡± Lillia brushed her hands off on her clothes. They left small streaks of flour behind like the stripes of a tiger. ¡°You can¡¯t mean we¡¯re just going to ignore him.¡±

    ¡°We try to do anything to undermine Jessen directly, and we lose,¡± Arwin said. ¡°He¡¯s too powerful to take in a direct fight. The moment we try to do anything against him is when he¡¯ll show up with a new game to y.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Lillia said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. ¡°You¡¯re saying we drive him insane by just¡­ forgetting about him?¡±

    ¡°By living as if he isn¡¯t even there,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°We don¡¯t forget. But Jessen is going to go insane trying to figure out how we¡¯re nning to take him out. He wants to crush us for what we did. I¡¯d wager a bet that he¡¯s also convinced we feel the same toward him.¡±

    ¡°We do.¡±

    ¡°We do.¡± Arwin nodded. ¡°Which is why he¡¯ll be confident we¡¯re trying something. He¡¯ll spend resources and energy trying to find out what it is. The longer it takes, the more confused and worried he¡¯ll get. He won¡¯t approach us, though. That would be another defeat.¡±

    ¡°You think he¡¯s just going to lose his shit because we do nothing?¡± Lillia asked doubtfully.

    ¡°I think it¡¯ll make him squirm. And, even if it doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll still be stronger. Jessen will be able to do nothing but watch as we be powerful. He loses the moment he so much as says a word to us.¡±

    A grin crawled across Lillia¡¯s face and she nodded. ¡°I think I see what you¡¯re getting at. We win either way. He won¡¯t be able to handle the fact that we¡¯re just ignoring him. While we focus on ourselves, he focuses on us.¡±

    ¡°Right. Even if he does just ignore us, I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll grow powerful faster than he will. We¡¯ve already seen the path to take and learned what steps to avoid. He hasn¡¯t. Both paths lead to victory.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to go with this, you¡¯ll need to exin it to the others,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Reya isn¡¯t going to take it well. She still wants to act.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak with her,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s not an easy request to make. Arge part of me wants to just sprint at Jessen and rip him apart with my bare hands, even though I know that¡¯s going to end with getting myself killed. Reya isn¡¯t stupid. She¡¯lle around.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll let Rodrick and Anna know. Are you heading out?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I need to upy myself. The best way to do that will be trying to return to normal. I¡¯m going to start rebuilding the smithy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not choosing a new building?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to let Jessen take the smithy from me. That¡¯s the spot I chose, and that¡¯s the spot I¡¯ll keep.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be willing to swap buildings for the tavern either,¡± Lillia said. She pushed away from the doorframe and gave Arwin a small smile. ¡°I¡¯ll send Reya your way when she wakes up. Just remember you don¡¯t have to bear all the weight of this on your own.¡±

    ¡°I know. Thank you, Lillia.¡±

    Lillia nodded and turned back to the kitchen. She had her work to do, and Arwin had his. He headed out of the tavern. Bright sunlight fell down on him the instant he stepped out of the door. It took his eyes a moment to adjust.

    <em>The longer I spend in the dark, the morefortable I get in it. I wonder if that speaks more to me or the tavern. </em>

    Arwin blinked the brightness away and headed off down the street. He came to a stop at the edge of the burnt block that had once been his smithy. A certain sense of irony struck him. Everything was covered in ayer of ash, ck as night. He¡¯d left the darkness of the tavern only to find even more of it outside in the light.

    Even though the wind had carried a lot of the ash away, there were still small piles against the remains of the walls and strewn across the ground. It felt like there was no end to it.

    <em>I suppose there won¡¯t be until I get started. Can¡¯t get anywhere without taking the first steps, even if you¡¯re taking them for the second time.</em>

    Arwin knelt by the ash and scooped it up. He walked over to the ditch behind the smithy. To his surprise, he couldn¡¯t see the bodies of the Brothers Six in it. He tilted his head to the side, the pile of ash in his palms starting to blow away in the wind.

    <em>Eh. Who cares what happened to them. Maybe arge stray animal got hungry. </em>

    He nced at the ash. There were probably better ways to dispose of it than dumping it into a hole. Then again, Arwin was pretty sure that ash was good for the dirt. It was a fertilizer. Maybe they could start a garden for Lillia.

    Arwin let the handful fall. It twisted and swirled through the air on its way down like it was trying to paint a picture. As to what the picture was, Arwin was unsure. He got the feeling he¡¯d figure it out in time.

 Chapter 83: Drunkard

    Chapter 83: Drunkard

    Arwin¡¯s world was soot and ckened brick. His fingernails were packed with dirt and his fingers ached from working pieces of broken stone out of the rubble. Power trickled through his body as he activated [Scourge] and slung a burnt beam over his shoulder.

    He walked down a path strewn with small pieces of rubble and specs of ash. His feet remembered the path back to the ditch better than his mind did. Arriving at the edge, Arwin threw the piece of wood into a growing pile at the ditch¡¯s bottom.

    Itnded vertically, impaling the pile of soot and rock like the sword of a long-forgotten king that awaited a hero to draw it free. Arwin trudged back to the site of his smithy and picked up thergest stone he could find.

    He brought it back over to the ditch and tossed it. The rocknded on the brittle piece of protruding wood, shattering it and sending splinters everywhere. Arwin nodded to himself and turned to return.

    Thest few hours had been productive. He¡¯d drained most of the power he had using [Scourge] to lug chunks away from the smithy. The majority of the ground had been cleared away and all that remained were a fewst stragglers.

    Arwin wiped his brow. His hand left behind a ck streak of dirt that mixed with the rivulets of sweat running down his face and stinging his eyes. Cursing under his breath, Arwin wiped at his face with his shirt. That only seeded in smearing everything around and annoying him even further.

    He gave up and let his hands drop. There were still more rocks to move. He could clean himself up after he finished his work for the day. If he¡¯d had more energy, it would have only taken another hour at most. He wasn¡¯t so lucky.

    Even though Arwin had been rationing his energy, there was only so much power in his body. [Scourge] was a power-hungry ability that didn¡¯t lend itself well to usage over long periods of time. He¡¯d been using it to break up all the damaged stone into manageable chunks and carry them for hours. Now there was nothing but his own dwindling strength left.

    Arwin crouched beside a stone that had fallen at an angle and wedged itself into the ground. He dug his fingers into the dirt beside it. It pressed against the beds of his fingernails and the sharp rock dug into his palms as he heaved.Dirt shifted and he pulled the stone free with a groan. Arwin pulled it against his chest and gritted his teeth. The rock didn¡¯t seem happy with its relocation. It fought to slip free of his grasp with every ponderous step he took. Arwin finally reached the ditch and let his weary hands rx. The stone thudded down the side and collided with another rock at the bottom, shattering into a dozen pieces.

    Heaving a sigh, Arwin headed back to the smithy. He picked out his next target ¨C half of arge b that he suspected had once been part of his former hearth ¨C and mentally prepared himself to pick up another piece.

    As he went to pick it up, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Arwin raised his gaze. Standing across the street from him was a figure made blurry by the sweat and dirt nipping at Arwin¡¯s eyes.

    He wiped his face with the inside of his shirt and stood up. It didn¡¯t make sense for Jessen to have broken his word already. Arwin had been confident he¡¯d gotten a good read on the man.

    His attempts to wipe his eyes werergely ineffective, but they still did enough to let him make out more detail. The man across from him wore the clothes of a beggar. Dirt and grime stained his entire body and had worked its way so deeply into his white beard that it almost looked brown. He held a ratty old mug in one hand and supported himself with the other.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Arwin asked.

    The other man swayed in ce. His eyes shifted from Arwin to the mug in his hand and then back again. He seemingly lost an internal battle and lifted the mug to his lips to take a long drink from it.

    Belching, the man lowered the mug and wiped his mouth with the back of a sleeve. A second of silence passed before he spoke with the sheer confidence that only a fool or a drunkard could muster. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a show. Feel free to move on,¡± Arwin said. He wasn¡¯t all too keen on letting someone stand around behind him. Appearances could be deceiving ¨C and even a drunkard could run him through if he wasn¡¯t paying attention.

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    ¡°What, do you own the street?¡± The man hupped and took another sip from his mug. ¡°I ain¡¯t doing anything. No need to be prickly. You and I don¡¯t seem so different from how I see it.¡±

    Arwin looked down at his hands. It was hard to argue with the drunkard¡¯s observation. His palms told the story of a man who still hadn¡¯t figured out that bathing was an activity that was meant to be done more than once a year.

    ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t argue too much with that,¡± Arwin admitted. He picked out arge rock with a t top and sat down on it. A point the man may have had, but Arwin didn¡¯t want to find a different point going through his back. ¡°If you¡¯re going to stand around, you may as well sit. I assume you want something.¡±

    The drunkard chuckled. He stumbled over to Arwin. Several times he tripped over his feet and took several stumbling steps forward. By some miracle, he managed to make it over to anotherrge stone without tripping and breaking his neck.

    ¡°Why you digging through the ash?¡± the man asked as he sat. His momentum took him just a little too far. All his efforts in arriving to the stone safely were wasted as he pitched back. His legs flew up as he slid off the stone andnded on the ground back-first with a loud thump. For a second, the man¡¯s legs remained pointed straight into the air. Then they flopped down over the rock and he lifted his mug. He¡¯d managed to avoid spilling it on the way down.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Arwin asked, trying to keep the amusement from his tone.

    ¡°Was just ¡®sittin. There¡¯s nothing in the ruins worth taking. You¡¯re just wasting your time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to take anything.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you bothering with?¡± the man gestured vaguely with his mug. ¡°There are other buildings here.¡±

    ¡°There are,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But I like this one.¡±

    ¡°How? There¡¯s nothing left to like.¡± The man chuckled to himself and raised the mug over his head, pouring thest of his drink out like the world¡¯s most pathetic waterfall. The majority of it missed his mouth andnded on his face. He let out a slew of waterlogged curses.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about how much is left. It¡¯s about what you do with it,¡± Arwin said. He braced his arms against his knees and leaned forward to rest. ¡°It¡¯ll be worth it once everything is rebuilt. It¡¯ll be <em>my </em>smithy, not just a building I confiscated.¡±

    ¡°Until someone blows it up again.¡±

    Arwin ran a hand through the thinyer of soot remaining on the ground and rubbed it between his fingers. It wasn¡¯t like he could get any more stained.

    ¡°It¡¯s an interesting thought, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°Is it better to have had something and lose it or to never have had it at all?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t get hurt if you don¡¯t have anything to lose.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t live if you don¡¯t have anything to live for,¡± Arwin countered.

    ¡°Sure. Keep telling yourself that as you pick through the remains of your life,¡± the drunkard said with a chuckle. He pushed himself upright and teetered unsteadily on the top of his rock. ¡°Care for any more ash with that ash?¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t take the bait. It was obvious the man was trying to goad him into a fight. It wasn¡¯t going to work. He stood in the remains of his old smithy and the dreams of his next. There was nothing he could do to take back the past. That didn¡¯t mean he was going to let it destroy his future.

    ¡°Can you really say that if you don¡¯t even have anything to lose?¡± Arwin asked.

    Amber light poked into Arwin¡¯s eyes as the sun started to dip behind Milten¡¯s skyline. It cast the city in burnt oranges and yellows. Light shimmered off the cracks in the stones that were unmarred by soot, reminding Arwin that he still had more to do before the day was done.

    He braced his hands against his knees and rose to his feet. Some of his energy had returned. It wasn¡¯t much, but it would be enough to finish what he¡¯d started.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got all I need,¡± the drunkard said. He shook his empty tankard at Arwin, then paused and nced inside it.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure,¡± Arwin said nomittally. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you how to live your life. I might suggest you get another refill from Lillia, though.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think I get my drinks anywhere here?¡±

    ¡°She mentioned a raggedy bloke that got drinks from her. It wasn¡¯t hard to make the connection.¡± Arwin crouched beside a rock, still facing the nameless drunkard, and activated [Scourge]. He lifted it into the air and trudged over to the ditch to dispose of it. The drunkard made no move to follow Arwin, but he was still there when he returned.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that you¡¯ll lose more?"

    ¡°Perhaps I will, but I¡¯ll do everything in my power to protect it. I can¡¯t predict the future and I can¡¯t change the past. All I can do is live in a way that hopefully does right by everyone ¨C both living and dead.¡±

    Arwin picked up another rock and set off to the ditch.

    When he got back, the drunkard was gone. Arwin only paused for long enough to make sure the man wasn¡¯t hiding somewhere and waiting to stab him. The man had seemed far more curious than aggressive, but that wasn¡¯t a reason to skip out on precautions.

    It looked like he had well and truly left. Arwin considered heading to Lillia¡¯s tavern to look for him but dismissed the idea. The conversation had ended. Arwin hadn¡¯t even gotten the man¡¯s name.

    <em>Ah, well. I imagine I¡¯ll see him around again. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s literally the only other person on this street. He¡¯s probably filling back up on booze with Lillia right now. With how sloshed he already was, it probably won¡¯t be long until he¡¯s passed out in an alleyway somewhere. </em>

    Arwin turned his attention back to the smithy. The grace of the sun was fading fast. Orange had turned to a vibrant gossamer pink intertwined with streaks of red in the final show of daylight before the night could im the sky.

    <em>I¡¯m finishing this before I go to bed tonight.</em>

 Chapter 84: Turns

    Chapter 84: Turns

    Arwin¡¯sbor concluded well into the night. It had taken longer than he¡¯d thought. That didn¡¯t bother him at all. The final piece of debris rolled down the ditch and thudded into the pile at its bottom.

    Its arrival was the only sound in the deep cloak of the night around Arwin. The street was far away enough from the rest of the city that there had been no noise on the street aside from his work.

    Soot had worked itself into every spot that it could have. His clothes were stained pitch ck and ruined. But, as Arwin looked back at the now-clear plot ofnd, he was satisfied. It was with slight irony that Arwin found the night had turned everything just as ck as it had been when it had been covered by soot.

    He wasn¡¯t going to be able to appreciate the fruits of hisbors until the sun rose in the morning and banished the night to whence it came. A cool breeze rolled across Arwin¡¯s tired shoulders like a caress. Goosebumps raced down his spine and he shivered.

    The smithy stood on the precipice between life and death. What it had once been was gone and it would never be recovered. And yet, even though none of the brick remained, the dream still stood.

    It wasn¡¯t quite tangible. It wasn¡¯t something that Arwin could have described through word or pen stroke. It wasn¡¯t even something that he was certain he could feel. The now-empty plot ofnd was a breath of held air in the lungs of a city that didn¡¯t care.

    The only people that knew of what had happened were the ones on this street and the ones that had made it this way ¨C but that would change. Arwin swore it to himself. There would be a time when this street would be known to all and the Iron Hounds were nothing but a passing memory burning away in the fire that they had started.

    <em>I won¡¯t let this happen again. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t do more for you, Zeke. I wish I could. I wish I could have saved everyone. I wish I could have been the one that was in the smithy when the Iron Hounds destroyed it.</em>

    <em>I wasn¡¯t. I can¡¯t change any of that. All I can do is remember the people that got me here. I will push on for all of them. </em><em>Rest well, Zeke. </em>

    The past was what the future was built upon. It could not be forgotten, but dwelling upon it would do nothing for the future. Arwin turned from the smithy.

    He wanted to head back to the tavern, but he didn¡¯t quite feel ready for it yet. His body didn¡¯t quite feel ready to try and settle in. Arwin headed across the street to the rickety house that was serving as his temporary workshop and stepped inside.

    [Soul me] ignited in his hand and he tossed it into the hearth. He picked up a scrap of metal from the ground and studied it. It was Brightsteel, marred and ckened by intense heat.

    <em>A bracelet will do.</em>

    Arwin brought the Brightsteel to the fire. He let it heat, then worked it together with just his hands. Verdant ze could have made it faster, but he just wanted to let his body work for a little longer.

    He used [Scourge] to press the metal into shape and form it into a bracelet. The result wasn¡¯t quite as smooth as it would have been if he¡¯d worked the metal properly, but it had its own charm to it. Not something that would have held up in a fight ¨C but it was a bracelet, not a sword.

    A shimmer of the Mesh wrapped around the Bracelet as he finished it.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Average Quality] has been forged.</strong>

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Roughshod]: This item was forged by strong, weary hands that longed for escape. It can direct all the power in its wielder¡¯s body into a single strike at a significant cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Weary]: This item is imbued with the feelings of a man who seeks rest and freedom. Using its ability will cause its wielder to feel exhausted and slow their movements for a duration ranging on the amount of magical power [Roughshod] consumed. </strong>

    Another good bracelet, practically the opposite of the one he¡¯d used to kill Yul. Arwin slipped it onto his wrist. He had no doubt it would be useful in due time, and its main goal had been aplished. Rest didn¡¯t seem quite so impossible anymore. His footsteps apanied him through the night on the way back to the tavern.

    Lillia was still awake when he arrived. She took one look at Arwin before jerking her thumb over her shoulder toward the small bathroom.

    ¡°You look like you went swimming in the pits of the Ninth Undend. I¡¯ve already got some water drawn up for you. Don¡¯t even think about heading upstairs like that.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said. He didn¡¯t need to be told twice. A bath, even if it was in ice cold water, sounded like the most heavenly thing in the world.

    He retreated to the bathroom to wash off. The dirt had been set so deeply into his skin that it took him nearly an hour before he even started to feel clean again. He¡¯d stained the water in the tub pitch ck by the time he was done.

    His clothes, unfortunately, were done. There would be no washing them out. Lillia had been kind enough toy out an extra set of clothes and a rag on a small peg beside the tub. Arwin dried himself off and pulled everything on before stepping back into themon room.

    Lillia sat at the counter with a loaf of bread on a te before her. She nudged the stool beside her out with a foot and Arwin took the unspoken invitation to sit down.

    ¡°Finished clearing out the smithy?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Your other customer swung by as well.¡±

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    Lillia broke a piece of the bread off and handed it to Arwin. She slid over a small bowl of liquid. He squinted through the darkness as he tried to make out what it was. It was fruitless ¨C the only way he could even tell something was in it was by the sound the bowl made when she moved it.

    ¡°Which one?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have that many, do you? The one that drinks.¡±

    ¡°Oh, him. He never says much. Didn¡¯t think he was the talkative type. What did he want?¡± Lillia broke a piece of her loaf off and dipped it into the bowl before taking a bite. ¡°Nothing bad, I hope.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure he wanted anything. We just talked for a little and then he left.¡± Arwin copied Lillia. He had no idea what the liquid was, but it certainly tasted fantastic along with the bread. ¡°Did you make this?¡±

    ¡°The bread, yes. Reya bought the oil. I don¡¯t know how to make it yet.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    They ate quietly until they¡¯d polished off the rest of the loaf and wiped the bowl clean. Even then, neither of them spoke. There was somethingfortable about sitting in the dark and enjoying the silence. Words weren¡¯t always needed to speak.

    Eventually, Lillia picked the bowl up and rose to her feet. ¡°Are we going back to the dungeon soon? I¡¯m running low on supplies ¨C and money.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I need money to repair the smithy,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And I¡¯m going to go back to the market soon enough to sell my gear. I think tomorrow should be fine. We¡¯ll have to ask Anna and Rodrick to see if they¡¯ve got anything else nned.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t. They want to head back in as well.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t surprised. He wanted to get stronger just as much as the others did. The Wyrm still had to be dealt with and the dungeon was the best way to handle most of their problems at once.

    ¡°Then tomorrow it is,¡± Arwin confirmed. He rose from his chair and pushed it back over to the counter. For the second time, silence set in.

    This time, it wasn¡¯t quite asfortable as thest. Arwin found himself at a want and a loss for words. He coughed softly into his fist.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    He headed up the stairs and to his room. All the work he¡¯d put into tearing apart the remains of the smithy hadpletely drained him. Letting out a heavy sigh, Arwin flopped into bed. The grip of sleep wrapped around his chest and drew him in the moment his head hit the pillow.

    ***

    Arwin awoke to something mmy and sharp digging into his wrist. His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright. Whatever had been holding onto him had let go. It was still pitch-ck outside and his room was no better.

    <em>Did I imagine it? I could have sworn ¨C </em>

    Two orbs glittered in the dark at the foot of Arwin¡¯s bed. He nearly called Verdant ze to his hands before the clouds shifted behind him and let a tiny sliver of moonlight through. A Lesser Imp stood before Arwin.

    There would have been a time where Arwin¡¯s next move would have been to paste the monster where it stood. He probably would have then gone to find whoever was responsible for the area¡¯s security and given them a thorough scolding for letting a monster breach their defenses so easily.

    Instead, Arwin rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Even if he¡¯d been in a particrly jumpy mood, he wasn¡¯t going to attack this particr imp. It was hard for anyone to look intimidating when they were wearing a frilly maid outfit.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    The imp didn¡¯t respond. It struck Arwin that he¡¯d never actually seen one of them speak. Perhaps all the jagged teeth made it impossible to do so without identally biting their tongue off.

    Arwin was pretty sure that the imp hadn¡¯t juste to socialize ¨C and he certainly hoped that it wasn¡¯t just watching him sleep. He may not have hated them like he once had, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted them staring him down.

    The imp reached out and grabbed at Arwin¡¯s wrist again to give it a small tug. It was trying to lead him somewhere. His brow furrowed and Arwin slipped out of bed. He was pretty sure the monster would have been acting much more urgently if something serious was wrong.

    <em>You know, I¡¯ve never actually seen Lillia let them roam around on their own before. </em>

    Arwin let the imp guide him out of the room and into the hall. He prepared to activate [Arsenal] at a moment¡¯s notice if he needed to. The imp continued toward the stairs and Arwin slowed his gait to match the monster. It didn¡¯t look or sound like anything was out of ce.

    He followed it down and stepped into themon room of the tavern. Nothing felt off here either. Arwin squinted at the doorway in case someone was lurking around outside.

    <em>Maybe the drunkard came back and is going to get pissy that nobody is awake to serve him?</em>

    The imp pulled Arwin away from the door. With that theory nixed, he could do nothing but follow it into the kitchen and down the hall. The darkness grew thicker the closer they got, and it wasn¡¯t long before Arwin waspletely blind. He would have beenpletely lost if it wasn¡¯t for the imp guiding him.

    It led him into what Arwin recalled to be Lillia¡¯s room and came to a stop a few stepster. Then it let go of his hand. He opened his mouth to ask what it was doing and caught himself at thest second.

    Lillia was probably asleep. They¡¯d had enough difficulty getting rest in recent nights. Thest thing he wanted to do was interrupt hers.

    <em>And I¡¯m not all that thrilled about mine being interrupted either. What the hell was that imp doing?</em>

    It wasn¡¯t like Lillia could be missing or in danger. The thick darkness surrounding everything told him that she was somewhere in the room beside him. He went to leave the room when a muted mumble stopped him.

    For a second, he thought that Lillia had said something to him. Then, a momentter, he realized that she was speaking in her sleep. Arwin did his best to avoid listening to anything she said. It would have been a breach of privacy ¨C but he couldn¡¯t avoid hearing the pain in her words. Hay crinkled as Lillia rolled over in her bed.

    She rolled again a secondter. The imp tugged at Arwin¡¯s hand again, taking him by such surprise that he nearly jumped a foot into the air. He caught himself before he could make any noise and squinted. It was pointless. Making anything out in the dark was impossible. Li let out a distressed groan. The imp pulled at Arwin¡¯s hand once more.

    <em>It brought me here because it¡¯s worried about her.</em>

    ¡°Lillia?¡± Arwin whispered.

    There was no response. She was so deep in her dreams that she couldn¡¯t hear him. She muttered something under her breath again. This time, despite his attempts not to, Arwin caught it.

    The word wasn¡¯t one he knew. It was in a differentnguage, but Arwin had heard enough yells in the fights he¡¯d had against Lillia¡¯s armies to recognize certain intonations of thenguage. She was saying a name.

    Lillia rolled over in her bed again and muttered more names to herself. Arwin didn¡¯t recognize any of them but wasn¡¯t hard to guess who they were. They were the people that she¡¯d lost in the war.

    <em>Losing Zeke hit her just as hard as it hit me. I thought she was recovering as fast as I was, but she¡¯s been the one supporting me this whole time. It¡¯s hard to heal when you¡¯re thinking about someone else.</em>

    Arwin edged forward until his foot touched the edge of Lillia¡¯s bed. He sat down beside it.

    ¡°Lillia?¡± he whispered.

    The hay rustled as she rolled over again and groaned. Arwin reached out carefully, trying to find her arm. His hand brushed against her shoulder. Before he could gently shake her awake, her pained breathing started to rx.

    Pained whispers dropped to a murmur. Li shifted once more, moving closer to Arwin until his arm was draped across her back. Then there was silence broken only by soft breaths. Arwin rxed and settled into a morefortable position to wait out the night by her side.

    She¡¯d been there to support him when his mind had refused to let him rest.

    Now it was his turn.

 Chapter 85: Uh oh

    Chapter 85: Uh oh

    Arwin was unsure as to how much time had passed. It was impossible to get a good feel for the night¡¯s passing in Lillia¡¯s room. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, or he could have been there for days.

    He wasn¡¯t quite sleeping but he was far from awake. It was a state of suspended animation that was just a step away from meditation and a step ahead of sitting around and staring at the ceiling as he waited for the sun to rise.

    The warmth of Li¡¯s body pressed against his side and back. She hadn¡¯t made a single noise beyond gentle breath since he¡¯d arrived. The only thing that apanied him in the darkness other than her presence were his own thoughts.

    Those, however, felt like they would never end. Thest time Arwin had been in Lillia¡¯s room, she¡¯d been awake beside him. Knowing that she was present had been enough to keep his mind from drifting too far.

    But now Lillia slept. Even though she was beside him, there was nothing to keep him focused on the present. Visions flew unbidden past his eyes and yed out in the darkness beyond sight.

    They meshed together into a chaotic tapestry. The canvas of broken battlefields, painted red with the brush of the dead and dying ¨C the Brothers Six, reduced to one ¨C thest fight with Lillia, where the men and women that had fought by his side died nameless and faceless.

    Over and over, the visions came. Memories that had been buried since histe teens and scenes from just days ago came as one. They flitted and danced past his mind before he could properly grasp them. There seemed to be no sense to their order or purpose to their arrival, but they always seemed to end with Lillia. Arwin shoved them back and tried to turn his mind to other directions. But still, she lingered on in his thoughts.

    It was ironic. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild would have likely achieved their goals if he and Lillia hadn¡¯t both managed to arrive at Milten. Without Reya, Arwin suspected he would have died.

    Lillia would have been unlikely to find anyone to get food from her tavern and would have met a simr fate. And, even if they¡¯d both survived the initial days, neither of them ever would have had proof of the Guild¡¯s actions.<em>I¡¯d likely have returned to them at some point in the future to determine what had happened. There would have been no proof that the conspiracy ran so deep that the entire guild was a sham. </em>

    <em>I still don¡¯t know what caused that explosion. I don¡¯t know what Sunset is or how I got it, and I don¡¯t know how Lillia and I both managed to end up at Milten. That¡¯s too much of a coincidence for me believe it to be one. </em>

    <em>I wonder¡­ is it possible that Sunset or the gem was a coverup? A way for someone working against the guilds to get us into a new environment while revealing that the guild was manipting us?</em>

    <em>If that¡¯s true, there¡¯s no way to verify it unless I manage to find a way to trace Sunset or get a lead on that ck gem. Problems for when I¡¯m strong enough to deal with them. </em>

    Arwin squinted into the darkness. It was pointless. There was no amount of adjusting that normal human eyes could do to see in the pitch ck that surrounded him. He hadn¡¯t seen or felt the imp since it had brought him here. Part of him wondered if it was just standing in the darkness and staring at him with its wide, watery eyes and glistening fangs. The bigger part just didn¡¯t care.

    Lillia stirred before Arwin¡¯s thoughts could carry him onto their next wave. The pattern of her breathing changed over the course of a few seconds, but she didn¡¯t fully shift from her spot.

    ¡°Arwin? How long were you here?¡± Lillia¡¯s voice was a muted whisper that carved through the pitch ck, notes of drowsiness mixing with confusion upon her words.

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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Arwin admitted honestly. ¡°You were troubled. One of your imps brought me.¡±

    ¡°They did?¡± Lillia asked. The weariness pulled back from her tone and Arwin felt her move beside him. He couldn¡¯t tell what she was doing, but based on her tone, he suspected she was probably wiping her eyes or covering a yawn. ¡°Did¡­ you hear anything?¡±

    ¡°Names,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But not ones that meant anything to me. I suspect the same is not true to you.¡±

    ¡°I think it was nightmares. They¡¯ve already started to fade. I can barely remember what they were about,¡± Lillia said. She made no move to rise from her spot, and Arwin left his arm where it was. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since Ist had one. I¡¯d thought I was over it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure over it is ever a set of words that will be used to describe us,¡± Arwin said with a quietugh. ¡°Come to peace, perhaps. But over it? Never.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve done? Come to peace?¡±

    Arwin considered Lillia¡¯s question for a second. He wasn¡¯t so sure he knew the answer. The past couldn¡¯t be changed no matter how much he wanted to change it. No matter how much he wanted to set it alight, the mes would only burn the future.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Are you still feeling up to enter the dungeon today? We all need to be at our best if we¡¯re going to be fighting.¡±

    Lillia remained silent. Any answer given quickly to a question such as that was liable to be impulsive, and she was too experienced to make a mistake like that. Several seconds passed before she moved to sit up. She leaned against him as she rose, keeping her side pressed against his for support.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Somehow, I think I actually got a pretty decent night of rest. I don¡¯t feel nearly as tired as I think I should. I figure you¡¯re to thank for that.¡± Her voice trailed away for a second. Before Arwin could say anything, she spoke again. ¡°Just so you know, that¡¯s more than a little embarrassing to admit.¡±

    ¡°Even if you were doing your best tomato impression, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d be able to see. I wouldn¡¯t have known if you didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    ¡°I know. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I had to suffer to say that.¡±

    Arwin let out a snort ofughter before he could stop himself. ¡°In that case, I guess I have to thank you for your sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Arwin felt her nod. ¡°As you should.¡±

    They didn¡¯t speak again for a few seconds, but it wasn¡¯t for ack of want. There were a lot of things that Arwin wanted to say. None of them seemed able to manifest themselves beyond a flitting thought that died before it could reach his lips.

    ¡°Arwin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose anyone else.¡± Lillia swallowed and her shoulders stiffened as she forced the next sentence through her lips, spitting the words out before they could find anywhere to hide. ¡°I¡¯m scared. I was so resigned to trading everything for living. I didn¡¯t have anything else left to give, so I had nothing to fear. Then things changed. There¡¯s so much I care about now, and I don¡¯t want to lose any more of it.¡±

    Arwin wished he had something to say that was more than just mere words. He wished he¡¯d been gifted with a silver tongue or blessed by a stroke of inspiration that would let himfort Lillia.

    There wasn¡¯t a single thing that he could say that would properly encapste his own feelings. Nobination of words, no matter how well spoken, felt like it could ever evene close to even scratching the surface. His arm drifted up of its own ord and wrapped around Lillia¡¯s shoulders. She leaned against his chest and he pulled her into an embrace.

    ¡°I know,¡± Arwin said.

    There was nothing else to be said. The dark swallowed the world until all that remained were the two of them. He let his head lower until it rested against Lillia¡¯s. Her heartbeat was just faint enough for him to pick up against his skin and her hair tickled his nose.

    A sense of strangefort enveloped Arwin. His brow crinkled as he tried to ce the emotion. It was akin to walking down the road to peace if it were paved with bricks made of desire. A dull sense of loss gnawed at his stomach, even as his face warmed.

    He searched deeper within himself in pursuit of what the emotion was, a growing sense of concern welling within his chest. Entering any form of battle without knowing oneself was a direct path to the doors of the afterlife.

    And yet, the harder he searched, the less he could understand. Nothing quite lined up to where it should have. None of the emotions swirling within him felt like they should have been connected with each other.

    He opened his mouth to voice his concerns, but the words stubbornly lined up at the back of his throat, digging their heels in and refusing to step foot outside his mouth.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck tingled and his heart clenched as the dam that he¡¯d been picking away at finally cracked. Realization poured through the gap, shattering what remained of the crumbling dam in an enormous, crashing wave as he finally realized why his thoughts had been drifting back to one particr person so frequently.

    <em>I think I¡¯m falling for Lillia. </em>

 Chapter 86: Supposed

    Chapter 86: Supposed

    Even if Arwin wanted to take back his realization, it was toote to avoid notice of Lillia¡¯s body pressed against his and the faint scent of honey and freshly baked bread that lingered in her hair.

    <em>This isn¡¯t right. I need to put a stop to it. I can¡¯t allow myself to feel anything like this for the demon ¨C </em>

    Arwin¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t even finish the thought that it had started to form. He wasn¡¯t sure when it had happened, but he couldn¡¯t see the woman in his arms as the demon queen anymore. She was just Lillia. The only person who could ever evene close to understanding his pain. The one that had been there to help him through it.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    The right thing to do was to pull away. He should have gently bid Lillia goodnight ¨C or good day, whichever it happened to be ¨C and have been on his way. He should have returned to his room and centered himself and crushed these feelings until nothing remained but the vague memory of the mistake he could have made.

    The right thing to do was to leave her there, devoid of support when she had given it to him.

    <em>Is that really the right thing to do?</em>

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure. And, as it so turned out, he didn¡¯t particrly care. There was nothing to be done about his feelings. They weren¡¯t going to go anywhere today. They didn¡¯t need to. A feeling understood was a feeling controlled.

    Either way, it didn¡¯t matter what he felt. The world could have been crashing down around him and it would have changed nothing. Lillia needed him right now. Arwin refused to move a muscle until that was no longer the case. Everything else could be dealt withter.He didn¡¯t know how long the two of them sat there, side by side, but the sound of the stairs creaking in the distance finally broke the silence as somebody headed down into themon room of the tavern.

    Lillia¡¯s shoulders tensed. She hesitated for a second before she released Arwin and pulled away. Part of him cursed the sound, and another part felt like it couldn¡¯t havee soon enough. He let his arm fall away from her shoulders as she stood.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lillia said softly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for unloading on you like that. I guess I wasn¡¯t nearly as in control of my emotions as I thought I was.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. I suspect I would have done the same if you hadn¡¯t been there to help me through it.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Lillia said, a note of amusement flickering through her voice. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go out and meet the others.¡±

    Her hand found his in the darkness and she led him into the kitchen. The faint orange glow of candlelight from thenterns illuminated the outline of her body before him. Even though Arwin could already see where he was going, Lillia made no move to release his hand. She paused as they drew up to the doorway leading out of the kitchen and into themon room.

    ¡°Lillia?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Forget about it,¡± Lillia said with a shake of her head. Her hand tightened around his for a moment before she let go. ¡°I¡¯m ready to handle the dungeon so long as you are.¡±

    Arwin thought for a second. If he hadn¡¯t managed to untangle his thoughts, it may have been a risk. That wasn¡¯t the case any longer. He knew what the problem was, even if he wished that he didn¡¯t.

    But as long as he knew, it could be handled. It could be controlled. Emotion was only a danger when it was an unknown. Anything that he already knew about could be ounted for and dealt with.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready as well,¡± Arwin said.

    The two of them stepped into themon room. Anna and Rodrick were both sitting at the counter, speaking in hushed tones. Rodrick was d in his armor, and the way that he and Anna were swinging their feet impatiently told Arwin that they were eager to set out as well. Reya didn¡¯t seem like she¡¯d woken up quite yet, but that was just fine.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We setting out soon? I really want to stick my sword in something.¡±

    Anna arched an eyebrow at Rodrick. He reddened and turned away, pointedly ignoring her.

    ¡°Yeah, whenever Reya is ready. I¡¯m going to check on the smithy first to see what it looks like in the daylight so I can remind myself what I¡¯m working toward.¡±

    <em>That¡¯ll give me a little bit to gather my thoughts while I¡¯m alone. </em>

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    <em>I think Rodrick is right, though. I thought I was done with all this shit, but I really want to hit something with my hammer. </em>

    In the back of his mind, a twinge of approval sputtered to life like a candle being lit. Somewhere, hidden within wherever [Arsenal] put his equipment when he wasn¡¯t using it, Verdant ze reached out to him. It didn¡¯t care if it was striking metal or flesh. It was all the same. Until something gave way beneath it, the weapon would hunger.

    <em>That must be [Awoken] starting to build up enough energy to actually have an effect. It must be something of a sliding scale rather than either alive or inanimate. Though¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d consider Verdant ze alive. It more feels like it¡¯s taken on a strong desire to be used, much like most materials I¡¯ve interacted with. </em>

    ¡°You doing okay?¡± Rodrick asked.

    He looked over his shoulder, realizing that he¡¯d been standing in the doorway without moving for several seconds. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine. My thoughts were just drifting. Nothing to worry about.¡±

    Rodrick shrugged and Arwin headed out of the doorway to make his way toward the spot where the smithy had once stood. He was rewarded with the sight of a day¡¯s work well done. While there was still a thinyer of soot on the ground, almost all of it had been removed. No stones remained to stall any construction. The plot ofndid in wait for a new smithy to be made upon it.

    Arwin stood, his arms crossed behind his back, and looked upon his work. He¡¯d always known that every building on the street would probably eventually have to be repaired if they wanted to bring anyrge amount of foot traffic to the area. Nobody wanted to go into an alley where it looked like they¡¯d get run through.

    He just hadn¡¯t thought it would be happening this soon. Arwin made to turn back to the tavern, but something lying in a tiny pile of dirt shed as the sunlight caught it. A frown crossed Arwin¡¯s face.

    <em>A piece of metal I missed?</em>

    Arwin headed over to the shimmer on the ground and knelt beside it. A thin circr disk was rested on the dirt, covered with a thinyer of soot. The sun had caught on a tiny, exposed part of it.

    He wiped the soot away with a thumb, revealing a glistening green color underneath. It was the scale that he¡¯d taken from the Wyrm. Arwin tilted his head to the side. He could have sworn that the scale hadn¡¯t been there when he¡¯d been working yesterday, but there was always a chance he hadn¡¯t seen it because of how dark it had been.

    After a moment longer of studying it, Arwin tucked the scale into a pocket. It was nice to know that it hadn¡¯t been lost in the me. Wyrm scales definitely weren¡¯t just ordinary material. He had no idea what he¡¯d use it for yet, but he suspected it would turn out to be useful when the time came around.

    He walked back to the tavern. If he spent any longer standing around the smithy, he¡¯d want to start building something. That wasn¡¯t something he could do until he had money to fund said building ¨C and the one way he was going to get that money was waiting for him on a key hanging from Reya¡¯s neck.

    Everyone had convened in themon room by the time Arwin returned. Reya and Lillia were both d in their armor. Rodrick had a cloak wrapped around himself to stop anyone from seeing the magical properties of his gear. Arwin didn¡¯t even bother asking if everyone was ready. Their appearances told the story so their mouths didn¡¯t have to.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Arwin said.

    They piled in behind him and the group set out for the dungeon. The trip out of the city went smoothly. Now that they were all d in rtively respectable gear, they just looked like any other group of adventurers and the guards didn¡¯t so much as nce at them twice.

    They didn¡¯t have any trouble on their way over to the dungeon either. It was a warm, sunny day and there wasn¡¯t a single cloud to interrupt the endless expanse of clear blue sky above them.

    That luck came to a close when they drew up to the valley that the dungeon rested at. Three cloaked men stood at the entrance of the dungeon, kneeling around it. One of them was positioned so that Arwin could make out his features.

    And, to Arwin¡¯s displeasure, he recognized the man¡¯s face.

    It was Jin, one of the members of the thieves¡¯ guild that had been after Reya. His eyes narrowed. The men hadn¡¯t noticed them yet, but it would only be a moment before ¨C

    Jin nced up. His eyes widened as he spotted the group standing above him and he hissed a warning to hispatriots. The three of them rose as one, all turning to face the neers.

    ¡°You,¡± Jin said, his voice riding the line between shock and usation.

    ¡°Who are these buggers?¡± Rodrick asked as he rested a hand on his sword. ¡°Nobody up to any good strolls around wearing a cloak like that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a cloak like that,¡± Anna pointed out.

    ¡°Thieves¡¯ guild,¡± Arwin said brusquely ¡°Not friends.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jin demanded. ¡°How are you¨C¡±

    He cut himself off, but it was toote. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°How am I what? I believe there was an agreement between our guilds, Jin. You lot stay away from my street and I stay away from yours. Why are you snooping around the entrance of a dungeon that won¡¯t work for you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re ¡®supposed to be dead,¡± one of the other men said, taking a step back. ¡°I knew it. That damn street is haunted, Jin. He¡¯s a ghost, and he¡¯s back for revenge.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a damn ghost. He¡¯s casting a shadow, idiot,¡± Jin said. He spat on the ground and shook his head. ¡°Forget it. We were just leaving.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said, his voice growing cold. ¡°Why is it you thought I was dead?¡±

    ¡°It was hard to miss your smithy going up like a ball of me,¡± Jin replied. His answer came a little too quickly for Arwin¡¯s tastes.

    ¡°Was it?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Because if someone¡¯s ce blows up, I usually try to figure out what happened before I assume they got cooked inside it. I think you¡¯re lying to me, Jin. Are you lying to me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Why would I¨C¡± Jin whipped his hand toward Arwin mid-sentence. Arwin activated [Arsenal] and his armor mmed into ce around him. Metal rang against metal as a thick needle struck him near the temple, but it failed to prate his helm and spun off to the side harmlessly before thunking into the ground at his feet.

    ¡°Gods damn it,¡± Jin cursed.

    ¡°Well, that answers that question.¡± Verdant ze took form in Arwin¡¯s hands. ¡°And now you¡¯re definitely not leaving.¡±

 Chapter 87: Do it

    Chapter 87: Do it

    The thief on Jin¡¯s left ¨C a tall, thin man with a pair of daggers at his side ¨C pped his hands together. Glistening blue light gathered around his fingertips and pooled at his palms. It swirled into a vortex, starting to form into a jagged bolt.

    Arwin didn¡¯t wait for him to finish casting the spell. He sprinted forward, his steps thundering against the ground as he propelled himself forward. He leapt into the air with a roar. The thieves would be less likely to direct attacks toward the others as long as their attention was on him.

    The mage¡¯s eyes widened and he flung his spell at Arwin while trying to scramble to safety. He was a decent shot, but it was hard to aim whilst retreating. The bolt of ice scraped past Arwin¡¯s shoulder. The gem in the center of his armor let out a dim hum and turned a faint icy blue and a resonant hum rose up from it.

    Arwin mmed down on the ground before Jin and swung Verdant ze. He aimed the weapon at the man¡¯s shoulder. He needed answers, not corpses. Not yet, at least.

    Jin dropped to the ground to avoid the attack and whipped his leg out in an attempt to sweep Arwin off his feet. [Scourge] pumped through Arwin¡¯s legs a moment before the blow connected. The thief let out a grunt of pain as his leg failed to so much as budge his target.

    The third thief ran for Arwin, but his whole body shimmered blue mid-step. He locked in ce and a rock flew through the air. It arced perfectly down before striking him square between the eyes.

    Frosty air bit at Arwin¡¯s skin. He jumped to the side instinctively as a rain of jagged ice plummeted from a dull blue sphere of energy that had formed in the air above him. The ice pounded into the ground where he¡¯d been standing. A few shards scraped against his armor and one cut a thin furrow down his arm, but none managed to inflict significant damage. More energy shimmered in the gem at the center of his armor and a second note joined the first.

    The mage¡¯s face paled as Arwin¡¯s gaze snapped over to him. Jin tried to lunge at Arwin, but Arwin thrust a foot forward, nting it square in the center of his chest and throwing the thief back across the ground.

    With the same move, Arwin reared back, activated [Scourge], and hurled his hammer. Verdant ze was far from an aerodynamic weapon. It really wasn¡¯t meant for throwing. Unfortunately for the mage, aerodynamics weren¡¯t all that relevant when someone was only just a little bit out of striking distance.Verdant ze screamed through the air and mmed into the man. Dozens of loud cracks merged together into a single sound as the man¡¯s body was crushed. He ragdolled across the ground, dead before he hit it.

    Energy ignited around Arwin¡¯s head and the eyes of his helm lit with a <em>whoomp </em>as it activated from the kill. A wave of energy rolled off his body and made his hair stand on end.

    ¡°Only an idiot throws their weapon,¡± Jin snarled. He leapt at Arwin and drove a spike toward an unarmored spot near his armpit.

    Arwin didn¡¯t grace him with a response. Verdant ze did the speaking for him. The weapon reformed in his hands and Jin practically threw himself straight into it. It drove into his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs in a pained cough.

    He turned to meet the other thief, but there was no need. The manid dead at Rodrick and Lillia¡¯s feet in a growing pool of blood spreading from arge sword wound across his chest.

    Jin drew several metal needles and held them in a loose grip. His eyes darted from Arwin to the others and he swallowed heavily. Even an idiot could have told that the fight was hopeless.

    ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Arwin asked. His words warped as they left the helm, twisted by the vibrating energy pouring off it. ¡°I have absolutely no reservations in killing all of you right here, Jin. Answer my damn question.¡±

    ¡°Why should I?¡± Jin demanded. His teeth gritted as he looked back to the body of his deadrade. ¡°You¡¯ve already killed Yegin.¡±

    ¡°I assume that was the mage ¨C but to be honest, I don¡¯t care. You attacked first. And something tells me that you aren¡¯t doing it at random. Give me the information I want or I¡¯ll get it from someone else.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Jin spat. His hand blurred ¨C and the wave of blue energy mmed down on top of him, locking him in ce before the needle could fly from his fingertips. It wasn¡¯t directed at Arwin, but at someone behind him.

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    Arwin didn¡¯t wait to see who. He stepped forward, his hammer blurring even as Jin shot back into motion. His needle rang off Arwin¡¯s shoulder te harmlessly. Jin¡¯s eyes only had an instant to widen in shock before Verdant ze mmed into him.

    Jin¡¯s limbs iled as his body tumbled across the ground. He skidded to a stop andid still in a growing pool of blood as Arwin¡¯s eyes red with even more energy. Verdant ze hummed in his hands, sending a deep hunger worming into his head. It wanted more. Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure that was a good thing.

    He released the weapon, letting the hammer dissipate and spilling the gore covering its head to the ground at his feet. The only people left in the area were his own. He hadn¡¯t seen any other thieves in the area, so he was quite certain there weren¡¯t any witnesses. Arwin let his armor fade away.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been best if we could have kept one to question?¡± Anna asked. She approached Jin¡¯s body and grimaced. ¡°I can¡¯t heal this. There needs to be enough left to put back together.¡±

    ¡°It would have been nice,¡± Arwin said. He walked up beside Anna and knelt to root through Jin¡¯s pockets. ¡°But mercy is for the strong. I¡¯ve been reminded more than enough that I can¡¯t afford it. I¡¯m not going to risk one of you getting injured just to make things easier. Any questioning we did probably wouldn¡¯t have been all that enlightening.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s unlikely the thieves¡¯ guild had anything to do with the attack. Not directly, at least,¡± Lillia said. ¡°They would have tried something before. They probably sold our location to Tix or the guild. That would exin why Jin thought Arwin should be dead.¡±

    ¡°I bet they thought Reya¡¯s key was destroyed in the explosion,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Dungeons want people to enter them, so they were probably checking to see if a new way in had appeared.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should pay them another visit,¡± Arwin mused. ¡°Even if they didn¡¯t do anything directly, they might know more. At the very least, I want to keep them off our street. If they think I¡¯m dead, they might try something again.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to show them¡­ well, this?¡± Anna nodded vaguely to the scene around them. ¡°It might start a huge fight. I doubt any guild is going to overlook us killing three of their men.¡±

    ¡°Us?¡± Arwin blinked at Anna in wide-eyed disbelief. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Anna. I¡¯m just a smith apanied by a tavern keeper with no patrons, a weak thief, a healer, and a warrior who seems to be better at spying than fighting. How could we have possibly dealt with three trained members of a guild?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be nning to y that card,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Wait, did you say I sucked at fighting?¡±

    ¡°No, just that you¡¯re better at spying. You said the sucking part yourself,¡± Arwin replied with a snort. He failed to find anything of interest on Jin¡¯s body other than a pouch of twenty gold. He tucked it into his pocket and stood. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with the thievester. I agree with Lillia. I don¡¯t think they acted directly against us. We¡¯ll need to confirm, of course, but I don¡¯t want to overy our hands again.¡±

    ¡°The dungeon, then?¡± Reya raised a hand to her neck and ran her thumb along the key that hung suspended from it. ¡°It¡¯s not like those guys put up that much of a fight.¡±

    ¡°I think it might be more that Arwin put up <em>too </em>much of a fight,¡± Anna said under her breath. ¡°Apprentice Tier my ass. I don¡¯t understand how you¡¯re supposed to have a crafting ss when you hit harder than a runaway horse.¡±

    ¡°Turns out, when you¡¯ve got good gear, you can start punching a bit above your weight ss,¡± Arwin said. He sent a nod to Reya. ¡°And it helps to have someone that can freeze people so they can¡¯t dodge my attacks.¡±

    ¡°Just remember it isn¡¯t going to work as well on anyone stronger,¡± Reya warned. ¡°There¡¯s only so much I can do until I get stronger.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re fortunate to be doing just that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a very convenient disposal system for these corpses, though. Dungeons are always hungry. Let¡¯s just move them quickly so nobody shows up while we¡¯re dragging bodies around.¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt the thieves¡¯ guild will send anyone looking for them too soon anyway,¡± Rodrick said as he knelt to grab one of the thieves by their ankles. ¡°Any big guild is usually remarkably slow on acting on missing people ¨C especially ones that aren¡¯t all that important. We should be fine.¡±

    ¡°None of them were important, were they?¡± Lillia asked, picking up another one.

    Reya shook her head. ¡°Jin was an enforcer, and I don¡¯t recognize the others. Enforcers are maybe halfway up the guild in standing from what I recall. He was basically just a guard that got paid extra to handle things discreetly.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then we¡¯ve got more than enough time to head into the dungeon and get out before anyone even thinks toe looking for us.¡± Arwin picked up Jin and walked over to the entrance of the dungeon, dragging the thief¡¯s body along the ground behind him.

    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be able to get all the way to the bottom this time around?¡± Rodrick asked.

    Arwin let out a bark ofughter. ¡°I think that might be a little bit optimistic. It¡¯s still a Journeyman level dungeon. We¡¯re a group of Apprentice Tiers. I think we can get pretty deep in. Maybe halfway, maybe more. I don¡¯t think we should think about it as trying to get as deep as possible. It should be how far we can get without getting killed in the process. We want a challenge, not to get killed.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, then.¡±

    Reya sent a questioning look to Arwin. His armor shimmered back on around his body and he gave her a curt nod.

    ¡°Take us in, Reya.¡±

 Chapter 88: Deaf

    Chapter 88: Deaf

    Jin and the other unfortunate thieves were left in a pile in the first room of the dungeon for something toe along and snack on. The first few rooms of the dungeon were so inconsequential that Arwin¡¯s group barely even stopped on their way through them. Several more goblins, a strange blob of jelly that got sttered to paste by Verdant ze before it could even try attacking, all fell before them.

    Even the orc, which had once been a significant threat, barely even managed to put up a fight. Reya froze the monster in ce as it noticed their arrival into its room and Rodrick dispatched it a secondter, delivering an empowered blow to the monster¡¯s throat.

    None of the monsters had been carrying anything that Arwin could use to work with and Lillia wasn¡¯t keen on cooking with humanoid flesh after finding out that nobody was willing to eat it.

    Even though they¡¯d yet to get anything worthwhile, the progress from their first few dungeon runs was stark. They¡¯d barely spent any energy getting this deep. Rodrick had mentioned about trying to go all the way to the end when they¡¯d entered. At the time, Arwin hadn¡¯t thought it even worth worrying about.

    But now, as they continued on, Arwin was starting to wonder if that was actually as far-reaching as he¡¯d initially thought. He hadn¡¯t so much as had to use a single ability or scrap of energy so far.

    He pushed those thoughts to the back of his head and forced himself to follow his own advice. Worrying about what would happen in the future was just going to put the present at risk. The end of the dungeon woulde if it came.

    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Arwin asked, stopping at the end of the hallway that led out of the third room and at the entrance to the fourth. Two flickering orbs of purple torchlight guarded the door before him.

    ¡°Big bugger,¡± Rodrick said. He spun his sword at his side. ¡°I¡¯m ready to let you do all the work and then take the kill for myself.¡±

    Arwin rolled his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to sound so excited about it.¡±¡°I like free stuff,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back, though.¡±

    Reya held her hands before her, ready to call on her powers at a moment¡¯s notice. Lillia stood beside her. Shadows coiled at her feet in anticipation. Arwin didn¡¯t bother asking if they were ready. He didn¡¯t need to.

    He pushed the door open. The dungeon had changed the room once again ¨C but not as much as some others. Translucent green crystals jutted out of the walls and protruded from the ceiling, sharpened to jagged points.

    A hunched creature sat in the corner of the room. The back of its spine pressed against taut grey skin. It was vaguely humanoid and its wed hands were full of gems that had been ripped up from the ground around it. Cracks and grinding crunches came from the monster¡¯s mouth as its jaws worked.

    It turned as Arwin stepped into the room, revealing sunken grey eyes andrge floppy ears. A t nose red on its face as it sniffed the air and rose to its feet, staggering, and let out a high-pitched growl. Gems fell from its mouth and tinkled against the floor.

    <strong>[Chiropire Screecher ¨C Journeyman 5]</strong>

    Even though Arwin had never seen this particr monster, it only took one look at itsrge ears and its name to determine exactly what it was the monster did. The Chiropire drew in a deep breath and it stomach ballooned.

    Arwin dashed forward, dismissing Verdant ze so he could close the distance sooner. He wasn¡¯t fast enough. The Chiropire¡¯s ears folded in on themselves and a deafening screech ripped through the room.

    His eardrums burst. Arwin staggered and lost his bnce mid-step. He managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground by nting his feet and skidding to a stop, but the world swirled and danced around him unsteadily.

    The only thing he could hear was a deafening echo of silence. Warm blood dripped down the sides of his face. Twisting and dancing in his vision, the Chiropire turned toward Arwin and bared a mouth full ofrge, heavy mrs. Two fangs snapped out of its top lip and it darted toward him.

    Arwin tried to brace himself enough that he could bring Verdant ze to bear and meet the monster¡¯s charge, but his body was too unstable. He wasn¡¯t going to be able to swing the hammer and keep his bnce.

    Instead, he threw his weight forward. The Chiropire twisted and tried to avoid the unexpected attack, but it was moving too quickly. Arwin¡¯s shoulder mmed into the monster and he drove it to the ground, pinning it beneath his weight.

    Its ws scraped against his armor and searched for purchase. Arwin delivered a [Scourge] empowered headbutt to the monster¡¯s chest. Bone cracked beneath his helm and the horns dug deep through grey flesh. The Chiropire¡¯s ws finally found a gap near the bottom of Arwin¡¯s te and dug into his hips.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    [Indomitable Bulwark] kept his leg from being severed on the spot, but hot blood coursed out of his body in a deluge. The Chriopire desperately tried to deepen the wound, but Arwin mmed his fist into the monster¡¯s shoulder.

    He¡¯d been aiming for its head, but with the world spinning as it was, he was lucky to have hit it at all. More bone shattered beneath him and the Chiropire screamed in pain. It tried to draw in a breath to screech again, but the cracked bones in its sternum ripped into its skin and proved to be too much to ovee.

    A wave of blue energy mmed into the monster and it locked in ce. Rodrick¡¯s sword carved through the air and connected with the middle of the Chriopire¡¯s head. The glowing energy surrounding the weapon carved straight through it and the monster went limp beneath Arwin. His helmet hummed with energy as its aura activated.

    Someone shook Arwin¡¯s shoulder. He turned to see Anna yelling something, her brow furrowed in intense concentration. He couldn¡¯t make out any of the words she was saying. She gave the horns on his helm a frustrated tug and Arwin dismissed it.

    Warm energy washed over Arwin¡¯s body and, with two gentle pops, his hearing returned. The damage to his hip knitted itself shut before Anna lifted her hand.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Arwin rose from the corpse at his feet. Rodrick leaned against Anna, two streaks of blood running down his own head as he swayed in ce. Anna sent golden energy flowing into him.

    ¡°I could barely use my magic with that helmet¡¯s aura screwing with me,¡± Anna, speaking much louder than normal. She shuddered. ¡°If you ever have it active and need healing, make sure to turn it off.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that effective?¡± Arwin raised his voice so Anna could hear him, but it still took her a second to try and read the words from his lips before she nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s nasty,¡± Anna confirmed. ¡°I could have brute forced it, but it would have been really difficult and taken a lot more energy than it normally should. It felt like my bones were getting vibrated and the ground was trying to swallow me. It¡¯s hard to describe, but it isn¡¯t a fun feeling to push through.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°That was a loud ass monster,¡± Rodrick said as he sheathed his sword. ¡°Thank whatever god was watching over me. If I¡¯d had my enhanced hearing active, I think my head would have popped. Is everyone else okay?¡±

    ¡°Just a little deaf for the moment,¡± Anna said. ¡°I think I was far back enough that I avoided the worst of the attack.¡±

    ¡°Did you at least manage to get some good energy from healing us?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I might have gotten more if I ran in earlier, but I can¡¯t heal my own wounds yet and I didn¡¯t want to get ripped in half.¡±

    ¡°A wise decision. I prefer you alive,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Reya, Lillia? You both okay?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re both fine,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I would have tried to attack with my shadows, but I was worried I¡¯d hit you in the process. I didn¡¯t want to make things worse.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It turned out okay.¡± Arwin wiped the blood away from his face before summoning his helm back, inert. The aura seemed to disappear whenever he sent it back to wherever it was that [Arsenal] kept his equipment. ¡°Anyone get anything good?¡±

    ¡°I went up a Tier and got an Achievement that got consumed at the same time to upgrade one of my skill choices,¡± Reya said absently as her eyes flitted through the air before her. ¡°I¡¯m Apprentice 2 now, and I got an upgraded skill called Shackle Break. It lets me shatter any magic that is negatively affecting myself or an ally, but it¡¯s got the typical drawback of having more trouble breaking moves from people at higher Tiers.¡±

    ¡°An ability that removes oppression? Those are normally just for healers or self-buffs,¡± Anna said, blinking in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s quite the odd ss you got there.¡±

    ¡°It falls in the realm of battlefield supports,¡± Rodrick said before Arwin could answer. ¡°That¡¯s my suspicion, at least. Probably an aggressive one. That¡¯s why Reya got it from abination of sparing the first lizard and trying to kill herself on the Wyrm. Mix of antibat and suppression techniques that aid your allies.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s pretty close to what I was going to say. I thought Rodrick didn¡¯t know that much about this kind of thing. He seemed like a bit of a goofy, well-meaning idiot when we first met. That doesn¡¯t really match up with the intelligence he¡¯s shown in recent days. </em>

    <em>Something tells me Rodrick and Anna left the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for more reasons than what they said. </em>

    ¡°It sounds like a good choice,¡± Arwin said. He studied the body of the monster at his feet. There wasn¡¯t much use he was going to get out of it, but the crystals were another story. He headed around the room, collecting them. Lillia procured arge tarp bag for him to store his findings in, then slung it over her shoulder.

    ¡°Do we go deeper?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Arwin said, studying himself for a second. The Chiropire hadn¡¯t damaged his armor and, while he¡¯d lost some blood, he still had a lot of magical energy to work with. If it hadn¡¯t been for the monster¡¯s screech, it probably wouldn¡¯t havended a blow on him at all.

    And besides ¨C the crystals weren¡¯t enough. They were a decent reward and he could work with them, but he wanted more if he could get away with it. Returning to the surface now felt too early.

    ¡°Just be careful. We¡¯re definitely over halfway into the dungeon by now,¡± Lillia warned. ¡°The things from here on out will be strong.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We need the experience fighting. I think I¡¯m probably not too far from reaching the next level in my Tier as well. Maybe one or two more fights like that. Hopefully I can get another Achievement on the way.¡±

    Nobody else voiced any concerns, so Arwin nodded and gestured to a thin hall leading into the dark sandwiched betweenrge growths of jutting crystals. ¡°Let¡¯s go deeper, then. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ve got ahead of us but considering that¡¯s the second time we¡¯ve seen crystals in this dungeon, it¡¯s likely we¡¯re going to see more rooms like this one.¡±

    ¡°Dungeons stop changing the deeper you get in them?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Generally, yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s easy to modify the outeryers, but from what I understand, the deeper you get, the more set in stone dungeons be. They¡¯re not exactly living creatures, but they¡¯re not inanimate either. It¡¯s easier to cut your fingernails than it is to swap out an organ.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Reya said. ¡°So that means the monsters down here are going to be ones that probably like crystals?¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Arwin said as he squeezed through the gap between the crystals and started into the hallway, the others following behind him. ¡°And, with any luck, they¡¯ll also be made out of something that I can forge with.¡±

 Chapter 89: Vile

    Chapter 89: Vile

    The hallway leading to the next room greeted them with the scent of the sea and stale breath. Familiar green crystals ran along the path at their feet, jutting out and seemingly doing their best to stick themselves right in front of their ankles whenever they took a step.

    Water dripped from the ceiling in a rhythmic pattern and plinked against pools of water around them. Moisture covered the walls and gave life to moss that hid in the cracks and corners of the stone.

    The hall grew narrower until there was just barely enough room for two people to walk side by side but they remained in a single file line anyway. Standing shoulder to shoulder would have forced them to squeeze and the crystals likely would have poked them every few steps. The scent of fish and salt intensified the deeper they headed.

    ¡°If the smell gets any worse, I think I might throw up,¡± Reya said nasally, pinching her nose shut and grimacing. ¡°Where are we headed, the ocean¡¯s ass crack?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been near the ocean?¡± Arwin asked, ncing back at Reya in surprise. ¡°Is Milten near arge body of water?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It¡¯s at the edge of the continent, at the farthest reaches of Lian. Honestly, it¡¯s only part of the kingdom by name. Have you seen the governor¡¯s mansion? Judging by its size, I¡¯d reckon he hasn¡¯t paid taxes to Lian in quite some time. Milten is just too far out and small to bother giving a shit about.¡±

    <em>Well, I guess that means my assumption of where Milten was happened to be pretty urate. Did that explosion really throw me this far? How in the world did I survive thending?</em>

    More questions, and still no answers. Arwin shook his head and dismissed his thoughts. There wasn¡¯t any room for that inside a dungeon. He could deal with his worries when there weren¡¯t monsters waiting to rip his heart out through his chest.

    His nose scrunched in distaste as he drew in a breath. Reya was right ¨C it smelled horrendous. A stain of rot had marred the already disgusting fishy scent, somehow making it even worse than it had been before.When the hallway finally turned a corner and stopped at the opening of arge room, Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if he was relieved or disgusted. The scent was definitelying from within it. Glowing green moss reflected off a pool of murky water at the back of the domed cave and illuminated the sparse crystals jutting out of the walls and shimmering beneath the smallke¡¯s surface.

    ¡°What are the chances we¡¯re up against some slippery piece of shit that¡¯s waiting underwater?¡± Rodrick whispered.

    ¡°Depends. Are you a betting man?¡± Arwin asked.

    Rodrick grunted. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as one hundred percent. Nobody offers up a bet they don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to win.¡±

    ¡°Good choice,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Everyone ready?¡±

    ¡°As ready as we¡¯re going to get,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯m standing back here. I don¡¯t fancy the idea of tentacles.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think there will be tentacles?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°It smells like shit and there¡¯s water. It¡¯s going to be tentacles.¡±

    Arwin shrugged. He stepped into the room, keeping Verdant ze ready at his side and prepared to activate [Scourge] at a moment¡¯s notice. The steady drip of water rang in his ears as he walked closer to theke.

    Both his armor and greaves still had energy stored within them. The gem in the center of his chest piece had stopped humming but dim blue magic still sparkled within it. His greaves hummed with energy from the fight with the Chiropire, but he¡¯d need to tank another strong hit or two before they activated.

    The room was still silent. An outline in the wall at the edge of theke marked what Arwin suspected to be a closed passageway. That was unfortunate. They¡¯d probably have to find a way to open it. There wouldn¡¯t be any way to sneak past the room.

    <em>That¡¯s fine. Not a good idea to leave enemies behind you anyway. I just wish whatever is in this room would juste out already. I really don¡¯t want to get any closer to the water and get pulled in.</em>

    Arwin coughed into his fist. It echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls, and faded away. The only response the room gave him was silence. Evidently, the monster here wasn¡¯t nning on giving up its advantage.

    ¡°Lillia?¡± Arwin called.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Think you could start stabbing the water? I¡¯m not walking up to it.¡±

    ¡°Can you do that?¡± Reya asked, peering into the room but not taking a step past the entrance.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Lillia walked past Reya. The shadows rose at her feet and stretched across the room, crawling across the walls, and approached theke.

    ¡°It just seems¡­ I don¡¯t know. Cheap is the wrong word. I never really thought about it, I guess. Some part of me felt like dungeon monsters wouldn¡¯t just sit around and let you stab them.¡±

    Rodrick entered the room and stood a few feet behind Arwin. He nced around the walls and ceiling. When he found nothing that Arwin had missed, he turned his attention and sword to theke.

    ¡°I highly doubt it¡¯ll sit around if I manage to stab it,¡± Lillia said. The shadows rose up over the water, sharpening into points and looming above it like severalrge snakes. ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Just get to safety if you manage to hit it. Even if you miss, I figure it¡¯s going to pop out pretty pissed that we¡¯ve messed with its house.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The others all nodded. After waiting one more second to make sure that nobody had anyst second things to say, Lillia brought her hand down. The ropey shadows dropped, slicing into the dark water.

    Theke bubbled. A furious roar burst forth from within it and Lillia beat a hasty retreat to the back of the room as a dome formed in the water. It rose up into a pir before bursting. Water sloughed away from a lumbering body.

    If the smell in the room had been foul before, now it was indescribable ¨C and the water hadn¡¯t evenpletely revealed the monster yet.

    Metal nged against stone as a foot d in rusted, barnacle-covered greaves mmed onto the ground. The monster wore a matching chest piece. A huge hole in the center of its chest where the metal had splintered and shattered marked a defeat in a battle ages past.

    Scraps of flesh hung from the monster¡¯s rotting, ten-foot-tall form. It was humanoid ¨C it could have even been human if it wasn¡¯t for its imposing size. Translucent green crystals jutted out of its body from random spots like cancerous growths. Arwin was grateful that a helm covered its face to keep what he could already tell to be horrid breath from wafting across the room.

    <strong>[Rot Giantling ¨C Journeyman 5]</strong>

    A loud, scraping shriek carved through the air as the monster dragged itself fully out of the water and its sword caught on the ground, carving a thin furrow through the stone. The weapon was nearly as tall as Arwin. It looked far too big to be swung around by something as decayed as the Rot Giantling, but it seemed that nobody had informed the monster yet.

    ¡°It¡¯s an undead,¡± Arwin warned. ¡°Forget going for killing blows. We want to cripple it until we figure out how to make it stay down. I don¡¯t suppose anyone has any blessed attacks?¡±

    Nobody responded. If any of them did, it probably would have been Anna, but healers generally didn¡¯t get offensive options like that until theirter Tiers. The Rot Giantling let out a teeth-rattling roar and two dim green lights erupted behind the eyes of its helmet.

    ¡°How in the Nine Undends do I cripple something like that?¡± Rodrick asked, his voice wavering slightly.

    ¡°Just follow my lead,¡± Arwin replied. The Rot Giantling took a lumbering step toward him and raised its arm, bringing the huge sword screaming through the air toward Arwin. He darted out of the way, then closed the distance between them and brought his hammer hurtling for the monster¡¯s knee.

    It struck the giantling¡¯s greave dead on with a resounding ng. Arwin staggered back as a vibration raced down the haft of his hammer, leaving nothing but a dent in the armor. The giantling swung its hand at Arwin, forcing him to use [Scourge] to empower his jump back to safety.

    <em>No point using [Soul me] in my attacks right now. I need all my magical energy for [Scourge] and I don¡¯t think fire is going to do very much damage to something like this. Soul-empowered or not, I just need brute force right now. </em>

    Large or not, the giantling was fast ¨C or perhaps it could just cover a lot of ground quickly because of its size. That said, it was still a little bit slower than Arwin moving under his own powers, much less with the aid of [Scourge].

    ¡°Just stay away from its arms,¡± Arwin called. The giantling stepped toward him again and twisted its body, swinging the sword like a bat in an attempt to cut Arwin in half.

    He ducked the attack. Wind screamed above his head and he straightened, taking a step forward and swinging Verdant ze once more. It struck the same spot on the giantling¡¯s knee. Energy swirled within the hammer and coursed into the giantling as [Shieldbreaker] triggered.

    A surprised roar escaped the giantling¡¯s mouth and it kicked at Arwin. He dodged out of the way and scrambled back as the giant brought its foot down where he¡¯d been standing, shaking the room with a resounding crash.

    Rodrick darted forward as the giantling swung at Arwin again. His sword ignited with glowing yellow energy and he thrust it for a gap in the monster¡¯s armor. It scraped against a te of old armor, its approach slowed, but still bit into the flesh beneath.

    The giantling¡¯s attack missed as Arwin dodged to the side, but it didn¡¯t so much as slow its momentum. In an insane feat of strength, it yanked back on the de and redirected its path toward Rodrick.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Rodrick swore, stealing Lillia¡¯s favorite insult as he dropped to the ground. The sword scraped past his head and Arwin used [Scourge] tounch himself forward. The Rot Giantling¡¯s free hand reached for him and a shimmer of blue passed over it, passing so quickly that it may as well not have ever been there.

    Bands of shadow slipped out of the ground and reached up for its hand. They wrapped around it and tightened, restraining the monster for just long enough to buy Arwin time tond another blow on its knee.

    This time, he was rewarded with not a ng but a crunch. The metal dented beneath Verdant ze, the crystals at its head ripping into the rotting flesh beyond. A furious scream ripped out of the giantling¡¯s mouth and it lunged for Arwin.

    The shadows snapped and fell away. Another sh of blue passed over it and failed to take purchase as it reached out, hand extending to crush Arwin¡¯s head like a grape. [Scourge] coursed through his legs and he leapt back, just barely avoiding huge, bony fingers as they mmed shut on the air.

    A shudder shook the ground as the giantling crashed to the ground. It was joined by a loud, scraping screech of armor grinding against stone. Rodrick darted forward and thrust his de for one of itsrge eye holes.

    The giantling lowered its head and Rodrick¡¯s sword rang harmlessly off its helm. Rodrick jumped over the monster¡¯s hand as it swung at him, then darted out of the way of its sword as it mbered back to its feet.

    ¡°Do it again!¡± Arwin yelled to Lillia. He ran forward, not waiting to see if she¡¯d heard him. Arwin dropped to the ground, skidding across the stone on his knees to avoid the de that carved the air above him apart, then drove himself upward and swung Verdant ze with all the power [Scourge] would impart into him.

    Shadows erupted from the ground, binding around the Giantling¡¯s other leg and pulling at its free hand. It ripped itself free, but not fast enough to avoid the hurtling hammer. It mmed home and metal crumpled beneath it.

    Verdant ze roared in Arwin¡¯s mind as it ripped through flesh and bone, emerging from the giantling¡¯s leg in a spray of viscera. The blow had separated knee from leg entirely. A scream of pain filled the room as the giantling pitched back and crashed to the ground.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Rodrick yelled. ¡°Nice! Let¡¯s finish it off!¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Arwin held a hand out to stop Rodrick from advancing and the other man froze in ce.

    The Rot Giantling rolled itself over and mmed its sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to raise itself back up. A deep growl emerged from within its chest, rancid air washing over them like a filthy nket.

    Chitinous legs pushed their way out of the hole in the monster¡¯s chest and a bulbous grey spider mbered out from within it. More legs sprouted from the severed leg and its stump, hissing and popping as they crawled free.

    <strong>[Corpse Burrower ¨C Apprentice 4]</strong>

    ¡°Oh, that is just <em>vile</em>,¡± Rodrick muttered.

    ¡°Focus on killing them. Don¡¯t let them touch you for obvious reasons,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Something tells me that they don¡¯t care if the bodies they infest are alive or not when they start.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m not letting those creepy little shits anywhere near me,¡± Rodrick muttered, taking a step back as the spiders started toward them.

    The Rot Giantling grabbed its severed leg and jammed it onto the stump. Flesh squelched as it drove a bone back into rotted muscle. The leg was mutted and a little shorter than the other one, but the giantling was able to stand once more.

    ¡°Oh, that is bullshit,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°That¡¯s not how legs work.¡±

    ¡°Just keep the spiders off our backline.¡± Arwin hoisted Verdant ze. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the big bastard.¡±

 Chapter 90: Rot

    Chapter 90: Rot

    Arwin didn¡¯t give the Rot Giantling time to finish its roar of defiance before he charged again. Reconstructing its leg was great and all that, but it was still the exact same target he¡¯d struck before.

    And, if it was the same target, then so long as the next thing Arwin hit was that very spot, the giantling was going to have a very bad time. The monster seemed to realize that, because it kicked at Arwin with its good leg as he sprinted for it.

    Bounding into the air with aid from [Scourge], Arwin cleared the monster¡¯s leg. He dropped to the ground, slipping past the giantling¡¯s free hand, andnded on the ground behind it. He spun and swung his hammer with a roar.

    Strands of shadow wrapped around the giantling¡¯s body and pierced through the holes in its armor to stab at the flesh beneath. Verdant ze struck the giant¡¯s leg. Metal warped and caved beneath the blow and the hammer carried straight through it.

    A spider leapt from the giantling¡¯s body as it pitched back, its legs going wide as it attempted totch onto Arwin¡¯s face. He grabbed it out of the air and pelted it into the ground. The impact did little to hurt it, but Verdant ze crashing down transformed the Corpse Burrower into a pile of ill-mannered paste on the ground.

    [Shieldbreakers] effects ended with the change of targets, but Arwin wasn¡¯t aiming for that leg anymore. He opened his mouth to call to Lillia, but she was already ahead of him. A shadow shot out and wrapped around the leg,unching it into the pool of water.

    It hit the surface with a ssh and vanished into the murky depths. Watching its disappearance nearly cost Arwin his head. Reya called out a warning and he jerked back. The giantling¡¯s sword ripped past his face, passing so close that its tip scraped against his helm, traces of blue magic flying off it.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the brief instant that Reya had bought him, the strike might have done serious damage.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Arwin called, approaching the downed giantling. It didn¡¯t have nearly as much reach now that it was on the floor, but it was also harder to get closer to it without getting in the reach of itsrge hands.If he¡¯d been fighting the monster alone it may have been difficult to find a way to strike at it. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t. Rodrick dashed around to the giantling¡¯s back. He kept far enough from its hands to keep it from catching him as he circled it, then sent Arwin a nce and nodded.

    They had the giantling nked. The moment it tried to attack one of them, the other would attack. A second passed before the monster blurred into action. Perhaps it didn¡¯t have the intelligence to determine the threat of its position or perhaps it just wanted to kill the person that had done the most damage to it. Regardless of reason, it dug its fingers into the ground and hurled its body toward Arwin.

    [Scourge] ignited in Arwin¡¯s legs and he dismissed Verdant ze, hurling himself to the side. He hit the ground in a roll and rose to his feet just as the giantlingnded, sliding across the stone and mming into a wall with a resounding crash.

    Some of the crystals jutting from it impaled the monster with several loud squelches. The giantling ripped itself free with a snarl, more spiders pouring out of its body and onto the ground. Rodrick was forced to reposition to keep the attention of the small monsters on himself. The giantling pushed itself up and lunged for Arwin again.

    This time, Arwin didn¡¯t dodge. He swung his arms, Verdant ze taking shape within them, and the hammer connected with the giantling¡¯s shoulder with a loud crack. The metal chest piece absorbed the brunt of the damage but the strike still knocked it askew. A hand iled past Arwin¡¯s chest and he jumped out of the way to avoid the pommel of the sword as it whipped over his head.

    He pressed his advantage, bringing Verdant ze down on the same shoulder as the giantling tried to right itself. Metal crumpled and the monster screamed. A strand of shadow wrapped around Arwin¡¯s chest and pulled him out of the way as the giantling¡¯s hand passed through the space he¡¯d been standing and crashed into the ground.

    Rodrick raced past Arwin, jumping over a sword swing and bringing his glowing de down on a small crack that Arwin had formed in the monster¡¯s armor. Metal shattered as it finally fell under their assault. Rodrick twisted his sword before yanking it free and running back to safety.

    A Corpse Burrower pushed its way out of the wound. It only made it a step onto the ground before a shadow wrapped around its abdomen and pelted it into a wall. Even as the spider fell, another shadow grabbed it and shoved it underwater.

    Not to be outdone, the giantling swung its sword. Even from its spot on the ground, the de¡¯s reach was enormous, and Rodrick was too close to dodge it in time. Arwin shoved him back and braced the haft of his hammer to block the strike. He pumped his body full of power with [Scourge] a moment before the blow connected.

    A ringing ng echoed out and a vibration ran down the hammer and through Arwin¡¯s body. It felt like he¡¯d been rung like a bell. The sword in the giantling¡¯s hands vibrated as it was repelled, buying him an instant to strike.

    Between all the power that [Scourge] and [Shieldbreaker] had drawn, Arwin didn¡¯t have much energy left to work with for this fight. He burst into motion. The giantling¡¯s free hand reached out to grab him and he twisted out of the way.

    Shadows pulled at the monster¡¯s fingers and gave him time to slip past without having to waste energy on [Scourge]. Arriving at the monster¡¯s head, he raised Verdant ze and brought it down with all his might.

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    A hammer blow rang off the metal helm, severely denting it. Arwin activated [Scourge], not to deliver a harder blow but to raise the weapon faster, and brought it down again. A second strike mmed down. This one left a deep dent in the helm that probably would have killed a normal man had his head been inside it.

    The giantling was, unfortunately, not a normal man. It let out a garbled scream and brought its arms inward in an attempt to crush Arwin against itself. Bands of shadow wrapped around the monster and blue light washed over it.

    Lillia and Reya¡¯s efforts didn¡¯t buy Arwin any more than a second. That was fine. A second was all he needed. The hammer lifted and fell once again. Everyst scrap of magical power Arwin had left to spare went into the blow.

    It drove into the already-dented helm with a resounding crash. The rusted metal gave way. Bone cracked and flesh sttered as Verdant ze tore through it. Sickly brown blood and gore sprayed across the ground and the Rot Giantling¡¯s thrashing arms copsed behind Arwin, finally falling still.

    <strong>Achievement: [You can¡¯t do that] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[You can¡¯t do that] ¨C Awarded for doing damage equal to or greater than the amount that an opponent just healed. Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    A squelch marked the death of thest Corpse Burrower at the de of Rodrick¡¯s sword. Arwin turned to the others and let Verdant ze fade from his grip, dismissing his helm to stop the aura from activating. The bodies of dead Corpse Burrowers littered the ground around Rodrick. It didn¡¯t look like anyone had gotten hurt.

    ¡°Everyone okay?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. That was one nasty monster,¡± Rodrick said. He flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it at his side. ¡°I didn¡¯t think smashing the shit out of its head was the way to do it.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a true undead,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Probably a monster on the way to bing undead but one that hadn¡¯t fully shed its mortal ties. If it had been, we would have been in a lot more trouble.¡±

    ¡°Did anyone else get an Achievement?¡± Reya asked, coughing into her fist as her cheeks reddened.

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Why are you embarrassed about it?¡±

    ¡°Because mine is called Pathetic, and I got it for casting a spell that did so little that my target didn¡¯t even realize I¡¯d done something.¡±

    Lillia burst intoughter and nudged Reya with her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s nothing toin about. An Achievement is still an Achievement. Trust me, there are much worse things you can get given. The Mesh isn¡¯t always nice.¡±

    ¡°What did the Achievement give you?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°A skill upgrade. I went with [Imprison] to give it a guaranteed half a second against anyone that¡¯s no more than a two whole Tiers above me, as long as they don¡¯t have any form of special resistances to magical control,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Pretty solid. Guaranteed control is always useful,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Do you think I can cook this?¡± Lillia asked, walking up beside Arwin and looking down at the corpse of the giant.

    Arwin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did your nose fall off at some point in the fight?¡±

    ¡°It might taste better than it smells.¡±

    ¡°And I might grow wings and fly away.¡±

    Lillia scrunched her nose. She thought for a second, then knelt and ripped a small strip of flesh away. Arwin resisted the urge to gag as Lillia stood back up beside him and studied it through squinted eyes.

    ¡°It could make a decent steak.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cannibalism at best. It was humanoid.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t human, though,¡± Lillia pointed out. ¡°Look at all this flesh. Think of how much food this would be if it doesn¡¯t literally taste like death.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea how much weight that ¡®if¡¯ is lifting?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Because I think it might be stronger than the rest of usbined.

    ¡°Oh,e on. It could be edible. You don¡¯t know unless you try. Will you try some if I do?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°We don¡¯t want to waste resources.¡±

    Her eyes erged as she stared into Arwin¡¯s. He gritted his teeth and averted his gaze. He¡¯d dealt with far greater threats than a pair of puppy-dog eyes. He definitely wasn¡¯t going to¨C

    ¡°If you can take a bite and avoid turning your stomach inside-out, then I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    <em>Goddamn it.</em>

    ¡°The hardest part is getting over the mental block,¡± Lillia said sagely. She lifted the piece of meat ¨C if it could even be called that ¨C to her mouth and took a small bite. They all stared at her expectantly. Lillia chewed once. Then she chewed again.

    Doubling over, Lillia spat the chunk onto the ground. She retched and coughed, wing at her tongue as she tried to get the taste off. Still hacking, Lillia straightened up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

    ¡°I was very wrong,¡± Lillia said, still scraping at her tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t eat that.¡±

    ¡°Are you really surprised?¡± Anna asked. ¡°And do you need healing? I feel like that might have poisoned you. Just so you know, I can¡¯t heal the shits. It¡¯s not a wound.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Lillia grumbled miserably. Her eyes zed over for a second and her cheeks went bright red.

    ¡°You just got an Achievement, didn¡¯t you?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Well, I guess I did just tell Reya that there could always be worse things than a slightly snippy Achievement.¡±

    ¡°What did you get?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°A Title called Hungry Idiot,¡± Lillia said sheepishly. ¡°It lets me taste the best vors in anything edible so I can figure out if it¡¯ll taste good. The Mesh really ripped into me for eating that. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a Title that¡¯s just a straight up insult.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually pretty impressive,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Well? Does the flesh have anything redeemable about it?¡±

    Lilli a sent a critical gaze at the strip of meat on the ground, next to where she¡¯d spat up the first bite she¡¯d taken. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to find out. I¡¯ll try it on something the Mesh won¡¯t smite me on the spot for tasting.¡±

    ¡°Does it really care?¡± Reya asked. ¡°It¡¯s not alive, is it?¡±

    Arwin grunted. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I don¡¯t know what the Mesh is, but saying it¡¯s not alive might not be entirely urate. It¡¯s¡­ aware. Not in the way you or I are, but it¡¯s still aware.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, we¡¯re still in the dungeon,¡± Rodrick said. He looked around the room. ¡°Do we press deeper? I¡¯ve had conversations about the Mesh before, and they always go way longer than I¡¯d nned on. We should figure out our next steps before getting distracted.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯d be willing to try and push a little farther as long as I can have some time to rest,¡± Arwin said after a moment of thought. ¡°I think we can take at least one more room. We¡¯ll have to find the way past this one anyway. There¡¯s probably a way to open the door somewhere. Besides, I also need to see if any of the metal on this monster is salvageable.¡±

    Nobody objected, and so their course was set. They would press deeper ¨C but first, Arwin had a rotted corpse to rip apart.

 Chapter 91: A friendly neighbor

    Chapter 91: A friendly neighbor

    Arwin did his best to avoid touching the dead Rot Giantling too much as he worked the crumpled helmet off its pulped head. It wasrgely a fruitless effort, and even washing the helmet off in theke didn¡¯t manage topletely remove the vile stench engrained within it.

    Time and the water had taken a heavy toll on the metal. It was covered with a thickyer of rust and the barnacles felt like they¡¯d welded themselves on. Arwin had to use a little bit of energy from [Scourge] just to pry one off, revealing even more rusted scrap.

    He wasn¡¯t so easily deterred. The metal had withstood several hits from his [Scourge] empowered swings, and even [Shieldbreaker] had needed several blows to properly destroy it. There had to be some redeeming properties to the metal even if it waspletely rusted over.

    ¡°You think this is magical and just has hidden properties?¡± Arwin asked Lillia, who stood beside him peering into theke.

    ¡°I think it smells almost as bad as the corpse behind us. That should count as a magical property in itself. Psychological damage to anyone you fight when they realize you¡¯ve been walking around with that awful thing on you.¡±

    ¡°You literally tried to eat it,¡± Arwin pointed out.

    ¡°That was experimentation. I wasn¡¯t nning on sticking it on my head and strolling around with it.¡± Lillia scrunched her nose in distaste, then shrugged. ¡°But, if there is magic, it¡¯s probably covered up by all the buildup of shit.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Arwin agreed. He looked back at the corpse. In the past few minutes, he¡¯d managed to work off the one remaining intact leg of the giantling¡¯s greaves and a chunk of the chest piece. He broke several other pieces off, removing tes of everything that he could until he had a small pile. The rest of the armor was so deeply embedded and fused with the monster¡¯s body that even Arwin couldn¡¯t be bothered to try and remove it. There were some things that even the world¡¯s strongest bath could never fix ¨C and the metal looked warped beyond use by the giantling¡¯s body.

    ¡°I see that look in your eyes,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You¡¯re about to ask me if I¡¯m willing to carry some of this crap, aren¡¯t you?¡±¡°You were willing to take the flesh back.¡±

    Lillia heaved a sigh. ¡°Fine. Just¡­ try to wash it a little more, please.¡±

    Arwin did just that. He wasn¡¯t eager to smell the awful armor for much longer either. While he scrubbed away at it in theke, the others scoured the room for a way to open the door to the next level down.

    It was nearly thirty minutes before he decided that he couldn¡¯t possibly clean the armor any further with just water. He broke it into pieces and stuffed it into Lillia¡¯s bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed over to rejoin the others.

    They were huddled at the edge of theke farthest from where he¡¯d been working. Lillia sat beside it, her eyes screwed shut and lips pursed with concentration. There was arge pile of rubble and garbage stacked up beside her consisting of everything from fish bones to moss-covered rocks.

    ¡°Any luck finding a way down?¡± Arwin asked, setting the bag at his feet.

    ¡°I think so. We¡¯re working on it right now. There¡¯s something at the bottom of the water that we think might be a key.¡± Reya nodded past Lillia into the murky depths. It was like staring into a bowl of thick stew. If there was anything down there, Arwin certainly couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°But it¡¯s really down there and Rodrick only saw a sh of it.¡±

    ¡°I was about to ask,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°I¡¯d rather it be somewhere underwater than on the Rot Giantling¡¯s body. At least it might be a bit pre-washed.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get too optimistic,¡± Anna said nasally, her nose pinched shut between two fingers. ¡°I have no idea how Rodrick saw anything through that murk, much less how Lillia is going to actually manage to find it again if it is down there.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. I think I have something.¡± Lillia¡¯s tongue protruded from her mouth and she pulled her hands up. A made of shadow rose up from the water, pulled shut at the top. It flopped onto the ground and melted into a pool of darkness, leaving behind an assortment of bones, rocks, and sludge.

    ¡°Nice,¡± Rodrick said.

    Lillia pulled a small tendril of shadow out of the ground and poked at her winnings. She pushed some of the trash over to therger pile with the tendril. The dull green lighting off the moss covering the walls glimmered off a spec of silver buried beneath a pile of algae.

    A shadowy tendril looped around the piece and pulled it free. It wiped the sludge away, revealing the body of an old key. Lillia grinned. ¡°You spoke too soon. I got it.¡±

    ¡°So I did,¡± Rodrick admitted. ¡°All the power to you. Figured we were just going to be heading back.¡±

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you saw anything down there,¡± Lillia said. She stood and took the key from her tendril, shaking thest drops of dirt off it.

    ¡°The light was reflecting off it. I think I just got lucky,¡± Rodrick said with a shrug. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have done me any good on my own. There¡¯s no world where I was going to dive into thatke and get fourteen diseases named after me.¡±

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    ¡°Are you recovered enough to keep going?¡± Anna asked Arwin. ¡°You¡¯re the one that spent the most energy in that fight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I should be fine. It¡¯s been a good bit since thest fight.¡±

    Lillia headed over to the outline of the passageway in the wall and studied it for a few seconds. She used a tendril of shadow to wipe some of the grime away to reveal a small keyhole beside the doorway.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to open this,¡± Lillia warned, putting the key into its slot. Arwin walked to stand beside her, summoning Verdant ze to his hands and ensuring he was between anything that might havee from the passageway and the others.

    The key clicked as Lillia twisted it and the door slid across wet stone in a smooth motion. Beyond it was a short hallway that led to a set of grandiose wooden doors nked by two familiar looking purple torches. More green crystals ran along the ground and jutted from the ceiling. The lighting from the moss mixed with that of the torches. It refracted through the crystals and shimmered and danced in a silent y across the walls, their shadows the puppet masters.

    ¡°Big bugger ahead.¡± Rodrick¡¯s voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit soon?¡±

    ¡°Not if we¡¯re at the end of the dungeon.¡± Arwin squinted into the darkness ¡°It could be on the smaller side.

    ¡°Can we handle thest room?¡± Anna asked, her staff tapping against the ground as she walked to join him in staring into the hall. ¡°It¡¯s probably a good bit stronger than the giantling. That could be a little rough.¡±

    ¡°The strongest monster in a Journeyman level dungeon might be difficult,¡± Lillia agreed. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to let Arwin handle the majority of the fight again. It won¡¯t be safe.¡±

    ¡°Getting strong never is,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I vote we go. There¡¯s no power without risk. That¡¯s how the Mesh works.¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. If they wanted to get strong enough to challenge a powerful guild, they couldn¡¯t y things safe ¨C but no amount of power was worth losing another friend.

    ¡°I think we can handle it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯m in support.¡±

    ¡°I am too,¡± Reya put in. ¡°I know I can¡¯t do too much yet, but I can distract and support you from the backline. I think we should be able to beat anything that Arwin can hit, so as long as he¡¯s not held down, we should be fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly true. I¡¯ve been able to handle the monsters so far, but there can be a big disparity between monsters, even in simr tiers. Don¡¯t forget the Wyrm is only Journeyman 8,¡± Arwin reminded Reya. ¡°The difference is that it likely has Titles and Achievements that have boosted its growth, while most of these monsters haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s likely in this situation?¡± Anna asked.

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no way anything here would be as strong as the Wyrm. If it were, it would have sought a stronger area. The Wyrm we fought could easily hold its own against something a whole tier above it.¡±

    ¡°You think it¡¯s as strong as an Adept Tier monster?¡± Anna swallowed. ¡°And we want to kill it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯lle when ites. For now, we focus on us,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to the door. ¡°I¡¯m willing to push ahead. I think we can handle it.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Lillia rolled her neck and stepped to the side so Arwin could get past her. ¡°Take the lead?¡±

    ¡°How gracious of you,¡± Arwin said dryly. He stepped past her, dismissing Verdant ze as he walked. The hall was too thin to swing the weapon properly and it would be nothing but a hinderance. Everyone fell in behind him as he arrived at therge doors and pressed his hands against their surface.

    They ground open. Arwin blinked as bright orange light spilled out from the room and into the hallway. Beyond them was a massive stone cavern. Metal braziers full of dancing me that burned on nothing but air lined the walls.

    At the far side of the room was arge hole that dropped into the darkness. It was pitch ck despite all the light filling the room. Above the hole was a ledge that led to an unlit passageway.

    ¡°Gee, I wonder where the monster is hiding,¡± Reya muttered as she stepped into the room behind Arwin. ¡°Definitely not in the giant cavern. Maybe it¡¯s going to drop from above.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes flicked up. He could just barely make out the domed ceiling in the distance ¨C it didn¡¯t look like anything was there. Even though he was pretty sure he agreed with Reya¡¯s implied guess that the monster was in the hole, there was no way he wasn¡¯t going to double check after a fate-tempting quip like that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make too much fun of the Mesh or it¡¯ll screw with you,¡± Rodrick warned.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way it¡¯s actually listening.¡±

    ¡°Probably not, but that doesn¡¯t stop everything from going wrong when you tempt fate,¡± Anna said. She adjusted her grip on her staff and looked around the room. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big hole, though.¡±

    ¡°So it is,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what it¡¯s got hiding in it, shall we?¡±

    ¡°You first,¡± Lillia said, only half joking. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    He summoned Verdant ze back to his hands and headed out. Every step echoed through the room and reflected back at him. He crossed the middle of the room and drew closer to the hole, slowing as he approached.

    <em>This thing better pop up soon. I really don¡¯t want to make Lillia go fishing again.</em>

    A distant rumble shook the ground beneath Arwin¡¯s feet. He froze in ce as the tremors grew stronger and small stones rained from the ceiling, shattering as they struck the ground. Purple torches ignited from where they¡¯d been hidden in the darkness all around the room.

    Arwin lowered into a fighting stance. The second purple room in a dungeon ¨C and almost certainly thest one. This was the strongest monster in the dungeon.

    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. A massive, boney hand rose up from the hole. It had to have beenrger than ten men stacked on top of each other. It mmed into the ground, jagged fingers digging furrows into the stone. A second hand followed after it.

    The tremors intensified as the upper torso of an enormous, skeletal giant pulled itself up from within the darkness. Old metal armor adorned its chest. Any designs that had once been present on it had long since worn away. Its yellowed ivory teeth, each one asrge as a small boulder, were frozen in the permanent leer of death.

    Huge chunks of crystal jutted out from the skeleton and grew across its body, veins of translucent green running throughout it, working so deeply into the bone that it was hard to tell where it started and gem began. The monster¡¯s mouth ground open to reveal rows upon rows of jagged crystal running down its gullet and deep into its chest.

    It brought its hands down on the stone, shaking the ground so violently that Arwin was bucked a foot into the air. Hended on the stone with a grunt, the Mesh swirling before him as it identified the enormous creature even as chills ran down his spine. And, as the huge creature let out a roar and its eyes ignited with brilliant green light, the Mesh told Arwin what they were up against.

    <strong>[Crystalline Bonehemoth, Hand of the Prism ¨C Journeyman 7] </strong>

 Chapter 92: Dust

    Chapter 92: Dust

    ¡°I changed my mind,¡± Reya yelled over the cacophony. ¡°Can we leave?¡±

    <em>Bit toote for that, I think.</em>

    The Bonehemoth reached out toward Arwin, massive fingers casting a shadow through the room as they passed over him. He activated [Scourge] and leapt out of the way as the hand crashed down and mmed into the stone with enough force to generate a small earthquake.

    Arwinnded, stumbling from the tremors, but managed to keep his footing as he brought Verdant ze crashing down on the side of the monster¡¯s arm. It struck the bone with a loud crack, sending fragments flying everywhere, but it did little more damage than the bite from an aggressive rat would have done to him.

    <em>This thing has to be pumped full of magic. Does that mean I can eat it?</em>

    There was only one way to find out. He lunged forward and bit down on the skeleton¡¯s massive arm ¨C or at least, he did his best to. Arwin¡¯s teeth hit the bone and he felt energy swirling within it, but it was like trying to bite through a block of steel¡­ and not the magical kind.

    He pulled his head away with a curse, grateful he hadn¡¯t broken any teeth in the attempt. The Skeleton was either not magical enough to eat or it had too much magic for him to handle at the moment. Either way, it didn¡¯t look like treating it like a buffet was going to be the angle.

    Darkness passed over Arwin as another arm rose above him. The Bonehemoth was far from fast, but it was so big that it almost didn¡¯t matter. He cursed and activated [Scourge] again to fling himself to safety.

    Tremors raced through the stone, bouncing Arwin like a child¡¯s toy as he hit the ground in a roll. His teeth rattled in his skull as he skidded to a stop and pushed himself to his feet.¡°We¡¯re going to need a n for this!¡± Arwin yelled. ¡°I can¡¯t do enough damage to it on my own with it swinging at me!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can slow it much,¡± Reya called back. ¡°I think I could outrun it if I was at the far ends of its reach, though.¡±

    The Bonehemoth reached out toward Arwin, forcing him to run to the side. He didn¡¯t fancy his chances if the monster got him in its grip. Given how hard it had just hit the ground, he was pretty sure he waspletely outssed in strength. The only saving grace was that the monster was considerably slower than he was, even without [Scourge].

    Shadows whipped out and tried to restrain the huge creature, but they snapped without so much as slowing it.

    ¡°The light is too bright to get shadows strong enough to hold it down,¡± Lillia said with a curse. ¡°And even if it was dimmer, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m anywhere near strong enough to restrain something like this. It¡¯s too damn big.¡±

    ¡°Just focus on distracting it for Arwin,¡± Rodrick yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡±

    His sword ignited with burning light and he sprinted forward, passing Arwin and waving the de with a yell. His efforts were immediately rewarded as the Bonehemoth brought a hand hurtling down toward him.

    Rodrick¡¯s legs pumped as he sprinted to the side as hard as he could. He threw himself forward into a dive as bone crashed down behind him. The ground bucked beneath Arwin again, nearly tossing him to the floor.

    For a moment, he had no idea if Rodrick had escaped the blow. His chest clenched, but a relieved breath slipped out from his mouth as the warrior ran out from behind the monster¡¯s hand, waving his glowing sword and screaming obscenities.

    <em>That¡¯s one way to get its attention, I suppose. I just have to figure out what the hell I¡¯m meant to do against something like this. If I could hit it with [Shieldbreaker] enough times in the same spot, I could probably take it out. There¡¯s no way I can get to its head, though. </em>

    ¡°I can make tforms out of the shadows,¡± Lillia called to Arwin as if she could read his thoughts. ¡°That can get you up to its head while it¡¯s focused on Rodrick.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°That¡¯s quite a distance.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It gets darker the farther out it is, and I¡¯ll follow you. Trust me.¡±

    Another rumble shook the earth. Rodrick skidded out of a cloud of dust, his sword a glowing beacon at his side. The Bonehemoth was definitely focused on him. There was only so long he¡¯d be able to outrun the monster. He was keeping at the edges of its reach to buy himself a little more time, but his luck or stamina would eventually run out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Arwin said. He dismissed Verdant ze and sprinted toward the Bonehemoth as it extended both of its hands for Rodrick. Lillia ran beside him, the shadows at her back coiling and forming into dark wings.

    ¡°Jump!¡± Lillia yelled.

    He leapt into the air and the shadows beneath him stretched up. They formed into a tform beneath his foot. Arwin took the next step without a second of hesitation. Strands of darkness leapt from the first tform and into a second.

    The Bonehemoth¡¯s glowing eyes snapped to Arwin as he approached. It lifted a hand and started to turn toward him. A shimmer of blue light passed over its body and vanished an instantter without so much as even making it hesitate.

    Before it could reach out, a pained roar ripped out of its lips. Rodrick had driven his glowing sword into the monster¡¯s other palm. He raised the sword and drove it home twice more before leaping to safety as the boney hand closed over the space where he¡¯d been.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.

    Arwin¡¯s mad dash toward the monster brought him up to its head. It finally reached up toward him, undistracted by Rodrick, and extended a hand to smack him out of the air. The next step Arwin took found nothing but air and he plummeted down.

    His heart leapt into his chest. The hand passed above him and his footnded on a tform. He nearly buckled from the force of the fall, but he managed to maintain his sprint back up toward the monster¡¯s head.

    Lillia leapt into the air, her dark wings pping once and propelling her into the sky. She thrust her hands forward and shadows stretched out of the wall to wrap around its head as the Bonehemoth extended its arms toward her. The shadows were stretched thin, clearly drawing more power than Lillia had to spare.

    For a second, the monster¡¯s face was blocked off. Arwin¡¯s makeshift stairwell brought him up to the creature¡¯s head just as its vision was cut. He leapt forward, Verdant ze manifesting in his hands, and brought it down on the center Bonehemoth¡¯s temple with all the force that [Scourge] could muster.

    A loud crack split the air and chunks of bone rained down. The shadows caught Arwin before he could fall, but before he could swing again, a massive roar ripped through the cavern. Lines of electricity ripped through Arwin¡¯s body as his limbs stiffened against his will. A loud hum rose up in his ears, but he couldn¡¯t so much as wonder what it was.

    The shadows that had been holding him aloft vanished. He plummeted downward, unable to so much as twitch a muscle. Lillia fell to his side. Her wings evaporated as they tumbled toward the unforgiving ground below.

    Fragments of blue light fell away from Lillia with the sound like shattering ss. She spun, tucking her arms in close to her chest as the darkness swirled back to her, reforming her wings.

    They snapped open and she pulled up, shooting over to Arwin and grabbing him out of the air. The shadowsing off her body wound around him like ropes, holding him against her body as she pulled up and flew higher into the air.

    What felt like a river of freezing water poured over Arwin. He drew in a sharp breath as blue light broke and swirled around him. Control returned to his body.

    ¡°I¡¯m good!¡± Arwin yelled.

    The shadows holding him to Lillia snapped and reformed beneath his feet. Arwin hit them in a run, sprinting back toward the behemoth. It reached out to him again and he dove forward, dropping through the air and letting the huge hands pass overhead.

    He hit a carpet of darkness in a roll as it formed beneath him, then ascended the stairwell that gathered at his feet. The Bonehemoth¡¯s hands mmed into the ground behind him with a massive crash.

    It let out another furious cry and a sh of light flickered through the room as Rodrick¡¯s sword carved into it again. Whatever the energy in his attack was, it was doing a lot of damage to the huge monster.

    Arwin didn¡¯t have time to wonder why. Lillia had brought him back to the Bonehemoth¡¯s head, and the only thing on his mind was ying the world¡¯srgest game of whack-a-mole. He leapt off the shadows and shoved his foot into a crack in the monster¡¯s skull.

    He pulled out every stop, letting his [Soul me] course through the weapon and into its head. He didn¡¯t know how much damage me was going to do bone, but it certainly couldn¡¯t hurt.

    [Scourge] ripped through his veins and Verdant ze crashed down. Bone shattered like a bomb had gone off and the hammer ripped into the monster¡¯s skull. Arwin stiffened, bracing himself for what he suspected was toe, but there was no preparing for it.

    A scream tore through the air and his body locked up like a wooden board as rivers of electricity tore through him. Arwin started to pitch back, but the foot he¡¯d stuck into the monster¡¯s skull had just enough leverage to keep him teetering in ce. The benefit of being functionally frozen solid was that <em>none </em>of his body would move. The loud hum that had been building in his ears reached a creshendo.

    All he could do was wait for ¨C

    Shimmering motes of blue fell away from Arwin with a tinkling crash. Control returned to his muscles once more. Brilliant blue and grey light burned at the center of Arwin¡¯s chest, emanating from the gem in his armor.

    <em>The roars were magical. That must have counted for the magic stored in the crystal. </em>

    He called out to it and the power responded. The [Soul me] burning around Verdant ze¡¯s head turned a blueish gray and he brought the hammer down once more. It struck the same spot he¡¯d hit twice before with a loud crash.

    Bone shattered. Power ripped out from Verdant ze, coursing out in tongues of ming gray that wormed into the Bonehemoth¡¯s skull. For an instant, the enormous monster locked in ce as its own magic was turned against it. Faint particles of frost gathered at the site that Arwin had struck, remnants of the Ice Mage¡¯s power finally released from their prison.

    Arwin didn¡¯t sit around to see the results of his strike. He raised his arms and brought them down once more. [Scourge] coursed through his veins as he drove his hammer into therge dent he¡¯d formed.

    A brilliant crack split the air. Fragments flew up all around Arwin and the spell that had been pinning the Bonehemoth in ce shattered. It thrashed,unching him from its head. He tucked his arms and legs in and shadows swirled around him, forming into a ramp.

    He hit it in a roll that took him all the way back down to the ground. A rush of air roared overhead as an unseen hand hurtled through the air where he¡¯d been moments before. Arwin felt himself hit the rough stone and pushed himself up to his feet.

    Another roar ripped through the room and his body ground to a halt, breath catching in his chest. The effects of the magic weren¡¯t anywhere near as bad down on the ground as they had been next to the Bonehemoth¡¯s head, but Lillia had still been in the air.

    Reya, who had positioned herself near the exit to reduce as much of the magic¡¯s power as possible, recovered from the yell and thrust her hands toward Lillia. Even as the magic freed her, the sky above Arwin darkened.

    One of the Bonehemoth¡¯s hands hurtled down toward Arwin. He tried to pull himself free, but the effects of the roar still had him in their grip. Reya spun toward him, the firelight illuminating the panic in her eyes.

    Judging from thest times she¡¯d freed Arwin, it took her a second or two to recover between casts.

    She wasn¡¯t going to be fast enough.

    A sh of burning yellow light ignited to Arwin¡¯s side. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Rodrick sprinting toward him, his entire body d in burning yellow and white me. He¡¯d broken through the Bonehemoth¡¯s roar with some sort of self-buff. Despite his situation, Arwin couldn¡¯t keep an idle thought from shing through his head.

    <em>That doesn¡¯t look like a normal Warrior skill. </em>

    Wind from the descending hand pressed down upon him. Autonomy started to return to his body, but not nearly fast enough.

    Rodrick dove forward in a tackle. He shoved Arwin back and away from the hand¡¯s path ¨C and traded his own momentum away in the process. The enormous hand mmed to the ground with a resounding cash. Arwin rolled across the ground right at its edge, missed by just feet. His body finally threw off the effects of the magic and he scrambled to his feet.

    ¡°Rodrick!¡± Arwin yelled, his words swallowed by the cloud of dust rising up all around him. ¡°Rodrick! Are you there?¡±

    There was no response.

 Chapter 93: Secrets

    Chapter 93: Secrets

    Arwin ripped his gaze away from the cloud of dust. Lillia was fighting to keep the Bonehemoth¡¯s attention, and letting his emotions get in the way of killing the monster would only result in the situation degrading even further.

    He raced forward, his skull pounding in a furious haze, and leapt onto the monster¡¯s massive arm bone as it raised to swat at Lillia. He dismissed Verdant ze and ascended the craggy surface, climbing it like a spider.

    Lillia¡¯s shadows stabbed at the monster¡¯s eyes and it roared in anger. Arwin clung onto its arm for dear life as it swung at Lillia. Her wings tucked in close to her back and she dropped, shooting past the hand and gliding up behind the monster to send more shadows stabbing at it.

    Beneath them, Arwin could just barely make out Anna sprinting away from the rtive safety at the edge of the room toward where Rodrick hadst been seen. His heart clenched and he ripped his eyes away, continuing his climb.

    If the Bonehemoth turned its attention away from Lillia, Anna would likely be its next target. He scaled as quickly as he dared and then some, using small bursts of power from [Scourge] to jump from bone to bone.

    The surface of the monster¡¯s body was somehow simultaneously slippery and jagged. His feet only found purchase on the jagged cracks running throughout it, and keeping his bnce when the whole world was moving around him was immensely difficult.

    Lillia was forced to dive out of the way once more and the Bonehemoth screamed. Arwin¡¯s body locked up ¨C and a wave of blue mmed into him, freeing him after no more than half a second. Lillia plummeted in the corner of his vision, but all Arwin could do was hope that Reya would save her in time.

    The Bonehemoth¡¯s glowing eyes turned as the shadows finally stopped assaulting its head ¨C and their gaze went right past Arwin, locking onto the easy target kneeling in the fading dust cloud.

    Arwin gritted his teeth, pushing his body to the max. He leapt farther with every jump, using almost all of the energy he had remaining. The Bonehemoth¡¯s arm lifted. Arwin swirled his hands, desperately trying to keep his bnce, but it was impossible.He fell ¨C andnded on a tform of shadows. Throwing himself to his feet, Arwin raced up toward its head. An eye flicked toward him and a hand started to move, realizing the source of its pain was approaching once more, but it was toote.

    Arwin leapt from the shadows and ripped the bracelet off his wrist. If this strike didn¡¯t end the fight, then it was over for them anyway.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Roughshod]: This item was forged by strong, weary hands that longed for escape. It can direct all the power in its wielder¡¯s body into a single strike at a significant cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Weary]: This item is imbued with the feelings of a man who seeks rest and freedom. Using its ability will cause its wielder to feel exhausted and slow their movements for a duration ranging on the amount of magical power [Roughshod] consumed. </strong>

    Arwin shoved the bracelet into his mouth and bit down. Energy coursed through his body. Verdant ze materialized in his grip. He let out a furious scream as he brought it crashing down. The movement felt heavy and sluggish, like he was traveling through sludge.

    Verdant ze struck therge wound in the Bonehemoth¡¯s skull with a brilliant explosion of [Soul me] and enough force to send vibrations down Arwin¡¯s entire body.

    Bone shattered and caved in. Cracks raced out in a spreading spiderweb that enveloped the Bonehemoth¡¯s entire skull. Its mouth yawned open ¨C but no roar emerged. The cracking grew louder, a smattering of pops and breaks amid a dull undertone of grinding crunches. A huge te of bone on its temple pitched forward and fell to the ground where it shattered with a crash.

    The whole monster slumped, sliding back into the hole that it had mbered out of. Arwin threw himself back, hitting a dark slide that formed beneath him. It carried him down to the ground and sent him rolling across the dirt until he struck arge rock and came to a stop with a pained grunt.

    A deep rumble shook the cavern as the Bonehemoth crashed against the walls of the hole on its way down. Thest thing Arwin saw of it was a limp hand vanishing into the ck. He barely even cared.

    Shoving his aching body up, Arwin dismissed his armor and weapon as he staggered across the room toward where Rodrick had fallen. Exhaustion weighed down on his back and shoulders, trying to press him into the ground. His stomach twisted and churned into knots. He couldn¡¯t bear the idea of losing another person. Not for something as worthless as a mere dungeon.

    Anna knelt with her back to him, her neck as pale as sheet. Arwin stumbled as he ran up to her.

    ¡°Anna! Is Rodrick¨C¡±

    The words caught in his throat. Rodrick¡¯s head rested in Anna¡¯sp. The bottom half of his armor waspletely gone and he was naked from the waist down ¨C but somehow in one piece. Shimmering white light poured from Anna¡¯s exertion-ridden hands and into him.

    ¡°Alive,¡± Anna rasped, her hands dropping at her sides. ¡°The bottom half of his body was crushed. He went unconscious from shock, but I hadn¡¯t used any energy yet, so I had enough to heal him. I¨C¡± She paused to draw in a deep breath and refill her lungs with air. ¡°I thought I lost him. Godspit. What was that huge fucker doing down here?¡±

    Arwin dropped by her side, leaning back onto his arms as a relieved, hystericalugh built in his throat. It grew in intensity until tears streamed down his cheeks and he had to drop back onto the cold stone topose himself.

    He could feel the Mesh swirling at the back of his mind, but it seemed that it was going to wait until he was actually in a state of mind to process its words before giving him any information.

    ¡°Thank God.¡± Arwin¡¯s throat was so tight that he could barely even breathe properly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would have done if he¡¯d died. I¡¯m sorry. I should have better prepared us. It was stupid to¨C¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Oh, cork it,¡± Anna snapped. ¡°We aren¡¯t children, Arwin. We knew the risks of advancing and all agreed to do it. Nobody died. And, even if he had, it wouldn¡¯t have been your fault.¡±

    Arwin couldn¡¯t do anything but nod. Lillia and Reya were both on the other side of the room and approaching them, the relief on their faces clear when they saw that Rodrick wasn¡¯t a mushed stter on the ground.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡± Lillia asked as they arrived.

    ¡°Yeah. It would have been really bad if I was a second or two slower, but he¡¯ll make it,¡± Anna said. ¡°There¡¯s no need for anyone to take responsibility for anything other than a new pair of pants. There¡¯s a lot of him that I¡¯m willing to share, but this isn¡¯t one of them.¡±

    Arwin let out a choked mixture between augh and a cough. He didn¡¯t have a pair of pants to spare on him, but he pulled his shirt off and draped it over Rodrick¡¯s midsection. Even that felt like an arduous task, but the effects of the detrimental trait in the bracelet he¡¯d eaten were already starting to wear off. It didn¡¯t seem like the magical effects of items he atested for more than thirty seconds or a minute at most.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we won that fight,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a monster so big.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we killed it,¡± Anna said. ¡°If I saw correctly¡­ Arwin, did you manage to somehow use its own magic against it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was a feature of my armor,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It gathers magic that¡¯s cast around it and can eventually let me empower an attack with it.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡± Anna shook her head and let out a whistle. ¡°That¡¯s a really impressive piece of gear. A warrior going around and casting magic without having a ss based on it¡­ terrifying.¡±

    ¡°And badass,¡± Reya put in. She nced back at the hole and shuddered. ¡°Thank whatever god is listening you had that, though. If you didn¡¯t get those extra hits, I don¡¯t know if we would have made it through this. That monster could have destroyed an entire town if it were outside. How did it get down here?¡±

    ¡°It probably wasn¡¯t that big when it came down here,¡± Arwin said wearily. ¡°Something in the dungeon gave it enough power to evolve, and it definitely had a number of Titles and Achievements. I suspect the Mesh will let us know some of that soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Is it just sitting around and waiting for you as well?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I owe it thanks for that. I think anything I read right now would pass right through my eyeballs without even registering,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Is everyone else okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we would have been if it weren¡¯t for Reya, though.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d all be dead,¡± Arwin said with a nod and a grimace. He¡¯d known how useful Reya¡¯s ability was, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to save their lives this quickly. ¡°You did fantastic, Reya.¡±

    ¡°I should have broken the control on you before Lillia,¡± Reya said with a shake of her head. ¡°My screw up almost got Rodrick killed.¡±

    ¡°Everyone screws up inevitably,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And Lillia was in imminent danger while I was not. You did the right thing. There¡¯s nothing to me yourself for, especially when nobody actually died.¡±

    Reya flopped down across from Anna and nodded mutely. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d be able to muster any more words anytime soon, and he didn¡¯t me her. Distant eyes spoke volumes. Reya had gotten something from the Mesh for her participation in the fight. Lillia walked over to sit next to Arwin, making a small semi-circle around Rodrick¡¯s body as his chest rose and fell in slow breaths.

    Arwin¡¯s heart still mmed in his chest like a runaway freight train. Now that the adrenaline was leaving his body, all that remained was a heavy nket of weariness that wrapped around his shoulders and weighed down on his back. They¡¯d won ¨C but now that the fight had ended, his mind had nothing left to distract it.

    <em>Does Rodrick have some form of Unique ss or ability? I can¡¯t im to know every single warrior ability in existence ¨C I don¡¯t think anyone can ¨C but there¡¯s no way that glowing light was a normal warrior. His attacks were also doing more damage to the Bonehemoth than I feel like normal blows, empowered or not, should have been. </em>

    He could tell by the look in Anna¡¯s eyes that she knew what he was thinking. Her features tightened and she shook her head, a silent request to hold off on mentioning anything. Arwin wasn¡¯t in any rush to press for more information ¨C he had secrets of his own that he suspected wouldn¡¯t besting through the night.

    Golden light shimmered before Arwin¡¯s eyes. The Mesh finally decided that it had let him rest for long enough. It would be denied no longer. Golden lines shimmered through the air as if drawn by a dancing butterfly, light blooming from them and turning into words.

    <strong>Achievement: [Savior of the Bonehemoth] has been earned.</strong>

    <strong>[Savior of the Bonehemoth] ¨C <em>Awarded for aiding in the destruction of the Crystalline Bonehemoth and granting it peace from its agony. </em> Effects: Your party has received ess to the Bonehemoth¡¯s Hoard. <em>This achievement has been consumed.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Giantsbane] ¨C <em>Awarded for ying a monster over ten times your height.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    <em>Holy shit. Two Achievements? The Mesh is really raining the rewards down on us. I suppose it makes sense. That might be one of the roughest fights I¡¯ve ever had, and we actually managed to win it. </em>

    A delicate chime rang through the air. Arwin looked up as a shimmer of green energy lit in the air directly above Rodrick¡¯s head. A loop of metal the size of a small dog emerged from it. It was followed by a thick, rusted bar and, after that, the rest of a key. Arwin¡¯s hands shot out to grab it before the heavy metal couldnd on the resting warrior.

    ¡°Did everyone else just get that Achievement?¡± Arwin asked, holding the key out before him. It wasically huge in his hands, but whenpared to the Bonehemoth, it was the opposite.

    ¡°I got two achievements,¡± Reya said. ¡°A skill upgrade and the Savior one.¡±

    ¡°Two here as well,¡± Lillia put in.

    ¡°Same for me,¡± Anna said. ¡°Along with other things. I went up to Apprentice 4 and got a ranged healing spell. But¡­ did the Mesh make a mistake? I don¡¯t think what we did could be considered saving in any sense of the word.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t seem particrly intelligent either,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Or, if it was, it was far too malicious for it to matter. That thing was doing its absolute best to kill all of us.¡±

    ¡°You think the hoard is in that tform above the hole?¡± Reya asked as she squinted across the room.

    ¡°Where else would it be? That¡¯s prime treasure-hiding estate, Reya.¡±

    They all looked down as Rodrick spoke. His voice was weaker than normal, but the cheeky grin on his lips told them that he was alright.

    ¡°Rodrick!¡± Anna eximed, pulling him up into a tight embrace and pressing her lips to his. She said something muffled, then pulled back and cleared her throat. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Thanks to you, yes,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I knew you¡¯d save my ass. You always do.¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Anna said. ¡°What if you¡¯d gotten crushed? If the hand was just a little higher up¡­¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. That¡¯s all that matters. I took the risk. If I hadn¡¯t, I suspect Arwin would be a pancake. It didn¡¯t seem like he had any way to throw off the paralysis and Reya¡¯s ability has a limit to how fast she can use it.¡±

    ¡°Rodrick¡¯s right. He saved my life,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I owe you one.¡±

    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re a guild, right? That¡¯s what mates are for. Also, I got two Achievements. If all I have to do for that is nearly die, I think I¡¯m going to do it a whole lot more.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that,¡± Anna snapped.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Rodrick pushed himself into a seated position with a grunt. ¡°Damn, why is it so cold?¡±

    He looked down at his legs, then pulled the shirt back. ¡°Ah.¡± Rodrick hurriedly returned the shirt to its spot. ¡°That would exin it. What do you think the chances are that treasure waiting for us has any pants in it?¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll find out,¡± Arwin replied, hoisting the key and slinging it over his shoulder. ¡°And, with any luck, maybe it¡¯ll have some clues as to what the hell happened here as well. Shall we go see what it left us?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Anna said, swallowing and setting her jaw. ¡°I think there¡¯s something we need to speak about first. Rodrick and I have been hiding something.¡±

 Chapter 94: Pants

    Chapter 94: Pants

    Arwin lowered the key and let it rest against his side. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. Things are secret for a reason.¡±

    A smallugh slipped from Anna¡¯s mouth and she shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you, but there¡¯s no need. I think our lots are thrown in together at this point. There¡¯s no reason to hide this any longer. I won¡¯t im that we¡¯re revealing all our secrets, but I think we can tell you this much.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Reya looked from Arwin to Anna in confusion. ¡°Hiding what?¡±

    ¡°Rodrick isn¡¯t a warrior,¡± Arwin said.

    Anna nodded. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡±

    ¡°Not initially. I only just figured it out. An empowered attack isn¡¯t that umon for a warrior, though the energy probably should have given it away. A glowing control break was what woke me up. Rodrick looked more like he was blessed rather than drawing on his own power.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you hear that?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I honestly thought you¡¯d figured it out a bit ago. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside ¨C although that might actually just be the remnants of Anna¡¯s magic.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not a warrior, what are you?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°A pdin of some sort?¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s smile slipped away. ¡°I used to be. Pdin of Light, specifically. I didn¡¯t make it all that far down the good path.¡±¡°Why would you hide that?¡± Reya asked with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s just a ss, isn¡¯t it? Is pdin really rare or something?¡±

    ¡°Not particrly,¡± Anna answered. ¡°The problem is that Rodrick is no longer a pdin. Pdins have ts that they¡¯re required to follow. Those are what give them arge portion of their powers. Rodrick broke his ts.¡±

    ¡°Which is a really roundabout way to say I¡¯m a Fallen Pdin,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°And nobody wants to work together with an oathbreaker. Anna came up with the idea to just pretend to be a warrior if we ran into anyone else. It wasn¡¯t half bad. A Fallen Pdin really isn¡¯t all that much better than a random warrior. I don¡¯t have ess to any magic. All I¡¯ve got are the abilities I got at Apprentice 1 and 2. Any new ones I get are basically just normal warrior stuff.¡±

    ¡°Why did you break¨C¡± Reya started, but Arwin set his hand on her shoulder and she bit off her words. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s our concern,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If they wanted to share it, they would.¡±

    <em>It¡¯s a good question, though. Rodrick doesn¡¯t strike me as the kind of man that would break his ts.</em>

    ¡°It was nothing good,¡± Rodrick said with a heavy sigh. ¡°And it¡¯s nothing I care to pollute today with. It isn¡¯t something that will crop up, I can assure you of that.¡±

    Reya shrugged. ¡°So you¡¯re basically just a warrior now?¡±

    ¡°Functionally,¡± Rodrick said with a nod. ¡°I just can¡¯t get any more pdin abilities. Once I reach Journeyman, I¡¯ll hopefully get a ss upgrade that lets me leave this all behind.¡±

    ¡°I feel like we can do that,¡± Reya said hesitantly. She sent a look at Arwin, then frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I see why this is such a big deal. Is being a Fallen Pdin that bad?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna said. ¡°The mostmon defectors to the monster horde are Fallen Pdins. You don¡¯t Fall because you made a tiny mistake. It¡¯s really serious ¨C and Rodrick¡¯s life would be in serious danger if anyone ever found out the truth. People might think he is a spy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never breathe a word of it,¡± Reya promised, pressing a hand over her heart. ¡°I don¡¯t think most people like thieves anyway. Even it isn¡¯t my ss, I don¡¯t think anyone in Milten thinks of me as anything but.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Anna said simply.

    ¡°Are you really just a normal healer, then?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°My ss isn¡¯t anything special. We met in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Anna replied carefully. ¡°My ss is nothing more than a in Healer. I¡¯m lucky for it. If I¡¯d had anything more, the guild likely would have put a lot more attention on me and it would have been far harder to slip away.¡±

    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re on the topic of secrets¡­¡± Lillia sent a nce at Arwin. He shrugged in response. Rodrick and Anna had to find out about their past at some point, and now was as good a time as any.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a really unique ss,¡± Anna said. ¡°It was kind of obvious. I¡¯ve never seen magic that lets you fly around on wings of darkness and control the shadows like that. You must have an immense amount of magical power as well.¡±

    ¡°I do have a powerful Unique ss, but that¡¯s not really what I was going to bring up,¡± Lillia said. She mulled over her words for a second, then seemingly gave up on trying to find a better way to string them together and sighed. ¡°We actually knew each other long before this guild came into being.¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Reya eximed.

    ¡°Did you work together before leaving the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± Rodrick guessed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to tell Arwin wasn¡¯t a big fan of them from the way he spoke. It¡¯s half the reason we figured throwing our lot in together with you would be safe.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Arwin said. Every word that came out of his mouth suddenly felt awkward. There didn¡¯t seem like there was any good way to actually say what he wanted to say without sounding ridiculous. ¡°Lillia was on the other side of the war.¡±

    ¡°She defected from the monster horde?¡± Anna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That makes a lot of sense, actually. You aren¡¯t just a big fan of monsters at all. You¡¯re a literal demon.¡±

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°No way,¡± Reya breathed. She stared at Lillia in disbelief. ¡°Are you really? That wasn¡¯t just makeup?¡±

    Lillia nodded. A flicker of worry passed over her features and she swallowed. ¡°I am. But¨C¡±

    ¡°Then your tail is real?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C what?¡± Lillia blinked in confusion.

    ¡°Oh, is that disrespectful? I don¡¯t know demon customs or anything. Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to be rude.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not disrespectful,¡± Lillia said. She looked around at the others, but aside from some mild amusement, neither Rodrick nor Anna looked all that put out by her revtion. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t think any of you would take it that well.¡±

    ¡°The guild already thinks I¡¯m working with the horde,¡± Rodrick said with a shrug. ¡°And I know you. Don¡¯t particrly care if you¡¯ve got a tail or not ¨C though I think Anna would have my head if I went around asking to see it.¡±

    ¡°Damn right,¡± Anna said. ¡°Feel free to show me, though.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not fair,¡± Rodrick protested. ¡°If she¡¯s going around showing her tail¨C¡±

    ¡°I, ah, think I¡¯ll probably keep that for ater time,¡± Lillia suggestedmely. She sent a desperate nce at Arwin. The wind had beenpletely taken from her sails. He suppressed augh.

    ¡°Lillia wasn¡¯t just a random demon,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to get everyone¡¯s attention before the conversation could derail so badly that it would be irrecoverable. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t just a random member of the guild.¡±

    Realization finally set in on Reya. Her lips pulled open into an <em>o </em>and she looked from Arwin to Lillia.

    ¡°No way.¡±

    ¡°What? What is it?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°I was the Hero of Lian,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And Lillia was the demon queen.¡±

    Rodrick chuckled. ¡°Ah, of course. I should have guessed.¡±

    ¡°Rodrick?¡± Anna said quietly.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t joking.¡±

    Rodrick looked back to Arwin. The smile on his face slowly melted. Arwin could practically see him thinking through the fights they¡¯d been in together and putting the inconsistencies together.

    ¡°Nine Undends,¡± Rodrick muttered. Something passed through his eyes and his expression darkened for an instant before he brought it back under control. ¡°What in the world happened? The Hero can¡¯t be out here. He¡¯s ¨C wait. You aren¡¯t the current Hero, are you? You¡¯re the one that died before him.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°What are you doing here? And how did you possiblye to start a guild with the ¨C what, former demon queen? Shouldn¡¯t you both be King Ranked or something like that? Why are you pretending to be Apprentice Tiers?¡±

    Arwin read the unspoken question on his lips.

    <em>Why did you let Zeke die?</em>

    ¡°Because we aren¡¯t who we used to be. The guild was ying us,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They control both sides of the war. Lillia and I were both betrayed ¨C or saved. We don¡¯t know which. And, in the process, we both lost our sses. All we do know is that the guild and the monster coalition are intentionally keeping the war running.¡±

    ¡°Slow down,¡± Rodrick said, his brow furrowed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and blinked furiously. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that¡­ what, everything is just a giant conspiracy? And that you and the demon queen faked your deaths, losing all your strength in the process, to start a guild in the middle of nowhere?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. We didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And I never nned to start a guild. Do you recall how the papers said we both died?¡±

    ¡°A massive magical explosion, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Anna asked.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°It was. The thing is, it didn¡¯t kill us. It just threw us across the kingdom and we both somehownded here. All the magic ended up warping my ss and recing it with the smithing one I have now. Lillia¨C¡±

    ¡°I became a tavern keeper,¡± Lillia finished.

    ¡°That¡¯s awful,¡± Anna said. ¡°If people found out¨C¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d just be killed.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°And I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯ve been fighting my entire life. There will be a time when a reckoninges to the guild, but I¡¯m not throwing my second chance at life awaypletely for revenge before I¡¯m ready for it. I¡¯m just a smith now.¡±

    ¡°Do you miss them?¡± Rodrick asked, and there was something more to his words than just mere curiosity. ¡°Your powers. I mean ¨C damn. You were at the peak. The strongest warrior we had. And now¡­¡±

    ¡°Not for a second,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯d trade them all away a thousand times over. This is everything I¡¯ve ever wanted. And I don¡¯t think Lillia and I were actually as strong as we were said to be. The guild intentionally kept us weak. We were figureheads. Actors, not true warriors.¡±

    Rodrick fell silent, a contemtive look passing over his features.

    ¡°It feels like someone had to have done this intentionally,¡± Anna said. ¡°The chances of you and Lillia both showing up in the same city seem impossibly low.¡±

    ¡°They do,¡± Lillia agreed. ¡°That¡¯s why we think it¡¯s possible someone saved us. Unfortunately, we have no idea who. Or why. To be honest, we¡¯ve got more pressing problems to deal with.¡±

    ¡°I understand how difficult that probably was to share,¡± Anna said, bowing her head in appreciation. ¡°Forgive me if I steal your promise, Reya, but not a word of it will ever leave my mouth. I swear it.¡±

    ¡°As do I,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°You know what? As far as Heroes go, you¡¯re a good enough sort. And if you¡¯re actually the Hero, I¡¯m pretty sure my loyalty is meant to be to you anyway. I never got good enough to get pulled into the army, but I¡¯m sure that was somewhere in the contract. I didn¡¯t read it.¡±

    His words cut the tension and Arwin let out a burst ofughter. ¡°Somehow, that doesn¡¯t surprise me.¡±

    Despite Arwin¡¯s amusement, he hadn¡¯t missed Rodrick¡¯s reactions throughout the conversation. He¡¯d been surprised by the reveal¡­ but not in the way that Arwin had expected. Rodrick had been wary.

    <em>More than just a mere pdin, I¡¯d say. I get the feeling he was a little higher up in some order than he cares to admit ¨C but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s any of my business. I trust him and Anna, and they clearly trust us if they¡¯re giving us this much information. I¡¯m not going to push for more unless Rodrick reveals it himself. </em>

    ¡°I can¡¯t really believe I¡¯m sitting here next to the bleeding Hero and his greatest enemy,¡± Rodrick said. He let out a whistle. ¡°Did you realize you were betrayed before you met again?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We had no idea.¡±

    ¡°So when you saw each other again, did you start going at it with your crafter sses?¡± Rodrick asked as he covered augh. ¡°I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that.¡±

    ¡°Surprisingly, no. I think we were both fed up with fighting to the point where we didn¡¯t care anymore,¡± Arwin said.

    <em>And I don¡¯t think I could even try to fight Lillia anymore, even if I wanted to. </em>

    <em></em>He shook his head to clear it and coughed into a fist. ¡°Anyway. We shouldn¡¯t sit around here forever. Now you know.¡±

    ¡°Are we really supposed to just¡­ go back to doing dungeon stuff now?¡± Rodrick demanded. ¡°I want an autograph!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia said.

    Reya, who looked like she¡¯d been about to ask for the same thing, cleared her throat. ¡°Can I at least see your tail?¡±

    Arwin rolled his eyes. In spite of his best efforts, he couldn¡¯t keep a grin from his lips. This was what a guild was meant to be. He¡¯d just dropped a piece of information that could have shattered people¡¯s worlds and nobody had been tripped up for more than a few seconds. It didn¡¯t matter who they were or where they¡¯de from. A Fallen Pdin and a healer on the run, a thief with more enemies than there were seconds in the day, the demon queen and the Hero of Lian ¨C none of it mattered.

    They were a guild.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Arwin said, jerking his chin toward the ledge. It had been a bit since the fight, and he¡¯d recovered enough energy to move around normally. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what that hoard has waiting for us. If we¡¯re at all lucky, maybe it¡¯ll have some pants.¡±

 Chapter 95: Down the hatch

    Chapter 95: Down the hatch

    Lillia¡¯s shadows came to use once more as they formed into a stairwell leading up to the ledge above the seemingly bottomless pit. The group ascended up them and came to a stop at the tight passageway leading into the wall.

    ¡°What do you think the chances are we get attacked on the way to our loot?¡± Rodrick asked. He had Arwin¡¯s shirt tied precariously around his waist, and Arwin was pretty sure that the biggest threat to anyone in the immediate vicinity was a light breeze.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I doubt that huge thing would have tolerated much hanging out around its hoard,¡± Lillia said as they pressed into the dark. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like a hospitable neighbor.¡±

    Arwin nodded, then remembered that it was too dark for anyone other than Lillia to tell what he was doing. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to have any more enemies. Not in this room, at least. I¡¯m fairly certain this is the end of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way there¡¯s something more powerful than that thing waiting for us deeper down.¡± Reya¡¯s voice cracked with worry and she cleared her throat. ¡°Right?¡±

    Before Arwin could answer, he bumped into Lillia¡¯s back. She¡¯d stopped walking.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lillia said. ¡°This is the end of the passage. Can you see the door in front of us?¡±

    Arwin squeezed past her and squinted. The only things he could see were vague outlines and shapes in the dark, but after feeling along the wall for a moment, his fingers found a cold metal handle.

    ¡°Found it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°On the off chance that there are enemies here, can we count on you to hold them off until we can get to somewhere with light?¡± Arwin asked Lillia.¡°Yeah. My shadows couldn¡¯t do too much to something as big as the Bonehemoth, but I¡¯ve got enough energy left over to handle something small.¡±

    That was enough for him. He pushed the door open a crack. Dull green light spilled out into the hall and illuminated the stone with its faint glow. There were no signs of motion from beyond, so Arwin opened the door the rest of the way.

    A cavern stretched out before them. Huge, jagged crystals jutted out on the walls and ceiling, nkets of rippling quartz covering everything but a thin passageway that wound up to an altar made up of purple gemstones.

    The altar was about two times Arwin¡¯s height and six times his width. It seemed to be made from stone, but the crystals covering its surface made it impossible to tell anything for sure. Any designs that may have been on it in the past were long since swallowed.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya breathed from behind Arwin. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°And slightly ominous,¡± Rodrick muttered. ¡°These are the same crystals that were on thest two monsters we fought.¡±

    ¡°Make sure not to touch anything,¡± Arwin said. He stepped onto the tight passageway and started down it. His head turned on a swivel, gaze scouring the room in search of something that may have been lying in wait.

    They found nothing but crystal. The passageway led him along its twists and turns until he stood at the glistening altar ¨C the only patch of color in the entire room that wasn¡¯t green. Across from him was what could only be described as a solid wall of crystal.

    Beyond it, Arwin could barely make out arge hole. It had beenpletely sealed over by the green gems, but it looked simr enough to the one that had been in the room behind them that it didn¡¯t take a genius to tell what it had been for.

    <em>The Bonehemoth used to be able to ess this area from there. But why would it care at all about an altar like this? It¡¯s big, sure, but nowhere near big enough for it. How would such a massive monster store a hoard here?</em>

    The crystal held no answers. Arwin scanned the room onest time, but there really didn¡¯t seem to be anything other than the huge altar before him. He chewed his lower lip in thought. There was no way that the Mesh would have considered a mere block of stone a hoard.

    If youe across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing our loot,¡± Rodrick said as he and the others walked up behind Arwin. ¡°Where¡¯s the hole to stick the key?¡±

    ¡°I think we might have to do some digging,¡± Arwin said. He set the key down and hoisted Verdant ze. ¡°I suggest you head back to the entrance of the room. I¡¯m about to start swinging heavy objects at disturbing speeds.¡±

    He repressed augh at the annoyed grumbles that went up as everyone headed back to the safety of the hall leading into the room. Once they were all out of range, Arwin summoned his full armor around himself to limit the amount of spots that stray fragments could catch.

    Then he reared back and swung Verdant ze. The hammer mmed into the crystal covering the altar with a loud crack. Nothing happened. Arwin wasn¡¯t too bothered. There were a lot of things that he couldn¡¯t handle in this world, but anything that sat around and let him wail on it wasn¡¯t one of them.

    He swung the hammer again. And again. And again. Arwin didn¡¯t even bother using [Scourge]. Verdant ze struck harder with every blow. The crystals in its head vibrated in a keening song, sending feelings of delight and hunger through its connection with Arwin.

    His hammer struck.

    Hairline fractures formed in the crystal.

    His hammer struck.

    Small shards of glistening purple rained down by his feet.

    His hammer struck.

    Loud cracks split the air and huge chunks of crystal rained down. Arwin went to swing Verdant ze again but paused on the backswing. The stone surface of the altar sat before him, a small portion of it dug out from the shimmering substance covering it. Faded designs covered its surface, but it was impossible to make anything out yet.

    Arwin wedged the hammer into the hole he¡¯d made and pulled back, ripping away chunks of crystal and sending them ringing to the floor to unveil more of the stone. With every move, he unveiled more of the altar.

    All the designs ran toward its center, where a raised piece of circr stone jutted out of its surface. It seemed to be held in ce by a pin that had once allowed it to spin but had been long since wedged shut by crystal.

    He brought Verdant ze down on the pin, shattering it. The stone te crashed to the ground and shattered into fragments, revealing arge keyhole. Arwin lowered the hammer and wiped the sweat from his brow as he turned to the others.

    ¡°Found the hole.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯m not even going to take the low hanging fruit,¡± Anna said as they all worked their way past the crystals and down the path to rejoin him. ¡°It¡¯s so easy that it wouldn¡¯t even be funny.¡±

    ¡°Put the key in already,¡± Lillia said, coughing to cover augh. ¡°I want to see what we got from all this shit. Two Achievements is already great, but I¡¯m hoping for a bit more considering that the hoard was important enough to warrant the Mesh¡¯s attention.¡±

    Arwin felt the same way. He dismissed Verdant ze and lifted the key, sliding it into the lock. It slotted into ce with a loud click and he twisted the handle. It was like trying to pry apart the jaws of a crocodile.

    He gritted his teeth and activated [Scourge]. Power pumped through his arms and the key turned silently. It made a full rotation before a loud pop rang out and a shudder shook the stone altar.

    Arwin released the key and took a step back as the purple crystals started to crack apart. They split and tinkled to the ground like a rain of shimmering ss, sloughing off the stone in a wave.

    A mechanism cranked to life within the altar. Rhythmic thuds filled the air. They all looked around the room as the ground started to rumble beneath them. The top of the altar shifted.

    With every click, it rose another notch. And, finally, Arwin realized what he was looking at. It wasn¡¯t an altar. It was a huge chest. Tick by tick, the stone lid at its top ground back until it was finally raised to a ny-degree angle. The mechanism rumbled to a halt and the room fell silent once more.

    Arwin stuck a foot into the loop at the head of the key and stepped off it. He grabbed onto the lip of the chest and pulled himself up to peer over the edge of the chest, summoning his headgear in the process. Half of him expected to find a monster lying in wait for something juicy to bite at.

    Instead, he found himself staring at a hole roughly forty or fifty feet deep. It led into a well-lit room below. The floor was made up of beautiful tiles arranged into a mural. Most of it was blocked from his vision, so Arwin couldn¡¯t tell what it depicted.

    He waited for a few seconds to see if anything would show its head. His only reward was silence.

    ¡°Well, this seems needlesslyplicated,¡± Arwin muttered.

    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s in there?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°A hole that leads into another room,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯m going in. Everyone else wait up here in case something goes wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Lillia raised a hand to forestall him. ¡°You aren¡¯t disposable. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one that can make a way out.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°I need you up here so you can make me a way out if things go wrong. You could get caught up in a fight if you¡¯re down there, and it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s much room to maneuver. It¡¯s okay. I can handle myself.¡±

    Lillia pressed her lips together. Shadows gathered at her back and she jumped, wings propelling her into the air. Shended on the edge of the chest beside Arwin.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll watch from up here.¡± She formed a rope of shadow and cast it down. ¡°Here.¡±

    Arwin grabbed onto the rope.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Reya called up.

    ¡°I will,¡± Arwin promised. Then, holding onto the rope, he slid down to see what rewardid in wait for them.

 Chapter 96: Murals

    Chapter 96: Murals

    Arwin slid down the rope until the ground was close enough to drop the rest of the way safely. He readied himself as he fell, armor snapping to ce around his body even as hended, but the room was just as empty as it had appeared.

    It was, however, farrger than he¡¯d initially thought. The room was likely three or four times bigger than the one above it. Massive murals covered the ground and ran up the walls and ceiling, all made out of lines drawn into the stone with powdered green and purple crystal. Arwin¡¯s shadows seemed to duplicate and dance across the ground with every move.

    The hole that he¡¯d seen covered by crystal in the room above ran through its far end, spikes of crystal frozen in their slow crawl around its edges. In the center of the room, just a short distance away from Arwin, was a chest made from bone and covered with more of the purple crystal.

    Arwin turned in a circle, his eyes widening in disbelief. There was no doubt that their rewards waited for him in the chest, but the rest of the room was like nothing he¡¯d ever seen. They weren¡¯t just art. It was a story.

    The mural on the wall nearest to the chest depicted a skeleton d in beautiful metal armor setting out from a vige. The next showed the skeleton arriving at a cave with green crystals lining its entrance.

    It entered the cave, killing the monsters within it with a de made of purple energy. Trails of shimmering blue traced across the murals and the skeleton followed after them, its hands outstretched in desire.

    <em>That must be the magical call of the dungeon that brings monsters to it. </em>

    Arwin walked along the mural, heading down the side of the room to continue viewing it.

    The skeleton continued deeper, delving into the depths of the dungeon. It ripped apart a coven of Chiropires with its purple magic and devoured theirrgest one. And still, the swirls of blue called the skeleton deeper.It traveled into the depths of the dungeon, following the energy, and finally found what it was searching for. An enormous cavern full of green crystal, power gathered within them and waiting to be imed.

    The skeleton tore into the crystals, shoveling them into its mouth. It devoured them, and the magical energy gathered around it. Even though the skeleton had no facial features, Arwin could see the delight etched into its form on the mural.

    It didn¡¯t stop there. The blue lines were back, and they led up a familiar looking passageway in a now-empty room. In pursuit, the skeleton ascended the wall and entered the passage. Beyond was a room with a in stone chest nearly twice the skeleton¡¯s height. The lines all up to a single, beautifully carved crystal resting within the chest.

    That crystal went right into the skeleton¡¯s jaws. It threw its head back, seemingly roaring in victory as lines of blue power raced into its body.

    The story wasn¡¯t over, though. Arwin¡¯s eyes were drawn to the floor. Instead of entering the skeleton, all the energy poured into the crystal still lodged in its chest. Its body warped, parts of it nearly doubling in size while othersgged behind. Green crystal jutted out from it at random spots.

    The skeleton ripped the crystals off itself, but it was pointless. With every mural that followed, the crystals grew ¨C and so did the skeleton. Digging into the earth beneath the empty chest, the skeleton worked to hollow it out.

    It carved out a room even as its body grew and warped. The very same room, Arwin realized, that he was standing in right now. And then it sat down. Almost a dozen murals followed of the skeleton sitting in ce.

    The crystals on its chest slowly turned from green to purple. All the uneven growth evened out. For a while, it seemed as if it had gotten the crystal growth under control. Then the skeleton¡¯s eyes flickered, sparks of green lighting within them.

    But the peace was temporary. The purple crystal cracked and fell away. In the center of the skeleton¡¯s body, the beautifully carved crystal rested, as green and untouched as ever.

    Lines of blue continued to swirl around the monster, but they weren¡¯t entering its body. They were entering the crystal in its center. It seemed like the purple crystal had stalled the crystal¡¯s growth, but not enough topletely stop it. Slowly, the green started its return ¨C and the skeleton grew once more. It barely even fit in the room anymore and had to crawl on all fours to move around.

    The skeleton thrust a hand into its chest and wrapped its hand around the glowing crystal. Its mouth split open in a roar of pain as it ripped it free. The fragments of its body rained down, turning into green crystal as soon as they hit the ground. Those crystals then reached out, growing toward the skeleton and climbing back up its body.

    It tore itself free, still holding the carved gemstone. Desperate hunger shone in its eyes as lines of purple energy left its body and started to bind around the carved gemstone. Nothing stopped the advance of the green gue. It continued to climb up the monster¡¯s body and force it to grow evenrger.

    The lines of purple energy finally faded. They¡¯d bound the crystalpletely ¨C and yet, the crystal growth didn¡¯t stop. The skeleton looked down at itself. Gem had worked itself into its bones so deeply that it could never be removed ¨C and it was still growing.

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    It had removed the source, but it was toote to halt its effects. The skeleton snapped a piece of bone off one finger and set it down. The bone formed into a chest in its fingers and it set it on the ground, cing the crystal within it. It ripped the pieces of purple gem that still remained on its body off and ced them on top of the chest. They grew, spreading slowly to cover the whole chest and the area around it.

    The green crystal stopped as it grew closer to its purple counterpart ¨C but it was toote for the skeleton. Its growth continued. The monster grabbed pieces of crystal, grinding them to dust in its hands as it turned to the walls of the room and started to draw.

    It was making the murals that Arwin was now reading. The final panel was of the charged green crystal, swirls of blue light pouring into it, and the bands of purple that the skeleton had put in blocking them from entering.

    After that, there was nothing. He stood by the huge hole that the Bonehemoth had emerged from. The same one that it had dug to escape from the room it had built itself.

    Arwin swallowed. He didn¡¯t know exactly what the strange gemstones were or how they worked, but he¡¯d used them himself. He knew they absorbed magical energy ¨C but it was clear they absorbed more than that. The monster he¡¯de against was farrger than the one in the murals, and it showed none of the intelligence that would have been needed to make something like this.

    <em>They¡¯re some form of magical parasite.</em>

    A parasite that had worked into the skeleton and transformed it into a hulking beast devoid of any intelligence¡­ and the very same parasite that resided in Arwin¡¯s armor and hammer.

    He swallowed.

    <em>No reason to panic. It seems like they¡¯re somehow inert. The skeleton managed to suppress the main crystal with that purple energy it had, but I think they¡¯d grown so much inside its own body that it couldn¡¯t resist them any longer. From the look of things, the crystals were stealing magical energy and using the monster¡¯s body as a host. </em>

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Lillia yelled down, her voice echoing through the darkness. ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s down there?¡±

    ¡°A bunch of murals,¡± Arwin called back. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t touch the crystals up there. They¡¯re dangerous. I think they seek out and consume magic, but they¡¯re inert right now. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Probably?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°What¡¯s down there? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but nothing has happened so far. I think it¡¯s safe toe down here, but make sure one person stays back to watch the exit.¡±

    A few secondster, Reya slid down the shadowy rope. Anna followed after her and Lillia took up the rear. Any words they may have said died on their lips as they took in the room around them. Arwin looked to the bone chest as the others examined the murals.

    <em>I can see how the Mesh registered that kill as saving the Bonehemoth rather than ying it. It was being tortured. It¡¯s likely that itsst sentient act was sealing the crystal and stuffing it into this box. </em>

    <em>Did the skeleton actually manage topletely seal it? If it did¡­ that would be a powerful crafting material. A really, really powerful crafting material. </em>

    <em>But, if it didn¡¯t, that could be a magical time bomb just waiting to go off and consume everything in the area. What in the world was something like this doing in a Journeyman dungeon? </em>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°Shit,¡± he breathed.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lillia asked, her eyes snapping away from the mural to look at him.

    ¡°The dungeon. I don¡¯t think it was a Journeyman dungeon at all. Not originally, at least,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The rating got downgraded after the skeleton ate all the magic in it and then modified the core crystal. The only strong monster left was the skeleton itself, and it looks like the crystal degraded it and stole so much of its power that it probably grew weaker even as it grewrger.¡±

    ¡°That would exin a lot,¡± Lillia said, her gaze returning to the murals. ¡°Have you ever heard of something like this? If something like this managed to get out of the dungeon¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it can,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with this crystal. It¡¯s in most of my gear. If it were still as strong as it used to be, it would have absorbed magic from me and grown, not just sat there. I think whatever this parasite was is long dead. The skeleton killed it and locked its corpse away, and all that¡¯s left are the equivalent of its fingernail clippings.¡±

    ¡°So the skeleton died to lock it away?¡± Reya asked. ¡°That¡¯s kind of depressing. I thought it was just trying to kill us.¡±

    ¡°At the time we saw it, it was,¡± Lillia said. ¡°There was no intelligence left in that monster. That¡¯s why the Mesh said we saved it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still sad,¡± Reya said. ¡°I wonder what would have happened if it hadn¡¯t sealed the crystal. That¡¯s the purple stuff, right?¡±

    ¡°Seems to be,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°And I don¡¯t know. The crystal was already leaving the cave at the time the skeleton arrived, but that was all gone when we got here. It may have overrun the region, or something stronger might have stopped it. I think the bottom level of this dungeon is basically a battlefield and a graveyard.¡±

    ¡°Which leaves us with a bit of a problem.¡± Lillia turned to the chest beside them. ¡°What in the Nine Undends are we going to do about that? If the murals are right, the heart of the parasite is right here. Even if it¡¯s long dead, it could be a powerful item.¡±

    ¡°Or we could release a magic gue,¡± Anna said, walking up to stand beside them. ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure it¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Would the Mesh really give us something like that as a reward?¡± Reya asked.

    Arwin shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to tell. It does love its challenges.¡±

    ¡°But the only things that makes challenge worthwhile are rewards, and we¡¯ve already done the challenge,¡± Lillia pointed out. ¡°The crystal didn¡¯t do anything until the skeleton ate it.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s still alive, it may have changed.¡± Arwin chewed the insides of his cheeks, then let out a huff. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if we¡¯re in a spot where we can pass up on more power. The Wyrm issue still needs to be dealt with, not to mention Jessen. This was the final reward in the dungeon. It won¡¯t be trivial.¡±

    ¡°Open it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I don¡¯t think the crystal is still alive. Like you said, it was all inert above us. We¡¯ve already put in the work. Think of what you could make with something that powerful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with what you all decide,¡± Anna said.

    They all looked to Reya.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯ve got sticky fingers.¡± Reya held her hands up. ¡°I take everything that isn¡¯t nailed down. I think Lillia is right.¡±

    Arwin nodded. He turned back to the chest and set his hands on it. The purple crystal crumbled away at his touch and his hands met the lid. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

    Then he opened the chest.

 Chapter 97: Challenge

    Chapter 97: Challenge

    A crystal carved with intricate patterns rested on the in stone. It was dim and lifeless, faint lines of purple crossing over its surface and winding beneath the glistening crystal. There was no doubt that this crystal was the one depicted in the murals.

    Arwin stood with bated breath, waiting to see if opening the chest would cause something to change ¨C but the room remained silent and empty. Rodrick hadn¡¯t said anything from above them where he stood watch, so it didn¡¯t seem likely that the crystals had all suddenlye alive.

    The Mesh glittered before him as it swirled to life. It danced inzy patterns, as if mildly peeved to have been called back so suddenly after itsst message, then took form into its usual letters.

    <strong>Heart of the Devouring Prism: Epic Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Dead]: This item was once a piece of a greater being, but no longer. It lies dead, though some of its former power still simmers beneath the faceted surface of its heart. </strong>

    <strong>[Suppressed]: Bands of life have been woven around this item, binding its powers permanently.</strong>

    <strong>[Magical Hunger]: The Heart of the Devouring Prism requires a continuous flow of magical energy to keep beating. Any sources of magic thate into contact with it will slowly be drained of their energy. Suppressed: <em>[Magical Hunger] cannot drain more energy than the Heart of the Devouring Prism can contain.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Spreading Corruption]: The Heart of the Devouring Prism will infest its host, modifying it in its image. Suppressed: <em>[Spreading Corruption] cannot spread beyond the confines of its host. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Crystalline gue]: The Heart of the Devouring Prism can convert magical energy it has absorbed over a period of time into pure crystal that can absorb energy and send it back to the Heart of the Devouring Prism. Suppressed: <em>New crystals formed by</em><em>[Crystalline gue] can no longer store energy and have a limited range of operation.</em></strong>¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia muttered from beside Arwin. ¡°It¡¯s been dead for years, got suppressed so badly that its abilities are mere shadows of what they once were, and its heart is still Epic? I don¡¯t even want to think about how difficult of an opponent this would have been when it had been alive. We would have needed an army if it got so much as a foothold anywhere.¡±

    ¡°I wonder how powerful the skeleton that bound it was,¡± Arwin said, his brow heavily furrowed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem a bit¡­ odd?¡±

    ¡°More like terrifying,¡± Anna said. ¡°What do you mean by odd?¡±

    ¡°Well, Lillia and I ¨C we were the strongest soldiers in our respective armies,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That was the whole point. But¡­ I don¡¯t think I could have handled something like this on my own. Not if it had spread as far as the murals showed that it had.¡±

    ¡°Neither could I,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I knew we weren¡¯t as strong as we¡¯d been led to believe, but the skeleton singlehandedly took this creature out. An enemy that should have been enough to stand up to our entire army, dead to a single enemy. One that wasn¡¯t even strong enough to make any legends or records that I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    Anna looked from Lillia to Arwin. ¡°Are you implying that you were actually far weaker than you actually thought?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that we were all that weak. Sure, we missed out on countless Achievements and Titles that would have made us far stronger, but we were still powerful warriors. I don¡¯t think it was us. I think it was everyone else. I don¡¯t think the peak of power is anywhere near where we thought it was. If creatures like this were just¡­ wandering around, then the true peak is far, far higher.¡±

    ¡°It would make sense,¡± Lillia said. ¡°If we were literally just puppets in a y for the popce, then there¡¯s no reason to tell us that we were actually only halfway to the top ¨C or however far we actually were from it. I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡±

    ¡°How many Tiers were you told existed?¡± Anna asked, a worried frown crossing her lips.

    ¡°Ten,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Apprentice, Journeyman, Adept, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Archon, King, Emperor, and Legend.¡±

    She looked to Arwin for confirmation and he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I know of as well.¡±

    ¡°Same as what I know of,¡± Anna said. ¡°What rank were both of you?¡±

    ¡°King,¡± Arwin and Lillia said at nearly the exact same time.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    ¡°And you don¡¯t think you could have handled the crystal thing?¡±

    ¡°Almost certainly not,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But, if I¡¯m being honest, my strength nowpared to my strength when I was Apprentice ranked as the Hero isn¡¯t evenparable. I¡¯m considerably stronger ¨C but a lot of that is because of my Titles. Without them, I¡¯d say I¡¯m roughly equal as long as I can count my equipment.¡±

    ¡°Do you know much about the Emperor Tier?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s way stronger than we thought.¡±

    ¡°If it was, there¡¯s no way two random monsters that duked it out and killed each other wouldn¡¯t have been at least known of if they were both literally at the peak of power,¡± Arwin said. ¡°This ce is out of the way, but if a guild as small as the thieves¡¯ guild had a key to its entrance, it¡¯s unlikely that it was some insanely ancient crypt that we just happened to stumble upon.¡±

    ¡°Meaning it¡¯s really likely that the Tiers go a lot higher than we all thought,¡± Lillia said. She ran her hands through her hair and blew a breath out through her mouth. ¡°Godspit. That¡¯s terrifying. How much information was hidden from us?¡±

    ¡°Might be easier to figure out what wasn¡¯t hidden,¡± Arwin grumbled.

    ¡°If your theory is right, then you two weren¡¯t the only ones being deceived,¡± Anna said. She swallowed heavily. ¡°It¡¯s everyone. And that isn¡¯t all ¨C whoever is doing the hiding is probably going to be strong enough to protect it. So the person or people orchestrating the war¡­¡±

    ¡°Are probably stronger than Emperor Tier,¡± Arwin concluded. ¡°Holy shit. I¡¯m even dder than ever I didn¡¯t go trying to storm the Adventurer¡¯s Guild full of righteous fury and start demanding answers.¡±

    ¡°It leads me to wonder why information about this hasn¡¯te out, though,¡± Lillia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and tilting her head to the side. ¡°I mean, this was just a Journeyman dungeon. Surely another adventuring team has cleared a dungeon with information simr to this. You can¡¯t keep a secret of this magnitude if there are hints like this just lying around.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s certainly odd,¡± Anna said. She chewed her lower lip in thought. ¡°Is it possible that other people <em>have </em>figured this out? I¡¯ve heard ridiculous rumors of impossibly powerful items or adventurers before. They¡¯ve always just sounded like stupid legends with no bearings, but what if they¡¯re real?¡±

    ¡°People could also get silenced if they start pushing the information too hard,¡± Arwin mused. ¡°We don¡¯t have any way to know right now, but it¡¯s something worth carefully looking into once we¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°For now, I think we have a more pressing matter,¡± Lillia said. She nodded to the crystal in the chest. ¡°That¡¯s dead. Do you think it¡¯s going to <em>stay </em>dead?¡±

    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The description certainly implies that it will. I might be getting a bit blinded by greed right now, though. That looks like something that could be made into a <em>really </em>powerful magical item.¡±

    ¡°It does say it¡¯s permanently bound,¡± Anna mused. ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t dead, it looks like it isn¡¯t a threat anymore. I think that, as long as we¡¯re careful with it, it should be fine to take. Just¡­ maybe don¡¯t stick it into your heart or anything stupid like that.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I have no ns of it,¡± Arwin said. He turned his gaze back to the crystal, a contemtive frown crossing his features. He didn¡¯t have any ns of putting the crystal into his heart, but there was certainly a degree of simrity that it had to him that he couldn¡¯t ignore.

    The effects of [Magical Hunger] and [The Hungering Maw] weren¡¯t dissimr. In fact, they were strikingly close.

    <em>Could there be some form of rtion between my ss and the ss of whatever this thing used to be? And, if there is, can I somehow use it to curb [The Hungering Maw¡¯s] ramping requirements for energy?</em>

    Arwin reached down. He paused before he touched the crystal¡¯s surface, fingers hovering just an inch above it. Nobody stopped him. He picked the crystal up. It was heavier than he¡¯d expected but felt just like a normal glossy stone.

    Light refracted through it, twisted by the carvings and purple lines running through the Heart, and danced across Arwin¡¯s face. A faint tingle of energy tickled the back of his head he felt the Mesh wake.

    He dropped the crystal, jerking his hands back, but it was toote. Golden lines erupted before his eyes and curled into letters.

    <strong>Challenge: [Curb the Hunger] has been initiated.</strong>

    <strong>[Curb the Hunger] ¨C <em>You¡¯ve unveiled a hidden aspect of your ss. All that lives must consume to persist, but some hunger more than others. Unfortunately for you, your hunger is far greater than what your body can sustain. Find a way to bring it under control before you consume yourself.</em> Rewards<em>: range onpletion. Failure toplete a sufficient amount of the Challenge will result in your death. </em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: <em>Discover yourck of knowledge and initiate the Challenge. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: [The Hungering Maw] will have an extra variant to choose from upon your next ss Specialization. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon your next ss Specialization</em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 2: <em>?</em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 2<em>: Unknown Item</em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 3: <em>?</em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 3: <em>Unknown Title</em></strong>

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Arwin breathed, staring at the words before him as if they were in a differentnguage.

    Lillia grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently, snapping him out of his daze.

    ¡°Arwin! Are you okay?¡± Lillia demanded; her hand raised as if to p the life back into him. He blinked and raised his hands to forestall her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin said hurriedly. ¡°Nothing is wrong.¡±

    ¡°You looked like you saw a ghost. What happened when you picked up the crystal?¡± Anna asked. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m definitely fine. I just got an unexpected message from the Mesh,¡± Arwin said slowly, his eyes still running back over the golden letters even as they faded from view.

    ¡°What was it?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Don¡¯t make me shake it out of you.¡±

    ¡°A reward for figuring something out about how my ss works,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But¡­ what in the world is a Challenge?¡±

 Chapter 98: Depart the dungeon

    Chapter 98: Depart the dungeon

    ¡°Literally everything the Mesh wants is a challenge,¡± Anna said with a worried frown. ¡°Are you certain you didn¡¯t get injured?¡±

    ¡°Capital C,¡± Arwin said, summoning his ss information. Sure enough, the Challenge sat at the bottom of it, just below the Achievements. ¡°It came with a message from the Mesh and has multiple tiers ofpletion and rewards. Kind of like an Achievement with a bunch of extra steps.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that. Can you tell me exactly what it was?¡±

    Arwin read off the description of the Challenge word for word. Everyone looked at each other once he¡¯d finished.

    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Reya said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure if that means much. I really don¡¯t know that much about the Mesh.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it either,¡± Anna said, pulling at her hair and frowning in thought. ¡°Those rewards are absolutely nothing tough at, though. Every single one of them seems strong. Adding an extra option for a skill specialization is already huge. Getting a free Title out of the ordeal, not to mention some sort of item ¨C ridiculous. That can only mean one thing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said as he came to the same conclusion. ¡°Solving this is going to be really goddamn hard. The Mesh doesn¡¯t give anything away for free.¡±

    <em>And there¡¯s even more we don¡¯t know about the Mesh than I thought. I¡¯m not special, so if I can get Challenges, other people can too. Are they suppressed somehow, or is this rtivelymonce for adventurers that aplish something significant? </em>

    ¡°I take it this means the crystal is safe?¡± Reya asked, squinting at the stone with a suspicious frown. ¡°It¡¯s not going to make your condition worse, is it?¡±¡°If anything, it seems like it¡¯ll help,¡± Arwin replied. He knelt and picked the crystal up once more. This time, there was no response from the mesh. Lillia opened her sack and Arwin dropped the stone in, giving her a grateful nod. ¡°But I¡¯ll only know once I get to study this further. It looks like I¡¯m the one that benefitted the most out of this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to use it to make us all stronger anyway, so I don¡¯t think any of us canin.¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°And I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be disappointed about helping something. That poor skeleton needed to be put out of its misery.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a sentence I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be hearing,¡± Reya said with a snicker. ¡°I agree, though. This was worthwhile. We¡¯ve got a bunch of stuff to work with now. If you make some armor, we can sell it and start fixing up the smithy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin agreed. His fingers were already twitching. He wanted to get back into the forge. There were so many things he wanted to make ¨C not to mention a whole smithy he had to rebuild in exactly how he wanted to. ¡°Let¡¯s head back. We¡¯ve already been in the dungeon for quite some time.¡±

    ¡°The thieves¡¯ guild might start wondering where their people are soon,¡± Reya said with a nod. ¡°We should be ready for a fight if they¡¯re outside.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it. When I spoke to Briggs, their guild leader, it was pretty clear he didn¡¯t care about his people. Given the way he handled himself, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s very strong either. He¡¯s probably just barely into Journeyman tier, and I doubt he¡¯s got any good Titles or skills. If worstes to worst, we can handle them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid the problem entirely if possible,¡± Anna said. ¡°We¡¯ve got enough on our te as it is.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Arwin said as they walked over to the hole they¡¯d dropped into the room through. ¡°Lillia, could you take us out of here?¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Lillia replied, summoning shadows before her and forming them into rope that rose up into the air before her. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ***

    The walk back through the dungeon took a little while, though not nearly as long as it had taken them to get down in the first ce. There weren¡¯t any monsters waiting around to halt their path anymore.

    They all readied themselves for a fight as they reached the entrance and Reya activated the key. The entrance of the dungeon ground open and Arwin stepped through, fully d in his armor, and checked around to see if anyone was in the area.

    It was empty aside from the drying trails of blood through the grass leading up to the dungeon entrance. The others followed him out and the dungeon closed behind them.

    This tale has been uwfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Do you think we should do something about this?¡± Rodrick asked, nodding at the ground. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ kind of obvious they got dragged in.¡±

    Lillia looked up at the sun hanging above them and held a hand over her face to block it out. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it myself. I can¡¯t use shadows in this bright light. I need some shade to work with.¡±

    ¡°I could tenderize the dirt, maybe?¡± Arwin offered. ¡°Actually, what if we just dig it up and stuff it into the bag? Scuffed up dirt is less suspicious than blood trails.¡±

    ¡°Probably the best idea,¡± Rodrick agreed. Lillia set her bag down and opened the top, and the group went about digging up the topyer of blood-soaked ground and tossing it into the bag. It only took a little while and they did their best to smooth everything out afterward before heading off to Milten.

    The guards at the gate didn¡¯t bother them. Arwin was grateful for that, as he wasn¡¯t sure how they¡¯d exin a bag full of smelly metal, a deadly crystal, and a pile of bloody dirt. It was suspicious at best.

    <em>I¡¯ve never been happier for a city to have guards that care more about appearance than actually doing their job. I can¡¯t believe these idiots had me thinking Milten was some prim and proper city.</em>

    After getting past the gate, they headed out to their street. Lillia brought the bag over to the ditch behind the smithy and dumped all the dirt into it, adding to the other trash and debris resting in its depths.

    ¡°We should really find a better way to dispose of stuff at some point,¡± Lillia observed. She held the sack out to him.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Arwin agreed, taking it from her with a nod. ¡°Thanks for lugging this around. We didn¡¯t really get any material for you to cook with, did we?¡±

    ¡°Got unlucky with the monsters in the dungeon.¡± Lillia shrugged. ¡°It happens. It¡¯ll be a little while until enough monsterse back to that dungeon to fully repopte it. We might have to find a new spot to hunt.¡±

    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll give you a portion of the money we make from selling the armor to buy new ingredients,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You did a lot in the dungeon, so it would only be fair. No arguing.¡±

    Lillia pursed her lips, her argument cut off before she could speak it, and sighed. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t say no to that. I don¡¯t think it would break any rules with my ss since I did earn my cut, but I¡¯d rather avoid pushing it in the future. Thank you, though.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to thank me,¡± Arwin said as they walked over to his makeshift smithy and headed through the rickety door. ¡°You were invaluable in that dungeon. Reya too, for that matter. I should try to make her something. I know she misses that dagger she lost.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot on your te. Don¡¯t try to take on too much or you¡¯ll end up dropping everything,¡± Lillia warned Arwin.

    He set the bag of materials down in the corner of the room. ¡°Yeah. I know. The first thing is just making some armor to sell. We need money, and I¡¯m pretty low on it already. I¡¯ve only got twenty gold left over, plus a few scraps of metal and leather.¡±

    ¡°Enough to cobble anything together?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Or are you going to use the smelly metal?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Arwin said defensively, but his own words were hollow to his ears. He could smell the bag sitting in the corner from where they stood on the other side of the room. ¡°That metal is too useful. I think I can put together one or two pieces with what I¡¯ve got left over. It¡¯ll help that I¡¯m intentionally avoiding making anything magical. That¡¯ll draw too much attention and we¡¯re not ready to deal with it. I also don¡¯t want to make really good gear for people I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just not a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. You never know what¡¯ll happen to them or who they¡¯ll give it to,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Better to vet anyone that you sell the really nice pieces to and sell the other normal ones to whoever has the money. We just need some attention on our street. Not too much yet ¨C but more than what we have now.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get there,¡± Arwin said. He looked down at the anvil. ¡°Once I get some armor made and sold, we can split the money up between some food for you, building materials, and metal to make more armor and earn some more coin. That should let us start building the street up enough to get some attention on it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good n to me,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. ¡°Not like I can do much right now but practice cooking with what I do have so I can be ready when the timees. If you need anything,e let me know.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Arwin promised.

    Lillia nodded and headed out of the building, letting the door swing shut behind her. A part of him had hoped that she might stick around while he was working, but another part was d that she¡¯d gone so he could concentrate. There were too many things to deal with to let himself get distracted by anything other than work.

    He tossed some [Soul me] into the hearth and looked around his makeshift smithy, reminded of just how much had vanished in the mes of his old smithy. But, in those ashes, there was new life. Just enough to give them another shot at making the smithy, this time anew. He had a lot to work toward. The crystal resting in the corner of the shop called to him. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d make with it yet, but as long as he did it properly, he knew it would be powerful.

    He drew in a sharp breath and exhaled slowly to refocus himself.

    <em>Lillia was right. That wille soon. Right now, I need to get this armor made so I can repair my smithy. A proper quenching station. A real work surface with tools beyond just my hammer. A storefront. A proper chimney. Maybe a little spot for some food. It¡¯ll have all of it, and nobody will ever take it ¨C or anyone I care about ¨C from me again. </em>

    He gathered the scrap thatid on the floor of his shop and set it into the furnace. The mes curled around the metal, quickly bringing them to a cherry red and then brightening into a golden orange. Arwin took the first piece out of the mes once it was ready, setting it on the anvil and summoning Verdant ze to his hands.

    Then he got to work.

 Chapter 99: Loanshark

    Chapter 99: Loanshark

    Two breasttes glistened before Arwin. They weren¡¯t anything fancy but describing them as merely in would have been a disservice. The pieces of gear were made from a mixture of Brightsteel and the ivory metal that the Mesh had given him.

    He¡¯d folded the metal together to split it as evenly as he could between the two pieces, resulting in a swirling mix of silver and bone. The actual design of the armor was rather in and theycked magic, but Arwin¡¯s brand, embossed upon them by the puck he still carried in his bag, gave them just enough of a unique element to stand out.

    Arwin nced out the window of the smith. The sun was shining outside, but it had shifted back from where hest recalled it.

    <em>It must have been a bit less than a day. I think I missed the night and am back in the morning.</em>

    He picked up the two breasttes and stepped out into the street to make his way over to the tavern. Muted conversation from within greeted him as he ducked into the darkness. Reya and Anna sat at the counter, dimly cast in the light of a flickering orangentern.

    ¡°You¡¯re back! Faster than I was expecting. It normally takes you longer to make stuff, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Reya hopped out of her chair as she spotted Arwin and headed over to take a closer look at his armor.

    Arwin handed her a piece so she could bring it to the light at the counter and get a better look, then followed her over. ¡°These didn¡¯t have any magic. That makes them a lot easier to make. [Soul me] makes everything considerably easier and faster.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re going to the market again?¡± Reya asked. ¡°We should get a sign for it at some point.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯ve got money to spare, we will,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°But yes, we¡¯re headed back to the market. I was going to ask you toe since I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll have a lot more luck selling my work than I will.¡±¡°Sure,¡± Reya said. ¡°What about you, Anna?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably pass. Rodrick and I were going to go and get lunch pretty soon. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve had time to spend alone. Unless you needed us for something¡­?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°I take it Lillia is out looking for ingredients or cooking?¡±

    ¡°Thetter. She¡¯s in the kitchen and Rodrick is currently out getting her some ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Could you let the others know where we¡¯ve gone, then?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I want to get this over with as soon as possible so we can get some gold to work with.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Good luck,¡± Anna said.

    Arwin gave her an appreciative nod and took the breastte back from Reya. They headed out of the tavern and over to the side street, where the cart sat in wait for their return. He hung both pieces of armor up in it, then dragged it out onto the road. Reya hopped into it and pulled her hood low over her head. He couldn¡¯t summon his helmet without revealing its abilities, so he copied her idea and pulled his own hood low. Then, activating [Scourge] to make things a bit easier for himself, he pulled the cart up and set off.

    ***

    They arrived at the market a short whileter. The crowd parted before Arwin and he found an open spot at the edge of a square that didn¡¯t have too many people in it. He brought the cart over to it and set it down before climbing inside and giving Reya a nod. ¡°All set up. Not that I had much to set up. How much do you think I should sell these for? They seem a bit nicer than the scale te, and we only have two of them. Maybe 100 a piece?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s probably good.¡± Reya scratched her chin. ¡°Maybe even a little low.¡±

    ¡°150?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably what they¡¯re actually worth. You might have some trouble selling them at that when people don¡¯t know who you are much yet. I¡¯d go something like 120 and let someone bargain you down to 100 at the lowest. If you start at 100, they might try to pull it to 80.¡±

    ¡°Seems smart to me,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°120 it is.¡±

    He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the wagon. It creaked under his weight but thankfully held firm. People passed by on the street, a few of them ncing at the armor hanging on disy, but none stopped.

    ¡°I think it might be about time to deploy the secret technique,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°You have a secret technique?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s called Reya luring adventurers over to the cart.¡±

    Reya scrunched her nose. ¡°Lame. I thought you were going to show me something cool.¡±

    ¡°Have I literally ever been able to so much as get a single person¡¯s interest without my, ah, special gear? That¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡±

    Grinning in response, Reya hopped down to the ground, keeping her hood low over her head. ¡°I suppose I did get a free ride. We just might have to be fast. I don¡¯t want to get recognized by someone that doesn¡¯t like me, and there are a lot of those.¡±

    ¡°So we found out,¡± Arwin said.

    Reya turned toward the crowd. But, before she could even take a step in their direction, a young adventurer with messy brown hair and stubble growing along his chin ground to a halt whilst staring in their direction.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He nearly got run down in the process but didn¡¯t even seem to notice. He hurried over to the cart, practically tripping over his own feet in his haste, and squinted up at the armor.

    ¡°Is this Ifrit armor?¡± he asked, throwing a nce over his shoulder and fumbling with a bag at his waist. ¡°It is, right?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin said, his brow furrowed beneath his hood. He was pretty sure he¡¯d never seen this adventurer before.

    ¡°I¡¯m Leon. You sold my brother armor a little while back,¡± the adventurer said, speaking so fast that his words felt like they were ovepping each other in their haste to escape his lips. ¡°It saved his life. The dungeon he and his team went into was a lot harder than they were expecting and he went down under a Renlion. You know, the big cats with the nasty looking ws?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah,¡± Arwin said, blinking. ¡°I know of them.¡±

    ¡°One of ¡®em got on top of him and did its best to rip his heart out for a solid ten or so seconds from what I heard.¡± Leon paused for a brief instant to suck in a breath before it could try to escape from him. ¡°His armor got torn to shit, but he somehow survived. I¡¯ve been checking the market every once and a while hoping you¡¯de back. I want to get him another set. His name is Ted, by the way.¡±

    Arwin dug through his memories. He was pretty sure the first person he¡¯d sold a piece of gear to had been a man that had introduced himself as Ted. A grin crossed his face.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to hear that. It¡¯s always good to know that I was of service. I hope your brother¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t too serious?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all. Some nasty cuts, but the guild healer got him patched up once they got out of the dungeon,¡± Leon said. He looked up at the armor hanging by Arwin¡¯s head. ¡°Are these sized roughly the same as thest pieces?¡±

    ¡°Just about,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t fit him, you¡¯re wee to find me at my smithy and I¡¯ll modify it for free.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Leon¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you! How much for the piece?¡±

    ¡°These are 100 gold,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°120,¡± Reya corrected.

    He coughed into his fist. ¡°Ah. Right. 120.¡±

    Leon snickered. ¡°You¡¯re not much of a salesman, are you?¡±

    ¡°Is it really that obvious?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Leon and Reya said at the exact same time.

    Arwin rolled his eyes. ¡°Here. Feel free to take a look before you buy anything. These aren¡¯t the same material as the previous pieces I had. By the way, what guild are you two in?¡±

    ¡°Jumping Tigers,¡± Leon replied. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Curiosity.¡± He reached up and took one of the sets of armor down, holding it out to Leon. The adventurer took it from him and looked over it for a few seconds. He rapped his knuckles on the metal, then nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m an expert on armor, but this looks nice. If yourst piece was good, I don¡¯t have any reason to believe this one won¡¯t be. Ted¡¯s been raving about how it saved his life ever since he got back from the dungeon.¡±

    Leon set a pouch of down on the edge of the wagon, then counted out twenty more. ¡°Here. One twenty.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you.¡± Reya nimbly plucked the pouch and the money up. Both vanished into the folds of her clothes.

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Leon said. ¡°Where was it that we could find your smithy again?¡±

    ¡°Do you know the old, haunted street?¡± Arwin asked.

    Leon¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Yeah. Why? You don¡¯t mean¨C¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a tavern at the end of it. Monster themed,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You can find me there. If I¡¯m not around, just ask for the tavern-keeper, Lillia. She¡¯ll be able to get a hold of me.¡±

    ¡°A monster themed tavern?¡± Leon raised an eyebrow. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty neat. Don¡¯t knock it until you try it,¡± Reya said. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever wanted to get your meal served to you by an imp?¡±

    ¡°Not really ¨C wait. You have actual imps employed?¡± Leon¡¯s eyes widened.

    Arwin let out a snort ofughter. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Leon joined in, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Fair enough. Costumes, then. That does sound like it could be fun. Well, I¡¯ll keep that in mind if we need any modifications. Thanks again, Ifrit. And¡­¡±

    ¡°Reya.¡±

    ¡°Reya,¡± Leon finished. ¡°Have a good one!¡±

    He waved, then turned and headed back into the crowd.

    ¡°That went well,¡± Reya said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve gotten some attention again.¡±

    She was right. The crowd had already been slowing a little as they passed the wagon, but the people in the area were definitely looking more intently at the wagon than the had been before. Nobody had approached the wagon yet to avoid getting an unwanted sales pitch, but it looked like it would just be a matter of time before someone else came up.

    ¡°I think we might owe Ted and his brother some thanks,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Small world, running into both of them.¡±

    ¡°Well, it sounds like Leon has beening around the market pretty frequently to try and find you. That¡¯s a pretty good review of your work.¡± Reya paused, then tilted her head to the side. ¡°That¡¯s genius.¡±

    ¡°Genius? What is?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Reviews. We should get a board and put it up with testimonials from people that have bought your work,¡± Reya said eagerly. ¡°They can sign it to prove its real.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Interesting thought. It definitely couldn¡¯t hurt. Maybe something we can look into after we sell thisst piece,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Reya murmured, nodding over Arwin¡¯s shoulder toward the crowd. He turned as a young woman came to a stop before their cart. She looked to be in herte teens or early twenties.

    Strands of red hair poked out from beneath a dented metal helm like tongues of me. Deep scars ran along her chest piece,yered over each other from dozens if not hundreds of battles. A sword hung from her right side ¨C and, noticeably, the arm above it was cut off just below the elbow.

    Her approach spurred the crowd, and a man jogged over. He wore considerably nicer armor and was probably around ten years older, with muscles from years of work and a small goatee framing his lips.

    ¡°How much was this?¡± the woman asked in a soft voice, looking up at the armor hanging beside Arwin.

    ¡°120 gold,¡± Reya said before Arwin could speak.

    The woman grimaced and pulled out her pouch, counting through it. ¡°Could you do 80?¡±

    ¡°Sold,¡± the man said as he drew up to them, setting his hand on the pouch. ¡°120.¡±

    A twinge of annoyance passed through Arwin, but it wasn¡¯t like they had an official line. He needed the money. His own feelings toward the matter were irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was¨C

    <em>What¡¯s that insignia on his armor?</em>

    ¡°Are you with a guild?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Iron Hounds,¡± the man said with a smug grin as he held the pouch of gold out.

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t sell to you,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°What? Why not?¡±

    ¡°Your guild leader and I have a bit of a disagreement,¡± Arwin said. He drummed his fingertips on the wood. This man was part of the Iron Hounds, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean he knew what they¡¯d done. There was no reason to be overly rude ¨C but he wasn¡¯t selling anything to him. ¡°Feel free to take it up with him.¡±

    The man¡¯s brow furrowed and he stuffed the pouch of gold back into his pocket. ¡°Damn shame.¡±

    He spun and headed off. The woman made to do the same.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You said 80?¡±

    She nced back at him in surprise. ¡°I ¨C yeah. Is that enough?¡±

    <em>My reputation is more important than gold. The more legends there are about Ifrit, the more people will want my armor. I know I can¡¯t save everyone. That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do my best to help where I can. And I think there¡¯s a way both of us could benefit from this.</em>

    ¡°How do you feel about a loan?¡± Arwin asked, a small grin flitting across his lips. ¡°I¡¯m in a generous mood.¡±

 Chapter 100: Hearthkeeper

    Chapter 100: Hearthkeeper

    ¡°A loan?¡± the woman asked, her brow furrowing as she tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sell this to you for 80 gold,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯ll need some modification to fit you, but that shouldn¡¯t be too hard. In exchange, youe back to me after you¡¯ve made some gold and pay me another 40 gold, to a total of 120.¡±

    ¡°How do you know I¡¯lle back?¡±

    ¡°The armor will be good enough that you won¡¯t want to risk not being able to buy more from me in the future if you steal it.¡± Arwin shrugged. ¡°You¡¯lle back.¡±

    ¡°What if she gets killed in the dungeon?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Then I made a poor investment.¡±

    The woman studied Arwin¡¯s hooded features for a moment, then looked up at the armor. Her hand ran along the severe damage to her own armor and she bit her lower lip. ¡°I ¨C can you throw a sword in as well?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll cost extra,¡± Arwin said after a moment of thought. ¡°I¡¯ll do a sword for 80, so you¡¯ll have to bring back 120.¡±

    ¡°Could you go lower?¡±¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°My work will pay for itself. That¡¯s my only offer.¡±

    <em>There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m giving this offer to you instead of some random adventurer, but not one that would make me risk any more than what I¡¯m already doing. Nobody picks up that many scars on their armor without having at least some level of fighting ability. It doesn¡¯t look like the missing arm is a fresh wound, so this girl is more than able to handle herself. </em>

    A second passed. Arwin raised an eyebrow, sending a pointed nce over the woman¡¯s shoulder to the remainder of the crowd. He had other people that would buy from him if she wouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Deal,¡± the woman said, hand clenching at her side. ¡°How soon can you get me the weapon and armor?¡±

    ¡°Today, if you follow us back to my smithy,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Otherwise, tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Today,¡± the woman said. ¡°Today works. I¡¯m Olive.¡±

    ¡°Ifrit,¡± Arwin said, putting a hand on his chest. He nodded over to Reya. Her face was covered, but he could still see the annoyance in her posture. ¡°And she¡¯s Reya.¡±

    Olive inclined her head. She pulled a gold and a few silver coins out of her pouch before handing the rest of it to Arwin. ¡°That¡¯s 80.¡±

    <em>And that puts us at 200 gold to work with. Fantastic. </em>

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said.

    Reya took the pouch from Olive and it, like the other pouch, disappeared into her clothes. The crowd, realizing that thest item had sold, dissipated quickly. Arwin stepped down from the cart.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a few stops to make before we head back,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You¡¯re wee to head out yourself if you want to. We can meet you there.¡±

    ¡°That works for me,¡± Olive said. ¡°What¡¯s the location?¡±

    ¡°Tavern at the haunted street,¡± Arwin said.

    Olive stared at him. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It was free.¡±

    A small grin flickered across Olive¡¯s lips. ¡°Good point. Okay. I¡¯ll be there in¡­ three hours?¡±

    ¡°That should be good,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to the armor. ¡°Go ahead and bring that with you. You already paid. Try it out and figure out what needs to be modified, and I¡¯ll take care of it for you when you show up.¡±

    Olive picked it up, the look in her eyes intensifying before she took control of her emotions again and nodded. ¡°I will. Thank you.¡±

    She headed into the crowd and quickly disappeared from view. Reya prodded Arwin in the side.

    ¡°What was that about? She catch your eye or something?¡±

    ¡°What? No.¡± He kept himself from scoffing. There was nothing wrong with Olive. He had no reason to be rude.

    <em>She just isn¡¯t anywhere near as ¨C </em>

    Arwin caught his thoughts and crushed them mercilessly before he could finish them. Reya noticed the look on his expression and bumped her shoulder into his with a smirk. ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said through a cough. ¡°You saw her armor, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It was fucked.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it. She¡¯s a warrior. She knows what she¡¯s doing ¨C getting her to start shopping with me is a good investment. Even if we don¡¯t get the money right now, it¡¯ll be good in the long run.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences elsewhere.

    Reya grunted and scratched at the bottom of her neck. ¡°I never really thought about it like that. I guess I could see how that would work. You¡¯re basically just making sure she keeps shopping with you when she gets stronger?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The risk is that she never does, but she had the look of someone that knows how to handle herself,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If I¡¯m wrong, we¡¯re down around a hundred gold. Not a huge deal when I can make another piece of equipment with just a few hours of effort.¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± Reya allowed. ¡°So we¡¯re getting supplies now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I need a few things. Some more Brightsteel, a barrel of oil for the smithy, bricks, mortar. Think you can help get everything while I lug the cart around behind you?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°That for now. We¡¯ll add anything else in if we see it. Maybe some ingredients for Lillia?¡±

    Reya gave him a mock salute and hopped down from the cart. Arwin activated [Scourge] and lifted it, lumbering after her as she headed into the crowd.

    ***

    Lillia sighed. The tavern was empty, and she¡¯d never felt lonelier. Rodrick and Anna were out getting dinner. Arwin was with Reya trying to make them some money. And she was sitting around in the dark and waiting for something to happen.

    It had been bad after she¡¯d lost her party in the fights against the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but at least she¡¯d had the war to throw herself into. Something like this shouldn¡¯t have mattered. It was childish to even be bothered by it.

    <em>It¡¯s just a few hours. I don¡¯t see how I¡¯m feeling like this when everyone will be back so soon. What¡¯s wrong with me?</em>

    Lillia ran a hand through her hair and heaved a sigh. Her emotions stubbornly rejected her attempts at logic. It wasn¡¯t like she was about to break down. She just¡­ didn¡¯t want to be alone anymore.

    <em>I guess the Mesh knew that when it gave me my ss. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ever admit that to anyone, though. I think I¡¯d die of shame if they found out I¡¯d literally gotten a ss for a cheesy reason like that. </em>

    She stepped out from behind the counter and paced back and forth across the main room of the tavern. Her mind ced tables by her side as she walked, popting them withughing adventurers and smiling couples.

    Lanterns materialized on the walls in her mind¡¯s eye. Their light danced across imps d in maid outfits that worked their way between feasting men and women to deliver their meals. A grin pulled at the corners of Lillia¡¯s lips.

    The vision fell away, and darkness returned once more. She came to a stop at the doorway, a tiny smile still present. It wouldn¡¯t be long, now. The tavern would be alive one day soon.

    <em>I can¡¯t wait. </em>

    She summoned her ss forth, looking at it for what must have been the tenth time that day.

    <strong>Name</strong><strong>: Lillia</strong>

    <strong>ss</strong><strong>: Hearthkeeper (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 3)</strong>

    <strong>Skills</strong><strong>:</strong>

    <strong>[Hearthmade] - <em>When food is made and consumed within the walls of your Hearth, it will possess mild restorative and curative properties.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Hearthmother] - The<em> Hearth must obey yourmand. It wille alive at yourmand and seek to execute any orders you give it. All those who enter your Hearth of their own volition are simrly beholden to you until they leave its walls. This ability''s effects are reduced the greater your target''s tier is than yours. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Gentle Repose] - <em>Those who sleep for at least 6 hours within your Hearth will awake more refreshed and energetic than before. This boon willst until the dawn of the next night and can stack up to 10 times.</em></strong>

    <strong>Titles</strong><strong>:</strong>

    <strong>[Shadowtouched] ¨C <em>Consuming the Heart of Shadow has granted you permanent affinity to the dark. Darkness endlessly follows your footsteps. You have also gained control over shadows. Their strength scales with your Tier.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Demon Mother] ¨C <em>Your service to Demonkind has repaid you with dedicated servants that follow in your wake. The strength and number of servants that you can call upon scale with your tier.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Hungry Idiot] - <em>You tried to eat a rancid object and genuinely believed that it would taste good without having any form of negative mental affects active. Your uniquely idiotic pte has been enhanced to be able to discover ways to draw good vor out in anything consumable, so long as you can suffer the consequences of eating it.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Hearthkeeper] ¨C <em>An enormous burst of energy has permanently infused you with magic, but not without cost. You must choose a location to be your Hearth. In order to survive, all those who arrive at your Hearth seeking food or lodging must be given it at a fair price. Maintaining the happiness of your customers will give you temporary boons; failing to do so will result in curses.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Current Inhabitants: 4</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Average Satisfaction: 75%</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Boons:</em></strong>

    <strong><em>[Greater Shadow] - Your shadows magic is significantly empowered and can form solid objects.</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Curses:</em></strong>

    <strong>Achievements</strong><strong>:</strong>

    <strong>[Giantsbane] ¨C <em>Awarded for ying a monster over ten times your height.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    She dismissed the Mesh. There weren¡¯t any curses yet. That was a good thing. The Mesh had given her a warning early on into iming the tavern, but she hadn¡¯t gotten anything from it since.

    The average satisfaction meter had been quite stressful. 75% wasn¡¯t bad, but everyone staying in the inn right now was a friend. They were more lenient. When others arrived, the number would drop sharply ¨C which meant that sitting at 75% was nowhere near high enough. She needed to make the inn better.

    But that woulde. For now, curses were a more immediate threat. It didn¡¯t look like they would be a major problem this week, but every passing day where she didn¡¯t find a way to get more inhabitants and people visiting the tavern meant a step closer to doom.

    <em>The boon was invaluable already. Without it, we probably would have gotten killed while fighting the Crystalline Bonehemoth. If I lose it or get a curse that makes it harder for me to fight, we could be in a lot of trouble. I can¡¯t afford that. </em>

    Not for the first time, Lillia wondered just what Arwin¡¯s ss had given him. She could have asked him directly, but for some reason, she hadn¡¯t quite been able to yet. The thought of the former Hero sent a flicker of emotion through her mind. Her cheeks heated.

    <em>I can¡¯t believe he sat next to me while I was sleeping and I didn¡¯t even realize. What am I, a little girl? I hope I didn¡¯t say anything too embarrassing. I don¡¯t think he would have told me, even if I did. He¡¯s too damn polite.</em>

    Lillia shook her head, then brushed her hair back behind her ears. It was a good thing that nobody else was around, because she was pretty sure her cheeks were red enough to light up the darkness.

 Chapter 101: Lets see

    Chapter 101: Let''s see

    Wooden wheels rattled against old cobblestone. They ground to a halt, punctuated by a thunk as Arwin released the handles of the wagon and let out a weary sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of a hand.

    His cart waspletely stuffed full of materials. Brick, mortar, everything he needed to start construction on the smithy with even more reserved at the mason¡¯s shop. In addition, he¡¯d bought 3 ingots of Brightsteel and a whetstone for himself. He¡¯d also brought back a barrel of oil and arge crate of ingredients for Lillia.

    Reya hopped off the top of the cart. ¡°Thanks for the ride.¡±

    ¡°I never offered one,¡± Arwin said dryly. Reya just shed him a grin and headed into the tavern.

    ¡°Lillia! Come look what we got!¡± Reya called, her voice muffled as she headed deeper into the tavern in search for the former demon queen. ¡°Arwin has a gift for you!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lillia¡¯s voice joined Reya¡¯s and the two of them poked their heads out of the tavern a secondter.

    <em>Did Reya really have to word it like that?</em>

    ¡°I got some ingredients while I was out,¡± Arwin said, stepping onto the cart and picking up the crate with a grunt. He dropped down and held it out to Lillia. ¡°Mostly basic stuff. I think. Flour, fresh water, cured meats and spices, the like. Nothing perishable.¡±

    A huge grin split Lillia¡¯s lips. ¡°Thank you. This is fantastic.¡±¡°We¡¯ll get you some more once you give Reya a list of exactly what you need,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I got a lot of what I needed and we¡¯ve still got 50 gold left over. I honestly might still be underpricing the armor a bit. Brightsteel isn¡¯t cheap ¨C but I made that stuff with what was functionally mixed scrap, and I don¡¯t know if people would pay more for something made by an unknown smith.¡±

    ¡°Rtively unknown,¡± Reya corrected. ¡°You got recognized!¡±

    ¡°You did?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°In a good way?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The brother of the first adventurer I sold something to told me that my armor saved his life. We sold the brother one of the chest tes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Lillia said with a smile. ¡°What about the other piece?¡±

    ¡°Charity,¡± Reya grumbled.

    ¡°Not charity,¡± Arwin corrected, flicking her in the shoulder. ¡°An investment. There was a one-armed warrior that clearly knew her way around a fight. I gave it to her for 80 gold, but she owes me another 120 for it and a sword once she earns the money.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Getting her hooked, are you?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Though that makes it sound pretty nefarious. I just think pulling in some repeat customers would be beneficial. I need a lot of money, after all.¡±

    ¡°Aside from the materials to repair the smithy and more metal, what else do you need?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Well, money to fix up the tavern as well. Definitely lots of materials and the like as well,¡± Arwin ticked points off his fingers as he spoke. ¡°I also want to get some guides on smithing. I¡¯ve been bullshitting thus far, but things have slowed down enough for me to start really learning the proper way to do them instead of using the Mesh as a crutch.¡±

    ¡°That could be wise,¡± Lillia mused. ¡°I wonder if there are any books on proper keeping up a tavern.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there are,¡± Reya said. ¡°I could keep an eye out for both, but I try to avoid going inside shops whenever I can.¡±

    ¡°We can ask Rodrick or Anna when they get back from their date,¡± Lillia said. ¡°They¡¯re still out getting dinner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cute,¡± Reya said. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re married?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s head tilted to the side, confusion passing over her features. A question seemed to rise to her lips, but it never made it past them.

    ¡°They could be,¡± Arwin said before the silence could turn awkward. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. Either that or going to be soon from the way they act.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been to a wedding before,¡± Reya said. She paused for a moment, then cleared her throat. ¡°Well, I was actually at one for a very short amount of time. About as long as it took me to nab a piece of cake and run out before they realized I wasn¡¯t invited.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, I could have guessed that,¡± Arwin said with a snort ofughter. ¡°I¡¯m going to get to working on building up the smithy again. It¡¯s probably going to take a while, and I¡¯d like to move back in as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should spend some money hiring someone to help you,¡± Lillia suggested. ¡°You could probably afford it if you can keep making armor at the rate you are right now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a tempting idea,¡± Arwin admitted. He rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it tomorrow. Maybe its arrogant, but I want to at least start on my own. The foundations from the old smithy are still there, so I thinkying bricks shouldn¡¯t bepletely beyond my abilities. I suppose we¡¯ll find out.¡±

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    ¡°Well, let us know if you need help,¡± Reya said. ¡°In the meantime¡­ Lillia, do you have anything to eat?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Give me a second.¡± Lillia headed back into the kitchen. Arwin nodded to Reya, then set out himself. There wasn¡¯t all that much time left in the day and he didn¡¯t want to go and waste it.

    He picked the handles of the cart back up and, using [Scourge], dragged it over to the plot ofnd where his smithy had once stood and would stand again. He set it down and brushed his hands off before climbing on to start ferrying materials over to a more essible spot.

    Arwin took extra care with the jugs of grout. It would have been really annoying if he broke one and had to waste time cleaning it up ¨C not to mention the wasted material. Once he got everything set back up in the smith, he got to work.

    The outside wall felt like the most logical spot to start with. It was also the easiest, at least as far as he could tell. It wasn¡¯t like the area he had to build with was changing, and he just wanted a square building.

    Arwin knelt on the ground and did his best to clean away all the dirt from the area before him before he startedying bricks with a thinyer of grout on their bottom. Time slipped by. The sun traced overhead and light faded, dipping into the night.

    He finished severalyers, spending more time than he cared to admit repositioning bricks that ended up being just slightly askew enough to catch his attention. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most professional looking job he¡¯d seen, but it didn¡¯t look terrible.

    <em>At least, it doesn¡¯t look terrible yet. I really don¡¯t know that much about what I¡¯m doing. Lillia was right. I should bring someone in that really knows what¡¯s up to work on this tomorrow. I can help them instead of doing something stupid and having to restart. </em>

    Arwin brushed his hands and turned back to the tavern. Leaning on the wall of a crumbling building just to his side was the drunkard. He hadn¡¯t even heard the man arrive.

    ¡°How long have you been there?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°A while.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I was watching.¡±

    ¡°That much is evident,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Did you not want an audience?¡± the drunkard took a sip from his mug. ¡°If not, you probably shouldn¡¯t be standing around outside. Maybe you should build a house.¡±

    Arwin looked around at the materials surrounding him. ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± the man took another long swing from his mug. ¡°I wasn¡¯t watching.¡±

    ¡°You literally just said you were.¡±

    ¡°Did I? I must have forgotten.¡±

    Arwin shook his head. He wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted tough or sigh. ¡°Did you juste here to y with words? I was about to head inside and retire for the night, so if there was something you wanted, sooner might be better thanter.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of things I want,¡± the drunkard said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can give me any of them, though.¡±

    ¡°Cryptic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a fan of intrigue. Makes things more interesting.¡± He took onest sip, draining the rest of his mug before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. ¡°And much easier to forget. You seem to be better at doing that than I am.¡±

    He nced over his shoulder at the scattered materials behind him. Smudges of ash still marred the stone. No matter how hard he scrubbed, Arwin didn¡¯t think they¡¯d evere off. ¡°Forget? No. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s possible. There¡¯s a difference between forgetting something and moving on. Experiences shape you, not define you.¡±

    The drunkard¡¯s lips pursed. He checked his empty mug, then shook his head. ¡°Sure thing. Say, you ever find that kid¡¯s sword?¡±

    Arwin frowned. ¡°No. I assumed it was lost in the fire. How do you¨C¡±

    The drunkard reached into his ratty coat and pulled out a short sword. Ash marred the handle and the de was dented and warped. It only took Arwin one look to recognize it.

    ¡°That¡¯s Zeke¡¯s,¡± Arwin said. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Why do you have it?¡±

    ¡°Pulled it out of the fire after things died down.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What a stupid question. To sell it. Just seems like it would be a stupid thing to do. Figure the only one that¡¯s going to want this is you.¡±

    He tossed the sword over to Arwin, who caught it by the handle. The Mesh still tingled within the weapon, but it was so badly damaged that its magic effects were nowhere to be seen. Any magic that remained in it was weak at best.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said after a second of silence. ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t all pissy that I took the damn thing?¡±

    ¡°It probably would have been even more damaged if you hadn¡¯t taken it, and you brought it back. Why would Iin about someone righting a wrong? I¡¯d have a problem if you never brought it back.¡±

    ¡°You know what?¡± the drunkard asked. He sniffled and wiped his nose off on a sleeve. ¡°I¡¯m getting fed up with all your philosophical bullshit. Why can¡¯t you just be a prick? It¡¯s easier that way.¡±

    ¡°I can be an asshole if you want me to be.¡±

    ¡°Bah. It¡¯s not interesting anymore.¡± the drunkard shook his head and wandered off, muttering under his breath until he faded from view. Arwin looked down at the sword in his hands, a frown creasing his lips and wrinkling his brow.

    <em>That¡¯s definitely someone who¡¯s seen his fair share of shit. Wonder what his deal is or why he¡¯s hiding out in a supposedly haunted street. Running from someone? He¡¯s drinking every single time I¡¯ve seen him, so maybe the one he¡¯s running from is himself. </em>

    Arwin stepped away from the smithy and set the sword on his cart. He dragged the cart back over to the side of the inn and parked it in a thin alleyway before retrieving the sword and heading inside.

    Lillia stood by the bar, her form just barely outlined by flickering orangenternlight. A woman sat in a stool across from her. He almost mistook her for Reya in the darkness before he caught a glimpse of her arm ¨C or rather, theck of it. Even her bright red hair was barely visible in the shadows. Arwin¡¯s armor sat on the ground at her side. Apparently Olive had arrived a bit before he¡¯d expected her to.

    ¡°Ah. There he is.¡± Lillia nodded over Olive¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Am Ite?¡± Arwin asked. He wasn¡¯t wearing his mask yet, but he wasn¡¯t so sure it mattered. The mask had beenrgely to deal with the Iron Hounds and get some publicity. Figuring out his identity wouldn¡¯t be all that difficult for anyone that was really interested. ¡°I got distracted.¡±

    ¡°Only a little,¡± Olive said. ¡°It looked like you were a little busy. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you, and you mentioned there was a tavern in the area. I figured it couldn¡¯t hurt to try it out.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Arwin walked over to join her. A te sat on the table before her, polished clean. ¡°How¡¯d you like it?¡±

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Olive said. ¡°But that might have just been because it¡¯s been a while since Ist had a hot meal. Can we¡­¡±

    ¡°Get you your sword and fix up your armor?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the n,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Give me one second.¡±

    He headed up the stairs to his room, setting the sword down by his bed before returning to themon area and waving for Olive to follow him.

    ¡°Come with me and we¡¯ll see what I can do for you.¡±

 Chapter 102: What do you think?

    Chapter 102: What do you think?

    Arwin stopped by the cart to hoist therge barrel of oil off and bring it over to his makeshift workshop. If Olive was surprised to see him lugging the huge container on his own, she didn¡¯t say anything.

    They walked past the remains of the smithy and over to the rickety house that was currently serving as his workshop. He held the door open for Olive, then let it swing shut behind them.

    ¡°This is¡­ not exactly what I was expecting,¡± Olive hedged, turning to take in everything.

    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress.¡± Arwin put a hand on his anvil. ¡°I made that armor in your hand here, and I¡¯ll be able to do better once I¡¯ve gotten the ce a bit fixed up. Until then, do you really care where I work? Results are all that matter.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Olive said. ¡°So how do we do this? I tested the armor out a bit. It¡¯s definitely made for a man. Do I just tell you where it was ufortable?¡±

    ¡°It would be easier if you show me.¡±

    ¡°Figured,¡± Olive said. She reached to her side and fiddled with a strap for a few seconds to unravel aplicated looking knot. She gave it a sharp tug and her armor loosened instantly. Olive reached over her head and pulled the old armor off, setting it down before picking up the chestpiece that Arwin had forged and starting to pull it on.

    ¡°Do you¨C¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Olive snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±Arwin nodded, falling silent again. Olive pulled the armor on herself and set about fastening it. She was surprisingly adept at putting it on, even without one of her hands. He was pretty sure she managed it faster than he would have with both hands.

    ¡°Okay. It¡¯s on,¡± Olive said. She rapped her chest with two knuckles. ¡°My chest is getting crushed, and the sides are a little too wide. I think it should fit well if you just do a little modification there.¡±

    He walked in a circle around her, examining the armor. Olive¡¯s assessment was right, but there were a few other problems that he was pretty sure he could fix without too much effort. The pauldrons were too wide for her shoulders and needed to be angled better to fit her body. On top of that, Olive was ever so slightly off bnce.

    <em>I think the armor is a little bit too heavy for her. She¡¯d probably adapt to it, but you don¡¯t want to be adapting to anything when you¡¯re heading into a dungeon. I should be able to take some weight off and redistribute it a bit better. Women don¡¯t have the same center of gravity that men do.</em>

    ¡°I see what I need to do,¡± Arwin said after a few seconds of studying the armor. He nced around for something to mark it with ¨C he didn¡¯t want to rely on the Mesh and end up making the damn thing magical on ident. ¡°Could you wait a second?¡±

    Olive blinked, then shrugged. He stepped past her and headed over to the smithy, wiping some of the remaining soot off the ground and onto his hands. Once he¡¯d gathered enough, he headed back over to rejoin her.

    She watched him suspiciously as he drew some lines with soot to mark the locations that he needed to modify. Arwin took a step back to study his handiwork, then gave her a curt nod.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You can take it off now.¡±

    Olive did as instructed. A minuteter, she¡¯d pulled everything off and set it back on the ground, taking care to avoid mistakenly smudging any of the lines Arwin had drawn. She sent him an expectant look.

    ¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°Now you go wait outside,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Or, better yet, go sit down in the tavern. This will take a little.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to measure my arm or something for the sword?¡± Olive asked, lifting her hand and waving it around. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to figure out the length of the de that suits me or something?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I could.¡± Arwin tilted his head to the side and rubbed his chin. He still had absolutely no idea about the finer parts of smithing ¨C or the considerably less fine parts, for that matter ¨C but he¡¯d been using weapons for as long as he could remember. He¡¯d wielded everything from daggers to great-axes and knew how to use all of them at apetent level. ¡°But I¡¯ll be honest, it wouldn¡¯t do much for me. Unless you¡¯ve got a specific request, I was just going to make you a short sword.¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arwin nodded to Olive¡¯s missing arm. ¡°That, or theck thereof. You aren¡¯t going to be able to do just about anything with a heavy weapon. Your bnce is off. What you need is something fast and light.¡±

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    ¡°Why not a dagger?¡±

    Olive was testing him. That much was clear. He wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d waited until they¡¯d already gotten here, but he didn¡¯t care either way. The question was both reasonable and simple enough.

    ¡°Daggers aren¡¯t going to be any good if you¡¯re fighting someone that knows how to use a proper sword and if you don¡¯t have the jump on them. You¡¯re clearly not aiming to gut things from the shadows if you¡¯re nking around. A long sword, as I previously mentioned, would be too difficult for you to wield. That leaves something a bit longer than a dagger but shorter than a full length or hand-and-a-half de. We could do a falchion, but those are a little heavier than a short sword because their de is wider. Thus, short sword. Satisfied?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s fair logic,¡± Olive said with a nod. She picked up her armor and handed it to Arwin. ¡°When can I expect everything to be done?¡±

    Arwin shrugged in response. ¡°The armor modifications won¡¯t take me all that long, but the sword will add a fair amount of time to that. I¡¯d look into getting somewhere to stay for the night.¡±

    A grimace passed over Olive¡¯s features. Her hand shifted back to the pouch at her side before she could stop it. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll see what I can do. Tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow morning,¡± Arwin confirmed. If she didn¡¯t have any money left, he suspected Lillia would find a way to amodate for her. Offering more for free likely wouldn¡¯t have done anything more than offend the warrior ¨C and there was a limit to how much he could offer up. The tavern was Lillia¡¯s, not his.

    Olive nodded to him and headed out the door. Arwin waited until he¡¯d heard the sound of her footsteps fade down the street before he turned to his hearth and tossed [Soul me] into it. He got to working all the leather padding out of the armor, removing the strips carefully and setting them down safely. After them followed the non-metal parts of thetches that held everything together.

    Once the chestpiece had been stripped back down to its bare metal, Arwin took the pieces of the armor and set them into the me to heat. The me soon brought it to a wheat yellow. He brought the armor over to his anvil. Verdant ze formed in his hand and he worked the metal with firm but controlled strikes.

    Time slipped away as it had tended to do as ofte. He made the modifications to Olive¡¯s armor without any difficulty and put the whole set back together, letting it rest at his side while he got to work on the sword.

    He had a lot of Brightsteel to work with. It wasn¡¯t exactly the best steel for making an entire de. Its main property was its ability to absorb shock, not its hardness or aptitude for holding an edge.

    <em>Still, for my purposes right now, this should be more than enough. It¡¯ll probably need sharpening more than other des and isn¡¯t going to be quite as sharp. I doubt either of those problems are going to be too big of an inconvenience for Olive as long as the sword functions well. </em>

    Arwin heated an ingot of Brightsteel to a dull orange. He brought it back to his anvil and started working it out into a t sheet. He brushed away the ck hammerscale that formed as he worked it, the heartbeat of his hammer thumping rhythmically through the building.

    He soon had the steel worked out and formed into the rough shape of the de. His concentration built as time swirled past him. The metal took the form of a sword, growing closer to a true weapon with every passing hour.

    The temperature outside the smithy started to lower as the night dragged on. Arwin barely took notice. The heat of his [Soul me] was all he needed to keep working.

    He finished the de, quenched it in oil and cleaned it off once more, then set to work making a handle. Arwin opted for a metal grip and dug grips into it with the edge of his [Scourge] empowered fingertips.

    After testing the handle to make sure the grip was sturdy, Arwin worked it onto the tang and capped it with a pommel that he worked onto the end with a mixture of heat and empowered strength.

    He held the de up before him, nodding to himself. It was definitelying together well. The edges of the de had needed more hammering than he was used to. But, after spending at least an extra hour than normal to make sure it was hard, Arwin was satisfied. There was only one thing left he had to do.

    He headed back to the cart and retrieved the whetstone that he¡¯d bought. As he worked on bringing a proper edge to the de, Arwin smiled to himself. For a non-magical weapon, he was pretty proud of it. The sword was one of the first weapons that he¡¯d made entirely himself. The Mesh hadn¡¯t been involved in the slightest.

    He¡¯d have been lying if he imed that the sword was the best weapon he¡¯d ever made. It really wasn¡¯t all that incredible in the grand scheme of things. But, for the price he¡¯d asked and the risk he was taking on it, he felt that the result was more than eptable.

    Arwin brushed the de off and set the whetstone down. Sharpening the de had taken nearly as much time as actually forging it. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a property of the Brightsteel or if he just wasn¡¯t very good at sharpening things. He retrieved the finished armor and walked over to the door, pushing it open to step out into the street.

    The de was done ¨C and the sun had started to rise over the horizon. He¡¯d been at it the entire night.

    <em>At least, I hope that it was just one night. It would be bad if I promised Olive that I¡¯d be done in a day and then took two. [The Hungering Maw] doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s being too much of a pain right now, so it definitely hasn¡¯t been too long. I should look into making a new emergency bracelet, though. Those have been incredibly helpful. Maybe I can get around to that after I send Olive on her way. </em>

    Olive wasn¡¯t anywhere on the street that Arwin could see, so he headed down the street and over to the tavern. As he¡¯d guessed, she was sitting at the counter. A te sat before her, polished off some time ago. Her eyes were drooping with either boredom or weariness, but she sat upright as Arwin entered.

    ¡°That was faster than I thought,¡± Olive said, sliding out of her chair. ¡°You finished?¡±

    Arwin handed the finished sword over to her in response. He held onto the armor so she didn¡¯t have to try to juggle both the armor and the weapon with one hand. Olive took it from him and raised it before her, testing the weight and bnce.

    ¡°Well?¡± Arwin asked, a flicker of trepidation passing through him. The sword was the first weapon he¡¯d given to anyone outside of his own guild, not to mention theck of guidance the Mesh had given him. ¡°What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 103: Good luck

    Chapter 103: Good luck

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ good,¡± Olive said, as if she were surprised to find that the words leaving her mouth actually belonged to her. She tilted the sword from side to side, studying the de in the dim light from thentern. ¡°Is this made from Brightsteel?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I know it isn¡¯t exactly the hardest weapon, but it¡¯s light. It also has the added benefit of absorbing shock if you¡¯re forced to block a blow, which will be invaluable for¡­ well, you. It¡¯s not like you can use both hands.¡±

    <em>And it¡¯s the only thing I really had on me at the time. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Olive said. She nodded to herself. ¡°More than good enough for what I need here. It won¡¯t hold an edge the best, but if it even gives me a little bit of an edge inbat, it doesn¡¯t matter. Thank you, Ifrit. Is the armor¡­¡±

    ¡°Also done,¡± Arwin said. He held it out. Olive set her de on the counter and took the armor from him. She slipped into it and tightened the straps, then stretched her arm over her head and twisted back and forth.

    Even though Olive didn¡¯t say anything, Arwin could make out enough of her expression in the darkness to read the delight in her eyes. The armor was definitely better than the sword ¨C he¡¯d had a lot more experience in recent time making it, so that wasn¡¯t much of a surprise.

    <em>And defense is more important anyway. Better to survive a fight and fail to kill an enemy than to kill an enemy and fail to survive the fight. Not that I think the sword isn¡¯t going to hold up, but ¨C</em>

    ¡°Is this really only one hundred and twenty more gold?¡± Olive asked, picking the sword back up from the table and holding it point-down before her. ¡°There aren¡¯t any hidden conditions? You don¡¯t want anything else?¡±

    ¡°A glowing review would be appreciated. We live and die by our customers satisfaction.¡±Olive squinted at Arwin. She slid the sword into an empty sheath at her side. A small smile tried to take form on her lips, but she crushed it ruthlessly before it could take more than an instant¡¯s purchase. ¡°You say we as if there¡¯s someone else with you. Are you and the tavernkeeper working together?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in a guild.¡± Arwin squinted into the kitchen in attempt to see if Lillia was lurking about anywhere. There wasn¡¯t any sign of her ¨C or of any other guildmembers, for that matter.

    ¡°You are?¡± Olive¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have known. What guild?¡±

    ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t actually have a name yet.¡± Arwin cleared his throat, his satisfaction from a job well done abruptly reced with the reminder that his guild technically wasn¡¯t even official. ¡°Soon, though. We haven¡¯t submitted any of the paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Not much of a guild then, are you?¡± A small grin did manage to form on Olive¡¯s lips this time around and she put a hand on the hilt of her new weapon. ¡°But I don¡¯t really care what you call yourself. I¡¯ll get that money back to you as soon as possible. You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t ever worried. Just don¡¯t rush too much and end up getting yourself killed in the process,¡± Arwin warned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your investment will make it back to you in one piece,¡± Olive said. She stepped past Arwin and headed for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back within the week.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said. Olive nced back at him, a flicker of worry and suspicion passing across her face.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Where are you hunting? I assume you¡¯re going to do a dungeon or clear out some monsters aboveground to sell them for parts, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I am. Why?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go to the forest with the lizards,¡± Arwin advised. ¡°It¡¯s not safe right now. There¡¯s a pretty good chance that there might be a Wyrm horde in the near future, and there¡¯s an aggressive Wyrm lurking around it.¡±

    Olive did a double take. ¡°There¡¯s a what? Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C never mind,¡± Olive said, blinking. ¡°How do you know this? That¡¯s a really serious problem. I¡¯d say we should call the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯d even bother sending people to Milten. Any proper guildmembers here would be just as liable to be run through by a human as a monster.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± It was Arwin¡¯s turn to blink. He was the farthest thing from a fan of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but it hadn¡¯t seemed like the sentiments in the city toward them were <em>that </em>bad.

    ¡°Yeah. Money doesn¡¯t go a long way in Milten,¡± Olive said. ¡°Are you new here or something? That would exin your low prices.¡±

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    <em>Ah. It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t like the guild. Milten is just full of scumbags. I suppose I should have been able to guess that. One of these days I¡¯m going to find that guard that acted like this city was some paragon of morality and poke him between the ribs. </em>

    ¡°Yes. I just moved in. Lovely neighborhood, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Arwin asked.

    Olive didn¡¯t even so much as crack a smile at his joke. She just nodded seriously. ¡°Good for keeping people away, that¡¯s for sure. Thanks again for the equipment. It¡¯ll go a long way.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand in farewell as Olive turned and headed out of the tavern.

    He headed to the back to poke his head into the kitchen. It was pitch ck. ¡°Lillia? You there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia¡¯s voice called back a secondter. ¡°One second.¡±

    She emerged from her room and Arwin stepped out of the doorway to give her some room to pass him. Lillia walked into themon room and stood beneath the light of thentern. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Do you know where everyone is? I saw Olive sitting around with some food so I knew you were around, but I haven¡¯t seen the others.¡±

    ¡°Anna and Reya went out on a girl¡¯s day. They invited me as well, but¡­¡± Lillia trailed off and looked down, sending a pointed nce at her tail. ¡°I have some pre-existing conditions that make heading outside a little difficult.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just hide your tail?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I could modify the armor¨C¡±

    ¡°My skin is purple, Arwin. I already tuck my tail away. That¡¯s not the issue.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Right. Not particrlymon, purple skin.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia agreed, a smile flitting across her face. ¡°I don¡¯t think it is. Besides, I need the tail for bnce and fighting. I¡¯d rather not have to hide it away. I can stick to the shadows and hide that way pretty effectively ¨C but that¡¯s not really a fun way to have a rxing day.¡±

    Arwin felt a twinge of sympathy. She was functionally trapped. Even if she could leave the city whenever she wanted, she couldn¡¯t walk around freely. Either she had to cover herself with a long robe or walk in the shadows.

    Getting around freely wasn¡¯t truly free if she was constantly worried about being spotted. There would be no true rxation for her. Not outside the street.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯ll get this street to the point where it¡¯s better than anywhere else in the city."

    A smile drifted across Lillia¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you, Arwin. It isn¡¯t that bad. Even if my tavern is the extent of where I can really walk around peacefully, I have nothing toin about. Compared to what life used to be, this is heaven.¡±

    ¡°I can agree with that.¡± Arwin picked Olive¡¯s te up from the counter and stepped past Lillia into the kitchen. He set it down in the sink before walking back to rejoin her. ¡°You said Reya and Anna went out together¡­ so where is Rodrick?¡±

    ¡°He went out to try to see if he could pick up any useful information in regard to the Wyrms or the Iron Hounds,¡± Lillia replied. The candle in thentern above her sputtered and winked out, plunging the room into darkness.

    Lillia let out a curse under her breath. Arwin squinted through the dark, but he couldn¡¯t see anything other than shifting blobs in the darkness. Thentern squeaked as Lillia fiddled with it. A momentter, fire sputtered back to life on the wick and the faint pool of orange-yellow light swam forth once more.

    ¡°Stupid thing,¡± Lillia said with a huff, closing thentern again. ¡°They¡¯ve been going out randomly for days.¡±

    ¡°Is it your shadow magic getting too strong or something?¡±

    ¡°No. That would just swallow the light, not snuff it. Not unless I was intentionally trying to put it out, at least. I¡¯ve got no idea what¡¯s causing it.¡± A smallugh slipped out from between Arwin¡¯s lips. Lillia raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, prodding him in the shoulder with a finger. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking that maybe the street really is haunted. The ghost just likes blowing out small candles.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Lillia nced over her shoulder at thentern andughed. ¡°Ghosts are very real, but it¡¯s pretty easy to tell when you¡¯re around one. The temperature around you drops sharply and pressure builds around your chest and neck. You can¡¯t miss it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fought ¡®em before. You had some in your army.¡±

    ¡°I did? That¡¯s news to me. Nobody likes being near them for obvious reasons. Ghosts affect everything, not just their enemies. Guess the Monster Coalition must have sent them out on their own.¡±

    ¡°They were nasty bastards to fight,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Incredibly difficult to kill. Only way I¡¯ve seen it done is with holy magic or magical items specialized for it.¡±

    ¡°You can also do it by cutting whatever ties they¡¯ve got to the magic keeping them around in the mortal world. But forget that ¨C do you think a ghost would count as an inhabitant for my inn?¡±

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re going to have to ask the next time ites around. But, ghosts notwithstanding, do you have any other ns? I¡¯m probably going to be splitting today between rebuilding my smithy and trying to figure out what to forge next. Now more than ever, I need to work on getting us more powerful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just be cooking. I¡¯ve got a lot of new material to work with thanks to you,¡± Lillia said to Arwin with a soft smile. ¡°Come get dinner with me at some point tonight. Don¡¯t work through it again.¡±

    A strange feeling passed through Arwin¡¯s stomach, sparks of anticipation swirling and forming into knots at its bottom. He stifled the emotion before it could reach his face and slip into his expression. ¡°That would be nice. Thank you. I¡¯m not sure what time I¡¯ll finish, though.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I suspect I¡¯ll be awake regardless.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try not to take too long,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°Let me know if you need anything. You know where I¡¯ll be.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to go find someone to help you make the smithy? Or did you decide to finish it yourself?¡±

    ¡°Definitely going to ask around for some assistance.¡± Arwin cleared his throat sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯d like it to withstand more than a light breeze. I¡¯ll just help out where I can to make sure it ends up looking the way I want it to. Aside from that, I¡¯ll just be working on some crafting.¡±

    ¡°Probably smart,¡± Lillia said. ¡°The same goes for you if you get hungry before dinner. I¡¯ll be in the kitchen testing out some new recipes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind in case I end up actually getting distracted for long enough to remember that I like eating. Otherwise, I¡¯ll look forward to dinner. Good luck cooking.¡±

    ¡°And good luck to you as well,¡± Lillia said. She stepped back into the kitchen and Arwin walked out of the tavern. He set a course down the street and toward the town square. He wanted to get some more crafting done as soon as he could, but he needed to find someone that could help him rebuild his smithy first.

 Chapter 104: What do you want to be?

    Chapter 104: What do you want to be?

    There were a number of masons in Milten ¨C more than Arwin had expected. But, as he walked down the street in search of the fourth shop of the day, he mused that there weren¡¯t very many <em>brave </em>masons.

    They¡¯d all been more than interested to help him out until he mentioned that the construction would be taking ce on the haunted street. He didn¡¯t even have to specify which one. That was probably a good thing. If there was more than one haunted street in the city, something definitely would have been up.

    Either way, nobody had been willing to take his money. Arwin grumbled in annoyance under his breath as he continued down the street of the crafts quarter. It was beyond him how there were so many masons in the city and how absolutely none of them had the balls to work on a supposedly haunted street.

    <em>Who¡¯s even keeping these rumors up? I¡¯ve been there for a while now and there hasn¡¯t been a single instance of a haunting. Some candles getting snuffed out do not constitute a ghost. These people must be terrified of their own shadows. </em>

    He was still shaking his head when he came up to yet another mason¡¯s store. There wasn¡¯t a que on the wall or any sign to identify it. The only way Arwin could tell the store belonged to a mason was the stacks of stone and tile he could see through the window.

    Arwin stepped in and the door creaked in announcement of his arrival. A short man poked his head out of a room at the back, his balding head desperately holding onto thest few strands of hair at its top.

    ¡°Are you open for work?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Depends on the work. And the pay. Mostly the pay,¡± the man said. He stepped fully into view and leaned against the doorway, arching an eyebrow and crossing one leg over the other.

    Arwin stared at him. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what the man was trying to do. The mason seemed to realize his attempts weren¡¯t working, because he straightened back up and let his hands drop. He gestured impatiently.¡°Go on. Out with it. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I need a building made. I¡¯ve got the material already,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And I¡¯m willing to help as well. You can just tell me what you need me to do.¡±

    ¡°Simple enough,¡± the mason said. ¡°How big?¡±

    ¡°A smithy. Nothing too crazy. One story, a back room to work in and the other a storefront. I¡¯ve got ns to eventually expand it, though. I¡¯ve already got a plot ofnd.¡±

    <em>Technically I don¡¯t, but I don¡¯t see anyone showing up to try and take it from me.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯d consider doing it for 200,¡± the mason said.

    <em>Ouch. Heftier than the other masons by a fair margin. Most of them dropped their prices when I said I¡¯d help and I had all the materials I needed. </em>

    ¡°Do you care where it is?¡± Arwin asked carefully.

    ¡°Not particrly. Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s on the haunted street.¡±

    The mason scratched the bottom of his chin. ¡°Okay. Is the ghost going to help?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely.¡±

    ¡°Then 200. You don¡¯t help, though. That¡¯ll interfere with my ss progress. 100 up front, and then 100 once it¡¯splete. No modifications, but I¡¯ll follow any instructions that you give me so long as they¡¯re realistic. How¡¯s that sound?¡±

    It sounded pretty good. Arwin thought for a few seconds as he tried to see if there were any loopholes or other problems in the offer. Nothing immediately jumped out. There were always ways to get around things, but it didn¡¯t seem like the short man was looking to try for them.

    ¡°200 is good, but I don¡¯t have that much gold on me right now. Would you be fine with starting for 50, then getting the rest of it a littleter?¡±

    The mason¡¯s eyes narrowed. He studied Arwin in turn, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll work until a quarter of the building is done for 50, but I won¡¯t do any more until you pay me a minimum of 100.¡±

    ¡°I can work with that,¡± Arwin said. He pulled 50 gold out of his pouch, leaving him with just 9 silver to his name ¨C He¡¯d spent the rest of it on materials ¨C and handed it over to the mason. ¡°Deal?¡±

    ¡°Deal,¡± the mason said, offering his hand. ¡°Name¡¯s Ridley. You are?¡±

    ¡°Arwin.¡± They shook.

    ¡°When can you get started?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°The sooner the smithy is done, the better. I¡¯m currently working out of an old shack.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Today. I¡¯ve been a bit low on work as ofte. Milten used to be growing at a rapid rate. It was the whole reason I moved here,¡± Ridley said with an annoyed huff. ¡°Things were great for a little while, but then most of the work dried up out of nowhere. The city just forgot it was trying to expand and now all the jobs are tiny repair ones or guilds that try to underpay you. Lead the way so I can scope out what I¡¯ve got to work with.¡±

    Arwin headed back out onto the street and Ridley followed him. The two walked silently, their conversation dried up, until they¡¯d made their way back to the smithy¡¯s lot. Ridley crossed his arms and pursed his lips once they arrived.

    He walked around thend and studied Arwin¡¯s work with a skeptical eye. Once he¡¯d made a few loops around it, he headed back over to rejoin Arwin.

    ¡°You already started working on it?¡±

    ¡°That was what made me realize I needed help.¡±

    ¡°Well, you were right. I can work with this, though. I think it¡¯s easy enough to tell what you¡¯re going for. Any other specific requests?¡±

    Arwin thought for a second before shaking his head. ¡°Nothing thates to mind. I¡¯d like if it looked nice, but I don¡¯t really want to pay more than the agreed upon amount. I need the money for other purposes.¡±

    Ridley nodded to himself. He turned back to the smithy and tapped a finger against his chin. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s quite fine. Where are the rest of the materials you said you had?¡±

    ¡°In the cart next to that tavern.¡± Arwin pointed and Ridley followed his finger. ¡°When you run out, the first smith on your road is holding more material in store for me. I¡¯ve already purchased it.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much of a tavern. Where¡¯s the sign?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress.¡±

    ¡°Emphasis on in progress,¡± Ridley said through a snort. ¡°Let me know if they need some work as well. You could tear the ce down and make it look far nicer. The ghost would probably thank you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no ghost. It¡¯s just a rumor.¡±

    Ridley turned back to Arwin. He craned his neck back to pierce him with a sharp look and arched an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re delusional if you think that. I just reckon the ghost doesn¡¯t bother people that don¡¯t bother it.¡±

    ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a while and I haven¡¯t seen a single sign of a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how many people have gone missing on this street in thest few weeks? All ruffians, mind you. An entire gang got wiped out. A local thieves¡¯ guild started moving in, then lost a bunch of their men and immediately thought better of it. And you¡¯re telling me there¡¯s no ghost?¡±

    Arwin nearly burst intoughter. He fought to keep a straight face and hurriedly wiped at his face, clearing his throat. ¡°I suppose you may have a point. I just never thought about it since the ghost didn¡¯t bother me.¡±

    Ridley shook his head. He knelt by theid bricks and ran his hand across them. Arwin had no idea what he was doing, but he thought better of asking. Ridley didn¡¯t seem like the type to entertain questions.

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Ridley asked. ¡°If not, I want to get started. Make sure you¡¯ve got that money sooner rather thanter. I don¡¯t want to be sitting around and waiting for weeks on end to get paid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have it,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°How long until you think you¡¯ll be a quarter of the way through?¡±

    ¡°Three or four days. I work fast.¡±

    <em>You can build a quarter of a house in three days? Holy shit. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready.¡±

    ¡°Make sure you are.¡± Ridley set off to the cart without another word. Arwin took the clear dismissal and headed off to his temporary smithy. If Ridley was going to insist on building the smithy himself, that meant he had more time to figure out what he was going to work on next.

    Arwin didn¡¯t have any shortage of options. The other members of his guild could always use more equipment. He¡¯d still yet to make any gauntlets or boots ¨C and then there was The Heart of the Devouring Prism. It likely held secrets to mastering [The Hungering Maw].

    It wouldn¡¯t be long before the Wyrm Horde became a problem. Everyone needed equipment. But, if [The Hungering Maw] got bad enough to kill him before that happened, equipment would be the least of their worries.

    Arwin pulled the crystal out and held it before him. The Mesh shimmered and bloomed before him as its information appeared, but he dismissed it. He¡¯d already read what the crystal did.

    <em>Reading the same information over and over again isn¡¯t going to get me anywhere. What I need is testing. I can¡¯t exactly just start testing this thing, though. I don¡¯t fancy the idea of somehow bringing it back to life on ident. </em>

    He could always eat it. It was a magical item. Arwin grimaced at the thought. Eating it was definitely at the very bottom of his list. The skeleton had tried eating it as well ¨C and things hadn¡¯t gone too well for it. It seemed as if the crystal had a way to infest its host.

    <em>I can¡¯t eat it. I can¡¯t just start randomly feeding magic into it to see what happens. Both of those give the crystal a chance of doing something I don¡¯t want it to. So¡­ how do I study it? </em>

    Arwin squinted at the crystalline heart. He turned it over in his hands, running fingers over its polished surface and down its ridges. Minutes passed. His annoyance grew.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bloody crystal, not a puzzle,¡± Arwin grumbled to himself as he pulled his gaze away and shook his head. ¡°Staring at the damn thing isn¡¯t going to solve anything.¡±

    That left him with a pretty big problem. If he couldn¡¯t study the crystal, he couldn¡¯t progress the Challenge the Mesh had given him. There was always the option of trying to find an entirely different item that would somehow give him insight into how [The Hungering Maw] worked, but he had no clue where or when that would happen. And, with the way things were progressing now, the most urgent matter he had other than the Wyrm horde was finding a way to keep his own abilities from killing him.

    The Mesh didn¡¯t give impossible tasks of its own volition. That much, Arwin knew. There had to be a way to figure this out. There was a tiny chance that the Mesh¡¯s solution was for Arwin to eat the crystal and turn into a monster. He wouldn¡¯t put that past it.

    <em>It always gives options, though. That could be one path, but it isn¡¯t the only one. Sure, maybe I wouldn¡¯t transform, but I¡¯m not taking that risk.</em>

    As Arwin dug through his mind in search of a n, one finally came to him. The very same n that he¡¯d originally had when he¡¯d first seen the crystal. A grin spread across his face and he let out a bark ofughter.

    <em>Of course. If I can¡¯t use the crystal as it is now, I¡¯ll just change it. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be part of a weapon,¡± Arwin informed the crystal, holding it up before his eyes. ¡°But that begets a question. What kind of weapon do you want to be?¡±

 Chapter 105: Contemplating weapons

    Chapter 105: Contemting weapons

    That question was easier asked than answered. Arwin was trained with most weapons, but Verdant ze covered just about all his needs for close quartersbat. The crystal was also enormous. He couldn¡¯t stick it onto a dagger. Anything that held it would have to be huge.

    He didn¡¯t really want to make arge sword or another hammer. They¡¯d probably work, but it felt like a waste. Neither would give him as much benefit as apletely new piece and anything he made would likely take on a portion of the crystal¡¯s powers.

    <em>To be honest, even if I can contain the crystal¡¯s magic to keep it from affecting me, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d want its power anywhere close. Maybe this would be better as some form of throwing weapon? I could bind to it with Arsenal and reuse it.</em>

    Arwin paced in circles around his anvil as he thought. A throwing weapon definitely had potential. The crystal was unwieldy and heavy, but he could use [Scourge] to fling whatever it ended up in.

    <em>Maybe a javelin or a spear? But I¡¯m really not all that urate with those. I could throw them, sure, but I don¡¯t know how often I¡¯d actually hit my target. It would be much better if I had a¡­</em>

    ¡°A bow,¡± Arwin muttered, his eyes lighting up. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯ll make it part of a bow. It would have to be one big bloody bow, but [Scourge] would let me draw the string. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I used a bow, and I¡¯m a decent shot with them. Adapting to such arge weapon might be difficult, but it¡¯s better in the long term.¡±

    Arwin nodded to himself as he spoke. The longer he thought about it, the more promising the idea seemed. Any magical effects the crystal had would likely get transferred into its arrows rather than affecting the wielder.

    It would give him a way to study the crystal and what it did without putting himself or anyone else at too much risk. All he had to do was figure out how to actually make a bow. He wasn¡¯t about to do it out of wood. That would have required a bit more skill than he had with the material ¨C and it wasn¡¯t like he could forge a tree trunk.

    <em>If I use a flexible metal like Brightsteel, I could make the bow bendable. I¡¯d have to use a lot of it, but it would be basically unusable unless I¡¯m using [Scourge]. I suppose that was always the n, though. </em>Brightsteel could make up a portion of it, but he¡¯d need more than that. A string, for starters. Something that could handle the enormous draw weight of what he was nning. That wouldn¡¯t be cheap.

    Beyond that, there would need to be parts of the bow made from a harder material that could withstand the string dragging across them.

    <em>I¡¯ll need an arm guard as well. If I don¡¯t have one, I¡¯ll chop my arm off on ident when I shoot my first arrow. First things first. I need to see what I have to work with.</em>

    Arwin¡¯s pacing slowed to a stop. He put the crystal back into his bag and took out the foul-smelling metal that he¡¯d taken from the Rot Giantling. It smelled just as bad as it always had, but it was the hardest metal he had. <em></em>

    <em>I wish I had something better to scrape with than just my bare hands. I don¡¯t think Brightsteel would work too well against this, though. It would just end up bending. Ah, I know.</em>

    Arwin took a second piece of metal out of his bag. They were both covered with crud ¨C but the film on top of them wasn¡¯t going to be anywhere near as hard as the metal itself. He braced one piece against his anvil and got to work scraping away at it with the other.

    It was slow and tedious work. Even with [Scourge], Arwin felt like he was making almost no progress. The only thing that kept him going were the strips of trash that reluctantly peeled back and fell away.

    Hours slipped away. Arwin¡¯s back streaked with sweat and his muscles burned as the repetitive motion worked its way into him, dragging ws of weariness through his being. If it had been even the slightest bit exciting, it might not have been that bad.

    It wasn¡¯t. The scrape of metal grated against his ears and the foul smell remained an ever-present annoyance in his nostrils. But, with every scrape, more metal was freed from its ancient confines.

    A faint ocean blue rippled like waves beneath the grime and buildup. Arwin worked faster once he had an end in sight, and he was finally rewarded with a fully cleaned sheet of metal by the time the end of the day came around.

    He set the piece he¡¯d been using to scrape it aside ¨C some of the metal on it had been exposed, but he didn¡¯t have the motivation to clean it as well. Arwin brushed the pile of rancid shavings over to the corner of his shop, then held up the fruits of hisbor.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    It was beautiful. The metal danced in the light. Swirls of faint green ran throughout it, invisible to anything but the most scrutinous eye. The metal itself was incredibly smooth. None of Arwin¡¯s rough work had so much as scratched it.

    <em>This is perfect. Not the material I ever would have thought to use for a bow, to be honest. I bet it would make an incredible set of armor¡­ but that cer. I don¡¯t have all that much of it. What should I call this, though?</em>

    ¡°Maristeel?¡± Arwin mused. ¡°That sounds decent enough. I have no idea if this is actually from the sea or if it¡¯s steel, but who cares. I named the damn thing. I get to decide what it¡¯s called.¡±

    He was tempted to get to work immediately. Arwin nearly did ¨C but he stopped before he could reach for Verdant ze. Setting the te of cleaned Maristeel down, Arwin headed over to the door and pushed it open.

    The sun had set. It looked like it had been down for about an hour or two judging by the position of the moon in the sky above. He turned back and drew the [Soul me] that had been granting him light to work by out of his hearth. Arwin set out across the street and returned to the tavern. He¡¯d promised Lillia that he¡¯d join her for dinner, even if it gotte.

    She was in themon when he arrived.

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a bitter than I thought I would be,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lillia took a sip from a mug in her hand. ¡°I did say any time would be okay. We might have to be a little quiet, though. The others are already asleep.¡±

    Lillia sniffed the air as Arwin approached. A grimace passed over her face and she thrust a finger toward the back of the room. ¡°Nope. You¡¯re not eating like that. You were working with that rancid metal, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Is it that bad?¡± Arwin smelled his fingers and grimaced. It was a mixture of sweat and seven-day old fish that had been left out to stew in the sun. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s that bad. I¡¯ll draw up a bath.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s already one waiting for you. Fortunately for you, I predicted this may have happened and retrieved one of your sets of clothes as well. You might need to get some more in the near future. You¡¯re running out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    Lillia nodded in response. He headed past her and over to the bathrooms. As Lillia had said, there was already arge tub full of water waiting for him, his clothes draped over a wooden hanger protruding from the wall to its side.

    He wasted no time in taking advantage of the awaiting water. It was cold, but a little application of his [Soul me] brought everything up to heat quickly. Arwin scrubbed himself down and worked the smell out of his skin as best as he could. He didn¡¯t want to sit around in the bath for the rest of the night, but Lillia had been right about the smell.

    It took him around thirty minutes before he was satisfied with the results. Arwin re-clothed himself with the spare set and then headed back out to rejoin Lillia. She was still sitting at the counter, though she¡¯d finished her drink.

    ¡°That was great. Thank you,¡± Arwin said as he drew up beside her. ¡°I¨C¡±

    The rest of his sentence caught in his throat as Lillia leaned in, smelling at the nape of his neck. Her hair brushed against his skin before she pulled back and gave him a small nod. ¡°There. That¡¯s better.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C ah, yeah.¡± Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°It is. When did the others go to bed?¡±

    ¡°Two or so hours ago. Anna and Reya were all worn out from traveling. I¡¯ve just been mostly working on the inn. Repairing some of the extra rooms and trying to see if I can get the rest of the upstairs portion a little more livable,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ll probably need to get some more beds in the near future. That¡¯s a problem forter. Right now, I just want to eat.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always work,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°We can handle thatter. I¡¯m looking forward to eating as well.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought you were just keeping mepany. I thought you didn¡¯t really need food.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, but it doesn¡¯t hurt when it tastes good.¡±

    ¡°I think those squid tentacles might have.¡±

    ¡°They were perfectly fine. You¡¯re just being overly critical of yourself.¡±

    Lillia pierced Arwin with a stare that told him she didn¡¯t believe a single wording out of his mouth. A small grin pulled across her lips and she shook her head, rising out of her chair and brushing past him as she headed toward the kitchen. ¡°Come on.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not eating out here?¡±

    ¡°No. I want to turn the light out.¡± Lillia stopped beneath thentern and reached up to it. ¡°And the magical shade in my room mutes sound. It¡¯ll make sure that nobody wakes up from us talking.¡±

    Arwin shrugged and joined her. She reached up to thentern and snuffed the candle out. Her hand found his wrist a momentter and she guided him through the darkness. Lillia¡¯s hand caught his shoulder a few stepster.

    ¡°Careful,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°What? I can¡¯t see where I¡¯m going. Did I almost hit something?¡±

    ¡°The doorframe,¡± Lillia replied. Arwin¡¯s foot nudged into the hay that made up her bed and she gave his wrist a small tug. ¡°You can sit down. I¡¯ve got the food waiting. I made these so they¡¯d still be good cold.¡±

    She put what felt like a sandwich into Arwin¡¯s hands, then sat down beside him. He lifted it to his lips and sniffed at it. It was a strange feeling to be about to eat something that he couldn¡¯t even see.

    ¡°Is this a sandwich?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Meat, cheese, and oil. Not exactly fancy, but I¡¯ve been devouring them today. They¡¯re pretty good. I think they are, at least.¡±

    Arwin took a bite out of his meal. He chewed silently for a few seconds before swallowing. She was right. The sandwich tasted great. It was in, but all the ingredients held their own and melded into a perfect mix of vors.

    ¡°It¡¯s really good.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m going to try to make a menu for the inn soon. Get signs for the front and everything. I still need a name and the like. Once I figure one out, I¡¯ll get everything made.¡± Lillia¡¯s shoulder brushed against Arwin¡¯s and she leaned against him.

    ¡°Any ideas for one yet?¡± Arwin tried not to pay attention to her hair tickling the side of his neck.

    ¡°No. Not yet.¡± The smile in Lillia¡¯s voice was evident. ¡°But that can wait for tomorrow. I don¡¯t really want to do anything other than sit here right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arwin took another bite out of his sandwich and smiled. ¡°Me too.¡±

 Chapter 106: A vile disease

    Chapter 106: A vile disease

    Something was wrong with Lillia¡¯s stomach and she couldn¡¯t quite ce what it was. She¡¯d been eating all day in an attempt to quench the twisting, gnawing pain that had been growing in it, but nothing seemed to help.

    Lillia didn¡¯t want to think about how many sandwiches she¡¯d scarfed down since morning. It didn¡¯t matter how great they tasted or how much she ate. Nothing seemed to fix the problem.

    There was a possibility she¡¯d gotten sick, but she couldn¡¯t remember thest time a disease had managed to take purchase in her body. Demons were resilient. She hadn¡¯t even eaten anything all that odd.

    <em>What is causing this feeling? It makes no sense. Nothing is wrong. There isn¡¯t even anything to be concerned of. Rodrick was right about Jessen not acting ¨C that man is a madman, but a madman with a set of rules he¡¯ll never break. </em>

    <em>So if that¡¯s not the problem¡­ what is?</em>

    Arwin shifted into a morefortable position. His arms pressed up against her side and the thoughts skipped a few cycles in her head before kicking back on. His form was cast in gray hues in the darkness beside her, but it felt wrong to look. He couldn¡¯t see her back, so looking at him almost felt like cheating.

    They¡¯d finished their meal around an hour ago, but neither of them had made any move to get up or even say anything else. Lillia was grateful for it. She couldn¡¯t really think of anything to say, and the knot in her stomach seemed to grow tighter whenever she tried to speak.

    <em>Maybe I am really getting sick with something. I hope it¡¯s gone in the morning.</em>

    Lillia¡¯s eyes started to drift closed. It was hard to stay awake, no matter how badly she wanted to. It wasn¡¯t as if the day had been all that hard, but her body wouldn¡¯t be denied any longer.Her breathing slowed and a small smile drifted across her face. If Arwin hadn¡¯t wanted to be a pillow, he shouldn¡¯t have been sofortable. Thest vestiges of her resistance crumbled and she sank into the embrace of sleep.

    ***

    Arwin drifted off at some point. He wasn¡¯t sure when. The passage of time in the dark was no easier to tell now than it had been before, and he didn¡¯t particrly mind. Resting beside Lillia was nice.

    A part of him felt guilty for that thought. Any feelings he may have had felt like they went in direct opposition to everything he¡¯d learned, even if that was no longer true. Finding solid ground to put beneath his feet was difficult when his past was built on a tower of wobbling cards.

    At least the nightmares were gone.

    Lillia had shifted by the time he woke up after however long it had been since he¡¯d fallen asleep. She¡¯d slid down his side and was draped across hisp, curling around him like a cat seeking warmth.

    It took every scrap of self-control that Arwin had not to jerk in surprise. He forced himself to remain still. Any sharp movements would just wake Lillia up, and he didn¡¯t have an exnation to give her for when she awoke.

    <em>Wait, why do I need an exnation? She¡¯s the one that fell asleep on me.</em>

    That was a very logical answer. It was also entirely useless. Arwin couldn¡¯t think of anything more to say ¨C so he did what any sane man would and distracted himself by turning his thoughts to his work.

    With the new Maristeel he¡¯d made in conjunction with Brightsteel, Arwin was pretty confident that he could make something that at least resembled a bow. He just needed something to make the string from.

    <em>Not just any string. Shit string, shit bow. Then again, it¡¯s not like you can have any part be bad and still have a good bow. Maybe that isn¡¯t a great example. Either way, I need a string.</em>

    <em>Buying one would probably be really expensive if I wanted it to be good enough to handle what I need. That means I¡¯ll have to find it. Maybe a really hairy monster?</em>

    Lillia shifted in Arwin¡¯sp. Her hair brushed against him and a grin flickered across his face before he could stop it.

    <em>I wonder if demon hair is resilient. That would be kind of funny. How many pounds of force can you put on it? Maybe Lillia will let me test it, but something tells me I might need to look elsewhere. </em>

    There wasn¡¯t any reason to wait to make the bow. Even if he didn¡¯t have the string yet, adding the string in was probably thest step. Archers carried their bows around separated from the string, so the Mesh would probably acknowledge the weapon beingpleted without the string. There was only one way to find out.

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    <em>I¡¯ll try to make the body of the bow. I¡¯ve got Brightsteel and Maristeel for that. The hard part will be figuring out how to work the crystal into them. A string cane after that.</em>

    Arwin nodded to himself. And, in the process, he moved enough to make Lillia stir. He froze and repressed a curse. It was a little too easy to get lost in his own thoughts, especially when he was doing everything he could to distract himself from his actual position.

    He kept as still as a statue in hopes that she would drift back off. There was no such luck. Lillia yawned and rolled over ¨C then froze. Neither of them said anything for a second. She slowly sat up in hisp before scooting off.

    ¡°I fell asleep,¡± Lillia proimed, her voice more uncertain than it normally was. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I did too. Did you at least sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Better than I would have thought. You¡¯re a surprisingly good pillow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thrilled to hear. If I ever have to start looking for a job, I¡¯ll make sure to mention that.¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t like sharing,¡± Lillia said through a yawn.

    They both paused for a moment. Lillia hurriedly cleared her throat and the straw crunched beside Arwin as she stood up.

    ¡°We should probably get back to work,¡± Lillia said, her words nearly tripping over each other in their haste to get out of her mouth. ¡°There¡¯s a lot that still needs to be done, you know. Prep for the Wyrms. All that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. A second passed. ¡°You still have to lead me out, you know. I can¡¯t see.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right. Sorry.¡± Lillia¡¯s hand found his and she pulled him to his feet. She didn¡¯t make any move to leave. ¡°Did you really mean what you said about liking the dark?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s peaceful and makes me feel like I don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. I know this isn¡¯t what actually happens, but my mind gets tricked into leaving all its problems at the door.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m jealous,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I can¡¯t really get that. I can see through even the deepest shadow. Everything just looks grey. Nothing is really dark enough to stop my eyes. Great for fighting within my own magic. Not so good for anything else.¡±

    ¡°Good for leading me through it, though.¡±

    Lillia let out a smallugh. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask? Are you doing okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine,¡± Lillia said, but she answered a moment faster than she¡¯d needed to. ¡°Just wondering what it was like to actually be blind in the dark. It feels like it might be liberating.¡±

    ¡°Or terrifying. If you don¡¯t have someone you trust that can guide you through it, I don¡¯t imagine it would be particrly enjoyable. The dark is onlyforting when you know that there¡¯s an end to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting way to look at it. It definitely gives me some things to think about,¡± Lillia said. She gave his arm a gentle tug before he could say anything, and the two headed out of her room and into the kitchen.

    Arwin followed after her, nearly bumping into Lillia as she stopped a few feetter. A secondter, orange light fluttered to life on the candle and she closed thentern behind it, releasing Arwin¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Thanks again for dinner,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It was nice.¡±

    ¡°Any time,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I cook for the others anyway. It¡¯s not all that difficult and it helps me.¡±

    ¡°Again tonight, then?¡± Arwin asked with a grin. ¡°If it helps you, that is.¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder into his. ¡°Only if you remember to take a bath the moment you walk into my tavern. You¡¯re going to make the whole thing smell like death if you keep working with that metal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Arwin promised.

    ¡°Your best isn¡¯t enough. Just take the bath.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He held his hands up in surrender,ughing as they walked over to the open doorway. ¡°I will. By the way, you should probably get a door at some point. It¡¯ll make the tavern look more official. Good things, doors.¡±

    ¡°I think you have an unhealthy obsession with doors, but I¡¯ll get one soon. Probably when I get all the signs. I might send Reya out so she bargains the price down for me. It¡¯s a bit hard to do much shopping when you look like this.¡± She gestured vaguely to herself. ¡°I¡¯m hoping to have the inn looking a little more hospitable by the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°With any luck, my smithy should be up and running soon after that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to get another 150 gold to pay off the mason, but with any luck the majority of that wille from Olive. Anything else I¡¯ll make up by making some more work to sell on the market.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we can actually start drawing some more attention to the street once we rebuild some of it,¡± Lillia said with a wistful note in her voice.

    ¡°The brave ones, maybe. Everyone is stillpletely convinced the ce is haunted, and now I think it¡¯s my fault.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s all the people I¡¯ve offed. When I was talking to the mason, he said that the street was clearly haunted because of all the disappearances in the area. Those were me. With any luck, he¡¯ll finish the building and go back to tell everyone the ce isn¡¯t that bad.¡±

    A concerned frown creased Lillia¡¯s brow but she nodded. ¡°Yeah. Hopefully. Things will be really bad for me if we can¡¯t get anyone to show up. I¡¯ve got time, but not infinite.¡±

    ¡°People wille,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°If not specifically for the tavern, then for my gear. It won¡¯t be long before I start doing more custom work. And, when I do, then I¡¯ll have a steady flow of people that need a ce to stay. You¡¯ll have nopetition.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s frown was reced by a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll count on that and keep getting ready to put people up whenever they need a spot to stay. All we have to do is make sure Milten doesn¡¯t get wiped out by a bunch of Wyrmlings before that happens.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do,¡± Arwin said through augh. ¡°I have some ideas for how to handle this, but only time will tell if they actually work. For now, I¡¯m going to focus on getting [The Hungering Maw] under control. I think making that crystal into a weapon will take me a long way in that direction.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do, let me know.¡±

    ¡°Having something to look forward to at the end of the day is already more than enough,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I suppose it is. See you then.¡± Lillia quickly turned back to head deeper into the tavern.

    Arwin watched her leave for a second before pulling his attention back to his smithy and setting off himself.

    He had a bow to make.

 Chapter 107: The Heart of the Crystal

    Chapter 107: The Heart of the Crystal

    The [Soul me] in the hearth beside Arwin danced merrily as it waited hungrily for more metal to heat. He was pretty sure that metal was just about thest material that a long bow should have been made out of.

    Even if he was using Brightsteel, it was still magnitudes less flexible than wood, and he¡¯d seriously underestimated one little problem. Arwin needed a piece of metal that actually wanted to be a bow.

    Finding something that wanted to be a sword wasn¡¯t hard. Armor, weapons, all of the normal things that metal was meant to be ¨C that was easy. But a bow¡­ not so much. It was like trying to find a child whose ideal future career was a pickler.

    They probably existed somewhere, but chances were they¡¯d need a little bit of motivation to get to that point. And that was exactly what Arwin did. He found the piece of Brightsteel that seemed most indifferent about its eventual form and spent about an hour going on about how fascinating bows were.

    It was ¨C quite literally ¨C akin to talking to a brick wall. He had no clue if the metal could actually hear him. His reflection, warped in the face of the Brightsteel, spoke back to him as if mocking his words. Arwin pressed on. If something was stupid and worked, then it wasn¡¯t stupid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell the other pieces of metal,¡± Arwin informed his chosen piece, ¡°but close-range fighting is actually a little boring. The real excitement is in sting someone¡¯s head off from a hundred meters away. Doesn¡¯t that sound fascinating?¡±

    The metal didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Imagine how flexible you could be. Nice and bendy. That¡¯s much better than being stuck as a stiff old sword. Who wants to be stiff? Nobody, that¡¯s who. You could be raining thunder down on our enemies from two ¨C no, three hundred meters away. Imagine that. What can a sword do inparison?¡±

    <em>A whole lot of stuff, but that¡¯s not the point. I am not going to start arguing with myself. </em>The metal rippled in the firelight. Arwin ran his hands over its smooth surface. A small smile pulled across his lips. Something had changed. The metal wasn¡¯t as resistant as it had been before. Where there had been opposition there was simply nothing beyond a faint, dim sense of curiosity.

    [Stonesinger] wouldn¡¯t quite let Arwin speak to Brightsteel since it wasn¡¯t a magical material. Fortunately, he was pretty sure he didn¡¯t need it. He¡¯d gotten his unspoken invitation. The metal was willing to y.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do with you, shall we?¡± Arwin asked, bringing the Brightsteel over to the hearth and cing it within the mes. He picked up the piece of Maristeel he¡¯d cleaned the previous day while he waited.

    Its beautiful blue surface shimmered to his touch. Arwin was fairly certain it wasn¡¯t magical. [Stonesinger] didn¡¯t connect with it any more than it did with the Brightsteel. But, at the same time, the Maristeel was clearly more.

    He¡¯d fully expected it to be harder to convince this metal to do what he wanted than it had been to convince the Brightsteel, but he couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. The instant Arwin¡¯s attention brushed over it, he felt a sense of anticipation and approvaling from the metal.

    It knew all the effort he¡¯d gone through to clean and prepare it. Even though it seemed to have no desire to be a bow in particr, it hungered to be <em>something. </em>Arwin had taken it from scrap and returned it to glory. Now it was ready to return the favor.

    <em>I think I like this metal more than I like most people.</em>

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll honor your gift,¡± Arwin promised the Maristeel. He ced it into the hearth and crossed his arms as he waited for everything to heat. His attention drifted to the Heart of the Devouring Prism while he waited.

    It was dead ¨C but there was no doubt that it was magical. Arwin had yet to try tomunicate with it. He wasn¡¯t so sure that he wanted to. The murals in the skeleton¡¯s grave had painted a very vivid picture. It wasn¡¯t a folly he longed to repeat.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be able to bring out your full potential if I don¡¯t at least try to speak with you,¡± Arwin said to the crystal. ¡°I guess that means I have no choice. I¡¯m not settling for mediocrity. I need power. You want power. I think we can work together ¨C but only as long as you let me lead.¡±

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    The crystal rippled in his hands. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. The ripple hadn¡¯te from the dancing mes. It hade from within the crystal.

    <em>Dead my ass.</em>

    ¡°If you want to speak, then speak,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Just know that I¡¯ll toss you aside if you try to betray me or hurt my allies. I want to work with you, but I don¡¯t <em>need </em>to work with you. I won¡¯t put them at risk.¡±

    He sat down beside the hearth and focused his senses on the crystal. His eyes drifted closed as he waited to hear its response. If it didn¡¯t give him one, the weapon would be impossible to make. He wasn¡¯t going to take the risk.

    <em>I¡¯ll have to smash the crystal apart and see what I can take from it. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m sticking the whole thing into a weapon until I know exactly what it wants. </em>

    A tendril of energy brushed across Arwin¡¯s mind. It deepened and pulled at his mind. The temptation to resist was strong. He forced himself to rx. The only way he¡¯d get anywhere would be if he spoke to the crystal.

    Arwin opened his mind, and a vision flooded into it.

    A sea of glittering green washed out before him. It was full of a deep, all-consuming hunger. A desperate hunger, one that could never be sated by any meal. It permeated every part of the crystal and sank deep into the earth.

    There was no way to stem the hunger. The more the crystal ate, the more it hungered. An endless cycle that had no end or beginning.

    Pain.

    Hunger.

    Pain.

    Hunger.

    Pain.

    It swirled and intermixed like a viscous soup of agony. The crystal wanted more than anything to escape it, but all it could do was make it more intense. It couldn¡¯t even remember thest time it had felt relief.

    And, in the rippling green, Arwin saw himself. He saw his future, should he fail to seed on the Challenge that the Mesh gave him. There woulde a time where he couldn¡¯t forge enough equipment to sustain himself.

    If he couldn¡¯t change his fate, he would be like the crystal, seeking out magic like a rabid dog and devouring it ¨C just to find that the hunger had grown deeper still in the time it had taken him to swallow.

    Visions of his future appeared hidden within the verdant ocean. Rabid and mindless, his teeth turned to jagged spikes and his hair overgrown. Eyes, sightless and starved, darted about like bees trapped within a cage.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s spine prickled at the intensity of the crystal¡¯s anger. At its hunger ¨C and at its fear. He set his jaw as the vision bore down on his mind and tried to crush his will.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. He mmed the visions away with the force of his own will. ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s going to happen to me. I will conquer the Challenge.¡±

    The crystal shimmered around him. It wasughing. Arwin¡¯s annoyance grew. [Stonesinger] let himmunicate with magical materials. It hadn¡¯t said anything about fighting back against them ¨C but he wasn¡¯t about to let that stop him.

    He threw the vision back, but he didn¡¯t let the crystal free. He envisioned a different future and imposed it onto the glistening stones.

    A future where he stood atop a cliff, d in glistening armor that most could only dream of seeing. The roaring might of Verdant ze in one hand and a massive bow in the other. The Hungering Maw coiled within him, a snake that had been tamed andid in wait for his beck and call.

    Behind him was his guild, all d in armor that he had made. Some of them had faces ¨C Lillia, Rodrick, Reya, Anna. The others were faceless. They were the ones he hadn¡¯t found yet, but they woulde. He would not lose himself. There was too much at stake.

    Arwin mmed his reality into the crystal like a hammer blow. It was the only reality he would ept, and a magical rock wasn¡¯t about to make him change that. The Heart of the Devouring Prism shuddered in his grip.

    It tried to push back. Perhaps it did ¨C Arwin wasn¡¯t actually sure. This was not a contest of power but a contest of will. And, no matter how strong the crystal had once been, Arwin would not be outdone.

    ¡°Yield,¡± Arwin snarled. ¡°You will do as I say. I will forge you just like I will forge my future. Your only options are to bend or to break.¡±

    The crystal struggled against him. It pushed fear and doubt. It knew that Arwin would fail. It ¨C

    ¡°I will not fail!¡± Arwin roared. ¡°Yield!¡±

    The crystal¡¯s vision shattered. It crumbled around him like nes of breaking ss and swirled into a green hurricane. A sea of ck stretched out around Arwin as the crystal gathered. Across from him floated the Heart of the Devouring Prism.

    Color bloomed from the darkness. Silver and deep blue metal gathered into the form of a bow; the Heart of the Devouring Prism carved into the bow¡¯s grip. The vision faded. Arwin¡¯s eyes opened.

    He still sat on the ground in his rickety temporary smithy. The crystal rested in his hands, just as it had when he¡¯d closed his eyes ¨C and yet, even though all appeared identical to how it had been just a short while ago, it was everything but.

    The Heart of the Devouring Prism had given to his demands. It would be the heart of his bow. A smile split Arwin¡¯s lips and he rose to his feet. The metal in his hearth was glowing a warm orange, ready to be forged.

    There was nothing left in his way. Every part of his bow awaited to be forged. All that remained was to put it together.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down,¡± Arwin promised the Heart as he took the Brightsteel from the hearth and set it onto the anvil. ¡°Even if you never found a cure for our condition, I will. I¡¯ll find it for both of us, and you¡¯ll be at my side. Turn that hunger into drive. Channel it into determination to seed. Determination to take down everything in our path. And, with your help, I will im everything that you could not.¡±

    <em>Let your hunger add to mine, for no matter how much you starved, it is nothing inparison to my desires. My own hunger eclipses any primal instinct that you could ever contain. I hunger for more than just food and power and survival. </em>

    <em>I hunger to live. </em>

 Chapter 108: The forging of a bow

    Chapter 108: The forging of a bow

    Verdant ze sang. Arwin had ¨C as usual ¨C lost track of time entirely. All that remained was the strike of crystal on metal and the beat of his own heart. Hours had gone by. Of that much, he was certain.

    The time hadn¡¯t passed in vain. He¡¯d formed the sleek arms of his new bow, twisting strands of Maristeel through the Brightsteel in a swirling pattern. He¡¯d kept the ratio heavily in favor of the Brightsteel so the bow wouldn¡¯t be so difficult to draw back that even [Scourge] would struggle.

    Mixing the two steels would give it what Arwin hoped to be the best of both worlds. Flexibility from the Brightsteel and immense resilience from the Maristeel. The closer to the ends of the bow limbs the metal got, the more of it became the glistening blue metal. Its tips were pure blue, hardened from repeated forging and quenching in oil.

    The grip of the bow was still unfinished. Arwin had left it wide open, leaving space for the Heart of the Devouring Prism. It was to be thest piece he added. The time for that was rapidly approaching.

    Arwin checked over his work, making sure there weren¡¯t any ring ws. The bow wasing together spectacrly. The Mesh seemed just as excited about making it as he was. It had guided his strikes, but he hadn¡¯t followed it entirely.

    Some of the designs at the bows ends and the spot to hold the crystal were entirely his own work. Finding a bnce between relying on the Mesh¡¯s guidance and using his own ideals was the way to make the best equipment. Everything that he¡¯d learned over thest few weeks had gone into the weapon on the anvil before him.

    <em>Onest step. </em>

    Arwin picked up the Heart of the Devouring Prism. It felt lighter than he remembered. He¡¯d never actually managed to damage or cut up the crystals before, but he¡¯d have to find a way to do it if he wanted to make it fit.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to work with me here,¡± Arwin informed the Heart. ¡°You want to join me, then help me make you into the best weapon that I can. There¡¯s only one shot at this.¡±The crystal didn¡¯t respond. It had finished speaking. All Arwin could do now was hope that he¡¯d gotten through to it and do his best to ensure the final weapon was the best it could possibly be.

    He set the crystal into the slot he¡¯d carved. It fit perfectly, but that was the easy part. The next one was figuring out how to carve away nearly half of it. He chewed his lower lip, then grabbed Verdant ze again.

    <em>I¡¯ve never been one for subtlety. I¡¯ll just ¨C </em>

    A tiny click split the air. It was so faint that it was almost lost into the crackle of the [Soul me], but Arwin managed to just barely pick it up. His eyes focused on a tiny node at the top of the crystal. It had cracked ¨C entirely of its own volition.

    Arwin grinned.

    The Heart was helping him.

    He swung Verdant ze. It struck the crystal with a loud ng, splitting off a small portion of it. The piece shattered into dust that rained across the grip of the bow. And, in the process, a new crack formed.

    Arwin struck that one too. Every blow broke away another portion of the crystal and scattered faint green dust across his anvil and the bow¡¯s surface. Verdant ze rose and fell faster with every strike. Coils of [Soul me] rose off its head and infused into the weapon.

    Excitement built in his chest as he worked. The crystal grew smaller and started to resemble the picture he¡¯d had in his mind. Even though every strike he made only took away a tiny portion of the crystal, it was still progress.

    Hours passed. The crystal smoothed and shrank further. Its dust fused with the metal around the grip, welded into ce by Verdant ze¡¯s [Soul me] until it resembled a green stary sky surrounding a moon at the bow¡¯s center.

    Tingles of the Mesh danced within the bow and prickled at his fingertips. Power built with every hammer strike. Thest pieces of the puzzle slotted into ce. The Mesh no longer recognized the Heart of the Devouring Prism as its own being. It was part of the bow now, for better or for worse.

    Arwin lowered Verdant ze and brushed the weapon off. He brought it to his hearth and plunged it into the me once more, letting it heat for just a short while before taking it over to the oil barrel and dunking its tips in.

    He didn¡¯t want to overwork or harden the center of the bow ¨C that part needed to be flexible. The ends, on the other hand, were best off being resilient. Oil hissed and med as fire danced across its surface.

    Arwin waited until it had died down before taking the bow out and working at removing the crud that had formed on the portions of the bow that had been quenched. He polished it off with [Scourge] empowered fingers, rubbing it smooth.

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    And, finally, he was done. What remained before him was a metal bow. It was devoid of a string, but the power within the weapon was evident. Glistening silver and blue intertwined, speckled with stars of green surrounding a matching grip carved from pure gemstone. The whole bow was almost as tall as he was and thicker than his arm. It wasughablyrge ¨C or it would be up until he actually shot something with it. Arwin doubted anyone would beughing then.

    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± he breathed.

    The Mesh appeared to agree. Golden letters burst forth in the air as power hummed through both him and Verdant ze. The hammer shuddered and a feeling of deep satisfaction invaded Arwin¡¯s mind. It was getting more powerful with every new piece that Arwin made. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not.

    He didn¡¯t have time to consider it. The Mesh¡¯s writing hadpleted, and his attention was fully upon it.

    <strong>[Prism¡¯s Reach: Unique Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Armed and Dangerous] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Armed and Dangerous] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a weapon whose rarity was overwritten by its own desires.</em> Effects: You may select an item to join this weapon¡¯s Set, regardless of its quality. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon selecting an item. </em></strong>

    Arwin swallowed. He couldn¡¯t muster thoughts, much less words. The Mesh had given him the ability to make a Set from nothing. He¡¯d still yet to unlock any of the hidden properties from the one set he¡¯dpleted for Lillia, but he knew all too well just how powerful Set synergies could be. Being able to force two items together into a single set was an incredible boon so long as he chose the right item.

    <em>The string ¨C or an arrow, I¡¯d assume. It depends on if the Mesh counts the string as part of the bow or as an entirely separate item. There¡¯s only one way to find out. I was hoping that forging the bow would give me more insight into the [Hungering Maw], but it looks like I might have to advance my Tier or finish the bow before that happens. Even still, this thing is incredible. </em>

    Barely even willing to breath, Arwin turned his gaze to his bow to see its status. It had turned out Unique, which could be either a blessing or a curse. The Mesh had said that its desires had overwritten its rarity. That was mildly concerning. The bow wasn¡¯t fully his own to control.

    <strong>Prism¡¯s Reach: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Power for Power]: Prism¡¯s Reach can only be drawn when infused with magical energy from its Wielder. A portion of the spent energy will be transferred into its shots. </strong>

    <strong>[Corrupted Shot]: Arrows fired by Prism¡¯s Reach will infest their target with crystal upon impact, consuming any uncontested magic whenever possible. <em></em></strong>

    <strong>[Immense Hunger]: Prism¡¯s Reach can absorb magical energy from its wielder in exchange for empowering its next shot. The amount of magical energy it draws will increase exponentially with the amount of time it spends drawn. Overfeeding Prism¡¯s Reach may modify its attributes temporarily. </strong>

    <strong>[Iplete]: This item and its abilities cannot be used until it is finished with an appropriate string. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: This item has formed a treaty with Arwin Tyrr. It has not yet acknowledged him as owner, but it will obey hismands until deciding if he is worthy of its service. Information about this item may be hidden from others. </strong>

    <strong>[The Left Arm]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is used, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    It was, without a doubt, the longest description for an item that Arwin had ever seen. He read over it several times. Most of it was good. Most, but not all. The bow was definitely powerful. It seemed he¡¯d convinced the Heart to give him a trial period.

    <em>I¡¯m a bit worried about what it means by temporarily modifying some attributes by overfeeding it, but that¡¯s something for me to worry aboutter. I¡¯m going to need to find a string strong enough to actually withstand the draw weight this thing is going to need. I¡¯ll also need something to shoot from it. </em>

    Arwin hadn¡¯t managed to reach the next tier from making the bow, but he was relieved for it. He hadn¡¯t gotten all that many Achievements at his current one. While advancing would definitely be useful and would have given him another spot to bind to a weapon with, getting an extra Achievement or two would go a long way.

    Still, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to walk around with the bow just sitting loose at his side. Arwin took a moment to hide its status from any prying eyes. It was already eye-catching enough as it was. After a moment of thought, he unbound his leg armor.

    The rest of his armor appeared on his body as [Arsenal]¡¯s power vanished for the rest of the day. Arwin didn¡¯t mind that. He didn¡¯t have any more ns, and he wanted to bond to the bow as soon as possible.

    His greaves were powerful, but they were probably his weakest item right now. They were the only pieces he had that weren¡¯t part of or didn¡¯t have the potential to eventually be reforged into a Set piece.

    <em>I should be able to reforge the Ivory Executioner Chestpiece so it fits the set with the helm, and I figure my greaves will probably be expected to be part of that set too. Maybe gauntlets and boots as well. Either way, the pants will be the next piece I rece for myself when the timees.</em>

    Arwin slung the massive bow over his shoulder with a grunt. It really was heavy. The sooner he could bond to it, the better. He headed over to the door and poked his head outside. To his surprise, night had already fallen.

    ¡°Could have sworn it hadn¡¯t been that long,¡± Arwin muttered to himself. The moon rested in the sky above, uncaring. Arwin shook his head and drew the fire from his hearth before walking over to the tavern.

    First things first, he needed to take a bath. A small grin pulled back across his face. After he finished cleaning up, he could show Lillia his new bow. Even if it wasn¡¯t done yet, he couldn¡¯t wait to see what she ¨C and the others ¨C would think of it.

    And, after that, he greatly looked forward topleting the weapon and putting it into action.

 Chapter 109: An odd man

    Chapter 109: An odd man

    When Arwin got to the tavern, he found that he wasn¡¯t the first one there. A tall man stood in the dim orange light cast by thentern. Lillia leaned against the doorframe across from him, her expression unreadable in the dark and posture guarded.

    As he stepped inside, the man turned to face him. He had pointed features like those of a hawk that were softened by a bushy unibrow that connected the expanse of one side of his temple to the other. It vaguely resembled an escaped caterpir that had frozen in ce, hoping to not be seen by its pursuers.

    ¡°You must be Ifrit,¡± the man said. He adjusted the well-worn suit he wore and fixed his tie. ¡°Is now a good time?¡±

    ¡°That depends on what you want,¡± Arwin said, grateful that [Arsenal] had deactivated and he was fully d in his armor. There wasn¡¯t all that much reason to be distraught either way. His mask was really more of a marketing tool than an actual disguise. Even if he¡¯d been caught without it, it didn¡¯t matter much.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jake.¡± The man extended a hand and looked down the bridge of his nose at Arwin. ¡°With the Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±

    <em>They can¡¯t be here to try to take thend for the smithy from me, can they? Nobody else is using the damn thing. The city can screw off. </em>

    Arwin took his hand, a chill running down his spine. ¡°And you¡¯vee here¡­¡±

    ¡°To discuss some work you¡¯ve been doing in the market.¡± Jake¡¯s grip was firm, just barely. He released Arwin¡¯s hand and adjusted his coat once more. He seemed rather ufortable in it. ¡°I believe you set up a stall, yes?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin allowed suspiciously. ¡°Why?¡±¡°Did you register that with the guild?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I didn¡¯t even know you existed. How would I have registered with you if there¡¯s no information on you?¡±

    ¡°There most certainly is information. It¡¯s in our handbook.¡±

    ¡°Which is¡­¡±

    ¡°In our guild office.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And how was I supposed to know your guild office existed in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Well, you just do.¡± Jake¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion as if Arwin were speaking to him in a differentnguage. ¡°Everyone knows about the Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, now you do.¡±

    ¡°Lovely.¡±

    ¡°So, now that you know, you¡¯ll have to abide by our rules,¡± Jake said with a self-satisfied nod.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Jake¡¯s confusion returned. ¡°What do you mean, why? It¡¯s how things work. The Merchant¡¯s Guild regtes all trade in the city. We make sure all the merchants in it are selling what they promise to sell, and we ensure their promises hold true. It¡¯s how shoppers can rest assured that they won¡¯t get scammed.¡±

    Arwin went to leave a snarkyment ¨C then paused. That sounded surprisingly reasonable. Having a body that made sure nobody was going around and scamming everyone they sold to was actually a pretty decent idea. That didn¡¯t make him like it any more.

    ¡°I¡¯m not particrly keen on sharing my profits with anyone,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I understand your perspective, but I don¡¯t even have a permanent stall. Just a wagon that rolls through every once and a while. I can¡¯t afford exorbitant fees to be part of a guild.¡±

    Jake gave Arwin an understanding nod. ¡°I know where you¡¯reing from. It¡¯s only logical to want to protect your interests. However, I can assure you that our fees are far from exorbitant. We do our best to scale to everyone¡¯s size. If you¡¯re only renting a small wagon like that and dealing in specialty goods such as custom-made armor and weapons, the only thing you¡¯d need would be a minor vendor¡¯s license.¡±

    <em>And I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be thrilled to find that said license only costs a mere 100,000 gold plus taxes and other hidden fees. I¡¯ve seen how Milten is run. This city is a shithole. </em>

    ¡°And how much would that be?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°One gold a year.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°One gold,¡± Jake repeated. ¡°So long as you¡¯re operating on your own and not employing anyone else. If you set up a full storefront, the price will increase. We¡¯ll have to do a safety check on your building and make sure there aren¡¯t any forms of magic that influence people¡¯s decisions to purchase items anywhere inside. Those licenses can range from five to five thousand gold, depending on the size of your operation and the number of employees you have.¡±

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    Arwin squinted at Jake. Now he was certain that the man was lying. ¡°Just one gold? For an entire year? No other fees? What about fines?¡±

    ¡°So long as you¡¯re selling what you promise to, then there are no other fees. If it¡¯s found that you¡¯re lying about your goods, the guild may force you to take back an item or weapon and fully refund whoever purchased it.¡±

    <em>Oddly reasonable. Again. There¡¯s no way these people have anything to do with the ones running Milten. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Arwin repeated. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jake confirmed. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sheepishugh. ¡°To be honest, the fee is a pittance. It¡¯s only there to ensure that all merchants are willing toply. We rarely have any trouble.¡±

    ¡°He seems legitimate,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I took a look at his badge. It¡¯s magical, at the very least.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re in the right city?¡± Arwin asked, not even bothering to hide his suspicion. ¡°Milten is horrid. The way you talk makes it seems like everything should be sunshine and roses, but you¡¯ll probably get gutted if you walk down the wrong street.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Jake agreed with a cheerful smile. ¡°Please understand ¨C we don¡¯t take any responsibility for the actions of anyone within Milten. Our responsibility is the safety of customers alone. This city is¡­ less than ideal. It certainly has its ws. The Merchant¡¯s Guild understands that. We aren¡¯t responsible for those ws. The only thing we care about is that our own duties are executed properly. If you have issue with Milten, I suggest you bring it up with the local governance.¡±

    That was a really roundabout way for Jake to say that he didn¡¯t give a shit about the problems that gued Milten. A fair take, all things considered. It seemed respectable that the Merchant¡¯s Guild was even bothering with trying to manage anything this far out into the kingdom.

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said slowly. He went to get a gold. His fingers met nothing but leather. He¡¯d spent every single gold he had. Lillia spotted the look on his face and pulled out a gold of her own.

    ¡°Here,¡± she said, handing it to Jake. ¡°I already paid for the tavern.¡±

    ¡°Have youe up with a name for it yet?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s been about five minutes since west spoke.¡±

    ¡°I was just checking,¡± Jake said as he tucked the coin into a pocket. ¡°Names are of utmost importance, you know. It¡¯s very difficult to properly register anything without a name. Fortunately for you, Milten does not have any ¡®monster themed inn and or taverns¡¯ within it. We¡¯ll make sure to give you another visit once you¡¯ve put up a sign so we can get everything properly set up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Best of luck to both of you,¡± Jake said. He stepped away from thentern and headed toward the moonlit streets, pausing as he reached the door to look back at them. ¡°If you get that smithy of yours set up and start selling from it, please remember to register with us. We will fine you if you fail to do so now that you know about our existence.¡±

    ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t have if we didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Jake shed Arwin a grin. ¡°No. But it¡¯s toote for that now, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    He strode off and disappeared into the night. Arwin blinked. Part of him expected Jake to pop back up, but the man seemed to have left. He looked back to Lillia.

    ¡°That was¡­ odd,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I fully expected him to be grubbing for more money. It seems weird for any sort of authority group to actually not be a terrible piece of shit. Maybe he¡¯s unique?¡±

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s too much to hope that one guild isn¡¯tpletely horrible?¡±

    Lillia snorted. ¡°Optimistic. I¡¯ll believe it when I see it. Maybe they¡¯re fine right now, but who knows what will happen in the future. They tracked us down pretty easily. I wonder how that happened?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly been quiet about my location. It could have been anyone,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we¡¯ll find out unless we ask. It doesn¡¯t seem like anything to worry about at the moment.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in agreement there. For the amount of gold they¡¯re asking, it¡¯s not a huge concern. We¡¯ll just have to keep an eye on things to make sure they don¡¯t surprise us with something,¡± Lillia said. She shook her head and let out a huff. ¡°Whatever. How¡¯d your work go? Did you manage to finish? I see you¡¯re holding a bow.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s face split apart in a grin and he hefted the weapon in question. He went to unveil its stats, then froze an instant before he could and lowered the bow again. Lillia frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I have to take a bath first. Your rules, not mine.¡±

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not fair. I want to see what the bow does.¡±

    Arwin just chuckled and headed into the bathroom, much to Lillia¡¯s chagrin. She couldn¡¯t do anything other than stand in themon room and re at his back. That said, he was just as eager to show her the weapon as she was to see it, so his bath didn¡¯t take long.

    He headed back out to find Lillia pacing back and forth in front of the counter.

    ¡°Finally,¡± she muttered. ¡°Show me!¡±

    There was no reason to make her wait any longer. He¡¯d already built up all the anticipation he wanted. Arwin removed the concealment and let the Mesh identify the bow for Lillia.

    Her eyebrows steadily crept up on her forehead and her mouth formed into a small <em>o</em>. She read over it several times, then finally tore her gaze away from the Mesh to look up at Arwin.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia said with a disbelievingugh. ¡°A Unique Set item. We haven¡¯t even figured out what my Set does yet and you went and started another one? This thing is terrifying, Arwin. I¡¯m not sure I love the part where it hasn¡¯t epted you as a master.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But I¡¯ll be honest, the only thing I really want to do is shoot something nasty with it.¡±

    ¡°Like a Wyrm?¡±

    Arwin grinned. ¡°Like a Wyrm. I¡¯ll need a string and a big ass arrow, though. I don¡¯t suppose your hair¡­¡±

    ¡°Is just normal hair.¡± Lillia rolled her eyes. ¡°What, do you think my body is made out of precious metals?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m an expert on it. I figured it couldn¡¯t hurt to ask.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± Lillia said through augh. She flicked her hand at him. ¡°Hide the stats on that before someone sees it and gets a heart attack.¡±

    Arwin did as she suggested. ¡°So¡­ dinner?¡±

    ¡°You made that thing and are worried about dinner? I thought you didn¡¯t need to eat normal food.¡± Lillia¡¯s tone made it clear that she was paying him back for making her wait to see the bow.

    <em>Suppose I deserved that. I still don¡¯t regret it.</em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t stop it from tasting good.¡±

    Lillia shook her head andughed. ¡°Fine. Come on. I¡¯ve got more sandwiches.¡±

 Chapter 110: You think thats enough?

    Chapter 110: You think that''s enough?

    When the next morning came, Arwin found that he¡¯d mustered enough self-control to keep himself from showing anyone else the abilities of his bow. [Arsenal]¡¯s powers returned and he dismissed the weapon. Letting Lillia see it had given him all the dopamine he needed for the time being.

    Instead of showing the others a half-finished weapon, he decided to get his hands on a string and an arrow. Then he¡¯d be able to show it off as an entire piece rather than taking away from the final reveal.

    Arwin headed out into themon room, d in his greaves. It wasn¡¯t like he had a choice. It was wear it or carry it around until he reached the next rank ¨C which, all things considered, he suspected likely wouldn¡¯t be too far away.

    Reya and Rodrick were both eating breakfast when he stepped out. They were dressed for the road and their faces told the stories of a pair that were preparing to set out.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°I was thinking it would be a good idea to check up on the forest,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll be until that Wyrm horde pops up, assuming it actually will. Looking into it a bit more would do a world of good.¡±

    ¡°And also be incredibly dangerous,¡± Arwin said with a worried frown. ¡°What if the Wyrm sees you? Or if the horde is already there and just waiting?¡±

    ¡°It would be a bit too fast for the horde to already have matured,¡± Lillia said as she walked out from the kitchen behind Arwin. ¡°But I agree that it might be dangerous. Why go alone?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going together,¡± Reya said. ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡±¡°We aren¡¯t actually going into the forest,¡± Rodrick added. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small metal tube. It rested in his palm, roughly the size of a cylindrical apple. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    ¡°To throw at monsters?¡± Arwin asked.

    Augh slipped out of the warrior¡¯s mouth. He thumbed the front of the tube and gave it a small flick. The tube expanded out with a series of clicks until it was about a foot long. ¡°It¡¯s a looking ss. Lets you see stuff from far away. Close one eye and stick the other one up to this.¡±

    <em>I know what a looking ss is. </em>

    Rodrick held it up so Arwin could peer into it. He rolled his eyes and peered into it. Arwin was rewarded with a very, very zoomed in view of Rodrick¡¯s nose. He pulled back with augh.

    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to walk up near the forest and then squint into it in hopes of seeing something?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But a lot of our research is actually going to be talking to people. News travels. It¡¯s not like nobody has been to the forest since us, and I¡¯m sure most people didn¡¯t run into the Wyrm.¡±

    ¡°The ones that did probably didn¡¯t make it back to report,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Rodrick agreed. ¡°But ack of information is still information. If we poke around a bit in town and then take a quick look from a safe distance, we should be able to put together some information. It certainly can¡¯t hurt.¡±

    That was a good point. Information was always useful. Even if it wasn¡¯t much, anything that Rodrick and Reya could gather would go a long way.

    ¡°Bring one of my imps with you,¡± Lillia said. ¡°They¡¯re not exactly the most dangerous fighters, but people are scared of demons. If anything goes wrong, it¡¯ll buy you some time. They can ride around in your shadow so nobody picks up on them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do that,¡± Rodrick said with an appreciative nod. He finished the rest of the food on his te and pushed back from his chair to drop to his feet. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Lillia nodded and flicked a hand. The inn was so dark that Arwin could barely even make out the streak of shadow that passed from her hand and flew over to his feet. Rodrick nced at the ground, then back to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty neat.¡±

    ¡°Can I have one too?¡± Reya asked.

    Lillia shrugged and flicked her hand again, sending a second shadow over to Reya. ¡°I suppose it can¡¯t hurt. Extra backup is always good. Just make sure nobody overzealous sees your shadows. They¡¯re bigger than they should be, and anyone that¡¯s fought monsters with dark elements is going to notice something might be wrong. They won¡¯t immediately know what¡¯s hiding in there, but nobody with an abnormallyrge shadow is up to anything savory.¡±

    ¡°Appreciate the warning. Let¡¯s get to it, Reya. We won¡¯t be gone long ¨C expect us back by the end of the day,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Should we look into trying to do another dungeon soon? I¡¯d like to try to push to the next level in my Tier before the horde, and I think Reya would benefit a lot from that as well.¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°We all would,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The dungeon we¡¯ve been going to isn¡¯t going to be ready yet, though. It hasn¡¯t been long enough to recover from a full wipe. We could take out some of the newest monsters that moved in, but I doubt there were a lot just sitting around and waiting. There¡¯s another dungeon somewhere nearby ording to Olive. Maybe we can convince her to show us where it is.¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s going to it, it¡¯ll be an open one,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Be prepared to pay for entry ¨C and to deal with others.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said. He did some mental math in his head, then pressed his lips together. There just weren¡¯t enough hours in the day. He wanted to make money crafting items to sell at the market. He needed to upgrade his equipment and that of his guild. He needed to figure out how his Sets worked and get his hands on a bowstring and an arrow for his bow. He also needed to work on his own advancement, though he could do that and crafting at the same time. ¡°Damn. I feel like the tasks keep piling up. These Wyrms can stuff it. They have horrible timing.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Rodrick said with a grin. ¡°My dad used to always say separate the urgent from the important. Not sure how much that¡¯ll help, but giving advice always makes me feel smart.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Be careful. Don¡¯t take any risks. I don¡¯t want to lose anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Rodrick¡¯s smile fell away and his features turned dead serious. ¡°I know how to get around without drawing the wrong kind of attention, and Reya is one slippery little brat.¡±

    ¡°I take offense to that,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Good,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything, though. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±

    He and Reya waved and headed out the doorway. Arwin watched them leave, a twist of trepidation knotting his stomach, but it fell away. Rodrick and Reya could both handle themselves.

    ¡°Back to working on the bow?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said reluctantly. ¡°I want to, but I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll get the string. Buying one might end up being my best option. We need money either way, so I¡¯m going to make some armor to sell instead. I¡¯d like to learn how to make boots and gauntlets, but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll have time to figure it out before the horde. I might get a helm made for Rodrick and you, though.¡±

    ¡°Just Rodrick,¡± Lillia said with a shake of her head. ¡°The armor you got me is already more than enough. I¡¯m not going to be on the front line like he will be. Might as well get him a good set of armor that actually manages to survive one of his fights.¡±

    ¡°Given his current track record, that doesn¡¯t seem likely,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. Making Rodrick more greaves was definitely at the top of his priority list. The previous set had perished beneath the Crystalline Bonehemoth¡¯s fist. ¡°I¡¯ll be in my little smithy. I assume you¡¯ll just be upgrading the inn?¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°I should have some peopleing today with pieces I had Reya buy yesterday. I need to get more boons from the Mesh, and the only way I can do that is upgrading the inn or cooking food to advance my tier.¡±

    ¡°Do you get more magical energy for making meals from more exotic ingredients?¡± Arwin asked, a thought suddenly striking him.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? There¡¯s a reason I haven¡¯t been just trying to get stuff from inside the city every time. It¡¯s no different than any other crafting ss. Weirder ingredients, more challenge. More challenge, more reward.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I should have been able to tell that on my own.¡±

    Lillia shrugged in response. ¡°Sometimes the obvious answers are the ones we look right over. See you tonight?¡±

    ¡°Tonight,¡± Arwin agreed with a nod.

    He headed out of the tavern. Ridley was already hard at work outside, standing beside the plot of the smithy. The mason had made good time and was well along in his construction. It looked like Arwin was going to need the money sooner rather thanter, but he wasn¡¯t concerned about not being able to make gear fast enough. Basic breasttes weren¡¯t all that difficult to craft anymore.

    The hearth waited expectantly for Arwin when he stepped into the building. He greeted it with a ball of [Soul me] before taking inventory of what he had left to work with. There was still some of the Brightsteel ¨C enough to make a breastte and a helmet if he was judging it correctly.

    <em>I think I start with a basic set of stuff to sell, then use that money to get more metal and make Rodrick some greaves. </em>

    That was as good a strategy as any. He could then build up excess money and pay off Ridley. When Olive got back, he¡¯d ask her to show them the dungeon she was running and he could look for materials or money to make the rest of his bow there.

    It was the n that relied on the least amount of ¡®if¡¯ statements that Arwin coulde up with. He would have preferred to finish the bow today, but that wasn¡¯t how life worked. Arwin shrugged to himself as he set about putting metal into the hearth to heat.

    Something shifted behind him. Arwin suppressed a sigh. He hadn¡¯t seen who it was yet. There was no need to. There was only one person he¡¯d met in recent time that had a penchant for showing up out of nowhere without making a single noise.

    ¡°Do you ever announce your arrivals like a normal person?¡± Arwin asked as he turned.

    The drunkard leaned against the wall and took a sip from his mug. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Have I done something to make you feel like I enjoypany while I¡¯m trying to work?¡±

    ¡°Not particrly, no.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±

    ¡°There really isn¡¯t much else to do on this street. You¡¯re a decent source of entertainment. It¡¯s better than sitting around and waiting for something to happen.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you normally do?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°You could just¡­ find a different street.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly want to. This one is nice,¡± the drunkard replied with a shrug that somehow didn¡¯t spill his drink everywhere. ¡°And it¡¯s nice to find someone to feel superior to.¡±

    Arwin arched an eyebrow but didn¡¯t even bother gracing that with a response. He couldn¡¯t see a single thing that the drunkard could hold superior to him. Even if there was, it didn¡¯t matter. There was no need to waste words when he had work to do.

    ¡°You really think that¡¯s going to be enough?¡± the drunkard asked as Arwin took the heated metal from the hearth over to the anvil.

    ¡°Enough?¡± Arwin nced up. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    There was no response. The door swung askew and the drunkard was gone. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, summoning Verdant ze getting back to work. The day was young, but time was a scarce resource that couldn¡¯t be wasted on men that liked the sound of their voice a little too much.

 Chapter 111: Surprisingly easy

    Chapter 111: Surprisingly easy

    Arwin¡¯s estimations had been correct. He¡¯d had just enough metal left over to make a chestpiece and a helm, and he finished the both of them well into the night.

    It felt like an entire day had been consumed in the blink of an eye. Arwin couldn¡¯tin. He was pretty sure that his rate of production was ridiculous. Verdant ze and his [Soul me] drastically cut down on the time it took him to make anything, not to mention all the aid the Mesh gave him.

    Seeing himin probably would have brought tears of blood to a normal smith¡¯s eyes. Arwin was intentionally hampering his work to avoid letting magic enter it and he was still finishing multiple pieces in a single day.

    Then again, it was unlikely that a normal smith would have been able to use Verdant ze as a smithing hammer. Swinging around a huge chunk of metal for hours on end was beyond the limits of what a normal man could do.

    Arwin dismissed Verdant ze and picked up the new pieces of armor he¡¯d made. He left the makeshift smithy and headed over to the tavern. The street was, as it always seemed to be,rgely empty.

    But, when Arwin drew up to the tavern, he was struck by a very stark difference. Where there had once been only a pool of darkness in a doorway, there was now a door. It was made of in but well-crafted wood.

    <em>A good door. d she finally got around to getting one. There¡¯s something about a building that just doesn¡¯t feel finished without a door. Maybe I¡¯ve just got a door obsession.</em>

    Arwin pushed the door open and stepped inside. As usual, he¡¯d showed up sote that almost everyone else had already retired to bed. Clinks from the kitchen told him that Lillia was still up. It sounded like she was working on cooking something.

    She must have heard the door open because she poked her head out of the kitchen a few secondster.¡°Give me a second. I¡¯m finishing up dinner, but it¡¯s just about done,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Rodrick and Reya made it back okay, by the way. They were both pretty worn out but it sounded like they got the information they were looking for.¡±

    She ducked back into the kitchen. Arwin made his way over to the counter and set the armor down beside it. Part of him wished he¡¯d had enough metal to make more than just two pieces. Going to the market just to sell two pieces every single time felt like a bit of a waste.

    <em>If I had more time, I¡¯d try to make ten or fifteen before setting out. I just don¡¯t have the leeway. Not yet. Once the Wyrm horde is dealt with, things will be different. Until then, I have to focus what¡¯s urgent over what feels good.</em>

    <em></em>Lillia hadn¡¯t been joking about just needing a second. No sooner than Arwin had pulled out a chair and sat down did she step back out of the kitchen. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°That was fast.¡± Arwin stood back up and pushed the stool back over to the counter. ¡°What did you make? More sandwiches?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I was frying up some thinly cut meat to put in them. You seem to finish your work at pretty much the same time every night. I guessed when you¡¯de back. Looks like I was right.¡±

    ¡°Am I that predictable?¡± Arwin asked with a softugh. ¡°Wait. Why do you say meat? That feels¡­ suspicious.¡±

    ¡°It was cheap.¡±

    Arwin snorted. ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t want to know. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll taste good. I see you¡¯ve been hard at work with the tavern as well. The door is a good addition.¡±

    ¡°I had some remodeling done to the upper floor as well,¡± Lillia said as she led him back into the kitchen and stuck a sandwich into his hands. ¡°There are now five fully functional rooms, and the sixth is pretty close to being usable as well. Once I figure out a name for the tavern it¡¯ll be ready to draw some people in.¡±

    <em>Assuming there are actually people in the area to draw in. Still need to work on that. That¡¯ll be a problem to deal with after the wyrms. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s looking more and more like an inn with every passing day,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°That¡¯s the goal. I¡¯m d to hear it¡¯s moving in the right direction.¡± Lillia stepped past him and snuffed out the candle in thentern. A secondter, she took Arwin by his arm and led him into her room so they could sit down on her bed.

    They sat in silence while they ate. As usual, Lillia¡¯s cooking was fantastic. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure what it was about her food, but the more of it he ate, the more he wanted. It was too bad that he couldn¡¯t somehow vor the magic he needed to eat.

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    <em>Maybe I can grind up a sword and stick it into her food. </em>

    ¡°How is it?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t even tell that the meat is mystery vored,¡± Arwin replied as he polished off the rest of his sandwich. ¡°It¡¯s great, as usual.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Sandwiches are good tavern food. Easy to eat without utensils. They¡¯re pretty simple to make as well. It¡¯s a good bnce between vor and time spent. Granted, I don¡¯t have enough customers to worry all that much about the time of each meal yet, but I need to be ready for when I do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely wise. There will be a lot of changes on this street once the wyrms are handled. Preparing for them now rather than scrambling to adapt is going to save a lot of headaches in the future.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, how close are we to being ready for that? It feels like there are so many things that we need to prepare, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to have time to get them all.¡±

    ¡°Not as close as I¡¯d like to be. It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll make it work. Tomorrow I¡¯ll sell the armor I made today and make Rodrick some new greaves. The information Rodrick and Reya got today will be pretty helpful in figuring out how much leeway we¡¯ve got to work with. I¡¯d really like to get my bow functional before we have to take on the horde. That¡¯ll probably involve going to Olive¡¯s dungeon ¨C though I think we should aim for that either way. Getting stronger before the horde hits is almost mandatory.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It certainly couldn¡¯t hurt. I think Rodrick wanted to think over what he¡¯d found before he said too much on it, but from the way things sounded, we¡¯ve probably got at least a week or two left.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Arwin said with a nod. There was so much that had to be done that a few weeks hardly felt like enough, but it would have to be. They had to handle the Wyrms themselves. It was imperative that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild didn¡¯te anywhere near Milten.

    <em>The farther away from them we are right now, the better. We can¡¯t afford to let them anywhere near us until we¡¯re strong enough to challenge them. A bunch of overgrown lizards are nothing inparison to the guild. </em>

    <em>For now, all that matters is just focusing on doing what I can. </em>

    There may have been a lot they had to handle, but that woulde with the following day. For the time being, it was night and the only thing that either of them had any ns of doing was resting until the morning came.

    ***

    Arwin hit the markets early when the next day rose. He lugged his cart out along with the two pieces of armor he¡¯d made the previous day. It almost felt like overkill, bringing an entire cart just to carry a set of armor he could move with his hands ¨C but the cart legitimized him and made it look less like he was just some random person on the side of the street trying to sell armor to anyone that would look twice at them.

    He was a bit apprehensive of his chances at selling anything without Reya, but it turned out that he needn¡¯t have worried. He was still in the process of hanging the chestpiece up on the pegs at the top of the cart when he caught a glimpse of a dark-haired man d in leather armor standing at the base of the cart.

    ¡°You¡¯re Ifrit, aren¡¯t you?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I am,¡± Arwin said, turning to face him and holding up the helm in his hands. ¡°I only have two pieces today. This and the armor. Were you interested in buying?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t get a lot of new smiths around Milten, and I¡¯ve heard some decent stuff about your work. How much?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°120 for the armor and let¡¯s say¡­ 60 for the helm?¡± Arwin offered.

    ¡°180 total?¡± The man tapped a foot on the ground in thought, then shrugged. ¡°Fair price. Done.¡±

    <em>Seriously? That was easy.</em>

    ¡°You aren¡¯t part of a guild, are you?¡± Arwin asked as he took the chestpiece down.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m a solo worker. Never been a fan of guilds,¡± the man replied. ¡°Why? You recruiting for one? I¡¯m not buying if you¡¯re going to try to make me join up.¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. 180 for the lot.¡±

    The man shrugged and pulled out his coin pouch, counting out the requested amount in stacks before sliding it over. Arwin handed him the armor.

    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you. If you need any modifications or want repairs done for cheap, feel free toe find my smithy. It¡¯s on the haunted street. You can find me by going to the tavern at the street¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°On the haunted street?¡± the adventurer repeated, a chuckle slipping out of his mouth. ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thank you.¡±

    Arwin nodded in response. He scooped the coin into his pouch and the man headed off without another word. Arwin hadn¡¯t even learned his name. That was quite fine with him. He¡¯d learn it if the man came back.

    All in all, he¡¯d been at the market for less than ten minutes. Arwin hopped down from the cart and picked it up. He headed back to the tavern with it in tow, stopping to buy two more Brightsteel ingots for a total of 60 gold and leaving himself another 120 to work with.

    With the extra 120 that Olive was bringing him ¨C assuming she survived the dungeon she was working at ¨C he¡¯d be able to pay Ridley off to finish the smithy and have some left over to buy more metal when the time came.

    <em>I really want to go to that dungeon she¡¯s in sooner rather thanter. Brightsteel is useful, but I don¡¯t know if I want to make the entirety of Rodrick¡¯s greaves out of it. I want something harder for some of the parts. I could work in the Maristeel, but I¡¯d rather save that for trying to make a whole set rather than just a temporary job to keep him alive until I can get something really nice made. </em>

    Arwin made it back to the tavern and set the wagon down at its side. Ridley was working on the smithy once again ¨C he¡¯d made pretty good progress, and it looked like he was nearing the quarterpletion mark.

    He headed over to the mason. Ridley paused his work and looked up at Arwin as he counted out fifty gold and held it out.

    ¡°I got the rest of the pay for the first half.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks,¡± Ridley said as he took it with a nod. ¡°The construction is going well. It¡¯s been good for my ss as well. I¡¯lle find you again when it¡¯s time for the second half of the payment.¡±

    <em>Which is another way to say, ¡®screw off. I¡¯m working¡¯. </em>

    Arwin hid a smile and nodded. He knew how Ridley felt. Getting interrupted was far from fun, even if it brought money with it. Raising a hand, he backed away and walked over to the tavern.

    It was time to find out what Rodrick and Reya had learned about what the Wyrm horde.

 Chapter 112: Eager to get started

    Chapter 112: Eager to get started

    Everyone was awake and in themon room of the tavern when Arwin got back. Lillia had made breakfast while he was gone and they were already well into eating. She wordlessly handed him a te piled high with eggs and fried mystery meat.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arwin took the te with a smile and walked over to the edge of the counter to set it down and start eating.

    ¡°Did you go to the market?¡± Reya asked through a mouthful of food.

    ¡°Yeah. Sold some more stuff pretty easily. I think word is getting out about my name,¡± he replied with a pleased grin. ¡°Not to say I¡¯m releasing you from your job. You¡¯re a great saleswoman.¡±

    Reya grinned. ¡°I am, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too stuck up,¡± Anna said, flicking her in the back of the head with augh. ¡°Now why don¡¯t you tell us what you found out already? You¡¯ve been making me wait until Arwin got back, which I assume means that we¡¯re not in any immediate risk, but my patience is at its limit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like you guessed,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We¡¯ve got some time to work with, but I¡¯ve also confirmed that it¡¯s really likely that there are two Wyrms in that forest. We found some adventurers in some other taverns ¨C sorry Lillia ¨C that have been to the forest recently. People were arguing over the markings on its scales. Nobody got up close to it, of course, but the retellings were close enough that I think it¡¯s pretty obvious there are two different Wyrms and not just a bunch of forgetful adventurers. It also sounded like the number of people going missing went up slightly, but not significantly.¡±

    ¡°Were any sigthtings recent?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°The most recent one was like a week and a half ago,¡± Rodrick said.¡°When we checked out the forest, we didn¡¯t see too much out of the ordinary either. Nothing like a bunch of little Wyrms running around in the trees, at least,¡± Reya added. She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and restrained herself from eating more until she could finish speaking. ¡°We didn¡¯t actually go into the forest, but from what we could find, it looks like not much has changed yet. That probably means the Wyrm hasn¡¯t given birth yet.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s been a week, there¡¯s a chance the mother is already preparing to give birth. I don¡¯t know the timeframe in any specific detail from here, but I think we should have at least a week before the optimal time to strike,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Wrymlings are born able to fight, but their mother will be weakened shortly afterward. If we can strike any time roughly a week after the mother births them, they¡¯ll all be at their weakest state.¡±

    ¡°A week¡­ I think that should work,¡± Arwin said after a few moments of thought. ¡°It gives us time to hit the dungeon at least once. I should also be able to finish the armor for Rodrick. I¡¯d imagine we can all hit the next level in our Tier by then as well so long as the dungeon run goes well.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re making me armor?¡± Rodrick asked, his eyes lighting up.

    ¡°Considering what happened to yourst set, I feel partially responsible. We can¡¯t have you running out to fight your enemies ass naked, even if that¡¯s likely how you¡¯ll end the fight.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got a point. You really do have a penchant for losing your pants in fights,¡± Anna said, rubbing her chin. ¡°Is there something you aren¡¯t telling me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, bugger off,¡± Rodrick grumbled. He shoveled eggs into his mouth as they allughed.

    Knowing that they still had at least a week to work with took a lot of weight off all their chests. A week really wasn¡¯t all that much, but at least it meant the horde wasn¡¯t going to show up at the city the next day.

    They all finished breakfast in rtive silence, then brought their tes to the kitchen. As they were returning to themon room, there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°You think that¡¯s the mason?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I saw him working on the smithy this morning.¡±

    ¡°I just spoke with him,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head as he headed over to the door. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a new customer? I¡¯ve been trying to send people here.¡±

    <em>Or it could be someone considerably less wee. </em>

    It wasn¡¯t likely that anyone from the Iron Hounds would try anything here and Arwin didn¡¯t have any other enemies that would have been able to find him here. That didn¡¯t stop him from preparing to fight.

    Arwin was still wearing his greaves, as he couldn¡¯t rebind to them until he reached the next level in his Tier, but the rest of his armor was only a thought a way. He reached for the handle and pulled the door open.

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    It wasn¡¯t a member of the Iron Hounds or Ridley that stood on the other side of the door. It was Olive. Her armor had several scratches running along it and she had small bags under her eyes fromck of sleep. The sword that Arwin had made her rested at her side and she held a leather pouch in her hand.

    ¡°You made it back faster than I expected,¡± Arwin said as he took a step back so she could pass by him. ¡°Did the dungeon go well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Your work is great, especially for its price. I¡¯ve got the money I owe you here.¡± Olive stepped into the tavern and held the pouch out.

    Arwin took it from her. It felt like it weighed a good bit more than it should have. He used the light from thentern to peer inside it, but the only thing present was gold.

    ¡°Did you count this correctly? It feels heavier than it should.¡±

    ¡°I included an extra 80 gold,¡± Olive said. She pushed her hair back to reveal a thin scar running along her forehead. It looked fresh. ¡°I was reminded of the importance of a good helmet ¨C and apetent healer.¡±

    Judging by the wince Anna made at the sight of the cut, she agreed with the second half of that statement.

    ¡°You got scammed,¡± Anna said. ¡°If you made it out of the dungeon with a wound, it shouldn¡¯t have been so bad as to justify a scar.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Olive said with a sigh. ¡°But I was in the process of bleeding out. In his defense, I had some other wounds as well. He definitely cut corners, though. That¡¯ll teach me to go for the cheapest option. But that¡¯s in the past ¨C I¡¯m more concerned with surviving my next cut. So¡­ is 80 enough?¡±

    <em>Considering I just sold a helm for 60, I¡¯d certainly say so. </em>

    ¡°It is, thank you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m d you liked my work. Any difficulties with it?¡±

    Olive shook her head. ¡°No. It performed exactly how I wanted it to. That¡¯s more than I can say for most pieces I¡¯ve bought. The sword was especially nice. It swings better than I thought it would.¡±

    <em>Great. I tried to make it lighter so it would be easier to swing with her worsened bnce. d to hear that worked out. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I can definitely get a helm made for you, but it might take a little bit. I¡¯m a bit low on materials right now, so my team and I were nning on heading into a dungeon as soon as possible,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Was the one you were going to restricted?¡±

    ¡°No, the guild that owns it lets anyone enter for a fee. It costs ten gold a person,¡± Olive said. A thoughtful expression passed over her features and she tilted her head to the side. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you had adventurers here. How many of you can fight?¡±

    ¡°All of us,¡± Arwin replied.

    Olive blinked in surprise. Arwin was impressed that she resisted the urge to say, <em>even you?</em>

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s only so far a solo adventurer can make it in a dungeon,¡± Olive said. She paused for a second before correcting herself. ¡°Well, most solo adventurers. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not one of the ones that gets to im anything special. Even having a few more bodies at my side would let me get a lot deeper.¡±

    ¡°How deep have you gone?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Three rooms are usually my limit. The dungeon isn¡¯t an easy one. It¡¯s Journeyman Tier, and I¡¯m only Apprentice 6.¡±

    Arwin resisted the urge to cough into his fist. Olive was a higher level than any of them ¨C but there was no need to point that out. Rodrick sent him a questioning look, likely trying to figure out if they actually wanted to do the dungeon together with Olive.

    <em>More bodies can never hurt as long as we can still fit into the room and avoid pissing the dungeon off. I don¡¯t see why not. </em>

    He gave the warrior a slight nod.

    ¡°We¡¯ve gone through a Journeyman Tier dungeon in its entirety,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°And as you said, more people definitely can¡¯t hurt. We can do an even split of anything we earn and figure out how to distribute anything unique when the timees.¡±

    Olive thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°That would work. I¡¯m more interested in gold than anything else right now, and I highly doubt we¡¯ll stumble into something that works perfectly for me. If we do, I might be more concerned with getting it.¡±

    ¡°If we find something that suits you and none of us, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have any objections,¡± Arwin said, ignoring the narrowed eyed look that Reya was sending at Olive. ¡°How soon are you able to head into the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°If you were nning on going today, I¡¯m sure I could handle it. The only reason thest run took so long is because it took me a fair amount of time to actually find a slot to get into the dungeon. The guild running it prioritizesrger parties, so waiting around to get a spot wasted a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have joined another party?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Most parties don¡¯t want to let someone they don¡¯t know in together with them.¡± Olive¡¯s lips pressed thin. ¡°And fewer want to rely on someone that they don¡¯t think can handle themselves. People think I can¡¯t fight because I¡¯m missing an arm. Idiots. As if missing one makes me unable to use the other.¡±

    Arwin bit back augh. Anything that Olive might have supposedlycked in fighting ability, she definitely made up for in spirit. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us will have much trouble with that. You¡¯ll be entering the dungeon with a smith that doesn¡¯t even have abat ss, so I¡¯d say having one arm is still a step up from that.¡±

    ¡°If you can handle yourself, I don¡¯t care. sses are only as useful as the person using them. If you can swing a big hammer at a piece of metal, then you can swing a big hammer at a monster¡¯s head. At least, I hope you can. It would be a shame if I found a good smith only for him to get killed doing a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I reckon I¡¯ll be alright,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve done one or two dungeons in my lifetime. I have to quickly make onest piece of armor before we can head out. If nobody has any objections, why don¡¯t we get going in about 5 or so hours?¡±

    ¡°That works for me,¡± Olive said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. He sent a nce at the others to make sure they all felt the same, then nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get to work and get back as soon as possible. We¡¯ve got a dungeon to clear.¡±

    ¡°Clear? You might be being a bit optimistic,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Arwin said nomittally. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. I¡¯m eager to get this started.¡±

 Chapter 113: Journeyman Dungeon 2 Electric Boogaloo

    Chapter 113: Journeyman Dungeon 2 Electric Boogaloo

    Arwin finished Rodrick¡¯s temporary greaves in just under four hours. They weren¡¯t anything special, but that also meant he¡¯d have less gear he¡¯d have to try to hide from Olive. Just because they were traveling with her didn¡¯t mean they wanted to reveal just how powerful their equipment was.

    After Rodrick donned his new greaves, the group set off. Lillia threw a cloak on as they left, pulling it low to cover her features. Together with that and the darkness that followed her, she was basically a walking shadow at the side of their party. If Olive had any questions as to what was up with her, she didn¡¯t voice them.

    The trip to the dungeon only took a few hours. It was in the exact opposite direction of the other one they¡¯d been going to, and the road over to it was considerably more popted. A portion of that may have been due to the fact that there was actually a road, but Arwin digressed.

    Most of the people traveling alongside ¨C or in the opposite direction ¨C to them were clearly adventurers. They wore battle-worn armor and carried a variety of weapons. Arwin couldn¡¯t help but notice that he didn¡¯t spot a single magical piece of gear.

    That wasn¡¯t really all that telling. He suspected that most people strong enough to have a piece of magical equipment were also strong enough to conceal its attributes. Nobody was going to be walking around and advertising their equipment unless they were either unbelievably powerful or an idiot.

    <em>And, judging by how we¡¯re out in the middle of nowhere at the edges of the kingdom, I¡¯m leaning toward thetter. </em>

    They arrived at the entrance to the dungeon without any difficulties. It waspletely unlike the dungeon that they¡¯d been clearing over the past days. An enormous pile of stone rose up to form a cave with a path that led deep beneath the ground. It was wide enough for ten or fifteen people to enter it at once without feeling too constrained and equally as tall.

    A small line had built up at the start, where several men in matching green armor stood by the entrance, collecting money from the people entering and guiding their passage.

    Arwin¡¯s group entered the line and settled in to wait. The line wasn¡¯t exactly moving quickly, but there was a steady flow of adventurers heading in and out of the dungeon. It didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d have to wait long.¡°Is there anything else we have to do once we get up there?¡± Reya asked and nodded toward the front of the line.

    ¡°Just pay them the ten gold per person. Our group is big enough that they should just let us through when it¡¯s our turn,¡± Olive said. She hesitated for a second but didn¡¯t add anything else.

    The line continued to move forward and it wasn¡¯t long until the six of them were at the front. Beckoning them over, the lead guard held out his hand. He was locked in a conversation with another one of the guards and barely even seemed aware of their presence.

    ¡°50 gold,¡± he said absent-mindedly. ¡°If you can¡¯t pay, you can¡¯t enter. No, I don¡¯t care how long you waited. It doesn¡¯t matter what guild you¡¯re a part of either. Pay or leave.¡±

    It sounded like he¡¯d made that particr speech more than once before. Arwin took the coins out from his bag and handed them over. Between his sales and the money Olive had just brought him, he was more than good for it. The guard turned his attention to them as he realized that they were actually customers.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you round here before,¡± the guard said, looking Arwin up and down. ¡°Do you know much about the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Care to enlighten me?¡±

    ¡°If it means youe back a second time, I¡¯d be happy to,¡± the guard said with a chuckle. ¡°This dungeon is pretty deep. It¡¯s Journeyman level, but I¡¯d assume you already know that. I wouldn¡¯t rmend trying to pass beyond the tenth room. Our guild has only vetted the first ten rooms to be appropriate for normal adventurers. After that, it¡¯s on you. There¡¯s probably some form of spider matriarch deeper in the dungeon, because we¡¯ve had a whole lot of spiders as ofte. Sorry if you aren¡¯t a fan, but no refunds.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll live,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t bother the other teams if you run into one. We do our best to put you on different paths, but it asionally happens. Whoever starts the fight finishes it. No stealing kills or loot. Just backtrack and choose a different path.¡±

    The rules seemed respectable as far as Arwin could tell. He¡¯d never been in a dungeon where other adventurers were liable to try and take anything he was fighting. If it was a rule, it meant it had happened at some point before.

    <em>I wonder if that¡¯s amon urrence. </em>

    ¡°Noted. Thank you,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Onest thing. Are you with a guild?¡± the guard asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything. It¡¯s just for logistics in case you go missing. We don¡¯t really care who you are, but guilds sometimese knocking if their people die down there and it¡¯s nice to be able to say if they actually entered or not.¡±

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    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°We are not.¡±

    <em>Not officially, at least. Maybe next time.</em>

    ¡°Sounds good. Feel free to head on in. You¡¯ll be in the rightmost passageway. Don¡¯t enter the other ones. Teams are already heading down those and you¡¯re not going to find anything left to do.¡±

    Arwin nodded his thanks and started into the dungeons. The others followed behind him, but they didn¡¯t make it more than a few steps before the guard spoke again.

    ¡°Oi, hold on,¡± he barked. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Arwin turned, his brow furrowing in confusion, but the guard was looking at Olive rather than him.

    ¡°She¡¯s with us,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°She ¨C seriously?¡± the guard let out a snort of derision. ¡°Finally found a set of people to convince to drag you along, did you? That¡¯s 10 more gold if she¡¯sing.¡±

    Arwin shrugged and counted out the extra money, handing it over to the guard. He looked down at the coins, then blinked. It seemed he hadn¡¯t expected Arwin to actually pay out.

    ¡°Well, carry on, all of you. I thought one-arm was trying to sneak in again.¡±

    A few of the other people in line chuckled, but nobody said anything else as they set back off. Olive had clearly tried a few other ways to get into the dungeon before settling for waiting around for a one-person slot.

    Arwin didn¡¯t mention anything about it. Her past was her own, and he didn¡¯t particrly care if she¡¯d tried to break into a dungeon before. It wasn¡¯t like the guild actually owned anything inside it. They¡¯d just set up in front and were strong enough to keep anyone from taking it from them.

    The path widened as they continued. Braziers outlined paths that split into twenty different passages leading deeper into the dungeon. They followed along the rightmost one and headed into a room at its end.

    It was in, aside from a shimmering square in the stone wall. If anything was a in invitation to enter, it was that. After onest nce to make sure the others were with him, Arwin pressed his hand to the stone.

    A wave of energy passed over him. The ground lurched beneath his feet and his vision flickered for an instant. When everything returned to normal, Arwin found himself standing in arge, torchlit room. A passage ran out before him and the same shimmering portal flickered on the wall behind him.

    The rest of the group popped out one by one behind him until they were all standing around each other. They all took a second to get their bearings.

    ¡°Big ce,¡± Rodrick observed. ¡°Any tips on what we¡¯ve got waiting for us, Olive?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t go down this passagest time, so I¡¯m not sure. There were definitely spiders, though. Lots of them. Don¡¯t get caught up in webs and try to avoid getting poisoned. If you get bit, you¡¯ll have to head out of the dungeon and get healing. I swear the Sparrows are making more money from their healers than they are from the people entering the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°The Sparrows are the guild outside?¡± Arwin guessed.

    ¡°Yeah. They charge a fortune for healing. Getting rid of poison is pricy.¡±

    Arwin shot a nce at Anna and she gave him a slight nod. It didn¡¯t look like they were going to need the services of any outside healers so long as they made sure that she wasn¡¯t the one that went down.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with this, then. The guard said that things don¡¯t get good until the tenth floor, so I¡¯ve got no desire to screw around on the lower ones.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what he said,¡± Olive muttered, but she didn¡¯t bother trying to correct him further. She drew her sword and held it at her side in a casual stance. ¡°What¡¯s our formation?¡±

    ¡°Depends. Anna, did you want to try to get some experience in the first few rooms?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be the only area we¡¯ll be able to take things easily enough to risk sparing anything for you.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask you to go out of your way for me,¡± Anna said, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment before shing him a grin. ¡°But if you¡¯re going to offer, then yes. I¡¯ll dly take you up on it.¡±

    ¡°Then Rodrick and I will take up the lead. Olive, feel free to hang back for the first fight just so you can get a feel for how we fight. I take it you haven¡¯t worked in groups much before?¡±

    Olive grimaced and shook her head. ¡°I have not. That¡¯s probably a good idea, so long as you¡¯re fine with me not pulling my weight for a fight.¡±

    ¡°I figure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arwin replied with augh. ¡°If you¡¯ve cleared these rooms solo, then I think the lot of us can handle one room without your help. Just make sure nothing can get the drop on our backline, would you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can do that.¡±

    Rodrick walked up alongside Arwin and drew his sword. Olive looked slightly doubtful that Arwin was taking up the lead, but she didn¡¯t say anything else as the group set off through the tunnel.

    It only took them a minute of walking before they arrived at the first room. Cobwebs lined the walls and ceiling, blocking off an entrance that Arwin could just barely make out beyond them on the right wall.

    The room was thin enough that Arwin could see the majority of it from their spot in the hallway. Severalrge ck orbs hung from the webs, roughly the size ofrge dogs.

    <em>Found the spiders. </em>

    He counted four of them, but he suspected there might have been one or two more hiding in areas he couldn¡¯t see. In addition to the monsters suspended on the webs, there was a spider sitting in the center of the room, sucking on a cocoon suspended from the ceiling. It was easily three times their size and stood as tall as Arwin did. The smaller ones didn¡¯t register with the Mesh ¨C they must have had an ability that hid them from scrutinizing eyes while they were balled up, but therger monster had no such luck.

    <strong>[Spider Broodguard ¨C Apprentice 9]</strong>

    ¡°Shit,¡± Olive breathed. ¡°This is a horrible room.¡±

    ¡°Why? Five spiders, six of us,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°If anything, I¡¯d say there aren¡¯t enough spiders. Considering they¡¯ve got venom, I¡¯ll call it even. Anna, I think we¡¯ll aim to leave one for you and handle the others, just to keep things on the safe side. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°More than.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Olive whispered. ¡°You realize that big one isn¡¯t just a normal spider, right? It¡¯s probably going to be pretty strong. You aren¡¯t even wearing armor. Don¡¯t you think you should be a little more careful?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only Apprentice 9.¡± He grinned. ¡°I reckon we¡¯ll be fine. Rodrick, cover my back while we go in? And Reya ¨C well, you do you.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Reya said.

    Arwin activated [Arsenal]. His armor mmed to ce around him and Olive¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as Verdant ze formed in his grip. He strode into the room and the Broodguard spun toward him, its jaws twitching as it let out a chattering hiss.

    ¡°Do you think spiders are edible?¡± Lillia asked from behind him.

    ¡°I figure we¡¯re about to find out,¡± Arwin replied.

    A ripple of motion passed through the webs as the spiders all woke up. They let out a chorus of hisses that joined in with the Broodguard, then charged Arwin as one.

    Verdant ze¡¯s head crackled with [Soul me] and he stepped forward to meet their charge.

 Chapter 114: Creatures to crush

    Chapter 114: Creatures to crush

    The Broodguard reached Arwin first. Itshed out for him, fangs extending to bite down on his neck. Verdant ze whistled down and collided with its head in a burst of [Soul me] and a loud crack.

    The spider¡¯s head mmed into the ground, its legs flying up all around it from the force of the strike. Fire poured up from the strike as Arwin dismissed the hammer and jumped back to avoid several of the smaller spiders as they lunged at him.

    Glowing words tried to take form in the air as the Mesh attempted to identify the small monsters but Arwin dismissed it. He didn¡¯t care what the little buggers¡¯ names were. He was more concerned with making sure they didn¡¯t catch him.

    His hand shot out and grabbed onto the back legs of one of the small creatures as it passed him. It hissed in surprise as he swung it through the air and pelted it into the ground. It sttered, sending green ichor all across his greaves and feet. His helmet erupted with energy, its eyes lighting like burning coals.

    <em>Nasty. I really need to make myself some boots. </em>

    The Broodguard staggered upright with a screech and snapped out at him. At the same time, two of the smaller spiders jumped at him as well. Rodrick¡¯s sword flicked through the air and speared one of the creatures mid-flight.

    Arwin ducked the other one, then twisted his body to avoid the Broodguard¡¯s attack. In the same motion, he summoned Verdant ze back to his hands and brought it whipping around into the Broodguard¡¯s face for the second time.

    A burst of [Soul me] roared out of the hammer¡¯s head and the Broodguard staggered back with a pained hiss. Its feet scrabbled on the ground and fire licked across its body. Green ichor leaked from its skull and cracked carapace as it turned in circles, severely disoriented.

    Tiny legs ttered against the stone. Arwin dismissed Verdant ze again and leaned back. A small spider hurtled past his head andnded on the ground, only to be squished as he summoned the hammer back and brought it down on the monster¡¯s abdomen. His helm burned even brighter and power churned around his body like smoldering embers rising off his skin.Rodrick finished the other creature off before it could try to attack again, and Arwin nodded to the stunned Broodguard. ¡°Anna, you want to try and handle that one? It¡¯s a big bugger ¨C literally ¨C but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be able to put up all that much of a fight at this point.¡±

    She swallowed and gave him a nod. Rodrick handed her his sword as she approached alongside Arwin. Despite his words of assurance, Arwin kept Verdant ze in his hands, ready to kill the creature if it made so much as a move toward the healer.

    She brought the de down toward its already cracked skull. It pierced through an eye and dug deep into the Broodguard¡¯s head. The monster crumped to the ground, its legs curling in on its body, and fell still. Anna ripped Rodrick¡¯s sword free with a sharp tug. Green liquid dripped down its edge and fell to the floor.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Anna said, shaking the sword off before handing it back to Rodrick. Arwin dismissed his helm, removing the oppressive aura. Anna let out a relieved breath and gave him an appreciative nod.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get a chance to do anything,¡± Reya grumbled. ¡°Can you kill them slower next time? I was holding off to make sure I didn¡¯t use the spell and then have nothing I could do at an important moment.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. He caught Olive staring at them with open-mouthed disbelief and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is everything okay? You¡¯re going to catch a fly if you stand around like that.¡±

    Olive closed her mouth and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any flies left in this dungeon, considering the monsters we¡¯re up against. What kind of smith are you meant to be? Actually wait ¨C I see it. You can put fire into your strikes to heat the metal while you work it. I guess that works pretty well for hitting enemies as well, doesn¡¯t it? That¡¯s convenient.¡±

    <em>Hey, I didn¡¯t even have to lie. She came to a conclusion entirely on her own. It¡¯s a pretty logical one too. She¡¯s technically not even wrong. It¡¯s just that the ability isn¡¯t mine. It belongs to Verdant ze ¨C but who in Milten would assume anyone¡¯s walking around with a magical weapon?</em>

    ¡°It is indeed,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°And, as I said, this was hardly even a threat. Sorry, Lillia. I didn¡¯t leave much of the small ones behind.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But, with all due respect, I¡¯m not eating these things.¡±

    Lillia walked up to one of the spiders that Rodrick had run through and picked it up by a leg, squinting at it. She sniffed at its body, then touched it to her tongue. Olive watched in horror as she stuck her tongue out again and licked the spider.

    ¡°I think it would be good with some lemon butter,¡± Lillia proimed. ¡°This one might be a bit small, though. Too much effort to eat. The bigger one could be better.¡±

    ¡°You want to eat the spider?¡± Olive asked, her voice weak. ¡°What was in the food you gave me? Was it¡­¡±

    ¡°Just normal food,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with eating spiders? It¡¯s not like their meat is poison. Just don¡¯t eat their venom nds.¡±

    Olive¡¯s mouth worked for a second as she tried to find an answer for that. She gave up and shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°So, did you get a decent grasp on how we fight?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really a very long one, so I¡¯m not sure how much you¡¯d be able to get out of it. It¡¯s probably best to start working together now before we make it to a monster where we don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C yeah,¡± Olive said, trying and failing to keep the befuddlement from her features. ¡°I think I¡¯ve picked up on it. I¡¯ll just do what Rodrick did and hold your nk.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. He paused as Lillia ripped off the abdomen of therge spider and started stuffing its meat into the bag she had with her. Olive nced over at her, then jerked her eyes back to Arwin and very pointedly did not turn around again.

    ¡°Done,¡± Lillia said a few secondster. She straightened up and slung the bag over her shoulder. ¡°Ready when you all are.¡±

    ¡°No time like the present,¡± Arwin said, nodding to the exit in the corner of the room that was partially covered by webbing. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    He strode over to it, summoning [Soul me] to his palm and tossing it forward to burn through the webs. The magic fire made short work of them and he called it back to his hand, repeating it a few times until the pathway before them was clear. Arwin nodded to the others.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    They all headed into the tunnel, Arwin at the lead. The path to the next room of the dungeon was simr to the one that had led into the first. A few scattered cobwebs were strewn across the corners of the floor and hung from the ceiling.

    As with the previous room, there was no door that led into the next room. It was just an archway covered with a few strands of cobweb. Beyond was a circr chamber with several passageways running out of it. Webs covered the walls and stretched up to where they presumably continued on the ceiling. Arwin couldn¡¯t spot any spiders sitting around on the floor.

    And, if there weren¡¯t any on the floors and he couldn¡¯t see the ceiling ¨C well, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out where the monster was lying in wait.

    ¡°I get the feeling our next opponent is somewhere above us,¡± Arwin said in a low tone. He didn¡¯t think spiders were particrly well known for being very apt listeners, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to take a chance at it. ¡°No clue what it is. Olive, Rodrick,e in with me. Everyone else, stick back in the hall ande out when it¡¯s clear it¡¯s safe.¡±

    The others nodded and Arwin turned back to the exit, using a small amount of [Soul me] to burn away the webbing before them before stepping out into the room and immediately directing his gaze upward.

    His prediction had been right. The biggest spider he¡¯d ever seen hung suspended from an enormous web around fifty feet in the air above him. It must have been around fifteen feet long and felt like it was nearly double his height. The monster stared straight down at him, jaws working silently as they took each other in.

    <strong>[Spider Devourer: Journeyman 5] </strong>

    Arwin didn¡¯t even have time topletely finish reading the monster¡¯s name before it dropped. He threw himself to the side, hitting the ground in a roll as the creature mmed down where he¡¯d been standing and spun to follow his path with a loud hiss.

    Its jaws parted and it spit out a spray of murky green liquid. Arwin lunged to the side and it sttered to the ground, melting into it with a hiss. He didn¡¯t want to think about what would happen if it had hit him, but it probably wouldn¡¯t have been fun.

    He summoned Verdant ze to his hands and sprinted at the Devourer. It spat another wad of green liquid at him and he dodged out of the way, buying time for Rodrick and Olive to both make their moves.

    They ran out from the passageway. Rodrick made it to the monster a second before Olive did. A wave of blue passed over it, but its tier was a little too high for Reya to do more than momentarily annoy it.

    Rodrick¡¯s sword, on the other hand, was far harder to ignore. Glowing light lit the cave as heshed out three times in rapid session, leaving several deep wounds on the beast¡¯s carapace. It twitched in pain, only for Olive¡¯s sword to carve out and sever one of its legs in its middle.

    The spider hissed and spun toward them, rearing back to spit. That gave Arwin all the time he needed to close the distance between them. Sure, the monster wasrge ¨C but it was also unwieldy ¨C and presenting a huge backside was a great way to offer up a nice target.

    He reared back and drew on [Scourge] before swinging his hammer with all his might. It streaked through the air and crashed into the spider with a sharp crack. The monster¡¯s exoskeleton shattered and the hammer carried through into the meat hidden beneath it. [Soul me] poured out from the wound and the monster screamed in pain.

    Arwin ripped Verdant ze free as the spider spun toward him, the others forgotten, only for it to catch another strike straight to the side of its head. One of its jaws shattered under the spiked head of the hammer and skittered across the ground as the spider reeled from the blow.

    Rodrick and Olive both attacked once more, costing the creature two more of its legs. It jerked back and forth, trying to find a way to free itself from their joint attack, but it was toote. The monster may have been big, but it was nowhere near smart or strong enough to handle all three of them at once.

    Arwin drove one more blow into it with Verdant ze, then stepped back to let the other two finish it off. He had no need to steal the experience for killing it from the others ¨C and the Mesh wasn¡¯t going to give him any form of significant reward for killing something like this.

    ¡°Is this how every dungeon goes for you guys?¡± Olive asked, lowering her sword and averting her gaze as Lillia hurried over to taste the dead monster.

    ¡°No, I¡¯d say this one is going pretty well, but we¡¯ve still got eight more rooms until we get to the good part.¡±

    Olive shook her head. Arwin suspected her neck was going to start hurting if she kept doing that. ¡°I think I could get used to working in a group.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Arwin asked with a chuckle. ¡°We¡¯ll see how the rest of the dungeon goes.¡±

    ¡°I can hold my own,¡± Olive said firmly, her jaw setting.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not what I meant. I can tell you know how to fight,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I was more referring to if you could tolerate us for much longer. Eating spider meat is far from the weirdest thing we do.¡±

    Olive¡¯s expression flickered. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Stick around for long enough and you¡¯ll find out,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°For now, I have a hammer and nothing to hit it with. That means we¡¯ve got to move on. I¡¯m sincerely hoping this dungeon has something a lot more interesting than just a bunch of spiders. Preferably something I can work with.¡±

    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Lillia said. ¡°This thing isn¡¯t going to be too edible, by the way. Too big.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said. ¡°At this rate, it won¡¯t be long before you all start getting some levels. That¡¯ll aplish the first half of our goals here. With any luck, the second half will be waiting for us soon. I¡¯m eager to get some new materials to work with ¨C even if we have to take them out of the bodies of the spiders. Once they get a bit tougher, maybe they¡¯ll have exoskeletons that are really difficult to break. That would be fantastic.¡±

    ¡°Are you <em>excited </em>about our enemies being harder to kill?¡± Olive squinted at Arwin.

    <em></em>¡°Absolutely. Stronger enemies means stronger rewards,¡± Arwin said without missing a beat. A grin pulled across his lips. ¡°And stronger rewards means better materials. Onward. We have some creatures to crush.¡±

 Chapter 115: Chitter chatter

    Chapter 115: Chitter chatter

    They crushed creatures. There wasn¡¯t a better way to put it. The next eight rooms of the dungeon went down one after the other, none posing any significant amount of threat. It certainly helped that Arwin¡¯s hammer mowed through just about everything they ran into like a scythe through hay.

    Arwin did his best to make sure the others got a good portion of the credit for the fights, but they were all more concerned with getting through the initial ranks of the spiders to reach the more interesting opponents ¨C and there were a lot of spiders to get through. None of them got any achievements or advanced their tiers on the initial set of rooms. It probably didn¡¯t help that there were so many of them and the challenge the dungeon posed was likely being trivialized partially by their numbers.

    The majority of the enemies in the first few rooms were rabble. Even therger spiders didn¡¯t seem to be considered much of a challenge by the Mesh, though it was possible that they had just grown strong enough where they weren¡¯t a major threat.

    Whatever the reason, they made good time. Lillia gave up on trying to store more spider parts. She¡¯d already stuffed her bag full of them and it didn¡¯t look like there would be much of a shortage.

    Even the eleventh and twelfth rooms only held severalrge Broodguards. Those becamerge stters on the walls and the group took a short break to recover the small amount of energy they¡¯d already spent before pressing any deeper.

    ¡°Well,¡± Anna said from where she sat leaning against Rodrick, looking around in the light cast by torches on the walls of the cave, ¡°it¡¯s certainly a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. ¡°Damn spiders everywhere. Nothing of use. It¡¯s kind of getting on my nerves. There could at least be one that¡¯s multicolored. Then I¡¯d have more fun fighting it. Tossing the same swarm at me over and over is so boring.¡±

    ¡°You know, I never thought I¡¯d use boring to describe any aspect of a dungeon,¡± Olive said, running a hand idly across one of the scratches on her breastte, ¡°but I think I might be with you. If I was solo, this would have been brutal. I probably would have gotten stuck on the third room and had to pull back. Groups arepletely unfair.¡±

    <em>I think it might be our group than groups in general, but that would be too egotistical of me to im. </em>¡°Either way, we¡¯re well past what that guard warned us about,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I imagine we should be getting to the interesting bits soon enough. Spiders breed like little shits, you know that?¡±

    ¡°What do little shits breed like?¡± Olive asked.

    Rodrick blinked, then frowned. ¡°Er¡­ it was a turn of phrase.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I got that. But it didn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C nevermind,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°Sometimes words juste out of my mouth before I think them through, you know? You got the idea.¡±

    A small smile flicked across Olive¡¯s mouth. ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±

    Reya grinned, then snuffed it out when she realized that Arwin was watching. She made it a point to tten her features as if she didn¡¯t care about the conversation going on.

    <em>I wonder what it is she doesn¡¯t like about Olive. Despite herints, she hasn¡¯t actually acted on anything. That means she doesn¡¯t actually think she¡¯s a threat or a problem. Odd. I¡¯ll have to pull her aside and ask at some point. If she knows something I don¡¯t, then I need to find out. </em>

    ¡°I think the Mesh might be corrupting all of us,¡± Anna said. ¡°Nobody sane wouldin about a dungeon being too easy. I¡¯m sure we could sell these spiders for some good money.¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Olive put in. ¡°There are so many of them that the local market is already flooded. Thest time I went in I had a luckier run ¨C if you could call it that. There were some gemstone insects crawling around. I managed to kill one of them and it sold for a good price. That was just about the only thing I made any real coin off. The spiders went for a pittance.¡±

    Anna scrunched her nose and let out a huff. ¡°Oh. Well, that¡¯s disappointing. Back to being a battle junkie, then. I want to kill things.¡±

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Rodrick asked with a shudder. ¡°My beautiful healer has turned into a bloodthirsty killer. Arwin is a bad influence.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t me me.¡± Arwin chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. He held a hand out to Lillia, who was sniffing at the bag of spider parts. She took it with a grateful nod.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Spiders starting to go bad?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I was just thinking that we¡¯re probably going to find rarer monsters the deeper we go. This dungeon seems pretty deep¡­ so I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s worth carrying all this crap around.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s crap, why¡¯d you take it in the first ce?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Because I need something to feed you,¡± Lillia replied.

    Rodrick sent her an affronted look and the rest of them chuckled.

    ¡°Everyone ready to keep moving?¡± Arwin asked, nodding to the pathway waiting before them. ¡°I want to get my hands on something that I can actually use, and I¡¯d like to find a monster that the Mesh actually considers a worthwhile threat for us so we can get something for killing it.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Lillia said as she turned the contents of her bag upside down and dumped everything out. ¡°But mostly because I assume it¡¯ll be a rarer monster that should taste better. At least, I hope that¡¯s how it¡¯ll work.¡±

    ¡°You might get more than what you asked for if you poke at the Mesh like that,¡± Olive said. She rose to her feet and drew her sword, rolling her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m ready to keep moving, though. I¡¯ve never been this deep so I don¡¯t know what to expect.¡±

    ¡°Probably more spiders,¡± Anna said.

    They all got up to their feet and took a moment to make sure they didn¡¯t leave anything behind. Arwin then summoned his armor back to himself and, after one look to check back on the others, he started into the passage.

    For several minutes they walked in silence. The echo of their steps through the cave the squeak of metal were the only sounds around them. Eventually the passage wound around a corner and came to an end in an open room.

    Torchlight flickered from the walls to illuminate ¨C surprisingly ¨C a tile floor. It was cracked and covered with wear from years of disuse and weather. If there had once been any murals on the tiles, they were now long gone.

    Cobwebs hung in the corners and covered the walls, but there weren¡¯t nearly as many in this room as there had been in the previous ones. A bulbous carapace rested in the corner of the room, legs curled up to the sky. It looked to be one of the Broodguard spiders. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Dead spider,¡± Rodrick whispered over Arwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mesh heard us bitching.¡±

    ¡°The Mesh doesn¡¯t actually directly interfere with things. That¡¯s just a superstition,¡± Anna muttered back. ¡°But I think Rodrick is right. Looks like there might be a spider predator down here somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Same strategy as always. Be ready to follow up.¡±

    He waited a moment to make sure that Rodrick and the others were prepared. Then he stepped out of the passage and into the room. Verdant ze took form in his hands as he looked up at the ceiling, expecting another monster to drop from above.

    There was nothing but in stone. His brow furrowed as he turned to check out the rest of the room. Aside from the cracked tiles on the ground and king off the walls, there truly wasn¡¯t much of interest.

    As far as he could tell, the room looked empty. It was possible that someone else hade through it recently. That didn¡¯t make much sense to him, though. The previous rooms leading up to this one hadn¡¯t been cleared and he didn¡¯t see any passages other than an exit that traveled deeper into the dungeon.

    <em>I suppose it¡¯s possible someone worked their way up from below and then went back down, but that would be pretty odd. I can¡¯t see why they¡¯d do that unless they were running from something. And, if they were running from something, I¡¯d assume that something would still be in the area. </em>

    Arwin walked further into the room. He kept his guard up and prepared to dive out of the way at the first sign of something moving. There didn¡¯t seem to be any overt signs of a battle anywhere in the room, but the cracks running over everything made it hard to tell anything for sure.

    He adjusted his grip on Verdant ze. There generally weren¡¯t rooms in dungeons that were just left open. Monsters liked their space. They didn¡¯t leave areas unupied for no reason. No, it was far more likely that he was just overlooking their opponent and it was lying in wait somewhere to strike.

    He came to a stop in the center of the room and turned in a circle. There was nothing on the ceilings. The walls didn¡¯t have enough cobwebs to conceal anything. No holes on the floor that indicated an opponent that buried beneath the ground either.

    The only thing that was out of ce in the room¡­

    Arwin looked down at the tiles beneath his feet. The cracks running throughout them were surprisingly uniform in depth. His heart sank as he realized where the monster was. It wasn¡¯t concealed or invisible somewhere. It was right beneath his feet.

    He took a step back toward the hall, hoping he could make it off the ground before the creature moved. A rumble shook the floor beneath him and he cursed, nearly tripping as the tile started to shift.

    Evidently the monster had been hoping that more of them would walk out onto it before it acted. Tiles rose up all around Arwin ¨C but they were no tiles. They were thin tes of beige armor that covered the body of a massive, oddly t centipede that hadyered itself over the entire floor. Stone legs chittered against the ground as Arwin fought to keep his bnce on the shifting sea of the monster¡¯s body.

    The monster¡¯s head rose up over Arwin and its mandibles parted as a hiss rattled the room.

    <strong>[Chattering Mimipede ¨C Journeyman 6] </strong>

    ¡°I found the monster,¡± Arwin said.

 Chapter 116: Squish the bug

    Chapter 116: Squish the bug

    The Mimipede didn¡¯t approve of Arwin¡¯s dry humor. It bucked him into the air and its head shot out, mandibles parting with ns to swallow him whole. A shadow slipped away from the wall, grabbing Arwin by the waist and yanking him out of the way as a wave of blue energy washed over the monster¡¯s body ¨C stalling the creature for an instant and ensuring the attack failed to connect.

    <em>That minimum time on Imprison is really damn useful. Good choice, Reya.</em>

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin called to Lillia as her shadow released him. He dropped, falling toward the centipede below, and swung Verdant ze as he fell. There was no reason to waste all the extra momentum.

    The monster churned like a vortex of stone below him. Its head tracked his movement and it tried to bite at him, but it wasn¡¯t quite fast enough to catch him as he fell. Verdant ze struck its midsection with a resounding crash, empowered by [Scourge].

    me rolled off the strike and the te Arwin had hit cracked from the force of his strike. The monster thrashed in pain andunched him off, sending him hurtling into a wall. He struck it with a thud and dropped to the ground with a grunt of pain.

    Rodrick and Olive both ran into the room, their weapons raised, and spread out in an attempt to keep the Mimipede from attacking all of them at once. The tter of hundreds of legs grated against Arwin¡¯s ears as the creature shifted. Its dark eyes flicked around them as its jaws worked, trying to choose a target.

    ¡°Do you need healing?¡± Anna called over the cacophony.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin replied. He shook himself off. ¡°I¡¯ll keep its attention. Rodrick, Olive ¨C I don¡¯t know. Stab the damn thing. I don¡¯t know what the best way to kill something like this is other than cut its head off ¨C and I don¡¯t think any of us have somethingrge or sharp enough to do that.¡±

    He ignited the head of his hammer with [Soul me]. The Mimipede¡¯s eyes flicked down to him and it hissed in rage, lurching out for him. Arwin¡¯s greaves already had a fair amount of energy coursing through them, but there wasn¡¯t quite enough to activate them yet. He wasn¡¯t keen on intentionally tanking a hit to draw on their benefits so he used [Scourge] to empower his legs and bound out of the way.The Mimipede¡¯s head crashed into the ground where Arwin had been standing and sent up a spray of stone and rock. It ripped itself free and thrashed around, spinning to search for Arwin.

    Rodrick advanced while it was focused on Arwin. He jumped into the air and a tform made of shadow formed beneath his feet, giving him a boost to jump the rest of the way onto the creature¡¯s back.

    Olive only hesitated for a moment before following after him and using the same tform to join the fallen pdin on the Mimipede¡¯s back. Arwin didn¡¯t have time to watch how their efforts were going. He was forced to leap back as the monster crashed down where he¡¯d been standing, using its own head like a wrecking ball to demolish the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯d ask if you have a brain, but I suspect I know the answer to that. Can¡¯t be much left if you swing it around like this,¡± Arwinined to himself as his feet hit the ground and he took a few stumbling steps to steady himself.

    A rumble in the earth told him that the Mimipede hadn¡¯t given up on its attack. Instead of rearing up, it was just plowing straight through the ground toward him. Arwin reared back and poured all the power he could muster into [Scourge].

    He could see Rodrick and Olive holding on for dear life, but there was no more time to focus on anyone other than himself. The Mimipede¡¯s mandibles opened. A flicker of blue mmed into the monster and it ground to a halt for a flicker of a second, right before it could m into Arwin.

    His hammer shed forward. [Soul me] erupted as it crashed into the Mimipede¡¯s face with a resounding crack. The vibration from the blow raced down his arms and through his body, making his teeth rattle in his head.

    tes shattered and cracked on the monster¡¯s face ¨C and it mmed back into motion. Arwin¡¯s eyes only had an instant to widen as he realized that his blow hadn¡¯t been nearly enough to stop the creature.

    <em>Oops.</em>

    The Mimipede mmed into him. Arwin managed to jump to the side just enough to keep himself from falling into its jaws, but the sheer force of its massive body driving into him was enough to send Verdant ze spinning from his grip and rip the breath straight from his lungs.

    Pain erupted through Arwin¡¯s entire body and he coughed, the world going white. The Mimipede mmed him into the stone wall, sending another rip of pain through him. A hum of energy raced through his body as his greaves activated. Stars shed before his eyes and he squinted, forcing his limbs toply.

    The Mimipede reared back, mandibles splitting open, and it darted forward to swallow him whole. Arwin pushed away from the wall and leapt into the air, ignoring the aching pain suffusing him. He shed past the monster¡¯s head and flew through the air, traveling a good bit farther than he¡¯d intended to.

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    A bar of shadow formed before him and Arwin snagged onto it, swinging himself around like a monkey before turning his head over his shoulder to look down at the thrashing monster. Pain pulsated through his limbs and down his arms. He muted it, pushing everything into the back of his head. Even though his strike hadn¡¯tpletely stopped the Mimipede, it had done a good bit of damage.

    Rodrick and Olive had nearly worked their way up to its head, but it was taking everything they had to keep from getting knocked off. Fortunately for them, the Mimipede waspletely focused on killing the pest that had hit it twice now.

    It ripped itself free from the wall and spun, its long form crisscrossing over itself in its search. Spotting Arwin hanging in the air, it let out a screech of fury andunched itself toward him.

    Arwin released the bar. He dropped, passing beneath the striking Mimipede, and reared back. Verdant ze reformed in his hands and hended on the monster¡¯s back, bringing it down with a grunt.

    ting shattered beneath the hammer. [Shieldbreaker] wasn¡¯t getting to properly stack because he was hitting different portions of the Mimipede, but it wasn¡¯t quite so difficult to damage as it wasrge. Any injury that distracted it for long enough for Rodrick and Olive to finish it would be enough.

    And distract it Arwin did. The Mimipede mmed into a wall and raced toward him, almost throwing the two on its back off in the process. It was a minor miracle that Olive was keeping her spot with only a single hand to work with.

    It would be a bigger miracle if Arwin took another hit from the huge monster and didn¡¯t break something important. He darted out of the way, using the enhanced abilities his greaves gave him to sprint past the creature¡¯s head as it screeched against the stone.

    He skidded to a stop at the entrance of the cave, the aching pain so intense that he could barely move his limbs correctly. He was pretty sure he¡¯d broken more than a few bones from the strike he¡¯d just taken. If it hadn¡¯t been for his armor and [Indomitable Bulwark], he would have been a pancake.

    Fortunately, Anna ran up to him the moment he stopped moving, magic already gathering at her hands. She pressed them into him and a wave of relief passed through Arwin. He only had an instant to enjoy it before the familiar grind of monster flesh on stone warned him of the centipede¡¯s approach.

    He shoved Anna back into the hall and leapt straight up, using [Scourge] to further boost his already empowered legs. Arwin took flight, his arms iling to keep his bnce, and the Mimipede passed beneath him like a stampeding horde contained into a single body.

    Rodrick and Olive had made their way up to its head, but there was no way they¡¯d get a chance to do much of anything in their current state.

    <em>I need to give them one more opening. I can do that.</em>

    Arwin dropped, bringing Verdant ze down on the Mimipede¡¯s body to remind it who it was fighting. He needn¡¯t have bothered. The monster screeched and turned before it could even hit the wall, racing toward him once more.

    <em>More maneuverable than that thing has any right to be.</em>

    Arwin reared back and gathered [Scourge]. Anna had healed a lot of the damage he¡¯d taken, but he still couldn¡¯t take another direct hit from this monster.

    ¡°Ramp!¡± Arwin yelled, hoping Lillia would understand his meaning. Fortunately, she picked up after just a second. Shadows materialized before him, forming into a sloping triangle that ran all the way up to him. It wasn¡¯t much, but it would force the Mimipede to take a few extra steps before being able to bite at him.

    The monster raced over the ramp ¨C and Arwin jumped to meet it. He brought Verdant ze up into the bottom of its jaw and released the full might of [Scourge], leaving him with just a little more magical energy to work with.

    A tendril of shadow shot up from the ground and grabbed Arwin¡¯s legs, yanking him back down to the ground. Between it and the powerful blow he¡¯d sent into the Mimipede¡¯s head that directed it away from him, he just barely avoided getting plowed.

    The monster passed overhead and mmed face-first into the wall with a resounding crash. A wave of blue gripped it, locking the creature in ce for a split second. And, in that split second, Olive and Rodrick struck.

    Rodrick¡¯s de ignited with burning light and he drove it into the left side of the Mimipede¡¯s head. At the same time, Olive drew her own sword. Almost in spite of the speed she drew it, the de moved through the air like a sluggard. Reya¡¯s hold on the monster had already faded and it was in the process of pulling itself free of the stone when her cutnded.

    The sword tore through its skin as if nothing was there. A pained scream erupted from the Mimipede¡¯s mouth and it thrashed. Rodrick released his own sword, letting it plummet to the ground below, and grabbed onto Olive with one arm. He grabbed the rough body of the monster with his other.

    It was precarious, but it was enough. Olive¡¯s sword continued through the monster¡¯s neck and she slid down its side, dragging the de along its length until she¡¯d nearly carved around its entire neck. Thick blood poured from the wound ¨C her sword wasn¡¯t anywhere near long enough to actually sever its head, even if she plunged it all the way through the monster ¨C but the damage it had done was enormous.

    Rodrick grabbed Olive and leapt to the side as the Mimipede mmed its body into the wall, trying to crush them. Lillia caught them both with a ramp of shadow and Arwin ran forward, drawing on his magical energy. The monster¡¯s head was bleeding so profusely that he couldn¡¯t help but take the opportunity.

    He jumped.

    The Mimipede spun, rabid panic in its ck eyes.

    Verdant ze mmed into the side of its head.

    There was a wet rip as the hammer found purchase and tore the creature¡¯s head right from the rest of its body, sending the huge chunk hurtling across the room. It rolled to a stop against the far wall and Arwin dropped to the ground, staggering and bracing himself against Verdant ze as he fought to catch his breath.

    The Mimipede¡¯s body copsed all around them, finally falling still.

    <strong>[Decapitated] ¨C <em>Awarded for assisting in literally knocking the head off a creature over 100 times your weight. That was quite the show. </em> Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. <em>This achievement will be consumed immediately.</em></strong>

 Chapter 117: You promised to do this already!

    Chapter 117: You promised to do this already!

    Heavy breathing filled the cavern as everyone fought to catch their breath, broken only by the patter of Anna¡¯s feet as she ran over to Rodrick and Olive to see if they needed any healing.

    The Mesh flowed before Arwin, forming into the options for the skills he could choose to upgrade. He barely even got a chance to read the Achievement before it vanished.

    <strong>[Decapitated]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive)</strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal]</strong>

    Unlike the other time Arwin had been offered a skill upgrade, this one took him almost no time to decide on. He¡¯d already promised himself that his next upgrade would be [Awaken], and nothing had popped up to change that decision. He selected it without a second of hesitation.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) ¨C <em>All items forged by your hand have the potential to take on a trait, determined by [Unknown]. The potential for the trait to be detrimental is [76%]. Materials with a higher chance to awaken will fight with you to exert their influence on the piece they are being made into. This does not guarantee that they will awaken. </em></strong>At first, Arwin almostughed. The upgrade to [Awaken] almost seemed ridiculous. Almost. The one thing that made him look closer was that the Mesh was honest if nothing else. If it promised an upgrade, then it gave an upgrade.

    Making it so that his materials would all fight against him hardly seemed like an upgrade ¨C or at least, it wouldn¡¯t have been if it didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d be able to get something out of it. A memory of the Heart of the Devouring Prism flickered through Arwin¡¯s mind. The crystal had put up quite a fight while he¡¯d been trying to put into the bow, and it still hadn¡¯t fully given in.

    It had also made what he suspected would be one of the strongest things he¡¯d ever crafted. If the Mesh had just made it so that even more materials could do what the Prism did, that almost certainly meant that awakened items from here on out would be considerably harder to make ¨C and stronger as a result of it.

    <em>I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m happy or disappointed I didn¡¯t get this upgraded earlier. It wasn¡¯t like Lillia¡¯s armor was Awakened so it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything in that regard¡­ but if it had been, would I have been able to tame it? It was a close fight. What happens if I fail? Does the crafting just go nowhere, or does something worse happen?</em>

    At a bare minimum, Arwin suspected the material would be lost. That was how things worked with the Mesh, though. With no challenge, there was no reward. It had just given him a way to push himself farther.

    <em>And, in doing so, I got a warning as well. If I upgrade this skill again before I¡¯m ready, I might actually make it impossible for me to make more Awakened weapons. I need to make sure I¡¯m strong enough to handle anything [Awaken] throws against me before I upgrade it again. I just hope I don¡¯t end up making a literal horde of items like Verdant ze. If everything has its own desires, it¡¯ll be a nightmare taking care of it all. Zeke¡¯s helm hasn¡¯t really done anything beyond help me in fights, so I¡¯m optimistic there.</em>

    Arwin finally pulled his gaze away from the Mesh and let the golden letters fade away. He was more than satisfied with the reward he¡¯d just gotten from taking out the centipede ¨C and judging by the looks on the others¡¯ faces, he wasn¡¯t the only one.

    Reya and Olive¡¯s eyes were both zed over as they read something written out before them. Lillia was picking through the monster¡¯s body to see if any part of it looked edible. She obviously wouldn¡¯t have been able to advance her Tier from the fight, but it was likely she¡¯d gotten the same Achievement that he had considering everyone present had worked together to remove the monster¡¯s head.

    Rodrick was also starring off sightlessly, which told Arwin that his guess was likely correct. Anna finished her checkups on him and Olive and headed over to Arwin, pressing her hands to his shoulder and sending energy flowing through him.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said as the rest of the damage from the fight slowly pulled itself closed. ¡°Much appreciated.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Anna said. Her brow knit in concentration and she didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds. The energying from her hands faded and she let them drop. ¡°I was strongly considering using the new ranged heal I recently got to try and patch you up again mid-fight, but it takes a lot more energy and I barely had enough to handle everyone as things were. You all had some internal damage, not to mention concussions.¡±

    ¡°Good call, then,¡± Arwin said. The relief that Anna¡¯s magic brought was incredible. He hadn¡¯t realized just how fuzzy the world had gotten until she¡¯d healed him. ¡°Did you get anything from the fight? You didn¡¯t get to participate too much.¡±

    ¡°An achievement that let me upgrade the effectiveness of my ranged heal,¡± Anna replied. ¡°I figured it was better to be able to start helping from a distance so I don¡¯t have to run over mid-fight every time.¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Arwin rose to his feet and studied his armor. It had taken some dents from the fight. Nothing too significant ¨C the magic had held it together far better than he could have hoped. It would take some repairster, but those wouldn¡¯t take long.

    ¡°That sounds like it might be a good idea,¡± Arwin said, dismissing the armor so only his greaves remained. ¡°d you got something out of it. It would have been difficult to lure that big thing over to you so you could finish it off.¡±

    Anna bit back a snort ofughter. ¡°If you ever do that I¡¯m never forgiving you. I don¡¯t get <em>that </em>little energy from supporting you in the backlines. I¡¯m a healer so it¡¯s naturally harder for me to grow since I¡¯m in a safer location in the fights, and that¡¯s just how I like it. I¡¯ll leave the nearly getting killed to you lot and level at my steady pace. I don¡¯t have the reflexes to survive in a close quarter fight for a long period of time.¡±

    It took a lot of intelligence and self-understanding to realize one¡¯s limits to the degree that Anna did. Arwin had known far too many people that had been confident they could handle themselves in any fight if they believed they¡¯d win hard enough.

    The only one of them that was still alive was him. And now, Arwin knew that the only reason he¡¯d even survived all the battles with Lillia until this point wasrgely because the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had been using both of them as toy warriors that weren¡¯t allowed to break until the time was right.

    That brought thoughts of a ck gem ¨C thoughts that weren¡¯t going to be answered in the depths of this cave. Arwin shook his head and brought himself back to the situation at hand. The others had all finished up with their messages from the Mesh and were starting to gather.

    ¡°Good results?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°New ability,¡± Reya said with a smug grin. ¡°A really cool one.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Rodrick waggled his eyebrows. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    She leaned in to whisper into his ear. It wasn¡¯t exactly the politest way to handle things with Olive, but Arwin didn¡¯t me her in the slightest. Abilities were personal and giving too much information away was never a good idea.

    <em>Besides, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s offered to tell us her own abilities. I don¡¯t know what she was doing with that sword swing of hers, but it looks like she¡¯s got something that trades speed for either sharpness or power. Pretty good ability in the right scenario. Would actually pair incredibly well with Reya. </em>

    Rodrick¡¯s eyebrows crept up his forehead as Reya leaned back.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°That <em>is </em>a cool ability. I¡¯d have to see it at work to know if it was actually effective, but it sounds like it would be. Too bad you didn¡¯t get it a bit earlier.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it would have worked here anyway,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Tell me too.¡±

    She shot a quick nce back at Olive before walking over to him. Arwin fought to keep the confusion from his face. Somehow, it felt like she was actually enjoying hiding the information from her rather than doing it purely for safety reasons.

    Reya stood on the tips of her toes to whisper into his ear. ¡°It lets me bind the energy of a monster I help kill as long as it¡¯s within a tier of me. If I manage to bind it, I can basically summon a spectral form of the monster to help me fight temporarily. It doesn¡¯t always work, and it¡¯s easier the less difference in Tier I have to close between us.¡±

    She stepped back and Arwin found the same expression that had made its way across Rodrick¡¯s face infecting his own.

    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. Is it¡­¡±

    <em>Unique?</em>

    Reya nodded, picking up on the unspoken question. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And I think I can cook this!¡± Lillia eximed, holding up a chunk of centipede meat. It didn¡¯t look as awful as Arwin had expected and vaguely resembled a huge chunk of lobster. He wasn¡¯t quite sold on it tasting anywhere simr, but he¡¯d try it if Lillia was cooking. ¡°It would go good with lemon.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you said about the spider?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°The one that you dumped out on the ground behind us?¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to go back and get it for you?¡± Lillia crossed her arms and pursed her lips. ¡°Because I can. It¡¯s probably a bit mushed up and covered with grime now, but I¡¯m sure I can wipe it off. I can put it on every meal I make for you if you¡¯re so caught up on it.¡±

    Rodrick hurriedly cleared his throat. ¡°You know what? Centipede sounds fantastic. I¡¯d love nothing more.¡±

    Lillia beamed and stuffed therge chunk of centipede into her bag. ¡°I knew you¡¯de around.¡±

    ¡°And I think that brings us to the most important question of the dungeon,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Whether we should get Lillia more food to cook with?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°No. Well, not directly, but that wasn¡¯t what I meant,¡± Anna said with a huff. ¡°I meant if we should go deeper or not.¡±

    ¡°You want to go deeper after that?¡± Olive¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±

    ¡°There was nothing to indicate that was a special enemy,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Though it probably should have been. Given howrge that was, it must have broken into the dungeon recently and not yet found the right room it belonged in.¡±

    ¡°You mean the actual gated monster might be weaker?¡± Olive asked, a thoughtful expression passing over her features.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Lillia said as she walked over to join them, her bag of centipede-meat over her shoulder. That reminded Arwin to check and see if the centipede¡¯s tes would be of any use to him. He went to pull one off, but Lillia pulled the corner of one out from her bag. ¡°Already got one.¡±

    ¡°Oh damn. Didn¡¯t even see you do it. Thank you,¡± Arwin said. He wasn¡¯t sure how much use the te would be since they hadn¡¯t been all that tough, but he suspected he¡¯d be able to find something to make from it.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°Though our query remains. I think we could recover a fair bit if we sit around for about an hour. Enough to go at least one more room.¡±

    ¡°If the Mimipede settled here, the next one is probably a purple-torcher. I figure it was just toozy or fat to fit through the door,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But I agree. I¡¯m for staying for onest room.¡±

    ¡°Same,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Arwin put in, and Anna nodded at the same time. They all looked to Olive.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even done all that much yet,¡± Olive said with a shake of her head. ¡°If you¡¯re confident we can keep going, then I¡¯m fine with it. Let¡¯s do one more room.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s settled,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Everyone take some time to cool off ¨C Reya, can youe check the previous room with me? I want to make sure we don¡¯t have anypanying up on us since there are other adventurers in the area.¡±

    Reya blinked, then nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    <em>Perfect. I want to know what¡¯s up with you and Olive. If she¡¯s a threat, I need to know.</em>

 Chapter 118: Reyas challenge

    Chapter 118: Reya''s challenge

    The room that they¡¯de from was, unsurprisingly, empty. Arwin hadn¡¯t really expected anyone to be there. That hadn¡¯t stopped him froming prepared for a fight if need be.

    He let himself rx slightly and turned to Reya as he stepped in behind him.

    ¡°Looks pretty empty,¡± Reya said. ¡°Should we head back? Or are we going to stand guard?¡±

    ¡°I actually called you here as an excuse to speak privately. I don¡¯t really think that we¡¯re going to get someone walking up behind us. It looks like the guards at the entrance were pretty good at regting who went into what path.¡±

    Reya grinned. ¡°Ah. You want to see my new ability, huh?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°But that isn¡¯t it either.¡±

    Confusion reced the smile on Reya¡¯s face and she sent him a nk stare. ¡°Oh. What is it, then?¡±

    ¡°Olive,¡± Arwin said, nodding over his shoulder. ¡°It seems like something¡¯s going on. You¡¯ve been pretty hostile to her in general, and I was wondering if it was because you knew something. Are you familiar with her?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Reya blinked, then shook her head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±¡°This is serious.¡± Arwin crossed his arms and held Reya¡¯s gaze. ¡°I got you not really liking it when it looked like Olive might have been freeloading off us, but she¡¯s paid her debts back and is carrying her weight in the dungeon pretty well. You¡¯re definitely trying to antagonize her. If she¡¯s someone from your past¨C¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t,¡± Reya insisted, running a hand through her hair and groaning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Arwin. I¡¯d never met her before you did. I don¡¯t know anything that you don¡¯t.¡±

    That only served to confuse him even further. His brow furrowed and he scratched at the stubble that was starting to grow on the underside of his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. If that¡¯s true, what¡¯s going on? Did she do something when I wasn¡¯t watching?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Arwin pressed. ¡°She¡¯s not bullying you, is she?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Reya caught her voice before it could get too loud and carry down the tunnel to the others. She coughed into a fist and looked over her shoulder at the way back to the others, her feet edging toward it as if hoping to escape her body.

    Arwin caught her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. ¡°If something is wrong, you can tell me.¡±

    ¡°Would you please just let it drop?¡± Reya begged. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°The way you¡¯re acting really seems to imply that it isn¡¯t just nothing. I don¡¯t mean to be pushy¨C¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being pushy.¡±

    ¡°¨Cthen I apologize, but I need to put all of our safety above that. I can¡¯t just decide that I¡¯m strong enough to handle the threats as theye anymore, Reya. We need to handle them together. That¡¯s the conclusion I came to. The very one that I shared with you. You know my viewpoint.¡±

    Reya bit her tongue and blew up her cheeks, letting it out with a slow groan. ¡°What if I just promised you that nothing was wrong and there really wasn¡¯t any reason for you to bother with this? Would that be enough?¡±

    ¡°I told you my real identity,¡± Arwin pointed out. He let go of Reya¡¯s shoulders so he could cross his arms and give her the most fatherly look he could muster. ¡°Can this possibly be any more problematic to share than that?¡±

    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Reya muttered. She matched his stance, her cheeks flushing, and red at him. ¡°Fine. I think she¡¯s pretty.¡±

    Arwin blinked. Of all the answers that he¡¯d been preparing for, that wasn¡¯t one of them. He stared at Reya in mute shock. It took him a few seconds to process what she¡¯d said.

    ¡°I thought you hated her?¡± Arwin asked, squinting in confusion. ¡°When we first met?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Reya¡¯s cheeks had turned the same hue as some of the tomatoes Arwin had seen in the market, but he didn¡¯t suspect that pointing that particr fact out would be good for his continued health. ¡°I thought she was just some girl who was gonna use her looks to get what she wanted, you know? I got over that once she brought the money back.¡±

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    ¡°Oh,¡± Arwin saidmely. ¡°Why are you acting like this, then? It doesn¡¯t add up.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not acting weird.¡±

    ¡°Yes you are. It seemed like you were mad at¨C¡±

    Arwin trailed off as he finally caught on. Reya hadn¡¯t been mad. She¡¯d been trying to show off while acting standoffish in hopes that Olive would try to approach her. It took every ounce of self-restraint he had to keep himself from busting out intoughter. That would havepletely crushed Reya, which was thest thing he wanted to do.

    ¡°You were trying to flirt?¡± Arwin chose his words carefully.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we please change the subject or something?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Not if it¡¯s going to affect the group dynamic. Besides, do you really think Olive is going to want to keep adventuring with us if she thinks you hate her?¡±

    Reya blinked. ¡°Why would she think that?¡±

    ¡°You do realize you¡¯ve done nothing but re or look away from her this whole time, right?¡±

    Reya scratched the back of her neck. ¡°Well, yeah. I guess. I don¡¯t really have much experience with this. I¡¯m not sure what else I¡¯m meant to do. We didn¡¯t really have the opportunity to do that kind of thing where I grew up.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t think living on the streets gives you much room to do much of anything, but there¡¯s no way they flirted by ring at each other. How would you know if someone liked you or wanted to put a dagger between your ribs? Then again, maybe that was the fun part. </em>

    ¡°I think you could probably start by speaking to her,¡± Arwin suggested. ¡°I might not be the best person to give advice for this, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s a good spot to start.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be weird now though?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything until now! It would be even odder for me to just randomly start talking to her.¡±

    ¡°Better to fix a mistake halfway through than carry it topletion and live with the full results.¡±

    Reya scrunched her nose in annoyance. ¡°I ¨C okay, that¡¯s a good point I guess.¡±

    Arwin nodded in satisfaction. This definitely hadn¡¯t been anywhere near the problem that he¡¯d been worried it would be. It kind of felt like he¡¯d stuck his nose somewhere where it didn¡¯t belong. Granted, now that he had, he couldn¡¯t exactly pull it back without making Reya feel like he was leaving her to hang.

    ¡°Good. Besides, having a better rtionship will be good for the health of the team. We don¡¯t want to be wondering if we don¡¯t like each other while we¡¯re in the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, who said anything about a rtionship?¡± Reya protested quickly, holding her hands up. ¡°I just said she was pretty! I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything else. I really don¡¯t care all that much either way.¡±

    Arwin resisted the urge to look at her out of the corners of his eyes. She was certainly protesting an awful lot for someone who didn¡¯t care too much.

    ¡°I meant your rtionship as fellow adventurers on the same team,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Not a romantic one.¡±

    Reya blinked. She cleared her throat. ¡°Uh. Right. Yeah.¡±

    Arwin nodded sagely. They stood in awkward silence for a second. Reya hadn¡¯t tried to actually escape yet, but he couldn¡¯t tell if that was because she was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t move or if it was because she wanted advice.

    He couldn¡¯t be bothered figuring out which, so he chose the direct route.

    ¡°Did you want advice?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°What? No,¡± Reya said. ¡°Definitely not.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ll drop it then,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the others.¡±

    Reya started to nod but paused and caught his eye as he turned to leave. She cleared her throat again. ¡°Uh¡­ if you were going to give advice, what would it be?¡±

    ¡°Oh. I was mostly asking if you wanted it,¡± Arwin said with a sheepishugh. ¡°I haven¡¯t the faintest idea. Maybe give her a gift? Or just try to get to know her? I mean, what if you can¡¯t stand her personality?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a badass,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°Have you ever seen someone fight like that with just one arm? And she cut the Mimipede like it was nothing. I¡¯m sure you and Lillia could probably do something like that, but who else?¡±

    <em>I think there might be more to personality than how good you are at killing things, but who am I to point that out?</em>

    ¡°Then maybe tell her how cool it was,¡± Arwin suggested, thinking back to when he¡¯d taught some techniques to warriors that had been part of his personal guard. ¡°Or ask her for advice on fighting since you like her style so much. Most people like teaching small things. It makes them feel appreciated.¡±

    Reya tilted her head to the side in thought, then slowly nodded. ¡°I ¨C huh. I think that makes sense. I guess it could work.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a way to at least try to talk to her,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°You can both figure things out from there as theye. Who knows what you¡¯ll think of each other, but it¡¯s better than just ring from a distance. I probably still wouldn¡¯t tell her about your new ability though. Not until we decide if she¡¯s going to stick around or not.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Reya said. She shook her head and drew in a short breath, letting it out through her mouth. ¡°Okay. Godspit, I can¡¯t realize I was this obvious. I¡¯m really embarrassed. Do you think the others noticed?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t really notice. I just thought you hated her.¡±

    Reya immediately reddened again and buried her face in her hands. ¡°Damn it.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll get there eventually,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What matters is that you¡¯re trying to improve. Now, shall we head back to the others so they don¡¯t start wondering if something went wrong ande looking for us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reya said meekly. ¡°That might be a good idea.¡±

    Arwin nodded and pped her on the shoulder. They strode back down the tunnel. Something told Arwin that, whatever the monster waiting for them in the next room of the dungeon was, it couldn¡¯t possibly be as much of a challenge as trying to help navigate Reya¡¯s love life.

 Chapter 119: Two hypocrites

    Chapter 119: Two hypocrites

    The others were all resting when Arwin and Reya got back. Lillia sent them a curious look that Arwin responded to with a small, single-shouldered shrug to tell her that there was nothing to worry about.

    He still had a lot of magical energy to recover, so he sat down by the wall to get some rest. Reya stood in the center of the room. Arwin watched with undisguised interested as she tried to figure out where to sit.

    Even though she wasn¡¯t saying anything, he was pretty sure he had a good rough estimate of the thoughts going through her head.

    <em>Do I try to sit next to Olive now? Or is that too much of a change? When am I supposed to mention that I thought she fights well? If I wait too long, wouldn¡¯t it just be weird? </em>

    Arwin suppressed augh. He could even hear the thoughts in Reya¡¯s voice. Lillia walked over to join him, eyes tracing Reya as she stood frozen in the center of the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lillia whispered. ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Reya has a crush on Olive,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°That¡¯s why she¡¯s been so standoffish.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you manage to figure that out?¡± Lillia¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°You¡¯re that perceptive?¡±

    ¡°No. I thought something was wrong and basically pushed her into a corner and made her tell me what it was,¡± Arwin admitted sheepishly. He still felt bad about that. ¡°I had this idea that Reya knew Olive from her time on the streets or something like that.¡±Lillia snickered and sat down beside him. ¡°That sounds more urate. I was honestly thinking something along the same lines. It¡¯s good to know that isn¡¯t the case. So I take it she¡¯s currently¡­ what, trying to figure out what to tell Olive?¡±

    They both turned their gazes back to Reya, who had discovered an option other than walk over to Olive or continue treating her the same way she had been before ¨C and that was the unforeseen strategy of sitting down straight in the center of the room and avoiding the decision entirely.

    ¡°I think she might have pushed that off for the time being,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°It would be so much easier if she was just honest about her feelings,¡± Lillia said. ¡°There isn¡¯t that much time in life and who knows what will happen. Olive is definitely a capable fighter. Can¡¯t hurt to keep her around, especially if she starts getting on well with Reya.¡±

    ¡°Exactly what I said,¡± Arwin said with a sage nod. ¡°Hiding stuff like that is pointless. Much smarter to just get it out there. We¡¯ve all dealt with a whole lot more than an unrequited crush. Olive would get over it if she wasn¡¯t interested and it would save Reya a whole lot of pain.¡±

    It was Lillia¡¯s turn to nod sagely. They fell into silence, the spirit of hypocrisy nearly made manifest between the two of them.

    Minutes passed. Before long, they had turned to an hour. It hadn¡¯t been enough time topletely recover all the energy they¡¯d spent, but it was enough to get a good portion of it back ¨C enough for one more fight.

    They all gathered at the passageway leading deeper, checking their equipment and making sure that nothing had been left behind as they prepared to press onward.

    Arwin summoned Verdant ze to his hands and tapped its head on the ground. He was all too aware of the approaching deadline. They had six days after today to head out and deal with what was very likely a Wyrm horde.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t actually know for absolutely certain that it was in fact a horde, but all the facts ¨C especially the information that Rodrick and Reya had gathered during their trip into the town ¨C strongly implied that it would be.

    There was no point second guessing anything. He¡¯d prepare throughout the week as if there was indeed a horde that they would have to deal with. Then, if there wasn¡¯t, he could feel relieved.

    At the moment it was a moot point. Arwin hoisted Verdant ze and spun it back so that it was facing the right way up. ¡°Everyone ready?¡±

    He got a round of nods in response. That was that. Activating [Arsenal], Arwin strode down into the depths and the others followed after him.

    The passageway didn¡¯t run for too long. They continued along it for less than a minute before they came to a stop at a pair of stone doors nked by a pair of crackling purple torches. Arwin could practically feel Rodrick¡¯s smug grin boring into his back.

    ¡°Nobody ever said this wouldn¡¯t be a gated monster,¡± Anna said. ¡°Wipe that look off your face.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯m so smart.¡±

    ¡°Well maybe use some of those smarts to make sure you don¡¯t lose your pants this time,¡± Anna said.

    Olive looked from Anna to Rodrick. ¡°Lose your pants? This time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story that has absolutely no basis on reality,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Come on, Arwin. Let¡¯s get this on with. Considering all the spiders up until this point, I think I¡¯ll give you one guess as to what we¡¯re up against.¡±

    ¡°Spider,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy. Same guess that I had.¡±

    ¡°It could be another Mimipede,¡± Reya offered, but it was pretty clear that she didn¡¯t believe her own suggestion. ¡°Maybe a bigger one ate the spider.¡±

    ¡°Why are our only options insects?¡± Lilliained. ¡°I don¡¯t mind cooking some, but there has to be something with more¡­ variety.¡±

    ¡°Who knows, maybe we¡¯ll be surprised,¡± Arwin said. He stepped toward the stone doors and dismissed Verdant ze to brace his hands against them. ¡°Same strategy as always, everyone. We all ready?¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Kick that shit in,¡± Rodrick said, pointing his sword past Arwin. He paused for a second and cleared his throat. ¡°Er¡­ and also go in after that. I¡¯ll back you up.¡±

    Arwin snorted. Then he shoved the doors open.

    Stone ground on stone. The doors parted before him to reveal a room with wallspletely covered in thick spiderwebs. They stretched out into the corners of the room and crawled toward its center.

    Even though the room was quiterge, the webs took up a big portion of it. Each strand was nearly the width of a piece of spaghetti, which really didn¡¯t seem like all that much until someone had the misfortune of touching it.

    <em>That stuff isn¡¯ting off for quite some time if you get stuck in it. My [Soul me] could probably burn through it but that solution isn¡¯t going to work well for anyone other than me unless I want to set them on fire as well. </em>

    Arwin scanned the room in search of the monster residing within it. He saw several bulbous forms on the webs that marked smaller spiders in hiding, but he¡¯d yet to find the main one.

    There were enough webs toward the back of the room that he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if it was hiding within them. It might have been a smaller monster ¨C not every single purple torch dweller necessarily had to be big to be strong.

    ¡°Another hidden enemy,¡± Rodrick grumbled. ¡°Lovely.¡±

    ¡°Just y it the same way we didst time,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And don¡¯t touch the webs.¡±

    He stepped forward and hopped over some of the webs at the entrance of the room,nding safely on dry ground. Immediately directing his gaze upward to check the ceiling, Arwin found nothing but dry husks of cocoons and more resting spiders.

    He stepped deeper into the room and Verdant ze¡¯sforting weight materialized in his hands. He resisted the urge to dismiss and resummon the weapon. There was no way he¡¯d let an ability transform into a nervous tic.

    ¡°In front of you,¡± Rodrick hissed from where he stood in the tunnel. ¡°In the webs. I hear something.¡±

    Arwin paused and looked down. The web on the far end of the room was definitely the thickest, but he couldn¡¯t quite see where anything would be hiding inside it. That didn¡¯t make him any less suspicious. He trusted the fallen pdin¡¯s senses more than his own eyes.

    Edging closer to the area that Rodrick had indicated, Arwin soon spotted what he was looking for. A patch of webbing on the ground, hidden within all the other webs. It was about ten feet wide and a solid white with specks of stone and other debris caught within it.

    The only reason that he¡¯d even managed to make it out is the slight nt it was at with the ground. There was a miniscule gap between the edge of the te of webbing and the floor ¨C a gap just enough for Arwin to make out the glistening eyes staring at him from beyond it.

    <strong>[Trapdoor Reaper ¨C Journeyman 4]</strong>

    A ck blur shot toward Arwin as the cover of the hole flew back. The monster had realized that it had been spotted. He brought Verdant ze down before him, hoping to catch the monster before it could reach him.

    Its attack was just a little bit faster than his. Large fangs mmed into Arwin¡¯s leg as the Trapdoor Reaper drove into him. At the same time, Verdant ze connected with the monster¡¯s back.

    A loud ng rang out and it shuddered, fangs trying to grind against his magical greaves. Blue energy washed over it a second before the hammer fell a second time, triggering [Shieldbreaker].

    This time, thin cracks formed in the creature¡¯s armor. It hissed and skittered back to the safety of the webbing hanging from the walls, giving Arwin his first look at the monster¡¯s full body.

    It was about five feet tall and considerably wider if he counted its legs. Eight glistening ck eyes stuck out from its head and took in the room at once, and its abdomen was covered with thinyers of chitinous armor that ovepped each other.

    Rodrick and Olive both walked into the room and took up Arwin¡¯s nks, their weapons raised.

    ¡°It¡¯s not really all that different from the Broodguards, is it?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Much tougher shell,¡± Arwin said, running a thumb along his greaves. They were cut up pretty badly. The spider had nearly carved all the way through them with a single bite. ¡°And it¡¯s got some nasty fangs as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a shell. It¡¯s an exoskeleton,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°Thank you, Olive,¡± Arwin said, resisting the urge to rub his brow. It seemed she had a particrly literal sense of humor. Hopefully Reya had a high tolerance for less than average quality jokes.

    <em>This spider looks like it¡¯s a bit smarter than some of our other opponents. It¡¯s not just rushing at us, so it¡¯s recognized it¡¯s at a disadvantage. The question is what it can do to change that. I don¡¯t want to give it time to find out. Now would have been a great time to have a bow, but s. I¡¯ll have to do with a big hammer. </em>

    ¡°Cover my back in case the little bastards wake up,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m going to chase it like an idiot. Reya, Lillia, help me catch up to the spider.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Reya said. Lillia didn¡¯t speak up herself, but Arwin knew she was prepared.

    He sprinted forward, using [Scourge] to empower his legs. The spider skittered ¨C only to be caught in a wave of blue light and stalled out for an instant. Shadows whipped out of the ground and bound around the monster¡¯s legs, locking it in ce as Arwin arrived and swung his hammer.

    It drove into the spot he¡¯d sent thest two blows with a resounding crack, but he didn¡¯t wait to see the effects. Lillia still had the spider pinned in ce. He reared back and drew on [Scourge], driving the hammer down once again.

    At the same time, the spider lurched forward. It didn¡¯t have the range of motion to avoid the attack, but it managed to mp down on Arwin¡¯s leg. Pain erupted in his thigh as its jaws tore through the already damaged scale protecting it, but he finished the blow.

    Verdant ze mmed down on the spider¡¯s back with a loud crack. The spider stumbled, ichor pouring out of its back. Rodrick and Olive both skidded to a stop behind Arwin, having only been a second behind him, and thrust their own des at the monster.

    It hissed in terror and fury ¨C but any intelligence it may have had was nowhere near enough to free its limbs from Lillia¡¯s hold. Both des bit home and the spider crumpled to the ground, legs curling in.

    Reya¡¯s brow furrowed in concentration and she bit her lower lip, ring at the spider¡¯s body like it had personally insulted her.

    A wave of energy washed over Arwin and he let out a relieved sigh as the wound in his leg started to heal.

    ¡°Thanks, Anna,¡± Arwin said, turning. She nodded to him from the other side of the room.

    ¡°Ranged heal. Neat,¡± Olive said. ¡°Didn¡¯t know she could do that.¡±

    ¡°She can do a lot of things,¡± Rodrick said with a proud nod. His expression grew serious as he turned to look around the room. ¡°That¡­ really didn¡¯t feel strong enough to be a purple torch monster, though.¡±

    Arwin couldn¡¯t help but agree. But, before he could voice his agreement, a rumble ran through the ground beneath them. A spiny leg shot out of the hole that the Trapdoor Reaper had just emerged from ¨C this one nearly two times as long as the previous monster¡¯s.

    ¡°I think that might have just been a tagalong,¡± Arwin muttered, taking a step back as three more legs wed out of the ground, squirming as they fought for purchase in the rock. Stone cracked and rose up, sloughing away in a hill as something far toorge for the tunnel pulled itself through it. ¡°Don¡¯t overextend until we know what we¡¯re up against.¡±

    The ground shattered. A bulbous spider erupted from beneath it, this one nearly three times the size of the previous. Bands of purple ran along its limbs and encircled its abdomen, and nearly a dozen tiny spiders wobbled as they clung to its back. Fangs the size of arms parted in a furious hiss.

    <strong>[Spider Broodmother ¨C Journeyman 7]</strong>

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a spider,¡± Reya said.

    Olive snickered.

    Arwin sighed.

    The Broodmother hissed, and all the spiders in the room skittered to life.

 Chapter 120: The best part

    Chapter 120: The best part

    Rodrick¡¯s sword shed, cutting a small spider from the air as it flung itself at Arwin. It was one in what felt like hundreds. They poured out from the webbing and up from the tunnel behind the Broodmother in a rolling wave of chittering bulbous bodies.

    Arwin and the others hurriedly backed up, regrouping with their backline and crushing the monsters as they grew close. Fighting them if they got surrounded would have been a nightmare. He banished his helm to avoid affecting his entire group with its oppressive aura.

    ¡°You got a n for this?¡± Rodrick called, stabbing another one of the monsters before it could catch Olive from her unarmed side. She gave him a curt nod of appreciation.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Arwin replied through a grimace. This would have been a great spot to have an actual mage. Lillia¡¯s powers were incredibly useful as utility, but they weren¡¯t exactly the best for clearing outrge groups of enemies. ¡°I¡¯m working on it. Suggestions would be appreciated.¡±

    He swung Verdant ze and crushed a pair of small spiders that had drawn too close. The Broodmother advanced with her swarm of children, jaws clicking. It seemed more than content to let them ughter the tiny spiders as it took its time to advance.

    <em>Decent survival strategy. Pelt children against the wall until they manage to do damage to the victims, then move in for the kill. Okay¡­ not so decent strategy. I can still see it working. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the energy from the other thing,¡± Reya called, her face slightly pale at the number of monsters approaching them. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much use that will be, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± More spiders sttered beneath Verdant ze. They were so many of them that they were starting to climb on top of each other just to reach them. A horrifying vision of the spider flow continuing until itpletely filled the room struck Arwin and he shoved it away.

    He didn¡¯t even want to consider that. He didn¡¯t have time to. They needed a way to kill the Broodmother ¨C that would probably stop the other ones. At the very least, it would trivialize them.The Broodmother seemed to have simr armor to the Reaper spider that they¡¯d just fought, so Arwin suspected he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it with just a single lucky blow. He¡¯d probably need two or three consecutive strikes to its head at the bare minimum. Maybe more.

    He gritted his teeth and crushed more of the spiders. Rodrick cut another one out of the air and Olive was putting in work on his other side. It wasn¡¯t going to matter if they didn¡¯t change something. There was only so long they could hold off the seemingly endless wave of arachnids.

    <em>Shit. Why didn¡¯t I make myself a bracelet that I could eat to buff myself? That would have been smart. If I was faster, I¡¯d be able to sprint through the spiders and kill the stupid Broodmother before the horde could take me out. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s gaze fell to his greaves. The magic in them was already starting to sputter. They¡¯d taken some pretty serious damage from thest fight ¨C not enough to render them useless, but they couldn¡¯t take much more damage before he¡¯d have to repair them if he didn¡¯t want to risk losing the magical power they held.

    A thought struck him ¨C as did the corpse of a small spider. He cursed as it fell to the ground at his feet.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Flicked my sword the wrong direction.¡±

    Arwin smashed another few spiders with his hammer, not gracing that with a response. Better a dead spider than a live one.

    ¡°I need you to buy me some time,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Olive, can you do that thing with your sword that you did to the centipede?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯d get eaten alive by the small ones before I so much as got a chance,¡± Olive replied breathlessly. She cut another spider out of the air and gore sttered across her face. She cursed and wiped it off with her upper arm. ¡°If you manage to get rid of the other ones or somehow get me to the Broodmother while keeping them off me, sure.¡±

    That was enough for him. He hurriedly dismissed Verdant ze and started pulling his greaves off.

    ¡°Nine Undends, what are you doing?¡± Olive asked. ¡°Why are you taking off your pants?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working,¡± Arwin snapped, practically ripping atch straight off the metal in his haste. ¡°Just keep the damn spiders off me.¡±

    Despite the mounting numbers of spiders pressing toward them, Rodrick and Olive were effectively holding the horde back. Lillia¡¯s shadows worked through the crowd, flicking spiders that slipped past the two warriors across the room like children¡¯s toys. The Broodmother didn¡¯t seem to be pleased with how the fight was going.

    It chittered and started to advance. A wave of blue light mmed into it and it halted in ce for a mere moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stall it for as long as possible,¡± Reya called. Blue energy wove around her fingertips and she thrust her hands forward, sending out an arc of light. It struck the ground before the Broodmother and bloomed into a glistening blue Trapdoor Reaver.

    The summoned monster was translucent, but just solid enough to make out its defining features. It zipped forward and mped its jaws down on one of the Broodmother¡¯s legs. Even though its shimmering jaws didn¡¯t do nearly as much damage as Arwin suspected real ones would have, the monster hissed in pain.

    Arwin didn¡¯t waste time watching the fight. He got one half his greaves free and ripped the other part off as well. A spider jumped at him while his hands were full, but Rodrick¡¯s sword cut the monster down before it couldnd on its target.

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    ¡°Okay. Get ready, Olive.¡± He jumped back to his feet.

    ¡°Ready for what?¡± Olive asked, punching a spider and spearing it with her sword.

    He lifted his greaves to his mouth and bit down. Metal melted in his mouth, but he didn¡¯t stop. There was a lot to consume if he wanted to get every part of the magic left in the greaves.

    The Maw hungered for power, and he fed it. Energy ripped through Arwin¡¯s body and slipped from his mouth in coils of faint golden energy. Olive nearly tripped over her own feet at the sight of him shoving an entire shin te down his throat, barely even pausing to swallow.

    ¡°What the fu¨C¡±

    Arwin grabbed Olive by the waist and hoisted her into the air. His legs were practically vibrating with energy.

    ¡°Get ready,¡± Arwin said, dismissing the rest of his armor with a thought. He needed speed, not defense. Besides, the only things that were going to be getting bit at now were his feet and legs ¨C and he didn¡¯t have any armor left there anyway.

    ¡°For wha¨C¡±

    The rest of her sentence was lost in a scream as Arwin blurred. He tried not to think about the glossy bodies crushing beneath every footfall as he raced across the top of the wave of spiders.

    Olive recovered quickly. She braced her sword, leveling it to point in front of them as best as she could. Spider fangs tore into Arwin¡¯s legs, but they couldn¡¯t slow him. Between [Scourge] and the power he¡¯d taken onest time from his greaves, he was too fast. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t avoid them entirely when there was literally nowhere else to step.

    Weakness flooded through his legs. The spiders had poison. That wasn¡¯t a surprise, but it was moving through Arwin¡¯s system faster than he¡¯d thought it would. He skidded to a halt, changing direction now that they were behind the Broodmother and taking another few bites in the process, and burst into motion once more.

    Arwin¡¯s legs started to lock up as the poison worked deeper into them. He¡¯d taken so many bites now that he probably had enough running through him to be fatal ¨C it didn¡¯t matter. Anna could heal him when the fight was over. There were only a few paces between him and the Broodmother.

    <em>Damn good thing I brought Olive. I don¡¯t think I have the energy to swing my hammer right now. </em>

    Arwin lunged. It was more of a trip, but at the speed he was moving, it still worked. Heunched Olive forward like a missile and she drove her de straight into the Broodmother¡¯s side as blue energy shed to cover it.

    He dimly noted that there wasn¡¯t any trace of Reya¡¯s monster anymore ¨C it must have copsed at some point. Spiders churned beneath Arwin as he hit the ground, crushing several of them beneath himself in a roll.

    A shadow plucked him up from the ground before the small monsters could swarm over him. Beneath, Olive¡¯s de continued forward and carved down the intersection between the Spider Broodmother¡¯s head and body. The monster managed a pained screech before her de worked the rest of the way through it. Despite its bulbous abdomen, its head wasn¡¯t nearly as thick as the centipede¡¯s had been.

    Olive dropped to the ground and the spider¡¯s head sttered down beside her. All the small monsters crumpled in unison, dropping and curling up like shriveled husks. Arwin barely even noticed. His chest had bound up with poison that was already working its way toward his throat.

    The world sputtered around him as darkness bit at the edges of his vision.

    Then there was relief. Warmth washed over Arwin¡¯s body and he drew in a choked breath as he felt the poison release its grip on him. His eyes snapped fully open to find Anna kneeling beside him and the shimmering words of the Mesh dancing above him.

    <strong>Achievement: [Mmm, Poison] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Mmm, Poison] ¨C <em>Awarded for having nearly as much poison in your bloodstream as blood.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    ¡°Ah,¡± Arwin said, dismissing the achievement with a weak grin. ¡°You made it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Anna muttered, helping Arwin up. The others all stood in a semicircle around him. ¡°Any side effects? Are you seeing straight?¡±

    He nodded, looking over to the Broodmother to make sure it was actually dead. There hadn¡¯t actually been an achievement for killing it, but he supposed that made sense. It wasn¡¯t like the monster itself had put up all that much of a fight ¨C and he hadn¡¯t even personally touched it. The Mesh probably didn¡¯t consider anything he¡¯d done in regard to the actual fight worthy of an Achievement.

    Arwin couldn¡¯tin. He¡¯d gotten an Achievement for pumping himself full of poison. Not one he was particrly proud of, but a Skill upgrade was a Skill upgrade. He¡¯d take what he got.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Everyone else?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t run through a field of hungry spiders after stripping his pants off,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯d like to point out that it was not me who lost his pants this time.¡±

    ¡°Can I me you anyway?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Anna said with a sigh.

    ¡°Anyone get anything good from that fight?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°I got an Achievement for making the Broodmother kill one of its own children. Kinda messed up, actually,¡± Reya said. ¡°I guess my ability counts as the original monstering back. Free Skill improvement for my next level, so noints.¡±

    ¡°I got one as well,¡± Olive said. She coughed into her fist. ¡°For¡­ being a projectile. Got me a direct skill upgrade. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s an experience I¡¯d like to replicate, though. It¡¯s a bit demeaning.¡±

    Arwin bit back a snort. ¡°Sorry. It was the best idea I had at the time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it worked,¡± Olive said. ¡°I¡¯ve always just thought of myself as a swordswoman, not the literal sword. If that¡¯s what it takes to win a fight, I¡¯m all for it. I¡¯d rather just not think about it too much.¡±

    ¡°It was cool, though,¡± Reya supplied. Olive sent her a surprised look followed by a weak smile that showed she didn¡¯t believe her words in the slightest.

    <em>Maybe not the time, Reya. Good attempt, though.</em>

    ¡°Tastes like all the other spiders,¡± Lillia proimed as she stepped out from behind the dead Broodmother and held up a bundle of wispy white strands. ¡°But look at this!¡±

    ¡°Webbing? Shouldn¡¯t it be super sticky?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°No, not all webs are sticky. This stuff isn¡¯t,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you get that from?¡± Anna asked.

    Lillia shot her a look and stuffed the strands of webbing into her bag. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you don¡¯t want answers to.¡±

    <em>Hm. I wonder if I could make a string from spider webs? I know they¡¯re strong. If I wove them together or something¡­ could be a possibility. I¡¯ll ask Lillia for some since I can¡¯t imagine she ns to eat them.</em>

    Arwin pushed himself to his feet and brushed the dirt off his legs. Lillia also had some tes torn off the Broodmother¡¯s body stuffed into her bag, so it didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d have to collect any himself. ¡°Well then. I¡¯d say that was a pretty damn sessful delve. No reason to push our luck going further.¡±

    Olive headed over to the Broodmother and carved a few tes off its back with her sword, tucking them under her arm. She turned back and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m good to go. This is far deeper than I ever thought I would have gone, and I bet these tes will sell for a good bit of gold. They seem pretty tough.¡±

    Everyone else cut the best pieces of the monster off for themselves, and then they were off, heading back up the dungeon toward the exit and Arwin¡¯s favorite part ¨C the bit where he got to make something out of all the monsters he¡¯d just killed.

 Chapter 121: Things change

    Chapter 121: Things change

    The dungeon had changed.

    There was no other way to look at it. It had only been a few minutes and a few rooms since they¡¯d started their way back out of the dungeon, but the one they stepped into was most certainly not the one that they¡¯d passed through.

    Normally, that wouldn¡¯t have been all too big of an issue. As everyone knew, dungeons were neither alive nor dead. They opened entrances for monsters to enter to collect magical energy from death.

    It wasn¡¯t like they were going to wait around to bepletely empty before things changed. As long as nothing was in a room, it was liable to shift. There had been reports of some dungeons transforming themselves into mazes once people entered, but those werergely unsubstantiated.

    Normally, the worst that happened was that a room looked different and had a new pathway running through it. The way out was still usually there.

    That was exactly what had happened. A new tunnel had formed in the rightmost wall that led down, faint orange light glowing from far into its depths.

    Fortunately, the exit remained where Arwin remembered it to be, beckoning him and the group onward. He would have taken it. There was just one small problem that was turning his attention more toward the other path ¨C the dead adventurer lying in a heap in the middle of the floor.

    And it wasn¡¯t just any dead adventurer. It was a nearly ungeared one. All he had on him was an empty sheath and his street clothes. That definitely wasn¡¯t a good sign. Nobody walked into a dungeon like that.

    Arwin knelt beside the man while the others spread out, drawing their weapons and looking around warily, most of their gazes sent toward the exit that the man seemed to have dragged himself from.¡°Stabbed from behind,¡± Arwin said, studying the wound that had dispatched the man. The <em>only </em>wound he had, aside from a red rub line around his neck. It looked like the blow from arge dagger or a short sword, and one that had gone close enough to the heart to give the man time to run, but not enough to save himself.

    <em>It also doesn¡¯t help that he ran in the wrong bloody direction. Why¡¯d you go deeper into the dungeon instead of away from it?</em>

    ¡°What kind of monster doesn¡¯t eat the person they kill? And where¡¯s his weapon?¡± Reya asked, her eyes darting around the room. ¡°Did it hear using and go into stealth?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a monster that did this,¡± Rodrick said. He joined Arwin in studying the dead man. ¡°That¡¯s a de wound. Someone ran him through.¡±

    ¡°Probably why he¡¯s got nothing on him. They took his gear,¡± Arwin said with disgust.

    Reya¡¯s lips curled down, but she didn¡¯t even look slightly surprised at the thought of people killing each other in the dungeon. It probably wasn¡¯t any less brutal than what she¡¯d grown up used to. Anna just looked sad. She shook her head and closed her eyes, muttering a prayer under her breath.

    ¡°Scum,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°He might have run deeper into the dungeon trying to escape,¡± Arwin said, rising and looking over to the new pathway leading from the room. ¡°But¡­ Olive, didn¡¯t you say it was pretty hard to get in here as a solo adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Olive said. ¡°I had to wait until basically the middle of the night, and even then it was difficult. Took me a day of just standing around like an idiot.¡±

    ¡°Meaning the chances of this guy having actually been on his own are pretty low,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°His friends could be dead up ahead,¡± Reya said.

    Rodrick knelt by the passage leading toward the distant orange light. ¡°They might have. Or they may have gone this way. Look.¡±

    There was a scuff of blood on the ground that looked like it hade from the bottom of a boot. Someone had definitely headed down the path.

    ¡°That was just the one that stepped in his blood. There could be more, and that might belong to the person that killed him, not his allies,¡± Anna warned.

    ¡°Could have been one and the same.¡± Arwin¡¯s lips pressed thin and he drummed his fingers against the top of his thigh. ¡°Then again, the people that killed him could also be above us somewhere. We no longer know if either path into the dungeon is clear.¡±

    ¡°If there are people from his group left, should we try to help?¡± Reya asked. ¡°They could be in trouble.¡±

    Arwin nearly said yes on the spot. His throat tightened around the words, strangling them before they could leave. He¡¯d made a promise to himself.

    <em>I can¡¯t save everyone.</em>

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He certainly couldn¡¯t save the man on the ground before him. There was no way to tell what he¡¯d been thinking. Hell, the man could have betrayed his own group and been put down because of it. He didn¡¯t know.

    When he¡¯d been the Hero, he could have charged forward without a care in the world to find out. But that was then. He wasn¡¯t the Hero anymore. Arwin had other responsibilities ¨C a duty to his friends and group to make sure they survived.

    His jaw set.

    <em>That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to be a coward. I won¡¯t throw them into a fight they can¡¯t handle, but if there are people fleeing in that direction, we might be able to help them. Any adventurer below Journeyman isn¡¯t going to stand a chance against us. We aren¡¯t full on energy, but aside from my missing greaves, I¡¯d say we¡¯re probably in shape for a fight. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s up to all of you,¡± Arwin said finally. ¡°I believe we could head down and investigate what happened carefully. If it looks like too big of a threat, we can back out ¨C but it depends on all of you.¡±

    ¡°The blood shows him running in this direction. If people survived, it¡¯s likely they kept going this way,¡± Rodrick said with a nod toward the orange glowing passage. ¡°If they didn¡¯t, then we¡¯re liable to run into whoever did this on the way up. Our chances are actually better if we head in pursuit of possible survivors. We¡¯d have a numbers advantage.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°People that kill other adventurers deserve the sword,¡± Olive said. ¡°I say we hunt them.¡±

    ¡°Hunt seems like an apt word,¡± Lillia said with a nod. ¡°Rodrick is right. We¡¯re equally as likely to meet the killers either path we go down, so we might as well take a bet that there are others alive and follow after them.¡±

    Reya nodded, and that was that. Arwin summoned his armor back around him and let Verdant ze take form in his palms once more.

    ¡°In that case, down we go,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Stay silent. Let me lead ¨C if anyone feels anything at any point, let us know. Finally, if we meet others, I don¡¯t care what the reason is, our lives over theirs. Hear them out, but if they try to attack, show no mercy.¡±

    And then down they went. It was the brightest passage that Arwin had traveled through so far in the dungeon, even though he couldn¡¯t actually tell where the light wasing from. The faint orange glow seemed omnipresent and unchanging.

    Sweat started to form on Arwin¡¯s brow as they continued on. It grew warmer the deeper they went. The walls turned craggy and dark, going from grey cobble to a pitch-ck glossy obsidian with startling speed.

    After around five minutes of travel, Rodrick caught their attention and pointed at his ears, indicating that his enhanced senses had picked up on something. They all fell silent to let him listen, and Arwin moved to the side so he could take the lead.

    They set off again a secondter. This time they moved even quieter than they had before. The look on Rodrick¡¯s expression didn¡¯t make Arwin particrly optimistic about the chances of any survivors. He certainly wasn¡¯t rushing them down to save anybody, which either meant he was being cautious or there was nobody left to save.

    It was a minute before Arwin started to pick up voices as well. He couldn¡¯t quite tell what they were saying, but their notes echoed through the halls as if to herald their arrival. Heat prickled Arwin¡¯s nostrils and the distant smell of acrid sulfur.

    The voices grew louder as they continued and the passageway finally came to an end before a pair of stone doors. A key jutted out from a hole on the door, having already been used to open it. While the door had been opened, the angle they stood at in the tunnel wasn¡¯t quite right to see into the room beyond it.

    Coiled on the floor beneath the key were the scraps of a metal ne¨C and resting against the door was a short, middled aged woman. Blood trickled down her armor from a deep gash in her neck and her ssy eyes stared lifelessly into the wall.

    <em>The ne looks like it might have been what caused the red line on the previous adventurer¡¯s neck. They ripped it off, maybe? Doesn¡¯t look like this woman got robbed, but whoever did this is definitely in the room beyond these doors. </em>

    ¡°¡­here somewhere,¡± came the voice of a man from somewhere within the room.

    A female voice voiced their agreement. A few seconds passed. Nobody else said anything. That obviously didn¡¯t mean there were only two people in the room, but it was a strong reason to assume there probably weren¡¯t a lot more.

    Arwin and the others exchanged onest nce. Nobody gave him any signs of wanting to turn back. They likely outnumbered their opponents. And, even if they didn¡¯t, Arwin was fairly confident in their powers.

    He stepped forward and peered through the open door. The room beyond it was nothing like the previous ones that had been in the dungeon. It looked like it had once been a workshop. Strange tools littered the ground and surrounded oddly shaped bricks of metal. Thin rivers ofva ran through grooves in the floor and collected in a pool at the center of the room.

    At the back end of the room was a locked chest, and huddled in front of it were two adventurers. A man, easily seven feet tall and d in heavy ck armor covered with sharp spikes stood beside a woman about half his height. She wore in robes and carried a wooden staff simr to Anna¡¯s.

    The woman also had a short sword at her waist. Arwin wasn¡¯t an expert at analyzing deaths, but the de looked to be just about the right size to have run through the man he¡¯d seen before.

    <em>Still¡­ two people, and nobody showed signs of being killed by the big guy. Nobody had massive wounds at all. That means he probably didn¡¯t even fight. That¡¯s odd. I can¡¯t imagine it would be much easier for two-man groups to get down here than four-man groups. </em>

    There was only one way to find out. Arwin stepped forward ¨C and a gray blur mmed into him from above, where it had been hidden by the frame of the door. Bands of metal the thickness of his forearms wrapped around his wrists and forced Verdant ze from his grip, sending it ttering to the ground.

    Magic hummed through them and the woman turned together with the man by her side, cocky grins on both of their faces.

    ¡°I told you I heard a rating,¡± the woman said, tapping her staff on the ground.

    ¡°I never doubted you,¡± the armored man replied. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s even more for the two of us. Good thing we don¡¯t have to share anymore.¡±

    <em>Guess that answers the question of if the others were part of their group or not. Doesn¡¯t seem like these idiots have noticed the rest of my team either. </em>

    ¡°Anyst words, big guy?¡± the woman asked, nodding to herrgerpanion as he drew his de. ¡°I won¡¯t remember them, but he might.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin replied, raising his bound wrists to his mouth. Team or not, there was no need to take risks. He took a huge bite out of the shimmering metal, jaws tearing through it like butter. It didn¡¯t taste half as powerful as the magic that had been in the gargoyle he¡¯d eaten. He could eat trash like this all day. Arwin swallowed and took another bite, freeing his hands and sending the rest of metal crashing down by his feet. ¡°Your magic tastes like shit.¡±

 Chapter 122: Lava time

    Chapter 122: Lava time

    The woman¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, but herpanion was better prepared. He readied his de as Arwin charged forward. He heard the others piling into the room behind him and could see by the flicker of worry on the man¡¯s face that they weren¡¯t ready to fight an entire group their size.

    <em>Should have thought about that before trying to kill me.</em>

    Arwin skidded to a stop before the man, and a wave of blue light mmed into him as he went to swing his sword. His movements ground to a halt and Arwin moved out of the way, letting the blow pass by him harmlessly before swinging Verdant ze.

    Therge warrior leaned back, just barely managing to avoid the hammer as it whistled through the air. He took a step back and pressed a hand to his sword, sending ck fire coursing along its surface.

    ¡°Back off,¡± the man snarled, thrusting the sword for Arwin. A shadow shot out, wrapping around his leg and pulling at it. He stumbled, thrown off bnce, and Verdant ze mmed into his chest.

    Whatever his armor was made of was definitely better than average, because it held up against the blow. He staggered back, coughing in surprise, a new dent in his chestte. Gritting his teeth, the man charged Arwin again.

    Hispanion pointed her staff at Arwin, preparing to cast magic, but quickly had to abandon the attempt and raise the staff defensively as Rodrick¡¯s sword crashed down for her. It struck her staff violently, sending a tremor through her arms.

    ¡°Handle the big idiot,¡± Rodrick called. ¡°I¡¯ve got this one. Olive will back you up.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need more than one and a half people to kill me,¡± therge man growled as Olive ran over to join Arwin, her de resting in a ready position at her side.¡°I haven¡¯t heard that one before,¡± Olive said, her words curt. ¡°We¡¯ll see how that ys out for you.¡±

    The man snorted. He pounded a fist against his chest, sending a wave of ck me rolling across his body and curling up from his shoulders. Energy gathered around him and erupted forth in a brassy roar, mming into Arwin like a hammer blow.

    He staggered, his ears ringing as magical energy wormed its way into his head and took his bnce. The world swam before him, and through what little he could tell of the spinning wourld around him, Olive didn¡¯t look to be faring much better.

    Even as the ck armored man stepped forward and raised his sword to take advantage of their weakness, blue fragments of light fell away from Arwin and his head snapped back into rity.

    He stepped into the other man¡¯s attack, meeting it with a [Scourge] empowered swing of Verdant ze. The hammer struck the sword at an angle. Metal rent with a loud shriek and the top half of his de spun across the room, ttering as it skidded across the ground beforeing to a stop against a wall.

    A series of muted thuds rang out in the distance, but Arwin was too focused to turn his attention to them. Nobody was calling for his help yet, so they were probably doing fine.

    The warrior stared at the smoldering remains of his sword in disbelief for just a second, but Arwin hadn¡¯t stopped moving. He carried the momentum of his swing in a full circle,ing back around and sending Verdant ze hurtling for the man¡¯s side.

    It connected with a loud crack, driving into his chest and sending therger man staggering. He definitely had some form of defensive skill keeping him alive, but it wasn¡¯t enough to hold against Arwin forever.

    His opponent clearly realized that too, because he dove forward and grabbed Verdant ze. Instead of keeping him from taking it, Arwin released the hammer. The man yanked it out of his grasp with a victoriousugh.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± he gloated, swinging Verdant ze ¨C but the rest of his sentence was lost in a pained scream. White-hot me erupted from Verdant ze, searing into his hands and melting the gauntlets holding it.

    He let go, sending the hammer hurtling across the room. Arwin reared back and Verdant ze reformed in his grasp mid-swing. It struck the man in the side once more, activating [Shieldbreaker] and ripping through the armor to dig deep into flesh.

    The man tumbled to the ground and skidded a foot, blood smearing beneath him. He wheezed, bracing a hand against the ground and pushing himself up ¨C only for Olive¡¯s foot to crash heel first into his helm and m him back to the ground.

    Her de followed shortly afterward, driving straight through his eye hole and into the stone behind his head.

    ¡°Anyst words?¡± Olive asked as she ripped the de free.

    Arwin spun toward Rodrick, but he needn¡¯t have worried. His opponent was dangling upside down from a shadow. Her entire body was a painful-looking smear of blood ¨C and about half of that blood was painted across the wall next to her.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    It looked like Lillia had been repeatedly swinging her face first against the stone.

    <em>That¡¯s certainly one way to handle a mage. Barely even got a chance to figure out what kind of magic she had other than that first attack. Good. That¡¯s how you deal with mages. If they¡¯re getting time to set their full powers free, you¡¯re doing it wrong.</em>

    Arwin took a second to study the rest of the room and make sure there wasn¡¯t anyone else lurking in the darkness before sending a look at Olive. ¡°You stole my lines.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°She asked me if I had anyst words. That means I¡¯m the one that gets to say that when I kill them.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Sorry. Felt appropriate. If you wanted to use them, you should have said them earlier.¡±

    ¡°Only an idiot taunts an opponent before they¡¯re dead. That¡¯s just asking to lose,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Is anyone injured?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said.

    Lillia¡¯s shadow dropped the woman and shended on her head with a crunch ¨C it hardly mattered. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d been alive for some time.

    ¡°Nobody important,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Reya took good care of us,¡± Arwin said, sending the girl an appreciative nod. ¡°Good timing. You¡¯ve gotten really good at that.¡±

    ¡°Does she have a way to remove negative effects?¡± Olive asked. ¡°I saw you start moving while I was still counting stars, and then I could suddenly move again normally. That¡¯s a great skill. Haven¡¯t run with someone that can do that for others before.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Reya said, her cheeks reddening. ¡°I¡¯ve had time to practice. It¡¯s pretty useful.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Arwin nodded vaguely in the direction of the dead adventurers. ¡°You know. With your new ability?¡±

    <em>No point hiding it anymore. Olive has already seen it in thest fight and barely even brought it up.</em>

    Reya¡¯s lips curled in distaste and she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t really want to find out. I have to really try when something dies. It¡¯s kind of like scooping water with your hands. Except it¡¯s your mind, so it isn¡¯t really like your hands. And it¡¯s nothing like water.¡±

    <em>Then that¡¯s not a very good analogy, is it?</em>

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Olive said with an approving nod, somehow managing to decipher Reya¡¯s words. ¡°Probably for the best to avoid sticking your mental hands into other people¡¯s souls. Great way to head down the wrong path.¡±

    Arwin couldn¡¯t argue with that. He walked over to the dead warrior and knelt beside him, prying the armor off his body and snapping the straps holding it in ce with [Scourge]. He rifled through the man¡¯s pockets and pulled out a pouch. There was nothing else on him, though his armor seemed like it was made from a pretty tough material. He opened the pouch to look inside it, only finding 32 gold. ¡°Did the woman have anything on her? Any indication as to why they did this? Or was it just pure greed?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Some gold as well, but not much.¡±

    Arwin let out a huff. That didn¡¯t make much sense, considering they¡¯d literally stripped the man they¡¯d left behind. It was possible that had somehow been yet another group, but he doubted it.

    ¡°Where¡¯d the first guy¡¯s equipment go?¡±

    ¡°Did they toss it into theva?¡± Reya asked, walking toward the bubbling pool in the center of the room. She had to step carefully as she grew close to avoid plunging a foot into one of the thin streams of liquid rock flowing through the ground around it. Reya came to a stop a fair distance away from the center of the pool. ¡°It looks like all the rivers flow out from here, but the pool isn¡¯tpletely full.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes traced the rivers. Reya definitely had a point. There were grooves in the stone that had yet to be filled where the rivers had bubbled to a stop, lying in wait. And yet something felt like it was missing. It didn¡¯t really make sense for someone to murder an ally just to throw their equipment into a pool ofva.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they just toss the whole guy in?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Or thedy outside? It sounded like they were part of a team that betrayed the first bloke. The three of them were all probably in on it, but then these two betrayed the third one ¨C that or they made here down here and then left her at the door.¡±

    ¡°It does seem odd that they wouldn¡¯t throw in as much mass as possible if that¡¯s what they¡¯re going for.¡± Rodrick scratched his chin. ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t want organics in theva for some reason? It isn¡¯t much of a reach, but I suspect their goal was opening this big hunking chest.¡±

    ¡°Which probably opens when theva does something,¡± Arwin concluded as he walked over to join Rodrick. There were several rivers ofva running up to the chest that hadn¡¯t been filled. ¡°Honestly, when I walked in here they looked pretty confused. They were just staring at the chest. They might not have known what they were doing either¡­ but if they decided that sticking armor into the pool was the right move, they must have had a reason why they didn¡¯t put a body in.¡±

    ¡°Would have smelled bad,¡± Rodrick volunteered. ¡°Could be as simple as that.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see the reason ofing down here and doing all this shit if we don¡¯t at least try to open the chest. My first thought is to start smashing the shit out of it with my hammer.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Lillia said with augh. ¡°Might even work. There aren¡¯t any rules, but it could also damage something inside the chest. We should see if there¡¯s a different way to go about things first.¡±

    That was definitely preferrable. Arwin turned in a slow circle, letting his eyes drift along the room. He had a lot of questions that didn¡¯t look like they were going to get answered.

    <em>Why is there a big ole workshop just sitting around in a dungeon? Why did that bloke have a key to enter it? The dungeon must not have just changed at random if he was holding that ne. He knew it was here ¨C or he had a way to make it show up here. </em>

    The answers had to be somewhere in the room ¨C or possibly in the key itself. That was worth checking, but not before they finished looking around. Who knew what fiddling with the key would result in. Arwin didn¡¯t want the room to seal itself shut on them.

    He walked over to the pool in the center of the room, his brow furrowed in thought. The puzzle seemed to begin right here.

    As Arwin stared down into the bubblingva, something in his mind shimmered. A faint tingle of energy ran through his body and buzzed at his fingertips.

    [Molten Novice] was responding to theva.

 Chapter 123: Pre-application test

    Chapter 123: Pre-application test

    If there was one thing that Arwin was certain of, it was that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to stick one¡¯s hands into bubblingva. No matter how soft and pliable it looked,va was stillva. It was generally considered at least slightly less than advisable to fondle it.

    That seemed to be exactly what [Molten Novice] was pulling him to do ¨C although that might have been a stretch. Arwin couldn¡¯t quite tell exactly what the skill was doing.

    It was definitely active. He could feel bands of heat running through his body as well as a deep urge to plunge his hands into the molten death before him. It wasn¡¯t magicalpulsion or even guidance as much as a stray desire that had been magnified.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°Did you figure something out?¡±

    Arwin knelt by the pool, taking care not to identally stick a foot into one of the many rivers ofva running past him. He wasn¡¯t going to be taking a swim in the molten rock. All he wanted was to get a closer look.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But I¡¯m looking at something.¡±

    ¡°If you dropped anything into theva, it¡¯s gone, man,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Maybe back away from the big bubbling pit, eh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arwin replied. He held a hand out over theva to test the heat and immediately felt like an idiot. It was hot.

    <em>It¡¯s fuckingva. Of course it¡¯s hot. What did I expect? A chill breeze?</em>Every single scrap of logic that Arwin could muster told him that theva was the absolute worst thing he could stick any part of his body into. Nothing seemed to imply that he¡¯d survive taking a dip in it.

    [Molten Novice] didn¡¯t say anything about fire resistance. As far as he could tell, there wasn¡¯t anything that he had that would protect him from the heat. None of that held any weight to the powerful desire urging him to plunge a hand into pool of glowing orange.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia asked, edging closer to him. Concern tinged her tone. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that look on your face is good. Maybe the hammer solution you had earlier is better. I¡¯m not loving the idea of whatever it is you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°It should be fine. I¡¯ve got an ability that¡¯s kind of pulling me toward theva,¡± Arwin said. He caught the worry intensifying on Lillia¡¯s face and quickly amended himself. ¡°Not physically, mind you. Just¡­ a thought.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s called being suicidal. There are healers that can help you with that,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to kill myself,¡± Arwin said irritably. ¡°I have an ability that relies a lot on fire. Apparently, getting nearva is resonating with it somehow.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just really enjoying the view?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I suggest leaving it as a view.¡±

    Arwin looked back to theva. He was certain that [Molten Novice] was telling him he had to touch theva. He was equally certain that touching theva would result in him having one less hand.

    There was no way the ability would just encourage him to burn himself alive. There had to be a way he could do what it wanted. If he had a glove that could resist the fire, perhaps that would have counted.

    Unfortunately, he had no such thing. He also had no idea when the next time he¡¯d find a pool ofva sitting around for him would be. Arwin bit at his inner cheek. It was too much potential to risk passing up. If he got badly burned, Anna could heal him.

    He reached toward theva slowly. A bubble popped and a tiny spec of it brushed across his hand. Pain ripped into his palm and he yanked it back, hissing and cursing as he shook it off. A wave of gentle warmth rolled over him and the pain faded.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said through gritted teeth, giving Anna a nod. She returned it.

    ¡°Can you get away from that now?¡± Lillia asked.

    Arwin looked back to theva. He was missing something. The opportunity was right there. As to what the opportunity was, he hadn¡¯t quite determined. It was there, though.

    A thought struck him. He nced down at his hand, then summoned his [Soul me]. The orb of crackling fire materialized in his palm. Arwin willed it to stretch out and spread across his fingers.

    The mes rolled across his hand and molded to his skin, covering itpletely up to his elbow before it refused to spread any farther. He flexed his fingers, then looked back at theva. Anna sighed.

    Ignoring her, Arwin reached back toward theva. He moved as slowly as he had thest time. His hand drew closer to the heat rising up from the molten rock, but there was no burning. Spots ofva popped and brushed against his hand, but once more, nothing happened.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He reached a little farther down, brushing his fingers across the surface of theva. It was surprisingly hard and not nearly as squishy as it looked. But, even more surprisingly, his hand didn¡¯t burn.

    Arwin pushed deeper. Theva bent around his fingers, then flowed over them. He squeezed his hand around it, pushing through the molten rock. It felt like really, really dense dough.

    A thrill of delight ran through him. Something about ying withva just struck a chord he¡¯d never thought he¡¯d had. Arwin scooped a tiny amount of theva up and held it up, his grin growing even wider.

    ¡°Look at this!¡±

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Reya said, her eyes wide with shock and delight. ¡°Don¡¯t throw that.¡±

    ¡°Why would I throw it?¡± Arwin asked, letting theva slough off his hand. It fell into the pool with a plop. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±

    ¡°I totally would have thrown it to see what would happen,¡± Rodrick said. Anna red at him and he cleared his throat. ¡°Not at anyone, mind you. Just¡­ in general.¡±

    ¡°Is that what your ability was trying to show you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin said with a frown. The ability seemed to be pulling back now. It had gotten what it wanted. Evidently, the dwarves had usedva to some degree in their forging process.

    <em>I would absolutely love to see a dwarven forge. I bet it would be incredible. Or imagine¡­ an actual dwarven smith. If this ability is just the start of what they do, I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what I¡¯d be cable of doing with their talent. I¡¯ll have to seek one out as soon as the Wyrm business is done.</em>

    ¡°You know, is it maybe worth Arwin just¡­ bringing some of theva over to the chest?¡± Reya asked. ¡°All the grooves that should haveva in them run over to the same point at its base. If you just stick someva on that, do you think it might open?¡±

    Nobody had a reason as to why Arwin <em>shouldn¡¯t </em>try that, so he shrugged and scooped up another handful ofva. Everyone moved to give him space as he rose. He walked carefully, keeping theva as far away from his body as possible. The [Soul me] didn¡¯t extend far enough to protect him if he dropped something on his leg.

    He made his way over to the chest and knelt by the circr groove right at its base. With a tilt of his hand, Arwin let theva slide off onto the stone. He let the [Soul me] that had been protecting him fade as he stood back up.

    They were all silent for a few seconds. Reya¡¯s idea had been a long shot, but the puzzle was probably slightly moreplex than ¨C

    A loud click echoed through the room. It was followed by a clunk and a deep <em>whoosh</em>. Theva in the pool at the center of the room started to drain away. Within just a few seconds, it hadpletely sunk away to reveal a dense metal base where it had once been.

    Thick holes ran along the metal, presumably just opened by Arwin¡¯sva-delivery. The glow of theva shone beneath them as it sank deeper into the earth. Embossed in the pool, in the gaps between the holes, was a sword, a shield, and a full set of armor.

    A few secondster, onest click echoed out. Stone ground as the top of the chest cracked open.

    They all turned to look at Reya.

    ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°It was a good guess!¡±

    ¡°A really good one,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to the drawings on the ground in the pool where theva had been. ¡°Looks like we know where they lost the other guys belongings as well. I think theva might have been the second part of the puzzle, not the first.¡±

    ¡°The first was to¡­ stick stuff at the bottom of the pool to get melted?¡± Reya asked doubtfully.

    Arwin shrugged in response. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We seem to have missed the puzzle, but it¡¯s also solved now. Lucky us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certainly not going toin,¡± Lillia said. ¡°My shadows aren¡¯t strong enough to pull that lid open, though. You¡¯ll have to do it. Just be careful.¡±

    He nodded and approached the chest. It wasrge, but not as big as the one in thest dungeon. Its lip was only at his shoulder level and it didn¡¯t seem too heavy. Arwin walked in a circle around it to make sure that there weren¡¯t any obvious traps waiting before wedging Verdant ze¡¯s hilt into the gap and using it to lever the chest open.

    The lid rocked back before clicking into ce and staying still. Arwin waited for a second, then crept forward and peered into the chest while making sure no part of him actually entered it ¨C who knew when the lid would decide to snap shut.

    A long, thin de rested in the center of the chest above a ratty old tarp bag, suspended up by two y-shaped stands. It was made of a scarlet metal with ripples running through it in a mesmerizing pattern. The sword had a jagged ck hilt and a matching handle.

    Energy gathered before Arwin¡¯s eyes as the Mesh identified the weapon before him as magical.

    <strong>Crimson Fang: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Firefolded Steel]: mes have been worked into this weapons de, allowing it to ignite upon striking a surface at the cost of magical energy.</strong>

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said, his eyes moving past the de to look at the bag beneath it. ¡°Nice sword.¡±

    If anything, he was more interested in how someone had <em>folded mes </em>into the metal than he was of the weapon¡¯s actual construction. It was a decent looking magical item, but nothing particrly interesting to him.

    ¡°Show us!¡± Reya eximed. ¡°I want to see!¡±

    Arwin wedged his hammer against the chest to make sure it wouldn¡¯t close on him and picked the de up, pulling it free so the others could look at it.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Reya said. She caught herself midway through a word and cleared her throat, changing the sentence before it could exit her mouth. ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty.¡±

    Nobody else said much. A wave of smug satisfaction passed through Arwin. They all preferred his own work, as amateurish as it was. He reached into the box and grabbed the tarp bag, pulling it out as well before dismissing Verdant ze and turning back to the others.

    ¡°There was also this. I¨C¡±

    Arwin trailed off as he saw Olive sending the sword a wide-eyed stare, the desire etched into her features as her hand twitched at her side.

    <em>Ah. Right. Magical weapon and she¡¯s a swordswoman. She probably wants this pretty damn badly. I doubt she¡¯d show her true colors now if she was going to try to steal it, but it¡¯ll be interesting to see how she responds to this. </em>

    <em>Olive hadn¡¯t even asked to join the guild yet, but this is as good a spot as any to test her to see what she¡¯s really like. Everyone changes when something really valuablees onto the line, even if it isn¡¯t all that useful to us. </em>

    <em>Why don¡¯t we have a pre-application test?</em>

 Chapter 124: Back to the town

    Chapter 124: Back to the town

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a really nice sword,¡± Olive said, swallowing heavily.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice,¡± Arwin agreed nomittally, watching her carefully. There was a very, very small chance that she would be stupid enough to try and take someone captive to im the sword for herself. It wasn¡¯t one he suspected she would take, but it never hurt to be prepared.

    ¡°If Rodrick doesn¡¯t want that¡­ would you be willing to sell it?¡± Olive asked.

    Arwin blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I know I can¡¯t afford it now,¡± Olive said hurriedly. ¡°But an elemental weapon¡­ that would let me fight so much more effectively. If it¡¯s less than a thousand gold, I¡¯d give you all the money I earn from the dungeons until I pay it off. If nobody else wants it, that is.¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side. There was some significant desperation in Olive¡¯s tone. She wanted it for more than just because it was a fancy sword.

    <em>Are magical items actually that ridiculously rare? A thousand gold? That¡¯s¡­</em>

    ¡°I know a thousand is cheap. I could maybe try for higher,¡± Olive offered weakly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss lootter, once we¡¯ve seen the rest of it,¡± Arwin said ¨C half just to see how she would handle the rejection.Olive bit the insides of her cheeks and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    <em>She wants it, but she¡¯s handling it pretty respectably. Not too pushy. Good sign for her possibly joining the group in the long run. </em>

    Arwin set the sword down by his side and pulled the bag open to peer inside it. He was expecting gold or another weapon but got neither. Instead, he found a sheath for the de at his feet, a bundle of ck herbs, and a small stone vial covered with craggy orange lines that glowed with faint light.

    The Mesh activated once more ¨C not for the sheath, but for the dry nts and the vial.

    <strong>[Smolderweed]</strong> ¨C <strong>A magic-infused herb that grows exclusively within volcanos. Considered a delicacy by many earth dwelling races, this nt requires immense temperatures to ignite. But, when it does, it burns hotter than most can handle. </strong>

    <strong>[Portable Molt] ¨C A vial stuffed full of magma and sealed with magic¡­ but not very well. </strong>

    Something told Arwin that the Mesh¡¯s idea of burning may have been more than just spicy. As for the vial ¨C that sounded like something he wasn¡¯t going to touch until he was absolutely sure he wanted to.

    Having a way to get someva sounded like it could be pretty useful for his [Molten Novice] skill.

    <em>Great stuff. Now all I need to do is lug some of this metal back and I¡¯ll be the happiest bloke alive. </em>

    He left the nt and the vial in the bag as he pulled the sheath of the sword out and slid it over the de. As soon as it was covered, the information about it vanished.

    <em>The herbs go to Lillia. I¡¯m sure she can do something fun with them. I might keep one or two for myself in case there¡¯s any use for them in forging. I¡¯m keeping the vial myself. As for the sword¡­ well, let¡¯s see. </em>

    ¡°Okay,¡± Arwin said with a grin. ¡°Now we can talk about loot. I don¡¯t personally use a sword, so I don¡¯t need this. It¡¯s between Rodrick, Reya, Lillia, and Olive.¡±

    ¡°You use a sword?¡± Olive asked, looking at Lillia in surprise.

    ¡°Not as much as I used to, but I know how to,¡± Lillia said with a small shrug. She sent a nce at Arwin, then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need this one. I wouldn¡¯t get nearly as much use out of it as anyone else here would.¡±

    ¡°I want my dagger,¡± Reya said firmly. She paused for a moment, then cleared her throat. ¡°Well, if we can get it back. If we can¡¯t I¡¯ll take a different weapon. I don¡¯t think a sword would be that great for me though. I don¡¯t know how to use anything but a dagger, so giving me a magic sword is a waste.¡±

    ¡°I could use it,¡± Rodrick said, scratching the side of his neck in thought. ¡°Haven¡¯t ever had a chance to get my hands on anything other than a in sword.¡±

    Olive bit her lower lip keeping herself from saying anything more. She seemed resigned to ept any decision that they came to. It was certainly a nice sword, but Arwin wasn¡¯t all that impressed.

    <em>I¡¯ve made considerably better magical weapons myself. Granted, this one has no detrimental traits and its buff is actually quite interesting, but is fire on a de really going to do that much? The magical damage will be good against monsters that are immune to normal weapons, but aside from that¡­ a fiery sword isn¡¯t all that useful if it¡¯s just normal fire. </em>

    <em>At some point, I want to make everyone in the guild a powerful set of equipment. If I make Rodrick something any time soon, that sword is almost certain to get invalidated. </em>

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He took another few moments to think, more to continue observing Olive¡¯s expression than anything else. The sword really didn¡¯t matter to him ¨C or anyone in the guild, for that matter. It was much more useful as a way to judge the one-armed swordswoman¡¯s character.

    And, as far as Arwin could tell, she¡¯d handled everything better than most would. He could have given the sword to Rodrick anyway to really test her reaction, but that felt like it was going too far.

    She hadn¡¯t even asked to join the guild. Putting her through a bunch of tests beyond this one would have been ridiculous.

    ¡°How much did you say you¡¯d be willing to pay for this?¡± Arwin asked, turning the de over in his hand and looking to Olive.

    A flicker of hope passed through her features before she quashed it. ¡°I could try to do twelve hundred and fifty gold over the course of a few months, depending on how dungeons went. It would take me a while, but I¡¯d make the money. You already know I¡¯m good for it.¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason you want this sword so badly?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°It¡¯s not the strongest magical weapon I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡±

    Olive snorted. ¡°Yeah. Legends are great, but you can¡¯t kill things with them. I¡¯ve seen a few magical weapons before, but it all boils down to the fact that it¡¯s an advantage. I need every single one of those that I can get. It¡¯s a rolling stone, you know? A little bit of power leads to a bit more, and then that leads to more. It¡¯s always worth trading money for it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just money,¡± Arwin pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s time. You¡¯re offering to dedicate months of your time to us.¡±

    ¡°It gets me stronger, doesn¡¯t it? That¡¯s my only goal. I¡¯d be paying just as much if not more if I was trying to buy a magical item from another adventurer or merchant but I¡¯d have to earn all the money beforehand and then carry it around with me. That¡¯s basically asking for something to go wrong.¡±

    Olive made a good argument. It was a bit invalid for Arwin, but it did give him even more of an idea as to just how rare magic items were. Olive <em>really </em>wanted this sword. He could tell from her voice that shepletely meant every word she said. It wasn¡¯t that the de was secretly the key to something stronger or it was more than it seemed to be in any way.

    It was just a slight edge. A tiny step forward. And, to Olive, that was enough to trade away months. Power begot power. A logical decision ¨C for anyone that didn¡¯t know about what he could do.

    Arwin spun the sword around so that he was holding it by the sheath and held it out to Olive, hilt first.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a swordter,¡± Arwin told Rodrick. The former pdin shrugged in response. He didn¡¯t seem all that torn up about the loss of the weapon. Arwin got the feeling he was probably already envisioning the weapon he¡¯d ask for.

    Olive swallowed. Her eyes were transfixed on the sword like it were made out of pure gold. ¡°I can really have it?¡±

    ¡°Two months of running dungeons or whatever else it is we need you to do. Not gold, just the time. We¡¯ll split shares equally as we have been.¡±

    Olive tore her gaze away from the sword as a suspicious frown crossed her lips. ¡°What? No gold? Even shares? What are you aiming for here? Those terms don¡¯t make sense at all.¡±

    <em>If I¡¯m actually going to recruit Olive into our guild at some point, I can¡¯t scam her out of a thousand gold when I¡¯ll be making weapons for the others for either free or the cost of materials. I don¡¯t exactly have much choice without giving away more than I want to.</em>

    ¡°Those are the terms. Take them or leave them.¡±

    ¡°What kind of things would you be making me do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing that a normal adventurer wouldn¡¯t,¡± Arwin said with a dryugh. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything hidden in the deal. We¡¯re not going to try to turn you into an indentured servant or some shit like that. I won¡¯t say it¡¯ll be safe, but it¡¯s going to be more of what we were doing today. Just¡­ probably bigger enemies.¡±

    That proved too much for Olive to resist. She reached out and took the sword from Arwin. Her thumb ran along the in sheath and she stared at it for a second before shaking herself out of the stupor and attaching the sheath to her belt just above the other one.

    ¡°Done,¡± Olive said. ¡°Looking forward to working with you. That might have been the cheapest magical weapon ever sold. Now that I¡¯m trapped, was there really no trick? Was the sword damaged or something in a way that only a smith could see?¡±

    ¡°Trapped?¡± Arwin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not that I disagree, but nobody¡¯s forcing you to carry through the deal. It isn¡¯t magically enforced.¡±

    ¡°I gave my word. As long as you act ording to what you promised, then I¡¯ll do the same.¡±

    Arwin inclined his head in respect. It was looking more and more like he¡¯d made the right choice in looking to recruit her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the sword as far as I can tell.¡±

    ¡°Then why¡­¡± The befuddlement on Olive¡¯s face was so thick that Arwin couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°Does it matter? Don¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth.¡± Arwin jerked his chin over his shoulder. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get going. I have things to craft, and I¡¯ve been sitting around in this dungeon for long enough. And Olive, needless to say, keep that sword sheathed.¡±

    ¡°Logically,¡± Olive said with a nod.

    ¡°Great. Then let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

    Between his bow, learning how to make gauntlets and boots, and figuring out the secrets of [Molten Novice], he had a lot ahead of him ¨C and he wanted to get as much of it as possible done in the next few days.

    The chunks of metal in the forge were far toorge for Arwin to actually try and bring back, though it wasn¡¯t forck of trying. They felt like they¡¯d been welded into the ground and they stubbornly resisted any attempt to break chunks off them.

    After working at it for a few minutes, Arwin was forced to give up and follow on his earlier promise to head out.

    They took the armor off therge man as well, though it was a little too bulky to actually carry out without looking incredibly suspicious. Arwin spent a few moments studying it. The metal seemed decent, so he didn¡¯t want to waste it.

    At the same time, he had some materials to work with already and their bags were pretty full. Striding out with someone else¡¯s armor just held in his hands would be pretty suspicious ¡ª so he chose a different path. Arwin stashed the man¡¯s gear in the chest that they¡¯d taken the loot from before closing it.

    He doubted that anyone else would be making it to this location anytime soon. The key to it was still in the door, and it was unlikely that there was more than one.

    With everything secured, they headed out and back into the dungeon proper. Arwin closed the huge doors behind the group once they¡¯d left the strange workshop, pulling the key out from where it rested and tucking it into his pocket.

    As long as he had the key, he¡¯d have a way to get back into the room. It looked far too out of ce in the dungeon to not have been artificially made. The room would almost certainly still be around the next time they returned ¨C even if the way back was slightly different.

 Chapter 125: Back to the anvil

    Chapter 125: Back to the anvil

    With the key secured, the group made their way out of the dungeon. There were no more incidents and the rest of their trip went without hassle. The guards standing at the entrance barely even noticed them as they passed by and headed toward Milten.

    Their passage back through Milten¡¯s gates was just as uncontested as their way out of it. They looked the part of a guild and didn¡¯t even get so much as a second look from the men manning the entrance.

    Arwin fought the urge to shake his head in annoyance as they passed. He got the feeling it would be quite some time before the first guard¡¯s words ever left his ears.

    <em>Don¡¯t have beggars my ass. You¡¯ve got a crock of murderers and monsters instead. Suppose those are better for business, though. </em>

    ¡°If I¡¯ll be running with you lot for the near future, is there lodging that you¡¯ll be providing?¡± Olive asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t really worked in a guild before, but¨C¡±

    ¡°You can stay in the inn with us,¡± Reya told Olive. ¡°We just put in some new rooms.¡±

    ¡°Would that inn happen to be the same one we got food in?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lillia said, sending a nce over her shoulder at the shorter woman. ¡°Why? Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No. No problem at all,¡± Olive said meekly. ¡°I might need antern, though. It¡¯s a bit¡­ dark.¡±¡°Won¡¯t help much. The ones we¡¯ve got already kind of give as much light as you¡¯re going to get. The key is getting used to the dark,¡± Reya advised. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everything will be a lot more lively soon. We just need more customers so Lillia spends the energy to make her shadow monsters again.¡±

    Olive tilted her head to the side, which was a somewhat difficult feat to do whilst someone was walking. ¡°Shadow monsters?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster themed inn,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I haven¡¯t quitee up with a name yet, so don¡¯t ask. I¡¯ve got almost everything else set up, though. Including, well, the theme.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d told me that from the start, it would made a lot of sense,¡± Olive said. ¡°I can kind of see it. Exins the makeup. I kind of thought you were just¡­ uh, oddly into monsters. Like, a bit too much. Not that I¡¯m judging. Everyone¡¯s got their thing.¡±

    ¡°I think I might be setting myself up to get that a lot,¡± Lillia said with a wearyugh. ¡°It¡¯s fine. As far as things go, there are worse problems to have. I don¡¯t care what people think as long as they enjoy their stay ande back.¡±

    ¡°Which we have,¡± Rodrick put in. ¡°Great ce. Love the ambiance.¡±

    ¡°Rodrick, she¡¯s already staying in the inn. You don¡¯t need to sell her on it,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°It was practice,¡± Rodrick replied with a shrug. ¡°Got to get ready for when you run into random people that are just waiting for an inn rmendation.¡±

    ¡°Does that happen a lot?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But you never know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s appreciated nheless,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We didn¡¯t exactly pick the best spot to set up, but at least it fits the mood. Nobody shows up on that street expecting a boring experience.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still surprised it isn¡¯t haunted. With all the rumors I heard about it, I fully expected to find a ghost hanging by its neck when I walked into your tavern, blood dripping from its eyes and its insides inverted. Or something like that.¡±

    Everyone stopped walking to turn and look at Olive.

    ¡°What?¡± Olive asked defensively.

    ¡°You have a great imagination,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°And that was <em>very </em>detailed,¡± Reya said with a suspicious look. ¡°Have you seen something we haven¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No. I was just making up an example. Do you think I¡¯d be this calm if I¡¯d actually seen a ghost standing in front of me?¡±

    ¡°Honestly?¡± Arwin asked under his breath. ¡°It¡¯s a tossup.¡±

    Olive grunted, and they all walked the rest of the way in silence. It only took a few more minutes before they arrived at the supposedly haunted street. The only motion in sight was Ripely, still working away at building the smithy.

    He¡¯d continued to make good progress and the building was now well over a quarter of the way built. Arwin could practically see iting together in real time.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    <em>Technically, I suppose I am literally seeing ite together in real time, but it feels faster than it is. Oh, what¡¯s the point. Who am I justifying myself to? Myself?</em>

    They all walked up to the inn¡¯s door and stopped while Lillia unlocked it. She stopped to dump the bag on the ground and pulled out the materials she¡¯d gathered for Arwin, handing them over to him. He gave her an appreciative nod.

    ¡°So, what now?¡± Olive asked. ¡°Are we going out again soon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some crafting to do,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Armor to make. Weapons to forge. You¡¯re wee to do what you want ¨C I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be heading out again until the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°Is something happening then?¡±

    Lillia pulled the tavern door open and stepped inside, holding it open behind her for the others to start funneling in.

    ¡°We¡¯re killing some Wyrms,¡± Arwin replied.

    Olive whipped her head around to look at him, nearly tripping over her own feet in her surprise. ¡°We¡¯re what?¡±

    ¡°The others can fill you in,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the shitty building across the street if anyone needs me, but make sure it¡¯s important. I like to work uninterrupted whenever possible.¡±

    He turned and headed off while Olive gawked at his back.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Reya said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you your room. We¡¯ve got some new ones, so you can choose. We can get to the Wyrm stuffter, but don¡¯t worry too much. Thest time we fought the Wyrm, Arwin chipped its knee.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°That was thest time. He¡¯s got a bigger hammer now and we¡¯re all way stronger. Also, we¡¯ve got you and your new sword. That¡¯s got to count for something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. A toothpick,¡± Olive said, their voices fading behind Arwin as he stepped into his temporary smithy, a small grin on his face. It sounded like Olive was going to fit in with the others pretty well.

    She wasn¡¯t wrong, though. They weren¡¯t ready to fight Wyrms. Not yet. They were definitely getting much closer, but just as Titles and Achievements made massive differences for humans, they did the same for monsters.

    <em>That thing was no mere Journeyman monster. Even if we¡¯ve taken out a fair number of pretty strong Journeyman enemies in the dungeons, assuming a Wyrm will fall just as easily is a great way for us to all get killed. We need more power. </em>

    Arwin set the materials that Lillia had given him down on the anvil. They smelled slightly of spider guts, butpared to the uncleaned Maristeel that was still stinking his forge up more than he would have cared to admit, it wasn¡¯t bad.

    Some spider webbing. tes from a spider and a centipede. Enough to make a few pieces of armor if he didn¡¯t waste too much of it. On top of that, he had his Maristeel and Brightsteel left to work with ¨C not to mention just about 140 gold if he didn¡¯t count the 100 he still owed Ridley.

    <em>I think I¡¯ll start with greaves. They¡¯re the most logical option for something that fits into the Ivory Executioner set, and I¡¯m now missing them. After those cane gauntlets and then boots, in that order. </em>

    <em>Hmm. I don¡¯t have any more of that ivory-colored metal that I used for the helm and chest piece, though. </em>

    Arwin rubbed his chin, then picked up the spider silk, running it between his fingers. He also didn¡¯t know the faintest thing about weaving or properly preparing a string for a bow. It looked like he was going to have to take a quick visit into town. Finding a tailor to help with the silk and someone that could recognize the metal probably wouldn¡¯t be too hard, but he wasn¡¯t going to get his hopes up too early.

    ***

    ¡°Oh, sure I can! That¡¯s a simple enough,¡± the elderly tailor said with a kindly smile. She rubbed the strands of webbing between her fingers and nodded to Arwin. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long at all. You just want this woven into a single thread?¡±

    ¡°As strong as you can get it,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°I need a big bowstring, but for a bow made for a giant. A very short, rtively human sized giant.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say it¡¯s for someone strong?¡± The old woman cackled at the look on Arwin¡¯s face and patted him on the top of the head before sweeping into the back room in such a smooth motion that he could do nothing but watch.

    <em>That was¡­ odd. At least she can help, though. That¡¯s all that matters. The faster, the be¨C</em>

    The tailer burst out from behind the door, a glistening silver strand in her hands. ¡°Done!¡±

    Arwin nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°What? Already?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a tailor by ss and trade, son,¡± the woman said with a bark ofughter. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t weave together a few strands of spider poo, then I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be particrly good at either. How old do you think I am?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t say. I know enough not to try to guess at a woman¡¯s age.¡±

    The tailor¡¯s eyes crinkled in delight. ¡°Good one you are. Wise choice. Either way, twenty gold for the work.¡±

    <em>Twenty gold? Just to weave a bunch of threads when it took you less than a minute? Are you charging more for every year you live?</em>

    He didn¡¯t voice any of hisints. The price was painfully steep, but it was wrong toin about a service being done fast. All that mattered was that it turned out good ¨C and judging by the faint shimmer in the thread between the woman¡¯s fingers, that it had.

    Arwin handed over the gold and she deposited the string into his palm in a coil. He tucked it safely into a pocket with a nod.

    ¡°Thank you. I appreciate the prompt service.¡±

    ¡°Anytime, son. Come back soon.¡±

    The tailor shed Arwin a grin as he headed out the door, running the strand between his own fingers. He couldn¡¯t wait to put it onto his bow and see how it worked ¨C but he¡¯d need an arrow before he could do that.

    And, before he could get an arrow, he needed to get his hands on the ivory metal. Arwin set course for the only other smith he knew of in town. It had been a little while since he¡¯dst spoken to Taylor, but with any luck the other man would have the material he needed.

    Arwin¡¯s fingers were itching to get back into the smithy and start working. The only thing that kept him from heading straight back to start on a different project were the benefits he¡¯d earn when he finally finished the Ivory Executioner Armor.

    <em>I hope Taylor has the metal I need. It would be a pain if I have to go out in hopes that the System gives more of it to me in an achievement. </em>

    <em>I¡¯ve much to do, and I can¡¯t wait to see my bow and this sete together.</em>

 Chapter 126: Ivorin

    Chapter 126: Ivorin

    Arwin had to wait in a short line to meet Taylor. It looked like business had been good for the other smith, because he made something around six hundred gold in the time Arwin was standing around. He drummed his fingers against the back of his armor impatiently. He¡¯d summoned it beforeing into the store to avoid revealing any of [Arsenal]¡¯s abilities for no reason, but now it was getting a little awkward to just keep holding. It was also rather heavy and unwieldy.

    The group of adventurers that had been there before him filtered out the door and left the two of them alone in the room. Taylor hurriedly wrote something down on a piece of paper at his desk before turning his gaze to Arwin.

    ¡°What can I ¨C oh. You again. Still trying to get into the smithing business?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing what I can,¡± Arwin replied with a small shrug. He walked up to the table to stand across from the other smith. ¡°It¡¯s been fun. I suppose that¡¯s all I can say. I¡¯m flying blind a bit.¡±

    ¡°Not the way to go about smithing, I¡¯d say. You should probably go find someone willing to teach you if you ever want to sell anything.¡±

    ¡°You definitely aren¡¯t wrong. It¡¯s on the cards in the future.¡± It was good advice. If Arwin didn¡¯t have other responsibilities right now, it was advice he¡¯d be taking on the spot. Fortunately, the Mesh¡¯s guidance was enough to patch over hisck of a proper teacher for the time being. ¡°I was hoping you could identify something, though.¡±

    Arwin set the armor on the countertop, then tapped a streak of the ivory metal running through it. ¡°This metal right here. Do you know what it is?¡±

    Taylor¡¯s gaze sharpened. He reached down to pick the helmet up, but Arwin kept his hand on its top, not letting it off the table.

    ¡°Mind letting go so I can take a closer look?¡±¡°It¡¯s got personal significance to me. I¡¯m clingy,¡± Arwin said. He held the helmet up for Taylor. ¡°I¡¯d like to hold onto it.¡±

    Taylor shrugged. He squinted at the metal, then tapped a fingernail against it. The smith studied it for a few more moments, muttering under his breath as the interest in his expression grew.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you get this?¡±

    ¡°It was a gift from a friend. Do you recognize the ivory metal?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Taylor said. He sent onest look at the helm before letting out a small whistle. ¡°That¡¯s a fancy piece. It¡¯s¡­ odd, actually. Some parts of it seem expertly forged, but others are¡­ unique, I suppose. I can¡¯t tell if this is an art piece or a deadly weapon. If I saw it in a dungeon, I¡¯d assume it were magical.¡±

    <em>Oh, it is. I¡¯m just not telling you that. I like its stats nice and hidden. </em>

    ¡°Could you tell me what the metal is, then? I¡¯m trying to get more of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no surprise. Anyone who¡¯s worked with it always wants more. This is Ivorin. It¡¯s not amon metal to work with, but it¡¯s tough. Good stuff.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got any you¡¯d be willing to part with?¡± Arwin tried. It was nice to have a name to put to the metal. He needed as much of it as he could get ¨C between his greaves, gauntlets, and boots, there was a chance he¡¯d need up to a dozen bars depending on how poorly his efforts went.

    ¡°I have some. It¡¯s not cheap, though,¡± Taylor warned. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a bar for fifty gold. If you¡¯re just starting to learn the basics of smithing, I¡¯d probably stick with something cheaper. Roughsteel goes for one gold a bar ¨C or maybe just scrap, for that matter. Wasting that much gold on metal isn¡¯t a good idea when you¡¯re not going to get a return.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the concern,¡± Arwin said with a smile. He took the armor off the table and tucked it back under his arm with a grunt. With his other hand, he dug through his pockets and took fifty gold out. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m a fast learner. Do you have more Ivorin you¡¯d be willing to sell?¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s your money.¡± Taylor swept the gold off the counter. ¡°And I¡¯ll check the back to see what I¡¯ve got.¡±

    He headed off. Arwin waited by the counter for a few minutes until Taylor returned, a bar of ivory metal in his hands. Taylor thunked it down on the counter and pushed it over.

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    ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯ve got, I take it?¡± Arwin guessed.

    ¡°Yeah, afraid so. It¡¯s a good metal, but it isn¡¯t irreplicable and it¡¯s a bit rare. Not worth me keeping a lot of it around. The only reason I¡¯m selling it is that I¡¯ve got others that fit my projects better and I hate to see good material go to waste. I suppose this one will just find its purpose in training.¡±

    Arwin tried not tough at Taylor¡¯spleteck of confidence in him. He wasn¡¯t particrly bothered by it. Taylor had seen him functionally begging for scrap metal just a short while ago. All he needed was for the smith to sell him what he needed.

    <em>I do need to look into getting a proper supplier at some point soon if I want specific stuff that I¡¯m not just finding in dungeons. I¡¯ll have to keep an eye out. If I remember correctly, I think Reya managed to find someone else to buy stuff from. Maybe they¡¯d be of use. And, if not, a merchant that visitsrger cities that can buy stuff for me in proxy.</em>

    ¡°I appreciate it nheless,¡± Arwin said. He picked the bar up and inclined his head. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± Taylor raised a hand in farewell as Arwin headed out of the smithy and down the street.

    He returned to his street without dy, using [Arsenal] to banish his armor as soon as he was into an alleyway. It was far too unwieldy to just waddle around carrying it under an arm, and it was going to end up drawing too much attention.

    Arwin made it back to his makeshift smithy and set his new Ivorin bar down on his anvil. He tossed a ball of [Soul me] into the hearth and pulled out his Brightsteel. There was enough metal between them to make his greaves.

    There wasn¡¯t any reason to wait any longer, so he got started. Arwin brought the Brightsteel and Ivorin over to the mes to heat them, then summoned Verdant ze and tapped his fingers on its haft as he waited for the metal to get up to temperature.

    <em>I can¡¯t wait until I have my real smithy up and running again. It¡¯s not even like [Soul me] takes all that long to warm stuff as it is, but having a bellows would go a long way in making things even faster. </em>

    Unfortunately, that was still a few days in the future at the absolute minimum. Arwin was forced to suffer the torture of waiting a few more minutes until his metal was a ruddy orange and ready for him to get started.

    He began by hammering the Brightsteel out into a te. me rolled off every strike that Verdant ze drove into the metal, making short work of it. It wasn¡¯t long until hammerscale was king off the metal.

    Arwin used [Soul me] and [Scourge] to split the te into several sections once it got thin enough, then set everything to the side and repeated the process with the Ivorin. It unsurprisingly took nearly double the time to get the ivory metal worked out.

    Eventually, Arwin had everything he needed. He put several pieces back into the mes and cleared the surface of his anvil of any remaining ck hammerscale. Once the pieces were hot enough, he set them down on the anvil and started folding them over each other.

    The metal came together slowly, the [Soul me] pouring out of Verdant ze¡¯s head forcing it to merge with every blow. Arwin folded the metal over and over again, working to make sure that it waspletely integrated.

    As before, he repeated the process for every workable piece he¡¯d set aside. Time slipped through his fingers like grains of sand, but he was too focused on his work to so much as notice. The only thing that lived in his mind was the ring of his hammer.

    When every piece had been prepared, Arwin set about the most embarrassing part ¨C holding each one up and trying to figure out if it actually wanted to be part of a set of greaves. He had enough of the melded metal that he didn¡¯t need all of it to y along, but if too much was against the idea, he¡¯d be in trouble.

    Fortunately, the first few pieces were all aligned. The Ivorin had been sitting around in Taylor¡¯s shop for a while and was eager to be used for just about anything, and the Brightsteel seemed roughly indifferent to anything he did.

    He set thergest parts that were willing to work with him aside. With them secured and the intent appropriate, the only thing he still needed was the metal to make the finishing touches ¨C the sps, bolts, and any other smallponents that he had to pin together.

    That proved to be slightly more difficult.

    ¡°Being a horseshoe is aplete waste,¡± Arwin informed the small piece he¡¯d picked up and had been talking to for the past few minutes. ¡°That¡¯s a noble use, sure. But there are no horses here. Nobody would use you.¡±

    The metal was faltering. That was the only reason he was still working at it. If it had wanted to be anything he could have conceivably needed in the near future, he would have been fine to set it to the side.

    A horseshoe was not one of those things.

    ¡°Come on. Think about how fun it would be to be a nail,¡± Ariwn said. ¡°You¡¯d pin everything together. The armor wouldn¡¯t beplete if you weren¡¯t there to hold it together. What would life be without the pins that hold everything together?¡±

    A flicker of eptance came from the metal ¨C or perhaps it had just been exasperation. Whatever the reason, it had given in enough for Arwin to be confident that it would probably y along when it came time to add it to the armor.

    <em>Thank god it wasn¡¯t actually magical. If it was, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way I would have won the argument¡­ especially after that new [Awaken] ability I got. </em>

    Arwin set the piece to the side and looked over all the metal he¡¯d prepared. All of ity in wait for him. Everything was set up and there was no more prep work to be done. Even though the sun was starting to set outside, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    It was time to give his best shot at making the next item in the Ivory Executioner set.

 Chapter 127: A choice of power

    Chapter 127: A choice of power

    Arwin¡¯s hammer rang so much that it might as well have been an entire chorus of bells. He worked the metal relentlessly. Steadily, it grew closer and closer into the shape that he wanted.

    The armor he¡¯d made for Lillia had given him a number of ideas. He didn¡¯t want to copy the exact same structure ¨C he got hit far too often to want to rely on something that fragile, but using multiple segmented tes for moving sections felt like a good hinge mechanism.

    He used the horn of the anvil to make several small, curved tes that would be the coverings for his knees. He then formed the front top half of the greaves out of a single piece of metal, repeating the process for the front of the other leg. He quenched and cleaned every piece as he made it, making sure that it was properly prepared forter assembly before moving on to the next step.

    The lower parts of the greaves followed a simr pattern, and he finished by making the tes that would make up their back. Arwin extended the metaling out of the bottom halves of his greaves to form cups that would be positioned over the segmented knee joints to protect them from direct blows.

    Heid everything out, testing to make sure it fit together as well as possible. The Mesh had guided a fair amount of his work through the process but he hadn¡¯t followed itpletely. His armor was a mixture of his own desires and the Mesh¡¯s suggestions.

    That seemed to be the best way to make anything, but it came with an increased risk of making an amateur mistake. Arwin spent around an hour working out the smaller mistakes in the metal and making sure everything fit together properly.

    He then set about making the sps and connecting the pieces together with pins. Every piece in the joints was checked to ensure it wouldn¡¯t lock up or catch on anything before he moved on.

    The armor was starting to truly take shape. With every new piece that Arwin validated, it grew closer to bing apleted set of greaves. The Mesh started to swirl within the metal as he worked, but there was still more to do before it could be consideredplete.

    Arwin took the leather that he still had remaining from his previous work and cut it apart, inserting it into the insides of the greaves and pinning it in ce. Smoke hissed as he used [Soul me] and [Scourge] to heat and pinch off the ends of the metal right at the edge of the leather, squishing them into smooth disks to ensure they wouldn¡¯t dig into his skin.The day crawled on and night swallowed the sky, and still Arwin worked. He slid straps through the sps and added designs into the greaves ¨C not so much as to draw attention, but enough to make them both look and feelplete.

    And then, finally, his work was done. He lifted his hand from the glistening metal. His eyes traced the swirls of ivory running through the silvery metal like tendrils of pale me. It glistened in the light of the hearth.

    The Mesh erupted forth.

    <strong>[Ivory Executioner Greaves: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    Arwin grinned. He¡¯d finally reached Apprentice 5 ¨C which meant it was time to select a skill to specialize in. With all the Achievements he¡¯d gathered that upgraded the quality of his next skills, he was greatly looking forward to seeing the options that he had to choose from.

    But, before he could get around to that he turned his gaze to the greaves that he¡¯d just finished to see what rewards his efforts had sown.

    <strong>[Ivory Executioner Greaves: Rare Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[Dread Momentum]: Forged in the image of the Ivory Executioner, this item hungers for blood. After this item¡¯s wielder kills an opponent, it will draw a portion of their magical energy into itself and convert it into movement speed for its wearer thatsts until their next blow or natural dissipation. Energy gained increases with consecutive kills within a short period of time. </strong>

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    <strong>[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Arwin Tyrr. Its abilities will not function for any other users. </strong>

    <strong>[Executioner¡¯s Silence]: This item¡¯s properties are concealed from others. </strong>

    <strong>[Armor of the Executioner]: This is a set item of [?] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    Arwin¡¯s grin grew as he saw thest two lines. The Mesh had recognized the greaves as part of his set. They functioned very simrly to the helm in that their ability only activated after he got a kill. He wasn¡¯t sure if that counted as a detrimental trait or not, but he suspected that it did. Having equipment that only started working after defeating someone else was a bit of a risk.

    The reward was more than worth it. The greaves were simple, but they seemed incredibly effective. He got faster with every kill for the duration of one blow. It was an item meant for dealing withrge groups of rtively weak enemies.

    If he approached battles strategically, it would let him ramp up aggressively throughout the fight. Taking out opponents in order of weakest to strongest would let him ¨C at least in theory ¨C steamroll through the stronger enemies before they could properly defend themselves. It was an item entirely focused on momentum, just as the description noted.

    Arwin nodded to himself as he slipped the greaves on to ensure they sat properly on his body. He was unsurprised to find that the fit was perfect. The mesh had helped him make them specifically for himself, so it would have been odd if they were ufortable.

    That didn¡¯t stop him from doing a few test moves, just to make sure nothing felt amiss. Everything felt great. More than pleased with the results of his work, he activated [Arsenal] and bound himself to the greaves before dismissing them.

    Arwin couldn¡¯t help but notice that the Ivory Executioner set hadn¡¯t beenpleted. That wasn¡¯t really a surprise. At the bare minimum, he was going to need to fix the chest piece. It had been the set¡¯s namesake, after all. He¡¯d find out if he needed gauntlets or boots after that.

    <em>Full body sets were pretty rare, so I¡¯d be willing to bet this is a 3-piece set. I certainly hope it is. I want to see what benefits I get frompleting it as well as the full strength of the helmet. </em>

    <em>That cer. I need to get magical greaves for Rodrick. Maybe a magical weapon as well. I need our other frontliner able to stand beside me without getting taken out in the first blow or two. </em>

    <em>That cer, though. I¡¯ve done enough smithing for tonight. The work is done. It¡¯s time for the fun part. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got waiting for me, Mesh.</em>

    Arwin summoned his status with a thought. Golden letters swirled forth eagerly, as if the Mesh had been waiting for the moment to show itself.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 5)</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Specialization Avable. </strong>

    Arwin selected the final glowing message with a thought. Words shifted and faded away as new ones took their ce.

    <strong>Choose a Skill to specialize in. </strong>

    <strong>[Awaken]</strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice]</strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal]</strong>

    <strong>[The Hungering Maw]</strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes traced over the options. The first few were exactly as he¡¯d expected, but thest one came from the Challenge that he¡¯d earned. A frown crawled across his lips. [The Hungering Maw] wasn¡¯t a skill.

    It was a title. Titles couldn¡¯t be upgraded. They were t boons ¨C or curses ¨C that stuck around and remained unchanging. He hadn¡¯t been certain how the option would show up, but the Mesh was treating as if it were just any other skill.

    That made for an interesting dilemma. There were a number of skills that Arwin would have liked to specialize in already. [Arsenal] was functionally the only skill he <em>wouldn¡¯t </em>have<em></em>wanted to choose.

    [Molten Novice] seemed like it would have a lot of potential once he got it working, but it was such a big question that he didn¡¯t want to risk specializing into it ¨C not to mention that it didn¡¯t actually give him any benefits yet. It was just too much of a risk.

    [Soul me], on the other hand, was an incredible option. He already used it extensively for just about all of his work. Specializing in it would give him morebat and crafting options alike.

    His other good option was [Awaken]. It would have been his first choice if not for the unsettling potential drawbacks of advancing it too quickly. But, even with the risk it posed, it was still immensely tempting.

    But¡­ upgrading a Title ¨C that was new. The upgrade came from a Challenge called Curb the Hunger, which implied it would be rted to controlling [The Hungering Maw]. If upgrading it gave him more insight or control over the ability, it would be invaluable.

    Then again, there was the chance that upgrading it would just result in a more powerful maw that demanded even stronger items to let him survive in exchange for some other boon. In that case, choosing it would be the same as signing his own death warrant.

    Arwin crossed his arms and stared at the glowing letters before him. They shimmered innocently, lying in wait so he could determine his future.

    <em>Which one do I choose?</em>

 Chapter 128: The selection

    Chapter 128: The selection

    It wasn¡¯t an easy decision. [Soul me], [Awaken], and [The Hungering Maw] were all equally viable. It took him quite some time to figure out which one he could even think about crossing off the list first.

    Arwin eventually managed to cross off [Soul me]. While it was powerful,pletely specializing into it felt like a bit of an overcorrection. He was a smith, not a fire mage. That left the two skills that basically made up the core of his ss. Creation and consumption.

    Life and death ¨C except Arwin wasn¡¯t sure which was which. Both of them had the potential topletely screw him over if they grew strong enough. He drummed his fingers against his upper thigh and sucked on his cheeks as he thought.

    Finally, he heaved a sigh. The Mesh had given him a challenge to learn how to use [The Hungering Maw]. Sure, it had given him a direct upgrade offer to the ability, but that didn¡¯t mean it was a good choice. He¡¯d learned that following exactly what the Mesh wanted resulted in Unique weapons, not necessarily good ones or the ones he wanted.

    That didn¡¯t seem to be the case this time. [The Hungering Maw] was already ruling his life. It was time to try and take back some of that control. Even if it came at a big risk of requiring him to make even stronger items to survive, it was a risk he had to take.

    He selected it. The Mesh¡¯s golden words shimmered and changed. Something twisted in the center of Arwin¡¯s chest. A tendril of pain wove into his stomach and stretched out through his body. It faded as quickly as it hade, bringing with it a new message from the Mesh.

    <strong>[The Hungering Maw] ¨C <em>An enormous burst of energy has permanently infused you with magic, but not without cost. You must consume objects or items with Magical Energy equivalent to your current Magical Power every week to survive. Consuming an item temporarily grants you some of its properties. The Hungering Maw¡¯s pte has advanced and it has a significant chance to ignore detrimental effects of items that it has eaten. </em></strong>

    <strong>Title: [Magical Olfactory] has been earned due to [The Hungering Maw]¡¯s advancement.</strong>

    Arwin let out a breath of relief. Nothing about the upgrade had indicated that the Hungering Maw would require stronger items from here on out. It had just been a pure upgrade ¨C and an interesting one at that.Potentially ignoring the detrimental effects of items he ate was quite the boon. It wasn¡¯tpletely reliable, but it was a huge buff to the effectiveness of eating items mid fight.

    <em>Even if I should still try to avoid items with Brittle or the like while fighting, if I¡¯ve got something with a powerful benefit and a mediocre drawback, it¡¯s now a lot more viable. I can even use the ones with worse drawbacks in really bad scenarios. </em>

    <em>With this upgrade, I should significantly increase the importance I put on making small pieces to have around, both to keep the Maw at bay as well as to use while fighting. But¡­ what was the title I got?</em>

    Arwin summoned it with a thought.

    <strong>[Magical Olfactory] ¨C <em>The Maw¡¯s influence spreads. With sufficient concentration, you can smell the scents and quality of magic within items. </em></strong>

    That was it. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as he re-read the title to see if he¡¯d missed something, but there was no more information. It was as simple as that. He summoned [Verdant ze] to his hands and raised it to his nose.

    Arwin did his best not to feel like aplete idiot as he took a sniff of the hammer. It just smelled like metal. But, even as he started to lower it, Arwin realized he¡¯d missed a note. He lifted the hammer again and sniffed at it once more.

    The note was distant and faded, but it came forth the longer Arwin concentrated on it. It didn¡¯t smell anything like what a hammer should have smelled like. His eyebrows knit together as he tried to ce the scent.

    It was something between honey and burnt sugar, with notes of earth scattered throughout. And, while he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the scent was, Arwin knew one thing for certain. It smelled delicious.

    He lowered the hammer before he could even think about taking a bite out of it. Verdant ze was too powerful to waste as a snack ¨C and given how hard it had been to eat Tix¡¯s sword, he suspected he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat it easily anyway.

    <em>Why would smelling the magic in something be useful enough for The Hungering Maw to give me a whole title for it? It¡¯s got to have something to do with the main title, but I have no idea what. I suppose I¡¯ll find out soon enough. I¡¯m going to have to sniff every magic item I get for a while until I figure out what this Title¡¯s actual use is. </em>

    As odd as it was, Arwin still couldn¡¯tin. Specializing in [The Hungering Maw] had gone very well. He hadn¡¯t made his situation any worse and had a new way to use the ability in a fight.

    And, if his suspicious were correct and the Mesh wasn¡¯t ying with him, smelling magic would somehow be useful to finding a way to get the Title under control. It wouldn¡¯t havee from a Challenge specifically to rein [The Hungering Maw] in otherwise.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Arwin yawned. He rubbed at his eyes with a finger, then shook his head. It was pretty dark out and the night was well underway. As tempting as it was to keep working, his body wasn¡¯t invincible. He needed sleep.

    He summoned the [Soul me] out of the hearth and dismissed Verdant ze before heading over to the tavern.

    Lillia had fortunately left the door unlocked for him. He stepped through it and closed it quietly behind him. It looked like he hadn¡¯t been the only one that was hard at work. Lillia had added several new tables to the tavern and an imp d in its maid outfit was rubbing at one of the tables with a rag.

    <em>This ce is really starting to look like a tavern. I wonder what she¡¯ll specialize in at Apprentice 5. Maybe we should try to see if we can activate a Challenge for her to get the inn under control or something like that. If they exist for me, they have to exist for everyone. </em>

    It was something they could look into once the Wyrm horde was dealt with. The more pressing matter would be making himself some bracelets or other magical items to use during the uing fight in addition to re-outfitting Rodrick and anyone else that he could slot in before they left.

    <em>We¡¯re on good schedule right now. Tomorrow I should be able to get some greaves and maybe a sword for Rodrick. I¡¯ll try to get my bow strung and see if it holds up with the spider silk string. After that I¡¯ll make some bracelets ¨C that should be quick. Some gauntlets and boots will follow since they¡¯ll take the most time. If there¡¯s any room to keep working afterward, I can look into making more gear for Olive, Reya, and Lillia. Maybe even some for Anna as well if I can figure out something I can make for a healer that doesn¡¯t weigh her down.</em>

    Arwin nodded to himself. Having a n took a lot of the weight off his shoulders, even if it was entirely just in his head. It gave him something to focus on. He was still nodding when he realized that Lillia was watching him from the kitchen.

    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re still awake?¡± Arwin asked, catching his head mid-nod and freezing in ce.

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°You look pretty happy with yourself. Find a way to finish the bow?¡±

    ¡°Not the bow. I did want to, but if something went wrong while I was putting it together, I know I¡¯d get stuck trying to fix it instead of doing something more pressing. I made myself some new greaves and reached Apprentice 5 instead.¡± Arwin summoned his greaves onto himself so Lillia could take a look.

    She read over them, her eyebrows lifting, before raising her gaze back to meet his and giving him an impressed nod. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see that in a fight against a bunch of little runts. Rare item as well. Guess you figured it out?¡±

    ¡°Kind of. It¡¯s not perfect yet, but it works a lot better. I think I¡¯ll have even more luck once I find a proper smith to learn a few things from, but I can¡¯t ask Taylor. I think that would be a bit much.¡±

    ¡°Considering we¡¯re going to be directlypeting with him pretty soon? Almost certainly,¡± Lillia said with a smallugh. ¡°You¡¯re just lucky he doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°I definitely need to look into getting a supplier. I need to do a lot of things.¡±

    ¡°They never seem to end, do they?¡± Lillia gave him a knowing look. ¡°I feel the same. Did you know there are suppliers for inns? That¡¯s great for normal food, but if I want to work with materials from monsters, everything suddenly gets way harder. It¡¯s so expensive that I might as well just get everything myself. Which is, granted, what we¡¯ve been doing thus far.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about supply shortages or something?¡±

    ¡°Maybe at some point in the future,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Mostly just trying to make sure I¡¯mpletely ready to handle new people when they start showing up. Do you like the new tables?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking this ce is starting to look like a real tavern,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Are the rooms upstairs doing just as well?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re on their way to it.¡±

    ¡°Then all we need is names. We¡¯ve been pushing that off for a while, haven¡¯t we?¡± Arwin asked with augh. ¡°For both the tavern and the guild.¡±

    ¡°And your smithy.¡±

    ¡°That too,¡± Arwin said with a grimace. ¡°Problems that can wait for the sunlight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lillia nodded. She looked over her shoulder into the kitchen, then back to him. ¡°Hungry? I made sandwiches.¡±

    ¡°You already know the answer to that. Just give me a bit to get ready,¡± Arwin said. He dismissed his armor and headed over to take a bath.

    When he came out, Lillia was already waiting for him. They wordlessly headed over to her room and sat down on the bed to eat. Arwin tried sniffing at the sandwich to see if it had any magic in it, but it was just a sandwich. A very, very tasty sandwich.

    They both finished their meals, not speaking a word until they were done.

    ¡°Thanks for the food,¡± Arwin said as he polished thest of it off. ¡°It was fantastic. As always.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lillia said from her spot leaning against his side. ¡°I saw someone walking by the street today, by the way. Just an adventurer. He didn¡¯t actually head in, but I think he was considering it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like we might have some customers soon.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lillia agreed, a note of hope entering her voice. ¡°That would be nice.¡±

    She yawned, and Arwin heard her shift beside him. ¡°I¡¯m probably going to try to get up early tomorrow. I¡¯ve got a carpentering in to help with some basic decoration for the rooms.¡±

    ¡°Probably a good idea. I¡¯ve got a lot of work tomorrow as well. Going to try and get Rodrick some more armor made. Do you want anything yourself?¡±

    Lillia let out a softugh. ¡°The armor you made me is more than enough for someone who fights on the backline. Don¡¯t worry about me right now. All I need is rest and the dark ¨C or the closest I can get to it, at least.¡±

    <em>I remember she said a while back that she didn¡¯t get the benefit of pure dark that I do when I sit in her room. Never would have thought that such good darkvision would actually be a detriment. </em>

    ¡°Do you mind if I try something?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Try what?¡±

    ¡°For your vision problem ¨C or rather,ck thereof.¡±

    ¡°I suppose not. It¡¯s not really an issue that can be fixed. I can even see through my eyelids because of how thin they are, you know. Great for fighting when someone¡¯s throwing dust at your face. Not so good for sleep.¡±

    Arwin lifted his hands, taking a figurative and literal shot in the dark to guess where her face was. Lillia stiffened against him as his hands traced up her face until they found her eyes and covered them.

    ¡°There,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You can¡¯t see now, can you?¡±

    He felt her face move ever so slightly as a small smile pulled across her lips. ¡°No. I can¡¯t. Not at all. It¡¯s¡­ nice.¡±

    Arwin nodded in agreement, and neither of them said anything more. They remained there in silence, enjoying the darkness together as the night continued its march toward the morning.

 Chapter 129: Golden hamsters

    Chapter 129: Golden hamsters

    The following morning came sooner than it was wee to. Lillia, albeit reluctantly, kept to her promise of getting to work early. Arwin did the same. They headed out of her room and into themon area when the sun had yet toplete its journey above the horizon.

    Arwin wasted no time in heading out to his smithy to get back to work. He had too much he wanted to do to sit around and wait, no matter howforting the embrace of darkness was. As soon as he arrived, he tossed an orb of [Soul me] into the hearth.

    He had a fair amount of Brightsteel to work with along with some scraps from his work with the Ivorin in addition to the Maristeel and all the monster parts they¡¯d taken out of the dungeon.

    <em>If I¡¯m making Rodrick some good armor, I might as well go all out. Maristeel it is. I¡¯ve still got some cleaned Maristeel from the bow, so I¡¯ll use that for the areas that are most likely to get hit. Blue and silver go well together anyway.</em>

    Arwin gathered the metal he needed and set it into the hearth to heat. He then leaned against his anvil and drummed his fingers against his leg as he thought. After all the time he and Rodrick had spent fighting together, he still couldn¡¯t ce a particr fighting style for the other man.

    It didn¡¯t seem like Rodrick favored anything in particr. He wasn¡¯t overly fast, nor was he slow. He wasn¡¯t someone who sat in the front and took every single hit, but he didn¡¯t shy away from getting hit when the time called for it either.

    In summary, he was a fighter that sat perfectly in the middle of the road. Arwin¡¯s frown grew deeper. There was nothing wrong with that, but he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Rodrick had be such a fighter out of choice or if it had been because he¡¯d Fallen and lost ess to advancing his pdin abilities.

    <em>Every pdin I¡¯ve ever met was always the sort to stick themselves in the frontline and draw as much attention as possible. They usually weren¡¯t the fastest fighters because their abilities let them hold ground and heal themselves from the worst attacks. </em>

    <em>Rodrick definitely fights as if he¡¯s protecting others, but none of his abilities lend themselves to it anymore. I shouldn¡¯t just build him something that lets him continue as he is now. The armor I make should bring out the best in people ¨C it should let them fight the way they really want to fight.</em>A shape started to take form in Arwin¡¯s mind. te greaves, simr to his, but a little lighter to allow faster movement. Rodrick didn¡¯t have a good way to get around and couldn¡¯t banish his armor like Arwin could. It was important for him to be able to move quickly.

    Arwin took the Brightsteel from the forge andid it out on his anvil. He summoned [Verdant ze] and got to work hammering it out into a t te. His mind swirled with thought as his body worked on its own.

    If there was one thing he¡¯d gotten good at with his very questionable smithing practices, it was hammering a piece of metal out into a t te. With the aid of the [Soul me] bursting from every strike, it wasn¡¯t long before Arwin had the Brightsteel workable and ready for him.

    He brushed thest of the ck kes away from the metal, then split it out into segments before setting the majority of them to the side and picking up thergest.

    ¡°Well?¡± Arwin asked, holding up the still-warm metal. ¡°Greaves. How bout it?¡±

    The metal seemed to be fine with it. There wasn¡¯t much else to say. Brightsteel wasn¡¯t the mostmunicative of the materials that Arwin had worked with before. It was pretty impassive about almost everything for the most part, which made it great to work with.

    He nodded to himself and set the piece aside before picking up the next one. He went through all the pieces, splitting them into two piles. Therger one was more than happy to be made into a pair of greaves, while the considerably smaller one seemed more interested in being a weapon.

    Arwin was pretty sure he could have convinced them to be something else. He didn¡¯t bother ¨C it wouldn¡¯t be long before he¡¯d need a sword anyway. There was no reason to spend effort making the metal change its mind when he had more than enough to work with right now.

    He moved the Brightsteel out of the way and turned back to the heating piece of Maristeel. He was pretty sure that there was enough there to make all the additions to the greaves that he wanted to.

    <em>I won¡¯t actually need all that much Maristeel since I¡¯m mostly using it to highlight and reinforce key areas than I am to make giant tes. I¡¯ve got to be a bit conservative with it because I have no clue when I¡¯m going to get more of this stuff. Just a little will go a very long way, though. </em>

    Arwin picked up the heated Maristeel. He tapped a finger on its warm, glowing golden surface. ¡°So? What about you? Greaves sound good?¡±

    The blue metal was slower to respond than the Brightsteel was, but the feeling that it gave him wasplete agreement. It was just as grateful to be used for greaves as it had been to be used for a bow. The chance to be anything other than rotting on the corpse of a monster was like gold to it.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    <em>I wonder if metal understands the concept of money. Would it be weird to think about how some metal is more valuable than other metal, or that most people trade specifically with one type of metal?</em>

    <em>Actually, for that matter, what would money want to be? I almost want to ask a gold coin what it would want to be. I¡¯d feel bad if I couldn¡¯t actually make it, though. What if it wants to be a giant golden statue of a hamster or something like that? It would cost way too much. </em>

    <em>One day, maybe.</em>

    Arwin put the Maristeel back at the edge of the hearth to keep it warm, then rewarmed the Brightsteel before getting to work on the first piece. The Mesh shimmered across the metal, guiding his hammer strikes and helping him form it.

    It was far from the first piece of armor that he¡¯d made for Rodrick, so it came rather easily to him. The Mesh¡¯s help only made things go even faster. He followed many of its suggestions, only deviating in the parts where he nned to add in the Maristeel.

    As far as he could tell, the Mesh didn¡¯t ount for the other materials he had waiting around in most situations. It only considered the ones he was currently working with.

    <em>I wonder if that¡¯s why relyingpletely on it results in Unique items more often than not. </em>

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to test that particr theory. Whether it was true or not, he¡¯d already determined that the most effective way to make anything was a partnership with the Mesh rather thanplete reliance.

    Hours slipped by as they always did. The ring of Verdant ze against metal echoed through the house as a pair of greaves took shape beneath Arwin¡¯s steady hands. He set the individual pieces to the side as he made them, going through his Brightsteel rtively quickly.

    Once he¡¯d made the rough shapes of all the parts he needed to, Arwin brushed the anvil off and headed over to the hearth to retrieve the Maristeel. He split it into several parts and got back to work.

    He first made the kneecaps, working entirely with Maristeel to make sure the joints would be as protected as possible. Blows to the kneecaps were some of the most dangerous because of how they could cripple a warrior, so making them from a tougher metal was a no-brainer.

    That didn¡¯t take too long. The Maristeel wasn¡¯t as easy to work with as Brightsteel, but Arwin still made good time on it. Once the caps wereplete, Arwin set them aside and drew in a deep breath.

    Now came the harder part. He collected one of the upper-thigh pieces of Brightsteel and set it down beside a thin piece of Maristeel, chewing his lower lip in thought. He needed to merge the two pieces of metal together to make a line that ran through the side of the metal that would help stop any shing blows from cutting through the Brightsteel too easily.

    <em>Whelp. Easiest way probably can¡¯t hurt. I can¡¯t imagine this is the proper way to handle things, but [Soul me] is great atbining stuff pretty effectively. It¡¯s worked before, so I can¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t work now.</em>

    Arwin set the Brightsteel into the hearth and heated it, then used [Scourge] to empower his fingers and pull it apart down the middle. He kept as much of the original shape as possible, but still had to spend a few minutes hammering it back out to smoothen everything again.

    Once the two halves were prepared, Arwin formed the Maristeel into an odd T-shape, leaving the top of the T thin. The branch running down from it was considerably thicker and was just as long as the width of the Brightsteel.

    He thenid everything on top of each other, sliding the pieces of Brightsteel in on either side of the branch and leaving the head of the T showing on the outside of the armor. Arwin got to work striking the metal with Verdant ze, using the [Soul me] that poured from its head to weld the metal together temporarily.

    It wasn¡¯t the strongest bond, but he was far from done. Once the metal was stuck and as merged as two different pieces of metal were going to get, he made several pins out of Maristeel. He poked tiny holes through the newly-bonded metal, then pushed the bolts through them with help from [Scourge].

    Picking Verdant ze up once more, he got to work hammering everything out to make it as smooth as possible before bringing the piece over to the oil barrel and dunking it in. me rolled up with a loud hiss, but he ignored it and pulled the section of the greaves out once the fire had receded.

    He cleaned it off, then studied the fruits of hisbor. A rippling line of blue ran down the outside of the armor like a wave. The seam between it and the Brightsteel was almost nonexistent. Arwin grinned to himself.

    He still had the rest of the armor to repeat the process with, and that was exactly what he did. Everything was considerably faster now that he knew what to do. Unfortunately, considerably was a rtive term.

    By the time Arwin had finished melding the Maristeel and the Brightsteel to form a single pair of nearlyplete greaves, much of the day had already passed and night was already at his doorstep.

    That only made him work faster. The metalwork was done, but he still needed to add some padding on the inside. Arwin took leather from his nearly depleted supplies, making a mental note to ask Reya to get him some more, then got to work pinning it into ce. His mind was split between the actual work and the greaves¡¯ eventual purpose and owner. It wasn¡¯t enough for them to be good or effective. They had to be right for Rodrick.

    The Mesh gathered at his fingertips. It had been present throughout almost all of the process, but it grew stronger with every move he made. The humming energy could sese that he¡¯d nearlypleted his work. It wanted to see the final result just as much as he did.

    Finally, Arwin pinned thest piece of leather into ce. He released the greaves and set them down as power flooded out of his hands and into the metal, preparing for the Mesh to burst forth and reward him for his work.

    Instead, a different power met his mind. What felt like a freezing cold wave mmed into Arwin¡¯s spine and he drew in a sharp breath as power swirled around the greaves and flooded ¨C not out of him, but in.

    A vision swirled at the edges of Arwin¡¯s eyes and he dropped to the ground, sitting before he could fall over.

    The greaves were trying to awaken, and he could already tell they weren¡¯t nearly as receptive to his goal as the metal had initially been.

    ¡°Pick up an attitude while I was forging you, did you?¡± Arwin asked, gritting his teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got to say.¡±

    He threw himself into the vision and the world went white.

 Chapter 130: The Left Arm

    Chapter 130: The Left Arm

    Arwin stood on an outcropping of rocks in the center of a churning river. Water crashed against the small shore of his ind and sprayed up, peppering against his skin. The roar of the water was loud enough to drown out any other noise that may have been there, but there was no need.

    Nothing existed beyond the river. An expanse of ck stretched out around him, starting right at the edges of the riverbank. It ran as far as the eye could see. Arwin had no idea where the light illuminating him and the flowing river in its faint golden glow wasing from, but there was no sun to be seen.

    As it had been with both the bow and his helm, there were no words or direct requests in the vision. But, unlike the others, the exact desires of the greaves felt muted and distant. There wasn¡¯t direct opposition or eptance of Arwin¡¯s desires in themselves. It was more like the greaves were trying to resist influence of any sort.

    The flowing river intensified, soaking Arwin¡¯s clothes through with water. He squinted and held his hands up to protect his face as waves mmed into his small ind. They poured over the rocks, carrying with them a deep chill that sought to prate to his core.

    He stood firm. There wasn¡¯t any argument to be had with the river. It wasn¡¯t looking to be convinced. Arwin suspected it didn¡¯t have enough awareness to truly want one thing or another ¨C it simply didn¡¯t want to be controlled.

    The waves mmed into him and the ind with increasing intensity. They grew to rise nearly three feet into the air and drove into him like charging bulls, banishing what few dry spots remained on his clothes.

    Arwin staggered from the force of the waves. [Scourge] and [Indomitable Bulwark] did nothing for him within the confines of his own mind, but he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t need magic to stand against a small river.

    ¡°You can keep trying, but I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± Arwin dered. The river¡¯s response was to crash a wave down straight on top of him, filling his mouth with ice-cold water. He sputtered and let out a curse as it nearly knocked him from his feet.

    And still he held firm. Even as the ground grew slick and tenuous beneath his feet, Arwin refused to budge an inch. He held his hands out, water rolling down his fingertips and dripping to the ground beneath him, and beckoned to the darkness. ¡°Come on. Is that all you¡¯ve got? I¡¯m not going anywhere if you use pathetic waves like that.¡±The waves pulled back and the water started to still, its frothing white caps turning to cid blue as the water level receded. Arwin wiped the water from his face and lowered his hands. The vision hadn¡¯t faded yet, so the fight wasn¡¯t done.

    Something formed on the horizon. A patch of dark blue in the sea of ck. It approached rapidly, growing in size as it grew nearer. A wave, easily ten feet high and growing. Augh slipped out of Arwin¡¯s mouth.

    He raised his hands once more and faced the wave front on as he squared his stance. The wave grew taller still, white foam churning and bubbling at its top as it loomed above him, still for just a brief instant.

    The wave broke. It crashed down on top of Arwin with the force of a falling building. It mmed into his shoulders, trying to drive him to his knees instead of throw him from the rocky tform.

    Arwin¡¯s legs trembled and water forced its way into his lungs. He couldn¡¯t tell which way was up, but he could just barely feel the stone beneath his feet. The world had turned into a blur of churning white and endless blue, but he stood strong.

    He spoke though his mouth couldn¡¯t form any words in the water. The words he spoke were a challenge heard only by the crashing river enveloping Arwin. It rushed in his ears in response, trying to pull him away from the ind.

    It failed. The river receded and his head broke free from its depths. Water poured down his face in rivulets. He drew in a ragged breath ¨C and the vision vanished.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes snapped open in his makeshift smithy. He was as dry as he¡¯d been before the vision had started. No traces of the river remained, but the greaves resting on the anvil in front of him were positively glittering with the Mesh.

    Golden letters bloomed before him as the Mesh finally acknowledged the day¡¯s work.

    <strong>[Ripple Greaves: Rare Quality] have been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Wake] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Wake] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong>[Wake] ¨C Awarded for facing a vision andpletely oveing its desires with your own willpower for the first time. Effects: Your item has Awoken and will instantly bond to its first wearer. Its hidden property has been revealed.</strong>

    Arwin grinned and peered closer at the new piece of armor he¡¯d made, the excitement in his stomach building. That was quite the reward. Rodrick was going to be thrilled ¨C and he might have a pair of pants that would actually survive a fight.

    <em>I suppose the bow didn¡¯t count aspletely oveing the vision because it still hasn¡¯t epted me as master. Speaking of which, I¡¯m stringing it the moment I¡¯m done with these greaves¡­ but right now, I want to see what I¡¯ve made. </em>

    Stolen story; please report.

    He dismissed the Mesh¡¯s initial messages and examined the newly made greaves. Motes of glowing light fluttered forth like dancing fireflies as they formed into words and revealed the final results of his work.

    <strong>Ripple Greaves: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. The echoes of a vast flowing river churn through it and empower their wearer. They will permanently bond to the first person to equip them. </strong>

    <strong>[Flowing Steps]: Move like the flowing river in defense of your allies. Activating this ability causes this item¡¯s wielder to spend magical energy in order to move faster toward other living beings that consider them an ally. </strong>

    <strong>[Crashing Wave] (Locked): Bring down the might of the churning river into a single blow. Use magical energy to draw in moisture from your surroundings before unleashing it in a strike. This ability is more effective when more liquid is present in the nearby environment. </strong>

    <strong>[Ripple Armor]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is worn, [Crashing Wave] will be unlocked. </strong>

    Arwin dismissed the information and let out a slow breath. He leaned against the anvil as he read over the Ripple Greaves¡¯ stats. The item had turned out brilliantly. It didn¡¯t even have any detrimental stats and the set ability looked quite powerful, though he¡¯d have to see it in action before he could make any decisions.

    He stuffed the greaves into the bag that he¡¯d brought the crafting materials to the smithy in, wrapping it up so nobody would see them on ident. The one drawback of not being a Unique item was that it didn¡¯t have a free way to conceal itself.

    <em>I can¡¯t quite remember what level in Apprentice we first get the ability to conceal our information. I zed through all of Apprentice Tier when I was the Hero so quickly that they¡¯re basically all a blur to me. Maybe it was six or seven?</em>

    Fortunately, sets concealed themselves. Once he finished it, Rodrick wouldn¡¯t have to worry about keeping it hidden. It would save a lot of trouble to just do that before handing it over. Arwin mentally shifted making a set of te armor for Rodrick up on his list.

    He put the bagged greaves down and extended his hand, summoning the bow to it. The weapon materialized in his grip, the cool surface of the crystal prickling against his palm. Energy crackled within its deep green depths, waiting to be used.

    Arwin hesitated for a moment. It was a little concerning that the deadly crystal had this much fight left in it, but the energy didn¡¯t feel the same as what he¡¯d felt in the vision. It was simr, but the crystal had been changed by the Mesh and the forging process.

    It still hungered, but its hungers aligned with his. At least, he was pretty sure they did. It was hard to tell if he was just trying to convince himself that the weapon was safe. No matter what, it was his best lead on ways to getting [The Hungering Maw] under control.

    <em>I need it to work¡­ but I won¡¯t sacrifice anyone else if this thing is really as dangerous as it used to be. I¡¯ll have to get to know it better before I try using it. That starts by stringing it and seeing if that changes much. I need to measure how long the string has to be so I can tie the knot in the right spots. </em>

    Arwin took the rolled up ball of spider silk out and straightened it out before tying it around the bottom arm of the bow securely. He then tied an open knot on the other side of the string and stepped over the bow, bracing it against his left thigh. [Scourge] pulsed through his body as he twisted, bending the bow over himself.

    Even with [Scourge], the metal fought valiantly. He didn¡¯t dare push too hard in fears of somehow snapping the bow, but his fears proved unfounded. It held strong while he looped the other end of the string over the top arm and carefully unbent himself.

    The bow hummed in his hands as the string drew taut. It had been a little longer than it had needed to be, but all the extra length had vanished and the string now appeared to be perfectly sized.

    <em>Did the bow just eat the excess string?</em>

    Arwin hoisted it, letting the Mesh filter through the air and identify the weapon to see if anything had changed with the addition of his new bowstring.

    <strong>Prism¡¯s Reach: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Power for Power]: Prism¡¯s Reach can only be drawn when infused with magical energy from its Wielder. A portion of the spent energy will be transferred into its shots. </strong>

    <strong>[Corrupted Shot]: Arrows fired by Prism¡¯s Reach will infest their target with crystal upon impact, consuming any uncontested magic whenever possible. </strong>

    <strong>[Immense Hunger]: Prism¡¯s Reach can absorb magical energy from its wielder in exchange for empowering its next shot. The amount of magical energy it draws will increase exponentially with the amount of time it spends drawn. Overfeeding Prism¡¯s Reach may modify its attributes temporarily. </strong>

    <strong>[Strung]: Prism¡¯s Reach has been strung with a spider silk string.</strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: This item has formed a treaty with Arwin Tyrr. It has not acknowledge him as owner, but it will obey hismands until deciding if he is worthy of its service or not. Information about this item may be hidden from others. </strong>

    <strong>[The Left Arm]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is used, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    The change was minimal, but the bow had acknowledged the string. That meant, at least as far as he could tell, it was operational. He just needed an arrow to test it with and something to protect his left arm so he didn¡¯t carve it in half if the string pped into it.

    <em>If it¡¯s really properly strung, then I shouldn¡¯t be able to draw it at all without [Scourge].</em>

    Arwin gave the string a pull. It didn¡¯t even budge. It was like trying to move a steel bar. He pulled harder, but the result was the same. The string waspletely lodged in ce. Evidently the Mesh hadn¡¯t been lying about the bow being impossible to draw without magical enhancement.

    He removed the string and dismissed the weapon, sending it back to wherever it was that [Arsenal] stored his equipment. At the bare minimum, he was going to need gauntlets before he tried to test the weapon out.

    <em>Rodrick¡¯s geares first. Making myself an arrow or gauntlets isn¡¯t going to advance my understanding of [The Hungering Maw], and given how often he gets hit, I need to make sure he doesn¡¯t get killed. </em>

    Arwin picked up the packaged greaves and tucked them under his arm, summoning the [Soul me] from the hearth as he headed out. His work for tonight was done ¨C but he was already looking forward to the sunrise.

 Chapter 131: Like a Hammer Blow

    Chapter 131: Like a Hammer Blow

    For the first time in a while, Arwin spent the night in his own room. Lillia had been fast asleep when he¡¯d gotten back and it sounded like she was actually resting peacefully. He didn¡¯t want to wake her up on ident, so he¡¯d crept up the stairs and into his bed.

    It was a strange feeling in multiple ways. At first, it felt strange to be sleeping alone in his bed again. Then it felt even stranger due to the realization that he felt morefortable in Lillia¡¯s bed than his.

    Some miracle let Arwin drift off, but when he woke the following morning to bright light streaming through his window and straight into his eyes, he was promptly reminded of the previous night¡¯s thoughts.

    His features twisted in annoyance. Arwin held a hand up, blocking the sun as he rolled out of bed and let out a huff.

    <em>This is seriously getting out of hand. I can¡¯t let myself keep dwelling on her like this. It¡¯s¡­ just not right. </em>

    That probably meant the logical move would have been to somehow crush the feelings so they¡¯d stop interfering with him. But, then again, they weren¡¯t exactly interfering either. They were just kind of¡­ there.

    <em>Perhaps I¡¯m just trying to convince myself of things again. </em>

    The alternative would have been mentioning his thoughts to Lillia, but the thought sent a shudder down his spine. There was too much relying on their continued partnership. He couldn¡¯t afford to sour anything when the stakes were so much bigger than just him and Lillia.

    Arwin shook his head to force the thoughts from them. This wasn¡¯t the time or the ce. He¡¯d just have to do something to make his room somehow be more appealing than Lillia¡¯s ¨C starting with some bloody curtains.A quick trip brought him downstairs, where he could hear Lillia preparing for the day in the kitchen. He nearly tripped over an imp that was busy polishing the bottom stair with a cloth. He stumbled, cursing to himself and barely avoiding identally squishing the monster.

    <em>Who polishes stairs first thing in the morning?</em>

    Lillia poked her head out of the kitchen. ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°There was a hazard on the stairs,¡± Arwin said, sending a cross look at the imp. It stared back at him nkly, holding the rag in one hand.

    ¡°Oh, was there?¡± Lillia sent him a nk stare. Something about her tone felt off, but he couldn¡¯t quite ce what it was. Her gaze flicked from him to the imp. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. It can be dangerous.¡±

    The imp blinked, then looked from its rag to Lillia. It tilted its head to the side as if to ask a question. Lillia quickly stepped back into the kitchen, leaving Arwin even more befuddled than before.

    <em>What¡¯s up with her?</em>

    Arwin stepped into the kitchen after Lillia. ¡°I think I missed something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia looked over her shoulder, her cheeks slightly redder than normal. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. That¡¯s the problem,¡± Arwin said, his brow furrowed. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia said with an embarrassed cough. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything wrong. It¡¯s fine. I was just talking to the imp.¡±

    ¡°About cleaning the stairs?¡±

    ¡°Oh, drop it. Please.¡± Lillia massaged her brow. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I suppose,¡± Arwin said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Brighter than I was used to.¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Lillia agreed. They both fell silent for a few seconds. Arwin typically didn¡¯t mind the silence, but something about it felt considerably more awkward than he was used to. Mercifully, Lillia broke it.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you go to your room?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Last night?¡± The back of Arwin¡¯s neck heated. He wasn¡¯t even sure why he was embarrassed ¨C it was a perfectly reasonable question. ¡°You were already asleep. I didn¡¯t want to wake you.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lillia said. Neither of them said anything else for a little while longer. Lillia turned back to the board of vegetables she¡¯d been chopping. ¡°Next time, wake me up.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°Are you sure? I¨C¡±

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself, please,¡± Lillia said, not looking back at him. ¡°Just wake me up next time.¡±

    A warm feeling wrapped around Arwin¡¯s chest. He tried to push it back, but it was like trying to scoop the ocean away with a bucket full of holes. All he could do was intently study the wall.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure. I get back prettyte sometimes.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s knife smacked into the vegetables and she let out a snort. ¡°I know. Just¡­ wake me up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Arwin promised. His best attempts to keep his voice even definitely didn¡¯t do nearly as much as he¡¯d hoped. Lillia didn¡¯t seem to take notice of it, which he was grateful for.

    <em>She must be too focused on her cooking. I get that. </em>

    He stood in the doorway of the kitchen for a few seconds, then cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m going to go work. I¡¯ve got the bottom half of a set made for Rodrick, but I¡¯m going to try to make him the top as well and finish the whole thing today before giving it to him. Do you think you could keep an eye on it?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Lillia said, still not turning from her work. ¡°I¡¯ll send an imp up.¡±

    Arwin nodded, then remembered she couldn¡¯t see him because she was facing the wrong way. The urge to smack his forehead against the wall gripped him. He managed to ignore it and let out a huff, striding out of the kitchen and setting course for the forge.

    His mind needed to be focused. There was no time for this. Fortunately, the forge was calling his name.

    ***

    Lillia stared at the knife embedded into her makeshift cutting board, her cheeks burning so red that she feared they were going to pop off and run away on their own. She could barely believe the words that hade out of her own mouth.

    <em>What is wrong with me? Did I really just tell him to wake me up if I fall asleep before he gets back? </em>

    She yanked the knife out of the cutting board and brought it down again. It struck the board too hard and embedded itself in the wood. Lillia repressed a curse. She¡¯d never been more grateful to have remembered to tuck her tail into her pants that morning. If she hadn¡¯t, it would have been swaying around like mad. It was already doing its best to defy her orders and escape its containment. If it had been free, the results would have been catastrophic to her ego.

    <em>I will not let my tail wag like some stupid little schoolgirl. </em>

    She yanked the knife out of the cutting board again. Something had been seriously wrong with her. Lillia pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, making sure it wasn¡¯t hotter than it should have been.

    <em>Forget not being able to get sick. I have to havee down with something. This sounds exactly like the stories I was told of what happens to humans when theye near a miniscule monster that enters their body and corrupts them from within for a short period of time. </em>

    Lillia brought the knife down once more, this time managing to avoid embedding it in the wood. She pushed some of the vegetables to the side and pressed her lips together. Her body felt like it had been fighting her for days now.

    The way she was acting around Arwin made absolutely no sense. He had no reason to have to lull her to sleep like a doting father. Arwin already had enough to worry about, and he¡¯d done more than he¡¯d needed to. If he wanted to get some rest in his own, considerably morefortable bed, she had no right to interfere.

    Even wanting to interfere was childish. Lillia¡¯s cheeks started to redden again and a memory of his hands running up her face and covering her eyes flickered through her mind again.

    The knife fell, splitting the cutting board in two. Lillia cursed and set it to the side, pulling at her hair as she repressed a groan. Something was seriously wrong with her. This wasn¡¯t the way that the demon queen was meant to act.

    Even if she wasn¡¯t truly the demon queen anymore, that didn¡¯t mean she should be reduced to a sniveling child longing forfort the moment she got an iota of it. She was more capable than that.

    <em>I need to go tell him that he doesn¡¯t actually have toe wake me up. We¡¯ve all got our own roles to y and he can¡¯t spend his time babying me. Besides, I have work to do. Wasting time thinking about this is just going to hinder me.</em>

    Lillia nodded to herself. She pushed her broken cutting board to the side and turned toward the entrance to themon room to follow after Arwin. It hadn¡¯t been long enough for him to actually get started on his work, so she was pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t be interrupting anything.

    Her legs wouldn¡¯t move.

    Lillia couldn¡¯t bring herself to step out of the kitchen and take back her words. The idea made the back of her spine prickle and her stomach clench with the same sickly, painful feeling that had been haunting her for the past few days.

    <em>I don¡¯t want to tell him to stop and sleep in his own bed. It¡¯s morefortable when he¡¯s there. </em>

    Lillia stared at the wall, her hands twitching at her sides. There had to be a logical reason she was so confused. She turned back to the kitchen, shaking her head. It was a bad idea to go looking for Arwin when she didn¡¯t even know what she wanted to say.

    <em>I wonder if he was having simr problems. He can¡¯t have, because he went to bed without me. Gah. I¡¯m so annoyed.</em>

    <em>Why am I annoyed? What is wrong with me?</em>

    Lillia pulled at her hair again. She nearly put her head through the wall in an attempt to clear it, but the idea of damaging her inn was so vile that she couldn¡¯t even fathom it. The chopped cutting board had already been enough.

    <em>It just makes no sense. The way I¡¯m acting ispletely illogical. For the sake of our entire guild, I need to figure out what my problem is and fix it before it impacts my effectiveness. What is it with him that¡¯s causing me so much trouble? </em>

    Lillia drummed her fingers on her thigh as she thought. It wasn¡¯t just someone in general. She¡¯d tried calling her imps to herst night. Their presence, while wee, hadn¡¯t done the slightest bit to make her feel differently.

    She considered asking Reya to spend the night but dismissed the idea. Reya was a nice girl, but she wasn¡¯t exactlyforting. No, this had something to do with Arwin in particr. Lillia chewed her lower lip, her brow furrowing. It felt like she wasn¡¯t that far off. There was no reason for this to be as difficult as it was. There had to be¨C

    And then, like a hammer blow, it hit her.

    <em>Godspit. </em>

    <em>I have romantic feelings for Arwin. </em>

 Chapter 132: Silence walks the streets

    Chapter 132: Silence walks the streets

    Arwin scrubbed at a te of Maristeel. He¡¯d been at it for the past hour or so, and it was just finally starting to clear out. The grime covering the metal was beyond stubborn. He¡¯d tried burning it to see if that would work faster, but the result was the vilest ck smoke that he¡¯d ever smelt or seen.

    Even being near it felt like it would somehow twist Arwin into an undead. That idea was quickly abandoned and he returned to the tried-and-true method of scratching at the metal. And now his efforts had finally paid off.

    After working for a few more minutes, Arwin brushed the flecks of grime away and held the newly polished Maristeel up to the light of the hearth. Blue ripples swirled across its surface in greeting.

    It was ready to use and it was about time. He¡¯d spent a lot more time than he¡¯d thought yesterday working on Rodrick¡¯s greaves, and he hadn¡¯t had a chance to make himself any food. The time was getting a little tight before he had to make something else.

    <em>I know I can make some bracelets with no problem, so that shouldn¡¯t be a big problem yet. I can make two if I really need to. That¡¯lle after I make the chestpiece, then. I think I should be able to get it done today before nightfall since I already have a pretty good understanding of what I need to do.</em>

    It would follow a simr pattern to the greaves, focusing on light but effectively protected vital areas. He already had all the Brightsteel and Maristeel he needed. The leather was another story. There was almost none of it left.

    He headed out, pausing as he spotted his old smithy. Ridley had been hard at work, and it was showing. The stone walls were already up to his head in height and the building was starting to look like, well, a building.

    It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t be long before the mason was done. Arwin continued on to the tavern, his mood considerably heightened. He stepped through the door to the clink of cutlery and was pleased to find Reya and Rodrick eating breakfast.

    ¡°You¡¯re back early,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°What happened? Don¡¯t tell me you burned down your smithy.¡±¡°No, though it¡¯s definitely far from the ideal working environment,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I realized I was out of leather and came looking for Reya.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I can get you some more,¡± Reya said. ¡°When do you need it by?¡±

    ¡°Anytime in the evening would be fine.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Reya said. ¡°That¡¯s no problem.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arwin went to turn but paused. ¡°Where is Anna?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s out shopping for Lillia with Olive. They¡¯re looking for some specific ingredients for Lillia in the market. They should be back soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Arwin said, keeping the surprise from his voice and suppressing augh. He¡¯d somehow forgotten that Olive had joined their guild, if only for the time being. ¡°Right. That makes sense. I¡¯ll be in the smithy, then.¡±

    He headed out of the tavern and across the street to his workshop, where he tossed his [Soul me] into his hearth. His heart ached for his real smithy.

    Arwin could hardly wait, but it wasn¡¯t like he had a choice in the matter. The smithy would be done in a few days. It could be his reward for dealing with the Wyrm horde¡­ assuming they managed to pull it off. If not, then it could be his constion prize.

    He chuckled to himself and shook his head. Those weren¡¯t the kind of thoughts he could afford right now. They had a n to deal with the Wyrms. It was as good of a n as they could get, and they were all getting rather powerful for their tier.

    Between a new member, the gear he was making, and their other abilities, Arwin was confident they could handle the threat.

    But, if they were going to do that, he needed to make this armor. He picked up the Maristeel and set it into the hearth to let it heat. He put in hisst bar of Brightsteel along with it. The Brightsteel, as usual, drew up to temperature first.

    Arwin removed the metal and brought it to the anvil, setting to work. It was a process he¡¯d done many times before. He¡¯d started to get quite used to working with Brightsteel and Verdant ze made short work of the process.

    As usual, he broke it off into pieces once the impurities had been worked out of it. He tested each one to make sure he was only working withponents that were interested in being a chestpiece, then set everything aside to work on the Maristeel.

    He hammered it out and broke it off into pieces, testing each one. There really wasn¡¯t a need. The blue metal was as open to suggestion as always. It was just happy to be used. That was a stark contrast to the vision that had struck Arwin when he¡¯d been making the greaves.

    <em>I wonder at what point the Maristeel and Brightsteel both went from being easily workable to resistant. Is it because they were instantly Awoken because of my achievement, or was it because I upgraded the [Awaken] ability? Or maybe it¡¯s that adding magic into materials can cause them to change¡­ personalities? I¡¯m not sure what else to call it.</em>

    He wasn¡¯t going to get the answers sitting around and wondering. Arwin shook his head and got back to work. He cleared his anvil of the Maristeel and re-heated some Brightsteel before getting to work hammering it out.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    There was a lot of work left to handle before night fell.

    ***

    A chill ran down the back of Rex¡¯s spine as a cold wind blew through the alleyway and made his hair stand on end. Even though it was nearly midday, the clouds hung stubbornly in the sky and blocked out the sun, casting the world in dull gray hues. He sent a superstitious nce over his shoulder as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

    <em>Damn Jessen. I joined the Iron Hounds to hunt monsters and be powerful, not run errands and poke around a shitty ass street. </em>

    The curses remained within Rex¡¯s mind. He wasn¡¯t nearly stupid enough to consider voicing them. When Jessen told you to do something, you did it. If you didn¡¯t, you were liable to meet a gruesome end at the end of a dungeon you were ill-prepared for.

    Jessen had been even more maddening in recent days than Rex could recall. The man¡¯s ire had been at an all-time high. It didn¡¯t take a genius to tell that it was a result of the guild¡¯s co-leader and two other members all going missing on the same day.

    Rex shook his head and continued down the street. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that they¡¯d picked up enemies, but Jessen had never cared this much about death before. They¡¯d gone through three co-leads in the time he¡¯d been in the guild.

    <em>Who gives a shit about them? Erik was an asshole anyway. We¡¯re better off without that idiot. It won¡¯t be long before we can finally get out of this shithole city and move on. Just a few more days.</em>

    <em>This is thest shitty assignment I¡¯ll have to deal with. It¡¯s all riches and women from here on out. </em>

    Rex drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Once they were all at the peak of Journeyman tier, they¡¯d be strong enough to get a spot at the bottom of the Guild Rankings ¨C and then they¡¯d do everything again.

    The wind picked up and a shingle fell from a house behind him, ttering to the ground. Rex spun toward it, his sword flying free of its sheath. He stared at the broken shingle, then let out a quietugh and sheathed the weapon again.

    <em>My nerves are shot. The street isn¡¯t haunted. And, technically, I¡¯m not even on the street. Jessen was really clear about that. Don¡¯t go on the haunted street. It goes against the rules. h, h, h. </em>

    Rex worked his way through the alleys. His job was easy. All he had to do was find a house near the haunted street and head up to the roof to spend a day studying what the idiots squatting on it were doing.

    <em>As if a smith and a group of thieves would be doing literally anything of note. I swear he only gave me this job because I waste to a guild meeting. I¡¯ve got half a mind to just head back now and say there wasn¡¯t anything worth watching, but that crazed bastard would probably somehow figure me out. </em>

    Rex rubbed the back of his neck as a shiver ran down his spine. He wasn¡¯t sure what it was about this area of the city, but the wind was damn cold. And, even if he wasn¡¯t on the actual haunted street, it didn¡¯t help that the entirety of this area feltpletely abandoned.

    He hadn¡¯t seen hide nor hair of so much as a mouse in thest few minutes. Rex ground his teeth and pressed onward. He wasn¡¯t far now. The street was just a block down, so any house nearby would be more than suitable for his purposes. He just had to ¨C

    Rex¡¯s foot caught on something and he stumbled, taking several steps forward and letting out a slew of curses as his heart jumped in his chest. He spun, drawing his sword, only to find a drunkard slumped against a wall, his legs spewing into the alleyway and a half-full mug resting in an open hand.

    ¡°You idiot,¡± Rex growled. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re passing out.¡±

    The drunkard¡¯s head tilted up to meet Rex¡¯s eyes. His eyes were watery and unfocused, swallowed by the haze of alcohol. The man hupped and lifted his mug, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that.¡±

    Rex¡¯s lips curled in distaste. He¡¯d gotten so lost in his own thoughts that he¡¯d somehow missed a man passed out right in front of him.

    <em>I need to focus. </em>

    ¡°Just screw off,¡± Rex said, turning and striding toward an alley. He was close enough to the street ¨C he didn¡¯t even give a shit what building he chose anymore. The sooner he could get out of here, the better.

    Rex turned the corner and skidded to a stop. The drunkard was leaning against the wall in front of him and drinking from his tankard. The hair on Rex¡¯s neck and arms stood on end.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends?¡± Rex asked, taking a step back and pointing his sword at the drunkard. ¡°Who are you? What are you ying at?¡±

    The man lowered the tankard, looking at Rex through furrowed eyebrows. ¡°Me? You¡¯re asking my name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking what your game is,¡± Rex snarled. ¡°Take one step toward me and I¡¯ll slice you open.¡±

    The drunkard took another drink from his tankard and let out a belch. ¡°You¡¯re the one that tripped over me, you know. You should pay more attention to your surroundings.¡±

    Rex¡¯s grip tightened on his sword. Something was off. ¡°You just stay over there. I swear to any god that¡¯s listening, I¡¯ll run you through if I see you again.¡±

    He took a step back, then slipped out of the alleyway. Rex could practically hear Jessen¡¯sughter mocking him in the back of his mind. Words echoed through his skull.

    <em>What, are you scared of a drunk? What¡¯s he going to do, throw up on you?</em>

    Rex gritted his teeth and shoved Jessen¡¯s voice out of his head. He must have been more tired than he¡¯d thought if his guild leader¡¯s voice was haunting him. Jessen didn¡¯t give a shit about how things were done as long as they were aplished.

    <em>I¡¯ll just find another building.</em>

    He poked his head into the next alleyway over and was relieved to find that there was no trace of the drunkard. The man had gotten scared off by his warning. Rex couldn¡¯t keep himself from throwing onest nce over his shoulder, but the street behind him was empty as well.

    <em>There¡¯s nothing to be scared of. </em>

    Letting out a small sigh, Rex turned to step back into the alley ¨C and found himself staring into two burning blue eyes, as deep as the ocean and as cold as ice. A spike of terror mmed into him despite his self-assurances. It drove into his chest with such intensity that his surprised cry came out as nothing more than a strangled squeak. The drunkard stood just inches before him.

    There was a faint sh of silver, so fast that Rex barely even managed to pick up on it. Something jerked taut around his throat and dug into his skin. A garotte.

    Rex thrust his sword forward to run the man through, but it passed clean through his body as if nothing was there.

    Wisps of blue swirled away from the drunkard where the de had struck him. Rex wheezed, dropping his de and trying to grab at the thin wire choking the life out of him. He tried to bat the man¡¯s hands away, but his arms passed through his body just as easily as the sword had.

    The terror built into a storm in Rex¡¯s stomach. The wire seemed to grow tighter by the instant, but he couldn¡¯t so much as touch the man holding it.

    ¡°Ghost,¡± Rex wheezed, his eyes bulging.

    The drunkard¡¯s face was expressionless. His ghastly blue eyes bored into Rex¡¯s as the world darkened around them until only they remained in a sea of endless ck.

    Rex¡¯s body ached and screamed for air. He desperately fought to draw in a breath, his hands batting the air desperately to no avail.

    A chill swallowed him. The blue lights blinked out, leaving only a sea of nothing.

    Rex saw no more.

 Chapter 133: Ripple Plate

    Chapter 133: Ripple te

    Reya brought Arwin the leather he needed just an hour or so before it was time to use it, and he put the finishing touches on Rodrick¡¯s chestpiece shortly before nightfall. This time around, there was no vision.

    The chestpiece sat, streams of blue metal running throughout a sea of silver. The Maristeel would be concentrated around Rodrick¡¯s chest and sides. It swirled to gather around the shoulders and matched the patterns on the greaves perfectly.

    The moment that Arwin took his hands off his creation, the Mesh rushed to acknowledge it. Energy gathered around the chestpiece and flooded into the metal before swirling forth as golden letters.

    <strong>[Ripple Chestte: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Smart Set] has been earned.</strong>

    <strong>[Smart Set] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a set made entirely of [Awoken] items.</em> Effects: Gain guidance on a single ss-rted choice. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon usage. </em></strong>

    Arwin stared at the words floating before him. They shimmered innocuously, unaware of their meaning. He swallowed. Never before had he heard of an Achievement that gave <em>advice</em>. He didn¡¯t realize something like that was even possible, and he wasn¡¯t so sure he liked its meaning.

    Good advice could onlye from something that knew what it was doing. Granted, there was no guarantee that the advice would be good, but it seemed strange to give an Achievement that would give bad advice.

    Achievements didn¡¯t have any intelligence of their own. They were just one of the ways that the Mesh rewarded challenge. But, if one of them had advice rather than just a direct modification¡­ it meant he would be getting the advice not from the Achievement, but from the Mesh itself.<em>And if I ask the Mesh itself for advice, that means it isn¡¯t just aware. It¡¯ll be aware of me in particr. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing.</em>

    One of the Achievements he¡¯d gotten recently had already been slightly suspect. [Decapitated] had felt a little more¡­ personally addressed than the other Achievements he¡¯d gotten.

    He¡¯d only gotten a moment to read it before it had vanished, but Arwin could have sworn it had said something about enjoying the show. Unfortunately, he had no way to verify that. The Achievement faded just moments after it had first appeared.

    <em>I¡¯m willing to bet it really did say what I thought it did. And, if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no denying it. The Mesh is a lot more alive than anyone believed. Another secret that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild kept? Or is this something that even they don¡¯t know?</em>

    Arwin swallowed. He waved the Mesh away. Even though nobody else could read messages sent directly to him by the Mesh, leaving it out in the open felt dangerous. He nced over his shoulder to look around the building.

    Aside from his workstation, it was entirely empty. He shook his head and looked back to the armor. The Achievement implied that he¡¯d seeded at his work, but there was only one way to find out for sure.

    <strong>Ripple Chestte: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. The echoes of a vast flowing river churn through it and empower its wearer. It will permanently bond to the first person to equip them. </strong>

    <strong>[Rushing Barrier]: You are one with the raging river. This item will draw magical energy from its wearer whenever a blow sessfully connects with them, reducing the attack¡¯s impact with rushing water. The amount of energy this ability draws will scale with the intensity of the attack without limit. This ability is more effective when more liquid is present in the nearby environment.</strong>

    <strong>[Crashing Wave] (Locked): Bring down the might of the churning river into a single blow. Use magical energy to draw in moisture from your surroundings before unleashing it in a strike. This ability is more effective when more liquid is present in the nearby environment. </strong>

    <strong>[Ripple Armor]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. When the entire set is worn, [Crashing Wave] will be unlocked. </strong>

    Arwin let out a pent-up breath he¡¯d been storing in his lungs. The chestpiece had been a sess. It had what could technically be considered a detrimental ability in the form of [Rushing Barrier]. Hypothetically, if Rodrick got hit hard enough, the armor couldpletely drain all his magical power in an instant.

    That said, it was far better to be drained of energy than to be dead. The real test would be finding out just how much power the armor drew with normal blows. If it chewed through everything he had after just a few strikes, it wouldn¡¯t be the best ¨C but it would still be quite an effective piece for a tank.

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    Looking past the potential detriment, the armor was fantastic. The set ability looked powerful and both the greaves and the chestpiece had powerful boons in their own right. He took onest look around the room to make sure nobody was watching him, then lifted his creation to his nose and took a sniff.

    Fresh salt and seaweed greeted his nostrils. It was apanied by notes of distant tropical fruit that made his mouth water.

    <em>Smells great. Doesn¡¯t really give me any insight into [Magical Olfactory], though. I forgot to sniff the greaves, so I¡¯ll have to do that before I give them to Rodrick. So far, everything I¡¯ve tested with magic smells pretty good. </em>

    Arwin grinned and grabbed several uncut strips of leather to wrap around the armor and conceal it. He set the bundle down on the ground near the edge of the room before peeking out the door. It was darkening, but there were still a few hours before he felt he had to head back to the tavern.

    <em>Perfect time to make some bracelets. </em>

    He was out of new Brightsteel, but he had more than enough scrap and pieces that wanted to be various weapons lying around. He located a small strip of Brightsteel that hadn¡¯t beenrge enough to put into the armor but didn¡¯t seem too picky about what it turned out to be and got to work shaping it into a bracelet.

    It was a process that Arwin had done so many times that it almost felt like second nature. He used [Scourge] to bend the bar once it was heated, working it into the proper shape like he was ying with wet sand.

    In just under thirty minutes, he¡¯dpletely formed a bracelet. The Mesh rushed into the metal, filling it with power before filling the air with golden letters.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>[Brittle]: This item has a chance of shattering on every blow. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion. </strong>

    <strong>[Watery]: The memory of a flowing river runs in the me that heated this metal, infusing it. This item can allow its wielder to move through the water at a slightly increased pace at the cost of magical energy.</strong>

    It was far from the most useful bracelet that Arwin had ever made. Detrimental, with an ability that wasn¡¯t all that useful. In other words, it was food. He lifted it to his mouth, then paused for a second to sniff it.

    The vile scent of salt and what resembled burnt seaweed greeted him like a hammer blow. His nose scrunched in distaste and Arwin pulled the bracelet away from his face, gagging. It smelled wretched.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Arwin asked, turning the bracelet over. He quickly sniffed at his hand to make sure none of the Maristeel scrap was somehow on it, but it was clean. The smell wasing from the bracelet.

    Or, more urately, it wasing from the magic in the bracelet. It was rancid. Arwin stared at it, his brow furrowed in confusion. It wasn¡¯t any different from anything else he¡¯d made, and it was average quality.

    A chill ran down the back of his spine.

    <em>Don¡¯t tell me that the Maw is telling me this isn¡¯t enough anymore and that Average items are now too low in power to properly feed it.</em>

    He hurriedly grabbed some more Brightsteel scrap and brought it to the hearth, working it into a second bracelet. Another half hourter, he¡¯d formed it into a second piece.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Toasty]: This item was made with such haste that it forgot to release some of the fire trapped within it. This item can grow hot at the cost of magical energy. Its wearer does not gain any resistances to its heat. </strong>

    Arwin brought the still-hot metal to his nose and took a sniff. Inplete contrast to the previous piece, it smelled like flowers and a grassy field. It wasn¡¯t the most appetizing scent, but it was far from awful. The confusion knitting Arwin¡¯s eyebrows intermixed with a relieved sigh as he lowered the bracelet.

    <em>It¡¯s not the quality, then. The smell ising from something specific about the bracelet, not its rank. That said, neither of these smell anywhere near as good as the rare equipment I made recently, so quality might have something to do with it as well. It isn¡¯t everything, though.</em>

    And that meant the smell had to do with the magic in the bracelets. The first thought he had was the most obvious. [The Hungering Maw] didn¡¯t want to eat items with bad detrimental traits such as [Brittle].

    That couldn¡¯t have been everything. The second bracelet only had a single trait and it was still at least slightly detrimental. Meanwhile, the first bracelet had a second trait that seemed just about as useful as the other bracelet¡¯s ¨C he just wasn¡¯t anywhere near the water. He highly doubted the Mesh was going to count that against the bracelet.

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s got to do with how bad the detrimental trait is,¡± Arwin mused to himself. ¡°Brittle is just objectively bad, while Toasty could possibly be useful. Is it getting picky over the actual traits I eat rather than just magic in general?¡±

    The Mesh didn¡¯t respond. If he was right, he hadn¡¯t made enough progress in his discovery to progress the Challenge. Arwin slipped both bracelets onto his wrists. Bad smell or not, they were both edible. He decided to wait to eat until the pain started in his stomach ¨C with any luck, he¡¯d end up using the bracelets in a fight and get two benefits for the price of one.

    Even if the first one didn¡¯t fill [The Hungering Maw], he was fairly certain that the two of them together would. He was tempted to make another, but it was already prettyte into the night.

    <em>I did promise Lillia I¡¯d wake her up if I came back while she was sleeping, but it would probably just be better if I showed up before that. It¡¯s not all that far from when I normally head over anyway.</em>

    Arwin held a hand out to the hearth and summoned the [Soul me] from it, then grabbed the bundle with Rodrick¡¯s chestpiece and headed out to see if Lillia had made anything for dinner.

 Chapter 134: Survive

    Chapter 134: Survive

    Lillia had added two morenterns to the tavern in the time he¡¯d been gone. The first hung in the center of the room from the ceiling, illuminating the room with just enough light to make out the food any prospective customers might be eating, while the other was situated near the side of the bar. He headed over to the bathroom and cleaned the grime that had built up from the day¡¯s work off before returning to themon room.

    Arwin could hear Lillia working in the kitchen, but his attention was caught by a nk of wood resting on the bar countertop. He approached it, squinting in the dim light to see the words burned into its surface.

    <em>The Devil¡¯s Den.</em>

    It looked like Lillia had finally decided on a name for the tavern. A grin crossed his lips and he bit back augh. She¡¯d chosen to run with the street¡¯s ill reputation instead of trying to avoid it entirely.

    <em>The name certainly rolls off the tongue, and it fits the theme pretty well.</em>

    Arwin headed into the kitchen, clearing his throat to announce his presence. Lillia looked up from the sandwiches she was preparing, then quickly broke eye contact with him as she resumed her work.

    ¡°I saw you got a namete,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Did thate in today?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia replied. She finished the sandwich she was working on and wiped her hands off on her apron. ¡°Just a few hours ago. I¡¯m going to hang it up tomorrow. What do you think of the name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Really fits the street. ying into the rumors might be a really smart idea. People will be less wary if we¡¯re directly addressing them instead of skirting the topic.¡±¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking as well. Have you thought of a name for your smithy yet?¡±

    Arwin coughed into a fist. ¡°I haven¡¯t really been thinking too much about it. Other stuff on mind, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said, her voice growing distant for a moment. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get around to it once Ridley finishes his work. There¡¯s no need to rush it before then. A name isn¡¯t something that can be rushed. You have to find it the right way. How¡¯d youe up with yours?¡±

    ¡°It kind of just came to me while I was trying to distract myself.¡± Lillia slid the sandwiches she¡¯d made onto a wooden board, then nodded over her shoulder toward the darkness of her room. ¡°Do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be thrilled to. What were you trying to distract yourself from, though?¡±

    Lillia just shook her head in response and headed into the darkness, leaving Arwin to walk blindly after her. He held his hands out, following the wall until he passed the doorway and inched his way into her room.

    ¡°I have not yet memorized the exact position of your bed,¡± Arwin said, shuffling a foot forward in an attempt to locate his seat. ¡°A slight amount of guidance would be appreciated.¡±

    There was no response, but Arwin heard something shift a few feet away from him. He followed the wall over to it until his foot touched straw. He lowered himself down carefully, not rxing until he was seated.

    He let out a huff once he managed to sit without identally stubbing a toe. Asforting as the darkness was, it was a pain trying to do anything in it without a guide.

    ¡°Is something going on? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°It was funny.¡± Lillia pushed a sandwich into his hands and he nearly jumped in surprise at the sudden voice. Her mutedughter echoed through the dark and Arwin rolled his eyes. It sounded like Lillia hadn¡¯t gotten enough entertainment throughout the day.

    He took a bite out of the sandwich, taking a few moments to savor it. The vor wasn¡¯t close to anything he¡¯d been expecting. The meat in it was buttery and ky, with a strong undertone of sharp lemon. It had been paired with a bed of something crunchy and, if his guess was right, green.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Arwin asked once he¡¯d swallowed the mouthful of food.

    ¡°Do you really want to know the answer to that question?¡± Arwin could hear the smile in Lillia¡¯s voice.

    His thoughts drifted back to the dungeon, where she¡¯d proimed a certain type of meat would go well with lemon. A moment passed. Then he took another bite. ¡°I think I figured it out.¡±

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    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Maybe not the most appetizing sounding meat, but I like it. Tastes a bit simr to lobster. Did anyone else try yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I was thinking I could really push the monster theme by having odd dishes like this one,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You know, really lean into it. My goal is to have people that are consistently here, not just swinging by for a day.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll certainly attract a certain type of clientele, but I can see it. Are you adding this one to the menu?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll add anything specific to the menu since I don¡¯t know where we¡¯ll be raiding in the future. I¡¯ll probably do unique offerings every week or so ¨C or however often we end up going looking for materials. Reya picked up some big backpacks for all of us so we don¡¯t have to leave so much behind in the future.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. I was starting to think we should try to bring the wagon to the dungeons, but I get the feeling the old thing wouldn¡¯t make it more than a few feet out of the city.¡± Arwin chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Bags are definitely a wise choice.¡±

    ¡°Especially for the near future. We¡¯re going to have a lot of Wyrm meat to officiallyunch the tavern with. I¡¯m going to try to announce its opening after we take out the horde.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it already open?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just a marketing trick that Rodrick told me about. It gets people excited because they think its new. And to be fair, the tavern has kind of been pretty devoid of much draw. Once we¡¯ve got some Wyrm meat and I¡¯ve finished furnishing the rooms, I¡¯ll have a real product to sell people.¡±

    Arwin nodded. They both finished off their sandwiches, not saying anything else. The peace was nice. Even though it had only been a night since he¡¯dst eaten with Lillia, he hadn¡¯t realized quite how much he¡¯d missed it. It was a good change of pace from working through the whole day.

    <em>I need to go full force for thest few days before we head out to deal with the Wyrms. After that, I can let myself breathe a little more. </em>

    He leaned back against the wall but was surprised to find that there was a pillow already behind him. Lillia must have already set the bed while waiting for him. The thought caused the back of his neck to redden.

    A momentter, she sat back beside him. Arwin thought about saying something for a few seconds. The problem was, he wasn¡¯t sure what to say. All the words he could think of would take the conversation in a direction that they couldn¡¯t afford ¨C not when there was so much at stake in the near future.

    <em>Not tonight. This isn¡¯t just about me. Lillia and I both have a responsibility to our guild and keeping them safe. I can¡¯t risk all of that because I can¡¯t control myself for a few days. </em>

    His shoulder brushed against Lillia¡¯s and his determination nearly crumbled then and there. Arwin drew in a slow breath and let it out through his mouth to steady himself.

    ¡°Not too long until we head out to deal with the Wyrms,¡± Lillia observed from beside him. ¡°You think we¡¯ll be ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin replied without an ounce of doubt in his mind. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready. I finished the set for Rodrick today, and I¡¯ll give it to him tomorrow. My bow is just about ready as well ¨C I just need to make an arrow for it and some gauntlets to keep me from cutting my hand off with the string. After that, it¡¯ll just be making extra gear until we set out. Maybe we can go back to Olive¡¯s dungeon ¨C there could be some more good materials we could get.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a few days before we can. It¡¯s only open on certain days to make sure the monster poption doesn¡¯t get cut down too hard. I already asked her about it,¡± Lillia said through a yawn. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have time for another run before the horde.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll deal with the horde as we are. I would have loved to get a few more levels in Apprentice before we did, but I can¡¯tin. Are you close to Apprentice 5?¡±

    ¡°Getting there. I might hit it before the horde ¨C and I¡¯ll definitely hit it after. My progression is slower because I need to cook rare monsters to get the most magical energy and, well, we haven¡¯t exactly fought that much all that rare. Not much that was edible, at least.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We did get a bit unfortunate in that regard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m going to make up all that drawback when we take out the Wyrms. I¡¯ve even got some iceboxes ready to store their meat,¡± Lillia said, a tinge of excitement entering her voice. She shook her head, and her hair brushed against the nape of Arwin¡¯s neck. ¡°I don¡¯t want to start cooking my eggs before they hatch, though.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the saying.¡±

    Lillia let out a softugh. ¡°Olive taught me that one. Either way, I don¡¯t want to get ahead of myself. I¡¯m just looking forward to being done with this shitshow. If those Wyrms turn into a big problem, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild might actuallye out here. That¡¯s thest thing we need.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop them,¡± Arwin said, his jaw setting. ¡°Well, that or we¡¯ll find out that there¡¯s no horde at all and we¡¯vepletely misread the situation.¡±

    ¡°All the hints point toward a pregnant wyrm, but I suppose we¡¯ll find out,¡± Lillia agreed. She yawned again, then slid down a few inches in bed to rest her head against his shoulder. ¡°But we can worry about that when the sun is up.¡±

    ¡°And after I give Rodrick his armor,¡± Arwin added, a grin flitting across his lips. ¡°He¡¯s going to lose his shit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love it. I still like my set more, though.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t even seen his set.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Lillia agreed. ¡°But you made mine for me.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but it seemed like Lillia had already forgotten the words even after they¡¯de out of her mouth. She settled in, her entire side pressed against his, and her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep.

    <em>How can she do that so quickly? It¡¯s unfair.</em>

    He let his head rest against the pillow behind him and let his body rx. Lillia was right. There would be enough time to worry in the morning. Right now, he needed to get some rest ¨C and even if he¡¯d want to try to think about anything else, Lillia¡¯s presence at his side wouldn¡¯t permit it.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes drifted shut. It wouldn¡¯t be long before it was time to deal with the Wyrms. And, after them, they¡¯d find a way to deal with Jessen. When he thought of it like that, it wasn¡¯t all that bad.

    All they had to do was survive the next week or so.

 Chapter 135: Armor

    Chapter 135: Armor

    Arwin woke the next morning to find that only a single side of his body was warm. The rest of it was swallowed by the frosty fingers of a strong chill that seemed to have gripped the entire room. A shiver ran down his spine.

    <em>Holy shit, it¡¯s freezing. Why is it so cold?</em>

    Lillia shifted beside him. She yawned but cut herself off halfway through it with a curse, attaching herself back to Arwin¡¯s arm. ¡°Godspit. It¡¯s freezing in here.¡± She hesitated for a second and he felt her wince. ¡°I didn¡¯t wake you up, did I?¡±

    ¡°I think it was other way around,¡± Arwin said. He was still trying to debate on if he was displeased with the cold or not. On one hand, it felt like his entire left half was about one degree from freezing solid. On the other, it was keeping Lillia beside him.

    A moment after the thought struck him did a grimace pass over Arwin¡¯s lips.

    <em>My priorities are seriously wrong here. I can¡¯t let this go on any longer. There are only days left before we deal with the Wyrms. If I¡¯m distracted like this the whole time, I could seriously slip up and get someone injured. </em>

    <em>I¡¯d be stupid to do anything now, but I need to give myself a deadline so I know when it¡¯ll be over. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to keep kicking this rock down the road and remain distracted by it the entire time. </em>

    ***

    Lillia was, as she had been finding herself feeling more frequently, grateful for the dark. It kept Arwin from seeing the embarrassment on her expression perfectly. If the Lillia of just a few months ago had known that she¡¯d be using a mild chill to cling to the Hero¡¯s arm like a lost child, she would have put herself out of her misery on the spot.It would have been simple enough for her to release Arwin and stand up, heading over to the kitchen to start a fire and beat off the rest of the chill. She could have even asked him to summon some of his [Soul me] to banish the cold from the unusually chilly morning.

    That would have taken her excuse away. And so, instead of taking any of the myriad paths that were open to her, she chose to remain exactly where she was.

    <em>I really need to do something about this before the Wyrms. What happens if somebody gets hurt because I¡¯m too busy giggling in the corner to pay proper attention to the fight?</em>

    <em>It¡¯s not like I can tell him anything now. We¡¯ve both got too much riding on us to worry about anything other than the uing fight. I¡¯ve got to finish my preparations for it, and that means I can¡¯t afford a distraction any more than he can. </em>

    <em>What I need is a deadline. I¡¯ll tell Arwin about my feelings after the Wyrms are dead and we¡¯ve got some time to ourselves. That¡¯ll let me focus on what I need to do now. </em>

    Lillia nodded to herself ¨C and made absolutely no moves to release Arwin¡¯s arm. They were still in bed, so there was no reason to go <em>that </em>far. If he was going to leave a perfectly good arm in her vicinity, then it was only logical that he should be prepared to sacrifice it until they started moving for the day.

    ¡°Arwin¨C¡±

    ***

    ¡°Lillia¨C¡±

    Arwin caught himself as they both spoke at the exact same time, then cleared his throat.

    ¡°Sorry. You go.¡±

    ¡°No, you can go.¡±

    <em>Well now it¡¯s fried, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t even know what I was going to say. The hell do I tell her? ¡®I need to talk to you after all the Wyrms are dead¡¯? That sounds like a threat! And if I say any more, it¡¯s obvious what I¡¯m getting at and there¡¯s no point pushing it off at all. </em>

    ¡°I was just going to say that we¡¯ll handle these Wyrms and be on with life in just a few days,¡± Arwin saidmely. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to that. What were you going to say?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C uh, same thing.¡±

    <em>You were also nning on using the exact sameme line that I was?</em>

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. It wasn¡¯t like he could say much. Even if he couldn¡¯t tell Lillia his ns, that changed nothing. They would speak once the Wyrms were dead.

    ¡°Right,¡± Lillia agreed.

    Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then, nearly at the exact same time, they both moved to stand. Arwin almost tripped over Lillia before he caught himself.

    ¡°Whoops. Sorry,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Are you going to show me where the exit is, or am I going to have to feel for it again?¡±

    Lillia cleared her throat. Her hand found Arwin¡¯s wrist and she pulled him out of the room and into the kitchen, releasing his arm once they were in the light again. The chill wasn¡¯t any weaker in the kitchen than it had been in her room.

    Any lingering thoughts that Arwin had faded away as they headed out into themon room. Rodrick and Anna had alreadye down and were sitting in the same stool, Anna perched on Rodrick¡¯sp.

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    He¡¯d wrapped them both up in a sheet that looked to have been stolen from their room. They both nced over to Arwin and Lillia as they walked out.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold as shit,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I looked outside already and immediately regretted it. Not snowing, in case anyone was wondering. I reckon it would be if it started raining.¡±

    ¡°Is it meant to get this cold in Milten?¡± Arwin asked with a shiver. He called a ball of [Soul me] to his hands and held it out to try and warm the room a little bit. There wasn¡¯t nearly enough energy in it to do much, but everyone scooted a little closer to him.

    ¡°I¡¯d heard it can get cold, but this feels worse than it should be,¡± Anna said. ¡°We¡¯d probably be best off asking Reya. She¡¯s lived here for a while, but she just ran out the door a few minutes ago. Maybe Olive would know? I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s a Milten native.¡±

    The stairs creaked and they all turned as Olive headed down. She¡¯d employed the same strategy that Rodrick and Anna had, wrapping herself tightly with every single sheet from her bed.

    Olive waddled down the stairs and made a beeline to leech some heat from the fire in Arwin¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Pick up on anything we were talking about?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Yeah. It can get pretty cold here, but I haven¡¯t been in Milten that long,¡± Olive said. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is normal. I¡¯ve only been in Milten for a little while. Where did Reya run off¨C¡±

    The door flew open to reveal Reya, covered in sweat and bouncing from foot to foot. A strong gale swept into the room as she ran inside and mmed the door shut behind her.

    ¡°What were you doing?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°Going for a run. Best way to escape the cold is to run away from it.¡± Reya wiped the sweat from her brow and shivered before hurrying to join the growing group. ¡°That only works until you stop, though. I hate Milten winters.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me this is normal?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s a bit worse than I¡¯m used to, but it¡¯s not the coldest Milten has be either. Nobody is going toe out for a while, I¡¯ll tell you that. Half the reason the winters were so rough on the streets is because there¡¯s jack shit to steal since everyone is hiding inside.¡±

    She nced at Olive, then cleared her throat and reddened. ¡°Not that I was trying to steal something. I was just going for a run.¡±

    <em>Is she embarrassed about her past? </em>

    ¡°How long is it going to be like this?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°About two months.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered the next thing I¡¯m adding to my inn,¡± Lillia dered. ¡°Some damn braziers so we don¡¯t all freeze to death overnight.¡±

    ¡°We should go check on the Wyrms.¡± Rodrick heaved a sigh. ¡°Changes like this can herald stuff. I don¡¯t know what, but we can¡¯t leave anything to chance. Also, I want to put Reya¡¯s theory about running to the test.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said. He took a step toward the stairs toward his room, where Rodrick¡¯s greaves were currently waiting for him. Everyone moved with him to stay near the [Soul me]. He nced at Lillia. ¡°Could you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Give them a second.¡±

    A momentter, an imp headed out of Lillia¡¯s room with a leather-wrapped bundle bnced on top of its head. A second one headed down the stairs bearing the bundled greaves. Olive nearly jumped out of her shoes and hurriedly started unraveling herself from her self-made prison.

    ¡°Imps! In the tavern!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Reya said, grabbing Olive before she could finish unrolling. ¡°They¡¯re not real imps.¡±

    Olive paused. She squinted at the imps as they deposited the two bundles and scurried back into the shadows.

    ¡°Those are imps. In maid outfits.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mine,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Just a part of my ss. I can form shadows into objects, and that¡¯s the peak of what I can handle right now.¡±

    Olive didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. Then she started twisting in the other direction, re-rolling herself in her nkets. Evidently, between the potential of real monsters in the inn and having to face the cold, Olive chose staying warm over answers.

    ¡°What are these?¡± Anna asked.

    <em>Wait. How am I supposed to send Olive away? It would be incredibly rude.</em>

    <em>Ah, I¡¯ve got it. </em>

    ¡°Gifts for Rodrick.¡± Arwin said jerked his chin toward the bathroom. ¡°They¡¯re what I¡¯ve been working on recently. Go try them on.¡±

    Anna red at Arwin as Rodrick shifted her off him and hopped to the ground. He bundled her up in the nket and plopped her back on the chair.

    ¡°You stole my warmth,¡± Anna used.

    ¡°But I got something shiny. Warmth is temporary. Fancy metal is forever. Be back in a second, hon,¡± Rodrick said, waggling his fingers as he grabbed both bundles and darted into the bathroom.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you for this,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°You could have always followed him, you know.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not leaving my sheets, and I¡¯m not going to waddle after him. I¡¯d trip and fall on my face.¡±

    ¡°What did you make¨C¡± Olive started, but she didn¡¯t get a chance to finish her sentence.

    ¡°Holy <em>fuck</em>!¡± Rodrick eximed. His voice carried through the walls as if there was nothing there and he let out a disbelievingugh. ¡°No goddamn way.¡±

    There were several muted thumps from the bathroom, followed by a muffled curse and more delightedughter.

    ¡°No damn way,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°No bloody way. I can¡¯t believe it. Holy shit.¡±

    Olive raised an eyebrow. ¡°Now I really want to know what you gave him. Why does it sound like he¡¯s just found out he has a child?¡±

    ¡°Another one!¡± Rodrick eximed, his voice raising in pitch before he froze. A second passed in silence before his muted whisper came ¨C somehow still audible through the walls. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re kidding me.¡±

    ¡°Were those walls always that thin?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. You can hear everything in there. Might want to make those thicker,¡± Reya said. ¡°Might be weird if someone¡¯s taking a bath and they¡¯ve got people listening in.¡±

    Lillia coughed into a fist. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll look into that at some point.¡±

    ¡°Whoa. My ass looks great in this!¡±

    They all looked back over to the bathroom. Rodrick¡¯s words had definitely been nothing more than a hushed whisper, but they¡¯d somehow carried all the way through themon room.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Anna asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Did you make Rodrick lingerie?¡±

    ¡°No. He¡¯s just weird.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Anna said. ¡°What <em>did </em>you make him?¡±

    Before Arwin could answer, Rodrick stepped out of the bathroom. He wore the entire Ripple set. Its attributes had hidden themselves from view, but that did nothing to stop the beautiful armor from shimmering in the dim light.

    ¡°Well?¡± Arwin asked, trying not tough. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I guess.¡± Rodrick adjusted the breastte and scratched at the side of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m cool about it, though. I get gifts like this from admirers all the time.¡±

    ¡°Do you, now?¡± Anna arched an eyebrow. ¡°Turn around.¡±

    Rodrick turned in a circle. ¡°What do you think? Does it suit me?¡±

    ¡°You were right,¡± Anna said. ¡°Your ass does look good in it.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You could hear me? How much?¡± Rodrick asked, a look of horror spreading over his face. ¡°How thin is that wall?¡±

    ¡°Thinner than you¡¯d hope.¡± Arwin pped him on the shoulder. ¡°d you like the armor, though.¡±

 Chapter 136: The Challenge

    Chapter 136: The Challenge

    The look on Rodrick¡¯s face told Arwin that he more than just liked the armor, but the former pdin settled for giving him a firm nod and wiping the embarrassment from his features.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put it to good use. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I expect that you will,¡± Arwin said with a nod.

    ¡°And, speaking of putting it to use, I do think we should take a look at the forest,¡± Rodrick said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a pensive frown crossing his features. ¡°We don¡¯t know what caused it to be so much colder than it should have been today, but any changing variables are bad news when it¡¯s this close to executing a n.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Reya said. ¡°If only because it gives me something to do other than freeze.¡±

    ¡°I can as well, if you need a third body,¡± Olive offered. ¡°If I don¡¯t, I might end up staying in bed all day.¡±

    ¡°Three is a good number. We aren¡¯t going to be doing any fighting if we can avoid it, but a bigger group will make it safer nheless. No time to waste, then. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Olive unrolled herself and shuddered at the cold before nodding. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

    They hurried out of the tavern, moving at a brisk pace in an attempt to keep the cold at bay. Lillia pushed the door shut behind them with a shadow before any more of the chill could seep into themon room.¡°I¡¯m going to finish up my own work as well. Still have a lot to do,¡± Arwin said, following after the others. ¡°There¡¯s no chance I finish everything I want to before we have to leave, but every hour counts.¡±

    He raised a hand, then pulled the door back open. A cold wind buffeted his face and he grimaced, stepping out and making sure the door was shut behind him before striding down the street.

    Ridley, as usual, was still working on the smithy. The mason had donned a heavy fur coat and was hard at work on top of the stone brick building. He nodded to Arwin, who returned the gesture as he passed.

    His rickety temporary workspace somehow felt colder than the rest of the street when he arrived. Cursing under his breath, Arwin summoned a ball of [Soul me] and tossed it into the hearth.

    The heat pushed the chill back by just enough for him to think properly. He had to focus the biggest potential boosts that he ¨C or any of his allies ¨C could get in the shortest amount of time.

    As far as he could tell, that boiled down to gauntlets to protect his arms from the bow, an arrow for the bow to shoot, boots, and then anything else that he could fit into his schedule with the time he had remaining.

    Both the gauntlets and the boots would take considerably more time and effort to make than the other options since he¡¯d yet to make any himself yet. The bow arrow ¨C he was pretty sure that would probably be pretty easy as long as he wasn¡¯t too concerned about the traits that the Mesh gave it.

    <em>It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve made an arrow before ¨C and that means the chances of getting a shitty detrimental trait are a lot higher than normal. But, even if that happens, I can just make another item and stick the detrimental traits onto that so I¡¯m left with a normal arrow and a snack forter. </em>

    Making an arrow that was just a long metal rod with some fletching and a head to make sure it flew rtively straight would probably be doable enough, especially with the Mesh¡¯s guidance.

    He already knew it probably wouldn¡¯t be the best, but he didn¡¯t need it tost multiple shots. Arwin didn¡¯t have any open slots to bond to it with [Arsenal], so he wasn¡¯t going to be getting it back. Once he reached the next level in his tier, making an arrow he could bind to would drastically increase his power and it would be a priority - but for the time being, a one-time use arrow would do just fine.

    But he had something to take care of before he could make anything else. He was running a low on metal. Fortunately, he still had a fair amount of gold. Arwin called his [Soul me] back and hurried out and across the city to Taylor¡¯s shop, dragging the wagon along with him.

    The trip felt like it took three times as long as it normally did. Freezing cold buffeted him every step of the way, but he soon returned to the smithy, his pockets one hundred gold lighter. He¡¯d purchased 3 bars of Brightsteel and 10 bars of Roughsteel.

    The Roughsteel probably wouldn¡¯t be great for any armor, but it would be good for experimenting and making some arrows. Arwin lugged everything into his smithy, then returned his [Soul me] to the hearth and set a bar of the Roughsteel into the mes to heat.

    A short whileter, he set it out onto the anvil and set about hammering it out. The Roughsteel was considerably easier to work with than the other metal he¡¯d used, but it was also clearly of lower quality. It took him almost twice as long to work the impurities out of it with Verdant ze.

    The Mesh didn¡¯t seem to guide him nearly as much as he¡¯d expected. It offered up vague suggestions while he worked, but not nearly as much as it had earlier on. That didn¡¯t prove to be much of a drawback. He was making a glorified spear, which wasn¡¯t exactly the mostplex weapon to make a rough version of.

    He sectioned the metal off, then chose a piece that felt amiable to bing an arrow. Arwin worked that piece into a long cylinder, turning it over and striking it repeatedly. It was a little amusing to think of the piece as an arrow.

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    It resembled the haft of short spear more than anything that was meant to be shot from a bow. As long as it flew in a mostly straight line, Arwin couldn¡¯tin.

    Arwin took the guidance that the Mesh offered whenever the inviting shimmers arrived. They were few and far in between. He spent the next few hours forming the rest of the huge arrow. He made its head out of a separate piece that he then attached to the haft with his hands inside the mes of the hearth, then put onrge triangr fletching at the bottom of what still strongly resembled a small spear.

    Arwin quenched the head of the arrow and studied the results of his work. It was far from perfect and he doubted it would shoot all that straight, but with the power that he¡¯d beunching it from the bow with, he suspected it would suit his purposes as long as he didn¡¯t aim at anything too far.

    The Mesh swirled around the weapon, sending faint streams of power through his hands and into the metal as it registered ¨C if only barely ¨C the creation of the arrow-spear.

    <strong>[Metal Arrow: Average Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    Arwin wasn¡¯t so certain about thest part. Considering that Verdant ze had barely even responded to the creation of the arrow, he suspected that any energy he¡¯d gotten from its creation was almost negligible.

    He scanned the arrow to see if its traits were going to be of any use.

    <strong>Metal Arrow: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Brittle]: This item has a chance of shattering on every usage. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion. </strong>

    <strong>[Hasty]: This item was forged hastily and with inferior material that wasn¡¯t brought to its full potential. Its end will resemble its beginning. This item can strike faster at the cost of magical energy, but the chances of it breaking will increase with the amount of energy used. </strong>

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. He was definitely removing the traits from the arrow. There was no doubt about that. He wasn¡¯t even surprised about the poor traits ¨C he¡¯d fully expected them. There was no need to make a masterwork arrow if it was going to get lost the first time he used it.

    <em>Why is it that it turned out so poorly, though? For that matter, why is it that the items I make with the Mesh¡¯s guidance seemed to be capped at Unique or Average? The less I listen to it, the better they be. </em>

    The traits might have been salvageable if he wasn¡¯t worried the arrow would explode on <em>him </em>from the force it would be under when it wasunched. The chances of that were probably small, but it was a risk he wasn¡¯t willing to take.

    Arwin set about forming a bracelet with Roughsteel while he thought, heating it in the fire and sectioning off a piece to start bending into a circle.

    <em>I know that the Mesh demands challenge. It¡¯s logical that I wouldn¡¯t be getting the best possible results if I wasn¡¯t pushing myself. But why would it give me the guidance in the first ce?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts ground to a halt along with his hands. The hot Roughsteel glistened a molten orange. Even if the Mesh had given him guidance initially, it wouldn¡¯t just leave that guidance around.

    It gave people a fighting chance. It didn¡¯t baby them. And, with the amount of time he¡¯d been relying on it to even a small degree, it was definitely helping. Even the bracelets he was making were slightly aided.

    <em>But that¡¯s how it has to work. The Mesh is the reason that the items be magic, so I have to use at least a little bit of it if I want to ¨C </em>

    <em>Son of a bitch. I¡¯m an idiot. When have I ever heard of a ss that needs the Mesh to literally hand everything to them? I¡¯m holding onto a crutch. </em>

    Arwin tossed the half-finished bracelet to the ground and grabbed another piece of Roughtsteel. He ced it into the me, then got to work forming a bracelet again once it was hot enough.

    He drew power ¨C not from the Mesh, but from within himself. The magical energy coursed down his hands and into the bracelet as he worked it into shape. It was second nature at this point. And, most importantly, there wasn¡¯t so much as a single shimmer or suggestion from the Mesh.

    Arwin finished making the bracelet. Energy sparked at his palms and pulsed through the metal.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Potential]: This item contains magic with no guidance. It is pure potential that will never be manifest, but the magic remains all the same.</strong>

    Augh slipped out of Arwin¡¯s mouth. He sat down on his anvil, staring at the bracelet in his hands. A quick sniff rewarded him with a fresh, clean scent. It was faint and distant, but it was good.

    <em>That¡¯s what I was doing wrong. The guidance isn¡¯t meant for me to use for every single damn item I make. It¡¯s a crutch to figure out the basics ¨C I need to put in the intention and magic myself. That¡¯s how I make higher quality items. </em>

    <em>But¡­ how do I control the traits they get? The Mesh is implying I can. There¡¯s so much to learn about this ss.</em>

    <em></em>Arwin shook his head in mute disbelief. He¡¯d barely even so much as scratched the surface of the depth the Mesh expected him to go to in order to craft gear. And, even with the limited time he had remaining and the threat looming ahead of them, he couldn¡¯t keep the excitement from building in his stomach.

    <em>If I can control the traits my weapons get instead of just randomly guessing, the gear I have now wouldn¡¯t even beparable to what I¡¯ll be able to make. The Mesh doesn¡¯t expect me to just follow its suggestions. It wants me to createpletely unique items.</em>

    <em></em>Energy crackled through the air before Arwin, nearly making him jump as golden letters manifested before his eyes.

    <strong>Milestone 2 of [Curb the Hunger] has beenpleted.</strong>

    <strong>Milestone 2: <em>Shed your training aids and take your first step onto the path of true smithing. </em></strong>

    Arwin studied the glowing letters in the air before him. At least he¡¯d gotten confirmation that his theory was correct. He¡¯d been crippling himself by relying on the mesh this entire time. But, almost more importantly, he was pretty sure the reward for finishing the 2nd Milestone was some form of item.

    He looked around expectantly. The Mesh¡¯s golden letters remained in ce in the air, but nothing else emerged. His eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Hey. Forget something? I was promised an item.¡±

    The letters, as if spurred by his words, changed.

    <strong>Would you like to up the Challenge?</strong>

    That was it. No items. Just another line of words shimmering in the air. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as a sinking pit formed in his stomach. He was barely even thinking about the Challenge itself.

    The Challenge ¨C and its rewards ¨C were useful, but this was an entirely different matter. There was no more denying it. The Mesh was talking directly to him.

 Chapter 137: Revelations of Crafting

    Chapter 137: Revtions of Crafting

    Arwin didn¡¯t say anything for several seconds. He wasn¡¯t sure how to properly acknowledge the gravity of the situation glistening in the words before him. Sure, there was a chance that anyone who got a Challenge had the opportunity to increase its difficulty, but when he paired this with the message he¡¯d gotten for the [Decapitated] Achievement, pretending the Mesh was anything but sentient would be delusional.

    <em>If the Mesh is aware of me¡­ what does it want? Did something about me catch its interest and cause it to give me the Challenge, or did I get the Challenge because I already had its interest in the first ce?</em>

    The Mesh didn¡¯t respond. Its golden letters shimmered before Arwin, waiting for him to make a choice. He didn¡¯t know how much it knew or if it could see into his actual thoughts. It had to be able to tell his desires to some degree ¨C but, if it was aware of his internal debate, it didn¡¯t seem to care.

    <em>Okay. Issue at hand first. My reward was an item. Probably some sort of crafting material. If I ept the offer to up the Challenge, I¡¯ll definitely get a shot at a better reward. But¡­ if I fail after increasing the difficulty, I¡¯m probably losing the reward I could have gotten and possibly failing the Challenge as a whole. </em>

    Arwin chewed his lower lip. Preparation for the Wyrms was going pretty well. He was pretty sure that they were on the right track¡­ but if their suspicions were right, there were two Wyrms.

    Even if one was weakened, he¡¯d felt the strength of the monster firsthand. It was no mere Journeyman 8. It had Titles. No matter how much they prepared in the time they had, the fight would be incredibly dangerous.

    Any advantage he could get could be huge. He didn¡¯t have time to go out and get more materials again, so getting something from the Mesh could make a big difference. If it was powerful enough and he managed to work with it, there was even a chance he¡¯d get Achievements or go up a level.

    It was a risk.

    It was one that he was willing to take.¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Arwin said, steeling his nerves and nodding. ¡°What¡¯s the change?¡±

    Shimmers of golden energy swirled through the air above Arwin. Sparks flew out as a small circle formed and he took a step back, holding his hands out. A small leather bag fell into his palms.

    It was followed by a small bar of grey metal and an equally sized bar of white metal. Arwin caught all of them, fumbling to make sure he didn¡¯t drop anything, and nced up just as the portal faded away.

    <em>I got my reward anyway? What happened to the ¨C </em>

    <strong>Craft a bracelet that exclusively possesses the [Steelskin] trait in under 3 hours. </strong>

    <strong>[Steelskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to steel and freeze them in ce at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    ¡°Ah, shit,¡± Arwin said, hurrying over to his anvil and setting the materials the Mesh had granted him down on top of it. The Mesh really didn¡¯t like waiting around. It was heartening that it had given him everything he suspected he needed to make one trait in particr, but that didn¡¯t help all that much when he had absolutely no idea how to choose the traits his equipment got. The Mesh had always done it for him.

    He hurriedly undid the knot at the top of the small bag and peered inside it. There was a murky white gem, a pointed tooth, and a small te that looked like it had been something¡¯s carapace.

    Before he could get too caught up studying the small pieces, Arwin looked to the two metal bars. The gray one strongly resembled a very refined version of Roughsteel. He hoisted it ¨C the weight was about the same. It seemed to just be some form of basic metal.

    The white one was a lot lighter than he expected. He tapped it against the anvil, drawing out a melodic hum. Running a finger across its surface revealed it hadn¡¯t been dented. The metal was definitely sturdy.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Arwin said, setting the materials back down and forcing himself to take a moment to think instead of just jumping into his work. He wasn¡¯t going to aplish anything by panicking. ¡°Two pieces of metal. Three assorted¡­ thingies. Between these ¨C and me ¨C I should be able to intentionally make the [Steelskin] trait.¡±

    He dug through his mind in search of anymon aspects that could be corrted to the traits he¡¯d gotten in his previous gear. The actual material he worked with obviously influenced the end result.

    Zeke¡¯s helm was proof of that, as was the Maristeel¡¯s water-influenced traits. That wasn¡¯t all of it, though. His own desires had yed arge portion in the results as well ¨C namely, with Lillia¡¯s armor.

    <em>The hell is the rtion between those, though? I can set the general feel of the item. That¡¯s not too hard. But how do I ensure a specific trait, much less avoiding the bad ones? I¡¯ve got something like a 75% chance to get a detrimental trait¡­ but that might be only when I¡¯m following the Mesh and not working for myself. </em>

    His answer was somewhere in the materials before him. He just had to decode it. Arwin reached into the leather bag and pulled the gem, tooth, and carapace te out. Metal was clear enough, but he had less experience with the bits and bobs.

    Arwin sniffed each of them to see if there was any magic within them, but they had no smell. They were just¡­ things. His brow furrowed and heid everything out on the anvil, drumming his fingers against his thigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s got to be something to do with the random shit,¡± Arwin mused to himself. ¡°There¡¯s no rtion between them as far as I can tell.¡±

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    He picked the gem up and studied it closer. It didn¡¯t even look particrly valuable. It vaguely resembled murky milk, and not in an appealing way. It was rough and jagged. If he¡¯d seen it on the road, he would have stepped right over it.

    The tooth didn¡¯t look any more special. It was clearly from a monster of some sort, but that hardly narrowed anything down. The gray piece of carapace was the same. They were just mundane items.

    <em>Then again, I¡¯ve made magical weapons out of literal scrap. Maybe that¡¯s the problem? Do I need to use higher quality materials and really focus in on what I want the result to be? I¡¯ve never had a specific trait in mind before. </em>

    If that were the case, Arwin was pretty confident that the white metal was better than the gray. He picked it up and tossed [Soul me] into his hearth, then ced the metal within the crackling fire.

    He¡¯d clearly gotten the assorted pieces for a reason as well, but he couldn¡¯t tell if any of them were rarer than the other. After thinking for another few minutes, Arwin chose the gemstone. It matched the metal and looked like it was probably the rarest of the lot.

    The metal soon heated to an appropriate golden-orange and Arwin took it from the mes, setting about hammering it out. It worked easily and it wasn¡¯t long before he had it ttened into a workable te. He split it apart, then picked up one of the pieces and mentally pried it to see if it was interested in being a bracelet.

    To his surprise, the metal waspletely impassive. It was as if it had no desire at all.

    <em>The Mesh must have given me materials with no desires so they would do exactly what I wanted to make the Challenge a bit more manageable. </em>

    He certainly wasn¡¯t going toin. Arwin took a section of the metal and returned it to the me, bending it into a circle. He ced the white gemstone in its center, focusing his thoughts on the [Steelskin] trait.

    Minutes slipped by as he worked the bracelet into shape, firmly embedding the gem into its center. Arwin pushed energy from his palms into the metal as he shaped it. He took extra effort to make sure his work was measured and the final result was the best he could possibly make.

    It took nearly an hour for him to finish his work, but he grew more confident in his results with every second that passed. It was, without a doubt, the best bracelet he¡¯d ever made. Arwin added in some faint designs just in case the Mesh was picky about its results, then held it out before him as the heat faded from the metal.

    The fruits of hisbor were a shimmering white bracelet with a murky gemstone embedded in its top. Swirling patterns ran down its surface and encircled the stone. Arwin grinned to himself as the Mesh wrapped around the bracelet.

    ¡°Well? How about that?¡±

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Squandered Potential]: This item could have been something, but the magic infused into it failed to align with its materials and prevented its traits from fully taking form.</strong>

    <strong>[Albuskin]: ???</strong>

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Arwin cursed. The bracelet¡¯s trait was somehow even worse than the one he¡¯d made before it ¨C but his efforts hadn¡¯t beenpletely wasted. The trait had vital information within it.

    <em>My magic didn¡¯t align with the materials. It¡¯s not just about using high quality metal, then. I also got a skin trait, so my intent was kind of working, but it wasn¡¯t even the right trait. I¡¯m approaching this the wrong way. I definitely should have used the other metal ¨C that one looks like normal steel. </em>

    Arwin studied the failed white bracelet. It wasn¡¯t just the metal. Something about the other materials the Mesh had given him mattered as well.

    ¡°What would a gemstone, a tooth, or a piece of ting have to do with this?¡± Arwin asked himself. ¡°Could they just be pure distractions?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t put it past the Mesh, but there was only one way to find out. Arwin picked up the other brick of metal and set it into the fire to heat. Then, once it was hot enough, he set about making another bracelet.

    Arwin pushed magic from himself into the metal as he worked it and continued to keep his mind focused on the [Steelskin] trait. As he had thest time, Arwin did everything he could to make sure the bracelet was made to the absolute peak of his abilities.

    After just under forty-five minutes, a new bracelet rested in his palms. He held his breath as the Mesh gathered to judge it.

    <strong>[Metal Bracelet: Null Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Null Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Empty]: The magic failed to take hold within this metal, leaving it as nothing but a hunk with no power. </strong>

    The glowing words sputtered and vanished, leaving Arwin with a in band of metal in his palms. He¡¯d failed again.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°A new mistake this time. I¡¯ve never had that happen before. How would the magic fail to take hold?¡±

    The urge to fling himself into making a third bracelet was strong, but Arwin shoved it back. He didn¡¯t have time to make two more bracelets, so the next one had to count. There was no doubt in his mind that he had all the information he needed to do this properly. He just had to figure out what he was missing.

    The Mesh had infused normal pieces of metal before without any issue, but that had been when it had provided the intent and done most of the work for him. This metal didn¡¯t have any desires of its own, so it couldn¡¯t help him. The only variable in y was Arwin.

    ¡°With the white metal and the gem, the magic gets wasted, but it was still held. With the steel, it didn¡¯t take hold at all. That means the gem was what was holding the magic rather than the metal itself ¨C or perhaps they were working together,¡± Arwin said to himself. His eyes drifted over his materials again as a piece of the puzzle fell into ce. ¡°I need a focus. It can¡¯t just be any focus, though. It has to match the intent. That¡¯s why the gem didn¡¯t work.¡±

    <em>Or would the gem have worked if I used it in conjunction with the steel? </em>

    Arwin ground his teeth. He was running out of time. He scanned over the materials again.

    <em>This metal can¡¯t help me house anything because it doesn¡¯t have any desires. It¡¯s just pure, in metal. That¡¯s a benefit because it means it can¡¯t put other shit into the mix, but a drawback because I can¡¯t just rely on it to do the work. </em>

    <em>It boils down to desire, then. </em>

    Arwin thought back to everything he¡¯d made, and one piece in particr rose to the surface. Zeke¡¯s helm had the strongest desire out of everything he¡¯d worked with. It had shown him its path, and how all its experiences had shaped it. He¡¯d seen the helm¡¯s history, and it had practically forged itself with his hands.

    A chill ran down Arwin¡¯s back and his eyes flicked to the tooth and the carapace lying in wait on the anvil.

    <em>That¡¯s it. Everything that goes into the item has to align. The metal I¡¯ve currently got has no desires of its own ¨C which means I need to add something into it to hold the magic. Then that item has to work with the metal to achieve the final result. The white metal is definitely the wrong metal, and the gemstone is definitely the wrong material. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes flicked to the carapace. Skin ¨C or about as close to it as he had to work with. That would fit the trait he was going for, and the gray metal would align with all of it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this one more time.¡±

    He grabbed the carapace and a piece of the gray metal, bringing both to the fire.

    Then he got to work.

 Chapter 138: True Crafting & IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Chapter 138: True Crafting & IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Making a bracelet wasn¡¯t anything new to Arwin, but he¡¯d never been so focused on his results before. Splitting his attention between the forging process and making sure he didn¡¯t lose sight of the trait he wanted was insanely difficult. It felt like he was trying to pull the entirety of his mind in two wholly separate directions.

    He didn¡¯t let his attention falter for a second. This was thest chance he¡¯d get atpleting the Challenge in time, and he was confident that he¡¯de to the right conclusion. He just had to pull through.

    His hands seemed to move with minds of their own as he repeated a process he¡¯d done several times before. It was an odd feeling. His body and mind felt disconnected. They were split between two halves of a whole ¨C but, at the same time, they feltpletely in sync. The desire and the forging were one and the same.

    Without the Mesh carrying the other half of his work for him, the workload was obviously going to be higher. But the longer Arwin worked the metal in the me, using [Scourge] to bend the carapace into ce and twisting it together with the metal, the more he felt like he actually understood what he was doing.

    Magic poured out of his body and into the bracelet. He¡¯d used so much already that he was starting to feel as drained as if he¡¯d just fought a massive battle, but he didn¡¯t care. Arwin wasn¡¯t just letting the desires of the metal and the Mesh take over his work. He was forging it entirely on his own.

    He lost track of time. There was no room in his mind for it. There was only space for his work. Inch by inch, bend by bend, Arwin grew closer topleting the bracelet. The power he¡¯d pushed within it tingled against his fingers as he worked, growing stronger by the second until, finally, it was done.

    A in steel bracelet rested before him. It was twisted with the carapace so thoroughly that he could barely even tell where one piece started and the other ended. It was a swirl of gray that represented everything he could muster.

    And, for the third time in the Challenge, the Mesh acknowledged his work. Energy swirled around the metal and golden letters crawled before Arwin¡¯s eyes once more.

    <strong>[Steel Embrace: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong><strong>Steel Embrace: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Steelskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to steel and freeze them in ce at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    Augh bubbled out from Arwin¡¯s lips. He held the bracelet out before him, theughter growing stronger as the words shimmered and faded away. It wasn¡¯t long before he was cackling and clutching onto the metal band like it was the only oar to a rowboat lost in the ocean.

    ¡°I did it!¡± Arwin cackled, thrusting the bracelet into the air victoriously. ¡°Hah!¡±

    <strong>Achievement: [Yes you did.] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Yes you did.] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first item entirely on your own.</em> Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. <em>This achievement will be consumed immediately. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Yes you did.]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive)</strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal]</strong>

    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Arwin breathed. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get another one of these so soon. I would have cried blood if I knew just how many Achievements I¡¯d missed out on as the Hero. I think I¡¯d gotten like ten by the time I was at the end of Journeyman tier. I¡¯ve basically gotten that many halfway through Apprentice.¡±

    It was a wee power-up right before a fight, that was for certain. Arwin crossed [Awaken] off the list immediately. He¡¯d seen just how significant the changes it brought were, and now that he¡¯d learned how much he still had to improve on with smithing, he didn¡¯t dare make it any more powerful.

    If he did, he¡¯d probably bepletely unable to properly craft items with enough magic to give him a vision. A shudder ran down his spine at the thought of trying to hold onto his intent for a trait while the materials he was working with were literally assaulting his mind.

    [Arsenal] was useful, but Arwin needed more slots than anything else ¨C and those wouldn¡¯te from upgrading the ability. He crossed it off as well. [Arsenal] was already pretty much exactly where he needed it to be.

    That left [Molten Novice] and [Soul me]. Both of them were equally tempting to him. He¡¯d already gotten a faint hint as to what [Molten Novice] would do. It would let him somehow work withva.

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    That said, he didn¡¯t exactly have anyva with him. He was pretty sure he could get back to the locked room in the dungeon, but it was far from convenient. Arwin also hadn¡¯t actually gotten a chance to properly use the ability yet.

    <em>I do have that ball ofva waiting to be used that I got from the dungeon, but I¡¯m going to need a way to make moreva to work with if I want to learn more about [Molten Novice]. I shouldn¡¯t upgrade the skill beyond what I can use before I¡¯ve even tested it out ¨C which leaves [Soul me]. </em>

    <em>It¡¯s probably my most used ability, and it hasn¡¯t gotten an upgrade in a while. I suppose that settles things.</em>

    Arwin selected [Soul me] without a second more of hesitation.

    <strong>[Soul me] ¨C <em>Passion burns within you with such intensity that it be manifest. You may draw out your Soul me, empowering the fire of your forge, but be wary ¨C any magical damage done to the Soul me will transfer onto your soul. Increasing the amount of magical energy you use to form the Soul me will increase its intensity. Your Soul me can pull all the traits from a magical item and allow you to transfer them onto other items without pre-existing magic. </em></strong>

    The upgrade was straightforward, which was a wee change from everything else Arwin had gotten as ofte. More magical energy, stronger [Soul me]. There was absolutely nothing toin about there, and he could already see how it would continue to scale as he grew stronger and got more magical energy to work with.

    <em>Could be useful in fights as well. I¡¯ll just have to make sure I don¡¯t use up too much magical energy trying to cook something and end uppletely spent. </em>

    Arwin summoned his personal information. He was pretty sure the Achievement hade from increasing the difficulty of the challenge, but it never hurt to make sure.

    <strong>Challenges:</strong>

    <strong>[Curb the Hunger] ¨C You¡¯ve unveiled a hidden aspect of your ss. All that lives must consume to persist, but some hunger more than others. Unfortunately for you, your hunger is far greater than what your body can sustain. Find a way to bring it under control before you consume yourself. Rewards: range onpletion. Failure toplete a sufficient amount of the Challenge will result in your death. </strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: Discover yourck of knowledge and initiate the Challenge. </strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: [The Hungering Maw] will have an extra variant to choose from upon your next ss Specialization. This achievement will be consumed upon your next ss Specialization.</strong>

    <strong>Milestone 2: Milestone 2: <em>Shed your training aids and take your first step onto the path of true smithing. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 2: 1 bar of purified Albunium, 1 bar of purified Steel, 1 Palestone, 1 Ripperfish tooth, and 1 chip of Rockspider Carapace. </strong>

    <strong>Bonus Reward 2: Achievement: [Yes you did.]</strong>

    <strong>Milestone 3: <em>?</em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 3: <em>Unknown Title</em></strong>

    Arwin waved the Mesh away and let out a satisfied sigh. He¡¯d pulled it off. There was only a single task in the Challenge left, and he was starting to understand his ss more with every day. He lifted his new bracelet to his nose and smelled it.

    Its scent was a mixture of warm coal and metal ¨C but far fresher than it should have been. The smell was definitely magical. It almost felt like the embodiment of a hot hearth.

    <em>This bracelet is actually pretty damn useful, even if I don¡¯t eat it. I wonder how much magical energy it draws. Could I make some of these for the others?</em>

    Arwin activated the bracelet. He drew in a sharp hiss as magical energy poured out of his body and into the metal band in a wave. His body stiffened as his skin turned the sheen of polished metal.

    All the magical energy he had left was sucked away in moments and the flow of power stopped as his skin returned to normal. As soon as he could move properly again, Arwin doubled over and braced his arms against his knees, drawing in a surprised breath.

    He hadn¡¯t even had a chance to cancel the bracelet¡¯s draw before it had drained him. It was several moments before he could straighten again. He stared at the inconspicuous piece of metal. He¡¯d barely been able to power it for a second.

    <em>Definitely not using this the normal way. The item must be strong enough that the amount of magical energy I¡¯ve got at this tier makes it borderline useless in most situations¡­ other than the one where I shove it down my gullet. It¡¯s that or I need to find a way to optimize magical power draw. Maybe a mix of the two. </em>

    <em>Either way, there¡¯s no point even trying to make these for the others yet. A second of resistance followed by beingpletely useless for the rest of the fight is a bad trade. </em>

    Arwin slipped the bracelet onto his wrist and took a moment to gather himself. With all the excitement from his revtion, he hadn¡¯t even had a chance to finish making his arrow. The traits on it were so detrimental that the idea of even trying to shoot it out of his bow felt moronic.

    <em>I¡¯ll probably explode just from the force of the string shooting it. But¡­ with what I just learned, couldn¡¯t I try to make something better? It¡¯ll be harder if I¡¯m working with metal that has desires, but I should be able to guarantee at least one of the traits. </em>

    It was an easy decision. He¡¯d spent so much effort making the bow that there was no point showing up with a shoddy arrow and wasting the effort. Arwin headed around the forge and gathered the metal he¡¯d need, setting them into the [Soul me] to heat.

    His eyesnded on the tooth that the Mesh had given him as part of the Challenge. Now was as good a time as any to test if he could replicate his efforts with a less receptive metal. It wasn¡¯t worth using any of the purified materials on an arrow he suspected he wouldn¡¯t be getting back, so he¡¯d be happy to guarantee a single trait and deal with the other ones that came with the metal.

    <em>And with a tooth¡­ I remember a trait that I think would go pretty damn well on an arrow. I once made a dagger with [Sharp] that cut me the instant I touched it. That¡¯ll do just fine, I think. </em>

    <em>If that works, I¡¯ve already got a few more ideas that I¡¯m going to need to make before the fight with the Wyrms rolls around. We¡¯re going to need every advantage we can get, and I can¡¯t pass up on one of my strongest abilities. </em>

    Arwin cleaned his anvil off, moving everything to the side. He then took the Brightsteel that he¡¯d set in the hearth out and summoned Verdant ze back to his hands, his eyes setting with determination.

    The crisp chill could do nothing to slow him now. Verdant ze¡¯s ringing call filled the air as he set to work hammering the Brightsteel out. His new goals didn¡¯t give him a single second to spare, but they¡¯d be worth it.

    If he wanted to take out two Wyrms, they had to be.

 Chapter 139: Opening moves

    Chapter 139: Opening moves

    Arwin tucked a bracelet into his pocket. It was the fourth one he¡¯d made today, bringing his total number of bracelets up to six ¨C far too many to keep stacking onto his wrists unless he wanted to announce his presence everywhere he walked with an aggressive jingle.

    Each one of them had taken nearly an hour to make and remaking his arrow had taken another two hours. Night had already crawled through the sky and started to banish the sun, but the day¡¯sbor had been incredibly sessful ¨C and painfully tedious.

    Arwin picked up his arrow. Its haft and fletching was made from Brightsteel, but he¡¯d formed the head with Roughsteel and the Ripperfish tooth. There hadn¡¯t been enough magic in any of the materials to trigger a vision, which Arwin was grateful for. He was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t have been able to finish the weapon if there had been. The results were almost exactly what he¡¯d been aiming for.

    <strong>Ripper¡¯s Strike: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Sharp]: This item is abnormally sharp. Its head will cut through many things ¨C including the hands of whoever is holding it.</strong>

    <strong>[Overweight]: This arrow is better meant for thrusting than shooting. It is considerably more difficult to fire or throw than it should have been due to imperfections in the forging of the fletching and bnce issues. </strong>

    The detrimental trait hade from a mixture of the Brightsteel and Arwin¡¯s inexperience making arrows, but as far as everything went, he was pleased with it. His bow was powerful enough that he was fairly confident it would be able to fire the arrow urately as long as he was shooting at a target that wasn¡¯t too far away.

    He was equally as pleased with his bracelets. Each of them had a specifically chosen trait ¨C along with the extras that their metal had tossed in along with them. That seemed to be unavoidable at his current ability, but [The Hungering Maw] had a chance to consume detrimental traits, so he wasn¡¯t overly concerned.

    <em>Things areing along very nicely. I might be able to ¨C </em>The door flew open behind Arwin and mmed into the wall with a bang. He spun, calling Verdant ze to his hands in preparation to face down an assant, but found only Reya.

    ¡°Reya?¡± Arwin asked, blinking in surprise and dismissing Verdant ze. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You need toe to the tavern,¡± Reya said between gasps for air. ¡°Rodrick and Olive are behind me, but not by long.¡±

    Arwin held a hand out to the [Soul me], drawing it from his hearth as he strode after Reya. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened? Is anyone hurt?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Reya said as they stepped into the biting winds and strode across the street toward the tavern. ¡°But we saw Wyrms.¡±

    If Arwin¡¯s skin hadn¡¯t already been covered in goosebumps by the sharp wind, it definitely would have prickled. They arrived at the tavern and headed inside, where Anna and Lillia were already waiting for them.

    Judging by the armor glistening on Lillia¡¯s body and the staff in Anna¡¯s hand, Reya had dropped by the tavern before the smithy.

    ¡°How many Wyrms?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Are they after you?¡±

    ¡°No, and I¡¯m not sure. At least five,¡± Reya said breathlessly as she braced her hands against her knees to catch her breath. ¡°We were walking around the forest because it was a little warmer out there than in the city, and we spotted them a few hours ago. I ran most of the way back.¡±

    ¡°Were they already mobile?¡± Arwin asked, his stomach clenching. They¡¯d been meant to have a few days left ¨C but that had been a guess, and it really shouldn¡¯t have been that much of a surprise that they were slightly off.

    <em>The fact that we managed to predict it this closely at all is good, but shit. I wish we had a few more days. </em>

    ¡°They were moving around the forest,¡± Reya replied. She hesitated for a moment, then frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Wyrms, but they seemed a little bit off. Like they were waiting for something instead of just roaming around like they should have been.¡±

    Arwin nced at Lillia to see if she knew anything about the phenomena, but she just shrugged and shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s beyond me. I¡¯d have to see it with my own eyes, but at that point, we¡¯ll be in the thick of things anyway,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But if we want to take advantage of the Wyrms¡¯ weakness, that means we have to strike now. We can¡¯t dy.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe? It¡¯ll be the middle of the night,¡± Anna said with a worried frown.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be less safe when the monsters start getting their wits about them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Wyrms don¡¯t have night vision that¡¯s much better than that of humans. They aren¡¯t nocturnal. It¡¯s short notice, but if you¡¯ve all got your energy, now is the time to strike. Reya, are you in shape to go back? If you aren¡¯t¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just out of breath.¡± Reya straightened up and wiped her brow with the back of a hand. ¡°I can fight. Rodrick and Olive probably aren¡¯t too far behind me, but if we leave now, we can save them the effort ofing back into the city.¡±

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    ¡°Anna? Lillia?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°As am I,¡± Anna added. ¡°I¡¯ve just been sitting around and twiddling my thumbs today. Can¡¯t say this is what I was nning on, but I can fight.¡±

    <em>And I should have all my magical energy recovered by the time we get there. It¡¯s a several hour trip to the forest where the Wyrms have set up camp. </em>

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go. I just need to grab something from the smithy on the way out.¡±

    ***

    As Reya had predicted, they ran into Olive and Rodrick just a short while after leaving the city. They both looked heavily winded, but neither was injured.

    ¡°I take it you already know what happened,¡± Rodrick asked as they fell in with the party and turned to head back to the forest.

    ¡°Reya filled us in,¡± Arwin confirmed as they continued at a brisk pace. He shifted the leather bundle he had under his arm. ¡°Anything else we need to know?¡±

    ¡°She mentioned they seemed to be acting strange?¡±

    Arwin nodded.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s it. We headed back almost immediately. Reya¡¯s just a whole lot faster than we are,¡± Rodrick said breathlessly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of time running,¡± Reya said.

    Rodrick coughed into his hand, then shook his head. ¡°Damn. My throat¡¯s dry.¡±

    Anna pulled out a sk of water and wordlessly handed it to him. He drank a mouthful and gave her an appreciative nod as he handed it back. Anna offered it to Olive. ¡°Do you want some?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you, though,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°You sure you want to stick around for this, Olive?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly part of what you agreed to do. Fighting a Wyrm horde is a whole lot more dangerous than clearing out a dungeon.¡±

    She let out a snort. ¡°Are you kidding? And miss out on the Achievements and Titles we¡¯re going to get for this? You don¡¯t make it anywhere as an adventurer by ying it safe, and I¡¯ll be damned if I go down as a coward.¡±

    There was more than just confidence in Olive¡¯s voice. There was a note of regret, buried deep beneath her forceful tone. Something told him that circumstances hadn¡¯t always yed out the way she¡¯d wanted them to.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to press further. Arwin just gave her a nod. If she was going to help them, he certainly wouldn¡¯t say no. They needed all the strength they could get.

    <em>She¡¯s definitely going to figure out most of us have magic gear, but so be it. She¡¯s just about joined the guild anyway. I see no reason not to bring her fully onboard ¨C especially if she performs well during this fight. If she doesn¡¯t¡­ well, it¡¯s grim, but she probably won¡¯t be alive. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. The idea of anyone else in his group dying sparked a fire deep in his heart. He wouldn¡¯t let it happen again. He couldn¡¯t.

    They pressed on into the night in silence, the cold howl of the wind no longer a biting sting but aforting chill that kept their bodies from overheating as they hurried across the ins.

    The hours slipped by in what felt like minutes. It wasn¡¯t long before they all arrived at the edge of the valley that housed the now Wyrm-infested forest within it. They slowed, creeping down the sloping path and trading haste for stealth.

    It took them several minutes to make their way down. Arwin couldn¡¯t see anything out of ce yet, but he trusted Rodrick and Reya¡¯s judgement ¨C especially with Rodrick¡¯s enhanced hearing.

    They wound closer to the forest as quietly as they could, usingrge boulders for cover as they approached. The group came to a halt near a big outcropping of stones. Rodrick pulled the looking ss off its spot on his waist and held a hand up to forestall the others as he peered into the forest.

    Arwin squinted. It was a cloudless night, and the moon shimmered like a giant silver eye overhead. Even without anything to improve his sight, he could make out the treeline in the night¡¯s silvery glow.

    ¡°There,¡± Rodrick whispered. ¡°Baby Wyrm. Apprentice 4.¡±

    Arwin followed his gaze, but he couldn¡¯t quite make out what Rodrick saw. It must have been at a poor angle.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends?¡± Rodrick muttered under his breath. He lowered the looking ss and held it out to Arwin. ¡°Look over there. Next to therge tree with the weirdly shaped top.¡±

    Arwin took the instrument and held it up to his eye, moving to stand where Rodrick had been. It took him a second to find the tree the other man had indicated.

    ¡°A bit to the left,¡± Rodrick whispered.

    A Wyrmling sat at the base of a tree just beside the one that Arwin had located, its green scales blending in perfectly with the foliage. If Rodrick hadn¡¯t pointed it out, he would have missed the monsterpletely.

    <strong>[Forest Wyrmling ¨C Apprentice 5]</strong>

    The Wyrmling wasn¡¯t what caught Arwin¡¯s attention, though. It was the man standing beside it. The night was too dark to make out any detail about his form, but there was no denying the fact that there was someone next to the monster.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Reya whispered impatiently. ¡°Did you see the Wyrms?¡±

    ¡°More than that,¡± Arwin said as he lowered the looking ss. ¡°There¡¯s someone there with them, and they aren¡¯t fighting. I think they¡¯re standing watch.¡±

    ¡°Standing watch? For what?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Rodrick?¡±

    ¡°No damn clue. But it¡¯s there, clear as ¨C well, night. The Wyrms aren¡¯t the only things in that forest.¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Anna asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this makes things better or worse, but I¡¯m leaning worse. Someone is controlling the Wyrms ¨C and possibly breeding them. That¡¯s almost certainly not going to be good news.¡±

    ¡°Nobody breeds a Wyrmling army if they don¡¯t n to use it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Wyrmlings are ravenous. They need to consume enormous amounts of magical energy and meat in order to survive, and they do everything in their power to do just that. If those Wyrmlings are going to mature, a lot of things are going to have to die.¡±

    ¡°Then nothing has changed,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We need to get into the forest ¨C and that means taking out the Wyrmling and the guard without getting noticed. I don¡¯t suppose anyone is particrly good at stealthily killing two things at once?¡±

    ¡°Olive, could I borrow your sword?¡± Lillia asked.

    Olive blinked, then nodded. She took the magical de from her waist and handed it to Lillia. ¡°I thought you were a mage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a lot of things,¡± Lillia replied. The darkness enveloping her grew thicker. ¡°Wait here. Make sure to move quickly once he goes down. They might have a rotation.¡±

    Then she was gone, a blur in the night. Arwin¡¯s hands tightened at his sides.

    There was no going back now.

    The opening moves had been yed.

 Chapter 140: The Idea

    Chapter 140: The Idea

    Arwin kept the looking ss to his eye. His stomach was a nervous knot as he watched the guard, waiting for Lillia to strike. Her shadows were so thick that he couldn¡¯t make out where she¡¯d gone.

    It had been nearly two minutes since she¡¯d left. He knew ¨C he¡¯d counted every second. The guard stood beside the Wyrmling, swaying slightly. The man asionally raised a hand to cover a yawn or stretched his arms over his head, but he didn¡¯t seem to be any bit the wiser to Lillia¡¯s approach.

    <em>How good is a Wyrmling¡¯s sense of smell? I never really had a reason to worry about that. I hope it doesn¡¯t notice her ¨C </em>

    The shadows passed over the guard, momentarily blocking him from view. By the time they¡¯d moved on, the guard was no longer there. It took Arwin a second to find him ¨C not standing but lying a foot away from where he¡¯d been, his head severed.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Reya whispered.

    Before Arwin could reply, a cloak of night passed over the Wyrmling as well. It remained there for several seconds longer before pulling back. The monster was dead, crumpled in a heap on the ground.

    ¡°They¡¯re dead,¡± Arwin whispered as he lowered the looking ss and handed it back to Rodrick. ¡°Go. Quickly ¨C and quietly.¡±

    They crept out from their shelter and headed to join Lillia as quickly as they could. She¡¯d certainly made short work of the two. She stood in the shade of a tree, having pulled her protective darkness back so they could see where they were going.

    ¡°You made short work of them,¡± Rodrick whispered. ¡°Remind me not to anger you.¡±¡°Wyrmlings aren¡¯t dangerous when they don¡¯t know you¡¯re there or when they¡¯re alone, and the guard was half asleep. If there¡¯s a horde of them, it¡¯ll be a <em>very </em>different scenario.¡± Lillia handed the sword back to Olive, then frowned. ¡°Also, the Wyrmling seemed¡­ off. Like it was drugged or had a concussion.¡±

    ¡°Effects of the control, maybe? If someone¡¯s keeping the Wyrms there, they probably aren¡¯t as aware as they would be if they were acting on their own.¡± Rodrick guessed.

    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Arwin said. He jerked his chin toward the center of the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. Rodrick, take up the lead and let us know if we¡¯re getting near anyone?¡±

    Rodrick nodded and they all fell in behind him. They did their best to avoid the sticks on the ground, but their path was far from perfectly silent. Arwin winced with every creak of armor or crunch of dry leaves beneath their feet.

    A distant yell rang out and they all froze in ce. It was followed by several more yells, and then muted conversation. It didn¡¯t seem like it was moving in their direction. After another few seconds, they started moving toward the noise.

    The yells and conversation grew louder the closer they got. Arwin strained to make out the words, but the trees muffled them to the point where nothing sounded clear enough to make out. Rodrick held a hand up and they all slowed.

    Wordlessly, Rodrick pointed into the trees. He tapped his ear, then started moving again, even slower than he had been before and crouching low to the ground. Everyone else did the same. They were close.

    A muted sh of light lit the forest up for a brief instant from just a few trees ahead of them. Arwin could make out dozens of people murmuring nearby, and another yell rang out through the forest. It sounded like some kind of battle cry.

    A battle cry that ended with a loud crunch, followed by even more murmuring and muted conversation. Arwin slowly crept forward, making sure not to move suddenly and draw any eyes toward the shadows, and poked his head above the leaves of a bush in his way.

    His heart froze in his chest. There must have been easily thirty or forty people gathered in a torchlit clearing before him, encircling two fully grown Wyrms. One of them rested its head on the ground, is eyes closed. Arwin recognized it ¨C it was the monster that had nearly killed him.

    The other Wyrm was wide awake and chewing on something. Around three dozen Wyrmlings were gathered in the center of the clearing. There were easily as many of them as there were people.

    And, standing between the two Wyrms with one hand ced on each of their sides was Jessen. His ck armor was nearly invisible in the night, but Arwin would have recognized him anywhere.

    ¡°Next,¡± Jessen barked, his voice cold and tense.

    The Wyrmlings pushed a man forward. He stumbled into the center of the clearing, clutching a sword and staring up at the Wyrm in terror.

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    ¡°Guildmaster, I don¡¯t think I want to¨C¡±

    ¡°You must fight to receive power,¡± Jessen snarled. ¡°That was the agreement you made when you joined the Iron Hounds. I promised to give you power, should you be able to im it.¡±

    ¡°But¨C¡±

    ¡°Fight!¡± Jessen ordered. ¡°Or die. I can lead a parched man to water, but I cannot make him drink. You asked for the chance for greatness. I have delivered it to you. When will you ever find a better chance to strike down such a mighty monster? I have already delivered dozens of them to each and every one of you, trussed and prepared for the killing. You had no objection then. So now, when I bring you, a Journeyman, to fight a mere Apprentice ranked monster, why do you balk?¡±

    The man looked around the clearing nervously.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with my current power, Guildmaster.¡±

    ¡°That is unfortunate. There is nocency allowed in the Iron Hounds. We will grow powerful¡­ or we will be fuel for those who do.¡±

    Arge Wyrmling stepped into the clearing, its lips pulling back to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

    <strong>[Forest Wyrmling ¨C Apprentice 9]</strong>

    The man brought his sword up, but his stance was horrible. He held it out before him like a torch rather than a weapon ¨C and it served about just as much use as one. The Wyrmling lunged forward and the man let out a terrified scream. He swung his de wildly.

    It bit deep into the Wyrmling¡¯s body, carving through scale, but the monster¡¯s jaws mmed shut on his neck and silenced him. The monster jerked its head back, swallowing him whole.

    Arwin ducked back down.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia breathed. ¡°He¡¯s feeding his own guild to the Wyrmlings.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why they were so high Tier but bad at fighting,¡± Arwin said, his skin prickling. ¡°Jessen did the same thing to them that the Guild did to us. He¡¯s pushing them up through the ranks, then putting them up against the Wyrmlings.¡±

    ¡°Killing something a higher Tier than you is definitely going to give you a lot of magical energy, even if they¡¯re pretty ipetent at fighting. Not as much as if they were good, but with the amount of people he¡¯s got here¡­¡± Rodrick swallowed heavily. ¡°This is bad. He¡¯s going to have a whole horde of boosted Wyrmlings.¡±

    ¡°Given the way he¡¯s standing, he¡¯s definitely the one controlling the monsters,¡± Arwin said, poking his head back up over the foliage just in time to see a mage shoot a bolt of me into a new Wyrmling¡¯s chest, shattering scales and leaving a deep wound ¨C only to get consumed like the man before him. ¡°And those idiots have power but no idea how to fight. Jessen has it set up perfectly.¡±

    ¡°For what, though?¡± Reya asked. ¡°What¡¯s he going to do with a giant horde of Wyrmlings?"

    "And why isn¡¯t anyone trying anything?¡± Olive added. ¡°They could just run.¡±

    A warrior let out a battle cry as he entered the clearing and charged the Wyrmling that had just killed the mage. He leapt into the air, fire gathering around his de, and brought it down into the monster¡¯s eye.

    The Wyrmling bucked, throwing him to the side, but he hit the ground in a roll and sprinted at it again. He ducked the monster¡¯s bite and mmed his sword through its other eye, killing it.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Jessen said, giving the man a terse smile. ¡°Move to the side so another may get their chance.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Guildmaster,¡± the man said, bowing his head before moving to join a very small crowd to Jessen¡¯s left.

    ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They¡¯re either hopeful that they¡¯ll do the same as that guy will ¨C or they know that Jessen will kill them if they try to leave. Look at the other Wyrmlings. They aren¡¯t just sitting around. They¡¯re keeping people there.¡±

    They all ducked back down and exchanged worried nces.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia said. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    Another scream and a crunch rang out, marking someone¡¯s failed attempt to kill a Wyrmling. Arwin had to admit that Jessen¡¯s n was ingenious. He was getting rid of his weakest members, growing the power of his horde, and separating out all the people that could actually fight all in one fell swoop.

    He wiped his ranks clean of the useless ones while making sure that he could count on the ones that survived to bepetent. So long as someone was a heartless monster that was fine sacrificing their guild members, it was incredibly effective.

    <em>Now that I think about it, Jessen was always willing to sacrifice the members of his guild. He didn¡¯t care at all that I¡¯d killed Yul and Tix, and I suspect he was only mad that I killed Erik because he wanted to feed the asshole to his Wyrms.</em>

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Anna asked. ¡°If he manages to feed all those Wyrms, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to be able to take them out. Weakened from birth or not, they¡¯re going to be terrifying ¨C and that isn¡¯t even counting the big ones.¡±

    ¡°If Jessen is actually controlling all of them, he¡¯s got to be concentrating on it. They didn¡¯te from his ss, which means they¡¯ll return to their normal state if he loses concentration or dies.¡±

    ¡°How are we going to kill him from here?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was too strong to fight?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s strong,¡± Arwin agreed, thinking furiously. They¡¯de a long way in the rtively short time since the fight with Jessen, but a fair head-on battle with him was still skewed against them.

    Jessen was somewhere toward the end of Journeyman tier and he knew what he was doing. Even if they all attacked him at once, he was liable to win. That said¡­

    ¡°He¡¯s weaker thanst time,¡± Arwin said. ¡°He¡¯s controlling the entire horde. That¡¯s got to be consuming an enormous amount of concentration and energy. He won¡¯t be able to go all out against us without freeing the Wyrms from his control over them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Rodrick mused. ¡°But how are we going to put him at enough risk to make him lose concentration? He¡¯s just going to sic all the Wyrms and the members of his guild on us the moment we make ourselves known.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we need.¡± Lillia¡¯s eyes lit up and she looked to Arwin. ¡°Your bow. What are the chances it¡¯s quiet?¡±

    ¡°Almost zero.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a bow?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t had a chance to use it yet,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯ll definitely make a lot of noise or light ¨C one of the two. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to draw it without people noticing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Lillia said, chewing her lower lip. ¡°I have an idea.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Anna asked.

    She told them.

 Chapter 141: The Promise

    Chapter 141: The Promise

    Olive crept away from the treeline and toward the mixture of Wyrmlings and Iron Hounds in the center of the clearing, using the cloak of darkness that hung around Lillia as cover. And, with every step she took, her mind could only echo the same thought over and over.

    <em>How did I end up here?</em>

    The journey to Milten wasn¡¯t one that she cared to remember, and her time after arriving at the city had somehow been nearly as bad. Just thinking about it made her stomach clench with anger ¨C but it was nothing she hadn¡¯t expected.

    Adventurers with open groups had never been the most respectable folks. The only things they cared about was money and power. All the good ones joined the popr guilds or started their own, and they were careful with who they let in.

    The people that were left over only let others join their party to fill in the empty spaces and hope that they would hold the attention of a monster long enough for them to escape if things went poorly.

    She¡¯d known that, but she¡¯d stille to Milten with hopes of finding something more. The city was at the farthest reaches of the Kingdom. It was away from all the major guilds. It was away from the best dungeons and the strongest roaming monsters. There was no reason toe here ¨C except for the fact that it was also away from all the things she wanted to leave behind.

    Even still, it should have been easy enough to make a living out here. It should have been.

    Olive¡¯s jaw clenched as memories ground at her nerves. Mutedughter rang in the back of her head and her missing arm tingled, as if to remind her of just how much she¡¯d lost. She ground out the noise and shoved it to the back of her mind.

    Thest thing she¡¯d expected to find in Milten was anything even remotely interesting. But, as she grew closer to the Iron Hounds and their horde following the ns of a woman dressed up like a demon and a smith who hit men more than metal, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder where things had gone wrong.<em>Or did they go wrong at all? What would I have done if I didn¡¯t run into this lot? Just hide somewhere in the slums and let the months waste away? I¡¯ve never fancied myself as a hero. I¡¯ll leave that to people with more bravery than brain. But bringing a guild killing their own members crashing down¡­ well, I¡¯d do worse things for the amount they paid me. A whole magic item, all to myself. I can¡¯t believe it. </em>

    Olive couldn¡¯t help but grin to herself. It wasn¡¯t the first magic item she¡¯d had, but it was the first one she¡¯d fought to earn ¨C and it was the only one she had left. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her new de.

    <em>I don¡¯t know why they were so willing to let someone new to their group have a magical item for such a low price, but I repay what I¡¯ve been given. If they need me to kill a few assholes and help cause chaos, then I¡¯ll do my part. </em>

    The dark started to recede, and Olive squinted through it to make her surroundings out better. They¡¯d arrived at the very edge of the crowd, in a gap between the torches. The time for contemtion was over.

    Olive stepped away from the cloak of shadows, the loud mutters and yellsing from the center of the clearing obscuring her movements. She didn¡¯t try to sneak up or avoid anyone¡¯s attention.

    She was already in the midst of the Iron Hounds. They weren¡¯t looking for assassins inside their own group. Nobody was going to suspect a person just casually walking alongside them.

    Olive drew her sword and came up behind arge man in heavy armor who was watching another warrior put up a pathetic fight against a Wyrmling. Energy coursed through her arm and she activated [Tenfold de].

    Her weapon traced through the air casually, as if she were just studying the way the firelight reflected off its surface. It met the man¡¯s neck and slipped through it effortlessly. Even though the strike wasn¡¯t moving quickly, it was far from a crawl ¨C and the de was sharp enough that she had a moment before he even noticed what was happening.

    The warrior started to turn. If Olive had used a slower skill, he likely would have been able to move out of the way in time.

    She hadn¡¯t.

    He didn¡¯t.

    Her sword slipped out the other side of his neck. The man stumbled, then pitched forward as his head rolled back, bouncing off his heels before hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. At the same time, a tendril of shadow whipped out and grabbed a nearby woman, yanking her off her feet.

    She hit the grass with a surprised cry before getting yanked into the darkness at the edge of the campsite. An instantter, an imp burst from the shadows, its red skin rippling as it let out a scream and threw itself into the crowd.

    <em>For a monster made out of shadow, that thing is really damn realistic. </em>

    It only took seconds for chaos to break out. Screams rang out all around Olive as people spun in search of the source. Some spotted the decapitated man, but she¡¯d already moved deeper into the crowd, sheathing her sword once more.

    The panic grew. Wyrmlings roared and guild officers hurried to try and figure out what was going on. Olive stuck her foot out, tripping a man in the chaos. He hit the ground with a pained grunt, only for her sword to drive through his ear and into his skull.

    Lillia had been right about the Iron Hounds beingpletely ipetent. They may have had power, but they had no idea how to use it.

    ¡°Infiltrators!¡± A man screamed, drawing an axe from his back. Shimmering motes of green light swirled off his hands as he charged toward her.

    <em>Guess it was too much to hope that I¡¯d keep going unnoticed. </em>

    Olive stepped out of the way of his first swing. It carved through the air and mmed into the ground with enough force to drive a foot into the dirt, but the man pulled it free with such ease that it looked like he¡¯d barely hit anything at all.

    ¡°To me!¡± He roared, bracing to block Olive¡¯s next attack. ¡°There¡¯s¨C¡±

    A shimmer of blue energy wrapped around his body. He locked in ce and Olive mmed her sword through one of his eyes, ripping it out even as the light faded and he toppled to the ground, dead.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition.

    <em>He couldn¡¯t have been much higher in rank than me, even if he was physically strong. Apprentice seven, maybe? Depends on how many Achievements or Titles he had. </em>

    There was no time to ruminate on it. Reya had bailed her out from somewhere, but there were several people and a Wyrmling closing in on her. She¡¯d been thoroughly spotted. She backed up, holding her sword before her as the screams continued to ring out throughout the camp.

    ¡°Who in the Nine Undends are you?¡± a woman asked, summoning a ball of spinning wind to her palms and holding it before her. ¡°What guild are you with?¡±

    An imp leapt from the darkness,tching onto the woman¡¯s face. She only had time to let out a terrified scream before it started ripping into her flesh, tearing awayrge gory chunks and hurling them across the clearing.

    A man ran to help her and swung his sword at the imp. It dropped at thest second and his de mmed into her arm, severing it and cutting into her side. The woman let out an agonized cry while her ally spun in search of the imp, which had retreated back to the thick patch of darkness growing closer to them.

    Another man ran at Olive. She knocked his sword to the side and darted forward, using the moment of the others distraction to close the distance between herself and the mage.

    ¡°Look,¡± Olive said as the mage clutched at the stump of her arm. Her sword fell, putting the woman out of her misery. ¡°We match.¡±

    ¡°You bitch!¡± the man behind her yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll¨C¡±

    The rest of his sentence was lost in a strangled scream as a shadow shot out, wrapping around his neck and dragging him into the dark. Olive spun, preparing to face her next opponent. There was nobody there.

    All the Iron Hounds had backed away from her, making room for a tall man to approach. He bore a jagged sword in each hand and wore leather, battle-scarred armor. It only took one look at his gait to see that he knew how to carry himself. Olive¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    <em>Easy to forget that the majority of this guild was just cannon fodder. This guy is different.</em>

    He didn¡¯t waste any words on Olive. The moment they were close, the dual-wielder lunged forward. His des shed, sending two arcs of wind hurtling toward her. Olive dropped to the ground, letting them pass overhead, then brought her sword up just in time to block a pair of overhead shes.

    They mmed down with immense force, driving her arm out of the way. She threw herself to the side and the des scraped against her armor, failing to find purchase in her skin. Hitting the ground in a roll, Olive shot to her feet ¨C and was forced to dive once more as a Wyrmling snapped at her.

    Its jaws mmed shut above her head and its hot breath washed over her back. She rolled to the side as a wed paw smashed into the ground where she¡¯d been seconds before. Olive scrambled to her feet, retreating toward the darkness and making sure the Wyrmling and the new man couldn¡¯t nk her.

    ¡°You know how to fight,¡± the man said. ¡°Who sent you?¡±

    ¡°Thest one asked me that too,¡± Olive said, taking the instant of reprieve to catch her breath.

    <em>I think I might have bit off a bit more than I can chew. The Iron Hounds had several people that already showed they could fight as well as this guy.</em>

    Lillia wasn¡¯t in a position to help her. Several Wyrmlings and more than ten people had surrounded the patch of darkness. Many of them were firing spells blindly into it. Even with the imps jumping out and attacking them, they were going tond a lucky blow eventually.

    A blur of movement was the only warning Olive got to raise her sword. One of the dual-wielding man¡¯s swords mmed against hers and she staggered, trying to keep her bnce. The other one shot out from the opposite direction on a direct course for her gut.

    Olive jumped to the side, but she wasn¡¯t fast enough to keep the sword from cutting into her armor once more. The man grinned at her and spun his des as he advanced.

    ¡°Eyes over here, sweetheart. I¡¯ll ask one more time. Who are you with? Either tell me now or tell me while I make you scream.¡± He flicked two more des of wind at Olive again. She rolled to the side, but one cut into the top of her thigh.

    Olive repressed the sh of pain and shot to her feet, not letting anything show on her features. The cut was rtively deep, but it wasn¡¯t life threatening. Olive tested her leg and winced. Putting pressure on it would be difficult.

    <em>What in the Nine Undends is Reya doing? I could really use some help.</em>

    ¡°Screaming it is,¡± the man said with a lecherous smile. Wind coursed down the length of his des. ¡°Fine with me. I like it better that way.¡±

    He shed forward ¨C and a wave of blue energy mmed into him. He locked in ce, but only for a fraction of a second. Before Olive could even try to take advantage of his dy, he slid back into motion, only mildly disoriented.

    The man¡¯s des finished their movement. Two huge des of wind ripped out, heading straight for Olive. She tried to jump away from them, but the wound on her leg red in pain and her lunge turned into a stumble.

    The twin arcs of magic hurtled straight toward her, eachrge enough to split her from head to toe, and there wasn¡¯t nearly enough time to dodge out of the way.

    <em>Shit. </em>

    A shimmer of silver and blue whipped past Olive. Particles of moisture pattered against her face. Rodrick skidded past her, streams of water swirling away from his armor as he arrived, arms braced before his face.

    The water swirled before him, absorbing the arcs of wind that had been on a collision path for Olive. They still cut into his armor, but the damage they left behind was minimal. Rodrick dropped back into a sprint, drawing his sword.

    ¡°Another one? Come on then.¡± The dual-wielder smirked and moved to meet Rodrick¡¯s charge.

    The Wyrmling moved beside him, preparing to snap at whoever drew near it. The monster wasn¡¯t anywhere near as aggressive as Olive had expected it to be, but that was likely due to being mind controlled.

    Water swirled around Rodrick¡¯s de as he brought it up beside him with a roar. The dual-wielder crossed his swords to block the strike, only for Rodrick¡¯s blow to rip both of them out of his hands and send them tumbling to the floor.

    His eyes opened, but Rodrick didn¡¯t waste the momentum of his charge. He drove his shoulder into the other man¡¯s chest, hurling him to the ground. The Wyrm lunged at Rodrick, but a wave of shimmering blue energy wrapped around the monster, locking it in ce for a moment and buying the warrior time to jump out of the way.

    Rodrick brought his sword down on his opponent as he tried to rise, driving it through the other man¡¯s eye and pinning his head to the ground before Rodrick ripped his de free. He pointed it across the clearing at Jessen, who hadn¡¯t moved once from his spot beside the two fully grown Wyrms.

    ¡°Hey, asshole!¡± Rodrick called, flicking the blood from his sword. ¡°Come over here so I can stick my sword up where it doesn¡¯t shine!¡±

    Jessen tilted his head to the side. He looked more annoyed than anything else, as if the deaths of his men was nothing but a mild inconvenience. It struck Olive that an inconvenience was probably exactly how Jessen saw this.

    <em>If he was feeding all these idiots to his Wyrms and we kill them, then get fed to the Wyrms anyway, there¡¯s almost no difference. We¡¯ll be worth a lot more energy because we can put up a fight. </em>

    For an instant, it looked like he was about to say something. The firelight illuminated his cruel face as his mouth opened and his attention fully fell on Rodrick.

    And, in that instant, a streak of green light shed through the night. An earsplitting crack rang out in the light¡¯s wake as it streaked through the air like a falling star. Jessen twisted his body, but not nearly fast enough.

    At the head of the shimmering light was a massive metal arrow. It drove into Jessen¡¯s shoulder and pierced into him with such force that he spun in ce. He staggered to keep his bnce, his eyes wide in shock ¨C and his concentration broke.

    Roars split the air as every single Wyrm and Wyrmling screamed as one. Jagged green crystals pushed up from the wound, trying to worm their way into Jessen¡¯s armor. He mmed a hand against the crystal, shattering it and sending a wave of energy rippling across his body.

    A dark blur passed above Olive¡¯s head. Her eyes widened as Arwin passed above her, mming down on top of an Iron Hound that had been near Jessen.

    The man didn¡¯t even get a chance to scream. Arwin¡¯s momentum and weight crushed him instantly. His helmet ignited with burning red light and a wave of roiling energy rolled off his body. Even at the distance that Olive stood at, a shiver ran down her spine as Arwin raised his hammer and pointed it at Jessen.

    ¡°Four.¡±

    Olive had no idea what Arwin meant, but it sounded like a promise.

 Chapter 142: Get up!

    Chapter 142: Get up!

    ¡°Ifrit,¡± Jessen snarled, grabbing the arrow jutting out of his shoulder with his left hand and ripping it free. He hissed as blood poured out of the wound, throwing the arrow down to his side. ¡°I did not think you woulde to y again so soon. You appear to have gotten your hands on an interesting weapon.¡±

    ¡°I got impatient,¡± Arwin said. The anger in Jessen¡¯s voice told him that he¡¯d used up a fair amount of energy keeping the crystals from the arrow repressed.

    Screams rose up from all around the camp as the Wyrmlings and Iron Hounds shed with each other. The Wyrms behind Jessen both blinked wearily as they attempted to throw off thest remnants of his control.

    Jessen clenched a hand, his jaw tightening. The Wyrms both shuddered and a sh of pink energy lit behind their eyes, fading like a snuffed candle as they both settled back down. He¡¯d brought them back under his control already ¨C but judging from the sounds all around him, the Wyrmlings were a different story.

    ¡°This has not changed anything,¡± Jessen said. ¡°A mere wound will not be enough to bring me down. All you have done is elerate what I would have already done.¡±

    ¡°Then you should be grateful to me. If you wanted to show appreciation, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you killed yourself.¡±

    Jessen bared his teeth in a smile. He reached up to his back and drew the huge ck sword, holding it at his side as if it weighed nothing. ¡°Bold words, but no power to back them up. If you are so eager to die at my de, then I will not deny you that right.¡±

    ¡°Guess that means you aren¡¯t killing yourself. Fine with me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I much prefer to kill you myself.¡±

    A member of the Iron Hounds lunged at Arwin, aiming to put a dagger into an unprotected part of his body, but Arwin spotted him out of the corner of his eye. He spun, bringing Verdant ze around and empowering his blow with a hint of power from [Scourge].The man¡¯s head transformed into a fine mist of blood and his body hit the ground, rolling to a stop at Arwin¡¯s feet. Energy pumped through his armor as the oppressive aura pouring out of his helm intensified.

    It raced through his greaves and pumped into his muscles.

    ¡°Come, then,¡± Jessen said. ¡°Try your hand.¡±

    ¡°Wait your turn,¡± Arwin replied with a smirk. He turned and sprinted for the nearest Iron Hound member. The woman was locked in a fight with a Wyrmling, and it didn¡¯t look like she had the upper hand.

    Verdant ze ended the question of who would win by iming the kill for itself. Energy howled through the weapon as Arwin brought it down on the woman¡¯s head before she even realized he was there.

    A faint red mist swirled out from his armor and he felt himself speed up once more as [Dread Momentum] intensified. He¡¯d gotten two consecutive kills with two blows. It wasn¡¯t a massive boost, but every single bit would count.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled and he threw himself to the side. A ck line carved through the ground where he¡¯d been standing, ripping through several Iron Hound members and a Wyrmling. They all crumpled to the ground, dead before they hit it.

    ¡°Running, Ifrit?¡± Jessen called. ¡°Killing my men makes you no better than what you im to hate.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t think Jessen is going to let me run around farming kills any longer, but that¡¯s fine. It would onlyst for one blow anyway. This is enough.</em>

    Arwin sprinted toward Jessen. The guildmaster brought his sword down once more, releasing another thick de of ck energy. Arwin threw himself to the ground, rolling beneath it beforeing up across from Jessen and swinging Verdant ze.

    The hammer streaked through the air, me curling off its head, and Jessen shifted back to dodge out of the way. He was strong, but nobody in their right mind was going to take a strike from a massive hammer.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Arwin growled, taking the momentum from his missed swing and turning in a full circle to whip the hammer at Jessen¡¯s injured side.

    Jessen brought his sword around, and their weapons shed with a resounding explosion. [Scourge] empowered muscles fought against Jessen¡¯s higher Tier body and concentrated [Soul me] erupted into a sea of ck energy.

    Both of them staggered back. Vibrations hummed down the hammer¡¯s haft and into Arwin¡¯s arms, threatening to shake it free of his grip. Jessen sprinted toward Arwin, ck energy curling up his body.

    Arwin braced himself to meet the man¡¯s charge. Jessen swung his sword ¨C and vanished. Only years of experience gave Arwin enough warning to throw himself to the ground. A loud <em>whoomp</em> assaulted his ears as a gust of wind passed overhead.

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Rolling to the side, Arwin swept his leg out and empowered it with [Scourge]. It mmed into Jessen¡¯s feet and the man staggered, nearly falling but managing to keep his footing. He drove his sword down and Arwin rolled to the side before he could be impaled.

    Jessen thrust his hand forward and sent a ck spike into Arwin¡¯s chest. It struck his armor before he could react. Arwin hissed in pain. A victorious smile passed over Jessen¡¯s face, only to freeze when he realized that the spike had just barely driven into the armor and had failed to do much more than scratch Arwin¡¯s skin beneath his defenses.

    The gem at the center of Arwin¡¯s armor hummed with ck energy that it absorbed from the spell and Arwin lunged, mming into Jessen¡¯s legs and empowering his whole body with [Scourge].

    ck energy tried to rise up and envelop Jessen¡¯s body, but it sputtered and failed. The two of them hit the ground with a heavy crash, and a roar rang out from behind Arwin. It sounded like at least one of the Wyrms had freed itself from Jessen¡¯s control again, but he didn¡¯t have any time to look.

    He threw himself to the side, rolling to his feet and bringing Verdant ze down on another member of the Iron Hounds that happened to be unfortunate enough to be in range. More energy pumped through his body and the oppressive aura pouring out of him grew even thicker.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Arwin repeated, charging Jessen and bringing Verdant ze down for the man as he rose.

    Jessen¡¯s sword whipped up and he rose, blocking the blow moments before it could collide with his head. If it hadn¡¯t been for [Scourge], the hammer would have gone flying from Arwin¡¯s hands. Instead, their weapons locked as they both strained to overpower the other.

    ¡°Killing your men brings me down to your level,¡± Arwin snarled into Jessen¡¯s face. ¡°But mercy is for the strong.¡±

    Arwin drove his knee up into Jessen¡¯s chest. His greaves mmed into the other man¡¯s armor and they both stumbled back a step. Magic swirled around Jessen. The magic oppression from Zeke¡¯s helm was significantly slowing it, but he was strong enough to use it regardless.

    des of ck energy shot out toward for Arwin. Instead of trying to dodge back, he threw himself forward. It would have surprised a lesser opponent. Jessen wasn¡¯t a lesser opponent.

    The guildmaster brought his sword down for Arwin¡¯s back as he rolled across the ground. It struck his armor with a ng, leaving a deep scar in it and ringing off. A whip of [Soul me] curled off Arwin¡¯s chestpiece and mmed into Jessen, forcing him to raise his hands to protect his face.

    Arwin shot to his feet and shoved Jessen a step back before swinging Verdant ze. The hammer sang as it passed through the air and drove into the side of Jessen¡¯s chest. Metal rang against metal and Jessen drove a foot into the ground, refusing to budge an inch.

    Verdant ze had left arge dent in his armor, but it hadn¡¯t prated it. Jessen bared his teeth and lunged at Arwin. His fist mmed into the side of Arwin¡¯s head, ringing it like a bell. The world spun, but Arwin reacted on instinct rather than sight.

    He brought his elbow around, pumping it full of energy from [Scourge], and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch as it connected with Jessen¡¯s nose. The two men staggered back from each other.

    Arwin¡¯s ears rang and Jessen¡¯s form re-focused before his eyes. The guildmaster wiped the blood trickling down from his nose with the back of a hand and spat on the ground.

    ¡°You are no mere smith.¡± Jessen lifted his sword and lunged, driving the de for Arwin¡¯s chest. He twisted and it scraped along his armor. With a grunt, Arwin drove his shoulder into Jessen to send him stumbling back and then swung Verdant ze once more. He poured power from [Scourge] into the blow, pulling his reserves dangerously low.

    Jessen blocked the strike with the t of his de, skidding a foot across the ground. Someone ran at Arwin from the side and he turned, but a shadow wrapped around their ankle and yanked them screaming into Rodrick¡¯s sword.

    The sounds of battle had started to recede. There were still Wyrms screaming, but between the Iron Hounds defending themselves and Lillia¡¯s group tearing through both parties, their numbers were dwindling.

    Jessen realized it too. Arwin could see it in his eyes, but he still didn¡¯t look particrly concerned. There was no panic or worry in his features. That was a problem. If Jessen wasn¡¯t worried about his horde dying, then they were missing something major.

    <em>If it isn¡¯t the horde he cares about, then what ¨C </em>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes caught on the controlled Wyrms. Jessen hadn¡¯t been nning on stopping after he fed the Wyrm horde. He ¨C or the Wyrms ¨C were going to kill all the survivors. Feeding an entire horde was borderline impossible, but forcing his Wyrms to kill a bunch of their own power boosted Wyrmlings would only leave him with two mouths to feed.

    <em>Hell, he might just kill the Wyrms too. Consolidate all that power he¡¯s made and take it for himself. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t give a shit how many people die. He might lose a bit of energy in the conversion, but who cares when you¡¯ve got so much waiting to be harvested? As long as he¡¯s the one that kills the most powerful ones at the end, hees out ahead. If that¡¯s the case, the reason he hasn¡¯t used the Wyrms yet isn¡¯t because he can¡¯t. He¡¯s just waiting for enough people to die that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about them getting injured. </em>

    Jessen¡¯s lips pulled back in a smile as another Iron Hound fell. There were still several of them fighting both the Wyrmlings and Arwin¡¯s group, but the onlybatants left now were his more talented warriors and the strongest of the Wyrmlings.

    ¡°Times up,¡± Jessen said, holding a hand out to the Wyrms behind him. ¡°You weren¡¯t a bad fighter ¨C for a smith. I look forward to seeing just what kind of equipment you¡¯ve got. It¡¯ll look good on my walls.¡±

    The Wyrms roared as one. Arwin staggered, dropping Verdant ze and pping his hands over his ears as a wave of pain mmed into him and his brain spun. Blue energy shattered around his body and the effect faded, letting him draw in a sharp breath.

    One of the Wyrms rose to its feet, its lips pulling back in a savage snarl and pink energy swirling behind its eyes. The other one, however, remained in ce. Jessen looked back at it, his brow tightening.

    ¡°Go, youzy piece of shit,¡± Jessen snarled. ¡°Get up! ¡±

    Pink magic red in his eyes. The Wyrm hissed and its body trembled. It forced itself upright, trembling. Then it charged ¨C not at Arwin, but past him and toward his allies. Arwin called out a warning, but he couldn¡¯t risk turning to try to interfere.

    The other Wyrm crept toward him, its tongue flicking out to taste the air. Jessen watched with a cold smile, making no move to get closer. He didn¡¯t need to.

    ¡°Kill him,¡± Jessen said.

 Chapter 143: The Wyrm

    Chapter 143: The Wyrm

    Arwin hurled himself to the side as the Wyrm¡¯s jaws mmed shut on the air where he¡¯d been moments before. He dismissed Verdant ze as he hit the ground, rolling and sprinting toward Jessen.

    The Wyrm snapped at him, forcing Arwin to skid to a halt to avoid running right into its jaws. Its huge tail whipped around and he pushed [Scourge]¡¯s power into his legs and bounded onto its back.

    Before he could try to throw himself off at Jessen, the creature thrashed like a startled cat. Arwin flew off and hit the ground with a pained grunt.

    <em>Shit. This is really bad. </em>

    He didn¡¯t harbor any delusions as to his abilities. If he and all the others had been working together, there was a chance they¡¯d be able to take out a Wyrm ¨C but their n had always been to try and take one monster out while it had been weakened and then move to the other.

    Jessen wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. Arwin couldn¡¯t turn his back on him and the Wyrm breathing down his neck ¨C and even if the other Wyrm was clearly weakened, their group had been split.

    Arwin¡¯s magical energy started to dwindle as he drew on [Scourge] to stay ahead of the monster. He managed tond a powerful blow on its head with Verdant ze, but a de of ck magic streaking through the air in his direction forced him to dive to the side before he could press the advantage.

    Jessen had positioned himself out of the range of the helmet''s aura and could use his magic freely again ¨C and there was absolutely nothing Arwin could do to get closer to him. Whenever he tried, the Wyrm forced him back.

    Arwin gritted his teeth as he desperately searched for an opportunity. The gem in his armor hummed with power absorbed from all of Jessen¡¯s magic, but he needed an opportunity to actually get close enough to the guildmaster to actually use it.A w scraped across his armor as he failed to dodge it fast enough. Even though it had just barely managed to tag him, the force from the monster¡¯s strike was still enough to hurl Arwin across the ground and rip a furrow through his chestpiece.

    He rolled to a stop and thrust himself up to his feet. The Wyrm bore down on him, but it clearly wasn¡¯t moving at its full speed. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if that was because the monster was mind controlled or if it was because Jessen was just ying with him. He didn¡¯t care.

    The sounds of battle were ringing out again behind him, and every single cry and yell sent a shiver down his spine. One bad move and another one of his friends could be lost. A Wyrm was a Wyrm, injured or not.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight me yourself?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°Are you scared of a smith?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t goad me,¡± Jessen said with a dryugh. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you have to offer but an interesting death. You aren¡¯t worth me putting more effort in. If you can, try to make sure your armor doesn¡¯t get too beat up. I need it in shape to disy.¡±

    Jessen had him trapped in a corner and he knew it. Arwin grit his teeth. Goading someone who liked watching others suffer more than anything else was borderline impossible. Jessen wasn¡¯t lying. He already had what he wanted. He didn¡¯t like getting his hands dirty himself. Their entire fight had just been him buying time for the Wyrmlings and Iron Hounds to die out.

    All Jessen had to do now was sit back and watch.

    ***

    ¡°Guys?¡± Reya screamed. ¡°There¡¯s a Wyrming!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware!¡± Rodrick called back. He grunted as he blocked a sword swing, then shoved the Iron Hound he was fighting back. Another man lunged at him, and Rodrick pped his de away an instant before he could be run through. ¡°I¡¯m a little caught up at the moment!¡±

    Lillia was equally as caught up. There were several people fighting against her and her imps within the darkness. Anna was in with her as well ¨C she couldn¡¯te out onto the field safely without getting hurt. She had to stay beside Lillia.

    The only one who wasn¡¯t currently caught in a fight was Olive. Reya swallowed heavily as she watched the Wyrm lumber toward them. It wasn¡¯t moving all that fast, but it didn¡¯t need to. She knew firsthand just how quick it could attack¡­ and there was nowhere for them to run.

    Her eyes caught on a patch of cracked scales on one of the monster¡¯s legs. It was the one that had eaten her dagger. Despite her situation, a sh of anger passed through Reya¡¯s features.

    ¡°Can you cut that thing?¡± Reya asked.

    Olive swallowed and shook her head. ¡°If it was to stand still for me? Sure. But there¡¯s no way I cannd a hit on something that powerful without someone equally as strong holding it down. Can your magic¨C¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s too high rank. I could stall it for a fraction of a second at most.¡±

    ¡°Not enough.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± Reya said weakly. ¡°We need to stall it until Lillia and Rodrick can back us up.¡±

    ¡°You want us,¡± Olive gestured urgently at the two of them, then thrust her finger toward the approaching Wyrm. ¡°To stop <em>that</em>?¡±

    ¡°Do we have a choice?¡± Reya asked, clenching her hands. ¡°Arwin is fighting Jessen. If we go down or run from the Wyrm, it¡¯ll turn on him and it¡¯ll be a 3 versus 1. That Wyrm is the weakened one. It looks half-dead already.¡±

    ¡°Half-dead is an exaggeration,¡± Olive muttered. She bit back a curse and lowered into a fighting stance. ¡°I know how dangerous the Wyrm that lived in the forest was. It¡¯s no ordinary Journeyman monster, and we don¡¯t have our heaviest hitter with us.¡±

    ¡°Then we stall it.¡± Reya set her jaw and held her hands out. A shimmer of blue energy passed over the Wyrm, but it barely even missed a step. Her magic was still nowhere near enough to hold it down.

    The Wyrm roared. It bore down on them, a stampeding wall of scales and muscle. Reya¡¯s brow knitted in concentration as she did her best to ignore the monster just seconds away from her. Energy crackled through her body and arced out as she activated [Spectral Binding] on one of the fallen Wyrmlings that she¡¯d helped kill.

    Olive threw her shoulder into Reya, tossing her back just in time to keep the Wyrm¡¯s tail from taking her head off. She hit the ground with a pained grunt and sprung back to her feet.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Olive yelled. ¡°Pay fucking attention!¡±

    A translucent blue Wyrmling rose from the dead monster¡¯s body and threw its head back, letting out a loud hiss. It picked up on Reya¡¯s desires and lunged at its former mother, scrambling onto its back and digging at the bigger monster¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Reya said breathlessly, her heart hammering in her chest. ¡°It was faster than I thought it was.¡±

    The Wyrm roared, shaking its head back and forth furiously. The ghostly Wyrmling really wasn¡¯t doing much damage, but it was an effective distraction. Another roar slipped out of the Wyrm ¨C but this one was pained.

    It staggered, one of its legs buckling beneath it for a second. The monster¡¯s eyes shed bright pink and it caught itself. It rose once more, its lips pulling back to reveal rows of jagged teeth dripping with blood.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends? How strong is your ability?¡± Olive asked, her eyes wide.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s me,¡± Reya muttered.

    The glow in the Wyrm¡¯s eyes faded and it thrashed, throwing its head back and letting out another scream. Reya¡¯s ghostly Wyrmling flew from its back and hit the ground with a thud. Another sh of energy wrapped around the Wyrm¡¯s head and it lowered its gaze once more, focusing on them again.

    ¡°It¡¯s sick,¡± Olive said. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with that Wyrm, and I don¡¯t think it wasying a bunch of Wyrmling eggs and sitting on top of them.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Jessen did something to it?¡± Reya asked nervously. The Wyrm was staring them down, but it didn¡¯t seem like it had managed to muster the energy to strike. That meant little. Reya recognized the look in the monster¡¯s eyes. She¡¯d seen it many times before¨C almost exclusively on the features of the people and animals that hadn¡¯t survived the streets.

    The desperation of a cornered animal with absolutely nothing left to lose. The courage that a gue-stricken rat would draw upon to bite at the nose of a cat bearing down on it, even though its death had already been written in stone. Even though its body was drooping and it was nearlyying t on the ground, there was fight left within its soul.

    <em>There¡¯s no way a Wyrm would feel that, right? It¡¯s the strongest monster in the entire area. </em>

    ¡°If it¡¯s this injured, I can find an opening. Stay back. I¡¯ll handle this,¡± Olive said, lowering her sword and sprinting toward the monster before Reya could say anything.

    Reya held a hand out to stop Olive, but no words came out of her mouth. The other woman was a better warrior. Her attacks could do as much as Arwin¡¯s if she had the proper setup. If anyone could kill the Wyrm while Lillia was distracted, it was her.

    <em>I¡¯m just a street rat with a ss that Arwin basically handed to me. Olive knows what she¡¯s doing. </em>

    The Wyrm¡¯s body tensed ¨C the same way it did before it attacked with its tail. Reya¡¯s body moved before her mind could hold it back.

    A sh of blue mmed into Olive. The swordswoman froze in ce and the Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped out, headed straight for her. At the same time, the translucent Wyrmling lunged from where it had fallen.

    It threw itself into Olive, throwing her back, taking the blow from the tail itself. It shattered into shimmering fragments of light and Olive hit the ground with a grunt, skidding to a stop just a few feet in front of Reya.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Reya stammered. ¡°I¨C¡±

    ¡°You just saved my ass,¡± Olive said, jabbing her sword into the ground and pushing herself up to her feet. ¡°How did you know the Wyrm was going to do that? It looked like it was about to pass out.¡±

    ¡°I just did,¡± Reya saidmely. The Wyrm screamed again, pushing itself back to its feet as the pink energy wrapping around its skull grew brighter still. They both spun toward the huge monster and it took aborious step toward them, its breathing out in ragged hisses.

    Reya shot a nce over her shoulder, but Rodrick and Lillia were still locked in their own fights. At the center of the clearing, Arwin was somehow holding his own against the other Wyrm, but he was losing ground. There was no helping.

    ¡°Any more premonitions?¡± Olive asked, adjusting her grip on her sword.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Reya said. ¡°We¡¯re screwed. I just wish I had my dagger. I¡¯d stab it in the throat when it eats me.¡±

    The Wyrm took another step toward them ¨C and a shudder ran through its body. It convulsed and doubled over, retching. A thick stream of dark, chunky blood poured out of its mouth and across its feet. The blood seemed to have no end. It poured out of the monster¡¯s toothy mouth in a deluge, flowing past Reya and Olive¡¯s feet and soaking into their shoes before they could even think to get out of the way.

    With a pop, the pink light pouring from the Wyrm¡¯s eyes snuffed out. It pitched forward and crashed to the ground, where itid unmoving.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Olive breathed.

    Reya couldn¡¯t help but think the exact same thing.

 Chapter 144: The Self and the World

    Chapter 144: The Self and the World

    The world was cold. It had been so long that even the mere concept of warmth felt like a foreign memory, a flicker of a candle in a vast sea of freezing chill.

    The world was dark. The world was nothing but the empty expanse of ground and scrap.

    The world was pointless. There was no purpose to be found in the pitch-ck emptiness. There was no goal to strive for. No dawn to anticipate. There was only the endless stretch of days that had been and days that would be.

    It had been so long since anything had changed that the mere concept of change felt like a foreign concept. It was a gift reserved for something greater, and such a concept had no ce in this empty, worthless ce.

    And then the world had changed. A sliver of light carved through the ck.

    A muted me lit in the distance, and with it came a hope that even a fool would not have dared to hope for. It was an empty promise that served only to make the dark darker, the cold colder.

    It had snuffed out.

    And then it had returned, and it brought with it heat.

    It brought heat, and it brought light.It brought life.

    The world was a brilliant, roaring crackle. It was warm and brilliant, so bright that the sun would have wept if it could have known the extent of its inadequacy.

    The world was the ring of a striking hammer.

    It was the strength of an anvil.

    The world was life. The world was hunger. It was fuel waiting to be consumed.

    And then the world expanded. It was more than just fire and anvil and hammer. It was a hand, rough and calloused. It was more than just existence ¨C it was loss. It was the knowledge of what had been and what could never be again.

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    The world was pain ¨C but it was more than that. The world was a gift. A promise, and a passing of hands. From rough to soft. From hardened and weary to young and optimistic. But, within that new and young world, there was determination.

    The world was drive. It was power waiting to be imed and gratitude for the rough. The world was friendship and trust.

    And that was how it was for some time ¨C until, as it seemed to be doing as ofte, the world changed once more.

    The world was the sh of jagged teeth and shimmering green scale. It was excitement and fear and terror ¨C and in all of that, it was the soft hand with a determined mind. The resolution to seed, but not in just any manner. It wasplete and utter victory, in the path that only the soft hadid out.

    Then there had been a sh of victory ¨C stolen by the crash of massive jaws.

    The soft was gone. The warmth was gone. The determination was gone.

    The world was darkness. The world was wet and cold and empty ¨C devoid of the burning passion that the world had once been. But this darkness was not the same dark that had once been.

    Within the pitch ck there was a distant light. A promise given to it by the soft, one that could not be broken. Within the cold there was warmth.

    And, within the emptiness, there was blood. The self drove into the blood, ripping through flesh with every movement. It tore at its captor. It tore at the world.

    The world was light in the darkness. The world was the warmth of me and the song of hammer. It was the self in the nothingness.

    The world stood in the path of the promise, and so the world would die. Every movement a reminder. Every breath stolen. The self dug into the world and refused to leave, carving through its life.

    The world had changed so many times that the self suspected that even the world itself did not know what it was. The self did not care. It barely even knew enough to know the self. If it had not been for the promise, then there would have been no self.

    But there had been a promise, and the world would one day once again be the promise. The world knew of this, and so it remained still.

    Time passed, but the self was patient. The world would move again.

    And, one day, it did.

    It moved, and the self dug into it. It moved more, and the self dug more. The world shuddered and screamed and bled.

    The world died.

    And, with the world¡¯s death, there was awareness. There was a flood of energy so immense that it was practically iprehensible. The world was so much more than what the self could have everprehended. It was only the taste of true understanding, but it was enough. More woulde with time, after the promise was fulfilled.

    The self finally knew what the world was.

    The world was Reya, and the self was her dagger.

 Chapter 145: Thousand times hotter

    Chapter 145: Thousand times hotter

    Arwin dove to the ground to avoid the Wyrm¡¯s huge paw as it howled through the air above him. He grabbed a bracelet on his wrist mid-fall, rolling and springing back to his feet as he ripped the bracelet free.

    <strong>[Hasty]: This item was forged hastily and with inferior material that wasn¡¯t brought to its full potential. Its end will resemble its beginning. This item can strike faster at the cost of magical energy, but the chances of it breaking will increase with the amount of energy used. </strong>

    <strong>[Brittle]: This item has a chance of shattering on every usage. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion. </strong>

    The Mesh flickered before Arwin, onlysting an instant before he shoved the entire bracelet into his mouth. It had born the traits of his failed arrow, but they¡¯d serve a new purpose now.

    A burning heat erupted in Arwin¡¯s stomach and his muscles thrummed in anticipation. The heat was new ¡ª but while he¡¯d grown faster, he didn¡¯t feel any more brittle than he normally did.

    <em>The Maw ate the detrimental trait. Good. </em>

    The Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped toward Arwin and he sprinted out of the way, throwing himself forward into a roll to clear the tip of the huge appendage. He came up running, pulling yet another bracelet off his wrist even as his limbs pumped at max capacity.

    Jessen smirked at him and there was a loud <em>whump </em>from behind Arwin. He didn¡¯t need to look to know that the Wyrm had justunched itself into the air and was hurtling for his back. The bracelet shimmered as he brought it to his mouth.

    <strong>Steel Embrace: Rare Quality</strong><strong>[Steelskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to steel and freeze them in ce at the continuous cost of magical energy.</strong>

    Activating the bracelet normally would give him some protection, but not nearly as much as consuming all its power to draw on it at once. Arwin leapt into the air, diving forward, and bit down on the bracelet. The speed from the first bracelet faded, equal parts consumed and pushed out by the new energy that flooded through him.

    Arwin¡¯s body stiffened. His limbs ground to a halt and a silvery-grey sheen passed over his entire form as he crossed his arms before his face. Jessen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise an instant before the Wyrm¡¯s tail mmed into Arwin¡¯s back.

    Instead of getting crushed to a paste, Arwin hit the ground and skidded across it like the worlds most unwieldy bowling ball. Jessen tried to lunge out of the way, but the magic within the bracelet had alreadyrgely faded from the amount of damage it had absorbed.

    The sheen left his skin and he threw himself out of the roll, mming into Jessen¡¯s midsection and sending them both crashing to the ground once more. Arwin didn¡¯t even trynding a blow on the other man ¡ª he could hear the Wyrm bearing down on him. Jessen hadn¡¯t lost concentration this time around, and if he wasted time wailing on the man, he was going to be missing the top half of his body before he got his second punch off.

    Arwin yanked another bracelet off his wrist.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Resilient]: This item was forged by a man who felt like a strong bracelet was more important than a pair of greaves. It was hit a few too many times, making it considerably more difficult to damage or bend by any means. </strong>

    <strong>[Cracked]: This bracelet was unable to contain the magic stuffed into it and is liable to break under the stress of its own power. Striking the bracelet has a chance to shatter it. </strong>

    The burning pain in his stomach grew stronger as the Maw devoured another detrimental trait. Arwin felt energy rush through his body an instant before a massive paw mmed into his back, throwing him from Jessen and into the ground.

    Even with his reinforced body, Arwin¡¯s head rang. He rolled over, the world swimming above him as his ears rang. He only had two bracelets left that would be useful in the fight, and then he¡¯d only have one trick remaining.

    <em>Oddbination for an item to have, really. How can you be both easy and hard to break? Odd indeed.</em>

    Arwin shoved himself to his feet, breathing heavily. The energy from the bracelet faded from his limbs, leaving him almostpletely unable to stand on his own. His magical reserves were low and he could barely even see straight. Jessen swam before him like he was standing behind a desert haze.

    The Wyrm advanced toward him.

    ¡°Coward,¡± Arwin wheezed, ring in Jessen¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Victor,¡± Jessen corrected. ¡°And I am not a coward for avoiding wasting time dirtying my hands with a mere smith. I enjoyed our game, Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Did you?¡± Arwin asked, banishing his helm so he could look straight into Jessen¡¯s eyes. ¡°I recall winning at least one round. Only half a winner in my eyes. I hope you remember losing to a mere smith for the rest of your life.¡±

    Jessen¡¯s jaw clenched - and then he staggered. His eyes shot over Arwin¡¯s shoulder. Arwin turned, then let out a bark ofughter. The Wyrm Jessen had sent after the othersid in a pool of blood on the ground, dead.

    ¡°No,¡± Jessen snarled. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Let me correct myself,¡± Arwin said, summoning Verdant ze back to his hands. ¡°That¡¯s two rounds.¡±

    Jessen snapped his fingers. The Wyrm leapt into the air and Arwin hurled himself to the side, just barely avoiding the monster¡¯s tail as it whipped past him. It crashed to the ground behind them, then charged toward the others.

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    ¡°You get your wish,¡± Jessen snarled, ripping his sword from the ground and stalking toward Arwin. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll finish you myself.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s hands tightened around the hilt of Verdant ze. His bnce was off and he could barely even still stand, but this was the most instrumental part of the fight. Arwin¡¯s nerves were so shot, but panic still built in his chest for the others.

    <em>Hold out just a little longer. Please.</em>

    Jessen stepped forward and swung his massive sword. Arwin let out a roar, swinging Verdant ze with all his might.

    Instead of trying to dodge the blow, he stood fast. Jessen¡¯s de mmed into his shoulder, biting through his armor and digging into his skin. [Indomitable Bulwark] stopped the strike from carrying all the way through his arm, but a wave of pain mmed into Arwin.

    That did nothing to stop Verdant ze¡¯s path. With the sword momentarily stuck in Arwin¡¯s armor, Jessen could do nothing to stop the hammer from striking ¡ª not him, but the hilt of his sword.

    A loud crack split the clearing, followed by shattering metal. Fragments of Jessen¡¯s de flew everywhere and the guildmaster took a step back as the shockwave of the strike ran down the hilt of the sword and into his own injured shoulder.

    Arwin dismissed his hammer. He grabbed the fragment of the sword embedded in his arm and ripped it free, tossing it to the side and gritting his teeth.

    ¡°No more weapons,¡± he spat.

    Jessen smirked. He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a bone dagger.

    <strong>Bone Dagger: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Splintered Wrath] (2 Charges): This item was forged from the flesh of a living gargoyle, imbuing it with hatred. It leaves a piece of itself behind with every strike to worm into its victim¡¯s bloodstream and seek out their heart. After all charges have been consumed, this item¡¯s magic will be fully depleted, and it will irreparably shatter. </strong>

    ¡°Speak for yourself ¡ª just because you don¡¯t have enough energy to keep your weapons around doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t bring a backup,¡± Jessen said with a cruel smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be returning your gift now. I hope you¡¯ll ept.¡±

    <em>Finally. </em>

    Jessen stepped forward and drove the de for Arwin¡¯s neck. Arwin exploded into motion, throwing himself forward and straight into the de¡¯s path.

    Then he activated [Arsenal].

    The weapon vanished from Jessen¡¯s hand and formed in his own as he plunged it down for the cracked opening in the other man¡¯s shoulder. It bit home, scraping and shattering as it hit the edges of the hole.

    Jessen¡¯s fist crashed into Arwin¡¯s chin an instantter, sending him reeling to the ground. The guildmaster ripped the dagger free, grinding his teeth. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath, then let it out slowly.

    Then he smiled.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would carry a weapon like this around without certain precautions, would you?¡± Jessen asked, holding the de up. ¡°Nasty little thing. It¡¯s not going to kill a high-level Journeyman with just a single blow, though. My body is too resilient for that. Yours, on the other hand, is not.¡±

    ¡°Want to try stabbing me with it again?¡± Arwin asked, giving Jessen a bloody grin. ¡°Your body is stronger, but it¡¯s not immortal. What, are you using magical energy to use an ability that makes your body stronger in that area?¡±

    The flicker of unease that passed over Jessen¡¯s face was all Arwin needed to know that he¡¯d guessed correctly. It wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise for a high leveled Journeyman to have some form of boon that made his body harder to damage¡­ but the fragment was still in him, as was the magical crystal.

    ¡°All I have to do is stall you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°As long as you can¡¯t dig that out, you¡¯re dead ¡ª and you better not lose concentration in the meantime.¡±

    Jessen threw the dagger at him. Arwin summoned it back to his hand before it could connect. In the same motion, Jessen stepped forward and brought his arm down on Arwin¡¯s wrist with enough force to shatter it, even through his enhanced defenses.

    The dagger spun from Arwin¡¯s hand and Jessen grabbed him, wrapping his arms around Arwin¡¯s neck.

    ¡°How¡¯s stalling going for you?¡± Jessen snarled, his grip tightening. [Indomitable Bulwark] worked in overtime as it desperately tried to keep Arwin¡¯s esophagus from getting crushed, but it was a losing battle.

    Arwin wheezed, grabbing at Jessen¡¯s armor weakly with his good hand. Jessenughed at the feeble attempt, doing nothing to stop him. Stars shed in Arwin¡¯s eyes and the world started to spin and darken.

    Seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly. Each one felt like a millennium. Arwin forced his injured hand up, mentally canceling his connection to the bone dagger. His vision shrank until the only thing he could still make out was Jessen¡¯s sneering face.

    With thest of his energy, Arwin flicked his hand. Thest bracelet on it flew through the air in an arc that nearly missed his mouth, but he just barely managed to bite down on it.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Toasty]: This item was made with such haste that it forgot to release some of the fire trapped within it. This item can grow hot at the cost of magical energy. Its wearer does not gain any resistances to its heat. </strong>

    Jessenughed in Arwin¡¯s face. ¡°Your ss is interesting. I¡¯ll enjoy seeing what you¡¯ve got left on you ¡ª right after the life leaves your eyes and I finish with the rest of my harvest.¡±

    The remains of the bracelet fell to the ground before Arwin. His head pounded violently and his body started to warm. He bared his teeth, his other hand still resting on Jessen¡¯s armor.

    [Arsenal] finally activated, its contact requirements achieved. A temporary connection formed between Arwin and Jessen¡¯s breastte. He dismissed it. The damaged chest armor vanished with a pop.

    A surprised hiss of pain slipped out of Jessen¡¯s mouth as Arwin¡¯s skin heated further, going from just warm to molten as Arwin pumped every drop of magical energy he had into the trait he¡¯d taken from the bracelet.

    Jessen yanked his hands back ¡ª and Arwin threw himself forward, wrapping himself around Jessen like a lovestruck monkey. Jessen screamed in pain as the smell of burnt hair and cooking meat filled the air.

    He thrashed, raining blows into Arwin¡¯s body, but Arwin refused to let go. He clung to Jessen desperately. Pain ripped through Arwin¡¯s broken wrist as he shoved a hand into the bag at his side and ripped out a small orb.

    <strong>[Portable Molt] ¨C A vial stuffed full of magma and sealed with magic¡­ but not very well. </strong>

    Jessen managed to get a grip on Arwin, using his gauntleted hands to pry him back. For an instant, the two of them locked eyes. Jessen¡¯s face was scorched and his cracked lips pulled back into a furious snarl. Somehow, he¡¯d managed to maintain his concentration.

    ¡°May Hell be a thousand times hotter than this,¡± Arwin snarled.

    He mmed the orb into Jessen¡¯s mouth.

    It shattered. Jessen¡¯s eyes went wide and his scream turned into a garbled hiss asva poured out of his mouth and into his body. Arwin shoved himself away from the guildmaster, staggering and falling to the ground.

    A wretched hissing filled the air. Jessen desperately wed at his face, but it was pureva already inside his body. Even if he could have somehow survived it, his concentration couldn¡¯t. One of his hands shot to his chest.

    Jessen¡¯s scream was lost to the molten rock as mes rose up from his mouth and raced across his body, lighting him up like a candlestick. He took a lurching step toward Arwin, somehow still moving despite all the damage he had taken.

    Then Jessen pitched forward and crashed to the ground, lying in a smoldering heap.

 Chapter 146: The Bloodied Blade

    Chapter 146: The Bloodied de

    Reya stared at the body of the dead Wyrm. The information her eyes were telling her wasn¡¯t registering with her brain. The monster had just¡­ keeled over and died ¡ª and it hadn¡¯t been a pretty death.

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Olive said. She elbowed Reya in the side to grab her attention. ¡°We¡¯ve got another oneing, Reya. And I don¡¯t think this one is dancing at death¡¯s door. Get ready to fight.¡±

    Reya nced in the direction Olive was looking and her heart caught in her throat. Olive had summarized the situation pretty well. Jessen¡¯s second Wyrm was charging straight toward them.

    Before she could even say anything, Rodrick sprinted past her, a tendril of shadow trailing behind him. He skidded to a stop a dozen paces in front of them and waved his hands wildly.

    ¡°Over here, you big ugly lump!¡± Rodrick yelled.

    His n worked; possibly better than he¡¯d been expecting. The Wyrm lunged, its huge jaws daring out with terrifying speed to snap shut on him. Rodrick let out a strangled curse as the tendril of shadow went taut and yanked him back. He skidded across the ground, stumbling over his own feet, but managed to keep his bnce.

    He raised his sword and pointed it at the Wyrm, baring his teeth in a grin. ¡°Ha. What do you think of¡ª¡±

    The Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped for Rodrick and the tendril of shadow cracked like a whip. Rodrick wasunched into the air amid a slew of curses. He spun his hands, righting himself and grabbing onto the tendril as it released him. The former pdin slid down it,nding on the ground with a grunt as the tendril re-attached to his back.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s not a fighting style I thought I¡¯d ever see,¡± Olive said in a mixture of disbelief and awe.Reya herself was unable to respond. She couldn¡¯t ce why, but her attention kept getting pulled back to the dead wyrm¡¯s corpse. Something about it was calling to her. That was already concerning enough. Thinking about dead bodies with any amount of desire was never a good thing.

    Thinking about corpses when she was roughly a minute away from bing one was worse. If anything, the feeling was growing stronger. It was a deep gnawing in her stomach that would not be denied.

    Olive readied her sword and prepared to charge forward to help Rodrick. Reya grabbed her shoulder.

    ¡°I need to borrow your sword.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Olive looked at her in befuddlement. ¡°I need to help¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Reya begged. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin. I need it.¡±

    Olive thrust the de into Reya¡¯s hands. She grabbed it and sprinted for the dead monster, not wasting an instant on words. Reya skidded to a stop beside the Wyrm, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste.

    The feeling was growing more and more intense with every passing second. The longer she spent away from the monster¡¯s body, the more it grew. There was something that belonged to her within it.

    She jabbed the de into the monster¡¯s side ¡ª and it rang off with a loud ng. Alive or dead, the Wyrm was still a Wyrm. Reya lifted the sword, but before she could swing it, Olive¡¯s hand wrapped over her own.

    ¡°You need this cut open?¡± Olive asked.

    Reya nodded desperately. Olive took the sword from Reya¡¯s hands and held it before her. Then she brought it down.

    Its tip traced through the air like it was moving through msses. It crept down and connected with the Wyrm¡¯s scales. They cracked and snapped, shattering beneath the impossibly slow strike.

    Olive¡¯s blow carried through, digging deep into the dead Wyrm¡¯s body. She ripped the sword free and shot a doubtful look at Reya. ¡°Okay. What did you¡ª¡±

    Reya thrust her hands into the monster¡¯s flesh. Blood burst from it, soaking her arms and spraying across her chest. Olive gagged and took a step back. Her confusion was quickly reced with concern.

    ¡°Reya, are you okay? Did you get hit with mind control? Resist it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Forget about me, just help Rodrick.¡± Reya desperately dug through the monster¡¯s ropy muscle. It was like trying to punch wet sand, but she didn¡¯t care. She dug through the creature¡¯s flesh, thrusting her hands deeper into its body and creating memories that she had no doubt would haunt her for years toe.

    Another string of curses rang through the air. Out of the corner of her eye, Reya spotted Rodrick sailing through the air. A ramp of shadows materialized beneath him and he hit it with a pained grunt, rolling all the way until he hit the ground.

    He staggered to his feet and spotted Reya as she went elbow deep into the gushing wound in the Wyrm¡¯s side.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡±

    ¡°Just trust her!¡± Olive yelled. ¡°Wyrming!¡±

    Rodrick swore again and ran to join Olive. Tendrils of darkness followed after them, fastening to both of their backs. Reya pulled her attention from the fight and back to the grisly task at hand.

    She still hadn¡¯t even figured out <em>why </em>it was at hand, but the mentalmand was too intense to ignore. Her hands pressed against muscle and her fingers worked. They didn¡¯t know for what they searched for, but still they searched.

    Her desperate moves drove her arm up against bone. It cut into her arm and she hissed in pain as her blood mixed with the Wyrm¡¯s. Reya didn¡¯t even want to think about what diseases that could cause, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to stop her.

    Something touched her fingertip ¡ª something that was neither flesh nor bone. A jolt of freezing cold energy raced down her arm and into her chest. Reya locked in ce, midway through drawing in a sharp gasp.

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    Then she thrust herself forward, plunging into the wyrm all the way up to her shoulder. Blood poured down her body and soaked into her clothes. She stretched her fingers, pressing against the flesh in her way.

    Something met her hand. A metal bar, rough and shoddy. The back of Reya¡¯s neck prickled and the chill expanded to pass over her entire body. It was a hilt. A familiar one.

    ¡°My dagger,¡± Reya breathed. It had remained lodged within the Wyrm ever since the monster had stolen it from her. Fear and embarrassment intermixed.

    She¡¯d been digging through a monster¡¯s corpse because she¡¯d somehow instinctively known that a dagger that she¡¯d really liked had been inside it. Sure, the de had an incredible magical property, but it was nowhere near important enough to turn her back on the fight for. It wasn¡¯t that important.

    That was what Reya should have felt. It wasn¡¯t what she did feel. It may have just been nothing more than a weapon, but it had been the first thing Arwin had made her. It had been a promise of a better life. A life without running. A life she could actually live.

    No matter how rtively unimportant the dagger was, it was hers. And, for some reason, it had been calling to her.

    Her fingers closed around the hilt.

    A thrum ran through her hand as if someone had struck the de with a hammer. She nearly lost her grip on it but managed to hold fast. Reya tugged on it, but it was lodged fast inside the dead Wyrm.

    She gritted her teeth and pulled again. She leaned back with all her might and braced a foot against the Wyrm¡¯s body. Blood already covered the entirety of her upper body, so there was no point being shy about ruining the rest of her clothes.

    Reya pulled again and something shifted. The dagger started to move. She leaned forward, then threw herself back with all the might she could muster. Blood sprayed as she ripped the dagger free from its fleshy prison.

    As if Reya had shattered a dam, blood burst from the wound in a massive river. It mmed into her feet and nearly knocked her off her bnce ¡ª but it didn¡¯t continue past her. She let out a terrified yelp as the rushing river of red coursed up her body and wound into the dagger in the palm of her hand.

    The Wyrm¡¯s body seemed to wither before her as the de drank from it. Its scales turnedckluster and shrank as its muscles were drained. Gallons upon gallons of blood pumped out of it. Reya tried to drop the dagger, but her hand was locked around it as if in rigor mortis.

    The sounds of fighting in the distance grew muted as if she were under water. Everything but the dagger and the Wyrm shrank away from her vision. Time slowed to a crawl, and the thump of her heart sounded like a hammering drum in her ears.

    Her entire body locked in ce. A heartbeat passed. Two.

    Then time snapped back to normal. Blood sttered down all around her and the dagger in her hand glistened, painted a deep ruby red. And then it purred.

    There was no other word for it. A dull warmth washed over her from the de, wrapping around her body like aforting hug. Reya stared at the dagger in her hand in disbelief as golden swirls poured out of it and the Mesh made itself known.

    <strong>Wyrmhunger: Poor Quality[?]</strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Its wielder has been chosen. </strong>

    <strong>[The Promise]: Forged from scrap and gifted to a street rat, this de was never destined for greatness. It was the symbol of a promise. A promise stolen by a Wyrm. For one with nothing, a promise was all it had, and so it was in blood that Wyrmhunger was ¡ª and will be ¡ª forged. </strong>

    <strong>[Insatiable]: Wyrmhunger learned hunger from its smith, but it was the desire of its master that honed its de. So long as Wyrmhunger is held by its chosen wielder facing an opponent stronger than them, their emotions will feed or detract from its power. </strong>

    The Mesh faded away. Reya stood, the de aloft and drenched in blood from head to toe. She let her hand lower. The sounds of battle hade to a stop. Her stomach clenched and she spun.

    Rodrick and Olive stood before her, their des drawn and breathing in ragged gasps. The Wyrm was before them, locked in ce as if unable to believe its own eyes. Behind it rested Jessen¡¯s body, burnt and smoldering. Arwin knelt swaying beside it, his head craned back to stare into the heavens.

    The Wyrm¡¯s gaze lowered to look straight at Reya. Its eyes had lost their pink hue, and there was an animal intelligence deep within them. They were the eyes of a predator. Wyrmhunger shuddered in Reya¡¯s hands.

    Not in fear, but in excitement. Power roiled off the weapon and soaked into her skin. She felt it pump through her body. It wasn¡¯t just the de¡¯s hunger. It was <em>their </em>hunger. Reya took a step forward. Her hand tightened around Wyrmhunger¡¯s hilt.

    The Wyrm¡¯s gaze bore into her eyes and she held it, unflinching. She didn¡¯t know exactly what the dagger could do. It was a toothpick inparison to the Wyrm. Reya had no right to stand before the massive beast and do anything but quail in fear.

    <em>Arwin gave me my ss. Everyone has helped me fight and gain experience. I¡¯ve just been sitting back and letting them handle all the hard work. I want to be more than just a support. I want them to rely on me. I want to be able to make my own damn decisions without needing Arwin or anyone else to protect me from my own weakness. </em>

    Coils of red mist gathered around Wyrmhunger and swirled up Reya¡¯s arm to rise up into the air around her. The dagger¡¯s hilt warmed in her grip, but she didn¡¯t let her eyes drift from the massive monster.

    <em>I¡¯m not running for help. Everyone else is busy doing their part. This one is mine ¡ª and Wyrmhunger¡¯s. </em>

    The Apprentice Warden took a step toward the Journeyman Forest Wyrm. It towered above her, a wall of imprable scale and muscle. A woman, little more than a girl d in crimson, stood before the strongest creature in the forest.

    For an instant, neither of them moved.

    The Wyrm balked. It lowered itself, backing away from Rodrick and Olive. The huge monster took onest look at the body of its mate beside Reya. Then it turned and lumbered into the forest.

    A second of silence ruled over the clearing. It mixed with the stench of death and blood, remaining unbroken until Anna burst from the darkness. Blood sttered beneath her feet as she ran out, extending her hands toward Arwin.

    Golden energy washed out from them and swirled through the air, pouring into his body. Anna didn¡¯t wait to see its effect. She spun to Reya, horror mapped on her features. All the energy that had been flooding through Reya vanished and she nearly copsed on the spot.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Reya said with a weak smile, holding her hands up. ¡°It¡¯s not mine.¡±

    Anna ignored her. She grabbed Reya¡¯s shoulders and poured a wave of healing light into her. The wounds on her arms knitted closed and she breathed a sigh of relief. Anna didn¡¯t stick around to see it. She was already on to Olive and Rodrick, checking to make sure they weren¡¯t severely wounded.

    The world felt lighter than it should have. Reya blinked furiously and squinted at Wyrmhunger. She was too tired to think properly. All she could do was stare. And, as if the Mesh itself took that as a challenge, a flicker of gold danced before Reya¡¯s eyes.

    <strong>Challenge: [Blood for the de] has been initiated.</strong>

    <strong>[Blood for the de] ¨C <em>A weapon, driven by its connection to you, has pushed beyond its limits and be more. But, in bing more, it is no longer the mere de that you once wielded. Discover a way to master the Wyrmhunger¡¯s power. </em>Rewards<em>: Unlock Wyrmhunger¡¯s power to wield as you see fit. Failure toplete the Challenge will result in Wyrmhunger choosing a new wielder. </em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: <em>Reunite with Wyrmhunger</em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: <em>Wyrmhunger</em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 2: Master Wyrmhunger</strong>

    <strong>Reward 2: <em>Full power over Wyrmhunger</em></strong>

    ¡°Huh,¡± Reya said, her voice tinny and distant to her own ears. ¡°So that¡¯s what a Challenge is.¡±

    Then she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

 Chapter 147: A Guild is born

    Chapter 147: A Guild is born

    Arwin could barely muster the energy to move. Even though Anna¡¯s magic was working its way through his body and healing the damage he¡¯d taken, he was just too tired to stand. His mind hurt more than his limbs did.

    Jessen¡¯s corpse sprawled out on the ground before him, charred to a crisp. The fire licking across the man¡¯s features had burnt out. His head was a vile sight to behold. And yet, in the end, it was just another dead man.

    As his breathing steadied, a glimmer of gold swirled through the air before him. The Mesh seemed to have been holding its breath throughout the fight. It had waited to say anything until just after he was lucid enough to actually register its words.

    <strong>Title: [Indomitable] has been earned.</strong>

    <strong>[Indomitable] ¨C <em>Your body has been beaten, and yet it carried on. Your mind has teetered on the precipice of oblivion, yet it refused to give in. Forged in the ghosts of the past and tempered in the present, your mental fortitude has been honed to a point beyond what most canprehend. </em></strong>

    Arwin might haveughed if he had the energy. He had no idea if the Title hade from managing to kill Jessen despite the sorry state he¡¯d been in, or if it hade from seeing the man¡¯s decimated body and thinking nothing of it.

    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. The Title was a powerful one. Mental affects were some of the hardest to deal with, and anything that kept others out of Arwin¡¯s mind was something he valued. He reached down and ripped one of Jessen¡¯s gauntlets off. Then he took the other. Both were stuffed into the bag that Lillia had bought. He rooted around Jessen¡¯s waist, finding a bulging knapsack tucked into his greaves. Arwin pulled it free and stuffed the whole thing into hisrger bag, too weary to even look through its contents. He¡¯d take a look when he had enough brainpower to actually process what he saw.

    Arwin took Jessen¡¯s boots and greaves as well, stuffing everything into his bag until it was bulging. He then jabbed his hands into the dirt, scooping out handfuls of dirt, and poured it over Jessen¡¯s face.

    Then he did it again. Footsteps behind him gave Arwin slight pause, and he nced up to see Lillia arrive beside him. She¡¯d pulled her cloud of darkness back so the others could see her again.¡°What are you doing? This bastard doesn¡¯t deserve a funeral,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a funeral. I don¡¯t want them to see it,¡± Arwin replied. He looked down at Jessen¡¯s half-covered face. ¡°Do you remember the first person you killed, Lillia?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But I think the others would remember this.¡±

    Lillia inclined her head. Arwin scooped one more handful of dirt over Jessen¡¯s face, then braced his hand against his knee and made to rise. Lillia stuck her hands beneath his arms, helping him up.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said with a weary sigh. He leaned against her; his limbs barely even able to keep him aloft. A sh of panic shot through him as he took a look around the clearing. Reyaid on the ground,pletely soaked red.

    Arwin lurched forward, but Lillia grabbed him. ¡°Rx. She¡¯s alive. Just unconscious. The blood isn¡¯t hers.¡±

    Breath slipped from his lungs with such relief that it could have crushed a brick of steel. They were all alive. Tired, but alive. A relieved smile passed over Arwin¡¯s features.

    They¡¯d done it.

    Rodrick scooped Reya up, holding her to his chest as they all walked to stand in the center of the clearing. The night sky hung overhead, stars twinkling down on the y that had just unfolded before them.

    ¡°So much for the Iron Hounds,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°We ¡ª I ¡ª killed a lot of people that probably didn¡¯t deserve it,¡± Arwin said softly. ¡°Not all of those men were here by choice. Not all of them knew what the Iron Hounds had done.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be feeling sorry for those sorry bastards,¡± Anna said. ¡°There¡¯s no mercy in war, Arwin.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant. We did what was necessary. If we didn¡¯t kill them, then we wouldn¡¯t have been able to fight Jessen safely. We¡¯d have been cut down from behind. That doesn¡¯t mean they deserved death. I don¡¯t regret, but I do acknowledge. In the end, the weight of their blood is on Jessen¡¯s scale. They were pawns in his game, but his game is over. Without him, I doubt the Iron Hounds will be able to continue on.¡±

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    ¡°Not like they¡¯d have been able to do much anyway. We must have killed half of them tonight. Well, us and the Wyrmlings. I think the Wyrmlings did way more damage to them than we did,¡± Rodrick said. He adjusted his hold on Reya to make sure she didn¡¯t fall.

    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°She got really adamant about diving in Wyrm guts,¡± Olive said. ¡°Said something was in there that she needed¡­ and there was.¡±

    Rodrick held out his hand. A blood-red dagger rested within it. As soon as Arwin¡¯s eyes passed over it, the Mesh swirled forth to identify the weapon as the Wyrmhunger. He scanned over its description.

    Arwin couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. He started tough.

    <em>Well, would you look at that. I guess Reya got her dagger back after all. That¡¯s why Jessen¡¯s Wyrm was so reluctant to move. The damn thing had a dagger cutting it up from the inside this whole time. </em>

    ¡°She should be fine with some rest,¡± Anna said. ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything serious wrong with her other than some serious drainage of energy. She was as limp as a noodle.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make something for her to eat when she wakes up,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It¡¯ll help.¡±

    ¡°Does anyone know <em>why </em>that thing was in the Wyrm?¡± Olive asked, eyeing the magical dagger. Arwin was pleased to see that there didn¡¯t seem to be any desire in her features. Even though it was clearly a weapon with more potential than Olive¡¯s, it belonged to an ally.

    <em>Bringing her in was the right choice. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But, technically speaking, Reya put it there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way back,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It was one hell of a fight.¡±

    ¡°Can you help me over there?¡± Arwin asked Lillia, nodding to the withered Wyrm. ¡°I want to see if there¡¯s anything salvageable.¡±

    Lillia nodded, and the two of them made their way over to its body. Arwin let himself slip from Lillia¡¯s grip and knelt on the ground beside the monster, upstream of the blood. He ran a hand along its scales. They cracked and ked away like dust. It was like the monster had beenpletely drained of its life.

    ¡°Did Reya¡¯s dagger do this?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Olive said, walking up to join them. She swallowed. ¡°We need to hide it when we go into the city. My sword is one thing. If people saw that, there¡¯s no way Reya would leave alive. She¡¯d be ripped limb from limb as people tried to steal it.¡±

    <em>If only Olive knew what Rodrick, Lillia, and I are wearing. I should find out if she wants to join us in proper when we get back to the tavern. If she does, It¡¯ll be time to bring her into the foldpletely. No point hiding things any longer than we need to.</em>

    Arwin pushed himself back to his feet. Even if the Wyrm had beenpletely harvested, there were Wyrmlings scattered throughout the clearing. There were enough of them to make more scale te armor than Arwin cared to even imagine.

    <em>They¡¯ll certainly sell for a lot of money. </em>

    His body was so tired that the idea of going around and looting all the monsters felt like torture, but he pushed the feelings away. He was not going to throw away a veritable horde purely because he was tired.

    ¡°Can anyone help me gather as many Wyrmling scales as possible?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I want to use them to make armor. If we fill the bags Lillia got us, we should be able to get a whole lot of them. Mine¡¯s already a bit stuffed, but scales don¡¯t take up that much space until you have a lot of them.¡±

    The others all exchanged looks. Then they got to work. It was a slow, tedious process, as descaling usually tended to be. It was wee. Arwin¡¯s nerves were shot from the adrenaline that had been pumping through them. The chance to mindlessly pull some scales away and stuff them into a bag was a blessing in disguise.

    It took them a little under two hours to stuff their bags full of Wyrm scales. The rest of the monster¡¯s bodies were probably useful as well, but there was just no more room.

    ¡°We cane back and get the rest of what¡¯s leftter,¡± Lillia offered. ¡°I doubt anyone will being to the forest in the near future. Not until they realize that the Wyrm is dead.¡±

    Arwin nced back at the corpse of the Wyrm that had once ruled the forest. He hadn¡¯t even helped kill it. None of them had. Reya had technically taken the monster out entirely on her own.

    <em>Well, I suppose her dagger did ¡ª but if anyone gets an assist, it¡¯s her. I¡¯d love to know what kind of reward the Mesh will give her for that. Something tells me it¡¯s going to be a Title, and a good one at that. </em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Arwin said. It felt like a weight lifting from his shoulders. ¡°I think we¡¯ve all earned a long break and some much-needed recovery.¡±

    They walked into the forest, leaving the clearing behind them.

    ¡°Say,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Considering we¡¯ve technically just destroyed a guild, don¡¯t you think we need a name already?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not good with names,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to think of one yet.¡±

    ¡°What about Menagerie?¡± Anna asked.

    They all paused to look at her.

    ¡°Why?¡± Olive asked.

    Anna¡¯s cheeks colored and she gestured vaguely around them. ¡°We have a smith that fights better than the rest of us, a woman dressed like a demon and another one with one arm, a street rat, and a pervert that hates wearing pants. It just kind of feels a bit like a zoo.¡±

    <em>Olive has no idea how much of an understatement that was. </em>

    ¡°Hey,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I do not hate wearing pants.¡±

    ¡°I notice you aren¡¯t denying the first usation,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°I¡¯m only a pervert for Anna.¡±

    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s sweet,¡± Anna said.

    A much-neededugh passed through the party. It wasn¡¯t one full of energy or joy. It was augh of relief that they were still alive. It was of victory and survival, and it felt incredible.

    ¡°I rather like that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Menagerie. It fits.¡±

    Nobody objected, and so it was. Their guild finally had a name ¡ª even if it wasn¡¯t technically even an official guild yet.

    They all continued through the forest, making their way back to Milten. Not a single one of them noticed the man standing in the trees behind them, his cold blue eyes tracing their every step.

 Chapter 148: Shared reasons

    Chapter 148: Shared reasons

    Xiodan had seen much in his time. He¡¯d witnessed the rise and fall of hundreds of minor guilds and dozens of major ones. He¡¯d been summoned to witness challenges and officiate more duels to the death than he could count.

    Some of the warriors he¡¯d seen bore such might that an entire guild of Adepts wouldn¡¯t havested more than a millisecond before their might. He¡¯d born witness to mages with power to twist the earth and shatter the skies to rain hellfire down on entire armies.

    He¡¯d seen guilds vanish in the blink of an eye, and he¡¯d seen them rise just as quickly. And, in his time, Xiodan had learned that few things generally went ording to n. He was personally partial to avoiding ns entirely.

    It was impossible for things to go wrong if he¡¯d never had a semnce of how they would go right. As long as he survived, he considered any night a sess.

    But this ¡ª what he had witnessed tonight ¡ª this was a failure of colossal proportions. A grin pulled across his lips. It was something he¡¯d seen before, of course. He doubted anything this far to the reaches of the Kingdom could properly surprise him.

    Not everything interesting had to be surprising. Jessen, for example, had been interesting. The man was a miserable creature. He¡¯d been so caught up in the games he yed that he¡¯dpletely lost any semnce of the value of human life.

    But, in spite of that, he waspetent. Jessen had pulled together an entire guild, all for the sole purpose of feeding every singlest one of them to his Wyrms. It had been a rather genius strategy.

    Push weaklings to higher tiers to get them to recruit more weaklings. Keep the cycle until he had a huge number of bodies waiting to be fed, then bring them to the Wyrms and kill them off in swathes before anyone noticed.

    The ones that survived would think themselves special. They would have met the same end as the others, just after the Wyrmlings had fed. Then feed the Wyrmlings to the Wyrms as well. In the end, the only ones remaining would have been Jessen and his Wyrms.The amount of energy he would have gathered from the whole debacle would have been significant. Not nearly as significant as setting out and seeking challenges against powerful opponents, but it was evident that true challenge had never been Jessen¡¯s style.

    He hadn¡¯t just wanted power. He¡¯d wanted suffering. But, insane or not, he¡¯d still had a fair im to start a guild. There were rules, after all. Xiodan¡¯s ce wasn¡¯t to judge good or evil. It was merely to judge.

    Jessen had requested that the Secret Eye send an agent to witness the birth of his new guild, a guild that contained only himself. Who knew what his ns had been after that. Perhaps he¡¯d nned to find other adventurers closer to his level of strength. Perhaps he¡¯d nned to continue repeating the same cycle. It didn¡¯t matter. Jessen was dead.

    And yet Xiodan had still judged. Not Jessen, who he had been called for, but the group that had killed him and his budding guild. He¡¯d listened in on their strategy and watched it y out. He¡¯d observed their curious fighting style and¡­ odd abilities.

    <em>Menagerie.</em>

    That was an apt name for them. A small smile pulled at the corner of Xiodan¡¯s mouth. His trip hadn¡¯t been wasted. They weren¡¯t worthy of a rank ¡ª not yet. The Secret Eye didn¡¯t acknowledge guilds before they were truly worthy of attention, and they were not at that point yet.

    They were, however, worthy of just a little bit more attention.

    <em>I think I may have seen the birth of something quite interesting tonight. I wonder what fate will make of you, Menagerie. Will you be a shooting star through the night sky, burning bright one moment and gone the next? </em>

    <em>Will you be worthy enough to truly hold our attention? </em>

    <em>Or will you sputter and blink out before you ever have the chance to properly shine at all? </em>

    <em>I suppose we shall find out.</em>

    Xiodan turned and strode through the forest in the opposite direction of Milten, not making a single sound as he vanished into the shadows.

    ***

    Arwin didn¡¯t remember much of the walk back to Milten. He vaguely recalled the odd looks they got from the guards, but they didn¡¯t look all that different from any other travelers heading back in the middle of the night. Being covered in blood and bearing bulging sacks of loot was practically a signature for adventurers.

    They all stumbled their way back to Lillia¡¯s tavern. By some miracle, all of them managed to make it without falling asleep halfway down the street. Nobody could be so much as bothered to take a bath when they got back. Grime or not, sleep was calling their names like a siren. Rodrick, Anna, and Olive all headed upstairs without a word, carrying Reya along with them.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences elsewhere.

    Arwin sent a nce up the stairs toward his room. The idea of trying to scale them now sounded like torture ¡ª but even if he¡¯d nned to, Lillia was his arm support, and she was already guiding him to her room.

    He was so exhausted he barely even noticed when they entered it. His eyes might have closed at some point while they were walking. All Arwin knew was that one moment they were walking, and the next he felt straw at his feet.

    He and Lillia flopped into bed. Neither of them even bothered to try and sit and talk. The moment the straw so much as tickled Arwin¡¯s skin, he slipped into a deep sleep.

    Arwin had no clue how long he slept. But, however long it went on, it was the best rest he could ever recall getting. He woke to aforting warmth and a sense of peace that couldn¡¯t have been replicated by any other feeling in the world.

    They were free of Jessen. The Iron Hounds were dead. Zeke could rest, and the rest of them could work on recuperating and repairing the street. The world stretched out before them. Its arms were outstretched and full of potential.

    And, speaking of arms, there were some of those wrapped around Arwin.

    He blinked. That was odd. He was pretty sure that shouldn¡¯t have been possible, as one of his arms felt remarkably numb and the other was draped over something. He did not have four armsst he recalled.

    The drowsiness pulled back as Arwin¡¯s mind started to run again. It quickly became apparent that the feeling of warmth wasn¡¯t purely figurative. Something warm was quite literally pressed against his body ¡ª and wrapped around the length of his leg.

    His head finally snapped back into function as he drew in a breath, registering honey and freshly baked bread. It wasn¡¯t just anything that was pressed against him. It was Lillia.

    Even if he¡¯d wanted to unentangle himself, the task was quite impossible. His right arm was pinned beneath her and the <em>something </em>that had been holding his leg was what he suspected to be her tail.

    Something about him waking up must have caused a chain reaction, because Lillia let out a murmur. Her hair brushed against him as she moved her head and froze in ce.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia whispered, her breath tickling his nose.

    ¡°We¡¯re alive,¡± Arwin said in a startling disy of observance.

    ¡°Astute. And we¡¯re¡­ ah, entangled.¡± She made no move to extract herself.

    ¡°So it appears.¡±

    They were both silent for a moment. Arwin wished he could have dragged that moment on forever, but he snuffed the desire. He¡¯d made a promise, both to himself and to Lillia. Jessen was dead. The Wyrms were too ¡ª and he had no excuse to give himself any longer.

    <em>No excuse other than Lillia wanted to say something too. I should hear it out first, just in case she wants to tell me something that runs opposite to my own feelings. It would save us a lot of hassle. </em>

    ¡°I suppose now is as good a time as any, isn¡¯t it?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°You said there was something you wanted to tell me.¡±

    ¡°You said the same thing,¡± Lillia said hurriedly. ¡°You can go first. I don¡¯t mind going after.¡±

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t want to intrude. You can speak first.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be polite,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You go.¡±

    ¡°I have my reasons. You should go first.¡±

    ¡°As do I,¡± Lillia replied.

    ¡°Just go,¡± they said at once, then promptly both broke down in suppressedughter.

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you how damn stubborn you are?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I was about to tell you the same thing,¡± Arwin replied. He drew in a small breath, trying to convince himself that it was to steady his nerves and not to smell Lillia¡¯s hair, then let it out with a huff. ¡°Fine. I can go first.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re really that adamant about it, I won¡¯t make you,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I can go first if you really want me to.¡±

    Arwin red. He couldn¡¯t see Lillia, but she could see him just fine. He was rewarded with a sheepish cough.

    ¡°We¡¯re never going to get through this at this rate, are we?¡±

    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°What if we just say it at the same time?¡±

    ¡°Not the best way to make sure your point is heard clearly,¡± Lillia pointed out. She paused for a second, then cleared her throat. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, actually.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Ready?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°We can do a countdown.¡±

    He felt Lillia nod. Arwin steeled his nerves. His heart was pumping in his chest like a runaway horse. He was pretty sure he was more stressed about this than he had been for a fair number of fights he¡¯d been in.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Just do the damn countdown already,¡± Lillia grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m going to die of old age before we get this over with.¡±

    Arwin did the countdown. He practically spat thest numbers out in his haste to get to the point.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve fallen for you,¡± Arwin said, his cheeks burning so bright that they could have lit anything but Lillia¡¯s imprable darkness.

    ¡°I have romantic feelings for you,¡± Lillia said at the exact same time.

    A second ticked by as they both processed what the other one had said. Another one followed it. Arwin became even more vividly aware of Lillia¡¯s bodypletely pressed against his than he had been moments before, and that was saying a lot.

    ¡°Wait. That was what you were waiting to say?¡± Arwin asked in disbelief. His mind bounced around in his skull, jumping from tion to bafflement.

    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t want to put anything at risk by causing a distraction or making things awkward between us,¡± Lillia muttered. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±

    ¡°Same reason.¡± Arwin started tough. ¡°I think we might both be a bit stupid.¡±

    Lillia buried her face in his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about it anymore. We can¡¯t ever let anyone know about this. If Reya finds out, she¡¯ll never let us live it down.¡±

    ¡°I was giving her love advice,¡± Arwin said with a shudder. ¡°Agreed. This dies with us.¡±

    ¡°This means we don¡¯t have to move, right?¡± Lillia¡¯s tail tightened around Arwin¡¯s leg.

    ¡°It would take a literal force of nature to get me to do anything for the next few hours,¡± Arwin replied.

    There was so much he wanted to say ¡ª so much he wanted to do. And that was fine. He didn¡¯t have to do it all now. For once, they actually had time, and the thing both of them wanted to do most was to lie in each other¡¯spany and do nothing at all.

 Chapter 149: Confessions & Armor

    Chapter 149: Confessions & Armor

    ¡°I have a confession,¡± Lillia whispered around an hourter. At least, Arwin suspected it was an hour. He¡¯d been a little distracted with other matters.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re supposed to do now. I¡¯ve never thought about anything like this before. Are we married?¡±

    Arwin nearly choked on a mixture of surprise andughter. ¡°I ¡ª no. I believe we would be dating. Is that not how it works for demons?¡±

    ¡°No clue. I never had a chance to talk to anyone about anything like this,¡± Lillia said, speaking into Arwin¡¯s shoulder. Even though he couldn¡¯t see her face, her embarrassment was clear as day. ¡°When did you get a chance? Have you¡­ dated before? And what¡¯s the difference?¡±

    ¡°Dating is mostly getting to know the other person, I think. And as for how I knew¡­¡± Arwin¡¯s expression flickered and a small smile pulled across his lips. ¡°ke had a girlfriend. He told me all about her and what they¡¯d do in their free time. More than I wanted to know, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I guess you¡¯ve got the advantage over me, then.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that,¡± Arwin said with a muffledugh. ¡°It sounds as if I¡¯ve got experience. I¡¯ve just heard a few things. I don¡¯t reckon that I¡¯m much better off than you are beyond knowing the definition of the word.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to learn together.¡±Lillia pushed herself upright, untangling her tail from Arwin¡¯s side. He pushed away his disappointment and did the same. It had been some time since they¡¯d gone to bed.

    Time didn¡¯t stop running for them, no matter how badly he wanted it to. The others would probably already either be awake or close to it. There was too much to do to let the day waste away. Getting up was probably the right decision.

    There was just one problem. Lillia hadn¡¯t uncrossed her legs from his, and he couldn¡¯t rise until she did. Despite his internal resolution of mere instants before, it was an issue that he had no desire to revolve.

    Lillia leaned forward and pressed her chest against his. Her forehead touched Arwin¡¯s and her hair fell around her head, brushing across his shoulders.

    ¡°If we¡¯re dating, does that mean I can kiss you?¡± She whispered.

    Arwin, with all the extra experience that had been bequeathed upon him by ke and his stories, could muster nothing but give a rather overeager nod. It was possibly one of the easiest questions he¡¯d gotten in his entire life.

    Lillia pressed her lips to his cheek, just beside the corner of his mouth. She kept them there for half a second before pulling back and finally untangling her legs from Arwin¡¯s. Lillia rose to her feet and found his hand, pulling him up to stand beside her. Her arms snaked around his sides and she pulled him into a tight hug.

    ¡°I look forward to learning about dating with you,¡± Lillia whispered into his chest. She let an arm slip down and found his hand. She gave it a small squeeze. ¡°We should probably head out before the others really start to wonder.¡±

    It took a supreme force of will for Arwin to gather himself to respond in a normal tone. Lillia had brought up a rather important point. ¡°What should we do about the others? Do we tell them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it should cause any issues,¡± Lillia replied after a second of thought. ¡°I only didn¡¯t tell you before because I didn¡¯t want to foul the air between us before something important.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s cheeks reddened again. ¡°That was my reason as well. I think you¡¯re right though. None of them should have a problem with it. I don¡¯t see a reason to keep it secret. It¡¯s just¡­ surprisingly embarrassing to think about sharing.¡±

    ¡°Just one thing,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We can¡¯t let Reya know about how this happened.¡±

    A shudder ran down Arwin¡¯s spine and he nodded. ¡°She¡¯d never let us live it down. Agreed. That dies with us.¡±

    With that, Lillia guided Arwin out of the room. She didn¡¯t release his hand until they were well into the kitchen and close enough to a light source that he could already see the outline of her back in the shadows.

    They both stepped out into themon room. Arwin was entirely unsurprised to find that they were thest ones to arrive. Rodrick and Anna had bundled themselves together with their bedding and sat on one of the chairs as they had the day before.

    They¡¯d been joined by Reya and Olive, both of whom had wrapped themselves in an individual bundle to ward off the cold. Arwin was struck with the realization that it was just as cold today as it had been the day before. He¡¯d just been so caught up with Lillia that he hadn¡¯t even noticed.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯d wave, but that would involve removing my hand from my nkets, so just pretend.¡±

    ¡°Can we have breakfast soon?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I¡¯m starving. And good morning.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to start with the good morning,¡± Anna admonished. ¡°But breakfast would be lovely whenever you¡¯re ready to make it, Lillia.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Before that, there¡¯s something important we need to tell you.¡± Arwin steeled his nerves. Everyone looked over to him, worry passing over their features at his serious tone.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Olive asked.

    Adrenaline ran through Arwin¡¯s veins and he nearly let out a nervousugh. He was somehow just as stressed about this as he had been for some fights against literal monsters trying to rip his throat out.

    <em>Maybe more stressed. I don¡¯t care what the monsters think of me. </em>

    ¡°Lillia and I are dating,¡± Arwin dered. He forced the words out through his lips as quickly as he could before he could get too caught up in his thoughts.

    Four gazes bore into him. Reya¡¯s brow furrowed.

    ¡°And?¡± she prompted.

    ¡°And what?¡± Arwin asked with a blink. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Why are you saying it like that?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ okay, I¡¯m lost,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°What do you mean why? It was a revtion.¡±

    ¡°Arwin, we all knew,¡± Rodrick said with a snicker. ¡°You were bothing out of the same room nearly every single morning. Why is this being framed as new knowledge?¡±

    That certainly wasn¡¯t the reaction that Arwin had been expecting. He nced to Lillia for help, but she looked just as surprised as he felt.

    ¡°Ah¡­ we only just started dating this morning,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°What were you doing before, then?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Actually, on second thought, don¡¯t tell¡ª¡±

    ¡°We were just sleeping together,¡± Lillia said.

    Reya¡¯s cheeks went bright red. ¡°I really didn¡¯t need to know that.¡±

    ¡°Reya, she meant in the literal form,¡± Olive said. ¡°But I thought you two were already a couple as well.¡±

    <em>You¡¯ve known us for a few days. How did literally everyone know about us before we did? Were things really that obvious? We¡¯re lucky that they just seem to think we never made things official. </em>

    ¡°Ah,¡± Arwin said. He cleared his throat, then scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. Now you know.¡±

    ¡°We knew,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°Yes, thank you. On to other things,¡± Arwin said, desperate for a shift of topic. ¡°Olive, you proved invaluable yesterday. Do you have any interest in properly joining our guild? Long term, not just until you pay off your sword.¡±

    Olive blinked, a flicker of surprise passing over her expression before she could get it under control. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It might not be official yet, but you¡¯ve proven yourself an apt swordswoman and more than reliable. We could use someone like you.¡±

    The others all nodded. A small smile pulled at the corners of Olive¡¯s mouth. ¡°Well, if you put things like that, I don¡¯t think I can refuse. It¡¯s hard enough to find a group of adventurers that I can tolerate enough to do a single dungeon dive with, much less anything more. If you want me, then I¡¯ll be d to join.¡±

    Arwin smiled. Olive had more than proven herself inst night¡¯s fight, not to mention how she hadn¡¯t shown even the slightest amount of greed toward Wyrmhunger. She would be a fantastic addition to the guild.

    ¡°Wee aboard. Then, in that case, I think we should properlye clean. No point keeping all our secrets any longer.¡±

    ¡°Clean?¡± Olive asked. ¡°About what?¡±

    Arwin summoned Verdant ze to his hands. The rest of his armor followed after it and took form on his body. He wasn¡¯t sure what the best way to go about this was, but Olive had always said she preferred things straight on.

    Then he revealed everything¡¯s information. Olive locked in ce, her mouth parting in disbelief as her eyes flicked back and forth in the air, reading the information that the Mesh was bringing up before her.

    ¡°How?¡± Olive whispered.

    ¡°I can make magical items,¡± Arwin replied.

    Olive swallowed heavily. Her eyes moved to Rodrick, then to Lillia. ¡°You mean everything you¡¯ve all been wearing is¡­¡±

    ¡°All of my armor,¡± Lillia confirmed with a nod. ¡°Rodrick¡¯s as well.¡±

    ¡°Why are you living in a rundown ce like this if you can do that?¡± Olive asked in disbelief. ¡°You could be the richest person in Milten ¡ª no, scratch that. The richest person on the outskirts of the Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m picky about who I make magical items for,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I won¡¯t make them for just anyone. And what¡¯s the benefit of being rich? When I need money, I¡¯ll get it. I don¡¯t need people beating down my door before I¡¯m ready to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª yeah, I suppose that makes sense.¡± Olive swallowed again. Then her eyes narrowed slightly as a thought struck her. ¡°Wait. No wonder you let me have that sword. You could make better.¡±

    Arwin shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s still a magical weapon and you really seemed to want it. We didn¡¯t know each other well enough for me to go revealing my abilities yet. I didn¡¯t want you joining up because you wanted ess to free magic shit.¡±

    Olive blew out a breath and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s a fair response. I don¡¯t me you for that.¡±

    It looked like she wanted to say more, but she restrained herself.

    <em>While we¡¯re on the topic of revtions¡­ should Lillia and I tell her about our past? I don¡¯t think Olive would betray us to the Adventurer¡¯ s Guild. Then again, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything to be gained from sharing that. </em>

    <em>I think it might be best to wait a bit longer. I trust Olive, but there¡¯s no reason to take risks excessively. We can see how she handles one big secret and then deal with things as theye after that. If she¡¯s still trustworthy in a few weeks, we¡¯ll tell her.</em>

    <em>Either that, or she¡¯ll start to wonder why Lillia literally never takes off her supposed makeup. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go get breakfast started, then,¡± Lillia said, breaking the silence an instant before it could grow awkward. ¡°Wee to the team, Olive.¡±

    Everyone else mirrored her words, causing a faint blush to color Olive¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°By the way, we¡¯re going to head out and collect everything we can from the fight yesterday after we get breakfast,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°I can help,¡± Arwin said reluctantly, but Rodrick was shaking his head before he finished the sentence.

    ¡°Why waste your time? It¡¯ll just be collecting the scrap,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Just do your work and we¡¯ll do ours. I was just letting you know where we¡¯ll be.¡±

    Arwin smiled and nodded in appreciation. Lillia slipped into the kitchen and got to work. It would probably be a little while before she had anything ready to eat, and that meant Arwin had time to check in on how Ridley was doing with his smithy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back shortly,¡± Arwin said as he headed for the tavern door.

    It wouldn¡¯t be long before it was done if it wasn¡¯t already. He could barely wait. Once the smithy was repaired, he¡¯d be able to set up a proper shop.

    <em>I¡¯m not letting the situation with the Iron Hounds happen again. We aren¡¯t going to get caught so badly off guard. If we¡¯re going to make our guild official and be ready to face anyone new that tries us, we¡¯re going to need a whole lot of money.</em>

    <em>I think it¡¯s just about time for Ifrit to make his return. I¡¯m going to need make a whole lot of armor. </em>

 Chapter 150: Recognition

    Chapter 150: Recognition

    Ridley was standing outside the smithy when Arwin stepped out onto the street. His arms were crossed and he was tapping a finger against the corner of his lips in thought, but Arwin was far more concerned with the building before him.

    The smithy was beautiful. Stone walls, in but well built, rose in stark contrast to the old, wrecked buildings surrounding them. Ridley had installed several ss windows at the front to give passersby a way to see inside.

    He¡¯d even put in a wide wooden door with a shiny brass handle.

    <em>Okay, I think most buildings have doors. It¡¯s a nice door, though. </em>

    ¡°Ah. Arwin. You have good timing,¡± Ridley said as he approached, ncing over at him before returning his gaze to the building. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Is it done?¡±

    ¡°For the time being, yes. I structured it so it could grow,¡± Ridley said, gesturing vaguely toward the building. ¡°In either direction, mind you. Going down is just as viable as up. I finishedst night, but I wanted to see how everything looked in the morning before I dered itplete.¡±

    Ridley pulled the door open and gestured for Arwin to look inside. He didn¡¯t have to ask twice. Arwin stepped into a quaint waiting room. A stone counter ran along the back, in front of another door that presumably led into the workspace.

    Ridley had installed metal hooks along the wall and several stone shelves to disy armor with, and there was a small swinging door at the edge of the counter. Arwin mutely walked over to it and stepped behind the counter.He pushed the door open and peered into the workspace. It was spacious, nearly asrge as the front room. Arge hearth had been built into the center of the back wall, a chimney running up to the ceiling above.

    There was a spot for his anvil beside it, and several racks for tools along the walls. Ridley had even gotten his hands on a bellows and set it up beside the hearth. Aside from the missing tools and anvil, the only thing the forge was missing was fire.

    It was in, but it was beautiful.

    Arwin swallowed. ¡°I love it.¡±

    Ridley beamed at him. ¡°Damn right you do. Any requests you¡¯ve got for changes? I took a few liberties with the designs since you didn¡¯t get into specifics. I can¡¯t modify the structure, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no. This is perfect,¡± Arwin said with a firm shake of his head. He reached into the bag at his side and pulled out the final 100 gold he owed Ridley, holding it out to the mason. As he sifted through his belongings, his fingers brushed against the bulging leather pouch that he¡¯d taken from Jessen.

    <em>I¡¯ll have to take a look at that once I¡¯m finished here. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯ve done brilliantly. I like the door selection,¡± Arwin said as Ridley took the money.

    ¡°Nice and sturdy, just like the building.¡± Ridley chuckled and slipped the coins into a pouch at his own side. ¡°I¡¯m pleased you like it. You make sure youe back to me when it¡¯s time for any improvements, you hear? I¡¯m going to be pissed if you hire a different mason.¡±

    ¡°I think I can do that,¡± Arwin said with a grin. He held his hand out and Ridley gave it a firm shake. The mason pulled a brass key out of his pocket and handed it over to him.

    ¡°Here. You¡¯ll need this, I reckon. It goes to both the front door and the workshop.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You did great work. I look forward to hiring you again in the future, once I¡¯ve gotten this ce big enough to justify it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting. Not like there¡¯s much in the way of work at the moment, so I¡¯ll be rooting for you as well,¡± Ridley grumbled. He raised a hand in farewell, then headed out through the front door and shut it silently behind him.

    Arwin turned in a slow circle, basking in the glory of the smithy. <em>His </em>smithy. There were no cracks in the walls or errant breezes passing through. And yet, even though it couldn¡¯t have been more different from the run-down building Reya had brought him to, there was a familiar feel about it.

    It was temping to head out and immediately start setting everything up. He could drag the anvil back with [Scourge] and then jump right into a little bit of work until Lillia had breakfast finished, but there was something else that had to be done first.

    Arwin took Jessen¡¯s bag out. He¡¯d been so tired when he¡¯d taken it from the man¡¯s body that he hadn¡¯t had a chance to open it yet. Looping a finger through the knot, Arwin pulled it apart and peered inside.

    It was a coin purse with just over 200 gold. That was something of a disappointment. He hadn¡¯t known exactly what he¡¯d wanted, but Jessen hadn¡¯t felt like the type to carry nothing valuable but gold.

    Then again, in some way, it almost felt poetic. 200 gold had been what it cost to rebuild his smithy. Jessen had paid for everything he¡¯d permitted and guided his guild to do.

    But, as Arwin sifted through the coins, a spot of ck caught his eye. It was hidden in a pocket sewn into the side of the pouch. He pulled at the pouch, working it open just enough to slide a small badge free of it.

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    The badge was made of ck metal and just a bit smaller than his palm. It wasrgely in aside from a tarnished silver line running through it like a tear through the center of a piece of paper.

    Arwin ran his hand along the badge, turning it over. There didn¡¯t seem to be any magic within it. As far as he could tell, it served no purpose at all. Not a functional one, at least. It strongly resembled a guild badge of some sort, but there was no name or other identifying features on it.

    <em>It definitely isn¡¯t the Iron Hounds¡¯ guild badge either. Did Jessen take this from someone he killed? That feels unlikely. Given that it was even slightly hidden, it seems like it belonged to him. </em>

    Arwin studied the badge for a few more minutes, then slipped it back into the pocket and returned Jessen¡¯s entire bag into his own. He headed out to his temporary smithy and grabbed the anvil with the aid of [Scourge], heaving up with a grunt and bringing it over to his actual smithy. He set therge hunk of metal down, then brushed his hands off and nced around one more time. He¡¯d been out for a bit and breakfast would probably be ready pretty soon.

    It wasn¡¯t like he actually needed to eat normal food ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t going to stop him. Lillia was the one cooking after all. He took onest look around the newlypleted smithy and pictured how it would look when all his materials were in it. When it was full of armor and weapons that he¡¯d crafted and equipment of all sorts hung from the walls.

    <em>I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d want quite as many people in here as Lillia wants in her tavern, though. Maybe that¡¯s fine for the normal stuff, but I¡¯m not changing my stance on making magical items. They¡¯ll be for the people that I judge worthy of having them and nobody else. </em>

    <em>That said, I should really get better at making the bloody things before I start tooting my own horn about them. With the amount of help that the Mesh has been giving me all this time, it feels odd to gatekeep anything. </em>

    <em>Luckily, I know exactly what I need to do. </em>

    Practice. That was what it always boiled down to. But, before that could happen, he had a meal waiting for him.

    ***

    ¡°Well?¡± Rodrick asked as Arwin sat down beside the others. Lillia had already finished cooking before he¡¯d returned and had already distributed tes of steaming vegetables and some form of poultry to all of them. ¡°Is the new smithy finished?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin confirmed, unable and unwilling to hide his delight. ¡°Last night. I can really get started now.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s time to open up shop?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I figure I should get some gear before I do that,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°I need to make some equipment. That¡¯ll be good practice regardless. I¡¯m reworking how I forge just about everything. It wasn¡¯t good enough.¡±

    ¡°Not good enough?¡± Olive¡¯s eye twitched and she lowered her fork. ¡°You make magical weapons.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But I could make <em>better </em>magical weapons. You can swing your sword hard enough, can¡¯t you? Why bother training anymore?¡±

    ¡°Point duly taken.¡± Olive popped the piece of chicken on the end of her fork into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. ¡°How do I get in line for some of that fancy magical gear?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably focus on repairing everyone¡¯s equipment first. I know my own armor took quite the beating in that fight. If you¡¯ve got anything that needs to be fixed up, that¡¯lle first. After that, I¡¯m going to make sure I¡¯ve got enough in gear to sell to the masses. We need more money. A lot more money ¡ª just not so badly that I¡¯ll set aside more important tasks to go for it. I can always just make more gear on a case-by-case basis if we¡¯re really hurting for coin.¡±

    ¡°And after that?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°Thenes gear for all of us,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking on what I can make you. Realistically, I could probably make something now¡­ but I think it¡¯s better to go for quality over quantity, especially because we don¡¯t have Jessen breathing down our necks anymore.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything we can do to help?¡± Anna asked. ¡°It makes me a bit ufortable asking you to do literally all the work.¡±

    A small grin pulled across Arwin¡¯s lips and he nodded. ¡°As a matter of fact, yes. There is something you can do. The biggest change and challenge I¡¯ve found is that I need specific materials for everything I make.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like much of a revtion,¡± Olive said with a frown. ¡°If you want a sword, you need metal. What¡¯s new?¡±

    ¡°The specific type of metal,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And, beyond that, the bit that gives said metal its traits. Without getting into the gritty details, I need something that embodies the power you want your item to have. So, let¡¯s say you want a sword with a trait that makes it very sharp ¡ª you¡¯ll need to find a w or something like that from something that had some ovep with that desired trait.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Olive said. ¡°So you can¡¯t just decide to put whatever enchantment you want onto the stuff you make?¡±

    ¡°No. I can control the general direction and I¡¯m working on more specific traits right now, but that leads to what you can help with.¡±

    ¡°You want us to keep an eye out for any interesting bits and bobs from monsters,¡± Rodrick concluded.

    ¡°Precisely. We¡¯ve got a good bit from the Wyrm, not to mention the bugs in the dungeon we did a bit ago, but more can¡¯t hurt. If there¡¯s a specific trait you want your equipment to have, finding a piece rted to that trait will help a lot.¡±

    ¡°We can do that,¡± Anna said. She polished off the rest of the food on her te before speaking again. ¡°We should probably look to get ready to head out pretty soon. As Rodrick said, we¡¯ll keep an eye out for anything especially useful.¡±

    ¡°That would be very helpful,¡± Arwin said. His gaze drifted to Reya. She¡¯d been quieter than usual throughout their meal. He wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d noticed, but she was idly rolling the blood-red dagger over her knuckles like a toy. ¡°Reya, is everything okay?¡±

    She blinked and caught the dagger before it could fall, sliding it into the sheath at her side. ¡°Just thinking.¡±

    ¡°Anything in particr? A new ability?¡± Anna asked. ¡°And you should really be careful about thinking with that de out. It¡¯s going to get eyes if you do it somewhere public.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to leave it sheathed,¡± Reya promised. ¡°And¡­ no. I didn¡¯t get a level from that one. Did you?¡±

    Anna, Olive, and Rodrick all nodded.

    ¡°I guess that makes sense. I didn¡¯t do all that much until the end, and I didn¡¯t technically even do much actual fighting. I was thinking about what happened after the fight.¡±

    ¡°You got a Title, didn¡¯t you?¡± Olive asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way that dagger just bonded to you for no reason.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m of the same opinion. I hope it wasn¡¯t a detrimental Title. I don¡¯t know if the Mesh would view getting covered head-to-toe in Wyrm blood as a good thing. </em>

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a Title,¡± Reya said with a shake of her head. ¡°It was a Challenge.¡±

    <em>Huh. That makes two of us. For something that I¡¯ve never heard of before, it¡¯s a bit strange that ¡ª </em>

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts trailed off as he caught the look that flicked over Olive¡¯s features. It wasn¡¯t the confusion that everyone else had shown when he¡¯d first mentioned his own Challenge.

    It was recognition.

 Chapter 151: One more form

    Chapter 151: One more form

    There was a moment of silence as everyone processed Reya¡¯s revtion. Before Arwin could say anything, Olive jumped out of her sheets and grabbed the other girl¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°What do you have to do?¡±

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not really that specific,¡± Reya replied, flinching slightly in response to the touch. ¡°I just have to master Wyrmhunger. Why? Do you know something?¡±

    Olive breathed out a sigh of relief and let her hand slip off Reya¡¯s shoulder. It took her a second to realize that everyone was staring at her. Her face paled a shade and she busied herself re-collecting the sheets she¡¯d lost.

    ¡°Have you heard of Challenges before?¡± Arwin asked when it became clear that Olive wasn¡¯t about to volunteer any more information on her own.

    Olive paused halfway through bundling herself back up. Her gaze bored into the floor for nearly a second before she let out a sigh and straightened back up. ¡°Yes. Unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°It sounds like there¡¯s a story in the making.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no making.¡± Olive hopped back onto her chair and leaned against the counter. ¡°It¡¯s already over. Challenges are a curse.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to tell us what you know about them?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°We were all under the impression that they¡¯re concealed or otherwise hidden from the general public. Nobody here knows anything about them.¡± Olive drummed the fingers of her good hand on the table. It was a bit hard to make out her bodynguage when she was covered with bedsheets, but Arwin was pretty sure that her back had gone stiff.

    Her fingers fell still and curled in to form a fist. She let her hand slide of the counter and turned back to face them with a defeated expression. ¡°Fine. I suppose you already shared a lot with me, so it would be wrong to refuse to repay the favor.¡±

    ¡°I take it you¡¯re not a fan of Challenges?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Not in the slightest.¡± Olive let out a bitter snort. ¡°I had one of the damn things.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a Challenge?¡± Reya leaned in closer. ¡°What is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Had a Challenge. It¡¯s gone now,¡± Olive corrected. She rubbed the stump of her missing arm and grimaced. ¡°I hate the damn things.¡±

    Nobody said anything. It was clear that Olive was going to say more, but she hadn¡¯t quite mustered the will to speak yet. The seconds turned to a minute. Olive leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.

    ¡°I got it about two years ago, back when I was part of an adventuring group called the Grim Shadows.¡± she said finally. ¡°And it ruined my life.¡±

    ***

    Olive¡¯s sword carved through the air in a streak of light, splitting it faster than the untrained eye could pick up. It sheared straight through the sword swinging at her shoulder and, before its wielder could so much as react, she nted her foot into his stomach.

    He flew back, hitting the packed sand just moments after his sword did. The man went to rise ¡ª and froze, finding Olive¡¯s sword just inches from his throat. He let his head fall back to the sand as a bitterugh slipped from his lips.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. You actually got all five of us. How in the world did you manage to do that without getting a single scratch on you?¡±

    ¡°I was faster than you.¡±

    Olive pulled her sword back and slid it into its sheath. She held a hand out to help the man to his feet, but he¡¯d already risen by the time she¡¯d offered it. A man and a woman sat behind her on the sandy floor of the arena, looking mildly peeved at best.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you ever say anything better than that? It¡¯s kind of frustrating.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget who you¡¯re talking to, Jason,¡± Damien, the other man, said as he joined them in the center of the small training arena. ¡°Olive doesn¡¯t know the meaning of giving useful feedback ¡ª or being slow.¡±

    ¡°It is useful. You need to be faster,¡± Olive said, her brow furrowing in irritation. They were all good warriors. There was no denying that. It was just that there was more to fighting than swinging a sword. It didn¡¯t matter how strong a sword blow was if it could never connect with its target.

    Powerful blows were great when one was fighting in a group against a monster weaker than them. It made the battles trivial ¡ª but against an opponent with significant skill, speed and power had to be bnced.

    <em>I don¡¯t see the problem. If they just focused on learning some skills that improved their speed or putting time into practicing being faster rather than just hitting harder, I wouldn¡¯t be outperforming everyone so hard. </em>

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    ¡°Olive has a better ss than you do,¡± Bea said, brushing her long, blonde hair away from her eyes and tucking it behind an ear. ¡°There¡¯s no reason topare ourselves to her. Just do better with our rank up at Adept tier.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a whole bloody rank below me.¡± Jason didn¡¯t even try to hide the irritation in his voice as he looked down at the worthless sword in his hands.

    ¡°We weren¡¯t sparring with abilities,¡± Olive said. ¡°I would lose if you used any of your powers. This was just a difference in swordwork.¡±

    She¡¯d meant the words as apliment, but by the way Jason¡¯s features tightened in anger, something told her they hadn¡¯tnded the way she¡¯d intended them to. Before Olive could say anything else, Beaughed.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve had enough sparring for the day. There¡¯s a deal at the Copper Coin today. Half-off on drinks if you can beat Gorog in an arm-wrestling contest.¡±

    ¡°That halfwit?¡± Jason asked through a snort. ¡°I could beat him with my eyes closed.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t typically need your eyes for an arm-wrestling contest,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°Thank you, Olive,¡± Jason said dryly. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m starving, and we¡¯ve been wasting time here for hours already. No point tiring ourselves out before tomorrow. Big day and all that. Everyoneing?¡±

    The others all nodded, but Olive hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not done with my training for today. Maybe I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°Join in a few hours,¡± Jason finished, the inflection of his voice changing to match hers as he rolled his eyes. ¡°Right. See you tomorrow morning, Olive. Make sure you aren¡¯t too exhausted. We can¡¯t afford to fail. This is our chance.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Olive said. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as the others all headed out, leaving her alone in the arena.

    She kept her features t. That did nothing to still the clenched knot in her stomach. It was her choice, after all. She was the one that stayed to practice instead of spending time with the others. It wasn¡¯t fair toin when they left and did what they¡¯d been nning on doing.

    Nobody wanted to spend all their time practicing. That didn¡¯t stop her from wishing that someone would stick around a bit longer, even if she wasn¡¯t going out with them. It would have been nice to havepany.

    <em>It doesn¡¯t matter. All that matters is getting stronger. Jason was right. Tomorrow is our chance. We can get ourselves ranked. We¡¯ll get ess to so many restricted dungeons. The fame and money wouldn¡¯t hurt either.</em>

    <em></em>Olive adjusted her grip on her sword, raising it in her right arm and going through a form. It felt like she¡¯d practiced it more times than she¡¯d drawn breaths. Olive¡¯s eyes drifted shut as she sank into the movement of her de.

    Her mind followed its path in the air around her. She didn¡¯t need to see anything. She knew its exact position. It was more than just a weapon. It was an extension of her body. An extension of her mind. It was part of her.

    Olive danced with her sword, pressing herself as hard as she could. There were always spots to improve in. Her legs could move just a bit faster. Her bnce could be just a bit better. Every single bit counted. Every single improvement was a step closer to her goals and every single step was a reminder of how far from them she really was.

    She pushed herself harder. Mediocrity wasn¡¯t enough. There was an entire world of power stretched out before her, waiting to be imed.

    <em>If I just try harder, I can ¡ª</em>

    Olive missed a step. It was a small mistake, but it was enough for her to trip over her own feet. She stumbled and caught herself before she could fall, her teeth gritting.

    <em>It isn¡¯t enough. No matter how hard I try, I¡¯m not good enough. The others don¡¯t get it. I don¡¯t just want to be strong enough to survive. I want to be better. </em>

    She let her eyes drift open ¡ª and froze in ce. Golden letters shimmered in the air before her, patiently awaiting a response.

    <strong>Challenge: [Master thy Sword] has been offered.</strong>

    <strong>[Master Thy Sword] ¨C <em>You have sought mastery over the sword for your entire life, striving to achieve it with such intensity that all other aspects of your life have been left to fester. Here¡¯s a chance to im that power you so desperately desire. </em>Rewards<em>: Variable depending on level of sess. </em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: <em>When the timees, restrictions will be ced upon you by the Mesh. Defeat an opponent the Mesh selects to remove the restrictions and advance upon the path of the de. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: <em>?</em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 2: <em>?</em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 2: <em>?</em></strong>

    <strong>Would you like to ept the Challenge?</strong>

    Olive stared at the words floating before her, her mouth falling askew in shock. She nced over her shoulder to see if anyone was around. The arena was empty. It wasn¡¯t like it mattered. The only person that could see the Mesh¡¯s offer was her.

    <em>What in the world is a Challenge? I¡¯ve never heard of anything like this before. </em>

    Her confusion did nothing to change the letters. Olive didn¡¯t know what had caused them to appear. This hadn¡¯t been the first time she¡¯d thought about trying to get stronger. It hadn¡¯t been the first time she¡¯d failed in her forms, nor had it been the first time she¡¯d beaten the others in a fight without skills.

    There was no reason the Mesh would have offered her anything. And yet, the floating words remained all the same. She swallowed and nced over her shoulder again. Her eyes were drawn back to the Challenge almost instantly.

    <em>The Mesh offers things directly to people? That¡¯s a bit concerning. It almost feels like making a deal with a devil. But it doesn¡¯t lie. If this is really the Mesh¡­ it could be the solution I¡¯ve been trying to find.</em>

    Olive lifted a hand. It drifted in the air, not even daring to reach out and touch the glowing offer. She swallowed again, then steeled her nerves and set her jaw. She¡¯de this far in the pursuit of her dream.

    It didn¡¯t matter what the Challenge was. It didn¡¯t matter why she¡¯d gotten it. This was just another step. Nothing she¡¯d gotten so far was easy. Power never came without cost, and if that cost was handicapping herself during a fight¡­

    <em>I don¡¯t care what the handicap is. I¡¯ll win. </em>

    ¡°I ept,¡± Olive said.

    The words vanished with a snap. Olive stood there for a second longer, staring at the empty air as if waiting for something else to appear. Nothing did. Her grip tightened on the handle of her sword. Then she raised it once more.

    The night was young. She could always catch up with the others in the tavern a littleter. Just one more form wouldn¡¯t hurt.

 Chapter 152: Arrogance

    Chapter 152: Arrogance

    By the time Olive finished her training and headed out of the arena to check on the others, the moon hung high in the sky and the tavern¡¯smon room was empty. It wasn¡¯t a surprise. She couldn¡¯t recall thest time she¡¯d made it back before they¡¯d gone to bed.

    That was fine. They had a big day ahead of them tomorrow. Rest was important. Olive trudged up the stairs and returned to her room, flopping into bed and not even bothering to change her clothes. The next day was only a few hours away, and she¡¯d just be getting them dirty again anyway.

    Every second counted. She needed what rest she could still wring from the night before the sun reared its head once more. Tomorrow, they wouldplete the new dungeon that had risen up near the city ¡ª and then the Grim Shadows would finally carve their names onto the annals of the kingdom¡¯s records and be acknowledged by the Secret Eye.

    Just one dungeon.

    ***

    The day started off well and the first three quarters of the dungeon fell before the Grim Shadows like wheat to a scythe. They cleared out the early rooms without so much as slowing. Even the first purple torch room went by without a single incident.

    Olive didn¡¯t let her guard down. She monitored her magical energy closely, using as little as possible. The others weren¡¯t quite as restrained with their power, but that was half of what was allowing them to progress so smoothly.

    They started to slow as they pressed deeper into the dungeon, but nothing arose to give them any proper challenge. Before any of them knew it, they¡¯d arrived at arge hall leading into an open amphitheater. Purple torches flickered from the walls to illuminate empty stands and a sandy pit below.

    ¡°That¡¯s creepy,¡± Jason muttered as they peered into the room. ¡°Looks kind of simr to the training grounds, doesn¡¯t it?¡±¡°It¡¯s just an arena,¡± Bea said with a shake of her head. She adjusted her grip on the staff in her hands, pointing the shimmering blue stone at its top toward the center of the room. ¡°And this is definitely thest room of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Onest fight,¡± Damien said from Jason¡¯s side. He examined his reflection in the de of a polished dagger and grinned. ¡°And I don¡¯t care what room this is. Let¡¯s clean it up and go get our reward. The money¡¯s just onest creature away.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky,¡± Olive said. ¡°We haven¡¯t won yet.¡±

    ¡°Olive is right,¡± Jason said. He drew in a deep breath and it out slowly. ¡°Focus in. No mistakes. Don¡¯t hold anything back. We all know our roles, and we still don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting for us. We can rx once this thing is dead.¡±

    The others all nodded. A moment of silence passed as everyone looked out into the arena before them. Then Jason tapped his sword against the ground and started forward. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s handle this and get back before the hour is up. I¡¯m starving.¡±

    They piled in behind him and descended the stairs, heading toward the arena in the center of the dungeon. Olive kept her ears peeled for any signs of an attack. Her eyes scoured the stands and wove into the shadows in search of something hiding within them, but her senses were worthless.

    She found nothing.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the baddie?¡± Damien whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not picking anything up.¡±

    ¡°Might only show up when we reach the sand,¡± Jason muttered back.

    They drew up to the end of the arena and dropped thest few feet to the sandy ground as a group. Still, nothing happened ¡ª but now that they were on the ground, Olive caught sight of something that had been hidden from them before. Behind them, rising up at an angle in the sand, was arge iron grate.

    ¡°I think I found where the monster¡¯sing from,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°You might be right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Take up positions, everyone.¡±

    They spread out quickly. Bea and Damien both moved to stand at the far side of the arena and left Olive and Jason to take up the front. The repositioning didn¡¯te a moment too soon. A rumble shook the ground and the iron grates pulled back.

    Olive and Jason both took a step back as sand danced around their feet. The rumbling grew louder and it was joined by a droning hum. Olive¡¯s hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as she fought to keep her breathing under control.

    <em>This is it. </em>

    A silver form rose from the depths and the humming reached its peak. The ground shuddered as a humanoid hand mmed down on it. Olive¡¯s eyes went wide as a metal man pulled itself out of the hole and rose to its feet, standing well over three times her height.

    <strong>[Steelwind Golem ¨C Journeyman 7]</strong>

    ¡°Just journeyman seven,¡± Jason said with a bark ofughter. ¡°For a final room monster, this is no trouble at all. Ready up, everyone. Follow my orders.¡±

    The golem drew two massive swords from its sides and held them out at its sides. Dim red lights lit within its eyes and the humminging from its body raised in pitch. Faint lines of crimson energy arced down its des and hissed with power.

    Jason charged forward. The automaton swung at him and he dropped to his knees, sliding beneath the blow. His sword ignited with lightning and he mmed it into the golem¡¯s shin with a cry.

    A loud crack split the air as the energy poured into the metal monster, leaving a scar across its shin but failing to do anysting damage. Jason shot to his feet and threw himself forward, narrowly avoiding a de that plunged through the air where he¡¯d been standing.

    ¡°Now, Olive!¡± Jason yelled.

    Olive sprinted up to take advantage of the golem¡¯s distraction. She set her stance and swung her de with both hands, drawing on her magical energy to activate [Tenfold de].

    Her sword carved through the air ¡ª and mmed to a halt as the golem¡¯s de intercepted hers. She stumbled as a powerful vibration raced down her arms and into her body, threatening to rip her sword straight from her hands.

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    <em>The golem is stronger than my [Tenfold de]?</em>

    Olive skipped back to avoid the monster¡¯s counterattack, then raised her sword once more. ¡°Be careful! It¡¯s a lot stronger than it looks. It must have Titles or good Achievements. It stopped my attack.¡±

    ¡°Have you considered hitting it harder?¡± Damien asked. An arrow streaked through the air above Olive¡¯s head and struck the golem in the skull. It rung off and spun to the side, the motes of green magic that had been encircling its head fading harmlessly. ¡°Well, shit. We can¡¯t poison it, in case you were wondering.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a goddamn golem,¡± Jason yelled. ¡°Of course we can¡¯t poison it. Olive, back me up. You cover my side and I¡¯ll go for a blow to see if I can weaken it with my magic.¡±

    He ran around the golem, keeping out of the range of itsrge swords, and came to a stop beside her. They nodded at each other, then sprinted forward as one. It was a strategy they¡¯d employed on more than a few opponents before ¡ª one that Olive had gotten so used to that she probably could have done it with her eyes closed. It was certainly nothing new.

    Until it was.

    <strong>Challenge: [Master thy Sword] has been activated. </strong>

    <strong>Restrictions have been ced. Defeat [Steelwind Golem ¨C Journeyman 7] toplete this phase of the Challenge. </strong>

    It felt like a ton of rocks had mmed down on Olive¡¯s back. She stumbled, tripping over her own feet and falling to her knees in the sand as the breath was knocked from her lungs.

    The golem swung its sword at Jason, who only managed to notice that Olive wasn¡¯t at his side an instant before the de was upon him. He hurled himself to the side, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough topletely avoid the attack.

    Blood sttered across the sand as the tip of the golem¡¯s sword dug into his back and ripped through it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Damien screamed. ¡°Get up!¡±

    Olive¡¯s chest couldn¡¯t draw enough air to form words. Bands of invisible energy had wrapped around her entire body like a constricting snake, but she managed to force herself to her feet.

    Her eyes flicked to Jason and thepression magnified a hundred-fold, nearly choking the life out of her on the spot. Olive wheezed and forced herself to turn back to the golem, which was advancing toward both of them.

    The bonds holding her down lessened. They were still there, but she could move again ¡ª just as long as her attention was on the monster. Olive was dimly aware of Bea sprinting past her and running up to Jason, glowing light swirling around her hands to heal him, but she couldn¡¯t risk looking in their direction.

    <em>Seriously? Why now, during the final fight of the dungeon? How is that fair? </em>

    The golem reared back. Olive stumble-ran forward. Bea needed time to heal Jason, and if both of them went down, the rest of them were done for.

    She brought her sword around to meet the wall of metal hurtling toward her, activating [Tenfold de]. It felt like her body was moving through sludge, but she managed to bring her sword to bear.

    A wall of force mmed into her body andunched her backward. Olive flew across the sand and mmed into the wall. Her sword flew from her hand as the breath was driven from her lungs for the second time that minute.

    Her body locked up as she risked a nce at the others. Bea had pulled Jason back to his feet and his wound had healed, but they were both standing directly in the golem¡¯s path. Damien fired several arrows into the monster¡¯s head, but they all rang off harmlessly.

    His abilities were deadly against opponents with flesh, but they were quite useless here. Olive grabbed her sword and focused fully on the golem as she drove herself to run forward. It took every scrap of her attention to keep from tripping again.

    The more she focused on her de, the more the restrictions faded. The golem swung and Olive threw herself forward, activating [Tenfold de] and bringing her sword down on therger weapon with a resounding ng.

    Her feet skidded through the sand, then stopped. She¡¯d halted the blow ¡ª but the golem had another sword. Bea yelped as Jason shoved her back. Olive didn¡¯t have time to check if they were safe. She dropped to the ground and the second blow passed over her head.

    When she raised her head, Jason was at the monster¡¯s feet again. He brought his sword plunging down into its knee and released a torrent of electricity into it. The golem let out a rumbling scream and pulled back from Olive, aiming to cut Jason down with both of its weapons. Jason didn¡¯t have time to get out of the golem¡¯s reach.

    ¡°Get the left one!¡± Jason yelled, spinning in the other direction. Olive forced herself to her feet, but turning her attention from the golem to protecting Jason felt like it had halved her movement.

    The first sword fell and Jason deflected it, falling to one knee with a pained grunt from the force of the strike. The second one followed after it, but Olive was nowhere near close enough to stop it.

    ¡°She¡¯s not going to make it!¡± Damien yelled. Jason spun, cursing as he tried to bring his sword to bear.

    The golem¡¯s de mmed into his andunched it from his hands, breaking his wrist in the process. It spun through the air and embedded itself in the sand on the other side of the arena.

    ¡°Healing!¡± Jason yelled. ¡°Olive, what in the Nine Undends are you doing? Stop freezing up and fucking help me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Olive yelled back. ¡°I¡¯m being repressed by something!¡±

    A wave of energy washed over Olive¡¯s back.

    ¡°I removed any negative affects on you,¡± Bea called as Jason hurried back to her.

    Olive tried to turn toward them, but it was impossible. Her body t out refused her mind¡¯s requests.

    ¡°No you haven¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only a Journeyman 7,¡± Damien said. ¡°You aren¡¯t being repressed. Bea¡¯s skill would have cleansed it. Watch out!¡±

    The golem swung both of its des at Olive. Something about the movement felt¡­ off. Telegraphed, as if Olive had seen what it was going to do before it did it.

    She threw herself forward, passing clean between the des, and hit the ground in a roll. Olive came to her feet and swung her de at the monster¡¯s leg, digging deep into its armor with [Tenfold de].

    <em>What was that?</em>

    Jason dashed up beside Olive, his sword in his hands once again. He drove his de into the monster¡¯s knee beside hers, finishing the job and severing it at the joint. The golem groaned and pitched forward, catching itself by driving a sword into the ground.

    ¡°Keep attacking!¡± Jason yelled. ¡°It¡¯s an opening! I see its core!¡±

    The world seemed to slow again. Motion turned to a fuzzy blur as Olive caught the monster turning one of its swords around and bringing it toward Jason¡¯s unsuspecting neck ¡ª but the moment of distraction mmed into her like a tornado, ripping her from the heightened state and driving into her stomach like a physical blow.

    Her call of warning came out as a wheeze. Jason didn¡¯t turn. Even if she couldn¡¯t see its path, she knew where the monster¡¯s sword was going. Olive threw herself away from the golem and toward Jason.

    The pressure bearing down on her magnified by a hundredfold. She brought her sword up, but her magical energy felt like a distant dream. Her mind reached out to it, but nothing responded.

    Olive braced herself, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Mere swordwork was nowhere near enough to keep the massive weapon at bay. The golem¡¯s sword mmed into hers and continued onward as if nothing was there, driving straight through her upper right arm and severing it.

    Unsated, the de found its home square in the center of Jason¡¯s back. He lurched, driving his own sword up into the Golem¡¯s chest. It pierced straight into the core, shattering it.

    The golem pitched to the side and crashed to the sand, but Olive barely even noticed. She clutched the stump of her arm as blood poured from it in a thick river. Pain wrapped around her mind in a smothering nket and she fell to her knees.

    Bea sprinted past Olive, dropping to her knees at Jason¡¯s side and pouring healing energy into his body. Olive didn¡¯t pick up any movement. Thick clouds fogged over her vision and she swayed, her head spinning furiously.

    Her fingers fumbled as she tried to stem the flow of blood. It was pointless. The flow was justing too fast. She could hear her heart pumping in her ears and distant yelling. Then she pitched forward, falling face first to the sand, and heard nothing.

 Chapter 153: About Olive

    Chapter 153: About Olive

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Reya asked, aghast. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Olive shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I woke up at the bottom of the dungeon with my wound patched, but my arm hadn¡¯t been reattached. I never heard from any of them again. They left me there.¡±

    ¡°Assholes,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    Olive arched an eyebrow and a small smile pulled across her lips before falling away. ¡°I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, Rodrick, but it <em>was </em>my fault. I epted the Challenge. If I hadn¡¯t, I would have been able to back Jason up and he wouldn¡¯t have gotten killed. I wouldn¡¯t have lost my arm.¡±

    <em>She¡¯s not wrong. If she¡¯dmunicated to the others about her Challenge, that fight would have gone differently. They might have even won. </em>

    ¡°His death may be because of the Challenge, but you had no way of knowing that would be how it turned out,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You made a mistake, but you can¡¯t let it hang over you forever.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Olive said, but it took her a moment longer than normal to answer Arwin. ¡°The point is you need to stay away from Challenges. They¡¯re curses. If you get an option to ept one, you need to deny it. The Mesh will wait until you¡¯re at the worst possible spot and then spit on you while you¡¯re down.¡±

    ¡°Whatever happened to your Challenge?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Do you still have it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Olive shook her head. ¡°And good riddance. It already took one of my arms. I don¡¯t need to lose more. I haven¡¯t seen anything from the Challenge ever since I woke up on the sand. I have to imagine the Mesh just decided I deserved nothing and took it away. But Reya¡­ can you still refuse the Challenge?¡±¡°I didn¡¯t have an option,¡± Reya said. ¡°The Mesh just gave it to me.¡±

    Olive¡¯s face paled. ¡°What is it? What are the risks?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t said anything about that. I¡¯m just meant to find a way to master Wyrmhunger. It doesn¡¯t say there are any consequences or anything like that.¡±

    ¡°That probably just means they¡¯re hidden.¡± Olive¡¯s voice had more than just a note of bitterness in it.

    ¡°Mine does,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But, unlike what you were offered, mine is tied directly to my survival.¡±

    ¡°What? How?¡±

    ¡°I have a¡­ condition,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°It¡¯s from my ss. Yes, I can make magical items, but that isn¡¯t without cost. I have to consume them as well. One every few days.¡±

    ¡°Every few¡ª¡± Olive cut herself off and swallowed. ¡°You¡¯re a walking gold sink.¡±

    ¡°And one that just keeps getting worse,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°My Challenge gave me a chance find a way to fix that. Granted, the consequences of failing it are just straight up death. I suppose that bnces it a bit.¡±

    He hesitated for a second. There were a lot of things he felt he could have said about Olive¡¯s story, but most of them came from experience that he¡¯d yet to reveal. Experience he wasn¡¯t so sure he <em>wanted </em>to reveal.

    It didn¡¯t help that nobody was speaking. They¡¯d all fallen silent. Reya¡¯s fingers twitched as she seemed to debate if putting aforting hand on Olive¡¯s shoulder would be appropriate. Rodrick and Anna looked indignant on Olive¡¯s behalf, and Olive just looked concerned.

    <em>To be honest, from what Olive just told us, her former group doesn¡¯t even sound that great. It¡¯s hard to fully judge someone from just a short snippet of a story, but they didn¡¯t seem like they really cared all that much about her. Then again, she clearly returned the sentiment. I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter. Mentioning that won¡¯t help anyone. </em>

    ¡°You aren¡¯t alone,¡± Arwin said, finally finding his words. ¡°And even if you say you aren¡¯t ming yourself, you can¡¯t take responsibility for others. I may have done the same thing you did if I¡¯d been in your shoes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the reason I¡¯m telling you this. Challenges aren¡¯t worth it if you can avoid them. They¡¯re just asking for the Mesh toy a trap for you. Don¡¯t make the same mistake I did.¡±

    ¡°You only made one mistake,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t failing to stop the golem¡¯s sword.¡±

    Olive¡¯s hand tightened at her side. ¡°What was it, then?¡±

    ¡°Not telling your group about the Challenge. I don¡¯t know what dynamic you had with them, but it¡¯s difficult to fight together with someone when you don¡¯t know what they¡¯re dealing with. That said, I don¡¯t know what your rtionship was with them. Perhaps telling them wasn¡¯t an option.¡±

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    Olive didn¡¯t respond for a second. Then her shoulders curled forward and she let her hand loosen as she slumped forward and sighed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t. They wouldn¡¯t have believed me. And, if they did, they would have been angry.¡±

    ¡°As I said. Assholes,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°Not the time,¡± Anna muttered. ¡°Saying that doesn¡¯t help anyone.¡±

    ¡°Then you did what you could,¡± Arwin said. He was all too aware of all the secrets he was still holding close to his own chest. The hypocrisy of his words wasn¡¯tpletely lost on him, but the one saving grace was that his secrets weren¡¯t going to directly affect the oue of a fight. ¡°You¡¯re only as good as the people around you.¡±

    Even if Arwin had wanted to reveal the rest of his secrets now, he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to. Any talk of the Hero or demon queen after Olive had just shared something that personal just felt like it would overshadow her.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Olive said, shaking her head. ¡°In the end, that isn¡¯t what this is about. I wasn¡¯t trying to get pity. I was warning you about Challenges.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful. As careful as we can be, at least. If we want to be safe, then we need to be strong. The key to advancing is the appropriate amount of risk. Not too much. Not too little. Just enough that we can all handle it.¡± Arwin said. ¡°And, if we¡¯re working together, we can take on risks that we can¡¯t bear on our own, such as Jessen and his Wyrms.¡±

    Olive gave Arwin a small smile and inclined her head. ¡°Wise words.¡±

    Something about her tone told Arwin that she didn¡¯t quite buy what he¡¯d said, but that was fine. He didn¡¯t expect Olive toe around right off the bat. It would have been odd if she did. He¡¯d certainly needed more time toe to terms with things himself, and it wasn¡¯t fair to force her to higher standards.

    ¡°Maybe we should get the blood moving,¡± Rodrick suggested, sliding down from his chair and unwrapping Anna from their nket bundle. ¡°Who¡¯sing with Anna and I to bring shit back from the forest?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll focus on making us money,¡± Arwin said, nodding toward the door of the tavern. ¡°My smithy is waiting for me.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Anna asked with a look to Reya.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay back and help for a bit,¡± Reya said. ¡°If you guys need more help, I¡¯ll head out and meet youter.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Rodrick piled the sheets on a stool and gave her a sharp salute before joining Anna and Olive in heading out into the street.

    They had the right idea. The day was still young and a certain anvil was calling to Arwin. He nodded to Reya and headed out himself. There was still quite a bit that he wanted to make and he had a number of materials to work with.

    <em>And a number of materials to figure out how to work with. I¡¯ve got Jessen¡¯s armor¡­ I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m going to do with it, but I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t make it work for me. That¡¯s not to mention all the bug bits and Wyrmling scales. I¡¯m mostly out of Brightsteel again, but I do have my Maristeel and around 300 gold with what I got from Jessen. </em>

    Arwin continued to muse to himself as he headed back to his new smithy and unlocked the door with the key. The anvil sat in anticipation beside his hearth, just waiting for him to start his next project ¡ª but the stone building was empty.

    <em>Ah. Have to get all my materials and bring them over. </em>

    That took just a few minutes, and he soon had everything piled into a corner and waiting expectantly for him to get back to work. There were a number of different items that were on his urgent-make list.

    Gauntlets and greaves for himself. A reusable arrow. Armor for all the others. Objects to sell, and more items to eat in general. He¡¯d gone through most of his bracelet supply as well. Those had proven invaluable for short boosts in fights.

    <em>It really is odd that I get more use from drawing all the power out of them at once rather than using them normally, but one method uses magical energy and the other doesn¡¯t. Inefficient but powerful. Can¡¯tin. </em>

    He thought for a few more seconds. As it stood, everyone was starting to be quite powerful in their own right ¡ª and especially for their tier. Anna definitely needed armor the most out of everyone, but she needed something <em>really</em>light, even more so than Lillia¡¯s gear had been.

    <em>What she really needs is leather. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to be well suited to walking around in anything I normally make. </em>

    He would try, of course, but he didn¡¯t have high hopes for it. Perhaps if he found something that gave a trait that lightened something. Until then, the strongest positive he could make would probably be an arrow. Until he had one, his bow was useless.

    <em>The bow¡¯s already half-made of Maristeel anyway. Might as well finish that bit up. </em>

    Arwin summoned a ball of [Soul me] and tossed it into his new hearth. He took a second to appreciate it before picking up a piece of Maristeel and starting to polish the grime off it.

    He got no more than a few minutes into his work before he realized that someone else was standing in the room. That was something of a surprise, as he was normally pretty bad at noticing just about anything while he was working.

    Arwin turned to see Reya standing in the corner of the room. She shifted ufortably from foot to foot, then noticed that Arwin had spotted her.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Arwin asked, still scraping at the Maristeel. There was no reason not to multitask.

    ¡°I wanted to ask your advice.¡±

    ¡°Ah. About the Challenge?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I can say, but I meant what I told Olive. I don¡¯t know what the Mesh¡¯s goals are beyond generating challenge, but as long as we handle things as a team, I think we can get through them.¡±

    Reya pulled her dagger free and idly rolled it across her knuckles. ¡°Yeah. Uh¡­ that¡¯s not really what I wanted to ask about. I mean, I agree, but that wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Arwin nced away from the Maristeel. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about Olive. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m meant to do. You had good advicest time, so I was hoping you could help again.¡±

 Chapter 154:

    Chapter 154:

    <em>Uh oh. I think I might have really given Reya the wrong idea about how much I know about anything romance rted. It would be rude to tell her I can¡¯t help, though. </em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it, then.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Reya¡¯s cheeks colored. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve been doing better. You¡¯re actually talking to her. That was a step in the right direction.¡± Arwin tried to make sure his voice didn¡¯t get too dry, but he didn¡¯t do the best job at it. Reya¡¯s blush intensified.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to rub it in. And I know that. I meant what I¡¯m supposed to do about what she just told us about. Her past.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a specific answer to that. Just be kind and try to help her if she needs help. Is it something specific you¡¯re asking about? I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m following.¡±

    Reya¡¯s fists tightened and she tapped a foot on the ground as she searched for the proper words. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I know that. I mean¡­ isn¡¯t it cheap, or something?¡±

    ¡°Cheap?¡±

    ¡°Olive is clearly not feeling well. Even if she¡¯s pretending like she isn¡¯t bothered, it¡¯s pretty obvious that she is. Wouldn¡¯t it be wrong of me to try to do anything when she¡¯s like that? I have ulterior motives.¡±¡°That¡¯s not an easy question,¡± Arwin admitted. Arwin lowered the Maristeel and brushed his hands off. This was definitely moving well past his pay grade, but he couldn¡¯t just leave Reya hanging. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re thinking about it is probably a good thing. In the end, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything bad that can be said about being there for someone. You¡¯re not trying to leverage this for anything, are you?¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡± Reya hurriedly shook her head. ¡°Of course not! I just want to help.¡±

    ¡°Well, there. If you¡¯re not trying to take advantage of her, then nobody is going toin about a shoulder to support themselves on. It would be an issue if you expected something in return for that, but if you don¡¯t, then I don¡¯t see an issue.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it maniptive?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to help her purely to get in her pants?¡±

    Reya choked on her on saliva. She took a second to gather herself before shaking her head. ¡°Who do you think I am? No.¡±

    ¡°Then you aren¡¯t doing anything wrong. It¡¯s good to think about this, but I don¡¯t think life is secure enough to waste time on it,¡± Arwin said with a sigh. He leaned against his anvil and drummed his fingers on its edge. ¡°Kindness is free. If someone has a problem with that, then they aren¡¯t worth your time. Just don¡¯t leverage it as some sort of favor and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Reya ran a hand through her hair. Then, to Arwin¡¯s surprise, she let out a smallugh.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked, confused.

    ¡°I asked Lillia about this before I came over here, and she gave me the exact same answer that you just did, just with different words.¡±

    ¡°Well, then it must mean we¡¯re right.¡±

    Reya rolled her eyes. She tucked a strand of hair behind the back of her ear and gave Arwin a slight nod. ¡°Maybe. Thank you. That helps. I¡¯ll ask Olive if she wants to talk more about the pastter, once she gets back. Maybe I¡¯ll go find everyone and see if they need help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain they¡¯d appreciate it. There were a hell of a lot of Iron Hounds that we didn¡¯t get a chance to strip down. Wyrmlings too ¡ª we got their scales, but there are still ws and teeth.¡±

    ¡°Do you want all that?¡±

    A vision of his new smithy piledpletely to the brim with Wyrmling bones shed through Arwin¡¯s mind and he shuddered. He was confident the street wasn¡¯t haunted, but it certainly would be if he brought that many bodies back.

    ¡°Maybe a bag full of them. Two at most. I won¡¯t need more ¡ª by the time I run out, I suspect I¡¯ll have moved onto better equipment anyway. I don¡¯t want to be aplete hoarder.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got free time, I could use some more Brightsteel,¡± Arwin said. He pulled his pouch off his side and tossed it to Reya. ¡°It makes some pretty good armor, and I want to start getting our funds really padded. Do you think you could buy some for me? We really need a proper supplier instead of buying everything from Taylor, but that cer.¡±

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    ¡°Sure thing. And I¡¯ll pass your request for stuff along to the others.¡± Reya headed over to the door, then paused and looked back at Arwin. ¡°Thanks again. I never really had anyone to talk to about stuff like this. It¡­ means a lot.¡±

    She stepped out before Arwin could respond. Arwin looked at the spot where she¡¯d been standing, a small smile pulling at his lips before he could quash it. He wasn¡¯t so sure he should let himself feel good about this. He barely knew what he was doing himself. Giving Reya advice didn¡¯t feel like the smartest move, but her question hadn¡¯t been <em>too </em>focused on the romantic elements, so he felt like he hadn¡¯t overstepped any bounds. And, if Arwin was honest with himself, it felt nice to be relied upon.

    He got back to work on the Maristeel, the small smile still present on his lips. Time slipped by, properly this time. The rough exterior of crud covering the Maristeel steadily came off and he soon had a polished piece ready to work with.

    Arwin set it into the me and set about working it into a te once it was hot enough. When he¡¯d finished, he pulled it into pieces with [Scourge] andid them out to cool.

    ¡°Right. Which of you want to be an arrow?¡± Arwin asked, looking out at the thick strips of Maristeel on his anvil. He¡¯d started to get used to speaking to his materials, as odd as it was.

    And, as usual, he was delighted to find that the Maristeel was amiable to just about anything. The metal was just so happy to be used after all the time it had sat around doing nothing that he was pretty sure it would have been thrilled to be a toilet seat.

    <em>Okay, that might be going a bit far. I¡¯m not so sure anything wants to be a toilet seat. I should take care to never speak to the materials of one of those, or I may never be the same again. </em>

    Arwin gathered up the pieces of Maristeel and set them aside. With the metal handled, it was time to move on to the next, and arguably more important, step. He needed something to focus the magic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Arwin mused, looking around everything he¡¯d brought into the smithy. He still had the white gemstone from the Mesh¡¯s Challenge. That didn¡¯t feel like it would benefit an arrow much.

    <em>I need something that would give it traits that would¡­ well, suit an arrow. Definitely nothing with [Brittle] since I want to reuse it. I don¡¯t think anything from the spiders would be all that useful. I bet I could get a poison attribute from that, but I¡¯m looking more for massive damage than that. The centipede pieces will also be a lot more useful for defensive purposes. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts drifted to the Wyrmling scales. There were literal piles of them just waiting to be used. The scales themselves probably wouldn¡¯t be of any use in an arrow¡­ but their ws and teeth were a whole different game.

    <em>I think that¡¯s what I need. I¡¯ll just wait for the others toe back with the Wyrmling bits and I¡¯ll use either a tooth or a w for the arrow. </em>

    He turned, satisfied with his decision, and froze. Resting in the corner of his smithy behind him was a bag stuffed full of bone. He walked up to the edge of his workshop and squinted out the door beyond it that led into the street.

    The sun was already shining down on the street. He¡¯d somehow let hours slip away from him once more. It looked like the others had alreadypleted their item run and dropped everything off without disturbing him.

    ¡°Good timing,¡± Arwin mused to himself, even though it was likely the bag had gotten dropped off quite some time ago. He pulled it open to see what they¡¯d gotten for him. Within it was a mixture of bones, teeth, ws, and daggers. There were also a few broken swords.

    <em>Well, it certainly looks like they got everything they could. This was probably just one of the bags. </em>

    Arwin took out a tooth and a w, then walked back to the anvil. Both of them were sharp ¡ª there was no doubt about that. The w was considerablyrger than the fang. It was rounded and curved to a thin point.

    The fang, on the other hand, was sharp all the way along its edges. Even though it was smaller, the fang felt like it fit what he needed quite a bit more than the w did.

    <em>Not to mention I¡¯ve used a fang for an arrow before. Sure, it was a smaller fang and a worse arrow, but the idea is the same. </em>

    Arwin put the w back and set the fang aside. He selected several pieces of Maristeel and returned them to the mes to heat. Once they¡¯d grown hot enough, he set about hammering them together into a rod.

    The process went rtively quickly. That wasn¡¯t to say it was fast, but between the extra strength from [Scourge] and the [Soul me] that rippled with every strike, Arwin soon had the shaft of the arrow made.

    He added the tooth to the head of the weapon, keeping himself focused on his end goal. The Maristeel would likely add in some form of water or sea rted attribute. He couldn¡¯t easily control that one without splitting his attention ¡ª perhaps that would be an ability that came with time.

    It wasn¡¯t one he had now. So, instead, he focused entirely on what he could control. He needed an arrow that would be sharp. An arrow that would shoot straight and fly as far as a rod of metal could reasonably be expected to fly.

    Strike by strike, the arrow came together. Arwin poured magical energy into it. It was considerably more nerve-wracking to make something entirely without the Mesh¡¯s guidance, but he didn¡¯t want just any old arrow. He wanted <em>the </em>arrow. One that would serve him for the foreseeable future. Something that could survive being fired and resummoned over and over again.

    Something that could channel all the power within Prism¡¯s Reach without breaking, and something that could pierce through armor like paper.

    The ring of Arwin¡¯s hammer filled his smithy. It rang in his ears, going from individual sounds to a hazy blur. With every strike, his work seemed to blend more and more into the sound of rushing water.

    And, as he lifted his hammer onest time, it struck Arwin that his work wasplete. A glistening blue arrow sat on the anvil before him, humming with magical energy. He was done with the arrow ¡ª but the arrow wasn¡¯t done with him.

    A vision rushed up, darkening the edges of his vision so quickly that he barely had time to drop into a seated position before it swallowed him whole. It seemed like the arrow was eager to test his mettle. That was just fine with Arwin. He was equally interested to see what it had to offer.

    <em>I¡¯m not settling for less than the absolute best that both the arrow and I can bring to the table. From here on out, anything I make for my allies will be the best it can possibly be or nothing at all. </em>

 Chapter 155: On the menu

    Chapter 155: On the menu

    Waves crashed against the shore and washed over Arwin. It was a simr vision. The howling wind and churning ocean held power, but not over him. He sat, unmoving, as the water crashed against him.

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to be enough,¡± Arwin said, uncrossing his legs and rising to his feet. A wave mmed into him, but it didn¡¯t even knock him back. The arrow had a will to it. That much was clear ¡ª but its will was nothingpared to some of the items that Arwin had made before.

    A six-foot tower of water crashed down on top of Arwin, trying to force him to his knees. He stood his ground once more, letting the water run down his face as he stared out into the stormy sea.

    ¡°Not enough,¡± Arwin repeated. ¡°I know everything that went into you. I may not know it perfectly, but I know what your desires were. The sea that you call on is just a part of the Maristeel, and that is already tame. Your will cannot ovee mine.¡±

    Another wave crashed into him, this onerger than thest. Arwin¡¯s foot dug into the soaked sand, but he refused to let himself budge an inch. The vision didn¡¯t have the advantage of surprise, and it didn¡¯t have the advantage of a stronger will.

    No matter how hard the arrow tried to struggle, Arwin gave it no quarter. He held his hands out and rain pelted down on top of him, every droplet stinging like the bite of an irate insect. Water trickled into his eyes and tried to force him to blink it away, but even that was ground that he could not be made to give.

    ¡°ept it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Why fight? I¡¯m giving you what you wanted. Purpose. A way to be more than what you were. You can struggle all you want, but you can¡¯t ovee me. Make the choice. I don¡¯t need a rebellious arrow. I¡¯ll take you to the peak or shatter you and make a new arrow. It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    The rain continued to pour down, but the ocean stilled. A small smile crossed Arwin¡¯s face. He¡¯d already won, even if the arrow hadn¡¯t fully acknowledged it yet. He extended a hand.

    ¡°Come on. Enough of the tantrum. Let¡¯s get on with this.¡±A fewst droplets fell before the clouds overhead shifted and broke. Streams of sunlight broke through as the rain finally came to a halt. The vision shattered. It fell like shards of ss, leaving Arwin sitting in his smithy across from his anvil once again.

    <strong>[Wyrm¡¯s Tooth] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    Arwin stood up and looked at the finished arrow resting on the top of his anvil. Its blue metal shimmered in the light from his [Soul me], and the Mesh traced letters through the air as it registered the newly created item.

    Wyrm¡¯s Tooth

    <strong>Wyrm¡¯s Tooth: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Sharp]: This item is abnormally sharp. Its head will cut through many things ¨C including the hands of whoever is holding it.</strong>

    <strong>[Wyrm¡¯s Flight]: The potential of a hungry Wyrmling rests within this item. Whenever possible, it will make minor adjustments to its course to seek out the weakest spot of its target. </strong>

    <strong>[Overweight]: This arrow is better meant for thrusting than shooting. This item is abnormally heavy for its purpose.</strong>

    The traits were perfect. Arwin wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest at the detrimental [Overweight] trait. Making an arrow this size out of solid metal wasn¡¯t going to him anything else.

    Meanwhile, [Sharp] was exactly what he¡¯d wanted and [Wrym¡¯s Flight] was a fantastic addition. He smiled to himself. Making items the ¡®proper¡¯ way without the Mesh telling him what to do was definitely the right way to handle things.

    There was only one more step left to do.

    Arwin summoned his status and turned his attention to the Achievement he¡¯d gotten after making Prism¡¯s Reach.

    <strong>[Armed and Dangerous] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a weapon whose rarity was overwritten by its own desires.</em>Effects: You may select an item to join this weapon¡¯s Set, regardless of its quality. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon selecting an item.</em></strong>

    ¡°This one,¡± Arwin said, summoning Prism¡¯s Reach to his right hand and lifting the arrow with his left. ¡°This is the other half of the set.¡±

    <strong>[Armed and Dangerous] has been consumed. </strong>

    A shimmer of green energy leapt from the bow and into the arrow. It wormed its way into the metal, stretching throughout it like dull verdant veins. The words floating above the arrow shimmered as they changed and reformed.

    <strong>Prism¡¯s Vengeance: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Sharp]: This item is abnormally sharp. Its head will cut through many things ¨C including the hands of whoever is holding it.</strong>

    <strong>[Wyrm¡¯s Flight]: The potential of a hungry Wyrmling rests within this item. Whenever possible, it will make minor adjustments to its course to seek out the weakest spot of its target. </strong>

    <strong>[Overweight]: This arrow is better meant for thrusting than shooting. This item is abnormally heavy for its purpose.</strong>

    <strong>[Crystal Vessel]: This arrow has been infested with the hunger of the Prism, allowing it to draw in attributes of whatever is applied to it for a short period of time. The stored attribute will be released upon impact. </strong>

    <strong>[The Right Arm]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. </strong>

    Arwin blew out a breath as he read over the arrow¡¯s updated stats. The Mesh had done right by him once again. The new arrow was more than worth the effort he¡¯d put into it. It really did look more like a fancy spear than anything someone should be shooting out of a bow, but he¡¯d already seen firsthand what a rtively normal arrow could do when fired from Prism¡¯s Reach. With this one, he didn¡¯t even want to think about the damage he¡¯d be able to cause.

    <em>Okay, maybe I¡¯m lying to myself a bit. I very much want to know exactly what will happen when I shoot this thing, but I can contain myself. I¡¯m not shooting it in the city like an idiot. </em>

    Completing the arrow should have meant that the set was done as well. Arwin turned his gaze to Prism¡¯s Reach, looking to see if anything had changed.

    <strong>Prism¡¯s Reach: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Power for Power]: Prism¡¯s Reach can only be drawn when infused with magical energy from its Wielder. A portion of the spent energy will be transferred into its shots. </strong>

    <strong>[Corrupted Shot]: Arrows fired by Prism¡¯s Reach will infest their target with crystal upon impact, consuming any uncontested magic whenever possible. </strong>

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    <strong>[Immense Hunger]: Prism¡¯s Reach can absorb magical energy from its wielder in exchange for empowering its next shot. The amount of magical energy it draws will increase exponentially with the amount of time it spends drawn. Overfeeding Prism¡¯s Reach may modify its attributes temporarily. </strong>

    <strong>[The Arms]: Prism''s Reach, armed with its Vengeance, may shift its form when it has been fed sufficient amounts of energy from a single target. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: This item has formed a treaty with Arwin Tyrr. It has not acknowledged him as owner, but it will obey hismands until deciding if he is worthy of its service or not. Information about this item may be hidden from others. </strong>

    <strong>[The Left Arm]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. </strong>

    <em>It can change its form? What does that mean? Does it turn into a sword? Getting sufficient amounts of energy from a single target is a little vague. Given how the Prism was weakened, I don¡¯t think it will be able to draw a ridiculous amount of magic out of anyone with one shot. That probably means I¡¯ll have to shoot something multiple times. That¡¯s a pretty big ask unless I¡¯m up against something so huge that a bow this big doesn¡¯t kill it quickly. Still, there are a whole lot of really big monsters. If I run into a situation where something massive is just sitting around, this could be really useful.</em>

    Arwin dismissed Prism¡¯s Reach and picked up the finished arrow. He couldn¡¯t bind to it quite yet with one of his permanent binding slots, but he didn¡¯t need to keep Jessen¡¯s armor bound with his temporary opening.

    He summoned the ck armor, depositing it in the corner of the smithy before rebinding to his arrow and dismissing it. Even though he had room for all his current equipment, it was on the edge. Once he made sabatons and gauntlets, he¡¯d have two items in need of binding.

    There was a whole lot of work he hading up, and something told Arwin that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he advanced once more. If anything, it would probably be a good idea to head out one more time and try to get another Achievement or two before he moved on.

    <em>I¡¯d like to revisit that room in Olive¡¯s dungeon. I¡¯ve still got the key to it, and I¡¯m pretty sure I can try to get something out of [Molten Novice] if I¡¯m left alone with a pool ofva for long enough. </em>

    <em>But, before that, I want money. If Reya and the others are back already, then my Brightsteel should be waiting for me somewhere. I should make sure I¡¯ve got food in case I need it, though. </em>

    He grabbed some scrap Brightsteel and, after a moment of thought, snapped off a piece of chitin from the centipede¡¯s tes. Arwin then spent around thirty minutes working everything together into a bracelet, following the same strategy he¡¯d used when making the [Steelskin] trait.

    Before long, his work was rewarded with some magical energy for crafting a new magical item as well as a new bracelet.

    <strong>Chitinous Band: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Chitinskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to chitin and greatly reduce their range of movement at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Chittering]: While this item is active, its wearer¡¯s movements will make loud clicking noises. </strong>

    <em>That¡¯ll do just great. </em>

    Arwin tucked the braclet into his pocket and headed out into the main room of the smithy. His eyesnded on a pile of Brightsteel bars and his bag of gold, now considerably lightened. He grinned. Reya had pulled through as usual.

    He gathered everything, tucking the money back into his main pouch, and brought it back to the smithy. Arwin looked over all the new metal, then rubbed his hands together. This was the perfect time to make some sets to sell. That would let him capitalize on the interest he¡¯d already generated for his business and hopefully bring some people back to their street.

    Arwin got to work.

    ***

    Hours passed as they tended to do. Bars of Brightsteel were heated and forged, separated and queried, and then made into whatever they desired to be. Arwin made mostly chestpieces, helms, and greaves, as Brightsteel wasn¡¯t the best material for swords or daggers in most circumstances barring Olive.

    It would work well as the core of the weapon, but he wasn¡¯t willing to use any of his Maristeel for their edges and working with Roughsteel would probably just result in low quality weapons. His goal was to set himself apart in quality and price, so he couldn¡¯t have that.

    Piles of armor slowly started to take form behind him. He made them the highest quality that they could be without being guided by the Mesh. He didn¡¯t let any magical energy into the metal, but while they werepletely mundane, the desires of the metal still came through. The metal didn¡¯t particrly care if it was magical or not. He chose pieces that wanted to be armor, and that was what they became.

    Arwin ended up running out of leather before he ran out of Brightsteel. He finally stepped back from the anvil, exhaustion setting into his limbs like heavy chains, as he took a moment to study the fruits of hisbor.

    Ten sets of chestpieces, helms, and greavesid before him, the Ifrit logo branded onto each of them. He¡¯d sold the chestpieces and the helms for 180 gold before without any difficulty, so he was pretty sure he could realistically charge somewhere around 250 for the three items together.

    <em>That means I¡¯m sitting on around 2500 gold here, assuming I can sell all of it. That much money would be incredible. We could do so many renovations to the basic issues the tavern has and really get everything running, not to mention spiffing up the smithy and getting me more materials to work with. </em>

    Arwin nodded to himself. He summoned his [Soul me] from the hearth, then headed out of the smithy and locked the doors behind him. Night already held the street in its grasp. Judging by the position of the moon high in the sky above him, he suspect it had been dark for quite some time.

    <em>I hope I¡¯m not sote that Lillia went to bed. I promised to wake her up if I did show up after she¡¯s asleep, but I¡¯d still feel pretty bad about it. </em>

    He made his way back into the tavern and, after a detour to clean up for the night, headed toward the kitchen. To his relief, thentern near the entrance to it was still flickering with light. He stepped under it and Lillia nced over at him from beside the counter. She wiped her hands off on her apron and picked up a covered bowl that sat on the wood before her.

    ¡°Look who showed up,¡± Lillia observed, bringing the bowl over to a metal chest wedged beneath her counter. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Just got caught up crafting,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I made ten sets of gear to sell as well as an arrow for my bow. It was a good day. What about you?¡±

    ¡°A good day? Try two.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I spent two days in there?¡±

    Now that she mentioned it, it certainly made a lot of sense. He¡¯d made ten sets of armor entirely without the Mesh¡¯s guidance in addition to his arrow. That was quite a bit of work, and he didn¡¯t know how much time he¡¯d lost to the vision either.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I remember how you were when you just got to the street. It¡¯s just how things go. I¡¯ll live. And, as for what I¡¯ve been up to ¡ª I¡¯ve been marinating a bunch of meat,¡± Lillia said, setting the bowl into the chest and closing the lid over it. ¡°Ten sets does sound like quite a lot.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin said, letting out a relieved sigh when it became clear that Lillia wasn¡¯t angry with him. ¡°If I can sell all of it, I think we can really get this street started in proper. We¡¯ll be able to really start drawing some attention to ourselves.¡±

    ¡°That would be nice. Do you have an actual name for your smithy yet?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s smile faltered and he coughed into a fist. ¡°Ah¡­ not yet.¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes, though he only just barely managed to pick it up in the dim lighting.

    ¡°Figures. You¡¯re really going to need something before you start getting too popr, or people will name it for you. And trust me, that won¡¯t go well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Arwin said reluctantly. ¡°I¡¯m just not the best at naming. I¡¯ll try to think something up tomorrow and get a sign made before I head out to the market. I¡¯ll probably drag Reya along with me. Will you have room to handle some people passing through if I do manage to get them?¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°Yes. My imps are trained and I¡¯ve been preparing food all day. I¡¯ve got a total of six rooms to rent out as well, assuming you move out of yours. Reya has one, Olive has another, and Rodrick and Anna are sharing a third. That leaves me with three for people passing through.¡±

    ¡°Did you want to try to get more? Three doesn¡¯t seem like a lot.¡±

    ¡°No. If I bring in too many random people, my satisfaction rating might drop really sharply,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I need to make sure growth is measured or I could end up getting too big and permanently crippling myself ¡ª or worse.¡±

    <em>Just like advancing [Awaken], huh?</em>

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re ready for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Mostly ready. I haven¡¯t had a chance to make dinner yet,¡± Lillia said sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ve been focused on advancing my ss by making the most difficult dishes I could. Most of them weren¡¯t edible or are still waiting to be ready tomorrow.¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side. ¡°When you say meat¡­¡±

    ¡°Wyrm is on the menu.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. I¡¯m going to look forward to trying that,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°And that¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need dinner. Getting some rest is more than enough.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Lillia grinned. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted, so I don¡¯t really want to do anything else today. Just give me a second to wash my hands off.¡±

    She slipped past him, making it a point to brush against his chest as she walked. Arwin watched her head out of the kitchen, and it struck him that he wasn¡¯t sure if he was more excited for the night or the day that woulde after it.

    <em>Both, I think. Both is good. </em>

 Chapter 156: Crowd

    Chapter 156: Crowd

    Arwin woke the following morning to Lillia lying on top of him, her tail curled around his leg and her head rested on his chest. She was as warm as ever. It only took him a flicker of an instant to decide that this was probably his favorite way to wake up.

    That decision was impacted about a millisecondter when he realized that he had a considerable amount of hair in his mouth that didn¡¯t belong to him. He tried to pull his head to the side to free himself, but Lillia¡¯s hair was just long enough to keep its grip on him.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lillia asked through a yawn as Arwin tried to maneuver his head without moving the rest of his body.

    ¡°Trying to get hair out of my mouth without waking you up.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lillia sat back, freeing Arwin from his unintended snack, and snickered. ¡°Get hungry?¡±

    ¡°I can assure you that there are a lot of other things I¡¯d choose to eat over hair,¡± Arwin said, sitting up beside her. ¡°I think your hair just wanted to get eaten. It stuck itself into my mouth on its own.¡±

    Lillia yawned. From the small creak that came from the straw mattress, Arwin suspected that she was stretching as well. He almost jumped in surprise when she leaned forward and rested against Arwin¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said a momentter. She pulled away from him and her hand found his, pulling him to his feet. ¡°You¡¯re justfortable. Does something in your ss make you a better pillow?¡±¡°Nothing that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Maybe all the magic I eat makes me softer.¡±

    Lillia squeezed his arm and let out a snort. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tter me too much. I remember what I used to look like.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I remember that too.¡± She made a gagging noise. ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the current look, shall we? You were more muscle than brain. Having a bnce is nice.¡±

    ¡°Says the one that had literal wings,¡± Arwin grumbled. ¡°Howe I just got bigger with my advancements? I would have liked wings.¡±

    ¡°You can use mine. They¡¯re just made out of shadows now, so I can stick them on you whenever you want.¡±

    It was a rtively tame promise, but Arwin¡¯s cheeks colored, nheless. When they stepped into the light cast by thentern hanging near the entrance of the kitchen, he noted that Lillia¡¯s cheeks were a shade brighter than normal as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to finish preparations for the morning,¡± Lillia said, stopping at the edge of the kitchen. ¡°You¡¯re heading out to the market today, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep. I¡¯ll probably aim to sell about half of them there, then bring people back with the other half. Nothing too fancy. I figure it¡¯ll just be a quick trip in and out.¡±

    ¡°Bring Reya,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Otherwise you¡¯ll get scammed.¡±

    ¡°What? I will not.¡±

    Lillia tilted her head to the side. ¡°You don¡¯t know the value of money.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t either,¡± Lillia said with a smallugh. ¡°And she definitely does. Good luck with the sales. Bring enough people back for me to feed, would you?¡±

    <em>Ah, crud. She¡¯s got a point. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Arwin said with augh. He then headed out the door, closing it behind him before turning to his smithy. Reya leaned against its wall, drumming her fingers on the hilt of her dagger. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and she straightened as he walked over.

    ¡°Is it time to sell stuff?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°So it is,¡± Arwin said. ¡°How long have you been waiting out here and how¡¯d you figure out I was ready?¡±

    ¡°I heard youe home yesterday because the door creaked reallyte, and it only does that when you¡¯reing back. And I¡¯ve only been out for a little while. I¡¯ve been trying to get up earlier recently.¡±

    ¡°Why? For your morning runs to stave off the cold?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Reya¡¯s answer came out just a bit too fast and drew a sidelong nce from Arwin, but he didn¡¯t press the matter.

    Arwin made his way over to the cart and dragged it out from behind the tavern. He then unlocked the smithy¡¯s doors and set about taking everything he¡¯d made out and loading it up.

    ¡°Have you figured out a name for the smithy yet?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said with a grimace. ¡°Lillia asked me thatst night. Is it really that important?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Reya said. ¡°And good.¡±

    ¡°Good?¡± Arwin set the chestpiece he¡¯d been carrying down on the cart and tilted his head to the side. ¡°Why is it good?¡±

    ¡°Give me a second and I¡¯ll show you.¡± Reya jogged off before Arwin could respond, disappearing through the tavern door.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences.

    Arwin craned his neck to follow her, then shook his head and went back to loading the cart up. There was quite a bit he wanted to sell today, and having all the inventory with him would help lure people back to their street when it was time to return.

    ¡°That¡¯s a whole lot of shiny shit.¡±

    He nearly jumped out of his skin as a dry voice that most certainly didn¡¯t belong to Reya scraped across his ears. The drunkard stood just a few feet behind Arwin, a half-empty mug hanging from loose fingers.

    ¡°You.¡± Arwin blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I swear I¡¯ve asked you to stop doing that. Can¡¯t you just announce your presence like a normal person?¡±

    ¡°No. What¡¯s all this shit for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s armor,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And it¡¯s for selling.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I need money. We need to fix the tavern up. The street too, at some point ¡ª and that isn¡¯t even ounting for the expenses of materials. That all takes a lot of gold. I¡¯m going to sell about half of it and bring the rest back to drum up some business. Why do you care?¡±

    The drunkard grunted. ¡°You¡¯re bringing people back?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the goal. Is there a problem with it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to make the street loud,¡± the drunkard said wearily. He took a drink from his tankard and curled his lip in distaste. ¡°It¡¯s already been too loud as ofte.¡±

    ¡°There are different kinds of noise.¡± Arwin¡¯s features hardened. He was all too aware of what noise the drunkard referred to, considering the man had been the one to deliver Zeke¡¯s warped sword to him. ¡°We¡¯re aiming for the noise of life. Not the alternative.¡±

    The door to the tavern swung open and Arwin¡¯s gaze flicked to Reya as she emerged, a rectangr bundle tucked under her arm. When his eyes moved back to the drunkard, the man was gone. Arwin repressed a curse.

    <em>That can¡¯t be normal. How stealthy is that guy?</em>

    ¡°Here.¡± Reya held the bundle out to Arwin with an eager grin. ¡°Take a look!¡±

    Arwin shook the thoughts of the strange drunkard off and took the offered bundle from Reya, unwrapping it. There were two nks of wood within, one slightly smaller than the other. He nearly asked what the purpose of them was before spotted the metal rings at their tops and realized they were upside down. Arwin pulled the rest of the wrapping to the side and flipped the nks over.

    ¡°Infernal Armory?¡± Arwin read, his eyebrows lifting as he looked back to Reya.

    She gave him an expectant look. ¡°What do you think? I had them made for you yesterday. Your smith name is Ifrit and you¡¯re with Lillia, so it felt like you kind of had a theme running. I can get them redone if¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, this is perfect.¡± A smile crossed Arwin¡¯s lips. ¡°Thank you, Reya. It¡¯s lovely. I guess that means we got names for everything, didn¡¯t we? Quite the theme as well. The Devil¡¯s Den Tavern, The Infernal Armory, and the Menagerie guild. We¡¯re definitely going to draw a specific audience.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± Reya said. She lowered her voice. ¡°Nobody will ever actually think it¡¯s serious because of how on the nose it is. Can you think of a better disguise?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. He nced around to see if the drunkard was anywhere nearby to have overheard them, but there was no sight of him and Reya hadn¡¯t been speaking loudly. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡±

    He took the smaller of the signs and nced around. His eyes caught on two metal pegs jutting out of the front of the wagon. They hadn¡¯t been there before.

    ¡°Your work?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I got everything set up so we wouldn¡¯t have to wait long.¡±

    Arwin hung the smaller of the signs and took a moment to appreciate it. He smiled and gave Reya a nod, then summoned his armor around himself. It wasn¡¯t Arwin that had to head out to the market, after all. It was Ifrit. ¡°Thank you again, Reya. This is perfect. Now we¡¯re really ready to head out. Shall we go make some money?¡±

    ***

    They arrived at the market a short whileter and quickly set about preparing everything. Arwin hung the greaves and chestpieces from the hooks along the wagon and set the helms down on the counter along its edge.

    It was still early in the morning, but the market was already in full swing. The crowds were rtively small but growing steadily with every passing minute. People milled through the streets from merchant to merchant, and the smell of baked goods floated into the air.

    There were more than a few adventurers in the crowd, but all of them seemed to be headed somewhere in particr rather than milling about. Arwin nced up at the sign hanging above his head.

    Thest time they¡¯de to the market, people had shown up to his cart pretty quickly. It hadn¡¯t been that long since then, but they weren¡¯t getting any attention at all. For that matter, the adventurers didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest interest in any of the stores.

    ¡°Huh. This is odd,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There¡¯s no way people forgot about me this fast, is there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Reya said. ¡°That would be weird. It¡¯s only been a few days. It looks like people are kind of busy, though. Look at all the adventurers.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said with a frown. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look like they¡¯re headed somewhere?¡±

    Reya nodded. ¡°It does.¡±

    Arwin hopped down from the cart and strode toward the crowd. He raised a hand, cutting off a middle-aged man in leather gear with a sword strapped to his side.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Arwin said.

    The man¡¯s lips thinned as he came to a halt. ¡°Not interested in buying whatever you¡¯re selling. I have ces to be.¡±

    He stepped to the side, but Arwin matched him. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to sell you anything. I just had a quick question. Where¡¯s everyone headed? Is something going on?¡±

    ¡°Have you not heard? There¡¯s a new dungeon near Milten,¡± the adventurer said, sending Arwin a disbelieving look. ¡°After the Iron Hounds copsed a few days ago, the Secret Eye found maps in their missing guild leader¡¯s office. They revealed the entrance to the dungeon a little while ago and they¡¯ve been offering great rewards for anyone that can get deep enough into it and report on what the monsters are inside.¡±

    Arwin blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh, seriously? Why run to the middle of town, then? Aren¡¯t you heading in the wrong direction?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re going to be announcing if they¡¯ve found a way into the lower levels of the dungeon,¡± the adventurer replied irritably. ¡°There¡¯s a key they¡¯re still missing. If you want to hear more, just go listen to them yourself. I¡¯m not a town crier.¡±

    With that, he stepped around Arwin and headed off with the crowd. A small frown creased Arwin¡¯s face and he walked over to rejoin Reya.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Something that might be important. The Secret Eye found something out about a new dungeon near the town,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Do you think you could watch over the cart for a little?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Who are the Secret Eye, though?¡±

    Arwin almostughed before he caught himself. It was easy to forget how little Reya actually knew about just about everything guild rted.

    ¡°They¡¯re basically a group of observers that rank guilds and dungeons. They¡¯re also information brokers,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And this might be important. I¡¯m going to go hear what it is they¡¯re talking about ¡ª and then I¡¯ll see just how many people I can drag back over here once they realize they¡¯re going to need some new armor to handle whatever crap is in that dungeon.¡±

    Reya nodded and Arwin strode off, entering the stream of people heading through the market. As he walked, he couldn¡¯t help but keep his thoughts from drifting to the ck badge that Jessen had been carrying in his coin pouch.

    <em>Jessen didn¡¯t strike me as the kind of guy to leave something really valuable out of sight. If they¡¯re missing a key that they¡¯re putting this much importance on¡­ I think I might know where it is. </em>

 Chapter 157: Advertising tactics

    Chapter 157: Advertising tactics

    Arwin followed the crowd as it wormed through the market and into what he could only presume to be the center of town. He hadn¡¯t actually explored the main sections of Milten much, so it was anyone¡¯s guess.

    The horde of adventurers had gathered in a square around a man standing on the top of a dying fountain. Greenish-grey water sputtered out of the stained heads of angel statues. It dribbled down their mouths like a thin stream of vomit before rejoining the stagnant pool in the fountain¡¯s center.

    All the buildings around the square stood in stark contrast to the fountain. They were all well kept and looked to be targeted at the wealthy. There were none of the signs of disrepair in them that the sad water feature possessed.

    Arwin suspected that may have been less to do with the fact that Miltencked the funding to rece the fountain and more to do with the woman standing on top of said fountain. She wore loose ck clothing that had been tied at the ends of her arms and legs to leave her movementpletely unimpeded.

    Her blonde hair was tied back into a bun and a porcin owl mask obscured her face from sight. The mask had incredible detail carved into it. Even from the distance that Arwin stood at from her, he could have sworn that every single feather on its surface was rippling in the wind.

    People continued to pile in around Arwin, cementing his spot in the crowd whether he wanted it or not. There were a disturbing number of adventurers in the square. He was far from ustrophobic, but this was a bit much.

    A man elbowed Arwin in the stomach, trying to make space for himself and not looking where he was moving. He let out a pained curse as elbow connected with metal. He red up at Arwin, but all the anger evaporated from his expression as his eyesnded on Arwin¡¯s mask.

    The man hurriedly turned away and pushed through the crowd, any bitter words swallowed before they could escape his lips. Arwin shook his head and looked back to the stage. The woman was definitely part of the Secret Eye.

    He hadn¡¯t had many dealings with them before, but he¡¯d had enough. They were the ones that generally found the locations of just about every new dungeon ¡ª and that was quite a feat. Dungeons weren¡¯t exactly easy to track.They appeared seemingly of their own volition and brimming with enough magical energy to draw monsters from every corner of the continent. Stronger dungeons could fill themselves in just days.

    Keeping up with all of that in addition to cataloguing every guild in the kingdom worth noting as well as the most interesting adventurers at any time was far from an easy feat, and the Secret Eye were rumored to be on the smaller side.

    <em>Makes me wonder if someone¡¯s lying somewhere or if they¡¯re really just thatpetent. It¡¯s usually one of the two. I¡¯d say I hadn¡¯t heard of many dungeons going uncatalogued, but I know so little about how the world really works that I think I¡¯d just be tricking myself. </em>

    A few more minutes passed and the dull roar of conversation in the square grew louder as it filled to the brim. Finally, the woman lifted her hand into the air. A ripple ran through the crowd as people noticed the motion and stopped speaking. Once the majority of the noise had stopped, she let her hand fall.

    ¡°Thank you all for attending,¡± the woman said, her voice carrying effortlessly through the air as if she were standing right beside Arwin. ¡°I suspect the majority of you are already aware of the reason why I am here, but for any neers, there has been a new dungeon discovered on the outskirts of Milten. Its difficulty rating has yet to be determined as we have not been able topletely clear it.¡±

    A few seconds of silence passed as she paused to make sure everybody had heard her before starting to speak again.

    ¡°That said, we have confirmed a few more pieces of information since thest update yesterday,¡± the woman continued. ¡°The first eight rooms of the dungeon are decidedly Journeyman level. However, some of the monsters are slightly morepetent than average Journeymen, so we suggest that adventurers on the lower ends of the Journeyman spectrum refrain from delving too deep.¡±

    ¡°What kind of monsters are they?¡± Someone called.

    ¡°The Secret Eye cannot verify the identity of the recurring monsters in a dungeon due to the nature of dungeons,¡± the woman said without missing a beat. ¡°The majority of the enemies seemed to be goblinoid as of yesterday, but this can change based on the amount of monsters killed and their reproduction rate. More importantly, we still have yet to discover the key that allows ess to the lower portion of the dungeons.¡±

    A few disappointed mumbles passed through the crowd.

    ¡°Has anyone checked the Hounds¡¯ Guildhouse?¡± someone else in the crowd asked.

    ¡°It was thoroughly studied after the disbandment of their guild,¡± the Secret Eye representative said in a tone that told Arwin this was far from the first time she¡¯d answered this particr question. ¡°The key is not present. If anyone has information about its whereabouts, we will reward them handsomely. Do not fret. No secret remains uncovered forever. There will be a time in the near future when the dungeon is properly essible. We will open the path, but it will be you that treads it.¡±

    <em>Which is a fancy way to say we¡¯ll find a way to crack the lock, but we aren¡¯t going to be the ones sticking our necks out on the line to get killed. If anyone actually finds something interesting enough to draw the Secret Eye¡¯s attention, I imagine they¡¯ll just buy it off them. </em>

    It was either that or just have the person killed. Arwin didn¡¯t want to think that was how they operated, but he wasn¡¯t willing to bet on it. It didn¡¯t matter. The Secret Eye didn¡¯t have the key yet.

    They hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about Jessen either. If it really was the disk currently resting in a pouch at Arwin¡¯s side, that meant one of two things. Either they¡¯d failed to find the forest where Jessen had fallen and they were considerably more ipetent than he thought, or they¡¯d found it and were just waiting for something to happen.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The woman started listing off some of the parties that had been the most sessful in clearing the dungeon out in their recent runs and Arwin tuned her out slightly. Jessen had possessed ess to a dungeon and likely had a key to its lower parts.

    Jessen was a lot of things, but he didn¡¯t strike Arwin as someone without a n. He¡¯d had a use for the dungeon. It may have been as mundane as just a normal training area, but that meant it was more than just any old dungeon.

    <em>If that¡¯s the case¡­ there¡¯s a huge opportunity just sitting in my pocket. Who knows what Jessen¡¯s got down there. </em>

    Arwin didn¡¯t even bother hiding his excited grin. He had a mask to cover his expression, after all. There was a treasure trove of either equipment, knowledge, or power waiting for them. The peak of Journeyman tier wasn¡¯t an easy estimate, but if Jessen had been able to handle it, then they could too.

    <em>It¡¯s not even like I¡¯m in a huge rush. Nobody else has a way in, and if they haven¡¯t found another key yet, then I doubt they will anytime soon. Then again, I might not even have the key. It could just be a random badge. </em>

    That sounded hollow to Arwin¡¯s ears, but it was better than getting too excited before he had anything to base it on. They weren¡¯t ready for another dungeon quite yet. They would be soon, but he needed to sell some gear and do some more crafting first.

    <em>And, speaking of which, my target audience is right here. The Secret Eye has been so kind as to gather every single person I¡¯m trying to sell to up right in this square. I just need to get their attention. </em>

    The Secret Eye representative was still taking questions, but the majority of them had stemmed off. The pauses between her words were growing longer with every answer. It wouldn¡¯t be long before she was done.

    And, the moment she finished, everyone would turn and rush out. When there was something as interesting as a brand-new dungeon dangling before them, nobody was thinking about going shopping.

    Not unless something changed the direction of their attention.

    Arwin¡¯s stomach churned as he gathered himself. He¡¯d never loved drawing attention to himself. Getting praise for sessfully saving a town had been great, but trying to advertise a business was a whole different game.

    The questions slowed even further. His hands tightened at his sides. He didn¡¯t have Reya to call on here. She couldn¡¯t take over for him. And, even if Reya had been present, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to show herself.

    She had too many enemies and there were just too many people around. This was something Arwin was going to handle himself, and it didn¡¯t look like there was ever going to be a better time.

    Inwardly cursing himself, Arwin drew in a deep breath. The Secret Eye representative answered onest question, then raised a hand, likely about to let everyone know she was heading off to do whatever fancy things a member of a shadow organization did.

    <em>Wait. What do I say? I can¡¯t just tell people toe shop at my wagon. I¡¯ll look like an idiot and nobody will actually follow through. Who wants to get advertised to while they¡¯re doing something? I need to impress ¡ª </em>

    <em>Ah. I think that might do it. </em>

    ¡°You there,¡± Arwin boomed, his hand mming down on the shoulder of a man standing beside him. His voice cut through the quieting square like a knife and a huge number of people turned to nce at him, their faces disying a range of emotion from curiosity to annoyance. Arwin ignored all of them. The only person that mattered was the adventurer at his side. The man had tarnished steel and leather armor, which suited Arwin¡¯s purposes perfectly.

    ¡°I ¨C me?¡± the man stammered, ncing around nervously at all the people staring in their direction.

    ¡°Yes, you,¡± Arwin said grandiosely. ¡°Draw your sword, good man. You can¡¯t be nning to head out to a dungeon without properly preparing, can you?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ What? I, uh¡ª¡±

    Arwin reached down and yanked the sword from the man¡¯s sheath while he stumbled over his words. He wrapped the man¡¯s hands around the weapon¡¯s hilt and flicked him in the chest. A ng rang out and he did his best not to wince in pain. Flicking metal hurt, even with [Indomitable Bulwark].

    ¡°You need good armor if you¡¯re going to delve into a dungeon as dangerous as this one,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You need something you can trust. Would you let me run you through with this sword?¡±

    ¡°What? Of course not,¡± the man said, finally gathering his wits. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because your armor iscking,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Stab me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You heard me,¡± Arwin said impatiently. He didn¡¯t have long before hepletely pissed off or lost the attention of the rest of the crowd. Mercifully, the Secret Eye representative wasn¡¯t interfering. ¡°Stab me in the chest.¡±

    And then he did a little cheating. His hand wrapped around the bracelet in his pocket and he lifted it, palm covering the metal to conceal it from view, and shoved it into his mouth before anyone could say anything. Even though they didn¡¯t get a chance to see it, he knew exactly what it did.

    <strong>Chitinous Band: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Chitinskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to chitin and greatly reduce their range of movement at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Chittering]: While this item is active, its wearer¡¯s movements will make loud clicking noises. </strong>

    ¡°Come on,¡± Arwin growled through a mouthful of metal. He shoved his hands into his pockets so nobody would see any changes to his skin. The only other open skin on his body was at his feet, and that was effectively covered by the packed crowd. His stomach heated as [The Hungering Maw] activated, consuming the detrimental trait and stopping it from activating. ¡°You got me so bored I¡¯m eating snacks. Stab me in the stomach. If you¡¯ve got an ability, use it. Put some oomph into the strike. Break my armor, if you can. How many other times is someone going to <em>ask </em>you to stab them?¡±

    The man tilted his head to the side, then shrugged. He passed a hand over his sword and grey energy curled off the de. The adventurer thrust his de at Arwin¡¯s side, avoiding any vital organs so he wouldn¡¯t kill him when the de cut through the metal.

    At least, that was likely what his n had been.

    Instead, it struck Arwin¡¯s armor, now magically enhanced by the bracelet he¡¯d just eaten. The sword rang like a bell and bounced off, failing to do more than leave a thin scratch across Arwin¡¯s chest.

    ¡°And that¡¯s what real armor does,¡± Arwin dered, his voice still echoing across the square. ¡°Care to let me try that on you?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the man said, staring at his sword in disbelief. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t let him finish. No matter what his demonstration was, people weren¡¯t going to listen forever. ¡°I can¡¯t make every piece as good as mine, but I can get damn close, and for the best price you¡¯re going to get anywhere in Milten. If you want armor you can trust,e find Ifrit at the Infernal Armory.¡±

    With that, Arwin turned and pushed through the crowd. He felt his skin return to normal as the Hungering Maw consumed thest of the power in the band. Gazes bored into his skin as he left. A few people called out to him. He didn¡¯t pause to listen. It didn¡¯t matter what anyone said, good or bad.

    He needed attention and now he had it. Even if only a small part of the crowd around him had actually seen the demonstration, with any luck, word would spread about Ifrit¡¯s name once more. Seeds about his work had already beenid, and this would hopefully let them finally flower.

    <em>Only one way to find out. I need to get back to my cart so I can see how much shit I just stirred up. </em>

 Chapter 158: A good day

    Chapter 158: A good day

    Arwin pushed through the crowd in the direction of his cart. It hadn¡¯t fully started to disperse yet, but he needed to get back before anyone else made it there. That had the added effect of drawing even more gazes to him as he squeezed through the sea of people. It wasn¡¯t exactly the kind of attention he¡¯d been hoping for, but attention was attention.

    Once he broke free of the crowds, he set a brisk pace through the streets and back through the market. Arwin resisted the urge to nce over his shoulder. Nearby conversation marked the edges of the crowd as it broke, but he was trying to set the appearance of a confident smith, not someone worried about if anyone would listen to him.

    He strode right back up to the cart, where Reya was sitting on the counter with her hood pulled low over her head and kicking her legs in boredom. She nced up as Arwin approached, her face still concealed.

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Reya asked as Arwin drew up beside her and hopped onto the cart.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I may have just yelled at a crowd of people that they shoulde shop at my cart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bold strategy. Get any fruit thrown at you?¡±

    ¡°No. Why would someone throw fruit at me?¡±

    ¡°Sounds like you didn¡¯t do too badly then,¡± Reya said. ¡°And I don¡¯t know. Throwing fruit is such a waste. Who would toss perfectly good food when they could just eat it? They should throw shit instead.¡±

    ¡°Are you advocating for people to pelt me with shit?¡±¡°I didn¡¯t say that! I was just pointing out that throwing food is wasteful. It¡¯s not easy to get a hold of, you know. Shit, on the other hand¡­¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said with a sigh. ¡°I get the idea. Thank you, Reya. With any luck, the people I end up pissing off in the future will be the wasteful type.¡±

    Reya went to respond, then cut herself off as several adventurers strode down the street. Both she and Arwin watched them pass by, their words held, but they didn¡¯t so much as stop as they continued through the town.

    ¡°Bummer,¡± Reya said. ¡°I guess it was a bit too much to hope that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ifrit!¡±

    Both Arwin and Reya turned as an adventurer strode toward them, a grin stered across his broad face. It took Arwin a moment to remember the man¡¯s name ¡ª Ted. It was the first man he¡¯d sold gear to. He was part of a guild by the name of Jumping Tigers if Arwin¡¯s memory served him right.

    ¡°Ted,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand in greeting. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. How have you been? Any issues with the armor?¡±

    ¡°Issues? Are you kidding? That scale armor of yours saved my life,¡± Ted said with a boomingugh. He leaned against the side of the cart and let his eyes drift to the new equipment that Arwin had set up. ¡°And it seems you¡¯ve got new stock as well. I heard your little demonstration in the crowd. Wasn¡¯t close enough to see it, but you¡¯ve got quite the voice. Easy to pick up on.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I was worried it might be a bit much, but I wanted to drum up some interest and everyone was kind of gathered up. It was hard to pass up on the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Cutting a Secret Eye member off is bold, but I guess you put your work where your mouth is. Let¡¯s cut to the chase, shall we? I¡¯m not in the market for armor right now ¡ª I can¡¯t justify spending the coin on myself when my current set is perfectly usable ¡ª but my brother is a damned moron and spent all his coin on me. Idiot didn¡¯t leave himself with enough to outfit himself.¡±

    Arwin bit back augh. It seemed that the two brothers were cut from the exact same cloth. ¡°I think I can help you there. What are you looking for? I¡¯ve got three different kinds of pieces right now.¡±

    ¡°What do the lot go for?¡± Ted asked. ¡°And I don¡¯t suppose you do gauntlets or sabatons?¡±

    ¡°Still working on those, but soon,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°For the set, I¡¯ll give you the three for two¡ª¡±

    ¡°300 gold,¡± Reya put in, sliding up beside Arwin and giving Ted a charming smile.

    ¡°300, huh?¡± Ted tilted his head to the side and studied the different pieces of armor hanging from the top of the cart for a second. ¡°Can I take a closer look?¡±

    Arwin took a chestpiece down and handed it to him. The adventurer turned it over in his hands and examined the set with a critical eye. Arwin pushed a helm and a set of greaves over as well, then fell silent until Ted¡¯s inspection was done.

    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a damn good deal.¡± Tedd pulled his coin pouch out and set three wrapped bundles on the counter. ¡°Each is a hundred.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your business,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Both you and your brother, that is. If you ever need repairs or modifications, swing by my smithy. It¡¯s the Infernal Armory on the haunted street. You can¡¯t miss it. It¡¯s the only building other than the tavern that doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s an inch from falling down.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s also got a nice sign that looks like this one,¡± Reya added, craning her neck back to look up at the sign hanging from the cart.

    ¡°So it does,¡± Arwin agreed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Do you have different kinds of armor for sale there?¡±

    ¡°I can,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If you¡¯ve got something specific you want made, I can give it my best shot.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Logically.¡± Ted scooped his newly purchased armor up and tucked it under his arms. He nced over his shoulder, then turned back to Arwin and shed him a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, then. It looks like your strategy might have been effective.¡±

    Arwin lifted his gaze. Three more adventurers had gathered at the edge of the road across from his cart and were standing in wait for him to finish with Ted. And, unlike Ted, Arwin didn¡¯t recognize any of them.

    <em>Holy shit. It actually did work.</em>

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Ted said as he waddled off with his new purchases.

    As soon as he¡¯d vacated the premises, the trio all stepped forward as one. Their group consisted of two men and a woman. All three of them had red bands tied around their upper right arms beside their shoulders.

    The men had blonde hair and facial shapes simr enough that they could have been brothers. In contrast, the woman was a brte and stood a foot shorter than them. She and one of the men bore a short sword at their sides, while the other man was armed with nothing but a slightly oversized leatherbound book.

    ¡°You¡¯re Ifrit,¡± the book-bearing brother said, making it sound much more like a statement than a question.

    ¡°So I am,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What are you in the market for?¡±

    ¡°That depends on if your ims are as good as what you were saying back in the square.¡± The woman crossed her arms and craned her neck back to look at one of the chestpieces hanging beside Arwin¡¯s head. ¡°And if those fit.¡±

    ¡°I can adjust them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They won¡¯t fit you.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    He gave her a t stare. She probably couldn¡¯t make his expression out easily from behind his mask, but the thought was still there. ¡°Because I made them. Also because they¡¯d fit your friends, and you¡¯re a fair bit smaller than they are. It doesn¡¯t matter either way. I¡¯ll do any modifications to get anything you buy from me to fit for free.¡±

    She blinked, the wind taken from her sails. Then she gave him a small shrug. ¡°Fair enough. Before I go wasting time trying stuff on, how much are we talking for the lot?¡±

    ¡°300 gold.¡±

    The trio of adventurers exchanged a look and the woman turned back to Arwin. ¡°Fair enough. Let me try it on.¡±

    Arwin lowered one of the chestpieces into her hands and she set about putting it on. In the meantime, the two men studied the other items around the cart. One of them nodded to a helmet and raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°You want to try it on?¡± Arwin asked, taking a guess from his bodynguage. ¡°Go ahead. No pun intended.¡±

    The man smirked and picked the helm up, putting it on. He adjusted it and shook his head, testing the fit. After a second, he stopped to reach up and touch the small horn nubs jutting out of its front.

    They were small enough that they amounted to nothing but decoration. The nubs served no real purpose, but Arwin couldn¡¯t bring himself to make a helmet without at least some form of horns on it.

    The man touched the horns and raised his eyebrow again.

    ¡°Just a maker¡¯s mark,¡± Arwin said. ¡°All my helms have horns. It fits the theme, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t answer,¡± the woman said as she finished tying her armor on. It was definitely a bit too big, but that didn¡¯t stop her from twisting to check the fit anyway. ¡°Tanner is mute.¡±

    ¡°I reckon he can answer just fine. Just not with words,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°His body speaks just fine.¡±

    A grin split Tanner¡¯s face and he took the helm off, setting it back on the counter. He raised a coin pouch and tapped it, giving Arwin another eyebrow raise. Reya nudged Arwin in the side before he could say the price for the helm.

    ¡°Just the helm?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Or did you want to try on the whole set?¡±

    Tanner scratched the side of his neck. Then he shrugged and beckoned to the other pieces. Reya gave Arwin a smug look from beneath her hood as he took down another set and handed it over to the man.

    ¡°And how about you?¡± Arwin asked the woman. ¡°The fit isn¡¯t proper, of course, but did you want to try on the greaves as well?¡±

    ¡°Suppose I might as well,¡± the woman said as she set about removing the chestpiece. ¡°And you were right. It didn¡¯t fit. How long would a modification take? We¡¯re hoping to head into the dungeon today. Every minute out here is a minute that someone else could be taking the best loot from us.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s doing that. The best loot is going to be at the bottom of the dungeon, and nobody can get there. Then again, for smaller adventuring groups, even the top floors of a new dungeon could hold some pretty worthwhile rewards. </em>

    ¡°I can handle it in an hour if you bring it back to my smithy on the haunted street.¡± Arwin handed her the greaves and took the chestpiece back. ¡°But you¡¯d have to wait until I wrap up my sales here.¡±

    ¡°How long are you going to stay here?¡±

    Arwin looked over her shoulder. A small crowd had gathered at the edge of the street and were steadily edging closer to get a better look at the gear hanging from his cart. He grinned to himself, but his grin fell away as he spotted someone familiar in the crowd.

    Taylor, the smith he¡¯d been buying all his supplies from, stood amongst them. His eyes were narrowed in displeasure. After a second, the man turned and strode off. Arwin repressed a curse.

    <em>Something tells me I¡¯m going to need to get a new supplier. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be selling me anything else anytime soon. </em>

    ¡°Not too long, I¡¯d say,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯m only nning to sell a few pieces here. The rest are going to be exclusive to the Infernal Armory.¡±

    Tanner plopped down a pouch of gold, then held up three fingers. Arwin lifted it, then smiled. Another 300 gold, just like that.

    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you,¡± Arwin said as he handed the pouch to Reya for safekeeping. ¡°Are the three of you a party? Or are you in a guild?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re Oddjob,¡± the woman said, a proud grin crossing her lips. When Arwin didn¡¯t react, she let out a sigh. ¡°The name hasn¡¯t quite gotten around yet. It will, though. We¡¯re a guild.¡±

    ¡°Just the three of you?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Yes. There a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I was just curious,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°What kind of odd jobs?¡± Arwin asked, still watching the spot where Taylor had been standing.

    ¡°Just about anything rted to dungeons. Nothing past Journeyman, though. Why?¡±

    <em>So they¡¯re just a normal adventuring group. Literally every normal group of adventurers does anything rted to dungeons. They¡¯re mercenaries for hire. But waste not, want not. </em>

    ¡°You know how to swing a pickaxe?¡± Arwin asked.

    The woman¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Not really. Why?¡±

    <em>Bummer.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m in the market for a metal supplier,¡± Arwin said. ¡°No matter. You want me to hold onto your set of armor and resize it when you swing by?¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± the woman said. She exchanged a look with the brothers. ¡°And we can¡¯t really help much with your sourcing issue¡­ but I do happen to know a merchant we¡¯ve worked together with before. They can be a bit difficult, but they¡¯re good at their job.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Arwin¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Care to introduce us?¡±

    ¡°I can bring him with us when wee byter today. Name¡¯s Vivian.¡± The woman extended a hand and Arwin shook it.

    ¡°Pleasure, Vivian,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter today.¡±

    <em>Lucky me. </em>

    The three adventurers headed off and Arwin looked out at the small crowd, his smile growing ever wider behind his mask. Each of them represented a potential 300 gold ¡ª and a customer for Lillia¡¯s tavern. Today was turning out to be quite the good day.

 Chapter 159: Flawless

    Chapter 159: wless

    The n worked brilliantly. Arwin kept waiting for something to go drastically wrong, but it never did. No rival smiths popped up and tried to burn his cart down. None of his customers showed upining about something.

    He sold the first five sets of his armor, including the one he was saving for Vivian, and announced where the remaining five could be bought before setting off with his cart in tow. A number of people actually followed after him all the way back to the street.

    Some broke away when they realized he was serious about the whole haunted street bit, but the final four had no problem trailing him up to his new smithy.

    ¡°I thought you said there would be a sign that said the Infernal Armory,¡± a woman said.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten around to hanging it yet. It¡¯ll be up by tomorrow,¡± Arwin said. He set the cart down and started gathering his armor to bring inside. ¡°By the way, now that you¡¯re all here, I highly suggest the tavern down the road.¡±

    Everyone turned to follow his gaze.

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den,¡± one of the adventurers read, a note of amusement in his voice. ¡°You lot are really leaning into this, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Sure are.¡± Arwin shrugged. ¡°Why not? You can¡¯t tell me you wouldn¡¯t like to get served a meal by monsters. They¡¯re normally trying to kill you. It¡¯s a good change of pace.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me there are real monsters in there?¡± the woman who had spoken before asked, disbelief crossing her features.Arwin set the armor down so he could take his key out and unlock the door to the smithy. He turned back to the female adventurer and raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± one of the men said with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re too gullible, Tiffany. Thank the gods your meat headedness tranted into your ss. You might be an idiot, but you¡¯re a damn good sponge for damage.¡±

    ¡°Get too cocky and I¡¯ll identally let a monster slip by me,¡± Tiffany said, flicking the man in the shoulder.

    Arwin headed into the smithy and the four adventurers followed him in.

    ¡°So, can we buy something now?¡± Tiffany asked as Arwin started hanging the sets of armor from the hooks around the smithy.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Arwin said. ¡°How many sets? Are you all together?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Do you do guild discounts?¡±

    ¡°Depends on the guild. Probably not.¡±

    ¡°Jumping Tigers,¡± Tiffany said.

    <em>Isn¡¯t that the guild that Ted and Leon are in? They must be growing ¡ª or just all have good taste. I suppose the people that were in the Iron Hounds had to go somewhere. </em>

    ¡°No discounts yet, but I¡¯ve sold to some of your members before,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Good people. How many sets do you want?¡±

    ¡°I think two should be good, so long as you can modify ¡®em,¡± Tiffany said. She held a chest piece up, then grimaced and lowered it again. ¡°Mydies don¡¯t fit in this.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t made for a woman, so that¡¯s hardly a surprise,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Put everything on and follow me into the back so I can mark what needs to be modified.¡±

    ***

    A little under an hourter, the group of four headed out of the Infernal Armory with two sets of armor. Tiffany¡¯s modifications hadn¡¯t taken too long and the other set had been fortunate enough to fit its new owner so well that the tweaks had only taken minutes.

    The two new sales hadted Arwin another 600 gold. That brought his funds all the way up to over 2800 gold, which was the most he¡¯d had since arriving in Milten by far. It almost felt unfair.

    <em>That said, gold was almostpletely worthless to me in my past life. After a certain point, you can¡¯t really get the things you really want with gold. You need resources that are far more valuable. But still¡­ this much gold is incredible. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯re rich,¡± Reya said, holding up several bulging coin pouches. There was far too much gold to just fit into a single one. ¡°You could kill a man if you threw this at his head.¡±

    ¡°You can kill people with most things if you throw them hard enough,¡± Arwin said idly. He peered out the door to watch the adventurers leave and was beyond pleased to spot them entering the Devli¡¯s Den. ¡°And it looks like Lillia¡¯s got some customers.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡± Reya squeezed past Arwin to peer out the door. ¡°Oh, this is awesome! Should we go check out how things are going?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. We don¡¯t want to make them feel stifled, and the environment definitely sets you on edge a bit,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let them enjoy it on their own for now. Do you think you could just watch over the smithy in case the Oddjobs crew or anyone else shows up?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but why? Are you going somewhere?¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to go track down the merchant¡¯s guild and let them know I¡¯ve got a physical location for my shop now. I don¡¯t want to deal with them trying to fine us or some shit.¡±

    ¡°Paying them money for doing nothing is stupid,¡± Reya grumbled. ¡°But yes, I can watch the smithy.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    He set off, banishing his armor as he left the street behind. There was no need to stride around drawing attention on an errand like this, and it would be a bit difficult to ask for directions when he looked like he was about to stride into battle.

    Arwin had no idea where the Merchant¡¯s Guild had set up shop. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long to find out. He only had to ask one person to point him the right way before he located their building.

    It was a quaint two-story hall tucked in between simrly sized buildings on either side of it that Arwin suspected to be the bases of other crafts guilds in the city. The door was open when he tried it, so he stepped inside.

    A counter sat in the center of the room. There wasn¡¯t anybody manning it, but the door behind it hung open to reveal a hallway beyond. Arwin headed down it until he came to an open door with a namete on it that he recognized.

    ¡°Jake?¡± Arwin asked, stepping into the room.

    The merchant¡¯s guildsman sat at a small desk, his chin in one hand and spinning a quill between the fingers of the other. He nced up at Arwin, straightening and lowering his hands.

    ¡°Ah. I remember you,¡± Jake said. ¡°The smith. What brings you here so soon? We don¡¯t do refunds.¡±

    ¡°Not that. I opened up a physical storefront,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You said I had to get that registered, so I figured I¡¯d drop by and let you know about it sooner rather thanter.¡±

    Jake blinked. Then he scratched the back of his neck. ¡°That was rather fast. Did you buy or renovate the building?¡±

    ¡°Renovated,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s on the haunted street.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Jake said. ¡°Well, I¡¯lle by to take a look at it tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to be present for the inspection. I¡¯ll just leave a note with the amount you owe and you can swing by to pay whenever you¡¯d like within a week.¡±

    ¡°That works perfectly. Thank you. I¡¯ve actually got a follow-up question to that. Do you know how much it would cost to just¡­ buy thend of that whole street?¡±

    ¡°The haunted street?¡± Jake¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°That¡¯s a lot ofnd.¡±

    ¡°A lot of entirely unusednd,¡± Arwin pointed out. ¡°Do you see anybody doing anything with it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jake admitted. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s going to be cheap. Land isnd.¡±

    ¡°So you guys <em>do </em>have the right to sell it?¡±

    ¡°For your purposes, yes,¡± Jake said. ¡°But no. Not really. We can facilitate the trade ofnd up for sale, and the haunted street¡¯snd is up for sale. So technically, I can sell it to you. I¡¯d just have to figure out what the going price for it is.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d greatly appreciate that. I¡¯m putting in a lot of work renovating the ce and I¡¯d be pissed as all hell if some prick tried to show up and take it from me.¡±

    ¡°Understandable. I suggest you start saving some coin, then,¡± Jake said. He adjusted the papers on the desk in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll look into pricing as soon as I can. It will be at least a few days.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking. Thank you.¡±

    Jake nodded in response and Arwin left the Merchant¡¯s Guild. As far as guilds went, they actually seemed quite decent. He¡¯d withhold his final judgement until he found out just how much money there were going to ask for thend, though.

    <em>Brokers or not, they¡¯re going to have some level of control over the street¡¯s pricing. If anyone is selling the area, then they¡¯re probably desperate to be rid of it. Land isn¡¯t any use when nobody is willing to enter it. </em>

    He traveled through the city and back over to his street, returning to the smithy. Conversationing from within it greeted him as he approached. Arwin summoned his armor and opened the door to find Vivian and Reya speaking while Taylor and his brother sat in a corner.

    ¡°Oh, there he is,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I was taking care of some business. You showed up a bitter than I was expecting.¡±

    ¡°Tracking the merchant down was more difficult than expected,¡± Vivian said with a disgruntled huff. ¡°They¡¯ll swing by sometime tonight before it gets too dark. Do you think we could get the size-fixes done quickly? I want to get to the dungeon as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Follow me.¡± Arwin picked up a set of armor and led her over to the back of the smithy and into his work area.

    He handed the armor over and waited while she pulled it on, then set about marking it up. Once he¡¯d finished, Arwin waved Vivian back into the main room and got to work modifying it. Vivian¡¯s changes were a little more extensive than Tiffany¡¯s had been. They ended up taking him around half an hour, but he was still satisfied with the results. It wasn¡¯t exactly anything groundbreaking. The armor was still mundane. He hadn¡¯t gotten any help from the Mesh either, but he was pretty sure it would fit Vivian and do its job. That was all that mattered.

    Arwin brought the armor back into the main room. Vivian, who had joined the brothers in their corner, hopped to her feet and hurried over.

    ¡°Is it done?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Give it a try and see if everything fits.¡±

    That was exactly what she did. Vivian fastened the armor on. Her mouth parted in a small <em>o </em>as she tested out her range of motion. ¡°Whoa. You actually got it.¡±

    ¡°Is that a surprise?¡±

    ¡°A bit,¡± Vivian said with augh. ¡°I¡¯ve barely heard of your work before. I wasn¡¯t too optimistic about some random new smith that makes his business by yelling at crowds, but your work looked shiny enough to take a risk on. This is prettyfy too. Well, asfy as armor gets.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I hope it serves you well,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If you¡¯re satisfied¡ª¡±

    Vivian wordlessly held out a pouch of gold. Arwin took it with a smile. ¡°Pleasure doing business. Good luck in the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Given how you¡¯re dressed, I don¡¯t feel weird saying likewise,¡± Vivian said. ¡°Something tells me you hit monsters just as much as metal.¡±

    Arwin gave her a small shrug. ¡°Forging materialse in all shapes and sizes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they do,¡± Vivian said with augh. The brothers both rose to their feet and nodded to Arwin before the trio headed out the door and into the street. They headed back into town instead of checking out the Devil¡¯s Den, but Arwin wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. They¡¯d had ns, after all.

    <em>That¡¯s probably for the best. Lillia hasn¡¯t had any real new customers yet, so limiting it to just a few for the time being is ideal. </em>

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go check in on Lillia?¡± Arwin suggested.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯s having trouble, do you?¡± Reya asked with a concerned frown.

    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But I¡¯ve got faith in her. I just wanted to leave her in her own element for a bit before we stuck our noses in.¡±

    ¡°Works for me,¡± Reya said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m getting hungry anyway. I hope Lillia saved some food for us.¡±

 Chapter 160: Madiv

    Chapter 160: Madiv

    There was an imp in a maid outfit hanging swinging from the ceiling. The adventurers had gathered around one of Lillia¡¯s tables a short distance from it and were looking up with awe. All the food on their tes had beenpletely scraped clean and, if they¡¯d had any apprehensions about the inn, they were long gone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if that isn¡¯t the strangest sight I¡¯ve everid eyes on,¡± Tiffany said, rubbing at her eyes. She nced at Arwin and Reya as they headed over to the counter. ¡°You¡¯re seeing this, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope. You¡¯re hallucinating,¡± Arwin said in a t tone.

    Tiffany blinked. ¡°What? What do you ¡ª oh. You¡¯re screwing with me. Very funny, smith.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite something. What have you thought so far? Enjoying your experience?¡±

    ¡°A lot more than I thought I would be.¡± Tiffany looked down at her empty te and shook her head. ¡°Best damn food I¡¯ve ever had for this price. I¡¯ve never had its like before. I kind of wish I could have seen what I was eating a bit better, but at the same time, the darkness is definitely setting a mood. Being able to just barely make out the imp above me is setting my nerves on end in all the right ways.¡±

    ¡°What she¡¯s trying to say is that she¡¯s an adrenaline junkie,¡± one of the men with her said with augh. ¡°This ce is certainly unique. Didn¡¯t think there would be so much tucked into this street. We¡¯ve been missing out.¡±

    ¡°Hardly. We only just opened up a short while ago. You should definitely send any friends you¡¯ve got our way, though,¡± Arwin said. ¡°More business would always be wee.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, we¡¯ll be doing that ¡ª if only to see everyone¡¯s expressions at the show. Seriously, Lillia and her team are incredible. I¡¯ve never seen illusions that stick to people that well. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought those were real imps serving us. And her makeup is impable. Greatbination of practical work and magic.¡± Lillia poked her head out of the kitchen. ¡°I heard my name. Another round?¡±

    Tiffany looked to the rest of her group, then down at the empty gon on the table before her. With what seemed to be a supreme force of will, she shook her head. ¡°No thank you. I think I might pass out if I eat any more.¡±

    ¡°In that case, you should definitely eat more. We¡¯ve got some rooms upstairs, and the floorboards are only a little creaky.¡±

    Tiffany snickered but shook her head as she rose to her feet. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really dedicated to the whole cursed inn thing, aren¡¯t you? I appreciate the offer, but we¡¯ve got lodgings already and there¡¯s still some more we need to handle today.¡±

    ¡°In that case, pleasee again sometime soon. It was a pleasure to serve you,¡± Lillia said. The imp on the ceiling dropped back to the ground and started gathering the tes from the table.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal,¡± Tiffany said, then nced at Arwin. ¡°And for the armor.¡±

    ¡°Anytime,¡± Arwin replied.

    The adventurer group filed out the door, leaving Arwin, Lillia, and Reya standing in the tavern behind them.

    ¡°That looks like it went well,¡± Reya said. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was a little stressful, but it went rather well.¡± Lillia held two knifes with chunks of meat impaled on them out to Arwin and Reya. ¡°Here. Try these.¡±

    Arwin obliged, taking one and popping all the meat into his mouth in one go. A wall of vor mmed into him like a runaway cart. It was greasy and juicy in a way that had absolutely no right being good, and yet somehow it was incredible.

    ¡°Woah,¡± Reya said through a mouthful of food. ¡°You got any more?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really damn good,¡± Arwin agreed, wishing he¡¯d taken a bit longer with the food. ¡°Is it Wyrmling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I prepared,¡± Lillia said with a tired smile. ¡°I think the adventurers liked it too. Making it gives a decent amount of magical power as well. I definitely can¡¯tin about how anything went. I think they mighte back in the future, so I¡¯ll have to do what I can to make sure they stay the night that time.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s response was slightly less enthusiastic than Arwin had expected it to be, but she was clearly also pretty worn out. It looked like she¡¯d been hard at work in the kitchen and this group was technically the first group of entirely organic customers she¡¯d had since first meeting Reya.

    ¡°We¡¯re rich now, by the way,¡± Reya said as she jingled one of the bags of gold she had tied to her waist. ¡°Well, Arwin is. But he¡¯s letting me carry the money, so I¡¯m including myself in that.¡±

    ¡°The money is for all of us. We¡¯ll use it to keep building up the street,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°But a good amount of it will be going into expenses for materials ¡ª something that we can hopefully work out tonight with that merchant that¡¯s meant to drop by.¡±

    ¡°Is there somewhere we should store all this? I honestly feel a bit ufortable strolling around with a literal fortune on my waist. It¡¯s also surprisingly heavy.¡±

    ¡°Lillia¡¯s room,¡± Arwin said without a second of hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s probably the safest spot in the entire street. Nobody can try to steal something if they can¡¯t see their hand an inch from their face.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Reya removed the bags of gold from her waist and handed them over to Arwin. ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you, then. Is there anything else you need me for right now?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Got something you want to do?¡±

    ¡°Eh. Just this and that,¡± Reya replied with a nomittal shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll be in my room if you need me.¡±

    She headed up the stairs. There was definitely something she wanted to do more than just ¡®this and that¡¯, but it was none of his business. Arwin shrugged to himself and turned to Lillia.

    ¡°Can I deposit these? Reya was right about not wanting to lug them around. It¡¯s stressful. I feel like I¡¯m going to trip and spill gold everywhere.¡±

    Lillia looked up at the stairwell, then pulled her eyes away and nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    They headed through the kitchen and Lillia guided him into her room. She took the bags of gold from him set them down one by one.

    ¡°They¡¯re in the left corner,¡± Lillia said. ¡°In case you ever need to find them while I¡¯m busy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. By the way, the merchanting by might be able to help both of us. I don¡¯t really know much about them but they may be able to get some cooking supplies.¡±

    ¡°That could be useful,¡± Lillia said in a pensive tone. ¡°I¡¯ll sit in and see how things go. I certainly wouldn¡¯t object to getting a steady stream of supplies.¡±

    They fell silent for a moment.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Huh? With me? Yeah. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Well, you seem a bit¡­ restrained. I¡¯m not saying you had to be excited or anything, but I was expecting you to be a lot happier about getting those customers. I was wondering if something went wrong or didn¡¯t y out as nned.¡±

    Lillia let out a smallugh. ¡°I¡¯m practically bursting at the seams. I¡¯m thrilled, Arwin. It¡¯s just not really appropriate for me to run around jumping andughing when we¡¯ve got other things to do. I can¡¯t throw a party every time someone eats at the inn, you know.¡±

    ¡°Nobody is going to think less of you if you let yourself be happy. We¡¯d be happy with you.¡±

    It was a moment before Lillia answered. ¡°I know that. It¡¯s just a little embarrassing. I¡¯m a grown woman. I¡¯m the damn demon queen. I shouldn¡¯t be this thrilled about a stupid inn.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing stupid about it. Also, having people stop by quite literally means you don¡¯t die. I¡¯d say that¡¯s a pretty good thing to be thrilled about.¡±

    Lilliaughed. She stepped closer to Arwin, brushing her hand across his arm to let him know she was there in the dark before leaning closer to rest her head against his chest. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Let¡¯s head back into the main room before I get toofortable here and refuse to leave when the merchant shows up.¡±

    Arwin obliged and let her take his hand, leading him back through the dark. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that her tail was swaying a little more than it normally did. She normally had it tucked into the leg of her pants to avoid drawing too much attention, but a thought struck him and lodged itself into his mind before he could shake it.

    <em>Do demons wag their tails when they¡¯re happy? </em>

    That definitely wasn¡¯t a question to be asked when they were standing in the light, so Arwin decided to shelf it for when he was feeling a little bit less interested in preserving his wellbeing.

    They walked out into themon room of the tavern. The imps had already cleared everything up and were now nowhere to be seen. Nobody else was in the room, and it was already starting to darken outside. It wouldn¡¯t be long before night waspletely upon them.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting prettyte,¡± Lillia observed as they sat down beside each other at the counter. ¡°You¡¯re sure that merchant ising? Most people try to avoid this street during the day, much less when it¡¯ste out.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the ghost got them,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. He wanted to speak to the merchant, but the day had also taken quite a toll on him and Lillia¡¯s bed was calling to him. It wasn¡¯t quite asfortable as the bed in his own room, but he was toozy to move it all the way down the stairs. It was a moot point. Lillia¡¯s bed was morefortable than his when she was in it with him. ¡°You might be right. Maybe they decided toe tomorrow. Should we¡ª¡±

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Talk about timing,¡± Lillia said.

    Arwin headed over to the door and summoned his armor before pulling it open. On the other side stood a rtively short man, little more than a teenager. His ck hair was slicked back and his features almostpletely androgenous.

    For that matter, Arwin wasn¡¯t quite so sure the man was a man at all. The only feature Arwin had to judge by was his hair, which was definitely in a male haircut. He didn¡¯t really care what gender the person was.

    He was considerably more interested in the flecks of blood sttered across the front of his tailored dress shirt. They stood out like fallen rose petals among a sea of white frills.

    ¡°Hello,¡± the person said, tiling their head back to make eye contact with Arwin and giving him a t-lipped smile. Their ent was posh and reminiscent of a nobleman more than any working-ss citizen. ¡°Pleasure. You must be Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the merchant?¡± Arwin asked.

    <em>Blood on a shirt isn¡¯t exactly that odd for an adventurer. This bloke isn¡¯t one of them, but even merchants need to be able to defend themselves. Still worth staying on my guard. You never know. </em>

    ¡°So I am. Vivian said you may be interested in establishing a¡­ rtionship.¡±

    ¡°I need someone to procure metal for me,¡± Arwin said tly. He recognized the distant sparkle in the merchant¡¯s eyes, and he wasn¡¯t a huge fan of it. His look was one of well-concealed mischief. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I may be able to be of aid. Are we going to discuss terms in the open?¡±

    Arwin stepped back and beckoned the merchant in. ¡°I suppose not. Let¡¯s talk. Come on in. By the way, you¡¯ve got some blood on you.¡±

    The merchant nced down at his cor. His cheeks colored in embarrassment and he coughed into a fist. ¡°My goodness, itpletely slipped my mind. A ruffian osted me on the way here and I was temporarily waid. I did not believe I got any of his blood on my person, but it seems I was wrong. This is not the impression I sought to make.¡±

    <em>Use less words, please. I don¡¯t need a novel every time you speak.</em>

    ¡°As long as the ruffian wasn¡¯t someone I know, I don¡¯t really care.¡±

    ¡°They attacked me. It was self-defense. I trust you would not associate yourself with such sorts ¡ª but I have been rude. My name is Madiv. Enlighten me about the details of how I may be able to help¡­¡± Madiv trailed off as his gaze drifted past Arwin andnded on Lillia.

    Arwin tensed, preparing to summon Verdant ze. He didn¡¯t care about the merchant¡¯s odd mannerisms, but if he made one aggressive move, he was going to end up as a fine bloody mist.

    <em>Worst case scenario I have to apologize to Vivian for pulping her friend. </em>

    But, instead of taking a single step forward, Madiv dropped to his knees. He pressed his head to the floor before raising it once more, staring up at Lillia with undisguised fanaticism ¡ª and recognition.

    ¡°My Queen,¡± Madiv breathed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 161: Sales pitch

    Chapter 161: Sales pitch

    Of all the things that Arwin had expected Madiv to do, recognizing Lillia hadn¡¯t even been on the list. The merchant¡¯s words took him by such surprise that he froze in ce for a second, fighting to process if he¡¯d heard the man correctly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Lillia asked, masking her expression far better than Arwin had. ¡°I think you might have the wrong person. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lillian Los, Mother of the Night, Razer of Mankind,¡± Madiv intoned, not rising from his spot on the floor. Fanaticism shimmered in his eyes like dancing torchlight. ¡°Your form is exactly as I remember it when I departed your army years ago. I would recognize you anywhere, my Queen.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t so much as a speck of doubt in his voice.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me,¡± Lillia said with a sheepish smile. ¡°This is all makeup and I have no clue what you¡¯re talking about. The designs I¡¯m using were given to me by a passing adventurer that described a scene he saw in a battle. If I resemble anyone you know¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please save your words, my Queen. I served under you for five years.¡± Madiv rose to his feet, but kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ground before Lillia¡¯s feet. ¡°I would never fail to recognize you. I thought the darkness surrounding this tavern seemed familiar, but your features are burned forever into my mind. I know who you are. When I heard the news of your death, I was devastated. I could not believe you had fallen to a mere human, but I should have known. You faked your death in order to infiltrate them, yes?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s mouth worked as she tried to find an answer. It was abundantly clear that there would be absolutely no changing Madiv¡¯s mind. Even if he had beenpletely wrong about everything, his confidence was like that of a zealot. When Lillia offered nothing up, Madiv nodded as if she had just confirmed every word he¡¯d said.

    ¡°I will not spoil your cover,¡± Madiv swore, pressing a hand to his chest. ¡°I am aware that you must take great care. We are behind enemy lines. Fear not. The utmost care will be taken to ensure that not a single word ever escapes my mouth of this.¡±

    They stared at each other in silence for a second. Then Lillia let out a deep sigh and massaged the bridge of her nose.¡°Why would you make such a scene of it?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°How can I trust you when you would have just outed me to anyone listening?¡±

    ¡°This is your domain. You would not allow an enemy within it.¡± Madiv nced back at Arwin. The merchant couldn¡¯t have looked more dismissive if he¡¯d tried to. ¡°The only one present was your servant.¡±

    ¡°This is a tavern,¡± Lillia snapped, striding past Arwin. Her mouth curled down in a snarl and she stalked over to Madiv, her tail snaking out from a pant leg and swaying with her hips like a snake waiting to bite. In just an instant, her demeanor had shifted from the innkeeper that Arwin knew to the demon queen he remembered. ¡°Anyone could be here. That is the point of a tavern. What do you think I would have had to do if the wrong person had overheard that? I would have had to flee. You would have ruined everything.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Lillia didn¡¯t give him a chance to finish his sentence. ¡°And, to prove my point, the man behind you is not my servant.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s eyes went wide and he spun back toward Arwin. His hands flexed and he lowered his stance. ¡°Then I will¡ª¡±

    ¡°You will do nothing,¡± Lillia snapped. ¡°Because that is neither my servant nor is it an enemy. That is my consort.¡±

    It was Arwin¡¯s turn for his eyes to go wide. He had nothing against with revealing their rtionship, but he definitely hadn¡¯t nned for it toe out to a former member of Lillia¡¯s army. Consort was also a considerably farther stage what he was under the impression they were at, but now didn¡¯t seem like a good time to point that out. The only saving grace that kept his shift in posture from being notice was that Madiv was even more shocked than he was.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. That is a human,¡± Madiv stammered. He looked at Lillia, then back to Arwin¡¯s armored form. ¡°Is this a test?¡±

    ¡°You came to me. Why would I waste time with something as worthless as that?¡± Lillia sauntered up to Arwin and stood beside him. She crossed her arms and stared down the bridge of her nose at the merchant. ¡°I owe you no answers.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª yes. Of course. It is part of your n,¡± Madiv said, his pupilsing back into focus. He shook his head and lowered himself into a bow. ¡°Forgive me, my Queen. I was so taken with shock that I found myself rendered thoughtless. My questions were presumptuous.¡±

    ¡°They were,¡± Lillia agreed. Now that she was right beside Arwin, he could feel the stress radiating off her posture. He put a hand on her shoulder and she went still before rxing slightly. Her tail brushed against the back of his leg. ¡°Enough of this, Madiv. My ns are my own, but it seems that you did not intentionally seek me out. For that reason alone, I will not kill you.¡±

    ¡°You show me great grace. I will not forget it,¡± Madiv said. Fanaticism red in his eyes. ¡°But please allow me to aid you. I am yours to order, no matter the task. My life has been emptied ever since I was removed from your army. I shattered my ss and worked tirelessly to acquire a new one, purely just to survive in this vile society. My life is without purpose.¡±

    ¡°You shattered your ss?¡± Lillia asked in shock despite herself. ¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°It may have not been entirely consensual,¡± Madiv admitted. ¡°I was forced to do it when I was banished from our cities for a false crime.¡±

    ¡°What crime?¡± Lilia¡¯s lips thinned.

    ¡°Merely refusing to follow orders of a petty officer. They made a foolish call that would have ended with my battalion being destroyed. I pointed it out, saving our lives, but I was still removed once we returned to camp,¡± Madiv spat. His hands tightened at his sides in anger before rxing as a smile passed over his features. ¡°But it was the will of the gods. Now I have run into you once more.¡±

    <em>Madiv is off his rocker. This level of fanaticism is not healthy. How the hell are we supposed to get rid of him? Maybe Lillia can tell him to go screw off and that it¡¯s his sacred mission not to ever speak to her again. </em>

    <em>But if she does that, I just know he¡¯s going to show up and stare at us from a distance. That¡¯ll really end up screwing us over. We can¡¯t have a liability like that strolling around unchecked.</em>

    <em>Do we kill him?</em>

    That was a dark thought, but Arwin¡¯s failures still rung true in his mind. He wasn¡¯t strong enough for mercy. Not yet. Threats had to be dealt with one way or another, and nobody¡¯s lives were more important than the ones he cared about.

    <em>If I can¡¯t save everyone, then I¡¯ll just save the important ones. </em>

    He flexed his hands. Arwin could almost feel Verdant ze¡¯s weight in his palms. The weapon was always hungry for blood. If he moved fast enough¡ª

    ¡°If you want to help my mission, then do as you were told,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You are a merchant now, are you not?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Queen. Whatever you desire, I will bring at no cost. Simply ask and it will be so.¡± A delighted smile crossed Madiv¡¯s face as he realized that she wasn¡¯t about to send him away.

    ¡°We will pay,¡± Lillia said tly. ¡°Because it will be suspicious if we do not. Thest thing I want right now is attention, Madiv. Do you know what this tavern is?¡±

    ¡°It is your domain, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°And it is also meant to be a fake monster restaurant. It is the perfect disguise. Thest thing I need is you ruining that by bringing a watchful gaze down onto us.¡±

    ¡°You will be charged, then. Tell me how I may serve,¡± Madiv begged.

    Lillia put her hand on Arwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I need ingredients to cook with, but those are not the reason you were originally called here. You came to deliver supplies to Ifrit. If you want to aid me, then you will help my consort.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s smile fell away. He adjusted his clothes and matched Arwin¡¯s stance. The disapproval rolled off him with such intensity that Arwin could practically taste it. ¡°If the Queen wills it, then I will serve.¡±

    ¡°And stop calling me that,¡± Lillia added. ¡°My name is Lillia now. I am not advertising my true form.¡±

    ¡°I would sooner rip my own tongue out than profane your name with my vile lips,¡± Madiv proimed. ¡°It is not my ce to refer to you as anything less than your proper names. Removing so much as a syble would be an affront to your power.¡±

    ¡°Lillia is quite literally ordering you to do it,¡± Arwin pointed out, making sure to put extra stress on her name. ¡°Do you care so little for her desires that you would refuse a directmand?¡±

    Madiv¡¯s eyes narrowed and he set his jaw. ¡°I will avoid speaking her name directly. It is more appropriate and will still suit her request. Lessers must show the Queen respect, no matter their position.¡±

    There was a clear implication that Arwin was among those lesser. He was struck with the very strong temptation to ruffle Lillia¡¯s hair just to see how Madiv would respond, but he stopped himself. He wasn¡¯t going to get anything out of antagonizing the high-strung¡­ man? Monster? If he¡¯d served in Lillia¡¯s army, he probably wasn¡¯t human.

    ¡°We are equals,¡± Lillia said before Arwin could speak. ¡°Ifrit¡¯s position is no lower than mine.¡±

    Madiv didn¡¯t look convinced. He simply inclined his head. ¡°Your words arew. What would you have me do?¡±

    ¡°The same as I already asked you to.¡± Lillia shrugged, then nodded to Arwin. ¡°You came here to help us secure a flow of materials for his forge. Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°I will rip the metal straight from the armor of our enemies if that is what it will take.¡±

    ¡°How about just sourcing it normally?¡± Arwin asked.

    Madiv pursed his lips. ¡°Yes. I can do that. I do not have any contacts that work in the field, but I can find them. It can asionally be rather troublesome. Humans are befuddling. Their ways do not make sense to me and far too many of them are impossible to work with. But, if it is Her wish, then I will find a way to aplish it.¡±

    ¡°It is, so long as you aplish it legally. That¡¯s the only way you¡¯ll advance your ss anyway,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You <em>are </em>a merchant, are you not?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± A flicker of displeasure passed over Madiv¡¯s face. ¡°And I have not enjoyed it. Humans are insufferable. Even when I bring them the goods they request, they flee. I have had to chase down more customers than enemies.¡±

    <em>You could start by not showing up with blood sttered across your shirt.</em>

    ¡°Perhaps you are doing something wrong,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I want you to walk out of this building and close the door behind you.¡±

    Madiv blinked. ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then knock on the door and pretend as if I am not here,¡± Lillia continued. ¡°And pretend that Ifrit is a random customer. Show us exactly how you normally deal with humans.¡±

    Understanding shed in Madiv¡¯s eyes and he inclined his head. ¡°You will share your deep understanding of humans with me? I am honored. Allow me to do as you ask.¡±

    He rose to his feet and swept out the door, closing it behind him. As soon as he was gone, Lillia leaned up and gave Arwin and tapped his helmet with a finger. ¡°Get rid of this for a moment.¡±

    Arwin banished it, confusion furrowing his brow. It was reced with pleasant surprise as Lillia gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°Okay. You can put the helmet back on,¡± Lillia said with a smug grin. ¡°I just wanted to do that. He was pissing me off.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I like him a bit more now,¡± Arwin said, hiding augh as he resummoned his helm. ¡°What kind of monster is he, by the way?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know. I don¡¯t remember him from the army. There were so many people in it¡­ but I can¡¯t believe he recognized me. I wasn¡¯t expecting anybody that was part of the monster horde to be here.¡± Lillia said, giving her hair a small tug of distress. They both turned back toward the door as a solemn knock rang out from it and Lillia let out a huff. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll know more about him soon enough. This might actually be useful for us. As strange as he is, we did need a merchant.¡±

    ¡°So we did,¡± Arwin agreed as he headed over to the door and paused with his hand on the handle. ¡°But we need one that¡¯s actuallypetent. I suppose we¡¯ll have to find out just how a monster of unknown variety does a sales pitch.¡±

 Chapter 162: Befuddled

    Chapter 162: Befuddled

    Arwin pulled the door open.

    ¡°Hello. You must be Ifrit,¡± Madiv said, tiling his head back to make eye contact with Arwin and giving him a t-lipped smile. His motions were so simr to the ones he¡¯d done the first time Arwin had opened the door that they had to have been rehearsed.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. I am,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Very good.¡±

    They stared at each other for a second. Arwin coughed into a fist. Their first interaction had been a little awkward, but this was painful. It hadn¡¯t been quite as obvious that Madiv had rehearsed everything the previous time.

    ¡°So¡­ what are you here for?¡± Arwin asked, trying to give the merchant a way to steer the conversation back on track.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m here for.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re pretending that I don¡¯t. The whole point of this is to see if you can sell to a random human.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s features ttened. ¡°Ah. Can we do this again?¡±¡°That may be for the best,¡± Arwin said. He stepped back and closed the door. Then he waited. Nothing happened. After waiting another minute, he pulled the door open. Madiv stood on the other side. His arms were crossed and his features were creased in irritation.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Madiv demanded.

    ¡°You¡¯re meant to knock on the door.¡±

    The merchant swore under his breath. He gestured furiously at Arwin to back up, then mmed the door shut. Arwin nced over his shoulder at Lillia just to make sure she was seeing the same thing and she shrugged. She was doing her best to hide a smile behind a hand, but her best wasn¡¯t quite cutting it.

    Madiv knocked on the door. Arwin opened it again.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Madiv said. ¡°You must be Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°That I am,¡± Arwin said. He was grateful that his armor blocked his smile from view. ¡°Am I wrong in assuming that you were the merchant I was waiting for?¡±

    ¡°I am. Vivian said you may be interested in establishing a¡­ rtionship.¡±

    <em>How much of the damn conversation did he rehearse? That¡¯s the exact same thing he told me thest time, and in the same creepy tone as well. It sounds like he shouldn¡¯t be allowed near anyone under the age of forty. </em>

    ¡°If a rtionship means you can get me metal, then I¡¯m interested. I need smithing quality material, and a fair amount of it.¡±

    ¡°I may be able to be of aid. Are we going to discuss terms in the open?¡± Madiv¡¯s eyes twinkled, and it struck Arwin that the man wasn¡¯t acting like this because he was ying coy. He was trying to remember his lines and screwing his face up in the process.

    ¡°Out of curiosity, what would you do if I said yes?¡±

    Madiv blinked in surprise. ¡°That would be ill advised. We are in public. People could¡­ see us.¡±

    <em>Why are you making it seem like we¡¯re discussing a forbidden dalliance instead of a bloody business deal?</em>

    ¡°Right. That would be thest thing I¡¯d want,¡± Arwin said through a sigh. He backed up and walked over to a table, pulling a chair out to sit down, but Madiv hadn¡¯t followed him. The strange merchant still stood at the door, waiting expectantly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to invite me in?¡± Madiv asked, shifting from foot to foot. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day.¡±

    And, just like that, Arwin finally realized what monster Madiv was. He nearly pped himself in the forehead. Madiv was possibly the worst possible monster to be a merchant. He was a vampire.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say I didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°What then?¡±

    ¡°Then I would rip you asunder for your disrespect.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I think I can see why you¡¯ve got trouble selling to people. Come in.¡±

    Madiv strode into the tavern. A haughty air enveloped him as he prowled over to the table Arwin had taken and sat down in a chair, intecing his fingers and resting his elbows on the wood.

    Arwin sat down across from him. Once more, a second of uneasy silence passed between them. It seemed that Madiv had absolutely no idea as to when he was meant to start speaking until someone else lead the conversation.

    ¡°So¡­ what can you offer me?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Metal.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be a lot more specific than that. What kind of metal? What are your prices and turnaround times?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Do you have suppliers with rates that you can promise me or anything like that? It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t, but I¡¯d need at least a general estimate before I was able to promise anything.¡±

    ¡°I could get you the metal. That is my promise.¡±

    <em>This is doomed.</em>

    ¡°Any metal?¡± Arwin pressed.

    ¡°Yes. I am sure I would be able to find it.¡± Madiv¡¯s eyes flicked over to Lillia before returning to Arwin.

    <em>You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. Is he trying to impress her by flexing that he can get any kind of metal he wants? </em>

    ¡°What about starting with some Ivorin?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I need a lot of it. I know it¡¯s rtively rare, but not all thatmon in smithing so the price shouldn¡¯t be too high. Can you get that for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course I can. I did just say I could procure any metal. Finding this¡­ Ivorin will be simple. Do we have a deal?¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Depends on how much you¡¯re going to charge me for it. I¡¯m not promising to pay any amount. Set a price. How much for an ingot of it?¡±

    ¡°Five hundred gold.¡±

    Arwin nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°Five hundred? Are you insane? Absolutely not. Thirty.¡±

    ¡°Thirty?¡± Madiv¡¯s eyes boggled out of his head. ¡°What am I, a rat? Three hundred gold. That is my final offer. It is a good deal.¡±

    ¡°It really isn¡¯t. Ivorin costs fifty gold when I buy it from another smith who¡¯s marking it up,¡± Arwin said as he crossed his arms. ¡°Who in their right mind would ever agree to five hundred? That price is ludicrous. It doesn¡¯t even feel like I can haggle something that high down to a reasonable level.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s brow furrowed. He looked around him superstitiously, then leaned closer to Arwin and lowered his voice so as to not be overheard by Lillia. ¡°Is this part of the exercise?¡±

    ¡°No. Ivorin isn¡¯t that bloody expensive.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Madiv leaned back. ¡°I can do fifty gold.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the price I get it from the other smith. What¡¯s with the huge markup?¡±

    <em>Granted, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be getting it at that price again anytime soon. I get the feeling Taylor won¡¯t be selling to me anymore. He definitely recognized me, even with my armor on. It probably wasn¡¯t too hard to put things together when material made out of stuff sold to the only other new cksmith in town keeps popping up on the market. </em>

    ¡°Fine. Forty gold. That is my final offer.¡± Madiv extended a hand. His fingernails ended in thin points that Arwin couldn¡¯t have missed even if he¡¯d wanted to. Repressing a sigh, Arwin reached out and shook Madiv¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Deal,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I am thrilled to see our future unfold together,¡± Madiv said with a ghastly smile. He paused for a moment, still not having released Arwin¡¯s hand, then tilted his head to the side. ¡°Now, would you inform me what Ivorin is?¡±

    They stared at each other. Madiv¡¯s face didn¡¯t even so much as twitch. He was serious. Arwin¡¯s shoulders slumped and he sank back into his chair. ¡°How can you agree to source something when you don¡¯t even know what it is? How do you know I didn¡¯t scam you?¡±

    ¡°You are the Queen¡¯s ser ¡ª ah, consort. You would not lie in her presence.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t part of the bloody practice,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You can¡¯t just rely on that. Also, there is absolutely nothing that stops me from lying. I didn¡¯t, but you won¡¯t know that to be the case with others.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed in anger. ¡°This is exactly the reason I dislike dealing with your kind. Everything is about who can cheat the other better. There is a distinctck of honor.¡±

    ¡°Stupidity isn¡¯t the same thing asck of honor,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It barely feels like you¡¯re even trying to get a good deal. Have you seriously been acting as a merchant for years? What do you normally deal in?¡±

    ¡°Whatever needs dealing. I acquire directives from my clients and have teams of adventurers source the items I need. It is an efficient strategy.¡±

    <em>Ah. So that¡¯s how Oddjobses into the picture. They¡¯re one of the groups that he uses to get items without knowing what he¡¯s actually selling. I suppose that works, but it¡¯s a really odd way to go about it. </em>

    ¡°And how do you avoid getting scammed? What if I¡¯d told you that I¡¯d buy Ivorin for five gold and you approved of it?¡±

    ¡°I would deliver the item as promised,¡± Madiv said with a smug expression. ¡°And then I would kill you for your falsehoods.¡±

    ¡°And how many people have you done that to?¡±

    ¡°I have not kept track.¡±

    <em>Great. He¡¯s just a literal murderer. Wait. How does he know if he¡¯s been scammed, though? If he never figures out the price of the item, is he just guessing if people lie to him or not?</em>

    ¡°How many people have you killed?¡± Arwin asked.

    Madiv cleared his throat and looked away. ¡°I do not see how this is relevant to our exercise. The only goal was to see if we could conduct business. We did. It went well.¡±

    ¡°It went horribly,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°Now answer the question. How many people have you killed?¡±

    ¡°Hundreds.¡± Something about his voice was off. It was almost embarrassed. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°And how many of them died because they scammed you rather than due to the war?¡±

    Madiv¡¯s eye twitched. He¡¯d hit the nail on the head. The vampire reached up to scratch at his nose and mumbled an answer into his palm. When he realized that Arwin was still staring at him and waiting for a response, he let out an exasperated huff and threw his hands up.

    ¡°None. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ve been scammed, you damn human. How would I know? But if I did get scammed, I am certain I would kill whoever drew my ire.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the blood on your chest actually from?¡± Arwin asked.

    Madiv¡¯s jaw clenched shut and he turned away.

    ¡°Answer him,¡± Lillia said.

    The vampire¡¯s expression crumpled, but his devotion to Lillia proved to beat out any reluctance he had. ¡°It¡¯s not blood. I didn¡¯t kill anyone.¡±

    ¡°What is it, then?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s tomato paste,¡± Madiv said wearily. ¡°I was eating a wrapped sausage and it slipped out of my hands. When I tried to grab it, the sauce squirted out of it and onto my clothes. I didn¡¯t have time to clean it up before I arrived.¡±

    Arwin burst intoughter. He couldn¡¯t help himself. Madiv¡¯s re bored into his skull, but the vampire could do nothing but watch if he wanted to avoid drawing Lillia¡¯s ire. ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you just say that?¡±

    ¡°People do not respect dropping sausages. They respect power.¡±

    ¡°So you thought insinuating you¡¯d killed someone would somehow endear me to you?¡± Arwin asked in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re trying to sell to me, not get hired as a mercenary. You should have just told the truth. It would have been a better opener.¡±

    ¡°I do not understand. The truth exposes weakness.¡±

    ¡°The truth makes you rtable,¡± Arwin corrected. He shook his head, then rose to his feet. He tapped a finger against a streak of ivory metal running through his chestte. ¡°This metal is Ivorin.¡±

    Madiv leaned forward to peer at the armor, then lowered himself back into his chair. ¡°Why do you show me this? Our exercise was purely theoretical.¡±

    ¡°Who said that? I don¡¯t recall Lillia iming it would be fake. She told you to show her how you deal with your normal customers. If you want to live up to her expectations, then get that Ivorin.¡±

    Madiv studied Arwin for a few seconds. He turned to Lillia, who nodded to back up Arwin¡¯s im. The vampire let out a slow sigh and stood.

    ¡°Very well. I will acquire this Ivorin¡­ for Lillian¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°Lillia,¡± Lillia corrected.

    ¡°For her sake. I will not refuse an order.¡± Madiv proimed. He then leaned in closer to Arwin and lowered his voice. ¡°Am I truly that foul at this?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you could sell a piece of candy to a child. That¡¯s probably for the best, though. You shouldn¡¯t go anywhere near them until you figure out how to speak to people normally.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the way I speak?¡± Madiv genuinely sounded baffled. ¡°I honed my tongue to be eloquent so as to blend in amongst nobility. Ah ¡ª I see. You are not nobility. Your sensibilities are of a baser sort.¡±

    ¡°Literally everyone you¡¯re going to be speaking to in this town is going to be rtively normal. And you¡¯re a merchant. Why would you speak like a noble?¡±

    ¡°You should emte those who you desire to be.¡±

    ¡°You want to be a noble?¡±

    ¡°I want to be rich,¡± Madiv said. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and lowered his voice even further. ¡°Will you teach me? I do not wish to disappoint my Queen. I wish to be able to serve her to the best of my ability. If there is w in how I handle myself, I will bring her great shame.¡±

    Arwin blinked. Then he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m no merchant¡­ but I think I know someone who could help you so long as you agree to be polite.¡±

    ¡°I will do what is necessary in order to please my Queen.¡±

    ¡°First off, just stop talking like that,¡± Arwin advised. ¡°Go look for the Ivorin and see what you can do. I¡¯ll find out if the, uh, merchant expert is willing to train you.¡±

    Madiv took a step back and gave him a sharp nod. ¡°I will do asmanded. Await my return, I beseech you. It will be soon, and I shall not disappoint.¡±

    With that, Madiv spun and strode out the door, leaving it open. A second passed. His hand slid back into view and silently pulled the door shut.

    Arwin slowly turned to Lillia, who looked just as befuddled about the whole sequence of events as he felt.

    <em>How did things end up like this?</em>

 Chapter 163: Representative

    Chapter 163: Representative

    The following morning, when everyone had gathered in the tavern¡¯smon room and after they¡¯d finished breakfast, Arwin broke the news to Reya.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something that I could really use your help with,¡± Arwin said to the former thief. She nced at him, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. They¡¯d had spider for breakfast, which sounded like a horror story in its own, but had actually been quite pleasant. That was no surprise given who had cooked it.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Reya asked. ¡°What is it? Do you need something stolen?¡±

    <em>Okay, maybe former thief isn¡¯t the right way to think about her. You can¡¯t be former if you¡¯re still doing it.</em>

    ¡°No. I¡¯d much rather you not have to steal anything,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°It¡¯s your other talents I¡¯m hoping for. Last night, a merchant visited us. He¡¯s one of Lillia¡¯s old friends.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Reya asked, her eyes going wide. The meaning of Lillia having an old friend wasn¡¯t lost on her. ¡°Can I meet him?¡±

    ¡°More than that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I was hoping you might be able to teach him. When I say he¡¯s a merchant, I should probably specify that he wants to be a merchant. He¡¯s managed to make it this far through sheer perseverance, but he¡¯s got absolutely no sales sense. The poor man is worse at it than I am.¡±

    Reya sent Arwin a doubtful look. ¡°Worse than you?¡±

    ¡°I have none. He has negative.¡±¡°It¡¯s bad,¡± Lillia added. ¡°But we do really need a merchant, and he¡¯s trustworthy. A bit odd, but trustworthy.¡±

    <em>A bit may be an understatement. He¡¯s one of the oddest people I¡¯ve ever met. Then again, he¡¯s not exactly a human. Maybe Lillia is the one that¡¯s the odd one out. She¡¯s adapted to human culture really well. And, speaking of adapting¡­</em>

    ¡°We do need to make sure he understands the proper way to treat everyone in the guild,¡± Arwin said with a pointed look to Lillia. ¡°We don¡¯t want him getting peckish.¡±

    ¡°Peckish?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Is he also a chef or something?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ something,¡± Lillia said, scrunching her nose. Olive still hadn¡¯t been fully brought up to date on her status as the former demon queen and mentioning that Madiv was a vampire probably wasn¡¯t a good idea. Lillia wisely avoided the topic and waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce the two of youter and fill you in on everything.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Reya said. ¡°If you think I can help, then I¡¯ll do what I can. I¡¯m just not sure what I¡¯ll be able to teach someone that knew you.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯ll be a lot. If he picks up on even half of what you know, you¡¯ll have changed the trajectory of his life forever,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. It was a minor miracle that Madiv didn¡¯t have as many enemies as Reya did.

    Rodrick gathered the tes and brought them into the kitchen, then re-emerged and stretched his arms out. ¡°Are we nning to try and go into that dungeon soon? Arwin and Reya get to do stuff in town, but I just have to sit around like a lump on a toad.¡±

    ¡°I think we should start preparing for it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯d like to get a little more gear made before we go in if possible. It¡¯s definitely a slippery slope. It would be easy to lock myself up and keep making gear because there¡¯s always something to improve on, but that would mean I never left my smithy.¡±

    ¡°And that would leave us without our strongest fighter,¡± Anna said. ¡°Not that we couldn¡¯t go into the dungeon on our own, but we¡¯d definitely be safer and able to go deeper with you at our side.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also a great way for me to get Achievements. If I tune out the rest of the world and constantly craft, I¡¯ll advance at a faster rate and get less supplementary bonuses in the process. I have no ns of that.¡± Arwin rose from his own chair. ¡°Let¡¯s aim for the dungeon tomorrow. Today, I¡¯m going to try and see if I can get a piece of armor made for Anna. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to get her a whole set, but I think we¡¯d all be well served if our healer wasn¡¯t quite so easy to kill.¡±

    Anna flushed. ¡°There¡¯s really no¡ª¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea,¡± Rodrick said, cutting Anna off. ¡°Because as much as she ims she¡¯ll stay out of attention in the fights and only heal from the sidelines, that isn¡¯t how life works out. I¡¯d love to kit her out in full te mail and just wheel her behind me, but that would probably be more dangerous than just going in without armor. If you can get her something that¡¯s rtively mobile, it would mean a lot to both of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely do my best,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll just need a catalyst that embodies being light. Maybe a feather? I¡¯m not sure yet, but I¡¯ll aim to have something that Anna can test by the end of the day.¡±

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    A knock on the door of the tavern interrupted their conversation. They all turned as it creaked open and Jake stepped inside. His eyesnded on Arwin and he inclined his head.

    ¡°Ah. I thought you might be here.¡±

    ¡°You showed up faster than expected,¡± Arwin said as he walked to Jake and extended a hand. The Merchant¡¯s Guildsman shook it, then gave him an unabashed grin.

    ¡°I work fast. It helped that nobody was actually all that interested in thend you¡¯re hoping to buy. Its value is painfully low. It¡¯ll only be five thousand gold to buy the street outright. You¡¯d be buying right from the city of Milten. The previous owner sold it back to them for dirt.¡±

    Arwin winced. If Jake saw this as cheap, he really didn¡¯t want to know how much normalnd cost in Milten, much less arger city where people were actuallypeting over it. Five thousand was a lot of gold, but it wasn¡¯t beyond his means. He could earn that in just a week or two of work.

    ¡°Is there a way to make sure nobody buys it before we do?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t quite have that much gold on hand.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the problem,¡± Jake said. ¡°I can put in a hold order for you¡­ but you aren¡¯t eligible to actually buy thend.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°What? Why not? Do I have to be a proper citizen of Milten or something along those lines?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that. It¡¯s just that the city doesn¡¯t sell to unrecognized individuals. There are too many logistical issues that arise from it. They¡¯ll only sell to verified groups.¡±

    ¡°Like guilds?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Yes, precisely. And that was where I was going to lead this,¡± Jake said with an encouraging nod. ¡°If you¡¯re looking to buy this muchnd, would I be wrong in presuming that you¡¯re nning to form a guild?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got one in all but name,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Then I rmend hastening that process. I can¡¯t help you with it directly, so I¡¯d register yourselves and then get all of that handled. Once you¡¯re an official guild, I¡¯ll be able to put the order in and reserve it for you.¡±

    Arwin chewed his lower lip. ¡°Do you know how much it takes to get officiated as a guild in Milten? And do we need to be a ranked guild, or just a normal one?¡±

    ¡°Just a normal one will be more than enough,¡± Jake said with a wave of his hand. ¡°It would be ludicrous to expect a newly formed guild to get ranked just to buynd. Milten doesn¡¯t even have any ranked guilds that are based here. The closest ones were the Iron Hounds, but¡­ well, they aren¡¯t much of anything anymore. As for cost, I believe it was around five hundred gold.¡±

    <em>Another hit to the money pouch, but this one is a lot more manageable. The bigger issue is going to be actually getting the guild made, not affording it. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Thank you very much foring to tell us,¡± Arwin said. He hesitated for a moment. Jake had already gone a fair bit out of his way to help them out in a timely manner, but he had to be greedy. ¡°Is there any way you could try to make sure nobody buys thatnd while we get registered? I¡¯ll head out to do it immediately, but I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take.¡±

    Jake pursed his lips and tapped a finger against his belt. ¡°That¡¯s not technically legal. There really hasn¡¯t been anyone interested in thend for quite some time. I doubt someone will swoop out of nowhere and buy it from below your nose.¡±

    ¡°But what if they do?¡± Reya asked. She stepped up beside Arwin, her hands sped in front of her. She swallowed nervously and looked up at Jake with watery eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my home so soon after getting it again. I¡¯d have to go back to a life that I¡¯d really like to never think about again.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°This street is the only thing we¡¯ve got,¡± Reya said. ¡°You can¡¯t make money without making enemies. If someone wants to cut us off before we can get started, they¡¯ll buy the rights to the smithy and the tavern that we rebuilt with our own money just to screw us over. Then we¡¯ll have to leave Milten and all our money will go to a different city. We¡¯d have to start over.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I get the picture,¡± Jake said as he raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I can¡¯t officially do anything, but I can pull the information on the street. It¡¯ll make it much harder for anyone else to look into it. That won¡¯t buy you a lot of time. A week, maybe. But if you can get your guild made by then, it should make sure you get a chance to buy the street before anyone else.¡±

    Reya¡¯s panic shifted to a delighted smile. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Jake just shook his head. ¡°No problem. And before I forget, as for the cost of your storefront, it¡¯ll be 100 gold a year considering you¡¯re selling weapons and armor. I could go into the list of reasons why if you want, but might take some time.¡±

    Arwin held a hand up to forestall him. He dug the requested gold out of his bag and handed it over without a word.

    Jake grinned and epted it with a nod. ¡°Thank you. If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be back on my way. I¡¯ve got more papers to push in the office. Come find me once your guild is officiated.¡±

    He swept out of the tavern. For a second, nobody spoke. Then they all looked to Reya. Her cheeks reddened. ¡°What? I had to learn a lot to survive on the streets. Stealing wasn¡¯t my only skill. Do you know how hard it is to convince merchants to give you scrap? Looking as pathetic and desperate as possible is a fine art.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a scarily good actor,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°Who said I was acting?¡± Reya¡¯s eyes started to water again. ¡°What would I do if I lost this ce?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Olive begged. ¡°I¡¯m going to start feeling bad and I haven¡¯t even done anything.¡±

    They all burst intoughter, but Arwin¡¯s amusement was short-lived. The path before them was clear. He knew exactly what they needed to do to secure the street. It was something he¡¯d been avoiding ever since the idea of starting a guild hade to him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rodrick asked, noticing the expression on Arwin¡¯s face.

    ¡°We need to go establish the guild,¡± Arwin replied.

    ¡°And?¡± Anna asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never done it myself, but some of the people I once traveled with had been interested in starting a guild themselves. They never got a chance to, but I listened in on their ns.¡± Arwin¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°And I remember that the only way to officialize a guild is to speak to a representative of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

 Chapter 164: A moment

    Chapter 164: A moment

    Arwin was pretty sure that the chances of someone from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild actually recognizing him were almost zero. He wasn¡¯t anywhere near as unique looking as Lillia and had changed considerably since he¡¯d lost his ss.

    It was still a risk. Almost zero chance was not the same as zero chance. Before Madiv had shown up, Arwin would have sworn there was no way either of them would have been recognized. That had already been proven wrong.

    <em>I can¡¯t hide from them forever. There¡¯s no way the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is going to be expecting me to have survived that explosion, much less havee back in my old body and with an entirely new ss. </em>

    It was clear that he wasn¡¯t the only one that felt concerned. Everyone in the room other than Olive had faces creased with worry. None of them were fans of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and any dealings with them had a fair amount of chance to go poorly.

    ¡°Is there something I should know?¡± Olive asked hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m no supporter of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but it seems like there¡¯s more to it than that with you lot.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have good history with the guild,¡± Arwin said through a grimace. ¡°Everyone here has had negative run-ins with them in one way or another. Some worse than others. We haven¡¯t really been entirely open with our backgrounds, but the top of the Guild is notposed of good people.¡±

    Olive snorted. ¡°Yeah, I could have told you that myself. No organization is going to be in as much power as the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and have saints at the top. But this reaction is telling me you dislike them more than just a bit. Are they actively searching for you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin and Lillia said.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Reya said.¡°Probably,¡± Rodrick and Anna said.

    Olive let out a snort. ¡°Well, at least we¡¯re diverse. I won¡¯t press for your history as long as you share it before it bes a problem. I don¡¯t want to be caught unaware if it¡¯s going to affect us in the future.¡±

    ¡°It probably will,¡± Arwin admitted. He hesitated for a moment, considering if now was the right time toepletely clean, but decided against it. Even though Olive was trustworthy, exining everything was unlikely to go as smoothly as it had with Rodrick, Anna, or Reya. They¡¯d all had their own issues that had superseded the revtion. ¡°If you really want to know, let¡¯s wait until after we get everything set up with the guild and buying the street and I¡¯ll tell you then. It¡¯ll take a little.¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯m really interested,¡± Olive said. ¡°But I can wait. That works. Is this a problem that¡¯s going to crop up when we¡¯re trying to establish the guild?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t. I doubt they¡¯ll recognize me,¡± Arwin said. He chewed his lower lip and let out a sigh. ¡°But it¡¯s possible. I think I should be fine if I show up with my armor on. It wouldn¡¯t be that out of ce. Lots of adventurers wear armor constantly.¡±

    ¡°You can. Lillia, Rodrick, and I are all out of luck in that regard,¡± Anna said. ¡°I doubt anyone would recognize Rodrick or me here, but it just isn¡¯t worth taking the chance.¡±

    ¡°I could go if I keep my hood up,¡± Reya volunteered.

    ¡°I can go as well.¡± Olive¡¯s lips pressed thin and she let out a small huff through her nose. ¡°But that might just make us look worse. Adventurers don¡¯t look well on a swordswoman with one arm.¡±

    ¡°People can look however they want,¡± Arwin said through a snort. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you fight. It doesn¡¯t matter how people look when you can do more damage than anyone at your tier has any right to.¡±

    ¡°Only if my targets stand still.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately for you, we¡¯ve got someone here who¡¯s really damn good at doing just that,¡± Arwin said. He sent a pointed look at Reya. ¡°She¡¯s just got to get a few more levels on her.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long until my next one,¡± Reya said defensively. ¡°I think I should be able to hit it in the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then we¡¯ve got something to look forward to,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Once we establish the guild, I¡¯ll get to work and move as fast as I can without sacrificing quality. We should be able to aim for the dungeon tomorrow morning if that sounds good to everyone.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The others all nodded. Reya headed upstairs to grab her cloak and returned with the hood pulled up to cover her face. Arwin summoned his armor and Olive fell in beside them as they headed out of the tavern and toward the center of Milten.

    While the Adventurer¡¯s Guild didn¡¯t have a foothold in the city, there was no doubt in any of their minds that there was a representative somewhere. The guild had fingers everywhere, even if they were only a member in name.

    Even if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild wasn¡¯t actually needed to fight monsters in the area, they also funded dozens of other programs throughout the Kingdom of Lian that made it functionally impossible to have an established town without them. That included the postal services, a multitude of smaller guilds focused on day-to-day operations, and a number of other applications that Arwin couldn¡¯t recall.

    The gist of the matter was that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would be <em>somewhere. </em>They just had to find where.

    And, fortunately, that didn¡¯t take long. After they reached the center of Milten and made their way over to the guild street that Jake¡¯s building was on, it took them a grand total of ten minutes of walking and reading to spot the Guildhall they were looking for.

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild branch here clearly hadn¡¯t been seeing the best of times. Their name hung from a wooden sign on a matching building. Both were weathered from years under the sun and rain. Even though it was in disrepair, it was a decently sized building and Arwin could see a number of people moving within it through the windows.

    It wasn¡¯t exactly impressive, but it wasn¡¯t pathetic.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Lucky us,¡± Arwin muttered under his breath as he started down the short path leading up to the door. It creaked as he pulled it open to reveal arge room.

    There were three rows of benches on each side of it. Two groups of adventurers had each imed a half of the room for themselves, making it impossible to sit down without being beside one of them.

    A third group of people had gathered around a small counter at the far side of the room. A young woman with ratty hair and crooked spectacles sat at the desk across from them, nodding as they spoke and jotting something down on a slip of paper.

    <em>You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. If they¡¯re busy enough to get close to filling, couldn¡¯t they have invested in at least a few more chairs? I really don¡¯t feel like sitting around and chatting with people. </em>

    Fortunately, Arwin didn¡¯t have to stand around andin internally for long. Before he¡¯d even had a chance to consider if he¡¯d prefer to stand or sit, the group that had been speaking with the woman filed out of the building.

    The adventurers to their left stood and headed over to head in line, so Arwin and his team quickly made their way over to where the previous group had been sitting and took over the chairs in the front row.

    <em>Is one person enough to deal with this? It seems like a lot of work. I hope we don¡¯t have to sit around for long. </em>

    There was nothing to do but sit back and wait. Thest thing Arwin wanted to do was draw any extra attention to their group. If the only drawback they faced while setting their guild up was having to sit around and twiddle their thumbs for an hour, he¡¯d count himself lucky.

    But, as it turned out, it didn¡¯t look like they were going to have wait long at all. The second group of adventurers that had gone up all broke away from the counter just a few minutester and headed out of the building.

    The people on the right of the room got up and crowded around the desk. Arwin yawned and nced around the room. There really wasn¡¯t much to look at. It was in, devoid of so much as another door.

    Muted conversation from outside caught Arwin¡¯s attention. A new group of adventurers stepped through the entrance to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They quickly made for the open seating on the opposite side of the room and sat down to wait. Arwin didn¡¯t pay them much attention. If the people in front of them were as fast as the previous team, then they¡¯d be finished in just a few more minutes.

    <em>I just want to get this over with so I can get out of here and go do something actually worth my time. Maybe I should have just had Olive and Reya do this. I¡¯m not sure if the guild leader needs to be present when establishing a guild. But, if I¡¯m honest, I kind of just want to be here. It¡¯ s a bit surreal. Just a few minutes and¡ª </em>

    Reya nudged Arwin in the side. He broke out of his thoughts, preparing to rise out of his chair, but the group ahead of them were still talking to the woman behind the desk. Arwin nced over at Reya in confusion.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Reya muttered in a low voice, pulling her hood a little lower on her face. ¡°But I recognize some of the people in the group to our right.¡±

    ¡°Would I be being overly optimistic if I asked if you recognized them in a good way?¡± Arwin asked under his breath, not letting his eyes budge from the adventurers standing at the counter to avoid giving away who they were talking about.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Reya said. The adventurers at the desk started to back up and trickle toward the door. Arwin repressed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Just move quickly to the desk and keep your back to them,¡± Arwin muttered, rising together with Reya and Olive. He didn¡¯t even look in the other guild¡¯s direction. With any luck, they¡¯d get the message and ¡ª

    Reya cursed under her breath. ¡°One of them ising. Don¡¯t let him see me.¡±

    ¡°Hey there, friend,¡± a man said from beside Arwin. ¡°Do you have a moment?¡±

    <em>You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.</em>

 Chapter 165: Some guy

    Chapter 165: Some guy

    Arwin turned to look at the man that had approached him. He was a bit younger than Arwin had expected, probably no more than twenty. A thin scar ran down one of his cheeks and his blonde hair wasbed back over his head.

    There wasn¡¯t an obvious weapon on his person, but he wore leather armor and there were more than a few suspicious anomalies on his clothing that marked hidden des. A red badge embossed with a golden sword had been pressed into the right breast area of his armor. He was several inches shorter than Arwin, which made it considerably easier to re down at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little preupied at the moment. We¡¯re up next in line,¡± Arwin said, nodding toward the desk, which no longer had a group standing before it. ¡°Mypatriots and I are on a bit of a time crunch.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t take long,¡± the young man said. He¡¯d positioned himself at a spot that ced him just far enough into Arwin¡¯s path toward the desk that the only way past him was to push him back. It wouldn¡¯t have been difficult, but it definitely would have been rude. ¡°I just wanted to ask ¡ª you¡¯re Ifrit, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said curtly. ¡°If you¡¯ve got a business inquiry, I¡¯d be more than happy to take it at my smithy, the Infernal Armory. I¡¯m normally more than happy to speak business, but I really do have a lot of work to take care of right now and I don¡¯t want to hold up the queue.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course. I really do only need a second of your time,¡± the man said,pletely ignoring everything Arwin had said and making absolutely no move to vacate the path. ¡°My name is Charles. You moved in on the haunted street, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. If Reya hadn¡¯t sounded so stressed, he wouldn¡¯t have minded pausing to speak, but she wouldn¡¯t have been worried for no reason. Anyone that was bad news to Reya was bad news to the rest of them.

    It was tempting to just shoulder the man out of the way and keep moving, but there were six other people in his party that were sitting on the chairs. While they didn¡¯t seem too interested in the conversation, there was no way they¡¯d stand aside if things got physical.

    <em>If I start a fight in the middle of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, things are not going to go well for my goals of staying away from too much bad attention. </em>¡°I was wondering if you could pass a message along for me,¡± Charles said. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave Arwin a sheepish grin. ¡°I¡¯ve got someone I used to know that lives in that area, and I was wondering if you might have run into them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve run into a lot of people.¡± Arwin didn¡¯t bother hiding the annoyance in his voice. Even if he couldn¡¯t quite justify physically moving Charles out of the way, that didn¡¯t mean he had to pretend to be polite.

    ¡°You¡¯d remember her. A girl, about my height. A thief.¡±

    Arwin gave a nomittal shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t keep track of every single person I run into, nor do I ask them their upation. If you¡¯ve got something you want, I¡¯d kindly request that you get to the point faster. I was not joking about being busy.¡±

    ¡°Get out of the smith¡¯s way,¡± another one of the members from Charles¡¯ party called to him. ¡°You¡¯re making us wait longer too, Charles.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± Charles snapped, a flicker of anger passing over his features as he nced back at his team. He shook his head and turned back to Arwin. ¡°Anyway, I think you know this girl. Her name¡¯s Reya, and there were rumors on the streets that she shacked up with you. She might have changed her name - I don¡¯t know. Either way, could you give her something for me?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like an errand boy to you?¡± Arwin asked.

    Charles reached into a pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch. He held it out with an innocent smile. It didn¡¯t seem like a single word that Arwin spoke even managed to reach his brain.

    <em>I¡¯m pretty sure the fastest way to get this idiot out of my way is taking the damn bag. </em>

    Arwin plucked it from his hands, then immediately pulled the strings apart and peered inside ¡ª though he kept the bag a fair distance from his face. He didn¡¯t know what Reya¡¯s rtion to Charles was, but given how she¡¯d reacted, he got the feeling it wasn¡¯t a good one.

    <em>If this is a bomb, I¡¯m opening it in the middle of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild so he gets all the ck for it. </em>

    Inside the pouch was nothing but a piece of paper with a ck smudge on it. Arwin closed the pouch, then tilted his head to the side in confusion. ¡°You want me to give her trash?¡±

    ¡°Do you make it a habit of looking at other people¡¯s mail?¡± Charles¡¯ eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

    ¡°I do when people ignore everything I say and hand me their belongings expecting me to act as their servant,¡± Arwin replied curtly. He pulled the drawstrings of the bag back shut and tucked it into a pocket. ¡°You¡¯recking in manners.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that,¡± Charles said, his demeanor shifting again as an easygoing grin yed across his lips. ¡°Anyway, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.¡±

    Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    With that, he headed back to his group and sat down. Arwin put a hand on Olive and Reya¡¯s shoulders and herded them up to the desk. The faster they got out of here, the better.

    The woman sitting behind it peered up at him from behind her sses. She covered a yawn, then pushed herself upright and rubbed her eyes. ¡°I was kind of hoping you two would keep thering for a bit longer. I wanted to sleep.¡±

    Arwin stared at her for a second. ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Apology epted,¡± she said. ¡°What can I do you for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking to set up a guild,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯d like to register with you lot.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. What kind of guild? Adventurer or artisan?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯ll be doing a mixture of the two and have bothbatants and crafters.¡±

    The girl dug through a shelf in her desk for a few seconds, then pulled out a sheet of paper. She grabbed a quill and dipped it in an ink well before setting about writing. ¡°Okay. And you¡¯re aware that the fee to set a guild up is 500 gold?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. He pulled the gold out and set it down on the counter. ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Huh. You actually had the money. Most people just leave when I tell them that.¡± The girl looked back up at Arwin, then adjusted her sses. She slid the coins down to the desk and then started writing on the paper again. ¡°What¡¯s the guild name?¡±

    ¡°Menagerie.¡±

    ¡°Guild leader?¡±

    ¡°Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Co-leader?¡±

    Arwin hesitated for a moment. It felt like that position should belong to Lillia, but he wasn¡¯t so keen on giving them her name. ¡°Do we have to decide that now?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just for our records. I¡¯ll skip over that for the time being. What¡¯s the location of your guildhall ¡ª if you¡¯ve got one?¡±

    ¡°Unestablished. Working on it.¡±

    ¡°Like most,¡± the guild representative said with a knowing nod. She wrote a few more things down on the paper, then dipped her quill back into the ink. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s just about all I need. Where can I send the papers once everything has been registered?¡±

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den. On the haunted street,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s one of the only two buildings that isn¡¯t an inch from falling down.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll do my best to have everything ready within two or three days. It might take a bit longer since we¡¯ve had a lot of new guild registrations after the fall of the Iron Hounds,¡± she said, scratching at her neck with the end of the quill. ¡°But you did pay upfront. Most of the other guilds have gone with the payment ns. That¡¯ll push you up in the queue a bit.¡±

    ¡°It would be greatly appreciated. Is there anything else you need?¡±

    The girl set the paper down on the counter in front of Arwin, then held the quill out to him. ¡°Yes. Sign the bottom please. Oh ¡ª you are Ifrit, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good. The guild leader has to be the one to sign. Just for your information, this is a magical contract. We¡¯ll deliver a copy of it to you, and that¡¯ll be the official proof your guild is recognized. It¡¯ll be resistant to most elements, but resistant doesn¡¯t mean immune. Also, if you try to modify it, the contract will burn itself up. Any questions?¡±

    Arwin scanned over everything on the paper. It was just a list of a bunch of guild-rted questions, many of which the girl had skipped over. Nothing on it seemed suspicious or dangerous, so he took the offered quill and signed it before handing both back to the girl.

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± she replied with a grin. ¡°Thanks for your cooperation and for using the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. We may be the only option in town, but we¡¯re the best one.¡±

    <em>There¡¯s no way that¡¯s the normal slogan for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Things are a lot looser out here than I was worried about. Good. </em>

    Arwin nodded his appreciation, then turned and headed out of the room with Olive and Reya at his sides. Olive positioned herself along with him to make sure that Reya wasn¡¯t in Charles¡¯ direct line of sight.

    It didn¡¯t matter. Charles¡¯ gaze was firmly fixed on Arwin as they left. It seemed he was so focused on him that he didn¡¯t have the slightest idea that the person he was trying to seek out was right beside him.

    They left the building and elerated as soon as they were outside. Reya took the lead and led them down an alleyway, not stopping until they¡¯d put several minutes between them and Charles.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Arwin asked once they slowed to a stop.

    ¡°Someone who I used to be friends with.¡± Reya pulled her hood back to reveal features tight with anger. ¡°We lived on the streets together with some other kids.¡±

    ¡°I get the feeling things didn¡¯t end well with him?¡± Olive asked, ncing over her shoulder in the direction that they¡¯de.

    ¡°No,¡± Reya said. ¡°They did not. Charles fucked us all over while we were¡­ uh, doing a little bit of mary liberation on a really rich house. He got caught because he was a greedy idiot and tried to take more than he could carry. Then, to save his own hide, he ratted out the location of our hiding spots. A lot of people got killed because of him. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯d be trying to find me, though.¡±

    Arwin pulled out the pouch that Charles had given him and opened it to remove the slip of paper.

    ¡°Can I see that?¡± Reya asked.

    He handed it to her. Reya flipped the paper open and scanned over it. Arwin looked over her shoulder at it, but there was just an indecipherable mass of squiggles on its surface. It looked like someone had handed a toddler a quill and let them go to town on the paper.

    It seemed to mean something to Reya, though. Her lips pressed thin and she folded the paper back up.

    ¡°What did it say?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Was that some form of cypher?¡±

    ¡°It was in Thieves Tongue,¡± Reya said as she slipped the paper into her pocket. ¡°And it was a warning.¡±

    ¡°A warning? For what?¡± Olive put her hand on the hilt of the sword at her side.

    ¡°He said that Ifrit is stepping on toes. Apparently we¡¯ve had dealings with someone that they¡¯ve cklisted from theirwork.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I have no idea what he¡¯s talking about.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Reya said. ¡°Charles is slimy and only looks out for his own hide. He¡¯s asking for a shit ton of gold to <em>cover up </em>our mistake if I don¡¯t want to get added to their cklist. He¡¯s probably making the whole thing up in hopes that I¡¯m dumb enough to pay.¡±

    ¡°Did he at least say who he thinks it is we¡¯re working with?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Getting cklisted by a guild isn¡¯t easy. You really have to piss them off. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve had any meaningful dealings with anyone that¡ª¡±

    <em>Wait.</em>

    ¡°Some guy called Madiv,¡± Reya said. ¡°Have you ever heard of him?¡±

 Chapter 166: Feather

    Chapter 166: Feather

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Arwin said through a groan.

    ¡°I take it that means you have,¡± Reya said. She looked back down at the letter in her hands, then let out a curse. ¡°Well, shit. That means Charles wasn¡¯t lying. I know being cklisted is bad, but I¡¯m not sure as to the extent. Can we just¡­ stop working with this guy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way.¡± Olive tapped her fingers on the hilt of her sword and let out a sigh. ¡°Does the letter say we¡¯ve already been cklisted? Or we were going to be?¡±

    ¡°Already,¡± Reya said.

    cklisting someone was a drastic measure to take when someone hadpletely disrespected a guild or was standing inplete opposition to them. It wasn¡¯t something that should be happening to someone that literally spoke to another person a single time. Granted, he wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about being cklisted ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like the Ardent guild was <em>that </em>powerful, but it was still a major annoyance that could cause problems in the long run.

    <em>Makes me wonder why they hate Madiv so much. He said his ss changed¡­ I wonder if he kept any abilities from his formerbat ss. If he did, I wonder if he went around killing a bunch of their members for some reason. </em>

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Reya asked. She pulled her hood back and chewed her lower lip. ¡°I could try to ask Charles to help us get out from under the cklist.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°They¡¯re the ones that decided to start shit with us. Talking to somebody isn¡¯t justification for cklisting them. I¡¯m not going to let assholes throw their weight around and control what we do. It¡¯s not like they were supplying us before. All we have to do is make sure our own supplier can get the materials we need and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Am I making too much of a stretch in assuming that our supplier is the merchant you spoke to yesterday, who also happens to be named Madiv?¡± Reya asked, squinting at Arwin. ¡°The same merchant that got cklisted himself for doing something so heinous that the Ardent Guild cklists anyone he speaks to? The one that¡¯s so horrible at his job that he needs <em>me </em>to somehow teach him how to sell stuff?¡±¡°Sounds about right,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°I take it the Ardent Guild is Charles¡¯ gang?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know enough about them to call them a gang, but yes.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ve got everything right.¡±

    Reya puffed up her cheeks and let out a slow breath of air. ¡°Right. Okay. I¡¯ll do my best. Do we know when I¡¯m meant to meet him the first time? I might have to take some time to get my thoughts together. Something tells me this isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡±

    <em>Well, at least nobody can say that the streets didn¡¯t hone her instincts.</em>

    <em></em>¡°I have no idea,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I imagine it won¡¯t be long, though. He¡¯ll probably show up soon enough. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be before we head out to the dungeon. I¡¯ve only spoken with him once, and he¡¯s a bit¡­ difficult to read.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s usually a polite way to say someone is insane.¡±

    ¡°Is it, now?¡± Arwin asked innocently. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got a fair amount of work to get done today. Now that we¡¯ve put in the application to get the guild formalized, there¡¯s nothing to keep me from getting to work on some armor for Anna. Before I can head back, I¡¯m going to need to look around a little. I need to get my hands on a feather.¡±

    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll head back to the tavern, then,¡± Olive said. She blew out a breath and shook her head. ¡°Maybe that dungeon is going to end up being safer than sticking around Milten.¡±

    ¡°Let me know if you need me or if you find Madiv,¡± Reya said. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the tavern with Olive brushing up on just about every dirty trick in the book I know.¡±

    ¡°I want you to teach him how to be a merchant, not a thief.¡±

    Reya shed Arwin a grin. ¡°I¡¯m thinking there might not be too much of a difference between the two. I suppose we¡¯ll have to find out.¡±

    With that, she pulled her hood back up. She and Olive nodded to Arwin and headed off to make their way back to the Devil¡¯s Den. Arwin tapped his fingers against his greaves in thought as he watched them leave.

    <em>I could probably find a feather on the ground somewhere, but that would take forever. Maybe it would be faster if I just went and found a store that sells bits and bobs. There should be a ce for apothecaries or the like. Weird stuff goes into potions. A bird feather should be on the list ¡ª and maybe I can get something fancier than one of the disease-ridden creatures that live in Milten.</em>

    That actually seemed quite promising. A store that sold random bits and bobs from monsters would actually be perfect for him. He doubted it would have anything particrly rare or powerful, but it would be a good spot to start.

    <em>Now all I have to do is find one. Milten isn¡¯t a huge town, but it¡¯s far from small. I¡¯m sure there should be a store that sells what I need somewhere in it.</em>

    <em>***</em>

    Arwin stood before a rickety old door and squinted suspiciously at the cracked sign hanging above it that pictured a cauldron, so faded by time that it was little more than a brown smudge.

    The building around the door wasn¡¯t in much better shape. It was almost entirely made out of rotting wood with a few bricks scattered haphazardly throughout it to give the semnce of some structural integrity. A nted roof with shingles that stuck in every direction but the right one was perched precariously at the top of the house, threatening to pitch forward and fall off at the first opportunity.

    As far as Arwin could tell, the entire house¡¯s greatest enemy would probably be a slight gust of wind. Its only saving grace was that the ratty hut was so short that the wind would probably break on therger stone buildings long before reaching its shoddily constructed walls.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    And yet, as awful as the building was, Arwin could just barely make out shelves stuffed full of a huge assortment of random items through the single dirty window at the shop¡¯s front. It was the closest thing he¡¯d seen to what he was looking for in thest hour of wandering around Milten.

    Sure, it was tucked into the darkest alleyway he¡¯d passed through and the only reason Arwin had even spotted it was because a shingle had nearly nailed him on the top of the helm as he¡¯d passed, but it was there nheless.

    <em>Huh. Lucky me.</em>

    Arwin pushed the door open with a loud creak and stepped inside. He was forced to duck as he stepped into the building to avoid identally tearing off the top of the doorframe. The smell of musty books and stale air hit him like a hammer, joined by the distant acrid scent of what might have been burnt hair.

    He carefully stepped over a pile of assorted garbage and scanned over the shelves in search of a feather. Preserved flowers, bottles with insects preserved within murky brown fluid, and everything from cups to old swords littered the shelves. There was certainly no shortage of trash.

    <em>There has to be a good feather in here somewhere. </em>

    He stepped around a shelf blocking his view of the rest of the shop and nearly slipped on an open book. Arwin caught himself at thest moment, then realized he wasn¡¯t alone in the shop. An elderly woman sat on a stool in the corner, behind a counter covered with more random items and cast in the shadow of a shelf.

    Her face looked like it had been the scene of a bloody battle that nobody had won. It was covered with pockmarks that ran all the way down her pointed nose. Her lips split apart to give him a grin, revealing a mouth full of crooked, ufortably thin teeth.

    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± the woman croaked. She coughed into a fist, then slowly rose from her stool. Her hand found a cane resting against the wall beside her and she leaned against it, hobbling forward and out of the shadow. ¡°It has been far too long since someone has graced the walls of my humble abode with their presence. Would you tell me your name so I know to whom I speak?¡±

    <em>You live here? </em>

    ¡°You can call me Ifrit,¡± Arwin said idly, his eyes still focused on scanning the rickety shop for a feather. He had strong hopes of finding one before the roof came down on top of both him and the old woman. Even though he was pretty sure his body was more than resilient enough to withstand the rot-ridden wood if it fell on him, it wasn¡¯t an experience he was hoping to partake in.

    ¡°The visage of a demon? A bold name,¡± the old woman said with a mixture between a cough and augh. She stepped out from behind the counter, moving oneborious step at a time. ¡°My name is Esmerelda. Tell me, Ifrit. What is it that you seek? Magi¡ª¡±

    ¡°A feather.¡±

    Esmeralda blinked, then let a smile crawl across her weathered features. ¡°Ah, yes. A tale as old as time. I have what you desire, young man. I have all you desire.¡±

    <em>Poor olddy sounds like she¡¯s had a rough time of things. People must note by here too often, and the way she speaks is ridiculously outdated. I wonder how old she is. Seems nice enough, though.</em>

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good to hear. Where¡¯s the feather?¡± Arwin asked.

    Esmerelda hobbled over to a shelf and stuck her hand into it, rooting around the pile of junk for a few seconds before pulling it out with a flourish. A long, glistening red feather was pinched between her fingers. It was trimmed with bright yellow that rippled in a mesmerizing pattern like an illusionary me.

    ¡°The feather of a phoenix,¡± Esmerelda breathed, holding her prize aloft. ¡°A rare, powerful item that was once gifted as a gesture of luck. I suppose this one didn¡¯t quite bear all that much of it, as it found itself in these dusty old walls after its master fell.¡±

    <em>Ah, damn. That does look like quite the feather¡­ but anything that powerful is going to screw over Anna¡¯s armor. I don¡¯t need phoenix traits. It would probably end up being fire rted or something, and then Anna wouldn¡¯t be able to wear it. I need a normal feather. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s very nice,¡± Arwin said politely.

    ¡°It could be yours, my dear child,¡± Esmerelda said, her grin widening. ¡°And all I ask in return is¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need that, though.¡±

    Esmerelda blinked. She lowered the feather slightly, a frown crossing her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t? What feather could be better than that of a phoenix?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± Arwin said. He walked closer to her and gestured to the feather. ¡°I kind of just need a normal feather. A nice one, but a normal one.¡±

    Esmerelda stared at him. ¡°You would choose an ordinary feather over a plume plucked from a legendary phoenix?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. I need it for a purpose. That one is too fancy.¡±

    ¡°I see. A difficult customer, but I know your desires,¡± Esmerelda said. She slipped the feather back into the shelf and turned toward another one. The shelf wobbled with a creak and a pot perched at its top slid off, plummeting straight for the old woman¡¯s head. Arwin¡¯s hand shot out and he grabbed it an inch before it couldnd on top of her.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Careful. You don¡¯t want to get brained.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t think you¡¯d survive a light breeze any better than your house would, forget a falling pot.</em>

    Esmerelda flinched back and stared at the pot in Arwin¡¯s hand. She looked from it to him, her eyes wide in disbelief.

    <em>The pot didn¡¯t actually end up hitting her, did it?</em>

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°I ¡ª yes. I am fine,¡± the woman said in a befuddled tone. She slowly took the pot from Arwin¡¯s hands and stared down at it. ¡°You prevented this from striking me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You should be careful. You might get injured if you walk around this ce without paying attention. There¡¯s a lot here.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have collected great riches in my times. More than what most could everprehend,¡± Esmerelda said, but her voice didn¡¯t sound in it. She set the pot down and hobbled over to another shelf, pulling out a in white feather. Her eyes bored into it. Then she turned to Arwin. ¡°A feather.¡±

    ¡°A normal one?¡±

    ¡°The inest feather of the inest dove.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said with a grin. ¡°You¡¯ve got more feathers than I thought you would. How much for it?¡±

    Esmerelda looked from the feather to Arwin. Her brow was so furrowed in confusion that he feared that she might identally squeeze her eyes out. He hurriedly pulled out a gold coin from his pouch. Thest thing he wanted was the old woman getting a heart attack in front of him.

    ¡°Here. This should be enough, right?¡±

    Arwin pressed the coin into her hand and took the feather from her fingers. Esmerelda gave him a mute nod of agreement and he grinned.

    ¡°Perfect. Thank you, Esmerelda. Have a good day. Oh, by the way, do you have more feathers?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª yes. Do you seek one of great power?¡± Some of the energy returned to her tone. ¡°Simply speak it and¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that. I just might need more in onester.¡± With that, Arwin raised a hand in farewell and headed out of the store, shutting the door gently behind himself so as to avoid mistakenly causing an avnche and burying Esmerelda in her own goods.

    <em>She seemed like a nicedy. I¡¯ve never met a store owner so eager to help before. If this feather actually works the way I hope it will, I¡¯ll give her another visit. I¡¯ve heard people get really lonely when they¡¯re older, so she might appreciate thepany. </em>

    Arwin looked down at the feather in his hand and grinned.

    <em>I can worry about thatter. For now, I¡¯ve got what I need to get started on Anna¡¯s armor. This should be fun.</em>

 Chapter 167: A little magic

    Chapter 167: A little magic

    Arwin returned to his forge and quickly set about getting everything ready to start working. He¡¯d already spent a good portion of the day handling things other than crafting. Necessary they may have been, but they¡¯d still taken a chunk out of the hours left before they went to the dungeon tomorrow.

    He threw [Soul me] into his hearth and set the feather he¡¯d gotten from Esmerelda down on top of his anvil. He turned to look at what metal he had to work with and, in the process, kicked up a faint wind that lifted the feather off the metal.

    Arwin lunged and snagged it out of the air with two fingers just moments before it drifted off in the direction of the hearth. It hadn¡¯t been anywhere near it, but he wasn¡¯t going to take any chances. It would have been exasperating if the feather went up in mes after he¡¯d had to go hunting around for it.

    He set the feather back down on the anvil and rested a chunk of scrap metal on top of it to pin it in ce. Arwin then went back to what he¡¯d been doing in the first ce. He had a fair amount of material to work with, but he was notably almost entirely out of Brightsteel.

    There was still some left over from when he¡¯d made the sets of armor, as well as three sets of non-magical armor sitting out in the front room of the smithy. Destroying them to make Anna¡¯s armor felt rather wasteful, though.

    It wasn¡¯t like Brightsteel was the only material he could work with. In addition to the tes he¡¯d taken from the spider and the centipede back in Olive¡¯s dungeon, he also had Jessen¡¯s spiky ck suit of armor.

    A small grin pulled across Arwin¡¯s face. It would be an amusing note of irony to take the tyrant guild leader¡¯s armor and reform it into a set for a healer. Jessen had beenrge, so he had more than enough to work with.

    The more Arwin thought about it, the more the idea actually appealed to him. It would all boil down to if the feather could actually lighten the armor enough for Anna to use it and there was only one way to find out.

    He moved the feather and the scrap holding it down over to the corner of the room before retrieving Jessen¡¯s chestpiece and cing it on the anvil. It just seemed like normal metal, but that wasn¡¯t saying much.Arwin didn¡¯t have any way to identify items when they were being worn by someone else, and he¡¯d done some massive damage to Jessen before the man had died. The massive hole in the chest armor was proof enough of that, and it was severe enough that any magic the chestpiece may have once had would almost certainly have been destroyed by the time Jessen died.

    <em>Fortunately for me, metal remembers. Even if the magic isn¡¯t there anymore, it¡¯ll remember. I can¡¯t be working with some evil metal that rejoiced in everything Jessen did. The set is for Anna, after all. Don¡¯t need a bloodthirsty healer.</em>

    He set his hands on the rough surface of the warped ck metal and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly to steady himself. Arwin opened his mind and reached out to the chestpiece.

    Its response was slow. The metal was sluggish and weary, as if it had been woken from a long sleep. Distant scenes flickered through the back of Arwin¡¯s mind. It had seen so many battles that they¡¯d blended together into a blur.

    There had been a point where the armor had once been excited for its purpose. It had been a suit of armor for so long that it didn¡¯t even show Arwin any memories of what it had been before.

    Jessen hadn¡¯t been its first owner. That was certain. Arwin watched the chestpiece pass from hand to hand. It protected. It broke. It was rebuilt, and it served. Over and over again, it was worn through battles.

    The distant scent of fresh earth reached Arwin¡¯s nose, and it took him a second to realize that the smell wasn¡¯ting from around him. It was from the metal itself ¡ª or rather, the memory of magic that had once been within it.

    <em>Magical Olfactory works within visions and when speaking to materials? Now that¡¯s good to know. </em>

    Arwin didn¡¯t let himself get caught up in it. He rode out the wave of imagery, feeling the metal out. It didn¡¯t seem like it had been either bad or good. It had simply been. It was weary, but it was willing to serve.

    The magic within it hadn¡¯t seemed to be evil or rancid either. Granted, Arwin had yet to figure out exactly what the scents of different items actually meant, but nothing in the visions had given the indication that working with Jessen¡¯s old armor would be a detriment.

    There was a thin undercurrent of fear within the metal¡¯s desires. It didn¡¯t want to be forgotten. Every one of its owners had fallen and it had never reached its goals. Arwin couldn¡¯t quite determine what those goals were, but he could tell that the chestpiece had no desire to be anything but a chestpiece.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Arwin said, pulling his mind back and looking back down at the armor resting on the anvil before him. ¡°I think we can work together. I¡¯m making a suit of armor for someone pretty different than everyone you¡¯ve served before. Not a warrior. A healer. Someone who protects. How do you feel about that?¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The metal brushed against his thoughts. It wasn¡¯t magical and its desires were already weak and muted, but the faint flicker of acknowledgement it sent him was all he needed. This was no fresh and excited ingot of metal, unaware of the world before it and full of energy.

    The chestpiece was weary and experienced. It wanted purpose but had yet to find it, and now it was up to Arwin to find a way to offer a path forward. He extended a hand and summoned Verdant ze.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Arwin told the metal. ¡°Help me make you into something great.¡±

    Then he brought the hammer down. It felt a bit rude to start whacking away right after speaking to the chestpiece, but it was toorge and spiky to fit into his hearth as it was. He needed to break it into smaller pieces. Besides, metal didn¡¯t see things the way humans did. It wasn¡¯t like it got hurt when he struck it. There was only desire ¡ª and desire unfulfilled.

    It didn¡¯t take Arwin long to break the armor up. Once he had it split into severalrge, tes and a number of smaller ones, he put the biggest pieces into the hearth to heat. Arwin raised the temperature of the [Soul me] within it, pouring more magical energy into it.

    A dull red started to spread across the ck metal¡¯s surface. That red started to take on faint spots of yellow as the former pieces of armor grew hotter. Arwin tilted his head to the side as he watched the hearth.

    <em>I wonder if I could heat stone enough to createva. It¡¯s been a while since I triggered [Molten Novice]. I really don¡¯t know anything about dwarven forging, but I¡¯d love to learn. I just don¡¯t know where I¡¯d actually putva without destroying something. If I could get back to that room in the dungeon with theva pool, it would make everything a lot easier. I¡¯ve still got the key. </em>

    Minutes passed. Arwin turned his attention back to the armor as it continued to heat, watching it to make sure the [Soul me] didn¡¯t take things too far. He pulled back on the energy he was feeding it as the metal reached a wheat color and took the first piece out. He set it on the anvil and raised Verdant ze, a smile pulling across his lips. Then the hammer fell. Embers flew into the air as [Soul me] curled from Verdant ze¡¯s head.

    The ng of metal filled the smithy. Arwin hammered away at the piece, ttening it into a workable te before doing the same to the next part of what had once been Jessen¡¯s armor. With every strike, he washed away the dead man¡¯s influence and brought it closer to its new life.

    He worked quickly but without rushing. There was no point rushing the piece out in nine hours and getting a subpar result when he could just spend three more hours and get something far better.

    Deadlines were important, but not more important than making a chestpiece that wouldst Anna for as long as she needed it to. Thest thing he wanted was a wed piece of equipment that would fail to hold up under an attack.

    Hours ticked by. Progress moved along steadily. Arwin already had an image of the armor he wanted in his head so while the work didn¡¯t go as quickly as it would have if the Mesh had been guiding him, it still went quickly. The [Soul me] empowered strikes made working the metal a simple matter.

    It wasn¡¯t quite as malleable as Brightsteel, but it wasn¡¯t as resistant as Maristeel. Arwin didn¡¯t know what the ck metal¡¯s name was, but it felt like a solid middle ground between the two.

    Piece by piece, the armor started to take form. He followed a simr idea to how he¡¯d made Lillia¡¯s armor, creating several moving segments near the stomach area. Anna probably wouldn¡¯t need quite as much mobility as Lillia did, so he made fewer of them to give her more protection overall.

    That would mean the armor would end up being heavier, but he had high hopes that the feather would solve that particr issue. If it didn¡¯t, Anna wouldn¡¯t be able to use the armor regardless of how mobile it was.

    He took care to avoid getting too caught up in any one part and focused on getting everything made and roughly shaped. Calling on the Mesh to show him Anna¡¯s sizing would result in a weakened final result, so he¡¯d have to measure everything himself once it was formed.

    It was dark out when Arwin finished the majority of his preparation. Half a dozen pieces sat on the ground before him,id out and cooled in wait to be tested out. He hurried out of the smithy and over to the tavern in hopes of catching Anna before she went to bed.

    Several heads turned to him as he stepped through the door ¡ª he¡¯d caught the others right as they were eating dinner. Arwin grinned. ¡°Ah, perfect. I was worried it would be toote.¡±

    ¡°Toote for what?¡± Rodrick asked, lowering the fork from his mouth. ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No. I just need to borrow Anna to measure her sizing for the armor for a moment,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Do you have a moment, Anna?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Anna replied. She slipped down from her stool. ¡°How long will it take?¡±

    ¡°Only a few minutes.¡± Arwin nodded to the others, then held the door open for Anna before following her out onto the street and back over to his smithy and into its back room.

    ¡°So what do I do?¡± Anna asked, looking at all the piecesying on the floor. ¡°Is there a way to fasten them on or something?¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to do that. Just hold still. I should probably get a measuring stick or something at some point, but this¡¯ll do for now,¡± Arwin said idly, picking up the front te of the chestpiece and holding it up to Anna¡¯s chest. ¡°Hold this here.¡±

    Anna obliged, grunting slightly at the weight. While she held it up, Arwin gathered a mote of [Soul me] at his fingertip and increased its temperature. He used it to make markings along the outside of the armor, then took the te of metal from Anna and handed her the next one.

    In that manner, they went through the rest of the armor pieces. Arwin marked each one of them, and they¡¯d gotten all the measurements he needed just around twenty minutester. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient way of doing things, but it worked.

    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Arwin replied absent-mindedly, his mind already back on the chestpiece. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m the one that should be thanking you,¡± Anna said with augh. ¡°But I¡¯ll do that when you¡¯re fully present. See you tomorrow, Arwin.¡±

    Arwin nodded, her words only barely reaching his head. The door closed behind him as Anna left, but he barely even heard it.

    He scooped the single feather off the ground where it had been pinned beneath some scrap and ced it upon the anvil, a flicker of excitement coursing through him. He had everything he needed. The chestpiece was ready to move into its final step.

    It was time to add in some magic.

 Chapter 168: The Bleak Wind

    Chapter 168: The Bleak Wind

    Arwin found himself with a slightly new conundrum. He¡¯d worked hard materials into his work before. It was pretty easy to figure out how to add in a monster tooth to an arrow or a scale to a metal band.

    Putting a feather into a giant te of metal was a slightly less straightforward task. He could always hammer it in, but if he did that, he was pretty sure he¡¯d end up with a few sad scraps of fluff rather than a feather.

    It wasn¡¯t like he could ask the feather for its thoughts either. Metal he could speak to. A feather, on the other hand and ording to Esmerelda¡¯s own words, was the inest feather of the inest dove. It most certainly didn¡¯t have a scrap of magical power that would enable [Stonesinger] to activate.

    <em>Ah, screw it. If I can¡¯t hammer the feather itself, maybe I¡¯ll just try to press some metal in over it. It¡¯s the best way to work it in that I can think of without getting mashed feather in the process. This way it¡¯ll only be a bit burnt.</em>

    A bit might have been understating quite how much hot metal would cook a feather, but that was the point of experimenting. Arwin set the feather down on the inside of the chestpiece¡¯s front te, then moved the whole thing off the anvil.

    He then set another small piece of ck metal down and got to work hammering out until it was square and as thin as he dared make it. Arwin set the main armor piece back onto the anvil and held the edges of the thin piece in the hearth, heating them to a molten yellow.

    Biting his lower lip, Arwin lowered the piece over the top of the feather, trying to keep the heated edges away from the feather. He¡¯d made it justrge enough to fit the feather in on the less-hot center, though it had still heated from its proximity to the hearth.

    The feather hissed as Arwin started hammering away at the edges of the te. Small curls of [Soul me] rose up from Verdant ze as he tapped away, doing his absolute best to avoid identally cooking his feather.

    It soon became apparent that adding a random lump to the armor might have been a good way to avoid damaging the feather too badly, but it was a rather poor move forfort. Having something that jutted out into your chest wasn¡¯t ideal. Arwin considered the te for a moment, then let out a huff.<em>Screw it. The feather needs to be one with the armor, not sit inside it.</em>

    Arwin brought Verdant ze down right in the center of the te, ignoring his previous attempts at avoiding the feather. Arge st of [Soul me] drove into the armor and he repeated the process, pouring magic from himself and into the armor as he focused his intent on making it as light as possible.

    He worked faster now that the feather issue had been handled ¡ª though only time would tell if his strategy would actually work. Arwin worked away at the front of the Chestte, making all the modifications to ensure it would fit Anna whilstbining it with the feather and continuing to pour energy into it.

    Once he¡¯d gotten it to the proper shape, Arwin plunged it into his barrel of oil. me erupted along the top of the oil as it hissed and bubbled. He waited until the wave of heat had died down before pulling the chestpiece out and setting it down. He still had the pauldrons, backpiece, and segmented abdomen parts toplete.

    Fortunately, none of those needed a feather inside them. Arwin got to work making thest of the modifications and pouring magical energy into every part he worked on. Piece by finished piece was stacked up beside the anvil until every single one of them had been finished.

    Arwin set about cleaning the scale off them before getting to work making some bolts from the same metal. They got the exact same magical energy treatment and were piled up on the edge of his anvil.

    Once the bolts were done, Arwin took a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his brow before gathering some leather and setting about preparing it to line the inside of the chestpiece.

    He cut it intorge sections and removed strips for the bindings ¡ª and then it was time to put everything together. Arwinid the parts out and heated the heads of the pins before pressing them through the leather and into the armor. Magical energy continued to run from him and into his work, bringing his reserves dangerously low.

    Arwin hadn¡¯t been keeping track of how long he¡¯d been working, but judging by how little power he had left, it had been quite some time. Power gathered around the armor and tingled beneath his hands, but Arwin didn¡¯t stop. If the Mesh acknowledged his piece before he was finished, then his efforts would be wasted.

    He had to make sure every single bit waspleted before he released his work for judgement. Once the main parts of the armor were prepared, Arwin turned his attention to the connecting segments.

    Before they could be connected, they had to be decorated. It didn¡¯t feel right leaving the armor in. It only took Arwin a few moments to decide what he wanted the theme of the armor to be. Everything was focused on being light and flowy, so the wind was the only logical path he could take.

    He set about carving swirling clouds into every piece with the aid of [Scourge] and a knife. Instead of getting fancy, he focused on capturing the boundless freedom and airy disposition of a cloud. He utilized thick, flowing strokes that made up puffy forms in a variety of shapes and sizes.

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    Something about turning the once-spined and intimidating armor that Jessen had worn into a cute drawing filled Arwin with amusement ¡ª but not nearly enough to distract him from his intent.

    Arwin continued the pattern from the segments up onto the rest of the armor. The clouds stretched out through a boundless sky and wrapped around the chestpiece. They traveled up the pauldrons and even onto the leather within.

    By the time he¡¯d finished carving, his reserves had gone from low to almostpletely drained. There couldn¡¯t have been more than a minute left at the rate he was currently using them. Arwin hurriedly started connecting the moving segments to the armor and pinning them in ce whilst continuing to push his magic into the piece.

    If he ran out of power before it was done, the chestpiece would never reach its full potential. He had an entire set to make out of Jessen¡¯s armor if this worked, and ruining the chestpiece would mean it would all be a waste.

    Sweat trickled down Arwin¡¯s back and soaked into his clothes. He gritted his teeth as the world grew fuzzy around him. His fingers trembled as he pressed pins into ce and drew deeper and deeper on his reserves.

    It was like trying to squeeze water from a rock. There were just a few steps left, but those few steps felt like a pathway into the heavens. He may have had the literal magic left, but he was also focused on remaining standing, keeping his fingers moving, and maintaining his intent.

    Iron bands of will formed in his mind as Arwin dug deeply into his reserves. He felt a rush of fortitude spread throughout him. It wasn¡¯t physical strength, but his thoughts sharpened and his fingers started to move faster. He was dimly aware that it was likely [Indomitable] reinforcing his thoughts against his own exhaustion.

    He hadn¡¯t expected this piece of armor to be so much more difficult than the others he¡¯d made, but he¡¯d never made such arge piece while flooding it with this much of his own energy. Arwin swayed on his feet ¡ª and something pressed against his back and wrapped around his shoulders, propping him upright.

    There wasn¡¯t time to wonder what it was. Arwin pushed thest bolts into ce, leaning against the unknown presence for support. He shoved the final scraps of magical energy he had out from his palms and into the armor, then let his hands drop.

    The Mesh rushed forth and mmed into the metal chestpiece like a bolt of lightning.

    <strong>[Bleak Wind Chestte: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Rarer than Rare] has been earned.</strong>

    <strong>[Rarer than Rare] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first Epic Quality item.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to Unique. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    The world swam around Arwin even with [Indomitable] fighting to keep him awake. Only sheer force of will and shock in conjunction with his unforeseen aid kept him standing. He¡¯d made rare items before ¡ª but Epic was an entirely new frontier for his crafting.

    Arwin peered down at the Bleak Wind Chestte and information swirled forth to form into golden letters in the air before him.

    <strong>[Bleak Wind Chestte: Epic Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[Blood Fog]: Forged from the armor of a lineage of killers for a woman who desires to do nothing but heal, this item seeks to fulfill its new owner¡¯s desires in the only way it knows how. The Bleak Wind Chestte can release Blood Fog at the cost of magical energy. Living beings that inhale Blood Fog that the Bleak Wind Chestte¡¯s bearer views as opponents will be struck with visions of all those whose deaths the Bleak Wind Chestte can recall. The fog¡¯s effectiveness depends on the difference in Tiers between the target and this item¡¯s bearer. </strong>

    <strong>[Light as a Feather]: Though decades of blood and death weigh heavy on this armor, its physical form is greatly lightened by the gentle hands of wind bearing it aloft like a feather. </strong>

    <strong>[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Anna. Its abilities will not function for any other users. </strong>

    <strong>[ck Shroud]: This item¡¯s properties are concealed from others once it has been donned.</strong>

    <strong>[The Bleak Wind] (Locked): Whole once more, the Bleak Wind Set will permit its user to dematerialize into a gust of wind at the cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Bleak Wind]: This is a set item of [6] pieces. When the entire set is worn, The Bleak Wind will be unlocked.</strong>

    There was no doubt in Arwin¡¯s mind that the item lived up to its impressive Epic rarity. The final ability of the armor was incredible. An unrestricted movement ability that turned someone into wind was powerful indeed. It wasn¡¯t like a sword could cut wind, so Anna would be functionally untouchable by physical blows as long as she had magical energy.

    Unfortunately, that boon wouldn¡¯te until Arwin managed to get the rest of the set made, but he didn¡¯t mind. The other abilities the item gave were incredible. [Light as a Feather] would have been good enough, but [Blood Fog] and [ck Shroud] made it perfect.

    A delighted, weary grin pulled across Arwin¡¯s lips. His eyes slipped over the words once more, catching for a moment on Anna¡¯s name ¡ª or rather, theck of it. She was just Anna in the Mesh¡¯s eyes.

    <em>Huh. That¡¯s odd. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s mind was too tired to process it any further. The weariness was wrapping around his body like iron chains that pulled him down toward the floor and it was growing harder and harder to resist them. His eyes fluttered, but he fought to keep his bnce with the aid of his invisible helper.

    ¡°Need to get back to the tavern so Lillia doesn¡¯t get worried,¡± Arwin muttered under his breath. He turned to the door, but moving proved to be too much for him. He slumped down, his helper lowering him to the ground. For an instant, he caught a glimpse of Lillia¡¯s concerned face above him. ¡°Ah. There you are.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Lillia asked, gripping his shoulders with a deep frown. ¡°Arwin? Answer me.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Arwin said through a yawn. ¡°Just¡­ tired.¡±

    His eyes fluttered shut. Now that Lillia knew he was fine, he could rest. Onest errant thought slipped through his mind before sleep took him.

    <em>I reached the next level in my Tier. I wonder if I got anything interesting.</em>

 Chapter 169: Absolutely thrilled

    Chapter 169: Absolutely thrilled

    Hard, chilly stone pressed against Arwin¡¯s side and there was a nasty crick in his neck. He probably would have been considerably colder if there hadn¡¯t been a familiar warm weight on top of his chest and against his arm.

    His eyes fluttered open and he blinked the sleep away. There was ayer of darkness covering everything but he could still vaguely make out his surroundings. He was still in his smithy, in the exact spot where he¡¯d flopped to the ground the previous night.

    He probably would have been a bit morefortable if it wasn¡¯t for just one problem. A violent burning pain had Arwin¡¯s stomach in a vice grip. It felt like he¡¯d swallowed a ball of hot lead.

    Arwin¡¯s hand shot down to his pocket and he yanked out one of hisst bracelets.

    <strong>Metal Bracelet: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Brittle]: This item has a chance of shattering on every blow. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion. </strong>

    <strong>[Watery]: The memory of a flowing river runs in the me that heated this metal, infusing it. This item can allow its wielder to move through the water at a slightly increased pace at the cost of magical energy.</strong>

    Arwin shoved it into his mouth as fast as he could. Metal turned to magic and rushed down into his stomach, which heated as [The Hungering Maw] consumed the detrimental effect. Arwin got a whiff of strong saltwater and rancid seaweed as the magic flowed through his body. He blew out a sigh as the pain abated enough for him to think properly again.

    <em>It wasn¡¯t that long ago that I ate magic. It hasn¡¯t been 5 days yet. Did crafting a magical item that used so much energy end up triggering [The Hungering Maw] early? That¡¯s concerning, but I¡¯ve bought myself at least an hour or two. I can make another bracelet after I get up. </em>There was just one small thing stopping him from doing just that. Lilliaid on top of him. Her face was peaceful in sleep and she¡¯d tucked her tail between them to keep it warm. She must have stayed with him after he¡¯d fallen asleep, and it looked like he¡¯d somehow managed to avoid waking ¡ª

    A yawn slipped out of her mouth and she lifted a hand to rub her eyes.

    <em>Oops.</em>

    Lillia looked up at him, then gave him a small smile. ¡°I can¡¯t say I love your new choice of a bedroom, but it didn¡¯t really go all that differently for me. It¡¯s certainly a bit brighter.¡±

    Arwin groaned and sat up, holding Lillia in hisp so he didn¡¯t end up dumping her onto the floor. ¡°Trust me. It wasn¡¯t voluntary. Thanks for showing up yesterday. I¡¯m pretty sure you saved me frompletely butchering Anna¡¯s armor ¡ª and my own head.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I figured something was probably wrong when you didn¡¯t show up about halfway through the night after you promised that you would. I watched you work for like an hour before you almost fell over.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said sheepishly.

    ¡°Sorry? I was having fun. I¡¯m not going toin about watching you swing a hammer.¡± Lillia shed him a grin and leaned her head against his chest. ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard, Arwin. There¡¯s only so much one person can wring out of themselves before there¡¯s nothing left to give.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s arms tightened around Lillia and he blew out a slow sigh. ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t really think this would drain me so badly. I¡¯ve just never tried making such arge piece of armor in the new style. It worked really well, but it was brutal. It drew so much more power than I thought it would.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing we can do to make your load easier? I¡¯m often caught up advancing the tavern, but the others aren¡¯t all busy and I know they¡¯d love to help.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. ss advancement is a singr thing, after all.¡±

    Lillia craned her neck back to look up at him, a flicker of confusion passing over her features. ¡°What do you mean? It doesn¡¯t have to be.¡±

    It was Arwin¡¯s turn to look confused. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow. There¡¯s nothing you can do to help me advance my own ss, is there? I¡¯m crafting. That¡¯s a pretty solitary activity and the Mesh isn¡¯t going to give you credit for helping. Are demon sses different?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re not different, but all the demon crafters I knew worked together to lighten each other¡¯s loads wherever they could. Even if they didn¡¯t get benefit from doing work for the other, we¡¯ve found that shouldering the load together lightens it for everyone. Is that not what humans do?¡±

    ¡°Not really. We generally do everything other than fighting on our own,¡± Arwin said with a thoughtful frown. ¡°Do demons have a very strong sense ofmunity?¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°We live and die as a whole. That¡¯s why most of our armies are generally referred to by familial words. I wasn¡¯t joking about the group leaders often being called Mothers.¡±

    ¡°Are demons a matriarchal society?¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d say that. It¡¯s pretty equal. Mothers don¡¯t have to be female, though they often are. It¡¯s more about their job. Mothers guide and protect their groups.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean there are Fathers as well?¡± Arwin asked, his curiosity piqued.

    ¡°Yes. There are a lot less of them, and their job is to protect the interests of the demon tribe as a whole. While Mothers focus on making sure each member within their group is safe and properly taken care of, Fathers only care about the overall tribe. If anything stands in its way ¡ª even a member within it ¡ª they handle the situation.¡±

    ¡°Demon culture is fascinating,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We don¡¯t have such defined roles for anyone beyond public offices and titled roles like the Hero. I mean, guild leaders exist, but they don¡¯t really have such a clear purpose. They just run the guild.¡±

    ¡°One day, I¡¯ll take you to a demon tribe or a monster city so you can see it for yourself. You might have to keep your armor on the whole time, though.¡± A grin yed across Lillia¡¯s lips. ¡°You can see the moss while we¡¯re at it. I still miss it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to that,¡± Arwin said, and he meant it. He knew a lot about the experiences that Lillia had gone through ¡ª but at the same time, there was so much he didn¡¯t really understand about her or monsters as a whole.

    He rose to his feet, bringing Lillia with him, then lowered her to the ground. They both turned to look at the chestpiece he¡¯d made the previous night. Even though the [Soul me] had vanished from the hearth, likely when Arwin hadpletely ran out of energy, the ck armor glistened in the dim light.

    ¡°You really outdid yourself this time,¡± Lillia said, her toneden with disbelief. ¡°An Epic item. That¡¯s your first one, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arwin nodded. A faint pang throbbed deep in his stomach, reminding him that [The Hungering Maw] still hadn¡¯t been fully sated. A grimace yed across his lips and Lillia caught the expression before he could wipe it clean.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being told that I need to eat magic again soon. I think I used so much power that I pissed my own body off and it¡¯s hungry again.¡±

    ¡°How soon?¡± Lillia asked, taking a step back and shooting a look at the anvil. ¡°Why are you just standing around here? Get to it! Or do you already have something you can eat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a bracelet. Give me a second,¡± Arwin said. His eyesnded on the pieces of chitin in the corner and he headed over, snapping a part off. He¡¯d made a Chitinous Band before and it had turned out quite well, so there was no reason to change what worked.

    There was enough scrap Brightsteel left over from previous projects for Arwin to get to work immediately. He tossed a ball of [Soul me] into the hearth and got to work heating the metal and working it into a band around the piece of chitin.

    Fortunately, his magic had regenerated over the night and he was able to make the bracelet without too much difficulty. About thirty minutes of workter, magic rushed into the band of metal as the Mesh recognized it.

    <strong>[Chitinous Band: Rare Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Chitinous Band: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Chitinskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to chitin and greatly reduce their range of movement at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Chittering]: While this item is active, its wearer¡¯s movements will make loud clicking noises. </strong>

    A grin split Arwin¡¯s lips as he looked over his newly made item. It was exactly the same as thest Chitinous Band he¡¯d made. His new smithing strategy was working exactly how he hoped it would. There was always the chance there would be more variation inplex pieces, but he could replicate traits he¡¯d made before. He raised it to his nose and took a whiff. His nostrils were greeted by the scent of earth and cooked meat, which was a strange but not entirely unwee smell.

    <em>Not bad. I think that means [The Hungering Maw] feels like the magic in this is worth its time and it should fill me up properly. </em>

    Arwin popped the band into his mouth. His skin rippled and hardened as chitin covered it and his body stiffened. A line of warmth ran down his throat and into his stomach, which heated to counteract the detrimental trait of the band.

    A short whileter, the effects of the band faded away and he let out a relieved sigh. The pain was gone. His band had worked exactly how he¡¯d hoped it would.

    ¡°All good?¡± Lillia asked in concern.

    ¡°Yeah. Thanks for waiting. I¡¯m fine now. It looks like I might have to prepare some extra food before I get really invested into any major projects in the future.¡± Arwin looked back to the armor resting on his anvil. ¡°It was worth it, though.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t disagree there,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°If it¡¯s as light as that description says it is, she¡¯s going to be absolutely thrilled. I, for one, can¡¯t wait to see what she looks like decked out in all ck armor.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°Let¡¯s go show her in a second. I reached the next level in my Tier after making that, so I want to see if I¡¯ve gotten anything from it first.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions,¡± Lillia said. Arwin nodded in appreciation and mentally reached out to the Mesh, summoning the golden letters that made up his status.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique) (Tier: Apprentice 6)</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong>

    <strong>[You can¡¯t do that] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong>[Rarer than Rare] has been consumed.</strong>

    <strong>[Giantsbane] has been consumed.</strong>

    <strong><em>Three of your Skill options have been upgraded. </em></strong>

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Dragon¡¯s Greed] ¨C <em>Your hunger for magical power has begun to manifest itself in the physical world. Extend your senses to search the area around you for magical items at the cost of significant magical energy. The range of this effect scales with the amount of magical energy used. </em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Quench] ¨C <em>Even the greatest of fires must meet their end. Draw the heat out of a nonliving target, rapidly cooling it with magical energy. </em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Groundshaker] - <em>Your body is as much magic as it is flesh. Channel the power within you and drive it out through a single point, sending a powerful vibration through the ground with enough intensity to shatter most nonmagical materials. This effect can be sent in a chosen direction and extended by spending more magical energy.</em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED][Shieldwall]: <em>Your desire to protect your allies has proven itself time and time again. Grant it even more strength. When a creature you view as an ally is under attack, magic will infuse your muscles and elerate your speed when moving in their direction. Furthermore, by spending increased magical energy, your skin will harden and absorb the damage from a physical blow. The amount of damage absorbed scales with the amount of magical energy used. </em></strong>

 Chapter 170: The prize

    Chapter 170: The prize

    It was a slight surprise to get another skill so quickly after reaching Apprentice 5, but Arwin wasn¡¯t about toin. He didn¡¯t miss the fact that he¡¯d also been offered four skills instead of three this time around.

    One of them, Quench, was an upgraded skill he¡¯d seen in a previous round of offerings from the Mesh. It was, as it had been before, a rather tempting offer. However, all the new skills up for grabs were just as interesting ¡ª if not more.

    He scanned over the skills, reviewing his options. Dragon¡¯s Greed waspletely useless in a fight. However, a way to detect magical items from afar was absolutely nothing to scoff at, especially with his raging need for both food and crafting materials. It wasn¡¯t the ability to detect magic weapons that interested him nearly as much as the ability to detect magical <em>items</em>. Most people would have used the ability purely for utility and figuring out the strength of their opponents, but if properly applied, he could use it to find crafting materials.

    Then there was Groundshaker. The times when the skill would actually be applicable would probably be a bit limited if he wanted to avoid destroying his environment every time he fought, but that very issue was what made it a good option in other scenarios.

    <em>Anything that can disrupt people¡¯s movement or cause them to stumble or otherwise trip up is an effective skill. Changing the battlefield is almost always going to go in my favor when I¡¯m the one that knows when it¡¯sing. </em>

    The final skill offer was Shieldwall. Movement based skills were, as always, a really good option. The added benefit of raising his defenses even further made it quite a powerful ability.

    <em>Anything that lets me keep my allies alive is an incredible option. </em>

    Pretty much every skill had its uses. Quench, Shieldwall, and Groundshaker all hadbat applications. Quench and Dragon¡¯s Greed were both useful out ofbat. However, when Arwin looked to the future, there was one skill that stood above all the others in how worthwhile it would be in the long run.

    [Scourge] already let him move fast, and Groundshaker wasn¡¯t powerful enough in its niche situation to justify picking it. Quench was useful, but it also didn¡¯t do all that much more than an oil barrel ¡ª though it was definitely more convenient and had somebat applications, so he wasn¡¯t about to dismiss it entirely either.But, of all the abilities, there was one that felt like it would be useful at every single point from now and into the future.

    [Dragon¡¯s Greed] was the only ability that would be useful all the way up until Emperor Rank and beyond. Detecting magic would never <em>not </em>be useful.

    He didn¡¯t know if it would actually identify the things he was sensing, but just knowing what pieces they had were magical would be instrumental. At the very least, it would let him know what he could take a bite out of mid-fight.

    <em>Huh. I guess that means [Dragon¡¯s Greed] is technically useful in battle as well. That settles it.</em>

    Arwin selected [Dragon¡¯s Greed]. The golden letters faded away and Lillia sent him a questioning look, tilting her head slightly to the side.

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Got a new skill,¡± Arwin said. ¡°A pretty useful one. It¡¯ll let me detect magical items at a range. Hold on. I¡¯m going to test it out. I¡¯m going to close my eyes. Could you stand somewhere else so I can see if I can figure out where you are?¡±

    Lillia nodded. Arwin closed his eyes and waited for a few moments for her to move. He didn¡¯t hear a thing, but Lillia did have a way of sneaking around. She¡¯d had more than enough time to reposition.

    He drew on his magical energy and activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed], keeping his eyes shut. Energy tingled across his skin and several lines tugged at his chest with just enough force for him to be aware of it. One ran in the direction of the anvil, while the other moved off to his left side.

    <em>The anvil is going to be Anna¡¯s armor, so the other one should be Lillia. It looks like the skill doesn¡¯t identify my own magical items, which is probably for the best. </em>

    Arwin pointed in the direction that he suspected Lillia was.

    ¡°You found me,¡± Lillia said.

    The line pulled to Arwin¡¯s side and he moved his finger to keep pointing in the direction the pull wasing from. ¡°Looks like it remains active,¡± Arwin observed. ¡°At least, that¡¯s what I assume. You¡¯re moving, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Can you tell how far I am from you?¡±

    Arwin thought for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°No. Just a direction. I can tell you¡¯re there, but there¡¯s just a vague pulling sensation from where you are.¡±

    He opened his eyes. Lillia stood about five feet away from him, her back to the wall of the smithy. Faint white energy shimmered around her armor, but there was no visible line leading to it. The armor on the anvil shimmered with the same energy.

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    Arwin squinted at Lillia¡¯s armor, but he couldn¡¯t make out any information about it. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was because its stats were always going to be hidden from him due to being apleted set or if it was because he wasn¡¯t using enough magic for Dragon¡¯s Greed to overwhelm the armor¡¯s resistance.

    He released his hold on the magical energy and the lines of force faded away. They were going to be heading out to a dungeon soon. There was no reason to waste all of his magical energy now when there would be more than enough opportunities to test the ability outter.

    <em>It¡¯s worth keeping in mind that [Dragon¡¯s Greed] requires an active flow of power. It isn¡¯t too aggressive when I¡¯m not really pushing it, but I definitely just can¡¯t keep it permanently running. I¡¯ll need to do some testing to see just how far the range can get and optimize everything to waste as little power as possible.</em>

    ¡°Can you see anything?¡± Lillia asked, looking down at her armor.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can just tell it¡¯s magical. I might be able to if I put a lot more power into the spell, but I don¡¯t want to waste magical energy right before we head over to a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Probably a good idea,¡± Lillia said with a nod. ¡°Shall we rejoin the others, then? Anna was doing a pretty good job of not showing it, but she¡¯s dying waiting to see her new armor. I think she¡¯s trying not to hold out too much hope.¡±

    ¡°Well far be it from me to keep her waiting longer,¡± Arwin said. He wrapped Anna¡¯s chestpiece in leather and hoisted it under his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They left the smithy and stepped into the morning light. The sun had only just wed its way past the skyline and had poked out from behind the thinyer of clouds on the horizon, casting the city in dull orange light.

    Lillia led Arwin back over to the Devil¡¯s Den and they stepped inside. Four expectant gazes met them from the counter. Anna¡¯s eyes went from Arwin to the bundle in his hands and then back to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually be able to finish in time,¡± Rodrick said with a whistle of admiration. ¡°Did you actually manage to get it optimized for Anna?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you didn¡¯t,¡± Anna said hurriedly, ring at Rodrick. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine making such a specific enchantment would be easy. I¡¯ve made it this far without armor, so I can survive another few dungeons perfectly fine.¡±

    ¡°Take a look for yourself,¡± Arwin said. He couldn¡¯t have hidden his smug grin if he¡¯d wanted to as he unwrapped the chestpiece and held it out so the rest of the Menagerie could feast their eyes upon it.

    A wave of silence passed over all of them. Olive¡¯s mouth formed into an <em>o </em>and Rodrick let out a whistle, shaking his head in disbelief.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°Did you make that out of Jessen¡¯s old armor? Talk about an upgrade. That¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Look at the abilities.¡± Olive rubbed her eyes and squinted at the armor as if it might disappear right before her. ¡°The set bonus is ridiculous¡­ but for an Epic piece, I suppose it makes sense. Even the non-set abilities are incredible. Just how light is the armor?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I haven¡¯t put it on. It won¡¯t work for anyone other than Anna. She¡¯s also the only one it¡¯s been sized for. I doubt I¡¯d fit even if I wanted to.¡±

    Anna swallowed heavily. ¡°Are you really sure I can have that? I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve done anything nearly worth enough to earn such a powerful piece of armor. It feels like it would be better suited on someone else.¡±

    ¡°Who else is going to use it?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°You can see its traits yourself. Nobody in the world other than you can use this. If it¡¯s not you, it¡¯s nobody.¡±

    ¡°Lillia is right. Humility isn¡¯t going to help any of us.¡± Arwin held the armor out to Anna and nodded for her to take it. ¡°I made this for you because we need our healer safe. You can pay it back by staying alive and doing your job while we¡¯re in the dungeon.¡±

    Anna¡¯s features set and she inclined her head, taking the armor from his hands. ¡°When you put it that way, then I can¡¯t say no. Thank you. I¡¯ll put this to good use.¡±

    She pulled it over her head and Rodrick helped her tie it on. As soon as he finished, all the information from the Mesh vanished and the chestpiece hid its stats from view. Anna¡¯s eyes sparkled with disbelief as she walked around the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s so light. I can barely feel it,¡± Anna said. She hopped from one foot to the other, then let out augh. ¡°Can you see this? I can move! In armor!¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re stronger than you think, honey,¡± Rodrick offered.

    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I nearly dropped a pan on my foot thest time I tried cooking because I was surprised at how much it weighed.¡± Annaughed and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not ashamed to admit I¡¯m good at a whole lot of things, but lifting heavy crap isn¡¯t one of them.¡±

    ¡°Unless you¡¯re dragging me to safety,¡± Rodrick said proudly.

    Anna let out an amused huff. ¡°Unless I¡¯m doing that. That really isn¡¯t something you should be happy about, though. How does the armor look?¡±

    ¡°Anything looks good on you,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I shudder to think what the full set will be when it¡¯s done, though. You might be the most intimidating looking one out of the lot of us.¡±

    ¡°How much is it for amission, again?¡± Olive asked with a sidelong look at Arwin. ¡°Rodrick is right, though. When people see your brand on that armor, you¡¯re going to start getting a whole lot more people knocking on your door formissions.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll have to get in line.¡± Reya said with a snicker. ¡°But that¡¯s a good point. This is a perfect advertisement for the Infernal Armory.¡±

    ¡°Only if people have any reason to see it,¡± Arwin pointed out. ¡°Nobody will know about its magical properties.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But it¡¯s still a very beautiful piece of armor. It¡¯s going to draw some eyes when we head out to the dungeon. Even if it doesn¡¯t get the entire town raving, it only takes a few people talking to keep pushing the rumors further.¡±

    ¡°True enough,¡± Arwin allowed. ¡°In that case, we might as well start moving. I believe I may have gotten the key to the section of the dungeon that everyone is currently trying to unlock, so I think we might have something interesting lying in wait.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if they¡¯d ever find that,¡± Rodrick said, rubbing his chin andughing. ¡°I should have guessed that it would have just been on his body. You better keep the key hidden until we get there so nobody tries to take it from us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the n,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Is everyone ready to head out to the dungeon?¡± He received a round of nods in response. Everyone rose to their feet and Arwin turned to the door. ¡°Then let¡¯s get to it. If the dungeon had something interesting enough to keep even Jessen¡¯s attention, then I think we might have quite the prize lying in wait for us.¡±

 Chapter 171: Challenged

    Chapter 171: Challenged

    It wasn¡¯t hard to find the dungeon. All they had to do was follow the stream of adventurers heading out of Milten. The entire trip was surprisingly short. It only took a little under fifteen minutes and led them to a crowded, hastily erected camp.

    Several dozen tents had been set up all around a roped off cave entrance. A number of fast-moving merchants had brought their wagons to the area and had set them up amidst the camp to sell food to hungry adventurers.

    Arwin and his group joined the long, snaking line leading up to cave. By squinting, he was just barely able to make out the form of a woman wearing ck clothes ¡ª the Secret Eye representative from the day before.

    <em>I hope she doesn¡¯t remember me. It¡¯s not like I did anything wrong, but I¡¯d rather avoid an awkward situation if I can. </em>

    ¡°How big is this dungeon?¡± Reya asked as the line slowly snaked forward. ¡°There are so many people trying to get in. It¡¯s got to be a shitshow in there.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone is getting in,¡± Lillia said. She¡¯d wrapped herself in a cloak and pulled her darkness back as much as she could. She was still shrouded in a patch of shade and was standing close enough to Arwin with hopes of using him to hide from any prying stares. ¡°Look at the front of the line.¡±

    Lillia was right. Even as they watched, the Secret Eye representative shook her head and a team of adventurers broke away from the line, joining the stream of people heading back into the camp.

    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s interesting,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°They¡¯re turning people away? I thought they were trying to get as many bodies in the dungeon as possible.¡±

    ¡°It is a bit odd,¡± Olive agreed. ¡°I bet they got so many people showing up that the ones that knew what they were doing couldn¡¯t even move anymore. It only makes sense to limit the amount of people that enter.¡± The line continued on. Due to the number of people that the Secret Eye representative was turning away, it actually moved rather quickly. It didn¡¯t take long before they drew close to the front.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Reya breathed, shifting to move behind Arwin abruptly and pulling her hood lower over her face. ¡°Look over there. Right past the Secret Eyedy.¡±

    Arwin nced in the direction Reya indicated. Arge man sat in the shade near the entrance of the cave. He was d in shimmering silver armor and had a thick bushy beard of red hair that covered the lower half of his face.

    The man had his helm tucked under an arm and arge sword was nted in the ground beside him. On the right breast of his armor was a red badge embossed with a golden sword. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    It was a member of the Ardent guild.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything off,¡± Arwin said quietly. ¡°Just act normally and keep moving. He¡¯s not really paying attention to the line and you¡¯ve got a hood. He isn¡¯t going to recognize you.¡±

    <em>I, on the other hand, may be a different story.</em>

    The line continued forward. More and more teams came up to the Secret Eye representative, only for the vast majority of them to be turned away. It wasn¡¯t long before the Menagerie had made it nearly to the front, and the group in front of them weren¡¯t having any more luck than most of the others.

    ¡°Oh,e on!¡± a man protested. ¡°Please, Ma¡¯am. We¡¯re more than capable of protecting ourselves. We¡¯ve dealt with Journeyman dungeons before. We¡¯ll be fine. And why would your organization care if we get ourselves killed? There¡¯s risk in everything. That¡¯s our business.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstand,¡± the dark-robed woman said. ¡°I do not care if you live or die. The dungeon is only sorge. It has been getting an increased amount attention and there is not sufficient room for every single team that approaches me to enter.¡±

    The other members of the man¡¯s party muttered in disapproval, but none of them were bold enough to challenge the Secret Eye representative any further. They reluctantly broke away from the line and headed back the way they hade.

    Arwin and his group approached her ¡ª and the woman¡¯s expression shifted to one of recognition. She knew who he was. Arwin repressed a curse, but it was toote to do anything about it now. All he could do was press forward.

    ¡°The smith wishes to enter a dungeon?¡± The woman asked, arching an eyebrow. She cast a look over the rest of his guild, then shook her head. ¡°It is not safe for nonbatants. I rmend you stay with the dungeons more appropriate for your abilities. Or, better yet, remain out of dungeons entirely.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, you have no idea what my capabilities are. I may be a smith, but that does not mean I don¡¯t have hobbies,¡± Arwin said, keeping his words measured. ¡°I¡¯m capable of defending myself, as are the rest of my group. You could at least give us a proper evaluation before you turn us away.¡±

    The look in the woman¡¯s eyes shifted to one of mild curiosity. She inclined her head. ¡°A fair request. Very well. What is your Tier?¡±

    ¡°Apprentice 6, and the majority of my team is roughly at a simr level. We have cleared Journeyman dungeons before.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    <em>Reya is a bit below that, but no need to get into details.</em>

    ¡°Impressive for a smith,¡± the woman allowed, but she didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°However, I¡¯m afraid this dungeon is a little too much of a threat for me to allow you to enter it with those qualifications alone. You would not survive.¡±

    <em>Something feels off. Why are they concerned about people dying in there so much? The Secret Eye shouldn¡¯t give a shit about any of this. They should just want to figure out what¡¯s in the dungeon. Something is going on. </em>

    Arwin nodded to Olive. ¡°Could you show her your weapon? We are more than we appear.¡±

    Olive nodded. Arwin and Rodrick moved to block out the view of the rest of the crowd as she pulled the de free of its sheath for just far enough that the Secret Eye representative could see it.

    A few murmurs of disapproval rose up from the people behind them at the amount of time they were taking, but Arwin ignored them. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t the only one that picked up on their annoyance.

    The Ardent guildmember sitting at the base of the dungeon looked up. His eyes focused on Arwin and he rose to his feet, striding toward them. His eyes flicked down to the maker¡¯s mark on Arwin¡¯s armor. Like the woman, Arwin could tell the man recognized him.

    <em>At least I can¡¯t say that the armor isn¡¯t doing its job. People know who I am. It¡¯s just the wrong damn people. </em>

    ¡°Selen, what¡¯s the holdup here?¡± he asked. ¡°My guild allowed you to oversee the entry of members into the dungeon, not stall the line out. This group isn¡¯t worth your time. It¡¯s the smith and the team of idiots that we¡¯ve got cklisted.¡±

    Selen¡¯s gaze sharpened and she nced back at the man as a sh of anger crossed her features. ¡°Your guild may have purchased thend that this dungeon is on, but I will thank you not to attempt to order the Secret Eye around. You have no power over me, Busal.¡±

    <em>Aha. So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. They bought thend the dungeon was on, knowing they¡¯d be able to charge people a good amount of money to enter it. That¡¯s a clever business move. They must have moved quickly ¡ª but why would they be filtering people out if that was the case? It should be in their best interests to have as many people as possible pay to enter the dungeon. </em>

    The man ¡ª who Arwin presumed to be Busal ¡ª raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to tell you how to do your job, Ma¡¯am. I¡¯m just pointing out that you¡¯re wasting your time. The smith and his group wouldn¡¯t even make it through a single room. They¡¯ll die to the first group of monsters they run into.¡±

    Lines of annoyance creased Selen¡¯s face. She clearly wasn¡¯t a huge fan of the heavily armored man, but she turned back to Arwin and gave him a small shrug. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he is correct. I cannot allow you in unless you¡¯ve got something else to sway my decision.¡±

    It sounded like Selen was actually hoping that Arwin would have a way to make her change her mind. Arwin almostughed at Busal¡¯s expression. The man looked like he¡¯d eaten a lemon. He <em>really </em>didn¡¯t want them entering the dungeon. And, if anything, that only made Arwin want to enter it more.

    <em>They¡¯ve got something against us and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just something that Madiv did. There¡¯s no way the vampire could have pissed anyone off that badly. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve got no damn clue what it is they¡¯re pissed about. </em>

    <em>Either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. These idiots have money, but they¡¯re not stronger than Jessen. If they were, the Iron Hounds wouldn¡¯t have gotten such a strong hold in the city. All I care about is getting into this dungeon and taking whatever shit Jessen left behind. </em>

    Thereinid the problem. Arwin didn¡¯t relish the idea of getting into a pissing contest in front of the crowd or revealing any of his stronger magical items. They could always return at ater date ¡ª but the longer they waited, the more chance that someone just broke into the locked area and made Jessen¡¯s key worthless.

    ¡°Just leave, would you?¡± Busal asked, shaking his head and letting out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re trying to enter. I¡¯m showing you mercy. My own team isposed of members far greater than you, and they¡¯re currently working to get into the fifth room.¡±

    ¡°Says a lot about your own abilities if you aren¡¯t there with them,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Seems like the rest of them are clever enough, though. They left their worst member behind.¡±

    Busal¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°I am more than capable of handling every part of this dungeon myself. Watch your words, Smith ¡ª unless you¡¯re trying to start a fight? You¡¯re the leader of your guild, aren¡¯t you? It would be quite pathetic if you lost to a mere officer.¡±

    A smile crossed Arwin¡¯s lips, but his helm blocked anyone from seeing it. Busal had just given him the perfect excuse to enter the dungeon and the man didn¡¯t even know it yet. There was no chance that Busal was stronger than Jessen.

    ¡°If you¡¯re challenging me, then I ept. I¡¯m unsure as to why the Secret Eye is turning anyone away if the only standard to enter the dungeon is just being stronger than you,¡± Arwin said. He rolled his shoulders and took a step forward. ¡°As the challenged, I set the rules. The fight goes until one of us kneels.¡±

    Busal let out a snort of amusement. ¡°Not first blood? Coward, but I should have expected it. Come on, then. This ought to be fun. You can have the first move so rumors don¡¯t start going around that I¡¯m bullying nobatants.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s going to make things even easier than I¡¯d nned. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll dly ept.¡± Arwin extended his hand.

    Busal stared at the hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a handshake,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I trust you know what that is.¡±

    Anger shed over the other man¡¯s features and he spat on Arwin¡¯s armor. ¡°Don¡¯t act as if you¡¯re a proper warrior, Smith. I¡¯m not shaking hands with a coward and a scammer. If you try to make a mockery out of me, I¡¯ll crush you.¡±

    ¡°I believe you offered me the first move,¡± Arwin said evenly. He nced over to Selen. ¡°And if you¡¯re rejecting it, then you¡¯re either a lying coward or should forfeit the match for breaking your word. You choose.¡±

    Selen inclined her head in agreement. The heavily armored warrior¡¯s eye twitched and his muscles bulged as he stormed forward, letting out a slew of curses. He reached out, grabbing the offered hand ¡ª and Arwin poured energy into [Scourge] as his hand clenched around Busal¡¯s.

    Several loud cracks rang out as the other man¡¯s bones shattered in Arwin¡¯s powerful grip. The warrior¡¯s eyes went wide and he drew in a strangled gasp, just barely managing to stop the choked cry of pain before it could escape his mouth. Busal desperately tried to free his hand, but it was impossible. Arwin didn¡¯t say a word. He just put his free hand on the other man¡¯s shoulder and used [Scourge] to m the warrior to his knees in a single motion.

    The bulging veins in Busal¡¯s neck told Arwin that it was taking every scrap of the warrior¡¯s power to avoid screaming in pain as his bones ground against each other. For someone as proud as he was, crying out would have been the ultimate humiliation.

    ¡°Please correct me if I¡¯m wrong,¡± Arwin said, looking over at Selen and tilting his head to the side, ¡°but it appears that one of us is kneeling.¡±

 Chapter 172: Dungeon Break

    Chapter 172: Dungeon Break

    Busal¡¯s jaw clenched and his muscles bulged. Arwin didn¡¯t let his grip budge. He stared down into the warrior¡¯s eyes, meeting all the challenge in them and giving back nothing but an icy gaze.

    ¡°You would be correct,¡± Selen said. ¡°ording to the terms both of you agreed on, I would profess you the victor.¡±

    Arwin released Busal¡¯s hand and let it drop. ¡°Then I presume I have proven my abilities to a sufficient degree?¡±

    ¡°I would say that you have. You vouch for the abilities of the rest of your guild?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°They are all more than capable.¡±

    ¡°Then you may enter. I do not think I have any logical reason to deny you any further ess.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Busal started, rising from the ground as anger shed across his features, but Selen cut him off before he could so much as muster a word.

    ¡°You will not attempt to undermine my decision,¡± Selen snapped. ¡°As we have agreed upon, you own thend. They will pay the entry fee, but it is I ¡ª the Secret Eye ¡ª that determines who may enter. Your jurisdiction begins and ends outside the entrance of the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Busal spat, rising to his feet and spinning away. ¡°Do as you will.¡±Selen shook her head as the man left, then held out a pouch, pulling its mouth open. ¡°It will be ten gold for each of your entry fees.¡±

    Arwin counted the requested coins out and deposited them into the bag. They fell into its depths without so much as a clink. She closed the pouch and returned it to her waist, then gave him a small nod.

    ¡°What was your name and guild again, Smith?¡±

    ¡°Ifrit, of the Menagerie guild. We aren¡¯t fully established yet, but we¡¯re in processing,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°In processing.¡± A small smile yed across Selen¡¯s lips and she nodded to the dark cave entrance. ¡°Very well. Continue, and do so hastily before the crowd gets too irate with us. Ensure you do not die.¡±

    Arwin nodded and stepped past her. The rest of his guild followed after him as they headed over to the entrance of the dark cave.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Reya breathed, hurrying to fall in step with Arwin. ¡°That was incredible!¡±

    ¡°Save it for when we¡¯re inside the dungeon,¡± Arwin muttered back. ¡°We don¡¯t need any more attention than we¡¯ve already gotten.¡±

    They stepped into the cave. It continued on for just under a minute beforeing to a stop before a roiling wall of yellow energy. Power rose off the portal and prickled against Arwin¡¯s skin.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of these, huh?¡± Rodrick asked, sending a nce over her shoulder. ¡°Something seems a little odd about this entire dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed the same,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But the only way is forward. I¡¯m not giving up the stuff that Jessen left behind unless we have a really good reason to turn back. You haven¡¯t picked up on anything, have you?¡±

    Rodrick shook his head. ¡°On strange things? Yes. But on something that would make me think we should turn back? Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Then we keep going,¡± Lillia said.

    The six of them linked hands.

    Then, as one, they stepped into the portal.

    The world snapped like the shutter of a camera lens had gone off. An explosion of color swirled through the air as Arwin¡¯s foot fell on grassy dirt. He blinked, shaking off the effects of the portal.

    All traces of the cave had vanished. Towering trees rose all around them, their branches thick and coated withrge leaves but sparse enough to leave room for sunlight to filter through them. It fell on Arwin¡¯s unprotected arms, warming them. Distant birdsong just barely reached his ears, joined by the loud rustling roar of wind through leaves.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya breathed, her eyes going wide as she stepped away from the group to ce a hand on the trunk of a tree. ¡°What happened? Did we get tricked and sent somewhere else?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said, his face going grim. ¡°This is a dungeon. Look behind us.¡±

    A rectangle of rippling yellow energy floated just half a foot off the ground, waiting for them to pass back through it.

    ¡°Why¡¯s it look like this?¡± Reya asked. She turned in a circle and squinted up at the sky. ¡°We¡¯re outside!¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°And now I know why they were so damn worried about people dying in here. The dungeon is overloaded. If much more magical energy ends up here, there¡¯s going to be a Dungeon Break.¡±

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Dungeon Break?¡± Reya asked with a frown. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°When something dies outside, their magical energy disperses. Some of it gets given to you by the Mesh as a reward for the fight if your ss allows it, and the rest¡­ well, nobody knows where it goes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But it goes somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t happen in a dungeon. Dungeons trap magic within them. That¡¯s the whole reason monsters gather in them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°So when a huge number of people die in a dungeon, all that excess magical energy starts to build up.¡±

    ¡°Monster deaths contribute a tad as well, but not as much,¡± Lillia added. ¡°Monsters are literally made from magic, so their bodies physically hold the magic inside them. Adventurers, on the other hand¡­ not so much. So when they die, a lot of that energy just seeps into the environment.¡±

    ¡°So all this is just magical energy?¡± Reya asked. She touched the leaf of a tree. ¡°It seems real.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s real,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I mean, the light is fake. That¡¯s just a fake orb of fire or something like that, but I digress. The extra magic makes the dungeon grow, but it¡¯s a very gradual process in most cases. That is unless there¡¯s enoughtent magical energy in a dungeon topletely fill it to the brim. Then it expands all at once. Explosively.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this before,¡± Olive said, her face going pale. ¡°The dungeon basically swallows up everything in the area around it and pulls it in.¡±

    ¡°Milten is right next to us,¡± Reya said, realization washing over her face. She backed away from the tree and put her hand on the hilt of her dagger. ¡°What happens if people get sucked in?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about people, but I¡¯ve seen it happen to some monsters,¡± Lillia said. ¡°They get warped. There¡¯s no other word for it. Magic infuses their bodies and rips their psyche apart. They turn into horrifying shadows of their former selves. The only thing you can do with a Dungeon Break is purge the entire dungeon. The warped monsters can¡¯t reproduce or spread, so once you kill them off, it¡¯s just arger, higher ranked dungeon.¡±

    Anna¡¯s hands tightened around her staff and her lips pressed thin. ¡°Why is the Secret Eye allowing anyone into the dungeon at this stage? It should be quarantined off until the magic dissipates. If it¡¯s expanded this much, then just a few strong dead adventurers might be enough to tip the scales.¡±

    A chilling thought struck Arwin. The Secret Eye weren¡¯t exactly concerned with the lives of people in a random town far away from the center of the Kingdom of Lian. Their purpose was getting information and power.

    <em>They¡¯re limiting the amount of people allowed in and have a member standing right next to the dungeon, so there¡¯s no way they actually want a Dungeon Break to happen¡­ but if one ends up going off after they leave, they won¡¯t care. </em>

    ¡°I get the feeling they really want whatever Jessen¡¯s key unlocks,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They probably threw people against it for long enough to gather all this power, then realized they¡¯re going to lose the artifact if they keep feeding the dungeon and started doing preventative measures ¡ª but they still want the artifact.¡±

    ¡°Greedy idiots,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Clearing out the dungeon would reduce some of the magical energy in it, but it sounds like nobody¡¯s managed to get very deep yet.¡±

    ¡°I can see why,¡± Arwin said as he cast a look around the forest. ¡°And it leaves us with two options. We press forward and try to get the artifacts, or we leave and let them do as they will to avoid getting caught up in a Dungeon Break.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure we can leave. Not me, at least,¡± Lillia said. She swallowed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m stuck in Milten for the foreseeable future.¡±

    <em>Oh, shit. She can¡¯t leave her tavern behind because of her ss. I don¡¯t know what the Mesh would do if it got transformed into part of a dungeon¡­ but something tells me it won¡¯t let her off the hook.</em>

    ¡°Then we¡¯ve only got one option,¡± Arwin said. His jaw set. ¡°We clear the dungeon ourselves. That¡¯ll reduce a lot of the magical energy here and, when the Secret Eye finds out that the door is open and there isn¡¯t anything left to take, they¡¯ll leave and the flow of adventurers will be far lower.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s assuming we manage to find it before a Dungeon Break goes off in the first ce, right?¡± Olive asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the other adventurer teams are showing up, but every second that passes is time that one of them can get killed. Why exactly can¡¯t we just leave Milten? I understand your street means a lot to you, but don¡¯t your lives matter more?¡±

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is the right ce to go into the details of my past and ss but suffice to say that I am physically bound to my tavern. If I have to leave it behind, I¡¯ll die.¡±

    Olive¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What kind of ss binds you to a building?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to tell you when we get out of here, but I don¡¯t think it would be beneficial to go into any revtions right now,¡± Lillia said. She hesitated for a second, then sighed. ¡°But if you think it¡¯s going to negatively affect you until you find out, I can tell you.¡±

    Olive studied Lillia for a few moments. She looked to the others. ¡°They already know?¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait. I trust their judgement enough at this point,¡± Olive allowed. She pulled her sword free of its sheath and held it before her. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, then. If we can¡¯t leave, then we need to be fast. I just have no idea how we¡¯re going to find anything in a bloody forest.¡±

    Arwin banished his helmet as a small grin pulled across his lips. ¡°I think I might be able to help a bit there. Olive is right. We¡¯re going to have to move fast, so let me guide the way.¡±

    And with that, he drew on his magical energy and activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed]. Energy hummed in the air around him as he felt invisible lines of force attach to his body. There were dozens of them at the minimum.

    They pulled with different intensities, each leading in a different direction. A bead of sweat rolled down Arwin¡¯s forehead as he tried to sift through them. There was so much magic in the dungeon. It really was just a small push away from a Dungeon Break.

    [Dragon¡¯s Greed] definitely wasn¡¯t meant to work inside an area that waspletelyden with magic. It was almost impossible to tell the direction of any one line of force. But, as he worked through them, one felt ever so slightly stronger than the others.

    Arwin opened his eyes, turning to the left and pointing through the trees in its direction. He released his magic to save energy. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain, but I think the strongest magical aura is over there.¡±

    ¡°New skill?¡± Rodrick asked, tilting his head to the side.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yeah. It would have been a lot better in a normal dungeon, but we make do. That¡¯s our best lead.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get to it,¡± Rodrick said. He drew his own sword and walked to stand beside Arwin. ¡°You and I at the front, Olive takes up the back to make sure we don¡¯t get ambushed? Reya, Lillia, and Anna can stay between us.¡±

    Everyone moved into formation and they set off.

    None of them knew how long they had before a Dungeon Break urred, but there was only one option that remained. They had to clear the dungeon before anyone else got themselves killed.

 Chapter 173: Hobgobbling

    Chapter 173: Hobgobbling

    An eerie feeling enveloped the entire forest. It was difficult to ce exactly what it was, but there was something deeply wrong. The closer he looked at anything around him, the more he found slight inconsistencies that just didn¡¯t match up properly with real life.

    Leaves sprouting from tree branches were just a little too symmetrical. The twigs on the ground had strange patterns in them that shouldn¡¯t have been there and the birdsong was just a bit too close to a loop.

    The dungeon was trying to emte life, but it couldn¡¯t quite do it. Even though it had enough magic to make what almost felt like a whole recreation of a world, everything was fake. As far as Arwin was aware, people didn¡¯t know what dungeons were.

    They were simply part of the world, ced there by the Mesh. And, like the mesh, their ultimate purpose was difficult to discern at best. There would have been a time when he¡¯d say that the dungeons weren¡¯t any more alive than the Mesh was. But, given the messages it had been sending him recently, Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure he was willing to make any assumptions about the dungeon.

    In the end, it changed nothing. The dungeon had tried to replicate life, but it had failed. It was still just a dungeon, and it couldn¡¯t make real life from just magic. It needed more ¡ª and it would get more if a Dungeon Break happened.

    Arwin¡¯s hands tightened around Verdant ze. He was grateful that the trees were spread so far apart. Fighting in an enclosed space with a hammer wasn¡¯t exactly ideal. It gave him room to maneuver the weapon and himself.

    ¡°Where are all the monsters?¡± Reya whispered from behind him, her dagger clenched in her hands before her. ¡°I almost wish something would happen. Walking like this is nerve wracking.¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± Arwin whispered back. ¡°Just keep it together for now. Rushing isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere. Do you hear anything, Rodrick?¡±

    ¡°Hear? No.¡± Rodrick shook his head, then nodded up to the rustling leaves above them. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to pick anything up with this. I¡¯m doing my best, but it¡¯s like trying to hear someone whisper while a baby screams in your ear.¡±Arwin grimaced. ¡°Figures. Just keep your eyes out, then.¡±

    They continued on. Minutes passed as they crept deeper into the forest, doing their best to bnce moving quickly with not making too much noise. It struck Arwin that it took exactly five steps to pass between every single tree. He started counting them off idly in his head.

    <em>It makes sense for there to be less monsters near the locations that adventurers arrive. There are definitely several different spots the portals drop people off, or we would have run into another group by now. </em>

    <em>This is a bit much, though. It almost feels like we¡¯repletely alone. I bet the dungeon has been patching over any damage it takes from fights with all the excess magic. That could make it hard to find a way back to a portal. </em>

    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and there won¡¯t be a single monster between us and the door,¡± Rodrick muttered to Arwin.

    Arwin went to nod, then paused. Something was wrong. He stopped walking beneath a tree and the others all froze. It took him a second to realize what it was. His mental count had only reached four. The pattern of the trees had changed.

    ¡°Ready up,¡± Arwin whispered. ¡°Trees changed. It might mean nothing, but dungeons like separating things. I think we just entered the equivalent of the next room.¡±

    ¡°What happened to the first one?¡± Reya asked in the same tone.

    ¡°Probably cleared by all the people they sent through here,¡± Lillia said as they studied their surroundings with renewed vigor.

    Nothing was immediately apparent so they continued forward. But, this time, it wasn¡¯t long before the changes became more apparent. Distant grunts and grumbles reached Arwin¡¯s ears and they drew up on a line of bushes hidden within the trees.

    Everyone lowered themselves and crept up to the foliage. Arwin poked his head over it and bit back a whistle. A campposed of a hide tents had been erected in arge clearing. Large, red-skinned goblins strolled around within it. The majority of them had gathered around a small campfire in the center of their camp. He studied one of the monsters.

    <strong>[Hobgoblin ¨C Journeyman 4]</strong>

    The others were roughly the same tier. He ducked back down before anything could spot him.

    ¡°Hobgoblins,¡± Arwin said, the distaste clear in his tone. ¡°Looks like there are around fifteen of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± Anna said, her face paling.

    Rodrick looked over the bushes to size them up himself. He lowered himself a few momentster and gave them a grimace. ¡°We aren¡¯t the first party to find them. There¡¯s armor around their campfire.¡±

    A flicker of confusion passed over Reya¡¯s face, only to be reced with disgust. ¡°They¡¯re <em>eating</em> people?¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Is anyone still alive in the camp?¡± Olive asked. Her face had paled a tone, but her voice remained steady.

    Arwin looked back over the bushes. He spotted the piles of armor around the campfire and directed his attention away from whatever it was they were cooking. There were some things he didn¡¯t want details for.

    He couldn¡¯t find any signs of cages or humans anywhere. Arwin ducked back down and shook his head.

    ¡°Nothing that I can see. They could be in a tent, but I doubt a tent would hold someone very well.¡±

    ¡°Can we take 15 hobgoblins?¡± Reya asked. ¡°If they¡¯re like goblins then it shouldn¡¯t be too hard, right?¡±

    ¡°I think we can,¡± Arwin said after a moment of thought. ¡°Hobgoblins are distant cousins of goblins. They¡¯re a bit smarter and a whole lot burlier. They also aren¡¯t as blind as goblins are. Lillia, any thoughts?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re far from intelligent,¡± Lillia said after a moment. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to adapt well to any sort of surprise and are incredibly self-centered as a standard. None of them will go out of their way to protect each other, so we can try to pick them off.¡±

    ¡°How do we pick off monsters that are all in the same camp?¡± Olive asked. ¡°They¡¯ll spot us the moment we get close. Arwin could use that huge bow of his to take out one, but what then? Are they too dumb to see where the arrow came from?¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Lillia said with a frown. ¡°But they aren¡¯t actually all that fast. I think I¡¯ve got an idea that should let us take them out without too much difficulty.¡±

    They all looked to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I was just going to charge down there and swing my sword around until everything was dead.¡±

    ¡°We know, dear,¡± Anna said with a sigh. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re even more thankful for anything that gives you a chance of making it out of this with your pants intact.¡±

    ¡°My pants will be perfectly fine. Don¡¯t forget who made them.¡±

    ¡°With you, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± Anna said with a wry smile. She sent an apologetic look to Lillia. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt. What¡¯s your n?¡±

    Lillia told them.

    ***

    Olive watched Rodrick and Reya sprint out of the forest and into the clearing, her heart rising up into her throat. Sending two people charging straight at a hobgoblin camp seemed like a strikingly stupid idea.

    She hadn¡¯t fought them before, but she¡¯d heard stories. Hobgoblins definitely weren¡¯t the strongest monsters. That didn¡¯t mean they were weak. Even a talented adventurer could go down under a horde of them, and these were a higher tier than they were.

    <em>Everything hinges on Reya and Rodrick being fast enough to stay ahead of the hobgoblins. I don¡¯t envy their positions. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d trust myself not to trip. </em>

    The first hobgoblin in the camp nced up. It spotted Rodrick and Reya sprinting toward it and let out a snarl, grabbing a roughshod iron sword from its side and drawing the weapon ¡ª only for a streak of green light to carve through the air.

    A massive arrow mmed into the monster¡¯s chest and pinned it to the ground in a spray of viscera. Crystals jutted out from the monster¡¯s chest, ripping through its body. The arrow vanished a momentter and the hobgoblin dropped to the ground, dead.

    The rest of the camp let out snarls and scrambled to ready themselves for a fight. Several of them pulled out bows and started trying to string them, but Rodrick and Reya didn¡¯tplete their charge.

    As soon as they reached the edge of the camp, they skidded to a halt and started running in the opposite direction, running back toward the treeline. The hobgoblins were only confused for an instant.

    Seeing their prey turn and flee, the monsters broke into pursuit ¡ª and they started gaining ground quickly. They were definitely faster than humans. Olive¡¯s grip tightened around her sword.

    <em>I can¡¯t move until they make it back to the treeline. That¡¯ll spoil the ambush. Come on. Push!</em>

    Rodrick and Reya were only a short distance ahead of the monsters. Every single second brought the hobgoblins closer to them. They bore down on Rodrick and Reya¡¯s backs, gaining ground with terrifying speed. The monsters hooted and hollered, waving their weapons in the air.

    A hobgoblin that had stayed back in camp with its bow raised the weapon, taking aim.

    <em>Oh, shit. It¡¯s too soon for Arwin to shoot again! His bow takes too long to prepare. </em>

    Olive opened her mouth to call out a warning but caught herself at thest instant. Hobgoblins weren¡¯t smart, but if they realized there was someone waiting in the trees for them, their whole ambush would be ruined.

    <em>Who cares about the ambush if Reya gets run through the back with an arrow? </em>

    She prepared to yell despite the n ¡ª and an arrow screamed through the air. She stared in disbelief as it mmed into the hobgoblin standing in the camp, turning its head into a fine mist. There hadn¡¯t been any green energy around it this time.

    Arwin had literally thrown the arrow, but it had flown with such force that it looked like it had beenunched from a cannon.

    <em>What kind of smith is he even meant to be? That kind of strength should be impossible for someone our Tier.</em>

    Olive didn¡¯t have time to wonder any longer. Rodrick and Reya were just moments from the trees and the hobgoblin horde was right on their tail. The closest monsters were so close that they were nearly in swinging distance.

    ¡°Now!¡± Arwin roared,unching from the forest. He stepped straight into the surprised monster¡¯s path, his hammer roaring with me as it hurtled through the air. It pulverized the head of a hobgoblin in a single bow, killing the monster before it even knew what hit it.

    Strands of shadow whipped out from the trees and bound at the hobgoblin¡¯s feet. The monsters at the front of the group stumbled over them, causing theirpatriots to trip over them like a bunch of ugly red dominos.

    Olive joined the fight alongside Reya, sending her de flicking forth into the eye of a hobgoblin as it tried to rise. Fire hissed as the sword punctured the creature¡¯s skull and melted its brain. Olive twisted the sword to make sure the monster was dead before jumping back to avoid a swing from another monster.

    Reya ducked under a rusty sword and stepped into its owner, driving her dagger up through the bottom of its jaw before ripping it down through its throat. It lunged for her, but a tendril of shadow wrapped around Reya¡¯s waist and yanked her out of the way before the hobgoblin could reach her.

    A hobgoblinnded a blow on Rodrick¡¯s arm, but a ripple of water swirled around the monster¡¯s sword and stopped it from connecting. Rodrick¡¯s de drove into the hobgoblin¡¯s chest a secondter and he kicked it back into the crowd.

    Olive was tempted to press forward, but Lillia had been firm on their orders. She took several steps back, joining the others as they formed a wall in front of the treeline to cover each other¡¯s sides.

    Over half of the hobgoblins were dead, but their ambush had run its course. The monsters regrouped and gathered into a formation, snarling and roaring.

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Lillia called. ¡°Here theye! Remember the n!¡±

    Olive¡¯s hand tightened around her sword.

    The hobgoblins charged.

 Chapter 174: Angry

    Chapter 174: Angry

    Arwin mmed into the mass of red flesh like a runaway cart. des rang off his helm and chest, scraping against the metal of his enchanted armor harmlessly. Verdant ze was considerably less kind.

    The massive hammer pulverized another hobgoblin. Arwin only had to use a little extra power from [Scourge] to strengthen his swings. The hobgoblins were ill prepared to go up against something that could hit as hard as Verdant ze.

    Screams and roars filled the air; familiar sounds that brought him back to times that he didn¡¯t care to remember. Arwin¡¯s teeth clenched as an oppressive magical aura rolled off him. Every swing his hammer made elerated his next one.

    He didn¡¯t even bother trying to block any of the monsters¡¯ attacks. des cut into the outside of his arm, leaving behind long, scoring wounds that wouldn¡¯t be fatal anytime soon. The screams mixed with the crunch of bone and the thump of blood in his ears.

    Every kill lent itself into the next. The aura coiling off him continued to intensify as it drank in all the death around him. None of the monsters had any magic, but the sickening power roiling off Arwin¡¯s body was still enough to hinder them.

    Verdant ze seemed to sing in his mind as the weapon devoured the life of the monsters that fell under it. But, despite all the power coursing through him, there were a lot of hobgoblins.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the others fighting them at the sidelines and drawing their attention away, Arwin suspected he would have been overwhelmed. Weapons nged off his armor and sought to pierce into the openings between it.

    Unfortunately for the hobgoblins, he wasn¡¯t alone. Every ncing wound they managed tond on him was already reduced by [Indomitable Bulwark], and he made the hobgoblins pay its cost in their blood.

    The battle was over in just seconds. Arwin spun in search of the next hobgoblin, but there was nothing but a field covered in corpses and blood. He let Verdant ze lower, his breathing heavy, and dismissed his helm.Anna pressed her hands to his back, sending healing energy flooding through his body to patch over the cuts he¡¯d gotten. Arwin gave her a nod of appreciation.

    ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Nobody other than you. Sprinting right into the middle of their horde is bold to say the least,¡± Anna said, a note of admonishment in her tone.

    ¡°It was the n.¡±

    ¡°He can handle it,¡± Lillia said, drawing up beside them. ¡°Everyone did a great job. If anything, this was a really good test run. Hobgoblins aren¡¯t the biggest threat, but that could have gone a lot worse.¡±

    ¡°I got an achievement for killing a group of monsters whose average Tier was a whole level above my own and went up to Apprentice 4,¡± Reya said, rubbing a small cut on her hand. It closed up even as Arwin watched, sealing shut over the course of a few seconds. ¡°I took an ability called Warden¡¯s Patience that lets me increase my reaction timing and understanding of an opponent¡¯s moves if I spend enough time staring at them. The other skills weren¡¯t great and this one got upgraded¡­ and it also seems pretty useful if I can stay out of the fight for long enough.¡±

    Arwin pulled his thoughts away from the dead monsters for long enough to think about Reya¡¯s new skill. It sounded like a berserker skill that needed her to prepare beforehand instead of suffering a debuff after it wore off. Considering she was already generally fighting from the backline, it seemed like a pretty good way for her to secure a kill on an otherwise superior opponent.

    ¡°Sounds like a good skill,¡± Rodrick said before Arwin could speak. ¡°Moving faster is always pretty good. I¡¯m pretty close to getting to Apprentice 6 myself, I think. It¡¯s been a while since I went up a level.¡±

    ¡°What did you end up specializing in at Apprentice 5?¡± Arwin asked curiously, finally shaking thest of the fight thrills off.

    ¡°Liberate.¡± Rodrick flicked the blood from his de and returned it to his sheath. ¡°The ability that I used back in the fight with the Bonehemoth. I try to avoid using it excessively because it can have some drawbacks on my body and it¡¯s not great midway through a dungeon, but having a huge burst of power can be pretty good for major fights.¡±

    <em>So it¡¯s more than just a debuff remover. It¡¯s a berserker skill. Definitely not a skill that a pdin would have normally taken. I really want to know more about his past. </em>

    ¡°We should check the camp out,¡± Lillia suggested. ¡°The adventurers that were here before us might have had something useful.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the vition.

    They all nodded and left the dead hobgoblins behind to look into the scattered tents. Arwin shoved the campfire over and kicked dirt over me, not letting himself spend too much time on thinking about what had been cooking.

    He studied the armor, but there was nothing special about it. It looked to be made of Roughsteel and had below-average quality. It wasn¡¯t worth bringing back ¡ª but he made care to check every surface to make sure nothing valuable was hidden within them.

    Something gritty brushed against his fingers on the inside of a chestte. Arwin used [Scourge] to crack it open, revealing a small woven badge that had been pressed into the padded armor¡¯s interior.

    The badge had nothing but a woven spiral pattern on it. It was poorly made and done either hastily or by an amateur hand. Arwin frowned, then tucked the badge into his pocket. There was a chance someone would recognize it and he¡¯d be able to give the adventurer¡¯s surviving rtives some closure as to their fate.

    He turned and walked back over to the tents. The others had all gathered around thergest one, where Lillia had a small pouch in her hand. As soon as Arwin¡¯s eyes drifted over it, the Mesh shimmered to life and scrawled letters through the air.

    <strong>Minuscule Spatial Storage: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Bigger on the inside]: Spatial energy has warped this item, causing it to be five timesrger on the interior than the exterior. Any objects ced into this will remain in the state that they are put into it for 1 week, after which they will begin to rapidly decay. Attempting to ce living creatures into the bag will destroy the magic that holds it together. </strong>

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That¡¯s not bad at all. Basically a pouch that can carry the amount that a backpack can. Good find.¡±

    ¡°More than a good find,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I can use this to store food we get in dungeons. Anything we get, really. Up until it¡¯s full of course. But food is the most important one. Things won¡¯t rot for up to a week as long as I use this. The adventurers that had it before were using it to carry fresh rations around.¡±

    ¡°I think that settles who gets it, then,¡± Anna said with a smile that faded away as she looked over to where Arwin hade from. ¡°It¡¯s sad to think about how many people have already died here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the job,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be callous. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Anna shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it less sad. Should we keep moving? We don¡¯t want to linger long in one area.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Just give me one second,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I want to see if there¡¯s anything strong in this camp that we¡¯re missing before we continue.¡±

    He closed his eyes and activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed], using the smallest amount of energy he could get away with. Unlike the previous time he¡¯d used it, he wasn¡¯t trying to scan the whole dungeon. That would be useless right now. All he wanted to see was the immediate area.

    A faint line tugged at his left shoulder. Arwin turned in its direction and followed it into a nearby tent, where it brought him down to the ground near a matted bed of dirty straw. Arwin ran his fingers across the ground and they caught on a small piece of metal.

    He pulled it free of the grass. It was a tarnished brass ring with a tiny gem twinkling in its center. Thin designs ran along its surface in a in but well-done pattern depicting a swirling wave.

    <strong>Flowing Water Ring: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Glittering Wave]: This item was made with the sea in mind and quenched within its waters. Activating this item will cause it to glint like the sun off water, potentially blinding anyone looking in its direction for a short period of time.</strong>

    ¡°Huh. This is nice,¡± Arwin said, turning the ring over between his fingers. He raised it to his nose and took a sniff.

    The ring smelled pleasant. It wasn¡¯t amazing, nor was it rancid. There were notes of warm sand and distant ocean, but not overwhelmingly so. It was rtively weak.

    ¡°Nice little ring,¡± Rodrick observed. ¡°These adventurers weren¡¯t random nobodies if they had two magical items.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know they came from the same group,¡± Arwin pointed out. He tucked the ring into his pocket. Something about wearing someone else¡¯s ring just wasn¡¯t right, and this one was far too small for his fingers.

    He could, however, use the ring to try and learn how to make some of his own. The magic in it looked quite limited. If he could replicate it, he could start making bracelets and rings for the others that wouldn¡¯tpletely drain them of all their magical power when they went off.

    ¡°Good point,¡± Anna said. ¡°We should¡ª¡±

    A massive roar split the air, cutting Anna off and tearing through the camp like an explosion. All of them spun toward the source, but despite the intensity of the cry, there was nothing nearby.

    ¡°What in the Nine Undends was that?¡± Rodrick asked, drawing his sword. ¡°Sounds like a big bugger. Doesn¡¯t bode well for whoever pissed it off.¡±

    Arwin reactivated [Dragon¡¯s Greed], putting more power into it and casting his senses out. His lips pressed thin as lines of energy attached themselves to him. Several of them wereing from the direction that the roar had.

    ¡°There¡¯s magic there,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And a decent amount of it. Three pieces. Unless whatever made that roar just happened to be sitting on three magical items or materials, there are adventurers with at least a little strength fighting it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not from the same direction we were heading,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We could just start moving faster.¡±

    ¡°What if the adventurers get themselves killed? If they¡¯ve got decent magical gear, they might be a little stronger than random people. Their death could end up causing the dungeon to copse,¡± Olive said with a concerned frown.

    Arwin cursed under his breath. ¡°Olive is right, and they aren¡¯t that far off the path in the first ce. We should interfere with the fight and make sure they don¡¯t get themselves killed. Picking up the kill for ourselves certainly won¡¯t hurt either. It¡¯s too dangerous to just hope they survive.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯d best be fast,¡± Anna said. Another roar shook the air, marking her words. Whatever the massive monster was, it was angry.

    The magical energy in the dungeon was already teetering, and it would only take one firm shove to send everything toppling down. They all broke into a sprint, running as fast as they could to stop the monster before anyone else could die.

 Chapter 175: Crag Lizard

    Chapter 175: Crag Lizard

    Arwin heard the fight long before he saw it. Swathes of trees snapped in unison in a synchronized chorus. The crash of massive footsteps shook the forest floor, punctuated by massive roars.

    A man¡¯s voice yelled out orders, panic seeping into his tone. More trees shattered and screams rang out through the trees and rose up into the air. Amidst it all, the sounds of the forest continued unperturbed.

    Birds chittered just barely out of sight, even though any logical animal would have been desperately flying in the opposite direction of the noise.

    The Menagerie, however, ran directly toward it. They burst from the treeline and into a freshly made clearing littered with the pulverized stumps of trees. Jagged wooden splinters were strewn about the ground like firewood and dust floated through the air inrge clouds.

    Patches of ckened and scorched earth littered the ground and trees smoldered around them, several of them crackling with me.

    A towering, lizardlike monster stood on its hind legs at the far edge of the clearing. Its arms wereically short. That did nothing to make it even slightly less intimidating. It was covered with craggy, shieldlike scales with the consistency ofva rock. Muted orange light glowed beneath its skin like a pulsing me trying to break free from within it. The monster stood taller than the trees, its glowing red eyes easily almost two stories in the air. Thick, jagged teeth of stone jutted out of its mouth in every direction.

    <strong>[Overloading Crag Lizard ¨C Journeyman 9] </strong>

    The Crag Lizard¡¯s tail was nearly as long as its upper body and ended in arge, spiked ball three times the size of Arwin¡¯s head. A huge foot mmed into the ground as the monster twisted its body, sending its tail through another set of trees and ripping them apart like they were made out of paper mache.

    The trees crashed to the ground, revealing two cowering adventurers. One of them ¡ª a blonde woman wearing loose, baggy clothing ¡ª thrust her hands forward and sent a bolt of blue light into the Crag Lizard¡¯s face, only for it to scrape off the rough scales and fly into the air behind it, doing absolutely no damage.¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia said as they all skidded to a stop. ¡°Rodrick was right. That¡¯s a big bugger.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Arwin yelled, waving his hammer over his head to try and get the adeventurer team¡¯s attention. ¡°Over here! We¡¯ll back you up. Just stay alive!¡±

    The woman and the man that appeared to be the party¡¯s warrior nced over in their direction. Arwin didn¡¯t wait to see if they were going to listen to him. There was no time to waste.

    ¡°Cover us as you can,¡± Arwin told Reya. ¡°Lillia, focus on binding it down. Rodrick, Olive, with me. Let me keep its attention.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, noints there,¡± Rodrick muttered. The three of them charged forward and Arwin quickly took the lead as he sent [Scourge] into his feet, bounding across the ground like he were walking in half-gravity.

    His feet hit the dirt a short distance from the huge monster and heunched himself into the air, whipping Verdant ze up in the direction of his momentum. It mmed into the Crag Lizard¡¯s side with a loud crash.

    The lizard stumbled a step, but force from Arwin¡¯s blow was enough to throw him back through the air. A wave of blue mmed into him an instant before he hit the ground and froze him in ce, followed by the sound of shattering ss as he was set back into motion and dropped him to his feet easily.

    Arwin didn¡¯t have time to thank Reya for the save. Rodrick and Olive had both arrived at the Crag Lizard. The former pdin brought his sword into the monster¡¯s foot in a series of glowing shes that bit into the grooves between its scales, sending blue blood spilling out.

    A pained roar escaped the monster¡¯s huge, tooth-ridden maw. It spun toward them, the other adventurer group forgotten. Orange light smoldered deep within the monster¡¯s throat, rapidly growing in intensity.

    ¡°It can breath fire!¡± the female adventurer screamed in warning. Given the mes that covered the clearing, it wasn¡¯t particrly useful ¡ª but the thought was still appreciated.

    A wave of blue mmed into the monster, halting it for just an instant. Arwin used the brief time Reya had bought them to burst into motion, throwing himself back into the air and whipping [Verdant ze] for the lizard¡¯s jaw.

    It snapped out of Reya¡¯s restrictive magic before Arwin could reach it. The light building in its throat grew brighter until me smoldered within the back of its throat and stared at Arwin like a third eye.

    The lizard roared and the fire burst forth ¡ª only for Verdant ze to drive up into the monster. Arwin poured [Scourge]¡¯s power into the blow, mming the Crag Lizard¡¯s mouth shut and knocking its head back with a crack.

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Sputters of fire coiled out from its scaley lips and it stumbled, pitching back and tripping over its own tail. Arwin dropped to the ground and it crashed back into the trees, demolishing several more of them and sending up a huge cloud of dust.

    The adventurers that it had been chasing limped across the clearing. Both the woman and the man were nursing several severe wounds. Anna rushed to meet them, healing energy gathering at her hands.

    An enormous roar tore through the forest. The ground bucked beneath Arwin¡¯s feet as the lizard¡¯s tail mmed into the dirt and it pushed itself back up. It spun toward them, demolishing another group of trees in the process.

    Water gathered around Rodrick¡¯s sword as he burst into motion, sprinting across the clearing as the Crag Lizard reared its tail back, and driving his de straight up into its underside.

    Its eyes widened in understandable pain and it let out a scream, sending a burst of me arcing into the air from its mouth. Rodrick ripped his sword free and threw himself to the side as the Crag Lizard brought its foot down where he¡¯d been a moment before, nearly crushing him.

    Arwin rushed to join Rodrick, whipping Verdant ze around and into the monster¡¯s knee. He¡¯d have loved to take advantage of Shieldbreaker, but he just couldn¡¯t keep the monster still for long enough to hit it in the same spot every time.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Olive waiting at the sidelines, looking for an opportunity to attack herself. With how slow her sword abilities were, it made sense. She wouldn¡¯t be able to do much if she grew close until it was somehow disoriented or incapacitated. They had to buy her enough time to attack.

    Twin bolts of blue light ripped out from behind Arwin and struck the monster one after the other. Neither of them did anything, but at least one of the other adventurers was trying.

    The Crag Lizard¡¯s tail whistled through toward Arwin and Rodrick. Arwin grabbed the other warrior and threw himself to the ground, taking Rodrick along with him. The tail passed overhead with a howl.

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m not doing too hot on magical energy,¡± Rodrick said, panting for breath as they scrambled to their feet. ¡°I poured a huge amount of it into those first few attacks. Was hoping I¡¯d cripple it.¡±

    The lizard took a lumbering step toward them, and the forest bucked beneath it once more. There was a lot of blooding out of its wounds, but it was big enough to have a lot of blood to lose.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing fine,¡± Arwin replied. He¡¯d managed to knock the lizard around a bit with his hammer, but he hadn¡¯t done any significant damage to its armor yet. ¡°We need to get Olive in the fight. Her sword is going to do more damage to this thing than anything we can do. Once she splits it open, I can finish it off.¡±

    The Lizard leaned forward, fire gathering in the back of its throat. A ripple of blue energy mmed into it. Arwin and Rodrick threw themselves to the side and the monster returned to motion, sending a wall of me pouring out over the ground where they¡¯d been.

    ¡°I can distract it while you charge your bow,¡± Rodrick offered.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯ll take too long. You aren¡¯t strong enough to hold it off on your own and Olive doesn¡¯t have the defenses to y aggressive together with you.¡±

    Rodrick grunted in a mixture of distaste and agreement. ¡°I could hold it off for a few seconds with Liberate. Is that enough?¡±

    The Crag Lizard roared. Its burning eyes locked onto them and its tail whipped out. Reya hit the monster with another Imprison, buying Rodrick and Arwin just enough time to scramble to safety. Arwin bit back a curse. It didn¡¯t look like they had a choice.

    ¡°I¡¯ll back him up,¡± Lillia called. ck wings of shadow snapped open behind her and she leapt from the treeline,nding beside them. ¡°I¡¯ve been gathering some shadow to work with. This is an awful environment for me, but I can help for a short while.¡±

    <em>We really need a way to lock enemies down better. </em>

    ¡°Fine. Be careful,¡± Arwin said, spinning and running to the end of the clearing. He summoned Prism¡¯s Reach as he ran and skidded to a stop. He braced the end of the massive bow against the ground and clenched his teeth as he activated [Scourge] and started to draw the string back, unable to do anything but watch as the Crag Lizard¡¯s tail bore down on Rodrick.

    The warrior flung himself back,nding in a roll, and shot to his feet as yellow light enveloped his body. It infused his skin and the air around him crackled with electric energy. The Crag Lizard brought its tail down toward him again and Rodrick blurred,unching himself out of the way.

    He drove his sword into a gap in the monster¡¯s armor, using it like aunchpad to fling himself onto its back. His fingers dug into the thick scales and he ripped his sword free, driving it into the monster¡¯s side.

    The blow was probably nothing more than the equivalent of a splinter, but the Crag Lizard screamed in fury. It twisted, trying to get Rodrick off itself, but lines of shadow erupted from beneath Lillia and stretched across the ground to wind around its feet.

    They thickened as they wrapped around the monster, tearing at the seams even as she sent more energy into them. Lillia¡¯s lips pressed thin and her hands trembled with exertion. Using shadow magic in broad daylight was clearly far from ideal when she wasn¡¯t even abatant.

    Arwin groaned, pulling the string back farther. Power flooded from his body and into Prism¡¯s Reach. The bow creaked in delight as it drank from him.

    The Crag Lizard twisted abruptly, finally managing to fling Rodrick free. Its tail whipped around and water gathered before him a moment before it mmed into him. He mmed into the ground like a meteor and skidded through the dirt, the glow sputtering and fading from his body ¡ª his armor had drained everyst drop of magic he had in reducing the force of the blow.

    A wave of energy shot from Anna¡¯s hands and flooded into Rodrick. He pushed himself upright with a groan. A victorious roar tore from the Crag Lizard¡¯s mouth and it leaned forward, gathering fire to cook Rodrick alive.

    Blue light enveloped the monster an instant before shadowy bands snapped its mouth shut, binding as tightly as they could. The lizard broke free of Reya¡¯s magic and trembled in fury, starting to rip free of Lillia¡¯s powers as well.

    Arwin pulled the string back further, gritting his teeth. He activated [Arsenal]. His arrow snapped into existence, already notched. Power thrummed through his entire body and ran through the limbs of the bow as he took aim. There wasn¡¯t going to be time for another shot. If this one missed, they¡¯d have no way to take the lizard out.

    He adjusted his aim once more, making sure the arrow would fly true.

    Then he released the string.

 Chapter 176: Generous

    Chapter 176: Generous

    Arwin¡¯s arrow streaked through the sky, cloaked in a twisting shroud of verdant energy. The Crag Lizard ripped itself free of Lillia¡¯s bindings just as another wave of blue energy drove into it, locking the monster in ce for a split second.

    When an arrow was hurtling straight for it at terrifying speeds, a split second was quite some time. The Crag Lizard finally regained control of itself and attempted to twist out of the way.

    It was surprisingly fast, and the movement should have taken it out of the path of the deadly strike. Instead, the arrow changed its course as [Wyrm¡¯s Flight] activated and caused it to seek out an optimal location to strike. The adjustment was small ¡ª but it didn¡¯t have to be more.

    Instead of just scraping past the Crag Lizard, it mmed straight into the side of the monster¡¯s neck. Scale shattered and ck fragments snapped up all around the arrow as it drove deep into the creature¡¯s flesh and wedged itself in ce all the way up until just a foot or two of its length emerged.

    Several loud cracks rang out an instantter as crystals sprouted from the wound, pressing against the scales around it as they tried to find purchase. The Crag Lizard roared in pain, stumbling and bracing itself against the ground with its tail as blood poured down from the wound.

    The crystals were clearly digging deeper into it, but Arwin doubted they¡¯d be enough to finish the huge beast off on their own. The Prism¡¯s power wasn¡¯t what it once had been, and for good reason.

    Sure enough, its progress quickly slowed. The crystals jutted out around the sides of the arrow in a ring, having formed into arge growth on the monster¡¯s neck. A shimmer in the crystals told Arwin that they were still trying to drain power from the monster, but they¡¯d probably filled with all the power that they were currently capable of holding.

    Rodrick took the monster¡¯s momentary distraction to stagger back over to Arwin and the rest of the backline. He looked exhausted but otherwise unharmed.

    There was no time to talk. That would have wasted the precious seconds they¡¯d just bought. Arwin dismissed Prism¡¯s Reach and broke into a sprint toward the Crag Lizard. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another form doing the same.He ignored the distraction. Arwin drew up to the towering monster just as it directed its baleful gaze down at him ¡ª badly injured and furious. It let out a roar and its tail whipped out, aiming to crush Arwin in one blow.

    He drew on [Scourge] and leapt. He cleared the tail and mmed into the lizard¡¯s side, clutching onto the rough scales andunching himself up its side like a spider. The Crag Lizard spun in an attempt to fling him off, but his [Scourge] empowered grip wasn¡¯t about to give in easily.

    ¡°Too bad you don¡¯t have arms long enough to throw me off with, eh?¡± Arwin asked as he drew up to his arrow and summoned Verdant ze in one hand. He reared back and drove it into the back of the arrow, using it like a chisel.

    A resounding ng rang out and the point of the weapon drove deeper into the Crag Lizard. It screamed and thrashed. Twisting shadow leapt from the ground and wrapped around its tail, obstructing its movement.

    Another wave of blue energy drove into the lizard. Arwin reared back and struck his arrow again. It reverberated and drove even deeper into the monster, pushing the mass of crystal around it in as well.

    Blood sloughed from the huge wound freely, slicking Arwin¡¯s hands and making it harder to keep his grip as the Crag Lizard thrashed furiously beneath him. He mmed his hammer into the arrow onest time.

    This time, it sank into the monster¡¯s fleshpletely up to its fletching. Arwin¡¯s ears popped as an enraged roar split the air and he was finally thrown from his spot. The lizard¡¯s tail whipped down for him as he fell.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened and he crossed his arms before his face an instant before it connected. Fortunately, the massive, spiked orb missed him. Less fortunately, the rest of the tail did not.

    A wall of muscle and scale mmed into his body andunched him into the ground like a falling star. He hit it with a crash. The air exploded from his lungs and pain ripped through him. The world fluttered for a moment before relief washed over his system.

    Arwin felt fractured bones start knit themselves together. Anna had cast her ranged healing magic on him. He didn¡¯t wait around to let it finish its work. Arwin rolled to the side and shot to his feet to face the Lizard¡¯s next attack ¡ª only to find that it wasn¡¯t focused on him.

    Reya had followed in his and Rodrick¡¯s footsteps and was scaling the lizard¡¯s side. The strategy had clearly grown pretty old for the monster, which was stumbling and roaring in fury as gallons of blood poured out from the wound Arwin had left in its neck.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    It twisted and threw itself around, but Reya jabbed Wyrmhunger into its neck every time it moved, holding onto it like a climbing pick and refusing to let go. Every time it was between movements, she dragged herself up once more.

    Her motions were sharper and faster than usual, and Wyrmhunger was cutting through the monster¡¯s scales like butter. A sh of worry shot through Arwin, but he pressed it down and forced himself to stand still for a moment longer.

    He was close enough to see Reya¡¯s features. And, while there was fear in them, there was also determination. She¡¯d clearly managed to study the Crag Lizard for long enough to activate her new berserker skill ¡ª and if she managed to get the killing blow on the monster, it would go much farther for her than it would for him.

    Standing around and waiting while an ally was in mortal danger made his stomach clench, but he wouldn¡¯t always be able to defend Reya. She needed to get stronger to fight for herself. She <em>wanted </em>to get stronger. It wasn¡¯t his ce to stand in her way.

    Arwin locked eyes with Olive. Her knuckles were white around the hilt of her sword, but she gave him a small nod. She knew it too. Neither of them moved.

    Reya dragged herself all the way up to the back of the Lizard¡¯s skull, keeping her center of gravity low as it whipped its head around and tried to fling her free.

    She dug her feet into the namesake craggy scales covering the monster¡¯s body, pressing herself against it and stubbornly refusing to lose her grip. Inch by inch, Reya pulled herself closer to the monster¡¯s eyes.

    Arwin¡¯s heart thumped furiously in his chest and he prepared to activate [Scourge] and fling himself at the monster. The slightest misstep would send Reya flying right into the monster¡¯s mouth. Gouts of me screamed through the air and scorched the treetops, but still she pressed on.

    There were a lot of things that Anna could heal ¡ª but getting bit by something this size almost certainly wasn¡¯t one of them. Arwin took an unconscious step forward, preparing to rejoin the fight regardless of his previous decision ¡ª and froze as he caught a glimpse of Reya¡¯s face.

    The fear had changed. It was still there, of course. Reya hadn¡¯t gone insane. She didn¡¯t have much training or experience to fall back on. Anyone scaling the side of a massive lizard monster actively trying to kill them would have been scared.

    Fear was logical ¡ª but there were many kinds of fear. There was fear that held a warrior back and kept them from achieving their goals. There was the wise fear that kept mankind from the shadows in the darkest nights, that kept people from killing themselves fighting what they had no hope of victory against.

    And then there was the fear, not of failure, but of stagnation. The drive that pushed a man to be more than who he was. It was the refusal to ept life as it was and the determination to change it.

    Reya lunged. She drove Wyrmhunger into one of the Crag Lizard¡¯s eyes with a scream of her own. The dagger bit deep and the eye burst. Blood poured out of the monster¡¯s body and rushed over Reya, andrge swathes of it curled up to flow into the curved de.

    The Crag Lizard¡¯s mouth opened and me started to gather in its throat. Then it sputtered. The great monster took a staggering step, then pitched forward, the light in its one remaining eye snuffing out.

    Reya¡¯s arms pinwheeled as reality suddenly mmed back into its proper position around her. She leapt off the plummeting lizard¡¯s head, but there were still dozens of feet between her and the ground.

    Arwin burst into motion, dismissing Verdant ze, and jumped with a burst of power from [Scourge]. He caught Reya and crashed down a secondter, a tremor racing up through his legs.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Reya said, the tremor of adrenaline making her voice shake.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Rodrick called as Arwin set Reya down on her own feet, keeping a hand around her back to steady her.

    Anna hurried over to them, magical energy flowing from her hands and over Reya¡¯s body. She turned her attention to Arwin before he could say anything, sending a wave of light over him as well.

    Micro-fractures in his legs that he hadn¡¯t even fully noticed knitted themselves shut and he gave her an appreciative nod. She returned it, then finished checking up on Reya. As she worked, the Mesh¡¯s familiar colors shed before Arwin¡¯s eyes.

    <strong>Achievement: [Overly Generous] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Overly Generous] ¨C <em>Awarded for stepping back and letting an ally take the challenge of killing an Overloaded Monster out of desire to see their growth. Power is often found whilst guiding others to it. </em>Effects: A single delivery. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon your mental request. </em></strong>

    Arwin blinked the words away, and he found that the words weren¡¯t the only thing that vanished. The body of the Crag Lizard was gone. There was still blood covering the grass around where it had been, but there was no trace left of the huge monster¡¯s corpse ¡ª and Arwin had a feeling he knew what the delivery would be.

    <em>The Mesh is helping me get the materials out of the dungeon because there¡¯s no way we¡¯d be able to spend the time and effort stripping this thing down. That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly thoughtful of it. I really hope it¡¯s just the scales, though. </em>

    Judging by the look on most of his team¡¯s faces, they hadn¡¯t even noticed that the monster had gone missing yet. They were all staring at their own messages from the Mesh. The only ones that noticed the missing lizard were Olive ¡ª who likely hadn¡¯t gotten much from the fight ¡ª and the two adventurers that stood ck-jawed at the edge of the clearing.

    ¡°Gods above and below,¡± the blonde woman said, finally finding her words and swallowing heavily before she spoke again. ¡°That was incredible. We owe you our lives. Are you a rescue team?¡±

    ¡°Just some passersby,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head.

    ¡°Then even thousand thanks are not sufficient,¡± the warrior beside her said, inclining his head deeply. ¡°This dungeon is far more dangerous than we were led to believe. I¡¯m just sorry we don¡¯t have anything worth all the effort you just spent saving us. It¡¯s amon and meaningless offer, but if there¡¯s anything we can do to be of service of you, please let us know. I doubt there¡¯s much that we can offer, but what we have is yours.¡±

    Despite the pressing nature of their situation, a smile slipped across Arwin¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat about it. As a matter of fact, there is one thing you might be able to help us with.¡±

 Chapter 177: The Black Tower

    Chapter 177: The ck Tower

    ¡°What is it?¡± the female adventurer asked. ¡°My name is Maddy, and this is Theo. If there¡¯s anything we can back you up on, we owe that much.¡±

    ¡°Unless it¡¯s going deeper into this dungeon,¡± Theo said, coughing into his fist. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to aplish anything other than getting killed if we try to.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We didn¡¯t go through all this effort to bail you out just for you to get killed,¡± Arwin said, speaking quickly but firmly. Killing the Crag Lizard had probably bought them a little bit of time and energy ¡ª and they needed to rest for a short while and gather their energy again anyway. ¡°It¡¯s something outside of the dungeon. My name is Ifrit. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, shit. The smith!¡± Theo¡¯s voice lit up with recognition. ¡°I heard some people talking about you. The guy that really likes¡­¡±

    His eyes drifted over to Lillia and he cleared his throat. ¡°Well, that checks out.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That would be me,¡± Arwin said without missing a beat. ¡°My group is currently trying to establish a bit of a name for ourselves in Milten. If you want to pay us back, swing by our street and check out what we have to offer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Maddy blinked. ¡°We aren¡¯t really all that rich. If it¡¯s really expensive, as much as we¡¯d like to¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be well within your price range to stay at the inn at the bare minimum,¡± Rodrick put in. ¡°You won¡¯t need more than a gold or two.¡±

    The two adventurers nced at each other, then nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s really all you want, then we can definitely try. Is that really all?¡±¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°I would suggest you leave this dungeon immediately, though ¡ª and if you don¡¯t mind, keep everything you saw about our abilities to yourselves. As far as everyone else is concerned, I¡¯m just a smith and there¡¯s nothing special about mypanions. We¡¯d like to keep it that way.¡±

    ¡°I swear we won¡¯t say a word,¡± Theo promised, pressing a hand over his chest. ¡°Not that anyone would believe us if we did, but don¡¯t worry. As far as anyone else is concerned, your team just finished off a monster when we were badly injured. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rodrick said. He shed them a grin. ¡°Safe travels. Don¡¯t get into any fights on the way out. It would be a waste if you got killed after we went through all the trouble of saving you.¡±

    Maddy and Theo didn¡¯t need to be told twice. They repeated a hurried round of thanks before darting off in the direction of the dungeon exit that the Menagerie hade through. They were so caught up with still being alive that, somehow, neither of them noticed the fact that the body of the massive lizard was missing.

    Lillia shot Arwin a look. ¡°You¡¯re responsible for the body going missing, I take it?¡±

    ¡°Achievement,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Mesh delivery service. It¡¯ll definitely save us a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s convenient,¡± Lillia said. She paused for a second before turning her gaze to the backs of the retreating adventurers. ¡°Was it really fair to ask them toe to the inn?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± Arwin asked innocently. ¡°I didn¡¯t make them do anything. The Mesh shouldn¡¯t have any issues with it.¡±

    ¡°It feels a little bit cheap, don¡¯t you think? They¡¯re basically being strongarmed into going.¡±

    ¡°Eh. I¡¯d say it¡¯s fine,¡± Anna said, shaking her head. ¡°I mean, we did just save their lives. Coming by the inn is a pretty low cost. It¡¯s an effective business strategy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be the voice of reason here,¡± Lillia said through a sigh. ¡°Thank you, though. I can¡¯t protest too much.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, does anyone else need healing?¡± Anna asked. ¡°That was a nasty fight.¡±

    Nobody spoke up.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re all fine,¡± Reya said, speaking up for the first time since the end of the fight. A small frown pulled across her lips. ¡°The Mesh just told me that I was making progress along my Challenge.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a good thing,¡± Olive said. ¡°Better to get rid of the Challenge bypleting it rather than by failing it. What¡¯s wrong with progressing it?¡±

    ¡°Apparently, it consumed the Title I should have gotten for killing that thing,¡± Reya said, casting her gaze back at where the huge monster had been. ¡°I think it¡¯ll give me a better one when Iplete the Challenge, but I could have used the power now.¡±

    This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stress about it. It¡¯s not something you can control,¡± Anna advised. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed before then. I can¡¯t tell if that attack of yours impressed or scared me. You aren¡¯t as resilient as Arwin or Rodrick, so please keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°I know. I just saw the opportunity and had to take it,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°I think we all understand that feeling,¡± Olive said, her gaze pulling away from Reya and raising to the forest beyond her. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword. ¡°Just make sure you control it. It serves you well until it doesn¡¯t.¡±

    They fell silent for a few minutes, taking the time to focus on gathering themselves again in preparation to continue deeper into the dungeon.

    ¡°Did anyone else get anything worth noting from the fight?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Improved Skill Selection Achievement,¡± Rodrick said.

    Anna and Lillia both nodded, then nced to each other.

    ¡°Seems we got the same,¡± Lillia said. ¡°What about you? Was it just the delivery of the monster?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but given how big it was, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a pretty big delivery. I hope we end up with some of the meat as well. You¡¯d probably be able to put it to good use.¡±

    ¡°It would be odd for the Mesh to take something away from us, so I¡¯m sure we will,¡± Lillia said. ¡°How is everyone doing on energy? As much as I¡¯d like to sit around and recoverpletely, I think it might be smarter to get moving before we can¡¯t anymore.¡±

    ¡°Probably the right call,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Do you know what direction we¡¯re headed, Arwin? It slipped my mind.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There,¡± Arwin replied, pointing toward where the band of force from [Dragon¡¯s Greed] had been pulling him. ¡°We¡¯re in the equivalent of the second room right now, but we might not be far from the third. Everyone keep your guard up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to let it down here,¡± Olive muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to do much that time around, so I¡¯m ready to leave whenever. I just wish I could do something when my opponent wasn¡¯t standing around and waiting for me to hit it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once I get a little stronger, I¡¯ll be able to use Imprison a lot more effectively,¡± Reya said. She hesitated for a moment before putting her hand on Olive¡¯s shoulder in an awkward pat.

    Arwin nearly bust outughing. The difference between the adventurer that had literally scaled the side of a behemoth to jab a tiny dagger into its eye and the girl before him now was stark.

    Olive didn¡¯t seem to notice. She just gave Reya a distracted nod. ¡°Thanks. I just want to be able to be more useful on my own. There¡¯s no need for a warrior that can¡¯t fight.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a team,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There are roles for each of us to y, and you might not get one in every fight. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re useless. If you were a solo adventurer, I¡¯d agree that you¡¯d need to be better at handling everything yourself. But you¡¯re a part of the Menagerie now ¡ª and that makes your inability to participate fall on my shoulders.¡±

    Olive blinked in surprise. ¡°What? How?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who was calling the orders after the fight started. I didn¡¯t utilize your abilities properly. We had the tools to do it, but I was more focused on myself than calling shots,¡± Arwin said honestly. ¡°Working in a proper team is something I¡¯m still learning. I promise I¡¯ll get better at it.¡±

    <em>It¡¯s amusing. As the Hero, I was general in name only. I didn¡¯t make the strategies for the overall battles and I just trusted my teams to cover my back while I focused trying to kill Lillia. I didn¡¯t have to consider anyone¡¯s abilities other than my own. Lillia seems like she actually has some experience with nning things out. I need to rely on her ¡ª and the others ¡ª more.</em>

    A distant rumble shook the dungeon. They all exchanged looks. It definitely didn¡¯t sound like a monster, but something had definitely happened. Their time was running out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± Arwin said.

    He re-activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed] one more time to scout the path forward, then set off with the rest of his guild at his back.

    ***

    They made good time through the dungeon. There really weren¡¯t many monsters, which was probably a result of all the adventurers already having cleared the area of weak enemies. The only things that would be left alive were the ones too strong to be killed by the average Journeyman Tier.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the forest thinned and they found themselves in a wide, grassy in. Scorch marks and scars on the earth spoke of battles past, some more recent than others. There was still no sign of enemies, so the Menagerie continued ahead at a brisk pace.

    They soon left the ins, which were likely the third room, and entered a nd made of entirely dry grass. Hills rose in the distance, nking a tall ck tower that rose three stories into the air and cast an imposing shadow in the fake sunlight.

    Nothing had to be said. The Menagerie set a course for the tower. The barren ins were just as devoid of monsters as the grasnds had been and it wasn¡¯t long before they¡¯d climbed the hills and got their first look at the base of the tower, which Arwin suspected to be the entrance to the fifth room.

    They weren¡¯t alone. Rising up from the base of the tower was arge, ck-scaled snake.

    <strong>[Overloading Life Constrictor ¡ª Journeyman 9]</strong>

    The Life Constrictor was easily twice as long as the Crag Lizard. A portion of its body seemed to be trapped underground and four heavily armored adventurers faced off against it. Being buried beneath the ground didn¡¯t seem to have made the snake any less lethal. The bottom half of a man had been flung to the base of the hills, marking at least one fatality.

    It didn¡¯t look like the dead adventurer¡¯s allies were faring much better. Their armor was cracked and heavily damaged, and one of them was leaning heavily on her ally. The adventurers had managed to leave several serious cuts on the monster¡¯s scaled form and one of its huge fangs was cracked ¡ª but they weren¡¯t going to win the fight.

    Nobody even had to say anything. They all burst into a sprint down the hill toward the other adventurers before anyone else could die.

    ¡°Godspit. What are those idiots doing? Why aren¡¯t they running?¡± Reya yelled.

    Arwin went to respond, but the words caught in his throat as one of the adventurers fighting the snake turned just enough for him to catch a glimpse at the front of his armor. There was a small badge on it.

    Even at the distance Arwin was at, he recognized it instantly. The bright red with a shimmer of gold wasn¡¯t easy to forget. The adventurers were members of the Ardent guild.

 Chapter 178: A situation

    Chapter 178: A situation

    There wasn¡¯t any time for Arwin to stop and consider if he actually wanted to help the Ardent guild. This was probably the team that Busal had mentioned reaching the fifth room. Arwin really didn¡¯t have much desire to have any more dealings with them than he had to ¡ª but a death was still a death, and none of the adventurers before him looked far from it.

    He bounded down the hill, [Scourge] pouring into his legs and elerating him with every step he took. It wasn¡¯t the ideal way to engage the snake, but there wasn¡¯t enough time for him to draw Prism¡¯s Reach.

    Arwin shot past the Ardent guildmembers just as the snake¡¯s head shot forward. He summoned Verdant ze and brought the hammer around, mming it into the side of the snake¡¯s snout and pumping his muscles full of [Scourge].

    A crack rang out, tremors racing up Arwin¡¯s arms, and the snake flinched back to abandon its attack. It felt more like he¡¯d surprised the monster rather than actually injured it. Arwin dropped to the ground in front of the other adventurers just as Rodrick arrived beside them.

    The snake hissed, pulling back even farther to stare down at him with a massive, watery eye. Its tongue flicked out to taste the air, trying to determine if Arwin was actually a threat or if he was just another snack waiting to sprint into its mouth.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the leftmost guildsman asked in a distressed tone.

    ¡°Saving your sorry asses,¡± Arwin barked. ¡°Why are you still fighting this thing? Do you not realize that we¡¯re just a few deaths from a Dungeon Break? Get out of here!¡±

    The air itself rattled as the Life Constrictor let out a low hiss. Green smoke wafted out from the corners of its mouth and curled up around its head.

    ¡°We can¡¯t!¡± the healer said, her voice gummy and thick, like she was trying to speak through a mouthful of food. ¡°You¡¯re the one that needs to leave. The snake has a neurotoxin in its breath! It slows your movement. We can¡¯t move fast enough to get away.¡±The corners of the Life Constrictor¡¯s mouth pulled back, almost as if it was smiling. Then it exhaled. Sickly green fog rolled across the ground like the front of an approaching storm. The adventurer closest to Arwin groaned and pulled his shield forward like he was moving through msses.

    Energy erupted from it as he activated a Skill ¡ª but Arwin didn¡¯t wait around to see what it was. He banished Verdant ze and grabbed the two men closest to him, slinging one over each shoulder as he spun.

    Rodrick grabbed the first of the healers and Olive drew up alongside them just in time to snag thest woman ¡ª and they all spun and sprinted back for the hills as fast as they could move.

    The snake roared and stretched after them. Even as bound to the tower as it was, the monster was huge. A shadow blocked out the sky, but Arwin didn¡¯t even bother craning his neck back to look up at it. The only thing he was focused on was pumping his legs as fast as he possibly could.

    Water rippled around Rodrick, who was staring straight in Anna¡¯s direction and using the increased movement speed he got for moving toward allies to escape danger instead of run into it.

    Shadows rose up from the ground around Arwin and the others running from the Life Constrictor. They formed into a thick te and snapped to the side,unching them all like toys through the air.

    A thick wall of wind mmed into Arwin before he could even hit the ground, throwing him and the two adventurers in his grip even farther. They hit the ground in a tumble of limbs and an earth-shaking crash shook the world an instantter with enough force to buck Arwin back into the air.

    The world spun around him and he lost his grip on the adventurers, letting them tumble on their own as he caught his own bnce. He needed them alive, but that didn¡¯t mean he was going to go out of his way to make sure they didn¡¯t get bruised up.

    Arwin managed to catch his bnce just as the huge snake¡¯s head started to rise. It had mmed its body into the ground in an attempt to crush them, and Lillia had just barely thrown them to safety in time.

    Ironically, when dealing with a monster thisrge, its shadow was actually big enough that Lillia¡¯s own abilities were also stronger. Groans from the adventurers at Arwin¡¯s feet told him that they were still alive.

    Rodrick and Olive had been thrown a fair bit farther than Arwin had, but they both pushed themselves back upright as well. They weren¡¯t out of the snake¡¯s range yet, and trying to take it on while they were ferrying around what might as well have been corpses would make the fight borderline impossible.

    Arwin scooped the Ardent guildmembers back up, activating [Scourge] once more so he could actually lift two people in full te armor, and sprinted off. Rodrick and Olive were right behind him, though it looked like Olive was dragging her target more than carrying them.

    The Life Constrictor¡¯s hiss echoed through the dungeon once more. Another wave of green mist rolled from its mouth and washed toward them. Arwin pumped his legs harder, skidding to a stop at the edge of the hill and hurling both of the men in his grip.

    They sailed through the air, but Arwin had already turned back to the others by the time he heard them hit the ground with two loud thuds and a multitude of pained curses. The wall of poison was rolling closer, and without Scourge, both Rodrick and Olive weren¡¯t as fast as he was.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Arwin shot back into motion, running to grab the two female guildmembers from their grasp. Rodrick instantly grabbed Olive instead, drawing on [Flowing Steps] as he raced back for safety.

    The few moments it took Arwin to shoulder the two women and draw on [Scourge] again were enough for the poison to reach them. It washed over his body like a cold, wet fog and pressed in against his armor.

    Almost immediately, the gem on the center of Arwin¡¯s chest armor started to glow a dull green. It did its best to absorb all the magic around him, but it was nowhere near enough. The Ardent guildmembers coughed and wheezed as the poison wound into their lungs.

    It prickled at Arwin¡¯s throat and wound into the base of his skull, but he sprinted all the same. They were only in the fog for a few seconds before he burst free of it once more, sprinting past Rodrick and up the hill.

    Wisps of green smoke coiled off his body and he coughed, expelling some of it from his lungs. Despite the furious prickling that had now stretched topletely cover him, his movements didn¡¯t feel slowed at all.

    A smallugh slipped free as he realized why. The Life Constrictor¡¯s poisonous mist was a <em>neuro</em>toxin. It targeted the mind. [Indomitable] protected him from mental effects, so unless he took a bath in the snake¡¯s poison for a prolonged time, it wasn¡¯t going to be able to do anything to him.

    Anna rushed over as Arwin dumped the two guildmembers on the ground and turned back to the snake. It hissed, tongue flicking out once more, but they¡¯d finally escaped its range. The poisonous fog gathered at the foot of the hill, but it didn¡¯t climb it.

    The snake turned back and pulled away from them, returning to the tower and coiling around it. It kept a single, massive eye staring at them in challenge, as if daring someone to grow close enough to try it again.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Get them,¡± Arwin said, nodding to the men and women on the ground. ¡°Can you deal with something like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure Cure is meant to deal with ailments this bad, but I should be able to with enough time,¡± Anna replied, dropping to her knees beside the healer of the other group and pressing her hands to the other woman¡¯s Chestte.

    ¡°Nobody else got hit by the poison, right?¡± Lillia asked.

    Rodrick and Olive shook their heads as one.

    ¡°No. Rodrick got me out fast enough,¡± Olive said.

    Anna¡¯s patient sat up with a strangled gasp. She doubled over, coughing, and Anna moved on to the next one of the Ardent members without hesitation.

    <em>So much for not being sure if Cure was meant to handle something this bad. Anna handled it in just a few seconds t. Did she just flood the skill with magical energy so it would perform faster?</em>

    But, by the time that the Ardent guild¡¯s healer had managed to gather herself enough to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand, Anna had already made her way around the rest of the woman¡¯s guildmembers and purged every single one of them of the poison.

    Anna flopped to the ground with an exhausted groan. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m out. That took everything I had. That poison was really strong.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the shield-bearing warrior asked through a coughing fit. He pushed himself upright, wobbling as he rose, but managed to find his footing.

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I think there¡¯s a different line you should be starting with.¡±

    The man reached up to his helm and pulled it off to reveal a clean-shaven face with straight ck hair. His cheeks colored slightly with embarrassment, but there was a distinct sadness in his eyes as he looked back over to the Life Constrictor lying in wait. ¡°You¡¯re right. My apologies. Thank you for the timely save. We couldn¡¯t have taken more than another blow or two. The snake was ying with us.¡±

    ¡°Did you get Jonah?¡± one of the women asked. ¡°Is he¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dead,¡± the warrior said. His fists tightened at his sides. ¡°We will grieveter. We aren¡¯t out of this yet. If we don¡¯t deal with the dungeon¡ª¡± The man cut himself off and nced at Arwin, then blew out a breath. ¡°Are you aware of what a Dungeon Break is?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°We don¡¯t typically risk death to ourselves just to bail another group out. This dungeon is one strong push from teetering over the edge and taking half of Milten with it.¡±

    The man gave him a grim nod. ¡°Then you understand why we need to press onward. That snake has absorbed an enormous amount of magical power. If we can kill it, we can dy the break.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill it, though,¡± Reya said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Are you seriously going to try again?¡±

    ¡°We got caught off guard the first time,¡± the other warrior said as he rose. ¡°We need to. After Jonah¡ª¡±

    ¡°The girl is right,¡± the dark-haired man before Arwin said with a sharp shake of his head. ¡°We¡¯ve already made a mistake. Without Jonah, we aren¡¯t going to be able to take that thing down. It¡¯s injured, but so are we. If one of us dies fighting it, we could trigger the very thing we¡¯re trying to stop.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re just going to give up and leave?¡± the healer asked. Her hands tightened at her sides. ¡°How are we supposed to exin that to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Leave that to me.¡± The dark haired-man looked back to Arwin and the others and inclined his head. ¡°I know you only acted out of necessity but I thank your team, nheless. I will mention this to my guild.¡±

    Arwin let out a snort. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll think much of it but feel free. Tell them the guild that bailed you out was the Menagerie.¡±

    Judging by the look in the man¡¯s eyes, he didn¡¯t recognize the name. That was only a mild surprise. Larger guilds had a lot of branches and people in them, after all. The part of the Ardent guild that managed purchasing goods probably only had limited interaction with the actual adventurers, so only some of them would know a cklist by heart.

    <em>Which makes it even more suspicious that Busal did. That guy was waiting specifically for us, wasn¡¯t he?</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± the man said. He looked back to the snake, then grimaced. The look of regret in his eyes was one that Arwin recognized. The man shook his head and blew out a breath. ¡°We¡¯ll try to send reinforcements to deal with this. My group is weakened, but we have stronger adventurers. Be careful.¡±

    With that, he gathered his people and they broke away.

    ¡°They could have been a bit more grateful,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°That thank you almost felt like he was fulfilling an obligation.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not thinking about how he and the others survived,¡± Arwin said, watching the group jog off. ¡°His thoughts are on the one that didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t like the Ardent guild much, but I can give them a pass for that.¡±

    Lillia didn¡¯t say anything, but the thickening shadows around her told Arwin everything about her mood that he needed to know. Losing an ally was something that was all too familiar to both of them.

    ¡°How in the world do we deal with that thing, though?¡± Olive asked. ¡°They¡¯re going to find out who we are the moment they leave the dungeon. If we wait for reinforcements, we aren¡¯t getting shit.¡±

    Arwin looked back to the snake. ¡°I¡¯m noticing something about it that I believe may be to our advantage.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? What?¡± Reya asked.

    Prism¡¯s Reach materialized in Arwin¡¯s hands and a cold smile pulled across his lips. ¡°It can¡¯t dodge.¡±

 Chapter 179: Left Behind

    Chapter 179: Left Behind

    Arwin¡¯s arrow screamed through the air, wreathed in a cloak of swirling green, and mmed into the side of the Life Constrictor¡¯s head. It punched through scale and bit into the flesh beneath with a loud crack.

    The snake hissed in fury and thrashed, sendingrge droplets of blood sttering across the ground. Crystal bit at its skin and worked its way into flesh, consuming as much magical energy as it could hold.

    It wasn¡¯t the first strike to hit it in the past few minutes. There were four otherrge wounds clustered around the same area. It was actually a little bit sad. The snake just had no way to actually dodge his attacks. It could wrap around the tower, but that just exposed new areas for him to shoot at.

    There was nothing the Life Constrictor could do. It really wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem in most cases. Any normal Journeyman entering the dungeon would have been unlikely to have a way to cause significant damage whilst remaining out of the snake¡¯s range.

    Arwin summoned the arrow back to his hands and started to draw the bow once more. Prism¡¯s Reach was practically singing in his hands. The bow was having the time of its life, and it wasn¡¯t shy in drinking in power.

    Between everything it was taking from him and the power its crystal growths were gathering from the Life Constrictor, Prism¡¯s Reach was eating well. Magic swirled within it with enough intensity to make Arwin¡¯s fingers prickle.

    The bow creaked and [Scourge] pumped through Arwin¡¯s muscles. He gritted his teeth, drawing the string back and letting magical energy flow from his body into Prism¡¯s Reach to supercharge the arrow.

    <em>Come on. How long is it going to take? Am I doing something wrong? Prism¡¯s Reach should have activated by now. It¡¯s been drinking energy from me and the Snake for so long that I¡¯m starting to wonder if the stupid bow is just somehow eating it instead of using it. </em>

    He let the arrow fly. It screamed through the air and mmed into the snake¡¯s side. Reya winced at the impact and the snake hissed once more, but that was all it could do. Even growing closer to try and fight back against them would have just made it an even easier target.For as powerful as the monster was, it had absolutely no way to get at them from up on the hill. The biggest problem wasn¡¯t its ability to fight back. It was the amount of time it would take Arwin to finish the thing off.

    If they just sat around peppering the monster with the equivalent of huge toothpicks, it could be an hour before it finally fell. That was time that someone else could either show up or get themselves killed.

    Unfortunately, there just wasn¡¯t a good alternative. The Life Constrictor definitely wasn¡¯t having a good time. He¡¯d been shooting at it for around five minutes now and his magical energy was starting to dwindle, but the wounds were building up.

    The Ardent Guild had done some decent damage to the monster before they¡¯d gotten locked up. Even though they hadn¡¯t inflicted any deadly wounds, every single bit helped when time was of the essence.

    Prism¡¯s Reach seemed to sense his impatience ¡ª or perhaps it was just impatient itself. The bow trembled as Arwin summoned his arrow back and prepared to draw it once more. A dull crack rang out.

    Arwin froze. He was pretty sure the crack hade from the bow, and that was never a good sound when the magical weapon had enough tension in it tounch an arrow hundreds of feet in the span of an instant.

    A ripple of energy passed out from the green crystal core at the center of Prism¡¯s Reach. The bow shuddered in Arwin¡¯s grip and power gathered around his hand ¡ª noting from within his body, but from the bow itself.

    Loud cracks echoed out as vibrant crystal burst from the bow in a wave, swirling out to cover its arms and extending past them. Arwin nearly dropped the bow as it more than tripled in weight. But, even if he¡¯d wanted to, he couldn¡¯t have released it.

    Crystal grew around his hand, locking it in ce and traveling down his arm until it reached his shoulder. Unlike the jagged growths covering the bow, the surface of the crystal against his skin was smooth and t.

    The bow had gotten long enough where he literally couldn¡¯t keep it off the ground at his height. Arwin was forced to hold it at an angle to avoidpletely losing his grip on the rapidly expanding weapon.

    Power thrummed through the crystal in waves that emanated from the weapon¡¯s core. It didn¡¯t stop at just the bow. Crystal raced into Prism¡¯s Vengeance and encased it in a sleek, glowing shell.

    The cracks finally died out, leaving Arwin with a weapon that was over two times his height. Faint thumping pulses of energy came from Prism¡¯s Reach, almost like a heartbeat. A wave of hunger roared in Arwin¡¯s ears like the sea crashing against a beach.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Reya breathed, taking a step back from him instinctively before her eyes went wide. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Arwin gave his arm a tug. It was locked in ce ¡ª and the bow wouldn¡¯t budge. A nce down at his feet revealed that the crystal had grown into the ground as well, locking Prism¡¯s Reach in ce together with him.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He nearly ripped his arm free forcibly with [Scourge] but paused at thest moment as a thought struck him. Arwin called on the Mesh to pull up the stats of Prism¡¯s Reach.

    <strong>Prism¡¯s Reach: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes, it will grow slightly more powerful. Upon reaching [Unknown] threshold, it will be able to bond with its wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Power for Power]: Prism¡¯s Reach can only be drawn when infused with magical energy from its Wielder. A portion of the spent energy will be transferred into its shots. </strong>

    <strong>[Corrupted Shot]: Arrows fired by Prism¡¯s Reach will infest their target with crystal upon impact, consuming any uncontested magic whenever possible. </strong>

    <strong>[Immense Hunger]: Prism¡¯s Reach can absorb magical energy from its wielder in exchange for empowering its next shot. The amount of magical energy it draws will increase exponentially with the amount of time it spends drawn. Overfeeding Prism¡¯s Reach may modify its attributes temporarily. </strong>

    <strong>[The Arms]: Prism''s Reach, armed with its Vengeance, may shift its form when it has been fed sufficient amounts of energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: This item has formed a treaty with Arwin Tyrr. It has not acknowledged him as its owner, but it will obey hismands until deciding if he is worthy of its service or not. Information about this item may be hidden from others. </strong>

    <strong>[The Left Arm]: This is a set item of [2] pieces. </strong>

    <em>Holy shit. This is what it considers a form shift? I¡¯d say it¡¯s a little bit more dramatic than that.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. This is just something the bow can do. It took me by a bit of surprise as well,¡± Arwin said, shaking himself off. He could feel the power pouring off the bow already starting to dwindle. It didn¡¯t look like it could hold this form for long.

    He pulled back on the string ¡ª and it didn¡¯t even budge. Arwin suppressed a curse and doubled his usage of [Scourge], pushing the ability to its absolute limit. A groan escaped his lips and the bow alike as he slowly dragged the string back.

    Crystal crackled and hummed. Arwin was aware of the stares boring into his back, but he didn¡¯t have any attention to spare paying them heed. The bow wasn¡¯t even trying to fight him. It was just so heavy that even a flicker of distraction risked releasing the string too early.

    Arwin tried to aim the weapon, but it had worked its way so deeply into the ground that it refused to change its angle. Attempts to turn it would have just broken its supports and made it incredibly unwieldy.

    The Life Constrictor was fortunately a big target and the bow was already aimed toward it. Between that and the arrow¡¯s target-seeking abilities, all Arwin could do was hope that the bow had aimed itself well enough.

    He let go.

    The string let out a loud crack as it snapped back into ce. Crystal shattered. The air around Arwin whooshed as it rushed to fill the space where the arrow had been an instant before.

    He didn¡¯t even get a chance to see the arrow in flight ¡ª partially because of how fast it moved, and partially because he was more focused on the fact that he¡¯d nearly taken his own arm off on ident.

    By the time his eyes flicked back up, a second crack echoed out through the dungeon, this one a dozen times louder than the first. A confused frown crossed Arwin¡¯s face. The Life Constrictor was exactly where it had been an instant before.

    He couldn¡¯t see any sign of the arrow sticking out of its skin. That was rather odd. He¡¯d been pretty sure it should have at least connected, especially since the arrow was able to correct its path.

    Arwin¡¯s confusion faltered and vanished as a blood started to pour out of a thin hole right between the snake¡¯s eyes. The monster blinked, looking about as mildly surprised as a snake could. For an instant, it seemed to lock eyes with Arwin.

    Then crystal erupted from its head. Large, jagged green spikes ripped through scales and flesh, racing down the huge snake¡¯s body and tearing it apart from within. The Menagerie watched in disbelief as the enormous monster was encased in its entirety.

    Prism¡¯s Reach crumbled, the huge pieces of crystal that had grown across its surface falling away and turning to ash until all that remained was the normal bow. A flicker of smug satisfaction passed from it to Arwin through their connection.

    The snake crumbled away. What had once been a huge beast blew away in the wind, turning into a huge cloud of ash that swirled away from the tower and up into the air.

    <strong>Title: [Inevitable End] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Inevitable End] ¨C <em>Awarded for killing an overloading monster a full Tier above you from a location where it could do nothing but wait for death. Try not to make it a habit. Perceptive opponents will be able to pick up the promise of death that seems to find those who ce themselves in your way.</em></strong>

    Arwin blew out a breath, instantly losing all the annoyance that had been building at losing the huge snake¡¯s body to Prism¡¯s Reach. He¡¯d gotten another Title. It was vague, but it seemed like it would increase how intimidating people perceived him to be.

    <em>The Mesh definitely didn¡¯t seem too thrilled that I killed the snake when it couldn¡¯t fight back, but tough luck. If it didn¡¯t want me to kill it, then it shouldn¡¯t have trapped the thing under the ground. I¡¯m not going to charge into its gullet if I can make sure everyone is safe by killing it from back here. </em>

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia muttered, and Reya nodded in mute agreement. Rodrick and Anna just exchanged a silent nce but said nothing.

    ¡°How?¡± Olive asked with a mixture of shocked awe and disbelief seeping into her voice. ¡°I know you¡¯ve all got magical weapons, but you can¡¯t tell me that is literally anywhere near the level of the other stuff you¡¯ve shown me. Seriously ¡ª who are you?¡±

    ¡°I swear I¡¯ll tell you once we get out of the dungeon. For now, we need to keep moving before anybody shows up,¡± Arwin said, letting Prism¡¯s Reach fade from his hands and blowing out a breath. He was nearlypletely drained of magical energy, but they¡¯d spent so much time standing around that more people could show up at any second.

    Olive pressed her lips together but gave him a nod. They all hurried down the side of the hill and over to the base of the tower.

    Arwin spent a flicker of energy to activate [Dragon¡¯s Greed]. He doubted he would need much, and he was right. The bands of energy that rose up told him that the strongest source of magic wasing right from the tower in front of them.

    If there was anywhere that the key went, it was here. It was time to see just what Jessen had left behind.

 Chapter 180: Heartbeat

    Chapter 180: Heartbeat

    Faint shimmers of crystal dust still glittered around the base of the tower as the Menagerie drew up to it. Fortunately, it had settled enough to be mostly concentrated around their feet.

    Breathing in vaporized snake didn¡¯t sound like one of those things that would be too great for long-term health. They moved slowly, not wanting to kick too much of the dust up.

    The base of the tower was made of grooved ck stone. Cracks ran throughout its base and spiderwebbed up along toward its top. Arwin ran his hands over the stone, searching for a circr hole where he could put Jessen¡¯s badge with one hand while he pulled the badge in question out of his bag with the other.

    ¡°Look for somewhere I can put this. It¡¯s probobably a circle somewhere in the stone,¡± Arwin said, holding the badge up so the others could see it. ¡°It would be really embarrassing if this isn¡¯t actually a key and we did all this for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Not nothing. We saved some people,¡± Reya said. ¡°And you also got a giant lizard.¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Arwin allowed. He held his breath and slowly crouched, scanning the ground to see if the hole was somewhere near his shins. After finding nothing, Arwin rose again and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d still like to get in, though.¡±

    Shadows slithered along the wall at his side, rising up from beneath Lillia to roll over the surface of the stone around her like a brush. The others searched as well, wrapping around the base of the tower in their search.

    There was the mildly concerning possibility that the key wasn¡¯t actually at the base of the tower, but Arwin decided to consider that after they¡¯d actually finished looking around. He didn¡¯t much fancy the idea of having to climb the sheer walls of the tower to find an entrance.

    ¡°Are you sure the keyhole is going to be circr?¡± Olive asked, poking at the tower wall with a finger. ¡°This kind of looks a bit out of ce.¡±Arwin walked over to stand beside her. Olive had found a short crack in the wall that ran in a perfectly horizontal line. It was the width of his palm and just a few hairs short of chest height.

    He looked at the badge in his hand, then turned it so that it was parallel with the line and held it up. The two aligned perfectly. Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°Olive found it. I didn¡¯t consider that you¡¯d have to slide it in like a coin instead of pressing it against the stone.¡±

    Everyone gathered around the keyhole.

    ¡°Are we ready to go in?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know how deep the dungeon is. Could be more monsters up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Very well might be. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised in the slightest if Jessen had a trap on whatever it was he¡¯s got ¡ª or it could just be another one of the monsters he had mind controlled,¡± Arwin said through a huff. His magical energy was still pretty low. If they¡¯d been alone in the dungeon, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to order a rest.

    Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t. Killing two huge overloading monsters had definitely taken some power away from the dungeon, but the Dungeon Break wasn¡¯t going to be that far off ¡ª and when the Ardent guildmembers showed back up with their reinforcements, making it into the tower would be impossible.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine on magical energy,¡± Lillia said. ¡°As is Olive, I¡¯d say.¡±

    Olive nodded and put her hand on the hilt of her sword. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m ready for any fight that we need to take. If I¡¯m honest, I¡¯m more interested in what it is you¡¯ve got to tell me than I am in finding out what Jessen kept here.¡±

    <em>Can¡¯t me her for that.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m doing okay,¡± Reya offered up. ¡°A little more than half. Enough for a fight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in roughly the same spot,¡± Rodrick said after a second of consideration. ¡°Maybe a bit worse. I got some a good bit of energy back while we were sitting around and letting Arwin pelt the poor snake bastard with spikes. I think everyone¡¯s just about ready to fight other than Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Then I think we move forward now. If anyone thinks that¡¯s a poor idea, please speak up. I¡¯m not immune to making mistakes as we¡¯ve alle to see,¡± Arwin said. It wasn¡¯t ideal ¡ª but if they could get inside the tower, they could at least scope out what they were dealing with. If there wasn¡¯t anything waiting for them, a short break wasn¡¯t out of the question.

    Nobody said anything. Arwin slid Jessen¡¯s badge into the keyhole with more than a little trepidation. It struck Arwin that it would be painfully funny if the crack wasn¡¯t actually a keyhole and really was just a random crack, but it was toote to change their ns now.

    The badge disappeared into the hole. For a moment, there was silence. Then a soft click echoed out from the wall and the badge spat back out, smacking into Arwin¡¯s chest, dropping, and nearly hitting the ground before he scooped it out of the air.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    A small rumble shudder shook the ground around the base of the tower. They all lowered into fighting stances, preparing for the worst, and ayer of stone peeled back at the tower¡¯s entrance.

    Faint green light spilled out from within the tower from torches illuminating a path wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It only ran for a few dozen before abruptlying to an end at a pair ofrge double doors within the tower.

    Only a moment after the entrance to the passage hadpletely ground open did the stones ripple and start to slowly shut once again. The Menagerie exchanged looks amongst themselves. The entrance wasn¡¯t closing particrly quickly, but it would be fully shut in seconds.

    ¡°Is there a hole in there to open the door from within?¡± Olive asked.

    Arwin tossed the badge to Lillia and stepped inside to study the walls. Now that he knew what he was looking for, it only took him a moment to find it. There was an identical a slot along the passage wall.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s here,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Then we might as well,¡± Reya said, striding right into the passage. Arwin and the others hurried after her, and Lillia handed Arwin back the badge once she¡¯d entered. They stood still for a second as the stone shut behind them,pletely blocking out the dungeon at their backs.

    ¡°Well¡­ we can take a quick break now,¡± Rodrick whispered.

    ¡°Just not too long. We¡¯re safe from other adventurers now, but I really don¡¯t want to be stuck in the dungeon if there¡¯s a Dungeon Break.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already killed two strong monsters,¡± Olive said. ¡°We should have a lot more time, right?¡±

    ¡°Never bet against some moron being able to kill himself. Or a bunch of morons being able to kill themselves. With the amount of magical energy this dungeon has in it, it¡¯s basically a beacon to all the monsters in the area. A bunch of them are going to head over here to cut a piece of the pie for themselves, so we can¡¯t assume the dungeon will remain cleared for long.¡±

    Awin dismissed his armor and sat down. He crossed his legs beneath himself, resting against the wall and letting his eyes drift shut to gather back as much energy as he could in the short time that he had.

    Minutes slipped by. It didn¡¯t feel like nearly long enough, but he rose ten minutester, shaking his hands off and shifting from one foot to the other to get the blood flowing once again. The others all gathered themselves and stood as well.

    He had a little under half of his magical energy remaining. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but it would have to be enough. The risk of sitting around and waiting for another thirty or forty minutes to get the majority of his power back wasn¡¯t worth the risk of getting caught in a Dungeon Break.

    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Arwin asked as he approached the doors, summoning his armor back over his body.

    They all nodded. He pressed his hands against the doors and shoved them. They moved with surprising ease, gliding across the stone and opening to reveal arge circr chamber. Arwin¡¯s nostrils were instantly assaulted with the smell of rotting meat.

    Dozens if not hundreds monster parts were scattered across the ground in various states of decay. Large limbs hung suspended from hooks in the air, and several dead monstersid in cages throughout the room, thin and starved.

    In the center of the room was arge stone altar. Long strands of shimmering thread ran from a metal box upon it and stretched out all over the room. Arwin suppressed a retch and stepped further into the room, watching the ground and stepping carefully to make sure he didn¡¯t trigger a tripwire or pressure te.

    He worked his way a few steps into the room and looked up. The ceiling of the tower hung far above him, vanishing into the darkness before he could make out where it ended. His lips pressed thin and he turned his gaze back to the room.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia muttered, the disgust clear in her voice as she looked around. ¡°What is this awful ce?¡±

    ¡°It looks like Jessen was experimenting on monsters,¡± Arwin said, feeling every bit repulsed as Lillia sounded. ¡°But how did he manage to convert such a huge portion of the dungeon to his own workspace?¡±

    ¡°What was he even nning to do here?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Was he trying to make some form of flesh golem to control with his magic?¡±

    The rest of the Menagerie all stepped into the room, keeping to a tight formation. Arwin summoned Verdant ze to his hands. The room put him on edge and it wasn¡¯t difficult to guess why.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled as he spotted a stretched wing in the corner of the room. It had been pinned in an open position against the wall. ¡°The Wyrms. It would have been hard to control a horde, but why waste material? After killing them, if he managed to take parts from them and stick them together, he could have a really powerful monster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s assuming he would be able to reanimate the corpse,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°How¡¯s he meant to do that?¡±

    A faint, distant thump caught the edges of Arwin¡¯s attention. A loud bang echoed through the room as the doors mmed shut behind them and the box on the altar copsed to reveal a head-sized heart suspended from an iron spike, the strings running throughout the room all connected to it.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arwin snarled, dismissing Verdant ze and summoning the Prism¡¯s Vengeance. He reared back and hurled the spear-sized arrow at the heart. The weapon streaked through the air, but arge chunk of flesh dropped from the ceiling and intercepted the blow, stopping the spear before it could reach the heart.

    Scraps of monster whirled past them, pulled by threads, and mmed into the heart. Squelches, loud and wet, echoed one after the other in a sickening symphony. Mismatched limbs attached themselves to a shoddy corpse as the thumps from the heart at the abomination¡¯s core grew louder.

    A shudder shook the monster and it jerked awake. Three arms jutted out of its body, each one from a different beast. One ended in ws, the other a huge paw, while the third looked disturbingly human.

    Tworge, rotting feet crashed to the ground as the monster rose. It was notablycking a head, but the Mesh didn¡¯t seem to find that a major problem to its continued existence.

    The thumping grew louder still until it was a thunderous roar that echoed through the room like the drums of war.

    <strong>[Overloading Flesh Abomination ¡ª Journeyman 9]</strong>

    <em>Well, I can¡¯t say we didn¡¯t see thising.</em>

    The abomination¡¯s heartbeat ringing in his ears, Arwin charged to meet Jessen¡¯sst monster.

 Chapter 181: Avoiding attention

    Chapter 181: Avoiding attention

    A wave of rotten fog rolled out of Flesh Abomination¡¯s exposed, bloody neck. It was a thick brown color and it rolled across the ground toward him like the tideing in. Arwin didn¡¯t know what it would do, and he had absolutely no ns of finding out.

    He bounded over the fog with a small boost from [Scourge] andnded on the monster¡¯s shoulders, bringing his hammer down into its back. The Flesh Abomination stumbled and fell forward into its own fog.

    Arwinunched himself off it,nding safely outside of the rancid monster¡¯s range. The endless thump of its heart echoed through the room as it rose, apparently unbothered by therge dent in its back.

    Rodrick and Olive stood on the other side of the monster, biding their time until the smoke dispersed before attacking. Flesh stitched back over the monster¡¯s wound as it lumbered toward Arwin.

    <em>I¡¯m evidently going to have to hit it harder if I want to do serious damage, but I really don¡¯t have the energy to spare swinging Verdant ze around with reckless abandon. </em>

    Rodrick took several steps back and sprinted forward, water sshing at his feet as his armor elerated him. He leapt over the dispersing fog, clearing it in one jump, and rolled past the Flesh Abomination as the monster swung a lumbering hand at him.

    The monster¡¯s fist mmed into the ground with enough force to shake it. Cracks spiderwebbed out across the floor and it lifted its hand, debris raining down from its purpled, swelling fingers.

    Rodrick came to a stop beside Arwin, turning to face the monster. Olive worked her way around it, her sword drawn, eyes searching for an opportunity to attack. The monster wasn¡¯t fast, but it was definitely strong.

    ¡°Lillia, how much shadow do you have to work with right now?¡± Arwin asked. He and Rodrick backed up toward the center of the room. They remained close enough to keep monster remained focused on them so it wouldn¡¯t turn to any of the others. ¡°Can you hold this thing down?¡±¡°Not very well,¡± Lillia called back. ¡°We saw how strong it was. I could maybe trip it up for a second if Reya was helping. It doesn¡¯t look like attacking would do much more, though.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Reya, get ready,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Be prepared to use [Imprison]. I want to knock this thing down. Once it falls, Lillia ¡ª hold it down. Olive can then go for a strike, and it¡¯ll be your job to make sure it can¡¯t hit her while she¡¯s doing that.¡±

    ¡°Which leaves us to knock it down?¡± Rodrick guessed.

    Arwin nodded and lowered his stance. ¡°Unfortunately. Do you have it in you to activate your berserker skill again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I reckon I¡¯ll make it,¡± Rodrick replied.

    The Flesh Abomination lurched forward and reached out for both of them. Rodrick¡¯s sword shed down as he dodged to the side, leaving a glowing cut along the monster¡¯s skin. Flesh peeled back and blood sloughed from the wound, but the abomination barely even seemed to notice.

    Arwin ducked under the monster¡¯s other hand and thrust his foot behind therge monster¡¯s legs before twisting his body and mming Verdant ze into the creature¡¯s chest with a [Scourge] empowered blow.

    Bone crunched and the abomination stumbled back. An enormous weight mmed down on Arwin¡¯s leg as the monster tripped over it. It pitched back and crashed to the ground. Even with his greaves protecting his leg, he felt the bone snap beneath the monster¡¯s weight.

    He let out a snarl of pain and fell, catching himself by mming his hammer¡¯s head to the ground like a crutch. A bolt of yellow light shot from Anna¡¯s hands and slipped into his leg, setting the bone and pulling away some of the pain.

    Arwin didn¡¯t have time to thank her. The abomination¡¯s wound was already starting to knit shut and it was halfway back to rising to its feet. He swung Verdant ze once more, striking the monster in the top of the chest and throwing it back to the ground.

    [Scourge]¡¯s reserves were already dangerously low. He wasn¡¯t sure how many more swings he had left in him, but they needed the monster pinned down. As soon as it hit the ground for the second time, bands of shadow shot up and tightened around its arms.

    Olive strode forward and brought her sword down toward its chest.

    A loud groan filled the room and the shadows started to tear as the Flesh Abomination forced itself upward. Lillia¡¯s hands trembled and she gritted her teeth, pouring more power into her magic.

    The abomination ripped through the shadows and swung a hand for Olive. A sh of blue mmed into the monster, halting it for an instant, and Rodrick lunged. He mmed into Olive and carried her out of the way of the monster¡¯s hand as it swept past her, catching nothing but air.

    Arwin cursed under his breath and hopped back to avoid a rancid hand as it swept for him. The Abomination mbered back to its feet and turned toward Rodrick and Olive, shuffling in their direction.

    ¡°Again!¡± Arwin yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll help hold it down better this time!¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He sprinted toward the monster¡¯s back and it twisted, a hand flying to meet him. Arwin dismissed Verdant ze. He dropped to his knees and slid beneath the strike. Brown fog started to pour from the monster¡¯s neck again as Arwin rose behind it, spinning and resummoning Verdant ze as he swung at the monster¡¯s shoulder.

    Bone cracked beneath the blow. It spun, nearly catching Arwin with a iling limb, but managed to keep itself from pitching over. The relentless beat of its heart pounded away, matching the blood roaring in Arwin¡¯s ears.

    He made to jump forward, but spikes of bone erupted from the Abomination¡¯s skin, jutting out from every direction. It charged toward him, each step making the ground bounce, and Arwin was forced to throw himself to the side to avoid being simultaneously trampled and impaled.

    A sh of blue wrapped around the monster, locking it in ce as Arwin rose back to his feet, and strands of shadow rose up to trip the Flesh Abomination. It mmed to the ground with a crash.

    Bone erupted from its back, shooting out like cancerous roots that stretched toward everyone. Arwin shattered the bones with Verdant ze as they grew near him, then spun to help the others.

    Rodrick shattered the ones that were reaching for him and Olive. Reya and Li broke the strands extending toward them, protecting Anna in the process. Shattered bone rained down to the ground as the monster pushed itself back upright, more tendrils of stiff bone sprouting from its chest.

    The rhythmic thump of the monster¡¯s heart grew somehow louder.

    ¡°We need to end this!¡± Rodrick yelled. ¡°It¡¯s getting stronger the longer we fight it!¡±

    ¡°Repeat the previous n!¡± Arwin yelled back. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough magical energy to try anything else, so I¡¯ll help hold it down when it copses! Don¡¯t let it get the bone burst thing off again. Kill it before it can!¡±

    Olive¡¯s hand tightened around her sword. Her face was pale but her eyes determined as she readied her stance once more. ¡°On your mark. I¡¯m ready.¡±

    Arwin and Rodrick exchanged a nod, then sprinted toward the Abomination. Bones erupted to meet them and Rodrick¡¯s body erupted with burning yellow energy. He let out a roar and swirls of water gathered before his skin, blocking the bones as they shattered against him. He mmed into the Flesh Abomination¡¯s shoulder, sending it reeling.

    A secondter, Arwin¡¯s hammer mmed into the monster¡¯s right leg. Verdant ze ripped into the flesh and shattered bone, sending the monster pitching forward. Bone spikes scraped against his helm and along his armor, trying and failing to rip through the metal.

    Olive burst forward even as the Abomination pitched forward. It hit the ground with a resounding crash and the loud crack of shattering bones, but white growths were already sprouting like springtime flowers all across its body.

    Arwin ignored the bones that drove into his armor and swung Verdant ze, shattering the ones heading in Olive¡¯s direction. She was already mid-swing, her sword cutting through the air at an agonizingly slow speed.

    Shadows slithered around the Abomination and pulled it back down as it tried to rise. More bones pressed out from it, trying to push their way through Arwin¡¯s armor and reaching out for Olive once more.

    Rodrick¡¯s de shed and more bone heading for Olive shattered before it could reach her. The glowing energy enveloping him faded away as he drained thest of his magical power, but the Abomination seemed to have a limitless amount of matter to work with.

    Even more jagged bone sprouted from its body, forming a carapace over its arms and reaching for Olive like grasping hands.

    Her sword drew closer and closer to its chest, but the bones were faster than she was. Concentration creased Olive¡¯s features and her knuckles were white around the hilt of her de. She had no ns of dodging.

    A wave of blue light mmed into the monster. The bone growth slowed to a halt for a flicker of an instant.

    Olive¡¯s sword bit home. It cut clean from one shoulder of the monster down to its abdomen, tearing through the monster like nothing was there. Smoke hissed from the creature¡¯s flesh as the sword¡¯s edge flickered with fire. Loud twangs rang out, but Olive didn¡¯t stop to see what they were.

    She pulled her sword down and slid it free of the Flesh Abomination¡¯s pelvis. The two halves of the monster sloughed away, revealing several cut metal strands.

    The bones growing from the monster cracked and crumbled, falling away as it copsed, losing the will to fight. All the pieces making it up lost their cohesion and detached from each other, leaving only the still-thumping heart just to the side of where Olive¡¯s de had carved through the monster.

    They all caught their breath for a second. Arwin¡¯s armor had several grooves running through it from the sharp bones, but they¡¯d failed to prate deep enough to do any damage. Judging by the ssy stare in Olive and Rodrick¡¯s eyes, the Mesh had acknowledged their victory.

    Arwin had to admit that he was mildly surprised that he hadn¡¯t gotten anything himself. Achievements weren¡¯t easy toe by, but this had been far from a simple monster. Sure, it wasn¡¯t fully organic and seemed to have been made partially at Jessen¡¯s behest, but he doubted Jessen had nned for the monster to start Overloading from all the extra magical energy in the dungeon.

    <em>It wasn¡¯t like that was an easy fight. But if it didn¡¯t give me an express reward¡­ does that mean I already got it?</em>

    Rodrick blinked the Mesh away. His features twisted with disgust as he looked down at the heart and he turned his sword around in his grip, preparing to plunge it down.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said hurriedly. Rodrick shot him a baffled look.

    ¡°What, you want to do it yourself?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. He looked down at the heart as it thumped away, seemingly unaware that it was only meant to do that when it was inside a body. ¡°But I think I might have a use for this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cooking it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Even I have limits.¡±

    ¡°Thank god, but that wasn¡¯t what I meant,¡± Arwin said. He knelt beside the heart and carefully lifted it from the gory remains of the monster it had been animating. He tried not to gag in disgust at the pulsating organ. ¡°I can craft with scales and other monster parts. There¡¯s clearly magic in this, and it definitely isn¡¯t edible for anyone with half a brain. I think I can use this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to squish when you hit it with your hammer. What will you even make?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no damn idea, but I¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Arwin replied. He stuffed the pulsating heart into his bag and pulled the p over so he didn¡¯t have to look at it any longer. He nodded to the others. ¡°Now let¡¯s check out the rest of the room and get out of this dungeon before we draw too much¡ª¡±

    The words of the Mesh snapped to life before Arwin as a rumble shook the dungeon beneath his feet.

    <strong>High-Journeyman Ranked Dungeon Break has been averted due to dungeonpletion by [The Menagerie].</strong>

    ¡°¡ªattention,¡± Arwin finished, his words falling from numb lips.

 Chapter 182: Drive the Nail

    Chapter 182: Drive the Nail

    The Mesh¡¯s words hovered before Arwin¡¯s face as if to taunt him.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Lillia said, breaking the moment of still silence. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±

    The Mesh was not kidding. Before she¡¯d even finished speaking, more sentences swirled out before Arwin.

    <strong>Achievement: [From the Cradle] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[From the Cradle] ¨C Awarded for clearing a Journeyman Ranked Dungeon within ten minutes of its establishment. Talk about efficiency. Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    ¡°How did this get qualified as a properly ranked dungeon?¡± Rodrick demanded, waving invisible words away from his face. ¡°It was just a normal Journeyman tier dungeon when we went in!¡±

    ¡°What exactly does this mean? I thought it was already Journeyman ranked,¡± Reya said with a confused frown. ¡°Why is the Mesh suddenly telling people that wepleted it?¡±

    ¡°It was probably Journeyman tier, but it wasn¡¯t officially recognized as that by the Mesh,¡± Anna exined. ¡°There are different kinds of dungeons. The mostmon ones are just the ones that we¡¯ve cleared before. They just¡­ exist, I guess. Theye in and out of existence and can have almost any kind of monster in them. Ranked dungeons are ones that have been recognized by the Mesh. They tend to be rarer and often have powerful monsters that don¡¯t stay dead, even after you kill them.¡±

    They all cast their gazes down to the flesh golem.¡°You mean the Mesh is going to bring this thing back to life?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°I think it took Jessen¡¯s monster and ran with it,¡± Arwin said grimly. ¡°So most likely, yes. Ranked dungeons are what the Secret Eye uses to gauge guilds and their individual members. Clear enough of them and you can get an official guild ranking. And the people to clear the dungeon first¡ª¡±

    ¡°Get their name on an obelisk outside the dungeon,¡± Rodrick finished. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to make our name known. With all the people the Secret Eye had gathered up, it¡¯s going to be really damn hard to miss that we somehow snagged the first clear.¡±

    ¡°Where was the reward for that? I¡¯ve always heard the Mesh gives bonuses to the first group that clears out a ranked dungeon, but I¡¯ve never managed to do it myself,¡± Olive said. She paused for a moment, then joined everyone else in looking down at Arwin¡¯s bag, where the heart within still thumped away.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Anna muttered. ¡°<em>That?</em>¡±

    ¡°We can worry about itter,¡± Arwin said. He pulled his thoughts under control and strode over to the corner of the room and started sifting through the strewn limbs. ¡°We need to see if there¡¯s anything else in here and leave as soon as possible.¡±

    That snapped everyone back to the present. They spread out and quickly picked the room apart in search of anything that the Mesh ¡ª or Jessen ¡ª had left behind for them. A few minutester, they all gathered back at the front of the room.

    Arwin activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed] as he searched, but the only magical connection that appeared within the small range he was scanning ran over to Olive, who had just scooped something off the ground. He dismissed the skill and scanned for more ordinary items, but his efforts turned out fruitless. He¡¯d found a whole lot of monster limbs and bones, but absolutely nothing that would be useful to him or any of the others. The rest of his guild looked to have been a little more sessful.

    Olive held a silver bracer with a dark red ruby embedded at its center in her hands. It was covered with gore and blood, but the Mesh activated with just a single look that Arwin sent in its direction.

    <strong>Sacrificial Bracer: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Bloodwell]: Creatures killed while this item is worn will have their energy drained into the gem in its center until it is full. This item cannot contain the energy of any creature higher than Journeyman tier. </strong>

    <strong>[Sacrifice]: Activating this item releases the power stored in the Bloodwell, causing it to defend the wielder from physical strikes until the power is stored up. Activating [Sacrifice] will render [Bloodwell] inert until all the power within the gemstone has been spent.</strong>

    ¡°Nice find,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°It looks pretty damn good for you, actually. I¡¯d say you or Rodrick could get the most out of it since it needs to be used while you¡¯re fighting. Reya too, maybe.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Reya said with a shake of her head. ¡°Olive kills more things in a fight than I do. I¡¯m more of a support that can fight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already got protection of my own,¡± Rodrick added. ¡°Olive can have it.¡±

    ¡°Are you all sure?¡± Olive asked, blinking heavily. ¡°This is still a magical item, you know.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s going to the one who can use it best.¡± Arwin pped Olive on the shoulder. ¡°Take it.¡±

    Olive swallowed and slid the bracelet into her bag, giving them a deep nod. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Anyone else get anything?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Anna said. She stepped forward, but instead of taking out an item, she held out a bent-up piece of what had once been embossed metal. Arwin took it from her with a small frown. The metal disk was a bit smaller than the palm of his hand.

    He could just barely make out what seemed to be an overflowing chalice depicted on it, but it was so damaged that any minute detail had been lost.

    ¡°This looks like a guild insignia,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Where was it? Do you think it belonged to someone that wronged Jessen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. I found something that looks like it used to be a desk,¡± Anna said with a shake of her head. ¡°The dungeon warped it and absorbed a solid half. I had to pry this out of the wall. I think it was a stamp or some other way for someone to identify themselves.¡±

    ¡°A guild Jessen was working with, perhaps?¡± Rodrick guessed. ¡°Maybe suppliers or something.¡±

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good find.¡± Arwin handed it back to Anna. ¡°Keep that close. Anything rted to Jessen is worth keeping an eye on in case they end up showing upter to figure out what happened to their investment or business partner. I think I¡¯ve got a badge from him as well, so that¡¯s two potential different guilds that could be rted to this. Anyone else?¡±

    ¡°I found some things that tasted edible,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Nothing worth mentioning now.¡±

    That felt mildly suspicious, but given that they were rather pressed for time, it wasn¡¯t the time to dig deeper. The silence that followed Lillia¡¯s words showed that nobody else had found anything.

    Their workplete, everyone headed back over to the exit of the room. Arwin pulled the badge from his bag and held it up to the slot, sliding it in. It popped out a secondter with a click and the entrance rumbled open.

    He poked his head out to nce around and see if there was anyone lying in wait, but the outside of the dungeon was barren of other adventurers. He stepped out and the rest of the Menagerie followed him.

    <em>The Secret Eye probably stopped letting people in once the Ardent guildmembers ran out and told them what happened ¡ª or after the dungeon upgraded to an official Journeyman rank. One way or another, that works for us. </em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Reya, make sure your hood is up. We don¡¯t want someone recognizing you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. Thanks,¡± Reya said, hurrying to obscure her face once more. The darkness around Lillia intensified and she walked beside Reya, partially obscuring the other girl. Then they were off, heading back for the exit and the crowd of Adventurers likely waiting for them at the outside of the dungeon.

    ***

    The not-so-dull roar of a crowd greeted the Menagerie as they emerged from the dungeon. Arwin winced at the bright daylight pouring through the entrance of the cave and exchanged nces with the rest of his team.

    It didn¡¯t look like people had dispersed much since they¡¯d entered. They¡¯d made good time through the dungeon, fortunately avoiding any other adventurers or monsters that remained within it, but it looked like that luck could only stretch so far.

    There was nothing to do but head out. Arwin took the lead, dismissing Verdant ze and stepping out into the daylight to see what awaited them. He blinked the bright sun away, squinting as he took in his bearings. Almost instantly, his gaze was drawn to a tall ck pir rising up a foot above him at the entrance of the dungeon. A name glowed at its top, written in familiar flowing golden script.

    <em>The Menagerie</em>

    It wasn¡¯t even slightly subtle. Anyone who ever went into the dungeon from this point onward would be faced with their name and would know immediately who had managed the first clear of the dungeon.

    He could feel the heart in his bag still thumping away, but it was impossible to actually hear over the crowd. There were a lot of adventurers staring at them as it became abundantly clear just who the Menagerie were.

    <em>Rodrick was definitely right. This is one way to make a name for ourselves. Can¡¯t take back the past, so I might as well lean into it. </em>

    ¡°Ifrit. Of all the things I was expecting to result from allowing you into the dungeon, I can honestly say that this wasn¡¯t one of them.¡±

    Arwin looked to the side as Selen, the Secret Eye representative, pushed herself away from where she¡¯d been leaning by the cave entrance and walked toward him.

    ¡°And of all the things I was expecting to find in there, an imminent Dungeon Break wasn¡¯t one of them,¡± Arwin replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call for an evacuation of the city? If it went off¡ª¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t,¡± Selen said. ¡°The Secret Eye had things under control.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie and we both know it. We personally stopped several adventurers from dying. If we hadn¡¯t, everyone here and a good chunk of Milten could have been swallowed.¡±

    ¡°What makes you believe that you were not acting on the Secret Eye¡¯s behalf?¡± Selen tilted her head to the side. ¡°We did allow you in after all.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t even bother sighing. The Secret Eye only had one goal, and the safety of a random city in the middle of nowhere wasn¡¯t it. She probably did actually believe things had been handled, as she definitely wouldn¡¯t have been standing within range of the dungeon if she¡¯d believed a Dungeon Break was going to ur.

    <em>The Ardent Guild definitely didn¡¯t let her know just how close they came to getting killed, then. No way for us to prove anything in that regard, as it would just be a bunch of finger pointing. Getting caught up in that would just make us look petty.</em>

    ¡°How¡¯d you do it?¡± Selen asked bluntly. ¡°The only way you could have cleared the dungeon would be passing through the locked door.¡±

    ¡°Did anyone ever try actually making a key?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side to gauge Selen¡¯s response.

    She blinked. ¡°¡­making a key? You didn¡¯t have it?¡±

    <em>That tells me all I need to know. </em>

    ¡°How would I? I¡¯m a smith. Why would I have some magical key that lets me into a dungeon this important? I just made a key and opened the door myself,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. The mor from the crowd grew louder.

    ¡°What did you get out of it?¡± A man yelled. ¡°What was in the fifth room?¡±

    ¡°A giant flesh golem,¡± Arwin called back, taking advantage of the distraction to let himself slip out of the conversation with Selen. He didn¡¯t want to outright snub the Secret Eye, but the less he had to talk to them, the better. ¡°Of the Overloading variety.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a smith?¡± a female adventurer near the front of the crowd asked. ¡°How did your group manage to clear the dungeon when nobody else could? Did you really just make a key on the spot? I find that hard to believe.¡±

    Before Arwin could respond, another person pushed to the front of the crowd. Arwin recognized them. It was Leon, Ted¡¯s brother and one of the earliest people he¡¯d sold his armor to.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t surprise me at all,¡± Leon said. ¡°My guild has bought a ton of stuff from him, and everything he¡¯s sold us has been great quality. If anyone could make a key in the middle of a dungeon, it¡¯s Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any gear for sale?¡± another adventurer asked.

    ¡°What about the loot from the dungeon?¡± asked yet another. ¡°What did you get? Are you going to be auctioning any of it?¡±

    The crowd grew louder and louder. Leon sent Arwin a wink, showing that he hadn¡¯t made himself known purely out of chance. He¡¯d spoken to lend more credence to Arwin¡¯s story. Arwin inclined his head slightly in appreciation.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t selling anything at this time, but I¡¯ve got some gear in my smithy, the Infernal Armory,¡± Arwin called. ¡°We got a fair amount of material from this dungeon and I¡¯ll be making new sets of gear quite soon. If you¡¯re interested in purchasing anything from us, pleasee by the Devil¡¯s Den or my smithy tomorrow. Someone will be able to help you then.¡±

    Selen could do nothing but watch from the side as he and the rest of the Menagerie started off, pushing through the crowd. There was just too much attention on them for her to get the details she wanted.

    Adventurers parted, still pelting Arwin and the others with questions as they pressed back toward Milten. He didn¡¯t even bother answering any more of them ¡ª he¡¯d said what he wanted to and it wasn¡¯t like anyone would have been able to hear him now anyway.

    They finally broke free of the crowd and elerated, heading back toward Milten as fast as they could. A few adventurers trailed after them, but the vast majority of the others remained at the entrance of the dungeon.

    A new Ranked Dungeon right beside the town was absolutely nothing to leave sitting around. It would refill with new monsters faster than other dungeons, and even if the first clear had been imed, finishing second and third was still better than finishing fiftieth.

    <em>Milten is about to get a whole lot of attention from traveling adventurers. There aren¡¯t that many towns with a ranked dungeon that close to it. It might just be a town on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Lian right now, but it won¡¯t stay that way for much longer. </em>

    A small smile crossed Arwin¡¯s lips beneath his helm. The dungeon had turned out better than he could have hoped. It looked like the Infernal Armory was going to need to kick up production.

    It wasn¡¯t all sunshine, though. More customers meant more attention on them, and that meant more guilds that were going to want him off the board. The Ardent guild were already stepping on their toes, and they wouldn¡¯t be thest.

    <em>Maybe it¡¯s just about time I start looking into selling some basic magical items to select people. I¡¯ve already shown people I¡¯m more than just a smith. Now I¡¯ll drive the nail home and make sure they never forget it.</em>

 Chapter 183: The rest of it

    Chapter 183: The rest of it

    Arwin and the rest of the Menagerie made it back to their street without incident. But, when they drew up to the door of the Devil¡¯s Den, there was someone waiting for them.

    Madiv stood by the door leaning against the wall. There was a canvas bag at his feet. He spotted theming and pushed himself upright, adjusting his suit and smoothing out his hair. Arwin was pretty sure that was something that generally should have been done <em>before </em>anyone saw the merchant and not after, but it was probably the least of the vampire¡¯s worries.

    ¡°You have been missing for some time,¡± Madiv said as they drew to a stop before him. ¡°I have acquired the Ivorin that you requested.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfect timing, actually,¡± Arwin said. He ran a hand along his armor, feeling the grooves running through it. He needed more Ivorin to patch it up, not to mention make his gauntlets and boots.

    There was also the matter of making some suits of armor to sell the following day, but he had to bnce innovation with creation. It was a little awkward to be a smith that didn¡¯t even know how to make a full set of armor.

    Madiv pulled a bar of metal out of his bag and held it out so that Arwin could take a look. It definitely looked like Ivorin. If Arwin was honest with himself, he was slightly surprised. He¡¯d fully expected the merchant to show up with a bag of rocks.

    ¡°This is¡­ actually Ivorin,¡± Arwin said, taking a moment to listen to the metal¡¯s desires before speaking. ¡°Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°Is that of any concern?¡± Madiv asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°My sources are my own. I acquired it, did I not?¡±

    ¡°I suppose you did,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Forty gold per bar, was it? How many did you get?¡±¡°Ten.¡±

    <em>Wasn¡¯t Ivorin meant to be painfully rare? How¡¯d he get so much of it in such a short period of time? As ipetent as this guy is, he gets the job done. </em>

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go inside. I¡¯ll get four hundred gold for you. I have to say that I¡¯m pretty impressed.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Madiv asked. ¡°Did you doubt my abilities? I serve¡ª¡±

    He let out a strangled grunt as Lillia stepped past him, elbowing him in the stomach as she unlocked the door to the Devil¡¯s Den. She sent him an exaggerated look of shock.

    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±

    ¡°Apologies,¡± Madiv said through a wheeze. ¡°I will endeavor to wear bright colors so that my Q¡ª¡±

    Lillia turned back toward the door, elbowing him again in the process and turning the rest of his sentence into a whoosh of air from his lips. He quickly straightened and adjusted his clothes, opening his mouth.

    ¡°Think for a moment,¡± Arwin said, pping Madiv on the shoulder. The vampire flinched ¡ª not in pain, but in annoyance at the contact. They held each other¡¯s gaze for a moment before Arwin nodded to Lillia and lowered his voice. ¡°I believe Lillia gave you an order thest time we met, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Madiv¡¯s lips pressed thin and, after a second, a flicker of realization passed through his pale features. ¡°Ah. The name. I had thought My ¡ª ah, Lillian had decided to express her gratitude through physical violence.¡±

    Olive suppressed augh, but Reya wasn¡¯t quite as sessful. She let out a snicker before quickly covering her mouth with a hand.

    Arwin¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Has she ever chosen to do that before?¡±

    ¡°As far as my humble knowledge extends, no. But the air is ripe with change. Anything is possible.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to keep that attitude if you want a fart¡¯s chance in a hurricane of getting a single other customer,¡± Arwin muttered. He shook his head and gestured for Madiv to follow him. ¡°Come on. Come inside so we can properly introduce you to the rest of the guild.¡±

    Everyone headed into the Devil¡¯s Den and gathered in themon room. Arwin made a quick detour to Lillia¡¯s room to find the area where he¡¯d stored all their gold, then liberated 400 of it from the pile and brought it back to Madiv.

    He took the Ivorin out of its bag and dumped the gold in its ce before handing the considerably lightened tarp back to the vampire merchant.

    ¡°Right. Everyone, for those of you that haven¡¯t guessed, this is Madiv,¡± Arwin said. ¡°He¡¯s an old friend of Lillia¡¯s and, as you saw, happens to be a merchant.¡±

    ¡°I knew it,¡± Reya said through a groan. ¡°Seriously? This is why the Ardent guild is pissed at us?¡±

    ¡°Hey, he did show up with a bunch of metal,¡± Rodrick pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t know shit about the guy, but he¡¯s effective. No need to judge too harshly yet.¡±

    <em>No, I¡¯m pretty sure Reya is right. </em>

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    ¡°I do want to know just why the Ardent guild hates you so much,¡± Arwin said, casting a look back at Madiv. ¡°You¡¯ve somehow managed to cause problems for us already. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got a good reason for that?¡±

    ¡°I am unaware of any such guild.¡±

    ¡°You pissed them off without even knowing who they are?¡± Anna raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s actually impressive.¡±

    ¡°I am unaware of any guilds in this backwater city,¡± Madiv said. ¡°They have not garnered my interest to a degree that would motivate me to seek out more information as to their names.¡±

    ¡°The guild with the golden sword on the red badge,¡± Arwin said, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. ¡°A merchant guild.¡±

    A flicker of recognition passed through Madiv¡¯s features. Lines of distaste creased his brow. ¡°Ah. Yes. I am aware of this guild.¡±

    ¡°So what did you do?¡± Lillia asked, leaning against the doorframe that led into the kitchen. ¡°Steal their customers?¡±

    ¡°No. I had an altercation with a warrior bearing their crest. He seemed to believe that he was entitled to a kill that he did not earn. I rectified his misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°You killed him?¡± Reya asked, her eyes going wide. ¡°And people know?¡±

    ¡°I did not kill him. I am not an animal.¡± Madiv let out a derisive scoff. ¡°It was only his first offense. I shattered the bones of his arms and hung him by his wrists from a tree.¡±

    <em>What the hell kind of merchant ss do you have if you¡¯re beating the life out of a warrior? Actually, I¡¯m not sure if I should be surprised. The Mesh doesn¡¯t seem to mind letting people stick onto some abilities from previous sses when they change, and he¡¯s still a Vampire. I¡¯d imagine there are some benefits thate with being a monster. </em>

    ¡°You know what? I think I know why they stuck anyone that works with you on a cklist,¡± Olive said. She blew out a breath and nced at Arwin. ¡°Not to be impatient, but I¡¯d really like to hear what it was that you¡¯ve been holding off on telling me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fair request,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot ahead of us in the next few days, so no point wasting time. Reya, are you still willing to help Madiv out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if you want me to.¡±

    Madiv sent Reya an incredulous look. ¡°This is the master salesman?¡±

    ¡°You got a problem with me?¡± Reya asked, her eyes narrowing.

    ¡°Where is your suit?¡± Madiv demanded. ¡°Your livery! How do your customers know of yourpetence when you dress like a mere adventurer?¡±

    That clearly hadn¡¯t been the objection that Reya had been expecting Madiv to make. She blinked, then let out a snort. ¡°Your suit doesn¡¯t make you look like a good merchant. It makes you look like you¡¯re going to try to sell me a shitty rug.¡±

    Madiv looked down at his suit. Then he looked back up at Reya. ¡°I see. The solution is to wear women¡¯s armor to demonstrate your wiles while proving that you are capable of protecting your goods.¡±

    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Reya said. ¡°This might take a bit. Come on.¡±

    She stepped out of the tavern and Madiv followed after her. The rest of the Menagerie watched them leave without a word.

    ¡°That can only end well,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°At least he seems willing to learn,¡± Anna said diplomatically. ¡°I think Reya will be a good teacher. It¡¯ll be a good experience for her to actually be the one that knows what¡¯s going on for once.¡±

    Arwin nodded, but his thoughts were already elsewhere. They¡¯d kept Olive waiting for long enough. She¡¯d proven her worth, both to the guild and as a person. There wasn¡¯t any excuse to keep her in the dark any more.

    A tendril of shadow curled out from the corner of the tavern and snagged a chair, bringing it over to Olive. She nced at it in surprise.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡±

    ¡°You might want to sit down,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You wanted to hear about who I am, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Olive sat down without another word. Her gaze danced across the room, picking up on the shift in mood quickly. ¡°Yeah. Why does it feel like I¡¯m attending a funeral?¡±

    A small, bitterugh escaped Arwin before he could stop it. ¡°That¡¯s a surprisingly astute observation, as I¡¯m supposed to be dead. Do you recall hearing about the final fight between the Hero and the Demon Queen, the one that ended with a massive explosion?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Olive replied, her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to piece together what Arwin was talking about. ¡°Did you desert the Guild during the final battle or something?¡±

    ¡°More like they deserted me.¡± Arwin couldn¡¯t keep the note of bitterness from his voice. ¡°I was at the center of that explosion, together with the Demon Queen.¡±

    The befuddlement on Olive¡¯s features only grew stronger. ¡°What? You managed to survive a st like that? Are you really not lying about your Tier? There¡¯s no way the Hero and the Demon Queen would both get killed while a random smith wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. They didn¡¯t die,¡± Arwin said. As always, finding the right words to actually exin what had happened was a thousand times harder than thinking them, but there was nothing to do but push forward. ¡°I lived. I haven¡¯t always been a cksmith, Olive.¡±

    He could see the moment Olive put his words together as clear as day. Her brow lifted as she drew in a small breath, her lips parting as her gaze focused. Olive flew from her chair, knocking it to the floor behind her in the process. ¡°Nine Undends. You¡¯re the fucking Hero? You lying son of a bitch. You said you¡ª¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± Arwin barked, cutting Olive off. ¡°I¡¯m not the Hero anymore. My ss and Tier were both taken in the explosion. I¡¯m nothing but Apprentice 6 now. I swear to you that I have never put anything less than myplete effort into everything we¡¯ve done.

    The wind left Olive¡¯s sails, but the shock remained within her eyes. ¡°Why? And how do I know you¡¯re telling the truth about this?¡±

    ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t the only one that survived that explosion,¡± Arwin said. He looked to Lillia and Olive¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Olive breathed. ¡°I knew that wasn¡¯t makeup. Nobody likes demons so much that they dress up like that every single day. Why did I even believe it?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s a lot easier to believe than the alternative,¡± Rodrick said.

    She let out a bark ofughter. ¡°What, easier to believe that the Hero and the Demon Queen retired to a shithole town and started dating? Was the war even real? How much of what I know is bullshit?¡±

    ¡°With regard to the guild? Probably most of it,¡± Arwin said. He blew out a heavy sigh. ¡°I know this is overwhelming. There¡¯s a reason we didn¡¯t mention it mid-dungeon. If you give us the time, we¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s shadows slipped out and righted Olive¡¯s chair. The one-armed warrior looked from her to Arwin suspiciously.

    ¡°What about them?¡± Olive asked, nodding to Rodrick and Anna. ¡°Guards or something?¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯re just adventurers. Ones with our own story, but nothing directly rted to theirs,¡± Anna said. ¡°We heard what you¡¯re about to. For what it¡¯s worth, I think you¡¯ve met who they really are. Whatever their pasts may have been, the Arwin and Lillia you know now are the real ones.¡±

    Olive¡¯s hand unclenched and she lowered herself back into the chair, her eyes boring into Arwin¡¯s.

    ¡°Okay. Tell me the rest of it.¡±

 Chapter 184: Lost cause

    Chapter 184: Lost cause

    Arwin did as he¡¯d promised. He told Olive about the gemstone and the Adventurer Guild¡¯s betrayal, not just of him, but of the entirety of the Kingdom of Lian. He told her of how he¡¯d woken up beside Milten with his new ss, and about how he¡¯d met Reya. He told her about the way he¡¯de to learn that Lillia wasn¡¯t the monster he¡¯d thought her to be and he told her about Zeke. By the time he¡¯d finished speaking, nearly thirty minutes had passed.

    Olive hadn¡¯t said a word the entire time. She stared at him, silently working to process everything he said. Even if she hadn¡¯t been close to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, they were meant to be the saviors and protectors of the kingdom, not its vers. Even after Arwin fell silent, his story finished, Olive said nothing for nearly a minute.

    Finally, she gathered her words.

    ¡°The new Hero and Demon Queen. They¡¯re¡­ what, puppets? Just like you were?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°It¡¯s possible. The fact of the matter is that I¡¯m not strong enough to find out. None of us are. No matter how much I want to save everyone, I¡¯ve realized that I need to focus on saving the people I can.¡±

    The look Olive sent him made it clear she knew he¡¯d learned that sentiment through experience. She gathered herself again, then shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to see you as the Hero¡­ but at the same time, it kind of fits. I can¡¯t say why, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.¡± Olive caught herself, then frowned. ¡°No. Makes sense isn¡¯t the right word. None of this shit makes sense¡­ but I think I understand. It sounds like you¡¯ve been through a lot for a that isn¡¯t even yours.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mine now,¡± Arwin said with a smallugh. ¡°I remember so little of Earth that I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything more than what once was. I¡¯ve lived almost all of my life in Lian.¡±

    ¡°What will you do, then?¡± Olive asked. She gestured vaguely around them. ¡°Is this whole guild the beginnings of your way to destroy the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡±¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin admitted honestly. ¡°I would love to carve the corruption out of them. But right now¡­ even thinking about that would be a great way to get all of us killed. My first priority is us. I have a responsibility to every single person in this guild. Their safety is more important than my desires for revenge.¡±

    ¡°Noble,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°Experienced,¡± Arwin corrected grimly. ¡°I won¡¯t lose more friends. That said, I understand if you don¡¯t want anything to do with this. It¡¯s a lot more than you signed up for. Granted, I do expect your silence. I trust we¡¯ve earned that.¡±

    Olive studied his face before a faint flicker of a smile pulled across her lips and she pushed herself out of her chair. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Don¡¯t think I could, even if I wanted to. And I definitely won¡¯t be telling anyone what you just shared. I do think I need a little time to process this, though. It¡¯s a lot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything, but you can ask me anything you want.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I know I¡¯m a demon, but the guild¡¯s lies made us and humans seem far more different than we actually are. I lost just as many friends as Arwin did.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to ept, but I believe you,¡± Olive said. Her lips turned down. ¡°And I wish I didn¡¯t. I¡¯ve always thought of myself as fighting for a good reason. Killing to protect. Am I just a murderer?¡±

    ¡°Not every monster is intelligent. You would have known if you killed something that was more than a mere monster,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Olive blew out a breath and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Thanks. I¡¯m just going to go for a quick walk. I¡¯ll be back soon once I¡¯ve had a moment to really think through more of this, and I¡¯ll probably have more questions.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be here,¡± Lillia said. She sent a sidelong nce at Arwin, then amended herself. ¡°Well, I will. I¡¯ll be in the kitchen. Arwin, I suspect, will probably be forging.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Arwin said.

    A small smile passed over Olive¡¯s lips and she exhaled through her nose. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m d you were able to get a ss that actually fit you instead of the one you were forced to take. I have to say it¡¯s a little ironic that you¡¯ve gone back to doing the exact thing you wanted to escape so badly from.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°Before, I fought for a cause. Now I fight for people.¡±

    Olive nodded slowly. Then she pulled the tavern door open and stepped outside, closing it behind her.

    ¡°That went pretty well,¡± Rodrick said, breaking the silence before it could begin to take root once more. ¡°You¡¯re getting good at this.¡±

    Arwin let out a snort. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good thing or not.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Anna said. ¡°You can¡¯t tell everyone, but the Menagerie is going to keep growing as time goes by. Some of the people that join us are probably going to end up getting close enough that we need to bring them into the loop as well. Practice never goes awry.¡±

    ¡°True enough,¡± Arwin allowed. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned, then shook himself off. Time was passing by, and he got the strong feeling that there were about to be a whole lot of people showing up at their street tomorrow after their clear of the dungeon. ¡°I¡¯m going to go make sure Lillia isn¡¯t a liar. Need to get some suits of armor done ¡ª and maybe some gauntlets as well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let us keep you,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go wander around town and see what information I can pick up about how things are going after our little disy. It¡¯ll be good to hear if the Ardent guild actually managed to turn anyone against us or if their cklist is pretty much just limited to them.¡±

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Arwin said before turning to Lillia. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m going to hold off on getting the giant lizard monster from the Mesh for a bit longer. I need to focus on getting the stuff for tomorrow made, and dismantling a giant monster will take a while.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve got more than enough Wyrm meat in the ice box,¡± Lillia said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare that for tomorrow. It¡¯s a good thing that I¡¯ve only got three avable rooms. If a bunch of peoplee, too many new ones staying overnight could end up doing a lot of damage to my satisfaction rating.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just kick out anyone that acts like a prick,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Something passed over Lillia¡¯s face and her lips parted as if to say something, but she shook her head before it could emerge. ¡°Sounds good. Don¡¯t stay out toote.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Lillia raised a hand in farewell before heading into the kitchen to get her work started. Arwin scooped up the metal bars and headed out toward his smithy. Rodrick followed him, turning down the street to head toward the center of town.

    There was a lot of work to get done before the next day arrived.

    ***

    ¡°I will rip your flesh apart like stripping the skin from a stalk of corn, then¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Reya said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. ¡°That¡¯s definitely not going to do it.¡±

    ¡°I was not finished.¡± Madiv frowned at her. ¡°How can you know my strategy was ineffective if I could notplete it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just call it an inkling, but just for the sake of it, sure. Finish.¡±

    ¡°After ripping you apart, I will give each of your body parts a burial worth more than thebined wealth of your remaining kin.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a great insult, but how in the Nine Undends did you expect it to help you sell anything?¡± Reya demanded. ¡°I told you to give me a good pitch!¡±

    They sat on the top of a building overlooking a shaded alleyway, where they¡¯d been for the past ten minutes.

    <em>Arwin has to be ying a prank on me. There¡¯s absolutely no way this idiot is a merchant. I¡¯d say it¡¯s a miracle he hasn¡¯t pissed off someone important and gotten himself killed, but he seems to be in the process of doing that.</em>

    ¡°That was a pitch,¡± Madiv said. A flicker of anger passed through his haughty features, mixed with more than a little frustration. ¡°I do not understand what is wrong with it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°I am always serious.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re an idiot,¡± Reya said. ¡°Why would anyone buy from you after that?¡±

    ¡°Their fear of my power and appreciation for my magnanimousity.¡± Madiv squinted at Reya. ¡°Are humans truly this stupid? It is clear.¡±

    ¡°It might have been clear to monsters or whatever, but there¡¯s absolutely no way anyone will ever take you up with that approach. First off, you need to be respectful. Second, scrap the threat bullshit. Nobody will think you¡¯re actually going to kill them if they don¡¯t buy from you.¡±

    ¡°If I do that, then why would anyone purchase from me? They have no motivation.¡±

    ¡°Well two ways. Either you¡¯ve got something they want or you convince them <em>politely</em>. It¡¯s called being persuasive.¡±

    ¡°Was that not what I did? Was my tone too aggressive?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your tone. It was your words. Look. We¡¯re going to act this out.¡± Reya pulled out a in dagger and held it so Madiv could see it. ¡°Pretend you¡¯re a normal man that¡¯s in the market for a dagger.¡±

    Madiv nodded. ¡°I want your dagger. Give it to me.¡±

    Reya shed him a weing smile. ¡°I¡¯d love to try and help you get something, sir. What kind of dagger are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Yours.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª okay. Pretend you¡¯re looking for a dagger in general,¡± Reya said irritably, dropping her smile.

    Madiv nodded his understanding. ¡°I am searching for a dagger that may not be yours.¡±

    <em>Close enough.</em>

    ¡°Well, I can assure you that you won¡¯t get a better price anywhere else. At the Infernal Armory, we guarantee that you¡¯ll be satisfied,¡± Reya said. She stepped closer to Madiv and spun the dagger around, a soft smile on her features as she held the weapon out to him. ¡°Please, give it a try. See how it feels in your hand.¡±

    Madiv frowned and took the dagger from her. Her eyes flicked to the coin pouch at his side and it took everything she had to suppress old instincts.

    <em>This is normally where I¡¯d rob you blind. I might not be qualified for this job. I¡¯m not a merchant. I¡¯m a thief. Fortunately, I guess the two are kind of the same thing.</em>

    ¡°This is a dagger,¡± Madiv allowed. He held it back to Reya, but she caught his hand and wrapped his fingers around it.

    ¡°Two gold.¡± Reya beamed. ¡°Maybe you¡¯d like to try it out on something first?¡±

    Madiv blinked and nodded. ¡°I ¡ª very well. That would be permissible.¡±

    Reya released his hand and plucked the dagger from it, her fake smile falling away as she arched an eyebrow. ¡°See? I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m a master at this, but no threats. Just¡­ get them to talk to you.¡±

    <em>Not sure if that¡¯s even possible with how stiff this dude is. He¡¯s like a walking nk of wood with the personality of a stuffy nobleman. </em>

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Madiv said, his brow creasing in concentration. ¡°You are seducing your target.¡±

    Reya sighed. ¡°No. I mean, I guess it¡¯s not all that different. You want them to like you. The more someone likes you, the more likely they¡¯ll be willing to buy something. But that¡¯s probably a step farther than we should be going right now. Figure out how to talk to someone like a normal human. Then we can get more advanced.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I understand why you are in the Dem¡ª¡± Madiv cut himself off and sent Reya a sharp look. She sighed.

    ¡°I know who Lillia is.¡±

    Madiv blew out a relieved breath. ¡°Good. I see now why you are in her retinue. You are a skilled temptress. I will endeavor to reach your heights.¡±

    <em>Did literally nothing I say actually pass into this stiff idiot¡¯s head? At least he¡¯s being respectful now. </em>

    ¡°I ¡ª great. I¡¯m sure you will,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°May I try again?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Reya said. She tossed Madiv her dagger and he caught it from the air. ¡°Sell me the dagger. Pretend we¡¯re inside the Infernal Armory and you¡¯re a merchant for it. That¡¯s Arwin¡¯s smithy, by the way.¡±

    Madiv nodded. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. His features stilled and his back straightened. For several seconds, the vampire didn¡¯t budge.

    Then he blurred. Reya flinched back as she lost track of Madiv for an instant. He arrived before her and dropped into a deep bow, fairing one hand out behind him.

    ¡°Forgive my intrusion, miss,¡± Madiv said, his voice sultry as he lifted his head just enough to look up at her. ¡°May I offer you my services? A hand such as yours should be graced only by a weapon that pays homage to your great beauty as it spills the blood of those who stand beneath you.¡±

    He rose, taking Reya¡¯s hand before she could even fully process anything, and slipped the hilt of the dagger into it. Reya stumbled as she felt several brisk pushes in rapid session. They somehow managed to adjust her position so that she found herself in a fighting stance with dagger held before her.

    Madiv stood before Reya once more as if he¡¯d never moved. The corner of his mouth curled up in approval and he nodded thoughtfully. ¡°You look marvelous, mydy. A perfect weapon for your stature if I have ever seen one. It will only look better when stained red.¡±

    <em>Godspit. That¡­ well, I don¡¯t swing that way and he¡¯s still a bit too sleazy, but someone would definitely go for that if we polished it up. Even the threats almost felt in character. Like a creepy, hot, murderous butler. </em>

    ¡°You know what?¡± Reya asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°You might not be a lost cause after all. Let¡¯s give this another shot.¡±

 Chapter 185: A River

    Chapter 185: A River

    Arwin studied the single gauntlet that rested on the anvil before him. He¡¯d made it by letting the Mesh guide his work but hadn¡¯t allowed any magic into it. The gauntlet was made from Roughsteel and was, forck of a better word, functional.

    The fingers were made out of connected segments, as was a single piece near the wrist to allow forteral movement. He¡¯d used a simr strategy to the way he¡¯d made Lillia¡¯s armor. And, as he put the gauntlet onto his hand and flexed his fingers, he had to admit that the Mesh had led him well.

    The gauntlet wasn¡¯t padded so he wouldn¡¯t have called itfortable, but it was movable. He rolled his wrist and flexed each of his fingers to make sure everything could move without impediment.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to see exactly how my ss is meant to work,¡± Arwin mused to himself. ¡°The Mesh shows me the basic way to craft something and guides my hands when making it, but if I want the best result, I just use that piece as a reference, not the final result. It¡¯s a prototype. Then I get fancy and get the proper materials and traits by making it myself and putting in my own magic.¡±

    He studied the gauntlet for a few more minutes, then pulled it off and set it to the side. There were already a number of changes he wanted to make when it came to crafting something for himself and his allies, but he still needed more practice making gauntlets before he could set about dealing with those.

    It was one thing to make a piece when the Mesh literally guided his hand and showed him what to do. It was entirely different when he had to do it on his own, and making any significant changes to its form would furtherplicate things.

    Fortunately, he had a whole lot of time to practice. Even though he was a little low on Brightsteel, he had a ridiculous number of scales to work with. Having some Wyrm armor would definitely help him make more of an impression on the adventurers that showed up tomorrow than in metal would.

    The heart from Jessen¡¯s room thumped away in his bag, drawing his attention for a brief moment. Its time woulde soon, after he¡¯d cashed in on all the seeds they¡¯d nted by clearing the dungeon. Intentional or not, opportunity waited for no man.

    Arwin got to work, using a mixture of the Mesh¡¯s guidance as well as his own steadily growing knowledge as he worked to make suits of armor as quickly as he could. Even with the power of [Soul me], making armor wasn¡¯t fast and he didn¡¯t have much time.His world was the song of hammer and the roar of fire. He worked scales together, pressing them together within the hearth and pinning everything in ce. Time swirled past like a rushing river and pieces of armor steadily came together.

    Arwin made sure that no magic managed to manifest itself within them. Every single piece was an opportunity to try to push himself farther. To improve upon thest one or to further his understanding of the materials he worked with.

    The scales were surprisingly receptive, though Arwin suspected arge portion of that was the heat of the [Soul me]. Wyrms were already fire-attributed monsters, and he soon found out that the scales saw being made into the armor as the equivalent of a nice spa trip and a massage.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the day slipped away and turned to night. Pieces of armor took form around him. There was no way an ordinary smith would have been able to keep up with his speed, but it just wasn¡¯t enough. He had no clue how many adventurers would show up on the morrow, but there was just no conceivable way he¡¯d be able to outfit everyone that came into the Smithy.

    On top of that, he¡¯d promised Lillia that he¡¯d try to make it back for bed. Arwin¡¯s jaw started to clench. He wished he¡¯d told the adventurers outside of the dungeon toe a few dayster, but he knew that wouldn¡¯t have worked.

    When an opportunity made itself known, one couldn¡¯t meet it on their terms. He had to strike when the iron ¡ª both metaphorical and literal ¡ª was hot.

    Arwin pushed himself to work faster, but he didn¡¯t let the quality drop. There was no point making suits of armor that looked good but crumpled under the first blow. He had a responsibility to everyone he sold an item to.

    Stress built in his back, working into his muscles, stiffening his spine. His jaw clenched. There was only so much he could push himself to work faster. Not every limit waspletely surmountable without far more practice than he had time to achieve.

    Arwin pressed the scale between his fingers t as the annoyance at hisck of speed started to build. There was no way he was going to ¡ª

    A shadow moved. Arwin nced over his shoulder, tearing his gaze away from the dancing [Soul me]. Lillia sat in the corner of his smithy, a pair of knitting needles in her hands and what appeared to be the beginnings of a nket coiled in herp.

    She smiled up at him, then nodded back to the hearth. ¡°What are you doing? Get back to work. The night is already half-over.¡±

    The tension pulled back and Arwin¡¯s shoulders loosened as a small grin crossed his own lips. He couldn¡¯t make it back to the room on time, so Lilia hade to him instead. He nodded, then turned back to the hearth and got back to work.

    There was a lot they had to aplish before the morning arrived.

    ***

    Reya stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She rubbed her eyes as she headed down the stairs and into themon room of the tavern, still blinking the sleep away. It was as dark as ever, but she¡¯d gotten used to it. Her body had learned how to tell the time instinctively, and she was quite certain it was probably somewhere an hour or so until sunrise.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Olive sat at the counter, pushing some eggs around on a te in front of her. Small bags had formed under her eyes and her hair was ruffled. She looked over to Reya and gave her a small nod.

    ¡°Morning.¡±

    ¡°Morning,¡± Reya replied as she pulled a stool out and sat beside Olive. ¡°You look tired.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Olive admitted. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep too well and had a lot on my mind. You¡­ know about Arwin and Lillia?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Olive lowered her voice slightly.

    ¡°And what?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Well¡­ how¡¯d youe to terms with it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I have toe to terms with,¡± Reya admitted. ¡°They¡¯re just Arwin and Lillia.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s the thing. They aren¡¯t,¡± Olive said. ¡°Arwin was the literal hero of the kingdom. Lillia was his greatest enemy. Even with everything that happened to them, that doesn¡¯t change the facts.¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± Reya allowed. ¡°But that¡¯s not who they are now. I used to be a thief ¡ª and if I¡¯m being honest, I think I¡¯m more of a thief now than Arwin is the weapon of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

    A small smile passed over Olive¡¯s lips and she snorted. ¡°Yeah. Probably. I just don¡¯t get how you can look at them like they¡¯re the same as us. They aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I spent years on Milten¡¯s streets,¡± Reya said after a few seconds of silence. ¡°And youe to learn that it really doesn¡¯t matter who people used to be. All that matters is who they are now. I never had the liberty to pick and choose more than that. Besides, Arwin and Lillia only ever wanted to protect people. It¡¯s not their fault.¡±

    ¡°I know that.¡± Olive set her fork down and her hand clenched. ¡°And I feel even worse about thinking like this because of it. Isn¡¯t it unfair that I can¡¯t see them the same after all they lost?¡±

    Reya sent her a concerned frown. She had absolutely no idea what she was meant to say to help Olive feel better. She wasn¡¯t a fancy talker. She was a street thief.

    <em>Is this how Arwin felt when he was trying to give me advice about how to speak to Olive?</em>

    ¡°Perhaps you are approaching the issue from the wrong angle.¡±

    Reya and Olive spun as Madiv emerged from a shadowed corner of the inn.

    ¡°Godspit. Where did youe from?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°I took refuge in the corner sincest night, so I would not need to request re-entry to the tavern. I am not at fault that your conversation reached my ears unbidden.¡± Madiv adjusted his frilly coat and his thin lips ttened. ¡°But it seems you believe that your logic and emotions must align.¡±

    Olive¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°From what little context I have, it seems you recently learned the truth of the Hero and my Mistress. It has changed your view of them. You know that their actions were just, but you feel that it has distanced you from them. This causes you to feel worse, as it is disrespectful to feel in such a manner when they appear to have done no wrong. You feel like you are being unfair.¡±

    Blinking in surprise, Olive gave Madiv a small nod. ¡°Yeah. That just about summarizes it, I guess. How¡¯d you figure all of that out from just this talk?¡±

    ¡°Less the talk and more the eyes. They hold great power. Power that I once held influence over, but no longer,¡± Madiv said with a small smile. ¡°But even now, there is much information that can be gleaned from a simple nce.¡±

    Reya squinted at the vampire. ¡°What, you¡¯re saying you can tell what I¡¯m thinking just from looking at someone¡¯s eyes? How in the Nine Undends were you so horrid at selling things then? You should have been a genius!¡±

    Madiv grimaced and blew out a puff of air. His features grew serious. ¡°I exaggerated. In truth, I understood Olive because I recognize her thoughts as my own. There was a time when I found myself on the same path. The exact same one.¡±

    ¡°About Arwin and Lillia?¡±

    ¡°Lillian,¡± Madiv corrected, almost automatically. ¡°Yes. I served in her army faithfully for years. I killed for her. I ughtered for her. I never expected to meet her in person. And, when I did, I found that she had taken on our greatest enemy as her consort. She betrayed everything we fought for.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the war was what you thought it was,¡± Reya said slowly. ¡°Arwin¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am no fool.¡± Madiv raised a hand to forestall Reya. ¡°It is clear to me that the war reeks of falsehood. There is much I do not know. That understanding does nothing to change what I have seen. What I have done. No matter the cause, thousands on thousands lie dead. I have seen things I do not wish to see. Done things I do not wish to do. It is a feeling that only one who was there themselves could understand. A part of me hates Lillian for taking the Hero on as consort upon the bodies of all those that died in attempt to kill him.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Olive asked, her eyes firmly affixed on Madiv. ¡°What did you do about it?¡±

    A small smile yed across the vampire¡¯s lips. ¡°Nothing. I am far older than you, and I havee to realize that my emotions and my logic must not always be in agreement. It is eptable for me to feel distress at the loss of mypanions. I understand that the Hero of Lian is not who I thought him to be, but it does not make the feeling any softer. Only time will do that.¡±

    ¡°You just ignore everything other than logic?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Madiv said. ¡°I do not ignore my feelings. Such a thing will tear you apart from within. You must <em>understand </em>your feelings, and then make the choice not to let them control you. The truth is a riverbank and emotion, the water rushing through it. Attempting to stem the river will only cause it to overflow and find its own routes. Only by allowing emotion to flow can you choose the path of the river yourself.¡±

    ¡°And how do you do that?¡± Olive asked, her voice soft.

    ¡°By making a choice. Regardless of what I feel, Lillian has the best interests of our kind at heart. In the end, I choose to serve my Queen.¡±

    Olive¡¯s cloudy features were unreadable, but something in her eyes had shifted. It wasn¡¯t quite a decision, but it wasn¡¯t theck of one either. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ insightful. Even if I¡¯m not sure I fully understand it.¡±

    ¡°It is a river, not ake. The only way to truly feel flowing water is to be within it,¡± Madiv said with a wry grin.

    Before any of them could say anything else, the door to the tavern swung open and Anna strode inside. She spotted them sitting at the counter and blew out a relieved breath.

    ¡°I need all of you. Now.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Reya leapt off the chair, her hand flying to the hilt of Wyrmhunger. ¡°What is it? Is someone in danger?¡±

    ¡°Danger? No. We¡¯ve got a horde of adventurers trying to get into the Devil¡¯s Den and the Infernal Armory, and Rodrick can¡¯t hold them off much longer. Arwin is still working the forge to make as many suits of armor as possible. Can you manage running the front of the shop? Arwin can¡¯t do both at once. We also need backup at the Inn in case people get rowdy.¡±

    ¡°I can help with the inn,¡± Olive said, a determined look setting in over her face as she slipped out of the chair and put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

    Reya looked over to the Madiv, then back to Anna. A small smile stretched across her lips. ¡°I think we can do a whole lot more than just man the Infernal Armory. Let¡¯s put that practice of yours to work, Madiv.¡±

 Chapter 186: Fun

    Chapter 186: Fun

    Reya and Madiv ran out of the tavern and into the street, where Reya nearly tripped over her own feet in surprise. Anna had asked for help in the smithy, but it hadn¡¯t quite registeredpletely in her mind. She¡¯d been expecting four or five adventurers. Maybe ten, if Arwin¡¯s pitch had been really effective.

    She hadn¡¯t been expecting a fully-fledged crowd. Rodrick had somehow managed to gather everyone at the end of the street and was keeping them from spilling out and overwhelming everyone, but the grumbling roar of conversation made it clear the adventurers weren¡¯t keen on waiting longer.

    <em>How did I not hear them when we were inside the tavern? Does Lillia¡¯s darkness also block out sound or something?</em>

    She didn¡¯t have any time to waste wondering. Together with Madiv, she ran into the smithy.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya breathed, skidding to a stop. Arwin had been busy. Eight suits of armor forged from Wyrm scales hung from the walls. Helms, greaves, chestpieces, and gauntlets. Her eyes caught on thest of the lot. It looked like Arwin had figured out how to make another piece of armor. In addition to them, several suits of Brightsteel armor from his previous forging efforts hung at the back of the Infernal Armory. The ng of metal echoed from the back room of the smithy, marking Arwin¡¯s continued work behind them.

    ¡°Arwin has been busy,¡± Madiv observed, running a hand along a piece of armor. ¡°This is high quality. I do not know what an appropriate price for something like this is.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea either. I¡¯ve never sold something like this,¡± Reya said, just relieved that the armor wasn¡¯t magical as well. If it was, she was pretty sure they¡¯d all get torn to bits on the spot by a swarm of ravenous adventurers. ¡°We¡¯ll have to y it by ear. His normal suits of armor ¡ª without gauntlets ¡ª sold for around one hundred and twenty gold. Maybe we start these at three hundred? Actually, I don¡¯t know. We might be able to go higher.¡±

    Rodrick stuck his head through the door of the smithy. ¡°You two almost ready? If I keep asking people to wait, they¡¯re going to start getting pissed.¡±

    Reya tugged at her hair and nced around nervously. This was a lot faster than she¡¯d been expecting. Selling to one or two people was easy, but there was a literal horde outside their doors.<em>I don¡¯t know what price to set. What if I sell them for too little? Why isn¡¯t Arwin here too? Wait, he¡¯s still working. We have to ount for that. Maybe we need to raise the price because of the limited number of sets. Five hundred? What if that¡¯s too expensive and everyone leaves? I ¡ª </em>

    ¡°We are prepared,¡± Madiv said, adjusting his jacket and blowing out a short breath. His features ttened for a moment before a small smile pulled at his lips and his stance changed. Even though the only thing that had been adjusted was his posture, it almost seemed as if he¡¯d transformed.

    There was an almost regal air about Madiv, as if he were the servant to some king. He crossed his arms behind his back and pressed the heels of his feet together, standing at attention.

    <em>Why is he moreposed than me? I¡¯m the one that¡¯s supposed to be the teacher! I need to set an example.</em>

    Reya forced herself to rx and went to pull her hood up.

    <em>There are too many people here. I can¡¯t let them figure out who I am.</em>

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Madiv asked. ¡°You said that facial expressions are vital to making a sale. Nobody will be able to see you seducing them if you cover your appearance.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not ¡ª oh, forget it.¡± Reya blew out a breath of her own. Madiv was right. Nobody would try to do anything when they were inside the smithy, and her face couldn¡¯t stay hidden forever.

    Besides, the majority of her enemies weren¡¯t adventures. This wasn¡¯t the right crowd for them. Reya shook herself off and shed Rodrick a grin.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready. You can send them in. We¡¯ll handle things from here.¡±

    Rodrick gave her a sharp nod and pulled his head out of the smithy. She could still hear the muted conversationsing up from the crowd outside them. Something about their quiet street having this many people on it sent shivers down her back. It felt¡­ strange.

    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t have long to worry about that. The door to the smithy only remained shut for a few seconds before it swung open once more and a burly adventurer stepped inside.

    A young woman followed behind him. Both of them were d in metal armor and bore swords at their sides. They had guild insignias on their chesttes depicting a flying bird of some sort.

    Behind them came even more adventurers. Men and women spilled into the smithy and showed no signs of stopping. Reya suppressed a curse and pushed through the crowd, squeezing her way over to the door and poking her head outside.

    <em>No time to panic. Have to act. We can¡¯t sell shit if nobody can hear or see anything. </em>

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Make a line!¡± She screamed over the crowd. ¡°We¡¯ll let you into the Infernal Armory in order! Nobody¡¯s going to get to see anything if there¡¯s a damn horde of you in the building. Wait your turn or get lost!¡±

    To herplete surprise, that worked. The adventurers trying to shove through the doors paused and gave her some more room. Reya blew out a short huff and pulled back into the Infernal Armory, not letting her shock show on her face.

    There were about a dozen adventurers already inside the smithy, and all of them were staring at her expectantly. Reya cleared her throat as the back of her neck reddened.

    ¡°Uh¡­ feel free to look around. This is all the stock we¡¯ve got at the moment, but Ifrit is currently working to make more.¡±

    ¡°Please refrain from spending an undue amount of time in the building,¡± Madiv added, lowering his upper body in a formal bow before lifting his gaze once more, a cold smile pulling across his lips. ¡°If you do, I will be forced to eviscerate you.¡±

    <em>No! Too much, Madiv! Pull it back!</em>

    Reya shot the vampire a sharp look. He caught it and cleared his throat. But, before he could act, the woman with the bird guild insignia giggled and nudged herpatriot.

    ¡°They¡¯re really into the demon thing, aren¡¯t they? This is so cute.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re definitely dedicated,¡± the man agreed. ¡°Did you see his teeth?¡±

    The other adventurers all chuckled and muttered to each other, spreading out through the shop and taking a closer look at the armor. Not a single one of them had taken Madiv¡¯s threat seriously. Reya could barely bite back her disbelief.

    <em>Holy shit. They all think we¡¯re just pretending.</em>

    ¡°How much for this piece, girl?¡± arge man asked Reya, pointing to a suit of Wyrmscale armor.

    Reya opened her mouth to respond, but she didn¡¯t get a chance to answer. Madiv had somehow appeared beside her, his cold eyes burning into those of the Adventurer like hot irons.

    ¡°Sir, I will kindly request that you refer to the servants of this establishment with respect. eptable names for her are Ma¡¯am or Mistress.¡±

    Giving orders to rowdy warriors was generally a fast track to starting a fight. Reya tensed, but therge adventurer blinked in surprise, then grinned instead of throwing a fit. He dropped into a clumsy bow. By the time he rose, Madiv was gone, having headed over to speak to adventurers on the other side of the room.

    ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t realize you lot were that into it. My apologies, Ma¡¯am. How much for this suit of armor?¡±

    Not once in Reya¡¯s life had she ever been referred to as Ma¡¯am. She dragged her wits back to her and straightened her back. ¡°How much are you willing to pay? We have a limited number of pieces today.¡±

    Therge man pursed his lips. ¡°Can I touch anything?¡±

    ¡°You can touch, but if you manage to damage anything, you¡¯re paying whatever I decide to make you pay for it.¡±

    The adventurer let out a grunt ofughter and inclined his head in understanding. He ran his hands along the armor, then rapped on the scales with his knuckles. ¡°Too small for dragon scale¡­ and no way there would be dragons this far out, being sold in a ce like this. What is this made out of, Ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°Wyrmling scale,¡± Reya replied. It struck her that she didn¡¯t actually know anything about the properties of Wyrmling scale, but it was toote to rectify that now.

    ¡°Wyrmling?¡± the adventurer rubbed his chin. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting choice. Why?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t begin to fathom Ifrit¡¯s ns or goals,¡± Reya said. ¡°You would have to ask him, but he¡¯s currently locked away forging. If you return at ater date, he may be willing to hear out your questions.¡±

    ¡°And what about sabatons? Do I get boots with this as well?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. They¡¯re being developed. We can adjust the sizes of anything you buy to ensure it fits you, though.¡±

    The adventurer nodded slowly. ¡°Three hundred gold for the lot, then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d give four hundred,¡± a woman with the build of a stone wall said from beside him, crossing her muscled arms. She was enormous, but barely had so much as a trace of fat on her entire body.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d pay that much. This ce is fun, but that¡¯s some real high-end armor pricing. If you want to pay that much, help yourself.¡± The man looked back to Reya. ¡°Is Ifrit going to be selling more pieces of armor like this in the future?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We obviously don¡¯t have enough to sell to everyone today,¡± Reya said. With the number of people they had here, she didn¡¯t actually have to sell to the first person she met ¡ª she had to sell to the ones with the most money. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too long before we have a waitlist. If you¡¯re notpletely sold today, you can wait to see what people think before putting your name down.¡±

    ¡°And where will this list be?¡±

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den,¡± Reya replied, making a split-second decision and kicking the work down the line like a true professional. ¡°The tavern down the road. Let the demons working there know of your desires and they¡¯ll handle things.¡±

    ¡°Demons?¡± the man arched an eyebrow before letting out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll do just that. Thanks for the time, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    He turned and squeezed past the other adventurers, heading for the door. The woman that had spoken up moved to take his ce and nodded to the armor.

    ¡°This is gonna need some serious modification if it¡¯ll fit me. It¡¯s not meant for someone with some real mass.¡±

    Reya wasn¡¯t sure any armor was meant for the hulking woman. She had Arwin and Rodrick¡¯s muscles put together and then some.

    ¡°We can definitely handle that for you,¡± Reya said, not letting herself stare for too long. ¡°It¡¯ll just take a little time. You might have to returnter.¡±

    ¡°Four hundred gold, then, Ma¡¯am?¡± the woman asked with a wry grin. Out of the corner of Reya¡¯s eye, she saw new adventurers entering the building as others left. Madiv had already managed to sell two pieces of armor.

    ¡°Four hundred is eptable.¡±

    ¡°Good shit,¡± the woman said as Reya took the pieces of armor off the wall. ¡°Name¡¯s Wanda. When do Ie back?¡±

    ¡°Given the amount of people here right now? I¡¯d suggest tomorrow or the day after,¡± Reya said. ¡°May I suggest the Devil¡¯s Den for a short stay or to grab a meal? I can assure you that you¡¯ll enjoy it. Bring your money when you return and you can pay then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Wanda said. She winked. ¡°And I am rather hungry. I suppose I¡¯ll give it a gander. Thanks for the service, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    The massive woman turned and strode out of the room, nearly bowling several adventurers over in the process and ducking to leave the door. Reya had no time to pay her any more attention.

    The day had only just gotten started. There was a lot more armor to sell and money to make before she could rest. But, as Reya turned to the next adventurer waiting for her attention, she found a small grin forming on her lips.

    <em>This is actually kind of fun.</em>

 Chapter 187: Step down

    Chapter 187: Step down

    Adventurers continued to flow through the Infernal Armory. Many of them were just looking, and a fair number seemed to only be there in hopes of speaking to Ifrit. When it became clear that the smith was busy, the majority of people headed out.

    But, with the crowd they¡¯d managed to pull, it didn¡¯t matter. Reya went through every piece of armor on the walls, including the old Brightsteel sets, and sold every single one of them. Madiv had been equally as sessful on his side, but that wasn¡¯t the end of it.

    Even as they sold the armor, Arwin finished more sets and slid them out the back door. They sold slower as the crowd thinned and the day wore on, but they still sold. The Infernal Armory had mustered enough interest ¡ª at least for the day ¡ª to sell everything they put out.

    Reya barely had a chance to breathe. It was just an endless flow of people. Their names and faces blurred together. She remembered little of what she actually said to them. All her mind could recollect was the gold getting plopped into her hands and the bags she piled in the back corner of the smithy, away from any prying eyes or hands.

    If she¡¯d been working alone, it would have been impossible. There were just too many people and too many requests and questions. Her saving grace had been, ironically, Madiv. As new to sales as he was, the vampire was the perfect employee in one exact circumstance.

    And that circumstance happened to be the one where he could act like a smug, bloodthirsty vampire working for the demon queen. He¡¯d gotten better at avoiding just straight up threatening to kill everyone that didn¡¯t buy from him, but only by a small degree.

    ¡°If you do not return to purchase the armor on the morrow, I will hang you from your entrails,¡± Madiv informed a woman.

    She raised a hand to her mouth and giggled. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    <em>Who giggles at that? You have a severe problem that I don¡¯t think anybody in Milten is equipped to handle. </em>Madiv spotted Reya looking in his direction and gave her a courteous smile, which was his equivalent of a resounding cheer. Reya resisted the urge to p her palm into her face. It was going to be impossible to get him to sell things normally now.

    <em>Although¡­ is there a reason why we¡¯d have to do that? At this point, our reputation is established. All publicity is good publicity. It might actually be for the best to lean into everything even harder. We just need to make sure Madiv doesn¡¯t actually follow up on any of his threats.</em>

    Reya looked at the back of the smithy, where the ng of metal still rang. It had been over a day, but it didn¡¯t look like Arwin had any ns of stopping. When she pulled her gaze back to the room, it struck her that the rushing crowd had finally abated.

    There were only a few more adventures milling about the room. Only one set was left on the walls beside Madiv, and it didn¡¯t look like anyone left had any ns to buy it. Over the course of the next few minutes, everyone else drained out of the room.

    Reya stuck her head outside. The street wasrgely empty, but muted conversation rolled out from the Devil¡¯s Den. A fair number of adventurers had definitely headed over to check it out.

    She nearly jumped out of her own skin as a breeze brushed against her back. Reya spun to find Madiv standing behind her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°My apologies,¡± Madiv said. ¡°It seems that we havepleted our job sessfully. Was my performance eptable?¡±

    ¡°It was¡­ certainly a performance,¡± Reya allowed, blowing out a weary breath. ¡°It made a mark and you sold a bunch of sets, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything toin about. There¡¯s always more to learn.¡±

    ¡°So there is,¡± Madiv agreed. They were silent for several seconds. No new adventurers showed up on the street. ¡°Perhaps we should visit Lillian¡¯s tavern to ensure our services are not needed there.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m pretty sure you just want to sneak a nce at Lillia doing something. </em>

    ¡°Someone should stay here in case more adventurerse,¡± Reya said. She wiped some sweat from her brow. All the people in the smithy had made it a lot hotter than she¡¯d thought it would be. The building could have used a little more venttion. ¡°Today is too important for us to ck off.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Reya and Madiv turned as Arwin stepped out of the back room. He leaned against Verdant ze, using it like a walking stick. A weary, satisfied expression was stered over his face. ¡°You¡¯ve both done wonderfully. I picked up a few bits of conversation from outside while I was working.¡±

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    ¡°You look like death,¡± Madiv informed Arwin. ¡°And I would know.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be closing up for today. Judging by the pile of gold in the back, I think we¡¯ve made all the money we needed to. I¡¯ll hold down the smithy. You two go rx in the tavern and make sure everything is going well.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Reya asked. ¡°It looks like you could use a little rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get some rest tonight. I¡¯ve got too many thoughts in my head to sleep right now.¡± Arwin shook his head and blew out a sigh through pursed lips. ¡°I¡¯ve got some ideas for a new pair of gauntlets that I want to make, and I heard someone talking about a waiting list formissions. Is that true?¡±

    Reya¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°I may have taken a liberty. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s perfect.¡± Arwin shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I was thinking of doing something quite simr. In the end, I¡¯m one person. It¡¯s not sustainable for me to make hundreds of pieces of gear. It¡¯s better to build a name for myself and then focus in on high-paying clients rather than a ton of lower paying ones.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to make a bunch of gear anymore?¡±

    ¡°Not every day. I¡¯d never leave the workshop again,¡± Arwin said through a bark ofughter. ¡°I think every once and a while, it¡¯s a great move to build up excitement. Just¡­ not always. Establishing a waitlist is the first step in doing more custommissions for higher prices in the future. Feel free to let people in the tavern know about it when you go.¡±

    Reya and Madiv exchanged a look, then nodded their understanding.

    ¡°Okay. I will,¡± Reya said. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, though.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Arwin promised, but Reya wasn¡¯t so sure she believed his words. It wasn¡¯t like telling him otherwise would change anything. She¡¯d probably need to call Lillia in if she wanted to actually get him to stop working.

    Reya headed out onto the street and Madiv trailed after her. Arwin closed the smithy door behind them locking it.

    ¡°An interesting man,¡± Madiv said as they walked. ¡°Nothing like what I expected him to be.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Reya said with a shake of her head. Her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her dagger. A faint warmth rose up from within it, acknowledging her presence. ¡°And yet, in other ways, he¡¯s exactly like what you think he should be.¡±

    They reached the tavern door and Reya pulled it open. A wall of sound mmed into her like a wave. Loud conversation and the tter of dishes rolled through the room. A dozen adventurers sat around the tables.

    Imps scurried across the floor, ducking and weaving between the adventures as they went to deliver tes and bring the dirty ones back to the kitchen. Reya stepped inside, invited Madiv after her, and closed the door behind them.

    <em>Well, that definitely answers one question. The darkness mutes some degree of noise. It wasn¡¯t anywhere near this loud outside. </em>

    ¡°It is quite loud,¡± Madiv observed, a flicker of distaste passing over his features. ¡°Too loud.¡±

    ¡°A bit,¡± Reya agreed, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd. She spotted Rodrick beside the bar counter with arge stack of papers piled next to him and headed over.

    Rodrick nodded in greeting. ¡°It looks like things went well. I didn¡¯t realize we had ns to start a waiting list.¡±

    Reya cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing.¡±

    ¡°Figured.¡± Rodrick snorted. ¡°Well, it definitely worked. We¡¯ve got a dozen adventurers signed up. I figure only half of them will actually show, but it¡¯s a good start. Today was a huge sess. And Lillia¡ª¡±

    He trailed off as Lillia swept out of the kitchen, a te of fried Wyrmling meat in her hands. An enormous grin stretched her lips from one end of her face to the other. She deposited the te on a table before two adventurers.

    ¡°She¡¯s having fun,¡± Rodrick finished with a smile of his own. ¡°The Ardent guild are going to shit themselves when they find out how well this went for us. With the number of people excited about Ar¡ª uh, Ifrit¡¯s armor, the cklist isn¡¯t even going to matter. You two did a great job selling to everyone. I thought more people would be pissed about there not being enough pieces to go around, but it looks like they¡¯re more excited instead.¡±

    ¡°Limited resources are exciting,¡± Madiv mused. ¡°Just like life. The less you have, the more you value it.¡±

    <em>Sometimes, it¡¯s hard to tell if he¡¯s insane or insightful.</em>

    ¡°Very true,¡± Rodrick said. He pped Madiv on the shoulder. ¡°You sure know how to put the spooky bugger show on.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s lips thinned. ¡°And you are a very standard issue adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I¡ª¡±

    A loud crash split their conversation. All three of them spun to see two adventurers squaring off against each other, their hands on their weapons. They were both huge. Reya didn¡¯t recognize one of them, but the other one was Wanda, the wall of muscle and Reya¡¯s first customer.

    ¡°Say that again,¡± Wanda snarled, her sword halfway out of its sheath. ¡°I¡¯ll take your head off your neck and shove it so far up your ass it reappears on your shoulders.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong,¡± the other adventurer replied with a snort. He nced over his shoulder to a group of adventurers behind him, then back to Wanda. ¡°You ain¡¯t scare me. Lumbering around doesn¡¯t make you strong. Having a hill giant for a momma isn¡¯t an achievement.¡±

    ¡°One more word about my mother,¡± Wanda growled. ¡°Try it.¡±

    The man¡¯s hand slipped onto the hilt of his own sword. By the slight sway in his step, it was clear that he was just drunk enough to act like an idiot ¡ª but not enough to make him a nonthreat.

    A man rose from the table beside Wanda. ¡°She¡¯s right. You¡¯re being a skidmark. Apologize and step down.¡±

    The drunk adventurer¡¯s group stood behind him, their hands going to their weapons.

    Everyone started to fall quiet as the tension in the tavern rose. One of the men on the drunkard¡¯s side picked up a stool and reared back, preparing to throw it. Madiv tensed, but before he could move, a shadow snaked through the air and snapped around his wrist, yanking the man into the air.

    Another shadow caught the chair and set it down on the ground as Lillia stepped out from the darkness, shadows gathering around her back to form intorge, batlike wings.

    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m mistaken,¡± Lillia said, her quiet, furious voice cutting through the air like a knife, ¡°But it almost looked like you were about to start a fight in my tavern.¡±

 Chapter 188: Get out

    Chapter 188: Get out

    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± the drunk man asked. That was a rather odd question, given it was Lillia¡¯s chair he¡¯d been about to throw.

    ¡°Put him down,¡± one of the man¡¯spanions said, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°One warning. We protect our own.¡±

    ¡°You should have protected your own by keeping him from running his drunk mouth,¡± Wanda spat. ¡°Try to start a fight and I¡¯ll make cymbals out of your heads. You¡¯re a lot of babies that haven¡¯t wet their swords in a real fight ¡ª or woman.¡±

    A few people let out amused snorts at that, which only served to anger the group even further. Lillia¡¯s expression tightened even further. She pped her hands together and the shadow holding the man in the air released him, dropping the drunkard to the ground with a thunk.¡±

    ¡°Get out of my tavern. Now.¡±

    The group of adventurers stiffened, as if strings had been attached to the tops of their heads and jerked taut. Fear washed over their features as, to everyone¡¯s disbelief, they marched straight out of the tavern and onto the street.

    Rodrick recovered the fastest, striding out the open door before any of them could even turn around.

    ¡°If youe back here without a written apology, I¡¯ll throw you out on your ass,¡± the warrior said. ¡°And don¡¯t even think about trying shit, or Ifrit will bend you into a pretzel and cklist you from buying anything from him.¡±

    Reya walked up alongside him.¡°Like we give a shit about some random braggard smith,¡± one of the drunkard¡¯s friends said as they scrambled to their feet, desperately trying and failing to maintain what little dignity they still had. ¡°What kind of witch is¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d watch your words carefully,¡± Reya said, her voice soft. Her hand ran over the hilt of Wyrmhunger and the de purred in response, sending her a plea through their bond. It wanted nothing more than to drink from the men, to rip the life from their bodies and feed. ¡°Don¡¯t say something you¡¯ll regret in the future. You aren¡¯t past the point of no return yet, but if you say one more thing about Lillian or the Devil¡¯s Den, don¡¯t expect to ever be allowed back.¡±

    That gave them pause. It was one thing to try to act cool, butpletely blowing a chance to purchase from the only new smith that the town had gotten in recent times ¡ª one who already had quite a bit of attention around him ¡ª was a big ask.

    The drunkard opened his mouth, but one of his friends pped his jaw back closed. Without another word, the group turned and stormed off down the street. Reya and Rodrick exchanged a nod, and the warrior closed the tavern door.

    ¡°Show¡¯s over,¡± Rodrick said with a dismissive wave. ¡°Stop staring at me like that. I¡¯ve got a wife. Go back to eating or being idiots.¡±

    A wave of chuckles passed through the room and cut the tension. The silence faded away and people started talking again, quietly at first, but it soon returned to the atmosphere from before.

    The shadows swirling around Lillia slipped away and her wings vanished. A momentary look of weariness passed over her features before she shook her head and stered a smile across her mouth once more.

    ¡°That was something else,¡± Wanda said. ¡°You some kind of control mage? I haven¡¯t seen anyone forced to march like that since I served in a big guild.¡± Before Lillia could figure out a response, Wanda shook her head and scooped her empty mug off a table. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really care as long as you keep serving the good shit. Top me up!¡±

    An imp scurried out of the darkness and hopped up, snagging the mug from her hands. It brought it over to the counter, where a second imp hoisted arge bottle and started filling the mug back up.

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    The casual airpletely returned to the tavern as everyone rxed once again. Reya nudged Rodrick with her elbow and lowered her voice, speaking just loud enough to be heard over themotion.

    ¡°Did you know Lillia could do that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick replied in the same tone. ¡°She¡¯s kind of scary when she wants to be.¡±

    ¡°She is the Queen,¡± Madiv said, a twinkle in his eyes. ¡°Now I understand.¡±

    ¡°I think she told you not to call her that,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But now I¡¯m curious. You understand what?¡±

    Madiv cleared his throat. ¡°This is no mere tavern. Lillian is creating a new kingdom, and she does it from within the deepest reaches of her old enemy. Like a parasite, she will grow and feast upon their resources until all the power is within her capable hands.¡±

    Reya blew out a sigh. Evidently, Madiv still had a few things to work through. ¡°I think you might have gotten a few things twisted, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there eventually. Just don¡¯t go sharing that around if you don¡¯t want to cause Lillia trouble.¡±

    ¡°I will not breath a word,¡± Madiv swore, pressing a hand to his chest. ¡°For the time being, I will keep an eye on the ruffians that the Q ¡ª Lillian dismissed from her presence to ensure that they do not attempt anything ill advised.¡±

    With that, the vampire swept out of the room and slipped through the door like a shadow in the night. Reya watched him leave, then shook her head and looked back out at the crowded tavern.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty incredible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°I won¡¯t admit this to anyone else, but I was starting to wonder if we¡¯d ever actually get things moving. I¡¯m happy for Lillia and Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Not just them. We¡¯ve got a ridiculous amount of money now. Most of that will probably go into fixing up the street and getting some support.¡±

    Rodrick nodded in agreement. ¡°Momentum is important. We can¡¯t let up now that people have learned about us in proper. But¡­ keep an extra eye on Arwin, would you? We can¡¯t have him working himself to death.¡±

    ¡°We all will,¡± Reya said. Something nudged her leg and she looked down to see an imp in a maid outfit holding out a mug to her. She smiled and took it from the small monster. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The imp nodded and scurried off. Rodrick¡¯s nose scrunched. ¡°Where¡¯s mine?¡±

    ¡°Over here,¡± Anna said, emerging from the darkness carrying two mugs. She handed one to Rodrick, then nodded to Reya. ¡°Lillia said we should take a moment to breathe. It¡¯s been one hectic day.¡±

    Reya sipped from her mug. It tasted like apples. She smiled. ¡°It damn well has.¡±

    ***

    It was nighttime by the time Arwin finished in the smithy. Despite his promise, after resting for around an hour and making sure nobody else had ns of showing up unannounced, he returned to the back room and made several more sets of Wyrmling scale armor.

    There was still a lot of work to do, but he was satisfied ¡ª and exhausted. He emerged from the smithy, locking the door behind him to make sure nobody got any ideas about all the gold they had in its back.

    As he turned, he spotted Madiv sitting on the top of a rooftop, watching over the street. The two men exchanged a nod before Arwin walked over to the Devil¡¯s Den and headed inside. There were only a few people still there, but he could tell from the messy tables and imps scurrying around, wiping everything down with rags, that it had been quite busy.

    Reya, Rodrick, and Anna had gathered at one table and were happily chattering away, all clearly drunk. A smile passed over his lips. They deserved it after the hard work they¡¯d put in. There was no sign of Lillia, which meant she was probably doing something in the kitchen.

    Arwin started toward it, but he paused just a few steps into the tavern as he spotted a familiar face. Jake sat at one of the tables with a mug of ale and a te of beautifully charred meat before him.

    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Ifrit,¡± Jake said, sending Arwin a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been a busy man.¡±

    ¡°I try,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to the food. ¡°How are you liking it?¡±

    ¡°Incredible. This was a genius move. I didn¡¯t expect myself to have nearly as much fun as I am. Having fake imps in dresses serve food, the whole demon theme¡­ it works well. Really well. That tavern keep knows what she¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°You came by just to check on things, then?¡± Arwin knew the words were false hope before they even left his mouth. Jake didn¡¯t seem like the type of man to show up when there wasn¡¯t business to handle.

    ¡°That would have been nice.¡± Jake¡¯s smile faltered and he shook his head, confirming Arwin¡¯s suspicions and sending his heart sinking deep into his stomach. ¡°But no, I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m here on business, and I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t bear good news.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Arwin asked. His hands tightened and he felt Verdant ze¡¯s hum in his mind, hungry for ughter.

    ¡°I came by to let you know that you were a lot more perceptive than I thought,¡± Jake said. He set the tankard down on the table and wrung his hands together. ¡°Betweenst night and now, there were three requests to buy thend your street is on from the guild.¡±

 Chapter 189: Show

    Chapter 189: Show

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled and his shoulders tensed. If someone had bought the street out from under them¡­

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, normally, it would have gone into a bidding war,¡± Jake said. ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to say who made the bids, but I can say the price probably would have gone easily to twenty or thirty thousand gold. Can¡¯t imagine why people would be this interested in this particr share ofnd for any reason other than to inconvenience you.¡±

    The way Jake spoke gave Arwin a second of pause. If someone had managed to buy the street, then everything would have been over and they¡¯d bepletely screwed. That didn¡¯t sound like the case.

    ¡°The way you¡¯ve phrased this makes it sound like said war never happened,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°You¡¯d be correct, though it should have.¡± Jake cleared his throat and lowered his voice. ¡°I¡­ may have put in an order for thend under the Merchant¡¯s Guild¡¯s name when you asked me to hold it for you. I nned to remove the order when you brought the gold since you promised to get it soon.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Arwin asked tersely, hope coloring his words. ¡°They weren¡¯t able to buy it?¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t, but the guild was forced to,¡± Jake replied. ¡°The Merchant¡¯s Guild ¡ª and all major guilds under the Adventurer¡¯s Guild ¡ª have provisions that stop bidding wars over unimportant pieces ofnd. As long as we put in our order first, the price can only raise by one hundred percent before it caps out.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°It was 5 thousand when you mentioned it before. That means¡­¡±¡°I paid 10 thousand for it,¡± Jake said with a weary nod. He picked his tankard back up and took a long drink from it. ¡°Upper management definitely noticed me making a purchase that big, so I fear we may both be in shit. I can¡¯t justify spending ten thousand gold for a worthless street and unless you¡¯ve got ten thousand gold lying around¡ª¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Jake froze. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I should have made ten thousand between my sales today and the onesing tomorrow,¡± Arwin said. A flicker of hope sparked in Jake¡¯s eyes and he straightened up in his chair.

    ¡°Seriously? You made that much so quickly?¡±

    ¡°I should have,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Is tomorrow fast enough?¡±

    ¡°Depends. Are you officially recognized as a guild?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, but I imagine we will be soon enough. The request was already put in.¡±

    Jake started tough. ¡°Oh, thank the gods. Yes, that¡¯s fine. It takes time for the pay to go through. Even if anyone notices, the transaction will be fine and I can just say I knew you were good for it.¡±

    Arwin blew out a breath of relief. They¡¯de so close to beingpletely screwed but had managed to dodge the bullet by a hair¡¯s width.

    <em>Jake really stuck his neck out for us, didn¡¯t he? Ten thousand gold is steep, but the alternative is inconsiderable. We¡¯d have to literally go to war with Milten to keep the street under our control. </em>

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. Even with therge hit to their coffers, they¡¯d still have quite a bit of gold left over ¡ª and as more people talked about his work and Lillia¡¯s tavern, they¡¯d have more and more sources to earn ie from. ¡°We appreciate you taking a risk for us. You didn¡¯t have to do that, and I won¡¯t forget it.¡±

    Jake gave him a weary nod and took another sip from his drink. ¡°The Merchant¡¯s Guild isn¡¯t just about earning money. It¡¯s also about making sure people get the chance to earn money. A lot of people forget that, but I do my best. It¡¯s easier when nobody really gives a shit about Milten. Just don¡¯t forget to pay your dues ¡ª including the costs of keeping the street. It¡¯s not cheap.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°As it is right now? You¡¯ve got two operating sales locations. The other buildings on the street aren¡¯t operating yet, so I won¡¯t count them against you. I¡¯ll cut you a deal and say give hundred a month, so long as the other buildings aren¡¯t operating.¡±

    <em>The price is certainly starting to stack up. Just a day ago, that number would have been impossible. It¡¯s ironic. If the Secret Eye and the Ardent Guild hadn¡¯t inadvertently created a Ranked Dungeon, we never would have been able to afford the street. </em>

    ¡°So that¡¯s ten thousand five hundred total to cover the month and the cost of the street, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±

    Arwin held a hand out. ¡°Then it sounds like we have a deal.¡±

    Jake shook it with a grin. ¡°That we do. Saved both of our hides there, it looks like.¡±

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    ¡°I just hope you get amission from sales,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°You just wrung more money out of me than I¡¯ve ever handled in my life.¡±

    <em>That is, so long as we¡¯re only counting literal money and not things worth money. I¡¯m pretty sure I could have bought Milten ten times over with some of the rings I used to have and still had money to spare.</em>

    Jake shed Arwin a quick grin. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯ll be eating nicer these next few weeks. And, speaking of which, I should get moving. I¡¯m technically on the job. Lillia just made a very convincing augment.¡±

    He downed the rest of his drink and mowed through the rest of his Wyrm steak with impressive speed before dabbing at his mouth politely with his napkin. The guildsman gave Arwin onest nod before sweeping out of the emptying room.

    Arwin pressed a hand to his chest and blew out a breath. That had been too close forfort. Far, far too close forfort. There were so many moving pieces on the game board. Things were going better now, but a single severe misstep could still spell their end.

    He headed over to the kitchen. As he stepped past thentern and inside, he nearly walked straight into Lillia.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Arwin said, jerking to a stop at thest second. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t see you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lillia said with a weary smile. ¡°I overheard your conversation with Jake. He¡¯s a good man.¡±

    ¡°He definitely saved our asses.¡± Arwin leaned against the wall as the weight of the day reminded him of just how tired he was. ¡°How did running a busy tavern for the first time go? Any trouble?¡±

    ¡°One small incident, but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°An incident?¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing that bothersome. Some idiots nearly started a fight. I threw them out of the tavern.¡±

    ¡°A whole group? That¡¯s impressive. Is your shadow magic that much stronger in the darkness? I suppose that¡¯s a dumb question.¡±

    ¡°It is stronger, but no. That had nothing to do with it,¡± Lillia said. She hesitated for a second as worry creased her brow. ¡°I¡­ have other powers. When people stay at my inn.¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side. ¡°You mean the buffs you get when more people stay over or eat?¡±

    Her shoulders tensed and she looked away, studying the wall intently. It was a second more before she responded. ¡°Not those. Anyone that stays or eats at my tavern is beholden to anymand I give them as long as they¡¯re in it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. That¡¯s one powerful ability. No limits?¡±

    Lillia blinked. ¡°I ¡ª no, there are. It doesn¡¯t work as effectively on people stronger than me. I hadn¡¯t had the chance or desire to test it out before today. It¡¯s vile.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tool,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°And it¡¯s a limited one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that as if mind magic isn¡¯t the most wretched form of power there is in this world,¡± Lillia said. Her hands tightened at her sides. ¡°I don¡¯t know why the Mesh forced it upon me. It makes me sick. I wasn¡¯t even nning on using it today. It just¡­ happened.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tool, and a tool is only as evil or good as the one wielding it,¡± Arwin said, his tone softening as he put a hand on Lillia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I take it you just told the offending adventurers to leave?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Your influence ended the moment they left. Anyone eating or staying at your tavern is agreeing to abide by the rules anyway, and you aren¡¯t going to make them do anything they don¡¯t want to as long as they behave.¡±

    ¡°How do you know? What if I decided someone pissed me off enough to do something worse?¡± Lillia asked. She met Arwin¡¯s gaze again. ¡°I¡¯d just prove that I am evil. I¡¯ve already used the power once on ident. It could happen again.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t use it for anything like that.¡± There wasn¡¯t a speck of doubt in Arwin¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯ve been pawns before, Lillia. I may not know your thoughts, but I know what I¡¯ve felt ¡ª and I know that the absolutest thing I would ever do is ever use someone the way I was used. You¡¯d do no different.¡±

    Lillia huffed. ¡°I know that. I wouldn¡¯t choose to, but what if it happens anyway?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t. And if it does, we won¡¯t let you. The Mesh wouldn¡¯t give you an ability that¡¯s so ridiculously powerful that nobody could possiblypete with it. You¡¯re overestimating the control it gives.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Lillia challenged.

    ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t. Let¡¯s find out. Use it on me.¡±

    Lillia paled and took a step back. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to have me throw myself into the wall,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Just order me to do something simple. The effect probably won¡¯t even be as strong since I didn¡¯t sleep or eat in the inn yesterday. Your power is just a weapon, but an unused weapon is a danger to its wielder and foe alike.¡±

    ¡°Godspit. I know you¡¯re right, but why do you have to look at it so logically? It¡¯s frustrating.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easier when it isn¡¯t my problem,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°Just give me a simplemand.¡±

    Lillia nodded. Her brow furrowed for a moment and she swallowed. Then her eyes sharpened. ¡°Raise your arms to shoulder level.¡±

    Her words came out different to her normal voice, wreathed in a sharp, biting tone ofmand that dug into Arwin¡¯s mind like barbs. Apulsion gripped him and his arms twitched, nearly moving but stopping before they could.

    They stared at each other.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lillia blinked. ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ right. I¡¯ve got a Title called Indomitable that stops mental effects,¡± Arwin said, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°Sorry. I suppose that was a bit of ackluster test.¡±

    Lillia let out a relievedugh and the tension tightening her back loosened, letting her shoulders drop. ¡°Are you joking? This is perfect. It means I can¡¯t actually control you as long as we¡¯re close in level. If I ever start doing something I shouldn¡¯t, you¡¯re a guaranteed way to stop me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll evere to that.¡±

    ¡°Just knowing that it can¡¯t is a relief. It¡¯s like holding a ball of raging fire but having ake right next to me.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to be of help, even though I don¡¯t think I¡¯m really doing anything.¡± Arwin¡¯s stomach rumbled and he coughed into a fist. It hadn¡¯t been long since he¡¯d eaten metal, but the smells in the tavern weren¡¯t helping.

    ¡°Hungry?¡±

    ¡°I have to make some more metal soon, but I should be fine. Now, if you¡¯ve got a sandwich lying around somewhere, I certainly wouldn¡¯t object. I missed mine yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got something better. You aren¡¯t the only one that got something out of today,¡± Lillia said. She turned back to the stove and started gathering ingredients. ¡°All those customersted me quite a bit of magical energy as well as some rewards for having such a sessfulunch day.¡±

    ¡°Rewards?¡± Arwin raised an eyebrow. ¡°What kind of rewards?¡±

    Lillia set a chunk of marinated Wyrmling meat from her icebox onto the pan and it started to sizzle. She looked over her shoulder at him, a devious grin ying across her lips. ¡°Instead of being boring and just saying, how about I show you instead?¡±

 Chapter 190: Unfair argument

    Chapter 190: Unfair argument

    After around ten minutes of work, Lillia ted up a few chunks of Wyrmling meat upon a metal te and handed it over to Arwin. As far as he could tell, it looked identical to all the other food she¡¯d made so far.

    He squinted at it. Nothing stood out. The food smelled great, of course. Everything she made did. That couldn¡¯t have been it. The expectant grin on her face told Arwin that he was missing something.

    ¡°Just eat it already,¡± Lillia said, leaning against the counter. ¡°Looking isn¡¯t going to show you anything.¡±

    Arwin gave up his search and did as she instructed, and took a piece, throwing it into his mouth. His back stiffened and he nearly choked on the juicy chunk of fried meat as more than vor poured into him.

    Magic.

    The sensation was muted, but the taste and feel of devouring magic wasn¡¯t something he could forget. He swallowed, disbelief swirling through him as he grabbed another piece and ate it.

    More magic, as if he¡¯d eaten a small bracelet, poured into him. There wasn¡¯t anywhere near as much as he got from the better-made magical items, but it tasted¡­ pure, forck of a better word.

    While many of the items he¡¯d eaten smelled awful due to Magical Olfactory, Lillia¡¯s cooking just smelled exactly like food. There wasn¡¯t any impurity within it.

    ¡°This is incredible,¡± Arwin said, barely pausing to chew as he worked on polishing off the rest of the te with reckless abandon. ¡°When did you learn how to do this? You can put your magic into food?¡±¡°I got the idea from watching you craft. I realized that there was no reason our sses would work that differently from each other,¡± Lillia said, her excitement finally breaking through as she gestured to the te. ¡°So I tried it. I started putting magic into what I cooked. Just a little, and without any intent.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Arwin held a hand over his mouth to avoid identally spraying her. He wanted to speak, but the food was so good that he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to stop eating for long enough to talk normally.

    Actual, normal food that would sustain his magical requirements. He¡¯d long since given up on eating anything other than metal for the sake of survival, and he hadn¡¯t realized how much better things tasted when they were eaten for the proper reason.

    ¡°I figured out that when I just randomly stuffed magic into stuff, it could end in some¡­ less than ideal results. After giving it a little thought andparing it to what you did when smithing, I realized I could actually change what it did,¡± Lillia said.

    Arwin finished off thest bites of food as she finished speaking. The moment he swallowed to ask what kind of changes she was able to aplish, a thrill of energy raced down his back and spread through his body.

    His eyes widened as he felt power pump through him. He flexed his fingers, staring down at his hands in shock. ¡°Do I feel¡­¡±

    ¡°Stronger?¡± Lillia finished, arching an eyebrow as her grin grew wider. ¡°Yes. You do. For the next hour. Not very long, but I didn¡¯t want to waste too much power when I was just showing off. I can extend the effects up to around six hours.¡±

    ¡°Hell,¡± Arwin breathed. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. What other effects can you achieve? Can you control it?¡±

    ¡°I can. To a degree, at least. The moment I started trying to y with it, the Mesh gave me a Challenge.¡±

    <em>The exact thing it gave me.</em>

    ¡°When?¡± Arwin asked, a flicker of worry passing through him even though Lillia was clearly fine. ¡°Did it go well? You passed?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did.¡± She snorted. ¡°And I got it at the worst damn time possible. Right in the morning, as customers were starting to pour in. I had to alternate trying out new dishes with making the normal ones. We aren¡¯t ready for a horde of peopleing here demanding magical meals. I¡¯d get locked up forever.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ you can control the buffs now?¡±

    Lillia nodded. ¡°To a degree. It depends on the monster I¡¯m working with and the way I¡¯m preparing it. It¡¯s kind of an inverse thing. If you¡¯ve got a physically strong monster and want it to make you stronger, you need to make sure it¡¯s really soft. If you want something that¡¯s rted to fire to give heat resistance, you¡¯ve got to chill it. That kind of thing. It¡¯s prettyplicated, but I¡¯m getting the hang of it. The Mesh approved, at the least. I got a slew of Achievements and reached Apprentice 5. It also gave me a unique ss specialization called Soul Food. It¡¯ll let me keep focusing on the food I make and getting more buffs and benefits out of it.¡±

    Arwin blew out a breath and shook his head,ughing. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. You managed to do all of that in the middle of your first ever day running a busy tavern? How are you even still standing?¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying not to think about that for too long,¡± Lillia said, her smile faltering as arge yawn forced its way from between her lips. She rubbed her eyes and blinked heavily. ¡°Are you actually going to sleep today?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could avoid it if I wanted to, and I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Good. Just take a shower first. You smell like the forge.¡±

    Arwin let out a chuckle and turned, heading off toward the bath rooms so he could clean off. Sleep was calling his name and he was eager to greet it. He was going to need some rest if he wanted to tackle all the work waiting for him tomorrow, no matter how exciting it was.

    ***

    The night passed by far faster than Arwin would have liked. Before he knew it, the morning was upon them. Even though they had no way to know what time it actually was within the darkness of Lillia¡¯s room, she just seemed to have an instinctive knowledge of the sun¡¯s position.

    ¡°What are you going to work on today?¡± Arwin asked as he reluctantly untangled himself from Lillia and rolled out of bed. He still couldn¡¯t see anything, but he¡¯d started to remember where pretty much everything was in the room.

    He held a hand out to Lillia and she epted it, letting him pull her up to her feet and pressing herself against his chest. For a moment, she didn¡¯t respond. Then she let out a small huff.

    ¡°More testing with the Wyrmling meat, I think. I might look into more remodeling as well. None of the adventurers were looking for a ce to stay the night, and that might be for the best. You¡¯re all okay with slightly lower quality amodations, but they might not be. I need to make sure my satisfaction rating doesn¡¯t get too low.¡±

    ¡°What is it at? There¡¯s no way it dropped after yesterday.¡±

    ¡°It actually went up to eighty-five percent,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s because nobody stayed over and the atmosphere was great. Atmosphere is a huge portion of how much people like things. Yesterday was energetic, so it went well. The real test is the long term, and thates with quality.¡±

    That was true enough. There really wasn¡¯t all that much difference between their jobs when Arwin boiled things down. It didn¡¯t matter how well his gear sold today if it didn¡¯t trante to sales in the future. They were in this for the long haul.

    ¡°Then we¡¯d best get to work,¡± Arwin said.

    He felt Lillia nod, but she didn¡¯t move. Arwin leaned down and found her face with his hands, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She hugged him, then pulled away and grabbed his arm to lead him out of the room.

    A few steps after there was enough light to see by again, Lillia released him, her purple cheeks a slight shade of pink. She immediately set about starting to gather ingredients and start her work for the day, and Arwin headed out toward the Infernal Armory.

    He had three main objectives for the day. The first ¡ª and simplest ¡ª would just be modifying the armor of everyone that needed changes from the previous day. That could be done whenever they showed up.

    His second goal was to make a pair of gauntlets for himself with the Ivorin that Madiv had brought. He¡¯d need some Brightsteel as well if he wanted to make it match the rest of the Ivory Executioner set, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he currently had enough left for that.

    And finally, he needed to figure out what he could do with the giant heart thumping away in the back room of his smithy. There had to be something he could make with it. Even though the Mesh hadn¡¯t identified it as an inherently magical item, no normal heart kept beating after its owner was dead.

    <em>If I can¡¯t determine some way to use it properly, I should give it to Lillia. I¡¯m not sure if anyone is going to want to eat a still-beating heart, but at the very least I¡¯m sure she¡¯d get a fair amount of magical energy by cooking the creepy thing.</em>

    Arwin headed out of the tavern and stepped onto the street, his mind lost in thought.

    There was a soft thud as Madiv dropped down from a rooftop,nding beside him with straight legs and matching Arwin¡¯s pace without missing a beat.

    ¡°I need a new job,¡± Madiv said. ¡°Reya has informed me that I need to practice my skills on my own and in new environments in order to be more affective. Also, I must stop threatening people with death when they are not inside the Infernal Armory.¡±

    <em>Baby steps, huh?</em>

    ¡°Do you know what Brightsteel is?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°No, but I can find out.¡±

    ¡°Do that,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°I need some as soon as possible. Preferrably within a few hours. I know that¡¯s pretty short notice. I believe it was around thirty gold a bar when I bought it from the other merchant ¡ª I¡¯ll give you twenty.¡±

    ¡°Forty.¡±

    ¡°Why would I ept that? No.¡±

    ¡°He is unlikely to sell to you now. Rumors of what we are doing have doubtlessly spread through the city.¡±

    Arwin blinked. That was a good point. Madiv wasn¡¯t just randomly choosing numbers to charge anymore. ¡°That¡¯s a fair argument, but my counteroffer is that I¡¯m dating your boss. Twenty gold.¡±

    ¡°That is an unfair argument.¡±

    Arwin smiled. ¡°I never imed to be fair.¡±

    To his surprise, a grin passed over Madiv¡¯s features as well. ¡°Respectable. Twenty gold, then. I will acquire ten bars. Wait my return.¡±

    He slipped into an alley and vanished.

    <em>Huh. Interesting guy. Not nearly as insane as I feared when we first met. Just¡­ very ill adjusted. I think I¡¯m starting to understand him a bit more.</em>

    Arwin drew up to the door of his smithy and unlocked it. He only managed to take a grand total of one step into the room before he heard someone running up behind him. Arwin turned and nearly summoned his armor instinctively as he spotted a huge mountain of muscle in the form of a woman barreling toward him.

    She skidded to a stop just before Arwin. ¡°Are you the smith¡¯s assistant?¡±

    Arwin hesitated, then nodded. He hadn¡¯t actually expected someone to be out this early in the morning. The sun still hadn¡¯t even properly risen from behind the horizon. A mistake on his part, but not a major one. It wasn¡¯t like it mattered if people found out his true identity. Still, there was no reason to give it away for free.

    ¡°I work with him, yes. He¡¯s already inside the smithy. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Name¡¯s Wanda. I was hoping to get in line first. I¡¯m hoping to hit that new Ranked Dungeon today with my team, and I¡¯ve got a set of armor ordered. Do you think he could get it handled in a few hours?¡±

    Arwin smiled. ¡°Come inside. I think Ifrit can get that handled for you.¡±

 Chapter 191: The next piece

    Chapter 191: The next piece

    Arwin left Wanda standing in the main room of the smithy and headed into the back, closing the door behind him. He waited for a minute before summoning his armor around himself and stepping back out.

    It probably wasn¡¯t the most convincing way to pretend to be two people, but unless someone actively suspected that Arwin and Ifrit were one and the same, there wasn¡¯t really much reason to even start wondering about it.

    Wanda certainly didn¡¯t seem to mind. She¡¯d settled into a crouch in the middle of the room and had supported her chin with both of her hands while she waited. When Arwin entered, she hurriedly straightened and cleared her throat.

    ¡°You¡¯d be Ifrit, then?¡±

    ¡°I would be,¡± Arwin said. His helm muffled his words, making his voicee out heavier than normal. ¡°And I can see why you need the armor modified. I think I could stitch two whole sets together and they still wouldn¡¯t do you justice. How do you fit through doors with those shoulders?¡±

    ¡°Damn things are too small,¡± Wanda said with a throatyugh. ¡°Made for twigs, not real warriors. Especially not ones with northern blood.¡±

    ¡°Northern blood?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

    ¡°My mum¡¯s from the Frozen Ridges, up at the top of Lian,¡± Wanda exined in a tone that made it clear she¡¯d said these exact words hundreds of times before. ¡°She wasn¡¯t all human. Gave me a bit more to work with than the rest of you.¡±

    <em>So I can tell. She could easily be part giant. </em>¡°Well, I¡¯ll see if I can get something fitted for you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll just need to take a few measurements first. This might take a bit.¡±

    Wanda shrugged. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t take too much of a bit, that¡¯s fine. I know resizing armor isn¡¯t a fast process ¡ª and I¡¯m not sure if this¡¯ll be as much of a resize as it will be a reforging. If you need extra pay, just let me know.¡±

    ¡°The agreement was for a resize, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ll be charging you for,¡± Arwin said as he fished a piece of charcoal out from his pocket. There was almost no point in having Wanda try the armor on as it was now. Even if she could squeeze into it, he was pretty sure the te would end up looking more like a bikini on her. ¡°I¡¯m going to make some modifications. This shouldn¡¯t take too long. While I do¡ª¡±

    There was a knock on the door. Wanda and Arwin both paused, and Arwin headed over to pull it open. Madiv stood on the other side, his brow arched.

    ¡°Ah. Good timing. Madiv can keep youpany,¡± Arwin said, stepping back and gesturing for the vampire to enter. Wanda sent Madiv a dubious look as Arwin headed into the back.

    He didn¡¯t wait to see how they got along. All he cared about was that there was someone to watch the literal hoard of gold behind him. Muted conversation from the room behind him brushed across his ears, but Arwin ignored it.

    He took a set of armor and tossed some [Soul me] into the hearth, heating the scales and pulling them apart. Wanda had been right about this being a lot more than just a simple resizing, but he didn¡¯t mind.

    They¡¯d promised her a good for a price. It wasn¡¯t just about holding up to their promise, either. This was practice. He wasn¡¯t in a spot where hepletely understood smithing yet. He¡¯d only just gotten started on his path to understanding, and the best way to continue progressing it was to find new problems and ways to solve them.

    <em>Well, that or find someone that actually knows what they¡¯re doing. I doubt someone like that is here right now, though. The only other smith in the town is Taylor, and he definitely hates my guts. </em>

    Arwin scooped a handful of scales from his enormous supply and got to work. If he wanted to get Wanda¡¯s new armor made anytime soon, he didn¡¯t have a second to waste.

    ***

    An hourter, Arwin emerged from the back of the smithy with the biggest set of armor he¡¯d ever made in his life clutched in his hands. He had to use [Scourge] just to avoid dropping the massive pile of scale te on the ground and crushing something important in the process.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the socioeconomic state of the horde would allow them to have advanced jobs like that,¡± Wanda said. She sat across from Madiv, legs crossed beneath her, and brow furrowed in deep contemtion. ¡°They don¡¯t have ess to proper ¡ª oh! Ifrit is back.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate. I was enjoying myself,¡± Madiv said, rising to his feet together with her.

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    <em>What the hell were the talking about? Socioeconomic state of the horde? I don¡¯t even know what that means.</em>

    ¡°I finished,¡± Arwin said, depositing the armor in Wanda¡¯s hands. ¡°Try this on. It¡¯s probably not going to be perfect yet, but it¡¯ll let me take some measurements and make the rest of the modifications quite quickly.¡±

    Wanda hurried toply. She pulled the armor on, tying it into ce with practiced fingers. Within a few minutes, she¡¯d donned everything. Arwin walked in a circle around her, then took his charcoal out.

    There were a few spots where it was clear the armor was too loose or tight. Some of the gaps were just a little too wide, leaving openings, while others would restrict her movement. Arwin marked the armor up with the piece of charcoal while she stood in ce, asionally shifting her stance at hismand.

    Arwin then took the armor back from her and returned to the back of the smithy. This round of modifications took considerably less time. Just ten minutester, he sucked the [Soul me] from the hearth and returned to the main room.

    Two more adventurers had arrived while he was working and stood at the back of the room ¡ª likely more people that needed modifications to their armor. Arwin ignored them for the time being and held the reworked set out to Wanda.

    ¡°Here. This should fit now.¡±

    Once more, she pulled it on. The huge warrior¡¯s eyebrows lifted as she tested her mobility. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be a crispy meat patty. This fits like a second skin. You managed it that quickly?¡±

    <em>The Mesh and my ss definitely helped. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m a smith. It¡¯s my job.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Wanda said. ¡°And it¡¯s just 400 gold? Nothing else? You¡¯re not going to get me on some hidden fee or something?¡±

    ¡°Just 400,¡± Arwin confirmed.

    Wanda shook her head in disbelief, then pulled a pouch of gold away from her side and tossed the whole thing to him. ¡°Counted it out yesterday. All yours.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you,¡± Arwin said. He added the gold to his growing pile. ¡°Make sure toe back if you need any repairs.¡±

    ¡°Will you be selling more gear in the future?¡± Wanda asked. She looked down at her feet. ¡°Sabatons, for example?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still working on that,¡± Arwin admitted with a chuckle. ¡°Working with scale isn¡¯t the same as metal.¡±

    <em>Not that I could make them with metal yet either.</em>

    ¡°I understand that. So it¡¯s in the cards?¡±

    ¡°Likely. I¡¯d check back in the Devil¡¯s Den every once and a while. I¡¯ll have my future ns listed there, as well as any exclusive offers.¡±

    That got everyone¡¯s attention. The two adventurers at the back of the room both broke their conversation and turned to listen more attentively. A small grin pulled across Arwin¡¯s lips, hidden behind his helm.

    ¡°Exclusive?¡± Wanda asked.

    ¡°What you¡¯ve got now is the armor I¡¯m producing in bulk,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I haven¡¯t revealed my full capabilities yet. I can do a lot more than this.¡±

    ¡°Something tells me you aren¡¯t about to say what.¡±

    ¡°Afraid not. Not today, at least. Just keep an eye out. You won¡¯t want to miss it.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, I believe you.¡± Wanda shook her head, then popped her new helm on. ¡°Thanks for the work, Ifrit. I¡¯ll be putting this to the test. Feels solid enough, but we¡¯ll see how it holds up in a fight.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully better than you anticipate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯ll get your ass if it doesn¡¯t, but I may not survive if that¡¯s the case,¡± Wanda said through a snort. ¡°Good business model, if you think about it. Customers can¡¯tin if they¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°Except that results in me running out of return customers.¡±

    Wanda nodded thoughtfully. ¡°A fair point. More of a long-term profits angle than maximizing earnings early on. That¡¯s a good sign. I¡¯ll be around, Ifrit.¡±

    With that, she turned and headed for the door. The other adventurers hurried to get out of her way as she squeezed her way out of the smithy. Once she left, Arwin cleared his throat to get the others¡¯ attention.

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you lot fitted, shall we? I¡¯ve got a busy day ahead, so I don¡¯t want to waste time. Who¡¯s first?¡±

    ***

    The next five hours swirled away. Adventurers from the previous day came in for the modifications to their armor one after the other. Fortunately, none of them were anywhere near as time consuming as Wanda had been.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they¡¯d all been handled and Arwin¡¯s coffers were evenrger than they had been the previous day. Once it became clear that no more adventurers wereing, he took break in the main room of the smithy to look over his earnings. Seeing this much gold just sitting around in the middle of a rtively barren smithy felt wrong.

    <em>Then again, a big chunk of this is about to vanish so we can keep the street. We¡¯ve definitely got the funds for it now. Now all we need is for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to approve our application to be a proper guild ourselves. I hope they get to it sooner rather thanter. I don¡¯t want to screw Jake over.</em>

    ¡°Madiv?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yes?¡± the vampire replied, looking up at him from where he leaned against the wall.

    ¡°Can you keep an eye out for a member of the Merchant¡¯s Guild called Jake? I owe him a bit over ten thousand gold. I¡¯m going to be working in the back, but just give him the money if hees by. He might need a cart, but that¡¯s probably something he¡¯s dealt with before.¡±

    <em>At the very least we can get him the pay so he doesn¡¯t get in trouble himself. Even if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild drags their feet in officializing us, Jake¡¯s superiors won¡¯t cook him over an open me if he¡¯s paid off thend. </em>

    ¡°Very well. Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Not right now. I¡¯m just going to work in my smithy. Let me know if anything important happens.¡±

    Madiv nodded and Arwin headed into the back room, closing the door behind him. He looked around the darkness, then tossed [Soul me] back into the hearth. After all the sets of armor he¡¯d just made, he had quite a bit of experience making normal gauntlets.

    Arwin pulled out a bar of Ivorin and set it on the anvil.

    <em>I¡¯ve got a pretty good grasp of what I¡¯m doing now, so I¡¯d say it¡¯s just about time to make the next piece in the Ivory Executioner set. </em>

 Chapter 192: Name of the game

    Chapter 192: Name of the game

    Arwin set to working out the bar of Ivorin into a sheet while he thought about how he¡¯d make his gauntlets and what aspects he wanted to try to get into them. Defense was obviously important. That was the point of armor.

    That said, he didn¡¯t want to make it so that he lost too much dexterity when wearing them. He needed to be able to wield Verdant ze effectively, and if it was too difficult to keep a hold of the hammer while he had the gauntlets on, it would be less than ideal.

    Sure, he could just summon and dismiss them at will, but the best-case scenario would be when he could use all his armor in conjunction rather than one piece at a time.

    <em>They do have to fit in with the rest of the Ivory Executioner set as well. I don¡¯t want to go too far away from how the other pieces in it work. That means I¡¯ve probably got to focus on trying to create an ability based off getting stronger from killing something.</em>

    That was an interesting conundrum, as it was a lot more specific than all the other traits he¡¯d intentionally made in the past. The Mesh had handled making the more personalized traits, especially for set and Unique items.

    Arwin finished hammering the Ivorin out and split it off into pieces. He then took a few moments to go through each one, querying it to find the pieces of metal that were the most willing to be gauntlets.

    Flickers of memory passed through his mind as he spoke with them. Resting in the back of an old warehouse, unused for years. Passing between hands of smiths, but never being used. There were just other metals that were easier to get, cheaper, and more effective.

    The smiths in this region weren¡¯t concerned with making art. They were focused on making armor as cheaply and effectively as possible. Nobody on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Lian was looking to spend a ridiculous amount of gold on a fancy chestte that did the same thing that a normal one did but cost ten times as much, especially when there were other metals that did the same thing Ivorin did but looked more stunning.

    The frustration and longing to be used was strong in the ivory-colored metal. It wasn¡¯t quite to the intensity that the Maristeel had, but it was getting there. There was no doubt in Arwin¡¯s mind that he¡¯d have absolutely no difficulty crafting with any pieces of Ivorin.But, as thest of the memories slipped from his mind and he pulled back, he caught a glimpse of theirtest memory. A certain vampire slipping into a warehouse and stuffing the bars of metal into a sack. Then there was darkness, broken only when they were pulled out in the tavern.

    Arwin bit back a mixture between augh and a sigh. He supposed he shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. Madiv had just stolen the metal. Sure, nobody was using it, but he really didn¡¯t need people knocking on his door pissed off about stolen materials.

    <em>I wonder who he even took it from. I¡¯ll have to make sure he starts establishing some proper connections to suppliers soon. </em>

    He shook his head. For today, it didn¡¯t matter. The Ivorin¡¯s memories told him that their previous owner definitely didn¡¯t care all that much. Even though Arwin hadn¡¯t gotten a look at the merchant or smith¡¯s face, the Ivorin hadn¡¯t been used once.

    <em>Okay. I¡¯ll deal with thatter. Right now, I¡¯ve got half of what I need. The Ivorin is prepared and ready. Madiv is getting Brightsteel, so I just need to figure out exactly what I¡¯m going to make for gauntlets and how I¡¯m going to impart the right traits onto them.</em>

    Arwin¡¯s gaze swept over his smithy, taking in all the monster pieces that he had lying around. Wyrmling scales, fangs, and teeth. tes from spider and centipede monsters. The still-beating heart.

    ¡°Which of those would somehow let me focus on getting power from in enemies?¡± Arwin mused to himself. ¡°They¡¯re all technically items taken from things I¡¯ve defeated. That would imply that they¡¯d all work¡­ but I suspect there¡¯s more to it than that. Intent is a part of it, but I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any way to do this other than practice.¡±

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    A rap on the back door yanked Arwin out of his concentration. He frowned and headed over to it, only to find Madiv standing on the other side with several bars of Brightsteel in his hands.

    ¡°You have incredibly good timing,¡± Arwin informed the vampire. ¡°I was just hoping to get started now.¡±

    ¡°I am thrilled to be of service,¡± Madiv said in a dry tone. ¡°Do you have my pay ready?¡±

    Arwin took the bars from him and nodded to the pile of gold in the main room. ¡°Just take it out of that. And¡­ look, in the future, try not to steal everything. You need to buy it or something. We¡¯re going to get into shit if you keep stealing.¡±

    Madiv¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª now isn¡¯t the time,¡± Arwin said through a sigh. ¡°We can talk about itter. Ask Lillia or Reya. Thanks for the delivery, though.¡±

    Madiv nodded and Arwin shut the door again. He set the Brightsteel down, picked up one ingot, and got back to work in ttening it out into pieces. The Brightsteel was considerably pickier than Ivorin was, but he soon found several sections that were willing to be gauntlets.

    He put the rest of it to the side and then got started forging a in pair of gauntlets. Before he started getting fancy with their actual design, he needed to figure out how he was going to make his moreplicated trait.

    <em>I¡¯ll just try to make something simple, but still a step up on the previous intentionally made traits. Maybe something that makes me marginally stronger after every enemy I kill, simr to the pants with their movement speed increases. </em>

    Arwin focused on making his first prototype entirely out of Brightsteel. Using a single type of metal would let him separate it a lot easier and give him multiple retries without wasting material.

    He¡¯d made so many pairs of gauntlets the previous day that the process flew by. He forged small tes, rounding them on the horn of the anvil, and made the individual parts for each finger joint. Every piece was quenched in oil and polished off with [Scourge] empowered strokes.

    He tapped away at small pieces of metal with Verdant ze to make caps, then used rivets to connect all the moving parts and tested their range of motion. Through every step of the process, he pressed magic into the metal, keeping his intent sharp.

    Once the pieces were all ready and saturated with magic, Arwin took a Wyrmling tooth and pressed it into the back of each gauntlet. He used [Scourge] to work the metal like dough, pressing it over the teeth and then ttening it out.

    Energy tingled at his fingertips and he let his hands drop. Arwin held his breath as the Mesh swirled forth and into the newly made gauntlets.

    <strong>[Brightsteel Gauntlets: Rare Quality] have been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    Arwin waved the words away and immediately studied the gauntlets to see how they¡¯d turned out.

    <strong>Brightsteel Gauntlets: Rare Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Broken Ravager]: This item longs to rip power from its fallen foes.</strong>

    That was it. It wasn¡¯t the most discouraging result ¡ª it proved that the intent had been correct. The trait was present, so it hadn¡¯tpletely failed. He just hadn¡¯t had the necessaryponents to allow the gauntlet to properly execute the ability.

    They didn¡¯t have much smell either ¡ª not in either a good or a bad way. The gauntlets were just iplete.

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed and he studied the gauntlets. If he wanted to store or steal energy, he probably had to give the gauntlets something to store the power in.

    That made his thoughts drift to his chestpiece, where therge purple gem could store magical power from spells that struck it.

    <em>A gem definitely lends itself to storing power¡­ but it doesn¡¯t really sound like it would do much for actually taking power.</em>

    Arwin quickly made a bracelet out of Brightsteel. He set it and the gauntlets into his [Soul me] and lifted the trait from the gauntlet, shifting it to the bracelet, which went into a pocket.

    Now that the gauntlets were nothing but in Brightsteel again, Arwin hammered them out back into a sheet and sat there for a few moments as he considered his next step. A tooth or a w felt like they¡¯d both be good at ripping power, but not storing it.

    <em>Really, what I need is both. A gem to store power and a tooth to take it.</em>

    The thought was so simple that it was almostughable, but actually executing it was a whole different task. Arwin chewed his lip. It already took a lot of concentration to make a trait with a single monster part. Using two would be exponentially more difficult.

    Arwin pulled out the white gemstone he still had from the Challenge. A determined smile pulled across his lips and he gathered his Ivorin and Brightsteel. His prototype had given him the information he needed. The way ahead had to be bybining multiple parts in a single item ¡ª and if he could pull it off, it opened up so much potential that he couldn¡¯t even fully begin toprehend it.

    He flexed his fingers, gathering himself and focusing his intent.

    <em>Harder is the name of the game, isn¡¯t it, Mesh? Let¡¯s y. </em>

 Chapter 193: Gauntlets

    Chapter 193: Gauntlets

    Arwin held up the efforts of thest two hours of work ¡ª a pair of Ivorin and Brightsteel gauntlets, spiked at the fingertips. The white gemstone had been iid in one gauntlet, the wyrm tooth in the other.

    Even though they weren¡¯t in the same piece of equipment, the Mesh saw handwear as a single item, so Arwin hadn¡¯t seen any reason why that wouldn¡¯t work.

    <strong>Ivory Brightsteel Gauntlets: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Broken Weeping Ravager]: This item longs to rip power from its fallen foes, but the powers it desires lie beyond its reach. It can both rip and swallow, but it cannot maintain.</strong>

    Arwin¡¯s fingers drummed on the table as he studied the gauntlets. Something had obviously gone wrong. The Mesh had acknowledged that both the w and the white gem were hypothetically capable of doing what he wanted, but the gauntlet had still failed.

    Not only was the trait wrong, but it didn¡¯t look like the metal had imparted any of its own desires on the gauntlets as well. While he didn¡¯t mind having more control over the result, normally there was at least <em>something </em>from the metal.

    There was a possibility the w was in thebination of Brightsteel and Ivorin itself. But, if that were the case, then it would be impossible to make the gauntlets of the Ivory Executioner Set.

    <em>Maybe the set doesn¡¯t have gauntlets? But that wouldn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s clearly arge set. I¡¯ve got a helm, greaves, and chestpiece already. There¡¯s no way this isn¡¯t a six item set. Gauntlets have to be part of it. So what did I do wrong? My intent?</em>

    That didn¡¯t seem likely either. The intent clearly showed through in the item description. It was trying to be what he wanted. There was something else missing. The problem was figuring out what.Arwin blew out a breath and set the pair of gauntlets into his Soul me together with a Brightsteel bracelet, transferring the trait over and adding the bracelet to his collection. He then removed the gemstone and Wyrmling tooth from the gauntlets. He hammered them out and set them to the side ¡ª the metal was mixed now, so he¡¯d have to use it for a different purpose.

    ¡°If I assume that both the tooth and the gemstone are functional, then that only leaves my intent and the actual metal I used,¡± Arwin mused to himself. He ran a finger along the t edge of the Wyrmling tooth, then turned it over in his hand. ¡°Brightsteel and Ivorin have both worked for the rest of the items. Even if the gauntlets aren¡¯t part of the Ivory Executioner set, I refuse to believe I can¡¯t make this trait. It¡¯s clearly possible.¡±

    Arwin shook his head and stepped away from his [Soul me] to start pacing around his smithy. It wasn¡¯t that making Ivory Executioner gauntlets was impossible. He was just missing something.

    <em>Right. What are the possibleponents that go into any item? There¡¯s the metal, the monster parts, and the intent. Three things. Simple. The monster parts are almost certainly correct ¡ª or if not correct, viable. I should be able to make something that functions with them, even if it isn¡¯t exactly my goal. </em>

    Intent had been addressed as well. The fact he¡¯d made gauntlets that tried to rip energy and store it proved that. So, unless there was another variable he was overlooking, that only left the metal.

    Arwin walked over to the Ivorin and picked up an unworked bar. It definitely felt like Ivorin. Madiv hadn¡¯t inadvertently given him a fake. The Brightsteel was no different. They were authentic.

    A flicker of frustration rolled through Arwin¡¯s stomach and his jaw clenched.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°Why the hell won¡¯t this shit work?¡±

    There was a faint tingle at the nape of his neck, almost as if the Mesh wasughing at him. That ¡ª or it was about to offer him another challenge. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Hell no. I can figure this out on my own. I don¡¯t need you to hold my damn hand through everything. Get lost.¡±

    The tingle faded.

    He blew out a breath and forced himself to rx. Getting pissed off wasn¡¯t going to help him out. Arwin stepped out of the smithy and headed over to the tavern, where Lillia was at work in the kitchen.

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    She had arge piece of Wyrmling meat cut into ribbons on a board before her and was studying it intently, her tongue protruding slightly from her mouth. Arwin waited patiently at the side of the kitchen for nearly a minute before Lillia noticed him and nearly jumped out of her shoes.

    ¡°Oh, Arwin! I didn¡¯t realize you were here,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You should have said something.¡±

    ¡°You looked busy. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was just trying to figure out what the best way to marinate meat was,¡± Lillia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m having a bit of trouble figuring out a problem, so I figured an outside perspective might be useful,¡± Arwin admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

    ¡°I can certainly try. What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to make the gauntlets of my Ivory Executioner set, but to do that, I need to use two different monster parts. One for each task the gloves have to do. The problem is they won¡¯t seem to work together. The Mesh has acknowledged that theponents should hypothetically work, but the gauntlets don¡¯t function.¡±

    Lillia took a step back from the meat and sucked on the insides of her cheeks as she thought for a few seconds. ¡°The materials are the same as the rest of the ones in the set?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the monster parts, yeah.¡±

    ¡°And you aren¡¯t messing up the ratio of metal or something like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s no different than the amounts I used for the rest of the set.¡±

    ¡°Intent is correct as well, I take it?¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m also using metal that actually wants to be gauntlets, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m fighting it. It should be helping me.¡±

    They both fell silent for a few more moments. Then Lillia tilted her head to the side, her gaze returning to the meat on the counter. ¡°You know, when I think about a recipe, the result is only as good as all the ingredients that go in. There¡¯s more to an ingredient than just the type.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s aplete one to oneparison, but take this,¡± Lillia said with a nod. ¡°Wyrmling meat is a good ingredient, but I tried marinating one piece in water. It didn¡¯t turn out very well.¡±

    ¡°Why did you try marinating something in water?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s cheeks colored. ¡°I wanted to see if it would get juicier. It just got watery. That¡¯s despite the point. You can have different qualities of the same ingredient. I ruined the piece of Wyrmling meat by marinating it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t marinate metal, though,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s just a brick of Ivorin. I haven¡¯t done anything special to it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the problem. It could need preparation or something,¡± Lillia offered.

    Arin considered the idea for a few moments. It wasn¡¯t a bad one, but he had absolutely no idea how he was meant to prepare metal. Metal was metal, after ¡ª

    <em>Wait. Impurities. I¡¯m an idiot. No piece of metal is just pure metal. There¡¯s shit in the Ivorin and Brightsteel that lowers its quality. I don¡¯t know how much that could affect something, but lower quality metal is a worse material, and that means the item as a whole is worse.</em>

    ¡°You might be a genius,¡± Arwin eximed. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Lillia blinked. ¡°I ¡ª uh¡­ you¡¯re wee?¡±

    Arwin was already out the door. He shot back into the smithy and over to his hearth. He had no clue how much impurity was in a piece of Brightsteel or Ivorin, but there was definitely some.

    All he had to do was figure out how to remove it.

    That, unfortunately, immediately stumped him.

    <em>How do Ipletely get crud out of metal? Now that I think about it, that was the whole point of banging the crap out of the metal before I start working with it. I was kind of just mimicking the smiths I¡¯ve seen before. Was there another way they cleaned metal up?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as he dug through his memories, but nothing came to mind. He started to pace again. There had to be a better way to purify metal than smacking it.

    <em>Logically, what even are impurities? Probably dirt or stone or the like. Doesn¡¯t that melt slower than metal? </em>

    His eyes flicked over to the [Soul me] in his hearth. It wasn¡¯t nearly hot enough to straight up melt metal¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t do it. One of the upgrades he¡¯d gotten for [Soul me] allowed him to increase its temperature at the cost of drawing more energy.

    Arwin grabbed a piece of Brightsteel and used [Scourge] to break off a palm-sized chunk<em>. </em>He nced around the room for anything to hold it, then quickly realized that he had no idea what Brightsteel and Ivorin¡¯s melting points were. It was hard to make a holster to melt something if the holster ended up melting first.

    <em>Eh, I suppose my hands will do. </em>

    He took the piece of Brightsteel to the hearth and cupped his palms beneath it as he brought the metal into the warm fire.

    <em>I wonder how hot metal needs to get to start melting. </em>

    Another thought struck Arwin and he paused for a moment as a piece of a puzzle he hadn¡¯t even been actively considering clicked into ce.

    <em>Is this why dwarven smithing usesva? It would exin a ton. It¡¯s not just to look cool. It¡¯s damned hot. Great way to melt metal. I don¡¯t know how I didn¡¯t see that earlier. It¡¯s too bad I don¡¯t have that magma ball anymore, but I already put that to a good use. </em>

    Arwin started pouring magical energy into the [Soul me], bringing its temperature up as high as he could take it.

    There was only one thing left to do.

    He had to melt some metal.

 Chapter 194: Competent

    Chapter 194: Competent

    The [Soul me] turned a vibrant blue as Arwin pumped it full of energy. It had taken him nearly five minutes to feed it enough energy to get this level of intensity and it didn¡¯t look like it was going to get any hotter.

    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t need to. Therge chunk of Brightsteel cupped in his palms started to glow. It went from red to a dull orange, soon approaching a yellowish-white as the intense me enveloped it.

    Arwin squinted through the waves of heat rolling off the hearth as the temperature in the smithy started to rise. Even with his resistance to his own fire, the sweltering me was enough to cause droplets of sweat to roll down his forehead.

    The top of the Brightsteel rippled and started to turn liquid as it grew hotter and hotter. Tiny patches of rtive darkness stood out amidst the glowing yellow-white. Arwin turned the piece over, keeping the metal cupped in his palms as more of it turned to liquid.

    Several small dots and tiny chunks of glowing debris littered the molten metal pooled in his hands. Arwin nced around, then cursed. There was a little more liquid than he¡¯d expected there to be, but he didn¡¯t have anywhere to put it while he fished out the debris.

    Arwin transferred the metal to one hand, spilling some in the process, and then started fishing out the little chunks with the other. Once he¡¯d gotten the biggest parts out, he did his best to pour it out into the other hand, leaving the majority of the debris behind.

    It was far from the most effective strategy and he lost more metal than he would have cared to in the process, but it worked. At least, it looked like it worked.

    He took the metal away from the me and held it out in the air, waiting as it cooled and solidified back into a blob in his palms. Arwin studied it, then blew out a breath. Even if this method technically worked, he was going to end up with a bunch of little nuggets instead of workable ingots.

    <em>Then again, I can re-heat them with [Soul me] and merge everything back together at the end. Not the most efficient way by any means. I should try to get my hands on a mold I can pour metal into. A crucible as well. Something that can withstand the heat of the heightened [Soul me] because I¡¯m not so sure my current hearth will hold up against that.</em>There was always the option of asking Madiv to try and find a crucible, but Arwin had already gotten started and he still didn¡¯t know if his idea would even work. There was no point investing too much effort into getting supplies if it ended up a dud.

    With that in mind, he got another chunk of Brightsteel and brought it to the molten blue [Soul me]. He was going to need to cook quite a few more pieces of metal if he wanted to get enough to work with for a whole pair of gauntlets.

    ***

    It took Arwin about two hours to form enough ¡°purified¡± chunks of both Brightsteel and Ivorin to be satisfied. Once he was pretty sure he had enough raw material, he took to using [Scourge] and a significantly weakened [Soul me] to press all the Brightsteel back together, kneading it like ydough before bringing it over to the anvil and hammering away at it with Verdant ze to make a single, workable sheet.

    Once he finished, Arwin repeated the process with the Ivorin. It was a lot of work to get just a single pair of metal sheets, just barely enough for one pair of gauntlets, but it would be worth it if it worked.

    <em>At least, I hope it will be. If this isn¡¯t the issue, I¡¯m going to be pissed. I don¡¯t even know if this haspletely purified the metal. Is it even possible? I¡¯m sure some impurities are still there, even if I got a lot of them. </em>

    The only way to find out would be to put the metal to use. Fortunately, even if all his efforts hadn¡¯tpletely purged everyst scrap of impurity from the metal, it hade with one extra, unexpected, benefit.

    After working the metal for so long and so extensively, he almost felt an innate connection between himself and the two metal sheets. It wasn¡¯t a connection that could be attributed to the Mesh or any form of magic ¡ª they¡¯d just had the equivalent of a two-hour long conversation.

    He¡¯d never spent that much time getting to know any of his materials before working with them. There hadn¡¯t been a reason to. Even though he wasn¡¯t going to get any direct benefits from the understanding, as both the Brightsteel and Ivorin had been amicable to being gauntlets before, he could already tell that this pair of gauntlets woulde together far more easily than previous versions.

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    Arwin took an hour to rest and gather his magical energy back, but his mind didn¡¯t leave the topic of the gauntlets once. He went through every step he¡¯d be doing in his mind, repeating it over and over until it felt like he¡¯d made them a thousand times over.

    As soon as he had the majority of his magical energy back, Arwin went right back to work. He brought the white gemstone and Wyrmling tooth back over to the anvil and set them down beside the sheets of metal, trying to think on if he¡¯d missed anything else.

    Nothing came to mind. He¡¯d taken all the steps he could to make sure that this attempt seeded. All that remained was to actually take the plunge and make sure his intent was correct.

    Arwin moved everything other than the Brightsteel to the side, then got to work. He separated the sheet into segments and went back through practiced motions, making every segment of the gauntlets.

    He then repeated the process with the Ivorin, working the two metals together and slowly starting to make recognizable segments for the gauntlets. Arwin quenched the segments as he finished them, then stacked everything up on the anvil.

    As before, he ended the fingertips in points ¡ª not too long, so as to avoid identally cutting his own palm open every time he clenched his fist, but enough to let the gloves actually have a way to rip into his targets.

    He made sure to avoid identally making the gauntlets too stiff and hindering his movements, but he also put in more than adequate amounts of ting over the stiff portions to make sure they¡¯d be able to block a blow without shattering.

    The gauntlets steadily came together. He connected the pieces with rivets, testing and moving each segment before moving right on to the next one. Through the entire process, he continued to pour magical energy from himself into the gloves.

    Energy tingled within the metal as he worked it into shape, making small adjustments with his hands and [Scourge]. Once the bodies of the gauntlets werepleted, Arwin added the gemstone to the back of the left gauntlet.

    He went to add the Wyrmling tooth to the right one, but paused as he was preparing to press it into the back of the palm.

    <em>Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to use a w as an actual w? Or at least put it in the spot of where a w would be? A gem on the back of the hand is fine, but ws should actually be used for what their purpose is.</em>

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as he split his attention, keeping his intent as best he could while thoughts shed through his mind.

    Changing what he was doing midway through didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. He already had a nid out ¡ª but that n wasn¡¯t really based on anything concrete.

    <em>If I put the w in a fingertip, it feels wrong to just have one. Every finger should have one. But that would mean I¡¯m working with six monster parts instead of just two. Given the huge increase of difficulty of adding in a single extra item¡­ five could be too much.</em>

    <em>But they¡¯re doing the same thing. That might make the extra draw more manageable.</em>

    He didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to fully consider the decision and keep his focus at the same time. The only thing he could do was act. After one more instant of hesitation, Arwin hurried over to his pile of Wyrmling parts and scooped up four more teeth.

    Working them into the fingertips of the right gauntlet was simple enough, and soon had one of them firmly lodged and buried within the metal at the end of each finger. To Arwin¡¯s relief, it didn¡¯t seem like the draw of magical energy or focus had changed significantly by using more teeth.

    Now there was a new problem. If the ws were based on Wyrmling teeth on one gauntlet, it didn¡¯t make sense for them to be normal on the other glove.

    <em>Why would it even have ws at all? That¡¯s just stepping in the first gauntlet¡¯s territory. They¡¯re meant to be a pair. One rips, the other stores. </em>

    Arwin removed the pointed tips from the left gauntlet¡¯s fingers, rounding them out. He brought the white gemstone out a little, making sure it was visible on the back of the gauntlet, then started carving jagged designs into the gauntlet with a nail and [Scourge].

    Once he finished, he swapped over to the wed gauntlet and repeated the process, drawing identical designs. He didn¡¯t really have a reason for it other than it felt right, but that was as good of a reason as any.

    His brow knit in concentration as he put the finishing touches onto the gauntlets. His reserves of magical energy were dwindling to rming levels, but it didn¡¯t matter. He polished the gauntlets off and sharpened each of the ws on his whetstone.

    Arwin then looked over them with a sharp eye in search of any mistakes. The gauntlets glistened, a mixture of silver and ivory. One ended with wicked ws, short but razor-sharp. The other bore a pale white gem like a milky eye lying in wait for promised power. Energy swirled within the gauntlets, waiting for release.

    There was nothing else to do.

    He mentally acknowledged that his work was done, letting his hands drop to his sides. The Mesh didn¡¯t wait a second longer. Power erupted around the gauntlets and swirled down the grooves he¡¯d carved into their surface.

    <strong>[The Ivory Executioner¡¯s Hands: Epic Quality] have been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>[Getting Competent] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first Epic Quality itempletely from scratch.</em> Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. <em>This achievement will be consumed immediately.</em></strong>

 Chapter 195: No Breaks

    Chapter 195: No Breaks

    <strong>[Gettingpetent]<em></em>has been consumed<em>. </em></strong>

    As much as Arwin wanted to check out his new gauntlets¡¯ stats, he had an equally important task to handle first. His information page floated in the air before him, all his skillsid out in wait.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive)</strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal]</strong>

    <strong>[Dragon¡¯s Greed]</strong>

    Every new skill upgrade got harder and harder to choose. It was a good problem to have, but that didn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t a problem. There was no doubt that [Awaken] was probably the ability with the most potential in it.

    Wyrmhunger¡¯s existence proved that. The weapon, just an average dagger, had formed such an intense connection to Reya that it had literally killed a Wyrm for her. Even though Verdant ze hadn¡¯t done anything at that level, he had felt the weapon¡¯s growing intelligence over the past weeks.He wasn¡¯t sure why it wasn¡¯t at Wyrmhunger¡¯s level yet, but there was no denying that the hammer was powerful and would grow stronger still with time. [Awaken] gave his weapons the ability to be truly legendary. There was just one reason to hesitate.

    [Awaken]¡¯s upgrades also came with the most drawback. Thest one had made it so that every magical item he made had a chance to essentially fight back against him. It wasn¡¯t every single time, and it looked like he¡¯d managed to avoid a vision whilst making the gauntlets, but it was far too frequent to justpletely ignore.

    <em>I can¡¯t have it so that my weapons are so strong that I literally can¡¯t control them. If I¡¯ve learned one thing about smithing in the rtively short time I¡¯ve spent as a smith, it¡¯s that I need to be the one in control. I can¡¯t rely on the Mesh and I can¡¯t let the materials just do what they want. </em>

    <em>If I upgrade [Awaken] here, I could end up making it so that I can¡¯t handle the visions thate with any Awakened weapons. It would be wise to wait a little longer before upgrading it again. </em>

    That brought him to the next in line, Molten Novice. Given the discovery he and Lillia hade to just a short while ago, it was definitely a strong contender. If he could find a way to control or useva to melt down his metal and purify it, it could change everything.

    <em>Given the fact the Mesh gave me an achievement for the gauntlets, even though I can¡¯t see their stats yet, I¡¯m pretty sure the crafting attempt worked correctly this time. I just have no damn idea what upgrading Molten Novice would even do. </em>

    <em>I need a proper dwarven smith to teach me. Maybe I can put out a request for one?</em>

    Arwin shook his head before he could go off on too much of a tangent. Molten Novice was a good option to go with, if only because he knew it would eventually be useful. It wasn¡¯t like an upgrade would make it worse.

    [Soul me] was in a simr position. It had been his most consistently useful ability and was integral to just about everything he did. He wasn¡¯t sure what the next upgrade would do to it.

    <em>Maybe it¡¯ll get more energy efficient or the temperature it can reach will go higher? No clue. Definitely an option, but I don¡¯t think my hearth can actually handle a higher heat than what I¡¯ve reached. There¡¯s another thing I need to the add to the list. Better hearth forva.</em>

    The final two options were [Arsenal] and [Dragon¡¯s Greed]. Of the two, [Arsenal] was the first ability Arwin was able to dismiss from the list of potential options on the spot. It was a fantastic power and had been integral to his sess thus far, but it already did everything he needed it to.

    Making it stronger wouldn¡¯t give him any real benefits. [Dragon¡¯s Greed], on the other hand, was a different story. It had proven pretty useful in the Journeyman Ranked dungeon. Being able to spot magical items was a fantastic power. Sure, it didn¡¯t help in a fight or with crafting, but getting more magical materials or items was literally never a bad thing.

    An upgrade to the ability would probably end up letting it sense more urately or farther. There was a chance it would let him specialize or focus on what he was searching for as well.

    That was rather tempting. If he wanted to continue making very specific enchantments, he¡¯d almost certainly start to need very specificponents. There was no way to guarantee that was what he¡¯d get, but Arwin had a decent understanding of the Mesh after all his years in the Kingdom of Lian.

    It was amon sentiment that, even though the Mesh wasn¡¯t alive, it still existed as a way to screw people over. Arwin had never agreed with thetter half of the statement, and after recent events, now he knew the first half of it was wrong as well.

    The Mesh wasn¡¯t malicious. It simply sought challenge. It gave people exactly what they wanted ¡ª it just didn¡¯t make it easy. The Mesh didn¡¯t care if someone seeded or failed. As long as the opportunity was there, it was satisfied.

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    That said, he had three pretty solid ability upgrade options. [Soul me], [Molten Novice], and [Dragon¡¯s Greed]. Arwin considered the benefits and drawbacks of each one for a few more moments, not letting his impatience to see his new gauntlets interfere with his decision-making process. The gauntlets would still be there once he chose.

    The first option he crossed off was [Molten Novice]. While making it stronger wouldn¡¯t have hurt, he still didn¡¯t actually know the full extent of what it did. Advancing an ability he didn¡¯t understand, especially keeping in mind how badly the Mesh had held back his crafting when he¡¯d over-relied on its guidance, felt like a poor idea.

    After another minute of thought, Arwin crossed [Soul me] off as well. It currently did everything he needed it to and [Dragon¡¯s Greed] would likely be more useful in the near future. He could always put another point into [Soul me]ter but missing potential loot in a dungeon couldn¡¯t be undone.

    Arwin selected [Dragon¡¯s Greed].

    <strong>[Dragon¡¯s Greed] ¨C <em>Your hunger for magical power has begun to manifest itself in the physical world. Extend your senses to search the area around you for magical items at the cost of significant magical energy. The range of this effect scales with the amount of magical energy used. At the cost of extra magical energy, the focus of this ability can be targeted to a specific type of magical item or material.</em></strong>

    He smiled. He¡¯d read the Mesh correctly ¡ª or perhaps it had just humored him. Either way, he¡¯d gotten what he wanted and there was no reason to dy any longer. Arwin waved the glowing words away and quickly turned to his newly made gauntlets to finally discover what his efforts hadted him.

    <strong>The Ivory Executioner¡¯s Hands: Epic Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Reave]: The insatiable hunger of a Wyrmling pulses within the razor-sharp tips of this item. Any wounds inflicted by this item on a living creature will steal a small portion of their physical strength. This trait¡¯s effects are reduced the greater the target¡¯s tier is than this item¡¯s wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Magical Storage]: Any power taken by [Reave] is kept within this item and can be released into a weapon to empower its attack. Stored energy will eventually deteriorate if left untouched for sufficient amounts of time. </strong>

    <strong>[Executioner¡¯s Promise]: This item¡¯s wielder can draw the energy held by [Magical Storage] into themselves instead of pushing it into a weapon. Energy drawn in this manner will temporarily stem wounds and provide a burst of resilience. A significant portion of the energy will be lost in conversion when this trait is activated. </strong>

    <strong>[Armor of the Executioner]: This is a set item of [?] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    Arwin bound the gauntlets with thest remaining slot of [Arsenal] before he¡¯d even finished reading over their abilities. A smile, equal parts delight and relief, crawled across his face.

    The gauntlets had turned out perfect. They were exactly what he¡¯d been hoping for. There was only a single problem with them ¡ª unlike all his other items, there was nothing to conceal their properties from anyone else.

    Once he managed to finish the Ivory Executioner set, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. There were just two things left to do there. Namely, making sabatons and remaking his chestpiece. He was already nning to learn how to make boots, so the former would be next.

    The chestpiece woulde after. Then he would be done. Arwin studied his new gauntlets with the gaze of a proud father for another minute before dismissing them and letting out a satisfied sigh.

    He stepped out of the back of the smithy and into the main room. The sunlight spilling in told him that it was already slightlyte in the day and somewhere slightly past lunch. Arwin hesitated as he looked around the smithy.

    Something felt off, and it took him a second to realize what it was.

    All the gold that had been piled up just beside the back door was missing. His eyes widened. His gaze shot around the room, but there was no damage to anything. The door was intact and there weren¡¯t any signs of a forced entry.

    He shot out onto the street, striding for the inn. The door opened just as he went to reach for it and he found himself face to face with Rodrick. Arwin opened his mouth, but the warrior spoke before he could.

    ¡°Rx, Arwin,¡± Rodrick said through a chuckle. ¡°The gold is fine. Lillia said you¡¯d probably panic when you realized it was missing, but we didn¡¯t want to bother you while you were working.¡±

    The words died on Arwin¡¯s lips and he ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I probably should have guessed. I was so focused on my work that I wasn¡¯t really thinking when I saw it was missing. Good timing. I would have burst in there yelling about thieves. You moved the gold, I take it?¡±

    ¡°Jake showed back up asking for his payment. We aren¡¯t an official guild yet, but we figured there was no reason holding off and getting him in hot water,¡± Rodrick exined. ¡°We got him his money and moved the rest into an unused room. We really need a better way to store it, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Another thing for the list,¡± Arwin muttered as his shoulders slumped and he shook his head. ¡°Damn. That was a burst of emotions I wasn¡¯t expecting. So everything is fine?¡±

    Rodrick nodded. ¡°All fine. Lillia did ask that we not disturb her right now, though. She started some big test with her cooking or something and wants to be focused.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Do you know if anyone else showed up looking for me today?¡±

    ¡°A few adventurers, but we had ¡®em put their name on the waitlist. Were you waiting for someone in particr?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s perfect. Just good to know the interest is carrying over. I need to make sure we keep capitalizing on it. It¡¯ll take a little while for adventurers to test out the armor, so I should get some more sets prepared for after demand starts going up.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Rodrick raised an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t know what a break is, do you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a time and a ce for a break, but this isn¡¯t it. We¡¯ve got too many enemies and too many things that can go wrong. The path before us is open, so we need to charge down at full speed until we¡¯re at a spot where pausing is safe.¡±

    ¡°I know where you¡¯reing from, but I¡¯ve lived by those thoughts before,¡± Rodrick said with a note of warning in his voice. ¡°The problem with them is, no matter how far ahead you get, you never feel safe.¡±

    Arwin grunted in agreement. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong, but for the time being, this is fine. I¡¯ll probably head into town, then. I want to see if the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has finished officializing us yet.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll let the others know,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯m heading out to do a little reconnaissance on how the Ardent guild took our sales yesterday, so I¡¯ll likely catch you around tonight.¡±

    The two nodded to each other before parting ways, and Arwin set off to find the Adventurer¡¯s Guild once more. If there was any way to get their guild formally recognized faster, they needed it. The sooner they did, the sooner the street would officially be theirs.

 Chapter 196: Tironal

    Chapter 196: Tironal

    ¡°I cannot bring myself to speak aloud the extent of your idiocy, but I could be swayed to carve it into your skin.¡±

    Tironal, the leader of the Ardent Guild, sat in a chair too small for him, his jaw stiff and hands clenched so tightly around the finely carved armrests that his knuckles were white and their wood creaked beneath his palms.

    Charles winced beneath the guild leader¡¯s withering gaze. If he could have sunk into the floor, Tironal strongly suspected that he would have done so long ago. That might have spared the both of them a fair amount of trouble.

    ¡°It¡¯s unfair to me the boy for everything,¡± Vorfen said. The bearded warrior stood beside Charles was the only reason Tironal hadn¡¯t hung the boy by his thumbs in the center of the guildhall, but even Vorfen¡¯s influence would only go so far.

    ¡°If I med him for everything then he¡¯d have been cklisted himself and booted out onto the street that he came from,¡± Tironal snapped. ¡°I me him only for the abject failure that was his n. A n, I remind you, that you fully backed.¡±

    ¡°It should have worked,¡± Charles stammered. ¡°Reya had a key to a dungeon. She stole it from a thieves¡¯ guild, and I know it was a pretty good one. That¡¯s got to be what her guild has been using to grow so quickly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is,¡± Tironal said. He forced his hand to unclench before he identally broke the chair. ¡°Unfortunately, it is in <em>their </em>hands, not ours. I agreed to allow a cklist because it was targeted at a man that had assaulted one of our members. cklisting one ipetent, murderous merchant is no issue. cklisting a street rat to get a dungeon key from her is no issue either. But why is it, Vorfen, that you told me their guild was worthless?¡±

    ¡°They stumbled into a lucky break,¡± Vorfen said. ¡°We can¡¯t possibly have predicted¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your damned job is to predict!¡± Tironal roared, flying from his chair. ¡°I pay you a hundred Energy Crystals a year to research our opponents and seek out opportunity. Your job is not to create risk. It is to avoid it!¡±¡°The risk was minor,¡± Vorfen insisted, his features paling slightly. ¡°A smith should not have been capable of this. I know for a fact this smith was nothing special. He had a few mildly above average sales, but multiple different informants tested his products and told me they were far from special. The smith was even spotted buying material from hispetitor. He had no supply lines. Nothing. Someone must have gotten wind of our movements and tried to use this as a way to weaken our strength.¡±

    Tironal pressed his fingers to his palms and lowered himself back into his chair. Flying into a rage was unbing of a guild leader. ¡°Despite your best efforts, our strength has not been weakened. Our face, however, has. We look like idiot bullies. Rumors already spread through the town that we attempt to crush out minor guilds before they can take root.¡±

    Charles coughed into a fist and Tironal¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±

    ¡°I mean no disrespect,¡± Charles said hurriedly. ¡°But¡­¡±

    He trailed off, evidently unable to find any way to say his words without actually causing disrespect. Tironal blew out a short breath.

    ¡°We do crush outpetition. Yes. Every guild does,¡± Tironal ground out. ¡°That is not the issue. The issue is twofold. First, we had no reason established in the public view to need to crush them. And second, the public is talking about it. Both of these things should have been your responsibility, Vorfen. You and Charles told me you had both of those under control.¡±

    ¡°I swear to you that we did,¡± Vorfen said. His hands clenched at his sides and he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what happened. Everything in mywork confirmed that nobody cared about their guild. They confirmed the merchant was disliked and the street rat had more enemies than anyone else in the city. The smith was unknown. There should have been no issue.¡±

    ¡°Should have been.¡± Tironal chewed the inside of his cheeks. ¡°Perhaps I <em>should </em>have<em></em>gotten a morepetent spymaster. A failure this colossal is uneptable, and it was for a reward that isn¡¯t even worth the effort.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°I pray that you are not about to suggest that we back out,¡± Tironal said, his eyes going as sharp as knives. ¡°Because that would be admitting defeat. Defeat to a guild that isn¡¯t even official yet. It would spell the end of our guild. The Dawnseekers would be at our throats the very same night they heard of such weakness. We wouldpletely lose our foothold here.¡±

    ¡°It is possible the Dawnseekers are funding this guild,¡± Vorfen offered.

    ¡°Possible?¡± Tironal¡¯s eye twitched and he nearly leapt out of his chair for the second time. ¡°Are they or are they not? It is your <em>job</em> to know this! You tell me! And while you¡¯re at it, tell me how this apparently worthless guild managed to steal the first clear of our dungeon while getting our own damned adventurers singing their praises in the process?¡±

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    Vorfen and Charles both flinched at the vitriol in Tironal¡¯s voice. The guild leader drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing the anger down.

    ¡°We¡¯ll fix it,¡± Vorfen promised.

    Tironal sank into his chair and shook his head.

    ¡°It should already be fixed,¡± Tironal said wearily. ¡°I sent an order to purchase thend of their guild out from under them. Once we have it, I will gift it back to them in exchange for being part of their council. That will give us enough control and let us save at least a little face.¡±

    Vorfen winced. Tironal¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°That¡­ may not happen,¡± Vorfen said slowly. ¡°The purchase order was blocked.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Tironal shot up in his chair. ¡°Why am I just hearing this?¡±

    ¡°I thought it was the reason you called me here in the first ce.¡± A droplet of sweat rolled down the side of Vorfen¡¯s face and vanished into his beard. ¡°I got word this morning that we¡¯d ced an order on thend the Menagerie¡¯s guild is on, but it had been rejected.¡±

    ¡°We were outbid?¡± Tironal demanded. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t determined that yet, but I am looking into it. I was shocked myself. It means someone else must have put in an order at nearly the same time, and with a budgetrger than ours.¡±

    ¡°I know what it means,¡± Tironal said. What little calm he¡¯d managed to gather for himself started to evaporate. Had someone managed to predict their move? Sure, the Menagerie might have ¡ª but there was absolutely no way they had the capital to spare.

    Even with all the sales they¡¯d made recently, they couldn¡¯t have made more than ten or twenty thousand gold. That was nowhere near enough topete with his purchase order.

    <em>Is it possible they actually have a benefactor working with them? If they do, then Vorfen isn¡¯t just doing poorly. He¡¯spletely and utterly failing at his task.</em>

    Vorfen cleared his throat hurriedly. ¡°I assure you that Charles and I are on the task, guild leader. The purchase order was blocked, but the Menagerie are still on very shaky ground. We can still crush them without overying our own hand.¡±

    ¡°If we crush them at this point, all we look like is petty, arrogant fools,¡± Tironal said. ¡°Did you understand nothing of what I just told you?¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll give them an offer to join us that they can¡¯t refuse,¡± Vorfen amended. ¡°The information we¡¯ve been getting seems¡­ off. I don¡¯t know why, but I can assure you that I¡¯ll find out. Once I determine the issue, dealing with the Menagerie will be simple. Your n still may be viable.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°The Menagerie are not an official guild yet. They put in the request, but it hasn¡¯t been approved. It¡¯s impossible for them to ownnd, which means they¡¯ve likely worked with someone else. If we can find them, we can buy thend before it goes to the Menagerie.¡±

    Tironal tapped his fingers on his armrests. It was far from ideal, but it was better than just sitting back and doing nothing. The other major merchant guilds in the area would be watching them now. Vorfen had already put far too much resource into handling the small guild for him to let up and admit defeat.

    <em>I never should have let it get this far. I was distracted, so the me restsrgely on my own shoulders. It is still a shock that Vorfen was this ipetent. He has never been so addled. First with recruiting a random street rat, now this. </em>

    Vorfen caught the look on Tironal¡¯s face and swallowed. ¡°I know my performance has been less than adequate. I will re-evaluate my informationworks in the city. It is possible someone from one of the other guilds has been interfering. It will not continue to happen.¡±

    ¡°Ensure it doesn¡¯t, or both you and your apprentice will join the Menagerie on being cklisted,¡± Tironal said. He flicked his hand to dismiss them and the two hurried out of his room, closing the door behind them in the process.

    Tironal just massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. Taking financial control of Milten with the Iron Hounds gone should have been such an easy task that he¡¯d let his subordinates run wild with freedom. It was clear that either Charles or Vorfen had something personal against the Menagerie, and they¡¯d used the opportunity to push farther than they should have. That was a mistake he had no ns of repeating.

    Unfortunately, now he had no choice. If they were to maintain their strength, the small guild had to be either brought under their wing or crushed quietly.

    ***

    A guard pushed himself away from the wall. He adjusted the ill-fitting suit of armor on his chest and strode confidently down the hall, his helm¡¯s visor lowered to cover his face.

    A guildsman with a golden sword embossed upon a red patch at the center of his armor nodded to him as he passed. ¡°Shift over? I don¡¯t envy you. I heard that Tironal has been right furious thesest few days.¡±

    ¡°More than,¡± the guard said through augh. His voice was nasally and congested. ¡°And it¡¯s the poor saps in his room you should feel bad about.¡±

    The guildsman shook his head. ¡°All this work for such a small guild seems like a huge waste, but I guess Tironal knows what he¡¯s doing. He hasn¡¯t led us wrong yet. Why in the Nine Undends do you sound like that, though?¡±

    ¡°I caught something nasty. It¡¯s been a rough fight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you sound like shit.¡±

    ¡°Look like it too.¡± The guard tapped his visor and sniffled. ¡°Nose lights up like a star when I get sick. I¡¯m saving myself from a reputation.¡±

    ¡°No kidding. Who are you? I can¡¯t tell. Joseph? Bradlen?¡±

    The sick guard let out a snort. ¡°Did you miss the reputation part? I¡¯m going to go crash and hope this shit is done sooner rather thanter.¡±

    They bothughed and nodded to each other, heading in opposite directions down the hall. The sick man wound his way out of the guildhouse, nodding to the guards at its entrance before heading out onto the streets.

    Once he¡¯d put a fair bit of distance between himself and the guild, he ducked into an alleyway. The man reached up to his helm and pulled it off, coughing into a fist as he pulled the balled up wet papers from his nostrils and wiped his face with the back of a sleeve.

    ¡°I almost feel bad for that idiot spymaster, but he should really vet his sources better,¡± Rodrick muttered as hebed his matted hair back out, unable to keep a small grin from his lips. There was a certain thrill that came with strolling right through enemy territory that he¡¯d never properly gotten over. ¡°I hope Lillia made something good for lunch. I¡¯m starving.¡±

 Chapter 197: Overcompetitive

    Chapter 197: Ovepetitive

    Arwin stepped through the doors of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, fully d in every part of his armor other than his gauntlets. It was considerably less crowded than thest time he¡¯d been there and he only had to wait for a single group of people to finish their business with the woman at the front desk before his turn arrived.

    Once they left, she nodded to him and he approached the desk.

    ¡°What can I help you with?¡± she asked, tapping a finger on the desk and rolling a quill around with her other hand.

    ¡°I wanted to check on the status of a guild application I put in a little while ago,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I know it hasn¡¯t been that long, but it¡¯s a bit of a pressing matter. If there are any updates¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± the attendant said with a wave of her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it before. I can take a look. What¡¯s the guild?¡±

    ¡°The Menagerie,¡± Arwin said.

    She nced up at him for the first time. Her head tilted slightly to the side before she nodded. ¡°Ah. I do remember you, actually. Came in a few days ago.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s what I said, yes.</em>

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin confirmed. The attendant ruffled through the papers on her desk and a small frown crossed her lips. She leaned back in her chair and pulled open a drawer, filing through the papers in it before finding the one she was looking for and pulling it out. ¡°Here it is,¡± she said. ¡°I remember thising in. I thought it was odd.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eye twitched and he resisted the urge to pluck the paper from her hands. ¡°Odd? I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to tell me why? It sounds like the request got processed, right?¡±

    The attendant cleared her throat and set the paper down in front of her on the desk. She syed her fingers out across it and pushed it an inch forward. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. It didn¡¯t get processed.¡±

    Arwin froze. That couldn¡¯t have been right. Getting rejected was one thing ¡ª not that it would have made any sense ¡ª but not getting processed waspletely different. ¡°What? It didn¡¯t get processed? Why? Was it not submitted?¡±

    ¡°Everything was filled out and submitted properly,¡± she said, a note of defensiveness entering her voice. She took her hand off the paper and shook her head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the problem.¡±

    ¡°Then what was?¡± Arwin asked, fighting back his irritation. Getting pissed off wouldn¡¯t solve anything, but if they couldn¡¯t get recognized as a guild, they¡¯d have no way to get thend from Jake. That would be bad. Really bad.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it, so I can honestly say that I have no idea.¡± The attendant finally handed the paper over to Arwin. He took it from her, scanning across lines of worthless information in search of the reason why the application had failed.

    He nearly passed right over it. Near the bottom of the page, in a small box at the right corner, was his answer.

    <em>The request to establish a general guild known as ¡®The Menagerie¡¯ has failed to process due to its qualifications. </em>

    Arwin stared at the paper. He blinked, then read the words on it again. They made absolutely no sense. There weren¡¯t any expressly stated qualifications to establish a guild that they hadn¡¯t met.

    ¡°What qualifications is this talking about?¡± he demanded. ¡°We had people, a name, and the money. Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what got me so confused as well. I¡¯ve never seen a rejection on a basis like that.¡± A mixture of embarrassment and pity passed over the attendant¡¯s face. She felt bad for him ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t going to change the words on the paper before him.

    ¡°Well¡­ can we resubmit?¡± Arwin asked.

    She shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no point. It¡¯ll get you the exact same answer. You need to fix the issue. You could maybe try to apply as a different type of guild? You got rejected on the basis of being a general guild, but if you go for a different kind, it could go better.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched and he tapped a finger on the top of the counter. ¡°Like a crafting guild? What would the steps to that be?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d need to find the Crafter¡¯s Guild and send them the information about your new guild as well as samples. If they approve the quality, they¡¯ll send back an approval and we can put that through to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ¡°And how long would that take?¡±

    ¡°Probably two or three weeks. It¡¯s a lot of bouncing paperwork. If you really push or know someone high up, you might be able to get it done in a week instead, but I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡±

    Arwin grimaced. That was too long. They didn¡¯t have weeks. At best, they had days. Jake couldn¡¯t just hold onto theirnd forever ¡ª and even if he was willing to, leaving their livelihoods in the hands of the Merchant¡¯s Guild was less than appealing. Jake was a decent enough guy. That didn¡¯t mean his bosses were.

    ¡°What about applying to be abat-focused guild?¡± Arwin tried. ¡°A normal adventurer one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee to do that.¡± The attendant beamed at Arwin. ¡°All you¡¯ll have to do is prove the abilities of yourselves and any members at an Adventurer¡¯s Guild branch ¡ª which is here. I can get our examiner here by tomorrow.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. That was somehow just as bad. They¡¯d have to reveal at least a portion of their abilities to the guild itself. He was more than aware of how invasive their tests could be. If he brought any of his magical gear, there was a chance they¡¯d be able to see what it was.

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    <em>And forget my gear. Lillia definitely couldn¡¯t take the test. I couldn¡¯t either. We could both get revealed. That¡¯s not something either of us can afford. </em>

    He dug through his mind in search of another option. In search of another way they could get recognized as some sort of guild so they could take control of thend that their street was on. His efforts found nothing.

    <em>Did the Ardent Guild somehow find a way to screw us over? Or was it one of the other people that tried bidding on the street to steal it from us? Jake said there was more than just one. I have no damn idea. What do I do?</em>

    The attendant cleared her throat. ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you?¡±

    Arwin sent her a t stare. He handed the paper back over. ¡°Resubmit this.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª uh¡­ it won¡¯t do anything. It got rejected.¡±

    ¡°It could have been a mistake,¡± Arwin said. He felt Zeke¡¯s helm warm around his head, reacting to the anger thumping in his chest, but he didn¡¯t let any of it seep into his voice. ¡°I already paid the fee. I think I deserve the chance to get a proper response rather than refusal to process. That would only be fair.¡±

    The attendant looked from Arwin to the paper. Then she nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see what I can do. There¡¯s always a chance it was mistakenly sent back. I¡¯ll try again.¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound very convinced, but it hardly mattered. There wasn¡¯t anything else they could do. Not unless he found out what was going on and determined why the Menagerie¡¯s application had never gotten through processing.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said curtly. ¡°And how long will that take?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to push it through quickly. Two or three days?¡± the attendant offered. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing I can do more than that, but I wouldn¡¯t hold out hope for a different result. I could try to put an inquiry into it, but that could take quite some time.¡±

    Resisting the urge to blow out a sigh, Arwin nodded. ¡°Do that too. Might as well. I¡¯lle back in a few days to see if the results are different, then.¡±

    ¡°I hope I¡¯ve got a better answer for you. Best of luck.¡±

    Arwin just nodded in response as he headed out of the guild, a faint ringing in his ears. It didn¡¯t make sense. The Ardent guild shouldn¡¯t have been anywhere nearrge enough to interfere with him this badly. Even though <em>he </em>knew the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was corrupt, there was no way they¡¯d be this tant about it.

    <em>I¡¯m overlooking something¡­ but what? I don¡¯t know nearly enough about establishing a guild to see the forest for the trees. </em>

    Arwin headed out on to the streets of Milten and continued off the street, wandering into Milten¡¯s main square as he thought. His mind spun with a mixture of confusion and determination to figure out what had happened. If there was even a single useful hint he could go after other than blindly ming the Ardent guild, he¡¯d actually have a path before him.

    <em>Maybe I could ask Jake? He could tell me who the other bidders in the auction were. </em>

    He came to a stop. His walk had already taken him away from the guild street, but it was only a minute away. Arwin shook his head and crushed out the rest of his surprise. It wouldn¡¯t help anything. What he needed now was to act.

    <em>Jake is a good start. </em>

    But, before Arwin could leave the square, a sh of ck robes beside him caught his eye. Arwin turned to find Selen, the Secret Eye representative, standing in the shadows of an alley.

    ¡°Ifrit,¡± Selen said as she inclined her head.

    ¡°Selen,¡± Arwin replied, matching her tone. He didn¡¯t have any lost love for her after what the Secret Eye had nearly allowed to happen with the Dungeon Break, but there was still a good chance she didn¡¯t know how bad things had gotten. He couldn¡¯t quite hold it against her ¡ª not yet at least. He¡¯d need more information to do that. ¡°Something tells me this isn¡¯t a meeting of chance.¡±

    ¡°All meetings are chance. Some are just more chance than others.¡± Sellen said. ¡°I spotted you walking in the square and felt it appropriate to give you my congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions?¡± Arwin blinked. ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard? The letter should have arrived by now.¡±

    ¡°What letter?¡± Arwin asked, his eyes narrowing behind his helm. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Luckily for you, I make it a business of carrying proof.¡± Arwin could hear the smile in Selen¡¯s tone as she reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. It had a picture of an open eye embossed onto its back.

    <em>An official letter from the Secret Eye?</em>

    ¡°Are you going to read it, or do you n to try and make me beg?¡±

    ¡°Patience. I¡¯m getting there,¡± Selen said. Her eyes traced down the paper and she started to read. ¡°In addition to the above updates to the guild rankings, The Secret Eye acknowledges three new guilds in the Eastern Quarter of the Kingdom of Lian. The Stonehoppers will be added to the list at rank 452. The Falling Stars will be added to the list at rank 489 ¡ª and the Menagerie will be added to the list at rank 499.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Arwin said. He stared at Selen as she quirked an eyebrow up at him and folded the paper back up. He shook his head. ¡°We were told our guild formation request was rejected. How¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rejected?¡± Selen let out a snort ofughter and shook her head.¡± ¡°By whom? The Secret Eye¡¯s list is our own, but there¡¯s no greater authority on strength in the kingdom than us. Making it onto our rankings isn¡¯t easy. You¡¯ve impressed some people, Ifrit. You and your guild. We had an investigatore through to look at the Journeyman Dungeon you cleared. It was <em>really </em>close to a Dungeon Break. Closer than I thought ¡ª but you knew that, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I was under the impression you did too.¡±

    Selen¡¯s features grew serious and she shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how close it was. It progressed far faster than I was expecting. I wouldn¡¯t have allowed anyone in at all if I knew it was a breeze from detonating ¡ª but that¡¯s beside the point. You¡¯re at the literal bottom of the list but making it there so quickly¡­ that¡¯s something to be proud of. Most guilds never make it at all. So, congrattions. It¡¯ll take the Adventurer¡¯s Guild a bit of time to update their personal records with our ranking and acknowledgement, but you¡¯ve got some weight to throw around now.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts shed back to the paper he¡¯d read in the adventurer¡¯s guild. Their application to be a general guild had been rejected due to qualifications. His skin prickled. Notcking qualifications.

    Over-qualifications.

    Basic guilds were for starting teams, not seasoned adventuring groups. Selenughed at his stunned silence.

    ¡°Make sure to do your ranking proud. Our list isn¡¯t static, so we expect to see a lot more from you if you want to keep this rank, much less climb any higher. I suggest reading through the rankings we sent you ¡ª but if it somehow got lost, just go to any tavern in the kingdom. Ourwork is quite extensive.¡±

    Arwin shook off his surprise before he could fall into another stunned silence.

    ¡°Why? There aren¡¯t rewards for advancing, are there?¡±

    ¡°Just the usual ones of fame and power,¡± Selen replied. ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier to recruit talented individuals when there¡¯s some proof as to your aplishments.¡±

    <em>Recruit talent, huh? I wonder if there are any dwarven smiths in search of a guild. </em>

    ¡°I see. Thanks for the information. I¡¯ll be off, then,¡± Arwin said. His heart felt like it had been taken on a ride. The worry he¡¯d felt in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was reced with relief. This was even better than a basic guild ¡ª and it meant they could get theirnd from Jake after all.

    ¡°Information is what we do,¡± Selen said, raising her hand in farewell. ¡°And, Ifrit?¡±

    Arwin paused to nce back at her. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Recruits aren¡¯t the only thing ranking gets you. It¡¯s not easy to get on the list, and people can get quitepetitive. I¡¯d watch yourself and your guild.¡±

    With that, Selen stepped back into the alley and faded from view. Arwin¡¯s lips pressed thin as he stared at where she¡¯d been for a second. Then he turned and strode off to find Jake.

    <em>One problem at a time.</em>

 Chapter 198: Proper entertainment

    Chapter 198: Proper entertainment

    Jake wasn¡¯t at the Merchant¡¯s Guild office when Arwin got there. Instead, he was greeted by a wooden sign.

    ¡°On break?¡± Arwin read, a frown crawling across his lips. It was the middle of the morning. Nobody took a break this early. Not a normal one, at least.

    He nced around the Merchant¡¯s Guild to see if Jake just happened to be hiding somewhere, but as far as he could tell, the rickety building was empty. Arwin pursed his lips and headed back out onto the street.

    If Jake wasn¡¯t here, then he was probably out on business. Tracking him down would be impossible, so he¡¯d probably have to wait until Jake swung by himself or check the office againter.

    There was always the option of standing around and waiting for him to return, but there was just too much to do for him to waste that much time doing nothing. He had armor to craft, new skills to learn, and ¡ª if he was lucky ¡ª a dwarf to find.

    <em>And that¡¯s not to mention all the work we¡¯re about to get as more people discover us. The days of working in the corner of the market praying for a single sale are over. I need to make sure I can transition into a more exclusive smith and make custom order items for higher prices. That¡¯s the only way I can sustain this without working day and night to meet demand ¡ª and it¡¯ll be better for advancing my ss than making a ton of crap that the Mesh doesn¡¯t even acknowledge.</em>

    Lillia was going to have her own growing pains. She¡¯d also have to find a way to continue making more money. The bigger they got, the more of it they needed. More people visiting the Devil¡¯s Den meant more boons for her. It also meant more demand, and unless she really scaled up the quality of the inn, that wouldn¡¯t trante to considerably more cash on its own. She just needed a way to either significantly expand the number of rooms the inn had or provide more services to the people that visited.

    <em>I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll figure something out. In a way, my own path is a lot more straight forward than hers. It¡¯s not like she can just serve a single person a day and charge them an exorbitant amount like I n to. </em>

    Arwin stepped out of the Merchant¡¯s Guild and wandered down the streets of Milten. He half scanned for Jake on the way back, but he didn¡¯t expect to be nearly lucky enough to just randomly run into him.A part of him had been slightly worried that the previous day¡¯s efforts would have ended up drawing too much attention to him, but fortunately, aside from a few nces, nobody in the city paid him much bother.

    Everyone had their own work and there were a lot of adventurers that passed through the area. He definitely wasn¡¯t the first person to walk by in heavy te armor that day.

    It struck Arwin that he was wandering down a dark street he didn¡¯t quite recall. He was pretty sure he¡¯d taken the same way back home that he normally did, but the alleyway he was walking down was definitely a lot darker than it should have been given the position of the sun above.

    His eyes caught on a building nestled into the alleyway. It was rickety, made of rotting wood and weathered brick and topped by a nted roof of misced shingles that were one strong wind from crumpling under their own weight.

    The old door at its front had a cracked sign depicting a cauldron hanging just above it, swaying from a single chain, the other one having rusted and broken long ago. Arwin¡¯s eyes lit up in recognition.

    It was the store of the lonely old woman that had sold him the feather for Anna¡¯s armor.

    <em>She probably hasn¡¯t had a chance to speak to anyone recently. I didn¡¯t think this was the alley it was in, but I was kind of distracted thest time I found it. This is pretty convenient. I never knew it was on the way. I suppose I should grab some feathers before I head back. I need to make the rest of Anna¡¯s armor at some point. Hopefully she¡¯s got some more.</em>

    Arwin pushed the door open and headed inside. He nearly stepped right into arge pile of daggers and broken weapons directly at the front of the store. Several of them were iid with massive gemstones and trimmed with gold.

    He repressed the urge to shake his head in distaste.

    <em>Bunch of fancy pretend weapons. Who would want to walk around looking like the noble pricks and the adventurers that think looking pretty is more important than using worthwhile equipment? </em>

    <em>I suppose some really nice artifacts do look like this, but anyone using one is probably just trying to look fancy. There aren¡¯t a lot of incredible artifacts to go around. I¡¯d take a normal, effective sword any day of the week. Or a hammer. Probably a hammer.</em>

    ¡°Wee to my humble abode. I have much within these old walls, adventurer,¡± an elderly voice said with a dry chortle. ¡°Do you see something that calls to you? It can be yours. For a cost.¡±

    <em>Everythinges with a cost. We¡¯re in a store.</em>

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the vition.

    ¡°Hello, Esmerelda,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Have you been well? I just happened to stumble by your store again.¡±

    Esmerelda stepped out from behind a tilted bookshelf, her chortle mming to an abrupt halt as she saw him.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you.¡± Her voice shifted, losing the honeyden lilt and turning t. She nced down at the pile of weapons and a hint of optimism entered her expression. ¡°Did you want¡ª¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°More feathers, that is.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s shoulders slumped and her eyes practically rolled into the back of her head as she turned to head deeper into the store. ¡°Ah. Of course. More feathers. Are you crafting a pillow?¡±

    Arwin chuckled and followed after her. He nearly walked straight into the hilt of a huge broadsword protruding from a shelf and ducked out of the way to avoid bringing half the shop down on top of himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m using the feathers as crafting materials. Thest one you gave me worked perfectly, but I need to make a few more things. I wasn¡¯t actually nning oning back this soon, but now that I¡¯m here, I figured it couldn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°I really need to modify that,¡± Esmerelda muttered under her breath as she started shuffling through a shelf in search of what Arwin hoped to be a feather.

    ¡°Modify what?¡± Arwin asked.

    She nced back at him, then shook her head. ¡°What is it that you¡¯re making with these feathers? Are you certain they¡¯re the best material? Perhaps something more¡­ exotic could be of use?¡±

    <em>Absolutely not.</em>

    ¡°No, normal feathers. I don¡¯t want anything else.¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Esmerelda grumbled. She pulled out a pair of white feathers and held them out. ¡°Is this enough? I¡¯m not a feather store, you know.¡±

    ¡°You do sell feathers, though.¡± A small grin pulled at the corners of Arwin¡¯s lips as he epted the feathers and gave her a gold in return. It was still definitely overpaying for them, but he really didn¡¯t mind given how hard it had been to find them anywhere else.

    Esmerelda just sighed and handed them over to him. ¡°And you¡¯re certain you don¡¯t want anything else? Anything you desire could be at your fingertips.¡±

    <em>Poordy probably doesn¡¯t get much chance to talk to people with her shop being this far out. I guess she doesn¡¯t want me to leave yet. I¡¯m kind of busy today, though. I can¡¯t just stand around doing nothing all day, but I suppose I could spare a few minutes.</em>

    ¡°Well¡­ is there something you rmend?¡± Arwin asked.

    Esmerelda¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ***

    Fifteen minutes.

    After a few centuries of life, that was how long it took the idiot adventurer to break Esmerelda.

    She showed him rings of great princes. Powerful swords that had traveled from one great warrior to the next, leaving a path of death in their wake. She¡¯d told him the stories of every legendary weapon in her shop.

    The adventurer smiled and nodded along, asking every question that a buyer would ¡ª only topletely lose interest an instantter and ask her about what else she had.

    Esmerelda¡¯s fingers twitched at her sides and she fought to keep her teeth from grinding. There was one universal truth in this world.

    Greed.

    Everyone was greedy. Men stole from their brothers and killed their closest friends for power. They betrayed and killed and did all things vile, all in the name of greed. Not all forms of greed were the same, but in the end, it was the great unifier.

    Some were greedy for wealth. Some for power, and some for fame. There were thousands of different ways to greed ¡ª and this adventurer seemed to have absolutely none of them. That was impossible. It went against the basis of her very power.

    A pure person could not exist. And, if they somehow did, they most certainly did not just walk into her shop to mock her. Esmerelda went through some of the strongest artifacts she¡¯d gathered. Weapons that she didn¡¯t even have any ns of selling under any circumstances.

    Not a single one of them caught the adventurer¡¯s eye. He just smiled and nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s lovely,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°It sounds like you have an incredible collection. I hope you find appropriate wielders for everything soon, but I¡¯m a bit pressed for time today. Perhaps I can return another time if you want to talk more?¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s eye twitched. She couldn¡¯t help it.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Esmerelda demanded.

    ¡°Oh, did I forget to introduce myself thest time? I¡¯m Ifrit.¡±

    <em>No, you didn¡¯t forget. But there¡¯s no way ¡ª </em>

    Esmerelda paused. Her eyes narrowed. A demon¡¯s name. Was it possible he hadn¡¯t been lying ¡ª or more urately, had he been simply twisting the truth?

    Ifrit was no demon. That much was certain. She¡¯d have recognized one on the spot¡­ but demons were descendants of devils. There hadn¡¯t been a devil in the Kingdom of Lian in at least thirty years, but there were ways for them to break through.

    A flicker of excitement passed through Esmerelda¡¯s chest. That would exin everything. Devils had absolutely no interest in mortal weapons. It had been a long time since she¡¯dst dealt with their ilk.

    Their desires were rooted in chaos. Political power and war, not swords and knives. She swallowed. Devils were masters of disguise and subterfuge. It was possible Ifrit hade to seek her out.

    Ifrit didn¡¯t want her items. It wanted her powers. She could still remember thest time she¡¯d worked with a devil ¡ª it had been some of the most fun she¡¯d had that century. Esmerelda repressed the grin that threatened to erupt over her features.

    <em>The years I spent hiding in this miserable city must have rusted my mind, but they might be about to pay off. </em>

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t seek to keep you here,¡± Esmerelda said, picking her words carefully. ¡°But would you be in desire of any services? I am a uniquely capable woman.¡±

    Ifrit nced at her from under his helm. ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s kind of you to offer, but I¡¯ve got a girlfriend. Sorry.¡±

    Esmeralda nearly mmed her fist through a shelf. There was no doubt about it now. No mortal was this idiotic. Ifrit was a devil, and he was testing her determination and ability.

    ¡°My apologies. That was not what I meant to insinuate. I was asking if you were seeking more than the objects I sell in this humble store. If there is something else you seek, I may be able to procure it.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Ifrit¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Actually, that could be very useful. I¡¯ve got a merchant I¡¯m working with that desperately needs to get set up with a supplier. Could you help?¡±

    <em>Ah. There it is. No mere merchant, I suspect. This is what I have been seeking. </em>

    ¡°I would be thrilled to see what I could do to help you,¡± Esmerelda said, intecing her fingers. ¡°Where will this meeting take ce?¡±

    ¡°Perfect. I had no clue you were that connected. I guess today is a lucky one,¡± Ifrit said. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you back at the Devil¡¯s Den. It¡¯s not too far from here.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Esmerelda said with a hungry smile. It had been far too long since she¡¯d had some proper entertainment.

 Chapter 199: Esmerelda

    Chapter 199: Esmerelda

    Arwin led Esmerelda out of her rickety store and into the sunlight for what very well may have been the first time in years. Given how old the woman was, a small part of him was worried that she¡¯d just keel over the moment there was a light breeze.

    He¡¯d nearly offered to help her walk before she¡¯d whipped out arge, gnarled walking stick and set off on her own. She was just about as spry as a middle-aged chicken. Going with anything younger would have just been lying.

    The two of them headed through Milten¡¯s alleys and down the streets in the direction of the Devil¡¯s Den. It struck Arwin that their actual street didn¡¯t have a name. That was making it a little bit difficult to think of it as a whole.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just call it the haunted street,¡± Arwin mused to himself under his breath. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s not haunted, and we aren¡¯t going for a ghost theme.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this about ghosts?¡± Esmerelda asked.

    Arwin coughed into a fist. He¡¯d evidently spoken a little louder than he¡¯d thought. ¡°Just talking to myself. Our guild is set up on a street that everyone is convinced is haunted. It isn¡¯t, mind you. There¡¯s nothing to be worried about. We need a real name for it. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem soon, though.¡±

    Esmerelda raised an eyebrow. They turned a corner and Arwin came to a stop as he spotted a familiar man leaning against a run-down cobblestone wall in front of them. Wispy white hair ran down the man¡¯s face, running over his ragged clothes.

    The man lifted a tankard in his hand and took a drink from it before drunkenly pushing away from the wall and into their path.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Arwin said, inclining his head in greeting. He had still yet to make his mind up about the man. On one hand, the drunkard was antagonistic ¡ª but on the other, there was no doubt he¡¯d been through some stuff in his life.Their conversations had made it clear the man was hurting. From what Arwin wasn¡¯t sure, but he hadn¡¯t really done anything reprehensible so it would have been unfair to be rude.

    ¡°Smith,¡± the drunkard said, but he wasn¡¯t looking at Arwin. His eyes were fixed on Esmerelda. ¡°You keep odderpany every day. Do you n to invite half the town to our street again?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t bother you, did they?¡± Arwin asked with a wince. He wasn¡¯t so sure he agreed with the drunkard¡¯s way of phrasing street ownership, but the man had probably lived there before he had.

    ¡°It was loud. I did not enjoy it¡­ but they did not bother me.¡±

    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s good, then. This is Esmerelda,¡± Arwin said, nodding to the olddy. ¡°She¡¯sing to meet some of my friends. Please don¡¯t do anything rude.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s eyes twinkled beneath her wrinkled skin as the drunkard studied her. She smiled and bowed her head slightly. ¡°Fascinating. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, sir.¡±

    ¡°You are old,¡± the drunkard said. He wiped his mouth with the back of a hand, then let out a belch and shrugged, wandering off down an alley without another word. Arwin watched him leave, then shook his head.

    ¡°Sorry about that. He means well.¡±

    ¡°Does he?¡± Esmerelda asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°It is¡­ impressive. He seems to respect you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not so bad.¡± Arwin waved a hand dismissively. ¡°People just need to speak to him a bit more. I¡¯m not justifying any rude actions he makes, but I think I understand him at least a little bit. He can actually be pretty good conversation.¡±

    He set back off and Esmerelda followed after him. She sent a few nces over her shoulder as they continued, but the drunkard didn¡¯t show back up again.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the Devil¡¯s Den. The door was already open, so Arwin beckoned Esmerelda inside. Reya and Olive sat at the counter together with Rodrick, eating lunch. Clinks and crackles came from within the kitchen, marking Lillia hard at work, and an Imp d in a frilly dress was busy tugging a half-finished te of food from Rodrick¡¯s hands so it could bring it back to the kitchen.

    ¡°Wee back,¡± Reya said as Arwin stepped inside.

    ¡°Hands off, you little shit,¡± Rodrick said, tugging on his te while trying not to identallyunch its contents everywhere. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±

    The imp hissed at him. Esmerelda froze in the doorframe, staring at them with an inscrutable expression on her weathered features. Arwin cleared his throat and they all nced over again, pausing as they spotted his guest.

    ¡°Oh. You brought someone,¡± Olive said. She flicked the imp in its forehead and it yelped, spotting Esmerelda and hurriedly dropping into parade rest.

    The old woman¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have told you more before we got here,¡± Arwin said, rubbing the back of his helmed neck. ¡°This is the Devil¡¯s Den. We¡¯re a monster-themed tavern. I could have sworn I mentioned that, but it must have slipped my mind.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Are you trying to give the poor olddy a heart attack?¡± Rodrick asked, ring at Arwin. He hopped down from his chair and inclined his head. ¡°Apologies for my friend, miss. He means well, but his mind only has one track.¡±

    Esmerelda shook her head and gathered herself. She tapped her staff on the floor. ¡°Of course, of course. It is nothing to apologize about. I just hadn¡¯t expected it to be so¡­ up front. Are you an adventurer, dear?¡±

    ¡°Sure am.¡± Rodrick shed her a grin. ¡°Are you here looking to hire?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. Nothing of the sort. But I may be able to aid you,¡± Esmerelda said. A kindly smile split her lips. ¡°I am a merchant of unique goods. Could I interest you in something? Armor, perhaps? Greater than anything you¡¯ve ever seen. Something that could improve your strength by leaps¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m good,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°Got everything I need already.¡±

    Esmerelda blinked. Then she looked to Reya and Olive.

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Olive said. ¡°Don¡¯t need anything.¡±

    ¡°Same,¡± Reya said with a shrug.

    ¡°Are you certain? For friends of Ifrit, I may have a special offer,¡± Esmerelda asked in a conspiratorial tone, reaching into the breast pocket of her robes and pulling a ne free. Arwin¡¯s eyes widened slightly as the back of his neck tingled and the Mesh swirled forth.

    <strong>Rose Pendant: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Bloodsucker]: This item drinks the blood of its wearer, providing them a small boost in energy when it is activated. </strong>

    ¡°Huh.¡± Olive sounded about as impressed as a teacher being shown a toddler¡¯s drawing for the fourth time that day. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°Pretty,¡± Reya agreed. She was somehow even less impressed than Olive. After everything Arwin had made, the pendant was just¡­ somewhatckluster. It was magic, of course, but having to drink blood just to give a tiny boost of energy didn¡¯t really feel like anything worth going crazy for.

    <em>Still, that¡¯s pretty impressive. She¡¯s walking around with actual magical items. Esmerelda really is a collector. That said¡­</em>

    ¡°You should be careful,¡± Arwin advised. ¡°If you go around offering magical stuff like that, someone might take advantage of you. It may not look like much, and it¡¯s very sweet of you to offer it to people who need it, but not everyone in Milten is kind. You should make sure to sell that from a shop, ideally with someone acting as a guard.¡±

    ¡°Not¡­ look like much?¡± Esmerelda asked, looking at her pendant and then over to the others. Her voice trembled slightly. ¡°What about magical items? Feather of a phoenix, anyone?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Arwin put aforting hand on Esmerelda¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to prove yourself. I believe that you¡¯ve got sources, so you don¡¯t have to try to sway me. You just have to prove that you can work with our merchant.¡±

    He guided her over to the counter and Esmerelda sat down in one of the stools. Her eyes had a long, distant look in them. Rodrick and Reya exchanged a nce.

    ¡°You okay, miss?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m fine,¡± Esmerelda said, shaking her head. ¡°Do you truly have no interest in my items?¡±

    ¡°Ifrit said it right,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°We¡¯ve got all we need. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get along great with our merchant, though. His name is Madiv. Good guy. Really passionate about the job. He¡¯ll definitely be interested in what you have to offer.¡±

    Esmerelda blew out a relieved breath. ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m certain. I look forward to it, then. Is he near?¡±

    ¡°Probably somewhere in the area,¡± Reya said, scratching her chin. ¡°He was hanging upside down outside yesterday. Some weird ab workout, I think. I¡¯ll go try to find him.¡±

    She hopped down from her chair and headed out of the inn before Esmerelda could manage another word. Olive watched her leave, then tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°That sounds interesting, actually. I¡¯ve been cking on some of my workouts. Maybe Madiv has the right idea. I¡¯m going to go copy him.¡± Olive followed after Reya.

    Esmerelda watched the two girls leave, then sucked on the insides of her cheeks. ¡°Are these all members of your guild, Ifrit?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re a bit odd, but we do our best. You¡¯ll get used to it if you¡¯re around for long enough.¡± Arwin gave her a proud nod. He heard the movement in the kitchen stop, joined by footsteps as Lillia headed in their direction. ¡°Oh, speaking of which¡ª¡±

    Lillia stepped out into themon room, wiping her hands off on her dirty apron. Her eyes drifted right over Esmerelda, only taking her in for a second before she spotted Arwin and she strode over with a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re back early! Did Rodrick tell you yet?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what?¡± Arwin asked, ncing back to Rodrick.

    The warrior grinned at him in response. ¡°Nope. I held off. We all did. He was so busy introducing us to this nicedy that I don¡¯t think he even noticed.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°Noticed what? Stop dangling it over me already!¡±

    ¡°Jake came by this morning. He gave us the deed to the street.¡±

    A wave of relief mmed into Arwin. He¡¯d known everything had lined up, but nothing had been finalized ¡ª not until now. They were officially safe. The street was theirs. He let out augh and grabbed Lillia, spinning her around. ¡°That exins where the wily bugger was this morning. I went to his office, but he wasn¡¯t there. This is great!¡±

    ¡°You should have seen Lillia,¡± Rodrick said as Arwin set her down. ¡°She was bouncing around like a kid on more than a few illicit substances.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s cheeks colored. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to share that part.¡±

    ¡°Now he¡¯s just forever going to have to wonder. It¡¯s funnier this way,¡± Rodrick said with a shrug. He paused, then cleared his throat. ¡°But¡­ uh, maybe we should finish introductions.¡±

    Esmerelda was staring at all of them withplete and utter bafflement. Her mouth hung askew and Arwin was pretty sure the only thought passing through her head was a solitary question mark.

    Lillia¡¯s blush grew even stronger. ¡°Shit. Sorry. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lillia, the owner of the Devil¡¯s den.¡±

    ¡°You are a demon,¡± Esmerelda said.

    ¡°It¡¯s convincing, right?¡± Lillia asked, turning in a circle and giving Esmerelda a smile. ¡°I put a lot of work into it. This tavern is my life project.¡±

    Esmerelda raised a hand. Then she lowered it. Her finger twitched as if she wanted to raise it once more. She managed to stop herself. Before she could manage to muster any words, the door flew open to reveal Madiv.

    Esmerelda spun toward him, clutching her staff to her chest.

    ¡°I have been called. Please let me in,¡± the vampire said.

    ¡°You cane in,¡± Arwin said wearily. ¡°Sorry again, Esmerelda. This is Madiv, the merchant we mentioned.¡±

    Esmerelda stared at him, her lips working fruitlessly. ¡°V¡ª¡±

    ¡°I serve the Tavern Queen and her consort,¡± Madiv proimed.

    <em>I see he¡¯s found a new thing that he can refer to Lillia as without technically breaking her rules. Eh. I suppose it could be worse.</em>

    ¡°Consort?¡± Esmerelda managed, her eyes somehow going even wider.

    ¡°That would be me. Lillia and I are in a rtionship. Madiv just speaks a little odd.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve taken a fully mortal form? Not a possession?¡± Esmerelda asked, her voice weak.

    It was Arwin¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure I follow. I¡¯m definitely all here. Did you mix up the stuff with the haunted street with the inn? There aren¡¯t any ghosts here. We¡¯re doing a demon theme. Are you okay? You look a little pale¡ª¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s head hit the counter with a thump as she passed out.

 Chapter 200: & Announcement!

    Chapter 200: & Announcement!

    The world swirled around Esmerelda. Swathes of darkness danced amidst fading orange and brown. Distant sound pricked at the back of her ears and she groaned, her eyes fluttering. Something cold, wet, and rough was pressed against her forehead.

    A towel.

    More sound returned with her growing awareness. The towel pulled back to let a flicker of dim light wash across the counter before her. Ifrit and his guild were gathered around her, concerned expressions on their faces.

    ¡°Esmerelda!¡± Rodrick eximed, the warrior¡¯s voice booming in her ears.

    The demon beside him smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°Hush! Don¡¯t be too loud. She just passed out.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± the warrior said in a much lower tone as he winced. ¡°Sorry. Are you okay, ma¡¯am?¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s lips were dry and gummy. An imp shifted in the shadows at the edge of her vision. The monster was far from dangerous to her, but it only served to prove without a shadow of a doubt that she hadn¡¯t somehow hallucinated something.

    It should have been impossible. Devils had entered the realm before, but it was impossible for them to remain for a long period of time. They had no physical form. The only thing they could do was temporarily possess a body.

    Some could keep their hold for years before their grip evaporated and the body copsed, but that was it. Esmerelda had absolutely no problem with that. Their games were fun, and they broke up the monotony.This was different. Ifrit was a devil made flesh. More than that, he¡¯d already established a foothold in the city. Her mind reeled in disbelief. Calling this a foothold was a misrepresentation. It was more than a mere foothold.

    The demon ¡ª Lillia ¡ª beside Esmerelda was strong. There was no doubt about it. The way the shadows clung to her skin was unique to a rather powerful skill, and Esmerelda had lived for long enough steeped with magic to feel the subtle differences in it.

    It was difficult to describe the feeling Lillia gave her but Esmerelda was willing to bet everything in her shop that she was no average demon. On top of that, their merchant was a literal vampire.

    Vampires were some of the most dangerous monsters due to their resemnce to humans. They could disguise themselves nearly wlessly until they opened their mouths and revealed just how truly foreign they were to human societies.

    And somehow, Lillia and the vampire weren¡¯t the only things that were out of ce. Magic was present in almost every single one of the guilds¡¯ weapons. She couldn¡¯t tell how much there was or what it did. It didn¡¯t matter. Their reaction to her pendant had said everything.

    They hadn¡¯t found it worthwhile. A pendant that almost anyone in Milten would have been drooling over was nothing more than a novelty to them. The pendant was far from the strongest item Esmerelda possessed, but it was ill omens for a devil to already be this powerful.

    <em>Do I act? I care little for most people, but an incursion like this into the mortal realm could be dire. This goes beyond me having a little fun at the cost of a few lives. The devil has grown incredibly powerful in what must have been a short amount of time. I refuse to believe he¡¯s been present for longer. I would have noticed.</em>

    <em>But¡­ the devil invited me here. If I try to escape too quickly, they will catch on. And even if I do leave, do I truly care enough about this city to bother warning anyone? My own cover will be destroyed in the process.</em>

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ifrit asked, waving a hand before Esmerelda. ¡°You took quite the thump there. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t realize you were unsteady. I should have caught you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Esmerelda said as she finally found her words and shook her head. ¡°I was merely surprised. I didn¡¯t expect¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a real demon,¡± Lillia said with a sheepish smile so convincing that Esmerelda almost bought it. Almost. The demon gave her tail a small tug. ¡°This is a costume. The imps are made from shadow magic.¡±

    <em>That is most certainly not a costume, and you most certainly are a real demon. </em>

    Ifrit reached up to his helm and pulled it off, revealing a rtively handsome face with a long scar beneath an eye. ¡°I hope we didn¡¯t scare you too much. I really should have properly warned you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the merchant said, giving her a smileplete with two long fangs. ¡°We are normal.¡±

    Lillia smacked him over the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Madiv has a poor sense of humor. His fangs are fake as well. They¡¯re made from Wyrmling bone and connected to his normal incisors. The process is quite a pain, but if he keeps acting like a little shit, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be willing to pull one of them out to show you.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Madiv cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to. It would take me some time to re-attach another fang.¡±

    Esmerelda waited for them to all startughing, but none of them did. They genuinely seemed to expect her to believe their exnation that they were all just normal people and not a collection of monsters.

    <em>If every single sense I¡¯ve trained over my life hadn¡¯t been telling me most of them aren¡¯t human, they might have actually convinced me. It just makes absolutely no sense for such a collection to exist in the center of Milten¡¯s slums.</em>

    ¡°I¡­ see,¡± Esmerelda said slowly. It was a poor idea to try to argue otherwise. She wasn¡¯t certain she could defeat a devil, much less one with a small army. ¡°No harm done. I simply overreacted.¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± Lillia said, setting a te of cut-up meat on the table before her. ¡°It¡¯s Wyrmling steak. Maybe you need to eat. Get some energy back.¡±

    That sounded like a horrible idea. Taking gifts from a group like this¡­ Esmerelda was starting to regret her decision to follow Ifrit more and more with every passing second. She swallowed.

    <em>This is what I get for cavorting with Devils. I should have known better. And I can¡¯t believe I passed out like some poor damsel. Absolutely pathetic. I¡¯m getting far too old for this. I should have stayed retired.</em>

    She searched for a way to politely refuse. None showed itself. Burying her difort and regret, Esmerelda reached for the fork. They¡¯d even cut the food up so she could eat it easier. There was no way to magically remove the chunk of meat from her fork without them noticing. She delivered the food to her mouth and bit down.

    Esmerelda froze. She chewed a single time, then swallowed. Energy poured into her body and filled her muscles with strength that they hadn¡¯t had in years. Even her own magic hadn¡¯t been able to keep her in perfect form.

    There were limits to everything, and she was no exception. The mortal body could only go so far without advancing to the highest ranks. Her skill was not significant enough to ignore thosews. Still, it had kept her alive for far longer than someone of her ability had any right to live.

    But this¡­ there was no mistaking it. The power wasn¡¯t undoing decades of damage. It wasn¡¯t going to shave away years of age. It was temporary, but it was more than she had felt in ages. Every single fiber of her ancient form screamed for more.

    Esmerelda¡¯s mouth watered. She didn¡¯t even hesitate for a second. Two bites were no worse than one. The meal vanished from the te before her as she shoveled it into her mouth. Every single piece sent a little more energy through her weary body.

    ¡°This is incredible,¡± Esmerelda breathed once she¡¯d finished, regretfully scanning the te in search for more food and finding none. Aches that had been set in her back for as long as she could remember released her from their clutches. Aforting warmth gathered in her stomach. She almost felt spry. It was the greatest thing she¡¯d ever eaten.

    ¡°I have never had anything of its like.¡±

    Lillia blushed. ¡°Thank you. I tried to make sure it would really fill you up and make you feel better. I¡¯m d it worked.¡±

    Esmerelda shifted and stretched her arms above her head. They didn¡¯t pop. They didn¡¯t even crack. A delighted grin crossed her features. She could already feel the strongest effects of the dish fading away, but the warmth and strength lingered on.

    <em>Devil be damned. I don¡¯t care who they are anymore. I¡¯m selling my soul if it lets me keep eating like this. I forgot what it feels like to actually be able to move around normally. </em>

    ¡°What do I have to do to get more of that?¡± Esmerelda asked.

    They allughed. Esmerelda¡¯s spine prickled. That was never a good sign. The first taste may have even been free, but nothing like this could ever ¡ª

    ¡°Five silver. My prices raised a bit recently,¡± Lillia said.

    Esmerelda blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this one was free,¡± Lillia said hurriedly as she picked the te up and handed it to an imp that stepped from the shadows. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t take advantage of you like that. It was a gift. But more are five silver.¡±

    ¡°¡­Five silver?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Six if you want a drink. Well, it could be a bit more depending on the drink, but that¡¯s what it generally ends up being.¡±

    <em>Silver? That¡¯s it? Is it a fake word?</em>

    Esmerelda¡¯s hand shot into her pocket and into a small dimensional space sewn into it. She pulled a gold out and set it on the table, watching Lillia warily. ¡°Could I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Coming right up.¡± Lillia smiled and scooped the coin off the table. She deposited five silvers in its ce, then shot off to the kitchen. She paused at the doorway and stuck her head back out. ¡°Make sure you lot don¡¯t overstress her. She needs to rest.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Rodrick promised.

    Lillia disappeared into the kitchen. Esmerelda stared at the coins in front of her. They¡¯d literally just wanted money. Now she was even more confused.

    <em>I am missing something. The devil brought me here¡­ to sell me food like this for five silver? Perhaps I hit my head harder than I thought.</em>

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ifrit asked with a concerned frown that looked strikingly true. Devils were masters of maniption. Esmerelda was more than aware of that, but he was good. Very good. It really looked like he was concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Esmerelda said with a shake of her head. ¡°There is no cause for concern. I just haven¡¯t gone out much as ofte.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Ifrit said with a knowing nod. A smile drifted across his lips as he looked over to the kitchen, his eyes sparkling. ¡°Lillia¡¯s food will fix you right up. She¡¯s something else.¡±

    <em>Master of maniption indeed. Devils can¡¯t feel emotion like this, but Ifrit genuinely seems to be in love. </em>

    Esmerelda swallowed her thoughts back. The faster she found out what they wanted, the better. She couldn¡¯t handle the uncertainty any longer.

    ¡°What is it that you thought I could aid you with?¡± Esmerelda asked.

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Ifrit pped the vampire on his shoulder. ¡°As I mentioned earlier, this is Madiv. He¡¯s our merchant, and he really needs a supplier. He¡¯s been having some trouble getting stock.¡±

    <em>That could be just what I need. Some proper business talk to get my mind back in things. </em>

    Esmerelda shook herself off and then blew out a short breath. A practiced smile crossed her face and she turned her attention to Madiv. Vampire or not, everyone had something they wanted. Something they needed.

    She just had to find out how much he was willing to give up.

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s get to it,¡± Esmerelda said. Words she¡¯d said to countless adventurers. Most of them hadn¡¯t gotten fortunate enough to hear them a second time. ¡°What can this humble old woman do for you?¡±

 Chapter 201: Supplier

    Chapter 201: Supplier

    Arwin watched with trepidation as Madiv and Esmerelda sized each other up. It didn¡¯t look like the elderly woman had been too poorly affected by her sudden fit of unconsciousness, but that didn¡¯t make him any less worried for her.

    She¡¯d definitely been taken by a lot more surprise than Arwin had expected. Lillia¡¯s disguise had worked pretty effectively thus far entirely due to how ridiculous the concept of the demon queen sitting around and running a tavern was.

    This was the first time her arguments looked like they might not have worked. Fortunately, Esmerelda seemed to have realized her thoughts ¡ª correct as they were ¡ª were taking her down a path simply too ludicrous to believe.

    That result had a chance of changing if she had time to think anything through too thoroughly. Fortunately for all of them, Madiv seemed to have absolutely no ns of letting such a thing happen.

    ¡°I find myself in the pressing need of a supplier,¡± Madiv said as he adjusted the hems of his sleeves and straightened hispels. ¡°Are you capable of fulfilling that role?¡±

    ¡°Lad, your wildest dreams wouldn¡¯t be so much as scratching the extent of my repertoire. If something exists in this world, I can get it at the right price,¡± Esmerelda said with a confident smile. ¡°What is it you want?¡±

    ¡°I am currently unaware of what I need,¡± Madiv said. ¡°The requirement changes depending on demand. As it generally does.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly. ¡°Well, yes. But I¡¯m not talking generalities here. You want something from me, do you not? An artifact, perhaps?¡±

    <em>She¡¯s really caught up on the whole artifact stuff, isn¡¯t she? I can¡¯t me her. Shiny things are pretty cool. But as far as artifacts go¡­ I¡¯ve seen the inside of her shop. I think I¡¯ve got a pretty good guess as to what her idea of an artifact is. Especially given how impressed she expected us to be with that strikingly mediocre magic item¡­ I¡¯ll stick with some metal. </em>¡°No,¡± Madiv said. ¡°I have not received a request from anyone to acquire an artifact. I have no need for something like that.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Everyone has need for power. That¡¯s the purpose of existence. To grow stronger. Don¡¯t try to deny it to my face. Strength begets strength. Anything you want can be yours with sufficient power¡­ or sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything you need right now?¡± Madiv asked Arwin.

    ¡°I could always use some more metal, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I need metal.¡± The merchant looked to Esmerelda. Then he nced back to Arwin. ¡°You did not specify the type of metal. Is there a certain one you want?¡±

    ¡°Brightsteel would probably be best. I go through a lot of it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know,¡± Esmerelda said irritably. ¡°I think you lot have all entirely missed the point of a supplier. Why would you even need to involve a merchant if you could just get what you want directly from me?¡±

    Arwin tilted his head to the side. That was a pretty good point. He would have considered it for a little longer if not for the stricken look on Madiv¡¯s face. The idea of bing useless to his queen was probably more painful than a lightning bolt straight to his heart.

    ¡°I suggest you retract that implication,¡± Madiv said, his features going t.

    ¡°Deals are best done with the person who seeks them,¡± Esmerelda continued, intecing her fingers in front of her stomach. ¡°What metal do you desire, Ifrit? I can get it for you. Ancient magical ingots, long forgotten in this area of the kingdom. Raw ore refined in the blood of great monsters and left to fester.¡±

    Arwin repressed a grimace. Trying to get something that fancy to do what he wanted at his current level¡­ the chances were probably zero. Awaken would turn the damn thing into a bratty child that refused to do anything he wanted. Making Prism¡¯s Reach had already been at the absolute limits of his strength. If he tried to toss some fancy magical metal with evil bloodthirsty urges into the mix, there was absolutely no chance everything didn¡¯te crashing down on his head.

    Stolen story; please report.

    <em>Maybe when I¡¯m stronger. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer some normal Brightsteel,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Brightsteel? Bah. I¡¯ve got blends that makes Brightsteel look worthless. Fragments of old weapons made from the stars themselves. You don¡¯t know what you desire, but I can¡ª¡±

    ¡°We desire Brightsteel,¡± Madiv said, cutting Esmerelda off and stepping between her and Arwin. He crossed his arms behind his back. ¡°Do you possess it?¡±

    Esmerelda let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°Yes. I have it. Probably. Brightsteel. Bah. Whoes to me for Brightsteel? No matter. I can get you all the Brightsteel you could possibly use in a lifetime, all for a mere price¡ª¡±

    ¡°Too much. Ten bars will be sufficient,¡± Madiv said. ¡°We will give you five gold for them.¡±

    The old woman¡¯sposure finally cracked. Her eyes widened and she thrust a finger into Madiv¡¯s chest. ¡°Ten bars? Five gold? Petnt child. I will make no such deal. Do you think me a mere alley broker? Some tart wandering around with scraps? My stock is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Brightsteel,¡± Madiv finished. ¡°Your stock is Brightsteel. Amon metal.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s fingers twitched at her sides. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly to keep herself from blowing a gasket. She and Madiv red at each other with such intensity that Arwin could have sworn the temperature in the room started to rise.

    ¡°Hey, maybe we should cool¡ª¡± Rodrick started.

    ¡°Be silent,¡± Esmerelda and Madiv snapped in unison.

    Rodrick¡¯s teeth cked as he shut his mouth. He wisely edged toward the door, and the others followed his lead in slowly making an escape. Esmerelda was clearly doing okay. Interfering with her and Madiv again probably wouldn¡¯t be too great for anyone¡¯s prolonged health.

    ¡°The reason my stock is Brightsteel is because you have the taste of a daft river troll with a pile of rocks where its brain should be,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°I came to you with gold and you asked me for manure!¡±

    ¡°Then manure you should give me,¡± Madiv countered. ¡°The purpose of a supplier is not to question my requests. It is to provide me the materials I desire. You have them. Sell them to me.¡±

    ¡°Who would pay anything of worth for ten gods forsaken Brightsteel Bars?¡± Esmerelda eximed, throwing her hands up into the air.

    ¡°We will pay gold. Five of it per bar, to be precise.¡±

    ¡°I said of worth. And five gold per bar is ludicrous. Even if I had any desire to scrape the dredges of my self-worth and stoop to such a level at which I would put in effort selling youmon scrap, five gold wouldn¡¯t even be enough for me to nce in your direction.¡±

    Lillia snagged Arwin by the arm as Esmerelda and Madiv¡¯s argument started to escte. The rest of the guild had already wisely made their escape, and now it looked like it was their turn. Arwin threw onest nce at the arguing duo before following Lillia back into the kitchen.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s going great,¡± Lillia said under her breath, raising a hand to cover augh. ¡°They¡¯re getting on like an old married couple.¡±

    ¡°Madiv won¡¯t kill her, will he?¡± Arwin asked as he dismissed his armor and stretched his arms over his head. ¡°Actually, I think I know him well enough to realize he won¡¯t. I can¡¯t say the same for a stress-rted heart attack.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve seen women like her before in the horde.¡± Lillia waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Old she may be, but there¡¯s no natural force in the world that¡¯s going to take her out. She and Madiv will be fine.¡±

    She headed toward her room, leaving the light of the tavern behind, and Arwin followed after her. It wasn¡¯t long before hepletely lost his sight. That wasn¡¯t really a problem. At this point, he knew theyout of Lillia¡¯s room well enough to move around it with any trouble.

    But, despite that, Arwin paused at the entrance of the room near the doorway. He waited until Lillia found his arm. A smile crossed his face as he followed her in and the shadows swallowed the rest of the noiseing from themon room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see that smug little grin of yours,¡± Lillia said in a low tone.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it.¡±

    Lillia let out a smallugh and they sat down on her bed. She leaned against his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve had a little while to actually sit and talk. I wanted to take the moment. I¡¯ve missed it.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Arwin said. He hesitated for a second before moving his arm up and behind Lillia. She leaned into him and he pulled her against himself as they both settled in. ¡°It¡¯s been a busy few days. I managed to make the gauntlets I was working on. I can show you some other time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you. Sounds like you had more sess than I did today. I did a lot more of what I was doing before, but no giant leaps.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just have a giant one?¡± Arwin asked, a smile tugging at his lips. ¡°You can¡¯t just get huge advances every day, you know.¡±

    Lillia let out a reluctant grumble. ¡°I know, I know. But the more I learn, the more I want to learn. You know?¡±

    That rang true enough that it took Arwin a few moments to reply. ¡°Yeah. I do. But that cane tomorrow. You helped mest time, so now it¡¯s my turn. Maybe I¡¯ll have some nugget of sage wisdom to share.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Lillia agreed, her tone growing even softer. Arwin didn¡¯t even remember exactly what time it was outside. He was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t all thatte, but in the darkness of Lillia¡¯s room, all time was night time.

    Neither of them said anything else. They fell silent, content in each other¡¯spany, and did nothing but enjoy some much-needed rest.

 Chapter 202: Abomination

    Chapter 202: Abomination

    When Arwin and Lillia headed out into themon room the next morning, Madiv and Esmerelda¡¯s argument had ended. That really shouldn¡¯t have been something of note. Arguments weren¡¯t meant tost more than a few minutes or an hour at the most.

    It seemed that nobody had ever bothered telling Madiv and Esmerelda that. Only about an hour before falling asleep, he¡¯d managed to pick up on the sounds of muted curses and irate words in themon room. They¡¯d gotten loud enough that even Lillia¡¯s magic wasn¡¯tpletely repressing the noise.

    Arwin would have gotten up to do something about it if he hadn¡¯t been sofortable. That may have been a mistake. The sound hadn¡¯t stopped until he¡¯d fallen asleep, so he¡¯d fully expected to find Esmerelda and Madiv still going at it when they woke up.

    Fortunately, the only person in themon room was Anna. She sat at the counter fiddling with a small wooden cube in her hands and nced up at Arwin and Lillia as they emerged.

    ¡°Some night, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Anna asked with a wry smile.

    Arwin winced. He¡¯d forgotten that even though the magical darkness extended upstairs, it wasn¡¯t anywhere near as intense as it was inside Lillia¡¯s room. Everyone else had probably heard a lot more than he had.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I really should have stopped them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to sleeping when it¡¯s loud. Rodrick snores like a runaway cart bouncing down a cobblestone street,¡± Anna said with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. At least it sounded like they were having fun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly my idea of fun. It sounded like they were about a second away from ripping each other¡¯s heads off.¡±¡°Nobody does anything they don¡¯t like for that long if they aren¡¯t having fun,¡± Anna said with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It sounded like they managed toe to an agreement by the end of it all. I guess we¡¯ve found ourselves a supplier.¡±

    Arwin resisted the urge to let out a whistle. He wasn¡¯t sure who he was more impressed ¡ª or disappointed ¡ª in. Madiv had basically just bullied an old woman into doing what he¡¯d wanted, but Esmerelda had spent the entire time trying to sell something they really didn¡¯t want.

    <em>I just hope they settled on a price that is actually reasonable for everyone involved. I¡¯m not spending fifty gold a bar on Brightsteel, but I don¡¯t want to drive Esmerelda out of the city because she can¡¯t afford rent. </em>

    ¡°Oh, stop worrying for a few moments,¡± Anna said. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re going to gray before I do, and I¡¯m older than you.¡±

    ¡°You are?¡± Arwin asked, blinking. ¡°How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Wow. Not even a second of hesitation.¡± Anna let out a yfulugh. ¡°Twenty-eight.¡±

    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t look a day over twenty,¡± Rodrick¡¯s voice came from the top of the stairs. They all nced over as he started down, hair sticking out in every odd direction. ¡°Wait. Maybe that¡¯s a bit too young. I¡¯m too old for a twenty year old. People aren¡¯t going to give me weird looks, are they? Maybe I¡¯ll have to age you up to a twenty-four-year-old. Sorry, hon.¡±

    ¡°People will look at you weird anyway, Rodrick. That isn¡¯t my fault. I¡¯d suggest you might as well lean into it, but I don¡¯t know if Milten could handle you leaning into your oddities any more than you already do.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not that weird,¡± Rodrick said defensively. He pulled out a chair by the counter and sat down beside Anna, giving Arwin and Lillia a nod of greeting. ¡°I only dress in other people¡¯s clothes asionally.¡±

    ¡°You see? This is what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Anna said. ¡°Did you return them this time? I swear, if I find another woman¡¯s clothes¡ª¡±

    Rodrick hurriedly cleared his throat. ¡°They¡¯re not in the inn.¡±

    Anna¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Where are they, Rodrick?¡±

    ¡°Alleyway.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Good enough.¡± Anna shrugged, then returned her attention to the wooden block in her hands. It was some sort of puzzle. Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce. It definitely felt like they¡¯d just overheard something they shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°So¡­ if Esmerelda and Madiv came to an agreement, does anyone know where they are?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Probably setting up for a wedding,¡± Rodrick said with a snicker. ¡°Gods above and below, could you imagine what would happen if they were married? If there was a championship for bickering old couples, they¡¯d win it without even showing up.¡±

    Uwfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°I overheard Esmerelda saying she was heading out to source some supplies. She was not pleased with our requests,¡± Anna said. She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get over it soon enough. All the talk about fancy magical stuff is funny¡­ but I don¡¯t think any of us need it. Especially with how ominous she is about it.¡±

    ¡°I did notice that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I think she¡¯s lonely. I met her in an old run-down shop in an alley. It didn¡¯t look like anyone had been there in a long time. Esmerelda is probably trying to make herself valuable and interesting. Sourcing normal metal isn¡¯t really morous.¡±

    ¡°That could be it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°She definitely likes talking. That much is obvious.¡±

    ¡°I guess we should humor her a bit,¡± Rodrick said. He paused for a second, then grinned. ¡°And we should make a house somewhere outside of the inn where all business deals have to be done. Don¡¯t shit where you sleep and all that.¡±

    ¡°Maybe at the other end of the street,¡± Anna suggested dryly.

    ¡°An entirely auspicious spot.¡± Rodrick gave them a sage nod, then yawned. ¡°Man, yesterday was tiring. I¡¯m out of shape.¡±

    ¡°Did you even do anything other than go out for a walk around town?¡± Lillia asked.

    Rodrick coughed into his fist. ¡°Look, we don¡¯t need to get into semantics. I was gathering information about the Ardent guild. They¡¯re not a threat right now. Probably gearing up for something in the near future. I don¡¯t know exactly what yet.¡±

    ¡°Very specific.¡± Lillia scrunched her nose.

    ¡°Better no information than wrong information.¡± Rodrick shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m keeping tabs. That doesn¡¯t mean I know everything they¡¯re doing, but they¡¯re definitely having a little trouble at the moment. Logistical issues. That kind of thing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Anna said before Arwin could say anything. She shook her head and sighed. ¡°When Rodrick gets like this, it¡¯s impossible getting anything out of him. Just let him do his thing. It works.¡±

    Arwin nodded. He trusted Anna ¡ª and he trusted Rodrick. Something told him that Rodrick was doing a whole lot more than just walking around the city and listening to rumors. But, if Rodrick didn¡¯t want to talk about it, then he wouldn¡¯t press. Arwin was certain the warrior would tell him when the time was right or once he¡¯d gathered enough information.

    ¡°In that case, we should probably get on with the day,¡± Lillia said. She blew out a breath of air as a flicker of frustration crossed her features. It onlysted for an instant before she tilted her head to the side in thought. ¡°Actually, do you mind waiting before you start on your work today, Arwin?¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°Huh? Sure. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I need to make breakfast for everyone. It looks like Reya and Olive aren¡¯t up yet, but I¡¯m sure they will be soon,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°But after that, I want to shadow you. Maybe I¡¯ll pick up on something while I¡¯m watching you that¡¯ll help me get over the hump I¡¯m stuck on.¡±

    He nodded. That was as good a reasoning as any. ¡°I¡¯ll wait in the smithy, then. I need to figure out what I¡¯ll be doing today anyway. No point just making a ton of mass-produced armor right now.¡±

    With their ns set, Lillia headed back into the kitchen while Arwin made for the smithy. He unlocked it and headed over to the back. It was dark and cold, the hearth unlit. Arwin tossed some [Soul me] into the hearth and leaned against the wall.

    <em>What could I work on to help Lillia? Something that she can take inspiration from. Maybe some form of kitchen utensil? I¡¯m not sure if that would actually give her inspiration or just be a gift. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts were hindered by the rhythmic thump of the heart he¡¯d taken from Jessen¡¯s monstrosity still pulsed away in the corner. It had definitely weakened in intensity since the day he¡¯d gotten it. Evidently the heart didn¡¯t have an infinite store of energy.

    <em>That¡¯s probably a good thing. Perhaps that¡¯s what I should work on today. Maybe we can both get some kind of inspiration from the heart. If not, I¡¯m pelting it into a wall and letting her cook it. </em>

    Unfortunately, an answer as to the heart¡¯s purpose still hadn¡¯te to him. It was far too big and squishy to fit into armor or any normal-sized weapon. He let out a low hum and leaned against the wall, tapping his finger to the beat of the heart subconsciously.

    He was still doing that when Lillia stepped into the back room of the smithy several minutester. Arwin, so lost in his own thoughts, nearly jumped out of his own skin in surprise. Lillia let out a snort ofughter.

    ¡°Sorry. Is now a good time?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re meant to ask that before stepping in,¡± Arwin grumbled. He shook his head. ¡°Yes. Now is good. In pursuit of trying to think of a way to help you, I got caught up on the stupid heart we took from that dungeon. I can¡¯t figure out what to do with it¡­ but it¡¯s unique. Maybe it¡¯ll give us both some inspiration.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡± Lillia nodded empathetically, then waited for a moment. ¡°So what are you going to do with it?¡±

    ¡°No sted clue.¡±

    They both looked over to the bag with the heart. Several seconds of silence passed.

    ¡°Maybe you could use it to power something?¡± Lillia mused. ¡°Like a heart powers a body. You could make some weird contraption¡­ thing.¡±

    ¡°Contraption¡­ thing?¡± Arwin mirrored, a smile pulling at his lips, but the idea actually held a little weight to it. The more he thought about it, the more viable it felt. ¡°Maybe I could make bellows. It¡¯s pumping, so that would lend itself to a repetitive motion. That could actually work. I¡¯m just a bit worried that it¡¯s weaker than it was before. It seems like the heart has a limited life. Maybe it would be better if you just cooked it?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s organic,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It probably needs some form of energy source to keep going. Could you just infuse it with magic?¡±

    Arwin started to nod. Then he paused, his eyes widening.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s organic. You¡¯re probably right about me being able to put magic into it¡­ but what if you did that instead?¡±

    ¡°Me? I can only imbue food. We aren¡¯t trying to eat the heart.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it directly,¡± Arwin said, a flicker of excitement entering his voice as he gestured over to the corner of the room. ¡°It¡¯s a heart. It needs food. What if I made it a way to consume energy from food that you make?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s eyes widened to match his. ¡°You want to make a bellows that literally eats food?¡±

    ¡°We could make it together,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You could do more than just watch or help me swing a hammer. It could help both of us. Sure, it¡¯s a bit creepy, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Say no more,¡± Lillia said with a delighted grin. ¡°I¡¯m in. Let¡¯s make an abomination of nature.¡±

 Chapter 203: Research

    Chapter 203: Research

    Arwin and Lillia stood on either side of his anvil. The heart thumped away on top of it, dull red flesh pulsating with every beat. They¡¯d decided what they were going to do, but actually doing it was a bit more difficult in practice.

    ¡°Where do we even start?¡± Lillia muttered. ¡°I haven¡¯t made food for a heart before. I guess it should be¡­ mush, or something? We could stuff it into one of the heart-holes.¡±

    Arwin lifted his gaze to look at her, holding back augh. ¡°Lillia, I don¡¯t think you can just stuff food into a random hole and hope it gets power from it. It¡¯s a heart. A creepy one, but it¡¯s still a heart.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s nose scrunched. ¡°What if you make a bunch of sharp spiky things on it?¡±

    ¡°I get the feeling that squishing food up and stuffing it into a heart isn¡¯t going to do anything better than shoving a whole roast turkey into it,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°I do like the idea of somehow converting the food to something the heart <em>can</em> use, though.¡±

    ¡°The can use bit is the problem. I don¡¯t think hearts are meant to consume any amount of energy,¡± Lillia grumbled. ¡°The stupid Prism thing we got was an exception¡­ but maybe we could take inspiration? It was also a heart, right?¡±

    ¡°I think it had more magic in it. This one doesn¡¯t have a Mesh identification.¡±

    Lillia looked back to the red lump of flesh on the anvil and chewed her lower lip. Her tail snaked out from her pants and brushed back and forth across the floor in thought. Arwin¡¯s eyes followed it, temporarily mesmerized.

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what we have to focus on making first,¡± Lillia said.Arwin blinked and look up. ¡°Sorry, what was that? I was distracted.¡±

    ¡°I could tell.¡± Lillia snorted and she walked around the anvil to stand near him. Her tail snaked out to wrap around his leg and pull him closer. ¡°Could we start by making something that converts magical food into pure magical energy? That would handle one of the issues.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Arwin tilted his head to the side. That was definitely easier said than done, but it was a step along the right path ¡ª and it gave him another idea. ¡°Maybe we treat the heart like an actual heart. Just¡­ a magical one. If we can get the magical energy stored in some kind of liquid, we could treat it like blood.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ strikingly unsettling,¡± Lillia said. She grinned. ¡°It just might work. How do we even start that?¡±

    Arwin cast his gaze around the room to take in all theponents he had. This wasn¡¯t making a weapon. It was a lot moreplicated, but all he could do was take things one step at a time.

    ¡°If I think about it, I¡¯m basically trying to distill [The Hungering Maw] into an item. Intent is really important whenever I make something, so I bet it¡¯ll be the same for when we¡¯re trying to artificially replicate it. I need to somehow imbue intent <em>into </em>my intent."

    Lillia nodded sagely. Then she frowned and gave his leg a gentle tug with her tail. ¡°You lost me. What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You know how your intent heavily controls the result you get while crafting¡­ or cooking, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I get that part. But how does intent have intent?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what kind of food this is going to eat or how it¡¯s going to work,¡± Arwin said after taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts so he could articte them properly. ¡°So that means this contraption is going to have to be able to take in some random kind of food and convert it to magic energy. That requires intent.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Lillia nodded. ¡°I¡¯m still with you.¡±

    ¡°So if I work from the bottom up, the converter needs intent to convert magic food to pure magic, but I need to make the converter in the first ce. That also requires intent. So that¡¯s basically twoyers of intent. I need to have the intent to make something that can in itself simte intent.¡±

    ¡°That is a damn brain twister,¡± Lillia said with a shudder. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now.¡± She paused for a moment and a small grin flitted across her lips as she poked him with the tip of her tail. ¡°Figuratively and literally.¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    Arwinughed and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s good, because it¡¯s threatening to slip out of my head even as I think about it. I basically need an Awakened item, but I can¡¯t just force something to wake up. I can only make them with the potential to wake, and the only item that¡¯s done that so far is Wyrmhunger."

    ¡°Let¡¯s take it one step at a time,¡± Lillia suggested. She rested her chin on Arwin¡¯s shoulder and thought for a second. ¡°I think you¡¯re making your end tooplicated. Reduce the requirements. I¡¯ll make sure the food always has a simr form of intent behind it. It¡¯ll just be the closest thing to pure strength that I can get. Then you have your bit focus on harvesting the strength energy and converting that. Leave the rest of it as waste.¡±

    <em>That would definitely reduce the amount I would have to do. I still need to deal with the crux of the issue ¡ª finding a way to convert magic food to magic ¡ª but it narrows the scope.</em>

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Arwin said. ¡°This is definitely something that has to be made in pieces. Basically a set¡­ but for a heart instead of a living person. Three pieces, I think? Each one can have intent to help reduce the food down to a base magical form and help the process along.¡±

    ¡°What if you replicate something simr to normal eating?¡± Lillia asked, her eyes lighting up as she abruptly straightened, nearly yanking Arwin off his feet when she forgot that she was still holding onto his leg with her tail.

    He stumbled and she jerked to a halt, her cheeks going bright red. ¡°Sorry!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said as she released him, shaking his head andughing. ¡°How damn strong is your tail?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s there for a reason. What, did you think they were just ornamental?¡±

    Arwin scratched the back of his neck. If he was honest, he hadn¡¯t really put that much thought into it in the first ce. But, now that he was, he couldn¡¯t shake an image of Lillia swinging by her tail from branch to branch in a canopy like a monkey. He coughed into his fist. ¡°So what was it that you realized?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± her eyes lit back up. ¡°I think I figured out how to make this! We have to replicate the actual digestion process. The first part of the set can physically break down the food and prepare it for treatment. The second one can mix it with something that melts it down somehow, separating the waste from the useful energy. Then the third can pass that useful energy into the heart. How about that?¡±

    It was as sound an idea as any, and Lillia sounded so excited about it that Arwin couldn¡¯t have brought himself to say anything other than yes anyway. It was surprisingly straightforward in concept.

    That was good. If he could visualize it, he could make it. All he needed was the intent, willpower to push it through, and monster parts that could enable him to do what he needed.

    <em>The first part¡­ I guess I need to make a fake mouth? A millstone of some sort, perhaps. Or just jaws. I¡¯ve got a lot of Wyrmling ws and fangs. I¡¯ll have to do some testing to figure out if ripping or crushing is more effective. </em>

    ¡°What kind of food were you thinking of making?¡± Arwin asked as he walked to his pile of Wyrmling parts and started gathering the materials he would need. ¡°Is there something that would lend itself to pure strength more?¡±

    ¡°Meat,¡± Lillia said without a second of hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s muscle, and muscle definitely has the most strength intent. The exact type depends on what it came from, but I think that should be general enough.¡±

    <em>How do we actually eat things? I¡¯ve never put thought into it. I just chew. I need a reference.</em>

    ¡°Do you have any food on you right now?¡±

    Lillia blinked. She rifled through her pockets and pulled out a small piece of ckened meat. ¡°I¡¯ve got this. I was experimenting with Wyrm jerky. It didn¡¯t turn out very good. Turns out, you can¡¯t speed up how fast it dries by setting it on fire. That just burns it.¡±

    ¡°Could you eat it for me? I want to see how your mouth works.¡±

    She arched an eyebrow, then shrugged and put it into her mouth. Arwin stepped closer and squinted at her as she started to chew.

    ¡°Hold on. I can¡¯t see what you¡¯re doing. Open your mouth.¡±

    Lillia stared at him. She raised a hand to cover her mouth before speaking. ¡°You want me to chew with my mouth open? What am I, a barn animal?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s research. I can¡¯t see myself eat.¡±

    Shoulders slumping slightly, Lillia let her hand drop and did as he asked. Fortunately for both of them, there wasn¡¯t that much jerky. Less fortunately for Lillia, it looked to be as tough as a strip of leather and it took her nearly a minute to finish it.

    By the time she was done, her cheeks had once again been reddened by embarrassment and Arwin was intimately aquainted with just how someone chewed a particrly stubborn piece of jerky.

    ¡°I really hope we don¡¯t need to do that again,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Arwin shook his head, his thoughts still focused on just how he¡¯d make a functioning replica of a mouth work. ¡°Unless demon jaws work really different than human ones. Do you think you should watch me eat and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Unless this is something you¡¯re really interested in doing, I am going to firmly decline.¡±

    ¡°Eh. That¡¯s probably fine. I think I¡¯ve got what I need,¡± Arwin said. Lillia blew out a relieved breath.

    ¡°Good. Then how do we do this? I could go start making some practice food. It¡¯ll take me a bit before I figure out how to optimize it.¡±

    ¡°You could, but I think you could still help me. I want to try something,¡± Ariwn said thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ve got a grasp of the physical mechanism, but you understand food and its purpose more than me. Do you think you could try to help me form the actual intent for the item?¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible? I¡¯m not a crafter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea,¡± Arwin admitted with a shrug. ¡°But we¡¯re trying to make something that really feels like it has no right to exist. Might as well see what else we can screw up in the process.¡±

    Lillia grinned. ¡°When you put it like that, how can I refuse? Let¡¯s give it a shot.¡±

 Chapter 204: Couple of crafters

    Chapter 204: Couple of crafters

    Before Arwin and Lillia couldbine their intent into anything, Arwin had to prepare the metal. While Lillia watched, he gathered some Brightsteel and a piece of Ivorin.

    Something at this level would definitely need the metal to be as pure as possible. Unfortunately, he¡¯d forgotten to ask Madiv for a crucible. Arwin blew out a breath as he empowered his [Soul me] and started melting down nuggets one chunk at a time.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lillia asked as she watched from a safe distance over his shoulder.

    ¡°I recently discovered that the purity of the metal affects the results of what I make a lot. Melting it down lets me remove a lot of the crud,¡± Arwin replied as he picked out a piece of dark debris from the glowing watery metal pooled in his palm. ¡°I was going to ask Madiv to get me a better way to melt it down but itpletely slipped my mind. I got distracted.¡±

    It took him a little under an hour to finish preparing the rest of the metal. It went a little faster now that he¡¯d done it once before already, but it was still longer than he¡¯d hoped to make Lillia stand around and wait.

    She didn¡¯t seem to mind. Lillia watched him intently, taking in every move he made and likely trying to figure out if there were any more parallels between his craft and hers. When Arwin finally finished melting everything down and reforming it, he turned the small ingots back to a single piece and hammered it out with Verdant ze to hopefully remove anyst specs of impurity that had managed to evade him thus far.

    He then set about forming the metal into the closest thing he could get to teeth. From what he¡¯d observed with Lillia, the majority of the chewing process was grinding. That may have been because she was trying to eat something that was only a step away from being a piece of charcoal, but making something that ground food down sounded considerably more straightforward than a full functioning jaw replica.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m just about ready for you to help. I¡¯m going to begin shaping and pushing intent into the bowl,¡± Arwin said. A thought struck him and he froze. ¡°Wait. How can you touch the metal? It¡¯s going to be hot.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shit. I don¡¯t know how, but that slipped my mind as well. You just hold it with your bare hands.¡± Lillia¡¯s brow furrowed and she chewed her lower lip. ¡°I don¡¯t always use my hands when I cook. It still works when I¡¯m passing the intent through a knife or the like. I can¡¯t swing your hammer, but can I somehow pass it directly through you? If I¡¯m in contact with you then it might work.¡±¡°Can¡¯t hurt to try. Just stay back. I don¡¯t want any hot metal getting on you.¡±

    Lillia moved to stand behind him and pressed herself to his back, wrapping her arms around his waist. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Your arms are exposed. They could get burned by sparks.¡±

    Lillia adjusted her position and stuck her hands under his shirt, pulling it over them. ¡°There. That should be enough, right?¡±

    ¡°I should really get a leather apron or something, but this should be okay. I don¡¯t need to use the hammer too much anyway,¡± Arwin muttered. It was slightly harder to concentrate than he¡¯d expected with Lilliapletely pressed against his back, but he refused to let himself get distracted.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it. We¡¯re focusing on imbuing the intent of eating and getting a lot of energy out of it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll focus on the aspect of breaking things down and consuming them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You focus on making this prepare the energy to be extracted. It¡¯ll be a set item, so try to visualize that as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think foodes as set items, but I¡¯ll do what I can. I¡¯m ready when you are.¡±

    Arwin nodded. Then he got to it. He opted to lean into simplicity and started by preparing the t piece of Brightsteel with his hammer, folding it over to thicken the metal. He worked slowly at first to make sure Lillia wasn¡¯t getting hurt. When it became clear that she was fine, he started to move faster.

    He used [Scourge] and the heightened [Soul me] in the hearth to form the metal like taffy into the rough shape of arge, high-rimmed bowl. Throughout the entire time, he kept his intent focused and pushed magic from his palms into the piece.

    His stomach tingled where Lillia¡¯s arms touched his bare skin. He couldn¡¯t tell if that was due to energy passing from her into him or if it was just because of their position. Arwin didn¡¯t have the liberty to wonder which one it was.

    This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Breaking his focus would result in ruining the item they were making, and so he pushed any unrted thoughts to the back of his head. All he could do was believe that their efforts were working and press on.

    Once the bowl was roughly formed, Arwin scooped up several Wyrmling fangs. When he envisioned hunger, nothing fit that more than a group of starving small Wyrms. He focused on those feelings as he pressed the teeth into the bowl and worked the metal around them. He then made a second, thinner bowl out of Ivorin and melded it with the first by pinning it in ce with several Ivorin bolts and pressing the metals together with [Scourge] while they heated in the roaring me of the hearth.

    Ivorin was a tougher metal than Brightsteel, so it would hold up to being used as a millstone for longer than thetter would. Once the bowl was roughlyplete, Arwin moved to the second piece. Even though they were separate, he viewed them as two parts of a single object.

    The Meshplied and made no move to attempt to make itself known beyond the growing tingles at the tips of his fingers. Fortunately, Arwin didn¡¯t have to make it wait for long. The second piece was much easier than the first.

    It was little more than arge, heavy Ivorin ball. Arwin made it exclusively with [Scourge] and the heat from his [Soul me]. He put another Wyrmling tooth in the center of the ball, just to make sure that the entire piece was both connected andpletely focused on the proper goal.

    <em>I¡¯ve generally used the monster parts a lot more literally. Teeth and ws for sharpness or ripping elements, not for hunger or more personality rted things. That personality has kind of shown up sometimes, but it wasn¡¯t intentional. If this works, it¡¯ll widen what I can craft even further. </em>

    Arwin continued to pour energy into the bowl. Lillia pressed against his back, her fingers pressing into his skin. The tingling sensation around his waist had spread to cover his back as well, and there was no doubt about it being more than just her presence now.

    The Mesh sparked and swirled all around them. It poured through Arwin¡¯s body and down his hands into the ball as he shaped it. Sweat rolled down the side of his face and he dragged power from his reserves like a dehydrated man kneeling at an oasis.

    Surprisingly, even though this was one of the most energy-hungry projects he¡¯d taken on, Arwin found that his reserves were still over half-full. There was no time to wonder about it. Energy hummed around his hands and the ball he¡¯d finished.

    He set it down in the bowl, then pressed out a small hole in the bottom of the bowl. He quickly made onest piece ¡ª a Brightsteel disk. He pinned the disk into the bottom of the bowl with a pin that didn¡¯t quite go all the way through, leaving the Ivorin on its top untouched.

    The Mesh pulsed in conjunction with the beat of the heart they¡¯d moved back to the corner of the smithy. It was finished.

    Arwin let his hands fall. Lillia poked her head under his arm as the Mesh rushed forth and poured into the piece they¡¯d made together, giving it life.

    <strong>[Millstone Maw: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    <strong>The magical energy filling your body has grown dense enough to reinforce your physical form. You are now harder to injure and injuries will heal at a slightly faster rate than those of a normal man. Minor poisons and illnesses are no longer able to take purchase in your body.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Couple of Crafters - I] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Couple of Crafters - I] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first item by linking your desires together with your partner. Get a room.</em> Effects: <em>The dissonance between you and your partner¡¯s intent has been reduced for the first item you made together. Repeated instances of this Achievement are possible and rewards scale with its tier.</em></strong>

    ¡°I got an Achievement!¡± Lillia eximed just as Arwin finished reading his own achievement. He felt the tips of his ears redden and cleared his throat.

    ¡°Yeah. I did too. Ranked up as well. You also got the Couple of Crafters one, I take it?¡±

    Li nodded. Arwin got tired of keeping his arm in the air and let it fall around her shoulders.

    ¡°I wonder what the other rewards are,¡± Lillia mused, resting her head against his shoulder. ¡°Do you think we could replicate this for cooking? I¡¯ve already got so many new ideas I want to try.¡±

    ¡°I can certainly give it a shot, but I¡¯m no chef. We should probably finish this first. Have you taken a look at if it works yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia admitted sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m a little scared. It wasn¡¯t really easy to make. What if we screwed up?¡±

    ¡°The message from the Mesh implies we didn¡¯t screw itpletely. But, if we did, then we just make it again. I wouldn¡¯t mind. Every attempt is a step along the road of bing a better smith.¡±

    Lillia scrunched her nose, then grinned. ¡°I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind doing it again. You haven¡¯t looked either yet, have you?¡±

    It was Arwin¡¯s turn to look sheepish. ¡°No. I was distracted with the Rank up and the achievement. And you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re allowed to be distracted by me. I¡¯m taking that as apliment.¡±

    ¡°It was one.¡±

    Lilliaughed, then nudged him with her head. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s find out if this thing is useful. The anticipation is going to kill me.¡±

    The two of them looked away from each other and directed their gaze toward the bowl on the anvil beside them. And, as the heart continued to thump away in the corner of the Infernal Armory, the Mesh swirled forth to reveal the fruits of their efforts.

 Chapter 205: Millstone

    Chapter 205: Millstone

    Arwin held his breath as he gazed upon the results of his and Lillia¡¯s work as the Mesh scrawled words through the air before him.

    <strong>[Millstone Maw: Epic Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[Reaving Stone]: The insatiable hunger of a Wyrmling has been imbued into this item, causing the grindstone to have increased friction against the te when rolling across it. This effect will be magnified when it is grinding organic matter. </strong>

    <strong>[Inanimate Hunger]: While not alive, this item has been imbued with endless hunger that can never be sated. Any organic magical objects that fit within this item and have a Tier equal to or lower than this item¡¯s tier can be ground into paste within it. The duration this takes is increased the greater the target magical item¡¯s tier is. </strong>

    <strong>[The Soul of the Forge]: This is a set item of [3] pieces forged by Arwin Tyrr and Lillian Los. When the entire set is connected, it will gain the [Awoken] trait and be active.</strong>

    Arwin pulled his eyes away from the millstone to meet Lillia¡¯s. They exchanged a delighted grin and she grabbed his arm in excitement.

    ¡°You did it!¡± Lillia eximed with a disbelievingugh. ¡°And that description ¡ª creepy. I¡¯ve seen some weird shit, but a bellows that¡¯s guaranteed toe to life once it¡¯s finished¡­ I can¡¯t wait to see what that¡¯ll look like.¡±

    ¡°Not just me,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°Your name is right there. Your intent was easily half of the work. I was just the tool.¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes and flicked him in the chest. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that humility shit. I¡¯m not a little girl anymore, Arwin. I¡¯ve lived long enough to know when someone did something impressive. I helped, but you did the brunt of the work. Wipe that look off your face. You might regret showing me this.¡±Arwin blinked in confusion. ¡°What? Why? Do you think the heart might be dangerous?¡±

    ¡°The heart? Eh, it might be, but that wasn¡¯t what I was talking about.¡± Lillia¡¯s tail released Arwin¡¯s leg only to dart up around his right arm and pull him down so they were nose-to-nose. Her lips parted in a dangerous grin. ¡°Now that I know you can make things like this, you better believe I¡¯m going to be putting you to work in the Devil¡¯s Den. There are so many things we can do that I can¡¯t even figure out where to start.¡±

    ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t take gifts or payment with regard to the inn without paying for them because of the Mesh,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Will it allow for that?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s grin grew wider. ¡°I was looking into that. Turns out, while I can¡¯t charge ludicrous prices for rooms or find other ways to game the system, my <em>own </em>room is different. It¡¯s my closest sanctum and the Mesh doesn¡¯t seem to mind when I decide the rent to stay in it is a whole lot higher than everywhere else.¡±

    Arwin nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°Hold on. Are you telling me you¡¯ve been charging me rent for sleeping in your bed? That¡¯s cold.¡±

    She gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I had to figure out some way I could afford your work. And don¡¯t worry so much. The Mesh still makes it so that any price I charge has to be reasonable.¡±

    ¡°Then how¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re staying with me,¡± Lillia said. She fluttered her eyes at him, but Arwin could see the amusement behind them. ¡°You¡¯d agree that I¡¯m worth it, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That is a nasty trap,¡± Arwin informed Lillia with augh. ¡°I suppose you are.¡±

    ¡°Suppose?¡± She arched an eyebrow in mock anger. ¡°Now who¡¯s cold? Don¡¯t make me take away your pillow privileges.¡±

    ¡°Something tells me you aren¡¯t going to do that.¡±

    Lillia coughed into a fist and her cheeks colored slightly. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. You weren¡¯t meant to call my bluff, though.¡±

    The heart thumped in the corner of the room. Arwin and Lillia both jumped, then exchanged an embarrassed look. They¡¯d gotten slightly waid from their original task. Arwin was d the back room of the Infernal Armory was so isted. It would have been embarrassing if anyone had been watching their rtively poor attempts at flirting. He shook his head to clear it.

    There was still too much to be done to stand around like school children.

    <em>It¡¯s nice to just¡­ spend time together, though. Maybe a little standing around is okay. Just so long as we get work done as well. </em>

    He tapped the Millstone Maw. ¡°Shall we start working on the next part of this? The third one will be housing for the heart, but we¡¯ve still got to make the system that takes the chewed-up food and turns it to pure magic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably a good idea.¡± Lillia¡¯s tail released Arwin¡¯s hand and she nodded sagely. ¡°We¡¯ll need some form of medium to carry the magic. What do you think would work best?¡±

    ¡°No idea,¡± Arwin replied with a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should make the medium something that¡¯s part of the actual item. That would make it a little limited. It would be better if we just had a spot to add it in. Then we could figure out what liquid worked best.¡±

    ¡°Good idea. Then I guess we just have to make the housing and keep the right intent, right?¡± Lillia walked over to a piece of Brightsteel and nudged it with her foot. ¡°Guess we should start by preparing this stuff, right?¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Look at you,¡± Arwin said as he picked the Brightsteel up and set it on the anvil. ¡°Are you trying to put me out of a job or something?¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes and took a few steps back before shing him a smug smile. ¡°Trust me, I have absolutely no desire to swing a hammer around for hours on end if I can avoid it. I am more than happy to watch <em>you </em>do it, though.¡±

    Arwinughed and shook his head. Lillia gestured ¡ª possibly a little too eagerly. He didn¡¯t mind. Getting to show off just how fast he could smack a piece of metal into shape definitely fed his ego on some primal level, and he was more than happy to indulge it.

    ***

    Melissa¡¯s feet pounded against the ground in rhythm with her racing heart. Sweat soaked the back of the fine linens on her back and the hilt of her short sword bit into her hand as she sprinted down an alleyway, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste to round the corner.

    A ng rang out behind her as a de mmed into the wall and spun free. The setting sunlight shed off the weapon¡¯s de, momentarily blinding her as she threw a panicked nce over her shoulder.

    Melissa¡¯s senses screamed a warning and she spun, lifting her sword as a shadow arced for her. A ringing crash echoed down the streets as a dark sword darted out, nearly ripping Melissa¡¯s weapon from her hands as the weapons collided.

    The shadows peeled back like a blooming flower to reveal a man clothed in dark grays, his facepletely covered by a mask. Melissa jumped back as the man lunged at her again. She twisted her sword and braced her hand against the t of the de.

    A second crash split the evening air and Melissa stumbled under the force of the blow, just barely managing to keep her grip on her sword. The man¡¯s eyes were t and cold,pletely emotionless. They were the eyes of an assassin.

    Melissa drove her knee toward the man¡¯s groin. His free hand drove down, striking her in the kneecap. Violent pain ripped through Melissa¡¯s body and she screamed. The assassin thrust his sword for her throat.

    She dropped to the ground, drawing on every scrap of training she had to push through the agony. The sword carved through the air above her and she thrust her de for the man¡¯s leg. Melissa earned herself a flicker of satisfaction as she felt her de carve through flesh.

    It was short lived. The assassin didn¡¯t so much as flinch. He¡¯d already adjusted his grip on his sword. His foot mmed into Melissa¡¯s stomach, driving all the air from her lungs in a pained wheeze and pinning her in ce. Her sword fell from her fingers and ttered to the ground at her side.

    There was no smugughter. No offer forst words. The only thing the assassin did was plunge his sword down. Melissa desperately twisted her upper body in an attempt to free herself, but the man was just too heavy.

    The de shed down and bit into her chest, straight on a path for her heart ¡ª and then it mmed to a halt. Melissaid frozen on the ground, blood mming so violently in her ears that she could barely hear, as she looked up in disbelief.

    A pale hand had wrapped around the pommel of the sword. The assassin¡¯s hands trembled as he tried to push the de down, but the weapon didn¡¯t budge an inch. Melissa¡¯s eyes trailed the hand back to the body it belonged to.

    His other hand held a half-finished tankard of ale and his eyes were zed over in a drunken stupor. Long, ragged white hair hung around the man¡¯s face and he swayed back and forth as if he were a single sip away from passing out.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the assassin snarled, furiously trying to rip his sword free of the man¡¯s hand. The de wouldn¡¯t budge from its spot. Melissa didn¡¯t dare even try to move. The tip of the sword was lodged in her chest. A single twitch was all it would take to end her life.

    The drunkard didn¡¯t reply. He stumbled forward, his foot mming to the ground just beside Melissa¡¯s hand. Then he blurred. The man moved so fast that Melissa momentarily lost track of him.

    One moment, he was standing directly above her. The next, he was behind the assassin. Melissa¡¯s would-be killer let out a strangled gasp and released the sword as his hands shot up to his throat, wing at it as blood started to race down his neck.

    Melissa pped the sword away before gravity could push its point any deeper and rolled to the side. She scrambled to her feet, her breathing out in ragged gasps, and stared in disbelief as blood poured down the neck of the assassin that had nearly killed her.

    The drunkard had pulled the man against his back and leaned forward to lift the assassin off his feet, suspending him entirely by the garotte tearing into his neck. Melissa grabbed her sword from where she¡¯d dropped it and prepared to run the assassin through before he managed to overpower her mysterious savior.

    She didn¡¯t get a chance to. By the time she¡¯d grabbed the de and straightened again, the assassin¡¯s struggles had ceased. The drunkard held the now-dead man by the hair, a huge gash in his throat still weeping.

    Melissa¡¯s blood turned ice cold as she met the drunkard¡¯s gaze. His eyes had lost the drunken ze and were as cold as the ice-blue sea. Her hair stood on end and she took a step back. Then she stopped herself.

    <em>It doesn¡¯t matter what he looks like. This man just saved my life. Is he one of Father¡¯s old warriors? Maybe I got a little lucky for once. Gods know I deserve it... but I don¡¯t recognize this man.</em>

    Her father¡¯s words rang through her head.

    <em>Assume nothing. Trust nobody but yourself and your word. Others lie, but a noble is nothing more than their word and the actions they take to enforce it.</em>

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Melissa said, bowing her head. ¡°I owe you my life.¡±

    ¡°Just get off my street. It¡¯s been too damned loud as ofte,¡± the ragged man said, slinging the dead assassin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

    <em>I¡¯d offer you something, but I don¡¯t have anything to give. Not yet.</em>

    Melissa opened her mouth to thank him once more as she went to oblige his request. The words she was trying to form caught in her throat as the icy feeling in her skin spread, stretching fingers into her chest.

    She froze. Her lips felt gummy and thick. Her gaze jerked down and she ripped the hole in her shirt open wider, staring down at the point where the sword had bit into her. The small wound was a sickly gray.

    <em>Poison. A strong one. Fuck.</em>

    Somewhere in the back of Melissa¡¯s head, she dimly heard her father admonishing her for using words unsuitable to a noble. She barely registered it. Her eyes darted back to those of the drunkard as her throat tightened and started to close in on itself.

    ¡°Poisoned,¡± Melissa wheezed. She struggled to swallow, but her body rebelled against her. Saliva dribbled down the corner of her mouth and she wiped it with a shaking hand.

    <em>I need to find a healer. </em>

    She tried to take a step, but the poison spread at a rapid pace and had already ripped the strength from her limbs. The assassin must have been paid well. Nothing cheap worked this quickly or effectively.

    Melissa pitched forward. She braced herself tond face-first on the cold stone, but steely hands caught her before she could hit the ground. The world swam around her. A muted curse echoed in the distance. Melissa wheezed as she tried and failed to draw in a breath. Her muscles seized and clenched as a massive cramp crushed her entire body in a vice grip.

    She felt herself get hoisted into the air and slung over something ¡ª and then the world was gone in a blur of pain and confusion.

 Chapter 206: Melissa

    Chapter 206: Melissa

    The back door of the smithy mmed open while Arwin had a pool of metal cupped in his palms, nearly causing him to fling it straight into the air. He and Lillia spun to find Reya standing in the doorway, her features pale.

    ¡°An old dude just showed up with someone really sick and broke the door on the way in,¡± Reya said, speaking so quickly that her words ovepped each other. It took Arwin a second to decode what she meant.

    ¡°He showed up with what?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Did you say he broke my door?¡± Lillia demanded.

    Arwin sucked the [Soul me] from his hearth and dropped the pool of metal to the side. The look in Reya¡¯s eyes told him that there was no time to sit around talking. He and Lillia practically sprinted out of the smithy as they followed Reya back to the Devil¡¯s Den.

    The door was indeed broken. It had cracked right down the middle. One half of itid on the ground while the other hung crookedly from the hinges. Arwin shoved it out of the way as they all rushed into the inn.

    A young womanid on the top of Lillia¡¯s counter, her chest rising and falling with weak, wheezing breaths. Anna stood above her with her features twisted into a mask of concentration. Soft white light poured from her hands and into the girl¡¯s body, making it glow like a torch in the night.

    The rest of the Menagerie was gathered around the table, watching her with concern ¡ª but they weren¡¯t alone. Standing in the corner of the room, out of the way, was the drunkard. It was the first time Arwin had ever seen him hanging around in a group.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lillia asked as she rushed over to the table, her doorpletely forgotten.¡°He just showed up with this girl,¡± Rodrick replied, nodding over to the drunkard without taking his eyes off the girl. ¡°Anna¡¯s doing everything she can to stabilize her. The girl¡¯s poisoned. She¡¯s got Cure, but if it hasn¡¯t fixed the issue yet, then it¡¯s something really nasty.¡±

    ¡°Who did it?¡± Arwin asked. His hand flexed and Verdant ze appeared in his grip. ¡°Are they still in the area? Do we need to prepare for an attack?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the drunkard said, his raspy voice cutting through the room. ¡°The assant is dead. He was alone.¡±

    There was no room for doubt in his words. Arwin hesitated for a second. Something about the way the white-haired man spoke felt almost familiar. It wasn¡¯t that he recognized the person ¡ª Arwin was certain he¡¯d never met the drunkard before they¡¯d run into each other on the street. This definitely wasn¡¯t the time to dig deeper. Not yet, at least.

    ¡°Can we do anything to help Anna?¡± Olive¡¯s face creased with concern and she nervously tapped on the hilt of her sword as she shifted from foot to foot. ¡°Is there something we could get her?¡±

    ¡°Just time,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°And don¡¯t distract her. I didn¡¯t see any serious physical wounds on the girl, so this is something really nasty she¡¯s got stuck in her. If Anna loses concentration, it could be all over.¡±

    A low groan slipped out of the girl¡¯s lips in between her wheezes for air. Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched and he nced around the room in search of something he could do to help. He had no desire to watch a teenager die right in front of him while he stood around and twiddled his fingers.

    Thankfully, Lillia was less lost. She grabbed Arwin¡¯s arm and dragged him toward the kitchen. ¡°Come on. You¡¯re helping. We need to make something for her to eat that¡¯ll give her some strength. It¡¯ll help Anna stabilize her.¡±

    Arwin hurried after her, grateful to have something to do. Lillia thrust a finger at the stovetop. ¡°Fire. You can get it hot faster than I can.¡±

    He obliged, summoning a ball of [Soul me] and setting it into the stove. Lillia shoved a pan onto the me and hurried over to her ice chest, where she grabbed arge piece of marinating Wyrmling meat. She shot back over to the counter and pped it down.

    Arwin grabbed the knife from the other side of the counter and handed it to her before Lillia could even reach for it. She nodded to him as she held the meat down and whacked the knife down on it.

    ¡°I need oil. It¡¯s near the ice chest,¡± Lillia said as she started to dice the meat with practiced, heavy cuts. Every swing carved straight through it and struck the wood below with a thunk.

    Arwin rushed to oblige. He grabbed a metal pitcher, giving it a quick sniff before bringing it back over to Lillia. She took it from him and poured some into the pan. Lillia brushed a hand along the handle and a shimmer of pale gray energy slipped from her fingers into it.

    <em>She¡¯s putting magic into the tools, not just the food. Lillia did say she did that before, but I never really thought about it. </em>

    Lillia tested the pan with the back of a hand, then nodded. She grabbed the diced meat and dumped it into the pan. It instantly started to sizzle and hiss as it met the hot metal. Lillia nced back at him.

    ¡°Do the same thing we did a bit ago. It worked then, and we need all the power we can get with a poison that bad. Focus on strength and robustness. Think of how healthy and strong the Wyrmlings were.¡±

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    Arwin nodded. He put his hands on Lillia¡¯s waist, pushing her shirt up just enough to make contact while she tended to the pan. He hadn¡¯t tried imbuing another person with his energy before, but it couldn¡¯t have been that different from working directly with metal.

    He focused on what Lillia had suggested, filling his intent with visions of the Wyrmlings¡¯ terrifying muscles and powerful tails. Magical energy poured through his hands and into Lillia¡¯s back. His palms tingled with rushing power, but Lillia didn¡¯t react.

    She waspletely focused on the food in the pan. She sent her and Arwin¡¯s energy into the te and asionally moved the chunks of meat around, somehow knowing exactly when to turn them so that every side was charred to the perfect color.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the room was filled with a tantalizing scent that really didn¡¯t seem to fit the mood in the slightest. Tension stiffened Arwin¡¯s back like an iron rod. He had no clue how things were going in the other room. He didn¡¯t know if the girl was still alive, or if she¡¯d even be able to eat.

    They didn¡¯t have time to wonder. Lillia didn¡¯t waste a single move. She worked with practiced efficiency, her face tight inplete concentration. It only took her a few minutes to finish cooking the meat.

    ¡°te,¡± Lillia ordered, nodding to a shelf at their side. Arwin took his hands off her and grabbed one, setting it down even as she shifted the meat from the pan onto it. He sucked the [Soul me] back from the stove as Lillia picked the te up, snagging a fork as they hurried back into the main room.

    It had been nearly ten minutes since they¡¯d entered the kitchen, but Anna and the girl were still in the exact same position. A droplet of sweat rolled down Anna¡¯s concentrated face and Arwin could see the muscles in her jaw and neck taut with tension.

    Her efforts weren¡¯t for naught. The girl on the counter was breathing noticeably easier than she had been before. The wheezing had lessened, though her face was still twisted in pain.

    ¡°I¡¯m running out of energy here,¡± Anna said through gritted teeth, speaking for the first time since Arwin and Lillia had returned with Reya. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got the worst of it out, but this is beyond what I¡¯ve dealt with before. She¡¯s not going to be fully recovered.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got something that might help. Will she be awake?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s already awake. She¡¯s just doing nothing to conserve energy,¡± Anna replied. The energy pouring from her hands started to fade. Her eyes narrowed and the light intensified again, but it was clear she wasn¡¯t going to be able to continue for much longer. ¡°Someone¡¯s taught this girl what to do when she was poisoned. That¡¯s notmon training.¡±

    ¡°We can deal with who she ister,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Can we help in any way?¡±

    Anna nodded to Lillia¡¯s food. ¡°That. Her body needs energy. I just hope she¡¯s got enough strength to eat. I¡¯m going to rest as much as I can and then get back to work. The poison is still in her system, not to mention the damage it¡¯s done to her body. I was focused on keeping it from spreading farther.¡±

    Lillia speared a piece of meat with her fork and held it out before her like a torch. ¡°I¡¯m ready. I¡¯ll feed her.¡±

    The light pouring from Anna¡¯s hands faltered. She stepped back, stumbled, and fell into Rodrick¡¯s hands. She barely even seemed to notice. Her eyes werepletely fixed on the girl on the countertop.

    The girl¡¯s lips parted. Her eyes fluttered and she groaned, trying to form words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk. Just focus on eating. We¡¯re going to help you sit up,¡± Reya said. She and Olive moved as one to help support the girl¡¯s back and prop her upright. Lillia held the piece of meat out.

    To all of their relief, she seemed to have enough energy to eat. She opened her mouth and Lillia pushed the chunk of Wyrmling meat into it. The girl chewed, then swallowed. Her body stiffened in surprise.

    Then she opened her mouth again. Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce. Then Lillia stabbed another chunk of meat and delivered the payload. The rest of the food followed in rapid session. With every bite the girl took, more energy returned to her posture and color to her skin.

    <em>Lillia¡¯s food is really something else. Anna too. I don¡¯t want to imagine how dangerous this poison was if theirbined efforts are only barely keeping this girl alive.</em>

    Once the te was cleared, Reya and Olive lowered the girl back down. Her breathing had steadied and the wheezing had stoppedpletely. Anna got back up, waving Rodrick¡¯s worried look away with a hand, and summoned healing light forth once more.

    ¡°Where am I?¡± the girl asked, her voice still weak. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Just rest,¡± Arwin said. He nced over at the drunkard, who still watched quietly from the shadows. ¡°You¡¯re safe. Someone brought you to us. There¡¯s apetent healer looking over you. You¡¯re going to be okay.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s true, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to say anything else.</em>

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the girl murmured. ¡°Is the white-haired man here too? He saved me.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±

    Her lips twitched in a smile and she let out a small sigh. ¡°Good. I owe him. I owe you too.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much,¡± Anna said. ¡°Rest. There¡¯s just one thing that matters right now. Who are you, and why is someone trying to kill you? Should we prepare for them to try again?¡±

    A flicker of pain passed over the girl¡¯s features. She hesitated for a second before answering.

    ¡°My name is Melissa. I am¡­ important. And yes. If my body isn¡¯t found, more assassins wille. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯ve done enough. I think I can move again. I won¡¯t bring you any more trouble.¡±

    Melissa started to shift forward.

    ¡°Lay down,¡± Anna barked with such authority that Arwin nearly followed her orders himself. ¡°Anyone I am treating will not move until I have given them leave to do so.¡±

    Even as she spoke, she looked up to Arwin and Lillia with a question ¡ª and amand ¡ª in her eyes. It wasn¡¯t her guild and it wasn¡¯t her inn¡­ but it didn¡¯t matter. Arwin and Lillia nodded in conjunction.

    <em>I¡¯m not about to send someone out in this condition. It¡¯ll take time for people to figure out she¡¯s not dead yet if the assassin died as well. We can let her stay for at least a while, until we figure out what the hell is going on.</em>

    ¡°But¡ª¡± Melissa started.

    ¡°No questions. Lay down,¡± Anna said curtly. ¡°I¡¯m not done with you yet. If you want to kill yourself for the assassins after you, you can wait until after I¡¯ve finished. Anyone that interferes with my work is wee to get in line to receive it next.¡±

    Melissa swallowed. Then sheid still and argued no more. Arwin would have done the same. In that moment, he was pretty sure absolutely nobody in their right mind would even so much as consider arguing with Anna.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes flicked to the drunkard in the corner of his room. They held each other¡¯s gaze for a second.

    <em>The drunkard didn¡¯t strike me as the type of person able to defeat an assassin this strong without getting so much as a scratch.</em>

    <em>Just who is he¡­ and who is Melissa?</em>

 Chapter 207: Kererus Coalition

    Chapter 207: Kererus Coalition

    The air was taut with tension. Nobody spoke as they all waited to see if their efforts would be enough topletely stop the poison ripping through Melissa¡¯s body. Seconds dragged on, rolling by just like the droplets of sweat that traced down Anna¡¯s concentrated face.

    As the minutes went by, Melissa¡¯s posture continued to rx. The top of the counter definitely wasn¡¯tfortable, but her back, arched in pain, eased. Her white knuckles unclenched and her breathing steadily drew softer and calmer.

    Anna continued to watch over her and push magic into Melissa¡¯s body whenever she gathered enough energy to get back to work. Lillia looked like she wanted to go cook something else, but there was only so much food that somebody could eat at once.

    There was nothing they could do but hope that Anna had what she needed to and Melissa could gather the strength to pull through with her aid. Arwin could nearly taste the frustration in the air.

    He could fight a monster. He could block an attack. But this ¡ª he couldn¡¯t do anything other than watch. The others were the same. Even the drunkard in the corner radiated unease. There wasn¡¯t a single feeling in the world that stung more than helplessness.

    Arwin was no more than a few seconds away from heading upstairs just so he could pace back and forth without distracting Anna when she finally let her hands drop and rest against the counter.

    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Anna said through a weary sigh and a smile. ¡°Nine Undends, that was a tenacious poison. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen anything like that.¡±

    Rodrick wiped the sweat from Anna¡¯s brow with the back of his sleeve and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to support her. ¡°The girl¡¯s fine, then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a girl. I¡¯m grown,¡± Melissa said, her voice nearly twice as strong as thest time she had spoken. There was a confident, strong air to her tone that would have felt more at ce at the side of amander rather than someone her age. ¡°And thanks to your efforts, I believe I am.¡±Melissa pushed herself upright. This time, nobody stopped her. Whatever she¡¯d been nning to say was put on pause as she finally got her first proper look at the tavern. A frilly dress-d imp stood in the shadows, hands wrung in response to Lillia¡¯s concern.

    Lillia herself stood across from her, tail and purple skin in broad view. Some stroke of luck had spared them from Madiv being present as well, but Lillia was definitely more than enough to give anyone sane pause.

    Melissa hesitated for a grand total of three seconds before gathering herself and getting her surprised features under control. She swallowed before speaking. ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve been captured by the Horde.¡±

    <em>Why is she so apathetic about it? Shouldn¡¯t you be more concerned if you think the horde kidnapped you?</em>

    ¡°No, no, nothing like that!¡± Lillia said hurriedly, lifting her hands to show they were empty. ¡°You¡¯re still in Milten. This is a themed tavern.¡±

    ¡°This is Lillia,¡± Arwin said, putting a hand on the demon queen¡¯s shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. ¡°She¡¯s the owner of the Devil¡¯s Den, a monster themed tavern. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so dark in here. The imp in the corner is a shadow construct she made.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s brow furrowed. She hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. ¡°I ¡ª oh. That does make sense. No actual monster would live somewhere so¡­ obviously monster-like. It¡¯s over the top. I see. My apologies. I didn¡¯t mean to sound ungrateful.¡±

    ¡°I think we can give you a pass considering how close you were to dying,¡± Anna said from behind Melissa. She walked around the counter to get a better look at the girl¡¯s face, then nodded to herself. ¡°You¡¯ve got some color back. How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Melissa said, a note of wonder entering her voice. ¡°Like I could bound over a rooftop with a single jump. What did you do to me?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the feeling better part, that would be Anna. She¡¯s a very talented healer,¡± Lillia said, giving the girl a winning smile. ¡°The excess energy you feel now is because I fed you Wyrmling steak. I use special ingredients to help it give you a boost of strength. It won¡¯tst forever, but it¡¯ll help you recover.¡±

    ¡°Ooh,¡± Melissa said with a knowing nod. ¡°Drugs.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia eximed. ¡°No! I don¡¯t drug my food. It¡¯s just my ss.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Melissa said, bowing her head repeatedly in embarrassment. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d said that out loud. My head is still a little hazy. I really don¡¯t mean to cause any offense. I owe all of you a formal thanks for saving my life. Especially the man in the corner. He brought me here, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Arwin followed Melissa¡¯s gaze to the drunkard. The white-haired man curled his lip in distaste and looked down into his empty tankard. He gave them a half-hearted shrug. ¡°Didn¡¯t do much.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s how you see it, but I value my life quite a bit,¡± Melissa said. ¡°Would you all be willing to share your names with me? I am¡­ not in a good position right now, but I swear I will find a way to repay all of you.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I¡¯m Arwin. You already know Lillia and Anna¡¯s name. Rodrick is the guy next to Anna. The girl with the dagger is Reya, and the one by her side is Olive. And as for our white haired friend, I think I¡¯d like to know that as well,¡± Arwin said, sending the drunkard a t look. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could even think of the man as a drunkard anymore.

    ¡°My name doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the drunkard said. ¡°If you want to thank me, feel free to buy me a drink. Mine is out.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s cheeks colored in embarrassment and her face fell. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any money right now. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯d offer to spend time here and work my debt off, but I fear my presence may be more trouble than the work I can do. The sooner I leave, the better. I swear I won¡¯t forget this, though. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said as he raised a hand to forestall any more apologies. He wasn¡¯t about to get blindsided by some pissed off guild. Not again. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you here, but I¡¯d like to know what we¡¯ve gotten ourselves into by helping you. Tell us why someone is sending assassins after you. After that, if you still want to leave, you¡¯ll be wee to. We can even give you some supplies.¡±

    Hope tinged Melissa¡¯s expression. She swallowed, hands tightening at her sides, and she inclined her head. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s only fair. My name is Melissa Montibeau.¡±

    She let her words trail off into silence, giving them an expectant look. Everyone sent her a t stare in response. Arwin nced over to the drunkard, but he seemed equally as lost. The man just looked down into his empty tankard with a despondent expression.

    ¡°That¡¯s a nice name, but something tells me the assassins aren¡¯t after you because they want to steal it,¡± Arwin said gently.

    ¡°Do¡­ you not know who I am?¡± Melissa asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t the faintest clue,¡± Anna said. Olive and Reya both shrugged as well.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know who I am, why did you go through so much effort to help me?¡± Melissa asked in shock.

    ¡°Because you were dying and showed up at Lillia¡¯s door. I¡¯m a healer. My job is to heal.¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d have done it for anyone, and Lillia would have too. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to why your name is relevant?¡±

    ¡°My family ¡ª the Montibeaus ¡ª are a noble family that works with a number of small merchant guilds. We don¡¯t have any major ones, but we have enough small ones that we have a pretty effective foothold in several small towns. Milten is one of them,¡± Melissa said. There was a strong note of pride in her voice. She swung her legs over the side of the counter to sit more properly and her shoulders slumped. ¡°At least, we had a good hold. My father died two weeks ago, and everything has been unraveling since.¡±

    ¡°Your father¡­ am I remiss in guessing that he was the head of your family?¡± Arwin asked.

    Melissa nodded. Her lower lip quivered for just an instant before she steeled her features and set her jaw. ¡°He was. I suspect one of the rival families killed him. But right now, it doesn¡¯t matter. I can¡¯t afford to wonder or specte. I need to get back to my family before everything he built is destroyed.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m following where this is going,¡± Rodrick said. His eyes held none of their typical joviality. ¡°The assassins are from the other families to put the final nail in your family¡¯s coffin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the conclusion I¡¯vee to as well. My father taught me everything he knew about our business. If I could get back and take control, I¡¯d be able to stop this. I can¡¯t undo the damage, but I can keep it from getting worse. And that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. Once I get back to my family and stop it from crumbling, I swear on my family name that I¡¯ll repay all of you for what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    <em>Why am I not surprised that it¡¯s a merchant guild causing trouble? They might not be fighters themselves, but they seem perfectly happy to kill people in every single indirect way known to man. Who needs to fight yourself when you can just hire some assassin and outfit them with a deadly poison? </em>

    ¡°Do you know what guild may be targeting you?¡± Arwin asked, suspicionden in his tone. If it was the Ardent guild ¡ª

    ¡°A group called the Kererus Coalition. I¡¯m almost certain of it. They¡¯re powerful, but I didn¡¯t think they had a strong presence in Milten. I was wrong. If I hadn¡¯t been out when they initially attacked, they would have killed me then and there. I went to try and find some mercenaries to hire.¡± Melissa¡¯s fists clenched in fury. ¡°But I lost all my gold. It got stolen.¡±

    Arwin winced in sympathy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s life,¡± Melissa said. She slid down from the counter and swayed for a moment. Arwin reached to steady her, but she caught her bnce on her own. Melissa held his gaze, irond determination etched into her expression. ¡°It just means that wasn¡¯t the right path. I¡¯ll find a new one. I have to. I won¡¯t let my father¡¯s legacy be destroyed like this. I will seed. I have to.¡±

    He believed her. Even after shaking hands with death, she stood before him with squared jaws and not an ounce of missing confidence. She was driven ¡ª and it was a drive he recognized.

    <em>I like this kid. She¡¯s got fire.</em>

    Arwin realized that Lillia was looking at him. She caught his attention and gave him a slight nod. The rest of the Menagerie all had the same look in their eyes. This wasn¡¯t their fight. They couldn¡¯t afford to save everyone. Arwin knew that ¡ª but power didn¡¯te without risk.

    The greatest victories were the ones wrested from the jaws of defeat. And, when there was a great victory, there was attention. A small smile pulled at Arwin¡¯s lips.

    <em>Maybe I¡¯m just telling myself this to justify my actions. Even if that¡¯s true, I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t stand aside when I can make a difference. </em>

    <em>Besides, I already decided that it was about time to start making some basic magic weaponry and selling it to select individuals. </em>

    ¡°Maybe you should stick around for just a little longer before you leave,¡± Arwin suggested. He activated [Arsenal] and summoned all of his equipment aside from his gauntlets and helm. ¡°We¡¯re no mercenaries, but I¡¯ve always liked an underdog story. I can¡¯t fight your battles for you¡­ but I <em>can</em> give you the tools to win them. If you¡¯re the head of your family, then you¡¯ve got the authority to ept deals on their behalf.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª I don¡¯t understand,¡± Melissa said, her eyes going wide. ¡°What are you offering? I can¡¯t afford anything right now. I¡¯mpletely destitute.¡±

    ¡°Forget money for now. It sounds like you¡¯ve only got to deal with assassins, not armies or warriors prepared for a serious fight. I can outfit you with magical equipment. I can¡¯t guarantee you¡¯ll win with it, but it¡¯ll give you a fighting chance. I think your family could help me a lot in the future, and if you take these bastards down using my gear, it¡¯ll bring me fame and attention. That¡¯s what I¡¯m after. Win-win.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll¡­ just give me magical gear?¡± Melissa asked in disbelief. ¡°Something strong enough to let me fight the assassins? For free?¡±

    ¡°Not for free. You¡¯ll pay me back in the future.¡± Arwin extended a hand to her. ¡°Let¡¯s call it an investment.¡±

 Chapter 208: Eight

    Chapter 208: Eight

    Melissa stared at Arwin¡¯s extended hand like it were made of solid gold. Her eyes flicked up to his face. It was so silent in the room that Arwin could almost make out her heartbeat. Thought shed through Melissa¡¯s eyes but her features gave nothing away, the trained mask of a professional.

    And, in that second, she found her choice. Her hand lifted to sp Arwin¡¯s. ¡°If you can give me anything that gives me so much as a chance, then I ept. Any price you require so long as it leaves my family intact is eptable.¡±

    ¡°I require nothing but the fame you will earn my work and future partnership. I won¡¯t say no to some money once you have your feet back out under you, but that¡¯s it,¡± Arwin said as they shook. He released Melissa¡¯s hand and it dropped back to her side. ¡°There¡¯s only so far that weapons and armor can take you. If you want to deal with a threat this big, you¡¯ll still need warriors.¡±

    ¡°Are you offering¡ª¡±

    Arwin shook his head before Melissa had finished her question. ¡°Sorry. I am not. My guild are not mercenaries. I¡¯ll outfit you. Anna and Lillia will heal you, and we¡¯ll protect you while you¡¯re in our walls, but we¡¯re not going to start a war. We aren¡¯t strong enough to, nor can we afford to.¡±

    Melissa didn¡¯t look surprised. She just nodded her understanding. ¡°I understand. I still had to try.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Arwin said, a small smile crossing over his features. He could still smell the tantalizing juice from the meal he and Lillia had made. Some more food sounded fantastic after a near crisis had been averted, but there was one more thing to handle before he could worry about that. ¡°It¡¯ll take me some time to get you a full set. None of my own guild even have something like that yet. I¡¯ll need a week at the very least. Possibly more.¡±

    ¡°A week,¡± Melissa repeated. She rolled the words over in her mouth as if tasting them. Her expression was inscrutable. Her father really had trained her well as a merchant. The more she recovered from the residuals of the poison and got her feet out from under her, the harder it was to figure out what she was thinking or read any fear in her expression. ¡°Far shorter than I would have expected for magical items, but still far longer than I would have liked. Even a day is too long to dy my task, but I was prepared for worse. I will find a ce to stay.¡±

    ¡°Why look?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°This one will work just fine. I guarantee you won¡¯t find cheaper ¡ª or safer.¡±¡°You have rooms?¡±

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den is more than a tavern,¡± Lillia said with the smile of a business woman. Melissa wasn¡¯t injured anymore, so selling to her was no longer a faux pas. ¡°Only a silver for a night. I know you don¡¯t have any money now, but you¡¯ll need some if you n to get anything aplished. I imagine someone as resourceful as you can get a job quickly.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ will try,¡± Melissa said hesitantly. ¡°A silver is better than I expected. It is reasonable. I will do what I can to find a ce to earn money.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll set you up if you can¡¯t,¡± Arwin promised. He pped the girl on the shoulder gently to avoid identally hurting her, then turned to look at the drunkard in the corner of the tavern. He¡¯d retreated to the shadows at the back of the room, but Arwin could still see his pure blue eyes as clear as day. ¡°And that only leaves you.¡±

    ¡°What of me? You heard the girl,¡± the drunkard said with a wave of his empty tankard. The wall creaked as he pushed away from it and stepped into the dimntern light. ¡°She can¡¯t afford a drink. Are you nning to cover it for her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a question for Lillia, but one I suspect she¡¯d be happy to oblige if you answer one small question,¡± Arwin said. He leaned against the counter and met the drunkard¡¯s gaze. ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t think any of us believe that you¡¯re just some random man that lives on our street anymore.¡±

    ¡°<em>Your</em> street?¡± the drunkard let out a snort and gestured at Arwin with the tankard in his hand. ¡°You say that like you were the first here. This is <em>my </em>street, smith.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t argue that you lived here first,¡± Arwin said with a grunt. Annoyance tugged at his stomach and his fingers drummed against the wooden counter. ¡°And legally speaking, it¡¯s our street. You lived here, but you never tried to improve anything. We fixed these shops. We¡¯ve tried to improve things and make them livable.¡±

    ¡°They were perfectly livable. All you did was make them loud and bring waves of scum through them.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. He was more than aware it wasn¡¯tpletely fair to demand the drunkard¡¯s identity. The man didn¡¯t owe them anything. If he didn¡¯t want to speak about himself, then there was nothing Arwin could justifiably use as leverage.

    <em>That doesn¡¯t make me want to know any less. This isn¡¯t just a drunkard. I don¡¯t even know his name. This must be how people feel when they realize that Lillia and I are more than we seem to be. </em>

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°Won¡¯t you at least give me a name? I can¡¯t force you to say anything, but I¡¯ve been thinking of you as ¡®the drunkard¡¯ for too long. This is our street. Like it or not, you don¡¯t live alone. I¡¯d like to be good neighbors, but I can¡¯t do that if you insist on keeping a wall up.¡±

    The drunkard let out a sharp burst ofughter. ¡°What makes you think that I give a rat¡¯s ass about being good neighbors, smith? I don¡¯t dislike you or your group. You¡¯re loud and bring far too much attention, but I can tolerate that. There have been worse that tried to move in before you. That doesn¡¯t give you the right to know anything about me. Don¡¯t spoil a good thing.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    It was a few seconds before Arwin responded. He ran a hand through his hair, contemting the drunkard¡¯s words. Then he inclined his head. If that was going to be how things were, then he really couldn¡¯t argue. It was the drunkard¡¯s choice.

    <em>Not enemies, but not friends. I suppose that¡¯s what we¡¯ve got to work with. I can¡¯t make somebody like us, and I can¡¯t make them reveal their past. That said¡­</em>

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to know your history or who you are. But I do have the right to protect myself and my people, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. I can¡¯t and won¡¯t force you to tell me your life story. I¡¯m not your king. But if you won¡¯t say anything about yourself, how do I know you aren¡¯t selling information to the other guilds?¡±

    It was the drunkard¡¯s turn to be silent. A second crawled by. Two. Finally, the white-haired man let out a disgruntled huff.

    ¡°Because I would not harm someone unable to fight back. That is the only answer you will draw from me.¡±

    His words rang true. There was no way to verify them, but Arwin believed the man, nheless. It spoke numbers in his favor that he¡¯d just risked his life to save a woman he didn¡¯t know from an assassin.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ve got nothing more to say,¡± Arwin said with a small nod. ¡°You¡¯re wee in our tavern whenever you want. We have more rooms as well if you ever want to stay somewhere off the streets.¡±

    ¡°I far prefer thepany of the alleys to that of the living. I am content.¡± The drunkard paused for a moment before speaking again. ¡°But the offer is noted.¡±

    Their conversation was just about at its natural stopping point, but it didn¡¯t get a chance to farther even if they¡¯d wanted it too. A thud rang out against the door.

    ¡°Let me in!¡± Madiv¡¯s curt voice came from the other side.

    Reya jogged over to the door and pulled it open. The vampire stood on the other side, his frilly suit slightly ruffled and a stter of red once again sprayed across his front. Arwin suppressed a sigh. It looked like Madiv had lost another fight with ¡ª

    <em>Wait. </em>

    The subtle smell of metal and iron in the air. It clung to Madiv like a specter.

    <em>That¡¯s not ketchup on him. That¡¯s blood. </em>

    ¡°Madiv?¡± Lillia asked, instantly catching on. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t tell me you got into another problem with the Ardent guild.¡±

    ¡°I do not believe it was the Ardent guild,¡± Madiv replied. ¡°But there is a trained group of killers encroaching on our territory. Eight men in grey uniforms and with masked faces.¡±

    ¡°Gray? Eight men?¡± Rodrick¡¯s eyes sharpened and he spun toward Melissa. ¡°The assassin that tried to kill you. He wore gray? You never said he wore gray.¡±

    ¡°I - I didn¡¯t realize it was relevant,¡± Melissa stammered. She took a step back and bumped into the counter at the anger in Rodrick¡¯s voice. ¡°The assassins couldn¡¯t have found me already. It¡¯s not possible. And eight of them? I¡¯m not worth nearly that many men!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Olive asked. Her hand fell to the hilt of her sword. ¡°Rodrick, it sounds like you know something. Maybe you¡¯d like to share?¡±

    ¡°Gray clothed assassins that travel in groups of ten,¡± Rodrick said, his voice grim. ¡°Yes, I know of them. They¡¯re members of the Falling de. A guild of assassins for hire. They only take major jobs and are quite expensive.¡±

    ¡°A group like that was hired to kill me?¡± Melissa asked, her face going as pale as a sheet. Her back pressed against the counter as she fought to swallow. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Olive said. ¡°Madiv counted eight. One is dead. Where¡¯s thest one?¡±

    ¡°One attempted to apprehend me for questioning. He did not believe they were in dangerous territory.¡± Madiv adjusted his cufflinks and looked over his shoulder. ¡°I rectified his misconception. Eight remain.¡±

    <em>I¡¯ve never seen Madiv fight, but if he was able to handle one, we can fight back. I¡¯ll be damned if I let a group of assassins stroll onto my damn street and do what they want.</em>

    ¡°How much shit are we in?¡± Olive asked. ¡°Can we win?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve got different groups in the guild. I can¡¯t say for certain,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to have much choice. If Madiv already killed one, it won¡¯t be long before they¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°I can leave,¡± Melissa said, and her voice only trembled slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing you all into this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Arwin said curtly. He scanned the tavern as he felt adrenaline start to pump through his veins. There were no signs of anyone lurking in the shadows, and he suspected Lillia would have known if anyone was there anyway. ¡°Two of their members are already dead. We¡¯re in conflict already. No point for you to just kill yourself on top of everything.¡±

    ¡°How far are they?¡± Reya asked. She gripped the hilt of her dagger and shifted from foot to foot in either anticipation or worry. Knowing the weapon she had, it was probably a mixture of the two.

    A shadow rose up behind Madiv. Arwin called out a warning and lunged forward, but the vampire was faster. He spun and hands pped together, stopping a sword an inch before it could drive into his neck.

    Madiv thrust the de to the side and twirled out of the way as the shadows pulled back fully, revealing a gray-clothed man slightly shorter than Arwin. He carried several throwing knives at his waist and had a second sword strapped to his other side.

    Behind him, three other shadows rose up from the ground. Every single one of them looked identical. Arwin couldn¡¯t tell one from the other. There was no sign of the other assassins, but that was no surprise.

    <em>I¡¯ve fought stealth-focused monsters before. They use a few to draw the attention, then send their real force in while you¡¯re focused on the bait. </em>

    The assassin that had cut at Madiv took a step back, joining the ranks of the other gray-clothed men instead of trying to press the attack any further.

    ¡°Step aside. You are in our way,¡± one of the men said. The voice came from their general direction, but it was impossible to tell which of them had spoken. Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward and summoned his helm.

    ¡°This is our territory. Leave,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That¡¯s the only warning you¡¯re going to get.¡±

    ¡°We do not need a ughter. Put aside your misced sense of honor and step out of the way, or you will join the ranks of the dead today. Do not make the mistake of believing that you have a fighting chance against us because two of our members were killed while they were on their own.¡±

    Arwin activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed]. Invisible threads stretched out to three of the visible men, and another thread stretched to the rooftop to his left, locating what was likely an assassin lying in wait. Some of them had magical items, and several of them at that. They were well equipped.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee to do what you want when she¡¯s outside of our tavern,¡± Arwin said tly. ¡°We don¡¯t care. But if youe to my territory and try to start killing, then we¡¯re going to have a problem. Practice your vile profession elsewhere. Leave, or I¡¯ll make you.¡±

    ¡°If you remain in our path, then we are enemies,¡± the assassins¡¯ voice warned. All the men lowered their stances, reaching for their weapons. ¡°This is your only warning.¡±

    <em>Then that we are.</em><em>I¡¯ve learned my lesson about leaving enemies alive. </em>

    ¡°Come, then,¡± Arwin said. Verdant ze formed in his grip. He drove the butt of the hammer down into the ground beside him. ¡°Come and die.¡±

 Chapter 209: Brawl

    Chapter 209: Brawl

    There were times when Arwin knew holding back was important. Times where he kept the full extent of his abilities hidden so nobody would ever have so much as a reason to connect him with his former life.

    This wasn¡¯t one of those times. Revealing his strength was only an issue when someone lived to spread the tale. And, today, Arwin didn¡¯t n on leaving any witnesses. He heard the rest of the Menagerie pouring out of the door behind him, but he didn¡¯t wait on their arrival.

    He exploded into motion. [Scourge] pumped energy into his legs as he burst forward, Verdant ze¡¯s head streaking through the air like a fallinget toward the nearest assassin. The man¡¯s eyes ¡ª the only visible part of his face ¡ª widened, but he was well trained.

    Leaning back, the assassin just barely managed to move out of the way of the hammer. He moved with blinding speed as he grabbed a dagger from his waist and drove it up for Arwin, aiming for his exposed palm.

    Arwin¡¯s gauntlets mmed into ce around his arms. The assassin¡¯s dagger rang off them with a resounding ng and he dismissed Verdant ze, plunging his right hand straight into the assassin¡¯s chest and using [Scourge] to elerate his movements.

    The ws on his fingertips ripped through the man¡¯s light clothes and into his flesh. Hissing in pain, the assassin arched back and vaulted off his hands,nding several feet away. Streams of twisting red and ck energy swirled from the wounds and into Arwin¡¯s left gauntlet, vanishing into the gem in its back.

    One of the assassins hurled what looked to be a small stone. It shed through the air before striking Arwin in the side of his helm. The purple gemstone in the center of his armor red as a brilliant sh lit the street, momentarily blinding him.

    Several feet scuffed on the ground beside Arwin. Thick white spots still danced in his vision, but he¡¯d fought Lillia¡¯s armies in the dark more times than he could count. It had been a long time since he¡¯d relied on just a single sense to fight.

    Arwin leapt to the side, driving his shoulder into an unsuspecting assassin¡¯s chest with a snarl. He felt the bone in their chest crunch under his weight and he threw himself forward, mming the man to the ground.The back of the man¡¯s head struck the hard stone with a crack. Arwin¡¯s hand moved before the sound had even finished echoing through the street, driving down into the assassin¡¯s head with a wet crunch.

    His helm activated and a sickly aura rolled off it in a wave. At the same time, energy pumped through Arwin¡¯s legs and burned into his muscles as the greaves stole power from the dead man and entered him.

    Two loud ngs of metal on metal rang out behind Arwin. He rolled to the side, rising from the dead assassin¡¯s body and blinking furiously to clear the rest of his vison. Rodrick and Olive stood behind him, their swords drawn and matching the des of two assassins.

    Anna had taken up position in the doorway and held her staff before her defensively. Reya stood with Madiv a short distance ahead of her, squaring off against one more assassin of their own ¡ª and they were right below the assassin on the roof.

    ¡°Above you!¡± Arwin roared, even as the gray-clothed man dropped down like a shadow, two des extended to drive into Reya and Madiv¡¯s backs in a single motion. They both looked up and Reya extended a hand, blue magic gathering at her fingertips.

    The spell didn¡¯t get a chance to go off. The assassin jerked to a halt, the swords spinning from his hands. A loud snap rang out and his legs kicked desperately as he grasped at his neck. A garrote had wrapped around it and ran back into the pale hands of the blue-eyed drunkard as he rose to stand at the edge of the roof.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled. He spun, summoning Verdant ze and lifting it horizontally before his head. A glowing white sword mmed into the haft of the weapon and a sh of light split the air, momentarily blinding Arwin again.

    <em>One of the hidden assassins. </em>

    He staggered back and swung Verdant ze to keep the man at bay, blinking the momentary blindness away. The gemstone in his chest burned with energy, ready to activate. He didn¡¯t have long to assess the situation.

    The assassin lunged at him, unleashing a blur of sword strikes. Arwin was forced back several steps. He didn¡¯t have a chance to retaliate. Even with the increased speed from his greaves, the assassin was one of the best swordsmen he¡¯d run into since bing a smith. His sword was also almost certainly poisoned. Arwin couldn¡¯t risk getting hit, even if it was just a nick.

    Frustration creased the skin around the assassin¡¯s eyes and he let out a snarl of fury as he brought the sword down in a powerful overhanded swing for Arwin¡¯s head. He lifted Verdant ze, blocking the strike once more, then used his heightened movement speed to lift his leg and m a foot into the gray-clothed man¡¯s chest.

    The assassin rolled with the kick before springing back to his feet,rgely unharmed. Dark energy curled up from the shadows and enveloped his body. He dropped into the ground, vanishing, only to reappear at Arwin¡¯s side. The assassin thrust the glowing de for a gap in the heavy armor.

    Arwin banished Verdant ze to free his hands and batted the de out of the way. It scraped along his armor with a loud screech. Energy red up from the Ivory Executioner¡¯s Chestte as a whip of [Soul me] materialized in a sh and struck the assassin in the side.

    Hissing in pain, the assassin leapt back to keep out of Arwin¡¯s range. He pressed a hand to the wound and energy sputtered around it, but nothing happened. ¡°How are you stopping me from using¡ª¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Arwin swung Verdant ze. Not at the assassin, but at the ground. It struck the floor with a crack and he released the power stored in his chestpiece while squeezing his eyes shut. A sh of brilliant light lit the street and the assassin snarled in pain and surprise.

    In the brief instant Arwin had bought himself, he dashed forward and drew on [Scourge] as he thrust his right hand for the assassin¡¯s chest. The other man tried to twist at the sound of his approach, but he wasn¡¯t near fast enough.

    Blood sttered across the street. Arwin¡¯s razor-sharp gauntleted fingers tore through skin and muscle. They shattered the man¡¯s ribcage and crushed the heart within it. Arwin nted a foot against the assassin¡¯s chest and shoved him back, ripping his hand free and sending more blood sttering across the street.

    More ck energy twisted through the air and entered his gauntlet. The aura roiling off his helm intensified and Arwin felt himself speed up slightly once more. He spun toward the others to see where his help was the most needed.

    The other assassins had all made themselves known when it became evident that the fight wasn¡¯t going in their favor and they couldn¡¯t just keep waiting around for something to change. It was clear that they were well trained. Not a single one of them had run.

    Training, unfortunately, did not a victor make.

    One of the assassinsid dead in a pool of blood before Rodrick and Olive, run through the chest and split almostpletely in half down the middle. Another twoid slumped against each other. They¡¯d both been strangled to death.

    Reya stood above another. His body was shriveled and dry, having been drainedpletely by Wyrmhunger. The rest of the assassinsid in a bloodied mess across the ground. Not a single one of them still drew breath. Anna still remained at her spot in the doorway.

    Arwin drew a deep breath and let it out slowly in attempt to calm the adrenaline racing through his veins. The assassins hadn¡¯t been anywhere near equipped enough to handle the Menagerie, especially after everything they¡¯d already dealt with.

    <em>Good riddance. Vile scum. </em>

    He activated [Dragon¡¯s Greed] once more, detecting the presence of several magical items on the assassins. More importantly, there wasn¡¯t anyone else in the area with magic. They were all dead.

    ¡°Madiv!¡± Reya said, panic tinging her tone as she ran over to the vampire¡¯s side. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Arwin stiffened. The vampire had several long, thin cuts running along his body. With that many wounds, given the nature of the assassin¡¯s weapons¡­

    ¡°By the Demon Queen,¡± Madiv breathed. He dropped the body he was draining and clutched at the wounds, a distraught expression warping his features as he pulled his hand back to see the blood smeared across his fingertips. ¡°My clothes! They¡¯re ruined!¡±

    ¡°Forget the clothes, you idiot!¡± Reya snapped. She spun to Anna, but the healer had already rushed to their side, glowing energy gathering at her hands.

    ¡°Just stay still,¡± Anna ordered. ¡°Moving will make it enter your system faster. You¡¯ve got a lot of cuts, but they¡¯re all fresh. I should be able to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am not poisoned,¡± Madiv said with a scoff. ¡°I cannot be poisoned. My physiology is far too superior for something as pathetic as that. The only healer I am in need of is a tailor ¡ª though I do believe I would ept a grief attendant as well. These are older than the fools that lie dead at our feet.¡±

    Everyone stared at him. The tension slowly seeped out of the air, reced by the thick stench of blood and sweat. Anna lowered her hands and the magic gathered at her fingertips faded away.

    Arwin did a quick count of the assassins on the street. Then he froze. There were only seven. One was missing.

    He burst into motion, dashing past Anna without even wasting a second to exin, and skidded to a halt inside the tavern. An imp knelt beside a single patch of blood on the ground, scrubbing at it with a wet cloth. A chair beside it had blood covering nearly a foot of its legs, as if it had been used to impale something.

    Lillia stood before Melissa, wings of shadow rising above her and a pan held defensively in her hands. Blood was sttered across its base. Her shoulders rxed when she spotted Arwin.

    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°All safe,¡± Arwin confirmed, blowing out a relieved breath. ¡°What happened here?¡±

    ¡°One managed to teleport in. He had shadow magic,¡± Lillia said. She lowered her pan and a small grin tugged at the corners of her lips. ¡°Mine was stronger.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t ask where the man¡¯s body had gone. He wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to know. Every assassin had been ounted for, and that was all that mattered. Arwin dismissed his armor before Melissa could notice his gauntlets. Their stats weren¡¯t hidden and he didn¡¯t want to go around announcing his abilities <em>too </em>much.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arwin asked Melissa.

    The whites of Melissa¡¯s eyes had nearly swallowed her pupils entirely. Her hands trembled despite her best attempts to keep them under control. She gave him a stiff nod.

    ¡°Yes. I ¡ª I¡¯m fine. Lillia protected me. What about¡ª¡±

    ¡°Everyone we care about is alive. Everyone we don¡¯t care about is dead,¡± Arwin said in what he hoped was aforting tone.

    Melissa stared at him in disbelief. ¡°You¡­ killed them? All of them?¡±

    ¡°They were just assassins.¡±

    She swallowed. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t for hire as mercenaries?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Do you even need that anymore? The whole squad is dead.¡±

    ¡°She does,¡± Rodrick said, stepping into the tavern as he rubbed the de of his sword with a cloth. ¡°Anyone willing to hire the Falling de isn¡¯t just going to give up this easily. They¡¯lle again, I¡¯m almost certain of it.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯ll send a stronger group next time.¡± Melissa¡¯s face paled. ¡°That must have been one of their lowest tiers.¡±

    ¡°Eh. I wouldn¡¯t count on it. These guys are expensive. They¡¯ll probably send another group around the same strength and just be a little more cautious. I don¡¯t see why they¡¯d hire anything better for a single girl,¡± Rodrick said with a wave of his hand. ¡°But it¡¯ll take time for that. The Falling de isn¡¯t going to just throw men away. They¡¯re going to try to figure out what happened ¡ª and that¡¯s time you can use.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Melissa asked.

    Arwin had been wondering the same thing. He definitely knew a fair bit about the assassins ¡ª more than just passing knowledge. Rodrick coughed into a fist. ¡°That¡¯s a story that¡¯s too long for the time you¡¯ve got. They¡¯ll be sniffing around soon, and you¡¯ve got a week at most before they move again as long as the money is still flowing.¡±

    ¡°Will it?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Was this business really that lucrative as to justify hiring a second group of even more expensive professional assassins?¡±

    Melissa¡¯s fists tightened and she nodded. ¡°Yes. It might be.¡±

    ¡°Then I suppose we don¡¯t have any time to waste,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what these assassins donated to us. There¡¯s a whole week to get you outfitted.¡±

    ¡°Can you really do that much in just a week?¡± Melissa asked, doubt and worry dripping from her words. ¡°All the best artificers and smiths I¡¯ve known took weeks just to make a single item, and it wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near strong enough to help me fight anyone this talented.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s your problem,¡± Arwin said. He put a hand on Melissa¡¯s shoulder and crouched to be at her eye level. ¡°I am not most smiths.¡±

 Chapter 210: Emerge

    Chapter 210: Emerge

    It was tempting tounch right into work. With only a week to get Melissa ready for what would probably be an even stronger group of assassins than the ones they¡¯d just killed, arge part of Arwin wanted to just start making as many magical items as possible.

    Arwin didn¡¯t let himself fall into that trap. If he did, Melissa was dead. This wasn¡¯t a problem that he could brute force just by making a bunch of powerful set items. He needed to think. To determine a n. There were just too many restrictions and limits he had to ount for to do anything else.

    The first was that Arwin couldn¡¯t just make anything he wanted to. He needed to outfit Melissa, but he didn¡¯t want topletely reveal the full extent of his powers. Giving her a bunch of [Awakened] items would be the end of his freedom if anyone figured out he could make them.

    Even making his ¡°normal¡± magical items had the potential to overy his hand. Given the magic weapons that he¡¯d seen in Milten so far, nearly anything he made was liable to give the average adventurer a heart attack.

    The Falling des¡¯ magical items had only proven that even further. Arwin and Lillia stood in his forge, looking down on the pile of enchanted equipment they¡¯d taken from the grey-clothed men.

    Swords that could sh with blinding light at will. Small metal balls with the same enchantment. Rings that connected to each other and let the wearers send brief messages with their minds at a significant cost of magical energy.

    The strongest weapon of the lot was a wicked looking ck dagger that could inject poison stored in its hilt out through its de the moment it touched someone, ensuring a lethal dose of liquid death was sent straight into a victim¡¯s veins.

    While the magic equipment was effective and useful¡­ it just wasn¡¯t anythingpared to the work Arwin could manage.

    <em>It would be stupid to let that get to my head and manifest any arrogance. I¡¯ve seen magical items that make my equipment right now look pathetic, and I¡¯ve seen it used by adventurers not that much stronger than I am now.</em><em>While I¡¯m confident I have the potential to reach and surpass that level in the future, this isn¡¯t the future. The reason my equipment is so much better is because thepetition is just so much worse. There isn¡¯t much magic this far out in the kingdom. </em>

    <em>And, because of that, it makes everything I can make considerably more valuable. If people discover what I¡¯m capable of, everyrge guild in the outskirts of the kingdom will be knocking on my door. I can¡¯t let that happen.</em>

    That was a bit of a problem. Arwin had fully nned on making rtively weak items, simr to the ones they¡¯d taken from the assassins. But if he made items at this level¡­ there was basically no chance for Melissa to survive.

    ¡°What do I do?¡± Arwin muttered. He picked up one of the marbles and rolled it between his fingers, his lips pressed thin. ¡°I promised Melissa I¡¯d make her something that would let her have a chance of surviving this. How do I do that withoutpletely exposing my own back?¡±

    ¡°Definitely no living items,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Those are more long-term weapons anyway. We¡¯re not trying to make Melissa the strongest warrior in the kingdom. We just need her strong enough to survive.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said with a nod of agreement. Frustration made his hands clench. ¡°But how strong is that? And how do I pull off anything strong enough to aplish that without the item being too strong to reveal? I want customers for above average magical items, not to get locked in a cage by someone that realizes what I¡¯m fully capable of.¡±

    Lillia didn¡¯t respond immediately. They both thought in silence for several seconds. Then the former demon queen tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s impossible to tell how strong most of your armor is when you¡¯re wearing it. I saw the description of your gloves ¡ª good job with them, by the way ¡ª but everything else just looks like normal, well-made armor.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I could make sure the stats were concealed from other people, but I don¡¯t trust Melissa enough to put our potential future in her hands.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. That would be stupid,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But what if you took it a step further? If you can hide the stats from other people, couldn¡¯t you hide them from her too?¡±

    He hesitated. Hiding stats was amon enchantment. When he¡¯d been the Hero, basically every single piece of equipment he¡¯d used had borne it. But hiding stats from the wearer themselves¡­ if anything, that was more of a curse than a blessing.

    Nobody in their right mind would put on magical equipment when they didn¡¯t know what it did. They were liable to find themselves in its control rather than the other way around. But Melissa wasn¡¯t exactly grabbing armor from the middle of a haunted dungeon.

    He was making it from scratch. A smile slowly crawled across Arwin¡¯s face. He grabbed Lillia by the shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s it! I just have to make it so that absolutely nobody can see what the equipment does! I can maybe even find a way to ensure it breaks down if anyone goes digging too hard. That¡¯ll make it so that Melissa has what she needs to survive, but it¡¯ll keep my interests protected as well.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Can you do such aplex enchantment?¡± Lillia asked, clearly trying to restrain from getting too excited until it was clear they actually had a path forward. ¡°You¡¯d have to conceal the item¡¯s stats, put in a failsafe, and also make all the actual magic that keeps her alive.¡±

    Arwin hesitated for a moment, a stopper put in his excitement. He¡¯d gotten prettyplex with the enchantment for his gauntlets, but this was yet another level. A few seconds of thought passed. Then he nodded.

    ¡°Yes. I think I can. If I have all the monster parts I need, I believe I can do it. The gloves showed I can make items piece by piece. So as long as each enchantment is tied to a different focal piece, I believe I can get prettyplex. It won¡¯t be easy¡­ but I¡¯ve got a week.¡±

    ¡°So that just means we need to figure out what enchantments you¡¯re going to do and the type of armor Melissa needs.¡± Lillia took the marble from Arwin so she could roll it around herself. Arwin nced down at the pile of equipment. There were several other marbles sitting there that she could have taken. Lillia followed his gaze and her cheeks reddened. ¡°I wanted yours.¡±

    Arwin suppressed augh. ¡°What are you, a cat?¡±

    Her tail poked him in the leg and he cleared his throat, taking Lillia¡¯s hand and trapping the marble between their palms. ¡°There. Now we can both hold it.¡±

    <em>If the assassins knew their magical item was getting used as little more than a fidget toy, they¡¯d probably cry tears of blood. Eh. Good riddance. Bunch of vile, arrogant pricks.</em>

    ¡°I suppose I can settle for that, but don¡¯t get used to it. I don¡¯t like sharing.¡± Despite her words, a satisfied smile crossed Lillia¡¯s lips and she leaned against his side. ¡°It really does feel like the work keeps stacking up, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s never enough time,¡± Arwin agreed through a sigh. He looked over at the heart, still thumping away in the corner of the smithy. ¡°But we can try to fit in some extra work while we get everything ready for Melissa. It¡¯ll be a bit before I can actually start on her equipment.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia blinked. ¡°Why? Do you have the time to waste?¡±

    ¡°Waste? No.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°Not at all. But I¡¯m not going to waste time. I just need materials. I can¡¯t make Melissa¡¯s armor with what I¡¯ve got now. I need monster parts. Specific ones. That takes time to get.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to squeeze in both dungeon diving and crafting this week?¡± Lillia squinted at Arwin and her tail flicked in irritation. ¡°You realize that¡¯s impossible. You won¡¯t finish.¡±

    ¡°I have to. Today I¡¯ll figure out the enchantments I¡¯m doing and what materials I¡¯ll need. Then we¡¯ll figure out where to get those items. It¡¯ll be toote to head out so we can work on the bellows again. Then we¡¯ll get the bits I need the next day and I can start crafting after that.¡±

    ¡°Right. I forgot you were like this,¡± Lillia said with a sigh. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. Then she flicked him in the shoulder.

    ¡°What was that for?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think we¡¯ll find everything we need in just a day? It¡¯ll be days of dungeon diving if you need a bunch of specific things.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s what we¡¯ll have to do. What¡¯s the alternative?¡±

    ¡°You have a guild, Arwin. You do realize that you don¡¯t have to do every single dungeon dive yourself? Allocate tasks. We agreed that you¡¯d stop trying to do everything yourself. You¡¯ve been including me, but have you forgotten about everyone else?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed as he sought an answer, but the words died before they could even form. No excuse he coulde up with sounded even remotely reasonable. Lillia was right. Trying to go through a bunch of dungeons and craft an entire set of armor in a week was just impossible.

    But sending the others without him¡­ no matter how hard Arwin tried to find a workaround, his thoughts always fell right back to the exact same issue.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to send them alone.¡± Arwin¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I¡¯m worried someone will get hurt if I¡¯m not there.¡±

    ¡°Arwin¡­¡± Lillia¡¯s voice was gentle.

    ¡°I know,¡± Arwin said. He swallowed. ¡°I can¡¯t protect everyone. I know that. But at least I can protect the Menagerie while they¡¯re next to me. If they aren¡¯t¡­ what can I do?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re adventurers and adults, Arwin. Even Reya. And they¡¯re far from weak. Your equipment has taken already talented people and pushed them even higher. That¡¯s how you protect them. But you know what isn¡¯t protecting them? Keeping them permanently under your wing and out of a situation where they can truly grow.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s words, although softly spoken, bit into Arwin like an icepick. Her hand tightened around his and with her other she cradled his face, moving his chin so they were looking into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°You need to trust them, Arwin.¡±

    ¡°I do trust them,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I just don¡¯t want something to go wrong.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t control that. And let¡¯s be real ¡ª you don¡¯t have the liberty to shelter them if you want to save Melissa as well. Let them make the decision for themselves.¡±

    She was right and they both knew it. Arwin heaved a defeated sigh.

    ¡°Damn it. You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t like it, but you¡¯re right. How is it you¡¯re so good at this?¡± Arwin nearly asked if Lillia was worried about the others, but he stopped himself before the words could escape. He knew she was. Insinuating anything else would have just been an insult.

    ¡°I think demons had a much more effective way of training soldiers than humans do,¡± Lillia said, pulling Arwin into a hug and resting her cheek against his shoulder. ¡°You aren¡¯t doing anyone a favor by keeping thempletely safe. People need to ovee danger to grow. Let them grow. You¡¯ll be with them in your equipment. Besides, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to be doing the hardest dungeons in the world. They can still take things slow.¡±

    Arwin nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. As usual. It sounds like I need to focus in and figure out the traits Melissa¡¯s items need ¡ª and then I need to speak to the rest of the Menagerie. I¡¯m going to need their help.¡±

    Lillia released Arwin and took a step back. She set the marble back down in the pile. ¡°Then let¡¯s get those traits locked in before tonight. How can I help?¡±

    With a path already starting to emerge in the clouds in Arwin¡¯s mind, it only took him a moment to answer. ¡°Help me act out a scenario and brainstorm what the assassins can do. Let¡¯s get Rodrick as well. He knows their abilities more than we do. Then we can figure out what I¡¯ll need to make the enchantments we need.¡±

    Lillia gave him a confident smile and Arwin returned it. They had a n ¡ª and if all went to it, the Falling des would never know what hit them when they came for Melissa the second time.

    <em>No matter how this all ends up falling out, our time in the shadows is over. We¡¯ve taken the first step into the light. It¡¯s time to fully emerge onto the stage. </em>

 Chapter 211: Contract

    Chapter 211: Contract

    Lillia¡¯s palm drove into Arwin¡¯s unprotected stomach. He let out a grunt of pain and stumbled back, shifting his weight to keep from falling. She spun, lowering her center of mass and sweeping her leg out to take his feet out from under him.

    Arwin leapt over the attack and lunged at Lillia. She shot upright, grabbing a piece of scrap metal from the ground on her way up, and flicked it. The scrap struck him in the shoulder and bounced off harmlessly.

    They both froze. Arwin let his hands drop.

    ¡°Could have been poisoned,¡± Lillia said as she straightened.

    Arwin nodded and scratched at his chin. ¡°Yeah. I guessed that much. That probably would have been a covered area if I were wearing armor, though.¡±

    Rodrick, who stood in the corner of the smithy to observe them, nodded in agreement but raised a finger. ¡°What if it had hit an unprotected area?¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Arwin admitted as he sat down on the edge of his anvil with a thoughtful frown. ¡°Damn. There are just so many different angles to consider. More than I can possibly put into a single set of armor if I want to keep it rtively limited in power and avoid broadcasting the full range of my abilities to everyone in the kingdom.¡±

    He and Lillia had been trying to pin down every trait Melissa¡¯s armor would need to let her survive an assassin attack. Rodrick had been present for the whole of it, giving them suggestions and sharing all the information he knew on the assassins. They¡¯d been at it for the past hour, running through every ability they¡¯d seen the assassins disy as well as a few extras just in case.

    Unfortunately, as good of a warrior as Lillia was, it just wasn¡¯t enough. She wasn¡¯t an assassin. And, as useful as Rodrick was, knowledge wasn¡¯t the same as experience. Arwin had a huge list of traits he wanted the armor to include, but he wasn¡¯t sure which ones were the most important.All they were doing was replicating the moves they¡¯d seen the Falling de do. It was good, but even a tiny mistake could mean Melissa¡¯s death. Good wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°There¡¯s just so much,¡± Arwin said, his brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to focus. You¡¯re doing great. It¡¯s just¡­ not the same as actually fighting the Falling de. What if I focus on the wrong thing? This is like ying a guessing game when we speak the wrongnguage.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I know what you mean. It¡¯s too bad we didn¡¯t leave any of the assassins alive. We could have interrogated them.¡±

    ¡°Too dangerous. We made the right choice killing them,¡± Rodrick said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°With the poison they were using, one could have easily had a hidden weapon of some sort. That¡¯s quitemon. None of them were particrly strong, but what if they¡¯d had a ss that let them do¡­ well, anything? Invisibility, poison mist, the list goes on. You don¡¯t leave an assassin alive if you value your own life.¡±

    Arwin pushed away from the anvil. Rodrick and Lillia looked to him. They¡¯d gathered a lot of information over the course of thest hour. It had definitely been productive. And, although he had a lot to filter through and figure out, there was more to do than just determining what traits the armor needed. A lot more.

    And, just like that, a thought struck him. It was so ludicrous that he should haveughed it off on the spot. Nobody in their right mind would have ever even considered it. But, the more Arwin considered it, the more potential it seemed to have.

    A slow smile crossed his face. There was no reward without risk.

    ¡°I think this was more than enough to let me get started,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I appreciate both of you. I think we should move on to the next stage. I¡¯m going to need quite a few different materials. This isn¡¯t going to be something I can make in one go. I¡¯ll need to do some extensive testing. Finishing it in a week will be tight¡­ but if you guys can get me everything I need, it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°Just give the order,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arwin said with a smile. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re going to start with resilience. I¡¯ve already got bits of chitin to work with, but I also want a way to store energy. I need gemstones. As many as you can get your hands on. While you¡¯re at it, also keep an eye out for anything light. The armor can¡¯t be too heavy. Oh, unique metals as well. I might need to use something nicer than the existing stuff I¡¯ve worked with. Something discrete. Ask Madiv and Esmerelda to get their hands on that. And after that¡­¡±

    ***

    <em>Two dayster.</em>

    ¡°This is¡­ odd,¡± Leena said, adjusting the ck mask covering her mouth. She was perched on the edge of a rooftop in the dead of night, staring at the strangest job she¡¯d ever seen.

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Riker agreed from beside her. His voice was a whisper on the wind, audible only to her ears. She could barely even make his concealed form in the darkness. The cheap enchantments covering the ck cloth made him little more than a shadow. ¡°You think the target is even going to show up?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± Leena replied with a shake of her head. ¡°The job makes no sense. I¡¯m pretty sure the Guildmaster just took money from a loon. I mean ¡ª five minutes in the dead of night, but for three nights in a row? Does he <em>expect </em>us to fail?¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly strange, but we¡¯ve got our orders.¡± Riker¡¯s form shifted ever so slightly in what Leena suspected was a shrug. ¡°We do everything in our power to kill the man that walks into the square at midnight. Immediately stop all attempts and retreat after five minutes. Then do it again the next day, for a total of three days. That¡¯s it. Nothing else matters.¡±

    <em>Yeah, but if we don¡¯t kill him the first time, why would this guy be stupid enough to show up a second time, much less a third? If he¡¯s somehow strong enough to beat both of us, then we¡¯re dead. There¡¯s no way we cane back and try again. </em>

    ¡°Do you think someone¡¯s trying to scam us?¡± Leena asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°They only paid for a single kill. Maybe they¡¯ll be luring three different people here.¡±

    ¡°That will be for the Guildmaster to deal with. Our role is not to question orders. It is to kill.¡±

    Leena nodded. Riker was right. She had a bad habit of overthinking things. That was what hadnded her on an odd mission like this. Leena¡¯s grip tightened on the ckened dagger at her side.

    <em>With any luck, we¡¯ll just sleep the idiot and be on with our lives in a few minutes. Or he won¡¯t even show up. That¡¯ll be even ¡ª </em>

    ¡°There,¡± Riker whispered.

    Leena¡¯s eyes shot to the corner of the cobblestone square below them. Arge man stepped out from an alleyway and walked straight into the center of the square, stopping beside a greened fountain that hadn¡¯t had flow in years.

    He wore a full suit ofpletely mismatched armor. A silvered helm with two small horns at its sides sat upon his head, obscuring the majority of his face. His chestte looked to be the new scale te that had been growing more popr in Milten in thest week or so. The green scales had been tarnished and ckened in artistic patterns that resembled rippling waves. A small white gem glistened on either one of the armor¡¯s shoulders and arger blue one was embedded in the center of its chest.

    The man¡¯s greaves and gauntlets were both made of ck metal that ovepped itself like the tes of an insect¡¯s carapace. A crystal-clear gemstone was embedded in the center of each of his knees and at the back of his hands.

    And, for some reason, he waspletely barefoot.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Leena muttered.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Riker whispered back. He rose slightly, his des sliding soundlessly from their sheaths. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Leena rose as well. Even though they stood in in sight, the darknesspletely obscured their forms. She almost felt bad for the strange man in the street below. Leena generally made it a point not to get to know her targets too well.

    That made it harder to forget their faces once they were dead.

    She leapt from the rooftop, drawing her own daggers in the process. Riker was a shadow beside her as they both shot down toward their unsuspecting target.

    The wind gathered around Leena as she fell, aiding her movements as she drove her daggers for the exposed parts of the man¡¯s flesh. She¡¯d killed more than a dozen targets with the very same blow, and this one would be no different.

    Her des carved down. Beside her, Riker struck as well. A pair of perfectly synchronized blows, both so silent and sudden that nobody would ever even get a chance to ¡ª

    A howl split the night as a wall of wind mmed into Leena¡¯s face with such intensity that her lips pped and her eyes red with pinpricks of pain. She hit the ground in a practiced roll and sprung to her feet, disbelief marring her features.

    Riker rose just a few feet away from her, his longer sword held before him defensively. A chill ran down Leena¡¯s spine and she lowered into a fighting stance of her own. They¡¯d been stopped.

    Their target had been ready for them.

    ¡°Is this a setup?¡± Leena hissed. ¡°How did he know¡ª¡±

    ¡°Focus on the mission,¡± Riker said, his voice t.

    Leena¡¯s eyes flicked back to the armored man. He hadn¡¯t made any move toward them. Instead, to herplete befuddlement, he¡¯d pulled out a quill and a sheaf of papers.

    ¡°Wind¡­ worked,¡± the man muttered under his breath. He finished writing and looked up at them. His face waspletely cast in shadow, but the movement almost felt¡­ expectant. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get on with it.¡±

    Leena didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Shadows twisted up from the ground and she sank into them. One of the core skills of an assassin ¡ª [Shadow Walk]. Any assassin worth their salt mastered it long before anything else.

    The world shed by and she rose up beside the man. His bare heels were right in front of her, but she was no fool.

    Anyone that walked around with such extensive armor andpletely bare feet was definitely trying to bait her into attacking them. He probably had some form of skill that let him use them defensively ¡ª and an assassin was never predictable.

    She drove her daggers for the joints of the armor in the back of his legs and activated [Piercing Strike]. Magical energy poured out of her and into the des, sharpening their tips and increasing the speed of the blow.

    A loud ng echoed out. Leena¡¯s training kicked in and she hurled herself to the side to avoid a counter attack, but her mind was reeling. Her strike hadn¡¯t prated the armor.

    <em>Impossible. I¡¯ve ripped through solid steel with [Piercing Strike] before. How could I fail to cut through thin metal?</em>

    <em>Whatever. As long as I have his attention, Riker will finish him off. </em>

    She hit the ground in a roll and sprung to her feet as a second ng rang out. Leena turned just in time to see the man holding his arm up, having blocked Riker¡¯s strike with the palm of his hand.

    The gemstones on his legs and palms were glowing a dim white. Leena grabbed a poisoned throwing de from her kit. But, even as she went to throw it, a brilliant sh tore through the street.

    The shadows were momentarily banished, preventing her from using [Shadow Walk]. Leena swore and jumped back, raising her hands defensively before her face.

    No attack ever came. When she dropped her hands, the man was still standing in the center of the square and writing on his notepad once more. Riker had retreated as well. He was equally uninjured.

    Disbelief mmed into Leena like a hammer. The armor on the man¡¯s chest was whole. A huge scar ran along the center of the chestte, but it hadn¡¯t been cut in two.

    <em>Riker¡¯s [Shadow sh] is nearly twice as strong as my own attack. How is that armor still in one piece? It¡¯s enchanted. It has to be.</em>

    ¡°Defense¡­ not strong enough,¡± the armored man muttered to himself, still writing in his notebook. ¡°Increase durability. Gems¡­ need to hold more power. Got the fast activation, but effect didn¡¯tst long enough. Also blinded me. Need better eye protection.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Leena whispered, a flicker of worry passing through her. She¡¯d fought a lot of people before, but she¡¯d never met someone that didn¡¯t even seem to care that they were getting attacked.

    The man looked over to her and tapped his bare foot on the ground impatiently. ¡°Come on. You¡¯ve got a few minutes left of work, don¡¯t you? No cking.¡±

    And, with those words, Leena¡¯s blood turned to ice. A cardinal rule of the guild had somehow been broken. They had an information leak.

    <em>Gods above. He knew about the contract.</em>

 Chapter 212: A little help

    Chapter 212: A little help

    For the next few minutes, Leena and Riker did absolutely everything in their power to kill the armored man. They triedbining their attacks. They tried talking to distract him and going for cheap shots. None of it worked.

    Leena stood across from him, panting to catch her breath. Thick scars covered the man¡¯s armor. It had been dented and scratched apart, but it still held. The only time the man had bothered trying to dodge at all was when they¡¯d tried to attack his unprotected feet.

    At the end of the five minutes, despite her absolute best efforts, she hadn¡¯t drawn so much as a pinprick of blood. She braced her hands against her knees as she caught her breath. All her training told her it was a terrible idea to show weakness before an enemy, but at this point, it didn¡¯t even matter.

    The man hadn¡¯t tried attacking them once. All he¡¯d done was jot down notes and make snidements about his own armor. That was it. It was almost as if they didn¡¯t even exist to him.

    Feet scuffed against stone. Leena¡¯s head shot up and she dropped into a fighting stance, only to find that the man had turned and set off without another word. She stared at his back in disbelief. Then, slowly, she looked over to Riker.

    The other assassin just shook his head in disbelief. Neither of them could manage a word. Leena wouldn¡¯t go so far to call herself an experienced assassin. If she was honest, she¡¯d only gotten her ss a year ago.

    She¡¯d been on a number of jobs. She¡¯d had some solo hits. Most of her fights had been against monsters ¡ª but still, she wasn¡¯tpletely new. Riker had more practice under his belt. A single look into his eyes said everything their words could have.

    Neither of them had ever seen anything like this. It was just beyond logic. It was almost beyondprehension. Not only did The Order have an information leak in it. Not only did they get one of the strangest jobs Leena had ever heard of. Not only did their target know that they were being targeted ¡ª he¡¯d actually shown up to <em>let </em>them try to kill him.

    And, somehow, they hadn¡¯t even injured him.It was nearly a minute before the silence finally broke.

    ¡°What¡­ do we do?¡± Leena asked.

    Riker pulled his gaze away from the empty alleyway where the man had left. There was no point chasing after him. The contract had been for five minutes, and five minutes were up.

    ¡°What can we do?¡± Riker asked. He slid his sword back into its sheath. ¡°Wee back tomorrow.¡±

    ***

    Leena sat on a rooftop beside Riker once more. It wasn¡¯t the same rooftop they¡¯d used the previous night ¡ª it wasn¡¯t smart to attack from the same angle ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t so sure it would matter.

    Their report to The Order the previous day had gone nowhere. The job remained. For whatever reason, their superiors just didn¡¯t seem to care. Perhaps they¡¯d also been corrupted. Leena didn¡¯t know, and Riker just kept repeating ¡ª

    ¡°It isn¡¯t our job to think,¡± Riker said. ¡°We just kill.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t kill much of anythingst night,¡± Leena said, unable to restrain her irritation. She turned the dagger over in her hands. Its edge glistened in the moonlight, coated with a bright silver powder. ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯s going toe back, is there? It¡¯ll be someone else.¡±

    Riker just looked at her. It was hard to tell what he was thinking with the mask covering much of his face, but Leena still had a pretty good idea. She nced up at the moon. Its pale sheen glistened far above, nearly perfectly in the center of the sky above them. It wouldn¡¯t be long to midnight. If the man was actually going toe back, it would have to be ¡ª

    Footsteps echoed through the square. The back of Leena¡¯s neck prickled slightly. She leaned forward, breaking a rule and risking revealing her position in her impatience. Riker did the same.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Leena whispered.

    It was the same man, but it took her a moment to realize it because of his armor. After all the damage it had taken in the previous fight, it was only logical that he need to rece it. Leena just hadn¡¯t expected the recements to be so significant.

    The helm, gauntlets, and greaves were now all made from the same material, a swirling mixture of a faint rose gold and dull silver. The armor was sleek and more than a little form fitting. Small red gems studded the sides of the greaves and the knuckles of the gauntlets. His helm had the same form as the previous version and the only change seemed to be its material.

    The strange metal the pieces were made from had ripples running through it like waves that forced Leena to squint to remain focused on the man¡¯s actual form. It wasn¡¯t enough topletely throw her off, but it did cause a dull throbbing ache to build behind her eyes.

    Their target had foregone his barefooted approach from the previous night and now wore in silver boots. The only piece he hadn¡¯t changed out was the chestte, but it looked considerably different than thest time she¡¯d seen it.

    While the armor was still made of tarnished green scale and bore wave patterns reminiscent of the other armor pieces, the gemstones had been removed from its center and shoulders.

    Instead, a number of much smaller, white gemstones had been embedded along the wave patterns to entuate them. Leena couldn¡¯t tell if the armor was beautiful or gaudy, but she was leaning toward thetter.

    <em>Is he nning to work at a burlesque club after he walks out of here?</em>

    Her lips pressed thin. That wasn¡¯t going to happen. She¡¯d failed once, but not again. No target of hers was going to unt like this and get away with it. Riker gave her a slight nod. He felt the same way.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    This wasn¡¯t just a job. This was their pride on the line ¡ª not to mention their money. The Order got paid to kill people, not inconvenience them. Leaving a contract unfinished would have dire consequences.

    Leena¡¯s stomach twisted. She quashed the feeling and focused her attention on the de in her hand. Worrying about potential failure would only distract her. All that mattered was the job. All that mattered was killing the man below her.

    Riker caught her eye and the two of them nodded. They readied their weapons in the guise of night while the man waited beside the fountain. The previous night, Leena had thought he¡¯d been unaware of their presence.

    Now she knew he was just indifferent to it.

    Tonight, that would change. As one, she and Riker leapt off the building. Five minutes to regain their honor and finish the job. That was more than enough. An assassin didn¡¯t need five minutes. They only needed seconds.

    Tonight, the armored man would die. Leena swore that to herself.

    <em>Come tomorrow, there isn¡¯t going to be anyone walking up to this square. I¡¯m going to go treat myself to a night out in town. Maybe visit that burlesque club. It could be fun. Anything other than sitting on a damn rooftop waiting for this bastard toe mock us. </em>

    <em>Tonight, he dies. </em>

    ***

    Leena was sitting on a roof again. Her lips were pressed so thin that she could have crushed a nut between them and she was pretty sure that steam was going to starting out of her ears and inting her tightly wrapped clothes.

    Somehow, the previous night had gone even worse than the first. Not only had she and Rikerpletely failed tond a single good blow on the armored man, but his armor had barely even been damaged.

    She had absolutely no clue what his ss was, but it felt like fighting a stone wall. Powerful swirls of wind batted away her thrown weapons. When she finally got close, it had felt like she was fighting a wraith.

    Half the time, he wasn¡¯t actually where she thrust her de. It just passed harmlessly through the air, leaving her exposed. The man could have killed her a dozen times over in the fight, but he never did.

    All he did was jot down notes on his damned notepad. To make matters even more infuriating, Leena or Riker actually managed tond a blow, the armor went off with a brilliant sh of light that blinded them and disabled [Shadow Walk] while rendering them unable to fight properly.

    That night had ended inplete humiliation. Before the five minutes had even ended, the man turned and walked off without a word. Neither Leena nor Riker had the will to follow after him. She was pretty sure that literally all three of them were thinking the same thing.

    <em>There¡¯s always next night.</em>

    And now it was next night.

    Leena stared at the dagger in her hand. The poison coating it hardly felt even close to sufficient. She had several extras hidden in sheathes all across her body, as well as a pouch of poison dust.

    <em>I don¡¯t even know why I bothered with the powder, actually. It¡¯spletely useless with that wind magic of his. It¡¯ll just blow it back into my face. Fuck. What¡¯s the point of this? Is he just ying with us?</em>

    Riker wasn¡¯t in much better shape. He hadn¡¯t even bothered trying to prepare anything new. His main strategy the previous night had been caltrops with paralyzing acid stored within their core.

    The man had just crushed them under his feet. Leena wasn¡¯t even sure if their seemingly immortal foe had realized what the caltrops had been meant to be.

    A heavy air rested on Leena and Riker¡¯s shoulders and bore them toward the ground. There just didn¡¯t seem to be a point¡­ but they still had a job. The only sce was tonight would be thest night. After this, she¡¯d be free ¡ª one way or another.

    Footsteps echoed through the alley. Leena dragged her eyes over as the figure that had been haunting her dreams stepped out into the market square for the third time. One of her eyes twitched.

    He hadn¡¯t even gotten hurtst time, but he¡¯d still changed out his armor. Despite her anger, Leena¡¯s eyes widened. The man¡¯s armor was now all made of the same rose-gold material, but it was iparable to what it had been before.

    It wasn¡¯t just metal to defend himself with anymore. It was a piece of art. Small white gemstones made twinkling stars across the shoulders and chest, turning into streaks that ran down into the gauntlets, whose knuckles were still studded with matching gems.

    Beautiful silver patterns traveled down from the lower half of the chestpiece and down the greaves, running all the way to the boots, where more white stones entuated his knees and shins.

    Strangely, the armor felt out of ce on the man. Leena couldn¡¯t quite ce why. It was feminine, but that wasn¡¯t the reason it felt odd. It almost seemed as if he were wearing armor that belonged to someone else.

    Leena dropped down from the rooftop without even bothering to hide her presence. Riker did the same. It wasn¡¯t like their target didn¡¯t know they wereing.

    Time was ticking. Riker lifted his de. Leena readied her new daggers. The man raised his notepad.

    The fight was on once more.

    Leena and Riker shed forward, drawing every scrap of power they had in them. They¡¯d learned from their previous battles. There was only a single way left that they¡¯d been able to determine had a chance of sess.

    An all-out attack. One where every scrap of their power was put into a single blow, with no thought of survival or what would happen after. And that was what they did.

    Weapons whistled through the night. Leena activated [Piercing Strike] and poured all her magic into the de with a scream of frustration. She thrust it for the man¡¯s chest while Riker drove his sword for his back.

    The man didn¡¯t move. Their weapons struck the armor. Leena squeezed her eyes shut in time to avoid the brilliant sh that tore through the night like a miniature sun ¡ª but that didn¡¯t prepare her for the immense thrum that ripped down her dagger and into her hands, vibrating her body so violently that her teeth felt like they would dislodge themselves.

    Leena opened her eyes, hoping to see at least <em>something </em>as a result of her and Riker¡¯s efforts. She regretted her decision immediately. There wasn¡¯t even so much as a scratch on the armor.

    She crumpled to her knees. All her energy was spent, both mental and magical. The fight was over. Riker hadn¡¯t had any more luck than she had. He¡¯d fallen to his backside on the other side of the seemingly immortal man and just sat there in silence.

    ¡°Finding a way to bounce back magically enhanced physical attacks¡­ sessful,¡± the man said as he wrote. He snapped the notebook shut. ¡°Well then. I think we¡¯re done here.¡±

    <em>Is he going to kill us now?</em>

    Leena tried to gather the energy to rise, but she¡¯d thrown so much power into her attack that her body just didn¡¯t respond. The only thing she could manage was to look up into the shadowed face of the man above her and squeeze out a single word.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Needed a little help with testing,¡± the man replied gruffly. He reached into a pouch on his waist and dropped two bags of gold on the ground beside them. ¡°Thanks for working with me. I appreciate it. There¡¯s the pay for thepleted job I ced.¡±

    With that, he turned and walked into the night.

    ¡°Did ¡ª did he just say that <em>he </em>ced a hit job on himself?¡± Leena asked once he¡¯d left, his words bouncing around her head like hyperactive toddler.

    Riker pushed himself upright with a groan. He knelt, grabbing the bags of gold and tucking them under one arm, before helping Leena to her feet. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Riker said, breaking the silence. He jerked his chin toward an alley. ¡°Sometimes, the best thing you can do is forget. I¡¯m going to waste all this on burlesque dancers and alcohol until thest three nights get wiped from my mind. Want toe?¡±

    Leena looked off in direction the armored man had set off in. Then she turned back to Riker. ¡°Yeah, I think I do.¡±

 Chapter 213: Tired

    Chapter 213: Tired

    Thest few days of Arwin¡¯s life had melted together into a blur. He could still hear the echo of hammered metal in his ears and feel the tingle of the Mesh at his fingertips. Every single part of him was sore and exhausted.

    He¡¯d barely gotten more than a few hours of sleep through the whole time. Every second of both the day and night had been spent either crafting, theorizing, testing, or re-crafting ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t just him.

    Every single member of the Menagerie had been hard at work. Rodrick had led the group on multiple different dungeon runs, returning with a variety of different monster parts and gemstones for Arwin to work with. Madiv and Esmerelda had procured half a dozen samples of different metals to work with.

    Lillia had kept him fed with magical food, both suppressing his need to spend time making bracelets while also filling him with energy to keep pushing forward. Arwin only saw them when they came into the smithy to deliver the materials they¡¯d gathered.

    They¡¯d only had a week to make Melissa armor. There hadn¡¯t been any room for mistakes, and Lillia¡¯s call that it would be impossible for Arwin to do both dungeon diving and crafting in the time they had proved to bepletely correct.

    He¡¯d spent a day alone just figuring out the proper way to make boots, and then every passing minute afterward determining exactly how he could manage a suit of armor that was both powerful enough to protect Melissa and not so strong as topletely screw him over if people learned of its abilities.

    Arwin had crafted. He¡¯d tested. He¡¯d overcorrected and undercorrected ¡ª trying to find the proper bnce for the massive undertaking. He¡¯d made a full two-piece set for Lillia, but he¡¯d never made aplete five-piece set like this one before.

    There were just so many different variables to consider. The more he worked, the more he¡¯d realized just how immense the task before him really was. If he¡¯d been alone, he would have failed. It simply would have been impossible.

    But Arwin hadn¡¯t been alone. Lillia and Rodrick bounced ideas off him. Lillia had helped him craft, providing extra magical energy to work with for the hardestbinations. They¡¯d made the armor piece by piece, pushing the limits of how many enchantments he could fit into everyponent before putting them together. Even the minor assassin¡¯s guild he¡¯d hired had proven to be supremely useful. Even though they hadn¡¯t been anywhere near aspetent as the Falling de, they¡¯d used many of the same strategies.

    And, after six days of work, Arwin was finally finished.

    He¡¯d settled on a metal called Rosium that Madiv had delivered him. It was light and flexible, though it wasn¡¯t the most resilient thing he¡¯d ever worked with. Folding it together with Brightsteel gave the material a way to absorb stronger blows.

    That had been the easy part. The most difficult aspect of the entire project was working out the traits the armor would have and how it would be properly limited. The learnings he¡¯d gotten from his gauntlets proved to be the tool he needed.

    It was impossible to imbue a bunch of different traits at once. It just took too much energy and attention. The way to get more magical effects on a single piece was to split them into sections. Just like how the pair of gauntlets had been a single item, Arwin made the kneecaps of the greaves with one trait and the rest of the leg with another.

    That, of course, came with its own difficulties. Not every trait was thrilled to join up with others. Some just fizzled out and failed. Others had¡­ slightly more spectacr issues. There were several new ckened spots throughout the smithy and a good portion of his hair and eyebrows got singed off twice.

    Figuring out the exactbination of traits that functioned together wasn¡¯t easy. And, even if they did go together, adding too many could make the item drain so much power that it waspletely unusable.

    But difficult didn¡¯t mean impossible, and Arwin wasn¡¯t alone. Hour by hour, day by day, he learned more. He failed more than he seeded, and that taught him more than anything else possibly could have.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Arwin used centipede chitin to reinforce the armor. He used gemstones to gather energy passively from anyone that wore the armor, and feathers to fuel the powerful bursts of air that would deflect ranged attacks.

    He was pretty sure the feathers had actuallye from Rodrick¡¯s team rather than Esmerelda, who was caught up getting the metals together with Rodrick. She¡¯d tried to offer him a phoenix feather a few times, but it wasn¡¯t any more useful now than it had been the first time he¡¯d needed one.

    Simplicity was key when he was trying to make an armor that wouldn¡¯t stand out too much. The moreplex the items that went into it were, the more unique the enchantments were liable to be.

    By the end of the fifth day, he¡¯d made something he was truly happy with. The armor was resilient, with a focus on preventing stabbing attacks. It could hold up to shes as well, but not quite as well. As long as its wearer wasn¡¯tpletely out of magical energy, it could deflect ranged strikes.

    Rodrick¡¯s dungeon team also brought him the vocal cords of what had apparently been a very loud, six-foot-tall rooster. Arwin had used those to work with the shock-absorptive properties of Brightsteel to reverse powerful physical blows. That enchantment drew a <em>lot</em> of magical energy, so it wasn¡¯t always active, but it was a good way to finish off opponents.

    The final two enchantments were possibly the most important of the entire set.

    For the first, Arwin used the essence of a shade ¡ª courtesy of Esmerelda, who had refused pay for it and muttered something about a pot ¡ª to conceal the armor¡¯s stats from everyone including its wearer.

    The second wasn¡¯t to make the armor stronger. It was to make it weaker. The armor¡¯s second trait was a permanent binding to himself ¡ª a mental connection that let Arwin shatter the entire set from the inside out, rendering it worthless with a thought. The item it was based on was one of Arwin¡¯s own fingernails. He felt a bit gross hammering it into the metal, but he refused to let a suit of armor this effective out into the world without a way to ensure it was never turned against him.

    That wasn¡¯t to say it was the strongest armor he¡¯d made. If Arwin was being honest, it had some serious ws. It didn¡¯t provide much protection against magic and someone suitably strong could crumple it like paper.

    Lillia¡¯s armor was probably more effective despite being a two-piece set, but this set was specialized specifically to deal with assassins. It was a little more powerful than he¡¯d have ideally liked to make, but with the concealed stats, it would be enough to stop anyone from realizing just how effective it really was.

    And that was that. On the sixth day, Arwin looked down on thepletely finished armor together with Lillia, a look of mild amusement on his face. He¡¯d finished the final tweaks and polishes to the set over the night.

    It was a little strange to look down at something he¡¯d made and be unable to see any information about it. Fortunately, he¡¯d tested the armor so thoroughly that he <em>knew </em>what it could do. The presence of the faint, almost unnoticeable, connection to it in the back of his mind was the only other proof that it was anything other than a beautiful piece of art.

    A tired smile crossed over Arwin¡¯s features. While he couldn¡¯t see the actual stats of the armor, he could see everything he¡¯d gotten out of making it. In addition to a rather significant amount of magical energy for all the tests he¡¯d made, he¡¯d also gotten several Achievements.

    <strong>[Full Hand] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a full 5-piece set.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Couple of Crafters - II] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a set by linking your desires together with your partner. Get a room.</em> Effects: <em>The dissonance between you and your partner¡¯s intent has been reduced for this set. Repeated instances of this Achievement are possible and rewards scale with its tier.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Sleepless Set - I] ¨C <em>Awarded for re-forging an entire set with less than 1 hour of sleep in the past day.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill. Repeated instances of this Achievement are possible and rewards scale with its tier. Keep at it and see what happens if you get another level of this one.</em></strong>

    Arwin didn¡¯t miss the mild warning in the Mesh¡¯sst sentence. And, judging by the tired amusement in Lillia¡¯s eyes, she hadn¡¯t either. They¡¯d spent nearly every scrap of energy they had. Even with her magical food fighting to keep them aware, it was a losing battle.

    ¡°We did it,¡± Arwin said, lowering himself to the ckened floor of the smithy with an exhausted groan. The smell of soot and metal hung in the air, but he was too tired to care. Lillia flopped down on top of him, driving the air from his lungs.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lillia said, a hint of amusement in her drowsy tone. She looped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping on the floor. Too tired to go to bed. Stay here.¡±

    ¡°I was¡­¡± Arwin yawned, then let his head rest against the stone, ¡°¡­nning on it. We can give Melissa the armor when we wake up.¡±

    Behind them, the door creaked open. Arwin caught a glimpse of Rodrick stepping into the room before the exhaustion finally took him and he let himself drift off into much-needed sleep.

    Somehow, they¡¯d managed to make Melissa her armor.

    Now all that remained was to see if it would be enough.

 Chapter 214: A path to the future

    Arwin¡¯s eyes fluttered open against his will as someone nudged him in the shoulder. He groaned. There was a crimp in his spine and the floor was ice cold against his back, but the warm weight on his stomach and wrapped around his neck somehow made itfortable.

    Weariness still hung from his mind like strands of torn cobweb clinging on even as sleep attempted to brush them away. The temptation to close his eyes again was strong, but he¡¯d spent far too many years training to jump into battle at a moment¡¯s notice to humor it.

    Arwin pushed himself upright. He only remembered halfway up that the warm weight on top of him was Lillia. His hand shot out before his eyes were even fully open, grabbing Lillia and pulling her back against himself before he could identally dump her onto the ground.

    She jerked in his arms as she woke with a surprised breath. ¡°Huh? What? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Reya said from beside them, her cheeks coloring slightly. ¡°I wanted to let you sleep longer, but it¡¯s been a while. Rodrick thinks those assassins might try toe back again pretty soon. The week is nearly up. If we¡¯re going to give Melissa anything or send her off, we need to do it sooner rather thanter.¡±

    ¡°How long were we asleep?¡± Arwin asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his free hand.

    ¡°Through the rest of yesterday and all night. Something around fourteen or fifteen hours I think,¡± Reya replied with an impressed shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. It¡¯s a miracle you stayed awake that long in the first ce. Should we just give the armor to Melissa? You could keep sleeping then.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said through a yawn as he shook off thest of his weariness and rose to his feet, lifting Lillia along with him. Her hair was frizzy and more than a few strands were stuck in her clothes or her mouth.

    He set her down beside him and looked at himself. His clothes were stained with soot. Holes had been burnt into several spots on his shirt and pants.He tried brushing himself off for exactly a second before realizing just how fruitless the endeavor would be and giving up. He had more sets back in the tavern. These were done for and probably weren¡¯t even worth using as fuel for a firece.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the armor?¡± Arwin asked, ncing at the spot where he¡¯d left it in a pile before falling asleep. ¡°Did Rodrick move it? I think I remember himing in a bit before falling asleep.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s in his room in the tavern. Easier to keep watch over and we didn¡¯t want to disturb you,¡± Reya replied.

    ¡°Smart,¡± Lillia said. Her face paled as a thought struck her. ¡°Hold on. Did anyonee to the tavern while I was passed out? I slept through a whole night!¡±

    ¡°You did miss a few customers,¡± Reya said with a wince. ¡°We told them the tavern was closed since you were preparing some new stuff. Everyone understood. They¡¯ll probably be back tonight or tomorrow.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s nose scrunched in distaste but she nodded her understanding. ¡°At least they weren¡¯t left wondering what had happened. Thanks, Reya. I don¡¯t want people thinking the Devil¡¯s Den isn¡¯t reliable. I¡¯ll have to make sure not to miss any more days in the near future.¡±

    ¡°Is Melissa waiting in the tavern, then?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Anna and Olive are with her. Madiv and Esmerelda were there as well, but Anna sent them off because they got into an argument over the price of pickles.¡±

    ¡°Pickles?¡± Arwin blinked. ¡°Why pickles?¡±

    ¡°Madiv apparently likes salty things. He wanted to buy some, but Esmerelda only had magical ones. I don¡¯t rmend asking. You¡¯ll regret it,¡± Reya said, her eyes zing over as a shudder racked her body. ¡°And Esmerelda is in a pretty bad mood as well. She hasn¡¯t even tried selling me anything weird in thest few days.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ that what she normally does?¡± Lillia asked with a frown. ¡°I fully expected her to give up on that once she saw we weren¡¯t interested.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s basically how she says hello at this point,¡± Reya replied. ¡°I kind of feel bad for her. We need to find someone for her to sell something to soon. I¡¯d probably buy something if she ever actually had any of it. She keeps asking us to go back to her store in town, but we¡¯re all too busy to head over to it.¡±

    ¡°Just keep humoring her. She¡¯s a nice olddy, and she¡¯s definitely got some connections since she was able to get the Rosium for the armor set. She¡¯s just a bit odd.¡± Arwin stretched his arms over his head and shook himself off. ¡°Okay. Is Rodrick around as well?¡±

    ¡°No. He¡¯s off in town right now. I think he¡¯s been keeping tabs on the assassin¡¯s guilds and for any word of the Falling de arriving in town.¡±

    <em>Good man.</em>

    ¡°Sounds good. We¡¯ll be right over,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Thanks, Reya.¡±

    She grinned and nodded in response before turning to stride back out of the tavern. Arwin watched her leave, his head tilting slightly to the side. Reya moved with more confidence than she had just a few days ago.

    <em>Not just confidence, either. That¡¯s more than just an attitude improvement. She¡¯s stronger. All the dungeon delving she did with Rodrick must have gone pretty well for her. I bet she¡¯s catching up to me in level. </em>

    That thought gave him a second of pause. He hadn¡¯t kept exact track of how many magic items he¡¯d made over the past week, but he¡¯d definitely earned a lot of power amidst all the achievements.

    Arwin adjusted his stance. Even through the weariness, his body felt stronger. Even stronger than it had at the start of the week. He dug through his memories as he summoned his status screen before him. It had been quite some time since he¡¯d taken a proper look at it.

    <em>Did I ¡ª </em>

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique)(Tier: Apprentice 8)</strong>

    <strong>Skills: </strong>

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) ¨C <em>All items forged by your hand have the potential to take on a trait, determined by [Unknown]. The potential for the trait to be detrimental is [72%]. Materials with a higher chance to awaken will fight with you to exert their influence on the piece they are being made into. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive) ¨C <em>You have spent enough time working immersed in fire that you have begun to understand it. Unlock your potential to prepare for the first steps in the path of Dwarven forging.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Soul me] ¨C <em>Passion burns within you with such intensity that it be manifest. You may draw out your Soul me, empowering the fire of your forge, but be wary ¨C any magical damage done to the Soul me will transfer onto your soul. Increasing the amount of magical energy you use to form the Soul me will increase its intensity. Your Soul me can pull all the traits from a magical item and allow you to transfer them onto other items without pre-existing magic. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal] ¨C <em>You live and die on your equipment, so you might as well make it part of yourself. Bind yourself to [8] pieces of equipment, summoning and dismissing it at will. The number of equipment you can bind to scales with your Tier, up to a total of 10. Unbinding a piece of Equipment will make this skill inactive for 1 day. You may temporarily bind yourself to 1 extra piece of equipment after holding it for an amount of time scaling with the difference between your current Tier and the Tier of the item¡¯s holder. Breaking this bond will not deactivate [Arsenal]. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Dragon¡¯s Greed] ¨C <em>Your hunger for magical power has begun to manifest itself in the physical world. Extend your senses to search the area around you for magical items at the cost of significant magical energy. The range of this effect scales with the amount of magical energy used. At the cost of extra magical energy, the focus of this ability can be targeted to a specific type of magical item or material.</em></strong>

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    <strong>Titles:</strong>

    <strong>[Scourge] ¨C <em>You have faced an entire army inbat and emerged victorious. Your physical strength can be significantly intensified at the cost of magical energy.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Indomitable Bulwark] ¨C <em>You have withstood a blow that would have leveled a city. Damage from all attacks is reduced significantly. </em></strong>

    <strong>[The Hungering Maw] ¨C <em>An enormous burst of energy has permanently infused you with magic, but not without cost. You must consume objects or items with Magical Energy equivalent to your current Magical Power every week to survive. Consuming an item temporarily grants you some of its properties. The Hungering Maw¡¯s pte has advanced and it has a significant chance to ignore detrimental effects of items that it has eaten. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Magical Olfactory] ¨C <em>The Maw¡¯s influence spreads. With sufficient concentration, you can smell the scents and quality of magic within items. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Stonesinger] ¨C <em>You crafted an Awoken item with a magicalponent that was beyond yourprehension, and your efforts have attuned you to the whispers of the world. If you listen close enough, you can speak with magical materials ¨C though they may not wish to reply.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Indomitable] ¨C <em>Your body has been beaten, and yet it carried on. Your mind has teetered on the precipice of oblivion, yet it refused to give in. Forged in the ghosts of the past and tempered in the present, your mental fortitude has been honed to a point beyond what most canprehend. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Inevitable End] ¨C <em>Awarded for killing an overloading monster a full Tier above you from a location where it could do nothing but wait for death. Try not to make it a habit. Perceptive opponents will be able to pick up the promise of death that seems to find those who ce themselves in your way. </em></strong>

    <strong>Achievements:</strong>

    <strong>[Smart Set] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a set made entirely of [Awoken] items.</em> Effects: Gain guidance on a single ss-rted choice. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon usage.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Full Hand] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a full 5-piece set.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Couple of Crafters II] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a set by linking your desires together with your partner. Get a room.</em> Effects: <em>The dissonance between you and your partner¡¯s intent has been reduced for this set. Repeated instances of this Achievement are possible and rewards scale with its tier.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Sleepless Set - I] ¨C <em>Awarded for re-forging an entire set with less than 1 hour of sleep in the past day.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill. Repeated instances of this Achievement are possible and rewards scale with its tier. See what happens if you get another level of this one. It¡¯ll be fun.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Overly Generous] ¨C <em>Awarded for stepping back and letting an ally take the challenge of killing an Overloaded Monster out of desire to see their growth. Power is often found whilst guiding others to it. </em>Effects: A single delivery. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon your mental request. </em></strong>

    <strong>Challenges:</strong>

    <strong>[Curb the Hunger] ¨C You¡¯ve unveiled a hidden aspect of your ss. All that lives must consume to persist, but some hunger more than others. Unfortunately for you, your hunger is far greater than what your body can sustain. Find a way to bring it under control before you consume yourself. Rewards: range onpletion. Failure toplete a sufficient amount of the Challenge will result in your death. </strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: Discover yourck of knowledge and initiate the Challenge. </strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: [The Hungering Maw] will have an extra variant to choose from upon your next ss Specialization. This achievement will be consumed upon your next ss Specialization</strong>

    <strong>Milestone 2: <em>Shed your training aids and take your first step onto the path of true smithing. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 2: 1 bar of purified Albunium, 1 bar of purified Steel, 1 Palestone, 1 Ripperfish tooth, and 1 chip of Rockspider Carapace. </strong>

    <strong>Bonus Reward 2: Achievement: [Yes you did.]</strong>

    <strong>Milestone 3: Unknown Title</strong>

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Arwin said, blinking in pain as golden letters flew at his head like miniature arrows. He¡¯d never tried to view his fully expanded information before, and now he had a damned good reason to not do it again.

    <em>I¡¯m not trying to read a novel every single time I take a look at my abilities. Let¡¯s keep that condensed in the future. </em>

    It took him a moment of sifting through all the words floating before him to realize that he actually <em>had </em>leveled up again. He¡¯d missed the notification from the Mesh while he was in his work-induced haze.

    That meant he hadn¡¯t gotten a new skill with the advancement, but that really wasn¡¯t a surprise. New skills became less frequent the stronger one got. He was fairly certain he¡¯d probably get one at Apprentice 9, but the real important advancement would be right after that, when he moved from Apprentice into Journeyman.

    ¡°Look at your information,¡± Arwin said, his eyes still scanning over everything to make sure he hadn¡¯t missed any other changes in himself. He summoned Verdant ze to his hand and a thrum of energy met his palm.

    The weapon was brimming with power. It wasn¡¯t fully Awoken yet, but it was a soft breeze away from it. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how he could tell that ¡ª he just knew it from the touch alone.

    It would be sentient with the next one or two pieces of magical equipment he made. What that meant, he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Lillia said, her eyes widening in shock as she finished reading her status screen. ¡°I reached Apprentice 7. I¡¯ve got a new skill to select as well. When did that happen? I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d cooked that much. I was so focused on improving the quality and magical effects of the food that I wasn¡¯t even paying attention to the Mesh. ¡±

    ¡°You zoned out even harder than I did,¡± Arwin said with augh. He gently brushed some of the hair scattered around her face away. ¡°Good options?¡±

    Lillia nodded absently. She stared past him, studying the words visible only to her for several quiet seconds. A grin formed on her face after a few seconds. She blinked and her eyes refocused. ¡°I got an ability that lets me take on attributes of things I eat. Anything I eat.¡±

    ¡°Anything?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Does it have to be cooked?¡±

    ¡°Not technically, no,¡± Lillia said. She scratched the side of her neck and snickered. ¡°I could technically just try to take bites out of monsters mid fight like you.¡±

    ¡°You stole my trick?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°That¡¯s justme.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got higher standards than you do,¡± Lillia said, trying to keep herself fromughing any more. ¡°I only eat properly prepared food now. I¡¯ll have to get more into jerky. Carrying around preserved parts of powerful monsters we¡¯ve fought will let me get some pretty strong power boosts mid-fight. I don¡¯t have a lot ofbat abilities that aren¡¯t rted to my tavern, so this¡¯lle in handy.¡±

    ¡°Can you eat inanimate objects?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s got to be food. Meat, vegetables, the like. I¡¯m not taking a bite out of anything other than normal monsters unless we randomly run into something made out of bread.¡±

    ¡°Then my trick is safe with me,¡± Arwin said with an overexaggerated sigh of relief. ¡°You are forgiven. Shall we go give Melissa her armor and figure out what else we missed over the past week?¡±

    ¡°If only so we can finally do something else, yes,¡± Lillia said. She nced over to the heart in the corner of their room. It was still beating, but it had slowed even further. They¡¯d kept vague tabs on it over the course of thest week to make sure their efforts didn¡¯t end up getting wasted, but time was definitely running out to make something of it. ¡°We should really finish what we started here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll get it after Melissa is sent off today,¡± Arwin said. He noticed a few strands of hair somehow poking straight out of the top of Lillia¡¯s head and reached out to tten them. With all the soot covering both of them, it looked like they¡¯d been caught in an explosion.

    Lillia pushed up into his hand as he ran it over her head.

    He paused.

    She paused.

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia asked, narrowing her eyes.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Arwin replied, finishing the motion with augh.

    ¡°Good,¡± Lillia strutted past him and somehow managed to look elegant in the process of it ¡ª and also revealing the back of her clothing, which was somehow just as messed up as Arwin¡¯s were. She paused at the door at looked over her shoulder at him, arching an eyebrow. ¡°What are you staring at?¡±

    ¡°You.¡±

    <em>We both really need a change of clothes before we see Melissa or she¡¯s going to think we just ran in after losing a fight against a soot monster.</em>

    Lillia¡¯s cheeks went bright red and she quickly turned away in attempt to hide it. It struck Arwin that his words may have been misinterpreted, but rectifying that mistake was something he had absolutely no ns of doing.

    He walked up beside Lillia and nudged her with his shoulder before pulling the door open. ¡°Shall we? I thought we were heading over to give Melissa her armor.¡±

    She cleared her throat andbed her hair back. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Together, they stepped out of the Infernal Armory and headed for Lillia¡¯s tavern. Every step they took brought them closer to the future. Once word got out about the magical armor, Arwin had no delusion that anything would ever be the same again.

    The steps he¡¯d taken were to make sure nobody realized quite how powerful the armor truly was, but magical gear was magical gear. There was no taking this back ¡ª but this was the way forward.

    <em>No more making random armor. It¡¯s magical from here on out. That¡¯s the way to grow more powerful¡­ but more than that. </em>

    <em>By choosing the people I make equipment for, I¡¯m making allies and equipping them with a way to grow even more powerful. This is about more than just equipment. I need toy the foundations for us to grow. We need powerful connections and ess to more and more material. </em>

    <em>Melissa¡¯s survival can open a path into the future if we y our cards correctly. We¡¯ve got an opportunity here to begin making a presence on arger scale, and I¡¯m not going to let that go to waste. </em>

 Chapter 215: Showing off

    Melissa was sitting together with Olive and Anna at the bar when Reya, Arwin, and Lillia returned to the Devil¡¯s Den. She looked a lot better than thest time Arwin had seen her, but tension still tightened her spine and stiffened her words.

    ¡°Ah. See? There they are,¡± Olive said with a nod in their direction. ¡°Right on time. I told you, they¡¯ve got a dramatic ir.¡±

    ¡°Are you both doing well?¡± Anna asked with no little amount of concern. ¡°You¡¯ve missed a lot of sleep. That can cause a lot of health issues if you aren¡¯t careful.¡±

    ¡°Issues that don¡¯t exist as long as I don¡¯t acknowledge them,¡± Arwin drawled.

    His attempt at a joke died a painful death as Anna¡¯s eyes bored into him and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Health is noughing matter. One of the biggest mistakes adventurers make is assuming healing magic can repair everything. It can¡¯t. I can stitch a wound shut or mend a broken bone, but if your body is crumbling apart at the seams, even a powerful healer won¡¯t be able to do anything other than prolong your pain. Healing magic is a tool, not a recement.¡±

    Arwin gave Anna a sharp nod. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to blow your concern off. We were just pressed for time, but I think we¡¯re both okay. Lillia¡¯s food goes a long way in recing the sleep we didn¡¯t get. We can catch up on itter.¡±

    ¡°Miss one hour, need two more,¡± Anna said, but she shook her head and let out a sigh. ¡°And I don¡¯t mean to act like your mother. I know it¡¯s not possible to act optimally all the time. Just don¡¯t overdo it.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t, but your concern is appreciated,¡± Lillia said with a smile. Her eyes zed over for a second as she stared at something in the air before her before returning to normal. ¡°How¡¯s Melissa doing? I haven¡¯t been around nearly as much as I would have liked. I hope the tavern is to your liking.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m pretty sure she just checked on the satisfaction rating. I guess the Mesh makes it pretty difficult to lie about how much someone is enjoying their stay when it objectively rates their opinions for her.</em>¡°It¡¯s safe,¡± Melissa said after a second of thought. ¡°Better than the ces I¡¯ve been in the recent days. I have noints. And, even if I did, I¡¯m only alive because of everything you¡¯re all doing for me.¡±

    Judging by the look on Lillia¡¯s face, Melissa was at least somewhat satisfied with her stay. She probably wasn¡¯tpletely blown away by it just because of her upbringings as a noble, but as long as she didn¡¯t hate it, it was fine.

    ¡°Shall I go get the armor?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Rodrick has it in our room.¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Thank you, Anna. The sooner we get Melissa outfitted and prepared, the better. We don¡¯t have all that long before the time Rodrick estimated we had runs out.¡±

    Anna headed up the stairs and returned with a bup bag clutched in her arms. She waddled over to a table and set it down on top of the dimly lit wood before returning to the second floor to retrieve a second bag.

    Lillia took the bag from the healer at the base of the stairs and brought it over to the other one. Anna gave her an appreciative nod.

    ¡°Thanks. A little heavier than I¡¯m used to.¡±

    A worried look passed over Melissa¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t say anything, but Arwin could practically read her thoughts. He chuckled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Anna is a talented woman, but she¡¯s not the strongest,¡± he said. ¡°This isn¡¯t the lightest armor I¡¯ve ever made, but it should be useable for you. You¡¯ve got some muscle ¡ª I trust it isn¡¯t for show.¡±

    A small smile pulled across Melissa¡¯s lips. ¡°My father trained me. We used to spend a lot of time practicing with the sword. Not nearly enough to be great at it, but enough to be good. I suppose I reaped a few more rewards, but I¡¯ve never worn full te armor.¡±

    ¡°Then now¡¯s a good time to start,¡± Reya said from behind Arwin. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have gotten it from a better smith.¡±

    Arwin coughed into a fist and pulled open the first of the bup bags. It had the greaves, helmet, and gauntlets stored within it. The Rosium glistened in the dim light. Every swirling pattern on its surface seemed to catch the mes from the torches and twist them around itself.

    He emptied the second bag out as well, adding the chestpiece and boots to the table. His insignia glistened at the very center of the chestpiece, amidst the swirling designs around it. It was impossible to miss.

    Anyone that saw Melissa wearing the armor would be unable to miss who had made it. Arwin smiled despite himself and set a hand on the top of the pile as he turned to look at Melissa.

    She stared at the armor with an undisguised look of awe. Her mouth hung slightly askew as if waiting for someone to feed her a bite of food and her eyes were wide. She took a subconscious step forward, almost moving to reach for the armor, before catching herself.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°You made this in a week?¡± Melissa asked in disbelief. ¡°Something this beautiful? Which part of it is magic?¡±

    ¡°All of it,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°The stats are hidden, of course. We don¡¯t need to be announcing to everyone the full extent of what you¡¯re capable of when you wear it. That would defeat the whole purpose of a secret weapon.¡±

    Melissa nodded slowly, but it was clear she was torn between her emotions. Hope and worry intermixed on her features as she looked down upon the specially crafted set. She¡¯d been waiting around to get it for a week.

    Now that it was finally before her, it was only natural to be at least a little bit stressed. It was easy to wait. It was much harder to act when the time to sit around finally came to an end ¡ª and she was probably dying with curiosity as to what the armor actually did.

    ¡°Put it on,¡± Arwin said, holding the helmet out to the teen. ¡°It¡¯s been made specifically to fit you, but it never hurts to make sure.¡±

    Melissa hurried to oblige him. She donned the armor with practiced efficiency. Even if she¡¯d never worn te before, Arwin had done everything he could to make sure the set was as simple and fast to put on as he could possibly make it ¡ª and Melissa had clearly worn some forms of armor before.

    Arwin nodded in approval once Melissa finished. The armor fit her perfectly, molding to her form like a second skin. He¡¯d avoided any overly bulky pieces, instead relying on the qualities of the materials in the armor to provide the needed protection.

    It wasn¡¯t so overly bright or eye-catching that it would be detrimental, but the armor clearly had a little extra care put into its metal. Melissa tested out her range of movement as they all watched with interest.

    ¡°This is fantastic,¡± Melissa said. She rapped herself on the chest. ¡°At least, I think it is. I¡¯m not an expert on armor. It¡¯s heavier than I thought it would be, but I think I can still move around in it. But¡­ where¡¯s the magic?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t see anything?¡± Olive asked with a surprised blink. ¡°Have you tried focusing on it yet?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to forestall Melissa. ¡°Looking closer won¡¯t change anything. The armor¡¯s information ispletely hidden.¡±

    ¡°Completely?¡± Melissa lifted the helm off her head and tucked it under an arm as her brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because this isn¡¯t your typical magical armor. It¡¯s got a few extra peculiarities that I need to fill you in on,¡± Arwin said. He leaned against the counter as he spoke. ¡°The first is the most obvious. No visible magical properties. It just looks like a pretty piece of armor. The harder it is to figure out what you¡¯re wearing, the less chance the assassins are going to be able to counter it.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª huh. I didn¡¯t think of that. Some people have identification skills. I bet some of the assassins could too.¡± Melissa sucked on her teeth and pursed her lips. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good preemptive move to stop them from doing that.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t think identification skills will break through the armor¡¯s defenses either way. All the lower tier identification skills I know of usually only worked on normally concealed magic. Concealments built into a set are usually too significant to peer through for someone below Master Tier. I¡¯m not going to say anything about that. If shees up with her own justifications for why I¡¯ve made the armor like this, it just makes things easier for me.</em>

    ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing,¡± Arwin said, holding up a hand as his features darkened. ¡°This armor isn¡¯t going to work indefinitely. You¡¯ve got a time limit. A month, probably. No longer. After that, the magic in the armor will copse and it¡¯ll just be a pretty piece of metal. Effective, but nothing more than itsponents.¡±

    <em>Actually, I¡¯m just going to pull the plug on it in a month. I want to show off what I¡¯m capable of, but I don¡¯t need Melissa thinking I¡¯m too powerful either. She seems like a nice kid. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s imed to be the leader of a fairly powerful noble house. I believe her, but that also means she may not be the person we believe her to be. Better to cover all my bases.</em>

    Melissa didn¡¯t look even slightly surprised at the drawback. ¡°I figured something like that would be involved. Nobody can make magical armor strong enough to let me fight off the Falling de in just a week. There had to be a drawback. Not to sound impatient or impertinent¡­ but given those restrictions, what can it actually do?¡±

    Arwin smiled. He scooped a mug off the counter beside him and flung it at Melissa¡¯s head. She yelped in surprise and threw her hands up to protect her face. Arwin¡¯s mug was faster ¡ª and her armor was faster still.

    A gust of wind howled around Melissa and tossed the mug to the side, sending it tumbling through the air. Arwin lunged and grabbed it before it could hit the ground. Lillia sent him a pointed look.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Arwin said defensively, showing her the mug. ¡°I didn¡¯t break it.¡±

    ¡°Good. I would have been a bit peeved with you if it was. I would have extracted payment.¡±

    ¡°Is your idea of payment making him into a pillow? Because you were muttering something about that while you were sleeping,¡± Reya said with a sly grin.

    Lillia choked and coughed into her fist before sending a re at Reya. ¡°I think I liked it better when you were overly polite. Olive is a bad influence on you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Olive asked in exaggerated shock. ¡°That¡¯s just rude. I¡¯m as harmless as I am armless.¡±

    Arwin, Reya, Lillia, and Anna all sent a t stare at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°That sucked,¡± Anna informed her with a gentle smile. ¡°The only one who would haveughed at that was Rodrick, and heughs at just about anything.¡±

    Arwin nearly joined in on the banter before he spotted the stunned expression on Melissa¡¯s face.

    ¡°Are you okay? Did the armor draw too much power from you?¡± Worry creased Arwin¡¯s brow. He¡¯d done his best to make sure the armor wouldn¡¯t draw too much power, but there was always a chance ¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m more than okay,¡± Melissa said hurriedly. ¡°I¡­ how are you just all taking this so casually? The armor can knock away all ranged projectiles?¡±

    ¡°Well, most,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°If you get shot with something huge moving really fast, it¡¯ll probably get past. That¡¯ll be great for small projectiles, though.¡±

    ¡°Incredible.¡± Melissa put the helm back on her head. ¡°So all I have to do is figure out a way to defeat the assassins in hand to hand. I don¡¯t have to worry about their thrown weapons. I lost myst fight, but this gives me a fighting chance.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it does a whole lot more than just block flying shit,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s just the first enchantment.¡±

    ¡°It does <em>more</em>?¡± Melissa practically wheezed. ¡°What else?¡±

    Arwin grinned. ¡°I¡¯d be thrilled to show you.¡±

 Chapter 216: As it should

    Melissa stared at her gauntleted hands, hardly able to believe that she was looking at her own body. Her ears rung faintly and she could hear the thump of the blood coursing through her head.

    A small part of her wondered if she¡¯d somehow fallen into aa from the first Falling de assassins¡¯ poison and just hadn¡¯t evere out of it. She was no stranger to wealth. Her father had been a rich man and she¡¯d seen more than her fair share of magical equipment.

    She¡¯d even had a few pieces of it. The armor Ifrit had made her in just a single week was just an inch away from impossible. It was one of the strongest pieces she¡¯d ever seen. Sure, Melissa hade across stronger or more dangerous traits, but having this many in a single set of armor, not to mention in the time it had taken Arwin to make it, was ridiculous.

    It almost made her wonder if he¡¯d had the armor sitting around before she arrived. In fact, that was the only solution that Melissa¡¯s mind could ept. He¡¯d already had the majority of a setpleted and had just taken advantage of the opportunity to modify it for her purposes.

    The only thing that held the set back was its time limit of a month. But, if anything, that only relieved Melissa. If Ifrit had truly been able to make something this strong and it hadn¡¯te with a drawback, it would have been among the top ten or twenty magical items she¡¯d ever seen.

    <em>I can¡¯t believe a smith in a backwater town like Milten is capable of doing this, much less more. Did the gods guide me to him? Or was it something more sinister?</em>

    That thought only chilled Melissa¡¯s spine for about a second before she realized she didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass who had brought her to Ifrit. If the smith gave her a chance to avenge her father and take control of her family back, she¡¯d make a deal with anyone and anything willing to offer it.

    ¡°Well?¡± Ifrit asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. They stood inside the smithy, with Reya, Olive, and Anna watching them from the far side of the store.

    ¡°What do you think? Good enough? Need any modifications?¡±¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever worn a better piece of equipment,¡± Melissa said, shoving her disbelief to the side so she could properly answer the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to afford this anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s called an investment,¡± Ifrit said with a chuckle. ¡°Just make absolutely sure people know who you got it from. You¡¯re a walking advertisement for me. And do make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed, okay? My armor isn¡¯t going to look too impressive if you die and I don¡¯t have any enchantments on it to revive you.¡±

    Melissa didn¡¯tugh. She wouldn¡¯t have been entirely surprised if the smith somehow had managed to break thews of the world and built in some form of automatic healing that made her functionally unkible.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do everything in my power to avoid bringing your gift shame,¡± Melissa promised, pressing a hand to her chest. ¡°I swear it on the Montibeau family name.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far,¡± Ifrit said with a heavy sigh. ¡°I was joking about the dying bit, you know. Just try to survive and make sure to move quickly. Once you deal with the next group of assassins, if the people working against you have the capital to hire a third group, the armor won¡¯t be nearly as effective. Surprise is your strongest asset.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Melissa said with a firm nod. Ifrit seemed to know more aboutbat strategies than she would have expected a smith to know. To be fair, it was a fairly logical conclusion toe to ¡ª and Ifrit was far from just a random smith. He¡¯d probably traveled a fair bit of the world to get this good at crafting magical items. ¡°I will not fail.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t have a choice. I have to seed. Not just for myself or for my father, but for my family. This is the only chance I¡¯m going to get, and Ifrit is right about surprise being my strongest tool. I have to take power back by storm, then establish control over Montibeau¡¯s core operations to keep our flow of money running.</em>

    <em>Once I¡¯ve handled that and can hire more warriors and increase our defenses, I can work on taking out all the bastards that murdered my father. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯re still feeling alright?¡± Anna asked, walking up alongside Reya and Olive. ¡°There aren¡¯t any residual effects from the poison, right? Some of them can linger in your system for a long time if I missed even a droplet of it.¡±

    ¡°None that I¡¯ve felt,¡± Melissa said. ¡°I feel physically stronger than I have in a long time. I¡¯ve got all of you to thank for that.¡±

    ¡°Reya and I didn¡¯t do anything. It was all Lillia and Anna,¡± Olive said with a shake of her head.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Hey! I was emotional support,¡± Reya protested.

    ¡°Which is another word for saying you just sat there and looked cute while Lillia and Anna did the hard work.¡±

    ¡°You think I look cute?¡±

    Olive coughed into her fist. ¡°I think you may have missed the point of that line.¡±

    <em>These are people that effortlessly ughtered an entire group of professional assassins. Reya and Olive don¡¯t even look that much older than me, but they¡¯re acting as if this is just another day. What kind of guild is Menagerie?</em>

    ¡°Is there anything else I need to know about this armor?¡± Melissa asked, if only to keep herself grounded. Thest thing she wanted to do was start specting any more. Ifrit and his guild had helped her out.

    There was definitely a reason they were concealing themselves in a ce like this. Melissa didn¡¯t care what it was. She wouldn¡¯t repay their kindness by trying to root out their past.

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve shown you everything it can do,¡± Ifrit said. ¡°Just remember it draws on your own energy for the majority of its abilities. If you let a fight go on for too long, you¡¯ll get yourself killed. Don¡¯t y around with your enemies or get cocky. Do anything you need to in order to survive. The only winner of a fight is the one left standing at the end.¡±

    Melissa nodded her understanding. Before she could say anything else, the door swung open. She nced over her shoulder as an old woman stepped inside. A tall man in a suit stood behind her, a mildly irate expression on his sharp features.

    <em>The tall guy is Madiv. I remember him. The olddy is¡­ Esmerelda, I think? She hasn¡¯t been around that often. Is she also a part of their guild?</em>

    Esmerelda¡¯s eyesnded on Melissa and brightened instantly as a grin spread across her face, revealing a mouth full of slightly crooked teeth.

    ¡°Well, take a look at you,¡± Esmerelda said as she hobbled over to Melissa. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you on your feet again,ss. I¡¯ve been quite busy thesest few days. I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to get to know you more properly. Are you feeling well?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine,¡± Melissa said. ¡°Anna took good care of me, and I wouldn¡¯t expect anyone to drop all their responsibilities just because of my presence.¡±

    ¡°Would somebody invite me in?¡± Madiv asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just hospitality, dear,¡± Esmerelda said with aforting pat on Melissa¡¯s armored shoulder. ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a tough path ahead of you. Perhaps you could use some aid.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Ifrit has given me everything I think I could possibly need,¡± Melissa said, the back of her neck reddening in shame. It was pathetic that she needed to rely so heavily on someone else¡¯s power, but it was a shame she would bear if it let her survive. ¡°I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ept a single other handout.¡±

    ¡°A handout?¡± Esmerelda clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°Perish the thought. A gift, perhaps. One thates at a small cost. Nothing too great. And in return, a powerful weapon to aid you on your journey. I have just what you need in my shop.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Melissa said, wishing she could sink into the floor. The old woman felt so bad for her that she was offering discounts on her items. The Heir of the Montibeau family, reduced to begging for charity. Her cheeks flushed a bright red and she pulled her helmet over her head to hide her face. ¡°I am honored by your kindness, but I would sooner lose a limb than I would prey on your thoughtfulness any longer.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s mouth worked as she tried to find words.

    <em>Oh, no. She¡¯s trying to think of a way she can help me even more without making me feel bad. I won¡¯t let that happen. I have my pride as a noble. If I ept a single extra thing from the Menagerie, I don¡¯t think father will be able to look me in the eye when I meet him in the next life. </em>

    ¡°Can someone please invite me in?¡± Madiv asked again.

    Melissa took the momentary distraction to hurriedly switch the topic.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never be able to thank all of you for what you¡¯ve done for me, but I should leave. Rodrick said the Falling des might strike again as soon as a week after thest group. I don¡¯t want to bring any more danger to any of you.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª wait. You can¡¯t go yet!¡± Esmerelda protested.

    Melissa shook her head firmly. ¡°I must. This is my weight to bear, but you all have already given me so much to aid me. It will be enough. I will seed.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Ifrit agreed. He gave her an encouraging smile and a sharp nod. ¡°I recognize that determination in your eyes. It isn¡¯t our ce to keep you from it. Be careful but do what must be done. I look forward to hearing of the Montibeau family¡¯s rise.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Melissa swore. She pressed a hand to her chest and bowed to Ifrit. ¡°And, when you do, I will repay my debts. I swear it.¡±

    She had nothing but the armor on her back and the sword of one of the assassins that the Menagerie had gifted to her. It would be enough.

    Melissa strode out of the smithy. First, she would retake the Montibeau¡¯s hold in Milten. She would kill the assassins that came for her ¡ª and then the Kererus Coalition would pay for what they had done.

    ***

    ¡°I hope she seeds,¡± Arwin said. ¡°She¡¯s got a strong mind. It would be useful to have an ally like that in power.¡±

    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone want to buy my items?¡± Esmerelda muttered, staring at the palms of her hands with a distraught expression.

    ¡°Would someone please invite me in?¡± Madiv asked from the doorway.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Esmerelda. Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it. You just need the right customer. It¡¯s better to sell one thing to the right person than ten things to the wrong ones,¡± Anna said, putting a hand on the older woman¡¯s shoulders and giving her aforting smile.

    ¡°Did you want to buy something?¡± Esmerelda asked, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes.

    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m good.¡±

    Esmerelda sighed.

    Reya nced at Olive and cleared her throat, searching for words but failing to find them.

    ¡°How about we all go get some lunch?¡± Arwin suggested. ¡°I think Lillia¡¯s been working at it in the kitchen, and I¡¯m starving.¡±

    Everyone immediately dropped their conversations to look over at him, then all nodded as one. Arwin smiled.

    <em>All is as it should be.</em>

 Chapter 217: That bad

    Lunch went by too quickly. The entirety of the Menagerie other than Rodrick, who was still out in town, ate together. Lillia¡¯s cooking felt like it improved by leaps and bounds every single time she made something new.

    Even though her food didn¡¯t give him quite as much energy as eating a well-made bracelet did, when he ate multiple meals from her a day, the difference was more than made up. Her food also tasted a hell of a lot better than eating metal.

    It was also good for breaking up the mild tension at the counter ¡ª or rather, the mild tensions. Madiv and Esmerelda sat across from each other, arguing between every bite of food like an old married couple.

    <em>Well, that or a pair of mortal enemies. I genuinely can¡¯t tell which one it is as this point. I suppose it depends on if they end up killing each other or not.</em>

    Arwin would have considered intervening if Esmerelda wasn¡¯t returning fire with equal intensity to Madiv. Given how lonely her shop had been, he was pretty sure she was getting a kick out of just having someone to talk to.

    On the other side of the counter, Reya and Olive sat and finished their meals in silence. Reya definitely considered speaking at least a dozen times through the meal, only to second guess herself and give up before she could form a word. Olive seemed to be an identical boat.

    It was almost painful to watch, and Arwin couldn¡¯t do a thing about it.

    <em>There¡¯s no way Lillia and I were this bad, is there? I really don¡¯t want to believe I¡¯m that dense. </em>

    Lunch managed to finish without anyone professing their love or killing each other, which was definitely a minor miracle.¡°I don¡¯t <em>have </em>any more Brightsteel,¡± Esmerelda snapped, thrusting a finger into Madiv¡¯s chest and ring at the tall man. ¡°Why are you so insistent on using in, boring materials? I have an abundance of magical metal. It¡¯s far better than some pathetic Brightsteel, you withered up old fool.¡±

    ¡°Who are you calling old?¡± Madiv looked down the bridge of his nose at Esmerelda. ¡°And we need Brightsteel because that is what Arwin is paying for. He does not need magical metal, and I refuse to pay the difference.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a good price!¡±

    ¡°One gold.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Esmerelda red at Madiv. ¡°One gold? Are you insane? I¡¯m offering to sell you something that great adventurers would die in battle for, and you offer me one ¡ª oh, never mind. Use your head for a flicker of a second, empty as it may be. I am giving you an opportunity to purchase a powerful item without even a single gold. All I require¡ª¡±

    ¡°Only gold.¡± Madiv crossed his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t deal in anything else. Are you telling me that, after iming to be able to source anything I want, you can¡¯t even get a basic piece of metal?¡±

    ¡°You flea-ridden, pox-nibbling rat. Don¡¯t challenge my abilities,¡± Esmerelda snarled, leaping from her chair with surprising dexterity and grabbing Madiv by the arm. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll show you just what I¡¯m capable of. We¡¯ll see about me not being able to get any Brightsteel. I¡¯m sure I can find some of the damned garbage in this swamp of a city.¡±

    She dragged Madiv out of the door, but the vampire didn¡¯t seem too bothered. Arwin was pretty sure he caught a flicker of smug satisfaction in his eyes before they vanished through the door.

    Olive and Reya nced at each other at the same time, then hurriedly broke eye contact. Reya snagged a napkin and wiped at her face with it before sliding out of her stool.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ uh, going to go run. A lot. I need to practice running,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Good luck?¡± Arwin half said, half asked. Going for a run right after lunch probably wouldn¡¯t have been his first choice, but Reya was already halfway out the door.

    For a second, he sat silently with Anna and Olive. Then the one-armed swordsman got to her own feet and scratched at the side of her neck.

    ¡°Could you tell Lillia thanks for the meal for me? I have to polish my sword.¡±

    She was off without waiting for a response, slipping out of the tavern. Arwin couldn¡¯t help but notice that Olive didn¡¯t have her sword on her, nor did a magical sword typically need any sharpening.

    He and Anna exchanged a nce.

    ¡°Kids,¡± Anna said through a snort.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either Madiv or Esmerelda count as children. They¡¯re both definitely more than twice my age.¡±

    Anna stood up and gathered up the tes left on the counter, then arched an eyebrow. ¡°Just because you get older doesn¡¯t mean you stop acting like a kid. Ah, I can¡¯tin. It keeps things exciting, and it¡¯s far preferrable to how life used to be.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly entertaining,¡± Arwin agreed. He almost asked Anna if he and Lillia had really been this bad, then decided against it. There were some things that he just didn¡¯t need to know. ¡°Do you know how Rodrick is doing? He¡¯s been out a lot recently. Nothing is wrong, is it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d have said if something was. Don¡¯t worry about him too much. He¡¯s having the time of his life.¡± Anna shook her head and shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s just doing what he does best and poking his nose around where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡±

    ¡°As long as all is fine,¡± Arwin said. He took the stack of tes from Anna. ¡°I¡¯ll take these to Lillia.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± Anna said with a wry smile. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t stop you. Before you head off, what should we tell the people that have been swinging by to check if you¡¯re nning to start taking customers again anytime soon? I get the feeling the forge is going to swallow your time again pretty soon.¡±

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    ¡°You predict right.¡± Arwin set the tes back down on the counter momentarily to rub the back of his neck and give Anna a sheepish smile. ¡°We¡¯re going through money at a pretty rming rate, so I¡¯ll probably want to start of a few normal armor sets soon. I¡¯ll let Madiv and Reya handle the sales and the like. Don¡¯t take on any more new customers yet. If anyonees by asking tomission me, just let them know I¡¯ll be taking requests for some very special armor quite soon.¡±

    ¡°Going to be making more of the magical stuff you made Melissa?¡±

    ¡°Probably not to that level. I had to waste a lot of time and energy putting limits onto it,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. Making equipment that was <em>too </em>effective was definitely a good problem to have. ¡°I¡¯ll just be doing some low-to-mid-level magical equipment. Stuff simr to Olive¡¯s sword or bracers. Probably a bit nicer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re about to be a popr smith,¡± Anna observed. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to limit the new customers, then. Are you going to vet who you sell to?¡±

    ¡°You know it. Nothing too extensive. I¡¯m not making world-ending pieces of equipment, and I don¡¯t have time to deeply research everyone. If you or Rodrick do, then it would be helpful to have a quick analysis from you. Don¡¯t take on anyone you don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± Anna promised. ¡°You should consider making rings and jewelry as well. There¡¯s a lot of demand for those. I think you mentioned doing it a while ago.¡±

    Arwin dug through his pockets and pulled out the ring he¡¯d taken from theirst dungeon.

    <strong>Flowing Water Ring: Average Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Glittering Wave]: This item was made with the sea in mind and quenched within its waters. Activating this item will cause it to glint like the sun off water, potentially blinding anyone looking in its direction for a short period of time.</strong>

    He¡¯d still yet to wear or gift it to anyone. It had clearly been some sort of wedding band. It just didn¡¯t feel right. He and the members of the Menagerie weren¡¯t so desperate for power to need something like this ¡ª but he could still learn a lot from it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be doing that quite soon. I just need to get the housing for a creepy ass heart built first,¡± Arwin said, studying the ring for a second longer before tucking it into a pocket. He set a hand on the stack of tes again.

    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll let the others know where you and Lillia are,¡± Anna said. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He lifted the tes and headed into the kitchen, eager to get started on his joint project with Lillia once again.

    ***

    Tironal¡¯s fingers drummed against his small chair¡¯s armrest. He massaged his forehead with a hand as he stared out the window, his jaw clenched. Milten hadn¡¯t meant to pose anywhere near this much of an annoyance.

    Perhaps that was an unfair thought. If he was being honest with himself, Milten hadn¡¯t been a problem at all. The Ardent guild had moved into the city effortlessly. They¡¯d quickly established a new guildhall and had been steadily gaining influence over the town and the merchants within it. There was just a single roadblock.

    The Menagerie.

    It would have been simple enough to just ignore them if Ifrit had been a normal smith, but everything had gone wrong at every turn. His own men had been saved from a potential Dungeon Break, and even though the majority of the town had no clue of how close they hade to disaster, they did know that the Ardent Guild¡¯s adventurers had been rescued.

    His plot to buy the Menagerie¡¯snd had failed, and not only had they managed to get established as a guild, but they¡¯d been <em>ranked. </em> Even if it was only Rank 499, at the very bottom of the list, they¡¯d done what he hadn¡¯t been able to do in years of work.

    <em>Damn it all. Stopping a Dungeon Break when it¡¯s that close to going off is definitely difficult, but couldn¡¯t my men have done that without help? This is ruining how fast I can move, especially after that stunt Ifrit pulled. </em>

    <em>The Menagerie are going to be a major thorn in my side if we can¡¯t remove them sooner rather thanter. They¡¯ve already got too much support for a guild their size¡­ and if they¡¯re ranked, taking them out means the Ardent Guild might finally get the ranking we¡¯ve been trying for. </em>

    It wasn¡¯t like he could just crush them, though. The Ardent Guild was a merchant guild, not an adventurer guild. If he went around killing people himself, the guild¡¯s public image would plummet and merchants would stop working with them.

    <em>I wish my damned spymaster and his apprentice weren¡¯t sted fools. Charles used to be sopetent. What happened to him? It feels like I¡¯m flying blind ¡ª but it changes nothing. I need to find a way to deal with the Menagerie before they get too strong and fly my reach.</em>

    A shadow shifted in the corner of the dark room, just out of the reach of the light flowing in through the window. Tironal¡¯s contemtions froze as he jerked his head to look in the direction of the movement.

    He rose to his feet. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself, Tironal.¡± A voice curled from the shadows like wisps of smoke. ¡°If we wanted you dead, then you never would have heard meing.¡±

    A man d in sleek ck armor stepped out of the darkness. His face was covered by a metal mask that rose up from the top of his chestpiece, leaving only his dull gray eyes visible above it, and even they were partially concealed beneath a thick mat of gray hair. A guild insignia of a thin silver line ran across his chest, right above his heart.

    Tironal¡¯s eyes locked onto the insignia on the man¡¯s chest. He felt the blood rush out of his face.

    <em>He¡¯s a member of the Setting Sun. What the fuck is someone like that doing in Milten?</em>

    ¡°What do¡ª¡±

    The man lifted a hand to his masked face and Tironal¡¯s mouth snapped shut.

    ¡°Hush now, Tironal,¡± the intruder breathed. ¡°I am speaking. Don¡¯t fret, dear merchant. We don¡¯t have any issue with your ns to move into Milten, nor do we care about your little spat with the Dawnseekers.¡±

    Tironal swallowed. He didn¡¯t dare to so much as nod his understanding. There was no point calling for help or his guards. None of his warriors were anywhere near strong enough to kill the man before him, much less stop him from slitting Tironal¡¯s throat in a split second.

    ¡°You may answer this question,¡± the gray-haired shadow said. ¡°I had a¡­ trainee of sorts in Milten. He has gone missing.¡±

    ¡°Nobody in my guild is anywhere near strong enough to kill one of your members,¡± Tironal said. ¡°I swear to you that it wasn¡¯t us.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who it was. His death was unfortunate but ultimately irrelevant. If a baby bird falls from the nest and does not fly, then they were fated to meet their end on the ground. I simply wish to recover some of the investments I spent on my apprentice. They were not cheap. One item in particr could be problematic in the wrong hands. It magnifies the desires of whatever it has been connected to with a rather significant amount of magic.¡±

    Tironal swallowed. He¡¯d technically answered the other man¡¯s first question, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he dared to speak again without permission. Amusement crinkled the pale, visible skin of gray-haired man¡¯s face.

    ¡°You may speak.¡±

    ¡°You may have full ess to anything in my guild to inspect it. If we have mistakenly imed anything that belongs to you, we will return it without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°Very good ¡ª but as you said, you were not strong enough to defeat my apprentice. You have an extensivework in this city, Tironal. I do not have time to invest too much of my own effort, so you will do this task for me, yes? Of course, I will ensure you are properly paid for it.¡±

    Tironal nodded so hard that his chin nearly went straight into his sr plexus. ¡°We are at yourmand. Who is yourte apprentice? I will call my spymaster immediately.¡±

    ¡°He should not be difficult to find. I believe he had started a baby guild in this city,¡± the intruder said. His words crawled across Tironal¡¯s skin like a wave of spiders. ¡°His name was Jessen.¡±

 Chapter 218: Primal

    With Melissa¡¯s armor dealt with, Arwin and Lillia finally had a chance to get back to working on their heart-contraption. They hadn¡¯t actually figured out a name for it yet, and Arwin was more focused on actually making it than naming it.

    The Millstone Maw, the first part of the set that would process magical food into paste, was ready to get to work. They just needed the next two parts of the set. One to extract the magical energy from the paste, and another to house the heart.

    Arwin was fairly certain that the former of the two would be the more difficult. The best idea he and Lillia hade up with so far was a device that would ept some form of liquid through an intake valve that could be mixed with the paste until dilution. The mixture could then then flow through the pipes and into the heart.

    With that in mind, Arwin got started by making some pipes. He didn¡¯t need much of Lillia¡¯s help for that, so she headed back to the tavern to start preparing for the dinner crowd while he worked.

    Making the pipes, fortunately, was a fairly straight forward task. Arwin went through his Brightsteel, filtering through it to find pieces that wouldn¡¯t mind being part of¡­ whatever it was he was making. It was a bit difficult to describe to the metal through just thoughts and feelings, but he eventually managed to get his point across.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t surprised to find that the Brightsteel wasn¡¯t particrly excited for the task, but he eventually managed to filter out enough pieces that didn¡¯t mind it. He then got to work purifying the metal piece by piece before hammering it back into a sheet with Verdant ze.

    Once the metal for the pipes was ready, it didn¡¯t take long for Arwin to turn it into rough tube shapes. He used [Scourge] and the heat of his [Soul me] to bend everything together, then spent nearly three times that effort actually rounding out the centers of the pipes to make them circr.

    That had probably been a bit excessive. He was pretty sure the pipes would be fine even if they weren¡¯t perfect, but every step toward perfection meant the final product would function better¡­ and it certainly didn¡¯t hurt anyone if it looked nice.

    Arwin pumped the metal full of his magical energy as he worked, then moved on to forming a mixing chamber and a valve to pour liquid in through. That took a little longer than the pipes, and he ran into a slightly bigger problem in the process.Unlike the pipes, having divots or other significant imperfections in a mixing chamber would mean liquid or paste could get stuck in the cracks and fail to flow on properly. That would mean extra time wasted taking everything apart or cleaning it.

    <em>I need to keep it as round as possible. How can I get arge piece of metal to be a good hemisphere?</em>

    Arwin looked around the smithy. Materials were gathered in piles along its edges and a thinyer of soot covered the ground, pieces of metal scattered throughout it. Nothing was exactly the sphere shape he needed.

    His brow furrowed in thought, holding the sheet of Brightsteel in one hand while his other drummed against the stone bottom of his hearth, [Soul me] flickering around it. Then a thought struck him.

    Arwin looked down at the metal in his hand, then nced at the door. Nobody was watching. He stuck the Brightsteel into the fire, heating it until it was malleable, then lifted it to the top of his head and pressed down with the aid of [Scourge].

    The metal warped and contoured to the top of his skull. He ran his hands along it, smoothing everything out as much as possible before lifting the glowing metal away and examining it.

    It had worked. His method might have been a little unconventional and the result wasn¡¯t apletely perfect hemisphere, but it had worked. There were just a few dents he had to work out of the metal before it would be as close to perfect as he was going to get.

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    <em>Huh. The top of my head is a bit less round than I thought it was. I wonder if I got the bumps from getting smacked too hard at some point. I¡¯m sure those didn¡¯t affect me negatively in any way. </em>

    Arwin worked the small bumps out as best as he could, continuing to pump magical energy out into the metal, and he soon had the bottom half of his mixing chamber prepared. He then repeated the process for the top half.

    With the two halves of the chamber prepared, Arwin intensified the power pouring into his [Soul me] until it glowed a deep blue. He heated both pieces of the chamber and pressed them together. Their seams melted into each other, making a hollow sphere.

    The [Soul me] faded back to its normal color as Arwin removed the mixing chamber and pressed a pipe into its side, leaving a faint mark in the metal. He drew on his magic once again to use [Scourge] and push out a hole for the pipe to go through.

    He made a second hole next to the first and a third on the opposite side of the sphere. Arwin¡¯s magic started to falter as drew continuously on it to infuse the metal, but he¡¯d advanced in rank since thest time he¡¯d worked this hard.

    He had more energy now than he had before. It still wasn¡¯t anything more than a drop in the bucketpared to the power he¡¯d had as the Hero, but it was progress.

    <em>And if I¡¯m honest with myself, I wouldn¡¯t trade what I can do now for the powers I had then. Being a smith lets me do more than just kill. I just hope my power is enough to let me actually use this creepy heart. It¡¯s going to be a real pain in the ass if all this effort ends up amounting to nothing. </em>

    Arwin pressed on. He made a funnel from Brightsteel using the horn of the anvil and pinching the heated metal together with [Scourge] infused fingers, then connected that to the top of a pipe.

    The door swung open behind him and he nced over his shoulder as Lillia re-entered the back of the smithy. She took a second to take in everything that he¡¯d already done, then gave him a nod.

    ¡°Want help with the finish?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got timing,¡± Arwin said, not stopping his work as he used one of the gemstones that Rodrick had brought for Melissa¡¯s armor and embedded it in the bottom of the mixing chamber. His words were strained with focus, but he managed to push them out without getting distracted. ¡°Can you back me up on the mixing intent? I¡¯ll handle the rest of it.¡±

    Lillia strode over toply and Arwin scooped up a Wyrmling w, pushing it through the top of the chamber. Energy pulsed through his body and throbbed in his mind as he shoved it into the Brightsteel.

    He connected the pipes to the mixing chamber in the same manner, his intent as honed as a knife. Power ran from Lillia and flowed through him before entering the chamber. The Mesh tingled at Arwin¡¯s fingertips as he felt it intensify with every passing second.

    It built behind the dam of his mind, held back by only determination to make sure everything waspletely finished. Arwin straightened out a few connections and gave the odd sphere onest look.

    Three pipes jutted out of it. One went straight back to connect with the Millstone Maw, another rose up to the sky and had a funnel at its peak, while thest jutted out horizontally on the far end of the sphere so it could run to the final part of the set once it was made.

    There was nothing more he could do. Arwin finally rxed, his shoulders dipping as he blew out an exhausted sigh. The Mesh burst forth to bring their work to life. All he could do now was sit and watch the golden words as they shimmered through the air, waiting to see if his and Lillia¡¯s efforts had been sessful.

    <strong>[Churning Stomach: Epic Quality]</strong><strong>has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>[Churning Stomach: Epic Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[The Stomach of the Forge]: This item is primed and ready to hold all the magic that enters it, but not for long. The magical energy of any organic materials that enter this item will be temporarily contained and kept from dissipating. </strong>

    <strong>[Swirling Bite]: The hunger of a Wyrmling imbues this item. At the cost of magical energy, magical currents will churn within this item¡¯s core and mix anything within it thoroughly. </strong>

    <strong>[Dry Mouth]: This item cannot function without a sufficient supply of liquid. Its traits¡¯ effectiveness will be reduced or entirely halted if it gets clogged by solid or indigestible matter. </strong>

    <strong>[The Soul of the Forge]: This is a set item of [3] pieces forged by Arwin Tyrr and Lillian Los. When the entire set is connected, it will gain the [Awoken] trait and be active.</strong>

    But that wasn¡¯t all. Even as Arwin spun to Lillia and grabbed her shoulders, a delighted grin spreading across his face, one more message from the Mesh shed before Arwin¡¯s eyes. A tremor ran down his back as he felt something hidden away within [Arsenal] shift.

    A deep, primal hunger met his mind like a river of fire. It twisted down his spine and purred in the back of his thoughts like a satisfied lion. Before the new words could even finish tracing out before him, Arwin knew what they would say.

    <strong>Verdant ze has fully Awakened.</strong>

 Chapter 219: Cage

    Verdant ze materialized in Arwin¡¯s hand, unbidden. A thrum of energy raced down his arms as soon as the warm metal of its haft pressed against his palm. Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as the breath caught in his chest.

    The weapon had changed. It was still clearly made from the same materials, but it was almost as if they had refined themselves. The scorched green crystal that had made up the t forging end of the hammer had turned an even deeper shade, nearly turningpletely ck. A dull light burned within the crystal like a me encased within ice.

    On the other side of the hammer¡¯s head, the change was even more evident. The color of the crystal had changed in the same way as the other side. All the formerly haphazard green spikes jutting out of it had moved to a ring around the edge of the hammer with a single,rger spike in the very center. It resembled the mouth of a massive worm.

    Swirls of dull green twisted down from the head of the hammer and through the entire haft. The same dull energy that burned within the rest of the crystal pulsated within it almost like a heartbeat, sendingpping waves of warmth into Arwin¡¯s palm. It was hot enough to be nearly ufortable to the touch ¡ª almost like a reminder that the hammer was more than just a mere weapon.

    But that wasn¡¯t the extent of the changes to Verdant ze. In fact, as the Mesh flowed forth, Arwin realized that not even its name had survived the Awakening.

    <strong>Verdant Inferno: Unique Quality </strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. With every death it causes and every magical item it is used to craft, it will grow slightly more powerful. It haspleted its bond with Arwin Tyrr.</strong>

    <strong>[Shieldbreaker]: This weapon hungers to destroy. Every consecutive blow against the same target will deal increased damage. Changing targets or blocking an attack with this weapon will reset any power that Shieldbreaker has generated. </strong>

    <strong>[Burning Metal]: This weapon has consumed [Soul me] to the point where its metal is permanently infused with its power. It will drink in [Soul me], increasing the amount and heat of the me in its blows with it at the cost of magical energy. </strong><strong>[Iplete Core]: The crystal in this weapon has remembered old desires. This weapon¡¯s need for blood is matched only by its hunger for heat. This trait will update when a core containing sufficient blood or heat is sacrificed to this weapon, changing its other traits permanently. </strong>

    <strong>[Unique]: This item was created for Arwin Tyrr, and it will never know another owner. This item will attempt to burn anyone who attempts to wield it other than its owner. Information about this item may be hidden from others after it has bonded. </strong>

    ¡°Hell,¡± Arwin whispered as he stared at his hammer. Verdant Inferno ¡ª it would take a little while to get used to the new name ¡ª had definitely grown more powerful. While [Shieldbreaker] was unchanged, its other ability had been upgraded and it had gained a whole new one that would let it grow stronger once again.

    <em>A core with enough blood or heat? How much of either are we talking? Something tells me I can¡¯t just warm a piece of metal or stab a few assholes and pour their blood into a cup. I¡¯m not sure I like the idea of making Verdant ze, ah, Inferno, any more bloodthirsty than it already is.</em>

    The weapon purred in the back of his mind at that thought. His palm prickled as miniature crystalline structures pressed into it, almost as if the hammer was goading him on. Arwin had nearly forgotten that the crystal in Verdant ze was the very same crystal as the Devouring Prism that made up the core of his bow.

    <em>Well, shit. Now I have two weapons that share my damn hunger. And somehow, Verdant Inferno is even more ominous than Prism¡¯s Reach. </em>

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia asked, concern tinging her tone. ¡°What happened? Why does Verdant ze look like that? Did it¡­¡±

    ¡°Awaken. It¡¯s called Verdant Inferno now,¡± Arwin finished with a nod. He sent onest look at the hammer before dismissing it and flexing his hand. ¡°Well, it was already awakened. It just finished the job.¡±

    ¡°It certainly looks a lot more intimidating. Not exactly a hero¡¯s weapon anymore,¡± Lillia said with a wry grin. ¡°Something like that would have looked more in ce in my hands than yours.¡±

    Arwin snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not a hero anymore. As long as it does its job, I don¡¯t care what it looks like. Besides, I¡¯d say the new look fits pretty well with the theme we¡¯ve got going on.¡±

    ¡°That it does,¡± Lillia agreed.

    They were both silent for a second. Then Lillia looked down to the newly made piece of their heart-contraption and her smile widened. ¡°And we did it again! A second piece!¡±

    ¡°The hardest one,¡± Arwin agreed, matching the expression on her face. Verdant Inferno needed him to find some sort of core for it, and he was definitely going to need to lean into heat over blood. They already had one vampire on the team. ¡°All that remains now is to make the housing for the heart and stick everything together.¡±

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    ¡°Want to do it now? Or are you out of energy after all that? I only helped with thest bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good to go again in a minute or two. You helped with the hardest bit, and I¡¯ve got a lot more energy than I used to. I¡¯m already Apprentice 8 after all the work we¡¯ve been doing recently. Now that I¡¯m making real magical items that have more than a little power within them, I¡¯m starting to advance faster.¡±

    ¡°Power begets power,¡± Lillia said with an understanding nod. ¡°I¡¯ve been advancing really fast recently as well. I think I¡¯m not too far from being able to start raising the prices of the tavern as well. The Mesh is acknowledging the quality of my food and letting me charge more for the fancier meals. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be in Apprentice Tier for much longer.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Arwin agreed. A mixture of excitement and trepidation swirled through his stomach. He cleaned off the anvil and the space around it, preparing to start on the final part of their project. ¡°Which means our first ss evolution ising soon.¡±

    ¡°Given the enemies we¡¯ve been making, it might be a good idea for that to be sooner rather thanter,¡± Lillia said. She helped Arwin move some Brightsteel scrap out of the way. ¡°That first evolution is an important one. It¡¯ll be setting our path to the future. Do you know what you¡¯re going to specialize in? I¡¯d imagine a smith gets to choose some specific form of crafting or the like. Maybe a weapons or armor specialization?¡±

    ¡°I hope not thetter. I don¡¯t want to focus on just armor or weapons.¡± Arwin scratched at the side of his neck. ¡°There¡¯s still some time until I hit Apprentice 9. Once we finish the heart¡¯s housing, I¡¯ll have more time to figure out what I want to specialize in. What about you? Food, I take it?¡±

    ¡°Either food or the inn itself. I¡¯m pretty sure those will be at least two of my options,¡± Lillia said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯m undecided. I like cooking, but I want to be more than just a chef. I want the entirety of the Devil¡¯s Den to be an experience and it really isn¡¯t big enough to fulfill that at any scale yet. I¡¯ll probably track that Mason you hired down and have him help expand the inn so we can start housing more people pretty soon.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t worried about the satisfaction rating?¡±

    ¡°Not if everyone¡¯s satisfied,¡± Lillia said with a smirk. It fell away as a serious expression reced it and she blew out a small sigh. ¡°Honestly, yes. I am worried about it. But I can¡¯t let that hold me back. The Mesh only rewards challenge, not sitting around in mediocrity. So let¡¯s get to it and give it something to reward, shall we?¡±

    Arwin followed her gaze over to the heart. It thumped, almost as if in response. Arwin¡¯s lip curled in a mixture of amusement and mild disgust. The heart really didn¡¯t get any less creepy no matter how long he had to get used to it.

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get this wrapped up before nightfall. I want a good night of rest in a proper bed.¡±

    And that was exactly what they did.

    Arwin¡¯s earlier prediction that the second piece of the contraption would be the hardest turned out to be correct. Building a cage for the disturbing piece of flesh turned out to be a surprisingly simple task. He chose Ivorin for the task. He wouldn¡¯t ever admit it, but half the reason reason he chose the metal was because of its strong resemnce to bone. It was a cage for a heart. It didn¡¯t make sense to make it out of anything else.

    Arwin also didn¡¯t mind that Ivorin was ridiculously easy to work with and was more than happy to be turned into just about anything. He melted the impurities free from it, ttened sheets out, and formed them into ribs before quenching them and setting about hammering every piece together to form the ribcage with Verdant Inferno. The fully awakened hammer forged even faster than the old hammer did.

    Each rib was studded with arge white gem as Arwin used up the rest of the stones that Rodrick had retrieved for him. He didn¡¯t add any other monsterponents to the mix. The only purpose of the final part of their contraption was to keep the heart alive and maintain the energy it gathered ¡ª and gemstones were perfect for that.

    The hardest part of the entire project was avoiding damaging the heart in the process. Once he got the ribcagergely prepared, he and Lillia hoisted the still-thumping piece of monster flesh into it. They took care to avoid the sharp tips of the ribs, which he¡¯d left bent outward for that very reason.

    Once the heart was in ce within the ribcage, Arwin used [Scourge] and some heat from [Soul me] to carefully bend every rib in around the heart. He had to work far slower than he would have liked. Putting too much [Soul me] into the metal had a chance of burning the heart.

    But, eventually, Arwin bent every rib into ce. He and Lillia worked together throughout the process, pouring their magic into the metal and both focusing their intent on same thing ¡ª to make sure the heart could absorb and keep the energy from the rest of the machine when they connected it.

    The heart¡¯s pulsations intensified as they worked, almost as if in anticipation. It wasn¡¯t quite absorbing the power directly from them, but it could feel that something was changing. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing.

    It was toote to worry about it. The furious tingle of the Mesh against his fingertips was too strong to be denied any longer. It knew just as well as he that their work was done. Lillia¡¯s hands slipped from Arwin¡¯s sides as he took a step back, his own heart caught in his throat, and looked upon the final part of his and Lillia¡¯s work as the Mesh infused it.

    <strong>[Hearthome: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Couple of Crafters - III] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Couple of Crafters - III] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a fully Epic set by linking your desires together with your partner. Get a room.</em> Effects: <em>Title: [Couple of Crafters] has been earned. This achievement has been consumed.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Couple of Crafters] - <em>Linking your intent with your partner enough times has established a connection between you so long as your goals remain aligned. The dissonance between you and your partner¡¯s intent has been permanently reduced. </em></strong>

    ¡°I take it I don¡¯t have to ask if you got the title too?¡± Lillia asked, weary amusement in her voice as she nudged him with a shoulder. He could tell that she was just as exhausted as he was. They¡¯d been at work all day, and after a long stretch of barely even sleeping at all.

    More than anything else, he just wanted to get some rest.

    ¡°Not unless you¡¯ve been crafting with someone else.¡±

    They both let out a tiredugh. The floor was calling to Arwin, but not nearly as loudly as the proper bed back in Lillia¡¯s room was. But, before that, there was onest thing he could do. Onest flickering candlewick of excitement that kept him on his feet.

    He and Lillia both looked down at the heart, trapped within its new Ivorin cage, and watched with trepidation as the Mesh spilled forth.

 Chapter 220: Heartbeat

    Arwin read the golden words even as they formed in the air, the air caught in his chest as he scanned to see if his and Lillia¡¯s efforts had been sessful. He felt Verdant Inferno thrumming at the back of his mind in satisfaction, which eased his fears slightly.

    <strong>[Hearthome: Epic Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[Unlive]: This item is not inert, but it does not live. It isposed with equal parts metal and flesh, creating a form that can only continue its existence through sustained magical input. </strong>

    <strong>[The Heart of the Forge]: Pure magical energy that enters this item grants it life, allowing it to beat. Its purpose and actions are variable. </strong>

    <strong>[Bodyless]: This item needs a body to function. </strong>

    <strong>[The Soul of the Forge]: This is a set item of [3] pieces forged by Arwin Tyrr and Lillian Los. When the entire set is connected, it will gain the [Awoken] trait and be active.</strong>

    Arwin and Lillia pulled their eyes away from the Mesh and exchanged a nce. Hearthome¡¯s description wascking at best. It didn¡¯t seem like anything had failed, but it was so ambiguous that it was impossible to tell if anything had <em>seeded.</em>

    ¡°Should¡­ we connect it?¡± Lillia asked hesitantly. ¡°There¡¯s no way to know if it works without that, right?¡±

    The heart thumped weakly in its ribcage. Arwin chewed his lower lip for a second before nodding. ¡°I guess so? The set isn¡¯t finished until everything gets put together. That¡¯ll be the rest of its body, I suppose. We can feed it tonight and then get a proper bellows for it to work with tomorrow.¡±¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go get something ready. Give me a few minutes,¡± Lillia said, hurrying out of the smithy and over to the tavern.

    Arwin connected the Millstone Maw to the Churning Stomach while he waited for Lillia. Thergeponents were heavy enough to force him to use the scarce remains of his magical energy on [Scourge], but he managed to slot the two pieces together, relieved to find that everything went together wlessly.

    He wiped the sweat from his brow and tried not to think too long about the scent of salt, soot, and me mixing in the air around him. That wasn¡¯t an easy task. He¡¯d been at work for quite some time.

    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to bear it alone for much longer. Slightly less fortunately, Lillia wasn¡¯t in much better shape. She returned from the kitchen with a te of Wyrmling meat chunks and arge tankard of water. She¡¯d been cloaked by the smell of the forge but was somehow spared that of sweat and grime.

    ¡°What are you sniffing at?¡± Lillia asked with a suspicious squint as she handed him the te. ¡°It¡¯s not the same food that I make for us. I skipped out on the seasoning. I don¡¯t think the heart would appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Uh, nothing,¡± Arwin said, clearing his throat and suddenly realizing this probably wasn¡¯t a wise topic to bring up when they weren¡¯t even that far away from being able to take a bath. He¡¯d gotten used enough to the smell of soot and metal that he actually found he didn¡¯t mind, but it was a bit toote to mention that.

    It was toote. Lillia nced down at herself and the mixture of oil, soot, and other misceneous smudges covering her. She sniffed at her armpit, then grimaced. ¡°Oh, Nine Undends. I walked into my kitchen smelling like death warmed over. I¡¯m going to have to clean everything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. You just smell a little¡­ metal-y.¡±

    ¡°Right. Thank you,¡± Lillia said dryly. She didn¡¯t look too convinced, and Arwin got the feeling that trying to convince her of anything else would probably just be digging the hole deeper. She nodded to the heart. ¡°Let¡¯s just put this thing together, yeah? It¡¯s a good thing we didn¡¯t give it a nose.¡±

    Arwin snorted and nodded his assent. He nced at the te of food in his hands, then handed it back to Lillia before pulling the Hearthome over to the pipes extending from the Churning Stomach.

    He moved carefully as he brought the heart closer to the pipe and slid it in. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how delicate the heart was, and he didn¡¯t want to destroy it at thest second. His fear proved unfounded. The twoponents connected without resistance, and he released the heart a secondter with a relieved sigh.

    ¡°Looks like it worked,¡± Arwin said, straightening back up and doing his best to wipe his hands off on his pants. It didn¡¯t do much of anything other than smear grime around. He was pretty sure this set of clothes was done for. His eyes drifted over to Lillia¡¯s and her eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°And using a great force of will to avoid indulging those thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Some hero you are,¡± Lillia said with a snort. She followed his gaze, then let out a defeated sigh. ¡°Oh, go ahead. These are ruined beyond saving, so if you can find a clean spot, might as well make use of it. I¡¯m going to need to invest in some work clothes if I¡¯m going to be doing this more often.¡±

    Before Arwin could tell Lillia he¡¯d been joking, a wall of prickles mmed into him like a wave. It stole the breath from his lungs as it raced down his entire body, not even sparing his eyes or mouth.

    Lillia let out a surprised curse and they both jerked back as the Mesh swirled into the Hearthome, illuminating the ribs and pouring out into the rest of the contraption. The heart pulsated and sent a thumping vibration that shook Arwin¡¯s teeth in his jaw.

    A dull, keening groan rose up from the contraption as it started to shudder.

    ¡°Uh¡­ I think we better feed it,¡± Arwin said.

    Lillia gave him a hurried nod and he grabbed the tankard from her, pouring it into the open intake valve. She pushed the food off her te and into the opening of the Millstone Maw. The sphere ground to life immediately, starting to crush the meat into paste.

    The heart sent out another thundering pulse that was only slightly weaker than the first. Arwin and Lillia watched with trepidation as the entire machine shuddered to life. The heart thumped again. Then again.

    It fell into a healthy beat, now only slightly louder than a normal heart would be. A grin pulled across Arwin¡¯s lips and he took Lillia by the shoulders in delight. ¡°It works!¡±

    ¡°It does something,¡± Lillia agreed with a relievedugh. ¡°What a weird¡ª¡±

    Lillia froze mid-sentence, her expression stiffening as she looked past him.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked, spinning to her. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Lillia whispered, her eyes going wide. Arwin followed her gaze back to the Hearthome.

    <strong>[Hearthome: Epic Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[Unlive]: This item is not inert, but it does not live. It isposed with equal parts metal and flesh, creating a form that can only continue its existence through sustained magical input. </strong>

    <strong>[The Heart of the Forge]: Pure magical energy that enters this item grants it life, allowing it to beat. Its purpose and actions are variable. </strong>

    <strong>[The Infernal Armory]: This item has taken on the Infernal Armory as its body.</strong>

    <strong>[Awoken]: This item has taken on life of its own. It will grow stronger with age at a rate corresponding to the quality of food fed to it. It has bonded with Lillian Los and Arwin Tyrr.</strong>

    <strong>[The Soul of the Forge]: This is a set item of [3] pieces forged by Arwin Tyrr and Lillian Los. When the entire set is connected, it will gain the [Awoken] trait and be active.</strong>

    As Arwin stared, the ribs curled around the heart peeled back. They bent in ways that he most certainly hadn¡¯t meant for them to, transforming into legs that jutted out from the bottom of the heart as it lifted itself ¡ª along with the rest of its body ¡ª into the air.

    It jabbed its makeshift legs into the ground, ripping straight into the foundations. It burrowed into the ground until only the Millstone Maw and the water intake remained visible, and the stone beneath Arwin¡¯s feet shuddered.

    Golden swirls of light danced up the walls and flitted past him like specters. Arwin spun in an attempt to follow them, but it was impossible. They¡¯d covered the entire building. Once more, the Mesh twisted itself into words before Arwin.

    <strong>[The Infernal Armory: Epic Quality]</strong>

    <strong>[The Body]: This building has been taken as the body of the Hearthome and obeys itsmands. </strong>

    <strong>[Heartbeat Shield]: For as long as this item has magical energy, its status is concealed from everyone other than those who have bonded to it.</strong>

    The glowing words faded away, but Arwin¡¯s indignation didn¡¯t.

    ¡°It stole my armory!¡± Arwin eximed. ¡°It was supposed to run the bellows, not the whole building!¡±

    The stone beneath them bucked. Arwin¡¯s arms spun as he stumbled back. The back door of the Infernal Armory flew open an instant before he hit it and he fell,nding on his backside in the main room.

    Lillia wasunched out a secondter,nding on top of Arwin and drawing a grunt of pain from both of them. Then the door mmed closed. They stared at it in disbelief as loud crunches and the rattle of stone started toe from within the building.

    ¡°Did I just get kicked out of my own forge?¡± Arwin asked, aghast.

    ¡°I think we did,¡± Lillia muttered. She rubbed the back of her head and slipped off him, extending a hand. ¡°Thanks for breaking my fall, though.¡±

    ¡°Always thrilled to be of service,¡± Arwin said, taking her hand and letting Lillia pull him back to his feet. They stared at the closed door before them.

    The noise stopped for a second. A stone bumped Arwin¡¯s foot again, but only enough to nudge him slightly. Then the noises started again.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s telling us to get lost,¡± Lillia said, ncing down at the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t actually feel anything from the heart, even though we¡¯re bonded. I would have thought I¡¯d have some connection with it.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Arwin said with a frown. ¡°Is it¡­ remodeling?¡±

    ¡°It does kind of sound like that,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Should we stop it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we can without destroying the building.¡± Arwin looked back at the door, then rubbed his chin. ¡°At this point, I think we might just have to sit back and see what happens. We¡¯ve let the cat out of the bag ¡ª the heart out of the cage, I guess. It still needs us to feed it, so I doubt it¡¯s going to destroy the ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lillia said slowly. They stared for a moment longer. Then they looked back to each other. ¡°We¡¯ll probably find out tomorrow. Bath and bed?¡±

    ¡°Bath and bed,¡± Arwin agreed with a nod.

    Interfering with the heart now would just ruin all the effort they¡¯d gone through making it. He had absolutely no idea what it would do his smithy, but it had kept the name Infernal Armory when it had taken the building on as a body.

    The heart wasn¡¯t destroying his smithy. It was upgrading it. As to how, only the morning sun could know ¡ª but despite his weariness, a spark of eager anticipation took root in Arwin¡¯s stomach. He looked forward to finding out.

 Chapter 221: Everyone

    Once Arwin and Lillia got back to the inn, Lillia made straight for the baths while Arwin waited near the entrance of the tavern to avoid tracking filth everywhere. Once Lillia finished and stepped out, her wet hair hanging around her shoulders in strands, he hurried to take her ce.

    The water in the tub had already been reced and Arwin was pleasantly surprised to find that it was already warm.. He stripped out of his ruined clothes and sank into the bath, letting out a relieved sigh as the water soothed his exhausted muscles.

    Somehow, it felt even better than a normal bath. The water almost seemed to massage him. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if that was an aspect of Lillia¡¯s ss or if he was just exhausted. At the moment, he didn¡¯t care.

    He let himself enjoy the water for a minute longer before getting to work scrubbing himself furiously. He¡¯d been covered in dirt for far too long. Even if he hadn¡¯t cared, Lillia would probably execute him if he tracked it into her room.

    As tempting as it was to remain in the bath for another hour, Lillia was waiting for him. Arwin finished washing his hair and snagged a towel and a spare set of clothes that hung from a rack, where he¡¯d taken to leaving them.

    It was a lot easier to swap into a new set of clothes when he didn¡¯t have to either make the trip wrapped in a towel or track dirt into her room in order to retrieve them. Arwin dried himself off and pulled his change of clothes on.

    He then squinted at the pile of oil and soot-stained rags that had once been on his body. There were some things that could be saved. There were some that couldn¡¯t. The pile before him was thetter.

    He nudged the pile into the corner, making a note to toss it out the following morning.

    <em>I should try to get a leather apron or something so I don¡¯t destroy a perfectly good set of clothing every single time I do something really intensive in the smithy.</em>Arwin ambled out of the bathroom and through the kitchen as he made his way over to Lillia¡¯s room, using his memory for the final portion of the trip when the darkness surrounding it took thest of the light away.

    He carefully tested the bed to make sure he wasn¡¯t about to sit down on top of Lillia before lowering himself into it with a weary sigh.

    ¡°What a week,¡± Arwin muttered as his head sank into the pillow. Lilliaid back beside him and rested her head against his chest.

    ¡°Not exactly how I expected it to go,¡± Lillia agreed, a small note of amusement in her voice. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we canin too much. I hope Melissa seeds.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Arwin said. He could still feel the faint connection running from him to the armor. At the very least, that meant she was still alive. ¡°Going up against a whole group of assassins on her own is going to be rough, but we can¡¯t afford to interfere beyond what we already have.¡±

    ¡°I think we did everything we could. She¡¯d have already been dead if that drunkard didn¡¯t bring her to us and if Anna hadn¡¯t healed her. She <em>would </em>have been dead afterward if you hadn¡¯t made her the armor. She¡¯s got a fighting chance. That¡¯s more than most.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you weren¡¯t part of it,¡± Arwin said. A thought struck him and the corner of his lip curled up as he bit back augh. ¡°And can you really call one of your clients a drunkard when you¡¯re the one selling him alcohol? That feels like it¡¯s got to be bad for customer rtions.¡±

    Lillia lifted her head slightly and drummed her fingers on his chest, their faint points poking just enough into his skin to make themselves known without being ufortable. ¡°It¡¯s his fault that he won¡¯t give us an actual name to use, and it¡¯s not going to be a problem so long the information remains between us ¡ª which I¡¯m <em>certain </em>it will.¡±

    He snorted. ¡°You won¡¯t get any trouble from me. I was just making an observation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you were,¡± Lillia said. Arwin could hear the amusement in her tone. Sheid her head back against his chest and fell silent.

    Arwin closed his eyes and let his body rx as he tried to drift off too sleep. Given how long they¡¯d both been working, it should have been easy. Yet, somehow, rest evaded him.

    Minutes ticked by. He lost count of how many. The darkness made it impossible to tell what time it was or how long he¡¯d been lying there. Arwin couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯tfortable ¡ª he wouldn¡¯t have chosen anywhere else to be.

    He just couldn¡¯t sleep.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia whispered. ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t seem to fall asleep tonight, but I¡¯m too tired to actually get up and do anything. You too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lillia¡¯s tail wrapped around one of Arwin¡¯s legs and she shifted her position, looping her arms around his neck as she let out a huff that tickled his neck. ¡°It¡¯s so annoying. I¡¯ve had it happen before, but not recently. There¡¯s just so much I want to do that my brain won¡¯t let me sleep.¡±

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    ¡°Maybe you need to distract the distraction.¡±

    ¡°Great suggestion. How?¡±

    ¡°Let me know if you figure it out,¡± Arwin suppressed a grin as Lillia let out an irritated grumble.

    They fell silent for a few seconds. Then Lillia¡¯s weight shifted once more as she lifted her head off his chest. Her hair brushed across him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t speak too much about¡­ before all of this,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin agreed, his smile falling away. ¡°I don¡¯t have many good memories from before this. Before I met you and Reya, before the Menagerie ¡ª it was hell. Just endless death and ughter. Even when I thought it was for a just cause, it was never something I wanted to think about.¡±

    ¡°Not at all?¡± Lillia asked.

    Arwin hesitated. Then he shook his head as best as the pillow would let him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. There were some good things. Some men and women that made it worthwhile. I don¡¯t know if I would have made it this far without them. I damn near gave up after some of the bloodiest fights. ke stopped me more than once.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned him before,¡± Lillia said, the question clear in her voice.

    Old memories brushed across Arwin¡¯s mind. He winced. Memories that he hadn¡¯t let himself dwell on in years. Memories that should have carried more pain than he felt himself able to bear ¡ª but, to his surprise, the pain didn¡¯te.

    There was the bitterness of loss and a deep, throbbing ache that Arwin suspected wouldn¡¯t leave as long as he lived, but not the open wound that he¡¯d expected to find.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have brought that up. I know how¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve been avoiding it for long enough.¡± Arwin let out a slow sigh and stared sightlessly up at the ceiling above him. ¡°ke was my best friend. He was the most optimistic person I ever met. I can barely ever remember a time when he wasn¡¯t smiling.¡±

    ¡°He sounds like he was a good man.¡±

    ¡°He was. He never wanted to kill. ke hated everything about adventuring. He absolutely lovedining about it, but you could never tell if he was serious. I remember him swearing up and down that he¡¯d abandon us the moment the Guild took their eyes off him so he could run off and be a tanner in the countryside. He never did. He¡¯d have been so damn jealous if he saw me now. You know, he never should have died. He wasn¡¯t meant to be in my party in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°Nobody should have died. The whole damn war never should have happened.¡±

    ¡°ke would have agreed with you before we even knew the truth,¡± Arwin said, letting out a heavy breath. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t just that. A few weeks before ke died, I found out he wasn¡¯t even in the guild.¡±

    A second of surprised silence dyed Lillia¡¯s words. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°He was just a random warrior. Never registered with the guild, but he kept joining party after party and working his way up through word of mouth alone. He was so determined to help everyone he could that nobody ever really thought about it. Everyone else in my camp ¡ª even the best of them ¡ª were there for more than just justice. They were there for money. For honor. ke was just there to help.¡± A smallugh slipped from Arwin¡¯s mouth before he could stop it. ¡°He was an absolute idiot. Never thought anything through and he exaggerated every single thing he did. If he saved five men, he¡¯d say it was ten. When we pointed it out, he just imed he¡¯d make up the difference the next time around.

    ¡°He just did whatever he wanted to and made the rest of us feel like heartless bastards in the process. I think he was responsible for more than a few adventurers taking a real hard look at themselves, myself included. It was hard not to. It didn¡¯t matter who you were ¡ª if you were a prick, ke called you on it.¡±

    Lillia remained silent, clearly content to just listen. At this point, the words were flowing from Arwin¡¯s mouth with enough momentum that he wasn¡¯t sure he could have stopped if he wanted to.

    ¡°He was like that all the way up until the end,¡± Arwin said. His chest constricted and the corners of his eyes prickled. ¡°We were covering a retreat. Our healer had been injured earlier and had already pulled back. A mage blew up a huge tower to our side in attempt to cut off the pursuing monsters, but some of our own men got caught in its copse.¡±

    ¡°The city to the north of the kingdom. Stonebrook,¡± Lillia murmured. ¡°I remember that battle.¡±

    ¡°Your forces nearly killed us, so I can imagine why. It was ke¡¯s fault,¡± Arwin said with a sad smile. ¡°Instead of running, he ran right back to the tower to try and pull the people that got caught in it free. Some monsters had already made it through, so I held them off while he tried to rescue people. I told him he was being an idiot, you know. Said we were just going to get ourselves killed and there wasn¡¯t anyone left to save. I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°He seeded.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. There was more reverence in Lillia¡¯s tone than Arwin had expected, as if she¡¯d known ke herself.

    ¡°Bastard pulled it off. Dragged four people out of the mes. Took his sweet time doing it, too. By the time I managed to defeat the monsters on my back and turned to see what was going on, he was already dead.¡± Arwin¡¯s throat felt tight, but it felt good to tell someone else about ke. Almost as if, by speaking of him again, a small part of the man still lived on. ¡°A support beam fell and crushed his back. His stupid fancy armor was spending all its energy trying to mend itself and it crumpled like paper. He died in my arms. And you know what ke did with thest moments he had? He smirked up at me and said that he¡¯d saved ten people. He only saved four. The liar.¡±

    Arwin let out a softugh. The sides of his face felt wet, but the sadness felt bittersweet.

    ¡°Fancy armor¡­,¡± Lillia muttered, her tone strange. From everything Arwin had retold in his story, that really didn¡¯t feel like the bit totch onto. Lillia grabbed Arwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Was it white?¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°I ¡ª yes. It was, but only when he activated it¡¯s self-repair properties after a battle. Did I mention that?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lillia¡¯s grip on him tightened as disbelieving words tumbled from her mouth in a stunned whisper. ¡°The reason I remember the battle of Stonebrook wasn¡¯t because we almost killed you. It was because six demons were caught in a copsed tower, and a masked warrior d in white amor dragged them to safety. The same warrior that had been rumored to have rescued hundreds of demons in other battles, binding their wounds and dragging the injured to safety. The warrior that died in that battle, dragged away by the Hero before anyone could ever see his face. We all thought he was a demon that you killed. I don¡¯t think ke ever lied to you, Arwin. He was just counting the lives of <em>everyone </em>he saved.¡±

 Chapter 222: Saved

    If Lillia hadn¡¯t been lying on top of Arwin, he would have jerked upright. He just barely managed to keep himself fromunching her off him as he stiffened in disbelief, his mind reeling at the revtion that Lillia had just dropped on him.

    ¡°You knew ke?¡± Arwin asked, surprised to find his voice raspy. ¡°He was saving demons? Through the whole war?¡±

    ¡°I never met him myself,¡± Lillia said. There was a note of awe in her words. ¡°But it¡¯s too close to be a coincidence. A warrior in fancy white armor that saved people and got carried away by the Hero. Who else could it have been?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª how? How is that possible?¡± Arwin murmured. He couldn¡¯t believe it ¡ª but he could. If there was anyone in the world that would have been saving people they¡¯d been fighting just minutes before, it would have been ke.

    Dozens of conversations long since shoved into the reaches of Arwin¡¯s mind to keep them from haunting him rose up, unbidden. All the people ke had joked about saving. They hadn¡¯t been jokes at all.

    <em>So many lives. Is it possible he knew that demons were more than just evil monsters?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s throat felt tight.

    <em>If he did, why didn¡¯t he ever tell me? He couldn¡¯t have known what we were doing, right? Or did he not trust me enough to believe that I¡¯d have understood? </em>

    That thought gave him pause. The growing pit in his stomach clenched even tighter and stifled his breath.<em>Would I have understood?</em>

    ¡°It seems ke was even more than you believed,¡± Lillia said gently. ¡°It takes a warrior to kill an enemy and a kind man to spare one, but the kind of man that would <em>save </em>a foe possesses honor beyondpare. You were beyond fortunate to have someone like that in your life.¡±

    ¡°He was, and I was,¡± Arwin agreed as a small smile returned to his lips. Some of the tension slipped from his shoulders and he let himself sink back into the bed. Somehow, the more time he had to think about it, the more it made sense.

    If there had been anyone that would have tried to save demon and human alike, it would have been ke. It was impossible to know what ke had discovered. If he¡¯d known the truth about the war, or if he¡¯d simply been a man doing what he could in the wake of tragedy.

    It didn¡¯t matter. Arwin couldn¡¯t ask him anything anymore, and everything ke had done had been to help others. Even if he¡¯d known more, there was no way to find out ¡ª and Arwin refused to let something like doubt taint his memory.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little jealous I never got to meet someone like that, but I¡¯m thankful that I got to feel his influence,¡± Lillia said. She gave his shoulder a small squeeze.

    ¡°From the demons he saved?¡±

    ¡°Not just them,¡± Lillia said with a quietugh. ¡°To the demons, he was a legend. A hero of our kind that emerged from the mes and left without a word. Another casualty who fell in battle to our great enemy ¡ª but that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m talking about. I can feel his influence in <em>you</em>. The reverence in your tone and the great respect you so clearly had for each other. His spirit lives on in your actions.¡±

    It had been so long since Arwin had allowed himself to truly let his thoughts drift back to ke. To the rest of the men and women that had died at his sides. He¡¯d never permitted himself the chance to dwell on it.

    Fighting bandits and clearing dungeons, he had no problem with. But the past ¡ª the past was an enemy that no sword could y. It was a wall of pain and loss, a sea of pitch-ck despair, and the agony of wasted years. It bore the weight of every innocent he had killed and every innocent he had failed to save.

    <em>But it¡¯s more than that, isn¡¯t it?</em>

    In all the death, there were the civilians that he¡¯d pulled from burning buildings. The warriors that he¡¯d borne from battle. The brief moments of respite with his allies where the world had been still and they had spoken of the future.

    ke hadn¡¯t been the only one. Faces that he had nearly forgotten in the haze of pain lurked at the edges of his mind.

    Men and women that had passed through his life. Some had died just days after they¡¯d met. Some had traveled with him for years, and some still lived. Theughter of a dwarven shieldmaster with a passion for fish. The scowl concealing the twinkling eyes of an elven assassin with an obsession for juggling. ke¡¯s endless quest to save everyone he could. They were motes of light in the dark. Memories that had been lost at sea but shone brightly like stars in the sky when his gaze finally lifted from its depths.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin murmured, his voice barely more than a choked whisper. ¡°I¡¯d nearly forgotten.¡±

    ¡°Forgotten?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Forgotten what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve dwelled so much on the deaths of my friends that I let the memories of their life fade from my memory.¡±

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    Lilliaid back against his chest and rested her cheek against the crook of his neck. ¡°We have a saying. Your battle brothers do not die until youy down your sword. It¡¯s not exactly about battle as it is about giving up. My council ¡ª my friends ¡ª were demons that wanted nothing but peace and were led to believe that war was the only path to it. ke and every other life that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild stole from this world were no different. We can¡¯t bring them back, but with every step we take to make the world a better ce, they live on within us.¡±

    ¡°Those are sage words,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I asionally forget how wise you are. Are we really the same age?¡±

    Lillia let a snort out against his neck and looped her arms around his neck again. ¡°I can¡¯t take too much credit. I¡¯m just parroting what a Mother once told me back when I was much younger. I think only a tenth of the wisdom she tried to impart stuck. I was more focused on learning how to fight at the time. Didn¡¯t think anything else mattered. Now I wish I paid more attention to her and less to mybat instructors.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps the best bnce is found in equilibrium. There¡¯s no point in wielding a sword without a purpose, but purpose without a de to achieve it is just idealism.¡±

    ¡°Now who¡¯s sounding like a wise old woman?¡± Lillia snickered. Her tail re-wrapped itself around his leg and she was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. ¡°We won¡¯t forget them. Some day, I want you to tell me about every single one of your friends.¡±

    ¡°Some day?¡±

    ¡°Not today,¡± Lillia said, her words growing softer. ¡°I¡¯m ready to sleep now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said softly, his shoulders feeling lighter than they had in as long as he could remember, like a heavy chain had been unwrapped from his neck and thrown from his back. ¡°Me too.¡±

    ***

    Arwin woke the following morning feeling more rested than he ever had in recent memory. The previous night¡¯s conversation was still fresh on his mind as he hoisted Lillia out of bed and set her down beside him.

    The two of them wasted no time in preparing to head out for the day. With any luck, the night¡¯s passing would have been enough time for the heart to finish whatever it was doing to his smithy.

    Arwin felt equal parts excitement and trepidation to discover what had changed. He only knew one thing for certain ¡ª and it was that he didn¡¯t want to wait any longer to see the Infernal Armory.

    <em>Well, I don¡¯t want to wait too much longer.</em>

    There was time for breakfast, of course. It was getting harder and harder to pass up on Lillia¡¯s meals whenever he didn¡¯t absolutely have to. Having actual magic that let him sate [The Hungering Maw] was just the cherry on top. It definitely beat out eating a bunch of scuffed bracelets.

    Everyone ¡ª other than Madiv and Esmerelda, who were nowhere to be seen ¡ª had gathered in themon room by the time Lillia finished cooking. She brought out several tes piled high with fried strips of Wyrmling meat and eggs, passing them out to all of the Menagerie before sitting down beside Arwin with her own portion, and everyone dug into it without hesitation.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve caught you around,¡± Arwin said to Rodrick once he¡¯d mowed through about half of his te and was willing to waste time speaking. ¡°Everything going okay?¡±

    The warrior nced up at him. His face was covered with grease. Anna wordlessly handed him a napkin, not even looking up from her meal.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rodrick said, wiping himself off and clearing his throat. ¡°Sorry. I was starving. Nothing builds up an appetite like being out all night. Nothing to worry about. I¡¯ve just been keeping tabs on the Ardent Guild.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re nning to try something again. I was really hoping they¡¯d gotten the message at this point.¡±

    ¡°They were rooting around a bit, but I¡¯ve got their head twisted around their tail right now,¡± Rodrick said with a chuckle. ¡°Their information is all screwed up. It looks like they¡¯ve got bigger issues to deal with anyway. They look pretty stupid to the general popce right now, which isn¡¯t great for them.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Reya asked, finishing off thest of her meal and speaking before she was done chewing. Olive shot her a look and she reddened, closing her mouth and swallowing before speaking again. ¡°I mean, aren¡¯t they just merchants? Nobody is going to care who they buy from when there¡¯s no alternative.¡±

    ¡°Not in Milten,¡± Rodrick agreed. ¡°But Milten isn¡¯t the Ardent Guild¡¯s main goal. They¡¯re here because they¡¯re preparing to move into arger city called Axeport. It¡¯s still on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Lian, but it¡¯s built on a major river. There are a number of merchants guilds already present there. The Ardent Guild needed a closer base of operations to try and worm their way in, and Milten was perfect after the Iron Hounds fell. They wanted to build a reputation here and then use it as leverage. But¡­¡±

    ¡°They look like idiots,¡± Olive finished. ¡°Hard to use that as leverage.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Rodrick nodded. ¡°They¡¯ve been pretty caught up with that recently. The only way to walk it back is to somehow deal with us or do something else impressive. They could go for either, so I¡¯ll have to keep tabs on them for now.¡±

    ¡°Well, let us know if you need anything,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what we can do, considering I have no clue exactly what it is that <em>you </em>do, but the offer is there.¡±

    Rodrick snickered and raised his fork in salute. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Did you and Lillia wrap up that project you were working on?¡±

    Arwin polished off thest off the food on his te and pushed his chair back, rubbing his hands together. ¡°That¡¯s hard to give a straight answer to. Anyone want toe look with me?¡±

    Five chairs scraped across the ground as everyone rose as one. Anna shoveled thest few pieces of egg into her mouth. Reya speared thest piece of food on Olive¡¯s te with a snicker, but Olive bit it off the fork before Reya could bring it to her mouth. Arwin bit back augh at the stunned look on the former thief¡¯s face.

    Everyone filed out of the tavern and across the street. The smithy looked perfectly normal from the outside, which was a good thing. The Mesh didn¡¯t activate when he looked at it either. They all headed inside, where Arwin led the veritable charge over to the back room.

    He put his hand on the doorknob. Then he hesitated.

    ¡°Just open the door already! I want to see it,¡± Rodrickined. ¡°By the way, what exactly was it you were making?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m going to be honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°It may have stolen the smithy yesterday,¡± Lillia added.

    They hadn¡¯t all gotten tossed out yet. That was probably a good sign. Arwin twisted the knob and carefully pulled the door to the forge open. A wave of heat rolled over him and prickled at his eyes. Rodrick let out a curse and Reya drew in a surprised breath. Arwin¡¯s eyes went wide as he stared at the room before him, only able to muster a measly three words.

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

 Chapter 223: Door

    The Infernal Armory had changed. All the grime and scrap that had covered the ground had vanished without a trace¡­ but there was something missing. The majority of the materials that he¡¯d collected over the past few weeks had vanished.

    A small pile of Maristeel and other metals was piled in the corner along with a few pieces of assorted scrap and some damaged monster parts and the remains of Jessen¡¯s armor. That was it. There was no sign of the wyrmling ws or teeth. The spider and centipede chitin had vanished as well. Everything was gone ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t lost.

    The back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled and he nearly took an involuntary step back. The walls were no longer just in stone. Thick lines traced through them, spiderwebbing out from a rounded extrusion on the far wall. They twisted across the room and gathered, forming a circle at what had once been his hearth.

    It was a mere hearth no longer. Instead of the quaint little stone dome that he¡¯d been using, there was now a thick pir that rose up to his waist made of a mixture of the ck material, a myriad of metals, and stone. It extended outward at its top like the yawning maw of a venus flytrap. Spikes ringed its outside and through a hole in its center, Arwin could make out the Millstone Maw buried in the ground beneath.

    The extruded area at the far side of the smithy thumped. A ripple of energy passed through the ck lines, running through the entire room and over to the new hearth before bouncing back and returning to where Arwin suspected the heart had hidden itself.

    <em>These aren¡¯t just lines. They¡¯re veins. </em>

    The jutting spikes along the edges of the new hearth ¡ª if it was still even a hearth ¡ª creaked and furled as if in irritation.

    ¡°That is gross,¡± Olive said through a grimace. ¡°What in the Nine Undends happened to your smithy?¡±

    The ground beneath her bucked. She let out a yelp and stumbled, managing to catch herself on Reya¡¯s shoulder before she could trip. Olive stared at the stone in disbelief, then lifted her gaze to Arwin. ¡°What did you do to this ce?¡±¡°I don¡¯t know if did is the right word,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°Enabled might be more urate. We just made the housing that would let the heart live. I thought it would help power a furnace for me. Not turn my smithy into¡­ whatever this is.¡±

    The mouth ¡ª or hearth, whichever one it was ¡ª rippled again. Its teeth cked together several times before lowering back down to its normal, circr position. Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce, but it was Rodrick that spoke their thoughts.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s hungry.¡±

    ¡°Why is your building hungry?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you don¡¯t want an answer to,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Or questions that I can¡¯t answer. This is both, I fear.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go make something,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Give me five minutes.¡±

    She darted out of the smithy. A second of silence passed. Then the heart beat again, causing every single one of them to flinch. It wasn¡¯t nearly as disgusting as it had been when the heart had been exposed, but it wasn¡¯t much of an improvement.

    Arwin tried to see if the Mesh could pick up on his new building, but its status stubbornly remained hidden. He was pretty sure the Mesh had said the building would be hidden from <em>others, </em>not him and Lillia, but it seemed that nobody had elected to inform the heart of that.

    <em>This would be the second ill-mannered heart I¡¯ve run into in Milten, now that I think about it. I hope this isn¡¯t turning into a habit.</em>

    There was nothing he or any of the others could do but wait around until Lillia returned. Arwin desperately wanted to test out the forge and see if it even still worked, but he was pretty sure testing anything before the Infernal Armory got fed was a poor idea.

    The new hearth looked like it was capable of taking a bite out of more than just Lillia¡¯s food, and he wasn¡¯t keen to put himself on the menu.

    Lillia was fortunately as fast as ever. They didn¡¯t have to wait long before she returned, a te piled high with meat in her hands. She approached the hearth in the center of the room with a doubtful expression on her face.

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    ¡°What do you think the chances are that the whole thing stands up and walks off?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a betting man, but I doubt it¡¯s taken over the entire building. It seems like it¡¯s just the forge¡­ so it¡¯ll probably be okay,¡± Arwin replied, not all that convinced of his own words. He¡¯d never run into anything like this in his experiences as an adventurer. ¡°I¡¯d probably get back pretty quickly after feeding it.¡±

    ¡°Probably a good idea,¡± Lillia said. She tipped the te, dumping all the meat into the hole at the center of the hearth. She took several hurried steps back, joining everyone else as they moved closer to the door that led into the main room.

    The heart thumped. A grinding noise filled the air as the Infernal Armory chewed its meal. A dull light lit within the ck veins at the base of the hearth, slowly spreading through the veins and running back to the heart.

    A second thump shook the room, this one louder than the first. The light brightened and the hearth curled in on itself, its pointed tips rising like a furling flower and alling to a point. Then there was silence.

    Everyone looked around the smithy.

    Rodrick let out a confused grunt. ¡°Huh. I was kind of expecting more. Not to sound bratty, but that was a littleckluster.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s done,¡± Olive said, eyes narrow. ¡°It¡¯s waiting for something.¡±

    Arwin was pretty sure she was right. He just wasn¡¯t sure what. It had closed its orifice, so it wasn¡¯t like they could feed it anymore. It had already taken all his materials to do¡­ whatever it had done to itself.

    The Infernal Armory answered the question for them. The floor at Arwin¡¯s feet rolled forward like a small wave, lifting him up and depositing him at the base of the hearth.

    ¡°I think it wants to eat Arwin,¡± Reya said. She put a hand on the hilt of her dagger. ¡°Do we have to fight his smithy?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. The mouth is closed. It wants something else. Look at the points at the top.¡±

    Arwin squinted up at the hearth. Lillia had sharp eyes. There was a thin, clear sheen covering the pointed pieces, glistening just barely enough to be visible. He was pretty sure Lillia was right about it not wanting to eat him. But if it didn¡¯t want food¡­ the only other thing he could offer was [Soul me].

    <em>Well, I suppose it¡¯s still a hearth. Can¡¯t hurt to try.</em>

    Arwin flexed his fingers and summoned a curling ball of fire in his palm. Heat rolled off it and prickled at his fingertips as he held it out to the top of the hearth. It touched the pointed ends of the furled hearth and leapt from his hand of its own volition.

    He drew in a sharp breath as he felt a powerful draw on his magical energy. Before he could even try to stop it, power coursed down his arm and into the hearth in a river. The dull light illuminating the ck veins from within grew brighter.

    The heart mmed in its cage. A groan shook the building. Arwin canceled his [Soul me] and yanked his hand back, but the me at the top of the hearth remained. The mouth of the Infernal Armory unfurled, and each one of its tips dragged a small portion of the fire down along with it.

    They burned along its edges, casting a warm glow across the room, as the heart started to beat faster. Every thump echoed through the room and shook the floor at their feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I like this,¡± Anna said nervously. ¡°I think we might be about to get eaten. Perhaps we should back up.¡±

    ¡°Wyrmhunger doesn¡¯t see this building as a threat,¡± Reya said with a frown. ¡°Or maybe it just doesn¡¯t want to fight something it can¡¯t stab. It could be either of the two.¡±

    ¡°Not very helpful,¡± Olive muttered as she drew her sword and held it before her. ¡°We should be ready to fight or we might get our smithy stolen by our smithy.¡±

    Arwin was about a step away from agreeing with Olive and summoning Verdant Inferno. The ck veins burned with far more energy than Arwin had given the Infernal Armory. The thumping heart turned to a drumbeat that echoed in his ears and made his teeth tter in his jaw.

    Then the fire sputtered. There was a <em>whump </em>as a thick gout of ck fire erupted from the hole in the center of the maw. It infected the other mes like a virus and spread instantly, forming a sea of obsidian fire upon its surface.

    Hazy waves twisted off the hearth and a droplet of sweat rolled down Arwin¡¯s brow from his proximity to it. The fire started to rise, looming above him and raising the temperature of the room to the point where even his heat resistance was starting to feel a bit inadequate. He took a step back and extended a hand to prepare for a fight ¡ª and then he paused. His brow furrowed.

    The me was changing. It wasn¡¯t just growingrger. It was taking on a rectangr form. Arwin stared in disbelief as fire took on hard lines. Indiscriminate whorls straightened and became discrete and designs traced themselves through the air.

    It was a door, but it was more than that.

    It was a door Arwin recognized.

    This one was smaller and the designs upon it were definitely different, but it was strikingly simr to a door in a dungeon that had led into a strange workshop with ava trap where he had first gotten to test [Molten Novice]. The door that several adventurers had killed each other over trying to enter. A door to which he had left the key for in his smithy when ¡ª

    A tter echoed across the now-silent room. Arwin looked down as a metal key skidded across the ground and came to a stop at his feet. Despite the heat washing against his face, the back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled.

    There was no denying it. This was more than just being smart enough to need food.

    The Infernal Armory was intelligent ¡ª and it wanted him to open the door.

 Chapter 224: Portals

    Arwin stared at the metal key at his feet. A small hole in the wall where the key hade from sealed itself shut, and the only sound in the smithy was the crackling ck me swirling up to form the door before him. He stared down at the key, then slowly crouched to pick it up.

    <em>Just what happened to my smithy?</em>

    ¡°Well,¡± Arwin said, his words cutting through the building like a de as he turned back to look at the others. He lifted the key so they could all see it. ¡°I think I might know what the Infernal Armory wants me to do. I haven¡¯t the faintest idea how it made a damn portal or where it leads to.¡±

    The me crackling above the hearth crackled and the ground beneath Arwin¡¯s feet bucked impatiently as a pulse rippled through the veins covering the room. It didn¡¯t look like the building wanted to wait around forever ¡ª but Arwin had no ns of just shoving the key where ever he was told to put it.

    As the Hero, Arwin would have plunged it home and strode into the door, eager to take on whatever waited for him.

    That wasn¡¯t who he was anymore. This wasn¡¯t just about him. He had a guild. A team of people that his actions affected, and a team of people to rely on. Lillia reminded him more than enough times that not every decision had to fall entirely on his shoulders.

    ¡°Is this something we should decide on quicky?¡± Anna asked doubtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much good is going toe from going through a door like that. It¡¯s not the same as the one that all the adventurers were killing each other over to get through. It almost certainly leads somewhere else. It could be a trap.¡±

    ¡°We may not have long to make a decision,¡± Lillia warned. ¡°I think Anna is right about it being dangerous, though. Going through random portals is usually a really bad idea. That said, we <em>did </em>make the Infernal Armory. It won¡¯t survive without us feeding it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why it would kill the people that made it,¡± Reya said The heart pulsed in the wall, sending a ripple of power running through the ck veins covering the stone. She put a hand on Wyrmhunger and looked up at the crackling portal. ¡°I vote open it. We can at least try to see if we can look inside before we go in, but what was the point of making this thing if you aren¡¯t going to use it?¡±¡°It technically wasn¡¯t meant to do anything other than pump bellows,¡± Arwin pointed out, but he was personally of the same opinion as Reya. They could open the door at the very least. He was loathe to leave any potential advantage behind when they were all in such desperate need for it in theing months.

    <em>And given how many resources the heart stole from me while it was remaking the building, I¡¯d certainly like something in return. It would be a nasty blow to lose so much and gain nothing in return.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve stuck things in more suspicious ces,¡± Olive said. ¡°I¡¯d do it.¡±

    They all turned to look at her. She met their gazes with a straight face. ¡°What?¡±

    <em>I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll ever fully understand Olive¡¯s humor. Half the time, I¡¯m not even sure if its humor at all. </em>

    ¡°Rodrick? Thoughts?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Stick it in. We can just pour some water on the fire or something if it turns out poorly. You¡¯ve got a barrel over there, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s oil.¡±

    ¡°Same thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the oil will just make the fire even bigger,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Great. Then we¡¯ll burn the door down. The best way to fight fire is with more fire, right?¡±

    The veins pulsed again and the floor beneath Arwin nearlyunched him straight into the air. Patience definitely wasn¡¯t one of the Infernal Armory¡¯s virtues. He didn¡¯t let the building hurry him.

    Arwin would be damned if he stumbled into something that put his friends at risk without doing everything he could to ount for possible threats. He looked to Anna, who was the only one who hadn¡¯t voiced her approval yet.

    ¡°Thoughts on just opening it and not entering until we know more?¡±

    She thought for a moment. Then she let out a small sigh and shook her head, stepping beside Rodrick and letting a knowing smile cross her face as she nodded to the key. ¡°Oh, who am I kidding. I want to know what the door is just as much as the rest of you. You¡¯re all a horrible influence. Stick it in. Just put on protection first.¡±

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    Olive snickered. Arwin rolled his eyes and summoned every piece of armor he had. He waited until Lillia had backed up and everyone had readied themselves before drawing on his magical energy.

    [Soul me] raced down his fingers and wrapped around his palms. It encased his hands in burning gloves as he lifted a hand, bringing the key toward the door. Even though the keyhole was literally made of fire, he felt resistance as he fitted the key in. It was just like any other lock. Just¡­ made out of fire.

    <em>So not really like any other lock at all.</em>

    <em></em>Arwin readied himself. Then he twisted the key. A gentle click echoed through the back room of the smithy. The Menagerie stiffened, readying themselves for a fight, but nothing changed. mes flickered along the ck door, waiting patiently.

    The Infernal Armory, however, was less patient. The ground beneath Arwin bounced him several inches into the air like a rogue trampoline. He cursed and stumbled, windmilling his hands to keep his bnce.

    ¡°Would you stop that?¡± Arwin snapped.

    The small mound in the stone shrank back down with a ripple, tting so quickly that it almost looked ashamed. Almost. Arwin summoned Verdant Inferno to his left hand and reached out with the other, pressing a palm on the surface of the door.

    The orange [Soul me] wreathing it danced together with the pitch-ck fire, but the heat couldn¡¯t prate his defenses. It struck Arwin that, even if the door opened, not a single other one of the Menagerie would be able to go through it other than him. They¡¯d get cooked alive.

    <em>Well, we¡¯re this far along. I¡¯m not going to stop now. Let¡¯s see what all this effort has been for. </em>

    Arwin pushed gently and the door swung in soundlessly, which really wasn¡¯t a surprise. Physical properties or not, it wasn¡¯t like fire was going to grind against anything when it opened. A floor of polished obsidian awaited their rapt gazes as they got their first look into the room beyond the ming entryway.

    Light glistened and danced off its faceted surface like a ck ocean, but it wasn¡¯ting from their side. Magma bubbled and popped in the distance, casting the entire Infernal Armory in an orange hue from its intensity.

    Arwin pushed the door a little further, revealing a wallpletely covered with smithing tools forged from the same ck obsidian as the floor. Each of them had clearly been made with incredible care. Beautiful golden designs covered their surface, but their working areas were worn.

    In the very center of the room was a spot of brilliance so bright that Arwin had to blink to adjust his eyes. It was an anvil of pure white metal,pletely unadorned, but with dents and scars that showed that it had been well-used.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya breathed. ¡°A workshop.¡±

    ¡°Like the other one¡­ but less run down,¡± Arwin said, swallowing heavily. ¡°What is this? And why does a damn corpse heart have a way into it?¡±

    The ground beneath him bucked, but considerably less violently than it had before. He didn¡¯t even lose his bnce this time.

    ¡°I think it wants you to go in,¡± Olive said. ¡°I may be retracting my earlier suggestion. How do we know it won¡¯t just m the door shut on you?¡±

    ¡°How do we know it isn¡¯t trying to help?¡± Reya countered. ¡°It could be trying to pay Arwin and Lillia back for making it. Maybe this is a gift.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got your hand on Wyrmhunger,¡± Olive pointed out. ¡°You don¡¯t have any fear right now. Good for battle. Not for making decisions.¡±

    Reya looked down at her hand. The dagger glistened in the orange light, a sea of blood twisting within its red metal. ¡°Oh, yeah. I guess I do. I still think it¡¯s worth checking out, though. Imagine how much it¡¯ll suck if we miss out on something huge because we¡¯re worried.¡±

    ¡°The Infernal Armory is definitely intelligent enough to understand what¡¯s going on,¡± Lillia observed after a moment of thought. ¡°It has to know we¡¯ll destroy it if you die or if it tries to attack you. I don¡¯t see why it would sacrifice its life to kill the person that made it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s really pissed to be alive,¡± Rodrick said doubtfully. ¡°I¡¯m also a bit less optimistic here. I was kind of hoping to see a whole bunch of golde spilling out. Let¡¯s go find some prick from the Ardent Guild and toss them inside. See what happens.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the doorway willst that long,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. The fire along its edges was still strong, but the glow in the ck veins covering the floor had been steadily fading. It would probably only be minutes before it was gone entirely.

    <em>Can I grab that anvil and drag it back in here? I don¡¯t see my old anvil anywhere. Damn building ate it. I need a new one, and that one¡¯s just¡­ sitting there.</em>

    ¡°You thinking you¡¯ll just snag the tools in there and run back out?¡± Reya asked.

    Arwin nodded, his mind already half made-up. At the very least, he wanted to try to take the anvil. Lillia had been right ¡ª it made absolutely no sense for the building to try and kill him like this. Either it benefitted from him bringing some of the items back or it was trying to pay him back.

    <em>I still have no damn idea how it made a portal, but that¡¯s a problem to figure out when we¡¯ve got time.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Stay here. Nobody follow after me, no matter what happens. I¡¯m going to try and snag that anvil before the portal closes.¡±

    He took a step back, preparing to fling himself into the doorway.

    A nk rang out, followed by another. The entire Menagerie froze as a footnded in front of the doorway and a stout man d entirely in obsidian armor stepped into view. Greaves ran throughout the armor in intricate patterns, pulsing with what looked to be literal magma flowing within.

    The man¡¯s head barely rose up to Arwin¡¯s chest and his face waspletely concealed by a thick, cylindrical helm with two thin slits for eyes that burned a dull orange. He held a hefty smithing hammer in one hand, its handle wrapped in golden designs and tiny embers wafting off its head like an open me.

    An immense aura rolled off the man with such force that it passed through the portal and mmed into Arwin¡¯s stomach like a punch to the gut, even through his enhanced mental and physical defenses.

    The rest of the Menagerie staggered and readied their weapons.

    ¡°Who in the Undends are you?¡± the man demanded, his tone like stone grinding against itself. The head of his hammer hummed and started to glow a deep orange that matched the bubblingva at his back. ¡°And how did you open a portal into my sted workshop?¡±

 Chapter 225: Wallace

    Somehow, out of every oue that had been possible, the one that Arwin hadn¡¯t actually considered was the workshop actually belonging to someone that was still alive. That certainly made things a little awkward. Grave robbing was one thing. It was practically half of adventuring.

    Things got a little murkier when it came to taking the belongings of people that were still alive. Some adventurers would just fix the state of their target so things went from robbery to very fresh grave robbing, but Arwin wasn¡¯t about to go murdering random people.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the short man demanded, his grip tightening around his hammer with a creak. Magical energy thrummed in every part of his armor. Even though Arwin couldn¡¯t see their stats, he didn¡¯t even need Dragon¡¯s Greed to detect it. The smith on the other side of the portal was powerful. He was wearing equipment that was at least as good as a lot of Arwin¡¯s ¡ª if not better.

    ¡°It¡¯s not our fault,¡± Reya said hurriedly. She paused for a second, then cleared her throat. ¡°Do you mind if we take that anvil, though? For our troubles.¡±

    ¡°You seem to think this is a joke,¡± the smith growled. A ripple of energy roiled across the head of his glowing hammer. ¡°If you want to keep your head undented, I suggest you speak the truth ¡ª and quickly.¡±

    ¡°Drop the threats,¡± Arwin said, his tone as t as a metal te. ¡°We apologize. I wasn¡¯t trying to make a portal into your workshop, and we didn¡¯t mean to disturb you. A door showed up before us and we opened it. If we¡¯d known it led somewhere with a person inside, we wouldn¡¯t have opened it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get to give me orders when you¡¯re the one that came looking to steal from me, you big lout,¡± the other smith replied. He pointed the head of his hammer at Arwin. ¡°And don¡¯t act as if you did this on ident. Opportunistic thieves, you are. Nobody is openin¡¯ a portal into my workshop on ident, I tell you that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened, actually,¡± Olive said.

    A pulse raced through the veins running throughout the Infernal Armory. The edges of the ck me making up the door started to dim and turn translucent. It didn¡¯t look like the portal wouldst much longer.Arwin was pretty sure their unintended victim wasn¡¯t stupid enough to jump through the portal and into a room full of armed adventurers, so all they had to do was wait ¡ª

    Red energy red around the head of the other smith¡¯s hammer. It rolled out in a wave, passing into the portal. The ck fire along its edges roared as if someone had poured oil into it. He had a way to keep the portal open.

    <em>Goddamn it. Why did my building open a bloody portal into some ornery asshole¡¯s workshop? I can¡¯t even me him for being pissed.</em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the man ground out. ¡°I¡¯m running out of patience. You lot best start talking if you don¡¯t want me to start swinging. You aren¡¯t the first fools to try to steal from me. Tell me who gave you the way in and I¡¯ll let you off with a light ¡®bruisin. And, if you don¡¯t¡­¡±

    He lifted his other hand. The glowing pool of molten rock behind him bubbled. Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as a thin strand ofva snaked out from it and slithered across the ground. The smith¡¯s fist erupted in bright white me. He pulled it open and theva pooled in his palm.

    And, despite the heat washing out from the portal, the hair on Arwin¡¯s neck and back stood on end as realization mmed into him. The man¡¯s height probably should have been a good indicator, but this just made it obvious.

    Arwin summoned the description of [Molten Novice] to the air before him with a thought.

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive) ¨C <em>You have spent enough time working immersed in fire that you have begun to understand it. Unlock your potential to prepare for the first steps in the path of Dwarven forging.</em></strong>

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Arwin said, his eyes going wide. ¡°You¡¯re a dwarf.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be more concerned with the hammer I¡¯m ¡®bout to ram up your ass,¡± the dwarf barked. ¡°Answers, trollop. I¡¯m running out of patience.¡±

    ¡°I already told you,¡± Arwin said, keeping his voice measured. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to break into your workshop. A key I found in a dungeon opened a portal here. There were a few more steps involved, but they hardly matter. We aren¡¯t looking for a fight, but we¡¯ll give you one if you keep pushing.¡±

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    The dwarf studied Arwin in silence. It was impossible to tell exactly what he was thinking with the helm covering his face. Finally, he spoke once more.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you get that gear, oaf? Who¡¯d you take it from?¡±

    ¡°Take?¡± A note of offense entered Arwin¡¯s voice. ¡°I made it.¡±

    ¡°He made all of our equipment,¡± Anna added. ¡°Perhaps we should talk this out if you aren¡¯t going to let the portal close?¡±

    ¡°Did he, now?¡± The dwarf ignored Anna¡¯s offerpletely. ¡°A big lumbering idiot like this? I doubt it. You lot are adventurers. I know your kind. Sniffing little rodents, you are. Not nearly scared enough for your own good. All you do is lie. Lie about your armor. Lie about your goals. Everything. Mere smith I may be, but all your fancy magic won¡¯t keep you from melting alive.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll fare just fine,¡± Arwin replied. The tension in the air was rising together with the heat, but he really didn¡¯t want to get into a fight here. If they¡¯d just stumbled into the dwarf randomly, then he would have had far more right to take the offensive.

    As things stood now, they¡¯d basically just broken into his house. If Arwin could avoid a fight, he¡¯d do whatever he could. And if he couldn¡¯t ¡ª well, there was still a new anvil he could get his hands on.

    Arwin summoned [Soul me] over his right hand. It covered his fingers and palmpletely, matching what the dwarf had done. To his surprise, the other smith¡¯s hammer lowered slightly and a bark ofughter escaped his mouth.

    ¡°Arrogant, overgrown brat. You think your pathetic human magic will do anything againstva? Copying me does nothing but show how foolish you truly are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the same magic you do,¡± Arwin said. He extended his hand. ¡°But I doubt you¡¯ll believe me, just like everything else. So let¡¯s start here, shall we? Try me.¡±

    The dwarf tilted his head to the side, but it took him a remarkably short amount of time to decide he had absolutely no problem calling Arwin on his supposed bluff. He held his hand out, stretching it just through the portal, and dumped the bubblingva straight into Arwin¡¯s palm.

    Arwin didn¡¯t so much as flinch. Theva¡¯s heat washed across his arm and bit at his face, but it couldn¡¯t prate his [Soul me]. Seconds ticked by. The dwarf¡¯s hammer lowered even further.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You¡¯re using [Soul me]? How do you have dwarven magic?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of my ss,¡± Arwin replied with a half-shrug. ¡°And I¡¯ve got more than [Soul me]. I¡¯ve got [Molten Novice] as well. I wasn¡¯t lying about that, and I wasn¡¯t lying before either. Just let the portal drop. We apologize for intruding on your space, but it won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    The dwarf was silent for another second. Then he let his hammer lowerpletely. He flicked his fingers and theva in Arwin¡¯s hand coiled up, sliding back through the portal and working its way over to the pool.

    ¡°Can¡¯t do that either,¡± the dwarf said, but the anger had left his tone and been reced by curiosity. ¡°Let¡¯s say I believe you for a second. There¡¯s some portal just magically shunting you big oafs into my smithy. Can¡¯t have that lying around. How¡¯d you open the portal?¡±

    ¡°A key,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°One that I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be willing to give up. It opens more than just one door. I can give you my solemn word that we won¡¯t use it to attempt to return to your workshop.¡±

    The dwarf reached up to his helm and pulled it off, revealing a tanned face covered with equal parts scars graying hair. A thick, bushy beard rolled out from the helm like an ocean wave and unfurled all the way down to his feet. Beads, gemstones, and other pieces of glimmering metal had been woven into it like a tapestry.

    ¡°That could be eptable, but not yet,¡± the dwarf said as he tucked the helm under his arm. ¡°Tell me how you got dwarf magic.¡±

    ¡°I think that may be a story too long for the time we have.¡±

    The dwarf smirked. Then, to Arwin¡¯s disbelief, he stepped forward. He passed through the portal and emerged into the smithy, ncing around the room without even the slightest amount of concern.

    <em>There¡¯s no way he trusts me that much yet. It would be stupid¡­ which means he¡¯s so confident in his own abilities that he doesn¡¯t see us as a threat. How strong is this dwarf?</em>

    ¡°I can open a way back any time I please,¡± the dwarf said as the glow of the hammer at his side faded. The ck me making up the doorway sputtered behind him. It vanished, and the key ttered to the base of the hearth at his feet.

    Kneeling, the dwarf picked the key up. The rest of the Menagerie watched the dwarf, readied to spring into action if he made any sudden moves. Arwin tensed, but instead of trying to pocket it, the dwarf held the key out. ¡°Name¡¯s Wace. I¡¯m no thief. You say the story is long, but I¡¯ve got time. I can¡¯t pass up on hearing how a human got dwarf magic.¡±

    ¡°Not all of it is something I¡¯m at liberty to share,¡± Arwin said as he took the key back from Wace.

    ¡°I reckon you can find something. I want to pick ¡®yer brain about how this happened in the first ce,¡± Wace said in a gruff tone. ¡°Some answers and a drink are the least you could do after trying to break into my house.¡±

    Arwin exchanged a nce with Lillia. He was more than willing to talk things out if that was the alternative to a pointless fight.

    And, perhaps, there was a chance they could do more than just avoid a fight if Wace got a taste of her cooking. It wasn¡¯t like they had anything to lose. Arwin let a small smile drift across his face as he banished his helmet.

    ¡°I think we might be able to arrange something.¡±

 Chapter 226: Duty

    And thus, Arwin found himself back in Lillia¡¯s tavern. The rest of the Menagerie had vacated the immediate area, but they were all positioned close enough that they could return within seconds if a fight broke out.

    Reya and Olive were both just at the top of the stairs, whose creaking gave their positions away rather effectively. Anna had taken to helping the imps clean some of the other tables while Rodrick stood outside discussing funds with Madiv, who had returned from whatever it was he had been doing with Esmerelda.

    Wace didn¡¯t seem to care. He leaned his hammer, now devoid of its glow and nothing more than a in weapon, against the edge of the counter as he drummed his fingers impatiently in wait. The chair was more than a little too short for him, leaving only his head visible above the counter.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lillia said apologetically as she set two tankards down before them. She took a bottle from the wall behind her and started to pour Wace a drink. ¡°We haven¡¯t really had dwarves pass through before.¡±

    ¡°Most ces aren¡¯t worth passing through,¡± Wace replied with a grunt. ¡°We can do better than what you can. I¡¯m here for the story, not human tavern food.¡±

    There was no insult carried in his words. Wace just seemed to be stating a fact. That didn¡¯t stop the flicker of irritation from passing over Lillia¡¯s features. She finished pouring the drink and pushed it over to Wace before pouring one for Arwin and herself and sitting down at the counter beside them.

    <em>I think he¡¯ll change his tune soon enough. I don¡¯t care what kind of stuff dwarves normally get to eat. I¡¯ve never had anything that matches up to what Lillia can do.</em>

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much of a story to give,¡± Arwin warned as he lifted the tankard to his mouth. ¡°I got a ss through a set of extenuating circumstances that I doubt can be repeated. I¡¯ve been learning to be a smith ever since.¡±

    He took a sip of the drink and nearly choked in surprise. It tasted like biting into a fresh apple ¡ª Bright and sweet, without even a hint of bitterness. It somehow managed to encapste the feeling of a warm hug beside a firece in the crisp winter. Even though he¡¯d only had a small amount, the vor filled his entire mouth and threatened to flood his senses. There was more than a little magic in the drink. Warmth spread through Ariwn¡¯s body and filled him with energy.¡°That¡¯s hardly an exnation. I¡¯m not going to be satisfied with a half-answer,¡± Wace said. He brushed his beard down and tipped the mug back. His back and shoulders stiffened in surprise. A proud grin pulled across Arwin¡¯s lips as Wace leaned back, draining everyst drop in the tankard before mming it down to the counter, his ruddy eyes wide with shock. ¡°What in the Nine Undends is this? Where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I made it,¡± Lillia replied. She didn¡¯t bother hiding the smugness in her tone.

    ¡°You <em>made </em>it?¡± Wace asked, aghast. ¡°Have you taken me for a wander? A normal tavern has something like this?¡±

    ¡°Does this look like a normal tavern?¡± Lillia asked, casting her gaze around the Devil¡¯s Den. Wace followed it, then gave a half-shrug in response.

    ¡°Tastes are tastes. I¡¯ve seen odder. I figured you just liked demons a bit too much. It doesn¡¯t exin why you¡¯ve got something like that just lying around. I¡¯ve never tasted anything like that in a human tavern before. Haven¡¯t had it in half the dwarf taverns I¡¯ve been through either, and I¡¯ve been through a fair number of ¡®em. Tell me true now ¡ª did you really make that?¡±

    <em>Wow. We didn¡¯t even have to lie about Lillia¡¯s past. He just assumed it entirely on his own. That makes things easier. </em>

    ¡°I can show you if need be, but it¡¯ll cost you extra,¡± Lillia said.

    Wace studied her for a second. Then he looked back into his empty tankard. Lillia smirked and grabbed the bottle, refilling the rest of his drink while Arwin took a sip of his own and watched on in amused silence.

    ¡°Are you married?¡± Wace asked.

    Arwin nearly spat his drink out.

    ¡°Betrothed,¡± Lillia said smoothly.

    Wace followed her gaze over to Arwin. Then he grunted. ¡°Damn. Stone¡¯s toss too slow. You could make a shiny one selling this in the caverns. I¡¯ve never tasted anything like it.¡±

    ¡°A possible business venture at some point in the future,¡± Lillia allowed, her smile growing. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear you like it, though.¡±

    Wace downed the rest of his tankard again, then shot Arwin a sharp nce. ¡°What are you doing, letting it sit? Trying to offend yourss, are you? Drink.¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t have to be told twice. He drained the rest of the tankard before setting it down on the counter with considerably more care than the dwarf had used.

    ¡°Now we can get to business,¡± Wace said. ¡°How¡¯d you get dwarf magic? I¡¯ve never seen a human with it that hasn¡¯t been taught ¡ª and you haven¡¯t been taught.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Arwin asked, blinking.

    Wace sent him a t stare. ¡°I see your equipment, boy. Cobbled and squeezed together, it is. Not a single speck of proper heat in it. You¡¯ve not worked withva. What did you do, use [Soul me] as the heat for a hearth?¡±

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    The dwarfughed at the question, but hisughter quickly trailed off when he spotted Arwin start to nod.

    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t realize it was that obvious,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use [Molten Novice]. Nobody taught me. I¡¯ve been flying a bit blind.¡±

    ¡°I believe you, if only because no self-respecting dwarven smith would ever let their student hobble around making this songless shite,¡± Wace said, thrusting a finger into Arwin¡¯s chest. A small frown passed over his features. ¡°But you¡¯ve done a surprisingly good job for cold metal. I saw those gloves of yours. Got more than a lick of magic in them. A fair bit more. Not bad for a blind whelp. You really just figured it out yourself?¡±

    ¡°Just about.¡±

    ¡°Then how¡¯d you get that portal into my workshop? You definitely didn¡¯t craft it.¡±

    ¡°Mostly on ident. As I said before, we got the key off some adventurers in a dungeon. It led into an old, abandoned workshop. An item I was working on ended up gathering a bunch of fire and opening a portal that looked quite simr to the first door the key opened, so we tried it out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me an item you made opened a portal past my defenses on ident?¡± Wace asked, arching a bushy eyebrow. He looked down at his tankard and let out a regretful sigh. Lillia filled it again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said.

    Wace drained the drink, then mmed it back down on the counter. He hopped down from the stool and nodded to the door. ¡°Come on, then. Let me have a look at it. I¡¯ll set aside the rest of my grievances if you¡¯re telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll set them aside if Lillia gives you another tankard,¡± Arwin pointed out.

    ¡°Do I look easily bribable to you?¡± Wace scooped his hammer up and rested it on his shoulder.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    A wry smile crawled across the Dwarf¡¯s features. ¡°Damn right I am. That¡¯s why I¡¯m choosing to leave now. Are you going to let me have a look or not?¡±

    Arwin exchanged a nce with Lillia. Then he shrugged. He wouldn¡¯t have said that he trusted Wace, but the dwarf had seen his equipment and barely even flinched. Unlike everyone else in Milten, Wace saw magical armor as something to be expected.

    <em>That means he¡¯s almost certainly stronger than us by a fair margin. I wish I knew what Tier he was, but for the time being, he hasn¡¯t really done anything that I canin about. I¡¯d have asked everything he has if someone opened a portal into Lillia¡¯s tavern.</em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ll be able to see,¡± Arwin replied as he and Lillia both rose to their feet. ¡°But so long as you don¡¯t go sharing everything with everyone you meet, I don¡¯t think we can object.¡±

    Wace tilted his head to the side. ¡°You¡¯re makin¡¯ demands? Of me? What leverage do you think you¡¯ve got?¡±

    ¡°Good luck getting a drink like the one you just had anywhere else in the world,¡± Arwin replied with a smirk. ¡°Lillia¡¯s one of a kind, and the only thing better than her drinks is her food. If you don¡¯t ever want to get a taste of either again, feel free to do what you want.¡±

    Wace stared at Arwin. Then he snorted. ¡°You bargain like a dwarf. Come on, then. Let¡¯s see it.¡±

    They headed out of the tavern and back to the back room of the Infernal Armory. Arwin gestured vaguely around them.

    ¡°Here. It¡¯s the whole building. The stats are disguised, so you¡¯re not going to find much just by looking.¡±

    ¡°You made an enchanted building? The whole thing?¡± Wace¡¯s tone shifted, gaining a slight measure of interest. ¡°Without song in your hammer?¡±

    <em>That¡¯s the second time he¡¯s mentioned something about song in a hammer. What is he talking about? I¡¯m not sure if I want to go sharing how Lillia and I worked together. I don¡¯t know how widely spread that technique is.</em>

    ¡°No idea what that means, but I did it without any tutge,¡± Arwin said, choosing his words carefully to avoid t out lying. He hadn¡¯t had tutge ¡ª but he¡¯d had a lot of help from Lillia.

    Wace rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he studied the maw-hearth. The Infernal Armory didn¡¯t seem to mind the scrutiny because it remained perfectly still.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Wace muttered, running a hand along the ck veins on the ground.

    His eyes lifted to the protrusion at the back of the room and his wide narrowed. The dwarf rose to his feet and walked over to it. ¡°What¡¯s in here? The veins lead to it.¡±

    ¡°A monster heart I used as a basis for the building. I just wanted it to power the bellows, but it ended up kind of taking over my smithy a bit. It was not entirely intentional.¡±

    Wace spun away from the wall to face Arwin. ¡°A monster <em>heart</em>? You used soft flesh? Not stone and metal?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said with a slow nod, not seeing any reason to lie. He still had absolutely no idea why or how his building had opened a portal into Wace¡¯s smithy. If the dwarf had some way to find out, it would help the both of them. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re tugging my stones,¡± Wace snapped. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You can¡¯t forge flesh. It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Well, it would be if you hit it with a hammer. I just kind of made a cage for the heart,¡± Arwin said with a small shrug. ¡°It was a pain in the ass, but it isn¡¯t that hard. Maybe you can¡¯t forge it because you useva?¡±

    Wace¡¯s eyes bore into Arwin. ¡°I¡¯ve been smithing for longer than you¡¯ve been alive, boy. I know how to do more than just slingva around. You can¡¯t forge the living. It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie about something like this?¡±

    ¡°A ruddy good question,¡± Wace agreed. ¡°Which makes me inclined to believe you. Let¡¯s say I pretend you¡¯ve found a way to do what centuries of dwarven smiths couldn¡¯t. What kind of heart did you use? How did you make a building that has the ability to open dwarven portals when you yourself can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know exactly what it was from. I got it from a flesh golem,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°The Mesh didn¡¯t have a description for it. It was just a giant beating heart. Kind of creepy. I doubt you¡¯ve heard of¡­¡±

    Arwin trailed off as Wace¡¯s eyes widened and his lips parted in disbelief.

    ¡°Dungeon heart,¡± Wace breathed. ¡°You found a dungeon heart and forged it into your own smithy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea what a dungeon heart is,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°Perhaps you can enlighten me?¡±

    Wace muttered something under his breath in anguage that Arwin didn¡¯t understand, but the tone told him that it was almost certainly a curse.

    ¡°No idea what it is,¡± Wace mimicked, shaking his head. ¡°Now it all makes sense. My master always told me that the only thing more capable and dangerous than a master of his craft was a fool in it. It seems he was right.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m not following, but I think that would just make me y into the whole fool bit even more,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Care to enlighten me as to what it is that I¡¯ve mistakenly done?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to do a whole lot more than that. You¡¯re a loose cannon that has managed something that a no dwarf has,¡± Wace said, tapping the haft on his hammer on his shoulder as he locked his gaze with Arwin¡¯s. ¡°And it¡¯s my duty as a smith to determine if you can be trained ¡ª or if you have to be destroyed.¡±

 Chapter 227: Into the portal & ANNOUNCEMENT

    Before Arwin could even respond to Wace, Lillia¡¯s expression went t. Her lips thinned and the light in the smithy dimmed as shadows gathered around her and rose up the walls. Out of the corner of his eyes, Arwin spotted Reya and Rodrick through the door in the main room of the smithy as their hands shot to their weapons.

    ¡°I¡¯d reword that statement, because it sounded an awful lot like a threat,¡± Lillia said, her voice as cold as ice. ¡°And I¡¯m not much of a fan of anyone that threatens the people I care about.¡±

    ¡°No point mincing words,ss,¡± Wace replied with a shrug. He tapped his hammer on his shoulder and shook his head. ¡°I got a duty to my people. We keep our teachings under wraps for a reason. Can¡¯t have a madman running around and making dwarven weaponry ¡ª even if it¡¯s just a poor replica of it. Too many people can get hurt.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a madman,¡± Lilia said.

    ¡°Then you¡¯ve got nothing to worry about, do you?¡± Wace asked. He nced over his shoulder at the heart, then let out a grunt. ¡°And I¡¯m not so sure about that. You tellin¡¯ me anything but a madman would make an abomination like this?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so weird about it?¡± Arwin protested. He wasn¡¯t nearly as offended at Wace¡¯s concern about this abilities as he was with the insinuation that he and Lillia had made something that revulsive. ¡°It was a perfectly logical idea. Are you saying you¡¯d waste a magic heart that beat on its own? Anyone in their right mind would try to use it as an engine if they could.¡±

    ¡°It was a still-beating heart! Outside of a body!¡± Wace eximed. ¡°Do you even know what this is?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°But you clearly do. Care to enlighten me?¡±

    ¡°A dungeon heart is a part of a monster that was severely corrupted by magical energy after they died. The heart continues to absorb magical power, the desires of the monster imprinted on it keeping it alive but has no way to actually advance or aplish anything on its own. They¡¯re functionally immensely powerful magical amplifiers. Dungeon hearts are generally attached to or consumed by depraved fools willing to bond themselves with monsters to gain great strength. I¡¯ve never heard of one getting attached to a sted <em>building</em>.¡±¡°Ah,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You know what? That makes a bit of sense. But why was my smithy¡¯s main goal finding a grumpy dwarf?¡±

    ¡°Forget your building¡¯s goals! You¡¯ve got a dungeon heart in it powerful enough to open a portal,¡± Wace eximed. ¡°Why would you try to use something like that<em></em>for anything? You should have crushed it! What man looks at a thing like that and doesn¡¯t realize it¡¯s clearly of vile origin?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just generalizing things. An object is only as evil as the purpose you use it for.¡± Arwin crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°A sword can kill and protect alike. iming something is inherently evil isn¡¯t true. I¡¯d be more agreeable with you if the Mesh had said the heart loved ughtering children or some shit, but it¡¯s just a heart. I had no way to know more, and unless you¡¯ve got proof that it¡¯s somehow evil, I¡¯m not going to assume it¡¯s anything but that.¡±

    ¡°This is how I know you¡¯re a whelp,¡± Wace said with a shake of his head. ¡°That attitude is one of a na?ve child that has not borne true agony. There are things in this world that are pure evil. I don¡¯t need the Mesh tellin¡¯ me what to think.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Arwin challenged. ¡°Give me one example of something that¡¯s pure evil that hasn¡¯t actually done an evil act that you can verify in any way. How do you know for certain?¡±

    Wace let out a sharp breath and hoisted his hammer, pointing it over his shoulder. Its head rippled with energy as it started to heat, turning from gray to a molten yellow-orange. Then he jerked his chin in Lillia¡¯s direction.

    ¡°What about the vermin race thess is pretending to be a part of?¡± Wace asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what some of them do to their foes. I¡¯ve been in a few of the battles against their kind myself. The world would be better off without their vile taint. You¡¯d know what I was talking about if you were on those fields yourself.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s back tensed, but he didn¡¯t let any of his true thoughts show on his face. Lillia¡¯s hands tightened at her sides, but she said nothing.

    <em>If only Wace had the slightest clue about what he was talking about. He might have been in a few of the battles, but I was there for every single one of them for thest dozen or so years. He might know a lot about smithing, but he doesn¡¯t know any more about the truth of the war than anyone else does. </em>

    Arwin didn¡¯t hold it against the dwarf. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild had convinced the entire kingdom that they were at war with an evil, heartless race. Nobody had ever had the opportunity to learn more.

    Nobody other than ke.

    His expression tightened at the thought and he blew out a short breath. If ke had figured it out, then the rest of them just weren¡¯t trying enough. It was a mistake he¡¯d made once. He wouldn¡¯t make it again ¡ª and he wouldn¡¯t let the people around him make it either. Even if Wace wasn¡¯tpletely out of line in his thoughts, he wasn¡¯t going to sit around and let him insult Lillia to her face.

    ¡°If you want to test me, then test me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised to find how little people actually know. Half of what we believe to be fact is just reinforced assumptions. Power is what you make of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what everyone wants to believe,¡± Wace said. The head of his hammer grew brighter as power rolled off it in waves. A <em>whump </em>shook the smithy¡¯s walls as an arc of me leapt off its head and sshed across the cobblestone ground.

    The me spread in a straight line, crackling as it rose up to form a rectangr doorway. Fire filled in the details within it, the swirls of molten light changing to form into solid shapes before fading away and revealing the inside of the obsidian smithy.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Lillia said. She took a step forward. ¡°Why do you have to go back over there? You¡¯re just testing his smithing abilities, aren¡¯t you? You can do that here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyva here,¡± Wace replied. ¡°Can¡¯t test a dwarven smith withoutva. Not possible.¡±

    ¡°How are we supposed to be able to trust you?¡± Reya asked, stepping through the door with her hand still on the hilt of Wyrmhunger. ¡°You could just be trying to iste Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Wace let out a burst ofughter. ¡°Do I look like a robber or a murderer to you? I¡¯m a smith.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, as if I haven¡¯t seen what a smith can do in a fight,¡± Reya said drolly. ¡°And you were tossingva around just a little while ago. Making yourself sound weak just because it¡¯s convenient isn¡¯t going to convince anyone.¡±

    Wace pursed his thick lips and the glow from the head of his hammer faded. He let it lower and studied Reya in silence for a second. ¡°Right enough. You aren¡¯t getting more from me, though. I can¡¯t test the big oaf outside of my workshop. It¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°I was under the impression you¡¯d be more interested in testing his personality than his actual smithing skills,¡± Lillia said, crossing her arms. ¡°After all that talk about good and evil, does it really matter how good he is at making weapons if he ends up using them for the wrong reason?¡±

    ¡°The quality of a dwarf shows in his work,¡± Wace replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be quite apparent what kind of man he is when I see what he can make in a proper forge.¡±

    ¡°And if you decide you aren¡¯t a fan of him? Who are you to judge if someone is good or evil?¡± Lillia pressed. ¡°Because if you think we¡¯re going to let you just waltz off with him and do whatever you want, you¡¯re sorely mistaken. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a dwarven smith or a horned rabbit. You¡¯re no more judge than you are executioner.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, woman. I¡¯ll just bring him back here if I don¡¯t like him,¡± Wace eximed, throwing his hands up and nearlyunching his hammer through the ceiling in the process. ¡°Did you all miss the part where I¡¯d teach him proper smithing if he¡¯s not an evil bastard?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I was quite looking forward to that bit,¡± Arwin hedged, but Lillia cut him off with a sharp look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you might teach him,¡± she said, striding forward to loom over Wace. She bent down, then thrust her finger into his armored chest. ¡°I¡¯ming with you.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the dwarf replied with a firm shake of his head. ¡°You¡¯re not one of our kind, and you aren¡¯t a smith neither. This is a sacred ritual, not a spectator debacle. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°You let mee, or the only way you ever taste my drinks again is when I shove a bottle up your ass.¡±

    Wace hesitated. A second passed. Then another. Lillia¡¯s eyes bored into him like twin des. Finally, he coughed into his fist. ¡°Perhaps an exception can be made.¡±

    ¡°Great. I¡¯ming too,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Me as well,¡± Rodrick added, poking his head through the door.

    Olive and Anna both squeezed through the entrance of the smithy at the exact same time and added their own voices into the mix.

    ¡°I did not invite the lot of you,¡± Wace snapped. He pointed his hammer at them. ¡°Off with you, rats. One spectator is already breaking tradition. I will not be allowing four more.¡±

    ¡°Five, actually. I would rip my own heart free of its cage if I allowed Lillian and her consort to wander off with a creature such as yourself.¡± A new voice cut through the air, words prim and proper.

    Everyone turned to the entrance of the smithy to find Madiv standing by the open door, his arms crossed before his chest and eyebrow arched.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Wace asked. ¡°How many of you are there? Do you just grow from the floor boards like moss?¡±

    ¡°Please let me in,¡± Madiv said, his tone considerably lower.

    ¡°You cane inside,¡± Olive said.

    Madiv stepped inside and gave Olive a short nod before turning his attention back to the dwarf.

    ¡°We will not allow you to leave with our guild leader. What¡¯s the difference between one spectator and a few more?¡±

    ¡°You and I have very different definitions of few,¡± Wace replied. He squinted up at Arwin. ¡°Do you have any more? Or is this the lot of them?¡±

    Before Arwin could answer, yet another person skidded up to the door. They were all already conveniently looking in the right direction as Esmarelda braced her arm on the side of the doorframe and leaned against it, breathing heavily to catch her breath.

    ¡°I heard amotion and Madiv went running. What¡¯s going on?¡± Esmerelda rasped.

    ¡°Another one!¡± Wace eximed. ¡°How? Where are you alling from?¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s eyes snapped over to the dwarf. They widened and she hurriedly straightened up, brushing her clothes off and clearing her throat as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

    ¡°A dwarf!¡±

    ¡°An old bag,¡± Wace replied.

    ¡°That I may be, but I¡¯m an old bag with wares,¡± Esmerelda said, a wry smile splitting her features. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen one of your kind, but I vividly recall you have quite a taste for liquor. I happen to have some old dwarven mead. Sealed. Not touched in nearly a century. Perhaps I could¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tempting, but I must pass. I have a duty to attend to,¡± Wace said. He nced at Lillia out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°And I believe my tastes may have been permanently spoiled.¡±

    Esmerelda gaped at him. She looked from the dwarf to Madiv, then back to the dwarf. Then she rubbed her eyes.

    Lillia nodded to the portal. ¡°There¡¯s a bottle with your name on it if you just teach Arwin and skip all the other crap.¡±

    ¡°That would be a bribe,¡± Wace said, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Do you think my honor so weak?¡±

    ¡°Two bottles.¡±

    Wace hesitated for an instant. Then he swore under his breath and coughed into his fist. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over already. You¡¯ve ruined the weight of the process, you know that? The sanctity of the ritual is destroyed. It is meant to be revered, not mocked.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean we can alle?¡± Reya asked hopefully. ¡°If it¡¯s dead, it can¡¯t hurt to beat the corpse.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Wace leveled a re at her. Then he stepped through the portal and sent an expectant look back at Arwin and Lillia. ¡°You two. That¡¯s it. Nobody else.¡±

    ¡°Can you evene?¡± Arwin asked with a frown. ¡°I mean, leaving your tavern¡ª¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not for too long, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lillia said.

    The rest of the Menagerie looked prepared to argue, but Arwin lifted a hand. She¡¯d made her decision, and having all of them pile in after him would just leave their street undefended.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said, giving them a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t think so poorly of me. I¡¯d like to think I won¡¯t have any trouble passing. Wace isn¡¯t going to have a reason to fight, so there¡¯s nothing to be concerned about.¡±

    All the wind left everyone¡¯s sails in a fell swoop.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°But you bettere back, okay?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think he could keep us froming back to you guys?¡± Arwin asked with a smile, ruffling Reya¡¯s hair, much to her annoyance. ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon enough.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know,¡± Wace said.

    ¡°You¡¯re the cause of the problem,¡± Lillia said, crossing her arms. ¡°You don¡¯t get toin. Not if you want to dine at my inn again.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep using that as a threat.¡±

    ¡°Watch me.¡±

    Wace raised a finger. Then he lowered it and pursed his lips, muttering a curse under his breath. Arwin sent an amused nce at Lillia, then gave the rest of the Menagerie a curt nod.

    ¡°Keep things safe for us while we¡¯re gone, would you?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°We¡¯ll be back before dinner.¡±

    And, with that, he and Lillia followed Wace into the portal.

 Chapter 228: May it be

    As soon as Arwin and Lillia emerged onto the obsidian floor of Wace¡¯s workshop, the ming portal shrank in on itself behind them before vanishing with a pop. Arwin looked around the smithy, not even bothering to hide his interest.

    It was enormous. He hadn¡¯t gotten a look at the ceiling before. It towered far above them, a curved dome of glistening obsidian. The light from the bubbling pool ofva in the center of the room reflected from the top, illuminating everything as if Wace had trapped the very sun within the room¡¯s walls.

    The air was hot and dry. There didn¡¯t seem to be a single drop of humidity in the air, and Arwin could almost taste the heat on his mouth. Even a scorching desert day wouldn¡¯t have had anything on the smithy. At least the desert would have had a chance for wind.

    Wace headed over to the wall of tools and hung his hammer from it before turning back to them and thrusting a finger in Lillia¡¯s direction.

    ¡°You stay out of the way. I can¡¯t have you interfering or you¡¯re liable to get toasted on ident. Lava is not a forgiving medium to work with. If you get too close, you might get turned crispy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my distance,¡± Lillia promised as she walked over to the wall and crossed her arms, leaning against it. ¡°Just pretend like I¡¯m not here. I might as well not be so long as you don¡¯t do anything threatening.¡±

    Despite her threat, Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how much Lillia would be capable of here. There was nearly no shadow to work with because of how brightly the room was lit and she was away from her tavern. She didn¡¯t have ess to the majority of her powers.

    <em>We¡¯ll just have to make sure this never gets into a fight in the first ce. I¡¯m here to learn smithing, not to try and kill Wace.</em>

    ¡°So where do we get started?¡± Arwin asked, rubbing his hands together. ¡°And do keep in mind that we¡¯ve got deadlines. We can¡¯t be missing dinner.¡±Wace walked over to the white anvil and rested a hand on it as he arched a bushy eyebrow at Arwin.

    ¡°Let¡¯s assume you¡¯ve actually got potential and aren¡¯t a threat to everyone around you. How is missing dinner what ¡®yer worried about?¡±

    ¡°You said it was your duty to teach me, and I¡¯m not going to learn everything in a day,¡± Arwin said with an easy shrug. ¡°That means you¡¯lle back ¡ª and that means I don¡¯t have to miss dinner. I told you, Lillia¡¯s cooking is better than her brewing.¡±

    <em>And I need to eat magical items to survive. I don¡¯t really want to broadcast that to you, but I¡¯ll have no choice if I have to stand around here forever.</em>

    Wace stared at Arwin for a second, his expression inscrutable beneath his beard. Then he let out a grunt and shook his head. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t have any dwarf blood in you?¡±

    ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Wace pped the top of the anvil. ¡°Come over here. If you want to have anything done by the time it gets to dinner, we don¡¯t have time to spare. We¡¯ll be getting started immediately.¡±

    Arwin walked over to stand beside Wace. Heat singed the hairs on his arms as he drew closer to theva. He blinked as he felt his eyes drying out, immediately wishing that he¡¯d brought something to drink with him. This wasn¡¯t his own [Soul me], so he wasn¡¯t resistant to its intense temperature.

    ¡°Do you just form theva into things? I¡¯d have thought you need a mold or something for that,¡± Arwin said as he looked around the rtively empty forge around them. Aside from the tools and the lines running through the ground, carrying thin rivers ofva throughout the room, there weren¡¯t any specialized tools that he could see.

    Wace pierced him with a t stare. ¡°Did you want to teach?¡±

    Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°No. I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°A dwarven smith needs one tool.¡± Wace turned his back on the anvil and approached the bubbling pool ofva. He knelt, a thinyer of [Soul me] racing to cover his hands, and scooped a handful of molten rock up. The dwarf turned back to Arwin. ¡°Lava. Everything else is optional.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of tools if you only need one.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between <em>need </em>and <em>want</em>,¡± Wace replied gruffly. He made his way back over to the anvil, working the pool of magma between his hands like taffy. ¡°And I was not always a master smith. Molten forging is not a simple process. Starting at the extreme is unlikely to go well. There are many aspects that must be considered. You must contain theva. You must focus your intent. You must purge every impurity from the materials you work with while keeping their structure preserved within your heart. You must keep theva hot and, in some cases, flowing.¡±

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    The dwarf walked around the anvil as he spoke, then looked down to the spiderwebbing lines ofva running through the room before ncing up at Arwin in a clear invitation of a question.

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Wace said, tapping his foot beside one of the magma lines. ¡°What do you believe this is for? Why have such aplex pattern when we could just dip our hands into the pool behind me?¡±

    Arwin thought for a few seconds. Wace didn¡¯t seem like the type of teacher that wanted him to just toss questions out at random. He studied the pattern of the small rivers on the floor intently. Not all of them were the same size. The farther they got from theke, the thinner they got and the less they connected to each other.

    ¡°Temperature control, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Correct. As long as you¡¯re standing by the anvil, theva running through the paths closest to you is at the ideal temperature. A true dwarven smith can manage perfect smithing with nothing but a pool ofva, but novices need help keeping the heat controlled.¡±

    Wace shifted theva to one of his palms. He flicked his other, and a small ingot of metal appeared from thin air in a shimmer of purple energy. Arwin¡¯s eyes widened slightly. Wace had some form of extradimensional space.

    <em>Had a lot of those when I was a Hero. Not exactly impossibly rare, but I haven¡¯t seen a normal one in a while. He¡¯s definitely got a good amount of magical gear. I wonder if he made that himself. I¡¯d love to know how to make an extradimensional¡­ well, anything. </em>

    ¡°So you use theva to melt the metal and remove the impurities from it?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°That is the first ¡ª and easiest ¡ª of the steps,¡± Wace said. Theva in his hand bubbled, then started to curl up into a bowl. Moreva flowed up from the river, twisting like streamers of smoke as it flooded into the growing hemisphere of molten rock in his hands. Wace then set the bar of metal on it. The metal hissed as the bubbling orange-redva swirled up to swallow it whole. He looked back to Arwin, then tapped his foot on the ground.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the hard part?¡± Arwin asked. It seemed that Wace enjoyed stopping to make him ask questions, but only the right ones.

    ¡°Hard parts,¡± Wace corrected with a small smirk. ¡°The first is infusing yourva. It must be part of you. An extension of your hands. We do not merely use theva for its heat. It is molten rock with no identity of its own. That allows a dwarf to fill theva with their own desire and intent. It is our interface with the metal.¡±

    Arwin nodded slowly. ¡°So intent isn¡¯t just for the metal, but theva as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes. You fill theva with your intent, and through that, you can hear the song of your materials. Their form may be lost in theva, or it may not. It does not matter. No matter what happens, you must know its song.¡± Wace summoned another piece of metal from the air, this one a dull yellow hue. He added it to the ball ofva swirling in his fingers without taking his eyes off Arwin. ¡°And every material you add sings its own song. To sessfully connect them, you must harmonize their songs with your intent. You must find the connection. Should you manage to do this, the preparation will beplete.¡±

    ¡°Preparation?¡± Arwin asked, nearly choking on his own words. ¡°That¡¯s just the preparation?¡±

    Wace smiled. ¡°Great effort must be made to make great equipment, and no smith is greater than a dwarf. The next step is to free your harmonized material from theva once it has cooled.¡±

    ¡°Smack it with a hammer?¡± Arwin guessed, well aware that the answer was probably going to be a bit moreplex than that.

    Wace¡¯s smile fell away. ¡°You can do better than that.¡±

    ¡°The song,¡± Lillia said from her spot at the corner of the room. ¡°He¡¯s got to hit it to the tune of the song¡­ or something?¡±

    ¡°Yourss has dwarf in her, I just know it,¡± Wace muttered. The twisting ball of magma above his hand rapidly cooled, some of the light leaving it as it turned to a mass of gray rock. ¡°She¡¯s correct. You must speak to the metal in every step of the process. You must <em>sing </em>to it. And, once it is free, only then you can forge.¡±

    <em>It seems I¡¯ve been getting dwarven magic for a long time. My Title, Stonesinger¡­ it lets memunicate with materials, but it¡¯s got singing in the name. Have I been failing to use it to its full abilities?</em>

    ¡°I understand,¡± Arwin said, wonder and excitement intermixing in his stomach. ¡°Though I suspect it may be a little easier to conceptualize than to actually do.¡±

    ¡°So it is,¡± Wace said with a wry smile. He set his cooled ball of stone on the anvil and pressed his hands together. He pulled them apart to reveal a miniscule blue ingot pinched between his fingers. It was of such a faint shade that it was barely even distinguishable from gray. Arwin nearly bust outughing. The ingot was so small that it was barelyrger than a finger. Wace held it in his palm reverently. ¡°Do you know what this is, boy?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely no idea,¡± Arwin answered honestly.

    ¡°This is Mithril,¡± Wace breathed. ¡°One of the most valuable metals in the world, and yet its properties are worthless in the hands of any but the most capable smiths. Mithril is a reflection. It reveals the true soul of the smith that crafts with it. Every single part of it.¡±

    ¡°I think I see where this is going,¡± Arwin said.

    Wace nodded. ¡°I do not expect you to master dwarven crafting today. It takes a lifetime to truly master it ¡ª but the basics, you should be capable of. I will temporarily take you on as a student. I will teach you until you can craft an item with Mithril and your true character isid bare. Then we will determine the path of the future. How does that ring?¡±

    ¡°I hold no ill intentions to anyone that doesn¡¯t seek to hurt me or my friends,¡± Arwin said. He had absolutely no idea what the Mithril would ¡ª or could ¡ª reveal about him, but he wasn¡¯t about to leave without learning dwarven smithing. He had nothing to hide about his current desires. Arwin extended his hand. ¡°I ept.¡±

    ¡°Then I, Wace Gentletongue, formally extend the offer of apprenticeship to you. My knowledge is yours, and your hammer is mine,¡± Wace said, taking Arwin¡¯s hand in a grip like bands of iron and giving it a powerful shake. ¡°May it be so until you have been judged.¡±

 Chapter 229: The right way to forge with lava

    Arwin sat beside the anvil, studying the rivers ofva as they rolled by in the floor around him. After Wace¡¯s promation, the dwarf had just gone off to the corner of his workshop and started fiddling with a piece of metal. It didn¡¯t seem that he nned to give Arwin any more help until he got stuck.

    That was fine with him. Wace had basically said exactly what he needed to do. Arwin needed to find a way to fillva with his intent and make it an extension of himself, and he was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t something that would onlye through practice.

    A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck and he wiped his brow. The heat in the forge was oppressive, and it only grew worse with every passing minute. It was almost impossible topletely focus himself on his task when it felt like all the water in his body was doing its best to escape him. Even though theva had cooled from running through the passageways, it was still hot enough to singe the hair on his arms.

    Arwin formed a gauntlet of [Soul me] around a hand and dipped it into one of the rivers ofva, scooping a palm-sized puddle of it free. The thick molten rock was like taffy in his hand as he squeezed it.

    <em>What kind of intent am I supposed to be infusing this with? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to make something in particr. I¡¯m just trying to connect with the stone¡­ but it isn¡¯t magical, so Stonesinger won¡¯t let me cheat and just speak right to it with a vision. </em>

    He sent his thoughts forward, probing the hot stone to see if there was any sort of feeling or thought he could get from the stone. There was a flicker of something within it ¡ª the faintest acknowledgement that there was indeed <em>something, </em>but he got no real response. His brow furrowed and he focused harder. Arwin pressed his mind into the stone, opening it to try and pick up on anything that it may have been willing to share.

    A dancing sea of light shed through Arwin¡¯s head. shes of thought and desire flitted about, vanishing before they could properly form. It was an avnche of different materials, all mashed and melted together into a conglomerate.

    Arwin stiffened and jerked his head back, nearly spilling theva in the process. There were too many voices. Too many desires. Theva wasn¡¯t a single material that he could reach out to. It was like someone had mashed a thousand different souls together and destroyed them all in the process.

    <em>I don¡¯t think I can speak directly to this. There¡¯s no way I can handle all these voices at once. I¡¯m not so sure theva actually has something it desires to be¡­ and even if it did, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m actually making theva itself into anything. I¡¯m just using it as a tool.</em>He let the puddle slide off his palm and back into the molten river. The [Soul me] covering it flickered out and he leaned back against the anvil, resting his chin in his palm while he dug through his mind in search of a solution.

    <em>It¡¯s too early to ask Wace. I¡¯ve barely even done anything yet, and I don¡¯t want to just have the solution handed to me. Maybe that¡¯s childish, but the Mesh already did that when I was learning the first time. I want to figure something out myself now.</em>

    The dwarf had said that he needed to make himself one with theva. He had to find a way to do that, and it didn¡¯t seem like the current approach was the one. There had to be a different way he could do it.

    A minute trickled by. At some point, Lillia stepped away from the wall she¡¯d been leaning against and made her way over to the anvil behind him. She brushed it off before sitting down on top of it. Lillia squeezed her legs between Arwin¡¯s back and the metal so he was leaning against them. She set her hands on his shoulders and gave them a small squeeze.

    ¡°You look constipated,¡± Lillia informed him.

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts broke and he let out a snort ofughter, craning his neck back to look up at her. ¡°I was trying to think.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t look like it was working very well.¡±

    ¡°It was not,¡± Arwin admitted with a sigh. He let his heady back against her knees and let out huff. ¡°I can¡¯t speak with theva in the same way that I can with metal. It¡¯s rather frustrating.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯ll be able to help there. I don¡¯t speak to my food while I cook it. That¡¯s honestly probably for the best. It would be unsettling at best if I did,¡± Lillia said with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m just here for moral support.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s nose scrunched and he grimaced. ¡°Yeah. That would be creepy ¡ª and moral support is appreciated.¡±

    ¡°Keep at it, then,¡± Lillia said with an encouraging nod, giving him a small nudge in the back of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. And try to move a bit faster, would you? I¡¯m cooking alive over here.¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s probably cooler by the wall, you know.¡±

    ¡°The whole damn workshop is painfully hot,¡± Lillia grumbled. ¡°And if I¡¯m going to cook, I¡¯d rather be here than there.¡±

    Arwin gave her a small smile, then straightened his head again to look back down at the thin river ofva flowing before him. He summoned [Soul me] to his hand once again and scooped another puddle free, studying it intently.

    Magical energy gathered in his palms as Arwin sent it out, trying to infuse theva. The power tingled against his fingertips and slipped past it, failing to aplish anything. He didn¡¯t have a specific intent, so there was nothing to infuse.

    <em>Maybe this is because I don¡¯t understandva enough. Perhaps I have to get more familiar with it before I can try to control it. It¡¯s not like [Molten Novice] is a skill I can choose to activate. It¡¯s passive. </em>

    His lips pursed and he summoned a [Soul me] gauntlet on his other hand so he could pass theva between them. It was surprisingly fun to y with. Kind of like a stress ball with enough heat trapped within it to burn through unprotected flesh in instants. It was even fun to look at.

    Bubbles of warm orange glowed around dark ridges like molten caramel. Arwin squinted at theva cupped in his palms.

    <em>It almost looks tasty. </em>

    Arwin bit back a darkugh at that thought. Eatingva. There probably weren¡¯t many intelligent people who¡¯d ever had that particr thought. It didn¡¯t seem like Jessen had enjoyed the taste too much, but perhaps he¡¯d just been slightly preupied at the time.

    He shook his head to keep his thoughts from drifting too far. It had been almost an hour since he¡¯d sat down by the anvil and started fiddling with theva, and he¡¯d still made no progress in the first step of many.

    There was no chance of getting back before dinner if he didn¡¯t speed things up. Arwin pursed his lips and squinted at the glowing mass. He had to find a way to connect with theva. To make it one with him.

    Another droplet of sweat joined the rivulets rolling down his neck. His mouth was parched and his throat dry. The workshop was ridiculously ufortable. He had absolutely no idea how Wace could concentrate for any amount of time in this environment.

    And then there were Lillia¡¯s legs pressed against his back and her hands on his shoulders. Her presence wasforting ¡ª and it also reminded him of her food. Arwin¡¯s stomach rumbled.

    <em>I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m starving. </em>

    He looked down at theva. His eyes narrowed as a thought tickled the back of his mind. Then his head tilted to the side.

    <em>Huh. I need to be one with theva. I was approaching it in a really philosophical or magical way¡­ but what if Wace was being way more literal? [Soul me] can cover any part of my body. Not just my hands. If I was to ¡ª no. That couldn¡¯t be right¡­ could it?</em>

    Arwin nced to the dwarf. He was still in the corner of the smithy and had taken to fiddling with one of his tools. It didn¡¯t look like Wace was paying him and Lillia even the slightest amount of attention.

    There was no way the dwarf went around <em>eating </emva. The only reason Arwin could eat magic at all was because of his ss, and he was pretty sure that [The Hungering Maw] wasn¡¯t something that every single dwarf had ess to.

    That said, he couldn¡¯t think of a single other way to go about this. His magic couldn¡¯t prate theva and he couldn¡¯t speak with it. There was no way to start a vision with a non-magical material, and he couldn¡¯t start crafting until he could connect to theva.

    <em>Fuck it. It did look tasty.</em>

    Arwin lifted theva. His mouth erupted in a warm, tingling sensation as he covered its entirety with [Soul me]. His lips pulled apart and tongues of mepped out, escaping into the outside air.

    For an instant longer, he hesitated. Then his jaw set. Lillia couldn¡¯t quite see what he was doing because of her position behind him. That was probably for the best. He lifted theva to his lips and poured it in.

    Arwin bit down on moltenva, and to absolutely nobody¡¯s surprise, it tasted like stone. There was no other way to describe it. He was chewing a stew of hot, gritty rocks. What <em>did </em>surprise him was that he didn¡¯t actually hate the texture.

    It was thick and dense, with just enough crunch to give his teeth something to do. Even though theva didn¡¯t taste all that great, it was kind of entertaining to chew on. Toddlers would have loved it.

    <em>Well, provided they kept their faces from getting melted off.</em>

    Arwin continued to chew, mostly because he had absolutely no idea what else to do. There was no way he could actually swallow theva. It wasn¡¯t magical. His body couldn¡¯t digest it, and even if he could keep it from burning him with [Soul me], he did not want to get stuck with a giant chunk of stone in his stomach.

    <em>What the hell do I do with theva now? Why did I do this?</em>

    Arwin continued to chew, mostly because he had nothing else he could do. Seconds ticked by. Sweat rolled down his back and soaked his shirt ¡ª and then his head tilted to the side. His mouth was tingling.

    It wasn¡¯t the [Soul me]. Not exclusively. He could still feel the magical firepping against his cheeks, but there was something more. The vor of theva had changed. Not just that. The tingling was a sensation he¡¯d felt before. It was the feeling of the Mesh filling an item with magic.

    Arwin cast his attention inward toward theva and bracing himself for a myriad of voices to m into his mind once more. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his chest in surprise.

    A delighted grin pulled across his lips. He¡¯d done it. The cacophony was gone. All the voices had vanished. It was as if theva had been purified, all the different desires stored within it mashed into a single, cohesive extension of Arwin¡¯s own will.

    He was so caught up with his sess that he didn¡¯t even realize that Wace had walked over to check on how he was doing.

    ¡°So, have you figured out that you need to knead theva until¡­¡± Wace started as Arwin¡¯s lips parted to reveal a ball of bright pure-yellowva he was chewing on. The dwarf stared at him, aghast, and his mouth dropped open in disbelief. ¡°By the Earth Father¡¯s bedridden mother-inw, are you

    <em>eating </em><pva?¡±

 Chapter 230: The song

    Arwin carefully reached into his mouth and pulled the still-hotva from it with a [Soul me] encased hand. He looked down at it, then back up to Wace before clearing his throat, sending a small tongue of me flicking out in the process. ¡°Eating would imply that I was swallowing. I didn¡¯t swallow any. I was <em>chewing </emva.¡±

    ¡°I am not about to argue semantics with a man that sticksva into his mouth. Were you pelted against a wall as a child? Or perhaps yesterday? What could have possibly possessed you to ¡ª wait.¡± Wace stared downva. His eye twitched. ¡°You connected with it?¡±

    ¡°It did seem like a fairly logical next step,¡± Arwin said sheepishly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t put my intent into it like a normal piece of metal, so I went to drastic measures.¡±

    ¡°Your idea of drastic measures is sticking things into your mouth? What are you, a toddler? At least you didn¡¯t shove it up your arse,¡± Wace grumbled. [Soul me] gauntlets erupted over his hands and he plucked theva from Arwin, examining it closely for around a minute. A disbelieving huff slipped from the dwarf¡¯s eyes and he handed it back to him.

    ¡°It worked, then?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Somehow. I¡¯m not even sure what to tell you. I¡¯ve taught a few dwarven smiths in my time. Enough to say that never once have I had a dwarf stupid enough to try to eatva. A few gave munching rocks a shot, but they wised up after they cracked a few teeth. Well, most of them.¡± Wace hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t talk about Rockchomper.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Now you have to,¡± Lillia said, leaning forward slightly as a small grin pulled at her lips. ¡°Was his name Rockchomper before he started eating rocks? Or did he earn it?¡±

    ¡°The former. It was an unfortunate coincidence,¡± Wace said. He thrust a finger in Arwin¡¯s direction. ¡°Though I¡¯m thinking this one may be deserving of a unique name of his own. If I catch him trying to eat my Mithril, I¡¯m ending him then and there. I won¡¯t need to see the results to know he¡¯s a madman.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Just out of curiosity, what was the proper method? You mentioned kneading?¡±¡°Like bread?¡± Lillia added in.

    ¡°Like bread,¡± Wace confirmed with a weary sigh. ¡°You were meant to realize that theva is a multitude of desires and goals that could never all be satisfied. They¡¯re memories of the materials that once were. By kneading it, you can slowly inject your magical energy and push out the excess thought until only you remain. That also infuses theva with [Soul me], allowing you to raise its core temperature enough to melt almost anything. And, evidently, you can aplish the same by chewing it as well.¡±

    ¡°I believe you¡¯re informing me that I¡¯ve just discovered a new technique,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That has to count for something.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck,¡± Wace said dryly. He nodded to theva in Arwin¡¯s hands and set the ingot of steel he¡¯d procured a short while ago on the anvil beside Lillia. ¡°Move to the next step. Gather moreva. Prepare your forge and then melt this down. Find its song. And for the love of the Earth Father, don¡¯t eat the damn thing.¡±

    ¡°No promises,¡± Arwin said with a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to stick to chewing theva if it works just as well as kneading. Leaves my hands open.¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡± Wace asked, aghast. ¡°Why do you need your hands free while you¡¯re forging? The whole point is to put the damn things to work!¡±

    ¡°Not sure yet. I¡¯ll let you know when I figure it out,¡± Arwin replied, unable to keep himself from chuckling at the indignation in the dwarf¡¯s voice. He scooped up another handful ofva from the thin river and poured it into his mouth.

    Wace threw his hands up and stormed back over to the corner of the room, muttering to himself. He started humming to himself as he pulled a dagger from a dimensional space and started tapping it against the wall impatiently. Lillia snickered under her breath and nudged Arwin in the back with her knee.

    ¡°Antagonizing the dwarf? Really?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯reughing,¡± Arwin said through a mouthful of me andva. ¡°And he¡¯s a bit stuck up. The best part of anything is learning how to do it. Experimentation is how you grow. If I was still following exactly what the Mesh wanted me to do, every item I made would just do random shit. Besides, a little ribbing isn¡¯t going to hurt anyone.¡±

    Lillia rolled her eyes and squeezed his shoulders as she shed him a small grin. ¡°I got about half of that. Don¡¯t speak with your mouth full, you oaf. Just get back to work and let me know if you need anything.¡±

    He didn¡¯t mind following her suggestion. It was rather difficult speaking with a mouthful ofva anyway. Spraying food when you were speaking was already gross enough ¡ª he didn¡¯t need to start spitting literal fire on ident.

    <em>Jessen really should have warned me about this. He was the pioneer of chewingva, after all. I suppose I should have expected that raging asshole to keep it all to himself.</em>

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    Arwin finished chewing hisva a few minutester, which was not a situation he ever really would have thought himself to voluntarily be in, then pulled everything from his mouth and gathered it in his hands.

    <em>Wace didn¡¯t actually knead anything when he made theva ball. I wonder if that was to avoid giving me any hints, or if it was because he¡¯s gotten good enough to connect to theva without having to do extra steps.</em>

    <em>I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter right now. The next step is listening to the song of the materials, huh?</em>

    Arwin held the globby ball of hissingva in one hand and grabbed the steel ingot, pushing it into the molten mass with a hiss. He listened intently, focusing his thoughts on the ingot as it entered theva.

    For a flicker of a second, he heard it. Arwin watched it move from the mine to the refinery and then from hand to hand. Images flickered through his mind with such speed that he could barely keep track of them.

    He could feel its desires perfectly through theva. The metal wanted to be a sword. It waspletely and utterly fixed on it ¡ª but there was no song. At least, no song that Arwin could pick up on.

    <em>Maybe song is a fancy way for the dwarves to say they can speak to materials in the same way that my ss lets me. It¡¯s pretty easy to tell what ¡ª </em>

    Arwin¡¯s thoughts faltered. The stream of desires from the ingot was faltering as theva encasing it started to melt the metal. It wasn¡¯t just taking the metal, though. The magical power Arwin had infused hisva with was eating into the desires of the ingot and taking them as well.

    By the time he realized what was happening, it was already over. The stream of desire from the ingot evaporated like a droplet of water under the desert sun, and then there was nothing.

    Wace strode back across the smithy and pped another ingot down on the anvil with a loud ng. Arwin nced up at him. He hadn¡¯t thought his failure had been that evident on his face.

    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t listen to the damn song,¡± Wace replied. ¡°Sounded like a screeching old bat, you did. That was horrendous. Do you have any talent at all when ites to anything other than sticking things in your mouth?¡±

    ¡°I was trying to listen,¡± Arwin said defensively. ¡°It was speaking to me. Just¡­ not singing.¡±

    ¡°Speaking? Don¡¯t be daft,¡± Wace said. ¡°You were daydreaming. Materials do not speak. They sing. Do it again.¡±

    Arwin picked up the new bar of metal. He studied it for a second, then pressed his lips thin in determination and pushed it into his ball ofva.

    ***

    Three hours. Twenty-five bars of metal. Countless new balls of chewedva. Arwin¡¯s jaw ached and his backside was sore. He hadn¡¯t budged from his spot once. The only thing that had spared his back and shoulders from pain was Lillia, for which he was eternally grateful.

    He was not, however, anywhere near as pleased with the damnable bars of metal that Wace had been wordlessly handing him over the past few hours. Arwin had dealt with enormous monsters. He¡¯d battled hordes of enemies and emerged victorious as the Hero.

    Now he was losing a fight to an assortment of inanimate objects. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t hear a single note of the song that Wace was talking about. The metals told them their desires, he melted them, and then there was nothing.

    Arwin tried controlling the temperature of theva to prevent the metal from breaking down as quickly. He tried heating it faster. He tried chewing the metal when he didn¡¯t think Wace was looking.

    Nothing worked. The very instant he stuck the ingots into his ball ofva, they were as good as dead. Either not a single one of them knew how to sing or he waspletely tone deaf. Hours of frustration made his stomach clench and teeth grind.

    <em>What the hell do I have to do? This is infuriating.</em>

    A ng split the air as Wace mmed an ingot down on the anvil and strode back to whatever it was he was doing. Arwin grabbed the ingot and red at it, as if hoping to cow it into submission.

    <em>Sing, you little piece of shit. Rap. Opera. I don¡¯t care. Do something. I¡¯m starting to wonder if Wace is just screwing with me. </em>

    ¡°What did the ingot do to you?¡± Lillia asked, resting her chin on the top of Arwin¡¯s head. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of annoyance for a brick of metal.¡±

    Arwin blew out a sigh. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t hear the stupid thing sing. It just speaks. No matter what I try, I just can¡¯t hear it.¡±

    ¡°Do you think talking it out would help?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it is. I just wanted to make sure,¡± Lillia said, and Arwin could hear the hint of amusement in her voice. ¡°So, what are you doing wrong?¡±

    ¡°If I knew that, I¡¯d fix it. Your food doesn¡¯t sing to you, does it?¡±

    ¡°No and thank the gods for that. Food that spoke to me would be bad enough. Having it sing to me while I chopped it up would make meically evil. It¡¯s just food. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Figured.¡± Arwin studied the ingot in his hand. There was no point just sticking it into theva. He hadn¡¯t heard so much as a peep from anything yet, and he didn¡¯t want to just go around wasting metal. ¡°I wonder if my ss is somehow keeping me from hearing the song because I can hear metal speak.¡±

    ¡°Have you tried tuning it out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Lillia let out a thoughtful hum. She leaned more of her weight onto Arwin¡¯s back and wrapped her arms around his neck, drumming her fingers gently on his shoulders in thought. Arwin moved the ball ofva a little farther away to make sure it didn¡¯t get too close or burn her. The heat was almost entirely gathered in its core, but he didn¡¯t want to take any risks.

    ¡°Wace was talking about harmonizing things,¡± Lillia mused. ¡°Maybe you need to use theva to listen? It¡¯s a part of you or something, right?¡±

    ¡°That was one of my more recent attempts. It didn¡¯t work, unfortunately. It¡¯s an extension of me, but more like a hand than an ear,¡± Arwin said. Some of the frustration built up in him drained away. It was hard to remain annoyed with Lillia¡¯s presence against him. The gentle drumbeat of her fingers against him was oddlyforting.

    Arwin paused.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lillia asked, freezing. ¡°You just stiffened.¡±

    ¡°Wace never said it was a vocal song,¡± Arwin muttered, looking back to the ingot. Wace¡¯s humming in the background grew louder, joined by the rhythmic taps of his dagger against the obsidian wall. ¡°I¡¯m listening for the wrong song.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t hear anything.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Arwin said, lifting the bar of metal and running his thumb over its surface as his eyes lit with realization. ¡°Because it¡¯s not a song that you sing. It¡¯s one you feel. Thanks, Lillia. I think I know what I need to do.¡±

 Chapter 231: Teaching an oaf

    Arwin plunged an ingot of steel into the hot ball ofva once more. He sent his attention deep into the sphere of molten stone as the metal¡¯s history echoed through it. It had goals and desires, just like every other piece of metal he¡¯d ever worked with.

    They were far too loud to justpletely ignore. Listening for anything with the metal¡¯s thoughts ringing in his ears was just impossible. It was like trying to hear the whisper of a fairy in a roaring thunderstorm.

    For thest few hours, Arwin had been trying to find a way around that. He¡¯d assumed the ingot would have both, or that he could circumvent the song entirely just by listening to its thoughts.

    Now he realized that was impossible. Not because the thoughts were too loud or because his ss had somehow limited him from doing what the dwarves could, but because it wasn¡¯t his ears he was meant to be listening with.

    The song of metal was not a song that was meant to be heard. It was a song that was meant to be felt. Arwin sent his intent into the magic-infusedva in his palms, not trying to decipher the metal within it or listen to anything at all. He just rxed. He rxed ¡ª and waited.

    And, in turn, he felt a faint thump within theva almost akin to the distant beat of a heart. Arwin instinctively gave theva a gentle tap, sending a small amount of extra [Soul me] to infuse the hot rock and raise its temperature.

    The metal continued to speak in the back of his mind. Arwin barely even noticed. He waspletely focused on the ball ofva before him. Another distant thump came after the first, then another one after it.

    Arwin felt his consciousness sinking deeper and deeper into theva. The thumps grew louder. It was the feeling that came with the strike of a hammer against metal. The vibration of the hammer in his hand and the warp of metal as it was forged.

    Every beat of the song was the movement of metal lungs, breathing life into its still body.In his previous attempts, Arwin had been so focused on making the future the metal wanted that he hadn¡¯t actually stopped to ensure everything was ready in the present. But now, when he focused on feeling the song, his attention was entirely on the metal as it was now, not what as it could be. The magic-richva surrounding the metal could bring change ¡ª but it could also bring destruction.

    Realization flooded into Arwin¡¯s mind like a river and practically drew a picture in the air before him.

    In many ways, dwarven smithing was like raising a nt. Every sapling sought to be a tree, and they needed water and sunlight to grow. But nothing in the universe liked waiting. It wanted to grow faster. It wanted more water. More sunlight. That was a trap. Too much water would drown a nt, and too much sun would burn it.

    The metal had desires, but it didn¡¯t know what was best for it. Thus was the purpose of a true smith. Not just to bring the desires of metal out as soon as possible, but to craft it in a way that would <em>allow </em>it to achieve those desires.

    Magical energy poured from Arwin¡¯s hands and into the ball ofva as he felt the impurities slowly and steadily melt away from the ingot. He kneaded the metal within theva like a ball of dough, purging everyst scrap of trash within it relentlessly.

    He didn¡¯t rush. He didn¡¯t worry about how much magical power he was using. The beat of the song was the only thing on his mind, a symphony yed for his ears alone. All the whispering voices in his mind slipped away and a smile pulled across his lips as he worked.

    And then it was done. The song faded away and left Arwin in silence, aware of the smithy around him once more. His eyes had closed and his back was soaked with sweat, but somehow, it wasn¡¯t anywhere near as ufortable as it had been before.

    His mind and theva in his palms were one. Arwin could feel the ingot perfectly within the orb as if his hands were wrapped directly around it. A droplet of sweat rolled down his brow and dripped into his eye.

    Arwin finally let the ball of molten rock lower as he wiped his face with the back of a sleeve and raised his gaze ¡ª and he nearly jumped as he found Wace¡¯s face about half an inch away from his.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Arwin cursed, nearly dropping the ball on the spot as his heart jumped in his chest. ¡°What are you doing, man?¡±

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the tform they originally published on.

    ¡°Teaching an oaf,¡± Wace replied as he straightened back up, a wry smile hidden by his bushy beard. ¡°Did you like my example? I¡¯m quite proud of it.¡±

    ¡°Example?¡± Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Come on, now. You could at least say thank you,¡± Wace crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I guided you through your first song. Coming to understand the song of a material is not a simple task. I gave your mind a little help to direct its focus.¡±

    ¡°He was whispering something about trees into your ear,¡± Lillia provided.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That was you? How? It was so vivid!¡±

    ¡°Dwarven smithing puts you in a state that isn¡¯t all that dissimr from a trance,¡± Wace said with a chuckle. ¡°All I had to do was say a few choice words and you fill the rest in on your own. I trust you were sessful?¡±

    In response, Arwin reached into the ball of magma with a [Soul me] encased hand. He pushed through the glowing rock until his fingers wrapped around a mass of metal and he pulled it free.

    The ingot had been turned into a rough sphere about the size of his palm. It was bumpy and uneven, but it glistened like pure silver even though Arwin knew full well that it was just steel. Wace plucked the ball from his hand and studied it.

    ¡°Not bad at all,¡± Wace said with a small nod, a smile pulling across his rugged features. ¡°I¡¯ve seen far worse first attempts. I can see you¡¯re not a particrly neat person. Fix that. An organized mind makes organized weapons. None of this¡­ mess. The sphere should be smooth and shiny, not bumpy.¡±

    ¡°I was a little more focused on it being pure than it looking pretty.¡±

    ¡°Function and form are not independent of each other.¡± Wace¡¯s words were gruff and firm, but there was a faint note of respect buried deep within them. ¡°A dwarven smith pursues excellence, not mediocrity. The next ball you make will be a perfect sphere, not dragon dropping.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said with an appreciative nod. Wace was far from kind, but there was no doubt in his mind that the dwarf knew what he was talking about. Right now, all Arwin wanted to do was soak up as much knowledge as he could. Just because he couldn¡¯t see the value in something yet didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t worthwhile ¡ª he just didn¡¯t have the experience to tell yet. ¡°What about the purity of the metal? Is it good?¡±

    Wace¡¯s expression flickered and he handed the lumpy ball of steel back to Arwin. ¡°It is good. You may be a clumsy human, but you did eptably in linking your song with the metal. I have not seen a smith that could feel the song of their materials this quickly in a very long time.¡±

    A small grin formed on Arwin¡¯s lips. ¡°So I¡¯m good?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± Wace said with an irritable re. He pulled another ingot of unpurified steel from his extradimensional space and set it down on the anvil. ¡°I would take a dwarf that had practiced a thousand times just to bepetent over an arrogant prodigy. Hearing a single song with my guidance is nothing to wet your pants over. Do it again. Then keep doing it.¡±

    ¡°How many times?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Until you can make something that actually resembles a sphere. And, before you ask, ovals do not count. I want something as close to perfectly smooth and round as you can do. If youck a reference, I suggest looking at your own brain.¡±

    <em>Ouch. </em>

    Arwin looked down at the lumpy ball resting in his hand, then over to the new ingot. He could have imed that his creation was roughly spherical if he really squinted, but it did kind of look more like a hairball. He had a long way to go.

    ¡°Something tells me I might not be making it to dinner,¡± Arwin muttered. ¡°Will you open a portal back for Lillia so the others don¡¯t start worrying? You¡¯ll have to open it again after a bit, though. She isn¡¯t going to leave unless there¡¯s a way back.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. I¡¯m not leaving you here,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be the end of the world if I miss one day.¡±

    ¡°Can they? You rely on satisfaction and people eating your cooking,¡± Arwin said, craning his head back to look at Lillia. ¡°And you won¡¯t be gone forever. If Wace was going to try something, he¡¯d have done it after we were alone. It¡¯s fine. Just cook dinner and thene back.¡±

    Li pressed her lips thin, then sighed. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right. He can open a portal.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d like me to serve you some tea while I¡¯m at it?¡± Wace asked, ring at them. ¡°Do I look like a personal maid to you?¡±

    ¡°Well, Lillia does have some dresses. I¡¯m sure one of her imps can spare one.¡±

    ¡°At cost,¡± Lillia added. ¡°I don¡¯t have any imps as wide as you. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d fit.¡±

    ¡°I do not want one of your dresses,¡± Wace snapped. He blew out a sigh and shook his head, grabbing his hammer from the wall and bringing it over to them as its head heated to a glowing molten color. ¡°But if it gets you both to shut up, then I¡¯ll open the portal. At least I¡¯ll be spared of watching you flirt while in the sanctity of my workshop.¡±

    ¡°Flirt?¡± Lillia asked, affronted. ¡°We haven¡¯t been flirting. We¡¯ve just been sitting here! I¡¯ll show you flirt¡ª¡±

    A thrum of energy ripped from the head of the hammer and a portal split open behind Lillia, revealing the inside of the Infernal Armory. Wace pushed her through the portal with the butt of his hammer.

    ¡°Three hours,¡± Wace ground out. ¡°Be back here. Do not bete.¡±

    The portal snapped shut.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I appreciate it, Wace.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. And don¡¯t expect me to sit around massaging your shoulders just because thess is gone.¡± The dwarf let out an annoyed grunt, then thrust his finger at the unpurified ingot. ¡°Now get back to work. I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you until you can make something worth looking at.¡±

 Chapter 232:

    For nearly two more hours, Arwin made metal balls. Over and over, he worked to improve his control. For nearly two hours, he failed.

    A pile of metal steadily built on the ground beside him as he tried again and again without pause. At first, his attempts seemed like they were all turning out the same. Dozens of lumpy pieces of metal that barely even resembled spheres made up the majority of his early attempts.

    But failure didn¡¯te without progress. With every attempt he made, Arwin got a little better. The spheres grew a little more spherical. That was great in terms of seeing improvement, but it was less than ideal when the metal balls got round enough that they started to roll away the moment he set them down.

    Arwin barely even noticed. He just kept making balls. Even though he was getting better, they still weren¡¯t nearly as round as Wace¡¯s had been. There were still imperfections and slight malformations.

    He was so focused on his work that hepletely forgot where he was. All that remained in his eyes was the glowingva and the metal going in and out of it. Even the metal itself was forgotten the moment after he checked it to determine where he could improve, abandoned in preparation for the next attempt.

    Arwin¡¯s concentration was broken as a loud crash split rose into the air. His eyes snapped away from the ball ofva just in time for him to see Wace¡¯s metal boots go flying off his feet as he fell on his back, having slipped on one of the balls that had rolled away.

    The dwarf let out a slew of curses in several differentnguages as he scrambled upright, kicking one of Arwin¡¯s carefully crafted spheres into the pool ofva in the process.

    ¡°By the Earth Father¡¯s many tits, what is wrong with you?¡± Wace demanded as he made his way across the smithy to grab his boots, taking care to avoid the other balls that had distributed themselves across the floor.

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Arwin said sheepishly as his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d already made that many. I thought they were just stacked up next to me.¡±¡°Balls? You thought balls would stack?¡±

    ¡°They were stacking before.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because they weren¡¯t damn balls, now were they? Those were lumps,¡± Wace snapped. He retrieved his boots and jammed his feet back into them before storming over to Arwin and snagging histest attempt to inspect it. The dwarf blinked.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡±

    ¡°This is a ball,¡± Wace said, holding it out to Arwin. He looked around the room and shook his head. ¡°All of these are balls! You haven¡¯t made a lump in an hour!¡±

    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s not as smooth as yours was either,¡± Arwin said. He took the ball from Wace and ran his thumb along the surface. ¡°There are small mistakes in it. Not as bad as they were before, but my attempts are nowhere near as smooth as yours was.¡±

    ¡°That would be because I have been doing this for longer than you¡¯ve been drawing breath. If you could catch up to me in a day, I¡¯d drive my own hammer through my skull,¡± the dwarf said with a disbelieving shake of his head. ¡°This is more than round enough. You aren¡¯t going to perfectly master the skill in a single day.¡±

    ¡°You said not to talk to you again until I could make perfectly round balls,¡± Arwin pointed out.

    ¡°I was exaggerating. You weren¡¯t actually supposed to take me that literally. Have you never met a dwarf in your life before? We like stretching things. Makes up for all the stretch our bodies can¡¯t do.¡± Wace pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t even me you for this. Very well. Let¡¯s see if you learned anything other than how to repeat motions. Make a perfect cube instead of a sphere.¡±

    Arwin shrugged and went to stick one of the pieces of steel that Wace had left by his anvil into his ball of magma. The dwarf¡¯s hand fell on his shoulder, giving him pause.

    ¡°When I say perfect, I mean <em>rtively </em>perfect,¡± Wace said. ¡°Do not build a pyramid in my smithy while I¡¯m not watching.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said. A corner of his lips pulled up in a small grin. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    The dwarf just sighed and shook his head. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t expect much better than that. Get on with it.¡±

    Arwin obliged. He gathered his focus and pressed the new ingot of steel into hisva, feeling intently for its song and getting to work shaping it. He¡¯d gone through the process enough times that his sphere-making attempts had started to speed up. Much of that progress evaporated the moment he shifted what he was doing.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Much ¡ª but not all. Even though the shape he was making was different, the actual method remained much the same. Song permeated through the steel and his body alike. A trancelike state rolled over Arwin like thepping waves of the sea as he worked, pouring magic and intent into the ball ofva.

    And then it was done. Arwin¡¯s mind pulled itself back to normal and he lifted the results of his work from within theva. It had six smooth sides and corners sharp enough to pierce through skin if he wasn¡¯t careful.

    ¡°This,¡± Wace said, plucking the metal from Arwin¡¯s hands and examining it under a critical eye before looking back to him, ¡°is a cube. Not a perfect one, but about as close as I reckon you¡¯re going to be getting tonight.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m ready for the next step?¡± Arwin pushed himself to his feet with a grunt, brushing off his sore backside before stretching his arms one by one. He¡¯d been sitting still for far too long.

    Wace nudged some of the malformed steel balls into a river ofva with his foot. They sizzled as they hit the top of the river. The two of them watched the metal slowly sink beneath the molten rock.

    ¡°I suppose you are,¡± Wace said. ¡°Faster than I expected. You¡¯ve outperformed my expectations.¡±

    ¡°Thank¡ª¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be capable of doing much more than a blind and deaf goblin, but it seems you have proven me wrong,¡± Wace finished. Arwin repressed a snort. He wasn¡¯t even slightly bothered by the dwarf¡¯s words.

    He¡¯d already long since figured out that Wace was the type of person who couldn¡¯t give a properpliment if his life depended on it. No matter how impressed Wace actually was with anything Arwin did, there was no world in which he¡¯d actually fully admit to it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always made it a life motto to try and be better than a goblin, so I¡¯m pleased to hear I¡¯ve aplished my dreams.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were better than a goblin. Just a blind and deaf one,¡± Wace countered. His mouth was mostly covered by his beard, but Arwin could have sworn that it curled up in a grin for a brief instant before going t once more.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡± Arwin asked, scratching the side of his neck. ¡°I¡¯ve already established the harmony between myself and the metal¡¯s song, so does that mean I can actually start practicing forging something?¡±

    The other smith inclined his head. ¡°Yes. You now know how to properly prepare metal to forge. Everything has a different song, but the fundamental method for the first step is identical.¡±

    ¡°How many steps are there, just out of curiosity? I¡¯m really hoping you aren¡¯t about to tell me there are forty more of these things just to make a single item.¡±

    Wace smirked. ¡°That depends on you.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyebrows knit in confusion. ¡°On me? I was under the impression you were teaching me how to do dwarven smithing. I thought the whole point was you had a bunch of fancy steps.¡±

    ¡°I <em>am </em>teaching you dwarven smithing. There are two parts to it,¡± Wace replied. He nodded to the ball ofva in Arwin¡¯s hands. ¡°That¡¯s the first. Every single dwarven smith does that. There¡¯s no way around it if you want to properly prepare the metal. But the second ¡ª that part isn¡¯t so easy.¡±

    ¡°Is this the part where I wait patiently for you to tell me, or am I meant to ask a bunch of really hurried questions and not give you a chance to answer any of them?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll tell you. No two dwarven smiths are exactly the same because we¡¯ve all got our own method of finishing up a project. There isn¡¯t shit I can teach you for thest half. You¡¯ve got to figure it out yourself.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t ¡ª seriously? Why is it that I feel like I got scammed?¡±

    Wace let out a bark ofughter. ¡°Then you learned an important lesson. Don¡¯t shit yourself too quickly now. I¡¯m not done with you. I can¡¯t teach you anything else, but I can still lend a little more help.¡±

    The dwarf reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue ingot. Mithril. The skin on the back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickled in unease.

    ¡°Hold on. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing yet. Isn¡¯t it a bit early to risk wasting a material as important as Mithril?¡±

    <em>And I can¡¯t help but notice that Lillia isn¡¯t back yet. </em>

    ¡°No,¡± Wace replied, all the amusement gone from his tone. ¡°This is the perfect time to use it. The first project you forge as a real dwarven smith, untrained and half-blind or not, will be one that shows your character better than any other. I think I¡¯ve gotten your measure by now,d. Enough to know you aren¡¯t a bad sort.¡±

    ¡°Was that apliment?¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Wace said, not so much as missing a beat. ¡°I don¡¯t take back my word easily, but I¡¯m giving you two options. I can open a portal back to your smithy right now. Send you back with what you¡¯ve got and pretend we never met.¡±

    Arwin studied the dwarf quietly for several seconds. Neither of them budged an inch.

    ¡°And the other option?¡± Arwin asked, even though they both already knew what it was.

    ¡°I give you this Mithril and you forge an item with it. Your very temporary apprenticeship to me ends and I determine if you¡¯re worthy of carrying the title of a dwarven smith or if you need to be purged. There¡¯s no going back from either option.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not really much of a choice, is it?¡± Arwin snorted and held his hand out. ¡°Give me the Mithril. I didn¡¯t waste all this time just to give up at thest minute.¡±

    A real smile creased Wace¡¯s face. He reached out and took Arwin¡¯s hand, pressing the Mithril into his palm. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do then, boy.¡±

    <strong>Challenge: [The Dwarven Smith] has been initiated.</strong>

    <strong>[The Dwarven Smith] ¨C <em>Wace has offered you the same contract that every dwarven smith is given. Forge an item that is worthy of representing your mind, body, and soul. </em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: <em>Forge an item using Mithril. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: Be a Dwarven Smith and upgrade [Molten Novice].</strong>

 Chapter 233: Unique

    Arwin¡¯s breath caught in his chest, and the grin on Wace¡¯s lips grew evenrger in response. That only made his shock grow even stronger still. Getting another Challenge was surprising, but the look on the dwarf¡¯s face spoke volumes.

    Wace knew exactly what had happened. This wasn¡¯t a coincidence. The Mesh hadn¡¯t just happened to decide to give him a Challenge the moment the dwarf had finished speaking. The Mesh may have been the delivery tool but it had been Wace that gave him the challenge.

    ¡°It worked, did it?¡± Wace asked.

    ¡°How?¡± Arwin asked, struggling not to look like a fish out of water. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You can¡¯t control the Mesh.¡±

    The other smith doubled over in a fit of uproariousughter. He pped his knee and shook his head as he tried and failed to contain his mirth. Arwin couldn¡¯t even muster the ability to be annoyed. All he could do was stare in shock as Wace gathered himself.

    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t control the Mesh. That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t influence it. The world is all about push and pull. Give and take. The Mesh responds to the environment and seeks to create capable, motivated people. If all the circumstances are right and the stakes are there¡­ why wouldn¡¯t it activate? Granted, it¡¯s right rare. Really rare. I didn¡¯t know for sure it would work this time around, but I had a ¡®feelin.¡±

    Arwin couldn¡¯t argue with that logic, but it somehow only served to confuse him even further. He shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He¡¯d only first heard of Challenges a short while ago, and not once as a Hero. The rest of the Menagerie hadn¡¯t had much more information on them.

    <em>I¡¯m not going to buy that it was this easy to make a Challenge. Someone else would have stumbled upon it before. The only way you can keep something of this scale secret is if it¡¯s incredibly rare. </em>

    ¡°No. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m just buying that. You¡¯re skipping something.¡±¡°Would you look at that? I knew you were learning,¡± Wace said with a wry smile. ¡°You¡¯re right. I skipped a part. Two of them, actually. Other Challenges and the Mesh itself. The first is the answer, and the second is the reason. Care to take a guess?¡±

    Arwin stared at Wace, trying to figure out just how much the dwarf truly knew. It took him a few seconds to fully process everything he¡¯d just said. Other Challenges ¡ª that part was simple enough to deduce. Wace had a Challenge that somehow let him influence the Mesh enough to pose Challenges to other people.

    It was thetter half of the im that gave Arwin difficulty. After thinking for a few more seconds, the impatience won over and he just shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You somehow got a Challenge that lets you give other people Challenges¡­ but I can¡¯t even begin to guess how or why the Mesh would allow for something like that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t me you. I couldn¡¯t figure it out either,¡± Wace said with a snort. ¡°You¡¯re going to feel like a right idiot for not figuring it out, though. It¡¯s the same reason that the Mesh does everything else. Challenge. Lowercase c.¡±

    Arwin squinted at Wace. Then he shook his head. ¡°Still not following.¡±

    ¡°And that would be the smooth rock you call a brain rolling around in your skull. Get some wrinkles in there, boy. Squish it up a bit. The Mesh wants challenge. Little c. That¡¯s the only thing it cares about. It only gives Challenges ¡ª the ones with the big c ¡ª to people who are trying hard enough to deserve them.¡±

    ¡°I think I can tell the difference between the little and big c words,¡± Arwin interrupted dryly.

    ¡°Right. Sure. So the Mesh wants people to challenge themselves. It gives out special tasks with some really nice rewards. But it couldn¡¯t just stop there, could it? That would be too nice. And the older you get, the more you learn that the Mesh ain¡¯t nice. So how do you make a Challenge in itself a challenge? Big c and little c, respectively.¡±

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    ¡°Yes, I got that bit,¡± Arwin muttered, but his mind was more focused on decoding Wace¡¯s words than he was on his snark. He thought through everything he knew about Challenges. And then ¡ª finally ¡ª it clicked into ce. Not from his own experiences, but from Olive.

    The realization must have been as clear as day on his features, because Wace smirked. ¡°Figured it out, did you?¡±

    ¡°You can lose the Challenges. Not fail them, but lose them,¡± Arwin breathed. That was what happened to Olive. She hadn¡¯t failed her Challenge. The Mesh would have told her if she had, even if she¡¯d been unconscious. It had been stolen from her. He didn¡¯t know if it had been taken by the monster in the dungeon or Olive¡¯s old team. Arwin wasn¡¯t even sure if monsters could get Challenges, but he didn¡¯t see why they couldn¡¯t. It just made too much sense for it all to be a coincidence. ¡°I have no clue how, but there¡¯s a way to take someone else¡¯s Challenge, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°Struck the ore vein.¡± Wace gave Arwin an approving nod. ¡°Well done. As to how, it depends. Every Challenge is different. There¡¯s no universal answer, but I think you can see why people that get Challenges don¡¯t go speaking about them. You get yourself killed.¡±

    ¡°What about the people that already finish their challenge, though?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°They¡¯d have no reason not to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Other Challenge holders. I don¡¯t know what kind of things you¡¯ve seen, but these Challenges get big,d. <em>Real </em>big. I¡¯m talking kingdom level things. They¡¯re one of the best and worst kept secrets in the world. You don¡¯t talk about Challenges in the open. Either a friend tells you or you get one. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Arwin blew out a sigh and rocked back on his heels. This exined so much ¡ª and at the same time, it exined nothing at all.

    <em>If this is all true, then why did I never get so much as a tiny Challenge as the Hero? Did the Mesh hate me or something? It feels like I got another piece of a puzzle, but it doesn¡¯t fit in the bloody hole I¡¯m trying to stick it into.</em>

    <em></em>¡°That,¡± Arwin said, finally mustering his thoughts, ¡°is quite annoying.¡±

    ¡°So it is. Don¡¯t go telling anyone you don¡¯t trust with your life, yeah? It might depend on it. The good news is you aren¡¯t leaving this smithy with that Challenge. Either it¡¯ll be done or you¡¯ll be dead.¡± Wace shed Arwin a wide, toothy grin. ¡°And I¡¯m speaking honestly when I say I hope it¡¯s the former. Just don¡¯t harp on it too much or make any more of those damnable metal balls or I¡¯m going to change to hoping for thetter.¡±

    Arwin let out a snort ofughter. It wasn¡¯t like there was much else he could do. There were so many things that Challenges could have been connected to that he couldn¡¯t even begin to list them all off yet. For now, Arwin supposed that all he could do was focus on passing the one before him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can give me at least a little advice as to what it is that makes dwarven smithing different from normal smithing when ites to the actual forging bit?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°A man smiths by hand. A dwarf smiths by heart,¡± Wace replied without missing a beat. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught up in the semantics. You¡¯re finding your own way. Search for whates naturally to you and embrace it.¡±

    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly useful advice, actually,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°At least, I think it is. I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    ¡°Are you implying I don¡¯t normally give good advice?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The dwarf chuckled and headed back over to his corner of the smithy without another word. Arwin¡¯s attention returned to the small piece of Mithril that Wace had left him. The only things he had to work with for this item were it and a bunch of rough steel bars, the exact name of which Arwin didn¡¯t even know.

    Wace hadn¡¯t provided him with any monster parts or gemstones that he could use to try and focus and direct the magic that went into the item he was meant to craft. Arwin¡¯s brow creased and he chewed on his lower lip.

    Thest thing he wanted to do was rush ahead and start forging something, only to waste the Mithril. Wace seemed convinced that he¡¯d be able to make <em>something </em>with it when he tried, but Arwin wasn¡¯t content with just anything.

    Finding his own way was easier said than done. Arwin had gone through severalpletely different styles of smithing at this point, ranging from just copying the Mesh all the way up to making whatever monstrosity he¡¯d turned the Infernal Armory into.

    Dwarven smithing was different, at least in part. Not because it was special or objectively better than the others, many of which were just t out the wrong path forward, but because it didn¡¯t seem to <em>have </em>rules for the actual forging part.

    If he wanted to make something worthwhile, he¡¯d have to do more than just follow the rules the Mesh had established or hope to stumble into something that worked. He¡¯d have to make a style of smithingpletely unique to himself.

 Chapter 234: The Request

    Making an entire smithing method from scratch proved to be ever so slightly problematic. Seconds turned to minutes as Arwin leaned against the anvil, his brow furrowed in deep contemtion.

    He rolled an ingot of steel in his palm idly. Sweat had long since soaked his shirt and the smell of hot sulfur and metal had ingrained itself into his clothes like a second skin. Wace had taken to banging away at something in the corner of the smithy ¡ª Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if the dwarf was actually doing anything productive or if he was just bored and trying to pass the time.

    <em>Finding whates naturally to me is easier said than done. There are a lot of different interpretations of natural. Is it the one thates easiest?</em>

    That would have been just relying on the Mesh for everything. Nothing was easier than turning his own brain off and just swinging where and when the Mesh told him to. That was obviously the wrong path. He¡¯d figured that out long before meeting Wace.

    Any path he took had to be one he forged himself. The Mesh¡¯s guidance was nothing more than a tool. Arwin refused to let it be a crutch again.

    <em>Not the easiest path, then. But what else? The thing that feels the mostfortable? But how different could that even get? Wace made it seem like Dwarven Smithing is really unique to everyone, but how unique can you get when you¡¯re just swinging a hammer?</em>

    Arwin wasn¡¯t typically a betting man. But, in this case, he was more than willing to bet that Wace had more in mind than him just smacking metal with a hammer normally. There had to be something more to it.

    Heaving out a huff of air, Arwin pushed himself upright and stood up. He brushed himself off and wiped his brow with the back of a sleeve as he studied the t face of the anvil waiting for him.

    There was one thing for certain. He wasn¡¯t going to make any progress just sitting around and thinking. He¡¯d never been one for that. Lillia was a better nner than he was. He was just good at doing.<em>But I can¡¯t just plunge aheadpletely blind. There¡¯s a difference between looking for inspiration and being an impatient idiot. I need to take stock of everything I can do that¡¯s even vaguely rted to smithing. Maybe that¡¯ll give me an idea. </em>

    He <em>did </em>have a fair number of tools to work with. Arwin dug through his head and gathered his thoughts on every single crafting rted ability he had, no matter how useful or detrimental it initially felt.<ol><li><em></em><em>The Mesh can guide me while I work.</em></li><li><em></em><em>I can smell the quality of magic in an item.</em></li><li><em></em><em>I can hit things really hard.</em></li><li><em></em><em>I can get hit really hard.</em></li><li><em></em><em>I can pick up the general desires of metal. </em></li><li><em></em><em>I can speak directly to magical materials through visions. </em></li><li><em></em><em>I¡¯m resistant to magical effects that affect my mind.</em></li><li><em></em><em>I can eat magic. </em></li><li><em></em><em>I can infuse items with parts from monsters and bring out their desires.</em></li></ol>

    He certainly had a hefty list. Wace had been pretty impressed with his ability to craft with organic materials ¡ª it was something unique to his ss, but Arwin wasn¡¯t convinced it was enough.

    ¡°I need to be more. I can¡¯t just be one of my traits. Smithing is more than just a single element,¡± Arwin muttered to himself. There was no way his goals were fully encapsted in just a single one of his abilities. If it was so easy to emte dwarven smithing, then everyone would be walking around doing it.

    Wace had already made it more than clear that everything was about properly connecting to the materials he was working with. He infused his power into theva around him. He listened to the song of the metal and harmonized his own song with it. Everything boiled down toing to understand his materials as closely as he could. A thoughtful expression crossed over Ariwn¡¯s face.

    <em>But it¡¯s more than just my materials, isn¡¯t it? Theva doesn¡¯t go into the metal. It¡¯s a tool, but I need to be inplete harmony with it in order to feel the materials within correctly. I have to understand everything I work with as if it was my own body. </em>

    The words rung true in his head. Understanding had been the most instrumental part of his progress. He¡¯d been able to do the least when he¡¯d just done what the Mesh had said. Every step he took toward taking smithing into his own hands brought him closer to making better weapons and armor.

    <em>Is it about establishing a perfect understanding between myself and the metal? Cutting everything else out so only we exist?</em>

    A small frown pulled across his lips. Some of the best work he¡¯d ever made had been when he worked together with Lillia. She¡¯d been an enormous help in providing power and intent to help ensure the item turned out the way they wanted it to.

    That went against the theory that it had to just be him and his target. There was something more to it. He couldn¡¯t just rely on Lillia every single time he crafted something, of course, but isting himself wasn¡¯t the path he wanted to take either.

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    Arwin ran his thumb over the rough steel ingot in his hand, feeling every single craggy groove within the metal. Murmured desires brushed across his ears as they always did. The metal had hopes and dreams ¡ª but they weren¡¯t independent of the rest of the world. It wanted a purpose, not to be perfect in a void.

    ¡°You going to do anything?¡± Wace called, his voice splitting through the air. ¡°Or are you just going to stand there shitting your pants?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking.¡± Arwin peeled his gaze away from the ingot to look at Wace. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to jump into this like an idiot.¡±

    Wace let out a snort. ¡°You <em>are </em>an idiot.¡±

    Arwin sighed, but the dwarf spoke again before he could even figure out if he wanted to give that a response.

    ¡°Does a fish walk?¡± Wace asked, tossing his dagger from hand to hand as he walked back across the forge to stand beside Arwin. ¡°Does a monkey swim?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure some monkeys can¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re missing the point,¡± Wace snapped, prodding Arwin in the chest with a burly finger. ¡°Do you know what makes a dwarven smith what they are,d? Is it talent? Is it their great burly muscles and handsome faces full of ck bushy beards?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. He was pretty sure Wace was just describing himself.

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°No is correct!¡± Wace poked Arwin again. ¡°It is passion. We are the best smiths because we care the most. We do more than hammer metal, boy. We bring it to life. That is our purpose, and we love it. But do you know what happens to passion when you pick it apart with a fineb? When you pause to wonder if you can instead of simply doing?¡±

    ¡°You avoid making a mistake?¡±

    ¡°You avoid bing yourself,¡± Wace corrected. ¡°Mistakes are inevitable. Failure is the road which leads to sess. You¡¯ll never get anywhere without screwing up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d normallypletely agree with you, but I don¡¯t exactly have infinite time or chances here.¡± Arwin set the ingot down on the anvil and crossed his arms. ¡°Or have you forgotten we¡¯re going to have to fight if you don¡¯t like what I make?¡±

    ¡°See, there¡¯s your problem.¡± Wace shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s think this through, oaf. Between you and thatss of yours, who makes the better ns?¡±

    ¡°Lillia. No doubt about it.¡±

    ¡°Very good. That is because she is not a smith. She¡¯s a schemer, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. But when you¡¯re in a fight ¡ª when do you perform best? When you¡¯re trying toe up with some fancy n?¡±

    ¡°I try to leave that to Lillia as ofte. I¡¯m better at just hitting things,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that bad at ns, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Wace lifted a hand and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not satisfied with ¡®not that bad¡¯. Are you? Is that all you aspire to be?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Arwin blew out a breath. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Right. So you know what gets you the best result in a fight. Fighting.¡± Wace beat a hand against his chest. ¡°ns are important, but you aren¡¯t the best at making them. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t fight alone. Everyone fulfills their role. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve had a simr discussion with them before,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°But what does this have to do with me not thinking about what I¡¯m doing? nning and making sure I don¡¯t get myself killed because I jumped into something are two very different¡ª¡±

    ¡°We agree that you find yourself best served doing what it is you are actually good at, and that following passion and instinct serves you better than thinking everything through for an hour under normal circumstances. Am I correct?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. Under normal¡ª¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that suddenly changes because you¡¯ve only got one chance?¡± Wace cut Arwin off once again and arched an eyebrow. ¡°If you find the best results when you act on instinct in every other scenario, then why do you think it¡¯ll suddenly change just because you¡¯ve got less time? It¡¯s the same damn scenario. Nothing is different.¡±

    Arwin blinked. His mouth parted slightly, then closed. He couldn¡¯t think of anything to refute the dwarf¡¯s words.

    ¡°I ¡ª huh. I suppose you¡¯re correct.¡±

    Wace smirked and pped Arwin on the shoulder. It would have been a bit easier to take himpletely seriously if he hadn¡¯t had to stand on the tips of his toes to reach it.

    ¡°I generally am. Nothing wrong with nning. Nothing wrong with following passion ¡ª but there is something wrong with trying to make yourself something you aren¡¯t. There¡¯s a time for thinking. This ain¡¯t it.¡±

    With that, Wace turned and headed back to his corner of the smithy. Arwin stood by the anvil, a thoughtful expression on his face as he watched the dwarf leave. He looked back down to the bar of steel lying in wait.

    <em>No nning¡­ I don¡¯t know. When I fight on my own, I do end up performing the best when acting on instinct. But when Lillia is there to help n things out and give us a real strategy, I¡¯m even more effective. </em>

    <em>Maybeing up with aplete n myself isn¡¯t the right move, but I got incredible results when I worked together with her.</em>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as an idea rolled through his mind. That was it. The advantage he had that no other smith did. Working with Lillia ¡ª but not just her. If he could do it with Lillia, then he could do it with others. Other people¡­ and other things.

    ¡°I can speak with materials,¡± Arwin muttered to himself as a light lit behind his eyes. ¡°Not just the ones I¡¯m smithing, but the ones I¡¯m <em>using.</em>¡±

    ¡°What was that, boy?¡± Wace asked.

    A smile crawled across Arwin¡¯s face and he turned back to the dwarf, picking up the Mithril and steel bars. He knew what he had to do.

    <em>I¡¯m not meant to just use a forge. I have to be one with it. And if I¡¯m going to do that¡­ I know just the ce.</em>

    ¡°I know what to do, but I¡¯m going to need a little help.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Wace tilted his head to the side. ¡°I¡¯m not crafting it for you. No help from other people. That defeats the point.¡±

    ¡°Not that kind of help.¡± Arwin chuckled and slipped the metal bars into his pockets. ¡°I need you toe back with me to the Infernal Armory.¡±

 Chapter 235: The Gambit

    ¡°You sound awful confident,¡± Wace drawled. ¡°Did you forget the part where you had to do this alone? I can¡¯t have someone interfering with this. It¡¯ll taint the purity of the Mithril. Let¡¯s be real with each other. I reckon I¡¯ve gotten a damn good understanding of yourss ¡ª she isn¡¯t one to sit around while you¡¯re under threat.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to be in any danger, so there won¡¯t be anything for her to be worried about. There¡¯s only going to be an issue if I can¡¯t pull this off.¡±

    ¡°Spoken like a true dwarf,¡± Wace said, a smile splitting his beard as he give Arwin a small nod. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll humor you. Don¡¯t reckon I have a choice, actually. My job¡¯s to get you to properly smith that Mithril. If you need to go back to do that, then back we go. Just remember. You involve thess ¡ª we¡¯re all gonna have a problem.¡±

    The dwarf grabbed his hammer and walked to join Arwin, molten energy heating the tool¡¯s head from within. It quickly turned a brilliant orange and a ripple of power washed out from it as Wace carved a ming portal through the air.

    Its center rippled and changed to reveal the back room of the Infernal Armory, dark and silent as if in wait. Arwin didn¡¯t waste a second. He stepped through the portal and Wace followed after him.

    The portal snapped shut behind them, sending a small curl of fire through the air before dissipating entirely. Wace stepped to the side to give Arwin room, bracing his back against the door out and leaning against it.

    His meaning was clear enough. He was willing to give Arwin room to work, but he was quite serious about making sure Lillia didn¡¯t interfere. There was a chance that would cause trouble if Lillia arrived before Arwin finished ¡ª which meant he didn¡¯t have much time to work with.

    It was difficult to keep the smile from his face. Wace was toote. The dwarf was worried about Lillia helping him during their little test, but she¡¯d already given Arwin everything he needed to know.

    Arwin drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he approached the maw-hearth at the center of the room. Wace¡¯s gaze rested on the back of his neck with enough weight to make his hair stand on end, but he ignored it.He didn¡¯t care who was watching. It didn¡¯t change anything. After all, he hadn¡¯t found Wace on his own. The Infernal Armory had opened the portal into the dwarf¡¯s workshop for seemingly no reason.

    Now he knew better. That portal hadn¡¯t been random, and it hadn¡¯t just been trying to let him steal some materials to upgrade the smithy. The Infernal Armory wanted to be used. That was its desire ¡ª and it didn¡¯t want to just be used by any old smith.

    <em>Wace isn¡¯t the only one testing me here, is he? </em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted this, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re missing something?¡± Wace asked with a dryugh. ¡°You needva if you¡¯re going to do any dwarven smithing. You haven¡¯t forgotten that already, have you?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe I have,¡± Arwin replied. He approached the maw of the Infernal Armory and ced his hand on its edge. ¡°And I¡¯m afraid I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡±

    Magical energy tingled against Arwin¡¯s fingers as they ignited with [Soul me] and he ced into the maw of the Infernal Armory. He didn¡¯t have any more of Lillia¡¯s food, but they¡¯d already fed it this morning. With any luck, it wouldn¡¯t need another meal so soon and it would still have enough power to ¡ª

    The veins running throughout the building pulsated. Arwin drew in a surprised breath as the hearth rippled. Petal-shaped stone curled up, mes igniting at their tips and crackling with power.

    They closed in on themselves, devouring the fire for an instant. Then the petals pulled back apart. A <em>whump </em>roared out to announce a thick pir of ck me that burst from the hole in the center of the hearth.

    And, for the second time that day, the Infernal Armory opened a portal to Wace¡¯s workshop. There was just one small difference. This time around, the portal didn¡¯t appear on the obsidian floors.

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    It formed directly inside the pool ofva.

    Magma poured down from the ck portal and into the maw of the hearth. It rolled down the petal-shaped walls and into the hole at its center. Light burned within the ck veins covering the floor and walls as theva sank into the Infernal Armory and started to spread through them.

    The heart thumped.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said, ncing back at Wace. ¡°This time, it was intentional.¡±

    ¡°Are you <em>stealing </em>myva?¡± Wace demanded.

    ¡°Can anyone really ownva? It¡¯s just a hot rock,¡± Arwin replied with a chuckle. The ck portal faded away, but theva he¡¯d confiscated from the huge pool remained. Petals of the flower-like hearth curled up to form a bowl as the Infernal Armory responded to Arwin¡¯s mental request before he could even make it.

    Lava bubbled up inside the bowl and rose to fill it. [Soul me] coated Arwin¡¯s hands and he reached in, scooping a small portion free and summoning the magical fire to his mouth as well before popping theva in and starting to chew.

    He ignored the aghast expression on Wace¡¯s face as he worked to form a ball ofva he could work with. Arwin chewed, pushing his magical energy into theva as he crushed it beneath his teeth.

    The ball of molten stone came together quickly. It wasn¡¯t long before Arwin had itpletely prepared and connected to himself. He dismissed the mes from his mouth to save energy, then held the molten ball in one hand as he pulled the steel out and put it within the ball.

    He focused his attention, feeling the song of the metal as he purged it of impurities over the next few minutes. After a few minutes of work, he was rewarded with a cube of purified metal ready and waiting to be forged.

    Arwin set the metal on the ground and then took the small bar of Mithril out from his pocket. For a second, he hesitated. He¡¯d had a whole lot of practice with the rough steel. This was different.

    Warm light reflected off the gentle blue surface of the ingot. Arwin could see his reflection within it, muted and warped in the gentle swirls buried within the metal. From this point onward, he couldn¡¯t afford any mistakes.

    He studied the metal for a moment longer. Then he plunged it into the ball ofva. Molten rock swallowed the beautiful blue metal, and Arwin had no more time to contemte or think.

    All he could do now was act.

    Thoughts washed across his mind. He blocked them out. The time for the mithril to make its desires known woulde, but it wasn¡¯t now. Arwin stilled his breathing. He closed his mind to everything but the beat of the song traveling through theva cupped in his hands.

    He felt it ¡ª and it felt him.

    Arwin responded to the song, pouring [Soul me] into theva and purging the impurities from the Mithril without mercy. The longer he worked, the more he could feel it harmonizing with him.

    His actions were those of theva, and theva sung in synchrony with the mithril. Minutes rolled by with the droplets of sweat that traced down Arwin¡¯s brow and soaked into his clothes.

    Concentration creased his features and gripped his chest in a vice to the point where he almost forgot to breathe. His focus waspletely and utterly on the glowing orange ball of molten stone and the gentle blue metal within it.

    And then it was done.

    The Mithril was prepared. Arwin pulled it from the ball ofva, a small bar that fit perfectly in the center of his palm and set it down beside the prepared piece of steel. There wasn¡¯t much material, but it was more than enough for what he had nned.

    He dropped the ball ofva back into the hole at the center of the hearth. It sank into the stone throat and vanished, sending another flicker of energy through the ck veins in the ground.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Wace said from behind Arwin. ¡°Good purity. I can tell. But whates next? Have you figured out your dwarven smithing method?¡±

    ¡°Nah. I figured I¡¯d wing it,¡± Arwin replied with a small smile.

    ¡°Good man,¡± the dwarf cackled. ¡°I knew¡ª¡±

    ¡°But I did lie a little bit,¡± Arwin said as he drew on his magical energy and let it swirl through his body and gather at his right hand. A tremor ran through the ground at Arwin¡¯s feet and the energy glowing in the ck veins pulsated. The heart in the wall thumped.

    ¡°Did you, now?¡± Wace¡¯s voice held a note of steel in it.

    ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t going to get help. And I won¡¯t. Not from Lillia, at least,¡± Arwin said. He lifted right hand as the air around it started to shimmer with magical power. ¡°But I¡¯m more than a smith, Wace. I¡¯m a guildmaster. My power doesn¡¯te just from working alone. Ites from everyone around me.¡±

    Arwin plunged his hand down into the center of the maw. The stone petals curled shut around his arm in an instant, wrapping it in a surprisingly warm,forting hug. Another thud passed through the room as the heart beat once more.

    An immense wave of thought and desire mmed into Arwin with more intensity than any item he¡¯d ever worked with before. More intensity than all of them put together ¡ª but that was no surprise. This was no mere item.

    ¡°This is what you wanted, isn¡¯t it?¡± Arwin asked, baring his teeth in equal parts snarl and smile as power rushed out of him. ¡°Come on!¡±

    The energy stabilized. For a brief instant, the entire building waspletely silent.

    Then the Infernal Armory came to life.

 Chapter 236: Getting started

    Stone rippled along the ground and the walls trembled with delight. A deep thrum rolled through the smithy like an ocean wave and mmed into Arwin. It was at such a low tone that Arwin couldn¡¯t even tell if he¡¯d heard anything, but his teeth rattled in his mouth at its intensity.

    He couldn¡¯t even so much as stagger back. The maw of the Infernal Armory still held his arm firmly in ce, growing steadily warmer to the touch.

    ck light red from the veins spread throughout the Infernal Armory. Cracks and groans filled the entire smithy and a biting pain bit into Arwin¡¯s trapped arm as something carved into it. Something sharp or strong enough to get through [Indomitable Bulwark].

    A second thrum tore through the building. The floor beneath Arwin bucked as a ripple passed beneath it and carried all the way to Wace, sending the dwarf several stumbling backward amidst a slew of shocked curses.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Wace demanded, nting his feet to keep his bnce and raising his hammer before him.

    The extruding portion of the wall that held the heart at the back of the smithy split down the center. It pulled apart like the eye of a lizard, revealing a teeming pitch-ck mass of thin, ropey strands beneath the stone. They¡¯d wrapped around themselves like a ball of tangled worms.

    Three ck strands ripped themselves free of the ball and burst out, shing across the room in a split instant and mming into Arwin¡¯s captured shoulder. They burrowed into his skin and pulsated, sending ripples of energy running down their length and back into the mass in the wall.

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    Arwin yanked on his arm. It was stuck fast. He drew on [Scourge], preparing to rip it free from the maw regardless of the consequence, when the stone petals pulled apart of their own volition and released him.The heart beat again. Another tremor shook Arwin and this time he stumbled, nearly losing his bnce. His head pounded violently. Stars and darkness shed before his eyes as he reached for the ck veins that the Infernal Armory had pierced him with.

    ¡°Finally. You took so long,¡± a whisper caressed Arwin¡¯s ears like the hiss of a boiling tea kettle. Strands of red mist swirled up from the ground, out from between the cracks in the stone walls, and dripped from the ceiling above.

    The mist gathered around him. It rolled out, fleeing to form footsteps tracing the path of an invisible form that stalked through it. The mist coiled to outline flickers of a hand or a leg in passing, but never caught for long enough to give more than a glimpse.

    Wace hadn¡¯t made any moves yet, but he looked one small nudge away from preparing to fight. He stared right past, not having reacted to its arrival in the slightest.

    ¡°He can¡¯t see me, Arwin,¡± the voice said,ing from behind Arwin. A faint force tightened around his left wrist, as if something were holding it. ¡°Don¡¯t pull those out. After all, you did just ask for this. It took a lot of energy to heed your bidding.¡±

    ¡°Who ¡ª no. I know who. You¡¯re the Infernal Armory?¡± Arwin asked, his eyes widening as his grip ckened on the vein. ¡°What do you mean I asked for this? I most certainly did not ask to get stabbed.¡±

    ¡°You plunged your hand into my mouth,¡± the voice said, a wave of liltingughter rolling through the building and coiling around Arwin¡¯s head as if it were circling him at the speed of an irate wasp. ¡°Would you have preferred I take your hand instead?¡±

    ¡°Most certainly not,¡± Arwin admitted. He turned to try to follow the voice but promptly gave up when it became apparent it didn¡¯t have any ns of staying in one ce for long. ¡°You¡­ came to help me craft, then? It worked?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so surprised. Gather yourself. You¡¯re wasting my energy, and I already have precious little of it. You are the hands. <em>You </em>must act.¡±

    Arwin shoved his confusion away. He could worry about why a damn building was speaking to him in in wordster. Wace watched Arwin from the corner of the room but, curiously, the dwarf hadn¡¯t said another word.

    <em>Maybe this is somewhat normal with dwarven smiths. </em>

    ¡°Right. No time to waste. I need to forge Mithril,¡± Arwin said, grabbing the pieces of metal with his un-stabbed arm and holding them out. ¡°I was thinking¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what you were thinking. We are connected for a reason. I cannot be your tool if we are of separate minds,¡± the voice said. The veins connecting to the wall pulsed and a prickling sensation spread through Arwin¡¯s body. ¡°But your goal limits yourself.¡±

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    ¡°It does? I rather like it.¡±

    ¡°It can be so much more.¡± Mist blew past Arwin¡¯s head like it had been caught in a breeze. It coiled over his shoulders and formed a cape behind him before a hand passed through it, destroying its form. ¡°Do what you do best, Arwin. I will be what you need, and you will do what you do best. The world will mold to our desires.¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth to ask what the voice meant, but he caught himself, surprised to realize that he actually knew the answer. A smile pulled across his lips as a new idea struck him.

    ¡°Any desires?¡±

    ¡°I do not have enough power for that ¡ª but I could. I need more to work with. More food, and more material.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can¡¯t get any more help right now. It¡¯s just us.¡±

    ¡°Us is enough,¡± the voice whispered. ¡°Have you forgotten about the gift the Mesh gave you? Use the Crag Lizard. I will consume it.¡±

    Arwin hadn¡¯t quite forgotten about the Crag Lizard, but he hadn¡¯t summoned it yet because Lillia still had Wyrmling meat to go through and they didn¡¯t have nearly enough ice boxes to save all of the meat.

    That didn¡¯t mean he was keen on using it now. If he fed it to the Infernal Armory, then Lillia would get nothing from their hard work.

    ¡°That¡¯s unfair. I¡¯m holding onto it for both of us. I can¡¯t waste it all here.¡±

    ¡°I will leave more than enough. I just need the material,¡± the voice insisted, a note of urgency entering it. ¡°I will leave half of the meat. Lillia could not possibly cook all of the meat from the Crag Lizard, even if she were to put it into ice boxes.¡±

    Arwin hesitated for a moment longer. Then he nodded and set the metal down on the ground. ¡°Fine. Open up. And remember to leave half, or I¡¯m going to be damn pissed. I¡¯m sure Lillia is nearly out of Wyrmling meat at this point anyway.¡±

    He held a hand over the mouth of the Infernal Armory and sent a mental request to the Mesh.

    <strong>[Overly Generous] ¨C <em>Awarded for stepping back and letting an ally take the challenge of killing an Overloaded Monster out of desire to see their growth. Power is often found whilst guiding others to it. </em>Effects: A single delivery. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon your mental request. </em></strong>

    Power red around Arwin¡¯s palm. The Infernal Armory¡¯s maw shot up and closed around it, and a series of loud crunches filled the air. Energy raced down the ck veins and the mass in the wall shuddered.

    A hiss of pain slipped from Arwin¡¯s lips as the veins connected to his body brightened as well. His skull throbbed and his ears pounded with his heartbeat. Magic poured into his body to fill every muscle to the brim. The red smoke dancing around him grew thicker, and knowledge of exactly what it could do flooded into Arwin¡¯s mind as if he¡¯d always known it.

    ¡°Yes. This is our power,¡± the voice wasn¡¯t whispering anymore. Excitement dripped from its words like a rushing river. ¡°The world will be unmade and reshaped in the image we desire.¡±

    ¡°Give me an anvil,¡± Arwin growled.

    Red mist poured into the stone ground. A tremor shook it as a spike of gray metal jutted up from the ground, expanding as it rose. It folded itself down, transforming into an anvil nearly twice the size of the old, beaten up one he¡¯d had before the smithy had eaten it.

    ¡°Scales,¡± Arwin said.

    Two tendrils extended from the mass in the wall. A piece of stone to their side slid open to reveal a pile of huge Crag Lizard scale pieces. The tendrils wrapped around the scales and brought them to the anvil before Arwin. They were easily each several inches thick. The monster¡¯s armor had been incredible. He never would have been able to forge anything like this. Not normally.

    Arwin flexed his hand. Verdant Inferno formed in his hands and the veins connected to his shoulder pulsed, pushing even more magical energy into his body. He was practically brimming with it ¡ª but the power wasn¡¯t his. He couldn¡¯t feel or interact with the it any more than he could with the magic filling a random monster.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with your suggestion,¡± Arwin said as he drew deeply on [Scourge], sending the energy flooding into his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I do best. Hit shit hard ¡ª but I¡¯m going to need a bigger hammer.¡±

    Stone cracked around Arwin¡¯s feet. Strands of metal raced up his body and twisted around Verdant Inferno¡¯s hilt, cementing themselves around both his hands and the weapon. ck veins leapt from the wall and mmed into the back of the hammer, connecting it with the smithy. It rapidly grew denser, bing so heavy that he couldn¡¯t have even lifted it without [Scourge].

    The veins connected to the hammer lit with burning light asva raced through them and pumped into the casing covering Verdant Inferno. More red mist sank into the ground and strands of metal rose up, mming into Arwin¡¯s back one by one to act as supports and counter the hammer¡¯s immense mass.

    Arwin bared his teeth in a mixture of a snarl and a grin. Then, with a roar, he heaved Verdant ze into motion. It roseboriously into the air and hung at its apogee like it bore the weight of a mountain suspended in the sky. Then it pitched forward.

    The hammer plummeted down with far more speed than Arwin ever could have mustered on his own. It mmed into the scales with a resounding crash and a shockwave ripped out from the anvil, dust swirling back and tiny pieces of rubble pattering into the walls.

    Mist sank into the ground and stone pirs rose up. They moved with unerring fluidity, sliding to bracing against the front of the hammer and lifting it into the air in conjunction with Arwin. They then sank back down as if they¡¯d never been there.

    The scales had partially warped together. A haze of heat wavered and danced around them and the acrid scent of hot metal and stone filled the air.

    Wace let a murmured curse slip from his lips, taking a step back as he stared at Arwin with wide, disbelieving eyes, unable to manage a proper sentence.

    ¡°You¡¯re not spent, are you?¡± the voice whispered. ck veins weaved in and out between the walls, snakes swimming through a sea of stone. ¡°We can do so much more than that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Arwin¡¯s grip on Verdant Inferno¡¯s hilt tightened. ¡°We¡¯ve only gotten started.¡±

 Chapter 237: The Mithril Item

    Thunder roared within the Infernal Armory. Arwin¡¯s hammer rose and fell in conjunction with the throbbing beats of the heart in the walls of the smithy, every strike sending a crashing shockwave tearing through the room.

    The metal-covered head of the modified Verdant Inferno crackled with fire andva dripped along its shaft, sizzling as it fell to the stone. [Soul me] wreathed Arwin¡¯s hands to protect him from the heat rising off the hammer.

    Cracks had spread throughout the ground centered around therge anvil before him, formed by the immense force of the strikes he¡¯d been raining down on the nearly ttened piece of scale that had once been a pile before him.

    Ripples passed through the stone as it continued to shift between every strike. Red smoke continued to pour into the ground, pulling supports from within it to continue aiding Arwin wield the enormous hammer.

    It had been no more than five minutes since Arwin had started smithing. It felt like it was hours. For once, it wasn¡¯t his energy that had gone first. Arwin still had magical reserves abound, but his physical strength had been sapped harder than it had ever been before.

    Even with [Scourge], the hammer was heavy. Impossibly heavy. The weight it carried was far more than the metal making it up should have been able to manage.

    Every single muscle in his body ached. Every movement felt like were trying to heave an entire house, but the Infernal Armory bore the hammer together with him. Power thrummed in the ck lines connecting both him and Verdant Inferno to the teeming ck mass in the wall, pulsating to the beat of the heart.

    Arwin finally let the hammer lower. The metal covering it sloughed away like rushing water, turning molten and pouring into the cracks in the ground before vanishing. He dismissed Verdant Inferno and reached down to inspect the results of his efforts.

    The air around it was still hazy. He could smell the heat in the air and his lips were dry, the excess moisture in his body and the room alike all having been burned away. The pile of scales had been more than just ttened.They¡¯d been merged. There were still ripples in the t piece where Arwin could make out the edges of the individual scale, but it waspletely smooth to the touch. It was ssy, like sand struck by lightning.

    The material was smooth and seamless to the touch. Once craggy scales had taken on a dark sheen. Flickers of molten orange burned deep within it, almost as if he¡¯d hammered [Soul me] permanently into the scales.

    Arwin tried to pick it up, but the te wouldn¡¯t budge. He blinked, then frowned. A divot formed in the anvil at the edge of the te. He slipped his hand into it, heaving the te vertical with a grunt.

    ¡°An impressive result,¡± the voice of the red smoke whispered. ¡°The scales have melted together. Heat and force. An adequate utilization of our powers in conjunction.¡±

    ¡°So it is,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But it¡¯s too heavy. I need to make it smaller, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to rip something this dense and strong apart, even with Scourge. You got a saw in there?¡±

    There was a moment of hesitation. Steps moved away from Arwin through the crimson smoke before the voice responded again, this time from his other ear. ¡°One sharp enough to cut this in a meaningful amount of time? No. I need better material. I cannot create what I do not possess. If you feed me the rest of the beast¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That¡¯s Lillia¡¯s. Don¡¯t touch it. Can you just make me a strong metal spike?¡±

    A metal spire rose up over the edge of the anvil and curved over, forming a t end with a heavy spike protruding down from it directly above the center of the metal. Arwin lifted Verdant ze and reared back, swinging the hammer down with all his [Scourge] empowered might.

    It mmed down on the t piece of metal, mming the spike down into the scale te. The spike drove into it with a crack. Arwin swung the hammer three more times, sending the spike slightly deeper with every blow.

    On the fourth, a crack split through the te. It finally snapped on the next blow, splitting apart into two rough pieces, one considerablyrger than the other. Arwin gathered therger piece and moved it to the ground.

    The stone split open and swallowed the piece whole before sealing back over as if nothing had happened. Arwin stared at the floor for a second before straightening back up and picking up the smaller te.

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    ¡°I¡¯m going to need more than my normal [Soul me] if I¡¯m going to work with this,¡± Arwin said, but the smithy was already changing.

    Red smoke poured into the cracks in the ground. The anvil sank beneath the cobblestone and a ck metal tube arose in its ce, about the width of Arwin¡¯s chest. It came up to just below his neck before grinding to a halt.

    There was an opening in the center of the tube justrge enough for him to stick both of his hands through. A dull orange glow emanated from within it, steadily growing brighter. Heat rolled out from within the tube and into Arwin¡¯s face, making him blink and squint.

    A small spark of fire curled at the base of the hole. It intensified as a bed of [Soul me] crackled to life. It shifted from orange to blue to white, and the air around it turned hazy. Arwin smiled. He wreathed his arms in [Soul me] once more before cing the piece of scale te within the me.

    Blemishes of oily color washed across the te¡¯s surface as it heated. The faint stench of burnt hair and coal mixed with the smell of sulfur hanging in the air. Flickers of fire danced out from within the tube and slipped by the protective [Soul me] covering Arwin.

    It brushed across his skin, but failed to burn him. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was because the [Soul me] was somehow an extension of his own powers or if the Infernal Armory had a way to control it. That did little to make the fire much more bearable. The heat was so intense that Arwin had to fight for every breath he drew in. His eyes hurt from even trying to look in the direction of the blindingly hot furnace.

    Arwin averted his gaze down to the pieces of metal he¡¯d left on the ground. A section of the stone rose up, bearing the metal up to him. He took the steel first and stilled his thoughts, stilling his mind so he could hear the metal¡¯s desires.

    Visions flickered through his mind of the metal¡¯s past. It was nothing that he hadn¡¯t seen before. That didn¡¯t make it any less important. The more he understood his materials, the better he could forge them.

    He was unsurprised to find that the metal bore desires to be a de. A dagger, a sword, all were fine with it. None would do. Arwin did not seek to make a weapon, and this metal had never truly considered anything else ¡ª but its desires weren¡¯t so strong that he was convinced they couldn¡¯t be changed.

    ¡°You could be that,¡± Arwin murmured. ¡°You¡¯d make a good de. I could do that. I could turn you into a weapon. One that rips and kills. One that takes. Or I could make you into something more. Something that is looked upon with awe and desire. Something that is remembered. Your choice.¡±

    He envisioned the dream he had for the metal, pushing it back through their tenuous bond. The visions slowed. It would have been wrong to say the metal was considering Arwin¡¯s offer. It didn¡¯t have that level of intelligence. It didn¡¯t truly consider. But, after a few moments, there was a new vision.

    Arwin smiled.

    He set the prepared metal down on the protruding stone tendril to swap it out for the bar of Mithril. But, when he extended his senses to try and read the Mithril¡¯s desire, there was nothing.

    He could feel something deep within the metal. It didn¡¯t <emck </em>desire. He simply couldn¡¯t detect it. Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed and he tried to pry deeper, but nothing came. The Mithril was unreadable.

    <em>So be it. You¡¯ll just have to work as is, then. </em>

    Arwin set the Mithril to the side and returned his attention to the scale te that he still held within the furnace. He grit his teeth and squinted, giving the piece of scale te a test squeeze with [Scourge] empowered fingers now that the me had a little bit to work its way in. It gave. Not much, but enough.

    He grabbed the steel from where it sat in wait and brought it into the furnace, letting it heat. Arwin set the scale te to the side for a few moments to roll the steel out between his palms like a piece of dough. He then pressed it against the scale te. Arwin pinched their ends, squeezing scale and metal together in the intense heat.

    The Mithril came next. He rolled it out as well, surprised to find how easily the metal let him shape it. It was like working with putty. In just moments, he had it prepared. Arwin pressed it together with the other twoponents and started to braid them over each other.

    With every movement, he poured magical energy from his body into the trio of metals and scale. He¡¯d been expecting making something with Mithril to be a long,borious process. A major test like this felt like it should have taken hours.

    It didn¡¯t. Within minutes, Arwin had wrapped the metal tightly and run it through his hands, removing any irregrities and smoothing out small bumps. A bracelet, far too small to fit his own wrist, rested hidden from even his own eyes within the mes of the forge.

    Magic tingled like a raging river beneath Arwin¡¯s fingers. The bracelet would be finished the moment he pulled his hand free of the me.

    ¡°Remove it,¡± the voice whispered, eager steps pattering behind Arwin. ¡°Reveal our first creation.¡±

    Wace watched from the side of the smithy, his bearded face once again unreadable and a hand gripping his hammer in a tight knuckled grip. He was waiting, just as Arwin and the voice were.

    <em>I¡¯m not so sure I want to finish without double checking my work or something. I didn¡¯t feel the Mithril doing anything fancy. It¡¯s just a bracelet. A nice one, I hope, but a bracelet. But if I don¡¯t wrap this up, Lillia could show back up before I¡¯m done. There¡¯s no way nobody heard all the sound I was making in here, so it¡¯s just a matter of time. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s jaw set. There was only one thing left to do.

    He pulled the bracelet free, and the Mesh bloomed forth, carving words into the air in letters as red as blood.

    <strong>The Band Three [Cursed]</strong>

 Chapter 238: What kind of person

    <em>Several minutes prior.</em>

    Wace felt like he¡¯d swallowed a chunk of coal, and there wasn¡¯t nearly enough room for two crazed rock-eating idiots in one smithy. A droplet of sweat rolled down his back as his grip on his hammer tightened.

    The heart in the walls thumped and ck veins pulsed with energy. A sickening, thrumming bass that tickled the inside of his skull in all the wrong ways. It was unnatural. Vile. Thoughts twisted in Wace¡¯s mind like rising smoke, and none of them were good.

    There was more to it than just the biologicalponents buried within the building. He hadn¡¯t lived this long without learning how to learn how to read the signals his body sent him before his eyes could pick them up, and there was something deeply wrong with the Infernal Armory.

    Chills traveled down Wace¡¯s arms and left a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He couldn¡¯t see anything. He couldn¡¯t feel anything. And yet, there was something else present. Wace was so certain of it that he¡¯d bet his hammer or his mother ¡ª though not both.

    <em>Where is it? What the Nine Undends lives in this building? </em>

    Wace couldn¡¯t find it. Arwin was busy studying the results of his work, but the dwarf was a little preupied to look in the other smith¡¯s direction. It wasn¡¯t like Arwin could even deny the presence. He¡¯d been speaking to it.

    <em>Well, I suppose he could have been speakin¡¯ to himself. I do that a bit when the going gets real rough. But it certainly didn¡¯t sound like he was just having a solo conversation. There¡¯s something here, and it ain¡¯t all that happy about me.</em>

    The dwarf¡¯s certainty did absolutely nothing to reveal the target of his woes. An uneasy air hung over him like a de as he scanned the smithy for the umpteenth time and found nothing for his troubles. Nothing was truly invisible, but whatever this thing was, it was doing a damn good job of hiding.No amount of hiding could conceal the sickness within it. The hatred and anger burned brighter than any forge. A hunger for blood so intense that, even as the presence faded to remnants and then to nothing, Wace could still feel it on his skin like ayer of slime.

    Energy pooled in Wace¡¯s body. It trickled into the handle of his hammer but he kept it from traveling too far and lighting up its head. Arwin didn¡¯t seem like the type ofd to start messing with vile forces, but his gut didn¡¯t lie. One didn¡¯t have to be evil themselves to make a deal with a wretched force. Wace would be damned if anyone like that left his presence in one piece ¡ª and much less with the knowledge of Dwarven Smith, no matter how junior.

    But even with the immense unease hung over his shoulders like a cloak, Wace couldn¡¯tpletely keep the awe from taking root. He¡¯d seen a number of different smithing methods in his lifetime.

    There were dwarves that wove metal like grass. Smiths that sang objects into existence with their voice and the raw materials alone. He had witnessed hundreds of different andpletely unique crafting methods.

    Wace had never seen anything like this. It wasn¡¯t that Arwin¡¯s method was unbelievably impressive. He hadn¡¯t been a thousand times more efficient than a dwarven master. Arwin hadn¡¯t been efficient at all, for that matter. It had taken him a little longer than Wace would have expected from an average apprentice.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t better than any of the smith¡¯s he¡¯d trained. In fact, he was worse than the majority of them. He¡¯d gotten help ¡ª and thereinid Wace¡¯s disbelief. The Infernal Armory had done more than passively offer Arwin a few tools.

    It had been working alongside him, and that should have been impossible. The epitome of Dwarven Smithing was establishing a perfect link between a smith and their artwork. The harmonization of two songs ¡ª not three.

    Trying to add an extra voice in should have broken everything. Wace might have been able to believe it if the feat had been done by two master smiths pushing to their absolute limits and weathered by hundreds of years of experience. Even if they¡¯d pulled it off, he doubted the result would have been anything worthwhile. An extra voice just added confusion. It broke the connection.

    <em>And yet, thed¡¯s smithing technique stands in pr opposite to all of that. Aplete antithesis of the Dwarven race. I wouldn¡¯t believe it if I didn¡¯t see it with me own eyes. Imagine that. A smith that works at his best when in conjunction with another. </em>

    Unfortunately, Wace was pretty sure that <em>other </em>would have loved nothing more than to rip his throat out on the spot. In the end, there was only one way to find out. He nced over at Arwin. The other hadn¡¯t said a word since he¡¯d pulled his object from within the furnace the smithy had made him. There was a bracelet cupped within his hands, mostly concealed from Wace¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Well?¡± Wace asked, finally breaking the silence and taking a step forward. He kept a good grip on his hammer, ready to burst into motion. Arwin shouldn¡¯t have been much of a threat, but the intensity of the presence in the building had set him on edge. ¡°Show me what you¡¯ve got, boy.¡±

    <em>There¡¯s much I don¡¯t know. Arrogance will not blind me to danger. </em>

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    Arwin looked up. His features were unreadable. For a moment, it looked like he was going to try to do¡­ something. Run. Fight. Wace wasn¡¯t sure. He already had his hammer at the ready. If Arwin did anything but show him the object, the result would be the same. They would fight. The human would die.

    A second passed. Wace¡¯s grip tightened. Then Arwin blew out a slow sigh and pulled his hands apart, revealing the bracelet. Three bands of material wove into a delicate band that was far too small to fit on Arwin¡¯s wrist. The metal wasn¡¯t exactly perfect, but there was something about it that just¡­ fit. It glistened faintly in the light,plete in its ruggedness. Wace¡¯s eyes tingled as the Mesh acknowledged the item before him. He activated [Soulsight] before any letters could even try to trace themselves into the air.

    The skill washed across the bracelet and enveloped it with a faint light visible only to the dwarf¡¯s eyes. Every magical item had an aura. It had a story, and one that told of more than just its constituents. The aura was a window into the materials and their crafter alike.

    Wace steeled himself. Anything made by the presence he had felt, soden with hatred and evil, could be nothing but¡ª

    <em>Beautiful?</em>

    His eyes widened. A delicate gold glimmer enveloped the band, akin to the shimmer of the Mesh but as gentle as a lover¡¯s touch. The band was full of love andpassion so resolute that nobody bearing witness could deny it.

    Without a doubt, Wace could tell that the man before him was more than willing toy his life down to protect the lives of the ones he cared about. Oddly enough, he <em>had</em>. There was death in the aura, swirls of gentle darkness that were no stranger to Wace.

    It had been dozens of years since he¡¯dst witnessed such darkness. There were a scant few that had passed from this realm and into the next, only to return. Their presence was a sign of great power and respect. They were cause for question, not distrust.

    But that was not the extent of it.

    Wace¡¯s throat tightened as he peered deeper into the aura. He took an involuntary step back. The Mithril in the band had absorbed the essence of Arwin¡¯s soul to saturation. Within it, he saw a monster in the form of a man. Legions of living beings, dead at his hands. An ocean of blood that could fill valleys. The weight of countless lives weighed upon Arwin like shackles trying to drag him to the Undends.

    And, as if it had been waiting for him to finish taking in the sight before him, the Mesh finally bloomed forth in the air before Wace in letters as red as blood.

    <strong>The Band Three [Cursed]</strong>

    <strong>[Mithril Soul]: This item was forged of the legendary material Mithril and has revealed its maker¡¯s true self. </strong>

    <strong>[The Dead]: The Path of the Butcher. </strong>

    <strong>[The Protector]: The Path of the Martyr.</strong>

    <strong>[The Promise]: The Path of the Lover. </strong>

    <strong>[The Band Three]: Three pathsy before the wearer of The Band Three. It will observe its bearer until it understands their desires, empowering the path that fits them best and permanently locking the other two. Once donned, this item cannot be removed until its path has been selected. </strong>

    ¡°Nine Undends,¡± Wace breathed, his grip on his hammer ckening slightly as he stared at the ruddy crimson words. A cursed item. There couldn¡¯t have possibly been a worse result.

    ¡°Am I remiss in hoping you¡¯re just impressed?¡± Arwin sounded weary.

    Everything Wace had ever learned told him to strike before the human even knew what happened. To end the battle before it could begin. Any being whose true soul revealed a cursed item was vile beyondprehension.

    And yet, Wace hesitated. There was more than just evil in thed. His soul had darkness, but it also had light. If both truly existed, then purging the evil woulde at the cost of killing the good.

    <em>There are men whose ce it is to judge such things, but I do not know if I am one of them. I do not want to be one of them. But if I do nothing, will I not be responsible for the legions that may fall because of my inaction?</em>

    This was about more than just Arwin. Even his bracelet made no sense. A cursed item hadn¡¯t been something he¡¯d had the misfortune of dealing with before, but only one of the three paths described by the band seemed truly evil.

    The duality in Arwin¡¯s soul was immense. He was savior and murderer, both the extended hand and the de that severed it. Seconds ground by. The two of them stood in silence, their gazes locked. Wace¡¯s grip on his hammer tightened.

    <em>My questions run as deep as the earth, but my time does not. I may be lowered to nothing more than filth, but I could not live with myself if I loosed an evil of this magnitude upon the world. What do I do?</em>

    His stance shifted. Then the front door of the smithy creaked open.

    ¡°Wace?¡± Lillia¡¯s voice came as she stepped into the building. ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I? I got caught up cooking.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes broke away instantly, leaving himselfpletely open without a second of hesitation as he turned toward Lillia. Wace¡¯s eyes flicked down to the bracelet ¡ª sized too small for the man¡¯s hands, but perfectly for hers.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin called. ¡°Don¡¯te in yet!¡±

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia¡¯s voice lit up. ¡°How did it go? You were supposed to wait for me to get back! Did you pass?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Sorry ¡ª we kind of got a bit ahead of ourselves. Would you mind waiting outside for a bit longer, please? Wace is still deciding on my results. The old bastard¡¯s eyes are about to pop out of his head because of how we¡¯re breaking all his traditions.¡±

    ¡°Wace is here too?¡± A flicker of disapproval passed through Lillia¡¯s tone. ¡°I hope he knows he¡¯s never touching so much as a droplet of my drinks if he even thinks about trying to attack us.¡±

    ¡°I figure he¡¯s well aware, but I¡¯ll pass it along.¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes returned to Wace¡¯s, his gaze serious.

    Lillia harrumphed. Her footsteps led back to the outer door and it closed a few secondster, leaving the two of them alone again.

    <em>She said ¡®us¡¯. Girl doesn¡¯t consider the chance of him fighting on his own, and he stopped paying attention to me the moment she arrived. Could someone who killed in such number truly form such a connection with another living being?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s hand closed around the bracelet and his arm lowered. ¡°Not exactly what I was aiming to make.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how Mithril works,d.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Arwin was silent for a second. ¡°What did it tell you? What kind of person am I?¡±

    Wace stared at the human. Deep down, people who had aplished anything knew who they were. They either regretted or took pride in their actions, but they knew. Arwin was different. There was genuine confusion in his voice. He genuinely meant his question ¡ª and Wace was starting to realize he might not be able to give it an answer.

 Chapter 239: Dwarves

    Arwin stood silently as Wace¡¯s gaze burned into his skull. He watched the dwarf with wary eyes, waiting to see how he would react. The outlook didn¡¯t look too favorable. Making a cursed item when he was trying to represent his soul felt like the worst possible result he could have possibly gotten.

    Sure, the item didn¡¯t seem to be <empletely </em>evil, but that was hardly apelling argument. Arwin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t shift, but energy swirled within his chest. It might have been selfish. It might have been wrong. He didn¡¯t care. If Wace decided he was a threat, Arwin had no ns of going down peacefully.

    He¡¯d fought too hard to get here. He had too much that he had to protect. After everything that he had gone through, even if it meant that he was evil, he refused to let someone cut him down. He refused to abandon his guild. He refused to leave Lillia alone.

    Wace¡¯s hands tightened around the hilt of his hammer. Arwin¡¯s fingers twitched. His armor was only a thought away. He wasn¡¯t sure how much good it would do against someone as powerful as Wace, but ¡ª

    The dwarf lowered his hammer. Its head clinked against the stone ground of the Infernal Armory and Wace released the weapon to cross his arms in front of his chest. It took every scrap of self-control in Arwin¡¯s body to keep from blinking in surprise.

    ¡°I¡­ passed?¡± Arwin asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Passed is a strong word,¡± Wace rumbled. ¡°You confuse me, Arwin.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so certain that¡¯s a good¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a good thing,¡± Wace snapped. ¡°I like to be confused by my wife, not by ¡ª whatever you are. Never before have I met your like.¡±¡°Is the cursed item really that bad?¡± Arwin nced down at the bracelet in his palm and ran his thumb over its rough surface. It was still warm to the touch from the heat of the me. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s a chance it won¡¯t turn out evil. I didn¡¯t mean for it to be this, by the way. It was an ident.¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t even talking about that damn ring of yours,¡± Wace said with a shake of his head. Something about the way he spoke shifted. Some of the sarcasm that seemed to permanently infuse his tone slipped away to reveal a deadly serious interior with a dash of what might have been fear. ¡°I¡¯m talking about <em>you</em>.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Arwin asked carefully. He decided not to mention the fact that he¡¯d made a bracelet, not a ring. This just didn¡¯t seem like the time to go about addressing it. The way Wace was talking almost made it seem like¡ª

    ¡°How many people have you killed, Arwin?¡± Wace asked. ¡°Why? How?¡±

    A tight pit formed in Arwin¡¯s stomach and a hand clenched his chest. Wace knew. Not everything, but the dwarf somehow knew about what he¡¯d done. Arwin¡¯s hands tightened at his sides, so slick with blood that he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d even be able to see them beneath the sea of red if he looked down.

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°And how many did you save?¡± Wace pressed on, not giving Arwin a chance to answer. The dwarf took a step forward. He left his hammer behind him as he approached Arwin, craning his neck back to keep eye contact. ¡°How can one man simultaneously be savior and devil alike? And how is it possible that I have no idea who you are? Where could such a bloodbath could have urred, and how does one such as yourself end up as an Apprentice smith?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a really long story,¡± Arwin said. ¡°One that I¡¯m not keen on sharing, and one that I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to want to hear.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re going to be more than eager to share it,¡± Wace said softly. ¡°I¡¯m not asking here. My curiosity and judgement of your character wars with my logic, boy. I will not be the dwarf to forge a smith who paints the Kingdom of Lian with corpses.¡±

    They stood in silence for a second. Arwin was loathe to share his past with anyone he didn¡¯tpletely trust, but if he had been in Wace¡¯s shoes, he wouldn¡¯t have been any less willing topromise.

    He didn¡¯t know how much information Wace had learned about him, but the dwarf somehow had a way to know of all the innocent demons that had died at Arwin¡¯s hand. It was little wonder he was so concerned.

    <em>If anything, I¡¯m actually slightly surprised he hasn¡¯t attacked me. When I was the hero¡­ if it were me in his shoes, I think I would have already gone for a killing blow. Lives aren¡¯t weighed. Killing a thousand men and saving a thousand others doesn¡¯t undo the damage I caused. </em>

    ¡°I will share it if you insist, but you might regret hearing what I have to say,¡± Arwin warned, all too aware that the warning waspletely pointless. ¡°If you¡¯ve seen my character, then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not happening. The only reason you still live is because everything I see before me does not match up with the monster I <em>should </em>see. Prove to me that I do not understand. That I¡¯ve missed something key that would change what should be fact. Because, if you can¡¯t, I will have no choice but to carry out my duties and purge you from¡ª¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯d think again,¡± Lillia¡¯s voice carved through the air like a de. Arwin and Wace both spun in surprise as the door flew open and Lillia strode into the room, a roiling cloud of darkness swirling above her. ¡°I¡¯m pretty damn sure I already told you what would happen if you so much as thought of trying to fight us.¡±

    ¡°Lillia?¡± Arwin blinked in surprise. ¡°What are you doing here? I heard you leave!¡±

    ¡°I closed the door when I was still inside the room, you loveable idiot,¡± Lillia said, striding up to stand beside him and stare down at the dwarf. ¡°I doubt it actually fooled¡ª¡±

    Wace¡¯s mouth, which had dropped slightly askew in surprise, snapped shut. Arwin nearlyughed despite the situation. The dwarf had definitely been fooled just as badly as he had been.

    ¡°Of course I knew,¡± Wace snapped. ¡°Oldest trick in the book, that. I was just ying along.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you were doing,¡± Lillia said tly. The darkness swirling around her extended to nket the entire room. Dim lines traced through the air behind Lillia, outlining wings. Arwin wasn¡¯t even sure if she knew what it was doing. Her attention waspletely focused on Wace. ¡°I weed you under my roof. You think you can just kill who you want? Who deemed you executioner? What gives you the right?¡±

    ¡°Lass, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. You didn¡¯t see¡ª¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see?¡± Lillia snarled, a curl of shadow rolling off her back and rising up like a me. ¡°I was <em>there, </em>dwarf. I waded through the blood. I held so many limp hands and I watched life fade from far too many eyes. Where were you?¡±

    ¡°Lillia, it¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said, putting a hand on Lillia¡¯s shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. He didn¡¯t me her for her anger in the slightest. He felt some of it himself, but Wace just had no way to know what they knew. It would have been incredibly concerning if he did. ¡°He had a way to look at my soul. He got a snippet of the truth, but not everything. Imagine what things would look like if someone only knew the numbers and not the story.¡±

    Li tore her gaze away from Wace to look back at Arwin. Her jaw worked and her hands unclenched, but only slightly. ¡°Perhaps, but do you know what people do when they have suspicions? They speak. They don¡¯t threaten. You didn¡¯t discover this five seconds after meeting us. I fed you. We spoke. You and Arwin spoke. Can you not take the measure of a man with your own eyes?¡±

    ¡°This is about more than just me,¡± Wace replied evenly. ¡°The reason I have not acted is because of all the ones you just stated. But¡­ you im to have been there as well? An Innkeeper?¡±

    Lillia watched Wace silently. The shadows in the room hadn¡¯t relented, but they¡¯d stopped growing. The dwarf¡¯s eyes suddenly widened in realization.

    ¡°The war,¡± Wace muttered. ¡°That is what you speak of. Where else could so many die? But¡­ you are a smith. A smith could not kill so many with their own hands.¡±

    ¡°I was not always a smith,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And Lillia was not always an Innkeeper. You are correct. There was a time when we were both unwilling participants in the war that still ravages the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°How? The number of deaths that weigh on your shoulders are far too great for you to just be conscripted warriors. You should be far greater than Apprentice as well. Grandmaster ¡ª no. More. Archon? There are precious few in the kingdom at such a level of strength.¡±

    ¡°I never said I was conscripted,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I never knew what I was doing. I may as well have been born into the war at the behest of those with ulterior motives. If you want to hear the story, then we will share it. I think it¡¯s only fair.¡±

    ¡°Born into the war¡­¡± Wace¡¯s brow furrowed and his gaze drifted to the side. He was silent for several seconds. Then his eyes snapped back to Arwin and went wide as dinner tes as he drew in a surprised breath. ¡°Earth Father. The child soldier ¡ª the Hero?¡±

    The wind vanished from Arwin¡¯s sails and his next sentence died on his lips. Lillia wasn¡¯t caught nearly as off guard.

    ¡°You <em>knew</em>?¡± Lillia eximed. ¡°You were aware a child was waging a war for the kingdom and you did nothing to stop it?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª I was not in a position in which I could act,¡± Wace stammered, off guard for the first time since Arwin had met him. ¡°When I learned about the Hero¡¯s past, he was already in his twenties. There was nothing that could be done. It was a vile thing, but I have seen drawings of the Hero. Even if he were not dead, you do not look like¡­¡±

    Wace trailed off. He squinted at Arwin¡¯s face. He turned to look at Lillia. Then he turned back to Arwin.

    <em>I think the gig might be up.</em>

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s him. No, he didn¡¯t die,¡± Lillia said, then added, ¡°and yes, you did just threaten to kill the Hero.¡±

    ¡°Former hero,¡± Arwin corrected.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Wace said. His mouth worked for a moment in search of words before he finally managed to gather them. ¡°And you ¡ª you¡¯re no mere demon. Yer¡¯ the damn queen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ wait.¡± It was Lillia¡¯s turn to blink. ¡°You knew I was a demon?¡±

    ¡°Figured it out pretty quickly when I saw you had a functional tail,¡± Wace muttered, only half hearing her question. He ran his hands through his hair and took a step back before pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. This can¡¯t be true. It makes no sense. You¡¯re both dead¡­ and yet, my magic does not lie. The Mithril does not lie. It fits. Nothing else could.¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth, but Lillia raised her hand to put a finger to his lips and shook her head slightly. She sent a pointed look at Wace and arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°You want the story? Apologize.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what happened first,¡± Wace said stubbornly, his features pallid with shock. Arwin was surprised to find that he wasn¡¯t looking at Lillia with anywhere near the amount of suspicion that a normal adventurer would have regarded the Demon Queen with.

    The dwarf was stunned and surprised beyond belief, but he wasn¡¯t looking at Lillia any differently than he looked at Arwin ¡ª and as much as Arwin liked people treating Lillia well, that didn¡¯t make any sense at all.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You first. Why aren¡¯t you worried about Lillia? Don¡¯t get me wrong ¡ª she isn¡¯t evil ¡ª but you epted that way too easily. Why?¡±

    Wace¡¯s features twisted into a grimace. ¡°Shit, boy. You¡¯re digging in ces you shouldn¡¯t be. Guess that¡¯s my fault. Let my guard down. But if you are who you im you are, then I suppose it¡¯s only my ce to reveal it.¡±

    ¡°Reveal what?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t know yourself,¡± Wace replied. ¡°But I expect I¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Just fucking spit it out,¡± Lillia eximed. ¡°What do we not know?¡±

    The dwarf blew out a slow breath and lowered his voice. ¡°I may have been a bit deceitful. Despite what I may have implied, I know demons aren¡¯t mindless monsters. I¡¯ve sold to just as many of them as I have to humans.¡±

 Chapter 240: The Dangerous Part

    Arwin and Lillia stared at Wace in the very same disbelief that he was observing them with. The dwarf¡¯s revtion was like a punch to the gut. Of everything he could have said, Arwin hadn¡¯t expected him to reveal something with nearly as much weight as his and Lillia¡¯s identities.

    ¡°You¡­ sold to demons?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I thought dwarves were allied with humans!¡±

    ¡°You used demons as an example of all that¡¯s evil in the world!¡± Arwin added, his eyes narrowing. ¡°How could you do that when you¡¯ve literally worked with them! You know what they are! They¡¯re just like us!¡±

    ¡°Says the fucking Hero,¡± Wace said through a bark of gruffughter. ¡°You killed more of them than anyone else, and you should be among the ranks of those dead. How in the Earth Father¡¯s name are you alive? And with the Demon Queen at that! How did any of thise to be?¡±

    ¡°Our questions first,¡± Lillia said firmly. ¡°You¡¯ve got no more reason to suspect Arwin now, do you? After all, by your own words, you¡¯ve fought against demons before. You¡¯re no more innocent than he is.¡±

    ¡°Not every demon is innocent,¡± Wace countered. ¡°Just like not every human is. Your society is no better than any other.¡±

    ¡°I never imed otherwise,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°But if I was able to forgive Arwin for what he¡¯s done, then it¡¯s time to put your ego back in your pants and admit you were wrong. Nobody has any right to feel more wronged by Arwin than I, and I hold none of his actions against him. You. Weren¡¯t. There.¡±

    For several seconds, none of them spoke. Then Wace¡¯s shoulders sank.

    He blew out a long breath and averted his gaze. ¡°I was not. If there¡¯s anyone who could justify the weight of blood they carry, it¡¯s the Hero. You are correct, Lillia. I owe you both an apology. I was hasty in my judgement. In no world could I have predicted I would be training the Hero in Dwarven Smithing.¡±¡°Former Hero,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°And you didn¡¯t actually do anything, so I don¡¯t think we canin too much. We¡¯d have had a bigger problem if you¡¯d actually started swinging. Now, can we get back to the part where you were outfitting demons?¡±

    ¡°Earth Father, give me a break.¡± Wace massaged his forehead. He flopped down on the ground, propping himself up with his arms as he stared at the ceiling. ¡°Give me a damned second to process, would you? I¡¯m standin¡¯ before the damnable Demon Queen and the Hero in a cursed smithy that wants to rip me heart out. Do you understand how wrong this is?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get over it,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°The Infernal Armory wants to kill you?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Wace muttered.

    ¡°Whose question were you answering?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t really care if you agreed with mine, but the second one¡ª¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Wace said through a sigh. He squinted at Lillia. ¡°You sure know how to hold a grudge, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I know how to do a whole lot more than hold a grudge. Start talking if you ever want to step foot in my tavern again. You should be d I value my cooking too much to do anything to it, or there¡¯s a good chance you wouldn¡¯t survive your next meal.¡±

    ¡°You really are the Demon Queen. Protective and loyal to her people like no other,¡± the dwarf said with a shake of his head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve sold to demons. I¡¯ve had to hide it. If people found out, the Kingdom of Lian would have me killed. The Dwarven Council would too.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t all dwarves selling to the demons?¡± Lillia blinked. ¡°It¡¯s just you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there are more,¡± Wace replied with a small shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve seen demons show up with gear of dwarven craftsmanship I didn¡¯t make. Some of us know they¡¯re no different than humans, but it¡¯s precious few. Admitting it aloud is the same thing as strapping yerself down asking the Earth Father to plop a volcano beneath your arse.¡±

    That didn¡¯t surprise Arwin at all. If someone had openly admitted that they were working with demons, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would have put a bounty on their head on the spot. It was the same as signing your own death warrant.

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    He wasn¡¯t sure if he was relieved or disappointed to hear that the dwarves weren¡¯t any different. If they¡¯d been straddling the middle of the line and selling en masse to the demons, then that would have strong implied Wace and every other dwarf in existence were coborating with the Guild to keep the war going.

    ¡°Why did you sell to the demons?¡± Lillia asked, her voice t as she came to the same conclusion as Arwin. If Wace was selling to demons, there was a chance he was working together with the guild to profit from the war.

    ¡°Because I found out they ain¡¯t any different from the lot of us. Few years ago, I got a bit overambitious in a battle,¡± Wace said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. ¡°Wasn¡¯t even meant to be in battle in the first ce. I was selling my goods out of a border town and supplying the Guild¡¯s forces, but they got overwhelmed. The entire town was a battlefield in minutes. Got myself knocked out. Don¡¯t even remember how. But, when I came to, there was a demon above me. We just looked at each other for a minute. He could tell I wasn¡¯t a warrior. I didn¡¯t have an Adventurer¡¯s Guild crest on me. He pulled me to my feet and left. Guild rolled up a few hourster to retake the town. I was still starin¡¯ off in the direction he¡¯d gone. Couldn¡¯t believe it. Ended up going on a trip into demon territory a few monthster to figure shit out for myself. The rest is just the past.¡±

    That felt like a bit of an oversimplification, but Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce. A weight lifted off Arwin¡¯s shoulders. The dwarf was gruff and without doubt an asshole, but he wasn¡¯t evil. He was trying to do the best he could while covering his ass, and possibly more importantly, he wasn¡¯t working with the guild.

    ¡°You¡¯re summarizing a whole lot with ¡®just the past¡¯. That feels like it could be important information,¡± Lillia said, breaking the silence that had been their thoughts.

    ¡°It ain¡¯t anywhere near as interesting as the story I suspect you lot have,¡± Wace said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. It was a bit rude but given his height and that he was sitting on the ground, the dwarf strongly resembled a petnt child. Arwin was forced to bite back augh.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I trust you with it,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You already got the part you needed to know, didn¡¯t you? Arwin is the Hero. All the blood you im to see on his hands doesn¡¯t actually belong to him. He was just the sword, not the hand that held it. Why do we need to exin any more and put ourselves at risk?¡±

    Wace pushed up with a grunt. He rose to his feet and brushed himself off, then straightened his armor and pressed his lips thin. ¡°You don¡¯t. I¡¯ll put my beer on the table. As of now, Arwin has passed my exam. When the Dwarven Counciles knocking, I¡¯ll be telling them we have a new trainee. It¡¯s up to Arwin on if he continues his tutge under me or if he sets out to find that knowledge somewhere else ¡ª and I won¡¯t be telling them a word about who he used to be. Something tells me you¡¯ve been keeping that secret for a reason.¡±

    ¡°We both appreciate that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And there¡¯s a very damn good reason for it. I don¡¯t like being called a murderer, but I know how you could havee to the conclusion and I don¡¯t hold it against you.¡±

    Lillia inclined her head slightly. ¡°That¡¯s better. But I still haven¡¯t heard a full proper apology.¡±

    Wace red at her. Lillia held the dwarf¡¯s gaze and he groaned, shifting his weight ufortably. ¡°Damn it. We don¡¯t like apologies much.¡±

    ¡°Good. They¡¯re not meant to befortable. That¡¯s how you know you mean it.¡±

    ¡°Earth Father ¡ª oh, fine.¡± Wace ran his hands through his hair and looked over to Arwin. ¡°I apologize for not trusting my instincts more and using you of¡­ well, everything. And to Lillia, I apologize for threatening ¡®yer friend and tricking you out of the final exam. Tradition it may be, but I could have handled it better.¡±

    Lillia smiled. ¡°epted. Also, Arwin¡¯s more than just a friend, thank you very much.¡±

    Wace started to nod. Then he paused. He looked from Lillia to Arwin, then choked on his own saliva and doubled over, coughing into his fist. The dwarf gathered himself and stared in shock. ¡°Wait. I thought you¡¯d just gotten real close. You¡¯re saying ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes. I trust you don¡¯t have any issues with that? Not that I would particrly care if you did.¡±

    ¡°The Demon Queen and the Hero,¡± Wace muttered to himself staring down at his hands and flexing his fingers as if to make sure he still had all ten of them. ¡°Who would have thought. I can¡¯t tell if that ain¡¯t right or if it¡¯s too right. All that animosity has to go somewhere. I wonder¡­ no. You aren¡¯t going to distract me like that.¡±

    ¡°Distract? I was not attempting to distract you from anything.¡± Lillia snorted. ¡°If I was, I¡¯d just mention that there¡¯s still some food and drink left over from dinner that¡¯s going cold.¡±

    Wace hesitated. Then his eyes narrowed. ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work.¡±

    ¡°Work for what? We don¡¯t owe you anything. You just made that clear,¡± Lillia pointed out.

    The dwarf inclined his head. ¡°You¡¯re right. You don¡¯t need to do anything more. If you¡¯ve epted my apology, then we¡¯ve bnced the scales, but I¡¯m still going to ask for the rest of the story. Not because you need to tell me, but because I want to know.¡±

    Lillia pursed her lips. She exchanged a look with Arwin, who inclined his head slightly.

    ¡°He already has the dangerous part. Might as well give him the rest so he knows why,¡± Arwin said with a small shrug. ¡°At the very least, it¡¯ll make sure he knows why we can¡¯t have him going around and sharing the truth with everyone else he meets.¡±

    ¡°Fine. You might want to sit back down,¡± Lillia said, returning her attention to Wace and crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Because if you¡¯re still on good terms with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, you¡¯re not going to like what you¡¯re about to hear.¡±

 Chapter 241: Completing the Challenge.

    It took Arwin and Lillia about ten minutes to give Wace the short of things. He didn¡¯t need to hear the details of what they¡¯d been doing since they¡¯d gotten their sses back. Arwin didn¡¯t mind telling Wace about the truth of the adventurer¡¯s guild, but the dwarf had no business poking his nose into their personal life.

    The look on Wace¡¯s face told Arwin that they¡¯d made the right choice. If they¡¯d gone into too much detail, he might have copsed on the spot. The dwarf had been doubtful at the start of their story, but he doubted no longer. His lips had pulled apart catching flies and his eyes bore into Arwin and Lillia with rapt attention. Shock and disbelief mixed in his features, joined by abject realization.

    Once Arwin and Lillia got up to the point where they¡¯d both found themselves on the streets of Milten ¡ª leaving out the exact details of their sses ¡ª the smithy fell silent for several long seconds.

    ¡°How deep does this go?¡± Wace asked, tugging on his beard in distress as he finally found his voice once again. ¡°Treason ¡ª no. This isn¡¯t treason. The guild controls the kingdom. Something at this scale couldn¡¯t possibly be executed by just one or two people at the top. It would have to be dozens. The guild leader. The branch leaders. All of them, and the demons as well. But¡­ why?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the question we¡¯ve been trying to find the answer to ourselves,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know. Lillia and I still don¡¯t know what saved us in the first ce, much less why they chose that way to get rid of us. Maybe we weren¡¯t even meant to kill each other that day. They could have nned to keep the puppet show going on longer. I just don¡¯t know. Do you know what the gem in my armor could have been? Is it of dwarf make?¡±

    Wace gave his beard a tug so violent that Arwin feared that the dwarf would rip it straight out. Fortunately for all of them, the hair stayed stuck steadfast. Dwarf hair was evidently made of sturdier stuff than that of humans.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d be able to answer that if I could see the gem, but it¡¯s gone. It¡¯s impossible to say anything with nothing more than a vague description. The Achievement doesn¡¯t ring a bell for me either. I can look into things, but I would have to be very careful. If the intent of the gem truly was to kill you, then its maker would know you had survived if I started poking around. Earth Father save us,¡± Wace murmured. He released his beard and shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell the council about this. They could be part of it. Many of them have close ties to the top members of the Guild. How did you know I didn¡¯t?¡±

    <em>Damn it. I was really hoping he could have said something about the gem, but I suppose it would be a ridiculous reach to be able to get anything just from saying there was an explosive ck stone in my armor. If Wace can poke around¡­ a small lead is better than nothing. </em>

    ¡°More of a good guess than anything else,¡± Arwin admitted with a small shrug. ¡°You couldn¡¯t recognize how I could have both saved and killed that many innocents. Anyone responsible for what happened to me and Lillia would have been able to deduce it pretty easily. You were also so focused on getting rid of what you perceived as evil that I find it hard to believe you¡¯d be willing topromise your morals to orchestrate the death of far more than I could ever kill on my own.¡±¡°Got me there.¡± Wace finally took control of his facial features again and chewed his lower lip in contemtion. ¡°This is deeply, deeply concerning. The more I think about the scale this operates at, the colder me feet get. It must have been going for years. Longer than I¡¯ve been alive. Has the war always been fake? Agh. I have so many damned questions.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± Lillia asked, arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

    ¡°What now?¡± Wace asked wearily. ¡°What else is there?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be thankful we told you all this?¡± Lillia¡¯s lips pulled up in a small smirk. ¡°It isn¡¯t like we warned you that you might prefer to not know. Oh, wait.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fuck off,¡± Wace said with a short bark ofughter. ¡°You sure know how to hold a grudge,ss.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a grudge,¡± Lillia said with an award-winning smile. ¡°I have a grudge against the adventurer¡¯s guild. This is just a little revenge. There¡¯s a difference.¡±

    ¡°Aye, I suppose there is,¡± Wace allowed. He massaged his brow and then let his hand drop back to his side as he blew out a slow breath. ¡°I need a drink if I¡¯m going to be looking into this any deeper.¡±

    The dwarf shot Lillia a sly look. She let out a snort.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck. I¡¯m still a little mad at you.¡±

    ¡°Eh. Can¡¯t me you.¡± Wace chuckled. He scooped his hammer off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. For a moment, he stood in silence. Then he turned his gaze to Arwin, his features turning serious. ¡°We¡¯ve got some business toplete before I fuck off,d.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°We do?¡± Arwin blinked.

    ¡°Not more tests, I hope,¡± Lillia said, idly picking at her pointed thumbnail with the nail of her forefinger.

    ¡°Nothing like that. I need to officially recognize Arwin¡¯s work,¡± Wace replied. ¡°That willplete his exam and turn him to a proper trainee. Give him all the goodies he racked up in the process as well. The Mesh is waiting with bated breath.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that sound¡¯s like a good¡­¡± Arwin trailed off and blinked in surprise. ¡°Hold on. Did you say the Mesh is waiting? <em>You </em>can make the Mesh wait? How?¡±

    ¡°Challenge,d. Just like everything else,¡± Wace said with a small wave of his hand. ¡°It¡¯s what runs everything. If you¡¯re working in the Mesh¡¯s best interests and creating challenge for others, then it gives you a whole lot more leeway. That includes not screwin¡¯ an exam with a bunch of shy words. Weren¡¯t you wondering why you didn¡¯t get any magical energy for crafting a damned cursed item or learning Dwarven Smithing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I was a little preupied,¡± Arwin admitted sheepishly. ¡°So what do we have to do?¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Wace replied. The dwarf squared his stance and blew out a sharp breath. His gaze went steely and he locked eyes with Arwin and extended his hand. ¡°I, Wace Gentletongue, rescind my offer of apprenticeship on grounds of yourpletion of judgement. I name you Dwarven Smith. May you reap what you have sown.¡±

    Arwin took Wace¡¯s hand. A sharp buzz ripped through the air and a jolt of pain bit into Arwin¡¯s palm. He let out a curse and yanked his hand free, shaking it furiously as the scent of burnt hair filled the air.

    ¡°What the hell was that f¡ª¡±

    A brilliant sh of light exploded in the air before Arwin with such intensity that he was momentarily blinded. He let out a slew of curses to join his first and blinked furiously as energy poured into his body like a raging river. A contented purr rolled across the back of his mind from Verdant Inferno. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t alone in receiving the magic.

    The Mesh erupted before his eyes, several different sentences made of golden letters oveying on top of each other in their haste to form. Arwin squinted through the burning light and the sentences finally snapped out, separating themselves and shing before his eyes one by one.

    <strong>Milestone 1 of [The Dwarven Smith] has beenpleted.</strong>

    <strong>Reward 1: You have been recognized as a Dwarven Smith. [Molten Novice] has upgraded.</strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive) ¨C <em>You have spent enough time working immersedva that it has begun to recognize you. It will respond to your song, should you sing well enough. You have be a Dwarven Smith. Your potential depends only on your creativity ¡ª and how hard you can swing a hammer. </em></strong>

    No sooner than Arwin had managed to finish reading the first message did it vanish in a spray of golden sparks, reced by a new one.

    <strong>[The Band Three: Cursed] has been forged. Forging a cursed item has granted you a significant amount of magical energy.</strong>

    <strong>Achievement: [Oops.] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Oops.] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging your first Cursed item.</em> Effects: Gain an extra ss Specialization option. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon your next ss Specialization. </em></strong>

    <strong>Title: [Harbinger of the Forsaken] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Harbinger of the Forsaken] ¨C<em>You reached out to the deepest reaches of your soul and weed the shadow that lurked within into the light. That might not have been a good idea. You can now sense and forge the emotion contained within materials ¡ª whether you want to or not. In addition, Cursed items you craft are shrouded from all but the strongest of gazes. </em></strong>

    Arwin stared at the words floating before him, a knot forming in his throat. A ss specialization that would almost certainly be rted to making Cursed items. A Title that gave him affinity toward putting emotion into the items he crafted. One that, judging by its name, probably leaned a little more toward negative emotion than the alternative. Arwin didn¡¯t imagine that the things he killed were going to have very much positive thought in store for him.

    He didn¡¯t have much experience with Cursed items, he knew they were strong. That their power came at a price. That price didn¡¯t have to be too much to bear, though. Everything came at a price. They weren¡¯t going to be able to defeat the Adventurer¡¯s Guild ying by the established rules. The corner of Arwin¡¯s lips pulled up.

    <em>Yeah. I can work with this. The Band Three isn¡¯tpletely evil. It has at least one option where things turn out well. That means not every single Cursed item is going to be malicious. If the price to pay isn¡¯t too much, they could be a huge advantage. </em>

    ¡°What are you smirking about,d?¡± Wace asked. ¡°Get something interesting?¡±

    Arwin didn¡¯t get a chance to reply. Even as he drew in a breath, one final message from the Mesh carved itself into the air before his eyes.

    <em></em><strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    <em></em><strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    <strong>You have advanced to [Journeyman 1]</strong>

    <strong> [Oops.] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong>New ss Specialization Avable. </strong>

    <strong>Choose a ss Specialization:</strong>

    <strong>[Dwarven Smithing]</strong>

    <strong>[Cursed Dwarven Smithing]</strong>

    <strong>[Offensive Items]</strong>

    <strong>[Defensive Items]</strong>

    <strong>[Magical Consumption]</strong>

    <strong>[War Smithing]</strong>

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Arwin breathed, his eyes tracing over the floating words. His muscles rippled beneath his skin, seeminglying alive with a mind of their own. He could feel the magic coursing through him infusing every part of him. Making him stronger. Faster. Hardier. It took him several moments just to process everything. Then a smile split his lips. ¡°Now <em>this </em>is a reward.¡±

 Chapter 242: Specialization

    Even with his excitement, Arwin took care to spend a few more moments thinking about everything that had just shed through the air before him. The Mesh really hadn¡¯t given him much time to process it all. He¡¯d gotten two levels while he¡¯d been working, though he was pretty sure he¡¯d been really close to reaching Apprentice 9. Wace¡¯s Challenge had upgraded Molten Novice and given him a new ss specialization, and by reaching Journeyman 1, not only had his physical body grown stronger, but he also had the opportunity to choose a ss Specialization.

    Lillia and Wace both watched Arwin with interest. They were more than familiar with the Mesh and could obviously tell at least a degree of what had happened. Both of them remained silent to give him space and avoid distracting him.

    <em>I need to stay focused. The ss Specializationes first. This is what I¡¯ve been working toward ever since I got my very first taste of this ss. Journeyman is where your ss truly bes yours. Granted, I don¡¯t think anyone else is walking around with the Living Forge ss, but the point still stands. </em>

    Whatever choice he made here would be sticking with him for a long time. It wasn¡¯t something he could afford to choose on a whim. Arwin scanned over the glowing options before him once again. Unlike some of his skill choices, he wasn¡¯t willing to dismiss even the most basic options until he had fully thought them through. There were no second chances with a ss Specialization.

    <strong>[Dwarven Smithing]</strong>

    <strong>[Cursed Dwarven Smithing]</strong>

    <strong>[Offensive Items]</strong>

    <strong>[Defensive Items]</strong>

    <strong>[Magical Consumption]</strong><strong>[War Smithing]</strong>

    Arwin temporarily skipped over both Dwarven Smithing options. They were a lot moreplex than the other options and he wasn¡¯t sure if they would involve further dealings with the dwarven council. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to lose the abilities that Wace had just taught him, so he wanted to analyze the other options at the very least.

    That brought him to Offensive Items. The meaning was evident enough. Swords, daggers, bows, everything that was meant to hurt and kill. There was always a need for weapons. Getting better at them certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt. But, even as Arwin¡¯s eyes ran over the glowing words, he knew without a doubt that this wasn¡¯t the path he nned to take.

    Focusing in on making weapons was great if he nned to sit on the sidelines of a war or if he didn¡¯t truly care about the people he crafted for. Weapons were needed to defeat an enemy, but they didn¡¯t keep someone safe.

    <em>I have no ns of moving away from making armor to focus purely on killing. I¡¯d prefer to kill nobody and keep everyone I care about alive than stand alone on a mountain of corpses made from my enemies and allies alike.</em>

    Defensive Items could grant him the safety he desired. He¡¯d never say no to a way to keep his guild safe. But there would be no victory if he removed his own teeth. As much as Arwin desired to protect everyone, he had no ns of giving up and letting the war wage on forever.

    Survival was the bare minimum. It wasn¡¯t the ultimate goal. Limiting himself to either offense or defense would simplye at too great a cost. His eyes drifted down to the next option on the list and a small frown pulled at his lips. Arwin shifted his footing as he studied it.

    <em>Magical Consumption. That¡¯s definitely [The Hungering Maw]. No doubt about it. If I take that, I¡¯ll make it even stronger. Or will I learn how to control it? That¡¯s¡­ tempting. Really tempting. As of now, I¡¯ve only found ways to temporarily hold the Maw back. Lillia¡¯s cooking is doing a great job at that, but I¡¯m not truly in control of it. Taking this might even be the path I¡¯m meant to follow if I want toplete my Challenge. </em>

    That thought sent a wave of concernpping against the shore of Arwin¡¯s mind. Taking a specialization that only focused on his ability to consume magic would do nothing to let him protect the others unless it made him so strong that¡ª

    <em>No. I can¡¯t do this alone. I tried that in my past life. I tried it in this one too, but I won¡¯t keep making the same mistake. Even if this is the path the Mesh wants me to take for my challenge, I¡¯m not going to trade away the potential of empowering my entire guild. I¡¯ll find a different way to deal with the Maw. </em>

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    Arwin shifted his attention to the final non-Dwarven Smithing option on his list of ss Specializations. War Smithing had more potential than some of the previous options. It didn¡¯t limit him to only making weapons or armor. It could still provide benefits for the rest of his guild¡­ but he just had absolutely no idea as to the details of what War Smithing would entail.

    It could have been mixingbat with smithing, or it could have been makingrge scale constructs and equipment for wars. Arwin blew out a slow breath and chewed his lower lip. Neither of those were bad, but they weren¡¯t exactly what he needed.

    <em>This isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s probably the option I would have gone with if the Dwarven Smithing paths hadn¡¯t been open to me, but they are. I suppose I really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. At least I don¡¯t have to sit and wonder if I made the wrong choiceter on. </em>

    Only two options remained. Dwarven Smithing and Cursed Dwarven Smithing. Arwin was pretty sure that he could call himself an idiot for choosing either of them over the other. The non-cursed version was safer, and it wouldn¡¯t exactly get rid of the title he¡¯d gotten that let him craft with emotion.

    On the other hand, going with Cursed Dwarven Smithing could give him a way to control the Cursed items he made. Then again, there was also a chance it would just make them even stronger and more dangerous to their own wielders. Arwin¡¯s fingers drummed against his thigh. He knew what Wace would say. The dwarf would tell him to choose the normal Dwarven Smithing and stop being an idiot.

    <em>But Wace doesn¡¯t know what it¡¯s really like. He might have been in battles, but he hasn¡¯t seen what Lillia and I have. Cursed items are stronger than normal ones. They¡¯re dangerous, but they¡¯re stronger. Nobody would ever bother screwing with them otherwise. </em>

    <em>If that danger can be controlled¡­ I¡¯ll take it. I can¡¯t get strong enough to protect the others by taking the safe route. But if it can¡¯t be controlled, then locking myself into specializing in pure evil items effectively makes my sspletely useless. There¡¯s too much riding on this for me to gamble with it. </em>

    <em>Fortunately, I don¡¯t have to.</em>

    Arwin had gone through every option he had on his own, before the Mesh had a chance to pitch in its own influence. Sure, he¡¯dnded on the two options that were probably the smartest options to take, but he¡¯d done it himself.

    Now it was time to cash in a little advice that he¡¯d earned himself some time ago. He summoned one of his Achievements with a thought.

    <strong>[Smart Set] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging a set made entirely of [Awoken] items.</em> Effects: Gain guidance on a single ss-rted choice. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon usage. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Smart Set] has been consumed. </strong>

    <em>How do I do this? Do I just¡­ ask a question? How detailed will the answer even be? I need to avoid anything that could be subjective. What the Mesh thinks is best and what I think is best may not be the same. All I need is facts. </em>

    Arwin cleared his throat. Nothing had changed since he activated the Achievement. It would have been a cruel prank if the Mesh had just removed it and given him nothing because he¡¯d gone about it the wrong way or some equally stupid reason.

    ¡°Give me details about every ss Specialization offered to me,¡± Arwin said, then quickly amended, ¡°and if I¡¯ll get more by narrowing down the focus, then only give me detail on the first two. Specifically the safety of thetter one.¡±

    ¡°Who, me?¡± Wace asked, blinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know what sses you got, boy.¡±

    ¡°Me neither, but you should go with the one that your heart tells you to,¡± Lillia suggested. ¡°Either that or the one that lets you make the biggest hammer. Hitting things hard never fails.¡±

    Arwin bit back a snort. The Mesh shimmered and the glowing words changed, drawing his gaze back to them as the bottom four options fell away and left only the two at the top.

    <strong>[Dwarven Smithing] ¡ª This specialization will allow you to further the knowledge you have earned and continue in the way of a Dwarven Smith. ept tutge from another smith or set out on your own, both paths are open to you. </strong>

    <strong>[Cursed Dwarven Smithing] ¡ª This specialization will allow you to twist the way of a Dwarven Smith to your own goals. Though you may seek knowledge from others, this is a path untrodden. There is no line between smith and cursed item. There is only power and the one with the desire strong enough to take it. One will be the weapon, and the other the wielder. There is no path that cannot be conquered, but nothinges without cost. </strong>

    That wasn¡¯t much to work with. Arwin sucked on the insides of his cheeks. The Mesh hadn¡¯t exactly been generous with its information, but it had answered the question he needed to know. Cursed items could be controlled, and the Cursed Dwarven Smithing path wasn¡¯t just a straight up trap. A weapon that could be controlled was just that ¡ª a weapon.

    Power wouldn¡¯te if he didn¡¯t seek it out. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the Menagerie had even more attention on it. He hadn¡¯t heard any word from Melissa yet, but the assassins would find her soon enough. When people found he could make magical weapons, there would be some that wanted to control him. There always were.

    Arwin made his decision. The golden words shimmered onest time as they melted and flowed to obey his will.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique)(Tier: Journeyman 1)</strong>

    <strong>Specialization: Cursed Dwarven Smithing</strong>

 Chapter 243: Group effort

    Arwin was spared of the Mesh¡¯s golden letters for a grand total of three seconds after selecting his ss Specialization. The very moment he let himself release a breath and start pulling his attention back to the real world, almost as if the Mesh had been waiting for it, a pinprick of light expanded to form into words before him once again.

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong>

    <strong>[Six of Sets] has been consumed. </strong>

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>[Overdrive] ¨C <em>The heat of the forge burns in your heart. Let it free. Temporarily increase your resilience and power as your muscles are infused with magical power. The duration of this effect scales with your Tier. When this effect ends, the increased strain on your muscles will hinder you for five times the amount of time you spent in Overdrive.</em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED][Shieldwall]: <em>Your desire to protect your allies has proven itself time and time again. Grant it even more strength. When a creature you view as an ally is under attack, magic will infuse your muscles and elerate your speed when moving in their direction. Furthermore, by spending increased magical energy, your skin will harden and absorb the damage from a physical blow. The amount of damage absorbed scales with the amount of magical energy used.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Magmamancy] ¨C <em>Enhance your control ofva and gain the ability to manipte it as effortlessly as you would an arm. The amount of magical energy needed to maintain this ability scales exponentially with the amount ofva being controlled. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Leech] ¨C <em>Twist the connection between yourself and magical items, temporarily ripping the power from them to empower yourself with a portion of it. If the item you are targeting has an owner, this ability''s effects are reduced the greater your target''s tier is than yours. </em></strong>

    <strong>[UPGRADED] [Unleash] ¨C <em>A master of cursed items never fights alone. Meld your power with that of an item bearing a soul, allowing it to temporarily manifest itself. The effects and duration of this ability depend on the strength of the targeted item. Stronger items will require increased amounts of magical energy to maintain their bond, and this ability is ineffective on items whose requirements exceed the magical energy you can supply. </em></strong>The first two abilities being offered were old ¡ª he¡¯d seen [Overdrive] and [Shieldwall] before. A berserker skill like [Overdrive] was never a bad idea, but there were just better options. [Overdrive] didn¡¯t provide such significant benefits that Arwin could justify choosing it over any other ability. As for [Shieldwall], just like the previous time he¡¯d seen it, the ability was a decent option. Anything that made him faster was always useful.

    But, useful or not, Arwin¡¯s attention was entirely on the final three options. He could see a very strong argument for each of them. [Magmamancy] may have provided the least direct improvement to his current abilities, but it had the potential to make his Dwarven Smithing techniques even better. More control ofva would let him prepare and interact with his raw materials much easier.

    It also had considerable potential benefits inbat. Flingingva around effortlessly definitely had weight behind it. Unfortunately, [Magmamancy] didn¡¯te without its drawbacks. It obviously needed him to have magma orva present to work with in the first ce. He¡¯d also need to use more energy the more magma he used, so he couldn¡¯t just bring down an entire volcano on someone. There was also the fact that Molten Novice gave him a small degree of control over magma already. As he improved, the extent of his control was likely to increase as well.

    Arwin¡¯s gaze drifted down to the second option. [Leech] was straightforward. It was essentially a version of [The Hungering Maw] that didn¡¯t destroy the item, but it also didn¡¯t take the full extent of its power and got worse the stronger his opponent¡¯s Tier was.

    <strong><em></em></strong><em>Okay, it¡¯s kind of just a worse version of [The Hungering Maw]. Sure, I can¡¯t reuse the items, but I have no reason to take Leech as I am now. It just doesn¡¯t give enough of a benefit to justify not taking a different ability.</em>

    Thest option was [Unleash]. It caught Arwin¡¯s attention for the longest of the lot. He didn¡¯t know exactly what an item manifesting itself would actually do. He also wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the part where the skill description strongly implied it would work best with cursed items.

    <em>As for the item¡¯s soul¡­ is that like an Awakened item? Or do cursed items sometimes have an actual soul? The Mesh probably isn¡¯t going to answer any of that. I did just specialize into cursed items, so I think this is probably the right one to go with either way. No point taking the step down a path if I don¡¯t n to continue walking. </em>

    Arwin took one more moment to look over the other abilities and make sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything important before he made his decision and selected [Unleash]. The golden words shimmered and started to fade. He watched them suspiciously, half expecting more sentences to start forming.

    A shimmer danced through the air and a mote formed. It drew a single line through the air, as if preparing to write a letter, then vanished entirely. Arwin blinked.

    <em>Did the Mesh just screw with me?</em>

    He waited for a second longer. Nothing more arose. He let out a small breath and shook his head, lifting his gaze to find Wace and Lillia still staring at him expectantly. Arwin cleared his throat.

    ¡°Sorry. Awkward timing. Didn¡¯t mean to be rude.¡±

    ¡°You were still getting shit?¡± Wace asked, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side. ¡°Or are you just as slow at deciding your path as you are at making items?¡±

    ¡°No point rushing ahead without thinking things through,¡± Lillia said, sending a sidelong look at Wace. ¡°It¡¯s smart.¡±

    ¡°Bah. Dwarves think with their heart,¡± Wace said, rapping a hand against his chest. ¡°And sometimes their¡ª¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Thank you, Wace,¡± Lillia said dryly. ¡°I think we¡¯ve already figured that bit out.¡±

    ¡°The stomach bit?¡± There was a note of hope in Wace¡¯s tone.

    ¡°I already told you not to push your luck, but I¡¯ll consider it if only so we don¡¯t have to keep pestering Arwin with questions,¡± Lillia said. She sent a quick nce at Arwin. ¡°That¡¯s assuming everything is okay. You¡¯re fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°I was just a little zoned out. Reaching Journeyman gave me a bit more than I expected.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s nose scrunched. ¡°I¡¯m jealous. Don¡¯t even think for a second that you¡¯re going to leave me behind. Better get ready to spend some time in the kitchen. I¡¯m putting you to work.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you get more experience if you worked on your own?¡± Wace asked with a frown.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone that could get experience from putting other people to work, it would be Lillia,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°I feel like it would fit. An inn does have to have people working in it, after all.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s head tilted slightly in thought. Wace grimaced.

    ¡°I think you might have given her an idea,d.¡±

    ¡°Eh. I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the rest of us I¡¯m worried about.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Lillia said, mulling over the word as it left her mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll have to think that through. I take it you¡¯re hungry, Arwin?¡±

    ¡°Starving,¡± Arwin admitted. A familiar pit was just barely starting to show signs of forming in his stomach. All that crafting had taken up a lot of magical energy. He needed to replenish his reserves soon, and there weren¡¯t many ways of doing it better than Lillia¡¯s cooking.

    ¡°Great. Come on, then,¡± Lillia said. She took a step toward the door and then paused to throw a look back at Wace. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I suppose you cane.¡±

    <em>She¡¯s acting really reluctant about it, but having Wace eat inside the tavern would also weaken him if Lillia decided to really get serious and start using the full extent of her powers. I can¡¯t tell if she actually wants to let him eat or if she wants to improve her position against him. She can be really terrifying sometimes.</em>

    ¡°Won¡¯t object to that, but I¡¯m going to have to hold ¡®ye both up for a second first,¡± Wace said, raising a hand to forestall them. ¡°Well, I really only need Arwin, but I figure I¡¯m not getting him alone around now.¡±

    ¡°You figure correctly.¡± Lillia crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°What is it now?¡±

    Wace nodded to Arwin and tapped the shaft of his hammer on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re a Dwarven Smith now, Arwin. That¡¯s a long path and you¡¯ve only taken the first step along it. You¡¯d be wise to continue to seek the tutge of a master.¡±

    ¡°Another apprenticeship?¡± Arwin asked with a small frown. He didn¡¯t have time to properly dedicate himself to studying and doing nothing else.

    ¡°More like a guide. There are a lot of twists that you wouldn¡¯t think about. Some of ¡®em are better dealt with yourself, but it¡¯s still customary to have a proper master alongside a newly fledged Dwarven Smith.¡± Wace hesitated for a moment, then blew out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Given your¡­ past, it may be wise to be wary of the dwarven council right about now.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t imagine why,¡± Lillia muttered.

    ¡°Are you offering?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Aye. Offering. You don¡¯t have to take me up on it. You don¡¯t even need a mentor. You might be able to get away without one. It¡¯s not mandatory. It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Tradition,¡± Arwin finished with a chuckle. ¡°Right?¡±

    Wace nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Arwin considered the offer for a moment. Wace was rude but definitely knew what he was doing. His actions, misinformed as they were, had all been motivated by a desire to protect others. He also hadn¡¯t actually tried to attack him at any point. At this point, the dwarf basically knew the important bits of his history with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± Arwin said finally. ¡°It might not be a poor idea. I imagine you might be swinging by every so often anyway.¡±

    Wace cleared his throat. ¡°I was considering it. Hard to find booze like that anywhere, you know.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ve got time to figure it out.¡±

    ¡°Works for me,¡± Wace said, and they fell in behind Lillia as she led them out of the building.

    The group only made it a few steps into the street before Arwin spotted Reya approaching them with arge mug clutched against her chest. She nced at Arwin, then turned her attention to Wace.

    ¡°Rodrick said you might be getting thirsty, so I brought you a drink,¡± Reya said, nodding to the dwarf and holding the mug out. ¡°Arwin¡¯s is back in the tavern. I¡¯ll go get it.¡±

    ¡°A rightss, you are,¡± Wace said with a delighted grin. He stepped forward and reached for the mug. At the same time a loud cough echoed down the street. Rodrick emerged from the alleyway behind the smithy.

    ¡°Ah, Reya?¡± Rodrick called, hurriedly drawing a line across his throat with his thumb. ¡°We¡¯re good, actually. Turns out everything is fine.¡±

    Reya blinked but pulled the mug out of Wace¡¯s reach. The dwarf sent her a confused look, and she studied him for a second before tossing the mug to the side of the road and sending its contents spilling out across the dirt. Wace let out a dismayed cry.

    ¡°Why would you do that,ss?¡±

    A shadow flitted through the air from atop the smithy and alighted on the ground beside Arwin without so much as a sound, dropping into a bow before straightening to reveal Madiv¡¯s sharp features.

    Anna stepped out from behind another alleyway along with Olive, who was hurriedly sheathing her sword, and an elderly woman¡¯s voice echoed over the streets.

    ¡°I brought that new anvil you requested up to the roof,¡± Esmerelda said from the top of the Infernal Armory¡¯s roof, a note of delight in her voice. It seemed like it might have been meant to be a whisper, but her ears had failed her long ago and it came out just as loud as normal conversation. ¡°Now where should I drop it?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need it anymore, actually,¡± Anna said. ¡°You can keep it. Sorry for the trouble.¡±

    ¡°I hate all of you,¡± Esmerelda said.

    A sizzle filled the alleyway. They all looked down to where Reya had discarded the mug. Its contents were currently eating through the stone and forming deep pits in the ground. The mug itself had started to disintegrate as well.

    ¡°Earth Father,¡± Wace muttered, ncing around at the Menagerie. ¡°What is that?¡±

    Rodrick cleared his throat. ¡°That was an extra-spicy batch. Real strong stuff.¡±

    ¡°Good thing I dropped it,¡± Reya beamed at the dwarf. ¡°d to hear you¡¯re on our side now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better for your health that way,¡± Anna advised. She nced up at the Infernal Armory¡¯s roof. ¡°Madiv, could you stop Esmeralda from pushing that anvil off the edge of the building? It¡¯s going tond on Wace¡¯s head.¡±

    The vampire vanished in a blur of shadow, and a hushed argument immediately broke out on the roof. Wace stared up into the sky. Then he looked back to everyone else. For a moment, his face was unreadable. Then he let out a snort.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got some dedicated friends, Arwin. I get the feeling I might not have left here alive if I¡¯d decided to start something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not a chance,¡± Lillia said with an award-winning smile. ¡°I¡¯d have you on the next night¡¯s menu. Now, who was it that put poison in my mead?¡±

    Anna cleared her throat hurriedly. ¡°Is it time for dinner? Because I¡¯m starving. I also simultaneously need to use the bathroom. Very badly. See you all soon.¡±

    She darted off to the tavern.

    Everyone fell silent for several long seconds.

    ¡°So,¡± Lillia drawled. ¡°Dinner. You stilling, Wace?¡±

    ¡°At this point? Might as well,¡± Wace said. ¡°I think I¡¯m too invested not to.¡±

    ¡°That was the right answer,¡± Lillia said with an approving nod. ¡°Come on, everyone. Excitement¡¯s done for the night. Let¡¯s go get some food.¡±

 Chapter 244: Confrontation

    The excitement might have been done for most of the Menagerie that night, but for Melissa, it had only just begun. About an hour and a half after the Menagerie had finished their dinner, she strode through the streets of Milten with one mission on her mind and a de in her hand.

    Orange-red evening sunlight spilled over the rooftops and cast long shadows over the streets behind her as she strode toward a three-story mansion near the center of the city. Towering hedge walls rose up around it, blocking out the garden that Melissa knew to be present behind it.

    A ck iron gate at the front of the house was locked shut; behind it, a stone pathway wound through neatly trimmed grass to lead up to an imposing wooden door iid with silver whorls that ran along its surface.

    Melissa¡¯s sabatons clicked against the ground as she approached the mansion. It wasn¡¯t just any mansion. It was her father¡¯s ¡ª or at least, it had been. One of the Montibeau Estates. Not theirrgest, but the one in which he had met his end.

    Now, she wasn¡¯t even sure if the mansion even still held its name. She¡¯d been away from home for several days. More than enough time for the Kererus Coalition to do irreparable damage to her people or wrest control of the building. Melissa¡¯s heart ached. She was relieved their estate still stood, but walls meant nothing if her family had fallen.

    It had been so tempting to return earlier. To strike out the moment after Ifrit had forged her the seemingly impossible armor she now wore. That would have been stupid. He¡¯d given her a tool, but even the most deadly tool could do nothing when it wasn¡¯t wielded by apetent hand.

    The area where the Falling de assassin had stabbed her tingled. Melissa was all too aware of how close she¡¯de to death. A poison as potent as the one she¡¯d been inflicted with should have been her end, but it hadn¡¯t. They¡¯d failed to kill her.

    She didn¡¯t n to make the same mistake.

    For thest few days, she had practiced tirelessly. Pushed the armor and herself to their limits. By no means was she the greatest warrior to have ever lived. She didn¡¯t even have abat ss ¡ª but there was only so long she could wait. Melissa had a decent understanding of how to utilize the gift Ifrit had given her. The time for waiting was over.Melissa came to a stop before the locked iron gate. There was no guard out. If she hadn¡¯t already known that the Kererus Coalition had taken action against her family, then that would have given it away. There had always been a guard at the gate. She remembered his name well. Tobble. He¡¯d yed with her through much of her childhood. Tobble hadn¡¯t exactly been the mostpetent warrior, but they¡¯d never expected anyone to attack them so tantly.

    Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as she pulled it free of its sheathe and drew in a deep breath. But, before she could call out, the door to the Montibeau Estate cracked open and a middle-aged woman dressed in a dark shawl hustled out, her eyes wide with fear.

    ¡°Melissa!¡± the maid eximed, her voice a whisperden with terror and excitement alike. ¡°You live?¡±

    ¡°Alina?¡± Melissa blinked in surprise. ¡°What are you ¡ª wait, you can recognize me through my helmet?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t cover that much of your face, you daft girl. What are you doing here?¡± Alina asked as she rushed over to sp the bars of the gate. ¡°You must leave. I am delighted that you live, but your father¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what happened to father,¡± Melissa said, her voice going taut. ¡°And I have returned to avenge him.¡±

    ¡°You cannot,¡± Alina hissed. ¡°Please, Melissa. You can take revenge if you live, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s toote for that.¡± A voice rolled across the street like a waft of sewer air from a building on the street behind them. Melissa spun, raising her sword, and stared up in its direction.

    A gray-clothed assassin sat at the top of another mansion, his legs dangling over the edge. He rolled a dagger across his knuckles before flicking it to the ground several feet front of Melissa. The instant it struck, a swirl of shadow rose up from it and the assassin took form.

    Two more assassins emerged from the streets behind him. Even though Melissa couldn¡¯t see the others, she knew all too well that there were at least seven more lurking somewhere in the darkness.

    Alina let out a terrified whimper. ¡°Run, Melissa!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote for that,¡± Melissa replied. She set her stance, keeping her back to the gate. It was far from as safe as a t wall, but it was the best she had. ¡°Where are the bastards that hired you, assassin? Too cowardly to try their own hand against me?¡±

    ¡°The identity of our employer is of no concern to you,¡± the man said with a raspyugh. ¡°I suspected you would return here. Noble brats are always the same. So convinced that they¡¯ll im revenge for some slight or another. They never do. I¡¯d ask when you¡¯ll learn that there¡¯s a difference between political power and true strength, but you never will. Your life ends tonight.¡±

    ¡°Did the Kererus Coalition also hire you to p your lips for ten minutes?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°Or were you going to put steel where your words are?¡±

    The assassin let out a bark ofughter. His twopatriots drew up alongside him, and Melissa caught a glimpse of another one on the roof across from her. The assassins weren¡¯t even trying to properly hide their presence.

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    ¡°As a matter of fact, they did,¡± the assassin said. ¡°There is one that wishes to see your death with his own eyes. And I have a few questions for you of my own. What happened to thest group of assassins that came for you?¡±

    ¡°I killed them,¡± Melissa replied, baring her teeth at the assassin. Thest thing she wanted to do was bring the Menagerie into this. They¡¯d already helped her enough. She couldn¡¯t let the assassin¡¯s suspicion fall on them.

    ¡°Liar,¡± the assassin used. ¡°You aren¡¯t anywhere near strong enough. Who helped you, girl?¡±

    ¡°Come closer and I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Melissa said, pointing her sword at the assassin. ¡°Or are you scared? The others were too. They cried like dogs before I ran them through. Pissed themselves too.¡±

    ¡°Taunts will do nothing. You die tonight. I would choose your final words more carefully. The Montibeau house has truly fallen if its final heir can do nothing better than scream taunts like a tavern whore.¡±

    ¡°I bet you could show a tavern whore a thing or two about their craft. They probably go to you for advice on it,¡± Melissa replied, her eyes darting around in search of the other assassins. The armor was powerful, but it wouldn¡¯t win her the fight entirely on its own. She had to figure out where as many of the assassins were as possible. Every surprise attack she couldn¡¯t dodge was a chunk of wasted energy.

    One of the other assassins snorted. The lead one turned to re in his direction, then looked back to Melissa and shed a dagger. ¡°Laugh while you can. You¡¯ll be begging soon enough. I¡¯ll find out exactly who it was that helped you before our employer lets us put you down.¡±

    Melissa fought to keep her heart steady. Her hands were slick with sweat and her heart mmed in her chest. She was terrified, but she refused to let anyone see the extent of it.

    Footfalls echoed through the orange-hued street. Melissa nced over the assassin¡¯s shoulder as a tall man stepped out from an alleyway, nked by two more assassins, these ones d in dark robes. The man had arge forehead and a head of thinning gray hair. He sported a faint potbelly and walked with his hands crossed behind his back.

    Melissa recognized him instantly. The man was a member of the Kererus Coalition. She¡¯d never met him in person, but she¡¯d seen sketches of his face in her father¡¯s office. He¡¯d had her memorize the features of every one of their enemies.

    ¡°Ah. I see the Falling des were correct,¡± the man purred, his thin lips pulling up in a smile. ¡°Hello, Melissa. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°I know you,¡± Melissa spat. ¡°Alcard. You were the one that killed my father?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Alcard said with augh so smug that Melissa was tempted to sprint across the street and nt her fist straight in his mouth. Alcard extended a hand to the assassins. ¡°That would have been these fine gentlemen. Well, thest set of them. The first seems to have gone missing. I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re very eager to find out why. I hope you enjoy that. I won¡¯t be able to stick around and watch the whole thing, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m a busy man, now. Your family needed someone to take over things. They¡¯ve been running around like a headless chicken after you deserted them in their time of need.¡±

    Melissa ground her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, and then I¡¯m going to hunt down the rest of the Kererus Coalition and make them pay as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d love to,¡± Alcard said with a patronizing smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this, especially after you managed to slip the Falling des thest time. I¡¯ll make sure they put you down properly this time. On with it, gentlemen.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± The lead Falling de pointed his dagger in the direction of the two ck-cloaked figures that had apanied Alcard. ¡°We secured the area to ensure there were no witnesses. Who is that? Why did you bring people here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, these two?¡± Alcard let out a low chuckle. ¡°They¡¯re just here for my personal safety. Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re bound to a guild contract. They¡¯re no Falling des, but theye from a prominent assassin¡¯s guild in the city. Fear not. They won¡¯t be interfering in today¡¯s events.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t what we agreed on,¡± the spokesman for the Falling des said. ¡°How do you know they aren¡¯tpromised?¡±

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re quite reliable. I researched them extensively. They¡¯ve even got a recentlypleted mission that was in the upper pay brackets.¡± Alcard crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Go on. Introduce yourselves. Do an assassin greeting¡­ or something.¡±

    <em>What an idiot. Assassins aren¡¯t weird animals. They don¡¯t have special greetings. </em>

    Neither of the cloaked figures spoke. Melissa could have sworn their gazes were trying to bore holes into her head.

    ¡°Your dogs are mute,¡± the Falling de said. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±

    ¡°I ordered you to speak!¡± Alcard snarled.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± one of the ck-cloaked figures said. ¡°Leena, is that¡ª¡±

    ¡°It definitely is. What the fuck is with our luck?¡± the other assassin replied in a distinctively female tone. ¡°This is bad. What if <em>he </em>is here?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alcard demanded. ¡°Answer the Falling de, you buffoons!¡±

    All the Falling des in Melissa¡¯s sight readied their weapons.

    Both of the assassins nking Alcard vanished in a flicker of shadow. Melissa flinched as they both reformed at her sides, but neither of them made any move to attack.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Leena, the female assassin, asked. There was a note of panic in her voice.

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. If you want answers, you¡¯re going to have to pry them from my corpse.¡±

    ¡°Fuck that,¡± the other assassin said. ¡°I¡¯m quitting.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± the thin man eximed. ¡°You wretched thieves! I paid you¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can take your money and stuff it where the sun don¡¯t shine,¡± Leena said.

    ¡°Well, you could if we didn¡¯t already spend it all on hookers,¡± the other assassin said. ¡°Hell of a night. You <em>can</em>fuck yourself, though. There¡¯s no way this job is worth it.¡±

    Alcard¡¯s eye twitched. He looked like he was a few seconds from starting to blow steam out of his ears. The assassins at Melissa¡¯s sides exchanged a nce.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances against the des if you keep the terrifying bastard that made your outfit froming after us again,¡± the male assassin said to Melissa.

    <em>Godspit. What¡¯s going on? Are they talking about Ifrit? Do they know he made this armor?</em>

    ¡°I¡­ uh, sure?¡±

    ¡°Kill them!¡± Alcard screamed. ¡°All of them!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to cost you extra now,¡± the lead Falling de said idly, tossing his dagger from one hand to the other. ¡°This is your fault, idiot.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just kill them!¡±

    ¡°You heard him,¡± the Falling de said. He pointed his dagger at Melissa. ¡°She¡¯s mine. Deal with the turncoats.¡±

    Shadows leapt through the ruddy evening light as assassins leapt into motion. A dagger shed through the air toward Melissa¡¯s neck with such speed that she couldn¡¯t even track it, but her armor certainly could. A powerful gust of wind erupted from it, sending the dagger spinning over her shoulder harmlessly. The assassin sprinted toward her and she met his charge with a cry of defiance.

    The sh of metal filled the street and the fight started in true. Nobody noticed the body of a Falling de slumping in an alleyway, their hands mutely grasping at their throat as thick, congealed blood bubbled from between their lips.

 Chapter 245: The Armor

    Melissa let the Falling de¡¯s dagger ng off her armor harmlessly as she thrust her sword for his gut. She was more than aware she was nowhere near good enough a warrior to make a meaningful effort blocking his blows, so she simply didn¡¯t bother.

    The Falling de dipped out of the way of her strike. She pressed the attack, swinging her de again. Snarling, the assassin drove his dagger for a gap in the armor. Melissa squeezed her eyes shut an instant before a brilliant sh lit the square. Her eyes were already opening before the lightpletely faded and she swung her de once more.

    It caught the assassin¡¯s shoulder and carved across his chest, leaving behind a long, superficial wound. His stance shifted as he weaved back, bringing his dagger to bear and stumbling over his feet slightly. He hadn¡¯t been expecting to still be standing in the same spot. Melissa¡¯s lips pulled back in a smirk.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Shadows not working?¡± She asked as she lunged, driving her de for his neck.

    The assassin knocked the blow to the side with his dagger and drove the de for her chest. It rang off harmlessly a second time and he skipped back before she could retaliate.

    ¡°Where did you get this armor?¡± The Falling de demanded. All the cockiness in his posture and voice had vanished, rece by a cold determination and a sliver of respect.

    Before Melissa could answer, she felt a draw on her magical energy. A swirl of wind pushed out from her as a dagger that she hadn¡¯t even seening was hurled to the side, prevented from connecting with her by mere inches.

    ¡°Kill her already!¡± Alcard screamed.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Melissa and the Falling de yelled as one.Metal shed and shadows danced all around the alley as the two groups of assassins fought. The two ck-cloaked turncoats were holding their own, but only barely. They danced from one shadow to the next as they ran through the market square, desperately trying to stay ahead of the Falling des.

    It was a game of cat and mouse that they couldn¡¯t win. The Falling des just had too many people, and Melissa still hadn¡¯t spotted at least half of their forces. It wouldn¡¯t be long before her unexpected allies ran out of power and were gutted.

    Blows rained down on Melissa, giving her no time to think. All she could do was block and swing, desperately searching for an opportunity to turn the tides. Despite all the Falling de¡¯s skill and ability, he waspletely ineffective at breaking through Ifrit¡¯s defenses ¡ª and it was clearly starting to get to him.

    ¡°What is that damned armor you¡¯re wearing?¡± the assassin demanded. His dagger plunged down for her face and she leaned back, raising her arms defensively.

    She staggered as an immense weight mmed into her, nearly ripping them both from their sockets. A magically enhanced strike. Her armor reacted immediately, sending a wave of power rolling back down her arms and through the dagger. The assassin stumbled back with a cry of pain, his teeth cracking together as a violent tremor tore through his body. Melissa didn¡¯t pass up the sliver of opportunity. She dove forward, mming her shoulder into his stomach.

    Melissa was far from arge woman. She didn¡¯t have all that much muscle and she stood a head shorter than the assassin. There weren¡¯t many worlds where her weight would do much to inconvenience such a superior opponent.

    Unfortunately for the Falling de, Melissa was also wearing an entire set of magical armor. It might not have been the heaviest set of armor in existence. It was, however, the set of armor that lodged itself right in his gut and knocked the air from his already shaken lungs.

    The two of them tumbled to the ground. Melissa sent a mentalmand to her armor and squeezed her eyes shut as another brilliant sh of light red, illuminating the alleyway. She couldn¡¯t let the assassin disappear into the shadows while she had him pinned.

    ¡°This is¡ª¡± the assassins started, but the rest of his sentence was lost to a loud crunch as Melissa¡¯s fist mmed into his face. His nose broke beneath her gauntlet and blood sttered across her and the ground. Melissa¡¯s armor shed again as she lifted her hand once more, her sword forgotten on the ground beside her.

    A sword mmed into the back of her neck. Melissa swayed from the force of the blow, but the armor prevented it fromnding true. More energy poured out of her and into whoever had swung the weapon, sending them crumpling to the ground at her side.

    She paid them no attention. Melissa¡¯s hand crashed down again, this time driving into the assassin¡¯s forehead and mming the back of his head into the ground as he tried to rise. Her armor flooded the air with another wave of light once more, banishing any attempts to sink into the shadows.

    Stars danced before Melissa¡¯s eyes. She lifted her hands once more, ignoring the dagger that scraped across the side of her armor, and brought them both down with a scream of defiance. A loud crunch echoed out. The assassin fell limp.

    Melissa drove a foot into the ground, her breathing out in ragged gasps. She grabbed her sword and rose to her feet. Blood dripped from her fists as she turned toward the Falling de that had just tried to run her through the back.

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    The man rolled to his feet and lunged at her with two swords. Melissa ignored the attack, letting it scrape along the armor as she whipped her fist for his face. He dodged out of the way in a practiced motion, but Melissa didn¡¯t have any intention of fighting like anyone they¡¯d ever practiced against before.

    She charged him, blinking in sequence with a sh of light that rolled from her armor to avoid blinding herself, and unleashed a flurry of blows. The assassin ducked and weaved past them. His weapons carved across her over and over again. Wind erupted from her armor in a twisting maelstrom, sending two daggers scattering before they could connect with her.

    Nothing mattered. Melissa bore down on the assassin, taking every attack he threw in search of just a single strike in return ¡ª and she found it. Her fist caught him in the shoulder. A ncing blow, but one that gave her a chance to dig her fingers into the cloth. Shadows wrapped around the assassin¡¯s body and he vanished from her grip, sinking into the ground. She bared her teeth and brilliant light erupted from her armor.

    The assassin snapped back into reality, his magic ripped to shreds. Melissa¡¯s de mmed through his chest, striking the ground beneath him with such force that its tip shattered. Her elbow snapped out and into the man¡¯s temple with a loud crack.

    Melissa ripped the de out of the assassin even as he slipped off it, driving it down a second time and impaling him through an eye. She could feel her magical reserves dwindling. She could take one more assassin. Maybe two, if they yed things poorly.

    <em>Then I¡¯ll take three. </em>

    ¡°Come on!¡± Melissa screamed. The two ck-cloaked assassins were still alive, but she could see they were slowing. They weren¡¯t going to be able to hold out much longer. There were still at least eight more Falling des. Her jaw clenched, but she didn¡¯t let her desperation show. She pounded a hand against her chest. ¡°I killed ten of you! I¡¯ll kill ten more!¡±

    Two Falling des watched her warily from across the street, their daggers held defensively before them. Two more of them were chasing the ck-robed assassins, which left four lurking in the shadows somewhere.

    Alcard watched from the back of the street, his hands trembling in fury. Melissa was tempted to just sprint at him and ignore the rest of the assassins, but she didn¡¯t dare open herself up that badly. The Falling des weren¡¯t idiots. They¡¯d seen every ability her armor had now, and she¡¯d only killed two of them.

    <em>I can¡¯t let myself take pointless attacks. I to make every attack I take count as much as I possibly can. </em>

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Alcard demanded. ¡°She¡¯s not a warrior! Just kill her!¡±

    ¡°Her armor is far superior to what you described. She has a powerful force backing her,¡± one of the Falling des snapped. ¡°Be silent. We will not lose more of our number. This will be handled our way ¡ª and you will shore up the costs when it is done.¡±

    Alcard flinched, but said nothing more. A dagger shed at Melissa from the edge of an alley. She tried to duck out of the way, but the attack was a blur and she was nowhere near fast enough to dodge it. Her armor activated and sent it spinning off at the cost of even more magical energy.

    <em>Okay. One hiding in the alley over there. Don¡¯t know where the other three are right now. </em>

    Melissa adjusted her grip on her de and swallowed between her ragged breaths. The longer she waited, the worse things became. Her best chance of victory would be to help the ck-cloaked assassins, which meant she had to deal with the two Falling des in front of her and hope she could survive the ones hiding in the shadows for long enough to group up with her allies.

    She burst into motion, letting out a furious scream. The assassins ran back to keep their distance, splitting to move in opposite directions. One of them threw a metal marble in her direction. Melissa squeezed her eyes shut a moment before it hit the ground and went off with a brilliant sh.

    By the time her eyes opened again, a Falling de was swinging their sword straight for her throat. She wheezed and stumbled back as it struck true. Even though the armor stopped the de from prating, the sheer force of the strike nearly choked her.

    More energy poured from her armor and into the weapon. The Falling de released it instantly, hopping back, but failing topletely evade the magic. He stumbled over his own feet as tremors shook his body.

    Melissa lunged, not even blinking as her armor shed and prevented the Falling de from retreating into the shadows. Stars swirled before her eyes but shended on top of the assassin. A de rang off her back harmlessly and she brought her head down, straight into the man¡¯s forehead.

    His skull bounced off hers like a pinball and hit the ground with a wet stter. She drove her fist into his face just to make sure the deed was done, then rolled to the side and staggered to her feet. Wind howled around her as it prevented a dagger from connecting with her once more.

    Somewhere in the back of Melissa¡¯s mind, she was somewhat surprised that there had been so few surprise attacks. There should have been four assassins waiting to strike, but this frequency of attacks didn¡¯t line up with that at all.

    Melissa didn¡¯t have the liberty to wonder why. She fought to catch her breath as her eyes bored into those of the final Falling de standing off from her. They took a step back, raising their sword before them.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Melissa rasped, spitting on the ground and grabbing the sword of the dead Falling de at her feet. ¡°Scared of a girl half your size?¡±

    A wet thunk echoed through the street. Melissa instinctively nced in its direction. Her eyes widened as the body of a Falling de ragdolled across the street before sliding to a stop. A dagger protruded from his neck and the blood running from the wound had already coagted.

    <em>Poison. That¡¯s not the poison they used on me. That isn¡¯t one of the Falling de¡¯s daggers either, is it?</em>

    The Falling des realized they were under attack at the same time that Melissa did. The two chasing the ck-robed assassins broke off their pursuit. They vanished into swirls of shadow and rose up beside the one on the street, pressing their backs together. A fourth one appeared beside them. With the reprieve they¡¯d been granted, both of the ck-robed assassins retreated to the top of a roof.

    ¡°Show yourself,¡± one of the Falling des demanded. ¡°We know you¡¯re there.¡±

    Melissa stared inplete confusion as a man emerged from the shadows, a huge sword scraping along the ground behind him. He wore brilliant silver armor embossed with a golden sword upon a red badge. A bucket helm obscured the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hullo there,¡± the warrior said in a jovial voice. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything too important.¡±

 Chapter 246: Dagger

    ¡°I thought you said you secured the perimeter!¡± Alcard hissed.

    ¡°That was before you brought enemies inside!¡± one of the Falling des snapped back. ¡°Be silent, lest your throat be the next thing we cut.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t reckon you¡¯ll be cutting much of anything else today, actually,¡± the man said with an easygoing chuckle. ¡°Pulling shit like this on the Ardent Guild¡¯s territory? Really? Did you underestimate our spies that badly?¡±

    ¡°Your spies are ipetent,¡± a Falling de spat. ¡°Back out of this, merchant guildsman. It is not your blood we seek on this day. You will not get the offer twice.¡±

    ¡°Oh, lucky me. That¡¯ll save us a whole lot of time. I won¡¯t have to refuse twice,¡± the man said. ¡°I have to say, your dedication to the job is impressive. If you were smart, you¡¯d already be running. You¡¯ve been getting your asses handed to you.¡±

    ¡°The Falling des do not fail. The girl will die. You will too, if you wish to join her.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± the armored man let out a hearty chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡±

    He tilted his head to the side. A dagger blurred from the shadows of the alley that he¡¯de from. It streaked mere inches by his head and carved through the air before cutting across one of the assassin¡¯s shoulder¡¯s, leaving behind a superficial wound.

    The Falling de instantly let out a hiss and shoved his hand into a hidden pocket. He grabbed a vial and brought it to his mouth, draining the entire thing.¡°Toote,¡± the armored man said with a shake of his head. ¡°That¡¯s not going to save you. Might stall things out a bit.¡±

    The injured assassin let out a snort ofughter. ¡°Poison is no stranger to us. We¡ª¡±

    ¡°Take micro-doses of poison to develop an immunity to it, yes. I¡¯m quite aware. The Falling des do enjoy their poisons. Several in particr. But drinking all that poison alters your blood chemistry. Turns out, if you¡¯re real immune to a few poisons and someone happens to know which ones they are¡­¡±

    The assassin¡¯s eyes widened and he choked, blood bubbling up from his lips. He doubled over, hacking, then wed desperately at his throat.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± a Falling de member asked, staring into the alley behind the man. ¡°Why is the Ardent Guild getting involved in this?¡±

    ¡°We just <em>love </em>sticking our dicks in beehives,¡± the man replied. ¡°And we also hate you. And small children. Puppies as well. Everything beautiful in life. Well, aside from you. You¡¯re right shitstains, but I think you get the idea.¡±

    Melissa stared at the man, her sword dipping toward the ground as her grip ckened in disbelief. It almost sounded as if he was trying to shit-talk his own guild. Almost as if he had read her thoughts, the man nced in her direction.

    ¡°You there. What are you waiting for? Leave the toilet-paper mummies to us. I think you¡¯ve got someone else to deal with.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s eyes flicked to Alcard. She didn¡¯t need to be told twice, and she wasn¡¯t one to question fate. She burst into motion. The tall man paled and spun. One of the ck-robed assassins hurled a dagger. It sailed through the air before striking him in the back of the head hilt-first. Alcard tumbled to the ground with a cry.

    He rolled over in an attempt to rise back to his feet, but Melissa¡¯s foot mmed into his chest and drove him back into the ground. Her sword flicked to the bottom of his chin and she locked eyes with him, her lips pulling back in a snarl as she pressed the tip of her de to his flesh.

    ¡°You killed my father,¡± Melissa snarled. ¡°Are you ready to die?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    Melissa drove the de home, sliding it up through Alcard¡¯s jaw and into his brain, silencing him.

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    ¡°May yourst words die with you. You can share them with the rest of your Coalition when Ie for them as well,¡± Melissa hissed. She ripped the de free and turned back toward the remaining three Falling des. Her heart felt like it had been twisted into knots. She couldn¡¯t decide if she was relieved, exhausted, or angry. It didn¡¯t matter. She couldn¡¯t let herself be anything but prepared until the fight was done.

    ¡°Well then,¡± the Ardent Guildsman said. ¡°It appears ten have be three. We outnumber you and your employer is dead. Who wants to die next? Show of hands.¡±

    Nobody moved.

    Melissa couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face, but something told her that he was smiling.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Then perhaps we cane to a deal, eh?¡±

    ¡°Talk,¡± one of the Falling des said.

    ¡°Oh, lucky me.¡± The man chuckled. This time around, there was no doubt in Melissa¡¯s mind. He was definitely smiling. The warrior leaned against his sword. ¡°I <em>love </em>talking. Especially about the terms of your surrender.¡±

    ¡°The Falling des do not surrender.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s hand tightened around the hilt of her stolen sword, but the warrior didn¡¯t even seem slightly concerned. He just blew out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware your group is a big fan of semantics. Bunch of hardasses. Very well. We¡¯ll agree on the alteration of the contract. Your employer is dead, but I trust you¡¯ve already been paid.¡±

    ¡°We have not been paid for the lives that were wasted.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a miscalction on your part.¡± The warrior shrugged. ¡°You already lost a whole squad. Are you really going to lose another?¡±

    ¡°Even if you were able to kill all of us while we were running, more woulde,¡± a Falling de said. ¡°You are not part of the contract. Your attack on one of us is an attack on our entire organization.¡±

    ¡°Or so you say. You won¡¯t actually enforce that. It¡¯s a good threat, but there aren¡¯t enough Falling des for you to waste that many bodies. 17 of your men are dead. Do you want to make it 20? Make your decision. Either give the girl immunity from the contract and back out or waste another group trying to kill her. It¡¯s up to you.¡±¡±

    There were several moments of long silence. Sweat prickled at Melissa¡¯s palm and rolled down her back.

    ¡°How do you know so much about us?¡± one of the other Falling des demanded.

    ¡°None of your concern,¡± the warrior replied. ¡°The only thing keeping you here is pride. With no contractor to report to, the mission is over. You didn¡¯t fail, but you didn¡¯t seed ¡ª and yet, you live. Hesitate for longer and I¡¯ll rectify that.¡±

    To Melissa¡¯s surprise, the three remaining Falling des inclined their heads in acknowledgement. Shadows wrapped around them and they sank into the ground as one. Melissa readied her sword, but no attack came.

    <em>There¡¯s no way. They actually just¡­ left? Just like that?</em>

    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± the warrior said, reading the shock in Melissa¡¯s posture. ¡°The Falling des are killers for hire. They aren¡¯t insane murderers, and they live be their own set of rules. You won¡¯t be dealing with them again. By backing out today, their entire organization has agreed to never take a contract against you again. Now other assassins¡­ that¡¯s a whole different question.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at us,¡± Leena said, picking at her tattered ck robe and letting out a weary sigh. ¡°I¡¯m quitting. I hate this job. Don¡¯t forget our deal, girl.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ yeah,¡± Melissa muttered. She rubbed her brow as a headache started to build. ¡°I won¡¯t. But who are¡ª¡±

    Leena and herpanion both vanished in swirls of shadow. Melissa¡¯s gaze shifted over to the Ardent guildmember. Something about him almost felt familiar, but she couldn¡¯t ce what it was.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± the warrior said, raising a hand and giving her a sharp nod. ¡°This isn¡¯t over. The assassins were the tool, not the hand wielding it. You¡¯ve got a lot of work ahead if you want to take what you lost back from the Kererus Coilition. The whiny bastard at your feet was only the closest of your enemies, not the strongest.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª I know that. But why are you helping me? My family has no friendly dealings with the Ardent Guild.¡±

    The man chuckled and turned on his heel, starting for the alley that he¡¯de from. He paused at the edge of the darkness. ¡°And you¡¯ll find it¡¯ll stay that way. I acted alone. Don¡¯t expect help again. Just treat today as a gift. Sometimes, things just work out in your favor. And remember, momentum is a powerful weapon. Don¡¯t sit back and rx. Move quickly and strike hard. Regain your foothold in Milten. If you give the Kererus Coalition time to fight back, the next fight against them will not go nearly as well as this one did.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ okay,¡± Melissa said. She nced at Alina. The maid still stood on the other side of the gates, her eyes as round as saucers with disbelief. It didn¡¯t seem she had any idea who the man was either.

    ¡°Who made that armor of yours, by the way?¡± the man asked.

    <em>Oh. That¡¯s right. Ifrit wanted me to make sure people knew who made the armor. </em>

    ¡°A ¡ª a smith. Ifrit, down at the Infernal Armory.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the warrior said. ¡°Good to know.¡±

    With that, he strode into the darkness and left Melissa standing alone in a street covered with dead assassins. And, as the sun slowly dipped behind the buildings and cast the world into shadow, she couldn¡¯t shake onest question from her mind.

    <em>If he acted alone, who threw that poisoned dagger? </em>

 Chapter 247: Emergency Treatment

    Rodrick wove through the darkening alleyways of Milten until he was absolutely certain nobody unwanted was tailing him. He came to a stop in the shadow of a roof protruding above several old barrels and rested the huge de he¡¯d stolen against the wall before starting to strip out of the armor.

    He set the metal down in arge pile. The Ardent guild probably wasn¡¯t going to be getting this particr armor back. Then again, if they¡¯d wanted it back, they shouldn¡¯t have left it on someone who was easily lured from their post and into a dark, sketchy alley.

    Gentle footfalls echoed through the street behind Rodrick. He nced over his shoulder as a woman clothed in ck garb slipped around the corner. She reached up and worked the cloth covering her face free, pulling the hood back.

    ¡°Have I ever mentioned that you look great in ck?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Just about every time I wear it,¡± Anna replied as she pulled her hair out of a bun and let it fall across her shoulders. She peeled the cloth off herself, revealing her normal clothes beneath it, and kicked the bundle to the side of the street. ¡°The sentiment is just as appreciated as it was the first time.¡±

    ¡°You do realize that could be either a good or a bad thing, right?¡± Rodrick stepped out of the sabatons and slid them over to the rest of his armor.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m more than aware. I like to keep you on your toes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on my toes more than enough already,¡± Rodrick grumbled. He gave Anna a small nod and they started down the street, distancing themselves from the gear they¡¯d stolen. Rodrick kept his enhanced hearing peeled for anyone in the area, but it seemed like they¡¯d made it out without any undue attention.

    <em>Suppose I¡¯ve got the Falling des to thank for that. They did such a great job of clearing out the area and making sure nobody would witness anything they shouldn¡¯t have that they saved me from having to deal with it. Heck, I don¡¯t think I could have done all that on my own if I¡¯d wanted to.</em>Anna let out a small sigh, pulling Rodrick from his thoughts. He nced back at her, drawing to a stop at the edge of another alley.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Wrong? No. It¡¯s just been a while,¡± Anna said. She ran her hands through her hair to straighten it out, then pulled out a thin band and tied it into a ponytail.

    ¡°You had some damn good aim for being so out of practice.¡± Rodrick nudged Anna in the shoulder and gave her an encouraging grin. ¡°It was almost as if not a day had passed. I¡¯m d for it. It really would have ruined the whole thing if you brained me with that dagger instead of the Falling de.¡±

    Anna let out a smallugh, but it was clear her heart wasn¡¯t in it. She leaned against Rodrick and let her head thump against his shoulder. ¡°I wish it had been longer, Rodrick.¡±

    The smile slipped off Rodrick¡¯s features and he let out a sigh, wrapping an arm around Anna¡¯s shoulders and pulling closer to his chest. ¡°I know. I do too, but this was necessary. It would have been such a shame if all the effort everyone put into saving Melissa was wasted. Arwin made the right call to keep our guild out of it, but they still would have been crushed if she died.¡±

    ¡°Rodrick?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a solution here, hon. I just want toin. I knew what I was doing when I picked up the daggers again. Not a single part of me regrets helping Melissa. She deserves to have a chance to take her family back. That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t wish we could have taken a different path.¡±

    ¡°This would be where I¡¯d point out we possibly could have asked some others for help. Despite what Arwin said, I¡¯m sure he and Lillia both would have been more than willing toe with us. We didn¡¯t have to make up the whole thing about needing to use the bathroom together after we saw one of the blokes I paid off waving to us in the window. Bit contrived, actually. I think they might have wondered what we were off to, especially given how long we¡¯ve been gone.¡±

    Anna pulled her head back and red up at him. Rodrick coughed into his fist and hurriedly amended his prior words.

    ¡°Of course, the bathroom thing was my idea, so you¡¯re not at fault there. And I wouldn¡¯t actually say any of the above, as you did just mention that you weren¡¯t looking for a solution. Just thinking out loud.¡±

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    Anna let out something between a sigh and augh. She let her head thunk back against his shoulder, then wiped her nose off on his shirt sleeve before pulling back and grabbing his wrist.

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot. And if we had done any of the things that you <em>thought aloud</em>, the Menagerie would have been involved in this. Not a single one of them is particrly discreet. I mean, take a look at the lot. Arwin is a rampaging bull. Lillia sticks out like ¡ª well, a demon. Olive only has one damn hand. Every single thief and cutthroat in the city knows and hates Reya. Madiv is Madiv, and what would Esmerelda do? Try to sell the Falling de on some low-quality magic item? No. This was something we had to do alone. It required the one thing the rest of the guild doesn¡¯t have.¡±

    ¡°A great body and a better sense of humor?¡±

    ¡°Proper discretion.¡± Anna rolled her eyes, then let a small smile pull at her lips. ¡°But that too.¡±

    Rodrick gave Anna¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°I know how distasteful you find this kind of thing. But ¡ª strictly thinking out loud, mind you ¡ª there¡¯s no way those bastards would have pulled back if we hadn¡¯t taken care of the ones lurking around. The des don¡¯t consider retreat until only 3 are left. I couldn¡¯t have dealt with them on my own. You had to clean up some scum, but it bought someone their life. Melissa would have been dead if you hadn¡¯t helped.¡±

    ¡°You knew we had to get them to exactly 3?¡± Anna¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly and they both paused for a moment as they moved from the alleys to arger street. There weren¡¯t any people around them, and Rodrick gave Anna a faint nod to indicate it was still safe to speak. She started back up without missing a beat. ¡°When did you learn so much about the Falling des? Were you intentionally holding back information from when they first attacked us?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not. I don¡¯t have a reason to hold that back. I only keep the details out of the way to avoid people getting caught up in worthless shit,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°I found a source.¡±

    ¡°In Milten?¡± A shred of incredulousness entered Anna¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Crazy, right? But not just Milten. Closer than that.¡±

    ¡°Closer? How?¡±

    ¡°The white-bearded bloke with the spooky blue eyes,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Ran into him at the edge of the street when I was heading out to dig for information about the Falling des a few days ago. He knew fucking <em>everything</em>. If he¡¯d told me he knew how many times they breathed during the day, I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised.¡±

    ¡°Him? Seriously?¡± Anna blinked in surprise. ¡°How? And how did you know the information was good?¡±

    ¡°Spent some time verifying it, of course. I never base ns entirely on untested information. Everything he told me was true.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unsettling. Do you think he¡¯s a retired member?¡±

    ¡°He said the Falling des don¡¯t let you retire. Not when you¡¯re alive. I asked the same thing,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he was. That was part of the deal we had. He gave me info, but I couldn¡¯t probe too deep on where it came from. I think that¡¯s a fair request, given our own histories. We¡¯ve hardly been fully outright with everything.¡±

    Anna winced and averted her gaze. ¡°You have. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s hiding the truth.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t. You¡¯re a healer. That¡¯s who you are.¡±

    ¡°Healer is only my ss. Nothing more,¡± Anna muttered.

    ¡°I disagree. You¡¯re a healer in more than just ss,¡± Rodrick insisted. ¡°You care about people. Always trying to fix them. It isn¡¯t just the magic you¡¯ve got. It¡¯s who you are.¡±

    Anna gave him a sidelong nce and they turned another street. It wouldn¡¯t be too long until they arrived back at the Devil¡¯s Den.

    ¡°You know as well as I do that I¡¯ve probably hurt just as many people as I¡¯ve helped. I was never meant to be a healer,¡± Anna said softly.

    ¡°And yet a healer you became. You just took a slightly roundabout way of getting around to it.¡±

    ¡°Rodrick, I did the exact opposite of healing people.¡±

    ¡°Hey, have to know how to break them to fix them,¡± Rodrick said slyly. Anna let out a mixture between a choke, a snort, and augh. She elbowed Rodrick lightly in the arm and he stumbled to the side with an expression twisted with exaggerated pain before dropping it to give her a pointed look. ¡°See? Proof. Now you need to help me recover.¡±

    Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°If I knew what I was getting into when I married you¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t have changed anything, but maybe I¡¯d have been more prepared for it.¡±

    ¡°You really think you could have prepared for all this?¡±

    There was a second of hesitation. Then Anna snorted. ¡°No. Not a chance.¡±

    ¡°Good. I strive to be unpredictable.¡± Rodrick gave her a satisfied nod and they resumed their walk in silence for the next several minutes. Then Rodrick cleared his throat. ¡°You never said if you were going to help me feel better after that brutal assault. I might need a kiss to help me recover my will to keep going.¡±

    ¡°Rodrick, we just killed several people.¡±

    ¡°People that were trying to kill someone else. Purging those that prey on the weak is just doing the world a favor, love. But I swear I¡¯ll regain more of my strength so you don¡¯t have to dirty your hands again. I know how you feel about killing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re letting your former profession shine through again, Rodrick.¡± Anna sent him a small smile. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to apologize. I don¡¯t enjoy killing other humans, but I already said I don¡¯t regret what we did. And it¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t doing everything you can. After what you¡¯ve sacrificed¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have gained far more than I have lost. I¡¯d do it a thousand times over, even if the cost doubled each go around.¡±

    Anna¡¯s cheeks reddened and she tore her gaze away from his.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to tell them the truth, Rodrick. I don¡¯t think can keep hiding it forever.¡±

    Rodrick let out a small sigh. ¡°Yeah. I know.¡±

    The Devil¡¯s Den came into view at the end of the street, illuminated by the gentle silver light crawling across the surface of Milten at the behest of the moon. She jerked her chin toward the inn. ¡°Go take a bath. We can see if I¡¯m going to need to do any emergency treatment when we get back to our room.¡±

 Chapter 248: The Day

    A groan of relief escaped Arwin¡¯s lips as he sank down onto Lillia¡¯s bed, letting himselfpletely rx for the first time since he¡¯d started learning Dwarven Smithing from Wace. He¡¯d managed to drain his magical reservespletely in the process of helping Lillia prepare dinner. She¡¯d had several new ideas she¡¯d wanted to test out, all of which had ended up consuming a whole lot more magic than either of them had thought. The results had been an incredibly delicious dinner and a rather exhausted Arwin. They¡¯d made so much food that it had taken the entire Menagerie ¡ª and Wace ¡ª nearly two hours to finish everything. The dwarf had then proceeded to copse on the spot, dozing away in a content slumber.

    A weary grin tugged at Arwin¡¯s lips. It had been a stressful day, but a good one. His muscles almost seemed to murmur their approval as all the strength finally fled and he let the tension leave his body. He managed about a second of blissed and utter rxation before he heard something moving through the air above him and a poorly suppressed snicker that spelled doom. The air was knocked from Arwin¡¯s lungs in a surprised grunt as Lillia flopped down on top of him.

    ¡°The Demon Queen shows her true colors,¡± Arwin groaned as Lillia wound her limbs around him like an octopus and let out a content yawn ¡ª one that he suspected had been stolen from his own lips.

    ¡°Noints allowed when you¡¯re in my bed,¡± Lillia replied into the side of his neck. Her tail wound around his leg and she rxed into him. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re sofortable. I¡¯m d you weren¡¯t wearing armor, though. That might have been painful.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see in the dark?¡±

    Lillia mumbled something in response, but she¡¯d buried her face into the bed and his neck so closely that he couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked, holding back augh.

    Lillia let out a muted sigh, her breath tickling against his skin before she scooted back a bit so her head was rested against Arwin¡¯s chest instead of his neck. Arwin drew on a force of will and lifted one of his arms, slinging it over her back to return her embrace. Lillia let out a small noise of approval. ¡°I said I was exhausted. I really thought we were going to have to fight Wace.¡±

    ¡°It definitely got a little close,¡± Arwin agreed through a yawn of his own. ¡°I¡¯m d things worked out. He¡¯s a bit stiff, but I think his heart is in the right ce. It¡¯s a damn good thing he doesn¡¯t know what ss I took, though.¡±Arwin couldn¡¯t see Lillia, but he could somehow feel her eyes narrow. Her tail tightened around his leg. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I like the sound of that, Arwin. What happened?¡±

    ¡°I took a risk,¡± Arwin replied. He briefly filled Lillia in on the details of the ss specialization he¡¯d chosen as well as the title he¡¯d gotten along with it. She remained silent until he had finished. Arwin felt her nose scrunch against him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t have done the same. You definitely made the right call in not telling Wace. He¡¯s too stuck up in right and wrong. Maybe he¡¯ll learn, but it would have just caused issues if he found out.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I think I can manage it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll find out. It¡¯s going to be a busy few days.¡±

    ¡°Make sure you save some energy to help me cook. I need to test some more ideas, but I¡¯ll have to slot that in between working on the Devil¡¯s Den. I need to start preparing to expand it. I¡¯m thinking about contacting Ridley and having him do some work.¡±

    ¡°He was affordable. Good choice,¡± Arwin said. A thought pushed through his weariness to poke him in the back of his mind and he blinked. ¡°Oh, right. You might have some extra stuff to y with as well.¡±

    ¡°Extra stuff? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, while I was working, I had to feed the Infernal Armory the Crag Lizard in order to make my mithril item,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°It ended up eating about half of it, but I made sure to make it promise to save the other half for you.¡±

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    Lillia stiffened against him. Her head lifted slightly off his chest and she scooted forward so they were nose to nose. ¡°You¡¯ve got half a Crag Lizard just¡­ sitting in the armory?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s magical,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s got a way to preserve it. I mean, things can¡¯t start to rot if they¡¯re in some extradimensional space where there¡¯s nothing to rot them. And there¡¯s no way the lizard is physically in this world, the building isn¡¯t big enough. I¡¯ll help you get it out tomorrow.¡±

    Lillia hesitated for a second. Even as tired as she was, Arwin could practically read her thoughts. A chance to cook with a new powerful ingredient wasn¡¯t that much different from him getting a new type of metal to work with. It opened up new dishes and techniques she could try to learn, not to mention a way to advance her ss.

    ¡°It¡¯s not going anywhere overnight.¡± Arwin rolled to the side and Lillia let out a startled yelp a moment before she partially swapped ces with Arwin. He pulled her closer to his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯m too tired to follow you out of bed if you get up, so I¡¯m just not letting you leave.¡±

    ¡°You make a very convincing argument,¡± Lillia said, letting her head drop back to the bed. ¡°And a surprisingly good nket. Fine. I suppose I can wait until tomorrow. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve got the magical energy left to actually cook anything worthwhile now anyway.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Arwin agreed.

    They both fell silent, and their breathing soon slowed as they drifted off to sleep.

    ***

    Arwin awoke, rested and prepared to face the day, to find something chewing on the nape of his neck. He wasn¡¯t aplete stranger to the sensation. He¡¯d had a number of things try to take a bite out of him in his life. Some of them had even actually pulled it off to varying degrees of sess.

    He jolted, momentarily forgetting where he was as his mind raced to try and relocate itself. By the time he remembered that he was lying in Lillia¡¯s bed, he¡¯d already gotten halfway through sitting up.

    They¡¯d managed to roll over in the night so Lillia was atop him once more, and he only managed to grab her before she wasunched off the bed through sheer instinct. She let out a startled yelp.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± Lillia asked, the weariness evaporating from her words by the time the sentence had finished.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Something woke me up. I didn¡¯t mean to sit up so suddenly.¡±

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s fine.¡± Lillia shifted to wipe at her eyes. ¡°I think it¡¯s probably for the best. I¡¯m so excited to start working with the Crag Lizard that I think I was dreaming about it.¡±

    Arwin paused for a second. ¡°Did you happen to be tasting something you cooked in your dream?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ yeah, actually. How did you know that? Was I talking in my sleep?¡±

    ¡°We can just call it an inkling,¡± Arwin replied, fighting to hold back augh. ¡°Did it at least taste good?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t dodge the question like that, but of course it did,¡± Lillia grumbled. ¡°I made it. Why wouldn¡¯t it be good?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re d ¡ª what? I¡¯m confused.¡±

    ¡°And possibly hungry,¡± Arwin said as he scooped Lillia up and swung his legs out of bed. He took a moment to find his footing before setting her down in front of him. ¡°Did you want to go find Ridley before you start messing with the Crag Lizard? We should probably leave it as it is for as long as possible. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve got enough ice boxes to hold even half of it.¡±

    ¡°Definitely Ridley first,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I was exhaustedst night and wasn¡¯t thinking straight. I need to prepare before I start working with the Crag Lizard. I¡¯ll have to n the dishes I¡¯ll make and spread word in the city that I¡¯ve got something new on the menu. No point passing up on the opportunity to drum up extra business. And if I do that, I might need to expand first as well. Just the size of that thing alone is too much for the inn as it is. Can you find out if it¡¯ll stay good in your smithy?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯ll do that before I get started with anything else.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lillia said. She made her way across the room and Arwin heard a soft thump as she pulled her nightshirt off and swapped to something new. She headed back over to him and paused for a moment before wiping at Arwin¡¯s shoulder with her sleeve. ¡°I think you were drooling a bit.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I was hungry as well. You must have been passing your dreams onto me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s eptable. My cooking is pretty good,¡± Lillia said in a smug tone. She put a hand on his chest and her words turned more serious. ¡°Be careful with that new ss specialization, would you? Wace is a tightass, but Cursed items aren¡¯t exactly children¡¯s toys.¡±

    ¡°I will. There¡¯s no point taking a risk if I¡¯m not around to take advantage of it,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°I¡¯ll try to leave some time and energy toward the end of the day to give you some help on any cooking escapades.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tonight. If you do end up deciding you¡¯re going to do something insane, let me know first so I can help.¡±

    Arwinughed. ¡°Deal.¡±

    Lillia pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth, then snagged his wrist and dragged him out of the darkness and toward the day lying in wait for them.

 Chapter 249: Thin walls

    When Arwin and Lillia emerged from the kitchen and into themon room, they found the rest of the Menagerie waiting for them. The only one missing was Esmerelda, who technically wasn¡¯t even part of the guild and had just been hanging around ¡ª and Arwin suspected that was more to argue with Madiv than it was for work purposes.

    ¡°Is this an intervention?¡± Arwin asked, squinting at the solemn expressions of gathered members of his guild. ¡°Because I feel remarkably unnerved. Nobody important died, right?¡±

    ¡°Someone died, but they weren¡¯t important,¡± Rodrick said. Anna elbowed him in the side and he coughed. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not an intervention,¡± Anna said, pulling her eyes away from Rodrick and letting out a small sigh. ¡°But¡­ well, there¡¯s no easy way to say this. Rodrick and I were speakingst night, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were doing a lot more than speaking,¡± Olive said, ncing at the other woman out of the corners of eyes. ¡°Lillia should really consider making slightly thicker walls.¡±

    Rodrick started to grin before he caught Anna¡¯s expression and hurriedly coughed into his fist to conceal his expression. Anna squinted at the one-armed warrior, who reddened.

    ¡°Not the right time?¡±

    ¡°The walls suggestion might be a good one,¡± Anna grumbled. ¡°And you arepletely ruining the atmosphere I am attempting to create here.¡±

    Olive gave Anna a sheepish grin. ¡°Sorry.¡±¡°I was going to speak to a mason today anyway, so I¡¯ll keep note of the request. Having thicker walls would probably be a good idea all around,¡± Lillia said with a thoughtful nod. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want people dissatisfied because they can hear too much from the other rooms.¡±

    ¡°Hey, maybe some people like to listen,¡± Reya said. ¡°You never know. You could charge extra for it.¡±

    ¡°Godspit, I give up,¡± Anna said, flinging her hands up and running them through her hair with a defeated groan. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was hoping for with you lot of idiots.¡±

    ¡°But the good news is we know what you were hoping for,¡± Olive said. ¡°Also, you and Rodrick have a lot of stamina. It¡¯s really quite impressive¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am not above hitting you over the head.¡± Anna pointed her staff at Olive. ¡°Don¡¯t try me. It¡¯s not real bodily harm if you can still walk afterward.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s how the healer¡¯s code is meant to work,¡± Madiv said.

    ¡°Are you a healer?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t decide the healer¡¯s code.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Madiv said. ¡°I will locate a copy of the code and study it properly to ensure further misunderstandings do not ur.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª oh, Godspit,¡± Anna eximed. She thunked the bottom of her staff against the wood at her feet to draw their attention. ¡°Rodrick and I have been lying to all of you about who we are.¡±

    Silence swept over the room.

    ¡°So Rodrick <em>isn¡¯t </em>a fallen pdin?¡± Reya asked hesitantly.

    Anna opened her mouth. Then she closed it again. Her eye twitched. ¡°No, he is.¡±

    ¡°Your names aren¡¯t Rodrick and Anna?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°No, they are,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°The next person who talks gets a staff to the head,¡± Anna snapped, ring at all of them. ¡°I should have been more specific. <em>I¡¯m </em>the one that hasn¡¯t been entirely honest. I¡¯ve been trying to hide from that truth for a long time, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right for me to keep it to myself any longer. Not when there¡¯s a chance of my actions affecting the guild as a whole.¡±

    ¡°Anna, whoever you may have been, I don¡¯t think any of us are going to hold it against you,¡± Arwin said gently. He sent a pointed nce at Lillia. ¡°Especially not me and Lillia. What matters is the person you are now.¡±

    Anna gave him a small smile. ¡°I suspected you would say that, but you haven¡¯t even heard me out yet, so I won¡¯t hold you to those words.¡±

    ¡°Honey, just get it out already,¡± Rodrick said softly. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to. And if I do, I¡¯ll probably bungle it.¡±

    Anna¡¯s nose scrunched and she let out a sigh. ¡°Before I met Rodrick, I was a member of the Secret Eye.¡±

    Of everything Anna could have said, that wasn¡¯t what Arwin had been expecting ¡ª nor did it seem anywhere near as big of a problem as he¡¯d been prepared for her to reveal. He¡¯d fully thought she was about to reveal that her pastime hobby had been kicking small animals.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya said. She blinked, then frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ cool, I think? I mean, the Secret Eye are kind of pricks for almost covering up that Dungeon Break, but I don¡¯t really hate them. Am I supposed to hate them?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mostly impartial, but there are multiple branches to anyrge organization,¡± Rodrick said with a grimace. ¡°Anna, hon, I know you¡¯re trying to be gentle about this, but it really isn¡¯t working. Just get to the point and stop confusing everyone.¡±

    ¡°Fine. I was one of their Inquisitors,¡± Anna said.

    They all stared at her.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what that is,¡± Lillia said sheepishly.

    ¡°Nor do I,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you might have to exin a little more.¡±

    Rodrick put a hand on Anna¡¯s head before she could say anything more. ¡°The Secret Eye are meant to be impartial, but a lot of the time, that doesn¡¯t end up being the case. There are so many different agendas in the kingdom. So many different guilds that want something ¡ª and a lot of people that aren¡¯t happy with how they or their guilds get ranked. The Inquisitors were a group of people within the Secret Eye that handle all of that.¡±

    This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°We were assassins,¡± Anna said, her gaze falling to the ground. ¡°Of a sort, at least.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Olive asked. ¡°I mean you no disrespect, but unless you¡¯ve been intentionally avoiding using your skills, you¡¯re no assassin.¡±

    ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t that kind of assassin,¡± Anna said. She swallowed before continuing. ¡°Generally, anyone who would have an issue with the Secret Eye was someone strong enough that they couldn¡¯t just disappear. It would cause too much of a stir. Our purpose was to ensure that didn¡¯t happen, so we couldn¡¯t just go and kill our targets.¡±

    Olive¡¯s eyes went wide and she drew in a sharp breath of realization. ¡°I heard rumors of this, but I thought they were just superstitious idiots. You went after your target¡¯s friends and loved ones instead of them.¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t kill the bull. The kingdom needed it alive ¡ª so we made a leash.¡± Regret soaked Anna¡¯s words and it was a moment before she spoke again. ¡°Most of the time, the mere threat was enough. Most of the time.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s stomach tightened. He didn¡¯t want to ask the question at the front of his mind, but he couldn¡¯t keep himself from it. ¡°Who did you kill? How many?¡±

    ¡°With my own hand? Not many. I made poisons, and those were usually enough. Not every target had to die¡­ but some did, and it was my fault. I don¡¯t know how many. I wasn¡¯t privy to the full extent of what my work was used for,¡± Anna admitted, her voice taut. ¡°But I asionally heard word of what had happened to people. I could recognize the signs of my own work. I ¡ª I¡¯m responsible for a lot of terrible things. Deaths. Disfigurements. Broken families. All because of my work.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Why would you do something like that?¡±

    ¡°The reason doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Anna said with a shake of her head. ¡°I was willing to sacrifice others for my own sake because I wasn¡¯t the one driving the dagger into their hearts with my own hands. I convinced myself it didn¡¯t matter because someone else would have done it if I didn¡¯t ¡ª but the fact of the matter was, I did it. Nobody forced me to. It was my choice.¡±

    ¡°She was sick,¡± Rodrick said.

    Anna red at him. ¡°Rodrick, be quiet. They¡ª¡±

    ¡°Should know the entire story,¡± Rodrick said tly. ¡°I¡¯m not justifying Anna¡¯s actions, but she¡¯s only telling you half the truth.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to influence¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not children, Anna,¡± Rodrick snapped, pounding a fist against the counter to silence any argument. ¡°Everyone here can make their own decisions, but they deserve to know everything. That was what we agreed on.¡±

    Anna¡¯s shoulders slumped and she inclined her head. ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, I was once a Pdin in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild,¡± Rodrick said, running a hand through his hair nervously. ¡°My immediate superior and his wife recognized a pattern in the sicknesses of family members of high-ranking people throughout the kingdom, and we¡¯d heard rumors that they were working from within the Secret Eye. When he reported it to the upper members of the guild, nobody acted. He pushed, insisting that we couldn¡¯t let someone terrorize the kingdom ¡ª and he was silenced.¡±

    ¡°Someone killed him?¡± Reya asked, her eyes widening.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rodrick replied. He started to pace back and forth across the room, wringing his hands together as he spoke. ¡°His death was ruled an ident, but I know it wasn¡¯t. And I knew I would be next if I or his wife tried to bring up what happened. So I went off on my own. I abandoned my post in the guild and used my connections to sneak into the Secret Eye. Over the course of years, I worked my way up its ranks. I¡¯d always been good at sniffing out information, but they made me great. I made friends. I sucked up to my superiors. They had absolutely no idea. But I got cocky. They found me sniffing around where I wasn¡¯t meant to be. I fought back ¡ª but not everyone in the Secret Eye was evil. Most of them weren¡¯t. They were just following orders, and I killed an innocent man and betrayed my oaths. My powers shattered and I was captured. They had me dragged to the dungeons to figure out what my motives were ¡ª but I wasn¡¯t easy to break. They needed someone to keep me alive while they questioned me.¡±

    ¡°That was where I met Rodrick,¡± Anna said, averting her gaze from everyone. ¡°The dungeons. They brought me in to keep him alive while they tortured him.¡±

    ¡°Would have died if she hadn¡¯t been there,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°She did more than heal me. She spoke to me when the other Inquisitors left. She told them it was because she was searching for more information, but she was really just keeping me sane. Turns out, she was sick. Dying from a poison that her mother had ingested before she was born, and that had been eating away at her from childhood. She needed money to buy supplies.¡±

    ¡°Money that I couldn¡¯t earn through normal jobs,¡± Anna said. ¡°I needed more money than I could have ever hoped to make. The poison was incredibly potent and spread throughout my entire body. Other healers couldn¡¯t remove it, but I could temporarily neutralize it through my own poisons. The Secret Eye heard of my talents and picked me up. They gave me the materials I needed to make poison, but that is no excuse for what I did. I sacrificed my morals and the lives of others to try and buy my own.¡±

    Rodrick nodded and his pacing drew to a halt as he let out a slow breath. ¡°Anna told me all of this when I was imprisoned. I realized that she was the person I set out to kill, and that she was trapped there as much as I was. She was a child when the Secret Eye took her in, and I couldn¡¯t fault a child that had nobody for trying to survive.¡±

    ¡°But he could certainly try to convince me to be better,¡± Anna muttered, a tiny smile flickering across her lips before it fell away. She sniffled and wiped her face with the back of a sleeve before continuing. ¡°Rodrick spent every second we had telling me about himself and his superior. About what the value of a life was. He did all of that after refusing to give up his real identity. If he had, they might have gone after his superior¡¯s wife as well to remove any loose ends.¡±

    Arwin swallowed. It felt like a lead ball had caught in his throat. If he¡¯d been in Anna¡¯s shoes, he would have liked to say that he¡¯d done differently, but he honestly couldn¡¯t know for sure. His thoughts were a mess. ¡°How did you escape?¡±

    Rodrick smiled. ¡°Anna saved me. Broke me out after one of the Inquisitor¡¯s <em>sessions</em>. We both ran for it. None of them ever expected her to betray them, so it was almost easy. Then we ran. Been at it ever since.¡±

    ¡°How is Anna alive, then?¡± Reya asked. ¡°She¡¯s dying, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    A bitter smile pulled across Anna¡¯s lips. ¡°Turns out, I¡¯d cured myself of the poison a long time ago. The leader of the Inquisitors was keeping me sick. He must have been adding poisons to my meals and water. I never found out what, but shortly after Rodrick and I escaped, I found that the poison had purged itself from my body. Years of being the vehicle of death¡­ and it was for nothing. I wasn¡¯t even saving myself. I¡¯m just a murderer that was scared of dying.¡±

    ¡°Until someone showed you better,¡± Rodrick said firmly. ¡°You never had anyone to show you a different path. You chose to save me even though you believed doing so would result in your own death.¡±

    ¡°That does not change what I have done.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said, inclining his head. He picked a mug up from the counter and stared into it for several seconds. ¡°It does not. There is more to it, but we felt that we couldn¡¯t keep this from all of you any longer. This isn¡¯t the situation that Arwin and Lillia were in. They had no choice. I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t reveal this earlier. We should have said it some time ago, but it has been so long since I¡¯ve seen Anna enjoying herself like this that I insisted we keep it to ourselves.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t do anything wrong beyond defending yourself,¡± Olive said. ¡°You lost your pdin ss because you killed someone innocent, but it was a mistake. We can¡¯t hold that against you.¡±

    ¡°You may believe that, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I travel with Anna,¡± Rodrick said with a soft smile. He set the mug in his hands back down and crossed his arms behind his back. ¡°And if you want us to leave, then we will do so immediately. Don¡¯t worry ¡ª neither of us will ever reveal the truth about the Menagerie. I¡¯m <em>very </em>good at keeping things to myself.¡±

    And, with that, every eye in the room turned toward Arwin.

 Chapter 250: Knowledge

    Arwin couldn¡¯t bring himself to say something on the spot. Any words that may have been prepared to slip from between his lips would have been ones that hadn¡¯t had time to properly mull over the gravity of the story that Rodrick and Anna had just told them.

    Nobody said a word for several long seconds. Tension and unease weighed down on the room like anchors on every single one of their backs. There was a part of Arwin that wanted to dismiss the story outright ¡ª to say that he didn¡¯t care who Rodrick and Anna had once been. To say that the only thing that mattered was who they were now.

    That part of him was wrong. He and Lillia knew more than anyone that they couldn¡¯t dismiss their past. They couldn¡¯t just pretend it didn¡¯t exist. It would have been wrong, not just to the people that had fallen at their hand, but to themselves. Ignoring a problem did not make it go away. It would have been a disservice to Anna.

    But what a problem this was. A child had every right to live ¡ª but did they have the right to kill? Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure he knew the answer. He wasn¡¯t so sure there <em>was </em>an answer. Anna had known what she was doing, but she¡¯d been manipted into doing it, at least to a degree.

    <em>Anna might have done wrong in the past, but you can¡¯t right wrong with more wrong. It¡¯s evident that she regrets her past and wants to right those wrongs. How hypocritical would I be if I told her to leave? She may not have the same past as Lillia and I, but she wants the same future. </em>

    As Arwin opened his mouth to try and say something to split the thickening air, he found that someone else beat him to the punch. It was Madiv who finally broke the silence.

    ¡°It is the basest desire of any being to live,¡± Madiv said. ¡°It is more than a desire. It is a right. A right that Anna both indulged in and took from others. When a predator kills its prey, has it done wrong?¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the same thing,¡± Anna said, her hands clenched and her voice stiff. ¡°I am not asking you to cover for me. We didn¡¯t tell you this to get pity. I am¡ª¡±

    ¡°Awaiting judgement. You requested our thoughts, but you do not want to hear them,¡± Madiv said sharply. His tone carried the weight of a mountain, spoken like they had been barked from the mouth of an old, grizzledmander rather than the prim and proper vampire.Arwin¡¯s eyes widened slightly. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of the warrior that Madiv had once been.

    ¡°I think I know what Madiv is saying,¡± Olive said softly. ¡°And he¡¯s not justifying your actions, Anna. It was a genuine question. And the answer is yes. You can¡¯t fault a killer for killing, but a killer can¡¯t fault you for defending yourself. I¡¯m just not entirely sure that applies to humans.¡±

    ¡°Humans are so arrogant.¡± Madiv¡¯s lips pulled back in a smirk. ¡°They all believe they are greater than animals. You are <em>smarter </em>than animals ¡ª though that statement applies to only a small portion of your species. But intelligence does not separate you from life. It simply makes it harder to understand. There is a difference between a killer that kills because it loves to kill and one that kills because it must live.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to kill, though!¡± Anna eximed, pounding a fist into the counter beside her as her eyes prickled with tears. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? I <em>chose </em>to kill. I didn¡¯t want to die, so I let myself be a weapon. I¡¯m a healer. Not¡ª¡±

    ¡°You are wrong.¡± Madiv¡¯s words carved through Anna¡¯s like a knife. Her back stiffened and she froze in ce. The vampire took a step forward and thrust a finger in her direction. ¡°You may not wish to be a killer, but your story says otherwise. You are a killer, Anna. And it is not just you. I am a killer. Arwin is a killer. Lillia is a killer. Reya and Olive are killers. Rodrick is a killer. We are all killers. Youe to us seeking absolution in our judgement, but we cannot give it to you.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Anna¡¯s voice broke and she swallowed, trying and failing to find words as her arms trembled at her sides. Her hands tightened into fists and she wiped at her face with a sleeve again before repeating, her voice so soft that Arwin could barely hear it, ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because the dead are dead,¡± Madiv replied simply. ¡°And nothing will ever change that. Even if every single one of us announced that the blood split with your aid meant nothing, it would change nothing. They are still dead. Your guilt makes you seek answers, but answers are not a solution. You are looking in the wrong ce. There is only one person in this room that can give you the answer you need to hear, and it is not any of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not just looking for validation! I¡¯m warning¡ª¡±

    ¡°You are not,¡± Madiv barked. ¡°Look around you. Does a single face in this room hold fear? Do you see anyone reaching for their weapons? Any emotion in their eyes but care and concern? The one you must seek counsel from is yourself. No other can forgive you.¡±

    ¡°But the people who are dead because of me¡­¡±

    ¡°Are dead,¡± Madiv said firmly. ¡°And you may seek their forgiveness when you pass into the next world. My personal suggestion would be to meet them along with the lives of everyone you have saved in the wake of their passing, but do as you wish.¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Anna¡¯s gaze traced across the room, but Madiv was right. There was a wide variety of emotions ying across the Menagerie¡¯s faces, but not a single person was looking at Anna with any less trust than they had before.

    Arwin wouldn¡¯t have gone so far as to say that they forgave her for what she¡¯d done. Madiv was right ¡ª it wasn¡¯t their ce to forgive her. They hadn¡¯t been involved, and it wasn¡¯t like any of them were without history of their own.

    ¡°Madiv has been doing the talking for all of us, but he¡¯s said what I would have liked to better than I could have managed it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I have an understanding of how you feel, Anna.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ our situations aren¡¯t the same,¡± Anna said. ¡°You didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°And perhaps that absolves me to some degree. But it was still my de. It was still myck of desire to look deeper into the truth. There were people around me who figured out there was more to the war than I believed, but they did not think I could be trusted with that knowledge. They may have been right. I do not know. I never will ¡ª but I can¡¯t make up the damage I did through regret. I will not be asking you to leave the Menagerie. If you decide to do that on your own, I will not stop you.¡±

    ¡°Nor will I,¡± Lillia added. ¡°It would solve nothing, and it¡¯s pretty evident you didn¡¯t want to do what you did. There are people with justifiable grudges against you, but it I don¡¯t think its anyone in this room. And I think it goes without saying that I can¡¯t find fault in anything Rodrick did. Good people die in conflict. Sometimes ites down to your life or theirs, and only an idiot would me you for choosing yours.¡±

    ¡°If you ask me, I don¡¯t even think it¡¯s fair to me a child for the entirety of their actions,¡± Olive said, setting her jaw. ¡°You were being kept there, and it¡¯s easy to lose sight of the greater picture when there¡¯s something you really desire right in front of you. The Inquisitors took advantage of you. I¡¯m not going to me the victim ¡ª and the fact that you think you¡¯re anything but a victim just proves that you were. How old were you when you joined the Inquisitors?¡±

    Anna didn¡¯t respond instantly. She swallowed and managed to find her words, but her voice faltered as she spoke. ¡°Nine.¡±

    ¡°Nine,¡± Olive repeated. ¡°Reya, what were you doing when you were nine?¡±

    Reya tilted her head to the side for a moment. ¡°It depends what part of that year we¡¯re talking about. I think I lived alone for the most part, but I recall being part of a gang for a little while. I didn¡¯tst long. They wanted me to help them stick someone, but I stuck one of them on ident.¡±

    ¡°Okay, forgot you¡¯ve got a whole lot more shit than you let on. Maybe you weren¡¯t the best example of this,¡± Olive muttered. She nced at Arwin, then over to Lillia. Her eye twitched. ¡°Godspit. Every single one of you is messed in the head. I forgot.¡±

    Anna, midway through a sniffle, snorted. She doubled over in a coughing fit as she choked and Rodrick pped her on the back, an appreciative look flickering over his features before he wiped it clean. Anna kept her face buried in her sleeve as she coughed. She managed to gather herself and tried to wipe the moisture from her features.

    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to break down like this.¡± Anna¡¯s voice was muffled behind her hands. ¡°This wasn¡¯t how I wanted to broach this. It just all came back so fast.¡±

    ¡°We killed a few assholes,¡± Rodrick put in helpfully as he rubbed Anna¡¯s back. ¡°They had iting, for the record. Anna¡¯s not in shape to say it, but I am. Thank you. We¡¯vee to love it here. If there¡¯s any future for us, we¡¯d like to find it among you all.¡±

    ¡°I think there are worse ces to try and make up for past mistakes from,¡± Arwin said gently. ¡°I can¡¯t absolve anyone from their history, but I think the only steps anyone can take toward righting past mistakes is making a better tomorrow.¡±

    The rest of the Menagerie all nodded. The tenson in the air faded as Anna tried and failed to muffle her tears. Everyone did their absolute best to pretend they couldn¡¯t hear it. Words were only that. Words. They couldn¡¯t truly fix anything, but it was all any of them could offer ¡ª and hopefully, they would be enough.

    They were all silent for several seconds.

    Then Reya cleared her throat.

    ¡°Not to infringe on the moment ¡ª Ipletely agree with everything Arwin said, by the way ¡ª but who exactly did you guys kill?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°That would have been a few Falling des. Melissa headed out to get her Milten estate back and we decided to go give her a little help. She won, by the way.¡±

    ¡°She did? Wait. How did you know the assassins came for her?¡± Arwin asked, blinking in surprise. ¡°When did that even happen?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ may have slightly underyed the extent of my information gatheringwork.¡±

    ¡°Network? I thought you were just talking to people,¡± Arwin said, looking from Anna to Rodrick. ¡°In the spirit of being open with each other, care to borate?¡±

    Rodrick winced. Then he let out a sigh. ¡°This might take a while.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing you aren¡¯t going anywhere,¡± Lillia said.

    Anna let out a weakugh and finally managed to pull her head from within her sleeves, her eyes slightly bloodshot and the tip of her nose tinged red. ¡°Thank you. All of you. I need some time to think, but I¡¯ll give you all a proper responseter. I promise. And Rodrick, talk fast. Who knows how long Esmerelda is going to keep Wace busy.¡±

    ¡°You left Wace with Esmerelda?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°One catastrophe at a time, please,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Esmerelda will be fine. It¡¯s Wace¡¯s ears I¡¯m more worried about. Now, do you want to hear my bit or not?¡±

    Arwin cleared his throat and gestured for Rodrick to continue. ¡°Please.¡±

    Several seconds passed as Rodrick gathered his thoughts. The warrior inteced his fingers before him and let out a slow slight.

    ¡°I may have underyed the extent of my abilities,¡± Rodrick said, letting a second of silence drag on before he continued. ¡°Nobody is better at subterfuge and infiltration than the Secret Eye. They could get information from everything ranging from a fish to a man.¡±

    ¡°Torture?¡± Reya asked in a fearful whisper.

    ¡°Is a tool mostly reserved to the Inquisitors,¡± Rodrick said, his lips pressing thin in distaste. ¡°And a tool that I am more familiar with than I would like. But far more than that. They had a rather extensive library containing all of their techniques and history. Hundreds of years of strategy, much of it buried within books pages that nobody has bothered taking a nce at in years. Cutting-edge knowledge. Old knowledge. Ancient techniques, some forbidden and some forgotten. And I ¡ª well, I had a lot of free time. I read them. Every single one of them.¡±

 Chapter 251: Major Revelations

    ¡°When you say you underyed your abilities, just how much were we talking?¡± Arwin asked slowly, studying Rodrick in a new light. It had always been pretty obvious that there was more to Rodrick than there had first appeared. Arwin didn¡¯t know much about the Secret Eye or the Inquisitors, but from what Rodrick and Anna had just told everyone, the organization was a lot more powerful than any random assassin¡¯s guild. If Rodrick actually had all of their techniques and knowledge¡­

    ¡°I have awork throughout the city. They give me information on just about everything I ask them to. I pay them with food that I steal from the kitchen ¡ª sorry, Lillia. I always pay for it,¡± Rodrick said, rubbing the back of his head.

    Lillia gawked at him. ¡°I knew I was running out of ingredients faster than I should have been!¡±

    ¡°It was for a good cause.¡± Rodrick raised his hands defensively. ¡°Do you know how hard it is to keep a bunch of beggars and urchins happy? If yourwork is pissed at you, then they¡¯re going to do the bare minimum. But if they¡¯re eating well, they go out of their way. They never pass up on information and every single thinges back to you. It¡¯s not even a fancy trick. It¡¯s just being nice.¡±

    ¡°Easy to be nice when it¡¯s not your food,¡± Lillia grumbled. ¡°But the extra money definitely doesn¡¯t hurt. I did think it was a little weird when you were so insistent to look over inventory for me. I thought you were just bored.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Your wholework is just a bunch of street kids?¡± Reya asked, squinting at Rodrick. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    Rodrick smiled and stepped away from the counter. He crossed his hands behind his back as he walked over to Reya. ¡°That¡¯s the exact response everyone has, Reya. Nobody cares about them. You know that better than anyone. They¡¯re practically invisible, and they all talk. A group of raggedy kids and crotchety old folks can manage far more than any professional spy can.¡±

    ¡°You said that Melissa had gotten involved with the Falling des. How¡¯d you manage to find out in time to do anything?¡± Arwin asked, massaging the bridge of his nose as he struggled to gather his thoughts. ¡°They work fast. I¡¯d have thought by the time you heard anything it would be toote.¡±

    ¡°Everyone in thework knows someone else,¡± Rodrick exined. ¡°And they aren¡¯t meant to report directly back to me. They pass the information along. It¡¯s much faster that way. And I wasn¡¯t waiting on them to attack Melissa. I was waiting on the prick who hired them to start moving. Easier to watch for the cause than the effect.¡±Arwin blinked. Then he let out a thoughtful grunt. ¡°Huh. That makes a fair amount of sense. Melissa is fine, then?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Rodrick confirmed. ¡°Your armor worked great. Anna and I saw a lot of it go down. Killed the extra ones to make sure she didn¡¯t get overwhelmed. She didn¡¯t manage her magical energy too well, but you can¡¯t expect too much from an inexperienced kid.¡±

    Anna winced slightly at his words. She clearly didn¡¯t care to be reminded of what she¡¯d done ¡ª but there was no regret in her eyes either. Arwin blew out a slow breath and ran a hand through his hair.

    ¡°How much else have you been able to find out? How long have you had awork like this?¡±

    ¡°Quite some time. I got it properly running around the time when the Ardent Guild showed up,¡± Rodrick replied. His features darkened for a moment. ¡°I think they¡¯re up to something, by the way. Not sure what, but they¡¯ve shifted their activities. I haven¡¯t managed to glean exactly what it is they¡¯re searching for, and I¡¯ve been screwing with their information gathering until I can.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Eh, the usual ways. A pan to the back of the head, some well-ced old man nudity, taking the ce of an Ardent Guildsmember¡¯s wife and getting their guard rotation information from him before leaving him locked in the dungeon beneath their house for her to find when she gets back from finding what happened to their missing dog.¡±

    They all stared at Rodrick in abject horror.

    ¡°What?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°The dog was fine! I just had someone take it to the butcher and feed it a bunch of steaks that he was going to toss out. That was the best meal the poor mutt has had all year. I¡¯m not a monster!¡±

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    ¡°I¡­ am suddenly starting to want less answers to my questions,¡± Arwin muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Lillia said. ¡°What in the world are the Ardent members up to? Why do they have dungeons beneath their houses? And how have you not been discovered? Surely that would have been reported.¡±

    <em>Forget that! How does a massive man like Rodrick pretend to be someone¡¯s wife? And how is Anna okay with this?</em>

    Rodrick tilted his head to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one guess as to why a couple might have a dungeon below their house. And they didn¡¯t report it because I¡¯m rather convincing. I¡¯m sure that exins it.¡±

    That did not exin it. Everyone exchanged a nce, but Rodrick looked so confident about his answer that nobody could quite manage to actually word another question for several long seconds.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not really sure what I¡¯m meant to say here,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The information you¡¯ve been able to get us has been instrumental. I¡¯m not sure I fully understand any part of you, and the more I learn, the less I get. But it works, and that¡¯s what matters. Keep up the good work, I guess?¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°Maybe with a little less pleasure,¡± Olive muttered. ¡°There¡¯s something deeply wrong with you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being passionate about your job.¡± Rodrick crossed his arms and leaned against a wall. ¡°But I trust you can see why I don¡¯t go around advertising this.¡±

    ¡°I really need to know one more thing,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Is this really how the Secret Eye gathers information? Somehow, I can¡¯t see them dressing up in other people¡¯s clothes and feeding children. They seem¡­ I don¡¯t know. More sinister?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick said, his tone dropping an octave as his eyes darkened. ¡°They have other strategies. But don¡¯t mistake the Secret Eye and the Inquisiton. They are not the same. The Secret Eye arergely what they im to be. Impartial observers. The Inquisition is their shadow arm. I know what both of them do ¡ª some of it firsthand. I just choose the tactics that I find most appropriate to every situation.¡±

    ¡°Can you teach me?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick, Olive, and Lillia all said at once.

    ¡°Aw,¡± Reya muttered. ¡°I thought it could be useful.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already more than useful as you are,¡± Rodrick said as he pushed away from the wall and ruffled Reya¡¯s hair. ¡°You have your own path that you¡¯re finding. Don¡¯t follow mine.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Olive added.

    Augh rolled through the room and the remaining tension in the air finally lifted the rest of the way. Reya pushed herself up from her seat and that triggered a chain reaction in the others as everyone rose to their feet and brushed imaginary dirt off themselves.

    ¡°Thanks for hearing us out,¡± Rodrick said, wrapping an arm around Anna¡¯s shoulders and giving her a quick squeeze. ¡°It takes a lot of weight off our shoulders. I¡¯m sure Anna will want to talk more about thister, once she¡¯s gathered herself a bit more.¡±

    ¡°I can do it now,¡± Anna said, wiping her sleeve off on the back of her shirt and straightening her back out. Her eyes were still bloodshot, but she¡¯d managed to suppress the majority of her emotions.

    ¡°I know you could, but you¡¯d prefer not to. I¡¯ve seen you spend an hour mulling over where we want to eat, and this is a bit more important than that,¡± Rodrick said.

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s going to push for more than you can give, Anna,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Lillia and I especially. We know how hard it can be to probe into the past.¡±

    Anna gave him a small nod. ¡°Then I will wait. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Should we be worried at all about the Falling des?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Did you kill all of them? Are more going toe?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s handled.¡± Rodrick shook his head. ¡°I pretended to be from the Ardent guild when we interfered, and nobody even saw that Anna was the one throwing the daggers. Nobody will be able to tie it to us.¡±

    ¡°Wait. I thought Anna was just a poison maker,¡± Olive said. ¡°When did she learn how to throw daggers?¡±

    ¡°I was an Inquisitor,¡± Anna said quietly. ¡°Even though I never left, I still got their training.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s damn good with thrown weapons,¡± Rodrick provided. ¡°Really, she could have¡ª¡±

    Anna shot Rodrick a look and his mouth snapped shut. He cleared his throat and shook his head. ¡°I highly doubt the des will take action. It¡¯s funny, actually. You know that drunk homeless bloke that hovers around sometimes? The guy that brought Melissa to us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said, blinking at the abrupt change in topic. ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°Well, half my information on the Falling des came from him,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°He told me just about everything I wanted to know about them and more. I had to promise that we wouldn¡¯t dig to find out how he knew about them, so I don¡¯t know where he got the info.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Arwin said with a frown. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the deal, we¡¯ll have to honor it. Perhaps he¡¯ll decide toe clean one day. In the spirit of honesty.¡±

    That got him several dry looks.

    ¡°Right,¡± Reya said. ¡°Definitely.¡±

    Lilliaughed. ¡°The optimism is good, Arwin. We need it. Especially now. Does anyone else have any major revtions to drop on us? Because, if not, I¡¯m starving. I think some breakfast is in order.¡±

    The Menagerie exchanged looks. Then every eye in the room went back to Lillia.

    ¡°I think breakfast sounds good,¡± Anna said, a faint smile crossing over her features. ¡°Thanks, Lillia.¡±

 Chapter 252: Cursed

    Wace and Esmerelda returned in time for breakfast. Judging by the frazzled look on Esmerelda¡¯s face and the mild annoyance in Wace¡¯s, the old woman¡¯s marketing pitches had been no more effective than they normally were. Any further argument they may have had was quickly silenced when Lillia emerged from the kitchen with food for everyone.

    The Menagerie mowed through their meal, and it wasn¡¯t long before everyone dispersed to get to the respective work that their days held. Anna and Rodrick headed back to their room, while Olive and Reya broke away to train. Esmerelda and Madiv, as they usually did, got locked in an argument that marked their ce in the city long after they¡¯d strode away from the Devil¡¯s Den.

    Lillia and Arwin split ways as well. Arwin set off to the forge while she temporarily closed the inn and headed for the market square to locate Ridley and figure out if he was still in search of work.

    And, for the next few days, the Menagerie slipped back into a routine. They all had more than enough work to keep them upied. Arwin had a number of old orders to finish making for people on the waitlist. It wasn¡¯t the most inspiring work, but it paid incredibly well ¡ª and money never hurt anyone.

    Lillia got the construction with Ridley started up. She kept the inn open in the meantime, as he was only working on the second floor. A few familiar faces started showing up in the tavern throughout the day. Word of the Menagerie and their street continued to spread through Milten.

    Reya and Madiv alternated taking up post outside his smithy and telling everyone that swung by that he¡¯d be epting orders at some point in the near future, though they made no promises as to when or who. That proved to be enough to cate the crowds. Arwin doubted he could keep that strategy up forever without losing interest. But, even if he did, that would be fine. It wasn¡¯t the interest of the masses he truly needed anymore.

    Arwin needed to push himself to grow. And if he wanted to do that, he needed to be making magical items, not normal ones. He needed quality clients. Ones that had the money to pay for something truly worthwhile ¡ª and also ones that he wouldn¡¯t regret arming.

    Unfortunately, he had precious little time to spend doing anything other than working. When Arwin wasn¡¯t dealing with the backlog of orders, he was practicing Dwarven Smithing. He wanted to get a much better handle of what he was doing before he started adding Cursed items into the mix.

    Wace asionally swung by from his smithy to check on him, but the dwarfrgely left Arwin to his own devices. Much of the awkward air had dissipated over thest few days. Lillia clearly hadn¡¯tpletely forgiven the dwarf, but she hadn¡¯t banned him from the tavern either. Wace respected that enough to avoid sticking around all day ¡ª and he probably had better things to do ¡ª but he still swung by almost every night to get himself a bottle of ale. That suited all of them just fine. His advice was more than wee, and if Arwin had been nning to continue down the path of a pure Dwarven Smith, he strongly suspected that he would have had few reservations in bing the dwarf¡¯s official apprentice.The days were hectic, but they were peaceful. Not much of any real excitement happened and that suited the Menagerie just fine. But the light of peace did note without a shadow. Rodrick continued to keep tabs on the Ardent Guild, and Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the reports they were getting.

    The Guild was still in search of something. Rodrick had yet to figure out exactly what it was. He didn¡¯t know if the guild leader had somehow figured out that their sources werepromised or if they were just being extra-secretive, but whatever they were looking for was somewhere in Milten. Arwin and Rodrick both had a sneaking suspicion whatever they were looking for probably had something to do with Jessen.

    It was the best guess either of them coulde up with. The Ardent Guild had shown up shortly after Jessen had and immediately gone after the dungeon to which he¡¯d had a key. It wasn¡¯t a huge stretch of imagination to assume that Jessen might have been wrapped up in something a little more significant than they¡¯d thought.

    If that was the case, there was only a single thing that Arwin could think of that might have drawn the Ardent Guild¡¯s attention. The Dungeon Heart he¡¯d used to identally bring his forge to life. That particr heart probably wasn¡¯t getting found anytime soon. It was still buried within the walls of the Infernal Armory and Arwin had no ns of taking it out. He wasn¡¯t sure why the Ardent Guild would have wanted it in the first ce. It was obviously a fairly powerful magical item, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was worth the amount of hassle that they were putting into locating it.

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    Arwin left that to Rodrick for the time being. He had more than enough on his te with working on Dwarven Smithing. If the Ardent Guild started getting closer, he trusted the ex-pdin to give them all enough warning to prepare to deal with it. There were better things to do with his time than worry until then. And, at the moment, Arwin was rather caught up with the newest project he¡¯d been working on for the past two days.

    Arwin lifted the de of a knife he¡¯d been working on and held it up, examining it with a critical eye. It was well formed. Light from the pulsing veins running through the smithy danced in its reflection. By all means, it was a well-made de.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t it,¡± Arwin said, letting out a sigh and tossing the piece of metal to the ground. The motion made the tendrils connected to his arms sway, but there was enough ck in them to make sure they didn¡¯t go taut.

    A small hole formed up in the cobbled floor before the knife could it hit. The metal didn¡¯t make so much as a single tter as it vanished into the darkness.

    Red smoke twirled past Arwin as the invisible form of the Infernal Armory swept past him to stand beside the anvil.

    ¡°You are holding yourself back,¡± the voice said in a mixture of whisper and song. ¡°We could make something far greater.¡±

    ¡°I am trying to make Lillia a gift. I am not making her a Cursed item. Not until I¡¯ve figured out every bit of how they work on myself,¡± Arwin said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°And my understanding of Dwarven Smithing is still preliminary. I¡¯ve made it this far by stumbling blindly through the dark, but I can¡¯t just skip all the practice I need to actually master the craft.¡±

    He half expected the Armory to argue with him, but the red smoke just fluctuated as if in a shrug. It flowed past him to curl past his hand and alight on the wall to his side. ¡°Very well. Practice, then. I hunger.¡±

    ¡°Lillia brought a bunch of food for you to eat already,¡± Arwin said with a sigh. ¡°How much do you need? I¡¯ve barely even done anything that special.¡±

    ¡°You have used my strength. Unlike you, it does not return naturally to me. I have limited reserves. Reserves that only replenish at your behest. If you would permit me to consume the other half of¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin snapped. ¡°That is Lillia¡¯s. If you need more food, then I¡¯ll get you more food. How much energy do you have left? Can we get another few items made?¡±

    A ripple blew through the center of the red smoke. The cloud curled apart as if split down the center, then re-connected itself as the sound of an annoyed sigh brushed past Arwin¡¯s ears.

    ¡°I have sufficient energy.¡±

    ¡°You just said¡ª¡±

    ¡°I hunger for more than energy. I hunger to <em>create</em>,¡± the Armory said, its words growing insistent. The smoke twisted up to the celling as the veins filling the building thrummed with energy. ¡°You gifted me life. I hunger to use it. Why do you seek to do anything but the peak of what you are capable of?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on that!¡± Arwin snapped. He nodded to the spot where the knife had fallen. ¡°It wasn¡¯t right. I could <em>feel </em>it. That just wasn¡¯t good enough. I can do better.¡±

    ¡°You can do better,¡± the Armory agreed. ¡°But you will not let yourself. The existence of a Cursed item concerns you. You treat Cursed Dwarven Smithing as if it is a continuation of Dwarven Smithing.¡±

    ¡°Is it not?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. I am an extension of you, not a well of knowledge. But if it were an extension, then it would have simply been called Dwarven Smithing, would it not? A unique name implies that it is unique. It should be treated as such.¡±

    Arwin pursed his lips. He¡¯d been working on this same knife for quite some time. Nothing he¡¯d made felt anywhere near as what he¡¯d done together with Wace. He¡¯d assumed that had just been because he¡¯d had Mithril to work with that had helped him along¡­ but there was a good chance the Armory actually had a point. He¡¯d been getting faster at making things with the techniques he¡¯d learned from Wace, but he hadn¡¯t noticed any significant improvement in quality.

    <em>I¡¯m not making as much progress as I want to¡­ perhaps I¡¯m really just beating my head against the wall trying to do something that I¡¯m not specialized into. I¡¯ve got the Titles to resist cursed items.</em>

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin mused, turning the word over in his mouth as he thought. ¡°That might make sense. I was pretty sure the paths would be really heavily rted and progressing one would help the other¡­ but that¡¯s looking like it might not be the case. Then the reason I¡¯m not getting any significant advancements or rewards from the Mesh might be because I¡¯m not pursuing the path I chose.¡±

    The smoke twisted past Arwin and bobbed. ¡°Perhaps. I do not know. Even if you make a cursed item, we do not have to use it. It can be destroyed.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°No. But most things can be destroyed. Myself included, though I would not make the process simple. I doubt you will mistakenly invent something so powerful that it transcends even me. You do not have such a talent.¡±

    Arwin chuckled. The Infernal Armory definitely had at least a bit of an ego. There was more than a little annoyance in its words, but their conversation rung true in Arwin¡¯s head. He wasn¡¯t sure if jumping right into making Cursed Items was the right choice, but he wasn¡¯t getting enough advancement as things were right now.

    It was time to change things up.

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said, rubbing his hands together and letting out a short breath as adrenaline started to build in his stomach. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do about making a Cursed item.¡±

 Chapter 253: Snakes

    Lava ¡ª stolen from Wace¡¯s Forge, of course ¡ª squelched in Arwin¡¯s mouth as he chewed. He rested against his anvil as he worked to prepare the molten stone to work with. Magical energy prickled at the inside of his mouth. If he pretended hard enough, it almost felt like spices. If he¡¯d never tasted any of Lillia¡¯s cooking and had such high standards topare against, he might have been able to believe it.

    ¡°You have been chewing for too long,¡± the red mist said, irritation tinging its voice as it flitted around Arwin, steps flickering in and out of sight as the invisible being moved. ¡°It does not take you that long.¡±

    Arwin reached into his mouth and pulled the ball of workedva out before sending a cross re at the smoke. ¡°Who said you get to decide how long I take? I¡¯m the smith here.¡±

    ¡°I am impatient.¡±

    ¡°Then you will learn to be patient,¡± Arwin said curtly. He popped theva back into his mouth and went back to chewing. Every movementyered more of his magical energy into the rock, infusing it with his intent.

    The Armory wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. He¡¯d taken longer than he normally did. Arwin¡¯s connection with theva had already been firmly established ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t satisfied yet. The longer he worked the stone, the more of his intent entered it. That wasn¡¯t to say he could keep at it forever. While there didn¡¯t seem to be a perfectly clean exact limit, there were definitely drastically diminishing returns. The past few minutes of work were likely overkill. They¡¯d only gotten him the equivalent of a one or two percent boost in his synchronization with theva.

    But that tiny amount wasn¡¯t something he was willing to give up. Not when he was about to start working with cursed materials. He finally pulled theva out of his mouth with a [Soul me] encased hand a few minutester, adding it to the rest of theva he¡¯d prepared and rolling it all together into an orb. Waves of heat rolled off it and prickled against his face and sweat beaded against his back before soaking into his shirt.

    The entire building had heated to the point where even he was starting to get a little ufortable. Molten energy pulsed within the lines running throughout the ground and walls. He could feel the Infernal Armory¡¯s impatience with him. Arwin ignored it. This was not something he would let himself rush through and make a stupid mistake in the process. He would be taking every precaution he could until he knew the extent of what kind of items he¡¯d be consistently creating.

    It hadn¡¯t taken Arwin long to determine what kind of material he wanted to try to work with for his next Cursed item. He didn¡¯t have a teacher that could give him suggestions as to what materials would lend themselves the best toward being Cursed, but histest Title had given him a strong hint.<strong>[Harbinger of the Forsaken] ¨C<em>You reached out to the deepest reaches of your soul and weed the shadow that lurked within into the light. That might not have been a good idea. You can now sense and forge the emotion contained within materials ¡ª whether you want to or not. In addition, Cursed items you craft are shrouded from all but the strongest of gazes.</em></strong>

    ¡°Emotion, huh?¡± Arwin asked, examining the ck metal. ¡°Show me what I¡¯ve got to work with.¡±

    A section of stone before him slid open and a small pir rose up from beneath the ground. Upon it rested arge chunk of warped ck metal that had once been part of a set of armor. Its edge was coated with dry green crystal and stters of blood marred its surface.

    Two more pirs followed afterward, and Arwin did a double take as they appeared. The first bore a single scale ¡ª one that had not belonged to a Wyrmling, but a Wyrm. It glistened in the glowing orange light spilling from between Arwin¡¯s hands. And, on the third pir, was a warped sword. Its de was ckened from fire and its hilt heavily dented. The weapon waspletely worthless in a fight now, but Arwin recognized it instantly. His stomach knotted.

    Zeke¡¯s sword.

    ¡°How did you get that?¡± Arwin demanded, his gaze snapping to the figure in the mist. It stepped to the side and flitted across the room in a stream of crimson as if unwilling to remain in his line of sight for more than a few seconds.

    ¡°Items of power are drawn to one another,¡± the Armory replied. Red smoke slipped between a crack in a floor and the cloud vanished, only to reform behind Arwin. A refreshing breeze rolled across his skin. ¡°It wishes to be used.¡±

    ¡°Items of power?¡± Arwin asked, reaching for the sword before stopping himself and pulling his hand back. His brow knit. ¡°What do you mean? This was a good sword, but it was no artifact.¡±

    ¡°Power is vested in more ways than one. Great emotion can lend itself to great strength when in the hands of someone with sufficient skill to activate it.¡±

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    Arwin¡¯s eyes lingered on the sword. Then he shook his head and pulled his eyes away from it. ¡°Put the sword away. I¡¯m not going to waste it on my first attempt. I¡¯m not so sure how I feel about warping one of thest things I¡¯ve got from Zeke either.¡±

    ¡°Creating a tool is never a bad thing. The purpose of an item is to be used, not to rot.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have a response to that. It didn¡¯t change his gut feeling. Working with Zeke¡¯s sword¡­ Arwin wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to do that yet. It was going to require more than just physical strength. Splitting his attention like that when he was trying to learn was a good way to ruin the material.

    ¡°Later,¡± Arwin said, his voice leaving no room for argument. He shifted the ball of magma to one hand and picked the Wyrm scale up with the other. Then he let his head tilt to the side. ¡°And this? An item of great power as well?¡±

    ¡°No. You left your bag in my domain. I took it.¡±

    ¡°You stole it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°When did I give you permission to root through my stuff?¡±

    ¡°All material that belongs to you belongs to me.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed. Then he nodded to the pirs. ¡°Get rid of those. We¡¯ll use this. And that¡¯s not how this works. Next time you yoink something, ask. I¡¯m willing to be partners. I¡¯m willing to feed you. I¡¯m not willing to give you free reign over everything I have. Understood?¡±

    An irritated hiss rolled from within the smoke. Arwin stood fast. After a moment, the Armory let out a childish huff. The smoke swirled past him to curl around the anvil and shoot into the ceiling.

    ¡°Very well,¡± the Armory said. ¡°I will ask.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Now, how are we on metal?¡±

    ¡°Which metal?¡±

    He thought for a moment. If he was going to make something with the scales¡­ given how tough they had been to break, it had to be something defensive. Arwin nced down at his feet. He¡¯d still yet toplete the Ivory Executioner Set. All he had left were the boots, but he hadn¡¯t figured out what kind of enchantment he wanted on them.

    <em>A scale like this one is going to lend itself great to defense. That wouldn¡¯t hurt to have on my sabatons, but I think I¡¯d prefer some sort of movement rted trait on them. If I¡¯m going to go for defense, then there¡¯s only one option. </em>

    <em>A shield.</em>

    ¡°Get me the rest of the Maristeel,¡± Arwin said,ing to a decision with a curt nod. He set the scale on top of the anvil and rolled the ball of magma between his hands. ¡°Some Brightsteel as well.¡±

    The pirs sank into the ground seamlessly before being reced by another one. Piled upon it were severalrge sheets of Brightsteel and Maristeel. Arwin looked from it to the ball of magma in his hand, then reached out to grab the first piece of metal, sliding it into theva. He had a lot of work ahead of him.

    ***

    Hours slipped by. Arwin purified and prepared every single piece of metal, breaking pieces of the sheets off and feeding them into the orb of molten rock one by one. By the time he finally finished, he had arge stack of blue and silver ingots resting on the anvil beside his dragon scale.

    Arwin dropped the magma and the floor opened up to swallow it. That particr feature of the Infernal Armory got more and more useful with every passing day. It was like having a magical trashcan that followed him around.

    <em>Something tells me the Armory wouldn¡¯t take too kindly to that. </em>

    His gaze flicked over to the red mist. It swirled at the back of the room, quivering in anticipation. There was definitely something a little disconcerting about the smithy being excited about this. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if the building was malicious but given that the magical object powering it was a massive zombie heart, it certainly wasn¡¯t going to be feeding any orphans.

    Arwin blew out a breath and studied the materials he¡¯d readied one more time. He was pretty sure he had everything he was going to need. He gestured to the mist. ¡°Come on, then. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to make a Cursed item? Properly?¡± the airy voice grew even more animated and the mist danced through the air to gather by his side. ¡°What kind?¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound so surprised about it? I¡¯m making a shield,¡± Arwin grumbled. He rolled his neck and extended a hand. Verdant Inferno snapped into being in his palm. The weapon sent a contented purr rolling through his mind. It was just as eager to make this as the smithy was.

    <em>I think I¡¯m getting ganged up on. This is unfair. Where¡¯s Lillia when I need her?</em>

    ¡°And of the traits?¡± the Armory asked. ¡°What will we imbue? The bloodthirsty will to carve through our enemies? The all-consuming hunger that drives us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shield,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°What do you think, smart guy?¡±

    The voice hesitated for a second as the mist shifted back, taken by surprise. ¡°You are sarcastic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m allowed to be snippy,¡± Arwin growled. He extended his hands. ck tendrils shot form the wall and streaked through the air, mming into his back and shoulders. Arwin drew in a sharp breath as energy thrummed and started to flow between him and the smithy, connecting them.

    Arwin lifted the scale before him with his free hand and extended his senses toward it. Faint whispers tickled the back of his ears. The desires that had been trapped within the material slowly grew louder as he beckoned them forth.

    They grew louder and the world dimmer. Darkness encroached over Arwin¡¯s vision as it focused in on the scale until nothing else remained. There was desire, but that wasn¡¯t all. A dark, ruddy crimson smoke poured out from the scale and pooled at his feet. It bore a thick, sticky-sweet energy that clung to his skin like hot sugar.

    Emotion that did not belong to him burned in his mind. The final thoughts of the Wyrm before its scale had been stolen drove into his mind like a spike. Anger. Humiliation. Hunger. Annoyance. A flicker of fear. But there was more. Amidst it were emotions that most certainly didn¡¯t belong to the Wyrm. Victory. Survival. Not just his, but the emotions of others in the Menagerie, resided within the scale.

    <em>So this is what I¡¯ve got to conquer, eh? Come on, then. </em>

    The emotions rose like the tide and swallowed Arwin along with the mist. He dropped to the ground and sat just moments before a familiar darkness washed over the world. Then the smithy vanished, and a vision rose up to swallow him whole. He met it with a determined smile on his lips.

 Chapter 254: Match

    The roaring rustle of a forest clearing greeted Arwin as his eyes opened. Towering trees rose all around him, their shadows dancing to the tune of the wind. Blood-red sunlight cast the world around him in crimson hues and the smell of viscera and carrion hung in the air.

    It was a familiar stench. One that Arwin had been subject to many times before, and one that he¡¯d hoped to never smell again. The rancid mark of war. The mark of a corpse-sttered battlefield.

    But there were no bodies. There was no blood, and there were no dead men. There was only the forest and the clearing around him. A vision ¡ª but he¡¯d never gotten one <em>before </em>he¡¯d made an item. Something was off. Arwin¡¯s hands tightened and he instinctively called for Verdant Inferno.

    The hammer didn¡¯t respond. His palms found nothing but his fingers. There was no sign of his armor or equipment either. Arwin stood alone, d in only in clothes. He turned in a circle and scanned his surroundings. There was nothing. The back of his neck prickled.

    Something was different. Something was <em>wrong, </em>and it wasn¡¯t just the sickly colors of the light. This was different from previous visions he¡¯d had. Arwin nced over his shoulder. He backed up until he was pressed against a tree, peeled his ears in search of a presence that his eyes had failed to see.

    Before, his visions had immediately tested his strength. They¡¯d fought to break him. To find a way to force him to give in with relentless, mindless power. It had been a straight forward challenge of will. But now, the forest simply waited.

    ¡°What are you hiding from?¡± Arwin asked, his voice carving through the rustling wind like an executioner¡¯s de.

    The wind ground to a halt. The sounds of the forest vanished in a split instant. It was so quiet that Arwin could hear the beat of his heart and the rush of blood in his ears. His fists tightened at his sides. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, preparing to burst into motion the moment ¡ª

    A tree shattered. Fragments of wood spun through the air and a heavy step mmed into the dirt behind him. Arwin flung himself into a dive. He hit the ground in a roll and shot to his feet, spinning just in time to see massive ws wrap around the thick trunk. Wood crunched and splintered around them.With a groan, the tree creaked and pitched forward. It mmed down in the center of the clearing with a resounding crash, its leaves fluttering through the air behind it like green tears. Two burning red eyes lit in the darkness of the forest behind the tree and a second, huge paw crashed down in the clearing.

    Sickly green scales, chipped and marred by weeping ck ooze, covered a heavily muscled arm easily twice as thick as Arwin¡¯s body. Thick yellowed ws, scarred and rotted, extended from it and dug furrows into the dirt floor of the forest.

    A second paw mmed down beside the first. Arwin took a step back as a draconic head snaked into the clearing. The blood drained from his face. It was a monster that he recognized well. One that he really should have been expecting to find ¡ª but not like this.

    It was Wyrm.

    Or, at least, it had been.

    The monster¡¯s eyes were bloodied and ckened. Trails of dried blood dripped down the sides of its face, which were cracked and ripped to shreds. Portions of bleached bone shone through still-weeping wounds covering the Wyrm¡¯s body. The monster¡¯s cracked lips parted and a tongue flicked out to taste the air, rotted and missingrge chunks of flesh.

    A lot had changed since thest time Arwin had seen the Wyrm. He was nowhere near as weak as he had been thest time they¡¯d fought ¡ª but he didn¡¯t have any of his equipment. And without his equipment, Arwin was missing easily half of his strength if not more.

    ¡°This hardly seems fair, does it?¡± Arwin asked, taking another step back. He shifted from foot to foot and his eyes darted around the clearing in search of anything he could use to turn the fight to his advantage.

    The Wyrm hissed. It advanced into the clearing with slow, shuddering steps. The monsters tail flicked, shattering the base of a tree and sending its top pitching tond with a loud crash that shook the ground beneath Arwin¡¯s feet.

    It couldn¡¯t speak, but that was as clear of a statement as any set of words ever could have been. The Wyrm wanted a rematch.

    Arwin lifted a foot to take another step back.

    Then his eyes narrowed. His foot lowered back to the ground where it had been. He locked eyes with the Wyrm as it approached with slow, measured steps, not moving again until the two stood face-to-face in the center of the clearing. His lips pulled back to bare his teeth.

    A vision was a battle of wills. It always had been, and it always would be.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Arwin growled. ¡°You want to fight? Then we¡¯ll fight. I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m scared of a goddamn scale. Show me what you¡¯ve¡ª¡±

    The Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped forward and mmed into the side of Arwin¡¯s chest. It stole the rest of his sentence and lifted him off the ground. He hurtled through the air and mmed back-first into a tree with enough force to shatter it.

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    The breath exploded from his chest in a strangled grunt. He dropped to the ground and the tree creaked, pitching forward. Arwin dove to the side. It crashed down where he¡¯d been standing and the ground bucked once more.

    As Arwin drew in a breath, a spike of pain drove into his chest. A rib was broken. Maybe two. His teeth gritted. The Wyrm let out a hissingugh and stepped forward. ck liquid dripped from its ravaged body and sizzled as it hit the dirt.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to need a whole lot more than that to break me.¡± Arwin spat blood onto the ground and rolled his shoulders, pushing the pain into the back of his mind. His body hadn¡¯t truly been broken. It was just pain in his mind ¡ª and if it was imagined, then it would not stop him.

    The Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped for his head like a striking snake. Arwin ducked out of the way. Wind rushed over his hair. He charged before the Wyrm had even finished its attack, closed the distance between them with three powerful steps. Arwin reared back and let out a roar as he swung his fist with all the strength he could muster and unleashed a punch into the monster¡¯s side.

    Scale cracked beneath his knuckles. It carved into his knuckles. A vibration traveled down his arm, followed by pain. He¡¯d done damage, but it was like punching a wall. Arwin staggered back, a mixture of his and the Wyrm¡¯s blood dripping from his fist.

    <em>I need my equipment. I can¡¯t fight like ¡ª</em>

    A w swept through the air. Arwin was forced to fling himself to safety once more. [Scourge] was beyond his reach. None of his abilities worked. His titles were blocked. It was nothing but him versus the Wyrm, and he was at every single disadvantage.

    The w crashed into the ground right behind him. Arwin rose, but the Wyrm didn¡¯t let him recover. It lurched forward and its jaws yawned open. For a brief instant, they locked eyes. Then its mouth snapped shut around him.

    There was no time to dodge. Arwin thrust his hands out with a roar. Fangs drove into his palms. His blood sizzled as it contacted the Wyrm¡¯s saliva. Tremors shook his arms as he fought desperately to keep the monster¡¯s jaws from closing on his body. His teeth clenched so tightly that he could taste blood in his mouth and the back of his throat.

    <em>I need my equipment. I can¡¯t win the fight like this ¡ª but I¡¯ll be damned if I give up.</em>

    Arwin reared back and drove his foot into the Wyrm¡¯s tongue. The monster let out a surprised hiss. The pressure on him relented for an instant. He flung himself back, ripping his arms free of the teeth impaling them. The Wyrm¡¯s mouth mmed closed on nothing but air.

    Blood sttered across the ground and hended on his back with a pained grunt. He rolled to the side. One of the monster¡¯s huge paws mmed into the ground where he¡¯d been. The other crashed down before he could move, driving him into the dirt and knocking free what little breath remained in his lungs.

    Its ws closed around him like a cage. Arwin grabbed at them, his blood smearing across their surface and making his grip slick. He strained, letting out a roar of defiance, but the Wyrm didn¡¯t budge. It was too heavy ¡ª too strong.

    The Wyrm¡¯s head lowered. Its lips pulled back in a sneer. Arwin could still see red on the monster¡¯s teeth from where it had bit him just moments before. That wasn¡¯t going to work a second time. His muscles just didn¡¯t have the strength.

    He couldn¡¯t win like this. There had to be more. Arwin wasn¡¯t a warrior anymore. He was a smith. His power was his equipment and his allies, but here, he had neither. Verdant ze wouldn¡¯t answer to his call. His armor was silent, and nobody could enter the vision to save him.

    A final, hissingugh slipped from the Wyrm¡¯s scarred throat. It lifted its w. Its head shot down. He lifted his arms before him, left with no option but to attempt to block once more as he desperately called out to his equipment.

    And, in the instant that the Wyrm¡¯s jaws started to shut, a faint response tickled the back of Arwin¡¯s mind. It was distant. Foreign. But it was something, and he drew on it with the strength of a drowning man clutching onto a thrown rope.

    Something blurred before him. A weight affixed itself to his left arm. The monster¡¯s hot, rancid breath washed over him and its mouth snapped shut.

    Its teeth never found their mark.

    A loud ng echoed through the clearing. The Wyrm screamed in pain, one of its fangs cracked straight down the middle. Blood poured from its lips like saliva. It staggered back, whipping its head in pain and fury, sending blood sttering in every direction.

    Arwin stared down in surprise. Attached to his arm was a deep blue tower shield easily as tall as he was. It was rectangr, with two extended ps on its sides that stretched past his sides when he positioned it directly before himself.

    The shield¡¯s surface waspletely in and without design. But, affixed directly in its center was a single, brilliant green Wyrm scale. A dim link to the shield hummed in the back of Arwin¡¯s mind. It felt like an extension of his body, but there was more.

    Curiosity flowed down their connection. Not from him, but from the shield. A slow smile crossed over Arwin¡¯s features. A test. The shield ¡ª or perhaps the scale itself ¡ª wanted to see what he was capable of. What he could do without it, and what he could do <em>with </em>it.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is?¡± Arwin asked, driving the shield down into the ground and pulling himself to his feet.

    The Wyrm hissed at him, uncertainty and anger ying through its dead eyes. It recognized the scale ¡ª knew where it hade from. Despite the monster¡¯s anger, it made no move forward. It was scared.

    Arwin shifted from foot to foot as he adjusted to the weight of the shield. He¡¯d never used anything quite thisrge, but it had quite a satisfying heft to it. It felt <em>right,</em> which was quite odd. The item didn¡¯t even exist. He hadn¡¯t made it yet.

    But, as Arwin stood across from the Wyrm, understanding slowly settled in. This was a vision. All that mattered here was will.

    His will. The Wyrm¡¯s will ¡ª and the will of the Cursed item that he was forging. They were all testing each other. What existed in the real world didn¡¯t matter. Here, all that mattered was what had been and what could be.

    ¡°You want to see what I can do with you, do you?¡± Arwin asked the shield.

    A faint tremor of affirmation ran down their connection.

    The Wyrm snarled. It took a step forward, but Arwin didn¡¯t so much as budge. His lips pulled back in a smile and he cracked his neck. The pain tearing into his body and the blood dripping from his hands was nothing but an irritating buzz at the back of his mind.

    ¡°That¡¯s just fine with me,¡± Arwin said. He lowered his stance, baring his teeth to mirror the Wyrm¡¯s expression. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again.¡±

    The Wyrm roared in challenge, and Arwin matched it.

    Then, monster and man charged as one.

 Chapter 255: The Shield

    Arwin shifted the shield in his grip, grabbing by the bottom with both hands and swinging it like a bat. A resounding ng ripped through the clearing as the thick chunk of metal mmed into the Wyrm¡¯s head. The shield hummed in Arwin¡¯s grip as vibrations tore down it and into his body.

    ck blood sttered across the ground and the Wyrm stumbled past Arwin with a pained hiss. A foot mmed down on the ground just to his side, shaking the earth beneath his feet, and the monster¡¯s massive tail sailed out for his head.

    Arwin had time to dodge. He could have dropped to his stomach or flung himself to the side if he¡¯d wanted to ¡ª but he did neither. This was a vision. It was a contest of wills, and it was more than that. It was a test. The yet to be made shield was testing him, but he was also testing it.

    <em>This goes both ways. If you want me to make you, then show me what you¡¯ve got.</em>

    Arwin drove the blue tower shield down into the ground before him and braced his shoulder against it. His muscles tightened and he bared his teeth. Arwin dug his feet into the ground and gritted his teeth, bracing for impact.

    An immense force mmed into the shield. Wind roared past Arwin¡¯s head like the howl of the dragon. Bone crunched. Stters of wet, ck matter flew past him and painted across the floor.

    Arwin staggered back, nearly losing his grip on the shield, but he just barely managed to keep his bnce. His teeth ttered from the force of the impact and his arm ached, but the shield hadn¡¯t moved.

    It had taken a direct hit from a Wyrm without so much as budging from the spot that he¡¯d nted it. A grin crawled across Arwin¡¯s features and he lifted the shield, locking eyes with the Wyrm as he moved it out of the way.

    The end of the monster¡¯s tail looked like it had gotten caught under a falling boulder. Fragments of bone jutted out from brutalized, weeping flesh. It hung askew and limp. The rest of the tail was stillpletely functional, but Arwin had actually hurt the enormous monster without an offensive weapon to aid him.Hatred burned in the Wyrm¡¯s dark eyes. Its tongue ran along the cracked tooth in its mouth and it reared back, rising onto its two hind legs. A hiss rolled from its undead tongue, wet and wheezing from the gaps in its throat.

    <em>Oh, shit.</em>

    The Wyrm dropped.

    He swung his shield up. Two massive paws mmed into him with all the force of a crashing freight train. The air exploded from Arwin¡¯s lungs. His arms screamed and he was forced down to one knee.

    The Wyrm leaned harder into the shield. Arwin¡¯s feet dug furrows through the ground and he clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth red in pain. The shield held strong, but his own body was a different story. There was only so much force he could muster.

    His arms trembled as he fought to keep the shield from pressing into his chest. If the Wyrm pushed it all the way down, it would just crush the air from his lungs without even having to finish him off itself.

    ck, bloody saliva dripped around Arwin and the monster¡¯s hot, rancid breath stifled his breathing and squeezed his lungs. He coughed. The Wyrm pressed harder. His arms started to press closer to his chest.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Arwin wheezed. The shield ground into his chest and started to bite into the dirt at his sides. Hisst line of defense wasn¡¯t too far from turning into a coffin. He reached for [Scourge] instinctively, but nothing responded. His magical energy and powers werepletely missing. Arwin turned his strained attention to the shield and sent a desperate call down the dull connection running between them.

    <em>Give me more than this! Are you just a useless lump of metal? What do you want to be? Show me what you¡¯re capable of! How pathetic is it that you¡¯re going to lose a fight to an undead remnant of your former self?</em>

    A crackle of irritation rolled back through the connection. The anger stored within the Wyrm Scale drove into Arwin¡¯s mind like a spike. It wasn¡¯t so easily baited into aiding him, but the response was all that he was looking for.

    The shield pressed lower. It drove his armspletely into his chest and pressed against his face, stifling the breath from his lungs. Arwin fought back ¡ª but not through strength alone. He sent his own will racing back down the mental connection to the shield, driving into it like a de.

    The Wyrm let out a hiss of pain above him. It relented, lifting its foot for a brief instant. That instant was enough. Arwin rose with a roar, swinging the shield to the side and sending the Wyrm¡¯s ws crashing down beside him. He shot to his feet and reared back before bringing the shield down on the Wyrm¡¯s head like it was a metal chair in a wrestling ring.

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    A loud, echoing ng split through the forest. The Wyrm let out a surprised whimper and its head snaked back. There was a small dent at the top of its mushy, rotting skull where bone shone through. Arwin drew in ragged breaths as he mmed the shield down into the dirt beside him and pounded a hand against his chest. Recognition burned in the dead monster¡¯s eyes at the motion.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Arwin growled, lifting the shield once more. ¡°I¡¯ve beaten you once. My guild beat you a second time, anding back from hell isn¡¯t going to change anything. It doesn¡¯t matter how much stronger you are when my magic is gone. I don¡¯t need more than a big piece of steel to put you back in your ce. We didn¡¯t have to be enemies. We never sought you out ¡ª but I¡¯ll be more than happy to finish this once and for all. Try your luck.¡±

    It was bluster. Arwin knew it, and the Wyrm probably did too. Pushing it back a few times was nowhere near the same thing as killing it. He wasn¡¯t even sure if the monster was capable of dying. He wasn¡¯t sure if <em>anything </em>was capable of dying here. This vision was just too different from the ones he¡¯d had before. And if he couldn¡¯t die, then he¡¯d be damned if he gave up.

    The Wyrm¡¯s lips pulled back to reveal ck, sore-covered gums. It locked eyes with Arwin and its head lifted into the air to loom above him. A shadow rolled over his shoulders and into the forest beyond.

    Its intimidation was equally as ineffective as his had been. Arwin just matched the monster¡¯s gaze, then lifted a hand and beckoned to it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not waiting around all day. Come get your shit rocked again. I¡¯ve got a number of good swings left in me. How much more can that mushy, decaying head of yours still take? We can run an experiment and find out.¡±

    A crackle of intent ran down the line connecting Arwin to the shield. Amusement. A new emotion. It did note alone. A flicker of knowledge curled through Arwin¡¯s thoughts. It was a desire ¡ª one borne from neither him nor the Wyrm. The knowledge came with power.

    His connection to the shield strengthened. Trails etched across the surface of the blue metal. Jagged patterns formed and the metal itself changed. Two thick spikes rose up from its top, curling like horns. The item shortened until it only covered around half of his body. Its sides pulled inward and curved down to a point at its bottom.

    The Wyrm let out a pained scream. Half the teeth vanished from its mouth and the rotted scales covering its body crumbled, falling away to dust. Arwin looked from the shield to the monster across from him.

    Then he smiled.

    He¡¯d misunderstood the vision. This wasn¡¯t a three man fight. There were only two parties. Two souls bnced on opposite ends of a scale fighting over a shared pool of power ¡ª a pool that he¡¯d just taken a chunk out of.

    The Wyrm screamed in fury. It lurched forward. A pulse of energy traveled down the shield and into Arwin¡¯s body. He could feel it like an extension of his arm. It spoke to him, and it told him to wait.

    This wasn¡¯t a fight anymore.

    It was a demonstration.

    The Wyrm swiped at Arwin with a paw easily as big as he was. Enormous talons howled through the air and sought his head, aiming to carve him to pieces. Arwin¡¯s feet remained locked in ce.

    His hands did not. The shield pulled itself into motion. It used his body as a tool, drawing magic from his soul. Power gathered within its metal. It thrummed in synchronization with Arwin¡¯s pounding heart.

    The w approached.

    The shield shed.

    It snapped out, ck energy shing around it at thest instant before the Wyrm¡¯s blow struck Arwin. They connected in the air, and for a brief moment, the world mmed to a halt. Then the Wyrm¡¯s ws shattered.

    A scream of pain tore through the air as the Wyrm¡¯s limb snapped back. Its bones crunched and its arm bent back at an impossible angle. The few scales that remained on its body exploded like they¡¯d been struck by a hammer.

    It skidded back and lost its footing, falling into a roll that sent it crashing back into the treeline in a huge cloud of dust. Loud crashes followed after it as trees pitched and crashed all around it.

    Arwin looked down at the shield in his hand, his heart mming even harder than it had been a moment ago. He hadn¡¯t even felt the impact. Every scrap of power that the Wyrm had brought to bear against him and been reflected back.

    But, even as he knew the shield¡¯s strength, he knew its weakness. Its power ¡ª was immense, but its window was thin. He had to use it the exact moment he was struck. If he didn¡¯t, the shield was nothing more than a hunk of metal.

    ¡°I can work with that,¡± Arwin said, striding toward the Wyrm as it struggled to rise again. He felt the shield¡¯s intent pull back, his connection to it fade. It was still present, but not nearly as strong.

    The demonstration was over. Now it was time for him to take matters into his own hands. Arwin came to a stop before the Wyrm. He made no move to attack the monster as it found its footing.

    It snarled in fury, the noise garbled by all the vile blood welling in its throat. Arwin met the monster¡¯s eyes onest time. The Wyrm seemed smaller than it had been before. It didn¡¯t give him time to figure out if it actually was or not. With a roar, the monster charged.

    Its head snapped down, the few fangs remaining in its mouth glistening as it bit down at Arwin. He raised his shield. Magic coursed from his body and into the blue metal. Wind from the Wyrm¡¯s charge blew his hair back, and yet he made no move to do anything but watch.

    The Wyrm mmed into him. Arwin brought the shield to bear. Jaws mmed home. ck light shed.

    An ocean of ck me, the same color as the fire that the Infernal Armory had formed a portal to Wace¡¯s armory with, rolled from the front of the shield. It swallowed the Wyrm whole.

    The world shattered.

    Shards of the forest sparkled as they fell, glistening within fragments of ss, and rained down all around Arwin to leave nothing but an endless void of ck. Then he was gone, and the vision ended.

    The shield had chosen who deserved its power.

    Now, all he had to do was make it.

 Chapter 256: There we go

    Arwin¡¯s eyes snapped open. He sucked in a breath, tasting ash and metal in the air. He was back in the Infernal Armory. A dull, throbbing presence had affixed itself to the back of his mind like a fishing line.

    He could still feel the Wyrm scale on top of the anvil. Lingering memories of the shield in his vision lurked in his thoughts. The details were limited, but it was almost as if the weapon had already decided what it wanted to look like.

    It was different from the guidance than the Mesh had given him in times before. There was no hint as to how he could make the shield, no glowing lights to tell him where to hit. It was more like the scale was a customer asking him for amission.

    <em>Fortunately, there¡¯s more than enough room in the request for me to put my own work in. Cursed weapons seem more like a partnership with the materials I¡¯m working with than just making something entirely on my own. Interesting. I wonder how simr it is to what Lillia and I did. Will the Wyrm scale actually help me make the shield? Or did I already receive all the help I¡¯m getting?</em>

    <em>Suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out. </em>

    Arwin sat up. His clothes were covered in soot and dirt. There would be no saving them now, so he didn¡¯t even bother trying to brush them clean. He just rose to his feet and braced his hands against the anvil as he studied the materials waiting before him. Brightsteel, Maristeel, and a single scale. That was it. He¡¯d worked with this number of materials before, but he¡¯d never worked with them like this.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do,¡± Arwin said, interlocking his fingers and stretching his hands out. He cast his gaze around the armory in search of the red mist, but it was nowhere to be found. ¡°Hey. You here?¡±

    A curl of smoke rose up through the floor. It flitted past his feet and twisted into a pir on the other side of the anvil before copsing like a burst water balloon. Steps swept through the mist as it crawled across the floor.

    ¡°You called?¡± the Armory asked.¡°We¡¯ve got work to do,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You ran off on me.¡±

    ¡°I do not have infinite energy. I cannot afford to maintain our connection when you are asleep.¡± A hint of irritation entered the invisible being¡¯s voice. ¡°Now that you are done napping, I am prepared to continue.¡±

    Arwin snorted. He shook his arms out and nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s get on with it. I¡¯ve got an impatient customer, and I¡¯m not feeling particrlyzy myself. I¡¯ve got some work to do.¡±

    A distantugh echoed through the armory. ck tendrils twisted out of the walls and slithered across the ground. They followed the lines intecing over the floor before reaching Arwin.

    He grit his teeth in difort as the tendrils punched into his flesh. No matter how small the tendrils were, getting stabbed wasn¡¯t particrly enjoyable. He also didn¡¯t miss that the Infernal Armory was able to prate his skin even through [Indomitable Bulwark]. Granted, it didn¡¯t actually do much damage, but it didn¡¯t seem to be <em>trying </em>to hurt him either.

    <em>How much is this building actually capable of?</em>

    A rush of energy ran down the lines and into Arwin¡¯s body. His thoughts mmed to a halt. The connection between himself and the Infernal Armory intensified as their power mixed. Energy lit the smithy¡¯s veins with a muted, shadowy glow.

    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± the Armory asked, its voice echoing around Arwin. Smoke twisted past his arms and curled over the surface of the anvil. ¡°I feel the item. It speaks with you.¡±

    Arwin extended a hand. Verdant Inferno materialized in his grip and a purr rolled across his mind, followed by a flicker of irritation. The hammer was angry. It hadn¡¯t gotten to be part of the fight against the Wyrm.

    He had absolutely no idea how the hammer had managed to figure that out, but he did his best to send reassuring thoughts in its direction. It wasn¡¯t like it had been his choice to avoid using it. Arwin would have been more than happy to have a little help ¡ª but that just wasn¡¯t how the vision had worked.

    <em>In a way, it makes sense. Can¡¯t really test someone when they¡¯ve got all their abilities and skills and items to rely on. You¡¯ve got to get down to the real parts of who they are.</em>

    Fire prickled against his hand. Another wave of annoyance rolled from Verdant ze. Arwin chuckled.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I promise I¡¯ll use you as much as I possibly can, okay? I¡¯m not cheating on you, I swear.¡± Arwin hesitated. Then he frowned. ¡°Wait. Scratch that. We¡¯re not in that kind of rtionship. I¡¯m with Lillia. I¡¯m not cheating on you with another crafting weapon.¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition.

    ¡°Would you stop arguing with your damn hammer?¡± the Armory asked, exasperated. ¡°I am <em>waiting</em>!¡±

    ¡°Oh, stuff it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Lillia to make you some food soon.¡±

    ¡°Can I have¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin replied. He adjusted his grip on Verdant Inferno. Waves of amusement rolled off it and into his mind as [Soul me] poured out of his hands and raced into the hammer¡¯s haft. Its head erupted in me. ¡°Now let¡¯s get to work. Give me another work surface and some heat. I need to prepare some metal.¡±

    ¡°As youmand,¡± the Infernal Armory replied, and the two of them got to work.

    ***

    Verdant Inferno¡¯s song was indistinguishable from Arwin¡¯s. The ng of metal echoed through the smith. Firelight danced across the walls, shing as the hammer rose and fell, striking like the marching feet of an army.

    Arwin worked the metals, forming them into tes. The materials almost seemed eager to reach their promised form. Every strike melted them into ce as if it had been three. Each adjustment worked out just right, and the Wyrm scale hummed along with Arwin in his mind.

    He formed the internal portion of the shield from Brightsteel, sticking to the form that he¡¯d received back in his vision. A roughly triangr shape that could cover just about half of his body,rgely unadorned on the side that he would hold.

    The shield¡¯s face took shape from Maristeel, as did the horns at its top. The Wyrm Scale went right in its center, sandwiched between the two metals. It remained equally as unadorned for the time being, the design being left forst.

    Intent and magic poured from Arwin with every strike he made. It bonded the metals together, drew from his desires and those of the scale, and was amplified by the Infernal Armory. Arwin worked like no human smith ever could have hoped to.

    His arms didn¡¯t grow tired. His intent was irond, held in ce not only by his own mind but also by the smithy and the scale. His magical reserves drew from the Infernal Armory and refused to run out.

    ¡°Oil,¡± Arwin called.

    A basin rose from the ground at his side, full of ck liquid. He plunged the shield into it and mes roared across its surface. The basin sank back into the ground and Arwin pulled the quenched shield free, bringing it back to the anvil.

    Strike by strike, more of the shield took form. Energy prickled at Arwin¡¯s fingertips whenever they touched the smoothing metal. The connection between himself and the scale began to shift.

    It wasn¡¯t just a bond to a magical material anymore.

    It was a bond to a burgeoning shield.

    Sweat rolled down Arwin¡¯s brow and flew from him with every strike. The temperature in the smithy had risen past sweltering and he could have sworn he smelled brimstone in the distance. He didn¡¯t let himself consider it for long. He couldn¡¯t let his attention stray from his work.

    The base form of the shield was done, now. It looked exactly as it had in the vision ¡ª but Arwin was not satisfied. He refused to stop now. This was the minimum. Not the goal.

    ¡°Chisel,¡± Arwin called.

    ¡°You have not given me a suitable chisel. Anything I can make will shatter against the materials you work with.¡±

    Arwin cursed under his breath, then dismissed Verdant Inferno. A flicker of disappointment passed from the hammer into him, but it understood that its job was done. It probably helped that he didn¡¯t actually have another tool to rece it yet.

    Fortunately, Arwin was perfectly fine working with his hands.

    ¡°Heat,¡± Arwin requested.

    Bricks rippled to his side and a furnace lifted itself from the floor. ck veins ran up its sides and pouredva into its center, doubtlessly stolen from Wace. Arwin grinned. [Soul me] encased his hands and he brought the shield to the furnace, heating it and using [Scourge] to empower a finger and carve designs into its face.

    Arwin had never been trained as an artist. He¡¯d had some practice on previous items, but this was the most ambitious design he¡¯d ever tried for. It was fortunate he was far from working alone. What remained of the scale guided his hand and the Infernal Armory seemed to understand as well. Arwin felt his mind sharpen. His fingertip¡¯s movement grew precise and controlled, acting exactly as he desired it to.

    Line by line, a snarling maw of a Wyrm took form within the shield. Arwin shaped the Maristeel, forming the monster¡¯s features in three dimensions to the absolute best of his abilities. This was an item made from one of the strongest opponents he and the Menagerie had faced since his arrival in Milten. The monster had been under Jessen¡¯s control, but before it had fallen, it hadmanded respect.

    He saw no reason as to why that would no longer hold true. Arwin¡¯s coalition of workers pulled the Wyrm¡¯s essence forth, drawing on every memory he had of the immense creature to do its visage justice.

    The energy flowing to him started to peter out. He felt the ck strands connecting him to the Infernal Armory slip out of his shoulders and p to the ground, but still, he didn¡¯t stop working.

    A throbbing ache swallowed his muscles and a nket of weariness threatened to swallow him. His arms burned and his magical reserves dwindled. Arwin could feel the strength leaving his body in real time, but he didn¡¯t let himself slow. He¡¯d worked through worse. His hand started to tremble. There was no sign of the red mist anymore. The Armory waspletely out of strength.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t. Not yet.

    His teeth gritted ¡ª he pressed on.

    And then, finally, his hand dropped. His finger felt like it had gotten caught between two gears. Tremors of exhaustion shook his arm, but he was done.

    A snap of static energy ripped through the room. Power rushed past Arwin, a vortex of churning magic and intent, and the Mesh roared forth from within to carve crimson letters into the air.

    <strong>[The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge: Cursed] has been forged. Forging a cursed item has granted you a significant amount of magical energy.</strong>

    A weary grin split Arwin¡¯s face. ¡°Ah. There we go.¡±

    Then he pitched back,nding in a pair of soft arms that shouldn¡¯t have been there. Darkness rose up from below his vision and swallowed him whole, and he knew no more.

 Chapter 257: The Worms Revenge

    Arwin¡¯s eyes fluttered open to find even more darkness waiting for him. A soft, familiar material was pressed into his back. He grimaced, phantom pain working its way through his limbs before they realized that they no longer actually ached. A grunt slipped from his lips as he pushed himself upright in Lillia¡¯s bed.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t go as nned,¡± Arwin muttered, rubbing at his head. The majority of his exhaustion was gone and he could feel magical energy churning within him again. Some time had definitely passed since he¡¯d finished his work. He could still remember putting the final touches onto the shield ¡ª falling ¡ª and then¡­ nothing.

    ¡°You really need to stop doing this.¡± Lillia¡¯s voice cut through the darkness, undeid with a slight tone of irritation. ¡°Are you okay, Arwin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin said with an embarrassedugh. ¡°Sorry. I pushed a little too far again. I was working on something a little different from my previous projects. I wanted to make sure it turned out as good as it possibly could. How did it¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea. The shield¡¯s stats arepletely hidden from me. I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s magic. It just looks like a really fancy looking piece of metal.¡± The bed creaked as Lillia sat down beside him. ¡°And before you ask, it¡¯s only been a few hours. You woke up faster than normal.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Arwin blinked in surprise. ¡°That really is fast. I should have been out for at least twice that with the amount of magical energy I feel.¡±

    ¡°I slipped you something to drink and imbued it with some magical energy. I figured you weren¡¯t keen on being out for a few days straight.¡± Lillia prodded him in the stomach. ¡°It¡¯s unfair when I¡¯ve got to sit around and watch you sleep instead of getting to do the same, you know. I¡¯m going to get jealous if you keep this up.¡±

    Arwin chuckled. ¡°Maybe you should knock yourself out cooking more.¡±

    ¡°Brilliant suggestion,¡± Lillia said dryly.She stood up and Arwin swung his legs out of bed. He found her arm as he rose and pulled her close, giving her a kiss the forehead and eliciting a small yelp of surprise from her.

    ¡°Thanks for the help. Was it you that caught me as well?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Who else do you think would be stupid enough to try to catch a big oaf like you?¡±

    ¡°Oi. Don¡¯t start taking ng from Wace. The absolutest thing I need is for you to start speaking like a dwarf. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be able to live with myself,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head.

    Lillia snickered. She took him by the hand and led him from the room, out into the kitchen and the light. Her pan sat beside the stove and several ingredients wereid out on cutting boards, forgotten.

    ¡°I came to bring you some food about 30 minutes before you knocked yourself out,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Your building let me in and told me not to interfere.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ convenient,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Also slightly creepy. The building, that is. Not you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Arwin. I definitely didn¡¯t know which one you were referring to.¡± Lillia¡¯s tail poked Arwin in the back. ¡°And yes, it is slightly creepy.¡±

    Arwin started to nod, then paused. His eyes narrowed and he turned to look at Lillia. ¡°What were you doing for the 30 minutes before I copsed?¡±

    Lillia cleared her throat and stepped over to her counter, her tail flicking before hiding itself within her pants. She adjusted her shirt and picked up a knife, starting to chop away at a carrot. ¡°I was just watching. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°For half an hour?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck,¡± Lillia grumbled. Her knife thunked into the counter and she pointed her other hand at him. ¡°Get out of here, already. I¡¯m trying to work and I¡¯m going to get distracted if you stick around much longer.¡±

    ¡°How distracted?¡± Arwin asked, a grin creeping across his face.

    ¡°Out!¡± Lillia¡¯s cheeks reddened. She red at him and he wisely chose to escape the kitchen before she decided to cut something other than vegetables with her knife. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that she still had the same old knife as before ¡ª it hadn¡¯t been reced.

    <em>Looks like my initial goal of making her a new kitchen knife is still safe. Good. I need to go take a look at that shield and make sure it¡¯s safe. If it is, I can get to work on her gift soon. I don¡¯t think it should be anywhere near as hard as making a shield. </em>

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Arwin said, pausing at the edge of the doorway. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dinner.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± Lillia said, turning her back to him. Her tail poked out of a pant leg of its own volition, wagging for a moment before she grabbed it and yanked it back into cover. Arwin fought to hide hisugh as he headed out.

    He was momentarily surprised to find Ridley in themon room of the inn, standing at the base of the stairs with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a thoughtful frown on his face. The mason nced over at Arwin and inclined his head.

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    ¡°Pleasure seeing you again.¡±

    ¡°Ridley,¡± Arwin said, suddenly remembering that Lillia had been nning to seek the mason out so he could expand the inn. ¡°How are things going? Good to see you too.¡±

    ¡°Better. You and your guild have been my only customers in recent days, but I can¡¯tin,¡± Ridley replied with a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°Work is work, and I appreciate the opportunity. You¡¯ve always got the most interesting projects. Is there a reason why, ah¡­¡±

    Ridley nodded vaguely over Arwin¡¯s shoulder in the direction of the kitchen.

    ¡°Oh. She just really likes demons. It¡¯s a theme.¡±

    ¡°I meant why she wanted me to keep the inn like this. I don¡¯t care what she dresses like,¡± Ridely said. He gestured around them. ¡°This building is a strong breeze from copsing. Building upon it without breaking it down and starting again is a big risk as things are right now.¡±

    Arwin coughed into a fist, but his embarrassment at missing the question quickly faded in face of Ridley¡¯s words. If the inn copsed¡­ ¡°Can you not do something about that?¡±

    ¡°I can. It¡¯ll just take more time and money. I¡¯ll have to put in some extra reinforcements and go over what¡¯s been built to make sure nothing is about to fall over. Would be cheaper to just start over. Just saying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just do what Lillia asked you to,¡± Arwin said with a relieved sigh. He headed over to the door and paused to nce back at the mason. ¡°And don¡¯t break anything down that she doesn¡¯t want you to. Price is not the paramount of our concerns.¡±

    ¡°So she said. I just wanted to make sure with her before I got anything started in true,¡± Ridley said as he stopped by the kitchen entrance. ¡°Be seeing you, then.¡±

    Arwin nodded in response, and the two stepped through their respective doorways to continue their work. The street wasrgely empty, though Arwin did spot Rodrick and Anna standing beside several adventurers at the end of the road.

    Disappointment was scrawled over the adventurers¡¯ features. Before Arwin could even consider if his presence was needed, the group turned and headed off. Rodrick waved to them as they left. That was probably a good sign.

    <em>I guess Lillia had to temporarily close the inn if Ridley is doing any work on the ground floor. Makes sense. Hopefully he can get it done quickly. I don¡¯t know how long the Mesh is going to let her sit around without customers, but I¡¯m sure the Menagerie eating at her table will be enough for a few days.</em>

    At least, he hoped it would be. The [Hungering Maw] had continued to need more and more as he grew stronger. Eating Lillia¡¯s cooking every day had kept it sated, but there was no equivalent for her inn. She was going to have to keep expanding if she wanted to keep ahead of the Mesh¡¯s limitations.

    There was only one thing Arwin could truly do to help her ¡ª and that was make anything and everything he could to outfit the inn and make her job easier. He just had to fit that in with making normal items to sell, outfitting the rest of the guild, and dealing with anything else that cropped up along the way.

    Arwin arrived at the entrance of the Infernal Armory. He reached out to push the door ¡ª and it swung open entirely on its own. His eye twitched and he stepped inside.

    <em>That really is creepy.</em>

    He slipped into the back room and both doors closed themselves behind him. Arwin ground to a stop. The breath caught in his chest and his eyes widened. Sitting in the center of the room, propped up on an armor stand, was a brilliant blue shield.

    The maw of a snarling Wyrm seemed to have been frozen within the Maristeel. Teeth glistened in afternoon light shining in from a suspiciously well-positioned hole in the ceiling. Horns curled up, decorated with thin, hairline fractures that matched the monster¡¯s appearance perfectly.

    It was the best cross between a sculpture and a shield that Arwin ever could have imagined. He could have been convinced that the Wyrm itself had actually been trapped inside his smithy and was only moments away from biting down on him.

    He approached the shield until he stood directly before it, then swallowed heavily. It was beautiful ¡ª but no stats appeared to identify it. The Mesh was silent.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how this is going to be, huh?¡± Arwin asked, his voice little more than a reverent whisper. He lifted his hand. Caution stayed him for a moment, but he eventually reached out and lifted the shield from the rack.

    It was as light as a feather. Arwin turned it over in his hands, then stared at the handles on its back. There was only one thing left to do.

    He slipped his hand into the shield.

    Energy thrummed. Ice prickled against his forearm and raced up his arm. Pain burned into his body and he let out an rmed curse, trying to drop the shield. It didn¡¯t budge. Frosty air gathered around his arm and his hairs started to stiffen. His fingers numbed at an rming speed.

    Still cursing and trying to shake the shield free, Arwin activated [Soul me], wreathing his arm in a sheet of burning fire. The frost faltered. For a moment, it held strong. Then it gave way to the heat. Warmth returned to Arwin¡¯s hand and the pain faded, though his skin still stung.

    And, in the air before him, glistening red letters finally took form.

    <strong>The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge [Cursed]</strong>

    <strong>[Wyrm Soul]: This item has been imbued with the emotions, desires, and power of a Wyrm who was denied its ascension. In death, its will has passed on to empower its maker. </strong>

    <strong>[Revenging Strike]: The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge may be a shield, but it seeks death more than protection. Sending power into this item briefly intensifies the connection between it and its wielder. If a physical attack is blocked during this short duration, the Wyrm will strike out together with its wielder. However, if no attack is blocked within the span of activation, the Wyrm will strike its wielder instead. The strength of this ability is magnified when The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge is used to block a blow that would have otherwise hit one of the wielder¡¯s allies. </strong>

    <strong>¡°</strong>Well, now,¡± Arwin breathed, turning the shield over and extending a mental tendril to bind it with [Arsenal]. The shield lived up to its name. It was certainly cursed. Getting attacked when he missed a block was already a nasty side effect. But Arwin had seen how powerful the shield was when he <em>did </em>use it correctly.

    <em>A tradeoff, huh? So that¡¯s what Cursed items really are. Educated gambling. The Band Three has two chances for a bad item and one for a good one. The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge lets me get a really powerful attack off, but if I screw up, it hits me instead. </em>

    No power came without risk. The Mesh had made that abundantly clear. And, as Arwin looked down at the shield in his hands, a slow smile spread over his features.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said, nodding to himself. ¡°I think I can work with this. Cursed Smithing was absolutely the right choice. This is the advantage we needed.¡±

    The shield vanished as he dismissed it. Arwin cracked his neck. A swirl of red mist danced across the floor as the Infernal Armory activated around him.

    ¡°You sought me.¡± The Armory wasn¡¯t asking a question. It was a statement.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Arwin re-summoned his shield, getting used to the feeling of it appearing on his arm, then looked to the mist swirling before his feet. ¡°I need to test this out. Care to help?¡±

 Chapter 258: Twelve

    ¡°No,¡± the Armory said.

    Arwin blinked. He looked from the shield to the whorls of red mist rising up across from him. His head tilted to the side. ¡°What do you mean, no? Why not?¡±

    ¡°Do you recall feeding me a training dummy?¡±

    ¡°Well, no. Can¡¯t you just smack me or something?¡±

    ¡°And take the damage myself?¡± Irritation tinged the Armory¡¯s voice. ¡°No. If you desire a training partner, then either feed me something that I can use to replicate a training partner or find someone else. I am not your beating block. I am more than a mere tool. I am the Infernal Armory.¡±

    <em>Humble, are we? I suppose that¡¯s fair enough, though. No sword is going to want to be used like a butter knife. </em>

    ¡°Point taken,¡± Arwin said. He looked down at the shield in his hands, then dismissed it with a thought. ¡°I¡¯ll look into finding a training dummy to feed you. Do you happen to know what time it is?¡±

    ¡°It is evening.¡±

    ¡°More than enough time to get a little more work in,¡± Arwin mused. He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. ¡°You have enough energy to get one more quick piece of work in?¡±¡°Your definition of quick and mine do not align.¡± Red mist swirled past Arwin and forced him to turn to track the footsteps tracking through it. ¡°Nor do our desires. I do not enjoy driving my resourses down to the bone.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bezy. Do you have enough energy or not? I¡¯m not trying to kill you here, but I¡¯d like to try and make a kitchen knife for Lillia now that I know Cursed items aren¡¯tpletely evil.¡±

    ¡°Why would you ever take a ss if you believed that there was a chance it would bepletely detrimental?¡±

    ¡°I was unaware that my own forge was going to start getting judgy.¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°It was a calcted risk.¡±

    ¡°You thought Cursed items sounded strong and took the ss because it was more unique than normal Dwarven Smithing.¡±

    ¡°I may have done that, yes. But it wasn¡¯t just because it sounded cool. I need to take risks to get ahead.¡±

    ¡°But it also sounded¡­ <em>cool</em>.¡± There was something disconcerting about the way the infernal Armory said the word <em>cool, </em>as if it were a child testing out a new word for the first time.

    ¡°Just tell me if you can help make the knife or not,¡± Arwin grumbled. ¡°But it did sound cool. Are you telling me Cursed items don¡¯t sound at least a little cool? Especially now that we know they¡¯re more like gambling rather than just evil?¡±

    ¡°Which of those questions do you want me to answer? You said to just answer if I could make the knife, but then added a second request afterward.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°When did you be a sarcastic teenager?¡±

    ¡°I can make the knife so long as you do not get overly caught up in minute details and waste too much energy. As to the second question ¡ª I do not care what I make so long as I can make something. My purpose is to create. That is all. The identity of what I am used to create is irrelevant to me so long as you continue to push us toward greater feats.¡±

    <em>Well that totally isn¡¯t a concerning take on things. No morals whatsoever. Then again, the Infernal Armory is hardly apletely benign entity. It¡¯s always been a little bit unsettling at absolute best. I think I¡¯d be sorely mistaken to assume this thing is some kind of saint. The damn thing is powered by a zombie heart, after all. </em>

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what materials we¡¯ve got then. I want to try to wrap this up before dinner.¡±

    ***

    Tironal¡¯s fingers drummed away relentlessly at his wooden table. Sweat prickled at the back of his neck and rolled down his back, soaking into his fine clothes. His office was dark, two cups of tea sat before him, both untouched. He swallowed and tugged at his cor.

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    A man stood in the darkness leaning against a bookshelf, his arms crossed. A metal mask covered the lower half of his face. The upper portion was concealed by a heavy nest of gray hair that camouged matching eyes beneath it.

    Light reflected off the metal guild badge depicting nothing but a straight line carved across his chest. Even though Tironal couldn¡¯t make out the man¡¯s face, he was more than aware of the gaze burning into his forehead.

    ¡°There has been no progress,¡± the man said.

    ¡°I promise you, we¡¯re searching as hard as we possibly can,¡± Tironal said. He syed his hands out over the table, half to show that he wasn¡¯t reaching for a weapon. Thest thing he wanted to do was give the monster before him a reason to draw arms. ¡°We cannot do anything more without stopping our normal processes. That would be¡ª¡±

    ¡°Idiotic, yes.¡± The man cut Tironal off before he could finish his sentence. ¡°I am not a fool. Such a change would be entirely too evident, and whoever took my Dungeon Heart would immediately flee ¡ª not to mention I suspect your guild would be crushed by the Dawnseekers when you lost so much momentum.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more than just the Dawnseekers to concern ourselves with,¡± Tironal said. His hands tightened. ¡°The Montibeau family¡¯s heir returned to their estate and has managed to stabilize them. They aren¡¯t a significant threat as they are now, but morepetition means even more ways things can go wrong.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstand me. I do not care about your guild or the struggles it faces. They are of your own making. I know you desire to keep it in one piece, and at the moment, its purposes suit mine. Do not confuse that for me caring about your guild. You will find the Dungeon Heart.¡±

    ¡°I will endeavor to pour more resources into this,¡± Tironal promised, his jaw tightening until it ached. ¡°My spymaster, Charles, will dedicate all the time he has left to aiding you. We will manage without him for the time being.¡±

    The assassin watched Tironal impassively for several long seconds. Then, slowly, he nodded.

    ¡°Very well. I will return in time to meet him. Ensure he has something useful for me. I am displeased with the amount of time that I have already wasted in this worthless city. There will not be a third chance for you to prove yourself.¡±

    Despite his position, a flicker of anger rolled through Tironal. He¡¯d spent years building up the Ardent Guild. Thousands upon thousands of gold invested into its growth. Into its people. The guild wasn¡¯t the strongest merchant guild in existence, but it was his creation. The manifestation of his years on this world, and the culmination of the desires of everyone under his banner. It was the path into the future that they had fought to im.

    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Tironal asked, his fist tightening. ¡°I have done nothing but attempt to aid you. I was not responsible for the death of your apprentice. I do not mean to challenge the Setting Sun, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is not a threat, Tironal. I have no ns of taking action against your guild,¡± the assassin said tly. ¡°That is not how I operate. You may <em>feel </em>threatened by my presence, but if I wished your guild to be destroyed, it would already be gone. I do not threaten you. There are simply other pathways to what I desire beyond relying on your ipetent men. If they aplish what you cannot, then I will pay them rather than you. And I am a very, very wealthy man. I do not suspect a merchant guild willst long if one of itspetitors suddenly bes richer than it. Do you understand?¡±

    Tironal swallowed. ¡°Yes. I understand.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± the assassin said.

    Then he was gone.

    Tironal slumped in his desk and ran his hands through his hair, letting out a groan. This wasn¡¯t how he¡¯d nned the move into Milten to go at all. Things had gonepletely wrong at every single turn, but he couldn¡¯t stop now. There was too much invested on their sess.

    If he wanted to keep the momentum the Ardent Guild had picked up and ensure they properly established themselves in Milten, had to find the Dungeon Heart ¡ª or someone who he could pin its loss on.

    ***

    Twelve slipped into a dark alleyway, leaving the Ardent guild behind him as he strode to his next meeting. Tironal was worthless. Anyone with a spymaster of any true worth would have already located the Dungeon Heart.

    The item was hardlycking in power. If Twelve had been present with his true body, then it would have taken him mere minutes to track it down. Unfortunately, he had nowhere near the amount of time to spare sending his true form for what was, in the end, nothing more than a side mission.

    Losing the Dungeon Heart was infuriating, but there were worse fates that coulde to pass if he failed in his other duties. He had a duty to more than himself. The rest of the Setting Sun had tasks far more important than a magical item, even one as strong as this one.

    <em>Fortunately, Tironal is far from the only one with an active informationwork in Milten. His time has alreadye to an end. </em>

    Twelve came to a stop at the end of the alley. A woman d in rags looked up at him through a mat of ragged, dirty hair. She held out a mug with a few small coins resting at its base.

    ¡°Alms?¡±

    ¡°You are not a church,¡± Twelve said. ¡°Where is your puppet master?¡±

    The old woman¡¯s lips split apart in a toothless grin and she lowered the mug. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a beggar to me. He did say he¡¯s lookin¡¯ to keep expanding and that he¡¯d give bonuses for ¡®ferrals, or something like that. That what you are?¡±

    ¡°A referral? Perhaps. I seek audience with him. Where can I find him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got contacts at the Devil¡¯s Den,¡± the old woman replied. She mbered to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    ¡°No, you will not. The name is sufficient.¡±

    The woman¡¯s brow furrowed. She took one look into Twelve¡¯s eyes, then swallowed and wisely sank back into her spot on the floor. ¡°Just tell ¡®im that Magda sent you, yeah? I want my bonus.¡±

    Twelve didn¡¯t respond. He was already gone.

 Chapter 259: Mistaken

    Rodrick had a foot on the stairwell when he heard someone grab the inn¡¯s doorhandle. It wasn¡¯t Arwin. Therge smith had a specific way of walking that was impossible to mistake.

    Olive and Reya were outside and meant to be stopping anyone from heading inside while Ridley was working on upgrading the Devil¡¯s Den. Lillia was still in her kitchen and neither Madiv nor Esmerelda moved like the visitor.

    Rodrick nced over his shoulder, a small frown crossing over his features. His hand shifted down to the sword at his side as the door creaked open and a man d in ck clothes stepped into themon room. His face was concealed by a metal mask and gray hair hung around his face. A guild badge sat on his chest ¡ª a single silver line.

    The man¡¯s eyes flicked to Rodrick instantly. He wasn¡¯t so much as bothered by the darkness of the Devil¡¯s Den. Rodrick¡¯s eyes narrowed even further.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Rodrick asked, stepping off the stairs and getting to t ground.

    ¡°Yes, I believe you can.¡± The man¡¯s voice was like the whispering wind. Rodrick¡¯s hair stood on end. There was something <em>off </em>about him. He couldn¡¯t ce what it was, but his instincts had yet to lead him wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it might have to wait,¡± Rodrick said with an easygoingugh that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°The inn is closed. We¡¯re undergoing some construction right now. Maybe you¡¯d like toe back in a few days?¡±

    ¡°My business is not with the inn,¡± the man replied. ¡°I am looking for someone. Perhaps you can help me.¡±

    ¡°And who would that be?¡± Rodrick asked. He stepped around a table and approached the intruder,ing to a stop several feet away. There weren¡¯t any visible weapons on the man¡¯s body, but that didn¡¯t mean he was armed. If anything, it only made Rodrick¡¯s suspicion grow.Nobody walked around unarmed. When you couldn¡¯t find someone¡¯s weapons, it meant they were hidden ¡ª or already lodged in your back.

    ¡°A contact,¡± the man said. ¡°Are you aware of a woman by the name of Magda?¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s head tilted to the side. Confusion mingled with his wariness. He¡¯d long since memorized the names of everyone in hiswork. The closer he was with them, the better the information tended to be.

    <em>But what would Magda have to do with this guy? He¡¯s no street beggar. </em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s say I am,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°Then I believe Ie bearing a referral in her name.¡± The man hooked his heel around the leg of a chair and pulled it out. He lowered himself into it and inteced his fingers, cing his hands on top of the table.

    Rodrick¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    <em>That¡¯s not a coincidence. That¡¯s the sign of a peaceful meeting that assassins use to show they¡¯re only looking to speak and don¡¯t want to fight. The books in the Inquisitor¡¯s libraries were pretty clear that it was amon symbol among different guilds. </em>

    <em>I need to get information, and that means ying along. </em>

    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Rodrick asked, walking over to the table and sitting down across from the assassin. He made no moves to intece his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to help you, but I can hear you out.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but notice that the chopping noisesing from the kitchen had stopped. Lillia wasn¡¯t cooking anymore. That set some of Rodrick¡¯s concern at ease. She was aware of their unwee guest.

    ¡°You represent the informationwork.¡± The assassin didn¡¯t phrase his words as a question.

    ¡°You might have to be clearer,¡± Rodrick said. He kept his tone even and measured his expression to ensure no information would slip through. It was inevitable that word would get out about thework ¡ª he hadn¡¯t exactly tried to hide it. He¡¯d basically left an open offer to every beggar and thief in Milten.

    But this was no mere thief, and Rodrick wasn¡¯t about to give anything up until he knew what the man¡¯s goals were.

    ¡°I do not have time for games. I seek to hire yourwork. I am not here to cause you harm or injury, but my patience is thin. Do not y games with me. If you are the one I seek, state it. If not, direct me to them. I will not ask twice.¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re looking for, but I¡¯m just a go-between,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den serves everyone. We don¡¯t care who you are or what your goals are, and that includes some people who have desires to keep themselves hidden.¡±

    ¡°Then you can help me.¡±

    ¡°Possibly. I can hear you out. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll promise.¡±

    ¡°eptable. Then you can pass a message along,¡± the assassin said, leaning forward in his seat. ¡°I am in search of an item, and I will pay handsomely for its retrieval. I have already drawn on the aid of the Ardent Guild, but they have proven to be ipetent.¡±

    Rodrick tilted his head to the side. It took a force of will to keep himself from chuckling. The Ardent Guild¡¯swork probably would have been more effective if half of their leads weren¡¯t getting free food and drink from him.

    ¡°They are historically ipetent.¡±

    ¡°I had thought you may think as much. You are part of the Menagerie.¡± It was another statement.

    ¡°I am,¡± Rodrick confirmed. ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°I make it a point to keep myself familiar with any new guilds that make it onto the Secret Eye¡¯s ranking list.¡± The skin around the man¡¯s eyes creased with what could have either been a smile or a sneer. ¡°And yours is quite small. Stealing a first clear right out from under their noses is¡­ impressive for a group your size.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass your kind words along to our guild leader,¡± Rodrick said smoothly. The assassin was poking to see if hiswork and the Menagerie were one and the same, but he had no ns of revealing that information. ¡°Are you here to hire the Menagerie or thework that runs from the inn? All we do is manage the space. We don¡¯t care about what business is done here. We don¡¯t mix the two up.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then I will cut to the point once more. You ¡ª thework for which you im to pass information on to ¡ª I do not care which. I seek an item. If you can retrieve it for me, I will reward you greatly for it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m still not giving any promises, but what¡¯s the item?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°It is called a Dungeon Heart. An object with an immense magical signature that resembles its namesake. It would be entirely useless to anyone within this city, but I have a desire to have it returned to me. I gave it as a gift some time ago, and now I would like it back.¡±

    <em>Dungeon Heart? He can¡¯t ¡ª no, he definitely does. The big creepy thing Arwin brought back and fused into his smithy. If it¡¯s a gift, then this bastard was rted to Jessen. Friends or allies with him at the minimum. </em>

    Rodrick¡¯s spine prickled, but he didn¡¯t let his posture or expression shift in the slightest. There was no doubt in his mind that the nameless assassin was watching his every move in search for recognition.

    ¡°What sort of reward would you be offering for something like this?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°I will destroy the Ardent Guild and hand you the deed to the ruins of their guildhouse,¡± the assassin replied. ¡°I trust that should be sufficient motivation for the Menagerie.¡±

    ¡°And for the informationwork?¡±

    A flicker of displeasure passed through the assassin¡¯s features. He¡¯d been hoping Rodrick would slip up and reveal that their desires were one and the same ¡ª or perhaps he just wanted Rodrick to think that.

    <em>Damn. Can¡¯t tell what this guy is thinking. </em>

    ¡°They may name their price. I suspect I will be able to meet it, so long as it is reasonable. If it is not, I will be displeased.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pass your offer along. What name do you go by and how can I find you?¡±

    ¡°You may call me Twelve. I will return in four days. Locate the heart by then if you wish any sort of reward ¡ª and I suggest you work quickly. You are not the only one to whom I have reached out.¡±

    <em>Yeah, but I bet we¡¯re the only ones that actually have the thing you¡¯re looking for. Not that I¡¯m giving this guy shit. Anyone that was friends with Jessen can kick sand.</em>

    ¡°Good to know,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°If I¡¯ve got any information for you, I can pass it along when you return.¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡± Twelve rose from his seat. His hands dropped to his sides and he inclined his head. ¡°Watch over yourself.¡±

    Twelve¡¯s body twisted into streamers of ck smoke and flooded out the door. It was a threat, and not even a thinly veiled one. Rodrick waited silently for several moments, then carefully rose from his spot at the table and headed over to the door, closing it.

    <em>Well, now I know what the Ardent Guild has been searching for. This guy is trouble. I¡¯m going to have to figure out what guild he¡¯s from if I want to level the ying field a little more ¡ª and I need to warn Arwin to make sure nobody finds out about that damn heart.</em>

    Lillia stepped out of the kitchen, holding arge ck pan in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± she asked.

    ¡°How much did you overhear?¡±

    ¡°All of it but the start,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°Is he¡ª¡±

    Rodrick nodded. ¡°Yeah. We might be running out of time to rx. I trust you can tell he¡¯s gone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I can feel the people in my inn and he¡¯s not here anymore.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then we¡¯ve got to start getting ready. The Ardent Guild¡¯swork is crippled, but they¡¯re big and have a lot of money. There are people smart enough to put two and two together with Jessen¡¯s death and the fall of the Iron Hounds. It won¡¯t be long until Twelve realizes that he¡¯s just tried to hire the people that have his item.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what guild he¡¯s from?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Not yet, but I n on finding out.¡± Rodrick¡¯s expression darkened and he looked back to the door. ¡°And, in the meantime, we¡¯re going to have to prepare ourselves. We better fill the others in and figure out how we n to handle this. This might just be instinct talking, but I don¡¯t think Twelve is someone we can deal with in the same way we¡¯ve handled other threats.¡±

    ¡°I think you might be right,¡± Lillia said, a frown etching across her features. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re without options. Figure out what guild he¡¯s from. I¡¯ll let Arwin know what¡¯s going on. The Menagerie might be small, but we¡¯re not helpless. Twelve is sorely mistaken if he thinks we¡¯re just going to give up anything we won from putting that dog Jessen down.¡±

 Chapter 260: A Hand & An Announcement

    The Infernal Armory rested. Its tendrils had pulled back from Arwin and the red mist was nowhere to be seen. Heat still gripped the air and Arwin, who stood in the center of the room, was covered with ayer of soot, sweat, and grime. Verdant Inferno leaned against the anvil before him and he held a knife in the air before him, examining the results of thest few hours of his work.

    His knife had a smooth bone handle that gave way to a matte ck de the length of his hand from base to fingertip. He¡¯d gotten the bone from the Infernal Armory and had opted not to ask where the building had sourced it. Arwin got the feeling he didn¡¯t want to know.

    The center of the handle had a fang embedded in its center, the metal molded around it seamlessly. Arwin tilted the knife from side to side, examining its de as magic tingled against his palm.

    When it caught the light just right, he could just barely make out dim orange lines running down the de and gathering at its hip like veins buried within the metal. Arwin could feel a faint pulse against his palm from the knife¡¯s handle ¡ª one that wasn¡¯t quite a heartbeat but wasn¡¯t quite far enough one from one to be called otherwise.

    The knife¡¯s de hadn¡¯t always been ck. Arwin had made it from Brightsteel, but the moment he¡¯d quenched it with the aid of the Infernal Armory and applied the finishing touches to his project, the dark sheen had spread through the water like drops of oil. They¡¯d slowly expanded topletely consume the glistening silver until nothing but darkness remained.

    Arwin was less concerned with the item¡¯s appearance than he was with its attributes. He wasn¡¯t about to give Lillia a cursed knife that wanted to rip her own throat out or tried to ruin her food whenever she cooked it.

    And thus, when the Mesh bubbled up to form into molten red words and reveal the results of Arwin¡¯s efforts, the breath remained lodged in his throat like a stone.

    <strong>The Chef¡¯s Kiss [Cursed]</strong>

    <strong>[Bloodthirsty]: This item has been imbued with the desires of a starved wyrmling, its power smothered under the immense hunger of the smith that forged it. It cuts living and formerly living material with increased efficiency. </strong><strong>[Will of the Wyrm]: The Chef¡¯s Kiss possesses a fragment bound from the soul of a wyrmling, granting it the ability to act on its own. So long as it has been properly fed, this item will follow its owner¡¯s orders. Should it grow too hungry and be offered no food, the de will turn itself against the one that has used it most recently until it is sated. </strong>

    ¡°Well then,¡± Arwin said, studying the knife. He¡¯d just been thinking he really didn¡¯t want to give Lillia a knife that was going to try to run her through, but as far as drawbacks went, this one didn¡¯t seem too bad. All it needed to do was get a little to eat every once in a while. Arwin couldn¡¯t think of a ce where that would be easier to aplish than Lillia¡¯s kitchen.

    The knife remained inactive in his hands. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was because he hadn¡¯t fed it yet or if it knew he wasn¡¯t meant to be its owner. It was difficult to tell exactly how far the intelligence of Cursed items ran.

    Verdant Inferno buzzed in the back of Arwin¡¯s mind. The hammer sent him a series of contented feelings before pulling back from him. It vanished from where it had been leaning against the anvil, returning to wherever [Arsenal] sent it of its own volition.

    Arwin stared at where it had been for a moment.

    <em>Since when could Verdant Inferno summon and dismiss itself? I¡¯ve been thinking that the Infernal Armory is the only one of my items that has a full level ofprehension as to what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m starting to wonder just how true that is. The hammer might not be able to talk yet, but it¡¯s definitely aware. </em>

    <em>I should really make sure I can get that core for it soon. I don¡¯t know what Verdant Inferno will be able to do once it¡¯s actuallypleted, but I¡¯d really like to find out. I bet I could make that heat-based core with Dwarven Smithing ¡ª but not today. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s all for today,¡± Arwin said as he let his hand lower. ¡°Do you have some oilcloth or something that I left behind? I need to wrap this.¡±

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    A section of stone in the wall slid open and a rolled up ball of oilclothunched out like it had been shot from a cannon. Arwin grabbed it out of the air and started to wrap the knife, giving the armory an appreciative grin.

    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it. I don¡¯t suppose you know what time it is?¡±

    ¡°It iste in the evening.¡± The Infernal Armory¡¯s voice sounded weary, like it had been drained and left with only scraps.

    Arwin supposed that was basically exactly what had happened.

    ¡°Perfect. I hope I didn¡¯t miss dinner,¡± Arwin said. He rolled his neck and ran a hand along his face, wiping away ayer of soot and grimacing ¡°Thanks again for the help. I really need a damn bath.¡±

    ¡°Most likely. Do not forget my food tomorrow morning. I desire power.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Arwin promised. He took a step toward the door, then paused. His head tilted to the side. ¡°Hey, I just realized something. How exactly is it that you can tell the time? Can you leave the building?¡±

    ¡°I <em>am</em> the building. I am aware of the world around me. Particrly the world in the immediate area of my body,¡± the Armory replied. ¡°Lillia¡¯s tavern is cloaked to my sight, as is the small building between it and me. My senses do not extend far past this street yet.¡±

    That gave Arwin another pause. He supposed it made some degree of sense that Lillia¡¯s building was somehow cloaked from prying eyes. That sounded like something that her ss would have given her ¡ª and if he had to guess, it probably had something to do with the darkness that enshrouded it.

    He was more focused on the second half of the Armory¡¯s statement. Arwin hadn¡¯t known anything about another, smaller building that should have had any relevance on the street. His brow furrowed.

    ¡°Small building?¡± Arwin repeated.

    ¡°Yes. It arrived several days ago.¡±

    That only deepened Arwin¡¯s confusion. ¡°What do you mean, arrived? Buildings don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°This one did. It is frequented by an old woman. One who is currently waiting in my main room.¡±

    Arwin looked over to the door. His ears strained. He couldn¡¯t hear the slightest amount of noise. It was perfectly silent. Now that he thought about it, the room was <em>too </em>silent. He couldn¡¯t hear anything from the street outside at all.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I hear anything?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°That would be because I have muted the sound entering and leaving this area of the smithy to protect our efforts.¡±

    ¡°I see. And how long is it that the old woman has been in the main room trying to get my attention?¡±

    ¡°She has been knocking on the door for thest hour and a half.¡±

    ¡°For an hour and a half? What old woman is this? Esmerelda?¡± Arwin eximed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do something?¡±

    ¡°I have kept the door locked to avoid you being disturbed. She did not have anything important to say.¡±

    ¡°How do you know? And why didn¡¯t she leave if she didn¡¯t have anything important to say?¡±

    There was a moment of silence. Then a gentle cough echoed through the room. ¡°Because the main door is also locked.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Why is the main door locked?¡±

    ¡°Because Rodrick is waiting outside it. His information is important, but it is less important than the work we were doing. Being interrupted would have wasted my energy and caused your efforts to fail.¡±

    Arwin looked down at the bundle he held in his hands. Then he looked back up. He wasn¡¯t actually sure where to look. It wasn¡¯t like the Infernal Armory had a face he could stare at, so he settled for the wall.

    ¡°I may not like getting disturbed, but what if someone was in trouble? You can¡¯t just¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nobody was in any immediate danger.¡±

    Arwin blew out a curt breath. He wasn¡¯t about to get through to the armory. The only thing it cared about was crafting. All he could do was find out if it had been telling the truth about theck of importance Rodrick and Esmerelda¡¯s messages bore.

    ¡°Open the door,¡± Arwin said. He hesitated for a moment, then pinched his nose between two fingers. Being an asshole wasn¡¯t going to help him and it wasn¡¯t going to change the past. ¡°And in the future, please don¡¯t trap anybody without me giving you permission to, okay?¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    The door cracked open.

    A fist whooshed through the air where it had been.

    Then, to Arwin¡¯s horror, it continued on its path, devoid of an arm behind it. The fist hit the ground with a thunk and rolled to a stop at his feet. Its fingers fell limp.

    Esmerelda¡¯s head poked in from beyond the door, exhaustion and zealotry mixing in her features. She looked from Arwin down to the hand at his feet.

    ¡°Your hand!¡± Arwin eximed. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite fine.¡± Esmerelda adjusted her clothes with both hands. Neither of them were missing. ¡°That one was an extra. I got tired of knocking.¡±

    ¡°An extra ¡ª oh, I don¡¯t care at this point,¡± Arwin said through a defeated sigh. ¡°What happened? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°What happened? <em>What happened</em>?¡± Esmerelda eximed, her voice raising in octave as she hurriedly shuffled over to Arwin. ¡°What happened is I felt flows of Cursed energy gathering in this building. Not just once, but twice. There¡¯s someone here. Someone looking to steal my business. I smell it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked, more from surprise than from confusion.

    Esmerelda lips thinned and her eyes narrowed. ¡°Someone is making Cursed items, smith. And I¡¯m going to¡ª¡±

    The words caught in her throat and her eyes flicked down to the bundle in Arwin¡¯s hands.

    <em>Ah, shit.</em>

 Chapter 261: Gifts

    Arwin went to move the bundle behind his back. It was a childish strategy, but it was the best idea he coulde up with. The second best one would have been pelting it through the window and pretending he had no idea what Esmerelda was talking about.

    He got time to do neither.

    With impossible speed, the olddy grabbed the bundle from him. Her hands flew as she unfolded the oilcloth. Esmerelda¡¯s eyes widened. Her lips parted and her arms lowered, her gaze lifting from the sword bundled within the cloth to meet Arwin¡¯s gaze. Her lips worked as she tried and failed to form a word for several seconds.

    ¡°¡­you?¡± Esmerelda asked, swallowing heavily. ¡°You made this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t steal things from people,¡± Arwin said firmly, plucking the bundle from Esmerelda¡¯s hands and re-wrapping it. He paused and frowned. ¡°Wait. I thought you sold magic items. What¡¯s this about Cursed¡ª¡±

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Esmerelda snapped. She thrust a finger in Arwin¡¯s direction. ¡°You. This. You made this?¡±

    ¡°And you are not to breathe a word about it,¡± Arwin said. Esmerelda wasn¡¯t a member of the Menagerie. He had absolutely no idea how she¡¯d moved so quickly, but he wasn¡¯t going to take any risks no matter how much the old woman needed some people to speak to. ¡°If you do, we¡¯re going to have a problem. A <em>big </em>problem.¡±

    ¡°Tell? Why would I tell anyone about this?¡± Esmerelda eximed, aghast. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to eat into my own business here!¡±

    ¡°So you <em>do </em>sell Cursed items.¡±¡°You stay in yourne, devil. This street isn¡¯t big enough for the two of us.¡± Esmerelda squinted at Arwin, then cleared her throat. ¡°Actually, it is big enough. I just moved in down the road. But that¡¯s despite the point.¡±

    Arwin squinted at her. The armory had mentioned a moving building suddenly showing up. One that it couldn¡¯t see inside. Esmerelda¡¯s shop had been rather small as well, now that he thought about it.

    ¡°You moved in? Into what building?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I brought my own. Don¡¯t try to change the topic,¡± Esmerelda said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I¡¯m trying to earn an living here. You¡¯re stepping on my toes. I thought we had something good going.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ slow down for a second,¡± Arwin said, holding a hand up to keep Esmerelda from saying anything else. ¡°I don¡¯t think I follow anything anymore. What the hell are you selling, and how am I infringing on it? I don¡¯t n to be making items like this.¡±

    Esmerelda blinked. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No. They¡¯re too dangerous for random adventurers. This is for members of the Menagerie only.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s expression shifted in a flicker of an instant. All the affronted anger vanished, reced by a beaming smile and a cackle.

    ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you say so, you big lunk? I¡¯ve got somemissions I want to make.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what? Hold on. You can¡¯t just skip past everything. You still haven¡¯t even said why you think Cursed items are going to step on the toes of your business.¡±

    ¡°Sure I did. I¡¯m making an living.¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re saying it wrong?¡± Arwin asked with a frown. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m missing something. Did you mean you¡¯re making an honest living? You dropped a word.¡±

    ¡°No, I definitely didn¡¯t,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°Next question.¡±

    ¡°That is not how this works.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t.¡± Esmerelda grinned and pped Arwin on the shoulder, reaching up above her head in order to do so. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a white feather, popping it into Arwin¡¯s pocket. ¡°That¡¯s for you, hon. All yours. When can you take mymissions?¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t part of the Menagerie.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°What? When did that happen?¡±

    ¡°I just decided to join,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°I did just move all the way out here, after all. You wouldn¡¯t leave an old woman out in the cold, would you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ve followed any part of this conversation, and I don¡¯t follow this one any more than thest ones. You haven¡¯t answered a single question I¡¯ve asked, and you definitely insinuated that you¡¯re selling Cursed items. Have you been trying to sell us cursed stuff this whole time? Are the feathers I bought from you cursed?¡±

    Esmerelda slid another feather into his pocket and gave it a pat. ¡°There you go.¡±

    ¡°Is this cursed?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s a normal feather. Just like the other ones you insisted on.¡± Esmerelda¡¯s eye twitched slightly.

    ¡°So you¡¯re trying to bribe me with <em>normal</em> feathers?¡± Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if he should be offended at that.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred tform and support their work!

    ¡°Yes,¡± Esmerelda replied. ¡°Is it working?¡±

    Arwin looked down at the feather. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯ll sure you¡¯lle around. Let me know when you¡¯re ready to take mymissions. I¡¯ve got quite a number of them, you know. Say, do you know how to fix existing Cursed items as well? I¡¯ve got a few broken ones that could use a bit of tuning. A few of them are getting bloodthirsty.¡±

    Arwin had to pause for several seconds to actually process the conversation ¡ª if it could even be called that ¡ª he was having with Esmerelda. Even though she hadn¡¯t actually answered any of his questions, she¡¯d given him more information than he¡¯d initially thought.

    <em>Esmerelda has a ss that lets her work with Cursed items as well. She doesn¡¯t actually seem all that evil, either. She¡¯s definitely a bit odd and she keeps trying to sell us crap we don¡¯t need. But she hasn¡¯t hurt anyone despite herints we won¡¯t purchase her stuff. Beneath everything, she really is just an olddy that wants to spend time with people. If she wasn¡¯t, she¡¯d have left after realizing we weren¡¯t going to buy her magic items.</em>

    <em>I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s enough to let her into the Menagerie, but I could use the council of someone who has a ss with any rtion to mine. If Wace can help me with Dwarven Smithing¡­ maybe Esmerelda can help with the Cursed elements.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ consider it,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°No promises. And absolutely no deal if you hurt anyone.¡±

    Esmerelda slipped Arwin another feather.

    With that, she spun on her heel and strode toward the front door. It opened as she drew up to it and she stepped past Rodrick, who had his fist raised to knock, and headed off down the street.

    Rodrick blinked, then looked from her retreating back to Arwin, the question clear in his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. I¡¯ll deal with itter,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°Sorry for the dy. I was a little wrapped up. What¡¯s going on? Nothing bad, I hope.¡±

    Rodrick grimaced. ¡°Ah. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Is anyone dead or hurt?¡±

    ¡°Nothing that bad,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But we¡¯ve got some trouble on the horizon.¡±

    ¡°When don¡¯t we?¡± Arwin rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. ¡°Out with it, then. Fill me in.¡±

    ***

    They headed back to the tavern so they could speak without worrying about someone listening in.

    There, Rodrick told Arwin everything that had happened back in the inn, including his suspicions on Twelve¡¯s rtion to Jessen. The conversation didn¡¯t take long, and by the time it was over, all Arwin could do was cross his arms in front of his chest and tap his heel against the foot of the chair he sat in.

    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯mpletely surprised. We did suspect that Jessen had some form of tie to someone. That room in the dungeon was definitely too advanced for any Journeyman level adventurer to pull off.¡±

    Rodrick nodded. ¡°The good news is that Twelve doesn¡¯t seem to care about Jessen at all. Just the Dungeon Heart.¡±

    ¡°And the bad news is that he¡¯s in an organization that doesn¡¯t care how much of a raging piece of shit Jessen was, and they¡¯re almost certainly far stronger. How long do you think it¡¯ll be until you can determine what guild Twelve is from?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be getting to work immediately. But I don¡¯t think Twelve is someone we can fight in the same way that we fought Jessen. He has a massive guild behind him. If people find out we killed him...¡±

    Arwin nodded his understanding. ¡°I¡¯m all too aware. Fortunately, we have the advantage right now. Twelve was literally on the street and he didn¡¯t notice the Heart. Nobody knows of its existence other than Wace, and he definitely isn¡¯t going to spill the information.¡±

    ¡°Not if he wants to ever taste anything I¡¯ve made again,¡± Lillia said from where she leaned against the kitchen doorway. ¡°I think the real question we need to answer right now is how we deal with the Ardent guild. If they¡¯re scouring the city for the Dungeon Heart, it won¡¯t be forever until they connect the dots. People already probably know we killed Jessen.¡±

    ¡°Because we started selling all the Wyrmling armor,¡± Arwin said with a nod and a grimace. ¡°Can¡¯t avoid that. Would have been stupid to waste the material. And we cleared the dungeon first.¡±

    Rodrick rocked back in his chair, chewing his lower lip as his brow creased in concentration. ¡°Twelve mentioned that. He was likely telling us he doesn¡¯t give a shit who killed Jessen.¡±

    ¡°Even if Twelve doesn¡¯t care who killed Jessen, I bet he suspects we know or have an idea of where the Dungeon Heart might be,¡± Lillia theorized. Her tail swayed from side to side in a slow arc as she thought. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like he can actually get it.¡±

    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Even if we wanted to give it to him, the heart is otherwise preupied right now. I don¡¯t think the Infernal Armory would be willing to give it up. What we should be more concerned with is figuring out who Twelve is and why he cares so much about the Dungeon Heart.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Rodrick promised. ¡°I figure I should be able to root some information out of the Ardent Guild given how panicked they¡¯ve been ofte.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Thanks. In the meantime, we¡¯ve got no reason to do anything differently. I¡¯ve got a lot of work to do crafting, both to outfit ourselves and keep my level up. I¡¯m also thinking it may be wise to continue expanding ourwork.¡±

    ¡°You mean find someone else to make some magic items for?¡± Lillia asked.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m in no huge rush, but we¡¯ve already got backup from Melissa¡¯s family once she gets things under control. The more small guilds and groups we have on our side, the more official we¡¯ll be. Selen ¡ª the Secret Eye representative we met before ¡ª found me some time ago to warn me that there would be guilds that don¡¯t take kindly to us getting ranked and aim for our spot. I don¡¯t know if Twelve has any rtion to that or not, but we¡¯ve made ourselves known to the public. We need backup and money to build the street bigger and make sure people think twice beforeing after us.¡±

    ¡°Not a short order,¡± Rodrick observed. He rose from his chair, pushing it back across the floor with a scrape. ¡°But I¡¯m all for it. Lillia¡¯s already halfway through the bigger and better bit. More money would definitely smooth things out a bit. But how are you going to find more customers that we can actually trust with magic items?¡±

    ¡°Just leave that to me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out.¡±

    Rodrick shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to. In that case, I¡¯m going to get started immediately. I¡¯ve got a lot to look into. Make sure you don¡¯t mention anything about the Heart where other people can hear us.¡±

    The others both nodded. Rodrick raised a hand in farewell and headed out of the tavern. Arwin and Lillia watched him leave.

    Then Arwin turned to Lillia, lifting the oilcloth wrapped bundle in his hands. Her gaze drifted down to it and she tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°A gift,¡± Arwin replied, the corner of his mouth pulling up. ¡°Perhaps now isn¡¯t the best time given the discussion we just had, but it¡¯s already made. No point just sitting on it.¡±

    Lillia blinked in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s for me?¡±

    ¡°Do you see anyone else here right now?¡± Arwin asked with a chuckle. He held the cloth out to Lillia. ¡°It¡¯s a test of my new abilities. Just¡­ don¡¯t let anybody else see it. That might go poorly.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Thank you, Arwin. I didn¡¯t realize you were making something for me.¡± She took the bundle from him, confusion mixing with appreciation on her features.

    Lillia opened the oilcloth.

 Chapter 262: The Knife

    Lillia¡¯s eyes went wide. They shot up from the knife buried within the oilcloth bundle and over to Arwin. Her lips parted in surprise as delight crossed over her features.

    ¡°You made me a knife?¡±

    ¡°I figured it could help free up some of your time if you¡¯ve got something to back you up,¡± Arwin said with a slightly embarrassed shrug. ¡°Just make sure you give it enough food so it doesn¡¯t end up stabbing you when it gets hungry. It¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Cursed,¡± Lillia finished, not so much as missing a beat. She examined the de with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°Wow. This is beautiful. I¡¯ve never something like this before. I mean, I¡¯ve had swords, but¡­ those were for killing. Not like this.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°You can read it? The status is supposed to be hidden from everyone other than people with really strong identification skills. Is it because you own the knife now?¡±

    A grin yed across Lillia¡¯s lips. ¡°Oh. Oops. Sorry. It¡¯s probably still meant to be hidden, but everything that enters my Hearth ¡ª the Devil¡¯s Den, that is ¡ª is partially in my domain. As of a level-up I got pretty recently, I can make information on items that should be concealed. It doesn¡¯t work on people yet, though.¡±

    ¡°Convenient,¡± Arwin said.

    Lillia nodded. She re-wrapped the knife and carefully set the bundle on a table before stepping closer to Arwin and wrapping her arms around him.

    ¡°Thank you, Arwin. This was really thoughtful of you. I love it,¡± Li said, pressing the side of her head up against his. She paused for a moment, then pulled back slightly so they could see each other again. "But¡­ uh, how do I feed a knife? The description says it needs to be fed.""Probably stab things. I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m not really sure.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll find out, then.¡± Lillia shook her head and released Arwin with a grin. She picked the knife back out of the bundle and held it up to the dim light of thentern, watching the orange glow reflect off its de. ¡°This is beautiful. I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d gotten so good at making Cursed items already. Was it difficult?¡±

    ¡°The wyrmling didn¡¯t put up much of a fight,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad. I just had to punch the life out of a corpse for a little while. Much less difficult than a grown Wyrm.¡±

    Lillia blinked. ¡°A grown Wyrm?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Take a look at this,¡± Arwin said, fighting to hide his own grin as he summoned the Wyrm¡¯s Revenge into his hand. The shield snapped into existence and Lillia drew in a sharp breath of surprise.

    Her eyes danced in the air as she read over the weapon¡¯s description. She let out a slow whistle and ran a hand gently down the surface of therge metal piece. ¡°This is¡­ something else. When did you get so good at fine details?¡±

    ¡°The Infernal Armory helped a lot,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I really want to see what would happen if all three of us worked together on something, but we should hold off for a little longer. I don¡¯t know if I fully trust the armory yet.¡±

    ¡°You think it¡¯s trying to betray us?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a little¡­ motivated. It¡¯s got desires that might not align entirely with mine and I don¡¯t know if I trust it to y nice when working with other people. Not yet. Hopefully soon. It trapped Esmerelda in the main room today.¡±

    ¡°The olddy?¡± Lillia blinked and tilted her head to the side. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°She somehow had a way to sense that I¡¯m making Cursed items. Turns out, she was selling them herself. She was trying to figure out who was infringing on her territory.¡±

    ¡°She was selling Cursed items? Seriously? The olddy?¡± Lillia eximed. Then she paused. A small frown crawled across her features and she scratched at her chin. ¡°Actually, now that you mention it, Esmerelda was pretty insistent that I buy a jar of pickles that would <em>ward off </em>bad customers. I thought they just¡­ smelled really bad or something.¡±

    ¡°Smelled bad? A jar of pickles would be sealed. They wouldn¡¯t smell.¡±

    ¡°Look, you didn¡¯t figure it out until Esmerelda straight up told you,¡± Lillia grumbled, prodding Arwin in the chest. ¡°And you¡¯re the one that invited her here. Is she going to be a threat?¡±

    Arwin had to think for several seconds about that question. Eventually, he shook his head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. Not yet, at least. Cursed items aren¡¯t inherently evil. They juste with some really nasty drawbacks. Esmerelda is definitely shady, but she hasn¡¯t tried to hurt any of us yet.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll keep an eye on her for now,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Madiv spends a lot of time with her anyway, so that shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. I¡¯ll just let him know to be on the lookout for anything even more suspicious than normal.¡±

    Arwin ran a hand through his hair and nced toward the entrance of the Devil¡¯s Den. He let out a small sigh and shook his head. ¡°Given the times we¡¯re living in right now, that might just be a good state to be in as a default. Rodrick told me about Twelve. Between him and the Ardent Guild, we¡¯ve got our hands full of potentially suspicious characters.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°At least the Ardent Guild isn¡¯t actively trying to kill us like the Hounds were,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We can prepare to deal with them if they ever make another direct move, but if they don¡¯t, we can focus on just finding a way to deal with Twelve.¡±

    They both fell silent for a few seconds. Arwin hadn¡¯t met Twelve himself. He didn¡¯t know how strong the assassin was or anything about his guild. It didn¡¯t matter. The man¡¯s connection to Jessen, no matter how tenuous it may have been, was enough to give Arwin a pretty good understanding of the type of person they were up against. He definitely wasn¡¯t about to give up the Dungeon Heart to Twelve.

    ¡°Hopefully Rodrick turns up something useful,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Did you get a good feeling for how strong Twelve actually was when he visited?¡±

    ¡°Strong,¡± Lillia said, her features darkening. ¡°It can be a bit hard to tell, but he wasn¡¯t going out of his way to hide his strength. I think he¡¯s more powerful than Jessen by the way he carried himself. It¡¯s hard to say by how much until we have more context as to who he is. We can¡¯t give up the Dungeon Heart, though.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t happening,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got several days until hees back. Did you pick up on anything we could maybe use to our advantage if things do end up going poorly?¡±

    Lillia crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorframe. She thought in silence for several seconds before her head tilted to the side. ¡°This could be aplete mis-read, but he seemed¡­ fairly honest. Strong enough to bepletely forthright with what he wanted. I wouldn¡¯t go as far to say he¡¯s honorable by any stretch of the imagination, but he may be someone who would follow his word.¡±

    ¡°Could we beat him in some sort of game to keep the heart for ourselves?¡± Arwin mused.

    ¡°That would involve revealing we have the heart.¡±

    ¡°Probably not ideal. We¡¯d have to make sure he¡¯s actually the type of person that would stick invariably to his word. That <em>is </em>how Jessen was, so if they had some sort of rtion, it could be possible.¡±

    ¡°It might not be the best n, but it¡¯s worth keeping in mind, at least until Rodrick finds something else we can use.¡± Lillia said looked at the cursed knife Arwin had made her again and gave him a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°Until then, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a point fretting about it. We¡¯d be better off using our time to grow as much as we can. I want to test this out and the rest of my dinner preparations are the perfect opportunity to do just that.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a n to me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Need help?¡±

    ¡°Already have it,¡± Lillia said with a grin. ¡°Later, maybe. But today, I want to see just what this is capable of.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself. I¡¯ll look forward to it, then. I¡¯m starving ¡ª and I think my magical energy is about to start consuming itself. I used a lot of power working today.¡± Arwin dismissed his shield with [Arsenal], not wanting someone to stumble into the inn while they spoke and spot it. ¡°You better hide that knife as well. I want to get attention selling some more magical items, but I do <em>not </em>want people figuring out I can make Cursed things. Especially not Wace. That would go poorly.¡±

    Lillia covered the knife again and grimaced. ¡°Good point. I¡¯ll be careful. Nobody is allowed in the kitchen anyway, but maybe I should get a lock for the door. I¡¯ll let Ridley know.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good idea. Until dinner, then. I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±

    Lillia shed Arwin a toothy grin. ¡°I know.¡±

    She slipped back into the kitchen and pulled the door shut behind her. Arwin chuckled and shook his head. He stretched his arms over his head and lowered himself into a chair to wait for dinner. His muscles were sore from working all day, so a break was more than wee.

    ***

    Dinner was as great as it always was.

    The majority of the Menagerie gathered in the Devils Den as the evening bordered on the cusp of night. Everyone other than Rodrick arrived and took their seats by the counter, squeezing in as Lillia distributed a meal of stir-fried vegetables and meat.

    Nobody had any idea what half the ingredients were. None of them asked. There was only a short pause before they ate as they tried to figure out where Rodrick was. Anna had assured everyone that he¡¯d be showing up soon enough and that they had no need to wait for him ¡ª and with the smell of Lillia¡¯s cooking luring them, nobody was difficult to convince.

    Arwin didn¡¯t get the feeling his knife had actually made any of Lillia¡¯s cooking taste better, but judging by the satisfied grin and the small nod she gave him when he locked eyes with her, his gift had proved useful.

    They were all halfway through finishing dinner when the door opened behind them. Arwin looked over his shoulder as Rodrick strode into the Devil¡¯s Den. He wore a fine silk shirt and had a balled up bundle of cloth tucked under one arm.

    Reya let out a series of muffled words through a mouthful of food. Olive elbowed her in the side and Reya swallowed before repeating, ¡°What took you so long?¡±

    ¡°I was paying the Ardent Guild a visit,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°I¡¯d nned to be back earlier, but I was unfortunately spotted. Had to lead a small troupe on a wild goose chase for a while. I lost them, though.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you it¡¯s somewhat odd that you learned how to do so much just from reading a bunch of books?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°Knowledge is power,¡± Madiv said.

    ¡°So are powerful items,¡± Esmerelda added. ¡°Except you can¡¯t buy knowledge. Now, if you wanted to buy something that <em>gives </em>you power, I could¡ª¡±

    ¡°Pass,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t normal books,¡± Rodrick replied primly, and his tone booked no opportunity to press with further questions. ¡°What matters is that I¡¯ve dug up a little information on Twelve.¡±

    ¡°Anything useful?¡± Lillia asked, heading into the kitchen and returning with another te of food. She set it down on the counter and nodded to an empty chair.

    Rodrick took the chair and gave Lillia an appreciative nod as she set his meal down before him.

    ¡°Everything is useful, but yes. Mostly just rumors right now, but it¡¯s a lead that I can capitalize on tomorrow.¡± Rodrick picked his fork up and speared a piece of meat. ¡°I listened in to Tironal ¡ª the Ardent¡¯s Guildmaster ¡ª speaking to their spymaster. There was a guild mentioned that I believe Twelve came from. I¡¯ve never heard of it, though.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Maybe I have. There are a lot of guilds in Milten, and I grew up here. I know most of them by name.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, because you got kicked out of them,¡± Olive said through a snicker.

    ¡°The Setting Sun,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re from Milten, but it can¡¯t hurt. Does the name ring any bells?¡±

    Arwin froze, and Lillia did the same.

    The name may have just been a coincidence, but it was a bit much to be mere chance.

    <em>The Setting Sun¡­ could they have something to do with the Achievement that appeared when I was dying? Is Twelve somehow connected to the conspiracy with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?</em>

 Chapter 263: Raen

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Rodrick asked, concern passing over his features as he paused with a piece of meat speared upon his fork halfway to his mouth. ¡°Are you okay? Do you recognize the guild name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Arwin said slowly, his brow knitting together. He saw the same expression passing over Lillia¡¯s features from where she stood in the doorway. She was thinking the same thing that he was ¡ª and neither of them could tell if they were pulling things from nothing or not. ¡°The name Setting Sun is startlingly simr to¡­ something that Lillia and I recall from our past.¡±

    ¡°Before the¡­ thing?¡± Rodrick asked, ncing at Esmerelda before looking back to Arwin, his eyes widening. ¡°You think Twelve has something to do with that?¡±

    Arwin shrugged helplessly. ¡°I have absolutely no idea. Neither Lillia nor I have figured out anything about the whole situation or how it happened in the first ce. We haven¡¯t been strong enough yet. Pushing that question would have led us to more trouble than we were ready to handle. But is Twelve really that strong?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so.¡± Lillia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been around a lot of powerful people. Powerful monsters, too. Twelve wasn¡¯t weak by any stretch of the imagination. He¡¯s definitely a very dangerous opponent ¡ª but he¡¯s not at the level that could ever hope to be involved in a conspiracy asrge as this one. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s anywhere near as strong as we were before the explosion, much less stronger than we were.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just weak for his guild?¡± Reya offered. ¡°The others could be stronger.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably safe to assume they are. But if they¡¯re <em>that </em>much stronger, why would they keep Twelve around in the first ce?¡± Olive asked with a frown. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s just a chore boy to be pushed around. He¡¯s got his own agenda. It¡¯s possible that this is just a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Rarely in life have I ever found anything to just be pure coincidence,¡± Anna said. She pursed her lips, then shook her head. ¡°But I don¡¯t think specting about it is going to be of much help. We need concrete information, not conspiracies.¡±

    ¡°A truth potion would cause the words to spill from his lips like a rushing river. I could have one made in just a moon,¡± Esmerelda offered, an uncannily wide smile pulling across her wrinkled features. ¡°It would only cost¡ª¡±¡°I doubt Twelve is going to drink anything we offer him,¡± Arwin said dryly, shaking his head. ¡°And even if he did, truth potions are easily cheated. You just start speaking about anything and everything. They make you tell the truth ¡ª but they don¡¯t make you answer questions.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention he¡¯d probably kill all of us if he found out we did something like that,¡± Rodrick added. ¡°Whether his guild is part of something greater or not is anyone¡¯s guess, but we can¡¯t take him on in a direct fight. We don¡¯t have any reason to. Thus far, Twelve has only tried to hire us. He¡¯s not looking for a fight right now.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what we need to use.¡± Arwin rubbed at his chin in thought and his eyes drifted up the wall as he dug deeper into his mind.

    ¡°What, you want to tell him we¡¯ve got the heart?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I think his willingness to talk will drop drastically the moment he realizes we have it.¡±

    ¡°I think we need more information before we decide anything,¡± Arwin said. He nodded to Rodrick. ¡°I have some thoughts bouncing around my head, but nothing that can be acted on yet. I need to know what Twelve is like ¡ª and what his rtionship with Jessen is, if there was one.¡±

    Rodrick took a bite out of the food on his fork and chewed for a moment before swallowing and giving Arwin a sharp nod. ¡°I¡¯m already on it. I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be able to find on Twelve¡¯s personality, but I¡¯ll dig on him and the Setting Sun as a whole. There have been harder jobs. He¡¯s been hanging around the Ardent Guild, so I have a ce to get started.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s what we¡¯ll wait for,¡± Arwin said. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and blew out a short breath. If the Setting Sun really did have some form of tie to his achievement¡­ he didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d do.

    The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was still too powerful for them to take on. The Menagerie had only just gotten ranked. They¡¯d barely managed to scratch the bottom of the list, and it was so recent that nobody had even properly figured out who they were yet.

    Taking on the Adventuer¡¯s Guild was still a star in the sky far above, in sight, out of reach.

    For now.

    If the Setting Sun really did have something to do with them, then they¡¯d find a way to get that information. And, even if they couldn¡¯t use it yet, Arwin would hold it close to chest. He¡¯d prepare for the day when he <em>could </em>do something.

    But that day wasn¡¯t today ¡ª and he was fine with that. Even if Arwin knew the exact identity of who had orchestrated every single element of the entire conspiracy, it would have been too early to act.

    Their goal hadn¡¯t changed. No matter what Twelve posed or who he worked for, it was still the same. They had to get stronger.

    ***

    The rest of the day slipped by quickly, and the next was upon them before Arwin knew it. Arwin would have loved to spend a few extra hours in bed doing nothing together with Lillia, but both of them had far too much to work on to afford the luxury.

    Both of them rolled out of bed and almost instantly set off to work. The sounds of construction greeted them as soon as they stepped into the kitchen and lost the protective barrier of darkness that surrounded Lillia¡¯s room. Ridley was already hard at work on the modifications to the inn.

    Based on how the sound wasing from above them, it seemed that he¡¯d wrapped up his efforts on preparing the bottom floor and was now well onto the 2nd one. He wasn¡¯t the only one that had already gotten the day started. Themon room was empty. Unless anyone was trying to sleep through the noise above them ¡ª which Arwin highly doubted was possible ¡ª the members of the Menagerie had all already set off.

    ¡°They¡¯re all out already,¡± Lillia said, noticing the look on Arwin¡¯s face. ¡°I can sense it. The only other one in the inn right now is Ridley, as I suspect you can tell.¡±

    ¡°Just how much can you tell about the people in the inn?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side with an amused grin.

    ¡°A lot,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°More the stronger I get. The skill I got when I reached Novice 7 is called Pierce the Veil. It gives me information about everyone that enters the Devil¡¯s Den, though I get a whole lot less the stronger someone is.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it would have been too much to ask for you to have been able to read anything about Twelve?¡±

    Lillia gave him a sheepish smile. ¡°Unfortunately not. He¡¯s at least a full tier stronger than we are. I couldn¡¯t get any information on him at all.¡±

    Arwin let out a snort and shook his head. ¡°If anything, that¡¯s just expected at this point. It¡¯s fine. No point worrying about what we can¡¯t control yet. For now, we can focus on improving what we can until Rodrick finds¡ª¡±

    A knock rang against the door.

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce. None of the Menagerie would have knocked other than Madiv, and the vampire would probably have been calling to be let in by the time his knuckles met the wood.

    Reya and Olive were also meant to be making sure nobody tried to get into the inn while it was under construction ¡ª though, given Twelve¡¯s visit the day prior, they weren¡¯t having the best of luck with their task.

    <em>Is it Twelve?</em>

    Arwin approached the door and pulled it open, preparing to summon his armor at a moment¡¯s notice. It didn¡¯t seem likely that the assassin would just randomly show back up the day after he¡¯dst paid them a visit, but he wasn¡¯t about to dismiss the possibility.

    But it wasn¡¯t Twelve that he found on the other side of the door.

    Before them was a tall, gaunt man with sallow cheeks and a ropey scar running across his nose. One of his eyes was covered by a band of ck cloth that ran along his face and over a nest of long, blonde hair. He was unarmed and stood with his hands crossed behind his back in parade rest. He wore in but well-made blue and white sparring clothes and a guild badge depicting a yellow sun on a blue shield glistened upon his breast pocket.

    ¡°You would be Ifrit, then?¡± the man asked, his head tilting to the side.

    ¡°I am, but I think you¡¯ve got me at the disadvantage,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Raen,¡± the man replied, extending a hand toward Arwin as a thin smile pulled across his lips. ¡°Raen, of the Dawnseeker guild. I believe we may be able to help each other.¡±

 Chapter 264: A Request

    Arwin studied Raen for a second before reaching out to the proffered hand and epting it. He had no idea who the Dawnseekers were, but there was no point being a hardass before he figured out what the man wanted.

    ¡°I fear I¡¯m still at the disadvantage,¡± Arwin said as they let each other go. He took a step back and nodded for Raen to follow him. If things went wrong, it was better that they were inside the Devil¡¯s Den, where Lillia¡¯s powers were at their peak. ¡°I may just be a little sheltered, but I don¡¯t recognize your guild¡¯s name. Have we had dealings of any sort before?¡±

    ¡°Our paths have not crossed. Not directly,¡± Raen said. He followed Arwin inside. His gaze lingered on Lillia for a moment as he took her in. His head tilted to the side. ¡°I did not think the rumors were actually true. You are <em>very </em>dedicated. Dressing up like a demon even when your inn is closed for renovation.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t see me saying anything about you dressing up like a twelve-year-old squire boy who couldn¡¯t make the cut for his favorite knight and gotnded with one that decided baby-blue was supposed to be intimidating,¡± Lillia said without missing a beat.

    Raen arched an eyebrow. His head tilted to the side, but he didn¡¯t look particrly offended. ¡°A sharp tongue. Another confirmed rumor. How exactly is it that you¡¯ve gotten those horns attached? I¡¯ve never seen a design quite so realistic.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Lillia replied with a t smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°It takes a <em>lot </em>of dedication.¡±

    ¡°Did youe here just to makements about my partner, or did you have something actually important to get across?¡± Arwin asked, trying and failing to keep the tension from his words. He really didn¡¯t need someone starting to dig into Lillia¡¯s backstory <em>now </em>of all times.

    ¡°My apologies,¡± Raen said, coughing into his fist and stepping away from Lillia. ¡°I am fascinated with monsters. I admit, I had been wanting to pay the Devil¡¯s Den a visit ever since I heard word of it. It is unfortunate that I chose the one day it was closed. Perhaps I will return at ater date ¡ª but to business. You havee into some¡­ trouble, as ofte. Trouble with the Ardent guild.¡±

    ¡°Trouble would imply we¡¯re having difficulties. We¡¯ve had a few run ins, but that¡¯s it,¡± Arwin allowed with a small shrug. He pulled out a chair beside a wooden table and sat down in it. Raen mirrored him, but Lillia remained standing and made no moves to rectify the situation.¡°Is that so? And the Kererus Coalition?¡± Raen arched an eyebrow. ¡°Did you decide to interfere with their business on a sheer whim? The heir of the Montibeau killed every single one of their men in Milten just a short while ago, bearing <em>your </em>seal on her armor. They are in uproar.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Arwin gave Raen a half-shrug. ¡°I have no control over what people do with my equipment once it is made. I judged her worthy of bearing my weaponry when she sought my help. I don¡¯t see what that has to do with us.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t deny that you made her magical equipment?¡± Raen asked. Interest red in his eyes and he leaned forward, his gaze burning into Arwin¡¯s.

    ¡°I do not,¡± Arwin replied, not budging from where he sat. ¡°But I do not make equipment for anyone. What does this have to do with the purpose of this meeting? You were asking about the Ardent guild, not my abilities.¡±

    Raen leaned back, a flush of embarrassment swirling across his pallid cheeks briefly as he cleared his throat.

    ¡°I am easily distracted. My presence here is spurred both by guild and personal business, but guild tasks must take priority. The Dawnseekers Guild is a Merchant Guild, and we are in direct conflict with the Ardent Guild. We are both attempting to get a foothold in Milten ¡ª but the Ardent Guild moved faster than we did.¡±

    ¡°And what does that have to do with us?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°We¡¯ve had some slight altercations with the Ardents, but nothing so extensive that we have a desire to get into direct conflict with them.¡±

    A smile pulled across Raen¡¯s lips. ¡°Perhaps. But what of thepany they keep? The Setting Sun is not a guild that is easily trifled with.¡±

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    ¡°How do you¡ª¡± Arwin started.

    ¡°Twelve approached every single yer in the city with an informationwork,¡± Raen said with a wave of his hand. ¡°And he has not been subtle with his desires. The Ardent Guild is most closely affiliated with him, but he has not been pleased with their progress. That will not matter if they seed in finding what he seeks.¡±

    <em>That¡­ honestly makes me feel a little better. Twelve isn¡¯t just approaching us to single us out. He¡¯s literally swinging by every damn person he can. We¡¯re just one of many. Now I feel a little hurt on Rodrick¡¯s behalf. It¡¯s like Twelve is cheating on us.</em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°And you think you can offer us something that can somehow ensure that the Ardent Guild doesn¡¯t find the item that Twelve wants?¡±

    ¡°No. I can¡¯t control the Ardents.¡± Raen shook his head and syed his fingers out on the table before him. ¡°But I can do something better. We¡¯re a Merchant Guild. Twelve wants a Dungeon Heart ¡ª but he didn¡¯t specify which one.¡±

    ¡°You have one?¡± Lillia asked, blinking in surprise.

    Raen waggled his head from side to side. ¡°We have <em>ess </em>to one. Dungeon Hearts are found in Ranked Dungeons. They¡¯re rare, but notpletely impossible to find. I¡¯m quite certain the only reason Twelve is evening to us is because he¡¯s on a time crunch and can¡¯t spend the time getting it himself. And, fortunately, we¡¯ve got a key to one. A Low-Adept Ranked Dungeon, to be specific. It¡¯s been cleared before, but this particr boss hasn¡¯t been. Fortunately, that doesn¡¯t matter. It won¡¯t trigger any names getting put onto the te outside the dungeon so long as nobody clears out the boss on the tenth floor.¡±

    ¡°I see. And how do wee into y here?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°If you¡¯ve got ess to a dungeon with a Dungeon Heart, I don¡¯t see why you don¡¯t just retrieve it and hand it over to Twelve. He¡¯d probably deal with the Ardent Guild for you ¡ª so where¡¯s the catch?¡±

    ¡°The catch is that we shouldn¡¯t have<em></em>this key,¡± Raen replied with a grimace. ¡°I came into possession of it through¡­ methods that I would prefer not get out to the public. Merchant Guilds are nothing but the quality of their word and goods, and damaging either of those things would be disastrous.¡±

    ¡°I see. So you¡¯re hiring mercenaries to get it for you,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Raen said with a curt nod. ¡°And the Menagerie is a newly ranked guild trying to make a bigger name for themselves. If the Dawnseekers break into a dungeon, we¡¯re bullies and bastards crushing the smaller adventurers. But if <em>you </em>do it¡­ well, you¡¯re all dashing and brave.¡±

    ¡°Except we¡¯d be doing it for you,¡± Arwin pointed out.

    ¡°Which is why you will not be telling people you are giving us the dungeon heart. In fact, don¡¯t tell people you get it at all,¡± Raen said with a small shrug. ¡°We¡¯ll give you an Adept Tier guide. He¡¯ll take you in and help you retrieve the heart. You give him the heart once the dungeon is fully cleared and we give it to Twelve.¡±

    Arwin shifted in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I think I¡¯m seeing a bit of a problem. We¡¯re doing pretty much all the work and taking all the risk. Clearing a dungeon, even with a guide, and not even getting half of the reward at the end¡­ why should we bother?¡±

    ¡°Because you can keep anything you pick up along the way, and it results with the removal of the Ardent Guild from Milten. Twelve will pay a lot for the heart. We can keep thingspletely above-board and just crush the Ardent guild through sheer economic power if that happens. The Dawnseekers and the Menagerie both win. You get the fame of clearing another dungeon. We get the money. The Ardent guild gets removed.¡±

    ¡°Who does this dungeon belong to?¡± Lillia studied Raen with sharp eyes. The darkness gathered behind her, threatening to form into wings but just falling short of taking solid shape. ¡°You¡¯ve skipped over the part where we make enemies of someone.¡±

    ¡°Hardly. The key belongs to the Ardent Guild,¡± Raen said with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re already enemies in all but name. I¡¯d be thrilled to have our own guild do it, but we¡¯ve got bigger backing than the Ardent Guild does. Big enough that the nobles funding us would be furious if it was revealed we stole from them, but not so big that we can directly crush the Ardents without taking a lot of damage ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say we believe that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Why us? There are other people more specialized in this sort of thing. We¡¯re a crafting guild. Why did you specifically seek us out? Or are you using Twelve¡¯s strategy to task everyone and their mothers?¡±

    <em>And¡­ even if we actually get a second Dungeon Heart, would I even want to give it to Twelve? He knew about Jessen¡¯s Dungeon Heart, which means they are somehow connected ¡ª and I doubt they were enemies. I don¡¯t know if I can live with myself if I arm Jessen¡¯s ally¡­ but I can¡¯t dismiss the possibility when my guild¡¯s lives are at stake. </em>

    Raen¡¯s smile slipped away and his features grew serious. ¡°No. You¡¯re the first we¡¯ve asked, and that would be entirely my fault. I¡¯m in charge of dealing with this problem for the Dawnseekers, and I sought you out first entirely for personal reasons.¡±

    ¡°Which are?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side, even though he suspected he already knew the answer.

    ¡°If I get you ess to this dungeon, I want to skip the line and ce amission with you,¡± Raen said, a hungry glint in his eyes. ¡°I want you to make me a magical item. A powerful one.¡±

 Chapter 265: Specifics

    Of every way that Raen could have asked for a magical item, Arwin was pretty sure that had been the worst one he could have chosen. It took a force of will to keep himself form letting out a burst ofughter.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not agreeing to that,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°Get more specific. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll promise to make you just some generic magic item and then have you showing up asking for a city-melter. What kind of item? Why do you want it?¡±

    ¡°You can make an item that melts a city?¡± Raen asked.

    ¡°I think you may have missed the point,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And no, I can¡¯t. And I won¡¯t be making anything at all if you don¡¯t tell me what it is you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    <em>Not yet, at least. I haven¡¯t exactly tried. Don¡¯t really want to. Nothing good is going toe of making something that melts cities.</em>

    Raen was silent for several seconds. ¡°What if I promise that I won¡¯t ask for a weapon?¡±

    ¡°Specifics,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I won¡¯t agree to anything else. I could always just say yes and go back on my word, but that¡¯s not how I like to y. If we¡¯re going to work together, then be honest and I¡¯ll do the same. Put your shit on the table or leave.¡±

    The Dawnseeker guildsman rubbed two fingers together, twirling a stray hair between them before inclining his head just enough for Arwin to notice it. He let out a small sigh. ¡°I need something that can significantly change an appearance. Permanently, or at least as long as the item is being worn. Something that willst years. Forever, if its possible.¡±

    Arwin blinked. That hadn¡¯t been at all what he¡¯d been expecting Raen to ask for. Even though the man had already specified it wasn¡¯t going to be a weapon, he¡¯d fully thought he was going to be asked for something that was basically a weapon in everything but name.<em>He doesn¡¯t want a battery that just happens to explode if you throw it hard enough or some shit like that? Why would you go through all the trouble ofing to us if you just want a glorified illusion? I feel like someone in a merchant¡¯s guild should be able to get their hands on an item like that easily.</em>

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Arwin asked, unable to keep the suspicion from entering his voice. He¡¯d never even made anything like what Raen was asking for, but he doubted it would be too difficult. ¡°Just an illusion bracelet or the like?¡±

    ¡°More than illusion,¡± Raen said. ¡°It must be a perfect change. No mere shifting of image or light, but a true physical modification.¡±

    <em>That makes things a bit harder¡­ but still doesn¡¯t really seem like something a person like this would want. Is he going to try to rob banks with it or something? That¡¯s such a convoluted strategy that it almost feels pointless. There have to be easier ways tomit crimes. So what¡¯s he want this for?</em>

    ¡°You want a magical item that changes someone¡¯s true appearance?¡± Arwin asked, still trying to figure out what Raen¡¯s angle was. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Raen said. ¡°One thatsts for years. Not something that will break quickly.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°That is none of your concern,¡± Raen replied tly. ¡°Is the nature of the item not sufficient for you to determine its potential uses?¡±

    Arwin exchanged a nce with Lillia. She gave him a half-shrug in response. An item like that would probably actually be pretty useful for her, but Arwin was pretty sure Lillia had absolutely no desire to attempt to hide her demonic heritage. It was probably toote for her to even bother trying. If anything, the attempt would just make things looks suspicious. Enough people in Milten already knew of the Devil¡¯s Den and her supposed dress-up habits that changing them now would just draw attention.

    ¡°How extensive are the changes you¡¯re going for?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Do I need to be making something that could turn a person five timesrger? Because that¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. Minor,¡± Raen said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°No more than a few square feet of modification at most.¡±

    ¡°How extensive and detailed do these changes have to be? Are we talking modifying your features topletely mirror somebody else¡¯s?¡± Arwin asked, trying to make sure he exhausted every single possibility that the potential item could be used for. Having someone with doppelganger powers running around sounded like a massive nightmare.

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    ¡°No, nothing like that. I want something that can modify an existing body, not make a new one.¡±

    Arwin considered Raen¡¯s words. There were obviously some nefarious things Raen could do, but he was running out of potential problems. He had absolutely no idea what the guildsman even wanted to do with the item ¡ª but it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to be too big of a problem.

    <em>If worsees to worst, I can do what I did with Melissa¡¯s armor and put a kill switch in it so I can break it if he starts doing something really shitty. </em>

    He couldn¡¯te up with any other problems, and they needed a way to deal with Twelve. Getting to clear a whole extra dungeon and take all the rewards for the Menagerie was like the icing on the cake. The idea of giving a powerful magical item to Twelve didn¡¯t sit right with Arwin, but that could be a problem to deal withter. They didn¡¯t have the heart yet, and they needed options.

    Arwin looked to Lillia, checking to see if she had any thoughts of her own. She gave him a one-shouldered shrug. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d managed to notice any obvious loopholes in the item that Raen had asked for.

    <em>If she¡¯s fine with the offer as well¡­ I don¡¯t see any reason not to take it. Getting Twelve¡¯s attention off us and the Infernal Armory is the most important move we can take right now. At the very least, this will give us a potential path forward. </em>

    ¡°Fine,¡± Arwin said after several long seconds of silence. ¡°I think I can help you with that. If you really don¡¯t want anything else, then I believe we have ourselves a deal.¡±

    Arwin extended his hand. Raen smiled, took it, and the two of them shook.

    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Raen said as he released Arwin. ¡°I had a feeling we would get on well. When will you be prepared to go to the dungeon? It is important that we acquire the Dungeon Heart with utmost haste. The Ardent Guild had the same idea we did, which is why they sent for this key in the first ce. They¡¯re going to find out that their caravan never made it to the city rather soon, and then we will be on a time limit. It will not take Tironal long to suspect me.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t he suspect you anyway once we give Twelve the Dungeon Heart?¡± Lillia asked.

    Raen¡¯s smile turned cold. ¡°It won¡¯t matter at that point. Comints only have power when they are spoken by someone with the ability to turn ears. That power will evaporate when Twelve pays us for the Dugeon Heart.¡±

    ¡°And what exactly is it that you n to do when you move into Milten?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°The exact same thing the Ardent guild is doing? There¡¯s already another merchant family here, isn¡¯t there? The Montibeaus. Are you going to crush them as well?¡±

    ¡°Rarely do cities only have a single mercantile guild. Most are not strong enough to monopolize everything,¡± Raen said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°And Melissa¡¯s family is not powerful enough to interfere with our sales. She will find her space selling what we do not, and we will do the same. My move to Milten is not entirely because of the city. To be frank, its location is terrible. There is little in the way of valuable exports ¡ª though I suspect your guild may be changing that soon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t care about Milten? What¡¯s the point of all this, then?¡± Arwin asked with a frown.

    ¡°The Ardent Guild is the point,¡± Raen replied, his eyes as sharp as those of a hawk. ¡°We have unfinished business. I move not to advance pieces on my own game board, but to shatter theirs. Business is more than growth. It is also ensuring that your enemies know exactly what you are capable of.¡±

    <em>Looks like there¡¯s more than a little unfinished business between the Dawnseekers and the Ardent Guild. Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m particrly bothered. The Ardents tried to cklist us and were nearly the cause of a Dungeon Break. I doubt the Dawnseekers are really all that much better, but at least our rtions with them aren¡¯t curdled. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll gather the guild. We¡¯ll all be ready by tonight.¡±

    ¡°Prompt. Good,¡± Raen said with a nod. ¡°How many of your people are fighters?¡±

    ¡°All of us,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But too many would probably end up causing chaos in a dungeon. We¡¯ll go with six people. Me, Lillia, a healer, a warrior, and two close-range fighters.¡±

    ¡°You? You are a smith, are you not? Wouldn¡¯t it be wiser to remain behind? I can provide extra men to reinforce your team if needed, but this is an Adept level dungeon.¡±

    Arwin smiled. ¡°I think we¡¯ll be just fine.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re certain,¡± Raen said, not sounding particrly convinced himself. He rose to his feet. ¡°Very well. I will arrange for your guide to arrive here at nightfall. Be prepared.¡±

    ¡°We will,¡± Lillia promised.

    ¡°Best of luck,¡± Raen said. ¡°I hope for both of our sakes that your efforts are sessful.¡±

    With that, he swept out of the tavern.

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t see that oneing,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Neither did I,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°Weird guy. Seems rtively straight forward, though. I suppose we¡¯ll have to add another person to Rodrick¡¯s list of people to investigate.¡±

    Arwin chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s going to regret letting us know just how good he is at his job pretty soon. We¡¯ve got until nightfall, though. That¡¯s enough time for me to get a little extra work in. Make a few preparations in case we run into a particrly difficult fight.¡±

    ¡°Workaholic,¡± Lillia said with a smile and a shake of her head. ¡°Just don¡¯t get too lost in it and waste your magical energy. I¡¯ll get some meals ready for all of us to make sure we¡¯re in top shape for the dungeon. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve all done one together.¡±

    ¡°It has,¡± Arwin agreed, rolling his neck and stretching out his arms. ¡°It¡¯ll be quite interesting to see how far we¡¯ve alle ¡ª and I¡¯ve got quite a few new toys to test. I¡¯m looking forward to this.¡±

 Dragoncon Announcement!

    Howdy all!

    It''s that time of year again! I''m flying from Australia (Was here on a work vacation) to Georgia tonight for dragoncon! If you''reing, swing by the Aethon booth so I can say hi!

    This will unfortunately mean that my writing schedule will be absolutely COOKED for the next week (between the 27th, as I''ve got a 24 hour long flight includingyovers, up until the 2nd). I will do my absolute best to do at least 1 chapter of writing a day during this time as well as writing as many chapters as possible on the flight, but unless I transcend human limits I fear I will not be able to do my normally scheduled 2 chapters per day.

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    <strong>I will try to alternate Runebound/Living Forge chapters day by day and do my best to keep up with schedules.</strong>

    Sorry in advance for this dy. I would like to say I''d be able to do 4k words a day during dragoncon, but I''m working the booth and I suspect I will have basically zero free time from morning until night.

    Today''s chapter will be dyed -- I''m writing it on the ne, but I''m not going to have any wifi. The alternation starts after that. Apologies again for the dy all.

 Chapter 266: In Wait

    When night fell, the Menagerie stood in wait.

    Lillia had briefed everyone on the meeting she and Arwin had with Raen as they arrived back from their duties. The day had been hectic with preparation but now they were all prepared, and in more ways than one.

    Arwin had repaired and polished up everyone¡¯s armor in addition to making himself three bracelets for the uing fight. They hadn¡¯t been difficult, but they¡¯d taken a little more time than they once had due to his new smithing technique. He had, however, chosen to avoid making any of them Cursed. He hadn¡¯t tried eating a Cursed item yet, and this probably wasn¡¯t the time to test out another new thing ¡ª he already had a new shield for that. The bracelets he made each served their own purpose.

    One was for power, one was for speed, and one was for defense.

    <strong>[Rough Band]: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Roughhousing]: This item is imbued with the anticipation of old metal that seeks to perform onest time. Every attack made while it is worn will do increased damage at the cost of considerable magical energy. </strong>

    <strong>[Fluttering Band]: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Light as a Feather]: The spirit of a dancing dove feather is imbued within this item. Its bearer¡¯s movements are increased while it is worn at the cost of a continuous draw of magical energy.</strong>

    <strong>Chitinous Band: Rare Quality</strong><strong>[Chitinskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to chitin and greatly reduce their range of movement at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    Arwin kept all three of the bracelets hanging from his in belt. He had no desire to wear any of them early ¡ª their benefits werergely detrimental unless he ate them because of how much energy they consumed. Eating them would give him their benefits and use the magic in the item to power the effect instead of drawing on his own reserves.

    He also had the Band Three, the mithril bracelet he¡¯d made during Wace¡¯s test, in his other pocket. It sat there like a ten pound weight even though it couldn¡¯t have weighed much more than an ounce.

    Arwin had yet to give it to Lillia. Something had been stopping him. At first, he¡¯d thought it was his reluctance to expose her to Cursed items ¡ª but that obviously wasn¡¯t the case. She had the new de he¡¯d gifted her hanging from her side like a sword rather than a kitchen knife.

    He¡¯d yet to figure out what gave him pause, so it remained in his pocket. There was no need to rush it. Arwin was confident he¡¯d determine what was giving him pause in time. Rushing something like this was indubitably a bad idea. It was better to be cautious when it came to Cursed items.

    ¡°I wish I¡¯d had a chance to look more into Raen,¡± Rodrick said, running a hand through his hair and blowing out a small huff of air. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the Dawnseekers yet. He¡¯s definitely who he ims to be, but they¡¯re a Merchant Guild. Those people never deal with just one avenue. We have to be prepared.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re paranoid, hon,¡± Anna said, nudging Rodrick¡¯s foot with her own. ¡°But your paranoia usually ends up being right. We¡¯ve ounted for that, though. Don¡¯t stress yourself into an early grave.¡±

    Anna had several coin pouches hanging from her waist that Arwin hadn¡¯t seen before. They were each tied shut with two ck drawstrings, which felt like a lot of security for money ¡ª especially when the pouches were bulging with what seemed far closer to powder than money. She didn¡¯t mention anything about them, and nobody asked.

    Anna wasn¡¯t the only one with extras. Lillia had a sealed wooden sk dangling from her left hip. It sloshed with some form of liquid, likely something that she¡¯d brewed.

    Olive had a new dagger hanging from her hip and the bracer that she¡¯d gotten from Jessen¡¯s dungeon. Arwin had almost forgotten she had it. He nced at the armor to refresh himself on its abilities.

    <strong>Sacrificial Bracer: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Bloodwell]: Creatures killed while this item is worn will have their energy drained into the gem in its center until it is full. This item cannot contain the energy of any creature higher than Journeyman tier. </strong>

    <strong>[Sacrifice]: Activating this item releases the power stored in the Bloodwell, causing it to defend the wielder from physical strikes until the power is used up. Activating [Sacrifice] will render [Bloodwell] inert until all the power within the gemstone has been spent.</strong>

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to hide that thing,¡± Arwin said as he blinked the words away and nodded to Olive¡¯s arm.

    She nced down, then pulled her sleeve over her arm with her teeth to cover the metal. ¡°Thanks. Good catch.¡±

    ¡°Revealing your abilities to your opponents is only a wise decision after you have already killed them,¡± Madiv advised. The vampire sat by the counter, his chin in his palm. He, along with Esmerelda, were staying back to make sure nobody tried to do anything to the Infernal Armory or the Devil¡¯s Den while the rest of them were gone.

    <em>I hope they¡¯ll be enough. Madiv is strong, but I haven¡¯t seen him in a real full on fight against someone his strength. I almost wonder if we should leave extra backup for him. Esmerelda might not be enough. And, speaking of, where is ¡ª </em>

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    The door flew open with a bang.

    Everyone spun toward it as Esmerelda waddled into the building, apanied by loud, clinking ss. She had a huge bag strapped to her back. Multicolored vials poked out of its top and shimmered like a rainbow. From the bag ran a thick leather tube the width of Arwin¡¯s arm. It connected to a cylindrical apparatus made of ck metal.

    The front of the object was shaped like the mouth of a tuba, just wide enough for Arwin to stick his fist into. It had two handles jutting from its bottom in a line, one of which Esmerelda held with one hand.

    His eyes widened.

    <em>Is that ¡ª </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Esmerelda said, her lips pulling apart in a toothy grin. ¡°Let¡¯s kill some children.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re staying here, to protect the street,¡± Madiv said.

    ¡°We are not killing children,¡± Anna said.

    Esmerelda frowned. ¡°You aren¡¯t? I am?¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡± Reya asked, pointing at the strange contraption Esmerelda held.

    Esmerelda grinned in response and held the object up, causing the tube to sway by her side. ¡°An invention, dear. I call it a Gas-powered Undting Neutralizer. Itunches potions from my bag at anyone I find distasteful.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Would you like a demonstration? I would be willing to sell you one for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Olive snapped. She red at Reya. ¡°You know what your dagger will do if it notices you pining after another weapon. That damn thing is like a jealous ex.¡±

    Reya cleared her throat. ¡°Good point. Thanks for the save. I¡¯ll pass, Esmerelda.¡±

    The old woman heaved a defeated sigh. ¡°Of course you will.¡±

    Arwin eyed her warily. Suddenly, his fears for the street¡¯s safety had evaporated. He was pretty sure it would be in good hands.

    Esmerelda noted his attention. Her eyes lit up and she reached into her pocket, pulling out a vial full of a bright red liquid and corked with a ck stone that had been melted straight into the ss. She walked over to Arwin and held it out to him.

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°The feathers weren¡¯t enough, were they?¡±

    ¡°Enough for what?¡± Lillia asked.

    <em>A bribe.</em>

    ¡°A show of mypetency,¡± Esmerelda replied with a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m applying to join the Menagerie.¡±

    ¡°What do feathers have to withpetency?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°How many feathers do you have?¡± Esmerelda asked.

    ¡°Well¡­ none, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°And I have many. Thus, I am better than you are.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to argue with,¡± Reya muttered, ncing at Olive. She fought to keep a grin from forming on her lips. ¡°Should I get some feathers?¡±

    ¡°Only if they¡¯re still attached to the birds. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Reya said.

    Arwin coughed into a fist. ¡°Thank you, Esmerelda. Is this a healing potion?¡±

    ¡°A healing potion?¡± Esmerelda stared at him, aghast. ¡°Who do you think I am? And the liquid in the vial is bright red. When has anything that vibrantly colored ever something you¡¯d want to put in your body?¡±

    ¡°It looked healthy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Esmerelda said tly. ¡°Just throw that at someone you don¡¯t like.¡±

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Not sure,¡± Esmerelda replied. ¡°It¡¯s the leftover of all the brewing I was doing today. It¡¯ll probably rot someone¡¯s dick off. Oh, if it does, bring it back for me. Lots of recipes need one of those, and there are never enough of them lying around on the streets.¡±

    Arwin swallowed. He very carefully slid the potion into his travel bag. There had never been anything he¡¯d been less keen to be carrying, but it would have been rude to refuse the gift ¡ª and one never knew where a mystery potion coulde in handy.

    Before anyone could say anything else, Rodrick tilted his head to the side. The former pdin nodded to the door, which still hung slightly askew from Esmerelda¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±

    They all turned toward it. Several secondster, a polite knock echoed out through the tavern.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Lillia called.

    The door swung open. A young man stepped inside, sandy blonde hair swept over in features. Two in swords hung at his sides and he had the lean build of a warrior. The man stepped inside, his gaze passing over all of them.

    ¡°Raen sent me,¡± the man said. ¡°My name is Yonas.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You have the key?¡±

    Yonas gave him a sharp nod. ¡°I do. I also have some extra men. Mercenaries. They¡¯re all trained fighters, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are not needed,¡± Arwin finished firmly. He and Lillia had already discussed this with the rest of the Menagerie. There had been a pretty good chance that Raen would try to fit more people on his payroll into the mission. He hadn¡¯t looked too optimistic about their chances given Arwin and Lillia¡¯s sses, both of which Raen knew to be crafting-rted.

    Yonas grimaced. ¡°Are you certain? You may have armor, but this is not an easy dungeon. We haven¡¯t cleared it yet. Neither have the Ardent Guild. I¡¯m there to guide and back you up, but I won¡¯t die for your mistakes. Recing your weaker members with mercenaries is the wise decision.¡±

    <em>And it¡¯s also the decision that leaves us with unknown people at our backs. I don¡¯t distrust Raen ¡ª but I don¡¯t trust him either. </em>

    ¡°Our arrangement will not change,¡± Arwin said, his voice firm. ¡°All six of us areing.¡±

    Yonas shrugged one shoulder. ¡°Very well. We need to move quickly. There is much ground to cover until we can get to a portal gateway. My guild has one, but we¡¯ll need to get out of the city and avoid notice to reach it. Do you all have cloaking skills?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Olive said. ¡°Nobody told us we needed that.¡±

    Yonas let out a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s fine. The mercenaries will help provide cover as a caravan. It¡¯ll cost, though. They¡¯re top of the line, and they aren¡¯t cheap. Two hundred gold per head should be fine. We can leave them at the gates once we¡¯re outside.¡±

    Arwin exchanged a nce with Lillia.

    <em>Trust a merchant to try and fleece you, even when you¡¯re working together. But if it¡¯s a portal gate they need¡­</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a better idea,¡± Arwin said. ¡°No mercenaries needed.¡±

    ¡°What, do you have a portal gate hidden away somewhere in this street?¡± Yonas¡¯ voice was rich with disbelief. ¡°Because, unless you do¡ª¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Yonas blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Go get rid of the cling-ons. Thene back and let us know when you¡¯re actually ready to proceed with things as we agreed upon.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Yonas asked. ¡°<em>You </em>have a portal gate? Didn¡¯t your guild only just get ranked? How do you have a portal?¡±

    <em>Well, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a portal gate. I suppose we¡¯re about to find out.</em>

    ¡°The Menagerie are far more than we appear,¡± Arwin said with a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯d keep note of that if I were you.¡±

 Chapter 268: Dinner

    After the Menagerie cleared the first room of the dungeon before Arwin even had a chance to swing his hammer a single time, it became abundantly clear to him that his guild had improved significantly since thest time he¡¯d gone delving with them.

    Gone were the days of cobbling together a fight with a group of individually capable adventurers. The inefficiency had been ground out of them until nothing but teamwork remained. Out of every monster in the first room of the dungeon ¡ª of which there had been four red-skinned little imps vaguely reminiscent of Lillia¡¯s summons ¡ª not one had even gotten a chance to fight back.

    Reya had frozen one in ce. Olive had cut it clean in two before it could recover, while Rodrick dashed from monster to monster, drawing their attention. They¡¯d then all been cut down in rapid session, dispatched like animals rather than true foes.

    As stunned as Arwin had been, the expression on Yonas¡¯ face had been so good that he didn¡¯t even mind. The guildsman looked like he¡¯d swallowed a whole egg and couldn¡¯t tell if he was surprised, scared, or just in confused.

    Of course, the first room was just a single room. The improvement was an immense achievement. Their coordination was impressive. It was clearly borne from constant practice and training, not to mention all the monsters that the members of the Menagerie must have killed while Arwin was crafting.

    But when they reached the second room, it went much the same.

    As did the third.

    And the fourth.

    Arwin¡¯s delight and surprise only grew. He found himself reduced to a gawking spectator alongside Lillia and Yonas, left with no option but to simply marvel at the progress of his guild.There was also no doubt that they¡¯d all gotten better at fighting. It was apparent to see in the way they carried themselves. Olive had always been a good swordswoman, but she positioned with her missing arm constantly to either Rodrick or Reya. She wasn¡¯t trying to take every fight on her own. Olive was positioning herself with the rest of the team ¡ª and it was freeing her de. Even with the restrictions of how long it took her to swing an empowered attack, not having to cover one side had drastically improved her speed.

    Rodrick had always been a good warrior, but now he¡¯d be more than that. Instead of trying to fight the monsters directly, he focused on keeping their attention. He danced through the fight, absorbing blows but only returning them when an opportunity arose.

    His distraction kept the pressure off the rest of the team, allowing the rest of them to rip apart their opponents¡¯ ranks like a wildfire through a field of dry grass.

    Anna keptrgely to the back of the fight. Her attention wasrgely focused on keeping Rodrick patched up, but she asionally stepped in to dispatch a crippled enemy left behind by Reya or Olive specifically for that purpose.

    Reya had made it a point to remain near Anna. Wyrmhunger remained at her side, sheathed. Arwin suspected that wasn¡¯t usually the case in dungeons by how the de seemed to rattle faintly at her side. She was keeping from drawing the weapon and revealing its abilities while Yonas was present.

    If anything, that meant the Menagerie was even more capable than they were letting on right now. Reya was only using half of her skillset.

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged more than a few disbelieving looks. They¡¯d long since stopped worrying about Yonas. All the man did was direct them into the right rooms before being shoved off to the corner so he wouldn¡¯t get in the way of the fighting.

    Any faint doubts Arwin may have had about their chances in an Adept-ranked dungeon evaporated. It had been a little strange when nobody had blinked at the rank of the dungeon they were going up against when Lillia had gathered them.

    Arwin hadn¡¯t questioned it much because he¡¯d just assumed they were used to dealing with harder dungeons and had guessed that an Overloading Journeyman dungeon wouldn¡¯t be that much weaker than an Adept ranked one.

    He was starting to think the real reason they¡¯d been so calm was because they¡¯d all gotten so much stronger. Arwin wasn¡¯t even sure what tier the others were anymore, but he made a mental note to find out when Yonas wasn¡¯t there.

    If anything, he was starting to feel bad for Lillia. She¡¯d previously been calling the shots in their fights. Rodrick hadn¡¯t exactly taken the role from her ¡ª he wasn¡¯t barking out orders to control the fight ¡ª but the group had gotten into such a seamless flow that none of the monsters they¡¯d met thus far were actually enough of a threat to draw on her talents.

    In a way, that was probably best. Arwin and Lillia didn¡¯t get any energy for killing monsters. They could only get Achievements or Titles. And, if they were fighting low Adept level monsters like the ones that popted this dungeon, they certainly weren¡¯t getting either of those in a normal fight. Leaving the energy to the rest of the Menagerie worked out perfectly.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    And so they continued deeper.

    The fifth room of the dungeon was cleared within minutes. Stone demons, ranked between Journeyman 8 and Adept 1, had joined in on the fight together with the imps, but the group had banded around Olive and carved them to pieces with no more difficulty than hacking apart arge tree.

    Arwin nudged Lillia gently with his elbow as they followed after the others.

    ¡°Did you know they got this good?¡± Arwin muttered, keeping his words low so Yonas didn¡¯t overhear him. He was pretty sure the man was too busy being stunned at the rest of the guild to pay him any attention, but it didn¡¯t hurt to speak quietly just in case.

    ¡°I knew they were bringing me back a lot of materials to work with to the point where I had to stop epting them,¡± Lillia muttered back. ¡°I think Madiv was pawning the excess off to make some money. But I didn¡¯t know they were <em>this </em>good. I honestly feel a bit useless.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be when we get to a boss,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°Your leadership experience in fights like that is invaluable. It looks like we might need to really focus in on our ranks, though. I fear we may have been surpassed in rank. I haven¡¯t checked in on yours recently. Sorry about that. I should have been more attentive, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Apprentice 9,¡± Lillia said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy. Just need onest push to break into Journeyman. But if you think about it, adventurers always increase in rank faster than nobatants. It¡¯s both a blessing and a curse.¡±

    Arwin nodded. Speeding through gathering enough energy to charge through the ranks as an adventurer wasn¡¯t all that umon. He and Lillia knew the drawbacks of that path all too well ¡ª but it looked like the Menagerie were advancing at a solid rate, not an unsustainable one.

    <em>I¡¯m going to have to keep making stronger and better items. Both for them, and to increase the speed of my own advancement. It¡¯s not even just about outfitting everyone. I need to push myself to get more Achievements and Titles to keep up with them. It¡¯s my duty as guild leader ¡ª but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve caught up to me quite yet, even if their levels have reached or surpassed mine. </em>

    Verdant Inferno trembled in Arwin¡¯s grip at that thought. The weapon was practically humming in eagerness. It could feel all the death around it and theck of crunching bone and squashing flesh beneath its head. His hammer seemed like it wasn¡¯t too far away from leaping into battle on its own.

    Arwin shook it slightly.

    <em>Down. You¡¯ll get your chance soon enough. We aren¡¯t leaving the boss to the guild. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be nearly as simple as the rest of this dungeon. There¡¯s a big difference between a low ranked Adept monster and a mid-ranked one, which the boss is likely to be. </em>

    To Arwin¡¯s mild surprise, that actually worked. Verdant Inferno settled down in his grasp. It then vibrated slightly, as if to warn him it wasn¡¯t willing to wait much longer, and went still for good.

    The weapon was getting more intelligent. That was probably a good thing.

    Probably.

    He nced away from the hammer as Rodrick approached the corner of the room where Arwin, Lillia, and Yonas were waiting.

    ¡°How far are we from the boss?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been going pretty fast, but we may have to take a break to rest and recover if there are more than one or two rooms left. You said it was about a thirty minute trip, right?¡±

    Yonas swallowed and coughed into a fist, shaking his head. ¡°I¡­ must have misspoken. The trip only takes around twenty minutes for apetent party. There are six rooms in this path before the purple torch doors. We have not attempted properly challenging the boss yet, so I cannot speak to how difficult the fight will be.¡±

    <em>You haven¡¯t really said much of anything other than telling us which doorways to take thus far, so I don¡¯t think you knowing nothing about the boss really changes anything. All that matters is we get in there, get the heart, and get out as quickly as possible. </em>

    ¡°Good to know.¡± Rodrick gave him a nod, then gestured around the room. There were several paths forward scattered along its walls. ¡°Which one?¡±

    Yonas indicated a tunnel near the center of the rightmost wall. ¡°That one.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°On we go, then. Lillia ¡ª it might be best if you take over after the next room.¡±

    Lillia blinked. ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ve been doing a good job thus far.¡±

    ¡°Against normal fights, yes. We¡¯ve had a lot of practice with that. But I don¡¯t think we want to take the risk when we¡¯re up against something that poses as big a threat as the boss of an Adept-ranked dungeon.¡±

    Lillia smiled and inclined her head. ¡°I¡¯ll do that, then. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Anytime. Wouldn¡¯t have anyone else actually telling us what to do. Other than Arwin ¡ª but his orders are usually some variant of <em>charge</em>! Simple, but effective.¡±

    ¡°Some strategy will go a long way in keeping me from overworking,¡± Anna said dryly, sending a pointed look in Rodrick¡¯s direction. ¡°And maybe help you from getting hit constantly.¡±

    ¡°Getting hit is my job!¡±

    ¡°Keeping attention is your job. You don¡¯t have to be a ma for every attack in existence.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Rodrick said with a chuckle.

    Yonas looked from Rodrick to Lillia, clearly trying to figure out why it was that the guild¡¯s innkeeper was being consulted for strategy. His befuddlement only seemed to grow with every step. It was a bit childish, but Arwin was looking forward to seeing how the man handled watching them all fight together.

    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Lillia asked, noticing that the Menagerie were all waiting for her orders. ¡°Let¡¯s clear the next room out, take a short ten minute break to strategize and recover some energy, and then get this dungeon wrapped.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t that pressed for time,¡± Yonas said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. ¡°You can all take longer to rest. There¡¯s no need to push so hard. The Ardent Guild isn¡¯t going to catch onto us that quickly.¡±

    Lillia tilted her head to the side. ¡°Who said anything about the Ardent Guild? There¡¯s something far more important than that I don¡¯t want to bete for if I can help it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Yonas asked, blinking in surprise.

    Lillia grinned and tapped the hilt of the knife at her side. ¡°Dinner.¡±

 Chapter 269: The Target

    The sixth room fell just as easily as the first five had. Lillia didn¡¯t even have to do anything special for it. The Menagerie cleared out all the monsters within it in short order, then sat down for a few minutes to recover the magical energy they¡¯d spent so far in the dungeon.

    Arwin didn¡¯t even need the rest. He hadn¡¯t done anything thus far ¡ª much to both his and Verdant Inferno¡¯s disappointment. The short break just served as a moment for him to take a look around the room they were waiting in, and it really wasn¡¯t all that much different from the other ones in the dungeon.

    Red brick made up the floor and walls. Thick brown vines crawled over the walls and across the ground, rough and jagged like the bark of an old tree. A few tiny shoots of greenery had poked out from the vines. None were fortunate enough to have made it far.

    There was only a single pathway forward in the room. It was a doorway, carved from a solid brick of stone and hanging from invisible hinges, nestled among the vines on the far wall. It was lit from either side by a torch that crackled with purple me.

    Arwin was in the midst of wondering just how nothing had caught fire when the torches were in such close proximity to the dry vines when the rest of the Menagerie started to stand. He automatically pushed himself to his feet with the aid of Verdant Inferno, rising together with them.

    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got all my magic back. I really haven¡¯t used that much of it,¡± Anna confirmed.

    ¡°Same here. Just about all my energy has returned. I¡¯m ready to go,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°My equipment did a lot of the heavy lifting for me. I didn¡¯t really have to expend that much effort or extra power.¡±

    The others all voiced their readiness. There was no reason to dy any longer ¡ª much to Yonas¡¯ difort. The Adept ranked adventurer had been steadily growing more nervous with their progress.Arwin had been keeping a close eye on the man. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d had much better to do. Yonas definitely hadn¡¯t been expecting them to make it this far, this quickly. That wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing.

    He suspected most people wouldn¡¯t have expected the Menagerie to be able to clear out an Adept ranked dungeon at any considerable speed. But Yonas was a little more than just surprised. There was a chance he was just embarrassed that the Menagerie was progressing through the dungeon faster than his own group had been ¡ª but this felt a bit much, even for that.

    <em>What¡¯s he ying at? It wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to want us to fail. If that was the case, he could have just chosen the wrong pathways through the dungeon. We don¡¯t know how far it is to the boss, and the Dawnseekers have every reason to want us to seed.</em>

    <em> Could it be something personal? Is there a chance Yonas is working for the Ardent guild or has something else he¡¯s working toward? I ¡ª oh, you know what?</em>

    <em>Fuck it. It¡¯s not like we need any more guidance through the dungeon. Yonas isn¡¯t necessary anymore. I¡¯m not going into a boss fight with a potential threat at our back. </em>

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said.

    Everyone turned toward him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we fight this thing already? I¡¯m starving.¡±

    ¡°In a moment,¡± Arwin replied. He turned toward Yonas and tilted his head to the side. ¡°Out with it already, man.¡±

    The Dawnseeker guildsman blinked in surprise. ¡°Me? What?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you. Why the hell are you so damn nervous?¡± Arwin demanded. ¡°You¡¯ve been fidgeting more and more the closer we get to the boss room. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve even got any ns of fighting, so it isn¡¯t your life you¡¯re scared of. You were also pushing for a longer rest earlier. Are you trying to stall for something?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª what? No!¡± Yonas eximed, but there was a second of hesitation before he spoke. He was hiding something. Arwin was even more sure of it than ever before.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°That was a suspicious way to say no,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°It was just saying no! There was nothing suspicious about it,¡± Yonas protested. ¡°What are you trying to insinuate here, smith? If I wanted to inconvenience you, I¡¯d have already done it. I¡¯m an Adept ranked adventurer. Your team is¡­ surprisingly good at their job. But why would I have anything to fear from that? I am more than capable of handling myself.¡±

    ¡°Which is exactly why I want to know what¡¯s making you so stressed,¡± Arwin said. He tapped Verdant Inferno against the ground. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to be nervous, but you are. Worst case is that we all get wiped by the boss and you walk out of here. You¡¯ve got no vested interest in our sess or failure, so what gives?¡±

    Yonas hesitated for a second. He nced from member to member of the Menagerie. An Adept he may have been, but the Menagerie had already proven that they were more than just capable fighters ¡ª and they heavily outnumbered him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re wasting time?¡± Yonas asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re ahead of schedule,¡± Lillia said tly. The shadows at the edges of the room twitched. They slithered to life and crawled across the ground toward her. ¡°Answer the question.¡±

    Yonas¡¯s eye twitched. His hands clenched at his sides. Then he let out a groan and threw his arms up into the air.

    ¡°Oh, damn it all. I had a bet as to how long it would take you to leave the dungeon,¡± Yonas said. ¡°I was convinced you¡¯d take an hour making it through the first few rooms and then give up. Raen said you¡¯d clear it within forty minutes.¡±

    ¡°You were trying to slow us down so you¡¯d win a bit?¡± Arwin asked in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re risking your chance to get rid of the Ardent Guild because of a bet?¡±

    Yonas let out a snort. ¡°The Dawnseekers were founded to make money, smith. And every single person in the guild is very good at that. It¡¯s what we do. This is no different. It¡¯s just business. It¡¯s not like it affects the mission.¡±

    ¡°You were trying to slow us down, then?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Bah. I was telling you to move like normal adventurers. We aren¡¯t that pressed for time. The Dawnseekers have the Ardent Guild¡¯s attention elsewhere. I make calcted bets, not stupid ones.¡±

    ¡°And the mercenaries?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°Onmission,¡± Yonas replied without a hint of shame. ¡°Would have earned a fair bit of coin if the guild hired them.¡±

    ¡°Have to respect the honesty,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°How much did you bet on us failing?¡±

    ¡°Eight thousand gold.¡±

    Reya¡¯s eyes practically bulged out of her head. ¡°Eight thousand gold? Why?¡±

    ¡°It seemed like a good bet.¡± Yonas pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a weary sigh. ¡°Mistake, I fear.¡±

    ¡°Did you take us the long way through the dungeon or something?¡± Lillia asked.

    Yonas shot her an offended look. ¡°Excuse me. I have professional standards, innkeeper. I made a bet. I am not a liar and a cheat. A merchant is nothing but his word. I said I would lead you to the boss. That is what I did. There have been no dys. I just never said I wouldn¡¯t try to profit off something else on the side.¡±

    <em>I might be with Rodrick on this one. I think he¡¯s telling the truth. An honest merchant in name only. Well, he wasn¡¯t actually interfering with our work, so I can¡¯tin too much. </em>

    ¡°Hey, maybe the boss kills all of us and you still make your money,¡± Reya said with a cheerful grin.

    Yonas shot her a dour look. ¡°If only I could be so lucky.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hold your breath,¡± Anna said with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of betting against people you¡¯re working with.¡±

    ¡°Hence why I did not reveal my standing earlier,¡± Yonas said. ¡°I would be more than happy to continue discussing this for the foreseeable future, though. I am certain you have quite the number of questions.¡±

    ¡°About an hour of the future, I take it?¡± Arwin asked dryly. ¡°I think that answers my questions. No more objections from me. Stay out here during the fight, would you? At least that will give us a chance to get warning if someone does show up at our backs.¡±

    ¡°I will wait for thirty minutes.¡±

    That was enough for Arwin. He looked to Lillia.

    ¡°Sorry. Back to you. Interruption done.¡±

    Lillia inclined her head in appreciation, then walked over to the door at the end of the room. The rest of the Menagerie followed after her, grouping up at the entrance.

    ¡°What¡¯s the strategy?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Arwin and Rodrick go first,¡± Lillia said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what we¡¯re up against. They both remain defensive until we¡¯ve seen what kind of enemy this is. Reya and Anna go in together with Olive. Reya ¡ª your job is to back Arwin and Rodrick up with your magic. Don¡¯t go close range yet. Olive, you keep anything from getting the jump on the backline. I¡¯ll figure out where I¡¯m needed and provide backup appropriately.¡±

    Everyone nodded their understanding and Lillia gestured to Arwin. He reached out to the door and pushed it open, revealing a wide passageway leading into a huge, circr room of familiar red brick.

    In the center of the room was an enormous tree that easily stood three stories tall. Its roots jutted up from the ground, cracking the brick on the floor and forming mounds of stone. Leaves of blood red hung from its long, swaying branches. The faint scent of sap and rotting bark lingered in the air.

    A familiar thump echoed through the room. The sickening noise sent goosebumps rolling down Arwin¡¯s spine. His eyes snapped to a cracked area around the middle of the tree¡¯s trunk.

    Embedded in the tree¡¯s core was a pulsating red organ. The item they¡¯de here to im stood just within reach.

    A Dungeon Heart.

 Chapter 270: Tree

    <strong>[Corrupted Ashleaf Tree ¨C Adept 3] </strong>

    ¡°Tree,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Demon tree,¡± Reya muttered.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Generalization much?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Reya said sheepishly.

    Lillia shed the other woman a grin. ¡°I¡¯m just screwing with you. Definitely a Demon Tree. But who the hell makes a demon tree? Sounds like a stupid idea. It¡¯s a bloody tree. It can¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°You think someone made it?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°The Dungeon Heart isn¡¯t going to go sticking itself into something, is it?¡± Lillia asked.

    It was a good question. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure what the answer was either. He was certain he¡¯d probablye across Dungeon Hearts before in his life as the Hero, but he¡¯d never really paid attention to any of the loot that they¡¯d gotten from dungeons. His concern had been fighting and nothing more ¡ª the only bits of the dungeon rewards he¡¯d bothered with looking at were the materials the crafters used when they¡¯d made his armor.¡°Dungeon Hearts don¡¯t have a will of their own beyond survival,¡± Yonas provided. He¡¯d poked his head out over everyone else¡¯s heads to get a glimpse of the tree monster for himself. ¡°They¡¯re magical amplification devices born from excessive magical energy localized in a specific area, and the cause of that energy is usually death. Dying leaves behind a good bit of power.¡±

    ¡°I see why they pop up in dungeons,¡± Rodrick said. He watched the tree warily, but it hadn¡¯t made any move.

    From what Arwin could tell, the tree hadn¡¯t noticed their intrusion. He doubted that wouldst once they entered the room.

    Another pulsing thump echoed through the dungeon from the Dungeon Heart. Yonas¡¯ features twisted in distaste and he shook his head.

    ¡°Be careful. Dungeon Hearts are easy to damage. Don¡¯t destroy it, or you¡¯ll waste all the effort you put into getting through the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Not waste. We still have some materials we got from the monsters we killed,¡± Anna said. ¡°And hard work is never wasted when it¡¯s gone toward the right cause.¡±

    Yonas sent her a withering re. ¡°I was referring to the actual purpose of this endeavor, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Improving your attitude will drastically improve your outlook on life and let you handle troublesome situations better,¡± Anna advised.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that?¡± Olive asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°It sounds like a quote.¡±

    ¡°Does it? Thanks. I¡¯ve been practicing healing.¡±

    ¡°What part of practicing healing involves spewing motivational quotes?¡± Yonas asked.

    Anna clicked her tongue as she shook her head. ¡°Healing is equal parts mind and body ¡ª right up until your body is bleeding out. Or poisoned. Or crushed. Or on fire. Then it¡¯s mostly body. But the mind is important too.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yonas said, drawing the word out. It did not, in fact, seem like he saw. The Dawnseeker guildsman scratched at the side of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m just not going to question this any further. I¡¯d like to get this over with already, if it¡¯s all the same to you.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you hoping we¡¯d take a bunch of time?¡± Reya asked, tilting her head to the side.

    ¡°A good merchant knows when to cut his losses,¡± Yonas said. ¡°And I believe I¡¯ve discovered a more optimal strategy that should enable me to earn my coin back in due time.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Olive asked.

    The corners of the guildsman¡¯s lips quirked up. ¡°That would be sharing. I don¡¯t offer financial advice for free.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s attention drifted back to the tree in the center of the room. His head tilted slightly to the side. The monster still hadn¡¯t moved. The only sign of life in it was the constant thump of the heart within its trunk.

    A monster that couldn¡¯t move¡­

    He had a bow that would make pretty short work of anything like that. Arwin wouldn¡¯t im he was the best shot, but the bow helped his targeting. He could st the tree from where they stood now. There was a chance it had a way to defend itself, but it was still a free attack.

    <em>Using that free attack with Yonas here¡­ I trust him more than I did a bit ago, but I don¡¯t know if I want to reveal that extent of my strength. </em>

    Lillia noticed the pensive look in Arwin¡¯s eyes. She shook her head slightly, then snapped her fingers to get everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°No more dys,¡± Lillia said. ¡°My strategy hasn¡¯t changed. Be on the lookout for any ranged attacks or monsters hiding underground. Arwin, Rodrick, you¡¯re up first. Make sure you keep that thing¡¯s attention. Fight defensively but be up in its¡­ trunk. Whatever a tree¡¯s face is called. Don¡¯t let it focus on anyone else.¡±

    Arwin inclined his head. Lillia words were intentional. She didn¡¯t want him hanging back and charging up a powerful bow shot while the others fought, and no matter how fun it might have been to see Yonas¡¯ expression, they had no reason to blow their cover and reveal their strength in front of the man if they didn¡¯t have to.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°On it,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°You ready, Arwin?¡±

    Arwin nodded. The two of them stepped into the room.

    ¡°Everyone else, move,¡± Lillia ordered. ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t get caught outside the room when the fight starts. The tree could seal off the exit and strand the ones inside without backup.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s focus honed in on the tree as he and Rodrick approached it. He could still hear Lillia behind him, but he couldn¡¯t let his attention drift. This was an Adept level monster ¡ª even if it was a tree, it was the strongest enemy by pure numbers that he¡¯d faced in a long time.

    <em>I¡¯ve got no idea what kind of Achievements or Titles a tree could have gotten¡­ but I can¡¯t afford to underestimate this because it¡¯s a big ass nt. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s nose twitched. He could smell something in the air. It was faint, but distinct enough to make him take notice. A vaguely familiar scent, one that grew stronger with every step he took closer to the Ashleaf Tree. His brow furrowed as he tried to ce it.

    The bricks around the tree cracked.

    Something slithered through the ground beneath them, moving out toward Arwin and Rodrick like a snake just beneath the surface. At the same instant, Arwin realized what the smell was.

    Blood.

    Thick roots burst out from beneath the ground, their ends sharpened to jagged points. They shot out toward Arwin and Rodrick with the speed of a flitting ho. Arwin brought his shield around, bracing himself against it.

    A loud crash rang out as the root mmed into its surface, forcing him a step back. Rodrick dodged out of the way of the attack directed at him, then swept his sword through the root and carved it in two.

    All around them, more roots pushed up from beneath the ground. They pressed out from the walls, twisting to cover the red brick, sealing over the exit just as Lillia had predicted. Arwin didn¡¯t have time to check if everyone had made it inside.

    More roots shot out for him and Rodrick, screaming through the air with blinding speed. Arwin mmed one out of the way with his shield. He crushed a second with Verdant Inferno. One drove into his chest and another into his leg, both screeching against his armor and leaving thin gouges in its surface.

    Arwin brought Verdant Inferno down on the ground, crushing a growing patch of roots. Red sap bubbled out from their pulped remains as he lifted the hammer, and the scent of blood in the air grew stronger.

    <em>I can¡¯t use the special ability of Wyrm¡¯s Revenge yet. If I miss the block, I could mistakenly take myself out of the fight. I¡¯ve got to figure out how this thing fights first, then wait for an opportunity to strike back while keeping its attention.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m going closer!¡± Arwin yelled.

    Rodrick carved another root down, but even more of them twisted up in his blind spot and tried to drive him in the back of his neck. Water swirled in the air behind Rodrick as his armor activated, slowing the attack for long enough for him to spin and slice through the woody growths.

    ¡°I¡¯m behind you!¡± Rodrick yelled back, darting around another root and joining Arwin as they ran toward the tree.

    More roots rose up before them, rising from the cracked red stone ground like twisting maggots.

    Blue energy mmed into the Ashleaf Tree, washing over every root in the room. Therge monster froze in ce for a brief instant. It was just long enough for Arwin and Rodrick to dash around the growths and toward the monster¡¯s trunk, where the Dungeon Heart still beat.

    The Ashleaf Tree snapped back into motion as Reya¡¯s magic faded. The branches above them rustled and leaves ripped free, shing down through the air around them like a hail of falling knives. Arwin lifted his shield over his head and the red projectiles rang off it with a series of loud ngs.

    Rodrick was slightly less fortunate. The water that rose from his armor wasn¡¯t enough topletely protect him. Several of the projectiles made it past his defenses and cut into his armor and across sections of exposed flesh.

    Gentle white energy rolled over Rodrick, sealing the wounds shut even as the formed.

    ¡°Thanks, Anna!¡± Rodrick called.

    ¡°Focus on the fight!¡± Anna yelled back, which was remarkably good advice.

    A branch whipped down from above, heading straight for Rodrick¡¯s head. He moved to dodge out of the way, but before he could, a shadow passed above him.

    Olivended on Rodrick¡¯s shoulders with her sword raised above her. She didn¡¯t even have to swing the weapon ¡ª the tree had swung its branch into her. Olive¡¯s de sliced clean through the wood and the branch crashed down harmlessly behind her and Rodrick.

    <em>That¡¯s a new trick.</em>

    ¡°Thanks number two,¡± Rodrick said to Olive. A root swirled up from the ground and shot at her back. Rodrick¡¯s de shed and cut the attack from the air, spilling red sap across his front. Olive gave him an appreciative nod.

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Lillia¡¯s call cut through the room. ¡°Split up and get closer! Get more of its attention. The tree struggles to focus more than one target at once, even though it can attack just about anywhere in the room! Rodrick, Olive, keep it upied there!¡±

    Arwin heeded Lillia¡¯s orders. Verdant Inferno sang delight in his mind as he crushed another root that rose before him. Leaves pelted against his shield as he raised it overhead, failing to reach their mark, and heunched himself forward with [Scourge].

    His feet mmed down into a rising nest of roots at the base of the Ashleaf Tree, crushing many of them with a wet, crunchy squelch. The Tree didn¡¯t just take his attack. Woody growths drove into Arwin from every direction.

    He didn¡¯t even try blocking it. Arwin swung Verdant Inferno, pouring power into the weapon with [Scourge]. It mmed into the Ashleaf Tree¡¯s trunk with a loud crack. Wood splintered and flew, even as roots carved across his armor and bit into any parts of exposed flesh it could find. [Indomitable Bulwark] prevented the attacks from doing any truly significant damage, but pain burned in Arwin¡¯s legs as roots wormed into the soles of his feet and bit at the thin gaps between pieces of armor.

    The damage he¡¯d dealt to the Ashleaf Tree was more superficial than anything else. It was just a crack in the outside of its trunk ¡ª but it was a blow. And with Verdant Inferno, every single blow struck harder than thest.

    Arwin reared back. His opponent was a tree. If it couldn¡¯t kill him with leaves and it couldn¡¯t stop him with roots, then it wasn¡¯t like it could do anything to stop him from wailing on it until it shattered.

    He swung the hammer.

    A groaning creak filled the room, and Arwin¡¯s eyes went wide as the huge trunk suddenly elerated toward him, crashing down toward him ¡ª quite ironically ¡ª like a falling axe. The entire tree was moving to crush him like a bug.

    Wood bindings mmed shut around Arwin¡¯s legs, locking him in ce.

    He¡¯d been baited.

    There was no time to break free and dodge in time.

    Arwin banished Verdant Inferno with a thought. Trading blows with the huge tree would only end with him getting ttened, [Indomitable Bulwark] or not. Instead, he grabbed his shield with both hands and lifted it over his head, bracing himself.

    <em>Shit. This is not how I wanted to do it ¡ª but if there¡¯s ever been a telegraphed attack, it¡¯s this one.</em>

    Power poured through his hands and into the shield. The carved Wyrm eyes on its surface ignited with ck me as the Cursed item roared to life.

    Arwin activated [Revenging Strike].

 Chapter 271: Ashleaf

    The Ashleaf Tree crashed down onto Arwin with the weight of a falling mountain. It mmed into the Wyrm¡¯s Revenge, sending a wave of force tearing down Arwin¡¯s body and through his feet into the ground.

    It nearly crushed him. Even with [Indomitable Bulwark] and [Scourge], it took every scrap of power that Arwin had to remain standing. The tree was massive and, even if he ignored the fact that an enormous nt was trying to beat him to death with its own body, it was a giant tree. There was little surprise that it was heavy.

    Arwin¡¯s joints groaned and his knees shuddered. A shockwave rolled over him and out across the room from the force of the impact. Branches crunched and leaves rustled as the top of the tree smacked against the ground, raining razor-sharp des all around him.

    For a brief instant there was silence.

    Then the roar of a Wyrm filled the air. All the power that had gathered in the Cursed item released. It ripped free from his shield¡¯s mouth, spilling rolling ck fire out like a raging river bursting free from behind a dam. The fire mmed into the Ashlock Tree with such intensity and force that it carved a path straight through the trunk.

    Leaves crackled and withered in an instant. The trunk ckened and cracked from the intense heat and the tree jerked back, nearly ripping itself free of the ground in its haste to escape the attack.

    Thick patches of dark me clung to its surface like Greek Fire. The tree thrashed, and Arwin ducked behind his shield a moment before a thick branch mmed straight into him. Even though he blocked the blow, its force was enough to lift him off his feet and send him flying across the room.

    He dismissed the Wyrm¡¯s Revenge as he hit the ground in a roll. Roots scraped against his armor and caught on his flesh. Arwin mmed to a halt against a wall, the breath ripped from his lungs.

    Healing light rolled over his body no more than a secondter. Relief came with it. Arwin shoved himself upright, still blinking the stars from his eyes. Someone yelled out a warning. He couldn¡¯t tell from where it hade, but he reacted without thinking.The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge re-materialized in his hands. He braced himself, lifting it above his head. A shadow passed overhead. An immense force mmed into him. More leaves tore across the ground, driving into it like spikes. Arwin staggered. His arms nearly buckled, but he managed to hold strong.

    There was only so much that [Scourge] and [Indomitable Bulwark] could do. He was down by more than an entire Tier, and the gaps between tiers only rose as the ranks went up. There was no way he could handle keeping the huge monster¡¯s attentionpletely on his own.

    Fortunately, Arwin was not on his own.

    The darkness receded as a sh of yellow light lit the room. Arwin lowered The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge just in time to see golden energy envelop Rodrick. His sword glowed with magic as he unleashed a series of three powerful shes into the tree¡¯s trunk, each one leaving a deep furrow in it swake.

    The Ashleaf Tree shuddered in either pain or fury ¡ª Arwin couldn¡¯t tell which. Roots twisted up for Rodrick. He bounded back, water swirling at his feet with every step. More roots rose in his path, but Rodrick spun toward Arwin and redirected in his direction. The former pdin was using [Flowing Steps], his armor¡¯s ability that increased his movement toward his allies. But, instead of running to protect them, he was using it to reposition.

    Roots erupted in a cage around Rodrick, sending brick spraying up into the air. Shadows shot out at the same time, manifesting themselves into a bar above his head. Rodrick leapt, grabbing onto the bar, and swung himself out of the roots¡¯ reach before they could close down on top of him.

    Reya and Olive both dashed toward the Ashleaf Tree¡¯s trunk. Arwin dismissed The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge ¡ª the monster wasn¡¯t targeting him at the moment ¡ª and resummoned Verdant Inferno as he broke into a run as well.

    [Scourge] empowered his legs. He bounded across the roots, vaulting over them before they could reach him, and arrived at the trunk just moments before Reya and Olive did.

    With a roar, Arwin swung his hammer. It mmed into the side of the tree¡¯s trunk in the same spot he¡¯d hit it before. Wood splintered and cracked, but the attack was no stronger than thest one he¡¯d unleashed ¡ª Verdant ze only did increased damage when he attacked without blocking a blow.

    Arwin reared back to swing the hammer a second time.

    Olive reached the trunk first. Blue energy mmed into the tree as roots lifted from the ground and tried to bind around her. The monster locked in ce and Olive¡¯s sword crawled through the air toward its target.

    Reya¡¯s magic wore off.

    Roots shot up ¡ª and Wyrmhunger met them. Reya cut the roots apart before they could reach Olive, her dagger thrumming with delight in her hands. Arwin could practically hear its song filling the air.

    Verdant ze vibrated in Arwin¡¯s grip. Its head mmed into the Ashleaf tree. Wood crunched, louder this time, and the ground beneath him shuddered. Roots lifted toward Olive, trying to stop her before her sword could connect with the trunk, but Arwin and Reya had bought her enough time.

    Her de met trunk.

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    Wood sliced apart like paper. Olive¡¯s sword continued until it had traveled nearly halfway through the huge tree trunk, several feet above the Dungeon Heart. Fire crackled in its wake, licking at the wood as Olive¡¯s enchanted weapon fought to find purchase on the Ashleaf Tree.

    Strands of shadow slithered across the ground. They wrapped around Olive and Reya, yanking them back an instant before two massive branches swung down like axes. They mmed into the ground where the girls had been a moment before with enough force to shatter the bricks.

    One of them swept toward Arwin. He dropped to the ground, not willing to dismiss Verdant ze and sacrifice the two stacks of [Shieldbreaker]. The branch passed overhead, brushing so close that its ends rapped across Arwin¡¯s helm and made his ears ring.

    He rose back to his feet, pouring [Soul me] into Verdant Inferno. The hammer drank the power and hummed with brilliant blue fire as he swung it a third time, striking the same spot in the tree.

    A third loud crunch echoed through the room. This time, the entire tree shuddered. Fire roared out from Verdant Inferno as Arwin ripped it free of the growing hole. Roots shot for him, but more blue light washed over the tree¡¯s surface and bought him time to dodge out of the way.

    He didn¡¯t get a chance to swing the hammer again. Reya¡¯s magic faded and another branch crashed down for him. Arwin dismissed Verdant Inferno. He drove a hand into his pocket and ripped free a bracelet, mming it into his mouth and biting down.

    Power poured down his throat and flooded through his body.

    <strong>Chitinous Band: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Chitinskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer¡¯s body to chitin and greatly reduce their range of movement at the continuous cost of magical energy. </strong>

    Arwin¡¯s skin turned glossy and gray. He raised his hands above his head. The branch mmed into him, but the extra resistance the item pumped his body full of kept the impact from doing much more than momentarily shaking him.

    He dug the ws on his right gauntlet into the branch, activating their ability, [Reave]. Energy crackled at their fingertips as he raked them along the wood, stealing a small amount of power from the tree. It wasn¡¯t much given the difference in their level, but every single scrap counted.

    The floor bucked in fury.

    Roots shot up from beneath destroyed brick. Another branch plummeted from above, glistening with ded leaves in search of blood. Its shadow passed over Arwin.

    Rodrick arrived beside him, driving a foot into the ground with such force that the dead roots at his feet crunched and shattered. He leapt into the air with a roar, driving his shoulder into the branch and knocking its path askew.

    Shadows bore Reya and Olive to Arwin¡¯s side and their weapons ripped the roots to shreds before they could reach him.

    The magic from the bracelet Arwin ate faded, but even as it did, he shoved a second one into his mouth and bit down.

    <strong>[Rough Band]: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Roughhousing]: This item is imbued with the anticipation of old metal that seeks to perform onest time. Every attack made while it is worn will do increased damage at the cost of considerable magical energy. </strong>

    Power drove into Arwin¡¯s chest like a runaway horse. His stomach clenched, his muscles stiffened. He ground his teeth as he reared back, drawing every single scrap of energy he had in his body.

    With a thought, Arwin summoned Verdant Inferno back to his hands. He activated his gauntlets, sending their power into the hammer. [Soul me] joined it, re-igniting the hammer¡¯s head with molten fire. The air around him hummed with power.

    Then, with a snarl, Arwin swung the hammer.

    It streaked through the air like a blueet. mmed into the side of the tree, in the exact same spot that thest few strikes had hit it.

    There was an earsplitting explosion. Wood vaporized within the sea of fire that burst from Verdant ze¡¯s head, tearing into the Ashleaf Tree like a de. Branches at the top of the tree snapped and spun free. The roots holding it to the ground screamed and creaked as they tried to resist the force of the hammer blow.

    Then they snapped.

    The Ashleaf Tree tore free of its base. It pitched back, suspended in the air for a brief moment before it hit the ground with a resounding crash. The floor bucked beneath Arwin¡¯s feet and Olive stumbled, driving her sword into a stray root bunch to keep herself from falling.

    Dust swirled into the air. Then there was silence, only broken by the heavy breathing of the Menagerie.

    Arwin slowly lowered his hammer. He dismissed his gauntlet and helm, wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist, swallowed, and re-summoned it once more.

    ¡°Is¡­ it dead?¡± Reya asked, holding Wyrmhunger before her and shifting her weight from foot to foot.

    ¡°No energy yet,¡± Olive warned. ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Lillia walked up beside them, shadows twisting at her side and rising up behind her. Rodrick stood beside her, his eyes darting in search of anything that might try a sneak attack.

    A thump echoed through the room as the Dungeon Heart pulsed, still embedded in the top half of the tree. Arwin nced in its direction.

    ¡°Is it going to revive?¡± Arwin asked warily.

    Lillia stuck her hand into Arwin¡¯s travel bag. She rooted around in it, then pulled out the carefully wrapped potion that Esmerelda had given him. The ss must have been special, because it wasn¡¯t so much as scratched from the fight.

    Without a word, Lillia popped the cork off the potion and poured it onto the tree stump.

    They all stared at it.

    ¡°What do you think the chances are that was actually a healing potion?¡± Olive asked as she fought to catch her breath.

    Anna walked up alongside her. ¡°I have to admit that would be a funny joke.¡±

    ¡°It would be,¡± Olive agreed.

    ¡°We have different ideas of jokes,¡± Reya said.

    A wet, squelching whimper rose up from somewhere deep within the roots. Sickly red lines appeared in the stump, winding their way throughout it. Wherever they touched, the tree withered and softened.

    It only took seconds for the red to work its way through the rest of the stump. By the time it was done, the entire thing had turned into a wet pile of mushy red and ck g. The Menagerie stared down at what remained of the tree.

    <em>I almost feel bad for the tree. This just feels disrespectful. Like pissing on a grave.</em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a healing potion,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°Thank you, Olive,¡± Reya said through a snicker. ¡°Very astute.¡±

    The Mesh seemed to agree.

    Everyone other than Arwin and Lillia stiffened and drew in sharp breaths. At the same time, Golden letters shimmered through the air before Arwin.

    The Ashleaf Tree was dead.

    All that remained was to collect whatever rewards the Mesh saw fit to give them for their efforts.

 Chapter 272: The Rot

    Golden light took form into letters over the fallen trunk-corpse of the Ashwood tree. Arwin was somewhat surprised to see a message from the Mesh after the fight. He really hadn¡¯t been expecting much of anything.

    After all, they¡¯de to this dungeon for one reason alone ¡ª to get a Dungeon Heart. And the Dungeon Heart in question was still thumping away at a steady, sickening pace encased within the wood of its former host.

    Arwin hadn¡¯t even been forced to use the full extent of his abilities in the fight against the fallen monster.

    <em>And that¡¯s honestly quite fortunate. I want to get used to using the shield before I try to use my ability to manifest the power of a Cursed Item to help me fight. Something tells me that anything rted to Cursed items is going to always be high-risk, high-reward. </em>

    Thus, Arwin would have been quite happy with just an Achievement for the fight. As a nonbatant, he really hadn¡¯t expected to get much more.

    But, as it turned out, the Mesh saw things differently.

    Something prickled against Arwin¡¯s skin. It felt slimy and cold, like a dip into a river of sludge. The breath stiffened in his chest and his eyes went wide in disbelief. The sensation almost felt like the rush of energy he got from leveling up, but that should have been impossible.

    Nonbat sses couldn¡¯t get energy from ¡ª

    <strong>Title: [The Rot] has been earned. </strong><strong>[The Rot] ¨C<em>You have defeated another Cursed entity, permanently unlocking the full potential of the Cursed Dwarven Smith path. You may now receive [Cursed] Skill upgrades. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as he read over the words, but the Mesh wasn¡¯t done. Golden letters flickered through the air and took form into a second message no more than a second after he finished the first.

    <strong>Achievement: [Dead-monic Tree] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Dead-monic Tree] ¨C <em>Awarded for stopping a Cursed creature before its energy could spread out from the dungeon in which it took form. A portion of its Cursed energy has been stored within your soul. </em>Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to [Cursed]. This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</strong>

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Arwin said, the word falling from his lips before he¡¯d realized that he¡¯d spoken.

    He hadn¡¯t even really thought about the possibility that the tree could have been Cursed. He¡¯d known that monsters could be Cursed, of course. Arwin had fought them when he was the Hero. But he¡¯d never considered them as anything more than a more dangerous, variant monster.

    People usually couldn¡¯t even tell they were up against a Cursed monster until it died and the System mentioned it. Arwin had just never made the connection that a Cursed monster could have anything to do with his path.

    <em>Would Cursed skills work in the same manner as a Cursed item? An ability that has a much higher risk in return for a bigger reward? That could be a really powerful option to draw upon. I don¡¯t imagine I¡¯ll get the option to get many of them ¡ª even as the Hero, I don¡¯t recall fighting that many of them. Granted, I wasn¡¯t keeping track, but still. </em>

    <em></em>¡°Are there any more of these trees anywhere?¡± Olive asked, a note of awe in her voice as she approached the monster¡¯s fallen trunk. She wiped her face with the back of her right sleeve. ¡°Because that was a <em>real</em> nice reward. Shivers all the way down to my toes.¡±

    ¡°I got a Title!¡± Anna eximed in delight.

    ¡°You did?¡± Rodrick¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Seriously? I got an Achievement and a fair bit of energy, but a Title¡­ good shit, Anna. What is it?¡±

    ¡°It lets me purify organic materials if I spend enough magical energy. It doesn¡¯t work on actual cursed stuff, but this is incredible.¡± Anna was practically bouncing from foot to foot in delight. ¡°This opens up so much for me. I didn¡¯t know an ability like this could even exist, much lesse from a Title.¡±

    ¡°Not to be dour, but couldn¡¯t you already do that?¡± Reya asked hesitantly. ¡°You purified Melissa, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No. That was healing the poison. Different way of treatment.¡± Anna shook her head. ¡°I fought that by neutralizing it and using Cure, one of my abilities. It was a really difficult process that could have easily failed. This lets me do more than just attack the poison. It lets me turn the poison into the cure. Granted, it¡¯ll probably need a ridiculous amount of power, but it¡¯s not even limited to poison. Any malignant problem with organic material falls under the Title. That includes sickness. Disease. This is an incredible boon.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions, Anna,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If anyone deserves a skill like that, it¡¯s you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be putting it to good use.¡±

    ¡°You can bet on that,¡± Anna said with a firm nod. ¡°There are so many people that could benefit from this ¡ª and I could bring some attention to the Devil¡¯s Den as well. Run some healing sessions inside it. People would flock.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°That would be incredible,¡± Lillia said with a delighted smile of her own. ¡°It¡¯ll be the perfect way to do a little extra advertising when the Devil¡¯s Den opens back up shortly! And you aren¡¯t the only one that got a Title.¡±

    <em>Huh? How did she¡ª </em>

    ¡°You got one too?¡± Reya asked, blinking in shock. ¡°I got an Achievement, but damn. What did you do, give the Mesh a back rub?¡±

    ¡°Evidently,¡± Lillia said. She made her way over to the head of the fallen tree,ing to a stop before she touched the razored leaves covering its branches. The Demon Queen tilted her head to the side as she squinted into it for a few moments.

    Arwin and the others watched her for a few confused seconds, waiting for the exnation of her new Title. Lillia said nothing. Instead, she held a hand out toward the leaves. A shadow rose up from the ground and wove through the tree, vanishing within it.

    There was a faint snapping noise. A momentter, the shadow emerged with arge, round fruit. It had red skin covered in swirling patterns that almost resembled leaves and was about the size of a small child.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Arwin asked, peering at the fruit. Nothing from the System appeared to identify it.

    ¡°A fruit,¡± Lillia said helpfully. She smirked at the annoyed look that Arwin sent her. ¡°I got a Title and Achievement pair. The Title lets me grow magical nts for an herb garden. I think it¡¯ll let me make the effectiveness of my cooking even stronger. It¡­ might also turn it into poison, but I¡¯m pretty sure I can avoid that.¡±

    ¡°I can test it to make sure it¡¯s safe,¡± Anna offered.

    ¡°That might be wise,¡± Lillia admitted, cradling her new fruit under an arm. ¡°The Achievement let me find this thing. It¡¯s an Ashleaf Tree Fruit.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to eat it or nt it?¡± Reya squinted at the fruit suspiciously. ¡°Is making another one of these a good idea? The Mesh seemed pretty pleased that we kill it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to have trouble from a baby demon nt. I¡¯ve dealt with much bigger ones in my time.¡±

    ¡°And if it ends up being Cursed, I might be able to make quite some use of it,¡± Arwin provided. He grinned at the others. ¡°It seems the Mesh was feeling generous today. I got a Title as well. One that lets me get Cursed Skills.¡±

    ¡°Cursed Skills?¡± Rodrick tilted his head to the side. ¡°Sounds¡­ well, cursed.¡±

    ¡°Very astute, Rodrick,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Arwin¡¯s Cursed item seemed to work well enough,¡± Anna observed as the Menagerie all started to gather around the base of the fallen trunk. ¡°That seems like it could be powerful.¡±

    ¡°Or dangerous,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But it¡¯ll just be one of the options, right? You¡¯re not guaranteed exclusively Cursed skills.¡±

    ¡°Just an option,¡± Arwin confirmed.

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t think we canin. The Mesh rewarded us well for this one,¡± Lillia said. She brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

    A wet thud echoed through the room.

    They all looked to the center of the trunk. The Dungeon Heart was still thumping away within it. Arwin and Rodrick wordlessly walked over to the unsettling organ. It was buried deep within the tree, trapped in by thick, smoothed bark that implied it had been there for quite some time.

    Freeing it took the entire group roughly five minutes. It would have been a lot faster if they didn¡¯t have to worry about identally damaging the heart ¡ª the wood was so tightly packed around it that one mistaken cut had the chance of damaging it, which they couldn¡¯t risk.

    But, eventually, they managed to carve away enough of the tree¡¯s trunk to free it.

    The Menagerie didn¡¯t stop there. The Dungeon Heart had been freed, but they¡¯d just gotten so many rewards for killing the Cursed monster that the mere idea of leaving anything behind that they couldn¡¯t carry felt like a physical blow to Arwin¡¯s own heart.

    They cut apart as many branches as they could, tossing out any useless and rtively unimportant materials they¡¯d gotten earlier through the dungeon, and piled everything full of leaves, sticks, and pieces of trunk material.

    By the time they had finished, the Menagerie resembled a rather odd-looking group of lumberjacks who had just gone to war against the notion of a forest as a whole.

    But, finally, they were ready to leave. Their task in the dungeon had beenpleted. All they had to do was head out, give the Dungeon Heart to Yonas so the Dawnseekers could deal with the Ardent Guild and Twelve, and they would be on their merry way.

    Arwin wrapped the Dungeon Heart in a cloth and hoisted it into the air, holding it out with locked hands to keep it as far away from himself as possible.

    And there he paused.

    A small frown crossed over his lips. He nced away from the pulsating heart to Lillia, and then to the rest of his guild.

    <em>Twelve wants the dungeon heart that belonged to Jessen. Somehow, the two of them were connected. If we give this heart to him¡­ are we just going to make someone even stronger than Jessen more powerful? </em>

    <em>Am I about to be outfitting another monster?</em>

    ¡°You know, your forge got a lot stronger after you put a Dungeon Heart in it,¡± Reya muttered, picking at the side of her cor. ¡°It kind of feels like a shame to give it away. Especially to someone who might be connected to Jessen¡­¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t scam the Dawnseekers,¡± Anna said, but there was a long second of hesitation before she spoke. ¡°That¡¯s just not right. We only got into the dungeon because they let us in.¡±

    ¡°But they don¡¯t care about the heart. Just the money to get rid of the Ardent Guild,¡± Olive pointed out. ¡°What do you think we could do with the heart if we kept it?¡±

    ¡°If we didn¡¯t have to give it away, imagine what we could do if Arwin and Lillia stuck it in the Devil¡¯s Den,¡± Rodrick said. He coughed into his fist. ¡°Hypothetically, of course. Backing out of deals is wrong.¡±

    Lillia nced at Rodrick, then back to the heart. She scratched at the back of her neck. ¡°Maybe we could offer to trade it for something and another way for the Dawnseekers to get what they want?¡±

    ¡°Giving a magical item that empowers shit to an evil bastard feels like it goes against what we represent,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°What do we represent?¡± Reya asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we represented something.¡±

    ¡°Being¡­ good adventurers, I guess,¡± Olive said. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I didn¡¯t think it through that far.¡±

    The Menagerie fell silent for a few seconds.

    ¡°I think we might need to speak a bit with Yonas. We might have to ask for a slight modification to our deal. Maybe we can offer him something that he wants more than the heart,¡± Reya said quietly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to.¡±

 Chapter 273: The Coin

    ¡°You <em>what</em>?¡± Yonas eximed, staring at Arwin in aghast disbelief. He sent a nce over their shoulders into the ruins of the boss room behind them, then turned his gaze to the dungeon heart tucked under Arwin¡¯s arm.

    ¡°We would like to keep the Dungeon Heart,¡± Arwin said, giving Yonas a sheepish grin. ¡°If we cane to terms, that is.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Yonas asked. ¡°Is this meant to be some kind of joke?¡±

    ¡°No. Why would we joke about something like this?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s ludicrous,¡± Yonas eximed, throwing his hands up into the air. ¡°How will we get rid of the Ardent Guild? Of Twelve? What could you possibly do with the Dungeon Heart that would let us all win? And for that matter, who attempts to change a deal when you¡¯re still in the dungeon with their business partner? Anyone with half a brain would wait until we had left the dungeon and were in a safer area.¡±

    ¡°But that would be pretty rude, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Anna asked, tilting her head to the side with a small frown. ¡°We only just decided we wanted to see if we could alter the deal, after all.¡±

    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s a bitte to be worried about being rude at this point,¡± Yonas said, his features growing sharper as he realized that the Menagerie were actually serious and had absolutely no ns of handing the Dungeon Heart over. ¡°You¡¯re not stupid. Do you really think keeping the heart ends in a way where we all win?¡±

    It was several seconds before Arwin responded.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°But the more I think about it, the more distasteful I find the idea of giving Twelve a powerful magical item. If there is any alternative path, I would like to do my absolute best to find it. Even if that just means loaning the heart to us for a few days while we figure out our options to see if any alternative exists.¡±It was difficult to tell exactly what Yonas was thinking ¡ª but the man definitely wasn¡¯t happy. He blew out a short, irritated breath, then thinned his lips. ¡°I am not new to negotiation tactics.¡±

    ¡°Tactics? This isn¡¯t a tactic.¡±

    ¡°You want more of a reward,¡± Yonas said tly. ¡°It happens all the time. Fortunately for you, I¡¯m not an unreasonable man and the Dawnseekers were prepared for this. We¡¯ll increase the pay for your efforts. Five thousand extra gold.¡±

    Arwin shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a kind offer, but it¡¯s negotiating toward the wrong thing. This is not about the money. It¡¯s about the principle. Principle we should have considered earlier, but we made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°You drive a hard bargain. Six¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yonas,¡± Arwin said, his words slicing through the merchant¡¯s like the de of a sword. ¡°We do not want your money. Until every single other option that I have at my fingers is exhausted, I would deeply request that this Dungeon Heart not go to Twelve. My guild is responsible for this issue. We should have put more thought into it before the Heart was in our hands, but what¡¯s done is done.¡±

    Yonas let out a long suffering sigh. ¡°You do realize what you¡¯re asking for, right? The only way youe out ahead is if you find a way to kill Twelve and also pay off my guild. You¡¯re making this a lot moreplicated, and you can¡¯t even fight. How¡ª¡±

    Arwin twisted. Verdant Inferno materialized in his hand and he swung the hammer, driving its head into the wall beside them with all the force that [Scourge] would let him muster. An echoing crash tore through the dungeon as the weapon obliterated stone. A huge section of the wall pitched forward, red brick crumbling as it fell to the ground amid a cloud of dust.

    Yonas gaped, letting dust gather on his tongue for nearly a second before his body remembered to cough.

    ¡°How?¡± Yonas breathed, his eyes widening as he took a step back. ¡°You¡¯re a smith. That much power¡­ it isn¡¯t possible for a nonbatant ss.¡±

    <em>It¡¯s not even half of what I could have done if I was using [Soul Fire] and Verdant Inferno¡¯s [Shieldbreaker] in conjunction. </em>

    ¡°Of metal and flesh, thetter is far easier to break.¡± Arwin dismissed Verdant Inferno and turned back to Yonas. ¡°I know we¡¯re asking for a lot. But if we give the heart to Twelve, we could be creating a monster.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Nobody spoke a word for several long seconds. Yonas studied Arwin, then the other members of the Menagerie. None of them moved. Finally, the merchant pursed his lips.

    ¡°You have personal history with Twelve, then.¡±

    ¡°With Jessen,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°But they are connected.¡±

    ¡°So it <em>was </em>the Menagerie that destroyed the Iron Hounds. There were a few rumors, but none that bore enough weight to be believable,¡± Yonas said. ¡°Tell me, then. Why? What did Jessen do to elicit such distaste that you would make an enemy of my guild?¡±

    ¡°He killed a child,¡± Lillia replied, her features going as dark as the shadows that followed in her footsteps.

    Yonas stiffened. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°His men attempted to recruit me. I refused, and they tried to kill me,¡± Arwin said. His stomach clenched at the memory. He shifted the Dungeon Heart to the side and lifted a hand to his head, pulling his helm off. For a second, Arwin paused. His eyes traced the horns protruding from the helm¡¯s sides. ¡°They sent a mage to my smithy in the night, with orders to firebomb it. I was not there.¡±

    ¡°A boy by the name of Zeke was working together with Ifrit. He was workingte.¡± Lillia¡¯s voice was taut with anger. ¡°By the time we heard the explosion, it was already toote. I had to drag Arwin from the fire. The only thing that survived the me was Zeke¡¯s helm.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t even old enough to fight. He was a child,¡± Arwin said. He mmed the helm back over his head. ¡°As I mentioned earlier, I should have dismissed the idea of giving Twelve anything from the start. But that road has been crossed. We will not aid Twelve.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Yonas said. His features had turnedpletely inscrutable. He observed Arwin silently for several long seconds before speaking again. ¡°I can see why your guild would hold a grudge. Am I remiss in assuming Twelve is unaware of this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d imagine we¡¯d havee to blows already if he knew,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°Likely,¡± Yonas said. ¡°The entire reason for his presence in Milten is the missing Dungeon Heart ¡ª one which Jessen had. One which I presume you took.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± Arwin said, guessing the direction the merchant was leading the conversation.

    The merchant chewed on the insides of his cheeks. His foot tapped against the ground and his arms crossed in front of his chest. ¡°You do not leave me with many options.¡±

    ¡°What would you do?¡± Reya asked. ¡°If it had been someone you cared about that got murdered by a cold hearted bastard? Would you just help out the guy that might have had something to do with their death?¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t <em>know </em>that Twelve was responsible,¡± Yonas pointed out. ¡°You only suspect it.¡±

    ¡°Which is the only reason we got this far in the first ce,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But you can¡¯t possibly look at Twelve and tell me that he wants the Dungeon Heart because he¡¯s nning to sell it to build a house of healing for children. There have to be other ways to deal with the Ardent guild.¡±

    ¡°And if they get Twelve on their side?¡± Yonas asked.

    ¡°We just don¡¯t allow that to happen. Twelve might be strong, but we¡¯ve dealt with strong enemies before,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯d imagine it won¡¯t be long before he eventually figures out we had something to do with Jessen¡¯s death. And, when he does, we¡¯ll be at odds anyway. No point helping him in the process of waiting for that day toe.¡±

    ¡°And what of Raen? A merchant must always seek to make coin. Standing in his way will make him your enemy. Even if I were amiable to granting your request to keep the Dungeon Heart, he will not be. You could make an enemy of him.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arwin said simply. ¡°We will take the me, should you be willing to let us.¡±

    Yonas nodded slowly. His eyes flicked up to Arwin¡¯s helm. To the horns at its top, then back to his eyes.

    ¡°I see,¡± Yonas said. ¡°Very well. It is unfortunate, but I cannot ept your request.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. He¡¯d been expecting that answer, but it still stung ¡ª and it put the entire guild in a very bad spot.

    They¡¯d screwed up. There was nobody to me but themselves. Arwin had epted Raen¡¯s deal too quickly, without thinking about the consequences of what actually giving Twelve the Dungeon Heart would be. It might have been the safest route, but it went against what they all stood for.

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin repeated. That was all that could be said. He would not back out of a deal. There would be another way.

    ¡°You request cannot be epted because it is impossible to grant,¡± Yonas said, his eyes shimmering like blue ice. ¡°A merchant must always follow the coin. And the Menagerie were, unfortunately, a disappointment. Despite their bold ims and refusal to allow for mercenaries to be hired on, they were unable to reach the boss and were forced to retreat. Who would have thought? The crafting guild is nothing but a crafting guild.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Reya asked. ¡°That¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is unfortunate that, even after Iter returned to attempt to retrieve the Heart with my mercenaries, there was no Dungeon Heart present. It seems the Dawnseeker received poor information,¡± Yonas said.

    ¡°You¡¯re covering for us,¡± Reya muttered in realization.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I already told you,¡± Yonas said. He nodded over his shoulder at the remains of the dungeon boss¡¯ room. ¡°A merchant must follow coin, and I am quick to adapt. It seems your guild believes there is a way that you can deal with this situation without arming Twelve. I bet against you once already. That proved to be a mistake, and so I will take the opposing side this time around. Instead of betting against the Menagerie, I will bet <em>on </em>them.¡±

 Chapter 274: The Weather

    Arwin stared at Yonas in surprise. It took him a moment to find his words.

    ¡°You will?¡±

    ¡°Your guild was able to clear an Adept ranked dungeon with little difficulty. I assume you must have a reasonable way in which you can aplish this. If it hasn¡¯t been determined yet, I would guess you have a manner in which it can be pulled off. And if not ¡ª well, you offered a loan. I trust you will identify your weakness and return the heart to me so that our original n can be carried out. I will smooth over the issues.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time we pull off a little bit of bullshit,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Historically, betting on the Menagerie has gone fairly well for us. That said, as we¡¯ve already pointed out, there¡¯s a chance Twelve is too powerful for us to deal with. The loan gives us both what we want, in my opinion.¡±

    A smile crossed Yonas¡¯ features and he inclined his head. ¡°Very good. Then we are in ord. I will deal with Raen, should the timee. But do not forget. For this to work, if you keep the Heart, you will need to deal with Twelve. Yourselves. The Dawnseekers cannot make enemies of him. We cannot interfere with any actions he takes. He is too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Do you happen to know exactly how strong he is?¡± Arwin asked hopefully. He was pretty sure Rodrick would figure that out sooner rather thanter, but the more they could figure out now, the better.

    ¡°The very bottom of Expert rank ording to thest information we have on him,¡± Yonas said. He raised his hands to forestall any further questions. ¡°And that will be the extent on the information I share. I am <em>betting</em> on your guild, not investing in it. I will not grow involved in this fight. That is too great of a risk, and all risk must be mitigated.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Lillia said, exchanging a nce with Arwin. Yonas had given them what they needed. The bottom of Expert rank ced Twelve considerably above them, especially if he¡¯d actually reached the rank the proper way and had the Achievements and Titles to match.

    He was basically two tiers above Arwin and Lillia, and a little less than that above the rest of the Menagerie.<em>But we¡¯ve got time to prepare, and Twelve is an assassin. That¡¯s possibly the worst ss to try to take on a group. </em>

    Expert Tier was dangerous, but it didn¡¯t put Twelvepletely out of touch. It would be incredibly difficult to fight him, but it was possible. There were still three days before he was due to return to the guild. That wasn¡¯t a lot of time, but it wasn¡¯t no time either. They just had to find a way to pull it off.

    ¡°If we get rid of Twelve, what about the Ardent guild?¡± Reya asked. ¡°They¡¯ll still be around.¡±

    ¡°I am trusting that you will find a way to find us a foothold,¡± Yonas said. ¡°I do not care about Twelve. Neither does Raen. But, if you are capable enough to deal with Twelve, then I suspect you will be able to get us a foothold in Milten as well. Thetter should be far easier to do than the former. If you cover the money we lose from the Heart, I would say we¡¯re more than even.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°And if we can¡¯t¡­ well, I suppose it won¡¯t matter much.¡±

    ¡°It will,¡± Yonas replied. A flicker of irritation pulled across his features. ¡°I will have lost another bet. That would be most displeasing.¡±

    Arwin snorted, then shook his head. ¡°Well, then. I suppose we should get to it. Lots of work to do before Twelve pays us a second visit. Care to lead us back out of the dungeon?¡±

    Yonas¡¯ nose scrunched and he let out a sigh. ¡°I suppose I should. On with it, then. Unless any of you would like a rest before we head back up?¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯re good,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°I thought as much,¡± Yonas said.

    He started off, and the Menagerie followed after him, dragging the huge bags bearing the spoils of their efforts in the dungeon along with them. They had quite a haul to get back and work with, and Arwin¡¯s mind was already churning as he tried to figure out where his efforts could be best directed.

    <em>What can I make that will give us the best chance to beat Twelve?</em>

    ***

    ¡°The weather is rather appreciable, is it not?¡± Madiv asked.

    Esmerelda slowly turned her head to look in his direction.

    The two of them sat on the roof of the Devil¡¯s Den, overlooking the street that belonged to the Menagerie. Esmerelda had removed her backpack and set it down on the stone behind her to save her aching shoulders.

    Sunlight bore down on them rudely, poking into her eyes and forcing her to squint. It was all too bright. The sun was a nuisance, and she was quite certain the world would be better off if some great monster were to eat it whole.

    She heaved a sigh and didn¡¯t even bother gracing Madiv with a response. The vampire was just as bored as she was, but she hadn¡¯t fallen so far as to start talking about the weather quite yet.

    Esmerelda had been expecting this whole thing to be considerably more exciting.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Sure, the Menagerie were only gone for a short while, but everything always went wrong when others weren¡¯t there to see it. That was just thew the universe ¡ª and the universe always pursued the strong far harder than it did the weak.

    For an incarnation of a literal devil in flesh, Esmerelda refused to believe that the Mesh would decide to leave well enough alone. Especially when he wasn¡¯t around to stop anything bad from happening.

    There should have been a monster attack. A rogue adventurer with a penchant for smashing walls with a hammer. <em>Something.</em>

    Instead, she got ¡ª

    ¡°The weather is rather appreciable, is it not?¡± Madiv asked.

    ¡°Would you stop that?¡± Esmerelda snapped. ¡°It¡¯s the fourth time you¡¯ve said it in the past five minutes!¡±

    ¡°I had thought you may not have heard me. It is possible. Hearing is one of the first senses to go in old age,¡± Madiv said.

    ¡°I¡¯m as spry as a whistle, you wiry beanpole,¡± Esmerelda grumbled. ¡°And I can hear perfectly fine, thank you very much. I have simply chosen to tune you out. Have you never held a proper conversation in your life?¡±

    ¡°I tend to hold proper conversation when I am blessed with a capable partner,¡± Madiv replied without missing a beat. ¡°Unfortunately, the lot I have drawn today has the conversational skills of a nk of wood ¡ª and half the personality.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you personality,¡± Esmerelda growled, mbering to her feet and grabbing her bag of potions. ¡°What color flowers do you want growing on your grave? Some of the potions have rather¡­sting effects.¡±

    ¡°You are going to attempt to attack me?¡± Madiv arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°Attack? No. I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯m part of the Menagerie.¡± Esmerelda crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I will simply give you a potion, and you will drink it.¡±

    ¡°What would possess me to do that?¡±

    ¡°Boredom.¡±

    Madiv paused. Then he frowned. ¡°Yes, that may actually be sufficient. Though¡­ death does make the offer slightly less tempting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the potion won¡¯t kill you. It just stays in your system a long time,¡± Esmerelda said, scratching at her chin. ¡°Sits in your intestines. Makes ¡®em smell like fruit. You¡¯ll start rapidly sprouting flowers after you pass from natural causes. Great for funerals.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Madiv said. ¡°Entertaining.¡±

    ¡°Quite,¡± Esmerelda agreed. She cast her gaze around the street again and let out a long suffering sigh. ¡°Gods, I¡¯m bored.¡±

    ¡°A peaceful life is one well lived.¡±

    ¡°Stuff your proverbs,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°I want to melt someone.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say your potions wouldn¡¯t actually kill anyone?¡±

    ¡°Depends on the potion.¡± Esmerelda shook her bag and potions clinked around within it. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few in here. Don¡¯t quite remember which one does which.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps the first thing to go in your old age was not your hearing, but your mind.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯ll show you¡ª¡±

    Her head snapped to the side, and Madiv¡¯s did the same.

    Something had moved near the edges of the street. The two of them both squatted down, watching with rapt interest as a man stepped out from an alleyway. He paused for a moment to nce around. His eyesnded on the Devil¡¯s Den and he started toward it. The man didn¡¯t seem to have the faintest idea that there were two people on the top of the building, watching him approach.

    ¡°I knew it,¡± Esmerelda hissed. ¡°I told you someone woulde, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I did not doubt you,¡± Madiv replied in the same, hushed tone. ¡°But we must ensure he is an enemy. It could be someone hungry, seeking the great Lillian¡¯s cooking. That would be a worthy pilgrimage.¡±

    ¡°Kissass,¡± Esmerelda muttered.

    They both fell silent, watching the man as he drew up to the wall of the inn. He came to a stop, nced to either side and behind himself, then pulled a small bag off his shoulders and reached inside.

    The man pulled a flint.

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to start a fire,¡± Esmerelda said.

    ¡°Maybe he smokes.¡±

    The man pulled free a small piece of steel and crouched by the edge of the building. Madiv and Esmerelda exchanged a nce.

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to set the Devil¡¯s Den on fire,¡± Esmrelda said.

    ¡°I fear you may be right,¡± Madiv said. ¡°Okay. We can kill him.¡±

    A delighted grin spread across Esmerelda¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, thrilling. I¡¯ve been waiting for this.¡±

    She brought theuncher that dangled at her side up, grabbing the handles with both hands and taking aim. Before Madiv could even jump off the roof to attempt and deal with the man himself, Esmerelda squeezed the trigger.

    There was a loud whump.

    A round potion vial full of bright blue liquid streaked through the air in a blur. The man¡¯s head jerked up, but not nearly fast enough. The potion struck him right in the temple with a sickening crunch.

    The man crumpled to the ground ¡ª and thepletely intact potion bottle clinked to the stone beside him. It rolled to a stop a foot away from his body, not so much as a scratch on it.

    Madiv dropped from the roof,nding beside the fallen man. He reached down and pressed a hand to his neck, then rifled through his clothes. The vampire pulled a guild badge free from the man¡¯s pocket ¡ª red, with a golden sword embossed upon it.

    <em>Ardent Guild. Goodie. That means I won¡¯t have to keep the rest of the Menagerie from finding out about the body this time around.</em>

    Madiv grabbed the potion bottle from the ground, pinching it gingerly between two fingers. He slung the body over his shoulder. His knees bent and he leapt, sailing through the air andnding neigh-soundlessly on the roof beside Esmerelda, then dumped the man at their feet.

    ¡°Dead,¡± Madiv said. He eyed Esmerelda¡¯suncher. ¡°How much force does that muster?¡±

    ¡°A lot.¡± Esmerelda plucked the potion from Madiv¡¯s hands. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°It was no effort¡­ but I fear your weapon is broken. The potion did not break.¡±

    Esmerelda squinted at Madiv. ¡°Why would I want the potion to break? That would be wasting a perfectly good potion.¡±

    Madiv stared at Esmerelda for a few seconds. Then he looked down at the body. ¡°Did you want to do something with this? Or shall I dispose of it?¡±

    Esmerelda tilted her head to the side. ¡°Be a dear and hold it up for me. I want to inspect it.¡±

    Madiv shrugged. He grabbed the corpse by its hair and lifted it into the air. Esmerelda peered at it, chewing her lower lip. Not all bodies were made equal, but they all had usefulponents. She just had to figure out which ones this one bore.

    <em>Never know when you need a few extra eyeballs. They can be quite the tricky ingredients to locate. Ironic.</em>

    Unfortunately for Esmerelda, it was a well-known fact that the universe always pursued the strong far harder than it did the weak.

    It was as Esmerelda studied her newly procured body that the rest of the Menagerie returned ¡ª and promptly spotted her. Her senses, distracted as they were, warned Esmerelda of their approach only a moment toote.

    She nced to the street just, making eye contact with the group as they stared straight up at her and Madiv.

    ¡°Is that a body?¡± Reya asked, her words drifting up from the ground.

    Esmerelda spoke before her mind could finish processing the words that left her lips.

    ¡°The weather is rather appreciable, is it not?¡±

 Chapter 275: Solutions

    ¡°Why are you holding a corpse?¡± Arwin asked, staring up at Esmerelda and Madiv.

    ¡°I believe it would be because they murdered someone,¡± Yonas said. The merchant sent a sidelong nce at Arwin. ¡°I charge 100 gold to buy silence. 1000 if you want help disposing the body.¡±

    Madiv dropped the corpse. It crumpled, falling behind a high point in the roof and falling from view. The vampire brushed his hands off. ¡°There is no body.¡±

    ¡°There was definitely a body,¡± Yonas said.

    ¡°Saw it too,¡± Olive provided.

    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Reya hissed.

    ¡°Justice.¡±

    Reya stared at Olive. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°No. I just think it¡¯s funnier to be on Yonas¡¯ side right now.¡±¡°Madiv?¡± Lillia asked, her voice terse. ¡°I¡¯m certain that you have a good reason as to why you have a dead man on my roof. Would you be so kind as to tell me what it is?¡±

    ¡°He was trying to light the Devil¡¯s Den on fire,¡± Esmerelda replied.

    Madiv held up a badge, and the light caught on it. Arwin recognized it instantly. It was a member of the Ardent Guild. He didn¡¯t know who the person had been, but there was no mistaking the guild insignia.

    <em>Though that does not mean it was actually the Ardent guild doing this. It could easily be someone trying to frame them, knowing our guilds are at odds. </em>

    ¡°My prices have dropped,¡± Yonas said. ¡°50 for silence. 500 for hiding the body.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it bad to lower your own prices when there¡¯s demand for them?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°No. It establishes him as a trustworthy merchant so we work more with him in the future,¡± Reya said absently, her attention mostly focused on the roofborne Menagerie members.

    Yonas sent Reya a surprised nce. ¡°Very good. Are you a merchant as well?¡±

    ¡°Upon asion. I help Arwin sell some of his stuff,¡± Reya replied, coughing into a fist. ¡°Madiv does too. We don¡¯t have to do much. His work sells itself.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Yonas said.

    ¡°Can we stay focused for a moment?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°And would somebody bring that damn body down here? We really don¡¯t need it on the roof.¡±

    Madiv grabbed the corpse and hoisted it into the air. Arwin¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°Hold on! Take it down¡ª¡±

    The vampire lobbed the body. It sailed through the air andnded with a wet crunch on the ground in an alleyway to the side of the Devil¡¯s Den.

    ¡°¡ªgently,¡± Arwin finished, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

    Madiv grabbed Esmerelda, much to her displeasure, and jumped off the roof. He alighted on the ground effortlessly without so much as a sound, then plopped the irate woman down at his side.

    ¡°My prices have gone back to their former numbers,¡± Yonas said, sending a look in the direction of the body and grimacing. ¡°Stains are more difficult to get rid of.¡±

    ¡°For the love off ¡ª did this idiot actually seed at burning anything?,¡± Arwin said wearily. ¡°Are we expecting morepany? Or was he on his own?¡±

    ¡°It only happened moments ago,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°But I did not notice anyone else in the area. This idiot was indeed acting on his own. Probably on orders.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anyone else in the area when we got back,¡± Rodrick provided, scratching at the side of his jaw. He tilted his head to the side for a moment before nodding to himself. ¡°I was listening. Nobody now either. Just us.¡±

    Arwin nodded and blew out a breath. ¡°Great. Madiv, deal with the body, please. You made the mess. And next time, dispose of bodies properly.¡±

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Madiv headed over to the corpse and rolled it further into the darkness before heading over to the entrance of the inn and pausing. He nced back at them.

    ¡°You can go in,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Madiv replied, then strode into the tavern, likely to gather some form of cleaning supplies.

    ¡°The good news is that it¡¯s not really all that strange for people to go missing on this street,¡± Lillia said, her lips pressing thin as she looked in the direction of the dead man. ¡°It¡¯s known for being haunted. This is just one more person that got unlucky. But this is bad news for us. Why would the Ardent guild be sending people to attack us? Or is this a setup?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering the same. It could be both options,¡± Rodrick said, his features tightening in anger. ¡°If it¡¯s actually the Ardent Guild, then a logical reason would be that they¡¯re trying to make sure we don¡¯t have the time to look for the Dungeon Heart and get it to Twelve. If we do, they know they¡¯re done for. And if it¡¯s a different group ¡ª well, there are a number of people that wouldn¡¯t like us. They could be trying to start trouble and might not even know about the Twelve business.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s fists tightened at his sides. ¡°What is it with people in Milten and trying to burn our goddamn buildings down?¡±

    ¡°I must say, arson is an effective distraction,¡± Yonas said. He pursed his lips and shook his head. ¡°I must be off. I will return in¡­ say, three days? Shortly before Twelve¡¯s return. If you have not discovered a way to deal with him by then, then I will take the Dungeon Heart. And the money to buy my silence. Don¡¯t forget it.¡±

    <em>I¡¯d be annoyed if he wasn¡¯t so agreeable. </em>

    Arwin let out a mildly amused huff and inclined his head. ¡°Very well. Until then.¡±

    Yonas nodded. Then, without another word, the merchant turned and strode off.

    Arwin wasted no more time in heading into the Infernal Armory. He held the still-beating Dungeon Heart out before him, studying the magical organ as the rest of his guild headed in behind him. They deposited all the bags of material they¡¯d gathered in the front room with a series of heavy thuds and clinks.

    For several moments, Arwin was silent.

    He had a second Dungeon Heart to work with, but just blindly shoving it into something wouldn¡¯t fix their problem. They needed more than just a slight boost. If they wanted to be able to defeat Twelve, the Menagerie needed a way topletely destroy him before he could even properly realize what was happening.

    <em>If I use the Dungeon Heart and it doesn¡¯t work, I justpletely screw all of us and we can¡¯t give it to the Dawnseekers. I need an actual n before I put it anywhere. Sticking it in the Devil¡¯s Den is the most likely way to get a powerful boost¡­ but I don¡¯t know if that will be enough to beat Twelve. We¡¯ll need more. I already know how to make a building fuse with a Dungeon Heart. I can do that in a day, which leaves me two more to try and get the rest of the advantages we¡¯ll need to deal with this.</em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose anyone has any actual ideas on how we can pull this off?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°If Twelve is somewhere around Expert ranked, this isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an assassin, so if we can catch him off guard, the fight will be tilted in our favor,¡± Rodrick provided. ¡°I¡¯m still not done researching him. I¡¯ll get back to that immediately. I might be able to find something we can use.¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°That would be very appreciated.¡±

    Rodrick strode out the door without another word, determination already etched into his features.

    ¡°What are you going to use the heart on?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Can you make your Armory even stronger and maybe use that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t think sticking a second heart in the Armory will do much. I¡¯m going to think on that and try to find the best way to use it¡­ if anything like that is possible. The good news is we know how to make the housing for the heart. It won¡¯t take as long this time around if we figure out a way to use it.¡±

    ¡°So, in the meantime, we have to think of different things we can do,¡± Olive concluded with a nod. ¡°Every single small advantage is going to count when we¡¯re up against an opponent like this.¡±

    ¡°You know, if anyone has a chance of actually injuring him, it would be Olive or Arwin,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Nobody else hits as hard as they do. If we could hold Twelve still for long enough, there¡¯s a chance they could kill him before he gets the chance to do anything.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d nevernd a blow on an assassin.¡± Olive blew out a small sigh. ¡°Not with one arm. I¡¯m too slow. Even with you holding him down with shadows and Reya¡¯s magic, it wouldn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still worth considering,¡± Arwin said, tapping a finger against his outer thigh. They could stand around and talk in circles forever, but they didn¡¯t have the time to spare. He could think while he worked at the very least. His guild still needed more equipment. If they were going to go up against Twelve, then every single piece would count.

    <em>But what would be the most impactful piece I can work on right now? Anna only has a breastte. Rodrick and Reya could both use some new pieces ¡ª Reya especially. Her armor is pretty old. </em>

    <em>Lillia is pretty set up, but she doesn¡¯t have full coverage either. I still haven¡¯t even finished my own Dread Executioner Set. That could be a pretty good one to focus on, but out of the entire Menagerie, I¡¯m the one that¡¯s at the least risk. </em>

    <em>There¡¯s no point beating Twelve if someone else gets killed in the process. I need to prioritize. The Dread Executioner Set could make me a lot stronger, and all it needs is sabatons. That¡¯s definitely up there. </em>

    <em>What else could ¡ª </em>

    <em></em>Arwin¡¯s eyes flicked to Olive. She, and the rest of the Menagerie, were all deep in thought, and nobody noticed Arwin¡¯s expression as his eyes moved from her face to her missing arm.

    A small grin tugged at the corners of Arwin¡¯s lips as an idea started to form in his mind. It wasn¡¯t going to be enough to stop Twelve by any means, but it had the potential to be a huge step in the right direction.

    <em>She isn¡¯t strong enough to properly control her sword with just a single hand. </em>

    <em>What if I fixed that?</em>

 Chapter 276: Tests

    The Menagerie dispersed quickly to get back to work. They all had their own role to y. Every single step any of them could take toward making the potential fight with Twelve just a little bit more viable was instrumental.

    If they couldn¡¯t pull it off, then they¡¯d have no choice but to hand the Dungeon Heart over to Twelve. The mere idea filled Arwin with distaste.

    And that was how he found himself seated on the anvil near the center of the back room of the Infernal Armory, his chin braced against his closed fist and elbow supported against his knee, lost in thought.

    Pieces of Ashleaf tree wood littered the ground around him. They were joined by the demonic tree¡¯s razor-sharp leaves. He had every piece of the treeid out other than the fruit, which Lillia had taken back to the tavern.

    It had been just under an hour since everyone had headed out. In that time, Arwin had barely budged from his spot. The most important part of crafting an item was figuring out exactly what materials he was going to use.

    When it came to making a weapon or a piece of armor, that was already difficult enough. Everything had desires. Some metal wanted to cut. Some wanted to protect, and some wanted to be used for something else entirely.

    Arwin could work with that. But that was for armor. For weapons. For items that were used in battle, or for knives meant for the kitchen. This was different.

    He was trying to make Olive an arm.

    Not a sword that she affixed to the stump of her shoulder. Not something that could hold a spoon and do nothing more. He needed an arm. An arm that could rece what she¡¯d lost. Something with all the immense intricacy and capability of the human body. An arm that could support the immense power she needed to swing her sword.Arwin had studied every single metal he had remaining to him. He needed a material that was flexible enough to move when needed, but strong enough to resist impacts. Something that wasn¡¯t too heavy but wasn¡¯t so light that it splintered easily. It couldn¡¯t be brittle. It couldn¡¯t be stiff.

    It had to be an arm.

    And that was what had led him to the wood.

    The Ashleaf Tree¡¯s wood was far tougher than normal wood had been. It wasn¡¯t quite up there with metal, but it had taken several blows from Verdant Inferno before it had splintered. The dead tree¡¯s wood was tough, but it wasn¡¯t so firm that it couldn¡¯t move. Arwin had seen just how dexterous the tree¡¯s roots and branches had been firsthand.

    Really, the wood was a perfect material in theory. Arwin just had one small problem. He had absolutely no idea how to <em>forge </em>wood.

    Red mist twisted past him, rolling over the materials littering the ground. Invisible footsteps passed through the smoke as the Armory¡¯s manifestation approached Arwin and came to a stop at the edge of the anvil.

    ¡°I wish to create.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve gathered that much,¡± Arwin said, lifting his chin from his palm and stretching his arms out before him. ¡°I¡¯m working on it. I need to figure out how to do this.¡±

    ¡°Do what? You have not consulted me, so I cannot help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to make an arm,¡± Arwin exined. Perhaps speaking out loud to someone else would help spur his thoughts. ¡°For Olive. I think it¡¯s the biggest single power upgrade I can make anyone right now, but it¡¯s such a far shot from everything else I¡¯ve done that I¡¯m stumped on starting.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°You wish to make an arm from wood?¡± Red smoke curled up, and something in the Armory¡¯s voice carried a note of amusement. ¡°It is little wonder you are stumped.¡±

    ¡°That was horrible. Who taught you puns?¡±

    ¡°I do not know of what you speak. The issue lies in the attributes of the material you seek to utilize. Wood will burn.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯d gathered that much. That¡¯s the issue. How can I use Dwarven Smithing, much less Cursed Dwarven Smithing, if I can¡¯t do the first and most important step?¡±

    ¡°A conundrum,¡± the Armory said. It stepped through the smoke, vanishing from sight for several seconds until the wispy strands of red caught back up to it and revealed where it stood once more. The smoke rippled in a shrug. ¡°Unfortunate.¡±

    And that was it. Arwin stared at the Armory, but he was caught so off guard by the off-handed resignation in its tone that he burst out inughter.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? Unfortunate?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Very helpful,¡± Arwin said, still chuckling as he shook his head. He reached down and picked up a piece of the Ashleaf Tree¡¯s bark. Arwin held it up before him, scrunching his nose as he turned it over in his hands. The wood was cold and hard in his hands. It was a lot heavier than actual wood, though it was still lighter than metal.

    <em>I can¡¯t just skip over the process with theva, can I? I doubt this wood ispletely pure. Normally, I¡¯d be using it as aponent rather than the core of the material. Even if I was to use metal on the inside of the arm like a skeleton, it¡¯s like the process is reversed. </em>

    <em>I wonder just how mmable the wood actually is. Sitting around and thinking isn¡¯t going to get me anywhere. I¡¯ve got a lot of wood to work with. Maybe I can find a way around this.</em>

    ¡°So, which of you wants to be an arm?¡± Arwin asked, letting his senses drift across the materials littering the ground around him.

    The responses weren¡¯t thrilling. It seemed the pieces of the tree still didn¡¯t think much of Arwin yet. The vast majority of them gave no response at all, but a few pieces sent a faint response to his mind.

    Visions of death and ughter flickered through Arwin¡¯s mind, and the taste of iron washed across his tongue. He grimaced, then nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Killing lots of things. Causing agony to your foes. All that delicious stuff. I can let you do it again. Now say it louder. Who¡¯s interested?¡±

    Some of the visions grew stronger. A root in the corner, a piece of bark beneath the bag. Piece by piece, Arwin picked out every part of the wood that felt like it was most willing to work with him. He cooed sweet promises of ughter and destruction to the wood as he brought it over to the corner of the smithy and set it to the side, dder than ever that he was working alone.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes fell on a gnarled, knotty root that hadn¡¯t been quite as willing to work with him. He plucked it from the ground and headed back over to the anvil. The pieces that were actually willing to work with him had to be saved.

    But this one was stubborn.

    That was quite fine. Arwin needed a few stubborn pieces.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you for your help,¡± Arwin informed the root.

    The Infernal Armory rumbled around him, sensing his desires. Energy pulsed in the veins running through the ground. ck tendrils stretched out from the wall and lifted into the air behind Arwin like snakes. They mmed into his back and arms, merging with his flesh.

    Arwin stiffened with a hiss. Power flooded from him and the armory as they merged. A dull hum filled the room, and a heavy thump echoed through the walls. Blood pumped in Arwin¡¯s veins. It was matched by the veins in the floor as they filled with a dull orange hue.

    The anvil sank into the ground, vanishing beneath the stone as the power filling the Infernal Armory intensified. A in basin perched upon a pedestal rose up in the anvil¡¯s ce, a small hole at its base.

    Heat rolled out from the basin, andva followed after it. It filled the bowl with molten orange stone, the intensity of its warmth pressing into Arwin¡¯s face like a physical force. Arwin lifted the root in his hand and held it up in the warm light rolling off theva.

    ¡°I¡¯d also like to apologize,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It seems you aren¡¯t willing to work with me. That¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t make you into something you don¡¯t want to be. But I¡¯m afraid you aren¡¯t going to have a future as much of anything. Your sacrifice will be appreciated.¡±

    [Soul me] erupted over Arwin¡¯s hands, coating them in a protectiveyer.

    Then he plunged the root into theva. The material hissed in Arwin¡¯s mind, but there was absolutely nothing it could do. It didn¡¯t even have a true will of its own. Most materials simply had a desire to be something.

    Unfortunately, it hadn¡¯t told Arwin what that something was. It had kept silent ¡ª and now, all it would be was kindling that would fuel his research. Arwin needed to determine how to use Dwarven Smithing techniques on wood, and he had a room full of test subjects.

    It was time to see just how much the Ashleaf Tree¡¯s materials could take.

 Chapter 277: Proper

    For the next hour, Arwin tested the Ashleaf Tree pieces. He burned them, crushed them, warped them, and melted them. He put them through every test he could to push theponents of the tree to the limits and determine just how far they would make it under the less than gentle techniques of Dwarven Smithing.

    And as it turned out, the Ashleaf Tree could take quite a bit.

    The wood was surprisingly resilient. It was no metal, but me didn¡¯t take to it well at all. Every part of the tree was different inposition. The tree¡¯s core was springy and surprisingly malleable, but it was easily cut and didn¡¯t hold up long under much assault of any sort. It, unfortunately, went up in mes shortly after being introduced to any amount of magma.

    Its bark was considerably less movable. While Arwin could still bend it, it was far stiffer and harder than the core parts of the tree. The bark was as hard as metal and immensely tough. It was able to resist the heat of theva for nearly a minute before it went from smoldering to ame.

    The roots were somewhere right down the middle. They were malleable and strong, but not nearly as malleable as the tree¡¯s core nor as tough as its bark. The roots were, unfortunately, also quite mmable. They didn¡¯tst long at all when he put them into the magma.

    And thereinid the issue. Anything he worked with had to be able to resist the magma for long enough for him to form a connection with its song. The heat of the molten rock threatened to make using the wood as the core of his materials instead of metal impossible.

    Arwin¡¯s tests were getting close to making him give up on using the wood as the core of the arm. If it couldn¡¯t survive the magma, then there was just nothing to be done. The only thing that stopped him was functionality. The wood seemed perfect for just about every aspect other than usability.

    Swapping to a metal core would heavily decrease just how flexible the arm was. If Olive couldn¡¯t control her makeshift limb like a normal one, then it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as useful of a recement.

    Arwin chewed his lower lip in thought as he examined a piece of Ashwood bark. He held it above the magma, but not so close that it could catch ame, and dug through his mind in search of hidden inspiration. There had to be a way around this.<em>Wood wasn¡¯t meant to be forged ¡ª but this wasn¡¯t normal wood. It was so hard and</em> malleable that it felt like there was enough ovep that his magic could shore up the potential issues with the concept.

    He passed the piece of wood from one hand to the other. Frustration bubbled in his chest, but he didn¡¯t let it free. Getting pissed wasn¡¯t going to help anyone. The Infernal Armory was unfortunately failing to be particrly useful, so he was on his own at the moment. He had to find a way to pull this off.

    <em>Maybe I should talk with Lillia¡­ but she¡¯s busy as well. I can¡¯t just use her as a sounding board when she¡¯s got her own projects to work on. We¡¯ll need her cooking to boost us up before fighting Twelve. I can¡¯t hog all the resources and attention for myself. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s brow creased and he tapped his foot against the ground. Waves of heat rolled from the magma and into his face, sending droplets of sweat rolling down his skin and soaking into his clothes. His eyes drifted back to the piece wood he was holding.

    [Soul me] still cloaked both of his hands to protect them from theva. They were close enough that even his natural resistance wasn¡¯t enough to ignore the temperature. The wood was more resistant to heat than his own body, but neither of them would survive getting dipped right into theva.

    That was why he ¡ª

    <em>Wait. Is my [Soul me] not burning the wood?</em>

    Both of his hands were covered with the magical fire. That included the one that was holding the piece of Ashleaf wood. The [Soul me] licking against it did nothing but singe the piece. It wasn¡¯t intense enough to burn it.

    Arwin looked from the wood to theva. His senses focused and he extended the reach of the me, extending it to cover the entirety of the wood before plunging the entire thing back into the bubbling mass ofva in the bowl before him.

    He waited a minute, his heart starting to beat faster, before pulling it free. A delighted grin spread across Arwin¡¯s face. The wood hadn¡¯t burnt. His [Soul me] was definitely eating away at it, but it hadn¡¯t beenpletely destroyed.

    Arwin dismissed the fire with a thought and used [Scourge] to scratch awayyers of the ckened wood. The excitement in his stomach grew further. The bottomyer of the wood could be described only as slightly toasted. It hadn¡¯t been burnt.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how I¡¯ll have to do it,¡± Arwin murmured to himself, studying the wood in a new light. ¡°My [Soul me] can protect more than just myself. I can use it to protect objects I¡¯m working with from gettingpletely destroyed by the heat of magma. The purification process might not be as good because I can¡¯t let the woodpletely disintegrate¡­ but it¡¯s better than nothing. It¡¯s worth a proper shot.¡±

    ¡°We will craft something, then?¡± The Infernal Armory asked, wisps of red smoke gathering around the ground beside Arwin. Impatience tinged the invisible being¡¯s voice. ¡°I have been waiting.¡±

    ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t being much help with the figuring things out bit, so you don¡¯t get toin,¡± Arwin told the Armory. He set the piece of darkened wood down and then headed over to the pile of wood that had been willing to work with him. There was more than enough for his purposes, though he suspected he¡¯d need the extras to ount for any mistakes he made along the way.

    Arwin dismissed the magic from his hands and gathered several pieces of core wood in addition to a few roots and sections of bark. He piled it all into his arms and brought it over to the center of the workshop. A pir rose up from the ground, ttening at its top to give him a ce to deposit everything. Arwin set the materials down and gave the Armory an appreciative nod.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Thank me by crafting. I am spending energy. My only desire is to create.¡±

    Arwin chuckled and made his way back over to the basin ofva in the very center of the room. He re-ignited the [Soul me] on his hands and dipped them into the magma, pulling out a ball.

    Fire coated the inside of his mouth, protecting him from the heat of the magma as he brought it up to his lips and took a bite out of it, chewing with determination. He had a lot of work to get through. The arm was the first of several projects he would have to aplish if they wanted a chance against Twelve.

    Arwin worked, chewing up and preparing his magma until he had arge ball that had beenpletely bonded to his mind. He wasted no time in grabbing the first piece of wood. Coating it with [Soul me], Arwin slid the wood into the ball of magma.

    He sent his senses into theva, feeling for the wood within. Its song was faint, but it was there. A distant thumping heart that bore the desires that every material had. It was harder to hear than metal, but Arwin could just barely make it out.

    It was working.

    Arwin purified the wood, removing all of the impurities from within it. They weren¡¯t the same as that of metal, but they were still present. Pieces of dirt; blood between fibers. Every microscopic piece that he could get a hold of was banished.

    But the process was far from simple. Arwin could feel the wood overheating as he worked. He was on a time limit.

    Power pumped into him from the Infernal Armory, intensifying the [Soul me] protecting the wood and making sure it didn¡¯t char to a crisp before he could finish his task. He prepared the wood until its song had connected with his, until they could understand each other perfectly.

    And then he moved on to the next piece.

    An arm was more than a single segment, and every single one of them had to be borderline perfect if he wanted to ensure they all synchronized. The tension on Arwin¡¯s mind intensified as more wood entered the ball of magma.

    His back and shoulders throbbed. The veins connecting him and the Infernal Armory thrummed with power. Their dark length pulsated with brilliant orange power as it pumped Arwin full of magic that he sent straight into the materials.

    Arwin worked without reservation. He didn¡¯t consider failure as a possibility. He couldn¡¯t afford the distraction. His full focus waspletely on forging the wood ¡ª an idea so ludicrous that it would have beenughed out of any sane smithy.

    He blindly reached out to the te at his side to gather another piece of wood. His hand met nothing but air.

    Arwin blinked. He moved his hand from side to side, but still it found nothing. He lifted his gaze away from the ball of magma perched in his other palm and turned it toward his pile of wood.

    There was nothing left.

    Every single piece was already within the magma, singing together in harmony. Not just together with him, but with each other.

    He¡¯d finished the preparations without even realizing it.

    Arwin only let himself be stunned for a moment. He forced his body back into motion and quickly removed the pieces of wood from theva. They were ckened and burnt, but he could tell from their song that the damage was only external.

    After a few minutes of scraping away at them with [Scourge] empowered fingers, Arwin cleaned the ash away and was left with tanned, perfectly prepared pieces of wood that were practically humming with magic and intent.

    He didn¡¯t let himself gloat. The preparation was done, but the work was far from finished. All he had was a pile of wood that was ready to be formed into an arm. It had yet to be made.

    For a moment, Arwin hesitated. Thest time he¡¯d made a Cursed item, the Wyrm had made itself known <em>before </em>he¡¯d started working. But the Ashleaf Tree was silent. It had yet to make an appearance.

    His lips thinned and Arwin shook his head. If the Tree didn¡¯t want to cooperate, then that was fine. He couldn¡¯t wait around for it. Either it woulde or it wouldn¡¯t.

    Arwin arranged the wood, a mental image of Olive¡¯s arm already in his head. The very center of the arm would be made from the core wood of the Ashleaf Tree. It would be surrounded by root material, ted on the outside with bark. That would give it the most mobility while still maintaining some defensive properties.

    ¡°Give me some Brightsteel,¡± Arwin said.

    A slot in the wall opened. ck strands extended from behind Arwin to grab two ingots of Brightsteel from within it and ferried the metal back over to him, depositing it on his work table.

    He had all theponents he needed. Now all that was left to do was make connectors to fasten the pieces of the arm together while he infused it with thest bit of magic.

    Then he would face the vision. And, should he be sessful, he would turn the arm from a pile of heated wood into a proper Cursed item.

 Chapter 278: Look what Ive got.

    The song of Verdant Inferno echoed through the armory. It was encased in a thickyer of metal that more than doubled its weight. Molten lines of magma ran along its head, pulsating with every strike. ck veins, connected to both Arwin and the hammer, swayed with every strike he made.

    A pile of rounded balls and metal rodsid on the work table to his side. They were the results of the past hour, all made through Dwarven Forging. And, as Arwin finally let Verdant Inferno lower and allowed his muscles to rx, he looked down at the final rod he would need.

    The ck veins pulled free of his hammer and Arwin dismissed it with a thought. He lifted the final rod of Brightsteel from the anvil and examined it intensely for any defects or mistakes he might have missed.

    The rod was about the length of half-a-finger and no thicker than a pencil. Each of its ends had been tapered to a razor sharp point. The entire piece of metal was smoothed and about as perfectly cylindrical as he could get it to be.

    There were no problems. It was ready.

    <em>He</em> was ready.

    Arwin gathered up the woodenponents of the arm and got about to the second tost step of its creation. Piece by piece, he used the rods to connect the woodenponents. He pressed the metal into the wood using [Scourge] to ensure they slid in smoothly, then applied the next wooden piece to the other end of the makeshift skeleton.

    His head throbbed in pain. He¡¯d been drawing a ridiculous amount of magic for this piece. If it hadn¡¯t been for the Infernal Armory backing him up, he would have run out of resources a long time ago.

    But his time was limited. Even with the energy flowing from his building, Arwin only had so much left to work with. He could feel the power flooding his body receding and starting to pull back.Fortunately, he was nearly done.

    Arwin pieced together the wooden arm, keeping his intent focused and pushing every single drop of magic that he could muster into its body. It was definitely one of the most unique pieces he¡¯d ever tried to forge.

    He¡¯d made projects where their coreponent wasn¡¯t metal, such as his scale armor line, but at least the scales had been¡­ well, forgeable. Making something out of wood was an entirely different story ¡ª even when the wood mirrored metal in more than a few ways.

    Arwin¡¯s teeth gritted as he fitted the palm onto the wrist section. He¡¯d had to make enough pieces to ensure that Olive would maintainplete control over the arm. She didn¡¯t need a stiff block of wood. Unfortunately, that meant the magical item wasposed of so many moving sockets and joints that the chances for a mistake were enormous.

    He had to test every single part¡¯s range of motion to make sure it was correct. When he was running out of power and mental energy, even a few extra seconds were difficult. But Arwin didn¡¯t let himself skimp. He took no shortcuts and skipped no steps.

    Olive needed an arm.

    He would make her an arm.

    His jaw clenched so tightly that pain pulsed in his back teeth. He tested the forearm, then connected thest few segments of wood. The entire thing was still a little stiff, but the activation of the magic within it would hopefully handle the bits that Arwincked the mechanical skill to properly replicate.

    Arwin¡¯s fingers automatically flitted back to his worktable andnded on arge rod. He raised it, staring at the metal piece for a moment. The final piece. It was about twice as big as the rest of the rods in the arm. A grimace yed across Arwin¡¯s face at the sight of it.

    There would be no woodenponent to attach to the other side of the rod.

    Its home was destined to be flesh.

    There weren¡¯t many ways to connect something inanimate into something animate that properly gave the feeling of a real link ¡ª and this was not a temporary wood prosthetic. It was a recement. Recements stayed in ce, and the item had to understand that.

    They¡¯d just have to get Olive a whole bunch of Lillia¡¯s drinks before she tried the arm on. With any luck, she wouldn¡¯t remember the experience.

    Arwin drove the rod into the back portion of the arm in the center of the area where it would connect to Olive¡¯s stump.

    And then his work in creating the arm was done.

    Arwin heaved an exhausted breath as all the tension flooded out of his body, nearly dropping to his knees as a wave of dizziness washed over him. The ck veins jutting out of his back dropped and slithered across the floor as they returned to their home in the wall. It seemed that the Infernal Armory was out of power.

    Energy poured from within the wooden limb and prickled against Arwin¡¯s fingertips. It was positively infused with power and magical energy, stuffed so full to the brim that it was threatening to spill over.

    Something buzzed at the back of Arwin¡¯s mind before his thoughts could even so much as drift. A spot of darkness bloomed in his vision. A wave of weakness followed after it and he staggered, grabbing himself on the anvil. His forehead throbbed. Arwin stiffened, drawing in a sharp breath.

    <em>A Vision.</em>

    It seemed that the Ashleaf Tree hadn¡¯t decided to give in without a fight. It had simply been biding its time.

    Arwin didn¡¯t even have a chance to decide on the proper emotion to greet the tree with. The world vanished from around him, swallowed in a roiling sea of pitch ck, and the Infernal Armory was gone.

    ***

    Dry grass cracked beneath Arwin¡¯s feet. His eyes snapped open and he dragged in a ragged breath. It was tainted by the taste of burnt, dry foliage and the smell of sulfur. He doubled over coughing as sight returned to him and found himself staring down at an ocean of ruddy orange leaves.

    Arwin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes lifted as he found his bearings at the edge of arge clearing, roughly fifty feet in radius. In the very center of the clearing, rising more than three times his height, was an enormous tree.

    Its ck bark glistened like obsidian in sunlight that had no sun to justify its existence. Brilliant crystal red leaves glistened from its branches, each one a piece of painted ss that refracted the light that passed through it and sent it dancing across the ground.

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Arwin said, cracking his neck.

    ¡°Why would I strike before I was as strong as I could be?¡± A dry, hollow voice echoed out from within the tree.

    Arwin nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°What the hell? You can talk?¡±

    ¡°I reside entirely within your soul,¡± the Ashleaf Tree replied, its leaves rustling as its branches trembled in poorly restrained fury. ¡°You will die here. My final act against your arrogance. Your sheer impudence infuriates me. To not only cut me down and rip my body to shreds, but to possess the sheer arrogance to attempt to face multiple parts of my whole entirely on your own? I will take your soul with me into the afterlife.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to interrupt your monologue, but you¡¯re going to have to answer a question for me?¡± Arwin pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°How is it that you can speak? Does this imply that every tree can talk? Or is it just you?¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    A huge branch whipped down toward Arwin. Even though he stood on the far side of the clearing, he was somehow within its range. He flung himself to the side and hit the ground in a roll, only to m into a root that jutted up from beneath him. The force of the impact knocked the breath from his lungs with a grunt.

    He threw himself to the side an instant before another branch mmed down where he¡¯d been. It struck the ground with a resounding crash and the violent screech of scraping ss on ss.

    ¡°We are within the confines of your mind. I know all that you know,¡± the Ashleaf Tree said.

    Roots jutted up from the ground and reached for Arwin, forcing him to hop back. Another branch hurtled toward him while he was mid-air. His eyes widened, but there was no time to dodge.

    It mmed into his stomach andunched him like a baseball. Razor-sharp leaves carved across his skin, ripping dozens of weeping wounds into his body. Arwin hurtled through the air and mmed into the trees at the edge of the clearing with a resounding crash. Wood cracked behind him and he dropped to the ground. Blood sttered from between his lips in a pained cough.

    <em>Oh, shit. </em>

    He hadn¡¯t realized just how powerful the Ashleaf Tree was. Hadn¡¯t realized how much of its attention had been consumed by the rest of the Menagerie. Fighting it on his own ¡ª and without his gear ¡ª almost felt impossible.

    ¡°That seems unfair,¡± Arwin growled, wiping the blood from his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything that you do. Shouldn¡¯t I at least get a little knowledge about being a tree?¡±

    The clearing trembled in fury. Arwin dashed to the side and roots followed after his steps and rose up before him, trying to catch him or cut off his path. He ducked and spun around them. It took every single ounce of speed, strength, and coordination that he had to keep any of the grasping growths from catching him.

    It was all over if Arwin was caught. The Ashleaf Tree was in an entirely different league. He had to buy time until ¡ª

    A root caught him around the ankle. The world flipped upside down as Arwin¡¯s own speed sent him flying face first into the ground. He managed to bring his arms up just in time to keep him from breaking his nose against the dirt.

    His stomach shot into his throat as a powerful jerk ripped him away from the floor, shrinking the dry leaves beneath him. Arwin¡¯s arms windmilled as he found himself hanging upside-down in the grasp of a rapidly growing root.

    Arwin tightened his core and pulled himself up, wing and kicking at the root holding his leg with everything he could muster. It was like trying to strike a brick wall. He didn¡¯t have Scourge. None of his abilities worked here.

    The root swayed back. Arwin¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡ª¡±

    It whipped forward. Arwinunched through the air like a human cannonball, hurtling back toward the ground with such speed that he barely even got a chance to see it approaching before it had arrived.

    He managed to curl himself into a ball an instant before he made impact. Loud snaps and a sickening crunch echoed out as one. Agony mmed into Arwin with an intensity that he¡¯d never felt before. The difference between a Journeyman crafter ss without its abilities and an Adept level boss monster was immense.

    Arwin¡¯s next breath gurgled and sent even more pain spiking through his body with such intensity that his vision shed ck. His bones ¡ª he wasn¡¯t even sure which ones at this point, but he was willing to bet the answer was ¡®most¡¯ ¡ª were broken.

    A rib had definitely gone through his lung. He was pretty sure the only reason he hadn¡¯t passed out instantly from the extent of the damage was because this was a vision. At its core, a vision was battle of wills.

    The Ashleaf Tree might have been far more powerful than him, but his will hadn¡¯t given out yet.

    Arwin¡¯s teeth gritted as he fought to stand. His body stubbornly refused him.

    Fortunately, a root was there to help him.

    It wrapped around Arwin¡¯s neck and lifted him into the air before the tree.

    Then it started to tighten.

    ¡°Give in,¡± the Ashleaf Tree demanded. ¡°ept your end. You cannot defeat me. This was always your fate, smith. Time and time again, you have been arrogant withoutpare. I have witnessed your life. You defy the most powerful organization in yournd, one so strong that it could quash you like a bug if it knew you still existed. You kept the Dungeon Heart instead ofpleting your deal, and yet youck the power to even dream of defeating the one thates for it. Everything you do is a lie. You are an arrogant, hypocritical fool that will get his entire guild killed because he believes he is greater than he is. They will be better off with you dead.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. He fought desperately to fight back. To move. To do anything.

    His body resisted all of it. He hadn¡¯t won over the materials enough to convince them to lend him any amount of power. The rough wood around his neck tightened further and he wheezed, sending even more pain pulsing through his form.

    Arwin pushed harder still. He reached for his magic. For his equipment. Even though he knew it was inessible within ¡ª

    A flicker of power met him at the back of his mind. It was a smoldering spark in an empty, gray field of ash.

    Hetched onto it with the desperation of a drowning man clinging to a nk of wood. Magical energy coursed through his body and vanished in a sh, disappearing before he could even tell what had happened.

    ¡°No answer,¡± the Ashleaf Tree said. ¡°I should have expected as much. What is coward to add to your list of titles?¡±

    The root tightened.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes fluttered and he wheezed, his body falling limp.

    A roar split the clearing.

    Green scales shed before Arwin, followed by a loud snap. He dropped to the ground and crumpled to his knees. His fist mmed into the dirt and he stopped himself from falling prone. Groaning in agony, Arwin dragged his gaze upward.

    <em>I could have sworn I just saw a ¡ª </em>

    His eyes went wide.

    <em>Wyrm</em>.

    Standing above Arwin, its enormous form coated in glistening green scales, was a Wyrm in its prime.

    For a second, Arwin and the Ashleaf Tree were alike in stunned silence. Neither of them could muster a word. Arwin stared at the monster above him in disbelief. It was impossible. There was no way that the Wyrm could be here, much less helping him.

    No way other than¡­

    A disbelieving, painedugh slipped out of Arwin¡¯s mouth before he could stop it. Perhaps there was a single skill that he <em>could </em>use within the confines of a Cursed vision. One that was specifically rted to Cursed items.

    <strong>[Unleash] ¨C <em>A master of cursed items never fights alone. Meld your power with that of an item bearing a soul, allowing it to temporarily manifest itself. The effects and duration of this ability depend on the strength of the targeted item. Stronger items will require increased amounts of magical energy to maintain their bond, and this ability is ineffective on items whose requirements exceed the magical energy you can supply.</em></strong>

    Energy prickled within Arwin. His jaw tightened.

    The pain shooting through him was not real.

    His bones were not broken. His body was not destroyed. He was not defeated.

    This was his mind.

    The Wyrm stepped to the side, giving Arwin to room to rise.

    Arwin rose.

    ¡°Your existence is a gue on all that know you,¡± the Ashleaf Tree roared. ¡°You killed your men. You killed ke, and you will kill the rest of your guild. You press ahead without thought or calction. You are a hypocrite, a fool, and a gue on all that know you, Arwin Tyrr.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong,¡± Arwin said, spitting blood onto the ground and baring his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot. I¡¯m not a nner, and I don¡¯t think many of my decisions through. Guess I never got the practice when I had the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s hands up my ass and using me as a puppet.¡±

    ¡°Then ept your¡ª¡±

    ¡°Be silent!¡± Arwin roared. ¡°I will not be talked down to by a <em>goddamn </em>tree. You aren¡¯t wrong, but I will do everything I can to honor my guild, both living and dead. If I can avoid it, I will not dishonor Zeke by gifting the ally of his killer with anything that I have ever held. Our n is dangerous, but we have not killed ourselves. You¡¯re conveniently passing over the agreement to return the Dungeon Heart to the Dawnseekers should we decide we cannot handle Twelve.¡±

    ¡°You cannot defeat Twelve,¡± the Ashleaf Tree said, a derisiveugh echoing through the clearing. ¡°You will¡ª¡±

    ¡°I told you to shut up,¡± Arwin snarled. ¡°We don¡¯t know what we¡¯re capable of until we try. We will put every scrap of power we have into victory ¡ª and then, only then, will I decide if we are capable of fighting Twelve. If we are not, then I will protect the living. If we are, then I will honor the dead.¡±

    ¡°You will fail.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be there to find out,¡± Arwin said, his fists tightening at his side. Pain still pulsed in his mind, but it had started to recede. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was because the materials in the arm were giving way or if he was just too pissed off to notice it.

    ¡°You think you can defeat me? I am an Adept Tier!¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Through a force of will, Arwin forced his right arm into the air and held it horizontally at his side. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got a fucking Wyrm.¡±

    The Wyrm¡¯s w shed.

    Not toward the tree, but toward Arwin¡¯s arm.

    Hot agony screamed in Arwin¡¯s mind as his right arm was severed, ripped apart at the shoulder. His expression didn¡¯t so much as twitch.

    Then he felt his right hand close.

    That generally should have been impossible, as the arm in question rested on the dry leaves at his feet.

    Arwin lifted his right hand ¡ª and found wood in its ce. A perfectly sleek arm of polished wood, devoid of any metal or clunky joints, was attached seamlessly to his shoulder. Power throbbed within it like a heartbeat, synchronizing with Arwin¡¯s body.

    His gaze moved from the arm to the tree.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Arwin said, flexing his new hand and baring his teeth. Beside him, the Wyrm¡¯s lips pulled back and it let out a low, rumbling growl that sounded like a truck starting up. Thest of the pain slipped away from Arwin. It seemed the materials were giving him a chance, and he wasn¡¯t about to waste it. ¡°<em>Now</em> I¡¯m going to kill you.¡±

 Chapter 279: Ashen

    Roots exploded from beneath the leaf-covered ground, their ends sharpened to razored tips, and shot for Arwin¡¯s heart with blinding speed. The Wyrm mmed a huge foot down on the ground before him, shattering the roots and blocking their path off.

    Arwin burst into motion. Leaves cracked beneath his feet as he charged toward the Ashleaf Tree, power pumping through his body from the new hand at his side. He bounded over a root that rose up in his path, not even slowing in his charge.

    A branch whipped down toward Arwin, razored leaves plummeting toward his head like des of ss. He didn¡¯t even react. The sky above him darkened and the Wyrm¡¯s feet mmed down on either side of his body as it put its body between him and the attack.

    Leaves rang off the huge monster¡¯s scales harmlessly, and the branch struck it with a loud crack a momentter. The Wyrm snarled and staggered, but it didn¡¯t fall. It was more than just a manifestation of a monster in Arwin¡¯s mind.

    It was the Wyrm¡¯s Revenge. The manifestation of a shield ¡ª and if there was one thing it was good at, it was defense.

    A cold smile split across Arwin¡¯s features as the distance between him and the Ashleaf Tree evaporated. He was nearly upon the monster¡¯s trunk. All the pain that had been flooding his body had receded to a dull throb.

    His body was his once more. With every step that Arwin took, the Ashleaf Tree lost power and the arm attached to his right shoulder grew stronger. He didn¡¯t even know what it was capable of yet, but the sheer magical energy thrumming within it was enough to nearly make him dizzy.

    ¡°That is my power!¡± the Ashleaf Tree roared, its branches shaking in fury. Roots burst up around the Wyrm, tightening around the monster¡¯s legs and mming it to the ground, but the tree was far from done.

    More roots erupted from the ground before Arwin. He tried to leap over them, but they were too fast. Two wooden spikes mmed into his legs and carved straight through them, pinning him in ce. He mmed to a halt, a sharp burst of agony ripping through him.More roots burst up from the ground and bound Arwin¡¯s legs in a solid case of wood, locking him in ce. Loud cracks echoed out behind Arwin as his Wyrm fought to free itself from its bindings.

    The Ashleaf Tree didn¡¯t give it the chance to break free. Its trunk creaked as it swung itself at Arwin like a massive baseball bat, aiming topletely pulverize him with a single blow.

    Arwin watched the monster¡¯s body elerate toward him. Despite the throbbing pain in his legs, he felt no fear. This was a battle of wills. A fight where the victor was decided by their worthiness and determination. Their strength in the former world could tip the scales, but it was not the sole factor in victory.

    The Ashleaf Tree might have been stronger than him. It might have won in every single other one on one fight that could have been conceived. But this fight was in Arwin¡¯s soul. He had the home ground, and the tree had already had its chance to demonstrate what it was capable of.

    Now it was his turn.

    Arwin sent his mind driving into the wooden arm at his side like a spike. Roiling power within the arm met his thoughts, a rush of thoughts and desires mming into him in a cacophony. The arm was starving. It was furious. It was desperate. It wanted to kill.

    The wood may havee from the Ashleaf Tree, but it was no longer a monster. It was a Cursed item. It wanted to live.

    A shadow passed over him as the massive tree trunk whistled through the air toward him. There were only instants left before it would connect with him.

    Wooden fingers tightened into a fist at Arwin¡¯s side as his mind pressed deeper into the wooden arm. With a roar, he swung it with all the force he could muster, gritting his teeth as ss leaves carved across his flesh.

    His punch struck the trunk of the Ashleaf Tree with a resounding crash. Force ripped down his arm and through his body, but nowhere near as much as there should have been. The arm had absorbed the impact of the blow.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    A loud crunch rang out.

    The tree¡¯s dark trunk cracked. It lurched back as if it had been burned and a hissing cry of pain and fury tore through Arwin¡¯s mind. Leaves rustled and swayed as the tree thrashed in disbelief and pain.

    Arwin felt the roots binding his legs loosen for an instant. Arwin took advantage of the situation and mmed his hand down, ripping the knotted growths away from himself and freeing his legs. He staggered free.

    Loud cracks announced the arrival of his Wyrm as it stormed up to stand over Arwin, its shadow passing over him and onto the tree before them.

    Energy pulsed in Arwin¡¯s wooden arm with such intensity that it almost hurt. It was powerful, but something about the energy was wrong. Arwin didn¡¯t have to think too hard to guess what.

    His intent had never been focused on himself. This item wasn¡¯t meant for him. There was only so much he could make use of it when it had been formed from the ground up with Olive in mind.

    ¡°Just give me a little more,¡± Arwin said, gritting his teeth and flexing the wooden fingers. ¡°I¡¯m not done here. This is just a mere taste of the power that you will wield in the real world. This is what I have already made you into. Are you really going to reject all of that for an old relic?¡±

    ¡°I will never give in!¡± the Ashleaf Tree roared.

    A huge branch whipped toward Arwin. Light shed off the shimmering leaves covering its length and wind howled around it.

    The Wyrm¡¯s tail whipped forward to meet the branch. It struck it with a loud crack, and the Ashleaf Tree¡¯s limb shattered. It spun through the air and impaled itself in the ground several feet behind Arwin.

    The Ashleaf Tree screamed in pain. Leaves rained down from its branches and ttered to the ground, shattering as theynded. It wasn¡¯t an attack. The tree was starting to wither. It shrunk before Arwin¡¯s eyes, losing nearly half of its height within just seconds.

    A pulse rolled down Arwin¡¯s wooden arm. For a moment, the barriers between himself and the arm fell. He could feel the Cursed item in its entirety. He could feel all the emotion, all the desire gathered within the wood. He could feel the intent he¡¯d painstakingly poured into it and its determination to exist.

    It seemed the arm had made its choice.

    ¡°This is my power,¡± the tree howled, the intensity of its voice growing weaker with every word. ¡°Mine! You are a thief! A hypocrite! I will not¡ª¡±

    The arm tugged at Arwin¡¯s mind, offering guidance. Arwin epted it. He thrust his right hand forward like a spear. His wooden fingers lengthened, stretching out like the roots that had been used against him just moments before.

    They mmed straight into the heart of the tree. Its words mmed to a halt. For an instant, the clearing was silent. Sunlight shimmered across the dry leaves beneath his feet and danced as it reflected from their sslike surfaces.

    Then a loud crack split the air. The Ashleaf Tree split down the center, its two halves pitching down and crashing to the ground. Leaves fluttered up all around it.

    The roots extending from Arwin¡¯s fingers slithered back and the arm returned to its normal state.

    A wind blew through the clearing, picking the leaves up in its gentle embrace and sending them swirling upward. They rose from the clearing, somehow not cutting Arwin as they danced into the sky.

    Then they were gone.

    Green scales shimmered in the sunlight. The Wyrm looked down at Arwin. Its features were unreadable, but intelligence sparkled within its dark eyes.

    Arwin inclined his head in appreciation. Even though he¡¯d been the one to call his shield here, this was no mere item. It held intelligence. The right thing to do was acknowledge its help. The fight would have gone very differently if he¡¯d had to take it entirely on his own. His shield had done its job well.

    The Wyrm started to turn translucent. For an instant, Arwin caught a glimpse of a Maristeel Shield floating in the air. Then it was gone.

    All that remained in the clearing was Arwin and the destroyed Ashleaf Tree.

    Arwin¡¯s connection to the arm at his side vanished. He could still feel the power within it, but it was not power meant for him. With a grunt, he reached up to the arm and gave it a sharp tug.

    It ripped free with a loud pop. Surprisingly, there was no pain. Arwin held the arm before him, watching the sunlight reflect off its glossy wooden surface.

    ¡°It was a good fight,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve got someone who can use you far better than I ever can. You¡¯ll get what you seek.¡±

    The arm didn¡¯t respond. Its mental connection to him was severed ¡ª but a warm breeze danced past Arwin and rustled his hair. He craned his neck back watched thest of the leaves disappear into the sky.

    Then Arwin let his eyes drift shut.

    When they opened once more, the vision was gone. He stood in the Infernal Armory. On the anvil before him sat a perfectly smooth wooden arm. Embossed onto the back of its palm was a familiar mark.

    The Ifrit brand.

    Arwin blinked in surprise as he shook of thest of the vision¡¯s effects. He definitely hadn¡¯t put the mark there. If he¡¯d been honest with himself, he¡¯d forgotten. This had been a gift for a guildmate, not something to sell.

    <em>I guess the arm did manage to get onest response to me in after all, huh?</em>

    A smile pulled at Arwin¡¯s lips.

    The Mesh tingled at his fingertips as he gingerly picked up his newly made item. Bright crimson letters sliced into the air as his efforts were acknowledged.

    <strong>[The Ashen Armament: Cursed] has been forged. Forging a cursed item has granted you a significant amount of magical energy.</strong>

 Chapter 280: New Arm

    Arwin held the wooden prosthetic aloft in the still-sweltering smithy, watching red letters trail through the air as the Mesh finally revealed the results of his efforts over the past few hours.

    <strong>The Ashen Armament [Cursed]</strong>

    <strong>[Parasitic Limb]: This item holds the hunger for power and life of a Cursed Ashleaf Tree within it. When attached to a suitable host, it will take the ce of their right arm. The Ashen Armament will take a portion of all energy its host earns and grow along with them. </strong>

    <strong>[The Solitary Forest]: Ashleaf Trees are solitary monsters that consume the life energy of all things that draw near. Each tree possesses an enormous rootwork around it that will strangle out any other foliage that attempts to grow within their domain. This power has been trapped within the Ashen Armament. Sending power into this item unleashes the living roots within it ¡ª as well as the immense amount of emotion constrained within the Ashen Armament. The roots will obey this item¡¯s wielder so long as their resolve remains firm. If their will breaks, the Ashen Armament will attempt to wrest control over its wielder¡¯s body.</strong>

    Arwin swallowed as he lowered the arm and set it back on the anvil, staring at it in silence even as the words blinked out and the smithy plunged back into darkness.

    It was no different than how the Wyrm¡¯s Revenge worked. That reinforced his theory even further. Cursed items were all gambles. They gave enormous opportunity at the cost of a very significant risk, and this was no different.

    He could return Olive¡¯s arm to her, but at the cost of her potentially losing control of the rest of her body the moment she utilized its full strength. Arwin doubted that effect wouldst forever, but even a few seconds of being controlled could result in immense damage.

    Arwin could feel the emotion churning within the arm. Hunger and desire mixed in the Cursed item. It hadn¡¯t forgotten Arwin¡¯s promise. More than anything else, it wanted to be used. The item wanted a body back.

    Before any more thoughts could pass through his head with regard to the item, the air before Arwin shimmered as golden letters suddenly bloomed before him.<strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank.</strong>

    Arwin blinked. It had taken the Mesh a fair bit of time to register that he¡¯d leveled up. Normally, that message would havee in right after he¡¯d finished making the item. It almost felt as if the Mesh had given him a moment to look over his work before it had pulled his attention away.

    With more than a little confusion and a flick of his hand, Arwin summoned his information to float before him.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique)(Tier: Journeyman 2)</strong>

    <strong>Specialization: Cursed Dwarven Smithing</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Upgrade Avable.</strong>

    Arwin blew out a small sigh of relief as he saw what he¡¯d gotten for reaching Journeyman 2. It would have been a little unfortunate if he¡¯d gotten a new skill already ¡ª he only had a single Achievement this level thus far, and it guaranteed a Cursed skill. He didn¡¯t want to be forced to take a sub-optimal option if the Cursed skill option ended up being terrible.

    <em>No point dying. I have too much to do in the next few days, and I have to get my hands on every single scrap of power I possibly can right now. Crafting Cursed items really does give me a huge amount of energy, though. Wow. It took quite some time to reach Journeyman, but I¡¯ve already gone up a tier after two Cursed items. This is quite profitable. </em>

    More golden words traced through the air before Arwin.

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive)</strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal]</strong>

    <strong>[Dragon¡¯s Greed]</strong>

    <strong>[Unleash]</strong>

    <em>A few of these upgrades could be very, very powerful. I¡¯m not just a small crafter anymore. With some of the new items I¡¯ve been making, not to mention my growing titles, I¡¯m getting closer to my goal of being able to protect my guild.</em>

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    <em>Closer, but I¡¯m not there yet. I can¡¯t let my guard down. I have to keep pushing. </em>

    Arwin rubbed his hands together and blew out a breath to slow his fast-beating heart.

    He had a quite the number of skills to choose from now, and he could think of quite a few different upgrades that could be immensely useful. The most important thing right now was which upgrade would improve their chances against Twelve by the most significant margin.

    That crossed [Dragon¡¯s Greed] off the list instantly. Arwin wasn¡¯t going to be going to another dungeon before they met with Twelve ¡ª his time would be far better spent crafting and preparing. [Dragon¡¯s Greed] had also already gotten to a point where it did just about everything Arwin needed it to. Picking the skill over one of his other, better scaling ones, just felt like the wrong move.

    [Arsenal] was the next option Arwin removed. It was a powerfulbat skill, but its biggest benefit was the one he already had. He hadn¡¯t even had a chance to finish filling his current avable slots, and the other half of the skill that let him steal items from people was best used against fights that Arwin expected wouldst a long time.

    It had been incredibly effective against Jessen, but Twelve was an assassin. If Arwin managed to get his hands on Twelve for long enough to temporarily bind himself to any of the man¡¯s equipment, it would have been easier to just end the fight by snapping his neck.

    That was the end of the easy choices. Everything that was left behind had potential to significantly improve his crafting, his abilities to fight against Twelve, or both. Arwin¡¯s fingers drummed against his thighs in thought.

    He still had 4 options to consider.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) </strong>

    <strong>[Molten Novice] (Passive)</strong>

    <strong>[Soul me]</strong>

    <strong>[Unleash]</strong>

    [Soul me] had consistently been one of his best upgrades. It improved both his crafting andbat potential, especially since Verdant Inferno was able to draw on [Soul me] to make its attacks even stronger.

    His recent work had shown that [Soul me] was still integral with Dwarven Smithing, not just to protect himself from theva, but also to wrap materials he was working with. Upgrading it would probably let him work with more delicate materials, which was definitely something he¡¯d need in the long run.

    <em>I¡¯m just not sure if I need that right now. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got any more very delicate materials that I would be using in any currently nned projects. </em>

    <em>I don¡¯t think the boost in damage a stronger [Soul me] gives me will be too significant either. It isn¡¯t about hitting Twelve hard ¡ª it¡¯s about hitting him at all. I¡¯ll keep this as an option, but it might not be the best one to go with right now. </em>

    [Molten Novice] was directly rted to Dwarven Smithing. Upgrading it would probably give him improved control overva and ess to some more crafting techniques that could help him make his Cursed items even stronger.

    [Awaken] was always a very good option. He¡¯d yet to see an item be both Cursed and Awakened, but nothing said it wasn¡¯t possible. There was just a very low chance to actually awaken an item.

    If he managed to pull off an Awakened Cursed item, Arwin suspected it would be one of the most powerful pieces he¡¯d made to date.

    His final option was [Unleash].

    Arwin had yet to use it in the real world, and he highly doubted it would be anywhere near as effective as it had been in his Vision, where willpower had been the most important element of a fight.

    <em>It empowers my Cursed items and makes me stronger. Definitely a good option, even if I¡¯ve only got one item myself. Upgrading it could be pretty solid, both for crafting andbat purposes. </em>

    <em>I think it would provide marginally more effectiveness overall than upgrading [Molten Notice] right now. We won¡¯t be fighting Twelve in the Infernal Armory, so I¡¯m not going to have ess tova during the fight. But what about Awaken?</em>

    If Arwin could actually manage to make an Awakened Cursed item¡­ he was pretty sure that was the strongest boost in strength he could hypothetically achieve. He ran over the other options in his head for a few more moments to make sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything, but his mind became more set the longer he thought on it.

    This whole fight against Twelve was a gamble. They weren¡¯t going to be able to win it taking safe routes ¡ª and they didn¡¯t even have to fight if they couldn¡¯t get strong enough in time. The Menagerie could only win this if they had a real trump card. Something that could tip the scales.

    [Awake] was the skill option that gave Arwin the only chance of achieving a sh in the dark. A small upgrade wouldn¡¯t be enough to tip the scales. They needed something big.

    Arwin made his decision and golden letters took form in the air once more, recing the previous messages.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) ¨C <em>All items forged by your hand have the potential to take on a trait, determined by [Unknown]. The potential for the trait to be detrimental is [69%]. Materials with a higher chance to awaken will fight with you to exert their influence on the piece they are being made into. You may attempt to Awaken items that possess sufficient strength through reforging. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as he read over the skill upgrade.

    <em>This could be what I needed. </em>

    The chance to Awaken an item had continued to scale with his Tier, but Arwin was far more focused on the final, new line in the skill. He could reforge an item and attempt to Awaken it.

    That definitely carried the chance of destroying the item in the process, but it was the chance Arwin had been asking for. It could be another step toward giving them a way to defeat Twelve.

    Arwin swallowed, excitement and trepidation mixing in his chest as he dismissed the floating words. He had to stay concentrated. There was still time before their deadline, and with this skill upgrade, a whole slew of new options had opened up before him.

    <em>I¡¯ll have to assess what the most important upgrade or item I can make next is ¡ª but that can wait for a few minutes. </em>

    Arwin lifted the wooden arm off the table and held it to his chest.

    It was time to give Olive her new arm.

 Chapter 281: Armed and dangerous

    The sound of a knife whacking away at a cutting board in rapid session marked Lillia¡¯s presence in the kitchen when Arwin arrived in the Devil¡¯s Den. Themon room was empty, everyone having vacated it in their preparations to find a way to deal with Twelve.

    Arwin made his way over to the back, moving quietly as he pushed the door open and peered into the hall leading to Lillia¡¯s room. If she was busy, he didn¡¯t want to disturb her. He could always hunt around for Olive himself.

    Lillia was, unsurprisingly, hard at work when the door opened. She held a pan full of saut¨¦ing vegetables in one hand and a metal spoon in the other. The chopping sounds made no signs of stopping, even though both of her hands were full.

    It took Arwin a moment to realize that her Cursed knife, the Chef¡¯s Kiss, was cutting things for her. That was a rather embarrassing revtion considering he had been the one to give her the de in the first ce.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Lillia asked, setting the pan down on the stove and stirring the vegetables in it. She made no move to look in his direction ¡ª she was too concentrated on her work. The shadows stretched and warped unnaturally around her as she worked, flowing down her arms and into the food. Prickles of energy pressed into Arwin¡¯s skin like the entire area had a faint electric charge.

    ¡°All fine,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°Don¡¯t let me bother you. I was just wondering if you¡¯d seen Olive anywhere. I made something for her.¡±

    Lillia nced over at him. Her eyes nearly doubled in size and she drew in a sharp breath as she spotted the wooden arm cradled in his hands. She didn¡¯t move for a moment as her eyes, enhanced by the powers she had while within the Inn, delved into the abilities of the Cursed item.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°I definitely did.¡±¡°Olive is going to lose her shit,¡± Lillia muttered. She nced back at the food on the stove, then grimaced. She grabbed her spoon and stirred it around before snatching a ck bottle from the countertop and upending it over the pan to send a ssh of amber liquid into it. Fire erupted in the pan and roared up, nearly reaching her face. Lillia gave the pan a quick toss and the mes died out as quickly as they hade.

    ¡°So do you happen to know where she is? I¡¯ll stop bothering you if not. I don¡¯t want to interfere.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can multitask. She¡¯s in the alley behind the Devil¡¯s Den,st I saw her. Training with Reya.¡± Lillia set the pan to the side and blew a strand of hair away from her face. ¡°I¡¯d love to watch, but I need to make sure to finish this properly. Memorize what happens so you can tell me tonight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Thanks, and good luck.¡±

    Lillia nodded in response, her eyes back on the food once again as concentration crawled across her features. ¡°To you as well.¡±

    With a final wave farewell, Arwin hoisted the wooden arm back over his shoulder and headed out in the direction that Lillia had indicated. He made his way out of the Devil¡¯s Den and wrapped around the side of the building toward the alley in the back.

    The scuff of feet marked Olive and Reya¡¯s positions before Arwin saw them. Curiously enough, if they were sparring, there was almost no noise or ring of metal on metal.

    Arwin into the alleyway. It was wide enough for two people to easily stand shoulder to shoulder and surprisingly clean for an alley. Aside from a few pieces of rubble and scuffmarks on the old cobblestone, it was devoid of any trash or scattered garbage.

    It only took Arwin a moment to realize why Reya and Olive weren¡¯t making as much noise as he¡¯d expected.

    Neither of them were armed.

    They circled each other in the rtively tight confines of the alley, darting in and out, trading open handed blows as they attempted to gain the upper hand. The vast majority of the strikes were dodged rather than blocked, making the fightrgely silent.

    It was a drill Arwin had seen before, one usually used to focus on technique and uracy while minimizing the chances of causing an actual injury.

    It also went a long ways to improve coordination. <em>Not </em>hurting an evenly matched opponent you were actively fighting was, surprisingly, more difficult than injuring them.

    Arwin couldn¡¯t help but stand and watch them fight for a moment. Theoretically, Reya had an enormous advantage over Olive in something like this. Olive was a warrior who relied on powerful slow swings with a de, not hand to handbat. Reya, on the other hand, had grown up on the streets and was far nimbler than Olive.

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    There was no doubt that Reya <em>did </em>have the advantage, but Olive was more than holding her own. She yed on the defensive, keeping her missing arm to the wall to reduce Reya¡¯s ess to the locations that were harder to protect.

    After watching for a few more moments, Arwin figured out why Olive was able to match Reya. The former thief was holding herself back.

    Olive ducked out of the way of a strike and lunged forward, driving her shoulder for Reya¡¯s stomach.

    Reya shifted her stance just far enough to avoid Olive. She shoved Olive back a step and darted forward, trying to sweep the other woman¡¯s feet out from under her. Olive hopped over Reya¡¯s leg and grabbed for her cor.

    Flowing to the side, Reya let Olive¡¯s hand pass by her head. The move put her on Olive¡¯s unprotected right side. Instead of holding back or letting Olive recover, Reya thrust her open palm for Olive¡¯s stomach.

    Olive hesitated for a flicker of an instant. Her right hand instinctively shifted to block the attack with a sword she didn¡¯t have. By the time she¡¯d corrected the mistake, it was toote. Reya¡¯s hand pped against her side and Olive stumbled back with a grunt, her back to Arwin.

    The space Reya had just made broke her out of the fight for just long enough to notice him standing at the end of the alleyway. Her eyes widened and she skipped back as Olive jumped back at her.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Olive asked. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be pressuring me! Don¡¯t stop after yound a blow!¡±

    ¡°Arwin is here,¡± Reya replied, nodding over Olive¡¯s shoulder, her eyes flicking to the wooden arm in his hands. ¡°And I think he¡¯s here for you.¡±

    ¡°What? Arwin? What does he¡­¡± Olive trailed off mid-sentence as she turned around, her brow furrowed in confusion, as she also spotted what Arwin was carrying. She took a small step back.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything too important.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve been going at it for a while,¡± Reya replied, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a sleeve and pping the bottom of her shirt to try and get some airflow. ¡°And I think this might be important.¡±

    Olive swallowed heavily, the rest of her body practically frozen in ice as her gaze bored into the wooden limb. ¡°I ¡ª what is that?¡±

    ¡°An arm,¡± Arwin replied. He held it out. ¡°<em>Your </em>arm, if you want it.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ can make something like that?¡± Olive asked, a faint tremor of hope entering her voice even as she tried to suppress it. She swallowed again. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Arwin said. He shifted his grip on the arm. It was surprisingly heavy to lug around. He nced around to make sure nobody else was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice anyway. ¡°I should be up front that this isn¡¯t a recement, nor is it a normal magical item. It¡¯s Cursed. The Ashleaf Tree will try to take control when you use this thing¡¯s full strength. It¡¯ll give you your right arm back, maybe even stronger than it was before, but that poweres at a cost.¡±

    Olive stared at the arm with such intensity that Arwin feared her gaze would burn a hole through it. The fingers on her hand twitched and she started to reach out, then caught herself halfway through the motion.

    She didn¡¯t move for several long seconds. A battle yed itself out on her features. Olive wasn¡¯t just taking the hand without thinking it through, even though it was clear just how much she wanted to.

    The Olive that would have done anything to make her swordsmanship even just a little bit better, the Olive that had failed to tell her team about a challenge because she¡¯d been so focused on her own abilities that she¡¯d ignored theirs, wasn¡¯t the one that stood before Arwin. Her hand curled into a fist and she pulled her eyes up to meet Arwin¡¯s.

    ¡°What do you mean by try to take control?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯ll try to steal your body from you. I highly doubt it¡¯llst a long time if it pulls it off, but it¡¯s possible. It¡¯ll be a battle of willpower whenever you draw on its strength,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured into taking this. There¡¯s always another way.¡±

    Olive bit her lower lip. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I should take this. I could slip up again. I could end up hurting all of us if I lose control mid fight. That would be even worse than getting stuck in ce.¡±

    Reya walked up beside her and gave her a small nudge with her shoulder. ¡°Arwin just said it was a battle of willpower. You won¡¯t lose that.¡±

    ¡°What if I do?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Reya said firmly. ¡°And if you warn me when you use the arm, I can keep an [Imprison] ready to use on you so the arm can¡¯t hurt anyone. If we¡¯re ready for it, we can deal with it.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your choice,¡± Reya said, cutting Olive off. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you what to do. But you didn¡¯t lose your arm as a punishment, Olive. You lost it because you made a mistake. The point of mistakes is to learn from them, not to linger on them.¡±

    Olive looked from Reya to Arwin, then down to the arm in his hands. Her features sharpened and she swallowed before giving him a curt nod. ¡°I ¡ª give me the arm. I want it.¡±

    Arwin handed it to her. Olive held it by the shoulder, staring at the wooden limb in silence for several long seconds. She blinked heavily, then wiped her face on the shoulder of her shirt.

    ¡°Thank you, Arwin, Reya.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t tried it on yet,¡± Arwin pointed out. ¡°It could suck.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not thanking you for making the arm. I¡¯ll do thatter,¡± Olive said. The corners of her eyes were wet. She blinked heavily again, then wiped her face against her sleeve for the second time. ¡°I¡¯m thanking you for putting enough faith in me to believe that I won¡¯t fuck up a second time.¡±

    ¡°We all fuck up,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Just make sure to include some variety in it. But you¡¯re not going to make the same mistake twice when you learned the lesson the first time around.¡±

    Olive gave him a small smile. She brought the arm closer to her shoulder. Tiny, razor-sharp tendrils of wood pressed free from its smooth end, reaching for her flesh. Olive hesitated for a moment.

    Then she clenched her teeth.

    Olive drove her new arm into its rightful ce on her shoulder.

 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Howdy all!

    And Ie with fantastic news. One of my other series, My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror now has a webtoon! An enormous amount of effort went into this project from a whole team of really talented & dedicated artists as well as myself. This will also give me a chance to try and improve on all the things that I wanted to fix in the novel. If you enjoyed the series, please consider checking it out now on WT!

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Here''s the /en/fantasy/my-best-friend-is-an-eldritch-horror/list?title_no=6848

    Also, there are more webtoons toe... all support is appreciated and I hope you all enjoy!

 Chapter 282: Prepare

    Olive stood as still as a statue in the shadow of the alleyway behind the Devil¡¯s Den, determination gripping her features. The wooden arm pressed against her shoulder, silent. Arwin and Reya stared at her in anticipation and worry as they all waited to see what the Cursed item would do.

    A second slipped by.

    Confusion started to make its way into Olive¡¯s expression. A tiny frown yed across her lips and she scrunched her nose as she looked down at the arm and gave it a small tug. The wood didn¡¯t budge. It seemed to be stuck fast.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Reya asked, blinking in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s done? I totally thought it was going to stab you or something. That¡¯s almost a little bit disappointing. Don¡¯t take that the wrong way. I¡¯m d it didn¡¯t stab you. I just expected it to.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Olive said dryly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear you¡¯re disappointed. I¡­¡±

    Olive trailed off, a frown stretching across her lips. Her head tilted to the side as if to hear a song ying far in the distance.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Do you feel something?¡±

    It was several moments before Olive responded. ¡°No. I¡­ I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t feel anything, but I think I smell something.¡±¡°Wasn¡¯t me,¡± Reya said.

    Olive, who Arwin strongly suspected had been the one to infect Reya with that particr brand of humor, didn¡¯t so much as respond. Her mind wasn¡¯t with them in the alleyway. The confusion in her features only grew stronger as she sniffed the air.

    ¡°What is that? I¡ª¡±

    Olive stiffened mid-sentence. Her eyes went wide and she took a step back, her eyes staring up into the air above Arwin¡¯s head.

    He instinctively followed her gaze. There was nothing there. Unless she was looking at some of his stats, she was seeing something visible only to her. Arwin and Reya exchanged a nce.

    ¡°Should we do something?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure that out,¡± Arwin replied. He was fairly sure the arm couldn¡¯t be hurting her yet. Not unless Olive had decided to try to activate it at full strength for no reason. He approached her carefully, holding his hands out. ¡°Olive? Are you okay?¡±

    Olive didn¡¯t respond. Her arm rippled as roots roiled beneath it and pressed against her shoulder. Wooden fingers twitched once, twice. They curled, closing into a fist like an old machine being used for the first time in years, then unfurled once more.

    Muted creaking filled the alley as her arm curled upward toward her chest. She then extended it before her, her eyes focusing on the new fingers. Roots bulged within the arm as she clenched her hand back into a fist. Every motion she made came easier than thest, though the arm still moved far slower than a normal one would have.

    There was still something distant in Olive¡¯s gaze, as if she could see something that wasn¡¯t there.

    Arwin watched her, stuck between decisions. It didn¡¯t look like she was in pain, but given the arm¡¯s nature, he was a little concerned that Olive wasn¡¯t currently the one in control of her body. There was no way to tell for sure yet, and that shouldn¡¯t have been possible, but he¡¯d been caught off guard too many times as ofte to risk not being prepared.

    Olive craned her neck back to peer into the sky. Her hand extended, lifting toward it as if attempting to grasp the clouds.

    ¡°Olive?¡± Reya asked, warily approaching the other girl and reaching out to touch her shoulder. She remained on the tips of her toes, ready to dodge back at the slightest notice. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

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    Something passed over Olive¡¯s features. Her hand lowered, and when she turned to Reya, her gaze was hers once more. Her face was awash with awe and disbelief.

    ¡°Look,¡± Olive whispered. A tear trickled down her cheek as she held her new right arm out. She flexed her fingers one by one, then straightened them all out again. ¡°I have an arm. I have a hand.¡±

    ¡°You already had one of those,¡± Reya said with a relieved smile. ¡°You¡¯re not mind controlled or anything, then?¡±

    A snort ofughter burst out of Olive and she wiped her eyes with the back of a sleeve. ¡°Way to ruin it. I¡¯m not mind controlled. I think. I feel normal. It was just a very weird few moments.¡±

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Arwin asked cautiously. ¡°And you <em>are </em>okay, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It was like I was speaking to something in my mind,¡± Olive replied after a moment of thought. She nced back down at her hand and trailed off, staring quietly at it.

    ¡°Olive?¡± Arwin pressed.

    ¡°Oh, shit. Sorry.¡± She tore her gaze away from the arm and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I saw¡­ visions, I guess. Not actual visions. Emotions. Desires. The arm showed me what it wanted from me, I think. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a very nice arm. Well, it¡¯s a nice arm, but it¡¯s not a <em>nice </em>arm. It wants to kill things. A lot of things.¡±

    ¡°As expected,¡± Arwin said with a relieved nod. As strange of a thing to be relieved about as that was, it was basically exactly what he¡¯d been expecting. It sounded like Olive had used a very simr form ofmunication to interface with the arm that he did when he spoke with his materials.

    ¡°Are you feeling any murder-y urges?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Do you have a sudden desire to stab anyone?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll keep you updated,¡± Olive said,pletely straight faced. She nced back down at her hand, then ran her left hand over its wooden surface and swallowed. ¡°I ¡ª I have my other arm back. This doesn¡¯t feel real. Is this really permanent? It won¡¯t fall off when I go to sleep?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s permanent as far as I¡¯m aware,¡± Arwin confirmed. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t go testing it too aggressively yet. I would avoid activating its full power for at least a little while. Get used to it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re going to need a lot of adjusting to get used to fighting with two hands again.¡±

    Olive nodded slowly, but it seemed her mind had started to wander again. She just stared at her new hand, opening and closing it as if to remind herself that it was there.

    Arwin couldn¡¯t me her. If he¡¯d lost his arm and then suddenly gotten it back out of nowhere, he had no idea how he¡¯d react. He was pretty sure he¡¯d be double-checking that it was still there for the next few weeks.

    ¡°Do you want to sit down for a bit?¡± Reya offered. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re done with sparring for now. You¡¯ve got to get to used to your new hand anyway. Have to remember how to walk before you can run¡­ or how to grab things before you can punch, I guess? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t really have a good analogy for this.¡±

    Tearing her eyes away from her new arm, Olive nced to Arwin. She swallowed heavily. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you, Arwin. I wasn¡¯t prepared for a gift like this. It doesn¡¯t feel real. There isn¡¯t any amount of gold in the world that could pay for this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a member of the Menagerie,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t expect payment for that. My role as guild leader is to do my best to make things better for everyone, and making items is the best way I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Godspit, man. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that you just made me a fucking arm.¡±

    ¡°As long as you put it to good use, I¡¯ll be satisfied.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Olive swore. She hesitated for a second, concentration crossing over her features. Her left arm twitched, but she brought her new limb up to her chest and pressed her wooden hand to her heart. ¡°I swear I will. I¡¯ll do the guild right, and I¡¯ll find some way to pay you back for this.¡±

    ¡°I already told you not to worry about it,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not one for extended shows of appreciation. A gift is a gift, and attempting to treat it as anything else is just an insult. Seeing a friend happy is more than enough for me. Now go get some rest and get ready to use that arm of yours. We¡¯re going to need it soon enough.¡±

    Olive let her hand lower. ¡°If those are your orders, then I won¡¯t say no. I¡¯ll do everything I can to be ready for when you need me.¡±

    <em>I suppose that¡¯s the best I¡¯m going to get her to settle for.</em>

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be counting on you,¡± Arwin said with a smile. ¡°And make sure you do actually get a little rest. Sticking a whole new limb onto your body can¡¯t be an easy experience, even if it was surprisingly painless.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to take your own advice?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Making an arm couldn¡¯t have been that easy either. Don¡¯t work yourself to death before we even get a chance to fight Twelve.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll rest for a little,¡± Arwin allowed, ncing up at the darkening sky. ¡°But there¡¯s a lot to do and not nearly enough time to do it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s next, then?¡± Reya asked.

    Arwin turned to look back at the wall of the inn rising behind them. ¡°Possibly the most important step. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be using the heart or not yet, but I need to make sure every piece is prepared for the situation that we do. I¡¯m going to going to prepare the Devil¡¯s Den for a war.¡±

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 Chapter 283: Getting there

    Arwin swung by Lillia¡¯s kitchen on the way back to the Infernal Armory to grab a te of food. He was going to need it if the armory was going to be of any use to him again today, and there were still a few solid hours left to work with. Hours he couldn¡¯t afford to waste.

    He¡¯d made the housing for a Dungeon Heart once before. That already made his task considerably easier. Re-making something with a few little tweaks was a whole lot easier thating up with a whole new system.

    Granted, he¡¯d had a lot of help from Lillia that time around, but she was busy on her own preparations right now. They had to optimize time ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d be working alone.

    Arwin stepped into the Infernal Armory¡¯s back room and poured the food Lillia had prepared into its waiting maw. It vanished without a trace, and muted grinding noises marked the millstone within the building converting the matter into magical energy.

    Red mist twisted across the ground at Arwin¡¯s feet. Invisible footsteps strode across the room as the entity that inhabited the building came to a stop before him.

    ¡°You returned early. It is not yet the morrow.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still more to do,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But luckily, this next part shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. I trust that meal was enough to keep you kicking for a few more hours?¡±

    The crimson mist rippled as the Armory seemed to shrug in response. ¡°You have provided me with sufficient strength. I will be able to continue on. I am unsure if the same can be said for you. There is only so much strength within a mortal body.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Arwin said through a grunt. ¡°I can make it through a few more pieces, especially ones that I¡¯ve already made before. With your help, it should be quite simple. I need to make the housing for another Dungeon Heart.¡±There was a short pause. The mist twitched.

    ¡°Another Dungeon Heart?¡± The Infernal Armory almost sounded displeased. ¡°For what purpose? I am sufficient.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not recing you,¡± Arwin said with a snort. ¡°I need to reinforce the Devil¡¯s Den. Lillia¡¯s building. We need it to be as powerful as you, since it¡¯s the location where we have the biggest advantage.¡±

    Mist twitched back and forth. Tendrils of it swirled across the ground before gathering back into a cloud near Arwin¡¯s feet. ¡°Understood. It will further our strength. Very well. I can aid with this. Are you certain that you have the mental capacity to properly create what we need? It is remarkably easy to damage a Dungeon Heart if it is used incorrectly.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be doing the final step today,¡± Arwin said with a wave of his hand. His jaw tightened and he blew out a short breath. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to get that greedy. If it turns out that we can¡¯t handle Twelve¡­ I¡¯m not risking the others¡¯ lives. But if we can, I need to be in a position where I can maximize the chances of sess.¡±

    The armory trembled around Arwin as an anvil rose up from the ground before him. Red mist swirled across its surface. It curled up the invisible figure of the armory, briefly illuminating its humanoid form before copsing to the ground once more.

    ¡°Wise. We will prepare the initialponents, then. That should be within our abilities for the day.¡±

    The corner of Arwin¡¯s lips twitched.

    <em>It almost seems worried about me. Maybe I really have to take a close look at how hard I¡¯m pushing myself if the power hungry building is starting to wonder if there¡¯s something wrong with my head.</em>

    <em>Bah. I¡¯ll deal with that when I get some breathing room. There will be room for rest after my preparation is done. </em>

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. He extended a hand and Verdant Inferno snapped into ce, an eager hum rolling through his mind.

    The sensation was joined by a tiny prodding sensation. A flicker of irritation, concentrated into a point and sent into Arwin¡¯s spine. Visions of the hammer¡¯s core ¡ª or rather, theck thereof ¡ª floated through Arwin¡¯s head unbidden. He winced.

    <em>Sorry. I¡¯ll get on that soon, I promise. There¡¯s just so much that I need to do, and I can¡¯t risk focusing myself or you over the others. We have to optimize. But I swear, if we get a chance, I¡¯ll make you a core. If not before Twelve, then soon afterward. </em>

    Approval flowed into him from the hammer.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Arwin said, turning his attention back to the Infernal Armory. ck veins slithered out from the wall and rose into the air behind him. He tensed his back as they mmed into him, biting into his flesh and pulsing with power as they connected him with his armory. Arwin rolled his shoulders, then bared his teeth in a mixture of a smile and a snarl. ¡°Let¡¯s get this wrapped up before bedtime, shall we?¡±

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    ***

    The moon shimmered overhead, well on its way through the sky, when Arwin next dragged himself out of the smithy. Every step through the silver-lit streets felt like agony. Every single one of his muscles ached something furious.

    Smithing together with the Infernal Armory might have given him a huge amount of extra energy to work with but turned out to also be considerably rougher on his body. It really shouldn¡¯t have been a huge surprise ¡ª pumping himself full of foreign magic to empower the items he made wasn¡¯t exactly the gentlest process.

    Still, as weary as he was, a grin was stered across Arwin¡¯s features. He¡¯d made progress today. A <em>lot </em>of progress. Not only had he finished Olive¡¯s arm, but he¡¯d also managed to make every single piece up until thest part of the housing for the Dungeon Heart.

    There had been a few modifications from the design he¡¯d used for the Infernal Armory. Some pieces had been reced, some aspects polished. It was also definitely going to end up being cursed.

    If they decided that they had a chance of defeating Twelve by the end of the next day, then he would have a ce to put the Dungeon Heart within just around an hour of extra work. It was the most he could do for the time being.

    <em>Tomorrow, I¡¯ll focus on looking for a weakness we can exploit. Hopefully Rodrick finds something we can work with. If not, I¡¯ll just get some extra pieces of armor polished up and prepared. Maybe finish the Ivory Executioner set or find out how to make Verdant Inferno¡¯s core.</em>

    <em>Don¡¯t know which one, if either, yet. Can¡¯t think properly anymore today.</em>

    Arwin dragged himself into the Devil¡¯s Den. Themon room was empty aside from Madiv, who sat in the corner of the room with a small ss of red liquid. He and Arwin exchanged a quiet nod. Everyone else had already headed off to bed in preparation for the next day.

    As tired as Arwin was, he made his way over to the bath. Lillia would kill him if he showed up to bed without cleaning first.

    He then made his way through the dark kitchen, the scent of freshly cooked meat and herbs still lingering tantalizingly in the air, and into the pitch darkness of Lillia¡¯s room. Arwin edged toward the bed slowly. It was quiet, which meant Lillia might already be ¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯rete,¡± Lillia said, her soft words still slicing through the darkness like a de.

    Arwin winced. ¡°Sorry. I got caught up. I¡¯m not <em>too </emte, am I?¡±

    ¡°Late enough.¡± She found his hand in the darkness and pulled him down to the bed to sit beside her, leaning against his side. ¡°How was progress?¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. ¡°By all standards, good. I just don¡¯t know if it was enough. I made Olive a new arm. I¡­ think that should be a good thing. It¡¯s cursed, but I believe she can control it. I¡¯ve also got the majority of the preparation for installing the Dungeon Heart in the Devil¡¯s Den wrapped up as well. All that¡¯s left is a n and the final polishing steps.¡±

    ¡°The hardest part, then,¡± Lillia said with a smallugh. She leaned back, pulling Arwin down with her, and theynded on the bed with a soft thump. Lillia¡¯s tail curled around his leg and she rested her head on his chest. Her warm breath prickled against his neck as she made herselffortable. ¡°Rodrick is working on something. He said he¡¯d share it tomorrow. I¡¯ve got a few tricks ready as well. I think we might actually have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Tricks?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°What kind?¡±

    ¡°I was trying to think what the biggest threats of dealing with an assassin stronger than you are. A normal fight with an assassinpletely hinges on the first move. If you see theming, you win. If you don¡¯t, you lose. But with someone stronger than you, that advantage is gone.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Arwin extracted his arm from beneath Lillia¡¯s side and let it rest on her back. ¡°So we need a way to catch him off guard or severely weaken him.¡±

    ¡°Which is what I was working on. If we can get him to eat anything, that gives me an edge,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But we can¡¯t count on that alone. I was thinking ¡ª if we could get him drowsy or otherwise out of sorts before the fight starts, it would be a huge step in our favor.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get him drunk, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Lillia snickered. ¡°No. A tempting idea, and one that I had myself, but he didn¡¯t strike me as the type to waste time. I highly doubt he¡¯ll eat much of anything voluntarily. Not unless it¡¯s to prove a point¡­ so I¡¯m working with Esmerelda.¡±

    Realization lit in Arwin. ¡°Potions?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s helping me make something that should make anyone who drinks it <em>really </em>sleepy,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It won¡¯t be as effective if it¡¯s absorbed by the skin, but something is better than nothing ¡ª and it might partially apply Hearthmother to Twelve, giving me a bit of control. Maybe not enough to win the fight on its own, but I might be able to distract or stall him for a bit longer.¡±

    ¡°That <em>is </em>a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Yep. But it¡¯s not going to help us with the aftermath. Even if we manage to beat Twelve¡­ I doubt the fight will be quiet or private. There are too many eyes on it right now. His guild mighte crashing down on us, and <em>that</em> is a fight we definitely can¡¯t win, no matter how tricky we get.¡±

    Arwin blew out a slow breath. ¡°Yeah. The only way we can let ourselves take this fight is if we can do it without letting anyone realize what happened. It honestly would have been easier to take Raen¡¯s offer, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It just makes me sick,¡± Lillia muttered. ¡°If there¡¯s any Godspitten way in this world I can avoid helping someone who was allies with Zeke¡¯s killer, then I¡¯m taking it. You can still make Raen that bracelet if we survive this.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    The rest of his sentence never made it out from between his lips. Arwin¡¯s words died on his tongue and his eyes went wide as an idea struck his mind like a bolt of lightning.

    ¡°What?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°The bracelet,¡± Arwin muttered, his mind racing furiously. ¡°I think that could actually work. I¡­ I think I know how we might be able to kill Twelve without anybody finding out what happened to him.¡±

 Chapter 284: Monster Mash

    It struck Arwin that telling Lillia he had a potential answer to the positively enormous threat hanging over their heads right before they had been about to go to sleep probably hadn¡¯t been the best idea. It wasn¡¯t exactly the type of thing that encouraged rxation or deep restfulness.

    It was toote to take it back.

    Lillia practically flew off the bed as she leapt upright, scattering straw in every direction and nearly strangling Arwin¡¯s leg with her tail in the process.

    ¡°What? How?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the beginnings of an idea,¡± Arwin said hurriedly. ¡°It won¡¯t actually make him any weaker or make the fight easier, but it¡¯ll give us a way out if we do manage to beat him. Don¡¯t get too excited. It¡¯s still only¡ª¡±

    Lillia swung a leg over Arwin¡¯s chest and straddled it. He let out a surprised grunt, but he made no move to try to throw her off. She was like a warm, soft nket. One that had ws, which he was quickly reminded of when she took the sides of his head between her hands. Her hair pooled on his chest as she leaned forward until their noses were practically touching.

    ¡°Arwin,¡± Lillia breathed, rubbing his cheek gently with her thumb. ¡°The idea, not the reasoning as to why it won¡¯t work. You don¡¯t get to say you¡¯ve got an answer and then spend an hour saying why it might not work.¡±

    Arwin cleared his throat, vividly aware of how close they were. He could smell the distant scent of honey and freshly baked bread that seemed to permanently linger within her hair. He could feel her body pressed against his. It wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t slept in close proximity before. They¡¯d slept in the same bed for quite some time now, but this felt¡­ different. <em>Closer.</em>

    ¡°Right. The idea,¡± Arwin said, fighting to keep his focus. Of all the times to get distracted, this was probably pretty close to the worst. Lillia would probably strangle him if he dyed answering her question any longer. ¡°It¡¯s Raen¡¯s request. A magic item that changes someone¡¯s form perfectly. What if I made it <em>too </em>good?¡±¡°Too good?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only meant to make a few minor changes to someone¡¯s appearance,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But what if I make itpletely warp their appearance? Their voice, body shape, everything. I can definitely find a way to get it Cursed in a way that it can¡¯t be removed. If we can get it onto Twelve, then get spotted by someone during a fight, we would have an irond alibi. Nobody would be able to use us of killing Twelve because we were fighting off some random guy that came after our guild.¡±

    Lillia froze. She processed his words for several long seconds before she spoke again. ¡°That¡­ might actually work. But what if he just reveals information? Even if it¡¯s in a different voice from a different appearance, that could be enough to keep attention on us.¡±

    ¡°It could be,¡± Arwin allowed. ¡°But what if I managed to make the bracelet do more than make Twelve just look like more than just a random person? What if I made something that would make him look ¡ª and sound ¡ª like a monster?¡±

    ¡°A mistake,¡± Lillia breathed. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±

    ¡°Huh? A mistake? I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m following¡ª¡±

    The rest of Arwin¡¯s sentence was swallowed in a muffled yelp as Lillia pressed her lips to his for several long seconds. His eyes widened in surprise and his brain fizzled out until she pulled back, her hair tickling the sides of his face as she let out a breathlessugh.

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    ¡°We take the me for a mistake,¡± Lillia said, sitting back on his chest. The end of her tail smacked against his leg as if she were pping her hands together to punctuate her words. ¡°That¡¯s it! Nobody voluntarily messes up.¡±

    ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn to be confused, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Arwin said. He touched a hand to his lips, still trying to recover from the whish of thest few seconds.

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den is a monster-themed tavern,¡± Lillia said. ¡°But nobody would actually expect that we would have real monsters.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That¡¯s the whole idea.¡±

    Lillia tapped a finger on his chest in approval. ¡°Exactly. But what would happen if I were toe out and say that we were trying to up the experience for people by capturing a real monster and chaining it in the middle of the tavern?¡±

    ¡°It¡­ probably wouldn¡¯t be too unbelievable,¡± Arwin admitted, his eyes lighting up as he realized what Lillia was getting at. ¡°It would be insanely stupid and incredibly dangerous by the average adventurer¡¯s standards.¡±

    ¡°So when we dispatch a monster in public and I then apologize for letting it escape, all the ridicule goes onto me for being stupid. I promise to never do something that stupid again, then offer discounts as an apology.¡±

    ¡°Nobody would ever expect you to take responsibility for a mistake you didn¡¯t make,¡± Arwin muttered, shaking his head. ¡°And the truth is so ludicrous that the cover story will almostpletely protect us if we can pull it off.¡±

    Lillia leaned forward again, crossing her arms and resting them against Arwin¡¯s corbone.

    ¡°Can you?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°That seems like a tall order. You¡¯d have to make this a perfect representation of a monster. If there¡¯s even the slightest hole in anything, it alles crumbling apart.¡±

    Arwin hesitated for a moment. He¡¯d made some powerful items, but this one would have to do a lot. It wasplex¡­ but he was almost certain it was doable. The real question would be if he could get it done in the time they had before Twelve arrived. He didn¡¯t want to ovemit to something out of the possibility of reason.

    But, the more Arwin thought, the more convinced he became that it could be done. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, and he¡¯d need a fair amount of help to handle the materials, but he had a guild to fall back on.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can do it. It might be a bit close on time if I have to upgrade the Devil¡¯s Den with the heart as well, but I¡¯m confident it can be done in the time we¡¯ve got left.¡±

    ¡°Then all we have to do is make sure we¡¯re as prepared to defeat Twelve as possible. If Rodrick manages to upturn some information we can actually use, this could actually be very possible,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Do you have any energy left to work tonight?¡±

    Arwin reached for his magical reserves. They were still painfully low. Even though they were recovering, he would need every scrap of power he had to properly make a Cursed item at the level they needed ¡ª not to mention help from Lillia.

    <em>Probably Esmerelda as well. She knows Cursed items better than anyone else here. Hell, if I get the chance, might even ask Wace for some tips as well. This is an item that¡¯ll require all hands on deck. I don¡¯t think I can pull it off in the cloak of the night while rushing.</em>

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°This is too important, and I¡¯ll need every scrap of power and help I can get. As tempting as it is to try to start right now, rushing is just going to cause me to mess up and have to start over. It¡¯s better to rest and start in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Well said.¡± Lillia¡¯s lips brushed across his cheek as she spoke. Her tail wound around his leg, and her hand found his in the darkness. ¡°And how long do you need to rest before you¡¯ll be back up to full strength?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s hand tightened around hers. ¡°I think I can make do with what I end up with. I¡¯ve never needed all that much sleep.¡±

    Lillia gently pressed her lips to his, and he could feel the small smile on her face. The need for internal thought vanished, and Arwin¡¯s body moved on its own. He looped an arm around her back and pulled her closer against his chest. Their bodies pressed together. They wrapped themselves around each other, the need for words lost within the pitch darkness.

    There wasn¡¯t much time until morning. There was even less time before they would have to sleep and prepare for the following day. But for that short time, the rest of the world couldn¡¯t reach them. There was only the former Demon Queen and the Hero, and they had no need for any more words.

    They¡¯d fought more battles against each other than either of them could count. Arwin had thought that they knew every single thing about each other, but as it turned out, he was far from knowing everything. There was still at least one kind of fight that he¡¯d never challenged her in.

    In the all too brief amount of time they could steal from what remained of the night, Lillia ensured she rectified that.

 Chapter 285: Determination

    The next morning came too early, and it denied Arwin and Lillia the opportunity to rx for anywhere near as long as they would have liked.

    Lillia unentangled herself from Arwin and rose to her feet. She found his wrist and pulled him up to stand behind her. As soon as he stood, Lillia turned around and pressed her face into his chest.

    ¡°This has to work, Arwin. We¡¯ve been dancing around with assholes throwing their weight around for so long that it feels like I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to breathe in weeks. Ridley finished modifications to the tavern and we¡¯ve got a name building for ourselves, but we¡¯ll never really be able to expand if we can¡¯t actually grow the street. This has to end, and without bringing his damn guild down on top of our heads.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Arwin said, wrapping his arms around Lillia and pulling her into a hug. He rested his head on top of hers, and his eyes narrowed in the darkness. ¡°And I¡¯m with you. One way or another, thises to an end tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Lillia said. Arwin released her and she pulled away, keeping a hold on his wrist as she started through the darkness and through the kitchen. She paused before they could step out into the light. ¡°Let¡¯s just make sure it ends the right way, Arwin. I¡¯m not losing anyone else.¡±

    ¡°We will,¡± Arwin promised.

    Lillia nodded. She grabbed the kitchen door and pulled it open, and the two of them entered themon room.

    Esmerelda and Madiv were already there, as were Rodrick and Anna. There wasn¡¯t any sign of Olive and Reya quite yet. A nce through one of the windows told Arwin that it was still quite dark outside. They¡¯d all gotten up earlier than normal.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get breakfast,¡± Lillia said, taking one look at the weary faces before turning and striding into the kitchen.¡°She¡¯s an angel,¡± Anna said through a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone seen Olive today?¡± Arwin asked, stretching his arms over his head and working the cricks out of his back. ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°I heard her and Reya speaking in Reya¡¯s roomst night,¡± Anna said. ¡°I think they¡¯re fine unless something happened in the morning. Why? Is everything okay?¡±

    <em>Looks like Olive hasn¡¯t let anyone else see the arm yet. Reya would havee and found me if something was wrong, so they¡¯re probably just asleep. </em>

    ¡°Just checking in. I made her something and I wanted to make sure it was working properly. She¡¯d probably prefer to exin herself,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. He heard dishes tter in the kitchen, followed by the thunk of a knife as it started to cut into something.

    Esmerelda nced over at them, an excited look passing over her features. ¡°Made something? Something <em>special</em>?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°And I may have some questions for you regarding that kind of thing. I need help making a Cursed item. A very cursed one.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s excitement turned to delight. ¡°I would be positively delighted to help. I happen to be somewhat experienced in the field. Through research, of course. All theoretical knowledge. Nothing all that applicable.¡±

    She cleared her throat and nced around at the rest of the Menagerie. Not a single person so much as blinked in her direction.

    ¡°You are not very inconspicuous,¡± Madiv informed Esmerelda in a low tone.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°I am a paradigm of secrecy.¡±

    <em>They¡¯re both idiots.</em>

    ¡°Rodrick, did you have any luck?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°We¡¯re low on time. Twelvees back tomorrow. I¡¯ve got the beginnings of an actual nid out with Lillia, but it¡¯s all just pieces. We need to pull it together, and any information you might have been able to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± Rodrick asked, a grin ying across his weary face. ¡°I got the goods, Arwin. Not as much as I would have liked, but more than enough to work with. Twelve¡¯s guild is nowhere near Milten. In fact ¡ª I¡¯m quite certain that he himself isn¡¯t here either.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Give it a moment. I want to wait until the others got down here. Lillia is still cooking, and I don¡¯t want to waste time repeating myself.¡±

    Arwin grimaced, then nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that. We¡¯ll wait, then.¡±

    <em>But what does he mean by not actually in this town? We all saw Twelve. Is it someone just posing to be him? Or is it a skill Twelve is using to project himself? There are a few of those, but they¡¯re pretty high level. </em>

    There was no point wasting time wondering over it when Rodrick would exin everything soon enough. Arwin wandered over to a chair and flopped into it. His fingers drummed against his thigh.

    Minutes slipped by. Arwin upied himself by listening to Lillia work while he thought on what materials he¡¯d need to pull off the bracelet. He wasn¡¯t sure on the metal yet, but there would definitely need to be multiple different monster parts that went into it. There was no way to get the number of traits he needed otherwise.

    <em>My Title will make it so Twelve can¡¯t read the bracelet, which is a huge effort saver. That just leaves me with aplete shape-shift element. Perhaps somebination of aponent from the monster we¡¯re shifting Twelve into as well as something to ensure he can¡¯t remove the bracelet. Esmerelda will definitely know more about intentionally cursed items considering her store is definitely stuffed full of them.</em>

    Arwin was still mulling over the possibilities when Olive and Reya made their way down the stairs and into themon room. His eyes shot straight to Olive¡¯s right side. Her new arm was was still there, covered in ayer of bandages.

    ¡°You have an arm!¡± Anna eximed, practically jumping out of her chair in shock. She spun toward Arwin. ¡°This is what you meant by making her something? You made an entire arm?¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Anna,¡± Olive said, lifting her right hand and waving. ¡°And it¡¯s a whole lot more than any arm. It <em>works</em>.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be,¡± Rodrick muttered. He looked to Arwin. ¡°You can do that?¡±

    ¡°Apparently. Didn¡¯t realize I could until just recently,¡± Arwin said with an embarrassed grin. ¡°How does it feel, Olive?¡±

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    ¡°Incredible,¡± Olive said. She looked down at her bandaged palm, then flexed her fingers and shook her head. ¡°A new lease on life. I was testing it all day ¡ª and for a fair bit of the night as well. It¡¯s just like the real thing. I haven¡¯t tried pushing it too hard yet, though.¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Good. It¡¯s not too cumbersome to get used to?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird, but my body know how to move with two arms. It just needed a little reminding.¡±

    ¡°She punched herself in the face once,¡± Reya provided.

    Olive red at her. ¡°It was an ident. I got too excited moving it around, and my head happened to be in the way. <em>The arm works</em>.¡±

    The two of them pulled chairs out at the counter and sat down.

    No more than a few secondster, the kitchen door swung open and Lillia swept out, joined by several Imps, all bearing tes piled high with fried rice. The monsters distributed the food to the Menagerie, then all vanished into puffs of shadow while Lillia pulled a chair out for herself.

    ¡°This looks great,¡± Rodrick said, grabbing his fork and shoveling food into his mouth. He continued to speak thorough a full mouth. ¡°Thanks, Lillia.¡±

    The others all mirrored his words ¡ª and his actions.

    She started to nod, then spotted Olive. Her eyes widened and she shot a nce at Arwin, who gave her a small grin in response.

    Everyone tore into the meal, devouring it in what must have been record time. As delicious as the food was, every single one of them knew what was at stake and how much they still had to get aplished.

    Rodrick finished well before the others. Despite their best efforts to scarf everything down, he was a professional and his te was polished clean within minutes.

    ¡°Time for business. I¡¯ve got updates on Twelve,¡± Rodrick said, wiping his face with a napkin and leaning back in his chair. ¡°First off ¡ª this one is personal. I found out who he is. After digging through some registration papers from the Iron Hounds¡­ our guesses about his rtionships were unsurprisingly correct. Twelve is Jessen¡¯s mentor. He supported Jessen¡¯s endeavors very heavily.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s lips thinned. ¡°That only makes my decision to be rid of him even more firm. Scum.¡±

    Rodrick nodded in grim agreement. ¡°Agreed. But we already suspected he was scum. This was just confirmation. It doesn¡¯t help with the fight ¡ª unlike the next piece of information. As I told Arwin, I do not believe Twelve is actually in this town. There wasn¡¯t much information on him, but the Ardent Guild had some.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°What¡¯s he using? Some form of body-hopping?¡±

    ¡°No. Advanced clones,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°To be specific, 11 of them. Plus his real body, that makes 12.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Reya said. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s bad,¡± Olive said, coughing into a fist. ¡°Kind of funny, though. That¡¯s some dedication to the bit.¡±

    ¡°He controls 12 bodies at once?¡± Arwin asked suspiciously. That was a <em>really </em>high level ability. Something far beyond Adept or Expert tier. His stomach sank.

    <em>Thatpletely ruins our n. If the clones are sending live information back to Twelve¡­ we¡¯re fucked. </em>

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve read about this ability before. It¡¯s pretty well known among assassin guilds,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°The clones function on a set ofmands. They¡¯re not the same thing as the real person, but they follow orders and report back.¡±

    ¡°In real time?¡± Arwin asked, his throat clenching.

    Rodrick smiled. ¡°No. Twelve can¡¯t interact with the clone remotely. That¡¯s the biggest limitation of the skill, and he basically confirmed that his real body wasn¡¯t in this city to Tironal. The real Twelve is really busy with something, so he sent a clone over here.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s throat unclenched. This wasn¡¯t as bad as he had feared. They could still pull off his n.

    ¡°That¡¯s not great,¡± Reya said. ¡°Even if we kill the clone, wouldn¡¯t the real one still be alive?¡±

    ¡°Not if we do this right,¡± Anna said softly. ¡°Sympathetic magic is dangerous. Especially types like this. Twelve is arrogant if he¡¯s sending a clone around like this. If you use the right type of magic, you can use the clone to directly attack the host.¡±

    ¡°Which is why almost everyone that uses this kind of magic works in groups, and the clones kill themselves if it looks like they¡¯re about to lose,¡± Rodrick added. ¡°But, when they die, any knowledge they have dies with them.¡±

    ¡°How strong are theypared to the original?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Weaker. The extent depends on how much power Twelve put into the clone, but their biggest drawback is that they can¡¯t replenish strength,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Which means if we tire the clone out while keeping it from escaping¡­ we win.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. That¡¯s it?¡± Reya asked, her eyes widening.

    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Lillia warned. ¡°This is an assassin, remember? He doesn¡¯t need much energy to kill us in a very short amount of time.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°But I¡¯m certain this is our angle. If we can disable the clone and wear its energy down, we win the fight. Anything it knows dies with it.¡±

    ¡°And if we can kill it before it can kill itself, we might be able to kill the real Twelve without ever touching him,¡± Anna added, her face grim. There was unease else buried in her words. She wasn¡¯t saying something.

    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Olive asked. ¡°Let¡¯s assume we can beat the clone. Do we have something that can¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna said. ¡°I can make it. It¡­ won¡¯t be easy. But don¡¯t worry about that. Leave it to me and Rodrick. The difficult bit is actually wearing the clone down enough to finish it off while keeping anyone from realizing who we¡¯re fighting. This all copses if someone discovers we went up against Twelve¡¯s clone. His guild will find out, and they¡¯lle for us.¡±

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce.

    ¡°You¡¯re certain of this?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°You can really kill the original through the clone?¡±

    ¡°There are very few ways to attack through a sympathetic magic, but there are certain poisons that can do it.¡± Anna¡¯s lips pressed thin and her hands tightened at her sides. ¡°It will be costly to make, but I know the recipe.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arwin said. ¡°How costly are we talking? I don¡¯t get the feeling you¡¯re talking about gold.¡±

    ¡°Life,¡± Anna replied grimly. ¡°It will cost me a year of my life, among other things.¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth, but Anna snapped her fingers to cut him off.

    ¡°No, Arwin. I don¡¯t want to hear it. We¡¯re putting a lot more on the table than one year. There are ways to recover lost life energy, should we grow strong enough. Perhaps not all of it, but some. You don¡¯t have another way to defeat Twelve.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°And we can¡¯t buy this poison from someone else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to buy, and everyone would know what happened if we did. This poison relies on bone marrow that I have to magically extract from within my spine. I¡¯ve had to do it once before. It is¡­ agonizing. The cost and rarity are beyond what we can afford. You don¡¯t have a better idea.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin admitted reluctantly. ¡°I don¡¯t. You¡¯re certain of this?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna said. ¡°But we need a way to actually apply the poison. It is not a killing poison on its own. It is meant to rot the soul, but the body is a barrier. The only way I can use it on Twelve is through the sympathetic link, but the clone would have to already be dying by the time I apply it.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s head tilted to the side. Rodrick didn¡¯t miss it.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°You look like you know something.¡±

    ¡°I had an ideast night,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I can make Raen¡¯s bracelet a lot stronger than its meant to be. If Lillia can hold the clone down in the tavern, we can put the bracelet on him and forcibly change Twelve¡¯s appearance and voice into that of a monster.¡±

    ¡°Then I could take the me for letting a monster escape into the city and apologize publicly,¡± Lillia finished.

    Rodrick¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Nobody would suspect you to apologize for something that didn¡¯t happen. People hate responsibility. That¡¯s brilliant.¡±

    ¡°I believe that may actually work,¡± Madiv said. ¡°Genius, my Queen.¡±

    Lillia shot him a re and he cleared his throat.

    ¡°Queen of the Tavern, of course. This means that, if we can wear Twelve out and get the bracelet onto him...¡±

    ¡°Our whole guild versus a single assassin,¡± Arwin said, blowing out a slow breath. He flexed his fingers at his sides. ¡°We can do it. Assassins aren¡¯t suited to having a huge swarm of people attacking them. Their defensive abilities aren¡¯t that good and he can only run for so long. If I upgrade the Devil¡¯s Den, we can stall Twelve even harder when he¡¯s inside it. Then we get the bracelet onto him when he¡¯s weakened.

    If we keep safe and make him waste his power, we¡¯ll be able to take him down. It¡¯s not a guaranteed shot at sess, but it¡¯s a good one. Then¡­ does anyone see any ring ws or reasons not to do this? It¡¯s this or give the heart to Raen. We have to choose now. We¡¯re out of time.¡±

    The Menagerie was silent. Not a single person spoke up.

    Their decision had been made.

    In two days, they would kill Twelve or die trying.

 Chapter 286: One step

    Arwin spent the next few hours preparing the Devil¡¯s Den for the Dungeon Heart. Now that the decision to fight had been set in stone, there was no reason to dy it any longer. Every singleponent by thest one was ready, but they still had to be readied to bebined.

    They were borderline identical copies of the pieces he¡¯d made for the Infernal Armory. Arwin had intentionally chosen to avoid making them cursed ¡ª there would be enough of that from when he made the Dungeon Heart¡¯s housing. Having potentiallypeting effects or too many drawbacks could end up ruining everything they¡¯d been working for.

    Heid them out in the corner of themon room before returning to the Infernal Armory and setting about creating the cage for the Dungeon Heart with its help.

    Lillia took the time to work in the kitchen, preparing everything they would need for when the time to fight Twelve arrived.

    Verdant Inferno sang as Arwin prepared the cage from Ivorin, just as he had the previous time he¡¯d made a Hearthome for the Infernal Armory. He purified the metal within the molten embrace of magma, then forged it into bars and stacked them up next to the still-beating Dungeon Heart.

    He connected the Ivorin pieces and formed it into ribs, leaving the top section open. The Dungeon Heart was still a fleshy organ. Arwin didn¡¯t want to identally damage it while he was putting everything together.

    It took a little bit longer than the previous time. Part of the reason was because the process wasn¡¯t quite as near effortless as it had been when Lillia had helped him. The Infernal Armory was a good partner, but the benefits of Couple of Crafters didn¡¯t seem to apply to it.

    That was a good thing. Arwin did not like the idea of the Infernal Armory counting as a <em>partner</em>. It was an ally and an aide, but partner carried a few too many connotations with it that he preferred to reserve for Lillia.

    Fortunately, the other reason it took longer was because Arwin actually knew what he was doing this time around. His intent was focused, aided by the Infernal Armory as they worked in conjunction toward making the most powerful item they could.Arwin dismissed Verdant Inferno as he lowered the heart into its cage. He selectively heated portions of the metal with [Soul me], then bent them into the proper position with [Scourge].

    Magical energy tingled at his fingertips as he worked. The Dungeon Heart thumped in synchrony with Arwin¡¯s own heart, a particrly unnerving sound. He didn¡¯t let it distract him. He could feel the item¡¯s desire. The magic burning within it, seeking an outlet.

    An outlet that he gave it. The Dungeon Heart didn¡¯t seem to have any specific desires as to what it wanted to be. It simply wanted to <em>be</em>. That was quite fine with Arwin. It meant the item wouldn¡¯t put up a fight inplying with his desires ¡ª and he knew exactly what he wanted it to be.

    Arwin bent the final pieces of the cage together, then took a step back. The Mesh ignited like a spark on dry wood.

    Magic mmed into him and froze the breath in his chest.

    <strong>[Hearthome: Cursed Quality] has been forged. Forging a cursed item has granted you a significant amount of magical energy.</strong>

    Arwin blew out a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. The ck veins connected to his back popped out and slipped away as he looked down at his creation with trepidation. Its stats were hidden from others due to [Harbringer of the Forsaken], but to him, they made themselves bare.

    <strong>Hearthome [Cursed]</strong>

    <strong>[Unlive]: This item is not inert, but it does not live. It isposed with equal parts metal and flesh, creating a form that can only continue its existence through sustained magical input. </strong>

    <strong>[The Heart of the Inn]: Pure magical energy that enters this item grants it life, allowing it to beat. Its purpose and actions are variable. </strong>

    <strong>[Bodyless]: This item needs a body to function. </strong>

    <strong>[The Soul of the Inn]: This is a set item of [3] pieces forged by Arwin Tyrr for Lillian Los. When the entire set is connected, it will gain the [Awoken] trait and be active.</strong>

    <strong>[Taste for Forbidden Power]: This item has unique tastes.</strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes flicked over the Hearthome¡¯s description, catching on the final line. His lips thinned. There was very little description, and then there was whatever the hell ¡®This item has unique tastes¡¯ was.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    As the previous Hearthome had been, this one was painfully scarce with what it would actually do. Being Cursed had somehow made that even worse. Arwin blew out a long breath. It didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d be able to figure out exactly what the heart did until it was connected to the rest of the set.

    Arwin wrapped the Hearthome in a cloth that he¡¯d brought in from the Devil¡¯s Den, then strode out of the Infernal Armory and made for the inn.

    Lillia poked her head out of the kitchen as soon as Arwin stepped through the door. Her knife floated out beside her, its de coated in what looked to be blood ¡ª hopefully from something that had been dead before the knife had cut it.

    Arwin pulled the covering off the Hearthome and brought it over to the other two pieces of the set that sat in the corner of the room.

    ¡°What is that description?¡± Lillia asked, her eyes trailing the item. ¡°Could it possibly have been vaguer?¡±

    ¡°I think the Mesh just likes screwing with us,¡± Arwin said, blowing out a short breath of annoyance. Anticipation, excitement, and worry mixed in his chest. This had to work. They couldn¡¯t afford to fail. Not now. ¡°If we want this to be ready in time for Twelve, I have to connect it now.¡±

    ¡°Is it going to kick me out of the kitchen?¡± Lillia asked.

    Arwin sent a critical nce down at the heart. It thumped away in its cage, uncaring to their concerns and the outside world. Until they connected it to the building, it was just a heart without any real desires.

    ¡°Hopefully not. Your inn is a lot bigger than the Infernal Armory, but it¡¯s definitely possible. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to stay in the kitchen if possible. It would be annoying if I got kicked out, but I have the bare minimum of what we need to deal with Twelve from my end. Getting the Devil¡¯s Den as strong as possible is the most important thing we can do here.¡±

    ¡°The others are gone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Rodrick is doing some scouting and working with Anna. Reya and Olive are with them, and I think Madiv went with Esmerelda back to her store.¡±

    Arwin gave her a curt nod. There was no further reason to dy. Lillia took the Hearthome from Arwin as he connected the copies of the Millstone Maw and the Churning Stomach together with a grunt.

    He gave the set a critical nce to make sure everything was in ce, then gestured to Lillia. She lowered the Heart into ce.

    There was a thunk as the pieces slid together. The heart thumped within its cage, and both of them took a step back. Energy buzzed across Arwin¡¯s skin and crackles of golden magic danced across the ground. They ran up the walls of the Devil¡¯s den, flickered across the ceiling, and vanished into the darkness.

    A rumble ran through the floor beneath them. Arwin and Lillia took a step back toward the door as the ribs of the Hearthome peeled back, driving into the ground and lifting the pulsating Dungeon Heart into the air like a fleshy spider.

    Then the heart drove into the ground of the Den, slicing through wood and burrowing deep within the earth. Lillia drew in a sharp breath and staggered. Arwin caught her as she grabbed at her chest, eyes going wide.

    ¡°Lillia!¡± Arwin eximed. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª yes. I¡¯m fine,¡± Lillia said, straightening back up. Her gaze was fixed on something that Arwin couldn¡¯t see. Determination set itself in her features and she jerked her head in a nod.

    Slices of crimson light sliced words before them.

    <strong>The Devil¡¯s Den [Cursed]</strong>

    <strong>[The Hearth]: This building has been taken as the body of the Hearthome. The Devil¡¯s Den has been epted as the familiar of Lillian Los.</strong>

    <strong>[Heartbeat Shield]: For as long as this item has magical energy, its status is concealed from everyone other than those who have bonded to it.</strong>

    <strong>[Taste for Forbidden Power]: This item has unique tastes known only to its master. If it is not properly cared for, it will attempt to feed on those who reside within its walls. </strong>

    <strong>[Dark Domain]: The Demon Queen¡¯s powers are greatly amplified within the Devil¡¯s Den so long as it is properly fed.</strong>

    Arwin swallowed. Lillia was already powerful within her tavern. <em>Greatly </em>amplifying her powers¡­ that was a terrifying concept. The flicker of hope in Arwin¡¯s chest turned to a smoldering me. They actually had a chance. They could beat Twelve.

    The words slipped away, plunging the room back into darkness. The wood that the Heart had damaged moments before bent itself back into ce, sealing over as if it had never been broken.

    Lillia¡¯s lips moved as she whispered something so silently that Arwin couldn¡¯t make it out. Then she turned to him, a queasy look on her face.

    ¡°It worked¡­ but I¡¯m going to need some privacy while the Heart establishes itself. I have to stay here, but you¡ª¡±

    Arwin held a hand up. ¡°I understand. Be careful and call for me if you need anything. I¡¯ll be in the smithy, working on the bracelet.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lillia gave him a small, appreciative smile. ¡°Nobody will be able toe in for a while. It shouldn¡¯t be more than five or six hours. I¡¯ll help you with the bracelet as soon as the connection is done.¡±

    Arwin gave her a nod, then strode out of the inn. The door mmed shut the moment he¡¯d left. It seemed the Devil¡¯s Den didn¡¯t want anyone interfering while it got to know Lillia.

    ording to the Mesh, the very inn had somehow be her familiar. Arwin had absolutely no idea how that worked or what it entailed, but if it made her powers stronger within it, then it was what they needed.

    He hesitated outside the building for a moment. It was a little unnerving to leave Lillia alone with a sentient Cursed item, but she was the former Demon Queen and a grown woman. She didn¡¯t need him babying her ¡ª and there was still a lot of work to be done before the day ended.

    Arwin threw onest nce back at the inn, which stood innocently as if nothing had changed, then set off for the Infernal Armory.

    There was only one step left to take.

    Once he made a bracelet that couldpletely conceal Twelve¡¯s identity, they would be ready to bring the man to justice ¡ª and then, finally, the Menagerie would bepletely free of Jessen¡¯s influence.

 Chapter 287: It Ends

    Arwin studied the materialsid out before him. His back was sore from hunching over an anvil and his jaw hurt from being clenched in concentration. He¡¯d spent thest three hours poring over everything he had to work with, trying to figure out what the best way to make the bracelet for Twelve would be.

    He¡¯d tested out every single type of metal that he still had pieces of, quizzing them mentally to run through their desires before eventually settling on Ivorin. While some of the other metals Esmerelda could have gotten him might have been stronger, Ivorin was so happy to be used for anything that it fit his needs perfectly.

    The most important aspect for an item like this was ensuring it did exactly what he wanted. There was no room for failure or deviation from the n.

    Unfortunately, choosing the metal turned out to be the easy part.

    The real struggle was figuring out whatponents Arwin would add to it. There were three main things the bracelet absolutely had to aplish. It had to be functionally impossible to remove, it had to change its wearer¡¯s appearance to a pre-set monster, and it had to change or warp their words to ensure Twelve couldn¡¯t reveal anything during the fight.

    There wasn¡¯t a good way for Arwin to predict exactly what to put into the bracelet. He¡¯d never made anything even remotely like this. There were so many separate pieces that had to work perfectly and in conjunction that he was tempted to rip his own hair out.

    Everyponent of an item affected the other ones. The more different desires and magical desires there were within the bracelet, the harder it would be for him to ensure it acted the way he wanted it to.

    Arwin held up several pieces of carapace that the Menagerie had collected over their time together. Pieces of spider, chunks of centipede, and a few extras that Rodrick had brought in from dungeon delves that Arwin hadn¡¯t been on.

    He set the pieces down beside a pile of wyrm parts ¡ª teeth, ws, fangs, bones. And it wasn¡¯t just that. There were parts from dozens of different monsters. If anyone had walked into his smithy, they might have suspected him to be a madman hording trophies of his victims rather than a smith.Arwin was still poring over his options when the door to his smithy swung open behind him. He nced over his shoulder as Esmerelda and Lillia stepped into the room. The Infernal Armory mmed the door shut behind them with a resounding bang.

    ¡°Dramatic,¡± Lillia muttered under her breath.

    ¡°I like it,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°A ir for the dramatic is a coreponent of any true devil. We have much to study.¡±

    Lillia sent Esmerelda a sidelong look. It struck Arwin that they still hadn¡¯t told the elderly woman the truth about their identities. Something told him that Esmerelda might have ever so slightly misunderstood the situation ¡ª but at the moment, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to rectify her misconceptions.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been more relieved to see people. I¡¯ve hit my wits end. But how¡¯s the Devil¡¯s Den?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°And are you feeling okay, Lillia?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine. I still feel a little weird, but the connection is established,¡± Lillia said. She shifted from foot to foot, then shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t really describe it. It feels like I got an extra limb.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve grown a few of those in my lifetime,¡± Esmerelda said, her eyes zing over in reminiscence as a small smile yed across her weathered features. ¡°Ah, the good old days. I miss them every day. I used to have so much fun. People were so much more <em>interesting </em>back then. Now, everybody is a little penny pincher. I haven¡¯t sold anything in months. Months! Where is everyone¡¯s sense of adventure?¡±

    ¡°Could that be because you insist on selling Cursed items?¡± Arwin hedged. ¡°It¡¯s not a very good long-term business n.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. My stock is perfectly fine.¡± Esmerleda eximed loudly in an affronted tone. She nced over her shoulder and then lowered her voice. ¡°It¡¯s definitely because I sell cursed items. But Lillia tells me that¡¯s exactly why you need to call on my expertise. Is there something you need to purchase?¡±

    Arwin winced. There was a note of desperation in the old woman¡¯s tone. He was almost starting to feel bad about shooting Esmerelda¡¯s attempts down.

    ¡°No. I need help making a Cursed item, not buying one.¡±

    Esmerelda heaved a sigh. ¡°Of course. My consultation fee is a toe.¡±

    ¡°A what now?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°A toe.¡± Esmerelda pointed at her foot. ¡°Devil¡¯s toe. Very useful. You¡¯ll grow it back soon enough.¡±

    <em>Does¡­ Esmerelda think I¡¯m a devil?</em>

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you that,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll settle for a toenail,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°It¡¯s only fair. A fee¡ª¡±

    ¡°Would obviously be waived, given that you¡¯ve stated desire to be part of the Menagerie,¡± Lillia said smoothly. ¡°And we don¡¯t charge each other for advice.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s mouth snapped shut. She red at Lillia for a second before her shoulders slumped and she let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Oh, fine. Out with it, then. What do you need?¡±

    Arwin briefly exined the bracelet to Esmerelda. She listened quietly until he had finished, then nodded thoughtfully as she rubbed at her chin. Several seconds of silence passed before a grin pulled across her lips.

    ¡°What a nefarious item. Positively vile. Forcibly warping someone¡¯s form into that of a monster¡­ only a real devil coulde up with such an idea. I am honored to work in your presence,¡± Esmerelda said in delight.

    Arwin repressed a wince.

    <em>Ouch. I¡­ really didn¡¯t need to hear that. This is far from an honorable fight ¡ª but Twelve trained and armed a murderous monster. I¡¯m not going to y nice with somebody like that. Not when my guild¡¯s lives are on the line.</em>

    ¡°So?¡± Arwin asked through a weary sigh. ¡°How can I do it? My problem is I¡¯ve got too manypeting desires. I can¡¯t figure out how to get it all toe together without causing too many conflicts in desire. Have you ever run into a situation like that when you make potions?¡±

    ¡°Oh, all the time.¡± Esmerelda waved a hand dismissively. ¡°There are countless ingredients for my work. Most of them are magic, and half of ¡®em hate the other half. You have to find which ones don¡¯t hate each other and make the potion one bit at a time. Combine the bits that work first, and when that mellows out, you have something new. It reacts differently than each of itsponents, which is why order is so important when brewing.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said, tapping a finger against his thigh in thought. ¡°But how do you keep the different parts frompeting with each other if you need a potion that does multipleplex things?¡±

    Esmerelda reached into her pant pocket and rifled around in it for a moment before pulling out arge vial that definitely shouldn¡¯t have fit in where she¡¯d pulled it. The vial was empty and had a thin ss wall running down its center, splitting it in half.

    ¡°With this,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°Segmented vial.¡±

    Arwin decided not to ask where she¡¯d gotten the vial. ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡±

    ¡°Each half has a different potion,¡± Lillia guessed. ¡°And when you fling it or drink it, they both activate at once.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°When you¡¯ve got something tooplex, you have to think outside the magic. Who needs the two potions to be the same one? Just throw the bottle harder and they¡¯ll both activate at once. Good old fashioned logic works just as well.¡±

    Arwin blinked.

    <em>Huh. Two different potions basically taped together? It sounds stupid, but it¡¯s so simple it¡¯s genius. But how can I do that with items?</em>

    They were all silent for several seconds.

    Then Arwin¡¯s eyes lit up. He spun back to his materials, searching through theponents for a gemstone.

    ¡°Holy shit. Esmerelda, you¡¯re a genius.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Esmerelda said. She hesitated for a second. ¡°What did I do?¡±

    ¡°Gems,¡± Arwin said, plucking a clear crystal from the pile. ¡°I normally use them like energy batteries in items.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that still part of the item?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°How will that make it any easier to make?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t ¡ª but that¡¯s only if I actually set the gemstone in the finished item,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°Making a Set might help, but I don¡¯t know how to control the set bonus, and that could ruin everything if it¡¯s actually powerful or somehow helps Twelve in another way. But if I make two entirely separate items¡­ a bracelet that shifts the wearer into the form of something set within it, and an item that contains the essence of a monster¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s much easier to make each of the pieces since they don¡¯t need to influence each other. They exist independently and just work together when you choose to connect them,¡± Lillia finished, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Can you do that?¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yes. That, I can do. I¡¯m certain of it.¡±

    ¡°What about the monster you¡¯re going to shift Twelve into?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Have you figured out what it will be? You¡¯ll need a piece of it, I¡¯d assume.¡±

    He studied Lillia before slowly nodding. ¡°Yes. I think I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea of what might work. Would the two of you be willing to help me a little more?¡±

    Esmerelda shrugged. ¡°Sounds fun. I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°You already know I am as well,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ve finished the most important parts of my own preparation.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arwin said. The Infernal Armory rumbled to life around them. ck veins pulsed with power along the floor and tendrils reached out, driving into his back and connecting him to the building. A determined smile pulling across his features. ¡°Then let¡¯s get to making this, shall we?¡±

    ***

    Eight hourster, just as night started to set over the Menagerie¡¯s street, the ng of metal within the Infernal Armory went silent.

    Lillia and Esmerelda both leaned against the wall, exhaustion ying across their features and their bodies drained of magic.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t in much better shape. He leaned against his anvil, strength spent, breathing heavily and soaked with sweat. This was their third try, and Arwin didn¡¯t think they had the strength for another in the time they had left. Two items ¡ª the results of all their efforts ¡ª sat within his hand.

    The first was a bone white band. It was entirely in and unadorned, aside from two fingers that twisted up from its top in preparation to hold onto something.

    That something sat rested just beside the band in Arwin¡¯s palm. A in red gemstone trimmed on all sides with a band of Ivorin wrapped around it, sized perfectly to slot into the band.

    With trembling fingers, Arwin plucked the gemstone from his palm and slipped it into the band. It snapped into ce.

    The results of all their efforts sat within his hand.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes traced through the words that shimmered to life in the air, visible only to him. He swallowed.

    ¡°Well?¡± Lillia asked in trepidation. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    Arwin¡¯s fingers closed around the bracelet.

    His gaze lowered to meet hers.

    ¡°It worked,¡± Arwin said quietly. Their preparations were finally over. The night was upon them, and they would all need their rest if they were to be prepared to survive what waited for them the following day. ¡°Tomorrow, this all ends.¡±

 Chapter 288: The Show

    The night slipped by. Arwin remembered little of it. He was so tired that he copsed into bed the moment he reached it and didn¡¯t move more than a breath again until Lillia shook him awake well into the morning.

    They headed into themon room. The Devil¡¯s Den was surprisingly unchanged from how it had looked before. Even though it had bonded with a Dungeon Heart, Arwin couldn¡¯t see any obvious changes in it. That was probably a good thing ¡ª anything suspicious might have put Twelve on the defensive when he arrived.

    The other members of the Menagerie trickled into the room as the morning wore on. A heavy stillness hung in the air as everyone gathered,den with trepidation.

    It took Lillia over an hour to prepare everyone breakfast, but it only took minutes for everyone to stuff it down. Rodrick ran over the n with everyone once more, making sure every single one of them knew their part. Beyond that, none of them spoke much during the meal ¡ª their minds werepletely focused on what was toe.

    There were a lot of things that had to go right for this to work properly. They all knew that, and they all knew what was at stake.

    Not a single one of them would have had it any other way.

    Their minds were set.

    Arwin couldn¡¯t help but notice that, as soon as he finished eating, the tension tightening his insides seemed to rx as if someone had given his soul a massage. His thoughts became clearer and the stiffness from the night evaporated.

    The other members of the menagerie underwent simr changes. The slight look of satisfaction that broke through the determination in Lillia¡¯s expression told him what the cause was. It seemed she¡¯d been getting much better at improving the magical effects her food could convey.<em>People would pay a ridiculous amount of money for this if they could have some right before they went into a dungeon. A calm and collected team is a sessful one.</em>

    <em></em>The nervous air evaporated as everyone finished their meals, and all that was left behind was determination.

    There was no preparation left to do. Spreading their attention thin at this point would only distract them.

    And so, they waited.

    ***

    Twelve arrived an hour past midday.

    The shadows at the front of the tavern twisted together into a teeming mass, and the gray-cloaked man stepped through the open door like a wraith. The loud roar of a crowd spilled inside until the door mmed shut behind him.

    Silence ruled once more. The inn wasrgely empty when he arrived. Lillia and Arwin were the only people in it. They both sat at the counter with a mug of ale in their hands.

    Twelve came to a stop in the center of the room. For a long second, there was only silence.

    ¡°The Ardent Guild was unable to acquire my Dungeon Heart,¡± Twelve said. His voice was the soft hiss of a rattlesnake,den with danger and poison. Arwin recognized the mannerisms in the man¡¯s tone now that he was looking for them. They reminded him of Jessen. While their voices were nowhere alike, there was a cruel streak within their words that was almost identical. Twelve crossed his hands behind his back. ¡°The Grand Reopening sign above your building makes me optimistic. It seems you n toe into money. Have you obeyed mymands?¡±

    Arwin tipped back thest of the drink in his hand, downing it in a gulp, then carefully set the mug on the counter. He pushed back from his chair and rose to his feet, brushing his shirt off as he turned to Twelve.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We have the Dungeon Heart.¡±

    Twelve¡¯s eyes crinkled in a smile. ¡°Competence. I was beginning to believe it did not exist in this town. I am pleased to be proven wrong. Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s our pay?¡± Arwin countered.

    ¡°You will be paid once I have received what I ask,¡± Twelve replied smoothly. ¡°I am not here to bargain with my lessers. Give me the Heart.¡±

    He was a picture of confidence. Twelve wasn¡¯t worried at all ¡ª and he had no reason to be. As far as he was concerned, he was in a backwater town with nobody of any real consequence. It wasn¡¯t even his own body that was present. The real one was off somewhere across the kingdom.

    As far as he was concerned, he was perfectly safe.

    Arwin drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°Very well. It¡¯s stored¡ª¡±

    The door swung open. Twelve nced over his shoulder as Reya walked in, staggering, arge tankard of beer clutched in her swaying hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Reya slurred drunkenly, stumble-stepping into the tavern. ¡°D-did we get the money yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Sit down before you hurt yourself, Reya.¡±

    A flicker of irritation passed over Twelve¡¯s exposed features as Reya stumbled toward him. He shifted, keeping a wide zone of her sloshing drink, but Reya never got anywhere near him. She just stumbled up to a table and flopped down in a chair, sliding down and smacking her lips in contentment.

    ¡°Kay,¡± Reya said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡±

    ¡°The heart is here,¡± Lillia said, reaching below the counter. When she straightened again, there was arge wooden box in her hands. She thunked it down on the counter and removed the lid. ¡°Feel free to examine it. I don¡¯t want any ims going around saying we cheat our customers.¡±

    A thump echoed through the room. Sitting within the box was a Dungeon Heart. The organ throbbed once more.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Twelve said, stepping up to the heart and reaching into the box. He lifted the heart from within it, holding it up to the dim light of antern.

    The heart glistened ¡ª far more than it should have. Twelve¡¯s satisfaction faded as he let the heart slip from his palms and plop back into the box. He shook his hands off and let out a slew of curses.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Twelve demanded, his eyes going narrow. ¡°Why is the heart soaking wet? What did you do to it?¡±

    ¡°Cleaned it,¡± Lillia replied, blinking innocently. ¡°The heart was so dirty when we got it. Covered with blood. So I washed it down with a little alcohol. I didn¡¯t realize that would be an issue.¡±

    Lillia wasn¡¯t lying. The heart really was right in front of Twelve, and it was covered in alcohol. The alcohol in question just happened to be of the variety that could knock out a dragon.

    As it turned out, the Devil¡¯s Den was more than able to temporarily part with the heart for a short period of time so long as a single strand remained connected to it ¡ª a strand that currently ran through a hole at the bottom of the box and behind the counter.

    ¡°It soaked my gloves.¡± Annoyance twisted through Twelve¡¯s words as he looked back to the heart, then slid the top of the box back into ce and lifted the entire thing. ¡°Idiots. Cleaning a heart. I¡ª¡±

    Twelve trailed off. He nced at his hands, then tried to wipe them off on his shirt.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take the heart?¡±

    ¡°Your damnable swill is sticky,¡± Twelve said. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my gloves. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to wear these again.¡±

    ¡°Our apologies. Feel free to take it out of our pay,¡± Arwin said.

    Twelve peeled the gloves off his hands. He stared at his palms for a second. Then his gaze snapped up to Lillia, the annoyance transforming into fury in an instant.

    ¡°Poison,¡± Twelve snarled. His voice slurred slightly, a testament to his power. The intensity of the brew Lillia and Anna had made was so high that it should have been able to knock out a toon of dwarves. Most people would have passed out on the spot after touching it, but he¡¯d only gotten slightly woozy.

    Shadows exploded around his body. He blurred toward Lillia, a ck de materializing in his hand.

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    Blue light shattered around him. Twelve mmed to a halt, locked in ce by translucent chains. Reya stood behind him,pletely sober, her arms extended forward and face creased in concentration.

    And, in the brief instant that he was unable to move, Lillia spoke a single word.

    ¡°<strong>Freeze</strong>.¡±

    Power mmed down on the room like the gravity had magnified a hundredfold. Arwin¡¯s mind prickled even though he hadn¡¯t been the target of Lillia¡¯s attention, and Reya swayed unsteadily.

    Arwin burst into motion, lunging toward Twelve.

    The ethereal chains holding the deadly assassin down evaporated, having reached their half-a-second minimum.

    Twelve¡¯s entire body trembled in fury. His hands inched through the air, pressing back against Lillia¡¯s magic. He ripped through its hold on him, elerating with every passing moment.

    Even restrained, he twisted toward Arwin, bringing his de to bear. The weariness from Lillia¡¯s alcohol had somehow already evaporated, but she still had him in the fading vestiges of hermand as the Hearthmother of the Devil¡¯s Den.

    Verdant Inferno materialized in Arwin¡¯s hands as he swung it at Twelve. The assassin continued to elerate. He leaned back, bracing his dagger to block the strike ¡ª and Arwin dismissed the hammer, thrusting his other hand forward, a bracelet clutched in his fingers.

    The swap-up was enough to catch Twelve off guard for a split second. Arwin mmed the bracelet down on Twelve¡¯s free hand.

    Arwin¡¯s armor materialized around him an instant before Twelve¡¯s foot mmed into his chest. The force of the blow sent Arwin staggering a step back.

    ¡°Idiots,¡± Twelve snarled, his voicepletely back to normal. ¡°I was nning on dealing with you regardless, but this will save me the time of taking my coin back.¡±

    Darkness exploded around him ¡ª and vanished, twisting away into the air as if it had never been there.

    Twelve blinked, caughtpletely off guard for a brief second.

    ¡°These shadows belong to me,¡± Lillia said, stepping out from around the counter. She grabbed the edge of the box holding the Dungeon Heart and pitched it forward.

    The wooden boards cracked open as the heart plummeted into the ground, then mmed shut above it. A rumble shook the Devil¡¯s Den.

    Blue chains mmed into Twelve as he blurred, nearly crossing the distance between him and Lillia in a split second. He mmed to a halt just feet away from her, fury burning in his eyes.

    ¡°<strong>Freeze</strong>,¡± Lilliamanded again.

    Twelve staggered as the chains evaporated, but the effects of Lillia¡¯s power were wearing off.

    Arwin charged forward, but Twelve was faster. Heunched himself toward Lillia, his dagger shing through the air in a ck streak, so fast that Arwin couldn¡¯t even follow the motion.

    It carved toward Lillia ¡ª

    A table mmed into Twelve¡¯s face with a loud crack.

    The assassin stumbled back, shock ying across his features for a brief instant before his foot slipped through a hole that appeared in the floorboards. He dropped into a practiced roll, only for a mug to sail through the air and m into his head with a meaty thunk.

    Twelve rolled to his feet, then dropped back to the ground as another table sailed through the air over his head and crashed into the wall, blowing itself to splinters.

    A rattle filled the air. Every single table in the room floated into the air. Cutlery, mugs, bottles from the shelves, and shattered nks of wood joined them. The kitchen door mmed open. From within it, knives and pans marched into themon room.

    ¡°You think you can defeat me with kitchenwares?¡± Twelve asked, aghast. Half a dozen tables hurtled at his head in response.

    The assassin blurred, vaulting out of the way, and shot toward Lillia. Arwin lurched into motion, flinging himself into the other man¡¯s path, but Twelve bounded past him like nothing was there.

    Blue chains drove into Twelve and he jerked to a halt. The effect shattered an instantter and he spun, eyes turning toward Reya ¡ª and a table mmed into the back of his head with such force that it shattered.

    Twelve staggered and snarled, ignoring Lillia as he blurred toward Reya. Shadows gathered at his feet, but they peeled away from him before he could slip into them. He recovered quickly, but Reya dove back as a rain of household objects pelted into the assassin from every angle, keeping him from getting close to her.

    Arwin strode into the storm of wood and swung Verdant Inferno at Twelve¡¯s back.

    The assassin twitched to the side, sensing himing and avoiding the blow. He managed to twist out of the way of several knives and a pan in the process, though many of the other objects still struck him.

    They did little damage. Twelve might have been an assassin, but he was a much higher Tier than they were. His body could take a beating¡­ or at least, his real one could.

    A clone had a limited amount of magic. Every blow Twelve¡¯s clone took, no matter how small, weakened his defenses permanently.

    ¡°Enough!¡± Twelve roared. Strands of darkness exploded through the room, ripped free from Lillia¡¯s grasp, and swirled around him.

    He blinked out of existence.

    Wood exploded up from the ground around Lillia, twisting into a cocoon in a split second. There was a loud thunk a momentter as Twelve¡¯s dagger mmed into the wooden nks, just barely missing Lillia.

    The storm of floating objects hurtled after Twelve. He tried to sink into the ground again, but the shadows ran from him once more. He hopped to the side, batted a table out of the sky, and caught a pan to his skull for his troubles.

    Twelve barely even seemed to notice. He dove for the darkness in a blur, sliding into a shadow and reappearing behind Reya, his dagger already streaking toward her neck.

    Arwin activated [Unleash] and drew on the Wyrm¡¯s Revenge, releasing the power that waited within it.

    Twelve¡¯s dagger rang out against scale. The assassin hopped back a step, his eyes widening. A shimmering Wyrm formed in the air around Reya. Its form was translucent, but the scales where it had been struck were as solid as steel. The monster shimmered and faded away as Arwin released the skill.

    ¡°Jessen¡¯s Wyrm,¡± Twelve breathed. His eyes snapped to Arwin. ¡°You! Your guild was the one that killed him?¡±

    ¡°I kind of figured you¡¯d gotten that part by now. You really didn¡¯t do your research,¡± Arwin said.

    Blue chains mmed down around Twelve, locking him in ce as Arwin lunged and swung Verdant Inferno.

    The assassin ripped free of his bindings and brought his dagger down. It mmed into Verdant ze¡¯s head, and the two weapons screeched as they locked in ce. Twelve skidded back across the floor, bracing both of his hands against his weapon.

    Arwin nted his foot in the assassin¡¯s chest with a snarl.

    Twelveunched back and a table whistled out from his side, mming into him like a baseball bat and sending him hurtling for a spiked piece of wood that rose from the floor.

    The assassin twisted his body. Darkness spilled out from his palms and he vanished before he hit the ground.

    A de mmed into Arwin¡¯s back. He staggered forward and spun, but Twelve ducked away from him before he couldnd a blow. Pain burned at Arwin¡¯s back, but he ignored it. The blow had punched right through his breastte, but it wasn¡¯t deep enough to be fatal.

    Twelve didn¡¯t waste his time fighting Arwin. He vanished once more, ripping darkness from Lillia¡¯s control, and reformed behind Reya. A dark de shot from his fingers and toward her back.

    A table hurtled through the air and mmed into Reya, throwing her to the side. Twelve¡¯s magic sliced through the table but missed its original mark. He snarled in anger.

    ¡°You are the most annoying pests I have ever fought,¡± Twelve spat. He vanished from sight.

    ¡°<strong>Freeze</strong>,¡± Lilliamanded, bracing herself against the counter as exertion carved across her features.

    The assassin took form once again, his de moving in slow-motion through the air toward Reya. She threw herself into a roll, but the de still cut across her back. She let out a pained cry as she hit the ground.

    Twelve dove after her, only to catch a table to the face for his troubles. It shattered with a loud crack and he pushed through it, charging after Reya. Knives shed toward him and Twelve vanished, reforming behind Reya ¡ª and finding Arwin standing directly before him.

    Arwin swung his hammer. The assassin dodged back, then lunged under Arwin¡¯s arms to finish Reya off. Fragments of wood and metal mmed into him, but he didn¡¯t slow.

    Reya thrust her hand forward. Blue chains jerked taut around Twelve, locking him in ce.

    Arwin didn¡¯t have time to swing Verdant Inferno again. Instead, he drove his knee up into Twelve¡¯s side.

    It was like striking solid stone. Arwin hissed in pain and the assassin staggered as Reya¡¯s magic faded. He hopped back, putting distance between himself and Arwin, and raised his dagger.

    Reya and Lillia were both breathing heavily. Lillia had used an insane amount of power wielding the Devil¡¯s Den, and Reya couldn¡¯t keep holding someone as strong as Twelve. They hadn¡¯t lost the fight yet, but they were running low.

    Fortunately, they weren¡¯t the only ones. As strong as Twelve was, he was still a clone ¡ª and he¡¯d spent a lot of magical power pulling his shadows back from Lillia.

    <em>She could have cut him off of thempletely, but then he wouldn¡¯t waste his magic using his powers. He should have spent enough by now. </em>

    ¡°It seems the end has arrived,¡± Twelve said. A second dagger formed in his other hand and he lowered his stance.

    Darkness gathered around his body and curled up to swallow him whole ¡ª and Arwin activated the thin connection between himself and the bracelet that Twelve seemed to have forgotten about.

    The assassin¡¯s eyes went wide. He banished a knife and grabbed at the metal band, but it was stuck fast on his wrist. Bands of red wormed into Twelve¡¯s skin and he let out a snarl.

    In a split second, his body seemed to turn itself inside out. His clothes ripped and he grew a foot size, red muscles bulging out from beneath his shirt. Horns curled out from his head and his snarl turned to a roar.

    Blood-red eyes burned as they stared out at them, and a series of furious, snarling grunts emerged from Twelve¡¯s lips.

    He had be a hideous, twisted caricature of a demon.

    Twelve still had every single ability that he¡¯d possessed before the change, of course. He hadn¡¯t lost any intelligence or ability ¡ª the shift was only skin deep.

    But for the crowd that Rodrick had gathered outside to invite everyone to the grand reopening of the Devil¡¯s Den, it would be enough.

    <em>I will show no mercy to the people that try to destroy my guild. My friends. </em>

    ¡°Now!¡± Arwinmanded, bursting into motion.

    Reya thrust her trembling hands forward, drawing deep on her power as she sent it mming into Twelve once more.

    Chains bound the demon and jerked to a halt halfway to raising the ck dagger defensively before it.

    Arwin¡¯s foot mmed into Twelve¡¯s warped chest. He unleashed every scrap of power he could with [Scourge], pouring the magic out into the strike.

    Twelve exploded backward. He hurtled through the air and crashed through the door, flying out into the street behind him. The assassin-turned-demon skidded across the ground and let out a furious roar.

    It cut through the excited cheers, turning them to screams of terror in instants.

    ¡°Demon!¡± Someone screamed.

    Arwin charged out of the Infernal Armory, raising Verdant Inferno as he dashed for Twelve.

    The rest of the Menagerie was waiting out on the street, ready to burst into motion. They all had their parts to y.

    There was only one way they coulde out of this alive ¡ª and maybe build up a little fame while they were at it.

    The Menagerie had to put on the show of their lives.

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 Chapter 289: A Drink

    Screams filled the air from the crowd that had gathered all around the edges of the street in wait of the Devil¡¯s Den¡¯s reopening. Rodrick had arranged them in a wide circle, leaving more than enough space for a fight on the middle of the street.

    Twelve had already gathered himself by the time Arwin emerged into the street. Confusion and anger streaked over the demon¡¯s face and he let out a roar, grabbing at his wrist ¡ª but the band had concealed itself. Nobody could see what he was actually trying to do.

    If it had been the assassin¡¯s real body, then Arwin suspected that Twelve would have made a run for it. He was an assassin after all. Even if he was a higher Tier and more powerful than Arwin and the rest of the Menagerie, that wasn¡¯t a ss that lent itself well to a long fight.

    But this was a clone ¡ª and Twelve had trained Jessen. They shared their arrogance. Fleeing from a fight now would hurt Twelve far more than if he could take out some of the people that had made a joke out of him.

    The demon¡¯s eyes locked onto Arwin and he let out a roar, blurring into motion as he charged toward him.

    They weren¡¯t in the inn anymore. There were no tables or other objects to hinder Twelve with. The distance between him and Arwin vanished in a split second. Arwin summoned his shield, bracing himself behind it an instant before Twelve¡¯s de mmed into it.

    A loud shriek rang out and he skidded several feet back. He¡¯d barely even seen Twelve attack. There was no way topete with the assassin at this speed ¡ª but Arwin had already known that.

    He reached into his pocket and yanked out a bracelet. Twelve¡¯s de carved across his armor once more, but it failed to prate before Arwin could bring the bracelet up to his mouth. He¡¯d made it for a dungeon run but hadn¡¯t ended up having to use it.

    Now was as good a time as any.<strong>[Fluttering Band]: Rare Quality</strong>

    <strong>[Light as a Feather]: The spirit of a dancing dove feather is imbued within this item. Its bearer¡¯s movements are increased while it is worn at the cost of a continuous draw of magical energy.</strong>

    Power exploded through his body and Arwin blurred. He twitched back and Twelve¡¯s eyes split through the air where he¡¯d been a moment before. A roar ripped from the demon as it lunged, striking at him again.

    Arwin dodged back once more. Twelve¡¯s knives scraped along his shield as he brought it to bear. The assassin was still faster than him, but he had the defenses and speed to keep up.

    <em>My job isn¡¯t to kill him. I¡¯m here to buy time and keep Twelve¡¯s attention. The only situation we truly lose is the one where he runs away. That can¡¯t happen.</em>

    Arwin stumbled back, doing his best to block the rain of blows Twelve unleashed upon him. The assassin¡¯s knives carved deep through his armor, cutting into the flesh beneath. He slipped from shadow to shadow as he bore down on Arwin, sensing victory on the horizon.

    Each strike sent pain burning through Arwin¡¯s body. He could hear shouts from the crowd and Rodrick¡¯s voice roaring over the top of them, telling everyone that everything was fine ¡ª that the Menagerie had everything under control and they had nothing to worry about.

    The temptation to fight back gripped Arwin, but he didn¡¯t let it take over. The chances of himnding a proper blow on Twelve were minimal without both Lillia and Reya to back him up.

    And even if he didnd a strike, it could put Twelve on guard. He had to feel like he was winning.

    And so Arwin backpedaled. He took the brunt of the assassin¡¯s assault, grinding his teeth and blocking it as best as he could. Shrieks of metal filled the air. His armor put up a valiant effort, but there was only so much it could take without Arwin properly fighting back.

    Every second that dragged on felt like an eternity. The only thing that kept Arwin going was the fact that every extra moment that passed was energy that Twelve wasted. Each second he held out was power that Twelve couldn¡¯t have to fight back against them.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Anna watching from the edge of the crowd. Her knuckles were tight around her staff, ready to jump into action the moment he went down.

    The others were all in their own positions. Some called to the crowd, while others prepared attacks. Arwin couldn¡¯t see all of them. He didn¡¯t need to. They were there, ready to y their part.

    His foot caught a rock. Arwin stumbled, and Twelve pounced. The assassin slid through a shadow and appeared at his side, a dagger plunging down toward the gap between his chestpiece and his helm.

    Arwin twisted, bringing the Wrym¡¯s Revenge up and barely managing to knock Twelve¡¯s arm out of the way in time. The excess speed he¡¯d gotten from the bracelet was running out.

    ¡°He¡¯s losing!¡± an adventurer yelled. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡±

    ¡°Please remain calm,¡± Lillia¡¯s voice echoed through the air, words that she¡¯d practiced the previous day to perfection. ¡°The Menagerie has this under control. We have preventative measures in ce to deal with this situation.¡±

    Twelve¡¯s dagger mmed into Arwin¡¯s shoulder, ripping through the metal and plunging into flesh. Pain exploded through his body. Even with [Indomital Bulwark], there was only so much damage he could take ¡ª and Twelve¡¯s weapons were clearly enhanced with magical energy.

    He was at his limit.

    ¡°Why the hell is there a Demon here in the first ce?¡± someone else yelled as the panicked conversation continued to rise. ¡°That¡¯s a real demon, isn¡¯t it? We need to get out of here!¡±

    Arwin¡¯s back hit the wall. Twelve shed his daggers down and two streaks of ck energy cut through the air. They mmed into Arwin¡¯s chest, carving an <em>X </em>into the center of his armor and biting deep into his flesh.

    Energy curled in his chestte as it absorbed some of the power. Arwin gritted his teeth and staggered, the pain digging deep into his resolve.

    Twelve¡¯s eyes glinted. He was a hunter, and he knew the look of weakened prey. Garbled snarls slipped from his lips, probably a taunt that was warped by the bracelet and made indecipherable to everyone but him.

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    Then the assassin turned demon lunged, lifting both of his daggers into the air and bringing them down for Arwin¡¯s neck. Darkness gathered around their des, twisting and churning like a miniature storm.

    <em>This clone is really strong. Even as limited as a clone is and without a way to regenerate energy, this thing is a monster. I¡¯d hate to fight the real version of Twelve. He¡¯d probably have killed me already. </em>

    Twelve brought the daggers shing down. A weakened target was an easy target.

    Power burned in Arwin¡¯s limbs as he let out a roar and lifted his shield.

    Twelve might have been a master assassin, but Arwin had been through more life and death battles than almost anyone else in the kingdom. His entire life had been war, and he¡¯d taken far more damage than this in his fights with Lillia.

    Arwin might been injured, but he was far from downed.

    He had onest job in this fight. There was only a single blow he had tond, and it was the signal for the rest of the Menagerie to move into the final stage of their n.

    Arwin activated [Avenging Strike].

    ck magic twisted through his shield as the ability manifested itself. Twelve¡¯s daggers mmed down onto its surface. A resounding ng rang out.

    The Wyrm awakened.

    A roar shook the street as ck fire erupted from the face of the shield, exploding forth in the shape of a monstrous head. It mmed down on Twelve¡¯s shoulder. The demon stumbled back with a scream of pain, its shoulder coated with molten ck me.

    And, as Twelve stumbled back, batting at the fire in attempt to put it out, the rest of the Menagerie burst into action.

    Sunlight glinted off arge ss potion bottle. It sailed through the air and struck Twelve straight in the head with a resounding thunk, knocking his head back. The blow was nowhere near enough to do significant damage to someone of his level, but it disoriented him for a brief moment.

    And in that moment, Olive burst out from the Infernal Armory, sword clutched in both of her hands. She sprinted across the street and closed the distance between herself and the demon.

    Then she swung.

    The sword cut through the air, not agonizingly slow like her one-handed strikes, but at the speed of a normal de. Pure power burned within its de, a thousand strikes folded over themselves into a single blow.

    Twelve spun toward Olive. Even in his state, he was far from easy to take off guard. He could sense the magic burning within Olive¡¯s attack, but he had no ns of letting it connect.

    His daggers plunged for her neck. Even with two hands, Olive couldn¡¯t swing her weapon anywhere near as fast as Twelve could. She would be dead before her sword ever grew close to him.

    Olive didn¡¯t even flinch. She continued her strike without hesitating.

    The daggers drew closer.

    Water sshed across the ground.

    A ng echoed through the air as Rodrick arrived before Olive, his sword braced before him, stopping Twelve¡¯s attack moments before it could reach its target.

    Twelve¡¯s eyes widened. He tried to twist back, but he hadn¡¯t ounted for the possibility that Olive would survive his attack. There was no time to dodgepletely.

    Her sword connected with his side.

    It ripped deep into his stomach, carving across his chest. Blood sttered across the ground and Twelve spun, staggering back across the ground as his chest grew slick. For the first time, fear flickered in his eyes.

    The assassin spun.

    Shadows rose up around him ¡ª and a loud snap echoed through the street over the yells of the crowd.

    The darkness fled from Twelve, slithering across the ground to stop at the edge of the tavern.

    ¡°I told you,¡± Lillia said, leaning against the doorway with a weary grin on her features. ¡°These are my shadows.¡±

    Olive lunged for the demon.

    The demon crouched. Then, with a roar, heunched himself straight into the air.

    <em>No! How?</em>

    That shouldn¡¯t have been possible. The whole n had hinged on Twelve being unable to run without ess to his shadows. His clone shouldn¡¯t have had the strength to literally jump that high ¡ª but it seemed nobody had told him that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Olive snarled.

    Dozens of loud cracks ground out from her arm. For an instant, her eyes burned a deep, molten red. Her teeth clenched in pain and concentration, her entire body stiffened ¡ª and then her eyes snapped back to normal.

    She thrust her bandaged arm upward.

    And, with a sound like an entire forest uprooting itself, wooden fingers tore through the bindings and reached up through the air. They whistled through the air and drove into the demon, wrapped around its leg, and tightened.

    His momentum mmed to an abrupt halt. Olive stumbled, then bared her teeth. She yanked her hand back.

    The demon let out a roar as he hurtled through the air and mmed back down onto the street with enough force to shatter the stone beneath him. Olive gave her arm another tug and it retracted, dragging Twelve across the ground in her direction.

    ¡°Olive!¡± Anna hurled a potion through the air in an underhanded toss.

    Olive¡¯s sword shed. It carved through the bottle, coating its de in the process, and plunged into Twelve¡¯s chest.

    A loud sizzling hiss erupted from the demon. He let out an agonized scream, grasping at Olive¡¯s sword and trying to rip it free. Olive pressed it deeper into him. She twisted the de, then ripped it up through his chest.

    The assassin wheezed. He grasped at the weeping wound, back arching in pain. The light in his eyes fluttered.

    It blinked out.

    Twelve copsed to the ground.

    The entire street went quiet.

    Arwin swayed, leaning against the wall of the building for support. The world swam around him, but he refused to let himself pass out. He took a staggering step forward as blood dripped from the massive cuts in his armor.

    ¡°The demon is dead!¡± Madiv yelled, his voiceing from deep within the crowd. ¡°The Menagerie defeated a demon!¡±

    ¡°They brought it here in the first ce!¡± Someone else yelled back.

    Arguments and cheers broke out through the crowd. They continued for a few brief moments before Lillia raised a hand into the air and took a step forward.

    ¡°We did,¡± Lillia called. ¡°This was a mistake. <em>Our </em>mistake. I wanted to make the re-opening of the Devil¡¯s Den more exciting for all of you, but we fucked up. We let a demon loose on the city ¡ª but the Menagerie always cleans up their messes.¡±

    ¡°You think that¡¯s enough?¡± an adventurer in the crowd demanded. ¡°You could have gotten hundreds of people killed!¡±

    ¡°We could have,¡± Lillia agreed. ¡°And we will answer for that ¡ª but nobody died. So while we wait on judgement, I do believe that drinks and meals are going to be on the house for the next three hours. We are officially open!¡±

    Any protests the crowd might have had were drowned out by the thunderous cheer that followed her words. Men and women stampeded through the street, funneling toward the Devil¡¯s den.

    Anna rushed over to Arwin, pushing past the crowd, and pressed her hand to his chest. Healing energy poured into his body and he let out a relieved groan, slumping back against the wall.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Ariwn asked.

    ¡°Which part?¡±

    ¡°You know which part.¡±

    <em>If the real Twelve still lives, then this was nothing but a stopgap. </em>

    Anna looped an arm around Arwin¡¯s back to keep him from sliding all the way to the ground. She nced at the broken potion bottle on the ground. Rodrick and Olive were already dragging Twelve¡¯s demonic body toward the Infernal Armory to get him out of public view.

    ¡°Arwin, do you remember what my previous job was?¡± Anna asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to forget.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how many times I failed?¡± Anna asked, her words barely audible over the thunderous crowd. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound arrogant. But not once has my <em>work </em>ever been insufficient. My touch means death.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a hint of doubt in Anna¡¯s voice. There was no joy either. Just sad recognition. She knew her abilities were needed, and she hated herself for it.

    Before Arwin could say anything else, golden letters shimmered through the air before him.

    <strong>Achievement: [Assassin Assassin] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Assassin Assassin] ¨C <em>Awarded for killing a target more than 1 Tier above you in front of a crowd without a single person recognizing what was happening right before their noses. What a show.</em> Effects: You took Twelve¡¯s Life. You might as well take his belongings too. May they serve you well. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon request to bequeath everything that all 12 of Twelve¡¯s bodies had on them to you. </em></strong>

    Behind his helm and surrounded by a crowd that had no idea what they were cheering for, Arwin smiled.

    <em>We won.</em>

    <em>I need a drink.</em>

 Chapter 290: Exciting

    As it turned out, people forgot about nearly dying quite quickly when free food and drink was involved. It only took minutes for the entirety of the Devil¡¯s Den to devolve into a party. Drunken adventurers staggered around, tankards sloshing with drink, as loud conversation rang through the air.

    The entirety of the kitchen hade to life to help Lillia cook, and even that didn¡¯t seem like it would be enough to keep up with demand. Knives chopped, pans sauteed, and bowls of ingredients stirred themselves.

    Arwin tried to go in to offer his help, but a stray broom shooed him out before he could say anything. It seemed that the Devil¡¯s Den was just as jealous of its master as the Infernal Armory was of him.

    He was relegated to a table in the corner of the room, but Arwin couldn¡¯tin. They could finally rest. The Mesh itself had confirmed that Twelve¡¯s death had gone unnoticed. His guild would doubtlessly look into what had happened, but their alibi was irond.

    A shadow fell over Arwin. He nced up as Rodrick lowered himself into the chair across from Arwin. His hands were wet with water, having been freshly washed.

    The warrior wordlessly slid a metal bracelet across the table to Arwin. It had two prongs that curled up to hold a gemstone that no longer resided within it.

    ¡°The Infernal Armory has been fed,¡± Rodrick informed Arwin, speaking just loud enough to be heard over the cacophony.

    Arwin¡¯s shoulders rxed. Thest dredges of tension that had been gripping him slipped away as he picked the bracelet up and slipped it into a pocket. Rodrick had executed the veryst part of their n. Twelve¡¯s body had been disposed of, as had the gemstone that had turned his appearance into that of a demon. There was nothing left to tie him to their guild. They were free.

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said, taking the bracelet and putting it into a pocket. He nodded out to the party. ¡°You might as well go find Anna and rx, eh? I think we¡¯ve all earned a day off.¡±¡°Tell me about it,¡± Rodrick said with a chuckle. He pped Arwin on the shoulder and rose back to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to whates next. I get the feeling that we might be looking to expand shortly.¡±

    ¡°We <em>do </em>own the whole street.¡± Arwin smiled. ¡°It would be a shame not to make use of that. I¡¯m just going to have to do a little fundraising first. We need some more high-end customers that I feelfortable supporting.¡±

    Rodrick nced around the party. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have any issue finding new customers. We¡¯re going to be the talk of the town for quite some time. I¡¯d imagine we¡¯re probably going to get fined something sharp, but the publicity we got from this is incredible. You¡¯re going to have more of a problem picking out who you¡¯re willing to work for than you will finding someone.¡±

    The former pdin had a point. There had been a constant flow of people in and out of the tavern ever since Lillia had announced their reopening. The party stretched out into the street, with Reya and Anna running orders to the people waiting outside the inn while Madiv and Lillia¡¯s imps served the ones within it.

    Everything was finallying together.

    Rodrick headed off, and Arwin let himself lean back in his chair. A smile drifted across his face as he watched the nameless faces in the crowd enjoy themselves. Lillia was definitely going to get a high satisfaction rating after this.

    <em>I wonder how many levels this will get her. I get the feeling she¡¯ll be joining me as a Journeyman by the time tonight is over. </em>

    An imp hopped onto the table beside Arwin and slid another tankard into his hands. It gave him a sharp-toothed grin, grabbed his old tankard from him, and scurried off through the crowd.

    ¡°This is quite the re-opening,¡± a rough voice said from over Arwin¡¯s shoulder.

    He turned to find Wace standing behind him, a mug in each of his hands. The dwarf raised them both in greeting.

    ¡°Wace,¡± Arwin said. ¡°When¡¯d you get here?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d miss free drinks?¡± Wace arched an eyebrow, then took a sip from each of the tankards. ¡°Who do you take me for? Dwarven spirits are wasted on your frail human bodies.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering when you¡¯d show back up.¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°You have impable timing. I¡¯ve got a few questions I want to ask you on crafting, but they can wait. Are you staying for long?¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Now is fine,¡± Wace replied. ¡°I¡¯m always interested to talk shop. What¡¯s the nature of the questions?¡±

    ¡°I was doing some work with items that were almost entirely made of non-metal materials,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I used [Soul me] to wrap them while I worked, but I don¡¯t think it worked perfectly. Have you ever done anything like that?¡±

    Wace drained one of his tankards and pawned it off on a passing imp. He set the other one down on the table and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    ¡°That¡¯s a difficult technique. I¡¯ve never been a huge fan myself ¡ª I prefer working metal to other materials ¡ª but I know a smith that uses simr nontraditional methods. I don¡¯t remember exactly what he does, but I believe it had something to do with weaving. He inteces metal and other materials somehow¡­ but I don¡¯t remember exactly what the process was. Honestly, what you¡¯re talking about is closer to enchanting than smithing. Have you actually made a sessful item in that manner?¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Arwin said, tapping a finger on the table. Weaving metal and other materials was a unique take. It would be worth testing out to see if he could lift any elements from it. ¡°And I¡¯d say so, yes. One of mypanions was missing an arm.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Made her a recement, did you? Why not use metal?¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t have the movement that I wanted it to. Metal is great, but it¡¯s not really meant to constantly bend and move like an arm does.¡±

    Wace¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Bend? Just use joints,d. You don¡¯t need that many bending pieces.¡±

    ¡°You do if you want the arm to work exactly how a normal one does.¡±

    The dwarf stared at Arwin for a moment. Then he swallowed. ¡°Arwin. You made a <em>working </em>arm? Aplete recement?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin replied, catching onto the shock in Wace¡¯s tone and shifting in his chair so he couldpletely face the dwarf. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s some stupid dwarvenw about this.¡±

    ¡°Do people know?¡± Wace demanded, grabbing Arwin by the shoulders.

    ¡°I ¡ª what? Yes. They probably saw Olive use it just a few hours ago when she grabbed the demon we identally let escape.¡±

    ¡°You let a demon escape?¡± Wace blinked, then shook his head. ¡°Why did you ¡ª actually, I don¡¯t care. You can give me that storyter. Do people know Olive was missing an arm?¡±

    ¡°Some do. She¡¯s been missing an arm for a while and she¡¯s lived in town for a bit. Would you tell me what the problem is with giving someone back a missing limb? Am I about to have a problem or not?¡±

    ¡°With the council? No. And I¡¯m not sure if problem is the word I¡¯d use either.¡± Wace said slowly. ¡°For your sake, I hope this is something you can replicate. Healing magic can do a lot of things, but it can¡¯t regenerate what isn¡¯t there. It can¡¯t bring back missing limbs. But if what you¡¯re telling me is true¡­ you can. I forgot about your baffling method of forging and that strange smithy of yours. Can you do more than just an arm?¡±

    Arwin stared at Wace for several long seconds. Then, slowly, he nodded. ¡°I should be able to.¡±

    Wace swallowed heavily. ¡°Prepare yourself,d. Once word spreads about this ¡ª and spread it will ¡ª You¡¯re going to have a lot of attention at your door. Every single adventurer with a missing limb, every single person with a bodily ailment that healing magic can¡¯t fix, they¡¯re all about to be knocking at your door. You¡¯ve made yourself into the most specialized healer in the kingdom.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s skin prickled.

    <em>Oh, shit. I did not think this through.</em>

    ***

    ¡°That was quite the showing, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Selen asked, leaning against the wall of the Devil¡¯s Den. The shadows hung over her shrouded form like a second cloak, and not a single one of the adventurers near her or herpanion noticed them.

    Xiodan smiled. ¡°Quite. I thought they might be something interesting the first time Iid eyes on them, and it seems my instincts were correct. You were right to call me here. I wish I could have seen the fight against a demon. Can you really believe that they fought one in the middle of town?¡±

    ¡°I did not witness the fight, but the rumors seem urate,¡± Selen said. ¡°The Menagerie¡¯s Guildmaster is¡­ interesting. The entire guild is.¡±

    ¡°So they are,¡± Xiodan said. ¡°I wish to see more of what they are capable of. I approve of your request. The rumors have made it evident that several of their members have potential to be individually ranked, and I want to see their strength for myself. Invite them to the Proving Grounds.¡±

    ¡°Asbatants?¡± Selen asked.

    Xiodan snorted. ¡°No. As amusing as it would be to watch a crafting guild go up againstbat ones, I am more interested in their true capabilities. Invite them as what they are. A crafting guild. They will be partnered with abat guild.¡±

    ¡°It will be as you ask.¡± Sellen bowed her head. ¡°Which guild? I suspect they will ask to know before they agree to anything.¡±

    ¡°I want to see what they¡¯re truly capable of. We need a suitable challenge.¡± Xiodan tilted his head to the side and tapped a finger against his thigh. ¡°Who gotst ce in thest tournament?¡±

    ¡°I believe it was the Phoenix Circle.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I remember them. They were painful to watch. Remind me why they were allowed in the tournament in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°They were considerably more talented before their Guild Leader died. They are likely to lose their ranking this year. The only reason they didn¡¯t thest time was due to a technicality.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder. I forgot about that bit. I suppose they¡¯ll be perfect, then. They will be who the Menagerie are partnered with.¡± Xiodan turned toward the door. He took a step in its direction, then paused and looked back in Selen¡¯s direction. ¡°And do make sure they ept. There¡¯s a lot riding on this tournament. I need a wild card. Some members of the Secret Eye have been¡­x in their duties. I believe there has been interference with this year¡¯s tournament. Someone is trying to rig it.¡±

    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±

    Xiodan raised a finger to his lips. ¡°Hush, Selen. I trust you, but it is not your ce to ask questions. Not yet. You are not ready. You will simply observe and carry out my will.¡±

    The woman swallowed, then bowed her head in understanding. ¡°I understand. I will ensure they ept our offer.¡±

    Xiodan smiled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m quite looking forward to this. This year¡¯s tournament is going to be so exciting.¡±

 Chapter 291: Interesting

    A song filled Lillia¡¯s kitchen. Knives beat a drumbeat against her cutting board, following the act of the cursed de that Arwin had given her. Sizzling meat sang a chorus and steam whistled in the background. ck strands extended from the walls and held her pans, tossing the saut¨¦ing vegetables within them every so often. Utensils, pots, and bowls of food ferried themselves through the air. Scents mixed together in a tantalizing swirl that almost felt like watercolor mixing upon paper.

    To the untrained eye, it was chaos.

    But to Lillia, it was an orchestra ¡ª and she was its conductor.

    The Devil¡¯s Den thrummed beneath her feet as their power mingled.

    The direct contact between her skin and the floor of the Devil¡¯s Den was what let her connect to the building. It was still young, but it was immensely powerful. Information flowed from the building into Lillia¡¯s mind in a steady stream, the vast majority of it entirely useless.

    Its attention flitted and danced from customer to customer like a delighted fairy. It conveyed scraps of their conversations and told her of what they wore. Of what they smelled like, of what they sounded like.

    But it was more than just conversations.

    Within the immense storm of information was more than what could be observed with the eye or ear.

    The Devil¡¯s Den told Lillia of her customer¡¯s desires.It guided her in slight modifications to her meals. She skipped adding milk to a dish for a man that had no idea he hadctose intolerance. She put extra peppers into a dish for a man that longed for the vors of his mother¡¯s cooking.

    As long as Lillia¡¯s skin was in contact with the tavern, she could ensure that every single person that visited the Devil¡¯s Den would enjoy their stay.

    Of course, walking around without shoes in a kitchen normally would have been a decidedly unwise move, but she had no fear of dropping a knife or stepping on something.

    The floors cleaned themselves. The knives policed themselves.

    There wasn¡¯t a single thing within the inn that Lillia wasn¡¯t aware of.

    She knew where every single customer was. She knew how many of them were still eating. How many of them were passed out drunk and being drug out into the street by their friends ¡ª and she knew that there was a woman standing in the shadows at the edge of the kitchen.

    Lillia turned toward the darkness. There was no shadow that she could not see through. And yet, when she turned her senses to where the Devil¡¯s Den told her there was a soul, there was nothing. It was not dark. It was simply empty.

    Her eyes were lying to her.

    The Chef¡¯s Kiss parted from its orchestra and floated to hover by her shoulder, swayingzily in the air. Lillia¡¯s crossed her arms in front of her chest.

    ¡°No customers in the kitchen.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. Then the air rippled. A woman appeared from the nothingness, clothed in pitch ck robes. Her arms were crossed behind her back and the top half of her face was concealed by a hood. The only thing Lillia could make out were her lips, which were curled up in a faint, knowing smile.

    ¡°You could see me?¡± There was a note of respect in the woman¡¯s words.

    Lillia¡¯s eyes narrowed. She knew who this was. Selen, the member of the Secret Eye that they¡¯d had some dealings with before.

    <em>What are the Secret Eye doing here? Did they figure out what happened to Twelve? Or is Selen seeking me out specifically? There¡¯s no way she could have figured out Arwin or my true identity, right?</em>

    ¡°The kitchen isn¡¯t safe for anyone but the chef. Please wait your turn to eat like everyone else,¡± Lillia said, ignoring Selen¡¯s question entirely. She watched the dark-robed with woman warily, ready to burst into motion at a moment¡¯s notice.

    The Devil¡¯s Den told her that the Secret Eye member had eaten within its walls recently. Her power steeped the woman, and far more than it had Twelve. Lillia could bring Selen to a grinding halt with a single word if she needed to.

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so stuffy,¡± Selen said. ¡°We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°We are not. You nearly caused a Dungeon Break.¡±

    <em>What is she ying at? Could the Secret Eye be digging for information of what we¡¯re capable of? I can¡¯t let my guard down. She¡¯s not getting any information out of me. </em>

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t our fault,¡± Selen defended. ¡°That was the Ardent guild. We were just doing our job.¡±

    ¡°And I am trying to do mine,¡± Lillia said. She sent a pointed nce back at the food that was still in the process of preparing itself.

    Even though she could speak and work at the same time, controlling the kitchen and infusing every meal with magic drew a significant amount of energy. It would have been impossible without the Devil¡¯s Den to help shoulder some of the cost. But, even with its help, it wasn¡¯t an easy task.

    ¡°Of course. I won¡¯t keep you long. Today is an important day for your guild,¡± Selen said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to intrude on that for any longer than is appropriate. Ie bearing good news and an offer.¡±

    ¡°Good news?¡± Lillia asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Generally, I¡¯ve found that good news doesn¡¯te delivered by someone breaking into rooms to speak to me privately.¡±

    Augh slipped from Selen¡¯s mouth and she raised a hand to cover it. ¡°That¡¯s a fair observation. I apologize for that. My order is used to being a little pretentious. Ites with the name. Would anyone really put much stock in our words if we showed up knocking on the door like a normal messenger?¡±

    Lillia moved to the side as a pot whizzed past her head, bearing a bubbling stew within it. She gave Selen a slight shrug.

    ¡°I suppose not. Please make good on your offer, then. Tell me what it is that you came to say and leave.¡±

    ¡°We formally invite the Menagerie to the Proving Grounds,¡± Selen said, obliging Lillia¡¯s request. ¡°You have proven that your guild is uniquely capable ¡ª and we are quite interested in seeing just how capable you are.¡±

    ¡°And why are you asking me this instead of Ifrit?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°He¡¯s the Guildmaster. Not me.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e now. Don¡¯t tell me you only do as hemands.¡±

    The knife at Lillia¡¯s shoulder flitted back over to her cutting board and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

    ¡°That¡¯s a poor attempt at a barb. We do things together. I¡¯m not asking because I need to figure out what my man¡¯s opinion is. I¡¯m asking because I¡¯m doing something right now and he ¡ª as far as I am aware ¡ª is sitting at a table. Something tells me you haven¡¯t chosen to bother me purely because you wanted to let him get some rest. Get to the point or get out.¡±

    Selen cleared her throat. ¡°Fair enough. I was curious to see how strong you were. I¡¯m more than aware you¡¯ll be bearing any message I pass to you to him, just as he would pass the message to you.¡±

    Lillia grunted. ¡°And why should we ept? I don¡¯t even know what the Proving Grounds are. What¡¯s in it for us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tournament,¡± Selen replied. ¡°One hosted by the Secret Eye every year, and one of the best ways to advance your guild¡¯s ranking at an increased rate. The concept is simple. We invite the most interesting groups we¡¯ve found to see how they measure up against each other, then distribute rewards to those who perform the best.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because the Secret Eye¡¯s purpose is to catalogue the strength of all those within the Kingdom of Lian. Nothing motivates adventurers more than a reward ¡ª and fame. This will give you both.¡±

    ¡°And what exactly is the reward?¡± Lillia asked.

    Selen smiled. ¡°Other than the fame? We have information. More than any other organization in existence. And everyone has a question they want answered. ce high enough and we will give you that answer. Anything you want.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lillia didn¡¯t let a speck of emotion show on her face. Even if she was interested in Selen¡¯s offer, she wasn¡¯t going to let on about it.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll have the usual rewards as well.¡± Selen waved her hand in dismissal. ¡°Gold. Materials. Gifts from the nobles sponsoring the tournament. Put on a good enough showing and you could make a very healthy amount of money from this.¡±

    <em>That¡­ could be really important. Especially considering we kind of have a huge debt to the Dawnseeker guild right now. We have Raen¡¯s bracelet, but we need to pay them as well to make up for what they lost from Twelve. </em>

    <em>That¡¯s not even to mention how much money it¡¯s going to cost to build up the street. We need gold so Arwin can choose what jobs he takes on. Winning a tournament would also get the attention that both Arwin and I need to keep expanding. </em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Lillia said with a small nod. ¡°I¡¯ll let Arwin and the rest of the guild know. If we were to ept, would we be choosing a representative? Or is our whole guild meant to be fighting?¡±

    ¡°Neither.¡± Selen¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°You won¡¯t be fighting at all. The Menagerie is a crafting guild. It would be ludicrous for us to expect you topete with adventurers. Instead, you¡¯ll be partnered with a group of adventurers. Every guild in the tournament will be in a simr setup."

    Lillia brow furrowed as she frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve got to work with a guild? Which one?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for them to pay you a visit tonight. They are fortunately already in town,¡± Selen said.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Lillia eximed. ¡°I didn¡¯t say we would ept¡ª¡±

    Her words were wasted.

    Selen was gone.

    The Devil¡¯s Den confirmed that the Secret Eye representative had vanished from its premises.

    <em>I¡¯m going to have to get some sort of enchantment on the building that prevents people from teleporting around inside it. I¡¯d love to see the look on Selen¡¯s smug face when she can¡¯t poof in and out wherever she wants to. </em>

    Lillia let out a huff and turned back to her counter. There was still work to do. And, despite her annoyance, Selen¡¯s offer had hooked her.

    <em>A tournament where we have to outfit another guild instead of doing the fighting ourselves¡­</em>

    <em>That could be quite interesting.</em>

 Chapter 292: Figures

    Arwin sat in silence, a small smile on his lips, as he finally let himself do absolutely nothing for the first time in days.

    The buzz of the Devil¡¯s Den turned into a droning hum at the back of his ears. There was something strangelyforting about being able to hear dozens of voices oveid on top of each other and to bepletely unable to tell where each one came from. Everyone was just a silhouette dancing in the light of the dim orangenterns.

    It was at times like this when he could see why Lillia wanted to have an inn so badly. There was something about it that felt like home. Amunity ¡ª even though he hadn¡¯t said a single word to anyone else in nearly an hour.

    But it seemed that his time for silence was at its end.

    Arwin nced up as someone pulled the chair on the other side of his table out. Yonas sat down across from him. The merchant had a small smile on his face and a frothing drink in his hand. He took a sip from it as he rocked back in his chair and leaned his elbows on the table.

    ¡°Quite the party, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    It certainly was. The Devil¡¯s Den had been alive and flooded with conversation for longer than it ever had been before. It had been more than an hour since Lillia had stopped serving free meals. Her n had worked wlessly. At this rate, the advertising they were getting from the re-opening was going to pay for itself within days.

    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°Have you been enjoying yourself? I didn¡¯t realize you were here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be willing to bet that half of Milten has been here.¡± Yonas took a sip from his mug and let out a contented sigh. ¡°This is great. I don¡¯t know why no other inn hasn¡¯t thought to dim the lights like this before. You can hear the babble around you, but you can¡¯t see who¡¯s talking or hear what they¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s perfect. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve pulled it off, but it¡¯s going to be very popr.¡±<em>That would be the magic shadows that follow Lillia around. Something tells me she might not be at too much risk of getting ripped off anytime soon. I doubt anybody will be able to pull off the signature powers of the Demon Queen. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass your kind words on to Lillia. They¡¯ll mean a lot to her,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t looking for investors, are you?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment, but I¡¯ll pass that offer along as well. We very well might be in the future. Just¡­ a lot going on right now.¡±

    Yonas let out a quiet chuckle that Arwin could barely make out over the din. He drained the rest of his drink in one go, then set the mug down on the table and let his chair rock back to normal. ¡°A lot, huh? I couldn¡¯t help but notice that you never reached out to me with regards to a certain item.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°It¡¯s too bad we were never able to get it.¡±

    The two of them were silent for a few seconds. Then Yonas leaned closer, and Arwin could just barely make out the glint of his eyes in the darkness.

    ¡°You did it, then.¡± Yonas wasn¡¯t asking a question. ¡°You actually managed to pull it off.¡±

    ¡°You were the one that bet on us, were you not?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Do you usually bet on things that don¡¯t turn out well for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been known to take a stupid bet or two in my time,¡± Yonas said, letting out a small chuckle. He nudged his empty tankard. ¡°Then the news will emerge soon. I¡¯ll resist the urge to try to make any money off that. How did you ¡ª no. Don¡¯t tell me. Better not to know.¡±

    ¡°Better not,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But something tells me you aren¡¯t here purely for pleasure.¡±

    ¡°Good read,¡± Yonas said. He blew out a huff and straightened his shoulders. ¡°To my displeasure, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Raen wants his payment, I take it?¡±

    Yonas nodded. ¡°Yes. Both parts of it. The gold and the item. Now, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll take some time, but he¡¯s rather impatient. It doesn¡¯t help that he¡¯s got no clue what you¡¯ve pulled. He just thinks you screwed up. I¡¯ve done my best to keep him from getting too pissy. That won¡¯tst forever. The sooner you can get¡ª¡±

    Arwin thunked the bracelet down on the table.

    Yonas blinked. He looked down at the band, then back up to Arwin. ¡°Is that¡­¡±

    ¡°Half of the item,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°The other part¡­ well, I need to know what changes Raen wants. Magic items don¡¯t just, well, magically aplish everything you want. They have to be made with intention. If he wants something that changes someone¡¯s form, then he needs to tell me exactly what bits of the form are getting changed.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re ahead of the game,¡± Yonas said in approval. He pushed the bracelet back over to Arwin. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll let him know. That¡¯ll probably shut him up for a while.¡±

    ¡°Just have him swing by,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And make sure he brings whoever it is that needs to be modified by the bracelet. When he does, I can get everything made by the next day as long as I¡¯m not already busy.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Yonas said. He rose to his feet. ¡°You¡¯ve given me good news, then. Lucky for both of us. And what about the money?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get it to you. How much do you think you¡¯re going to need to push the Ardent guild out?¡±

    Yonas scratched his chin and tilted his head to the side. He was silent for several moments before he spoke again. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. It depends how hard they fight to keep a hold of Milten. It would have been easy if Twelve just¡­ dealt with everything for us.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be helping much.¡±

    ¡°Then we need a way to get a good foothold. It¡¯s like trying to break down a wall. Everything gets much easier once there¡¯s a crack in the foundations. But we don¡¯t have that foothold, so we¡¯ll have to brute force our way in and undercut them with insane prices. That won¡¯t be cheap at scale.¡±

    A thought passed through Arwin¡¯s mind and he tilted his head to the side. ¡°What if we were able to get you that foothold?¡±

    ¡°What, you mean through this street? I¡¯m not talking about a physical location. I¡¯m talking about an establishedwork. Merchants that will work with us, ess to customers. All that stuff and more.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But we may have ess to that. The Ardent guild might be the strongest one in the city, but there¡¯s another. The Montibeau family. You were talking about having topete with them¡­ but what if you worked together?¡±

    ¡°Why would they bother working with us? We¡¯re no more of an ally to them than the Ardents are.¡±

    ¡°Because the Montibeaus owe me,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°A lot. If I ask them to form a business rtionship with you, I suspect they would be amiable. The alliance would probably be quite beneficial for them. They could use some support right now.¡±

    Yonas stared at Arwin. Then he started tough. ¡°You¡¯re serious? If they¡¯d actually be willing to work together with us and let another family step on their turf, then that would definitely settle a lot of the outstanding debt.¡±

    Given how much the Menagerie owed the Dawnseeker guild for getting them a way to get the Dungeon Heart, Arwin couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was getting the better end of the deal if Raen was amiable to the new terms.

    ¡°Pass it along to Raen, would you?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Yonas promised. ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure. I¡¯ll be seeing you around.¡±

    The merchant stepped around his chair and disappeared into the darkness and the crowd. Arwin watched him leave, a small smile on his lips. Everything was falling into ce just the way it needed to.

    Twelve was dead. Their debts with the Dawnseeker guild were close to settled, and the Ardent guild was about to have a whole lot of enemies knocking at their door. He¡¯d even be able to help Melissa re-establish her family in the city. An alliance with the Dawnseekers would be really beneficial for Melissa ¡ª having another strong guild at her back would force the Kererus Coalition to really consider if they wanted to keep sending people after her.

    The Menagerie was in a good spot as well. They were definitely going to get hit by some kind of fine about the ¡°demon¡± situation, but when Arwin looked that as the cost for executing Twelve in the streets in front of an entire audience, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like they¡¯d made a good investment.

    Only time would tell just how sessful the move was as an advertising strategy, but if today was anything to go by, Arwin got the feeling their street had just gotten quite popr.

    <em>We¡¯re going to have to keep expanding. The guild has an entire street but only two buildings. Three, if you count Esmerelda¡¯s store of cursed stuff. Maybe we¡¯re going to have to start looking into recruiting a few more people to run some periphery stores. </em>

    Arwin was still lost in thought when a hand fell on his shoulder.

    He practically jumped into the air as he spun to find Lillia standing behind him.

    ¡°Shit. I didn¡¯t hear you there,¡± Arwin said, shaking himself off.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lillia said. Her teeth caught the light as she grinned at him. ¡°I got a new boon because of all the people eating in the tavern. I can slip through the shadows inside the inn. Makes it pretty easy to travel around quickly, but it drains a lot of energy.¡±

    ¡°You can teleport?¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s quite some boon. Did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Reached Journeyman,¡± Lillia confirmed, her smile turning smug. ¡°Haven¡¯t had a chance to choose any skills, though. Too busy working. I¡¯ve only got a brief moment, so I wanted to find you.¡±

    ¡°Is something going on?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve been invited to a tournament by the Secret Eye.¡±

    Arwin paused. That hadn¡¯t been anywhere near what he¡¯d been expecting to hear. ¡°A tournament? Us? Why would they invite a crafting guild to fight?¡±

    ¡°I asked the same thing. They don¡¯t want us to fight,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°They want us to outfit another guild.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Arwin said, mulling over the word. ¡°This is something we¡¯re going to have to talk to Rodrick and Anna about. It could be great marketing¡­ and it could be a way to draw some more people to the guild. I was just thinking we might need to start capitalizing on the rest of our street with the amount of attention we¡¯ve got on us. It¡¯s just wasted right now.¡±

    Lillia nodded in agreement. ¡°The Secret Eye are going to send the guild in question to the Devil¡¯s Den sometime tonight. I didn¡¯t agree to anything, though. They just like disappearing like assholes when they¡¯re done talking.¡±

    ¡°Figures,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll go find Rodrick and Anna and make sure they know what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get back to work. There are still a lot of people waiting to get their food. We¡¯ll catch up tonight.¡±

    With that, the shadows rose up from the ground and swallowed her whole.

    Arwin stretched his arms over his head in a yawn. An imp hopped up onto his table, grabbing his mug, and scurried off. He let out a chuckle and started off in search of his guildmates.

    It looked like the excitement for the day wasn¡¯t quite over.

 Chapter 293: The Hottest

    The party ran on for three more hours, and Arwin did absolutely nothing for the entirety of them ¡ª though he did slip into the kitchen to steal a kiss from Lillia at one point, purely just because he could.

    Reya flopped down to join Arwin at this table as the night started to wind down. Her hair was frazzled and she looked exhausted, but there was a satisfied smile on her lips as she sank back in her chair.

    ¡°The crowd is finally dying down,¡± Reya said, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. She snagged Arwin¡¯s drink off the table and peered into it before ncing up at him. ¡°Can I?¡±

    ¡°Feel free.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Reya took a long drag from it, then let out another satisfied sigh. ¡°This is great.¡±

    ¡°The drink? Or everything else?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Reya replied. She took another sip before setting the tankard back onto the table and letting her head loll back to stare up at the ceiling. ¡°I feel so relieved. I think I could sleep for a day straight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done that a few times,¡± Arwin said with a wry smile. ¡°I can rmend it. You wake up feeling pretty great.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only because you¡¯re a nutter that blows through every single scrap of energy he¡¯s got banging at a piece of metal.¡±¡°Guilty. But, that said, you do know you can take breaks, right? Madiv is also helping corral people, and I could have filled in for you if the need was there. I¡¯m sure one of the others could have as well.¡±

    Reya straightened up in her chair just enough to look at Arwin. ¡°But why? It¡¯s fun. Just a lot of work.¡±

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°Just don¡¯t work too hard.¡±

    ¡°Pot, kettle, ck.¡±

    Arwin chuckled and held his hands up in surrender. They both sat in silence for a few moments. Olive walked past them, bearing a te of food to one of the other tables. She paused as she spotted Reya, then veered over in her direction to ruffle her hair before continuing on without missing a step.

    Reya¡¯s cheeks reddened enough that Arwin was able to catch it even in the darkness.

    ¡°It looks like things are going pretty well between you two,¡± Arwin said, choosing his words carefully in case he¡¯d misread the situation.

    Fortunately, Reya grinned and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Thanks for the advice. I don¡¯t think I could have done anything without it. It really helped put things in perspective.¡±

    <em>It¡­ did?</em>

    ¡°Oh. Uh, I¡¯m d,¡± Arwin said, coughing into a fist.

    ¡°Me too. We¡¯re going to go into the city on an actual date soon. We promised each other we wouldn¡¯t spend time doing anything other than training and preparing until it was actually safe.¡± Reya hesitated for a moment, then nced at Arwin. ¡°It <em>is </em>safe now, right?¡±

    ¡°About as safe as things are ever for you,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°You might need to keep your hood up the entire time with the amount of people you¡¯ve pissed off in your time.¡±

    It was Reya¡¯s turn to clear her throat. Her hand went down to Wyrmhunger¡¯s hilt and she ran a thumb over it. ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t forgotten, but I¡¯m getting stronger. I¡¯m not really as worried about them as I used to be. Especially with Olive. She¡¯s really strong too.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Arwin said. Olive¡¯s abilities were terrifying. She was only a Journeyman, but her potential was staggering. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how deadly she would be in the higher tiers.

    <em>I don¡¯t think I could hit that hard at that level when I was the Hero. She¡¯s going to be a one woman army when she gets to that level. I hope that arm holds out for her. It¡¯ll take her from threat to force of nature. </em>

    ¡°She¡¯s really strong,¡± Reya said dreamily, her eyes drifting over to Olive as a goofy grin crossed her face.

    Arwin repressed a burst ofughter. He didn¡¯t want to identally hurt Reya¡¯s feelings. He managed to seed, but nearly lost an instantter when Reya turned back to him just in time for Olive to turn and look in her direction. Even though Arwin couldn¡¯t make out any details in her face within the darkness, the attention was answer enough.

    ¡°I hope your date goes well,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But I think I¡¯m optimistic about the results.¡±

    ¡°You think we¡¯ll have time to do it soon? We¡¯ve gotten a ton of extra eyes on the street, so it¡¯s probably going to be really busy. I don¡¯t want to¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a guild,¡± Arwin said firmly. ¡°Not a business. Our purpose is to help each other, and I can assure you that we¡¯ll be able to find a recement for one day. Anna or Rodrick would probably be thrilled to take over for a bit.¡±

    Reya hesitated for a second, then smiled. ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Just let me know whenever you head out,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Things are smoothing out, but we¡¯re notpletely out of the water yet. Actually, if you¡¯ve got time now, I would appreciate if you help pass something along to the others.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Arwin briefly filled Reya in on everything that Lillia had told him about the Secret Eye¡¯s invitation to the Proving Grounds as well as the guild that was supposedlying to visit them at some point today.

    Once he¡¯d finished, Reya nced around the quieting tavern before returning her attention to Arwin and arching an eyebrow. ¡°Are you sure they¡¯reing? It¡¯s starting to get a little bitte, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°No clue.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s safe? Or should we be ready for a fight?¡±

    Arwin waggled a hand in the air. ¡°I¡¯m not really expecting any trouble here. The Secret Eye aren¡¯t friends, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯d actively be trying to attack us. It would be strange for them to go through so much effort to set things up when they could just try to remove us more directly. We already know they¡¯ve got a whole branch that focuses on that.¡±

    A moment of sadness passed through Reya¡¯s features at the thought of Anna¡¯s past. She nodded to Arwin. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll find everyone and let them know to be ready.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said through a yawn. ¡°And don¡¯t get too worried about it. If it happens, great. If not, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯m notpletely sold on the tournament yet as a whole. It could be useful, but it won¡¯t be the end of the world if nothing happens ¡ª and we¡¯re not in any danger when we¡¯re inside Lillia¡¯s tavern.¡±

    Reya nodded, then set off into the darkness.

    Arwin watched her leave, then sank back into his chair. His body was exhausted and his mind wasn¡¯t far behind. His entire being had been as taut as a string for far too long. They really needed a few weeks to rest ¡ª and this tournament potentially felt like it could fill that request.

    <em>If we¡¯re just sitting back and outfitting some people, that could be a good way for me to practice making weapons and armor while building up a name for the guild. I need to work on making items that aren¡¯t so powerful that I get every guild in the Kingdom of Lian trying to kick my door in, so this could be a great way to do that. </em>

    <em>Suppose it depends on what this guild we¡¯re waiting on is like. </em>

    <em>Guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and see.</em>

    <em>***</em>

    Time wore on. The evening turned to night, and while the party died down, the tavern continued to bustle with a crowd. Every single table was full. Lillia had definitely turned up the sound-muting properties of her shadows. He could hear conversations, but he couldn¡¯t make out a single word within them.

    Arwin sat at his table, somewhere between sleep and rxation, as he waited the night out. As the hours stretched on, people started to leave the tavern and head home. He saw a few adventurers ¡ª including Wanda, the huge woman that had bought armor from them some time ago ¡ª head up the stairs toward the rooms.

    <em>Looks like Lillia is selling some rooms for the night as well. Fantastic. She¡¯s really doing great now. I¡¯m happy for her.</em>

    But of the guild that the Secret Eye had mentioned, there was no sign. It was already nearly midnight. Most of the tables around Arwin had vacated and the only people that remained spoke in hushed tones that barely made it through the cloak of shadows around them.

    He was just about to decide that the Secret Eye¡¯s guild wasn¡¯t going to show up when the door to the tavern creaked open. A man and a woman stepped inside. Arwin caught a quick glimpse of the two in the moonlight before the door closed behind them.

    The man waspletely covered in bandages from toe to head. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, he waspletely bundled up as if there was a snowstorm outside. He wore thick, puffy clothes and had heavy boots and gloves on. It was impossible to tell what his actual body shape was under all theyers he¡¯d buried himself under.

    Hispanion was one of the tallest women that Arwin had ever seen. She had the toned form of a dancer and wore flowing, translucent silks that did nothing to conceal the daggers strapped to her legs and arms. Bluish-green hair hung around her face like strands of seaweed. Her face was covered by a mask that ran down to her shoulders and connected with a shimmering silver cloak.

    Reya approached them, and there was a quick conversation that Arwin missed.

    Then the three of them started in his direction. Rodrick, who sat at a table behind Arwin, pulled a chair over to sit beside him.

    ¡°Something tells me these are our friends,¡± Rodrick whispered as the two approached.

    ¡°I think you might be right. We should probably get more chairs for this table, though. There are only three.¡±

    But, before Arwin could rise, Reya and the neers came to a stop at the edge of the table.

    The bandaged man pulled out one of the chairs nearby, then guided the woman into it with a single hand on her shoulder. He then pulled thest chair at the table out and looked to Reya.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You can sit,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Please. I insist,¡± the bandaged man said, his voice muffled by the wrappings covering his face. Not even his mouth had been spared from their grasp. ¡°I will get another chair.¡±

    Reya hesitated, then epted the man¡¯s offer with an appreciative nod.

    The man snagged an extra chair, then sat down beside hispanion. He cleared his throat as he scooted a little closer to the table.

    ¡°You must be Ifrit, then? The Secret Eye told us toe find you.¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°I am. We¡¯ve been waiting.¡±

    ¡°I deeply apologize,¡± the man said. ¡°We were waid. My name is Elias. This is my sister, Maeve. We¡¯re from Phoenix Circle. The Secret Eye sent us here to meet you a day ago. I apologize if we smell. We¡¯ve been traveling all day.¡±

    <em>A day ago? Then they told them toe here before we¡¯d even epted. I guess they were pretty damn confident we¡¯d say yes to the tournament. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you both,¡± Arwin said, reaching out to shake Elias¡¯ hand. His initial impression of the man was fairly good. He seemed polite enough. They shook, and Arwin offered his hand to Maeve.

    She shook, and a flicker of surprise passed through Arwin. Her grip was one of someone who knew their own strength ¡ª and understood it was too great to utilize. She was intentionally holding back.

    <em>Interesting.</em>

    ¡°Likewise. And please forgive my sister. She would love to answer you, but she cannot speak.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize,¡± Arwin said, ncing to Maeve. ¡°If you just give us a moment, the rest of my guild will gather as well so we can all hear you out.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I cannot say how thrilled I am to be here. This opportunity¡­ it means everything to me. To us,¡± Elias said, swallowing heavily. ¡°We will do whatever it takes.¡±

    <em>Is the tournament that important? Maybe their guild has a lot riding on it. It does seem like a slightly interesting move to send someone who can¡¯t speak on a diplomatic job. Not that I¡¯ve got an issue with it, but wouldn¡¯t they want to send their most convincing people?</em>

    Lillia emerged from the kitchen before Arwin¡¯s thoughts could continue any further. She swept out from behind the door and strode over to the table, shadows coiling in her path like rippling water. She was, without a doubt, the most intimidating innkeeper that Arwin had ever seen.

    <em>And the hottest. </em>

    Lillia caught his eye as she made her way over to stand beside him, and the look on her face told Arwin that his thoughts might have slipped into his expression. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Arwin, hugging him from behind.

    ¡°Wee to the Devil¡¯s Den. We look forward to hearing about you,¡± Lillia said. She pulled back and straightened. But, as she did, her lips brushed against Arwin¡¯s ear and her voice dropped to a whisper that the darkness delivered to him alone.

    ¡°Neither of them are human.¡±

 Chapter 294: The Heart of the Matter

    Arwin didn¡¯t let his features betray the information that Lillia had just passed onto him. He was surprised to hear that Phoenix Circle had sent two monsters to speak with them but considering the background of more than half the people in the Menagerie, he wasn¡¯t particrly bothered by their identities.

    <em>Compared to a Demon Queen, a Hero, and two traitors to the Secret Eye, I don¡¯t think being some random monster is really that big of a deal. </em>

    He sat in ce, unmoving, as Lillia headed over to a nearby table to snag a chair for herself. She brought it back over and set it up beside Arwin before sitting down.

    ¡°Would you mind telling us a little about your Guild?¡± Rodrick asked, leaning forward with a slight glint in his eye that the darkness never could have hoped to conceal. ¡°We¡¯ve been very caught up in recent times. Lots of work, expansion, you know the deal.¡±

    ¡°Our guild?¡± Elias sounded surprised at the question for some reason. ¡°Of course. We were ranked 380 before the previous Proving Grounds.¡±

    ¡°Before the previouspetition?¡± Rodrick tilted his head to the side. ¡°And what about now?¡±

    Elias hesitated for a long second. Then his shoulders slumped. ¡°500.¡±

    Arwin almost choked on his own saliva.

    <em>Holy shit. They¡¯re literally the lowest ranked guild. I suppose we don¡¯t really have much room toin considering the Menagerie is at 499, but still¡­ what¡¯s up with that, Selen? Why would you intentionally set us up with the worst ranked guild?</em>A flicker of embarrassment passed through Arwin an instant after the thought. Looking down on a guild¡¯s ranks was something he¡¯d expect some random asshole adventurer to pull off. He was more than confident the Menagerie would be able to hold their own against many of the supposedly stronger guilds. The same could be true for Phoenix Circle. There was no pointing to conclusions without information.

    ¡°I see,¡± Rodrick said. He inteced his fingers. ¡°But, if I¡¯m honest, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re particrly bothered with your rank. We¡¯re more interested in who <em>you </em>are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Elias asked, his gaze shooting up to meet Rodrick¡¯s. The man¡¯s entire body tensed in an instant. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    <em>He¡¯s defensive. Really defensive. Makes sense for a monster¡­ but reacting that badly isn¡¯t a good sign. Has Elias never been questioned as to his identity before? You¡¯d think a monster faking their identity would have more practice at it. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯ve given us a number,¡± Rodrick said, continuing his questioning while Arwin was lost in his thoughts. ¡°But your rank isn¡¯t who you are. It¡¯s just a number that the Secret Eye gave you. I don¡¯t care about that. I want to know about you. Your guild. What does Phoenix Circle stand for? What goals do you have?¡±

    Elias blinked heavily. He nced to Maeve, then back to Rodrick. It was evident that he hadn¡¯t been expecting this line of questioning.

    ¡°Uh¡­ we just want to get rich,¡± Elias said, squirming in his chair. ¡°We really want to get rich.¡±

    <em>I don¡¯t even need Rodrick to tell me that he¡¯s lying. It¡¯s so obvious it¡¯s almost painful.</em>

    ¡°Starting a rtionship on bullshit is generally less than ideal,¡± Lillia said quietly. ¡°We have a passing interest in this tournament, but not enough to ally ourselves with someone we can¡¯t trust. If you want to work together, then you¡¯ll speak the truth. What does your guild stand for?¡±

    Elias winced and wrung his hands together. Maeve turned to send a pointed look in his direction. He faltered under it, sinking lower into his chair, and let out a small sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ very embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°Embarrassing enough toy all your cards down and walk after telling us how badly you wanted to get into the tournament?¡± Rodrick asked, arching an eyebrow.

    ¡°No,¡± Elias replied. He straightened back in his chair and adjusted the bandages on his neck. ¡°No. Not at all. I don¡¯t want that. The reason we need to win this tournament so badly is because I have a¡­ condition.¡±

    ¡°A condition?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°What does that have to do with winning a tournament?¡±

    ¡°The Secret Eye will grant a request from the winners for information,¡± Elias said. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a specific nt. This nt is what I need to cure my condition. It¡¯s incredibly rare, and the location it grows is almost impossible to find. I¡¯m certain that the Secret Eye knows where it is, though. If we win, they¡¯ll tell us where it is.¡±

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    <em>That was possibly the worst way he could have worded that. It¡¯s so obvious that he¡¯s trying to hide the name of the nt, which only makes me want to ask why he wants it even more. Is it a nt that lets him keep his human form or something like that?</em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Rodrick said, his voice sharpening. ¡°That¡¯s it? Your whole guild is entering a tournament just so you can ask this one question?¡±

    Arwin nced at Rodrick out of the corners of his eyes. The former pdin had worded his question quite aggressively to make it sound like they disapproved of the idea of spending a bunch of resources just to help a single person.

    <em>Rodrick is trying to see if they bend and give a different reason when we show disapproval for being kind. That¡¯s a good way to weed out if they¡¯re actually telling us the truth or if they¡¯re just trying to look nice. </em>

    <em>He¡¯s kind of scary. </em>

    ¡°Yes,¡± Elias said, his tone unwavering. ¡°I know that¡¯s not a very impressive reason, but this is the only chance I have left. I have to get the Secret Eye¡¯s help. This won¡¯t impact you at all. If we can win, your guild will get the same rewards we do.¡±

    ¡°And your entire guild is willing to back you up on that? They¡¯re all going to put the effort into fighting through a whole tournament to get that question answered.¡±

    Elias nodded firmly. ¡°Yes. I love my guild dearly for it. There¡¯s been a lot spent to keep me here. I hope to be able to repay that debt one day in the future.¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s expression rxed and a smile pulled across his lips. ¡°Good on you, then. We can respect that a lot more than just greed. There are better ways to get money than something like this.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You should have led with that. But from what you¡¯ve said¡­ neither of you are the Guild Leader of Phoenix Circle.¡±

    ¡°We are not,¡± Elias confirmed. His shoulders tensed, predicting Arwin¡¯s next question before it could even leave his lips.

    ¡°Is there a reason that your leader isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ missing,¡± Elias said. ¡°He has been for about a year. He can¡¯t participate this year. I know that makes our squad a lot weaker, but we can push through if we just practice enough. I¡¯ve heard stories about your equipment as well. With that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Missing? How so?¡±

    Maeve elbowed Elias in the side. The bandaged man grimaced, then slumped.

    ¡°He went out to a dungeon and didn¡¯t return ¡ª but his body wasn¡¯t found! He can¡¯t be dead. I refuse to believe he could have died so easily.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s believed to be dead,¡± Rodrick finished.

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t believe it for a second, but I can¡¯t go looking for him. Not yet. As soon as we win the tournament, I¡¯ll find him. He must have gotten trapped somewhere, or¡­¡± The bandaged man trailed off, then cleared his throat and shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m going off topic. This is our guild¡¯s problem, not yours. As I said, I promise it won¡¯t affect our prowess. We¡¯ll find a recement for the duration of the tournament.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll <em>find</em> a recement?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I could be reading into your words too much, but don¡¯t you already have one? Just use a different member from your guild.¡±

    Elias flinched. Even though Arwin couldn¡¯t see his features at all, the man was doing a remarkable impression of a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar after midnight. His shoulders slumped for what must have been the third time that night.

    ¡°There¡¯s nobody else in our guild.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Reya asked, blinking in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s just the two of you?¡±

    ¡°The three of us,¡± Elias corrected immediately. He caught himself and cleared his throat into a fist. ¡°But¡­ yes. It¡¯s just me and Maeve. The two of us are very used to fighting together. We¡¯repetent, I swear. We only performed so poorly during thest tournament because the two of us tried to fight on our own and we ran into the Starforge guild in the first round and couldn¡¯t afford proper healing ¡ª but we almost won that fight! They ended up getting 2nd ce in the whole tournament. We would have gotten much higher if that hadn¡¯t happened.¡±

    <em>He thinks they would have performed well, even with just two people? The Secret Eye isn¡¯t going to be bringing in pushovers. Every single guild there is going to be talented. So either Elias is bullshitting about how strong he and his sister are, or they¡¯re actually quite talented. That will onlye by seeing how they can fight, but the thing I¡¯m really interested in is who they are as people¡­ or monsters, I suppose.</em>

    Lillia had the same idea. She caught Arwin¡¯s eye and gave him a slight nod. It seemed that it was time to start pulling down a few curtains.

    ¡°Let¡¯s forget that for a moment,¡± Lillia said, leaning forward and bracing her arms against the table. ¡°You came rmended by the Secret Eye. I¡¯ll assume that you can hold your own in a fight. I want to know about <em>you</em>.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Elias asked, blinking. He pulled away from her, as if trying to slide out of his chair. ¡°What about me? I¡¯m a warrior. My name is Elias. I¡¯m pretty fast. That¡¯s pretty much it.¡±

    Maeve elbowed him in the side. Elias coughed, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, ring at him.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem she agrees,¡± Lillia observed.

    ¡°My sister just enjoys prodding me,¡± Elias replied crossly. ¡°I¡¯m nothing special. Just¡ª¡±

    Maeve elbowed him again.

    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Elias wheezed. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m pretty good at stabbing things. I don¡¯t really like talking about my abilities. It¡¯s embarrassing. I swear I can hold my own. If you need, I can spar against one of you¡ª¡±

    Another elbow drove into his side and Elias let out a sputter of pain.

    He spun to Maeve, and she arched an eyebrow before nodding to Arwin and Lillia. An unspoken conversation passed between the two of them.

    ¡°Oh. Crafting guild,¡± Elias said, wincing. ¡°Right. I forgot. Sorry. I can spar against someone else, maybe?¡±

    ¡°The offer is appreciated, but unneeded,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It¡¯s not actually your abilities that I was asking about. That cer, if we decide to work together.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Elias said. ¡°What is it, then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few different questions, but I think we can start with the easiest one,¡± Lillia said, intecing her fingers and leaning back in her chair. ¡°Could you start by exining why your heart isn¡¯t beating?¡±

 Chapter 295: Surprise

    If Elias¡¯ heart still beat, it would have stopped then and there. If his blood still pumped, then it would have pounded in his head like a drum. But his body couldn¡¯t do any of those things any longer.

    That did nothing to stop Lillia¡¯s words from ringing in his head like a death knell. Thoughts mmed into each other in his mind like trains set upon the same track, crashing and derailing as he internally scrabbled for answers.

    It felt like the world was crumbling around him and the ground was falling out from beneath his feet.

    <em>No. This can¡¯t be right. Did someone tell ¡ª no. Nobody knows. Not even the Secret Eye. Norman protected us. Nobody can see through the enchantments we¡¯ve got on us. Ho could she know? </em>

    Elias swallowed ¡ª an old habit. One that served his body little purpose now. He couldn¡¯t let any of his emotions show in his bodynguage. He remained stock still in his chair, not letting a single thought break free.

    This wasn¡¯t over. He was just panicking. He and Maeve had practiced for situations like this. There were a lot of adventurers that had abilities that heightened their senses. None of them had ever picked up on him yet, but it had always been a possibility.

    <em>We¡¯ve got exnations ready for that, though. I just have to make sure I don¡¯t fumble my cards so badly that it¡¯s obvious I¡¯m lying. Come on, Elias. You can do this. </em>

    ¡°You can tell?¡± Elias asked, his eyes widening as he leaned back slightly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lillia replied simply. She gave no further context.¡°Ah,¡± Elias said. ¡°It is a¡­ sensitive subject, and the reason that I need to win the tournament. My heart is still because of magic that can only be cured by the nt that I was telling you about earlier.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t a lie. The Menagerie had made it very clear that the wouldn¡¯t tolerate lies ¡ª but the best way to mislead people wasn¡¯t lies.

    It was the truth.

    His heart <em>had </em>stopped because of magic. That magic was the same reason his body had no blood in it, and the same reason that he wore bandages at every moment he and Maeve left their crumbling guildhall.

    Elias¡¯ answer waspletely true. He just hadn¡¯t mentioned the fact that his heart not beating wasn¡¯t exactly the cause of the issue. It was the effect.

    Dead bodies didn¡¯t exactly have beating hearts. And, strictly speaking, he hadn¡¯t been alive for thest seven months.

    Nobody had to know that. Anyone in their right mind would assume the magic he was referring to was a curse ¡ª but that couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. He wasn¡¯t trying to <em>remove </em>the magic.

    He was trying to make it stronger.

    The magic woven into his body, ced there by Norman, the greatest Necromancer that Elias had ever known and his beloved Guildleader, was the only thing keeping him awake. He wasn¡¯t cursed. He was¡ª

    ¡°Undead,¡± Lillia said.

    Elias nodded along, his features already twisting in pre-determined ways to emte the reaction that would fit the pity that someone felt when the realized that he was cursed ¡ª

    Then he froze.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Undead,¡± Lillia said.

    Her words were spoken casually, but they rang into Elias¡¯ skull. For the first time since he¡¯d died, he felt physically ill. His wrinkled stomach bucked and tried to fling itself free through his throat.

    <em>This is a nightmare. How could she know? </em>

    A chair crashed against the ground as Maeve shot to her feet.

    Elias knew he should have risen as well. The adventurers knew what he was. It should have been impossible. The enchantments on his bandages should have kept anyone from ever seeing through them.

    But he couldn¡¯t stand. It was all over.

    This might have just been a crafting guild, but even if he and Maeve defeated all of the adventurers, the Secret Eye would know what happened. And if there was a survivor¡­

    It was all over.

    They¡¯d be on the run for the rest of Elias¡¯ shortening life ¡ª or they¡¯d be dead. There was no more path to victory.

    After getting so far, they¡¯d failed just a few steps away from the finish line.

    Elias¡¯ shoulders slumped forward. He lifted a hand toward Maeve, then shook his head.

    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Elias said quietly. Lillia hadn¡¯t had an ounce of confusion in her observation. There wouldn¡¯t be any talking out of this. She knew. Elias didn¡¯t know how. It didn¡¯t matter.

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    She knew.

    <em>I can¡¯t do this. What¡¯s the point? Fighting back just results in more death. I can¡¯t just keep letting people die for me.</em>

    Maeve reached up to her mask. Elias¡¯ hand shot out and he grabbed her arms.

    ¡°No!¡± Elias snarled. ¡°Leave, Maeve. Now.¡±

    She red at him. Elias held her gaze without flinching.

    Slowly, Maeve lowered her weapons. Hurt burned behind her brilliant blue eyes as she took a step back toward the door. Then she spun, sprinting for it in a blur. She grabbed the handle and jerked back on it ¡ª

    The door bucked, but it didn¡¯t open. It was locked shut.

    <em>What? Impossible!</em>

    Unease and fear swelled in Elias. Maeve was incredibly strong. She shouldn¡¯t have had any difficulty pulling a door off its hinges.

    Maeve pulled on the door again, but it was stuck fast. It must have been empowered by magic.

    The Menagerie weren¡¯t letting them leave. Elias¡¯ dead heart sank deeper into his chest. His path was done here, but he couldn¡¯t let Maeve end with him. Everything had gonepletely wrong, but her death was not on the table. He would not allow for it.

    <em>Forgive me.</em>

    There was no time to think.

    He rose to his feet, turning back to Lillia ¡ª only to find that she hadn¡¯t even budged from her seat.

    ¡°Why would you leave so fast?¡± Lillia asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°You both came here to speak with us, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Not a single one of the Menagerie had reacted to her words beyond a slight increase in interest within their eyes. None of them had drawn a weapon or made any moves toward Elias or Maeve.

    Confusion twisted into Elias like the vines of a tree sprouting within his chest.

    <em>What is going on? Did I hallucinate something? Why don¡¯t they care?</em>

    ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Elias stammered, his words sounding distant to his own ears. Perhaps he had somehow misheard Lillia. Maybe she¡¯d been speaking about¡­ he didn¡¯t know. Something that rhymed with Undead. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Undead,¡± Lillia said.

    Elias¡¯ hope died.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Elias said. ¡°But my sister¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is not,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Are you going to get to the point where you finish answering our questions? It seems like a waste of both of our time for you two toe all the way here just to leave so soon.¡±

    Elias stared at her. A tiny flicker of hope ¡ª though it was probably more like confusion ¡ª dared to take hold in his chest.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand,¡± Elias said slowly. ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t particrly care <em>what</em> you are,¡± Rodrick said with a chuckle. ¡°Our earlier question still stands. We want to know <em>who </em>you are.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Elias was starting to feel like he¡¯d hit his head on a few too many things on the way over to the Devil¡¯s Den. He couldn¡¯t manage to form a cohesive thought.

    ¡°Sit back down,¡± Lillia said. ¡°And stop jerking on my door, please. It¡¯s annoying.¡±

    Maeve released the door. She nced from her hands, then slowly made her way back over to the table. Her gaze bore into the Menagerie as she lowered herself back into a chair. She sent a nervous nce at Elias, but he had no reassurances to offer.

    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t care? That I¡¯m Undead?¡± Elias asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Elias asked.

    Maeve elbowed him and he let out a surprised wheeze. He really didn¡¯t feel pain anymore, so getting prodded really wasn¡¯t much more annoying than getting tapped on the shoulder, but his mind wasn¡¯t exactly with things at the moment.

    ¡°Should we care?¡± Rodrick tilted his head to the side. ¡°We can ount for that, if you think we should.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Elias eximed, nearly jumping out of his chair. ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t. There¡¯s no reason for that. I ¡ª yes. I¡¯m an Undead. But I wasn¡¯t always one.¡±

    ¡°Most Undead don¡¯t start Undead,¡± Lillia said dryly. ¡°You have to die first. That¡¯s part of the whole shtick. But, as Rodrick said, we really don¡¯t care what you are. We¡¯re trying to figure out if we want to partner with you for the tournament or not.¡±

    Elias swallowed. He let himself lower back into the chair. He could barely believe his own ears, but it wasn¡¯t like he had much choice. If there was an opportunity to get out of this while keeping himself and Maeve alive, he had to take it.

    ¡°Tell me what you want to know. I have not lied about our motives at all. I am dying.¡±

    ¡°Already dead,¡± Rodrick corrected.

    ¡°And still dying,¡± Elias replied. He picked at the bandage on one of his fingers. ¡°My Undeath is not a typical one. My senses remain, even though my summoner is gone.¡±

    ¡°Your Guildmaster,¡± Arwin realized. ¡°He was a Necromancer?¡±

    Elias hesitated for a long second. He¡¯d kept this information secret for so long that revealing any of it felt like driving a de into his own chest, but it wasn¡¯t like he had much choice.

    Swallowing, he nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re still kicking it?¡± Rodrick¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Didn¡¯t he go missing a few months ago?¡±

    ¡°Seven.¡±

    ¡°Godspit. He was a really damn good Necro. You¡¯re trying to find a way to keep yourself¡­ unalive, then?¡±

    <em>Why aren¡¯t they surprised? They barely even seem to care that Norman was using forbidden magic that was only allowed within the Monster Horde. </em>

    Elias nodded again. There wasn¡¯t much more he could do. ¡°Yes. A Moonlit Lilly is said to have the ability to grant years to an Undead lifeform. That would be enough time for me to find Norman and for him to refresh the enchantments on me. That¡¯s our desire.¡±

    ¡°And Maeve?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°What about her?¡±

    Elias¡¯ stomach somehow managed to sink even further, but there was a chance that they didn¡¯t know what Maeve. It was just a aquestion.

    Maeve put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She didn¡¯t say anything, but her gaze bore into Lillia¡¯s without flinching.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s a pretty straight forward answer,¡± Arwin said. ¡°She¡¯s here for him.¡±

    Relief drove into Elias. They didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Is she really your sister?¡± Rodrick asked.

    ¡°Not by blood, but by every other metric,¡± Elias said. Despite the situation, he didn¡¯t let his words weaken. He didn¡¯t know what would happen, but he refused to meet his fate like a coward. ¡°Those are the extent of our desires. We just want to find Norman. We aren¡¯t working with the Monster Horde or trying to kill anyone. I need to live long enough to do that. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°A straightforward goal,¡± Rodrick observed.

    There was a long pause. Nobody spoke during it, but the members of the Menagerie that were present exchanged nces with each other.

    Elias¡¯ hands tightened.

    <em>This is it. They seem¡­ kind. Maybe they¡¯ll let us leave. The tournament is ruined. I¡¯ve got months left, then, but it¡¯ll have to be enough. That¡¯s all I can hope¡ª</em>

    <em></em>Arwin extended a hand across the table.

    Elias stared at it.

    <em>Is this a joke?</em>

    ¡°Your reason is as good as any,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I believe our interests can align¡­ so long as you¡¯re still looking to participate in the Proving Grounds?¡±

    Maeve elbowed Elias in the side.

    Jerked back into motion and barely able to believe his own eyes, Elias reached across the table and took Arwin¡¯s hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to help us?¡± Elias asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not just going to help,¡± Arwin replied. A smile pulled across his lips. ¡°We¡¯re going to do our damned best to win.¡±

 Chapter 296: The Return

    Arwin knew that it would have been rude tough, but the expression of disbelief on Elias¡¯ features ¡ª so stark that it was apparent even through the wrappings covering his entire body ¡ª was doing its best to break him.

    After all, he wasn¡¯t about to reveal to Elias just <em>why </em>they didn¡¯t care that he and Maeve weren¡¯t human. Just because Elias seemed like he was worthy of helping didn¡¯t mean the man could bepletely trusted with every single one of their secrets. There was a difference between a working rtionship and a friendship.

    <em>One can turn into the other, but there¡¯s no point jumping the gun. </em>

    <em>I¡¯d still pay a lot of money to see the look on his real, unbandaged face if I were to reveal that our guild has the Demon Queen and a vampire in it, not to mention whatever the hell Esmerelda is.</em>

    Elias swallowed and inteced his fingers, clearly trying to control his body to prevent from letting on just how simultaneously stressed and relieved he was. ¡°Then we will gratefully take you up on your offer. I¡¯m certain I don¡¯t have to stress this, but please be cautious with our identities. Others are not so kind as¡ª¡±

    ¡°We know,¡± Lillia said, a gentle note entering her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Not a single person in this room will ever reveal anything about who you are to anybody else. Your secret will be safe with us ¡ª but we still have some more business to deal with before the night is done.¡±

    ¡°We do?¡± Elias asked. ¡°We¡­ are working together, yes?¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± Lillia confirmed. ¡°But you said that most teams worked in groups of 3 for the tournament, right?¡±

    Maeve nodded. That seemed to be just about all she could actually do in the purposes of conversation. Arwin was tempted to ask exactly what kind of monster she was, but that felt like a remarkably rude question.¡°We¡¯ll have to find someone else,¡± Elias said. ¡°I have no delusions as to how much good equipment can do. It can make a massive difference¡­ but when we¡¯re up against a group like the Starforge Guild ¡ª or really any of the powerful ranked guild teams, going two versus three is impossible. The problem is finding someone we can actually work with. Now that you know about our¡­ peculiarity, I¡¯m sure you can understand how hard it is to find a third member. Teams are built on trust. We could hire some mercenary, but we¡¯d have to watch ourselves around them just as much as an enemy. Finding thatst member will be difficult, but I promise we can do it. We won¡¯t be a burden to your guild.¡±

    <em>I think you¡¯d be surprised at just what items can really do, but I agree that there¡¯s no point to limit ourselves to just three people. But I really don¡¯t see a reason to go hunting for someone else to fill in the final spot on their team when we have a perfectly eligible warrior right here. </em>

    <em></em>It only took a nce at the other present members of the Menagerie to realize that they were all thinking the same thing. Reya, Lillia, and Rodrick had all already turned toward Olive, who was blinking at the sudden attention sent her way.

    ¡°What?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a perfectly capable warrior right here,¡± Arwin said. ¡°One who isn¡¯t going to be revealing your secret to anyone.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t you a crafting guild?¡± Elias swallowed and cleared his throat. ¡°Not to be rude, of course. But this is a very difficult tournament. I know we might not look like much, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Olive is a verypetent warrior,¡± Arwin said. ¡°She isn¡¯t a craftsman ¡ª at least, not yet. It¡¯s never toote in life to pick up a new hobby. But I digress. She¡¯s more than capable as a warrior. What Tier are the majority of the participants at the Proving Grounds?¡±

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    ¡°Mid Adept,¡± Elias replied.

    Arwin nodded thoughtfully. That was quite high ¡ªparatively speaking, at least. The Menagerie hadn¡¯t really been pushing to advance at max speed before. They¡¯d had other things to deal with. Jessen. The Ardent Guild, and most recently, Twelve. There hadn¡¯t been time for them topletely focus on growing their own strength¡­ but now things were different.

    ¡°How long do we have until the tournament?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Elias replied with a shake of his head. ¡°The Secret Eye hasn¡¯t told us the exact date, but it should be at least a few weeks. That¡¯s how long we had after they told us about itst year.¡±

    Arwin and Lillia exchanged a nce. They¡¯d both been through quite a few Tiers in their time. Rushing to advance was a huge mistake but advancing with purpose¡­ that was different. The Menagerie was already drawing a lot of attention.

    If Rodrick was right, there would be more eyes than ever before on Arwin after word of Olive¡¯s new arm spread. If he started taking on more tasks and creating more powerful items for people, those would spread word of him as well.

    The path to power was practically paving itself ¡ª and he would use that to advance his entire guild. Getting to Adept was just a stepping stone on the road to tearing down the corruption within the Adventurer¡¯s guild.

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough time,¡± Arwin said. ¡°A few weeks is enough time for you to get to know each other and start training ¡ª and that training can help me get materials that I can use to outfit all of you.¡±

    Elias blinked. He exchanged a nce with Maeve, then looked to Olive. ¡°Is this okay with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Olive hesitated. She didn¡¯t have the best history with working in teams. Arwin was more than aware of that. It was exactly how she¡¯d lost her arm the first time around. She was silent for several long seconds. Then she swallowed heavily. ¡°Can I think about it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, nobody will force you. We can find someone else. Maybe Rodrick wants to stretch out his old bones.¡±

    Rodrick shuddered. ¡°Please, no. I¡¯m more than happy sitting on the sidelines. But we don¡¯t have to figure this out now. We have time. Either way, I think we¡¯ve all got a lot of work to do in theing days. The Phoenix Circle will need the full strength of the Menagerie behind them, not just Arwin¡¯s equipment.¡±

    Elias started to nod. Then he paused. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Rodrick smiled, and a small shiver ran down Arwin¡¯s back. Even though Rodrick was on his side, the man¡¯s eyes could be positively sinister when they caught the light in just the right way.

    ¡°We can deal with more logistics tomorrow,¡± Lillia said, pping her hands together to pull their attention back to her. ¡°For the time being ¡ª Elias, Maeve, I believe both of our guilds would benefit from getting to know each other better¡­ and the rooms at my inn are quite reasonably priced.¡±

    Elias hesitated for several seconds. He nced at Maeve, who nodded. The bandages on his face creased as his lips pulled into a small smile. ¡°So long as I¡¯m not paying a gold for each of us every day, I think we¡¯ll be fine. Maeve and I know how important having a strong rtionship is for fighting together effectively. If you think it¡¯ll help, then we¡¯ll stay.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Lillia said. Her eyes shed, and it struck Arwin that the Menagerie might have had a few too many people that could look sinister in the right lighting. ¡°I can assure you that you won¡¯t regret it. Do you mind sharing a room?¡±

    ¡°Can you get two beds in it?¡± Elias asked.

    Lillia nodded. ¡°Already done. Then, unless anyone else has anything to say tonight, I think it might be time to wind the excitement down. I¡¯ll show you both to the room.¡±

    ¡°Then that would be perfect. Thank you ¡ª all of you. I can speak for both myself and Maeve when I say we greatly look forward to what we hope to be a sessful partnership.¡±

    Maeve bowed her head, mirroring his thoughts if not his words. The two of them both rose from the table and Lillia led them upstairs toward their new lodgings.

    But, as they left, not every single member of the Menagerie was paying attention to them. Olive¡¯s eyes were still transfixed in the air before her, and her face looked to have gone a shade paler.

    ¡°Olive?¡± Reya asked, noticing something was awry and reaching out to touch the other woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re really concerned about the tournament, you don¡¯t have to do it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot. I thought you might have liked the opportunity to test the arm out.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Olive said, swallowing heavily. ¡°It¡¯s not that at all.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°My Challenge,¡± Olive said, her voice dropping to a stricken whisper as her left hand lifted to touch the seam where her new wooden arm met the flesh of her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s back.¡±

 Chapter 297: Monster

    The rest of that night passed quickly. Olive hadn¡¯t been in much of a mood to speak after her revtion that her Challenge had returned. She and Reya retired to their rooms shortly afterward to think. Nobody made any move to stop them ¡ª there would be more than enough time to think further in the morning, when Olive had time to process what was going on and all of their minds had a chance to refresh.

    Arwin hadn¡¯t forgotten what Olive¡¯s challenge had been ¡ª or what it had done to her. She¡¯d described it well in her retelling of how she¡¯d lost her arm.

    <strong>[Master Thy Sword] ¨C <em>You have sought mastery over the sword for your entire life, striving to achieve it with such intensity that all other aspects of your life have been left to fester. Here¡¯s a chance to im that power you so desperately desire. </em>Rewards<em>: Variable depending on level of sess. </em></strong>

    <strong>Milestone 1: <em>When the timees, restrictions will be ced upon you by the Mesh. Defeat an opponent the Mesh selects to remove the restrictions and advance upon the path of the de. </em></strong>

    If the Challenge put restrictions on her in the middle of the tournament¡­ it would be bad. Very bad.

    But that was a problem to deal withter. Worrying about it now would change nothing and decisions made in panic would only cause damage. The day had been a long one, and the entirety of the Menagerie was long overdue a rest.

    Arwin only managed to stay awake for just long enough for Lillia to join him in bed before the two of them joined the others in sleep.

    When the following morning dawned, everyone gathered in themon room once more. Even in the dim orange light from thenterns, something about the Devil¡¯s Den felt lighter. A weight had been lifted from everyone¡¯s shoulders, and it was palpable.

    Elias and Maeve were among thest of them to rise, and arrived just as Lillia was handing out breakfast to everyone. She offered some to them, but the two politely declined. Elias didn¡¯t eat anymore for obvious reasons, and it seemed that Maeve¡¯s diet didn¡¯t exactly line up with Lillia¡¯s cooking.The two members of the Phoenix Circle introduced themselves to the members of the Menagerie that they hadn¡¯t met yet before they set out, promising to return early in the afternoon to hear out Olive¡¯s answer on if she would join them. The other guests that had stayed the night cleared out of themon room as they finished their meals as well.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the Menagerie were the only ones within the tavern once again ¡ª at least, for a short while. Arwin suspected that would be increasingly frequent. It wouldn¡¯t be long before themon room was never empty. They were going to have to look into building some private meeting rooms the next time they expanded the Devil¡¯s Den.

    <em>I think we¡¯re going to be Ridley¡¯s favorite customers pretty soon between our efforts to rebuild the street and improve our existing buildings. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ done some thinking,¡± Olive said once everyone had finished eating. They all turned in her direction. The topic of her Challenge was the one thing everyone had been avoiding through breakfast.

    ¡°Whatever you decide is fine with us,¡± Rodrick said as he wiped his face off with a napkin. He¡¯d gotten a little bit too excited shoveling eggs into his mouth and a fair portion of food had attempted to take up residence on his lips. ¡°Nobody¡¯s going to force you, so don¡¯t do something you don¡¯t want to just because you feel pressured into it.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Olive said. She rubbed her wooden arm. ¡°I thought about it for a while. Last night, I really wanted to say yes immediately. A tournament feels like the perfect way to prove myself. To prove I¡¯m not the same person I was before. But then the Challenge showed up again, and it¡¯s the same one that cost me my arm. The same rules and everything. It could ruin everything.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not the same one,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Part of that Challenge was unspoken, Olive. You didn¡¯t warn your team about it, but things are different this time. At least ¡ª they can be if you want them to.¡±

    Olive nodded, a small smile crossing her features. ¡°I know. And that¡¯s why I want to do this¡­ but if I do, I need to warn Elias and Maeve about the Challenge. I won¡¯t make the same mistake again. They might want someone else. The Challenge could make us lose in the tournament.¡±

    ¡°It could,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It¡¯s a risk. Possibly not ideal, but I think you¡¯ve made the right call. When people know what they¡¯ve got to work with, they can ount for it.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Olive said. ¡°Which is why I want to ask them what they want. We¡¯ve got one of their secrets, so I think I can give them one of mine. Then they can decide if they want me on the team or if they¡¯d prefer someone who doesn¡¯t have a Challenge waiting for them. And who knows ¡ª maybe I¡¯ll be in a dungeon with you all when it activates.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Anna said. She stood up and made her way over to Olive to put a hand on the other woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But it won¡¯t happen the same way it didst time. We¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Olive smiled. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to fail the Challenge this time around. The Mesh is giving me another shot, and I¡¯m going to take it.¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Imps emerged from the kitchen to gather up everyone¡¯s tes. There were definitely more of them than Arwin recalled there being. He was pretty sure he counted at least five, though it was a bit hard to tell. They were all wearing the same frilly ck and white maid dresses.

    Rodrick and Anna headed out shortly afterwards. Even though Twelve had been dealt with, there was still a lot more to be done ¡ª especially with regard to the Ardent Guild. If they were going toplete their promises to the Dawnseekers, they had to begin making some moves.

    And, as if the mere thought of the matter had summoned it, Raen stepped through the door of the Devil¡¯s Den no more than a few minutes after Rodrick had left.

    The Guildmaster¡¯s expression was unreadable as he strode into the room, his hands crossed behind his back. He made his way over to Arwin, who stood at the counter, and stood in silence across from him for nearly a second before speaking.

    ¡°Ifrit,¡± Raen said in a t tone.

    ¡°Raen,¡± Arwin replied, inclining his head. ¡°I was waiting for you to make your way back.¡±

    ¡°I find myself having difficulty determining what to think of you,¡± Raen said. He studied Arwin through narrowed eyes. ¡°You confuse me.¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Would it be a surprise to you that I recently heard news of Twelve¡¯s death?¡± Raen asked. ¡°All twelve of his clones. Dead, at the hands of some mysterious assassin. Assassin guilds everywhere are iming credit for the death. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d know anything about that?¡±

    Arwin fought to keep a grin from crossing his features. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. That¡¯s news to me. We were rather upied yesterday.¡±

    ¡°So I had heard,¡± Raen drawled. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°A crafting guild defeating a demon. Quite the feat. They are not simple opponents. I would congratte you, but unfortunately, I havee for other matters. We had a deal, Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Had?¡± Arwin arched an eyebrow. ¡°I was unaware that anything had changed.¡±

    Raen blew out a breath and shook his head. He gestured around at themon room, upied only by the remaining members of the Menagerie. ¡°Come now. The only people here are your own guild, Ifrit. How is it you n toplete your end of the deal when Twelve is gone?¡±

    ¡°We have alternative ways to fulfill our end of the agreement, and half of it is already done.¡±

    Raen blinked and the wind left his sails. For an instant, something shed through his trained eyes.

    Hope.

    Then it was gone, and his features were unreadable once more.

    ¡°The item?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Perhaps the rest of this conversation would be better conducted in my smithy,¡± Arwin suggested, starting for the door without waiting for a response. ¡°There will need to be some final adjustments to ensure it works, but I have it prepared.¡±

    Raen followed after him without another word. They headed into the Infernal Armory and Arwin pulled the bracelet out after he¡¯d closed the door behind them.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Raen asked. A tiny flicker of eagerness broke through his tone and his hands twitched. ¡°It works as you said it would?¡±

    <em>Someone¡¯s impatient. Why is this so important to him?</em>

    ¡°It will,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Aplete change of appearance¡­ but I need to know what it is I¡¯m changing. Until I do, I can¡¯t finish the item.¡±

    The eagerness fell away from Raen¡¯s expression. ¡°Can¡¯t you just make it turn someone¡­ in? Remove any extra features that make them stand out?¡±

    ¡°Not unless I know what the features are. This isn¡¯t for argument,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to hide, Raen, but I¡¯m not trying to y games here. We aren¡¯t backing out of our deal ¡ª either part of it. We have connections to the Montibeau family that we will be using to get you a foothold in the city. That¡¯ll save you a huge amount of money that you would have spent Twelve¡¯s reward on. We¡¯ll pay you the rest of the gold ourselves¡­ but if you want this item, then you need to give me what I need.¡±

    Raen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait. What? You have¡ª¡±

    ¡°The item,¡± Arwin ground out. ¡°As I said. We¡¯re not backing out. But I don¡¯t have all day, Raen. You knew what I would need. Either work with me or don¡¯t.¡±

    Raen hesitated for several long seconds. Then his jaw clenched. ¡°Is there truly no other way?¡±

    ¡°None.¡±

    ¡°You must agree not to say a word of what you see,¡± Raen said. ¡°Swear yourself to secrecy.¡±

    <em>What kind of disfigurement is so bad that he needs me to swear that I¡¯ll never reveal it? That seems a bit extreme.</em>

    ¡°If I went around bbering about what my customers bought from me, I¡¯d never have customers,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I swear to keep your information confidential.¡±

    ¡°No matter what you see?¡±

    ¡°You could be the Demon Queen herself and the only thing I would ask is if you wanted freckles or not.¡±

    The corner of Raen¡¯s lips quirked up. ¡°Very well. I will hold you to this secrecy, then. Allow me a moment. The person is nearby.¡±

    <em>It¡¯s not for Raen?</em>

    Arwin blinked, then nodded.

    Raen headed out of the smithy at a brisk pace. Several seconds passed. It had nearly stretched to a minute by the time the door swung open again and Raen returned with a cloaked figure at his side.

    The figure loomed nearly a head taller than Raen. Even beneath the loose robes and the thick gloves that covered their hands, Arwin could make out bulging muscles. Whoever this was, they were no stranger tobat.

    <em>Maybe they¡¯ve got an embarassing battle wound they need me to cover?</em>

    ¡°Here is the one I need you to help,¡± Raen said, reaching up to put a hand on the figure¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Please remain calm. I can assure you, there is nothing to fear.¡±

    ¡°Fear?¡± Arwin asked, blinking. ¡°Why would I be scared?¡±

    ¡°Go on. It¡¯s okay,¡± Raen said, his tone softening. ¡°We have no choice.¡±

    The figure hesitated for a long second. Then they reached up and pulled their hood back. Thick, woven hair hung behind their head. A mask covered the bottom half of their face, but the top was exposed ¡ª and their skin was a dull green.

    <em>Oh, you have got to be kidding me.</em>

    Hesitantly, the figure reached up to their face and pulled down their mask to reveal a mouth with two small fangs jutting up from her mouth.

    She was an orc. Her lips parted in what was likely meant to be a smile but looked far closer to a snarl.

    ¡°This is Monica,¡± Raen said, raising his hands to forestall any reaction from Arwin. ¡°My wife.¡±

    And, at the sight of the orc, there was only a single thought that passed through Arwin¡¯s head.

    <em>Is every other person in this town a monster?</em>

 Chapter 298: New Look

    ¡°Remain calm,¡± Raen repeated, raising his and stepping forward to put himself between Arwin and Monica. ¡°Monica is human! There is no reason to panic. She just happens to vaguely resemble an Orc. It¡¯s a very unfortunate problem, but I can assure you that she is not a monster.¡±

    Arwin stared at Raen, then sent a pointed nce at Monica.

    The woman stood at nearly seven feet tall. She had more muscle than any natural human could even hope of having, and her skin was the ruddy green of a forest. The two fangs jutting up from her lips may as well have been a stamp that said, ¡°I¡¯m an orc¡± smacked directly in the center of her face.

    Monica raised a hand and waggled her fingers in greeting. She swallowed, then opened her mouth to speak ¡ª revealing rows of jagged teeth meant for ripping through flesh like it was nothing more than paper. ¡°Hello. My name is human. I¡¯m a Monica.¡±

    Her voice was high-pitched and squeaky, almost like she was trying to force it to sound cutesy. No sooner than she had spoken did Monica realize her mistake. She let out a groan and cradled her head in her hands, letting out a slew of curses in anguage that Arwin couldn¡¯t understand, but it was one he¡¯d heard before.

    <em>That¡¯s definitely Orcish.</em>

    ¡°She gets a little nervous at times,¡± Raen said weakly.

    ¡°All the time. I¡¯m a very flighty person, and I hate fighting. Everyone thinks I¡¯m a dangerous monster, but I¡¯m not. I don¡¯t want to look like this,¡± Monica said, sping her hands before her and twisting her shoulders. She blinked heavily, and Arwin realized she was trying to flutter her eyshes. ¡°I get scared all the time, Mr. Smith. Especially of normal, scary things that people don¡¯t like. Like insects. And ¡ª oh, bloodfly!¡±

    Her hand snapped out through the air in a blur, moving so fast that Arwin could barely track its motion. Her robes cracked around her as she jerked to a halt, a tiny insect pinched between her fingers. She shoved it into her mouth, then froze in ce with her fingers still in between her lips.It was Raen¡¯s turn to stare at her.

    Monica slowly pulled her hand out of her mouth. ¡°Er¡­ fight or flight response?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fucked,¡± Raen said, his head slumping.

    ¡°This whole n was fucked,¡± Monica snapped, her tone turning turned throatier and lowering by several octaves. Her stance changed to that of a warrior and her shoulders un-hunched as she rose up to her full height. She cracked her neck. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, Raen. I¡¯m horrible at this kind of thing.¡±

    <em>You can say that again.</em>

    ¡°Monica, we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sugar, we¡¯ve done things your way up until now, but I¡¯ve got limits,¡± Monica snapped. She strode up to Arwin and stopped several feet away, looming over him. ¡°Listen here, smith. I don¡¯t care what you think of me or who I am. Give me the fancy item thing and I¡¯ll be gone. You¡¯ll never hear from me again. Problem solved. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want it?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side. He¡¯d never heard of Orcs fraternizing with humans before ¡ª but he¡¯d never heard of demons doing the same until he¡¯d re-met Lillia.

    <em>The world is always bigger than I think it is. What a fascinating ce ¡ª and damn the Adventurer¡¯s guild to hell for what they¡¯ve done setting us against each other. There are so many sentient monsters that are every bit as worthy of life as humans are.</em>

    ¡°Does it really matter?¡± Raen asked, clenching his jaw. ¡°Look. Ifrit. We had a deal. Monica might look a little intimidating, but that changes absolutely nothing in our agreement. Don¡¯t make an enemy of my guild.¡±

    ¡°Sugar, shut it for a moment,¡± Monica said, her gaze boring into Arwin¡¯s. The corner of her lip curled up in what would have assumed to be a sneer, but Arwin was actually fairly confident it was a smile. ¡°You¡¯re great at bargaining, but that isn¡¯t going to work here. This smith is one of my kind.¡±

    ¡°He ¡ª what? He¡¯s an orc?¡± Raen asked.

    ¡°By the twin gods, I love you, but you¡¯re as dumb as a sack of babies sometimes,¡± Monica said, ruffling Raen¡¯s hair without breaking eye contact with Arwin. ¡°Ask your question, smith.¡±

    ¡°My question hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Arwin said with a shrug. ¡°What do you want the item for? And, just so you know, I ask every single person that purchases any of my work or help the same thing. I¡¯m not singling you out because you¡¯re an Orc. Couldn¡¯t give a shit less about what you are, though I certainly wouldn¡¯t object to hearing the story as to why you¡¯re here in Milten.¡±

    This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Monica¡¯s smile grew wider as surprise washed over Raen¡¯s features.

    ¡°I knew it,¡± Monica said with augh. She pped Arwin on the shoulder with enough force to shake the legs of a normal man, but [Bulwark] reduced the impact to a mere thud. ¡°I knew I recognized that look in your eyes. Let me rest your bones, warrior. I don¡¯t want to cause any trouble in your town.¡±

    ¡°Warrior?¡± Raen asked.

    Monica turned to the man, lifted him a foot into the air, and gave him a long kiss on the mouth. Then she carried him over to the corner of the smithy and sat him down before walking back over to Arwin.

    ¡°He¡¯s a genius guild leader and a good man, but he¡¯s horrible at reading the room,¡± Monica said. ¡°All brains, no smarts. I love him for it, but excuse him for a few minutes. He¡¯ll catch up with us soon enough.¡±

    Raen blinked. He touched a hand to his lips as he stared into the distance. It looked like he¡¯dpletely forgotten everything that he¡¯de here for. He didn¡¯t even seem to realize that there were other people in the room.

    Arwin repressed the urge tough. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will. So. My question?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for it so I can go murdering people in the city or some other evil shit. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone that doesn¡¯t deserve the hurting,¡± Monica replied with a one-shouldered shrug. She paused, then sent a nce over her shoulder at Raen. ¡°Well, nobody that doesn¡¯t like a bit of it.¡±

    <em>Noted. Orcs are very forward ¡ª or Monica is. Suppose I can¡¯t ssify all of them by one.</em>

    ¡°Noted. Don¡¯t need that much detail,¡± Arwin said.

    Monica snorted. ¡°Your fault for asking.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Arwin said. He held the bracelet up, then nced at Monica¡¯s arm. ¡°What do you want to look like?¡±

    The orc¡¯s smile fell away and she let out a small sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know, smith. Whatever you can make me look like. I don¡¯t want to look like this anymore. I just want to be with Raen. I want to look normal.¡±

    ¡°You <em>do </em>look normal,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to make moves on another man¡¯s wife ¡ª I¡¯ve got a girlfriend ¡ª but you¡¯re a perfectly good looking orc.¡±

    Monica¡¯s cheeks darkened in a blush. ¡°If only every human thought the same, smith. Unfortunately, a normal orc isn¡¯t going to cut it. I can barely even hold Raen¡¯s hand when we walk down the street. If anyone notices I¡¯ve got green skin, I¡¯m a roasted pig with an apple stuffed up my ass¡­ but Raen needs to be in the city. He¡¯s got a guild to take care of. We both do. I can¡¯t look like this. I need to be human.¡±

    ¡°More than a small change,¡± Arwin observed, giving the orc another look over. The modification would basically have to be the exact opposite of what he¡¯d done to Twelve.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything about me that¡¯s small,¡± Monica said with a loud snort. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Raen hedged around the bush. He¡¯s not very good at getting to the core of the matter. Merchant problems. I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d be able to do much. Nobody can. I don¡¯t hold it against you. It was a pleasure meeting another human that doesn¡¯t hate me from principle.¡±

    <em>Hm. I¡¯ll need to find a material that helps with that, but I think it should be simple enough. Won¡¯t need to make this cursed. She¡¯ll want to be able to take the bracelet off whenever she wants to look like her real form. </em>

    <em>Maybe I can use a strand of hair from Reya or Olive to help solidify the human transformation? It can rece the bit of demon I yoinked from Lillia for Twelve¡¯s gem. </em>

    ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± Arwin asked, pulling himself from his thoughts and looking back up to Monica, who had pulled her hood halfway up her face. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Preparing to leave. I can¡¯t head out like this, you know.¡±

    ¡°Why? I haven¡¯t given you your bracelet yet.¡±

    Monica paused with her hands halfway to her mask. ¡°What? You mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can make it,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Raen, would you go into the Devil¡¯s Den and get Reya for me? I need her help.¡±

    Raen blinked, then gave him a jerky nod. He darted out of the smithy. A minuteter, he returned with Reya at his heels. Monica tensed as the former thief entered the room.

    Reya nced up at the orc. ¡°Neat.¡±

    ¡°I need one of your hairs,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Kay,¡± Reya replied, yanking a hair from her head with two fingers. She held it out to Arwin. ¡°Guess this is who you¡¯re making the item for. Here you go. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a drink for her?¡± Arwin asked, nodding to Monica, who stared at them in abject disbelief. ¡°Ask Lillia what her rmendation is.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Reya said. She waved goodbye, then strode out of the smithy.

    Monica and Raen watched her leave, their words seemingly failing them.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand,¡± Raen said. ¡°Have I injured head at some point? I think I may be hallucinating.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a healer. You can see her if you need to,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Wait here for a bit. I¡¯ve got an item to finish up and I need to modify the bracelet a bit. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll fit Monica¡¯s arm as things are right now.¡±

    Then he strode into the back room of the smithy, enjoying the feeling of their baffled stares boring into his back as they tried to figure out what was going on.

    ***

    Arwin emerged from the back room of the smithy just about an hourter. Monica and Raen sat on the floor in the main room, a tankard in each of their hands. Reya and Olive sat across from them and it seemed that the group had just finished a conversation. They all looked over to Arwin.

    ¡°Done,¡± Arwin said, lifting the modified bracelet before him. A pale white gem glimmered at its top, and it had been widened to ount for a much bigger wrist. ¡°This should work for you.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡± Monica rose to her feet, her eyes affixed on the bracelet. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±

    ¡°It only works as long as you¡¯re wearing the bracelet, and it¡¯ll drain a small amount of magical power while it¡¯s active. It might get a bit much if you wear it constantly,¡± Arwin replied as he scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t change what it ends up looking like either. You get one new look. That¡¯s it.¡±

    He held the bracelet out to Monica and she took it from him gingerly. She slipped it onto her wrist without a second of hesitation.

    For a moment, nothing happened.

    Then her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath. Raen stepped forward, worry shing over his features, but Monica held a hand up to forestall him.

    Her body started to change.

 Chapter 299: Bracelet

    Monica¡¯s skin rippled beneath her clothes. Dull white energy wrapped up from her bracelet and enveloped her entire body, illuminating the Infernal Armory and sending shadows dancing across the room as if in celebration.

    Layers of light separated away and sank into her body. The tint of her skin lightened and paled by several shades. Her fangs sank into her lips, leaving only tiny tips that could have easily been misconstrued for slightly pointy incisors.

    Her features themselves had changed little. They remainedrgely the same, though they grew slightly smaller as she lost about an inch of her height ¡ª still leaving her towering over both Arwin and Raen, not to mention Reya.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Reya said. ¡°That¡¯s incredible! She looks like she could be my sister! Just¡­ really big and beefy.¡±

    <em>There¡¯s definitely a resemnce. It¡¯s kind of like somebody crossed ny percent of Monica with ten percent of Reya. That must be the effects of her hair in the project. I wonder what would have happened if I¡¯d used one of mine. Would she have gotten even burlier? </em>

    Monica lifted her hands. Her gloves were now just a little bit too big and draped over her fingers like she¡¯d stolen them from her father. She ripped both of them off, then stared at her fingers.

    Her hands shot up to her face. They ran along her nose, then to her mouth before lifting up to her ears. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it back, staring down it. Disbelief gripped her features in a vice as her arms fell back to her sides and she looked up to Arwin.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Monica muttered. She spun to Raen and ran over to him, skidding to a stop before she could drive him through the wall of the smithy and grabbing the man by the shoulders. ¡°Look at me! I¡¯m human!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said in a tone that was both soft but firm. ¡°You¡¯re not human. There¡¯s no need to be human. I didn¡¯t, and I can¡¯t, change who you are. I¡¯ve just changed what people see you as. That¡¯s it.¡±¡°I can¡¯t feel your ws at all,¡± Raen said in awe. He reached up to Monica¡¯s hand ¡ª still suspended in the air ¡ª and gave it a squeeze. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m so small now,¡± Monica breathed, lowering Raen back to the ground. He barely stood up to her chest. She patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Look at this! You¡¯re almost to my head. I¡¯m tiny!¡±

    <em>What am I, then? A rodent?</em>

    ¡°How is this possible? I thought this would be an illusion,¡± Raen stammered, sping Monica¡¯s hand between his own. He sent a baffled look in Arwin¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯ve changed her physical form? Can you change it back?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll go back to normal the moment she takes that off,¡± Arwin replied, nodding to the bracelet on Monica¡¯s wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s still the same orc. I don¡¯t have magic nearly strong enough to keep her changed when she isn¡¯t wearing my equipment.¡±

    Monica lifted her arm and studied the bracelet. Then a huge smile split her lips. ¡°I can kiss you in public, Raen! I don¡¯t have to walk around dressed like a churchdy! I might even fit through doorways without having to duck! This is incredible!¡±

    A smile split Raen¡¯s lips. ¡°It is more than I ever could have imagined.¡±

    ¡°Cancel his debt,¡± Monica said. ¡°This is more than what we paid for.¡±

    Raen blinked. ¡°What? But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Cancel it,¡± Monica insisted. ¡°Sugar, look at me. <em>Touch </em>me. This is more than just for public appearances every once and a while. I can explore the cities with you normally, without having to worry about getting run through. Fuck, I could get an actual job in the city! That would be so much fun. Are you really going to wring him for more gold?¡±

    Raen let out a groan. ¡°Godspit. Whose side are you on?¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t going to need healing potions near the bed anymore.¡±

    Raen blinked. Then he tilted his head to the side, his expression lightening in realization. ¡°That somehow managed to slip under my attention. Consider your gold dept paid, Ifrit. I¡¯d still appreciate that introduction to the Montibeau family, though.¡±

    Arwin did his best not to choke on his own saliva.

    This book''s true home is on another tform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    <em>Did I just save thousands of gold because they can screw each other without Monica poking a hole in Raen on ident?</em>

    <em>You know what, I¡¯ll take it.</em>

    <em></em>¡°The sentiment is appreciated, and I¡¯m sure we can still arrange for that meeting,¡± Arwin said, clearing his throat. ¡°Just take care while you¡¯re wearing that bracelet. It really cane off, and then the change will revert. And keep in mind it draws energy as well. You¡¯ll run out if you start doing something strenuous.¡±

    Monica nodded her understanding. ¡°I understand, smith. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    ¡°This is a really marvelous piece of equipment,¡± Raen said. He studied the bracelet for several long seconds. ¡°I was unaware you were capable of making something this powerful. Who are<em></em>you, Ifrit?¡±

    ¡°The leader of the Menagerie. Nothing more.¡±

    Reya coughed in the corner of the room.

    Raen nced at her out of the corners of his eyes. When he looked back to Arwin, there was a flicker of amusement deep within his gaze. ¡°Somehow, I doubt that.¡±

    Arwin just smiled in response. ¡°It was a pleasure doing business with your guild, Raen. We haven¡¯t had the best experiences with merchant guilds before. It¡¯s good to know some of you are respectable.¡±

    Raen nodded absently. His attention returned to the bracelet and he fell silent for a long second. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before more of them are knocking on your doors. Everyone¡¯s going to be trying to cemissions once word gets out about what you can do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you don¡¯t share the details of what that bracelet does,¡± Arwin said casually. ¡°For Monica¡¯s safety, of course. We don¡¯t need people realizing what she¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°That would be ideal,¡± Raen said. A frown flickered across his features. ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t you want to advertise what you can do? I never said anything about talking about Monica¡¯s piece. You could make a fortune off selling this kind of item. Every single woman and man of the night within the kingdom would spend their life savings to get one of these. Why would you not want to advertise this?¡±

    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s not my style of equipment, and I don¡¯t want to mass produce things anymore,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I like personalizing my work. The happiness my equipment brought Monica ¡ª that¡¯s what I¡¯m after. The money will follow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s noble, but even word of your abilities would go far. Not advertising this¡­¡±

    The merchant trailed off. His eyes narrowed, then went wide an instantter as he drew in a sharp breath. Raen¡¯s head snapped back to look at Arwin.

    ¡°You gave the Montibeau girl a set of your armor and made no move to hide its capabilities,¡± Raen muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t want advertising. You¡¯re hiding the fact you can make this exact item.¡±

    <em>Ah, shit.</em>

    Reya casually crossed her hands behind her back, moving them closer to Wyrmhunger¡¯s hilt at her side. Her stance shifted imperceptibly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡ª¡±

    ¡°Twelve,¡± Raen muttered, cutting Arwin off as realization lit behind his eyes. Arwin could practically see the puzzle pieces clicking together in the man¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Sugar?¡± Monica asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a demon you killed.¡± Raen ran a hand through his hair and swallowed heavily. ¡°Godspit. You executed Twelve in broad daylight while pretending he was a demon, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s why he just up and vanished¡­ and you somehow managed to kill every single one of his clones, not just the one here?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t even a point of denying it. Raen wasn¡¯t asking him a question. He¡¯d already figured it out.

    ¡°He had iting,¡± Arwin said simply.

    ¡°Gods above,¡± Raen breathed. ¡°Who <em>are </em>you, Ifrit? I did not realize just how important that question was when I asked it thest time. What kind of smith can aplish something like this? How can a crafting guild defeat a member of the Setting Sun?¡±

    ¡°He trained the man responsible for the death of my friend,¡± Arwin said in a tone as quiet as a viper lying in wait. ¡°That is all that matters. And I am the guild leader of the Menagerie. Nothing more matters.¡±

    For several long seconds, nobody spoke.

    ¡°I see,¡± Raen said. ¡°Then I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership, leader of the Menagerie. I thought I had a good understanding of who you were, but it seems that couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. Good riddance to Twelve. As long as I get what I want, then I am happy.¡±

    ¡°You sound like a megalomaniac, Sugar,¡± Monica said.

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the job description, my love,¡± Raen replied. He approached Arwin and extended a hand. ¡°The secret will die with me, Ifrit. I¡¯d have agreed to doing a lot worse if I knew you¡¯d be able to do this much to help my wife.¡±

    Reya¡¯s shoulders rxed.

    A smile crossed over Arwin¡¯s lips. He sped Raen¡¯s hand. ¡°We could use a few allies, and I think we¡¯ll be growing at a rate I¡¯m unused to dealing with soon enough. My suppliers could use a guild to back them up. I think we¡¯ll be able to do a lot for each other¡­ so long as you don¡¯t mind working with some unconventional folks.¡±

    ¡°Unconventional?¡± Raen chuckled. ¡°I doubt you can get more unconventional than my wife, Arwin.¡±

    Arwin smiled in response. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll see. But, speaking of Monica¡­ you mentioned you were going to look for a job?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d certainly like to get one, yes,¡± Monica replied. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of sitting around while Raen does everything, and my duties in the guild are limited. I mostly just hit things. It would be entertaining to do more. I¡¯ll just have to find someone that wants to hire someone as dainty as me when I¡¯m in this form.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure that Monica could be considered dainty by any standards. She was twice as wide as an average man and the entirety of it was pure muscle ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t about to tell her that.

    ¡°Well, I think I might know somebody that just expanded their establishment and might be looking to get some new staff,¡± Arwin said, a smile creeping across his features. ¡°And the best part is, you won¡¯t even need to wear that bracelet while you¡¯re working.¡±

 Chapter 300: Art

    Several cities away from Milten, a beautifully carved wooden door flew open with a loud bang that echoed through the extravagant meeting hall that stretched beyond it. Riches that had once adorned its halls had long since been sold, and a thinyer of dust had taken residence across the room¡¯s surface. And even in spite of that, the air itself seemed to hold its breath in respect for the grandiose presence that the room had once possessed.

    Heavy breath filled the silent air as a messenger rushed into the room, sweat streaking his brow and his hair disheveled.

    Two people sat at the head of a long table that took up the majority of the room¡¯s space. One was a man with a clean-cut beard and sharp, dangerous eyes. Years of age had taken their toll on him, whitening his hair and wrinkling his skin, but he still sat proud. The man wore leather armor that still bore fresh scars from training that morning. Arge swathe of fresh meats, pastries, and other delicacies wereid out before him,pletely untouched.

    The other was a young man, no older than fifteen. He was thin and frail, with white hair and features that closely matched those of the man at the head of the table. Both he and the older man held several cards close to their chests.

    The only thing on the table before the young man was a te of in porridge and a deck of cards. A wooden crutch leaned against the side of his chair.

    ¡°Duke ric!¡± the messenger rasped.

    ¡°Godspit, man,¡± the duke said, rising from his spot at the head of the table and setting his cards down. He grabbed the hilt of the sword that hung at his side. ¡°What are you doing? Are we under attack?¡±

    ¡°Nobody sounded the bells, father,¡± the boy beside ric said. ¡°We can¡¯t be under attack. Do you concede the hand?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not under attack,¡± the messenger rasped, straightening as he caught his breath. ¡°Your Grace¡ª¡±¡°If we are not under attack, then you should not be blowing down hundred year old doors like they are made from rubbish. And yes, Art. I concede the hand. You win. Again.¡± Aleric¡¯s eyes turned to the messenger. As for you, have some decorum. What if we were in an important meeting? Think of the impression it would make on the other guilds in Thornhelm. I have a reputation to upkeep in this city. I have already lost enough ground as things are. What remains will not be torn asunder by scrambling messengers. Follow the proper procedures.¡±

    ¡°One of our scout teams was attacked, Your Grace.¡±

    A dozen years of age seemed to appear in Aleric¡¯s face in an instant. The elderly man let out a wheeze like he¡¯d been stabbed through the heart and lowered himself back into his chair, pain crossing over his features.

    ¡°No. Who?¡±

    ¡°We believe the Starforge Guild to be at¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not who killed them!¡± Aleric barked. ¡°Who died? I care more about the lives of my fallen than I do who took them.¡±

    ¡°The Eagles, Your Grace. The only survivor was a boy in training to be an assassin. Yi¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yinta,¡± Aleric said. He let his head roll back to stare at the ceiling far above him, his features pressed thin, and let out a slow sigh. When his head lifted once more, his expression hade under control once more. ¡°Yes. I know him. A good boy. A good man. All of the Eagles were. Now you will tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have details, but Yinta reported that the Starforge Guild was at fault.¡±

    ¡°This is because of me,¡± the boy beside Aleric said. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. ¡°Father, I should just ¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aleric growled. ¡°We will not give in to their demands. You will remain here, Art. I will not be ground under heel. Our family may not be what it once was, but know this. Nobody attempts to threaten one that they do not believe to be a threat. The Starforge Guild fears us.¡±

    ¡°They fear my sister,¡± Art said.

    ¡°Then you should be grateful for her strength,¡± Aleric said.

    ¡°Her strength is wasted on me,¡± Art snapped, grabbing his crutch and jabbing it under his arm as he staggered upright, leaning heavily upon it. ¡°She should not be here. She should not be stuck with a dying guild. She should be with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, or with one of the powerful independent guilds, trying to find ¡ª you know.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Aleric nced at the messenger out of the corners of his eyes. He flicked his hand, and the man bowed before ducking out of the room and pulling the massive doors shut behind him.

    ¡°You should not air family matters out before our workers,¡± Aleric said. ¡°It unsettles them. They must witness a united front.¡±

    ¡°There <em>is </em>no united front,¡± Art said. He jabbed a finger into the thigh of his right leg. It was thin and spindlypared to his left, stiff and worthless at his side. ¡°Your heir is worthless. The other guilds taste blood in the water. They do not believe we are strong anymore, and you keep Vix here, hidden, instead of letting her live with what time she has left.¡±

    ¡°I have shown them you.¡±

    ¡°I am useless!¡± Art snarled. ¡°Look at me, Father. I would lose a fight to amon monster. The Monster Horde would find use for me as a toothpick or as a scrubber for theirtrines. I could not kill a monster if it was half dead and riddled with the pox.¡±

    ¡°Which is why Father has shown the guilds you rather than me.¡± A soft voice echoed through the hall from above, and a young woman dropped from the beams running across the ceiling,nding nimbly on top of the table. Long ck hair ran down from her head and all the way down to her waist, tied together with golden bands. Her features were strikingly simr to Art and Aleric¡¯s.

    ¡°How long were you there?¡± Art asked, leaning against his crutch as he shifted back a step.

    ¡°The entire time,¡± Aleric said.

    ¡°I will have to practice more,¡± Vix said. ¡°I did not think you realized I was there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that old yet,¡± Aleric said with a raspy chuckle. ¡°Listen to Vix if you will not listen to me, Art. I do what I must for our family.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you care about some family too much,¡± Art snapped. He pped the cards in his hands face-down onto the table. ¡°Isn¡¯t the entire Nightviper Guild family? Isn¡¯t Vix?¡±

    ¡°Of course they are,¡± Aleric said.

    ¡°So why do you keep me as Heir? Vix would present a united front. She can fight. She can inspire. What can I do other than present an open neck to our enemies?¡±

    ¡°You can lead,¡± Vix said. ¡°I can¡¯t. Being a good fighter doesn¡¯t make me a good leader, Art. The guild trusts you ¡ª and what good would I be as a leader when I will be dead within three years? At least you have no expiry date.¡±

    Art winced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Aleric rose to his feet. ¡°Enough. You have heard both of our thoughts, Art. Vix does not want to be Heir. It must be you. I fear I am too old to work on making another Heir.¡±

    Art¡¯s jaw clenched and his gaze averted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the reason our guild copses, Father.¡±

    ¡°You will not be,¡± Aleric said. ¡°It is only after the castle has fallen that the ws in its design are made apparent. Continue as you are. Our family will not fall. It has you ¡ª and it has Vix. There will be an opportunity. You must simply be prepared for when it arises.¡±

    ¡°There <em>is </em>an opportunity,¡± Vix said.

    They both turned to her.

    ¡°What?¡± Art asked.

    ¡°The Secret Eye approached me. We¡¯ve been invited to the Proving Grounds,¡± Vix said.

    Aleric smiled. ¡°And so the Mesh provides, just as it always has.¡±

    ¡°That could be what we need,¡± Art muttered. ¡°A chance to demonstrate our power. We can¡¯t attack the other guilds directly. We aren¡¯t strong enough. But if we can win the tournament, the Secret Eye would give us the wealth and the location of someone who could help Vix. We would have our strongest yer on the board.¡±

    ¡°Assuming I survive the tournament,¡± Vix said, her lips curling up into a bitter smile. ¡°Training does little when your body rots away from the inside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s gotten that bad already?¡± Aleric asked, his features paling. ¡°Perhaps you should¡ª¡±

    ¡°I already epted the Secret Eye¡¯s offer.¡± Vix cut Aleric off. ¡°Death marches for me regardless. I may as well do something with the time I have left instead of wasting away, training for a fight that will nevere.¡±

    ¡°It is your decision,¡± Aleric said, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. ¡°I wish I could do more for us, but we must make the most with the pieces we have. If you can win the tournament, there is a chance. Perhaps our only one.¡±

    ¡°So were my thoughts,¡± Vix said. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°There is only one requirement.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Art asked.

    ¡°They mandated that you must be one of the members of my party,¡± Vix replied, her features going grim.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Art said. ¡°This is a setup. Why would they want me in the tournament? What do they think I could do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Vix replied with a shake of her head. ¡°But it¡¯s the only chance we have, Art. The only one I have ¡ª and the only one this family has. I should have asked you, but¡ª¡±

    Art¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°No. You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t fight, but if you can fight well enough for both of us, then it doesn¡¯t matter, does it? We have no choice. If we wait around, you¡¯ll rot away and I¡¯ll have my throat slit a weekter once the other guilds realize we really do have nothing left.¡±

    ¡°Ideally, we will have to find a third,¡± Vix said. ¡°But I do not know anyone to call on.¡±

    Art was already nodding. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll find somebody. I think we may have a few connections I can call on. There are still people that owe us favors. I will find someone suitable. We will win the tournament. We have to.¡±

    A small smile crossed Vix¡¯s lips. ¡°And this is why you are Heir and I am not.¡±

    Art didn¡¯t hear her. He was already limping out of the throne room, his crutch ttering against the stone with every step as he muttered under his breath.

    Aleric watched him leave with an inscrutable expression on his features. He reached over to where Art had sat and flipped the boy¡¯s discarded cards over. A chuckle slipped from his lips. It was straight trash.

    His family had not been dealt a kind hand in life, but it was from the worst hands that the best bluffs were yed.

 Chapter 301: Monica

    Arwin led Raen, Monica, and Reya from the smithy and over to the Devil¡¯s Den. Monica pinched herself at least four times over the short walk, still seemingly unable to believe that she actually looked and felt like a human.

    Lillia stepped out of the kitchen as they emerged, an eyebrow arching as she made her way over to greet them.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Perfectly,¡± Arwin replied. He nodded to Monica. ¡°This is Raen¡¯s wife, Monica.¡±

    The orc seemed slightly preupied. Her gaze traveled over the tavern, lips parting in disbelief as she drank the atmosphere in. Arwin didn¡¯t me her. There was something about the darkness of the tavern, lit only by the gentle glow of the orangenterns scattered throughout it, that was undeniably appealing.

    ¡°This ce has it right,¡± Monica breathed. ¡°It looks incredible. It feels just like¡ª¡±

    She cut herself off before she could finish the sentence. Raen sent her a sharp look, but it was toote. Lillia had caught onto the tone in the other woman¡¯s voice. There had been more than just mere awe in her words. There had been recognition.

    ¡°I spent a lot of time studying the horde¡¯s caves and hideouts,¡± Lillia said. Her eyes flicked down to Monica¡¯s wrist, spotting the bracelet on her hand, and her lips curled up in slight amusement. ¡°I am very dedicated to making sure everything is as realistic as possible to ensure the experience is enjoyable for <em>all </em>of my patrons.¡±

    ¡°Are any of the adventurers staying over still in their rooms?¡± Arwin asked.Lillia shook her head. ¡°No. They¡¯ve all headed out for the day, and I¡¯ve got the ce closed down for an hour in preparation for the lunch rush.¡±

    ¡°Is this a bad time? We coulde backter,¡± Raen offered. ¡°Ifrit mentioned that there might be a potential job for my wife. She¡¯s looking for something to keep her hands busy, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be very happy with me if we made ourselves a bother for you right now.¡±

    ¡°Right enough,¡± Monica agreed reluctantly. ¡°I cane back¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, no need,¡± Lillia said with augh. She nodded over her shoulder to the kitchen, where the faint thud of a chopping knife made itself known. ¡°The meal is preparing itself right now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ what now?¡± Raen¡¯s brow furrowed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lillia said with a wave of her hand. ¡°And there¡¯s no reason to be so uptight. We¡¯re mostly alone right now. There¡¯s only one other member of the Menagerie around right now. The rest went to a dungeon. They¡¯re getting some practice in and restocking on some materials for Ifrit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are they?¡± Arwin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m going to have a lot of testing to do pretty soon, so that¡¯ll be helpful. Rodrick¡¯s idea?¡±

    ¡°Olive¡¯s, actually.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank her,¡± Arwin said with a nod. ¡°But don¡¯t let me interrupt. I believe Monica was interested in a potential job.¡±

    Monica shifted ufortably. ¡°I am, yes. But I think something like this might be better discussed when we¡¯re alone. Not everyone is as weing as you. I really don¡¯t want to push my luck. I¡¯m not really sure I understood what you meant when you mentioned the job before, but anything that has to do with¡­ well, you know. Best not to take chances.¡±

    Lillia nced at Arwin. ¡°What did you tell her?¡±

    ¡°Just that she might have a spot here if she wanted it and clicked with the rest of the team,¡± Arwin replied with a small shrug. ¡°We <em>are </em>growing, aren¡¯t we? Some extra help would go a long way.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Lillia said. The corner of her lip quirked up but she suppressed the grin before it could fully take form. ¡°Well, I can assure you that there¡¯s nothing to be concerned about from our group.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m certain, but this is a sensitive topic,¡± Raen said, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace. ¡°And it¡¯s one of those topics that you never really know someone¡¯s true thoughts on until you really know them. I can assure you that this isn¡¯t us being nitpicky. You¡¯ll understand when we exin.¡±

    ¡°Madiv, could youe out?¡± Lillia asked.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    The shadows in the corner of the room shifted as Madiv rose from the chair he¡¯d been sitting in, nearlypletely invisible in the darkness, and walked over to join them with his hands crossed behind his back.

    ¡°Of course, Ma¡¯am,¡± Madiv said as he came to a stop. ¡°How may I be of service?¡±

    ¡°Just give them a winning grin, Madiv. I believe Monica is considering employment at our establishment, so it¡¯s only right to give her a proper greeting.¡±

    Madiv chuckled and followed Lillia¡¯s request. He gave Monica a wide smile ¡ª which actually looked quite unsettling on his normally stern features. It sent a shiver down Arwin¡¯s spine. There was something deeply wrong about a vampire giving a toothy smile.

    <em>That¡¯s probably because a smiling vampire is normally akin to a soldier drawing their sword. You don¡¯t usually sh your weapons if you aren¡¯t about to use them.</em>

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Monica said, but she trailed off as her eyes focused in the darkness. Madiv had positioned himself quite close to antern, and the light reflected off his blindingly white teeth just enough to bring attention to them.

    ¡°Our tavern has a few unique requirements for employment,¡± Madiv said. ¡°And the foremost among them is to serve¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Madiv,¡± Lillia said, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Ma¡¯am,¡± the vampire replied without missing a beat. ¡°It is my pleasure to be of service.¡±

    ¡°Those are some very realistic inserts,¡± Monica said. She nced at Arwin, realization passing over her features as a gruntingugh passed from between her lips. ¡°So that¡¯s what you meant. You all dress up as monsters. That¡¯s the theme of the tavern, right?¡±

    Raen nudged his wife with an elbow. ¡°Monica?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t inserts,¡± Raen said, his voice trembling slightly in shock. ¡°They¡¯re real.¡±

    Monica did a double take. Madiv obliged her, shing a grin once more.

    ¡°What is this?¡± the orc asked, looking from one person in the room to the other as growing confusion gripped at her. ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t fucking believe it,¡± Raen said. His eyes snapped to Arwin. He squinted at him, then turned his gaze to Lillia. ¡°Godspit.¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lillia asked innocently.

    ¡°Raen?¡± Monica asked.

    It barely even seemed like he¡¯d heard her. He stared at Lillia for several long seconds. It looked like he couldn¡¯t tell if he wanted to run in the opposite direction or rush closer to inspect her in more detail.

    ¡°You¡¯re not screwing with me, are you?¡± Raen asked.

    ¡°Might as well spit it out,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be business partners from here on out if we set you up with the Montibeau family. No point hiding basic truths from each other, is there?¡±

    <em>I also have a pretty good grasp of what you and Monica are like. I¡¯m a lot more willing to let on that the Menagerie are more than we appear to you than I am to Elias and Maeve ¡ª at least for the time being. The Dawnseekers have been pretty trustworthy so far, but I don¡¯ t know enough about those two quite yet. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯re not pretending at all,¡± Raen said, forcing the words between his lips before they could die in his throat. ¡°All the rumors about the owner of the Devil¡¯s Den being a giant fan of demons¡­ those are lies. Lillia isn¡¯t using any makeup or specially made attachments. She¡¯s a real demon ¡ª and Madiv is a real vampire.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s tail slipped free from her pants and swayed at her side as a grin pushed its way free on her features. ¡°Guilty ¡ª but I¡¯m not the only one. You really shouldn¡¯t sound so surprised. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see the day when an orc walked into my tavern, but I have to say that I¡¯m thrilled.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡± Monica asked, her eyes going wide. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my tavern,¡± Lillia replied with augh. ¡°I know everything that happens in here. Now take that bracelet off and let me get a look at what you really look like. There¡¯s no need to hide anything here.¡±

    Monica hesitated for a second. Then she pulled the bracelet off her wrist. Her body bulged, her fangs jutted back out from her lips, and her skin turned green as she filled out and rose back up to her full height.

    Raen spun to Arwin. ¡°And you? What are you?¡±

    ¡°Just a human, I¡¯m afraid. Sorry to disappoint.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re doing it with a <em>demon</em>?¡±

    ¡°Raen, your wife is an orc,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Do you really have any room to be surprised?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not using you of anything. I¡¯m more impressed than anything else,¡± Raen muttered, ncing back at Lillia and running a hand through his hair. ¡°Godspit. I had no idea there were others like Monica just¡­ living in Milten. What about the rest of your guild?¡±

    ¡°Madiv is a Vampire,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Everyone else is human. Mostly.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Monica said with a disbelievingugh. ¡°You¡¯re just walking around in in view as a demon? And nobody questions it?¡±

    ¡°I have a demon themed tavern,¡± Lillia pointed out dryly. ¡°Everyone knows a demon would try to infiltrate society or hide their appearance. None of them would be stupid enough to parade around their identity like this, so it¡¯s only logical that I¡¯m just pretending to be a demon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some high rank bullshit,¡± Raen said. ¡°I think I see why Arwin was so unsurprised about Monica¡¯s identity now. The Menagerie. Gods, it¡¯s even in your name. You¡¯re unting it!¡±

    ¡°I want in,¡± Monica said, pping her hands together as a determined expression crossed over her features. ¡°What are the requirements? How do I apply? Is there a test I have to pass? I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Lillia said, tapping a finger against her chin in thought. ¡°Ifrit was right. We do happen to be expanding right now. We could definitely use a bouncer so I don¡¯t have to start breaking things every time someone gets rowdy. How would you say you are with bashing skulls together?¡±

    Monica¡¯s lips stretched apart in a delighted smile. ¡°In my culture, a job offer like that isn¡¯t too far from a marriage proposal. And if I wasn¡¯t already married, I¡¯d have considered taking you up on both.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps just the job, then?¡± Lillia offered wryly.

    ¡°With more pleasure than I could ever possibly put into words,¡± Monica said, pounding a fist against her chest. ¡°Consider me hired.¡±

 Chapter 302: Mask

    With their business done, Lillia took Monica out to get an order ced for a waitress uniform that would actually fit her. Raen headed back off to return to his guild and begin preparing for any meetings that the Menagerie would set up for them with the Montibeau family, and Arwin found himself once again left to his own devices.

    It was a strange sensation to realize that there was absolutely nothing he <em>had </em>to do. He decided that he quite liked it. He had a lot of projects that he wanted to do but hadn¡¯t had a chance to focus on properly before ¡ª a chance he¡¯d finally earned.

    He strode over to the Infernal Armory without a moment of hesitation. He¡¯d had a fair bit of practice with Cursed Dwarven Smithing now, but not every item he made was going to be cursed.

    <em>My raw technique still has a lot of growing that can be done. I won¡¯t let myself make the mistake of relying so much on the magic and the System that I¡¯m crippling the potential strength of the equipment I can make. </em>

    He had some practice to do ¡ª and he knew just what to practice on.

    Arwin had started making the Ivory Executioner Set a long time ago. The chestpiece he wore still wasn¡¯t even technically part of the set, and it still needed boots to bepletely finished.

    It was about time to rectify that. He still had enough materials to work with from Rodrick and the others¡¯ previous efforts to get him supplies ¡ª and he could recycle the chestpiece itself by pulling the magic out of it with Soul me and then breaking it down and separating out the parts with the use ofva.

    The final set would beposed normal magical items, of course. None of the other pieces in the set were Cursed, so it made no sense to start cursing them now. This was just going to be some old fashioned Dwarven Smithing¡­ and Arwin weed it.

    <em>Let¡¯s see how far I¡¯vee in these past few weeks.</em>***

    Hein, brother to Kien of the Twin des, sat in the darkness of a cold room and stared at the slip of parchment clenched in his hands. The boarded-shut window doing little to prevent the howling wind outside from breaking into the small cabin in the mountains. A creak broke through the storm outside as he shifted his weight and the wooden chair beneath him ¨C one that matched the shitty table across from him ¨C voiced its protest.

    Scrawling words had been printed across the paper, boasting of a deed that Hein had absolutely no desire to look at any longer than he physically had to. He already knew what it said. Another monster in, another helpless idiot saved.

    It was the same thing. It always was.

    A sea of simr trash littered the ground all around the floor of the cabin. No matter who Hein asked, no matter how hard he tried, they always showed up. They were pinned to his door. Delivered in pretty envelopes, or stuffed through his windows.

    Hein grabbed at the old metal sk that hung from his side. Deep gouges covered what had once been an insignia upon its face, leaving it damaged and barren. He took a long swig from the acrid contents within and let out a belch, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before crumpling the paper in his hands into a ball.

    A muttered curse joined the ball of paper as Hein flicked it over his shoulder ¨C but it never hit the ground. There was a soft crunch as somebody caught the trash out of the air behidn him.

    Hein leapt from his chair and spun, his hand going for a sword that hadn¡¯t rested at his side for years. His back hit the rickety table and it threatened to pitch back before he caught it with his free hand, his eyes locked on the hooded figure standing across from him.

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Hein cursed, letting out a sharp breath and pinching his crooked nose between two fingers. ¡°What is your problem? Can¡¯t you just knock?¡±

    ¡°The door was open.¡± The figure¡¯s voice was male, but perfectly even and entirely undistinguishable. For that matter, everything about them was. Their build was the most perfectly average and uninteresting man in existence.

    He¡¯d never seen the hooded man¡¯s face, but if he did, Hein strongly suspected it would probably be equally as generic.

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    It gave him a strange sense ofradery. There was something nice about knowing that he wasn¡¯t the least interesting person in the room for once in his life.

    ¡°It¡¯s always open,¡± Hein said. ¡°The lock doesn¡¯t work. What is it today, Mask?¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s real name, of course. He¡¯d been stopping by to visit for nearly a month now and had still yet to give Hein a name to call him by ¨C thus, Hein had been forced toe up with one himself.

    ¡°I thought you might have wanted the newest papers,¡± Mask said, pulling a folded sheet of paper out from his pocket. ¡°It seems Kien managed to save a border town from arge raid a few days ago. Quite the impressive man, your brother.¡±

    Hein fought to keep the displeasure from showing on his features. He was pretty sure it was a battle he didn¡¯t win.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you how I feel about him,¡± Hein snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t want the news, Mask. Don¡¯t joke with me. Did you figure out who was sending the damn papers to my house? You promised you would.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost onto them,¡± Mask promised, cing a hand over his heart. ¡°I know how it must feel, Hein. To be born into the promise of greatness, only for an upstart to steal it all from you. Competing with Kien must be like trying to shine a candle against the sun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reallyforting,¡± Hein said, ripping the paper from Mask¡¯s hands and crumpling it up. He threw it to the ground at his feet. ¡°Are you going to tell me why you¡¯re here today? Or do you n to just talk my ear off every few days for the rest of my life before I die?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tragedy,¡± Mask continued, almost as if he couldn''t hear a word that Hein had said, ¡°But I care about you, Hein. I understand you. The hand you¡¯ve been dealt in life is unfair, my friend. You should have been great.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just ¨C fuck. I¡¯m just me. It¡¯s a miracle you even remember my name. Nobody else does. To them, I¡¯m just Kien¡¯s brother. You and he are the only ones that actually use my name.¡±

    ¡°That is because, today, your name is worth nothing.¡± Mask put a hand on Hein ¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t always have to be the case.¡±

    The cloaked man reached into a pocket and pulled free a thin stiletto. Hein flinched back, but Mask remained perfectly motionless. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. The hood covering his features left absolutely nothing there to see; its shadows were so intense that they must have been magical.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Hein asked, bracing his hand against the table. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Your chance to be somebody was stolen from you, Hein,¡± Mask said. He flipped the stiletto around to pinch it by the t of the de and held it out hilt-first. ¡°And I am a person that likes to ensure that the wrongs in the world are righted. All I want to do is help.¡±

    ¡°Is this a magical weapon? That won¡¯t do anything,¡± Hein said through a snort of bitterughter. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯ve tried that before? Godspit, Kien¡¯s even given me magical weapons. The stuff from dungeons he¡¯s cleared that he doesn¡¯t want. It doesn¡¯t matter. Anything I do is worthlesspared to him.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Hein,¡± Mask said,passion seeping into his tone as he shook his head sadly. He reached out and took Hein by the hand, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of the stiletto. ¡°You¡¯ve been lied to your entire life, and those lies have made themselves the truth.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Do you think it was a coincidence that Kien aplished something great every time you did?¡± Mask¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°Do you think that happened, over and over again, purely by ident? No man is so great. The magical weapons you have used before have done nothing to truly aid you because you have been given nothing but trash. What could you do when you arepeting with Kien? His magic is too great. The heavens favored him, and he used that power to crush you instead of bringing you up.¡±

    Hein ¡¯s face furrowed in a frown. He looked down at the thin de in his hand, then up to Mask. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s true, but it does nothing to say it now. Life is unfair. That¡¯s just how things are. Not everyone gets to win, and when Kien wins all the time, someone has to lose.¡±

    ¡°Someone does have to lose,¡± Mask agreed. ¡°But why must it be you?¡±

    ¡°Ask the fucking gods.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any gods here,¡± Mask said. ¡°All I see is you, Hein. You ¨C and Opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Opportunity?¡±

    ¡°The dagger,¡± Mask said, tapping Hein ¡¯s hand. ¡°That is her name, and it is her purpose, should you be willing to let her fulfill it. Aren¡¯t you tired of being worthless? Of sitting in this cabin and waiting for life to change?¡±

    ¡°What, this thing is going to change that? What could I ever do?¡± Hein let out a bitterugh. ¡°If I kill a dragon, then Kien will kill the Lord of Dragons.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t kill a dragon.¡± Mask¡¯s words softened until they caressed Hein ¡¯s ears like a gentle touch. ¡°Kill Kien.¡±

    Hein ¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Someone must lose,¡± Mask said. ¡°You have great wisdom. Great potential ¨C potential that was stolen by your brother. I am simply righting the scales, Hein. Your life is yours to live. Yours to take by the reigns, or yours to let rot away. You have the tools you need to be someone. All but one.¡±

    With a flourish, Mask pulled a slip of paper free and held it out to Hein.

    ¡°What, another one of Kien¡¯s aplishments?¡± Hein asked bitterly, taking the paper from Mask.

    It was an invitation to the Proving Grounds. The most prestigious tournament for every Tier of adventurer and guild, held yearly by the Secret Eye. A tournament that Kien had won his bracket in once before. Hein started to let out an amused snort. Yet another thing that Kien would¨C

    He froze. Kien¡¯s name wasn¡¯t on the paper.

    His was.

    ¡°Opportunity can take what you need. The power to be more could be yours,¡± Mask said, a smile within his voice, ¡°should you choose to take it.¡±

 Chapter 303: Ivory Armor

    Arwin wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over the armor strewn about all around him. Fourplete sets, from boots to head, made from Brightsteel. A smile crossed over his face.

    It had been a week since they¡¯d killed Twelve, and these sets were the fruits of hisbor. He¡¯d taken the rare moment of silence to focus in on practicing his craft, pushing himself and the Infernal Armory to the limits of what they could aplish without letting magic handle too much of the work for them.

    He couldn¡¯t have been more satisfied with the results of his work. The armor before him served more than one purpose. The first was as practice. Arwin wanted to make sure that, when he remade the chestpiece of the Ivory Executioner Set, it was the best it could possibly be, and that meant ensuring his skills were polished as much as they possibly could be. The same went for his boots.

    The second purpose of the sets before him was to push the limits of what he could do without revealing his powers.

    He dared to say that he¡¯d seeded. Externally, the sets just looked like normal, nonmagical pieces of equipment.

    They were anything but. They¡¯d been made with Dwarven Smithing, the materials within them purified beyond the level that any normal method could ever reach, and magical power was packed within the armor; woven into its very being and concealed from even the most prying eyes.

    The magical effects were subtle. They made they armor stronger, harder to cut, and lighter to wear. Just enough to make his armor feel vastly superior to anypetitor, but not enough to reveal that it was obviously magical.

    He¡¯d already had them tested out. Olive and Reya bore histest versions when they went on excursions to the dungeons. Their old equipment had started to get a little dated. Both of them had reported that the equipment was a resounding sess.

    Even though Arwin had no ns of selling too many pieces to mass market, he had a number of people that were interested in purchasing from him and a little extra cash flow went a long way. These were the perfect product for that.¡°This has been nice,¡± Arwin said.

    Red mist twisted beside him as the invisible presence personifying the Infernal Armory shifted.

    ¡°They will earn us money so that we can continue to expand. These are necessary projects to ensure our continued improvement, but I desire more.¡±

    ¡°You always desire more,¡± Arwin said through a bark ofughter. He made his way over to the side of the room, where a stack of Ivorin and Brightsteel bars he¡¯d already purified through Dwarven Smithing sat in wait. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. You¡¯ll be getting that more soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Will you be finishing the Ivory Executioner set?¡± A note of excitement entered the Armory¡¯s tone.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Yes, and things have been going well with Elias and Maeve as well. They seem to be getting on with Olive decently enough, though I haven¡¯t seen any of them speaking much. They¡¯ve just done a bunch of dungeons.¡±

    ¡°I do not care. Just make the armor.¡±

    ¡°Gods, you make for miserable conversation,¡± Arwin said with a roll of his eyes. He reached out and activated [Arsenal], summoning the Ivory Executioner Chestte to his hand. ¡°I¡¯m nning to be back in time for dinner, so let¡¯s get this done in a timely manner, shall we?¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± the Infernal Armory responded. The ck veins running through the ground pulsed with dull orange light as they activated, drawingva in from Wace¡¯s workshop. The dwarf still wasn¡¯t too happy about that, but Lillia had kept him cated with a supply of strong spirits.

    ck strands mmed into Arwin¡¯s back, connecting him to the building, and energy thrummed through him and the stone at his feet. A hearth rumbled up from the ground at his side. He ced his hand within it, drawing forth [Soul me].

    The hearth sucked his energy in and the mes turned pitch ck as the Infernal Armory poured its own energy in along with Arwin¡¯s.

    For a long moment, Arwin stood still. He held his trusty chestpiece before him. It had taken him through a number of battles. The equipment had served him well ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t abandoning it. He was just upgrading it.

    His features set and he set the piece within the crackling fire. It was only right to remake the chestpiece from the materials that had made the original one¡­ just with a few extra upgrades and modifications.

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    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it,¡± Arwin said, and the forge hummed in response.

    ***

    As wasmon, the song of metal on metal rang through the Infernal Armory. Verdant Inferno rose and fell in ordance to the song audible only to Arwin and the pieces of the chestpiece steadily taking shape beneath his hands. Coils of [Soul me] twisted around the head of the hammer as it swung.

    Every single part of his being waspletely focused. He had a far better idea of what he wanted this time around than he did thest time he¡¯d made the armor, and he didn¡¯t n to let the Mesh control where the magic went.

    The more focused he was on the materials that went into the armor and what he wanted out of them, the less variance there was and the stronger the effects would be.

    He could smell the heat in the air, mixed with the growing scent of deep earth. Magic permeated the air and twisted into the metal with every strike, strengthened by both the blows and by Arwin¡¯s intent.

    Strike by strike, the armor came together. The Infernal Armory provided him everything he needed, streamlining every process so Arwin could focus entirely on his work and avoid having to split his attention.

    He folded the green gemstones back into metal, quenched the pieces of the armor that were finished. His design this time around wasn¡¯t exactly as it had been before. It was still meant to be a heavy piece that could absorb a high number of blows, but Arwin took elements from Lillia¡¯s armor design to give himself a moving joint that would let him twist and move without trapping himself in a coffin of metal.

    He left spiked gemstones jutting out from the pauldrons of the armor in neat lines and used [Scourge] to carve a flowing design across the front of the armor. The flowing waves in the metal were simr to what adorned Lillia¡¯s equipment ¡ª not a direct copy, but close enough to make it clear that they were meant to stand side by side upon the battlefield.

    Arwin moved with practiced ease. This was far from the first chestpiece he¡¯d made, and he knew this metal¡¯s desires more than most other materials he worked with. His self-set time limit of a few hours drew closer.

    He finished the final pieces of the work, quenching the metal and polishing it clean; adding the padding to the inside of the armor and pinning it in ce.

    And then he was done.

    He held a glistening Ivorin chestpiece in the air before him. Flowing designs curved up its sides and twisted around the gemstones that jutted from its shoulders. Arwin had removed the purple gem in its center ¡ª it had been too intent on its own desires and didn¡¯t fit with the rest of the design.

    Arwin reced it with another of the scorched green crystals, leaving only a small portion of it visible from outside the armor.

    Magical energy tingled at his fingertips as the Mesh waited impatiently to be let in. He did a final check over his work, continuing to pour intent into the piece and solidifying his desires for the final result.

    The Infernal Armory supplied the majority of the magical energy he needed. Fortunately, the chestpiece wasn¡¯t so difficult to make that it could get near draining the both of them, and Arwin had more than enough magic left to work with.

    His check found nothing wrong. There was nothing left to do. A satisfied expression passed over Arwin¡¯s features and he nodded, finally releasing his mental hold on the item.

    The tingling energy at his fingertips exploded forth as the Mesh surged. Golden energy swirled around the chestpiece as words traced through the air above it.

    <strong>[Ivory Executioner Armor: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>Ivory Executioner Armor: Epic Quality </strong>

    <strong>[True Resonance]: The crystals buried within this armor sing with every attack it takes, absorbing a small amount of the strike¡¯s energy and storing it throughout the armor. The resonance will reduce the strength of both physical and magical strikes that collide with this item. This effect will draw increasing amounts of magical energy while it is active.</strong>

    <strong>[Shockwave]: After sufficient resonant energy has been gathered within this item, the wielder of this item can choose to release it offensively, sending a magical attack that seeks out weapons that were used to damage the armor. Any weapons that are struck by this magic are filled with a powerful vibration. </strong>

    <strong>[Forged For One]: This item was forged specifically for Arwin Tyrr. Its abilities will not function for any other users. </strong>

    <strong>[Armor of the Executioner]: This is a set item of [5] pieces. When the entire set is worn, a concealed property will be unlocked.</strong>

    A grin stretched across Arwin¡¯s features. This was exactly what he¡¯d been going for. The theme of the armor was far more focused now, and it had grown far stronger than what it had offered before. He didn¡¯t know just how far its defensive capabilities would stretch, but the description implied it would only be limited by the magical energy he had.

    His magical reserves would continue to grow as he got stronger, which meant the armor had incredible scaling potential.

    But even as Arwin looked over his new chestpiece, more words from the mesh bubbled forth and twisted through the air before him.

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank. </strong>

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable.</strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened, and a grin stretched over his lips. He¡¯d finally reached Journeyman 3 ¡ª and if he recalled correctly, he had an Achievement that guaranteed one of his skills would be Cursed.

    <em>If cursed functions for skills anything like how it works for items, then it¡¯ll be a skill that gives me a huge benefit at the cost of increased risk. That could be a very powerful skill indeed. I suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out.</em>

    <em>Let¡¯s see what the Mesh is going to offer me this time around.</em>

 Chapter 304: My Life

    Arwin set his newly made chestpiece down and brushed his hands off on his stained clothes as he sent a mental note of acknowledgement to the Mesh, summoning forth his new skill options so he could take a look at what his efforts had earned him.

    <strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>[Manifest Anvil] ¨C <em>Condense magical energy into an anvil that drops upon a target location. The weight of the anvil is proportional to the amount of magical energy spent on this ability. It may be used to craft items but cannot be summoned in a location where another physical object is already present. </em></strong>

    <strong>[CURSED][Soul Guardian]: <em>Draw upon the connection between yourself and the Infernal Armory, temporarily melding your spirits into one and inserting them into a Soul Guardian that can be activated when the armory is under threat. The Soul Guardian¡¯s strength is magnified by your own and is strengthened by any materials within the Infernal Armory. For this ability to function, a Soul Guardian must be crafted. The Soul Guardian is powered by [Soul me], and a portion of the damage it takes is transferred onto you. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Shatter] ¨C <em>Focus arge amount of magical energy into a single strike, empowering your next strike significantly. Using this ability will temporarily weaken your body until it can recover the spent energy. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Magmamancy] ¨C <em>Enhance your control ofva and gain the ability to manipte it as effortlessly as you would an arm. The amount of magical energy needed to maintain this ability scales exponentially with the amount ofva being controlled. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as he finished reading over all of the ability options, and there was only one thought that came to his mind once he¡¯d had a moment to process everything.

    <em>Holy shit. That Cursed Ability is insane. A guardian whose power is magnified by my own? That doesn¡¯t even mention the power that goes into it from other items within the forge. It¡¯s basically an infinitely scaling defense system that gets more and more powerful the stronger I get and the more items I make within the forge. </em>

    <em>The potential there is almost unfair. It doese with some significant restrictions ¡ª I can¡¯t use it when the armory isn¡¯t under attack and I take some of the damage it does, but does that even matter if the Soul Guardian is so strong that it doesn¡¯t take much damage in the first ce? I¡¯d be using it in a situation where shit has really gone south. </em><em>Sure, it¡¯s a big risk, but it looks like the typical Cursed philosophy applies. Immense rewards in exchange for a risk. If the guardian gets damaged badly in a fight, it could end up killing me. I can¡¯t just use it recklessly¡­ but even still, the other abilities don¡¯t have anywhere near the potential that this one does. </em>

    Arwin did still take a moment to make sure he wasn¡¯t missing something on one of the other options. They weren¡¯t <em>bad </em>per say ¡ª and the Mesh was definitely screwing with him on the first option.

    [Shatter] seemed like a powerful berserker skill, but he had ways to hit really hard already and this one weakened him after the attack. It wasn¡¯t worth taking over [Soul Guardian].

    [Magmamancy] was as good of an option as always, but he still didn¡¯t have a consistent way to essva in a normal situation. He had a way to get some while he was inside the Infernal Armory, but that made it a skill thatpeted directly with [Soul Guardian] ¡ª and thetter was better.

    <em>If [Magmamancy] shows up again once I have a way to actually getva in the middle of a normal fight, it¡¯s absolutely worth grabbing. But for now¡­ </em>

    There was basically no contest. [Soul Guardian] waspletely withoutpetition as the best skill. He just had a single thing giving him a moment of pause.

    ¡°How do I make a Soul Guardian?¡± Arwin muttered.

    There was a sharp breath to his side. The red mist that marked the presence of the Infernal Armory¡¯s presence twisted as it turned to Arwin.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was just reading one of the new ability options I got,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It says I need to make a¡ª¡±

    ¡°Take it,¡± the Armory said, its voice as sharp as de. ¡°Forget the rest of the options. Take that one.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°I have no idea how to make a Soul Guardian.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± the Armory replied. ¡°It is an extension of my body. A physical vessel. It is mandatory to our continued growth. Such a power cannot be denied.¡±

    ¡°How do you know about it?¡± Arwin asked curiously. ¡°I thought you only have information that I do.¡±

    ¡°I did not know of it until I heard the words. They awoke something,¡± the Armoy responded. There was a note of unease in its tone. ¡°The Mesh revealed it to me as you spoke. The Soul Guardian will be an enormous boon to us. Take the skill.¡±

    Arwin studied the red mist for a moment. He¡¯d been nning on taking the ability anyway, but he wasn¡¯t sure if this made him more or less eager to take it. The Infernal Armory didn¡¯t tend to show interest for many things other than crafting powerful weapons.

    <em>Well, if it knows how to make a Soul Guardian¡­ we need the strength. The Menagerie is drawing a lot of attention. The Tavern has been packed as ofte, and I know Monica has thrown more than a few people out already. Hiring her was a good idea ¡ª but I shouldn¡¯t get off track. We¡¯ve got eyes on us, and we need defenses for when someone inevitably tries to pull some shit.</em>

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    Arwin made his decision. The Mesh faded away as his new [Soul Guardian] skill appeared within his status screen. He dismissed it with a thought, letting a slow breath out through his nose as he picked the piece of armor he¡¯d just made up.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°Late afternoon.¡±

    <em>Just in time for dinner. I¡¯ll finish the Ivory Executioner Set tomorrow, then.</em>

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said. He donned his new chestpiece and bound it with [Arsenal], then banished it with a thought. It didn¡¯t have anything concealing its status since it wasn¡¯t a Cursed item, so he couldn¡¯t show it off in town until he finished the whole set.

    The Armory¡¯s presence faded away as Arwin strode out and across the street, rubbing his hands together eagerly. First, he had to take a bath.

    Then it would be time for dinner. It had been some time since he¡¯d gotten a chance to properly catch up with the rest of his guild, and he was eager to see how things were going.

    ***

    Hein¡¯s stomach clenched like he¡¯d swallowed a fistful of obsidian shards. His hands were tense at his sides and his shoulders so stiff that he could have shattered stone with them. His footfalls echoed through the dark cave, joined by three sets of others.

    A man and a woman walked by his sides. They¡¯d arrived at his cabin several nights before alongside Mask, who had introduced them as Jack and Jill. No part of Hein believed that those were their actual names, but he didn¡¯t care enough to ask.

    For the past few days, the only thing his thoughts could dwell on were the knife that he held clenched in his right fist. The knife, and it¡¯s intended target ¡ª the man d in enchanted armor walking directly in front of him.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since you reached out,¡± Kien said with an easygoing chuckle. He carried a beautifully carved sword in one hand, faint blue light running through grooves embossed into its surface. ¡°It feels like we were kids thest time we did a dungeon together, Hein.¡±

    ¡°We were,¡± Hein replied tautly, trying to keep his emotions from seeping too far into his thoughts. His mind was a mess, and blood pounded in his ears like a war drum.

    ¡°Well, we should do it more often. It¡¯s nice to know you remember me,¡± Kien said. ¡°You never reply to my letters. I was getting concerned, but there were just so many things splitting my attention. It feels like the entire kingdom forgot that not every single sted issue needs an adventurer to fix it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Hein asked, biting back bitterness. ¡°Well, this one needs an adventurer. The best one.¡±

    ¡°So your letter said. Demon took up residence at the bottom of the dungeon, right?¡± Kien¡¯s sword shed through the air before Hein even got a chance to see what was happening. A river of gentle blue light followed in the weapon¡¯s path, illuminating two halves of a shadowy monster as it split apart and sttered to the ground. Kien continued talking as if nothing had happened. ¡°How¡¯s adventuring been for you?¡±

    <em>Gods above. I didn¡¯t even see that thing there. </em>

    Neither Jack nor Jill said anything. They weren¡¯t the talkative sort.

    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Hein lied. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten invited to the Proving Grounds, actually. I¡¯m finally going to make a name for myself.¡±

    ¡°Truly?¡± Delight tinged Kien¡¯s tone, and it filled Hein with disgust. More falsehoods. More lies. Kien was an expert at them. The charismatic bastard had everyone dancing at his fingertips, but Hein knew the truth. He knew what his brother was.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hein said.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯lle watch to cheer you on,¡± Kien said. A flicker of something dark passed through his tone. ¡°I got an invitation as well, but I¡¯ve turned it down. My team disbanded over some issues with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. We disagreed over the¡­ <em>execution </em>of a few things. Nothing to worry about, mind you. You¡¯re independent though, right? You don¡¯t have to worry about any crap like that.¡±

    ¡°Fully,¡± Hein said. His grip around the hilt of the dagger tightened. As if he¡¯d ever swear his fealty to anyone but himself. As if anyone would offer him the chance.

    They all fell silent, and the only sound in the darkness of the cave was the echo of their footsteps against the damp floor. The smell of stale water permeated the air and wormed into Hein¡¯s nostrils.

    Patches of luminescent moss were few and far in between, only asionally granting any light to the darkness. In the fleeting grace of their light, Hein caught Jill staring down at his side. At Opportunity.

    Jack was staring straight at him. Mask¡¯s silent friend didn¡¯t need to say a word. Everything he could have wanted to convey was held within his eyes.

    It was time.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Kien said as he came to a stop and cast his gaze around the room, back still turned to Hein. ¡°That¡¯s odd. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I think this is a dead end.¡±

    There wouldn¡¯t be another chance. Time was of the essence. Hein¡¯s life was waiting for him. His <em>future </em>was waiting for him. One where he wasn¡¯t just <em>Kien¡¯s brother</em>. He could be something more.

    Hein¡¯s hand dropped to Opportunity. He drove the stiletto forward in a smooth, practiced strike.

    And just like that, the de punched into Kien¡¯s back. Sparks shed from the man¡¯s enchanted armor as Opportunity drove through it and into his flesh like there was nothing there. A stunned gasp, like all the air had been driven from Kien¡¯s lungs to make room for the dagger, pushed free from his lips.

    Kien¡¯s entire body stiffened like a nk of wood. He pitched forward and struck the ground with a heavy thud. At the same time, Hein¡¯s own back stiffened. Not in pain, but in ecstasy. His lips parted and he staggered, the breath catching in his throat as power poured into him. It was <em>incredible</em>, like he had dipped his hands into a river of lightning.

    And then it was done.

    It couldn¡¯t have taken more than a few seconds. Hein hadn¡¯t been counting. He stared down at his hands, his fingers trembling. Adrenaline and disbelief pumped through his body like drugs.

    <em>I did it. I can¡¯t believe it. I did it. </em>

    ¡°It is done,¡± Jack said in a tone as lifeless as the desert, and Hein realized that he¡¯d spoken his thoughts aloud.

    ¡°We should dispose of the body,¡± Jill said, her voice a perfect, female clone of Jack¡¯s.

    A sh of anger burned through Hein¡¯s chest, but he smothered it. They didn¡¯t understand. Anger was for the weak¡­ and he wasn¡¯t weak anymore. He could feel power roiling within his body. Kien¡¯s ¡ª no. <em>His </em>power. It was rightfully his.

    Blood spread across the floor of the damp cave and soaked into the bottom of Hein¡¯s boot. He nced down, his lip trembling slightly as it curled up.

    <em>How does it feel, Kien? To be the weak one? </em>

    One of Kien¡¯s eyes had shifted. It stared up at Hein, the light behind it fading fast. There wasn¡¯t a single trace of anger borne within his gaze. There was only disappointment and betrayal.

    Suddenly, Hein felt sick.

    ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± Hein snapped, turning on his heel. ¡°Mask is waiting for us.¡±

    Jack grabbed the hilt of the stiletto protruding from Kien¡¯s back and pulled the de free. ¡°What of the body?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of fucking nowhere<strong>. </strong>Nobody¡¯s going to find a corpse here,¡± Hein snapped, already striding toward the exit of the cave. His stomach fought to push its way up through his throat. If he stayed in the cave any longer, he feared he would throw up.

    <em>Kien doesn¡¯t matter anymore. This is my life, now. It¡¯s mine to live¡­ and I¡¯ll start by doing by winning the Secret Eye¡¯s tournament. </em>

 Chapter 305: Sprung

    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to dig up some information about this year¡¯s Proving Grounds,¡± Rodrick said after the Menagerie had finished breakfast the morning after Arwin had finished the re-creation of his chestpiece. It was one of the increasingly rare days when all of them were all present at the same time. Well ¡ª all of them other than Madiv and Esmerelda, who had gotten into an argument over the circumference of a dragon egg and headed off to prove each other wrong.

    Between the dungeons that Olive was running with Elias and Maeve, Reya¡¯s increasing amounts of practice, both on her own and against many of the adventurers passing though the tavern, and Arwin¡¯s crafting schedule, it wasn¡¯tmon for all of them to have much time to just chat.

    On this morning, Elias and Maeve had retreated to take care of some <em>business</em>. They hadn¡¯t said what it was. Arwin hadn¡¯t asked. They still deserved their privacy.

    Monica only worked the night shifts, when there were enough rowdy adventurers to actually warrant the presence of a bouncer, so this was one of those even <em>more </em>rare times where the Menagerie was not only able to meet in whole, but they were also alone.

    ¡°With regard to Phoenix Circle?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Or the tournament as a whole?¡±

    ¡°Thetter,¡± Rodrick replied. He sent a nce at Olive and chuckled. ¡°I think we¡¯ve already got someone doing all the digging on them that we need. She¡¯s been spending more time with those two than she has with us.¡±

    Olive¡¯s cheeks reddened and she looked down at her te, which had beenpletely licked clean of the scrambled eggs and toast that Lillia had prepared for breakfast that morning.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to get to know them. I don¡¯t think you can replicate years of experience by cramming everything into a few weeks, but it¡¯s the only option we¡¯ve got. We need to catch up to the teams that have been working together since they started adventuring.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very wise of you,¡± Lillia said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, Olive. You don¡¯t have to stare at your te like that.¡±¡°Thanks.¡± Olive let her gaze lift from the te and ran a hand through her hair. ¡°It¡¯s just stressful. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be getting into something like this again. Ever. Grinding out dungeons has been good for my level, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you at now?¡± Reya asked eagerly before Olive could finish her sentence. It was her turn to blush. She cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry. Ignore me. Please continue.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Olive said through a snort. ¡°I¡¯d have gotten pissed off a long time ago if something like that offended me.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡ª wait a minute. What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m up to Journeyman 8.¡±

    Surprise welled within Arwin¡¯s chest. Olive really <em>had </em>been grinding through dungeons. She was only two steps away from Adept. Granted, steps between Tiers were often the most difficult, but there was a very good chance she¡¯d hit the Third Tier before the tournament.

    ¡°You¡¯re not pushing too fast, are you?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Make sure you aren¡¯t neglecting any of your Achievements. And if you aren¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°¡ªthen don¡¯t neglect your body.¡± Anna tapped Olive on the forehead. ¡°Advancing at incredible speeds is taxing, especially if you aren¡¯t just pushing for levels without getting Achievements. It means you¡¯re seeking out challenges that are constantly pushing you to your limits. Don¡¯t forget to take a few breaks in-between.¡±

    Olive grimaced, but she gave Anna a small nod. ¡°I know. I¡¯m not trying to kill myself. But Elias and Maeve are trying just as hard. They¡¯re serious about this, and I¡¯m not going to let them down. Not when they were fine with¡­ me.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with you,¡± Reya said stiffly.

    ¡°My Challenge,¡± Olive said. ¡°There¡¯s a whole lot wrong with that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Challenge,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°Nothing more. Nothing less. I don¡¯t think the Mesh gives people things that are actively meant to be bad or evil. That¡¯s never what it¡¯s been about. You¡¯re going about things the right way this time around. Don¡¯t keep beating yourself up for a mistake in the past. You can¡¯t fix it, so you¡¯re only suffering needlessly.¡±

    ¡°And maybe slow down so the rest of us can keep up,¡± Rodrick grumbled, a note of humor in his voice making it clear that he was joking. ¡°I¡¯m only Journeyman 6 right now. Unlike the rest of you, I actually have work to do.¡±

    <em>Journeyman 6? Gah. I¡¯m happy for them, but I¡¯m jealous of how fast they can advance. I wonder if there¡¯s something Lillia and I can do to improve the speed that our crafting sses grow at without skimping on Achievements. The Mesh doesn¡¯t do unfair disadvantages. Just different situations¡­ so there should be a way to keep up with the others.</em>

    ¡°Are you going to say what it is you figured out about the tournament?¡± Lillia asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Or were you just nning on teasing us with that before moving on?¡±

    ¡°Oh, whoops. Right,¡± Rodrick said with a sheepish grin. ¡°In my defense, I got interrupted.¡±

    ¡°eptable defense if this was a court,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Unfortunately, it is not and I am impatient. Come on already. Out with it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to¡­ procure a list of some of the teams that should be participating this year. A lot of the strong ones, at least.¡±

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred tform. Support original creators!

    Arwin blinked in surprise. ¡°Really? I would have thought the Secret Eye would have been fairly¡­ I don¡¯t know. Secretive about that? How did you manage to figure that out? Just the teams that participatedst year?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think so poorly of me?¡± Rodrick leveled a t stare in Arwin¡¯s direction. ¡°You think it would take me this long just to get a list of the people that participated in the tournament <emst </em>year? I had that on the second day, and it only took that long because I was otherwise upied on the previous day.¡±

    ¡°Yup. I remember that,¡± Olive said as she exchanged a sidelong nce with Reya. ¡°We heard.¡±

    Anna reddened.

    ¡°Thicker walls, Lillia.¡± Rodrick pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re on the list. I just had some renovations done, you know? The new areas have thicker walls.¡±

    ¡°Well, give the old ones thicker walls too,¡± Rodrick grumbled as the rest of the Menagerie chuckled. He tapped a finger on the countertop to pull their attention back to the presence. ¡°And as to the <em>actual </em>topic of the conversation ¡ª I¡¯ve identified a few teams that we should pay particr attention to.¡±

    The mood in the room turned more serious.

    ¡°Which ones?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°Well,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°In particr, there are ¡ª¡±

    ***

    ¡°Three teams that we need to be wary of,¡± Art said. He lifted his eyes from the stacks of paper littered across therge, wooden desk he sat at.

    Vix sat in a chair across from him, her fingers inteced in herp as she stared on at him patiently. It almost made him feel like he knew what he was doing, and like he wasn¡¯t five sizes too small to be sitting at this huge hunk of wood.

    ¡°Just three?¡± Vix asked. ¡°I would have thought there would be more.¡±

    ¡°Even with my dead weight strapped to your leg, you¡¯re strong enough to deal with all of the others in our bracket with the help of any semipetent adventurer. You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did you find one?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Art snapped, the wording out sharper than he¡¯d intended. He winced. ¡°Sorry. No. Not yet. I¡¯m working on it, Vix.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Vix said. ¡°I know you are. Keep going. If you think I can handle the others, then I believe you. You¡¯ve never been wrong about this kind of thing before. So I¡¯ve got 4 real opponents. Tell me about them.¡±

    ¡°The first is Starforge¡¯s team. That one should be obvious, though,¡± Art said.

    Vix¡¯s lips thinned. ¡°Of course. Rank 2 in the previous tournament. Personal vendetta, and they¡¯ve got the fucking Gravity Mage as well as those Fire and Water twins.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Art said. He pulled a deck of cards from his sleeve and rifled them together before flipping the top card over to reveal a drawing of arge, stocky man with tanned skin and a thickyer of ck hair that hung to his shoulders. Several lines of description ran beneath the drawing. ¡°Gordon is the team leader. He¡¯s Adept 7, and a powerful gravity mage.¡±

    ¡°The cards are cute.¡±

    Art¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°Do you want information or not? I thought they¡¯d make things easier to study!¡±

    ¡°No, please. Keep going,¡± Vix said, picking up Gordon¡¯s card and studying Art¡¯s notes on him. ¡°How do I deal with this?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t figured that out yet,¡± Art replied,ying three more cards out on the table. ¡°This is just the initial information. I¡¯ll figure the strategies out once we know the rules of the game.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we already know the rules?¡±

    Art put a finger on one of the cards and slid it across the table to draw Vix¡¯s attention to it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know the rules until you know your opponents,¡± Art replied. ¡°And that brings us to a team that actually scored quite poorlyst year, but I believe they¡¯ll be a major threat. A group of warriors from the Kererus Coalition, led by¡ª¡±

    ***

    ¡°¡ªShade, a creepy fucker with a mixture of shadow magic and up-in-your-face warrior shit,¡± Rodrick said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back in his chair. ¡°We¡¯re going to be real careful with these idiots. The Kererus Coalition¡ª¡±

    ¡°The ones that tried to kill Melissa?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°Yes, them,¡± Rodrick said with a nod. ¡°Shade is the leader of their mainbat group. Merchants don¡¯t usually have many actuallypetent warriors of their own, so the ones they do have get outfitted very well. I¡¯m more worried about the shit they¡¯ll bring than the skills they actually have.¡±

    ¡°Good to know,¡± Olive said. ¡°Do you know what we should prepare for?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Sorry. I¡¯m on it. I was just focusing on figuring out who we¡¯re actually dealing with. ns for things like this have to be <em>personalized</em>.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Maybe we can get the Montibeau family and the Dawnseekers to get involved in some funding or otherwise supporting us against them. Melissa would definitely be willing to make the Kererus Coalition look like a joke in public.¡±

    ¡°Definitely an avenue worth perusing,¡± Rodrick said with a grin. ¡°But that lot aren¡¯t the biggest threat we¡¯ve got, nor is Starforge.¡±

    ¡°The winners of the previous tournament,¡± Arwin guessed. ¡°I¡¯d bet they¡¯re the ones we have to be keeping a look out for, right?¡±

    Rodrick scratched at the back of his head. ¡°Actually¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Art said.

    Vix stared at him for a long second. Art shuffled the cards in his hand again. He wasn¡¯t joking, but it took her a moment to process that. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Kien the Twinde. He won the Tournament on his own thest time around. No team.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I remember,¡± Vix eximed. ¡°He died? How?¡±

    ¡°A few days ago. Kien went missing and his brother reported it a little while ago. His magic was¡­ quite distinct. There¡¯s no way someone like him would beying low right now. He probably bit off more than we can chew. It¡¯s lucky for us. I don¡¯t think you could beat him.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s realism,¡± Art corrected. ¡°Kien was a monster. The most talented Adept since the Hero. He was also Adept 9 ¡ª nearly Expert Tier. Do you really think you could fight that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Vix admitted. ¡°So if it¡¯s not him, then who?¡±

    ¡°Him.¡±

    Art¡¯s eyes darkened as he flipped onest card and pushed it across the table to his sister. She picked it up, blinking in surprise as she scanned over its contents. She nced over its top at Art, squinting at him.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±

    ¡°I ampletely serious,¡± Art said. ¡°Your reaction is going to be what most peoples¡¯ will be, and that¡¯s what will cost them the victory against his team. This man poses the biggest threat to us. I¡¯m absolutely certain of it.¡±

    ¡°He looks like he¡¯d be more likely to give me aforting hug than anything else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he would,¡± Art said grimly. ¡°And he¡¯d probably slide a dagger between your ribs as he let you go. Do you have any idea who this is?¡±

    ¡°His name is right there. You forgot the rest of the description, though.¡±

    Aside from a drawing of a jovial looking man with a mop of blond hair, the card waspletely empty beyond the name of a single guild ¡ª but Art hadn¡¯t forgotten anything.

    ¡°His name and guild were the only thing I could find about him when I researched his identity,¡± Art said.

    Vix went stiff in her chair. ¡°That¡¯s all you<em></em>could find? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s wiped everything,¡± Art said, a note of awe entering his tone. ¡°There¡¯s no trace of any history rted to him beyond a few months ago. It¡¯s like he just¡­ sprung into existence.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen <em>you </em>get stumped like this. Who could pull something like that off?¡±

    Art plucked the card from Vix¡¯s hands and ced it onto the table.

    ¡°Apparently, he goes by Rodrick.¡±

 Chapter 306: Handsome

    ¡°Our biggest threat is¡­ a child?¡± Lillia asked, squinting at Rodrick as if trying to tell if he was joking or not.

    ¡°No,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°<em>My </em>biggest threat is a child.¡±

    ¡°Have you considered that you might just not want kids?¡± Reya asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. It¡¯s scary.¡±

    ¡°And a big responsibility,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°Really?¡± Rodrick asked, ring at her. ¡°You too? I¡¯m trying to be serious!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Anna said with a sheepish grin. ¡°They are, though.¡±

    ¡°So they are.¡± Rodrick rolled his eyes. ¡°And this one is especially so. Several of the little bits and bobs I¡¯ve stuck on old records just in case someone came looking for me have gone off. It¡¯s been a while since that happened.¡±

    ¡°Bits and ¡ª what now?¡± Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You can do something like that? How does that fit into your ss? You never said you could set traps.¡±

    Rodrick coughed into his fist. ¡°I absorbed the entirety of the Secret Eye¡¯s knowledge, Arwin. Everything they had. Do you really think I didn¡¯t get some Titles from that? I¡¯m no mage, but I¡¯m not incapable.¡±¡°Right,¡± Arwin said, shaking his head and blinking away his surprise. This wasn¡¯t the time to press for details of exactly what Rodrick was capable of. He drummed his fingers against the side of his thigh. ¡°So you think Art is going to be a major threat?¡±

    ¡°In all the ways that the other teams aren¡¯t,¡± Rodrick confirmed. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be much good in a fight. When I looked into him, I couldn¡¯t find anything that indicated he was apetentbatant. He¡¯s got a deformity in his leg that forces him to use a crutch to walk. But when ites to information¡­ that¡¯s what we need to hide the most.¡±

    ¡°If people figure out what Elias and Maeve are¡­¡± Olive trailed off. Then she grimaced as a scenario yed out within her mind. ¡°That would be bad. Really bad.¡±

    ¡°Really bad,¡± Rodrick agreed. ¡°I¡¯m looking into him, but mywork is very focused in Milten. Art is in a city closer to the center of Lian called Thornhelm. I don¡¯t have good connections there. I¡¯ll have to take a trip to visit and build up awork.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s necessary,¡± Rodrick corrected. ¡°And it¡¯s not like Art is an evil monster. This is apetition supervised by the Secret Eye. We¡¯re enemies, but we¡¯re not trying to kill each other. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Well, if we can help, let us know,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I always do.¡± Rodrick pushed his chair back from the counter and rose to his feet. Anna picked a piece of egg off the front of his shirt and arched an eyebrow at him. Rodrick coughed into a fist. ¡°Art isn¡¯t our only trouble, though.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said there were only 3 teams we have to watch,¡± Lillia said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t know who the other ones are. I know they¡¯re there, but I haven¡¯t managed to single them out.¡± Rodrick¡¯s expression darkened and he crossed his arms behind his back. ¡°I think the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is going to be personally involved in this tournament.¡±

    That caught everyone¡¯s attention. A chair scraped back across the floor and Arwin realized that it had been his.

    ¡°The Guild is going to have a team?¡± Arwin asked.

    ¡°I think so. They¡¯ve hidden it very well,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°I would have guessed it was Kien before. He was their golden boy. Not the Hero, but not far from him in poprity. But¡­ well, he¡¯s dead. Can¡¯t be him. So I¡¯m still looking. Just be ready. We might have some seriouspetition.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Arwin¡¯s emotions twisted in his chest. Old memories and new mixed as one. The Guild had been looming at the back of his mind for so long that actuallying face to face with them was enough to send what almost felt like an electric shock through his body.

    He drew in a sharp breath and forced it out through his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that Lillia and I aren¡¯t directlypeting,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We might actually be able to use this.¡±

    ¡°The Guild doesn¡¯t know who Olive is,¡± Lillia said. She paused and nced at Olive. ¡°That is, unless you¡¯ve also got some form of connection to them that you just haven¡¯t had a chance to mention yet? You didn¡¯t run someone important through in your youth or something, did you?¡±

    ¡°No. My te with them is clean.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Reya asked. ¡°Sweet.¡±

    ¡°Why is that a surprise? Not being on the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s shit list should be the standard, not the exception! And you can¡¯t act like they know who you are! You¡¯re in the same boat as me.¡±

    Reya scratched at the back of her neck as her cheeks went bright red. ¡°Well¡­ not really.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes snapped over to Reya and he fought to keep his expression neutral.

    <em>Wait. Seriously? When did Reya have a run-in with the Guild?</em>

    ¡°How?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I thought you grew up in Milten.¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Reya¡¯s cheeks somehow turned even brighter. They were rapidly approaching the color of Olive¡¯s hair. ¡°But the Guild asionally sends representatives to outer cities. To check up on stuff, you know?¡±

    ¡°You robbed him,¡± Olive said tly.

    ¡°I did not <em>rob</em> him. I was part of a very carefully executed heist. He was carrying a bag of gold the size of a baby¡¯s head around on his waist! That¡¯s practically asking for someone to take it.¡±

    ¡°So you got caught trying to lift a huge amount of gold from a Guild representative,¡± Rodrick said through augh. ¡°That¡¯s a good way to get them pissed at you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get caught. I got the money. Unfortunately, he saw what I looked like.¡±

    ¡°You really <em>did </em>manage to make everyone hate you,¡± Olive said with an awed whistle. ¡°That¡¯s some talent. You ticked off the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and they aren¡¯t even in Milten.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be proud of that,¡± Lillia said, trying to fight augh away. ¡°But the earlier sentiment was right. Olive is literally the only one here that the Guild <em>doesn¡¯t </em>dislike.¡±

    ¡°Yet,¡± Reya said.

    ¡°Yet?¡± Olive eximed. ¡°What do you think I¡¯m going to do?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re hanging around us. We¡¯re bound to be a positive influence at some point.¡±

    Olive rolled her eyes and Arwin chuckled. It really was ludicrous that they¡¯d all managed to step on the Guild¡¯s toes one way or another. Even Elias and Maeve would be at odds with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild because of their identity as monsters.

    He didn¡¯t want to think of what would happen if the Guild figured out who he and Lillia really were before they were ready to take them on. That just couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t actually participating. He¡¯d just have to take steps to ensure that nobody figured out Elias and Maeve¡¯s true identities.

    ***

    A pleasant-faced man with the beginnings of blond stubble running along his handsome features sat in an empty tavern, looking into a wine ss full of milk as if it held the secrets to the future within it.

    The tables all around him were shattered and strewn across the ground. Old stains and broken ss covered the ground. There wasn¡¯t a single piece of furniture that was intact other than the table before him and the chair he sat on.

    The man¡¯s eyes flicked up as a footfall echoed through the silence. He lowered his ss of milk, setting it down on the table, as a figure dressed in ck robes stepped out from behind him and moved to stand at the other end of the table like a spiteful ghost. The figure¡¯s face waspletely indistinguishable within the shadows that clung to his cloak like water.

    ¡°It is done,¡± the cloaked man said.

    ¡°Do you have to be so melodramatic about it?¡± the handsome man took a sip from his wine ss.

    There was a metallic thud as the other man set a stiletto upon the table between them.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do.¡± He set the ss down and picked the dagger up, examining it. There was still blood on the thin weapon¡¯s de. ¡°I¡¯d invite you to join me for a drink.¡±

    ¡°I woke upctose intolerant today.¡±

    ¡°You did the same thing thest time I asked. Are you certain you just don¡¯t have an intolerance on every day?¡±

    ¡°No. Just the days you ask.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The handsome man let out a short sigh. Something within his eyes sharpened as his features turned deadly serious. He pointed the end of the stiletto at the other man. ¡°This is an important experiment. It took me a very long time to get everything set up properly for this. You¡¯d be surprised at how much easier it is to extract energy than it is to summon it¡­ but we have to make sure it works properly before we let ourselves get too attached. Keep a very close eye on things for me, would you?¡±

    ¡°I always do.¡±

 Chapter 307: Dead man

    Jorge heaved a sigh. It was a sigh borne of equal parts boredom and a desire to hear something other than the echo of his footfalls against damp cave floor. He¡¯d hoped that the attempt would help break the heavy cloak of unease that had fallen on him like a corpse draped over his shoulders.

    It didn¡¯t.

    Darkness clung to the edges of his vision, consuming the dim light cast by his torch like a nest of starving insects. He could have sworn that the fire was illuminating less and less with every step he took, even though the remains of the tar on the torch¡¯s head were still burning away.

    <em>I hate this job. I wish I bought more tar. I¡¯ll have to make this fast. </em>

    More footfalls echoed through the dark. His, of course. Jack and Jill were always very thorough. They wouldn¡¯t waste him on a task where there could be a monster lurking in wait. After all, it was hard to find people like Jorge.

    He was good at what he did.

    He didn¡¯t like it, but he was good at it.

    This job took skill. It took talent. And most of all, it took someone who was good at staying quiet when the time called for it.

    Jorge was good at staying quiet. And so he walked, apanied only by the sound of his echoing steps and the growing unease bouncing around in his skull.<em>If you¡¯re scared, you aren¡¯t dead.</em>

    <em>If you¡¯re scared, you aren¡¯t dead.</em>

    <em>If you¡¯re scared, you aren¡¯t¡ª</em>

    A rock ttered.

    Jorge practically leapt out of his boots. He let out a slew of curses as he scrabbled for the sword at his side with one hand while he waved his torch with the other, trying and failing to banish the all-consuming darkness around him.

    All he found was an empty cave.

    His heart mmed in his chest and he tasted bile in his throat. Jack always chose the absolute worst ces to assign him. But he always did his job. That was why Jack paid him so well.

    Jorge swallowed back his unease and lowered the torch, shaking his head. He ignored the cold sweat prickling against his back and rolling down his forehead. All he had to do was one job every few months, and that paid for everything he needed.

    <em>If you¡¯re scared, you aren¡¯t dead.</em>

    It was a good deal.

    If he repeated that enough times, perhaps it would be true.

    Jorge could have sworn Jack told him this target wasn¡¯t too deep. That the dungeon had been fairly shallow, and it should have been an easy job. Maybe he and Jack just had different ideas of deep, but this particr dungeon had gone on too long after he¡¯d passed through just a single room.

    There was something about it that set his entire body on edge. Every one of Jorge¡¯s senses screamed at him to run, but still he pressed on.

    Jack didn¡¯t pay him to be scared.

    <em>If you¡¯re scared, you aren¡¯t ¡ª</em>

    A wall loomed up from the darkness before him. Jorge ground to a halt, heart still pounding in his chest. He lifted the torch and waved it from side to side. There was nothing.

    He¡¯d reached a dead end.

    ¡°Weird,¡± Jorge muttered to himself, his words barely louder than a breath. ¡°Where¡¯s the guy?¡±

    He swept the torch back through the air, squinting at the ground.

    A corpse exploded from the darkness. His heart leapt ¡ª

    No. It was just a corpse. Just a dead man lying on the ground, face down. The body hadn¡¯t moved at all. He¡¯d just swung the torch too quickly and sent shadows dancing through the darkness.

    Dead men couldn¡¯t hurt people. The only thing they could do was be dead.

    Jorge swallowed. He fumbled with his sword, returning it to the sheathe at his side, then pulled a bag away from its spot at his hip. This part was always distasteful, but at least the job was almost done. He just had to chop the body up and then he could leave.

    Then he could be done.

    Jordge crouched beside the corpse.

    It twitched.

    He let out a terrified scream and lurched back, heart mming so violently in his chest that the breath drove itself from his lungs. His torch clunked against the ground and rolled to the side, sending shadows swirling across the dimly lit area.

    Only a momentter did Jorge realize his mistake and lunge, but the corpse was faster. A fist flew out and mmed into Jorge¡¯s stomach. He let out a terrified wheeze and doubled over, stumbling back a step as the dead man grabbed his torch and rose to his feet.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Man and corpse stared at each other, torchlight dancing in their eyes.

    Terror welled and rose within Jorge like a tsunami ¡ª

    And then it froze.

    His stomach didn¡¯t hurt. The blow hadn¡¯t been empowered with magic. It was the strike of a normal man.

    ¡°I¡¯m weak,¡± the corpse rasped, staring at his hand in disbelief.

    Corpses didn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Jack didn¡¯t finish you off,¡± Jorge said, his eyes going wide as he took a step back. ¡°You¡¯re meant to be dead.¡±

    ¡°I am, aren¡¯t I?¡± the not-dead man replied, looking down at himself before back up to Jorge. ¡°And you¡¯re meant to be finishing me off.¡±

    ¡°Now don¡¯t you get any ideas,¡± Jorge said. He grabbed the sword from his side and drew it in a clumsy motion. ¡°I¡¯m just disposal.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m the trash,¡± the man, for that was what he seemed to still be, murmured. He pressed a hand to his stomach. ¡°My magic. It¡¯s gone. All of it.¡±

    Jorge shifted from foot to foot. This had never happened before. Jack had never left a target <em>alive</em>. But something told him that Jack was not about to ept failure as a result. If the man was still alive, then Jorge just had to rectify that issue.

    After all, it didn¡¯t seem like the would-be corpse had any magic. He¡¯d said it himself. Jorge was a Journeyman. Not the best Journeyman, but a Journeyman. Against a man with no magic, Jorge was safe.

    <em>So why am I so scared?</em>

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the man asked. ¡°Who do you work for?¡±

    Jorge lunged, drawing on [Quickstep] and sending his sword blurring for the dead man¡¯s head. It was a blindingly fast blow.

    One he was quite proud of.

    One that missedpletely.

    The other man twitched out of the way, moving before Jorge had even realized he had moved. He hadn¡¯t even been fast ¡ª he¡¯d justpletely predicted the attack before it had gotten close.

    ¡°You¡¯re with my brother,¡± the dead man said. He let out a bitterugh. ¡°That much is obvious.¡±

    ¡°Jack is your brother?¡± Jorge swallowed heavily and walked in a circle around the other man, searching for an opportunity. It should have been so easy to finish Jack¡¯s target off ¡ª but every single one of his senses screamed danger.

    ¡°Jack?¡± The dead man tilted his head to the side. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°No. That doesn¡¯t matter. A fake name. Perhaps the man that was with Hein.¡±

    ¡°Hein?¡± Jorge asked. He found no opportunities. No holes in the target¡¯s attention. The dead man should have been weak, but he still moved with a grace that should have been impossible for someone that wasn¡¯t an adventurer.

    Another bitterugh echoed through the cave. ¡°Oh, how he would have hated that. Even now, you still don¡¯t know his name.¡±

    Jorge lunged at the man while he spoke, activating [Quickstep] once more and pouring magical energy into the ability. He thrust his de for the man¡¯s heart with a scream of defiance. The weapon blurred through the air.

    His target shifted, but Jorge was far faster. His de met resistance. It cut across the man¡¯s chest, leaving a deep wound in its wake and sending blood sttering across the wet ground.

    Jorge¡¯s heart mmed. Victory welled in his chest.

    <em>Yes! One more blow will finish this! I can handle this job. Jack will have to pay me twice for this one. </em>

    The dead man hissed in pain and swung the torch at Jorge, who flinched out of the way before it could connect with his head.

    ¡°Shit,¡± the dead man snarled. He looked down at the torch in his hands, then back up to Jorge. A faint flicker of a smile pulled across his lips. Then he reached for the me at the top of the torch.

    Jorge¡¯s eyes widened in horror as he realized what his target was doing a second toote. He lunged forward, but a loud sizzle and the crackle of burning flesh filled the air as the man grabbed onto the remains of the torch and smothered it with his own palm.

    The cave plunged into darkness.

    ¡°Stay back!¡± Jorge yelled, swiping his sword through the air before him as his eyes darted back and forth, trying to make anything out in the darkness. They found nothing but twisting shadow. He couldn¡¯t even see his nose anymore.

    A painedugh, more sad than amused, echoed through the cave around Jorge. He lunged in its direction and swiped his sword. It connected with nothing. He stumbled, nearly losing his footing before he caught himself.

    ¡°God, it hurts,¡± the dead man said. His voice trailed from Jorge¡¯s left to his right. He turned to follow it, but it was impossible. ¡°It hurts so much.¡±

    ¡°Then let me kill you,¡± Jorge said. ¡°Then it will not hurt.¡±

    ¡°It will always hurt. My own brother, running me through the back. My brother!¡±

    Jorge leapt in the direction of the voice, cutting with all the speed and force he could muster. His foot caught on a rock and he stumbled, his strike connecting with nothing once more.

    ¡°Stay back!¡± Jorge screamed, swiping the de before himself several more times in wild, haphazard swings. His heart pounded so violently in his chest that he feared it would shatter his ribcage.

    He couldn¡¯t remember where the exit was. He couldn¡¯t remember how many rooms the cave had or the way back. It was too dark. The shadows seemed to be closing in around him, waiting to harvest his soul.

    The smell of stale water and old, coppery blood mingled with cooked flesh in the air.

    ¡°Maybe it would have been better if I let you kill me,¡± the dead man said. There was a long, choked pause between his words. ¡°I knew, you know.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡± Jorge turned in the direction of the voice. If he could just find the man, he could re-kill him. He had to keep him talking. ¡°Knew what?¡±

    ¡°I knew Hein hated me. I knew <em>why </em>he hated me. Godspit, I just wanted to make the world better, but gods¡ª¡± he paused to draw a raspy breath, ¡°Gods damn it. The timing was just so bad,¡± the dead man said. ¡°Do you know the worst part? I <em>understand </em>why he stabbed me. I think I¡¯d have done it too. I¡¯d have killed my own brother. I should just let you put me down.¡±

    Jorge approached the voice as quietly as he could. He was close. The man couldn¡¯t have been more than a few paces away from him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make the pain stop. I promise. Just let me finish this.¡±

    Agonizedughter echoed through the cave. Jorge lunged for its source ¡ª his sword met nothing but air.

    ¡°Why?¡± the man rasped. ¡°I need to know why!¡±

    ¡°Why what?¡± Jorge demanded, striding for the voice and swinging his sword again. He had to be close. The dead man couldn¡¯t run forever. He¡¯d eventually ¡ª

    A stick mmed into Jorge¡¯s wrist. His bones cracked and he let out a scream of pain. A hand mped down on his wrist, grinding against the injury, and another one ripped the sword from his grip before he could stop it.

    Jorge¡¯s mouth opened ¡ª and a de mmed into his gut. He jerked. A wet, pained wheeze dribbled from between his lips.

    The dead man caught Jorge by the shoulders as he slumped forward. His lips trembled as he tried to find words. To find the strength to beg for life ¡ª but nothing came. There was nothing but darkness.

    As he faded, he heard one final whisper.

    ¡°I would have done it, but we were still brothers. I loved him so much. Just not as much as my job. I know the answer, but I¡¯m selfish. I know why he did this¡­ but I still need to hear it from his own lips. I need to hear why. Even you looked me in the eyes when you tried to kill me,¡± the dead man whispered, cradling Jorge¡¯s head like a child. ¡°So why couldn¡¯t he?¡±

    Then the dead man snapped Jorge¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 308: Ivorin

    Arwin hoisted one of the Ivorin sabatons he¡¯d been working on for the past few hours to examine it in the light of the [Soul me] licking from the Infernal Armory¡¯s hearth. The boot was in but functional, with joints to allow movement at the ankle and ting along the top of the foot. There were two clear gemstones embedded within the boot on either side of the ankle. A spike extended from the very end of the toe, long enough to make sure his kicks delivered an extra punch ¡ª or took revenge on anything he stubbed his toe on.

    The second boot sat beside the hearth. It was a more polished version of the one in his hand, adorned with in but well-done carvings. Layers of power and intent had been worked into it and the Mesh sat in wait, sensing a finished item and held back only by its connection to the boot that Arwin was still finishing.

    He¡¯d considered making each of the items separately, simr to how he¡¯d made his gauntlets, but Arwin had opted to dismiss that particr idea. It was easy to do one thing with one hand and another thing with the second. That was less true when things came to legs. He didn¡¯t want one foot to go around shooting out magic while the other drew it in. Not unless he didn¡¯t like the idea of bnce.

    Arwin worked the final designs into the surface of the sabaton in motions that had long since be practiced. If it hadn¡¯t been for the Mesh showing him what to do, it would have been impossible to get to this point in the rtively short amount of time that had passed between now and the explosion.

    It felt like an eternity, but it was measurable in weeks rather than years. He¡¯d just managed to aplish more that he was proud of in recent times than he could in just about all of his memories as a hero.

    Arwin was almost starting to feel like a real smith ¡ª or at least, whatever a smith that used magic for seventy percent of their work could be called.

    He finalized the boot and the Mesh buzzed with increased intensity in his ears. It didn¡¯t want to wait any longer, and it wasn¡¯t going to have to. Arwin released his mental barrier, and magic exploded forth like a raging river bursting through a cracked dam.

    Arwin watched on as emotion swirled in his chest. These were the final piece from the Ivory Executioner set. Perhaps it was odd to feel emotional about finishing a suit of armor. Out of everything he¡¯d worked on, this was the one that had been waiting the longest to be finished.

    There had been so many things he¡¯d had to do. Life had been busy ¡ª but now that he watched the Mesh rushing into the boots and igniting the life that he¡¯d forged into them, he knew that ack of time wasn¡¯t the reason he hadn¡¯t finished the set.He just hadn¡¯t wanted to finalize his work with Zeke.

    But leaving it half-finished would have been even worse. And now, for better or for worse, it was done.

    Arwin drew in a deep breath, and for an instant, he could have sworn he smelled wood and ash. He smelled the oil and sweat of a smithy, one that had stood here before he¡¯d rebuilt the Infernal Armory.

    It was, surprisingly, not so bad of a smell. Distant but pleasant, an acknowledgement of what had passed rather than a painful unearthing. And then it was gone. The scent of a morning after a heavy rain reced it.

    Droplets of golden energy glistened across the boots¡¯ surface as the Mesh swelled, sending power pouring not just into the new pieces, but also into the equipment within [Arsenal].

    Arwin stiffened in surprise as his armor suddenly snapped into ce around him. He hadn¡¯t summoned it. The Ivory Executioner Set had arrived of its own volition. His eyes went wide as the amount of magic passing through the armor grew even more insistent.

    <em>What kind of set is this? This power is incredible!</em>

    The Mesh continued its advance. It poured and poured, filling the entire set with more power than Arwin could have imagined. Golden letters exploded through the air before him, but the flow of strength didn¡¯t recede. It continued to pour out, a river of magic that almost seemed like it could not be stopped.

    <strong>[Ivory Executioner¡¯s Sabatons: Epic Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    But the Mesh wasn¡¯t done. Not in pouring magic into the Ivory Executioner Set, and not in sending messages. More letters burst forth like a star had exploded in the air before him.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    <strong>[The Ivory Executioner] ¨C <em>Awarded for ¡ª finally ¡ª finishing the Ivory Executioner Set. Is it a Curse? Is it a Blessing? That remains to be seen.</em> Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded to [Cursed]. This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</strong>

    Arwin blinked the notification away. He wasn¡¯t sure why finishing the Ivory Executioner Set had gotten him a Cursed skill upgrade. That was definitely odd. None of the items within it were cursed.

    For that matter, he wasn¡¯t so sure he understand why half the things that the Mesh called ¡®Cursed¡¯ actually bore that name. Cursed implied that the items were somehow evil or otherwise negative, but from what he¡¯d seen so far, that wasn¡¯t true.

    Cursed items were just harder to control and had greater risks and rewards. Calling them Cursed almost felt like a misnomer ¡ª but now wasn¡¯t exactly the time to argue that fact with the Mesh.

    Arwin squinted through the light. Somehow, there was <em>still </em>magic entering the set¡­ and something was wrong. He could feel it heating up on his back. Every piece of the armor started to tremble as tiny crackles of golden lightning leapt off their surface and scorched the ground at his feet.

    The red mist that marked the Infernal Armory¡¯s presence pulled back. It had been silent ever since he¡¯d finished working, but it was wisely ufortable in the presence of the growing magical energy pouring off of Arwin.

    His entire body started to shake as the armor trembled violently. Waves of golden power synchronized and roiled off the set. They washed up the walls, waves striking stone, and dissipated into the air with crackling pops.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Arwin asked, his teeth ttering from the force of the magic welling in the room. He couldn¡¯t tell if his question had been meant for himself or the Mesh.

    The power was starting to be stifling. It bore down on his chest and squeezed his heart like it was trying to strangle him. Arwin had absolutely no idea what was happening, but the forceful magic was quickly progressing from ufortable to painful.

    And when something was powerful enough to hurt him even through [Indomitable Bulwark], it was time to act.

    Arwin pulled his helmet off, and the gauntlets followed shortly afterward. He undid the chestpiece and removed the greaves. With every passing second, the magic in the room grew stronger. It buffeted his face with such intensity that it blew his cheeks back like he was staring into a hurricane. The smell of fresh rain and earth was so strong in the room that it threatened to drive a spike into his head.

    He finished pulling everything off took a step back from the pile of equipment, holding a hand up to try and get a look at what was happening.

    And, in that moment, the flow of magic mmed to a halt like it had been frozen in ice. The world went still. It was as if the Mesh had drawn in a deep breath and held it in anticipation, a conductor whose hands were raised into the air in a striking pose before the finale.

    The moment evaporated.

    Golden light exploded forth with a brilliant crack like a thousand bolts of thunder all striking as one. Arwin stumbled. The wall mmed into his back and the breath was driven from his lungs.

    Every piece of the Ivory Executioner Armor lifted into the air. Twisting tendrils of gold magic ran between them as they arranged themselves, floating together onto an invisible form. Then, one by one, they snapped into ce. shes of gold magic welded them together.

    Arwin was left staring in abject disbelief. He could do nothing but watch in awe as the beautiful light faded away, leaving him staring at what could have been the armored clone of himself.

    Every single piece of the armor was locked in ce. It had been made into a statue. Faint lines of gold pulsed beneath the armor¡¯s seams, but they didn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere. Arwin reached out toward it with [Arsenal], but something blocked his magic.

    Power entered his body. It infused his muscles and filled his heart, reinforcing it. It was a familiar sensation, though not one he¡¯d felt as often as he once had. The Mesh confirmed it an instantter.

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 1 rank. </strong>

    And an instantter, as if giving Arwin a friendly p on the back as it left the room, the Mesh manifested onest message for him.

    <strong>[The Ivory Executioner] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.</strong>

    <strong>The Ivory Executioner: Epic Quality </strong>

    <strong>[The Guardian]: This item is infused with an immense desire to protect the Infernal Armory and all those who its owner calls friend. Forged in mes that no forge could ever create, this item has a soul of its own. </strong>

    <strong>[Iplete]: The Guardian is not yet finished. It requires a core to activate. </strong>

    <strong>It possesses [1] concealed property.</strong>

    Arwin stared in awe for several long seconds. Then he blinked heavily, trying to make sense of the scene before him. But blinking did nothing. There was no denying it. Augh bubbled up from his chest. He couldn¡¯t help it.

    All Arwin could do was stand andugh, even when the doors to the armory flew open and the rest of the Menagerie poured in, likely having sensed the immense amount of magic that had been pouring out of the building.

    And even they could do nothing but join Arwin at staring at the statue before him.

    The Ivory Executioner Set wasn¡¯t armor at all.

    It was the body for [Soul Guardian].

 Chapter 309: Rewards

    Arwin couldn¡¯t peel his eyes away from The Ivory Executioner. His arms hung limp at his sides ¡ª for once, not because he waspletely drained of energy after finishing his work ¡ª but because his body was just struggling to fullye to terms with what had just happened.

    He was dimly aware of Lillia and the others standing behind him. They¡¯d piled at the back of the Infernal Armory¡¯s forge. Just about the entirety of the Menagerie had showed up, with the exclusion of Esmerelda and Rodrick. All of them had wisely chosen to stand a few feet back in case anything he¡¯d been working on had been dangerous or too hot to resist without [Indomitable Bulwark].

    Finally, Arwin swallowed. He wiped the sweat from his head with the back of his hand. A flicker of amusement wormed its way through his surprise and confusion, pulling at his lips until a tiny smile crossed his features and augh slipped free.

    <em>I can¡¯t believe it. I think my armor just got stolen.</em>

    A hand fell on his shoulder. Arwin nced back. Lillia stood behind him, still wearing a stained apron. The cursed knife that he¡¯d given her floated by her shoulder, swaying to and fro as if searching for something to stab.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Reya asked in a worried tone as she joined Lillia. ¡°Are you okay? What happened? We heard a big¡­ boom. Kind of.¡±

    ¡°More of a <em>whump </em>than a boom,¡± Anna said. She pulled her eyes away from the statue of Arwin¡¯s former armor standing in the center of the room and studied him intently in search of any injuries. ¡°You aren¡¯t hurt, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Arwin shook his head and grimaced. ¡°Sorry for scaring all of you. How obvious was it? Are we going to have a bunch of people kicking down the doors?¡±

    ¡°There were some adventurers in the dining room,¡± Lillia replied. ¡°I told them that you were just working, so nobody¡¯s too concerned. I don¡¯t think the noise was loud enough to go much farther than that¡­ and the Devil¡¯s Den blocked the magical energy from entering it.¡±<em>That¡¯s a relief. It would be a huge pain in the ass if a ton of attention suddenlynded on our backs. If only a few people noticed that huge burst of energy from the Mesh, then I don¡¯t think we should have too much trouble. </em>

    ¡°A few people in the streets might have been close enough to notice it. Nobody is looking yet, but Madiv went to check,¡± Reya added. She moved around Lillia to get a better look at the statue, then nced back at Arwin. ¡°So what is this thing? Why did you melt your armor together?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t entirely intentional,¡± Arwin admitted. He scratched the back of his head. This was certainly awkward. ¡°I was trying to finish my armor set. I just¡­ ended up making this instead.¡±

    ¡°How do you identally make a statue at Epic quality?¡± Olive asked as she joined Reya beside Lillia. ¡°Is it safe? Or is it going to explode or something? All that glowing gold energy is making me a little bit uneasy.¡±

    ¡°It should be safe.¡± Arwin paused for a few seconds. Power pulsed within the armor, constrained by the armor surrounding it but showing absolutely no signs of fading. Even though he wouldn¡¯t know exactly what the Soul Guardian was capable of until he got the core for it, he¡¯d made the Ivory Executioner Armor himself ¡ª and he knew what <em>that </em>was capable of.

    He¡¯d also felt just how much power the Mesh had poured into the statue. It wouldn¡¯t have been entirely inurate to call it a bomb. Until it was stabilized andpleted, maybe exercising a little caution whilst in its presence was the right call. Arwin cleared his throat. ¡°Probably. I wouldn¡¯t get too close yet. I need to finish it before I¡¯d be willing to say it¡¯s trustworthy.¡±

    ¡°That seems like it would be wise,¡± Lillia said. She gave his shoulder a small squeeze, then arched an eyebrow. ¡°Do you happen to know how to finish this core?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I still have to make one for Verdant Inferno as well. It¡¯s been waiting a while and hasn¡¯t been too happy with me about that. I¡¯ll be looking into it. Just haven¡¯t had time yet because of how busy things have been.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure something out soon,¡± Olive said, flexing her wooden hand and studying its fingers for a few long seconds. She hesitated for a moment, another thought ying across her features but failing to make it through her lips.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Is everything okay? Elias and Maeve aren¡¯t having problems, are they?¡±

    ¡°No. Nothing like that. Sorry. I was just thinking about your work. It¡¯s a different topic.¡±

    ¡°I think this one is solidly stuck in the center of my forge. There isn¡¯t anything else we can do about it right now, so you might as well say what¡¯s bothering you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s this.¡± Olive raised her Cursed arm. ¡°It¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not working incorrectly, is it?¡± Arwin asked, identally cutting Olive off before she could finish speaking.

    ¡°No. It works well. Very well. I don¡¯t want to say that¡¯s the problem, but it¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking about.¡± Olive ran her left hand along the wooden arm¡¯s surface. ¡°People have seen me using this. A lot. Both in the fight with the <em>demon</em>and after it. And¡­ well, they¡¯re starting to talk.¡±

    Wace¡¯s warning rang through Arwin¡¯s head like the ghost of an exhumed corpse. Creating a fully functional magical limb was something that even some of the most advanced healing magic couldn¡¯t do. And even when it could, it was unaffordable for the vast majority of people.

    But Olive wasn¡¯t just a rich noble¡¯s kid. She was ¡ª as far as the majority of Milten was concerned ¡ª nothing but an adventurer who had been missing an arm.

    And now she was an adventurer who was no longer missing an arm. And if she could afford it, then just about anyone else with a missing limb had a pretty decent chance of pulling it off as well.

    It had been inevitable that the information got out, but it seemed like it wouldn¡¯t be long now. Arwin sent a sidelong nce at the Soul Guardian sitting in wait at the center of his smithy. It seemed he would need to get it active far sooner thanter.

    Whenever the opportunity for something rare or powerful reared its head, then there would be trouble. Some people woulde seeking his help with pure intentions. Arwin loved the idea of finding a way to help them that didn¡¯tpletely monopolize his time, but with those people woulde ones that wanted to figure out what he was doing. They¡¯d want to find a way to control or stop it. And those people wouldn¡¯t be happy when they found out they couldn¡¯t control the Menagerie.

    Arwin was going to have to make sure they couldn¡¯t do anything about that displeasure when the time inevitably came.

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s not unexpected. I knew this wasing.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Olive said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize for existing,¡± Arwin said, shooting a re in her direction. ¡°I made you that arm so you could use it. It¡¯s not a secret. There¡¯s no way you can hide it when you needed to use its abilities to take out Twelve.¡±

    <em>Huh. Actually, now that I think about it, Twelve might actually be what I need. He should have been pretty wealthy. I still haven¡¯t cashed in the Achievement that lets me get all the stuff he had on his bodies. Maybe he¡¯ll have someponents or materials I could use to make the core for the Soul Guardian.</em>

    ¡°I know that,¡± Olive said. Her cheeks reddened and she cleared her throat. ¡°But a few kids have asked to see it. I showed them.¡±

    ¡°Olive, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t expect you to keep your body a secret.¡±

    Reya coughed into her fist.

    Arwin rolled his eyes and turned away from the partially finished Soul Guardian to give Olive his full attention. ¡°This is just advertising for us if you look at it from the right angle. Just keep an eye out for anyone getting too aggressive. I don¡¯t want to reveal how I made that arm yet. Just having people know I can do it is enough.¡±

    Olive nodded. ¡°I know. I haven¡¯t said anything, but word is spreading fast. I wouldn¡¯t be suprirsed if it¡¯s already made its way well out of Milten.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll deal with the problems when theye,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Which makes it all the more important for me to get this thing finished¡­ and some new armor made for myself, I guess. That might have to get slotted in somewhere around creating equipment for you, Elias, and Maeve. Speaking of which, how are they?¡±

    A smile crossed Olive¡¯s lips. ¡°Good. We¡¯ve been training a lot together. We were actually about to head out to a dungeon. They¡¯re both very skilled fighters, but it¡¯s clear they¡¯re not used to fighting as a group with another person.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Wonder who that could remind me of,¡± Reya said.

    Olive elbowed Reya in the side and Reya made a hasty retreat, snickering.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get back to work,¡± Olive said, giving Arwin a nod. ¡°Thank you again for the arm. I¡¯ll probably never say that enough times, but I¡¯m going to go put it to use.¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°Good luck. Make sure to focus on the things that Elias and Maeve arecking in so I can make them armor that helps shore up their weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Olive strode out of the Infernal Armory and Reya headed after her, waving farewell to Arwin as they left.

    Lillia smiled as she watched the two of them leave, then returned her gaze to Arwin. ¡°I have to get back to the tavern as well. My garden is fighting back against me and I don¡¯t know how long the inn can keep it restrained without me there.¡±

    He blinked.

    ¡°It¡¯s doing what now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you when you get a chance,¡± Lillia replied with augh. ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted. Finish what you¡¯re working on.¡±

    She and Anna both headed out as well, leaving Arwin alone in the armory. He let out a slow breath, a smile lingering on his features as he returned his attention to the Soul Guardian.

    <em>No point waiting any longer. </em>

    It was time to collect the rewards they¡¯d gotten from the Mesh for killing Twelve.

 Chapter 310: Ante

    Arwin summoned the Mesh with a thought, bringing up his Achievements and mentally selecting the one he¡¯d gotten for defeating Twelve.

    <strong>[Assassin Assassin] ¨C <em>Awarded for killing a target more than 1 Tier above you in front of a crowd without a single person recognizing what was happening right before their noses. What a show.</em> Effects: You took Twelve¡¯s Life. You might as well take his belongings too. May they serve you well. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon request to bequeath everything that all 12 of Twelve¡¯s bodies had on them to you. </em></strong>

    From what it sounded like, the Achievement had been holding all the equipment that each of Twelve¡¯s clones had been wearing or holding. He wouldn¡¯t be able to directly use, gift, or sell anything unique that Twelve had, as that would reveal that the Menagerie had something to do with the assassin¡¯s death.

    He could, however, rip things apart for the materials and do his best to repurpose the other pieces. With any luck, Twelve would have something that could help improve his understanding of smithing.

    There was no point specting when he could find out exactly what the assassin had on him with just a single sentence, so that was just what he did.

    ¡°Give it to me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let me see what Twelve had.¡±

    The golden words before Arwin shattered, falling apart to fragments of fading dust. A ripple of magic coiled on the ground around his feet and expanded like a glistening ocean until it covered the ground in a circle around him.

    The gold light warped and expanded, forming into a variety of shapes. Silhouettes of armor, daggers, swords, and bags begun to take form in the glowing light. They grew sharper and more defined until he could make out individual scuff marks from years of use upon their surfaces ¡ª and then the Mesh vanished with a pop.

    Arwin¡¯s skin prickled as magic rolled past it and the golden light evaporated, leaving behind a pile of equipment. Power shimmered within many of the pieces and more than a few bags bulged with golden coins trying to push through their seams. He grinned.

    It looked like there was some sorting to do.

    And that he did. It took nearly an hour to go through everything that Twelve had so graciously donated to the Menagerie. Arwin hadn¡¯t thought an assassin would be carrying much around, but when there were twelve bodies including the original, it turned out that even traveling light could end up adding up to quite a bit.

    There were ¡ª unsurprisingly ¡ª twelve sets of swords and daggers. The sets ranged, as some of the bodies seemed to have had more hidden weapons than others, but every single piece was made from the same beautiful ck metal.

    It was the same metal that Jessen¡¯s armor had been made from, but there was something¡­ different about some of the weapons. Arwin had difficulty pinning just what it was at first. Even though the metal of single weapon was identical in color, some of the swords and daggers just seemed more whole, forck of a better word. While most smelled like nothing, those select few smelled like the heart of a churning volcano.

    He was surprised to find that the majority of the weapons weren¡¯t actually magical, which was excessively strange as they had a scent which was usually reserved for items that the Mesh had entered.

    The ones thatcked a smell had an immediate and obvious use. They were the same as the metal from Jessen¡¯s armor, and Arwin still needed more of that to make the rest of Anna¡¯s equipment.

    After some more examination, Arwin discovered what it was that set the odd-smelling weapons apart when he brought a hand of [Soul me] a bit too close to one of the des while he was trying to study it. The fire slipped right into the metal, absorbed almost effortlessly.

    His eyes widened. The magic hadn¡¯t been stolen. It had soaked into the sword like water to a sponge.

    ¡°They absorb magic?¡± Arwin breathed, turning the sword from side to side as he studied its surface, ck as night. He could feel power in the sword now ¡ª his own power. These were weapons that could cut through magic itself.

    There were a total of four. Two des and two daggers. Each of them was beautifully crafted and entirely in. If they hadn¡¯t been made from pitch ck metal, most people would have assumed they were just normal weapons.

    The part that caught Arwin¡¯s attention the most was that the unique ck swords were almost certainly made out of the same metal as the rest of them. If that was really the case, then it meant there was a chance it wasn¡¯t the metal itself that was special, but something in the process that had created them.

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    <em>Could I learn how to do this myself? I have to study these.</em>

    An excited grin crossed Arwin¡¯s lips as he set the special des aside and went through the rest of the equipment. While most of the weapons weren¡¯t enchanted, Twelve had carried no shortage of magical items.

    A variety of magical des enchanted to cut through nearly anything, armor with resistance to blows and all sorts of other attacks, cloaks that let him blend into the shadows and avoid detection.

    Twelve had been <em>loaded</em>.

    It almost hurt to know that Arwin couldn¡¯t just use these as they were. Twelve had enough equipment to outfit a miniature assassin¡¯s guild. Unfortunately, they just couldn¡¯t afford to have anyone tie his death to them.

    <em>Still¡­ If I lift some of the enchantments and transfer them onto other items with [Soul me], I could save a ton of this magic. </em>

    He¡¯d have to find appropriate equipment for the magic, but that could be done. They could keep Twelve¡¯s belongings in the tavern somewhere until he needed them. There was no point rushing.

    Arwin was a little surprised to see that Twelve hadn¡¯t carried much in the way of utility. It made sense in a way ¡ª he probably viewed his clones as expendable. There was no point heavily outfitting them with consumable items when they could just die and he could make another one without too much loss. The more he spent outfitting them, the worse their deaths would hit his pocketbook.

    Fortunately, his pocketbook looked to have been quite healthy. Twelve had what Arwin estimated to be thousands of gold worth of coin and other jewelry in his bags. It was more than a healthy amount of money and would go quite a ways toward inevitably paying off the damages when someone came knocking about a demon escaping their tavern.

    Arwin looked at the belongings strewn across the floor around him. There was still more to sift through, but this was a good haul. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if he could use any of it to figure out how to make a Core for the Soul Guardian, but the weapons felt like they could potentially be worthwhile.

    The idea of a guardian for the Infernal Armory that could somehow absorb magic was <em>very </em>tempting. If he could figure out how to replicate the effect that Twelve¡¯s swords had, then he could somehow work that into the Core.

    <em>Looks like I¡¯ve found myself a project to work on while I wait for Elias, Maeve, and Olive to figure out what kind of armor they want from me for the tournament.</em>

    <em>Actually, I wonder how they¡¯re doing. Olive said they were heading out to a dungeon today and they¡¯ve been at that for a while. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how they can all fight as a team. Maybe I¡¯ll tag along on their next run to get a look for myself. </em>

    <em>***</em>

    Firelight flickered in a cave deep in a dungeon about two hours of travel away from Milten. Shadows danced across the walls as dirtied bandages stretched through the air like tendrils, reaching for a particr adventuring party that was lingering on Arwin¡¯s thoughts.

    Olive¡¯s sword shed through the air, slicing apart a tendril reaching for Maeve, and a muffled moan of fury shook the walls as the rest of the bandage whipped back to the center of the room, where a ten-foot tall mummy staggered toward them, molten red light glowing behind its eyes.

    Blood dripped from its mouth, where the bandages had ripped to reveal jagged teeth. There were several deep cuts in the monster and bandages littered the ground all around them.

    ¡°Regroup!¡± Olive yelled, her sword shing as it sliced through another bandage.

    She and Maeve both jumped back, and Elias slipped out from the shadows at their side, a small crossbow in one hand and a de in the other.

    Bandages followed after them, slithering across the ground and shooting up to grasp at them like striking snakes. Olive and Elias cut them apart, nking Maeve to make sure the Mummy¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t grow anywhere near her.

    Maeve¡¯s hands strummed through the air and invisible notes as if they¡¯d been yed from a harp thrummed out, magic brushing through the air like a warm wind. Power flooded into Olive.

    The first few times this had happened, it hadpletely tripped her up. Her muscles had tensed and she¡¯dunched herself straight into a wall ¡ª but she¡¯d started to get used to how Maeve¡¯s magic worked.

    Olive forced herself to rx. Her breath slowed and she felt magic infuse her. It infused her muscles and burned through her lungs like smoke. A bandage shot for her neck.

    Elias leapt in front of her, slicing it apart. He then crouched, moving into a position they¡¯d practiced quite a few times over the course of the past few days.

    ¡°Now!¡± Elias yelled.

    Olive dashed forward and bounded off his back. He rose at the same time, flinging Olive through the air toward the Mummy. A bandage extended for her, but Olive twisted like catlike grace, letting the strike slip past her harmlessly.

    She mmed into the monster¡¯s chest feet-first, bringing her sword straight down into the top of its head.

    There was a dry thunk. A tremor ran through its body and it copsed to the ground in a pile of bandages and bones, spilling Olive to the ground along with a slew of curses.

    Elias and Maeve ran over and helped her up. The three of them looked down at the dead monster as magic entered their bodies from the kill.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Elias said. ¡°Not bad at all.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t a very strong monster,¡± Olive said. ¡°But it was a good test run.¡±

    Maeve gave a thumbs-up.

    ¡°Might be time to up the ante,¡± Elias said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we¡¯re ready for a real threat. We should try to solo an Adept Tier Dungeon. We¡¯re not going to find weaknesses in our teamwork when we¡¯re fighting weaker monsters. That requires stress, and we don¡¯t want to run into our first real stress midway through the tournament.¡±

    They all exchanged a nce, then nodded as one.

 Chapter 311: Tree

    There were monsters growing in a garden in the Devil¡¯s Den.

    To be more urate, the garden was <em>below </em>the Devil¡¯s Den. That may have arguably been worse, but Lillia was almost entirely certain that the monsters were never going to get out. She¡¯d fattened them up so much that she was confident they¡¯d never have any desire to venture forth from the stone cer that she¡¯d spent the majority of her free time over the past few days working on.

    Ridley had made arge, multi-room cer back when he¡¯d expanded the tavern a short while ago. Lillia hadn¡¯t been quite sure what to do with all of it at the time. She didn¡¯t have enough ingredients to fill the entire ce, so there were just several rooms that had sat empty.

    They could probably have been turned into rooms, but there was definitely something about living in the basement of a monster-themed tavern that felt like it was just a little bit too cursed.

    And so the extra rooms in the cer had sat empty in wait of use ¡ª right up until she¡¯d gotten the [Hellish Nurturing] Title from the Mesh as part of the Menagerie¡¯s rewards for destroying the Ashleaf Tree.

    It had been a rather interesting title, simultaneously descriptive and also almost entirely useless at telling her the full extent of what it allowed.

    <strong>[Hellish Nurturing] - <em>Your dominion over the Hearth spreads to even the weeds that push their way up between the stones. nts that you grow within the area of your home will be empowered and take on magical effects.</em></strong>

    It was clear bait. The Mesh wanted her to see what the Title was capable of, but it hadn¡¯t stopped there.

    When she¡¯d reached Journeyman 1, one of the skills it had offered her had been [Turn-ip the Grave]. The skill had been so stupid sounding that she¡¯d been forced to take a closer look at it.Lillia had been stunned to find that it was more than just a joke from the Mesh. It allowed her to gather power from all the magical nts she grew in her garden ¡ª or to reverse that flow of power and push it into them rather than taking it.

    <strong>[Turn-ip the Grave] - <em>Establish a connection between yourself and the organisms growing within your Hearth. Drawing on this connection will pull magical power from the nts and into you, permanently empowering you as long as they live. Reversing the connection and pouring power into your nts will cause them to grow faster and stronger. After sufficient energy has been imparted by this skill, certain nts may gain varying degrees of sentience. Sentient nts will obey your orders without hesitation. </em></strong>

    Sentient nts that could permanently empower her within the Devil¡¯s Den. That had been the push she¡¯d needed.

    Lillia had taken the skill and immediately gone about making a garden. She¡¯d never had the chance to actually grow anything before, but she¡¯d seen how some of the demons back in her cities had grown their supplies. Dark caves, lit by gentle glowing moss. They had been damp and weing, but she¡¯d never gotten a chance to spend much time there. The gardens were rarely the ones under attack.

    She didn¡¯t have any moss, but she certainly had a dark room. And thus, Lillia had recruited Reya to help bringrge amounts of dirt down into the cer. Once she¡¯d gotten enough, Lillia had then asked for a fewrge pieces of wood and assembled a five-by-five foot growing tform in the center of a room.

    Then she¡¯d stuck every single nt-rted object she¡¯d ever managed to get her hands on into it and waited.

    Nothing had happened for several days.

    As it turned out, both of her abilities actually needed a living nt to work with in the first ce. That had baffled her to no end. The mushrooms and nts back in the monster caves had grown quite happily in conditions pretty simr to these, but even the weeds she yoinked from the streets outside had withered up just hours after she ferried them to her downstairs nt graveyard.

    Lillia would never admit it if anyone asked her exactly what had happened, but truth be told, she¡¯d gotten a little embarrassed and hassled over the whole thing. She¡¯d never had a chance to grow anything before, and she was clearly doing something wrong, but asking after she¡¯d already built a whole garden underground was just¡­ more than a little awkward.

    And so, she¡¯d stuck the seed of the Ashleaf tree straight into the center of the dirt. It was a seed from a monster nt, after all. If anything could grow here, it would have been that.

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    It had sat in her garden for a day, buried in soil, entirely unchanging. Her abilities hadn¡¯t given her the slightest inclination that anything was working. Lillia had tried watering it with a number of different things.

    Water. Grease. Various fluids that she didn¡¯t want to name, including but not limited to pickle juice, oil she stole from the Infernal Armory, and blood from a particrly rowdy adventurer whose face Monica had introduced to a ¡ª fortunately ¡ª sturdy table.

    And that had been the shifting point. The moment Lillia spilled the blood onto the dirt around the seed, something had changed within her garden. The soil shifted and a minuscule amount of energy bloomed within the dirt.

    A speck of life.

    She couldn¡¯t remember thest time she¡¯d been so excited.

    Of course, Lillia had proceeded to pour every spare scrap of energy she had straight through the connection and into that seed.

    For days, she fed it, and her efforts were rewarded. The seed sprouted, a small, red-leafed sapling pushing up through the dirt and quickly growing to a foot tall. It thickened and grew a tinyyer of bark as ck as night.

    Lillia continued to water it. She fed the tree energy, blood, several other fluids ¡ª just to check ¡ª and a live rat.

    It hadn¡¯t eaten the rat, so she¡¯d ended up just letting the creature remain in the cer. It looked ratherfortable, after all.

    That was, it had until she¡¯d returned the next day to find the rat missing and a few bloodied specks of fur hanging from the now three-foot tall tree¡¯s branches.

    Lillia had kept her tree on a steady stream of nutritious rats ever since. It had been a little over a week since she¡¯d first started her project, and the tree was now four feet tall. Its growth had lost its exponential aspect as it grew stronger and more solid, but it had more than made up for that in attitude.

    Glistening leaves jingled as the tree rustled, noticing Lillia¡¯s return ¡ª or the squirming rat she held against her chest.

    It was probably the rat.

    ¡°Here,¡± Lillia cooed, tossing the rat into the air.

    A root shot up from the ground and pierced right through the rat¡¯s heart before yanking it underground in a blur. There was a small whump as the rodent¡¯s body hit the ground and was pulled beneath the dirt, and then there was nothing.

    Lillia rested a hand on the trunk of the tree. It rustled. A smile crossed her features. She couldn¡¯t quite feel the monster¡¯s thoughts, but there was a general sense of contentment and appreciation that came from deep within its bark.

    ¡°I like you a lot more than your dad,¡± Lillia informed the tree as she scratched its bark gently.

    The tree rustled. That was a pretty fair response for a tree. It wasn¡¯t like they could do much else.

    Lillia continued speaking. She¡¯d rather taken to speaking to the tree. It was a good listener. Not as good as Arwin, as it wasn¡¯t very good at doing anything <em>other </em>than rustling, but it was an eptable recement while he was working.

    ¡°What kind of brothers and sisters do you want?¡± Lillia asked the tree. She¡¯d yet to name it ¡ª she¡¯d been too scared to. Her first nt, a weed from the street above, had been named ¡°Happy¡±. It had died. The next seven Happies had met a simr fate, as had everything else she¡¯d tried naming.

    Granted, she¡¯d tried to name everything in the garden up until the tree, but such was life. Lillia was determined not to name this nt until she was absolutely certain it had no chance of dying or ways to somehow kill itself.

    ¡°Maybe something tasty,¡± Lillia mused. ¡°I¡¯d like to be able to cook with some of the things I grow. Not the ones that get smart, though.¡±

    The tree rustled.

    A root poked her in the bottom of the foot. Not hard, but just enough to get her attention. Lillia blinked in surprise. That was new. She nced down ¡ª and the thoughts drained out of her head.

    Nestled near the base of the tree was a tuft of blue grass. It wasn¡¯t anything Lillia had seen before, and she certainly hadn¡¯t nted it ¡ª and yet, when she extended her senses toward it, she felt a connection form.

    It was another nt. But, more than that, she could feel something within it. Her own magic.

    ¡°How did my power get into you?¡± Lillia mused, crouching to study the grass closer.

    The tree rustled. Lillia nced to it, then back down to the grass.

    She ced a hand on the tree¡¯s ck bark. ¡°Is this you? Did you direct some of the magic I sent into you into this grass?¡±

    The tree rustled, harder this time.

    And beneath it, the grass rustled too.

    Then the grass pulled apart to reveal a tiny mouth buried deep within the earth, small spikey teeth working as it let out a tiny squeak.

    ¡°Well, would you look at that?¡± Lillia asked, a delighted grin crossing over her features. It ¡ª and the tree ¡ª still had no names from the Mesh. She wasn¡¯t quite sure why yet, but it was fine with her.

    Lillia had monsters growing under the Devil¡¯s Den, and she couldn¡¯t have been happier about it.

    She just had to find a way to start growing a few things she could actually serve on a te. Something told her nobody would want to eat mouth-grass, but this was progress. Great progress.

    <em>One step at a time. I might not have any food yet, but I can¡¯t wait to see the expression on the next idiot¡¯s face when they try to attack the Menagerie and I¡¯ve got an entire horde of nt monsters waiting to rip them apart. </em>

    A bell rang far above. Lillia hurriedly rose to her feet and darted out of the garden, a smile still stered across her face. She¡¯d set the bell up in her kitchen for her imps to ring whenever a new customer walked through the door ¡ª and it seemed like it was just about time for the lunch rush to start.

 Chapter 312: Healer

    Another week slipped by, and Arwin spent his time nearly split straight down the middle. Half of it went toward researching how the strange metal that Twelve¡¯s weapons were made out of worked, and the other half went toward preparing for Olive¡¯s uing tournament.

    The Menagerie had gathered a number of materials for him to work with between Olive and Rodrick¡¯s dungeon runs, and he¡¯d spent a fair amount of time sifting through everything to determine what the best pieces would be.

    It got to the point where further preparation would only deliver middling improvements, and Arwin knew they didn¡¯t have forever. Even though the Secret Eye had yet to swing by to tell them exactly what day the Proving Grounds would be held, he knew it was soon.

    Rodrick had kept them all updated on just about every rumor that had been spreading around town ¡ª and there had been a lot of them. Arwin hadn¡¯t realized quite how much attention was on the Secret Eye¡¯s tournament until he¡¯d been walking through town and overheard to elderly women gossiping over the participants.

    This was the time to act. He didn¡¯t want to have to rush through finishing everyone¡¯s armor in thest few days. It was better to have something workable now and to spend any extra time simply polishing it up or making some bonus equipment.

    But before Arwin could jump right into making armor, he wanted to see just how Olive, Elias, and Maeve actually fought. It would give him the best insight into what his armor could do for them. After all, there was no point making something that made someone as fast as a bounding cheetah if they could already move like the wind.

    And that was how he found himself standing a dungeon for what felt like the first time in months, even though it had truly only been a few weeks since he and the rest of the Menagerie had gone through another dungeon together with Yonas.

    But this time, the rest of the Menagerie wasn¡¯t here. He stood in a spacious cave awash in light from rivers of flowing golden veins running through the walls. The only ones with him were Olive, Elias, and Maeve.

    Well, them and all the monsters they were killing in the Adept Ranked dungeon.This room had already been cleared. The corpses of monsters that had been a cross between a lizard and some sort of chittering insect littered the ground all around them. They¡¯d been roughly mid-Journeyman Tier. Olive¡¯s team had mowed through them without the slightest difficulty.

    As he¡¯d watched them fight, Arwin had been forced to admit that there was a part of him that missed doing this. There was a camaraderie that came only from sharedbat experience and couldn¡¯t be reced by anything else.

    Olive hadn¡¯t quite gotten to that spot with Elias and Maeve yet, but that was little surprise. It took months to build a bond and years to strengthen it. They only had weeks ¡ª and for weeks, they were doing great.

    There hadn¡¯t been any significant gaps in any portion of their execution. The three of them made a good team. If Arwin had to pick one specific issue, it would have been that they didn¡¯t actually have anyone to properly fill up the frontline.

    They relied on Elias¡¯ slippery movement and the magical boons that Maeve bestowed on all of them to stay out of danger, but if a monster ever managed tond a good blow upon any of them, Arwin suspected they would have been in trouble.

    <em>Not exactly something I canpletely fix with armor, though. It would change the way they fight. They¡¯re more like skirmishers rather than a normal dungeon party with a designated person to keep the focus of the monsters. </em>

    <em>That¡¯s an interesting strategy. By focusing speed and not getting hit they save a lot of energy and don¡¯t have to rely on a healer. It¡¯s very effective against weaker monsters, but I don¡¯t know how it¡¯ll hold up against a more powerful enemy or people in the arena. </em>

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re intense?¡± Elias asked as he wiped greenish-ck blood from one of his daggers and slid it back into the sheath at his side. ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at me for a whole minute.¡±

    Arwin blinked, then shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I was just thinking about your fighting techniques and how they would trante to the tournament.¡±

    Maeve tilted her head to the side in clear question.

    ¡°You don¡¯t fight like a normal party,¡± Arwin exined. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I should go into any detail yet. I want to see how you all handle the boss of the dungeon before I start spouting off anything that might change what you normally do.¡±

    ¡°Nothing wrong though, right?¡± Olive asked.

    ¡°Not that I¡¯ve seen. Quite effective, actually.¡±

    ¡°Not to be rude¡­ but what do you even know about dungeon delving?¡± Elias asked as he crouched beside one of the fallen monsters and examined its corpse in search of something. Maeve shot him a re and he held his hands up defensively. ¡°I really did mean I¡¯m not trying to be rude. I¡¯m actually curious, not challenging you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said through a chuckle. ¡°I used to be an adventurer before I took up smithing.¡±

    Elias¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Really? So your ss¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a smith.¡±

    ¡°Godspit,¡± Elias said, rising back to his feet as his eyes went wide. ¡°A warrior smith. You must have been something else if you were actually delving dungeons with a nonbat ss. I can see why Olive is interested in your feedback, then. I hope I didn¡¯t offend.¡±

    ¡°It takes a lot more than that to offend me. We can go into more detail about my thoughts once I¡¯ve actually seen you lot deal with something you can¡¯t kick into the dirt without any effort.¡±

    Maeve nodded to the pathway leading from the glowing room and winding deeper into the earth. She tilted her head to the side and went still, then raised a single finger into the air a secondter.

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    ¡°We¡¯re one floor away from the end of the dungeon, so you¡¯re about to get your chance,¡± Elias said. He nced to Olive. ¡°You ready to keep moving? Arm all good?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Olive said with a firm nod.

    ¡°Arm?¡± Arwin frowned. ¡°Is something wrong with it?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± Olive flexed her wooden fingers and gave him a grin. ¡°It just gets a bit pushy at times. Wants to be used. As long as I do, it behaves pretty well. I think we¡¯ve got an understanding going.¡±

    <em>Not the most reassuring thing I¡¯ve ever heard, but if she¡¯s fine with it, then I¡¯ll stay out of the way.</em>

    ¡°Well, let me know if it ever stops working properly,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be tight on time once the Secret Eye announces when the tournament is and once I get started on all of your armor, so better to catch it sooner rather thanter.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Olive promised. ¡°Though I don¡¯t fancy the idea of pulling it off. I¡¯ve used this thing to pick my nose, you know. That makes it part of me, good or bad.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t need to know that,¡± Arwin said through a grimace.

    ¡°Then you¡¯d hate to hear what else¡ª¡±

    Maeve snapped her fingers. She pointed to the pathway and tapped a foot on the ground, impatience burning her eyes like sunlight.

    Elias cleared his throat. ¡°Let¡¯s continue on, shall we? A proper demonstration awaits.¡±

    ***

    Hazel flicked a leaf from her shoulder, grateful that the cloth mask on her face concealed her expression. Her clothes were soaked and covered with dirt, hair tangled beyond belief. She could have sworn that a passing squirrel had eyed her up she was ferrying a nest around on her head.

    And the smell ¡ª

    The smell sent a shudder down her back. Sweat and dirt and an acrid scent from a puddle of unknown fluid she¡¯d stepped in an hour ago lingered around her like a fetid cloak. She was positively miserable.

    Today was a horrible day.

    Lucas had sworn up and down that it wouldn¡¯t have been, but it was. He¡¯d promised that they¡¯d get a good mark, and that hiding in this shitty path would all be worth it once they got a few coins. Hazel was of half a mind to throw in the towel entirely and turn to a career that didn¡¯t force her to lounge in dirt with insufferable morons for hours on end, but she couldn¡¯t quite get over the feeling of sliding a de between someone¡¯s ribs.

    There really just wasn¡¯t anything like it.

    The rush of blood pouring across her hand as she twisted the hilt of a sword, watching the life fade from an anguished face ¡ª it was like concentrated power. There was nothing better than the feeling ofplete and utter control over someone else¡¯s fate.

    At least, that was the case when their mark actually had something that made them worth killing.

    But when Hazel stared at Lucas¡¯ chosen target of the day, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a strong urge to run her de through <em>his </em>back instead of the poor sod standing surrounded in the middle of the road.

    The man wore ratty, bloodstained clothes. A mop of dirty, wet hair hung over his face, obscuring much of his face; gaunt and haunted eyes peered out from beneath, lifeless.

    He didn¡¯t have a bag or a weapon. For that matter, he didn¡¯t seem to have <em>anything </em>worth taking. Not even a life.

    ¡°Empty your pockets,¡± Lucas said, looking down the tip of his sword at the man.

    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?¡± Hazel asked, thrusting her sword in the direction of the ratty man. He hadn¡¯t so much as budged since they¡¯d burst out around him. He just stood there, vacant-eyed. Staring. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have shit!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got pockets, and I see a bulge in them. There¡¯s nothing wrong with an easy target,¡± Lucas replied. He thrust his sword again. ¡°Out with the pockets, scruffy. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re hiding.¡±

    The man stared at him. Then, slowly, he shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No?¡± Lucas repeated, arching an eyebrow and looking to the tworge bandits behind the scruffy man.

    Joe and Joe ¡ª those were actually their names ¡ª stepped forward and raised their clubs in unison. The brutes were twins, and had presumably had two different names at one point. Unfortunately, they were so stupid that one had forgotten his and just stolen the name of the other.

    ¡°Onest warning,¡± Lucas said. He waved his sword around, trying to look intimidating buting off more like he was trying to swat a fly. ¡°Empty your pockets, and we¡¯ll let you leave with a beating. Don¡¯t, and I let Hazel here y with you for a little while ¡ª and I can promise you won¡¯t enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to kill this idiot,¡± Hazel said. ¡°I¡¯m about half a step from stabbing you, though. You made us lie in wait for <em>this</em>? An ugly, smelly, homeless vagrant?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s a healer in this direction,¡± the vagrant said. ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°He not a healer. He a smith. It¡¯s bullshit,¡± Joe said.

    ¡°Yeah. He just a smith,¡± Joe agreed.

    Hazel¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Fuck this. I¡¯m going to go take a shower ¡ª and dump my dirty clothes on your bed. Pick someone worth stabbing next time, Lucas. This raggedy doll isn¡¯t even worth me having to clean my de.¡±

    She turned on her heel and strode away.

    ¡°No more warnings,¡± Lucas said behind her. She heard a boot scuff against the ground as he stepped forward. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. Joe, Joe ¡ª part him with his coin.¡±

    <em>He doesn¡¯t have any coin, you daft moron.</em>

    There were two loud crunches. Hazel would have winced if she could have been bothered to have any sympathy. It sounded like Joe and Joe hadnded their attacks at the same time. At least the vagrant wouldn¡¯t have to suffer. He was probably already ¡ª

    A scream rang out ¡ª a voice she recognized.

    Hazel spun.

    The second Joe fell beside the first, joining his brother in a howl of pain. They both clutched at their knees, gasping and crying in pain.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the healer?¡± the vagrant asked. His voice hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Lucas roared.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Hazel yelled, grabbing her own sword and pulling it free. ¡°How did he¡ª¡±

    Lucas blurred, blue magic enveloping his body as he activated his abilities and leapt through the air, streaking down toward the vagrant in a blur, his sword aimed straight for the ratty man¡¯s neck.

    The wet thud of a de meeting flesh rolled across the clearing.

    Hazel¡¯s shoulders started to rx, but she froze before even an instant had passed.

    Lucas¡¯ de hadn¡¯t met the vagrant¡¯s neck. It had mmed into the man¡¯s riven palm and driven straight through his hand, but the vagrant hadn¡¯t even flinched. His fingers wrapped around Lucas¡¯ hand in a vice grip.

    The bandit¡¯s eyes widened in fear, but it was toote.

    With a roar, the vagrant twisted his entire body, throwing his whole weight into a punch. It mmed into Lucas¡¯ cheek with a crunch.

    Lucas¡¯ head snapped up. He took a step back ¡ª as far as he could move while the vagrant still sped his sword and fist alike ¡ª but he didn¡¯t look too injured. The strike hadn¡¯t been as powerful as Hazel had ¡ª

    Another crack rang out. Then another. Over and over, the vagrant¡¯s fist mmed down. Lucas¡¯ nose shattered. His cheekbones caved in, and his blood sttered across the ground to join the teeth flying from his mouth.

    By the time Hazel remembered she was also armed, Lucas had fallen to his knees, his face a bloodied mess.

    The vagrant ripped the de from his hand and spun it around, driving it down through one of Lucas¡¯ eye in a practiced blow. A wheeze of death slipped from between Lucas¡¯ lips and the bandit copsed to the ground.

    Hazel couldn¡¯t bring herself to care overmuch. She hadn¡¯t been a big fan of Lucas as ofte. The vagrant wasn¡¯t that much of a threat. He¡¯d barely managed to kill Lucas without crippling one of his hands.

    <em>Maybe I can have a little fun with him after all.</em>

    The vagrant¡¯s sunken eyes turned to Hazel. He didn¡¯t seem to notice the blood dripping from the gaping wound in his palm or hear the screams of the men behind him. He only asked a single question in that same, t, monotone voice.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the healer?¡±

 Chapter 313: Hero

    Golden light twisted across the smooth stone of the cave, cast by pulsing veins running through the walls and stretching up like fingers to crawl across the ceiling far overhead. The shifting light almost resembled a clear seabed under the noon sun. Shadows danced across the ground and a chittering roar intertwined with yelled orders and the delicate song of a harp.

    Arwin¡¯s fingers twitched at his sides. He¡¯d been through more dungeons in his life than he could count, but he¡¯d never just intentionally stood back and done absolutely nothing while people he cared about went up against a boss monster at a higher tier than their own.

    The ground bucked beneath Arwin as a huge pincer-like appendage mmed into the ground. Another scream ripped through the cave, echoing against the walls and rolling against his ears like crashing waves.

    Two ivory eyestalks topped with molten red orbs swept over the room as the Adept 4 Armored Ripfish spun. It was covered with thick, red tes of pitted chitinous material and stood on ten legs, five on each side of its lobster-like body.

    It had aughably tiny mouth with two far less amusing ws. One was about ten feet wide, while the other was nearly twice that and definitely far toorge for the monster¡¯s body.

    Unfortunately, nobody seemed to have told the Ripfish that. It swung both of its huge ws like wrecking balls, not even bothering trying to pinch anything with them.

    The monster really didn¡¯t live up much to the second half of its name. It did, however, smell strongly of the ocean and rotted seafood. The stench rolling from the monster was enough to count as an extra attack. It wormed into Arwin¡¯s throat and stabbed at his brain like a physical blow.

    Another crash shook the room as the Ripfish swung a w at Elias and narrowly missed smashing the ground and sending fragments of rock flying everywhere. The bandaged man ran to the side, then hopped back as the Ripfish charged forward, thin legs driving into the ground and piercing into the stone where he¡¯d been moments before.

    ¡°Shift aggression!¡± Olive yelled, running past Elias and bounding into the air, Maeve¡¯s magic wrapping around her body and trailing through the air behind her like a shimmering white stream.Arwin¡¯s fingers twitched again, but he didn¡¯t budge from his spot near the entrance of the room. This wasn¡¯t his fight ¡ª and Olive¡¯s team was doing fantastic so far.

    The Ripfish was far stronger than any of them as one. If they had any major ws in their teamwork, it would take advantage of the gap and strike immediately ¡ª but thus far, there hadn¡¯t been anything crippling.

    That wasn¡¯t to say they were perfect. The longer Arwin watched the group fight, the more apparent their biggest issue became.

    They were working together, but they didn¡¯t <em>trust </em>each other. Olive was watching her own back instead of relying on the other two to protect her, and Elias was far more focused on protecting Maeve than Olive. Maeve had a simr issue.

    It wasn¡¯t like any of the three was intentionally abandoning the others, but they just hadn¡¯t had enough time together to truly get to the point where they could rely on each other ¡ª and because of that, they were definitely holding back.

    The fight had been going for nearly twenty seconds now. Olive still hadn¡¯t used the full strength of her cursed arm. She was focused on swordwork, which was impressive, but far from her full abilities.

    Maeve and Elias were definitely restraining themselves as well. Arwin didn¡¯t know the full extent of what the two were capable of, but if they¡¯d ced as high as they imed in the previous Proving Grounds, unless their missing party member had heavily carried their party, they had a lot more to offer than what he saw here.

    Elias¡¯ hand crossbow twanged. An arrow shattered against the Ripfish¡¯s armor, fragments of it spinning away into the rippling cave.

    ¡°We need more than that!¡± Olive yelled. ¡°Hold its attention so I can get close!¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Elias called back, darting forward to try and catch the Ripfish¡¯s attention.

    They weren¡¯t losing ground to the Adept Tier monster ¡ª but they weren¡¯t gaining it either.

    <em>They¡¯re going to have to do more if they want to win. I should stay ready to interfere if the moment calls for it, though. Getting pushed out of yourfort zone is how you grow¡­ but it¡¯s also when things start to go wrong.</em>

    <em></em>***

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    The vagrant stumbled out of the way of another strike, and the knot forming in Hazel¡¯s stomach grew thicker.

    She¡¯d cut the man half a dozen times, but never quite managed tond a fatal blow. There was something deeply wrong with him. He didn¡¯t seem any stronger or faster than a normal human, but his battle-sense was on an entirely different level.

    He dodged blows before Hazel could even make them, redirected her attacks the instant they made contact with his skin ¡ª and he never stoppeding. His advance was relentless.

    Hazel was almost at the peak of the Journeyman Tier. A fight against a seemingly normal man like this should have been so easy it wasughable, but she was actually losing ground to him.

    Sweat prickled against her back and soaked into her shirt. She lunged, ck strands of energy gathering along the edge of her de as she swept it down for the vagrant¡¯s chest.

    He twisted out of the way, letting the blow pass by him harmlessly, and lurched forward, a hand extending for her cor.

    Hazel was so close to him that she barely managed to draw on a burst of strength and shift out of the way before he could grab her. She skipped a step back, fighting to control her breath.

    <em>I don¡¯t get it. My mind is screaming at me to run, but he¡¯s weaker than me. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s just ying a game. He¡¯s been cut too many times. Nobody would put themselves through that. What¡¯s going on?</em>

    The Joes managed to stagger back to their feet, using their clubs like crutches as they limped toward the vagrant, fury painted across their agonized features. They might have been stupid and slow, but the man was focused on her, not them.

    A smug grin pulled across Hazel¡¯s lips as the Joes lunged as one, reaching for the vagrant.

    The man sprung forward, but not fast enough. A fist collided with his back. He grunted in pain and rolled across the ground, already starting to rise to his feet.

    Hazel lunged forward and drove her foot down, mming the man¡¯s face into the bloodied dirt. She ground her heel against his cheek, baring her teeth in amusement.

    <em>He¡¯s still just a normal man. A non-adventurer can neverpete with someone that has ess to the Mesh. </em>

    ¡°You¡¯re a squirmy fucker, you know that? Someone like you belongs in the dirt, not standing among people with talent. Keep that in mind for your next life. ¡± Hazel said, flipping her sword around in her hand so it was point down.

    There was a blur, and Hazel¡¯s mind had an instant to recognize that the vagrant had somehow thrust his entire body up, not even trying to move his head from beneath her foot as he contorted in what should have been an impossible way to kick her in the stomach.

    The air drove from her lungs and she staggered back with a wheeze. The man rose to his feet, his fist snapping out and mming into Hazel¡¯s chin. It rocked her head back but did little more than make her stumble a step back.

    ¡°Tell me where the healer is,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Eat shit,¡± Hazel replied. ¡°Joe, Joe ¡ª kill this idiot. It¡¯s three on one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y with him next time,¡± one of the Joes said angrily. He and his brother both lurched forward ¡ª

    The man spun. He grabbed both Joes by the head and mmed them into each other with a loud crack. Even though he didn¡¯t have nearly enough strength to kill them with that strike alone, he scooped the club from one of their hands before they could react.

    Hazel lunged and thrust her sword for his back.

    The vagrant didn¡¯t even look at her. His foot snapped up and collided with her chin, knocking her from her course and sending her stumbling. By the time she turned back to him, a loud crunch rang out.

    Three more followed in rapid session.

    One of the Joes crumpled to the ground, his skull caved in. The other screamed in rage and loss, only for the club to connect with his temple an instantter. Despite his best efforts to catch the vagrant, the ratty man dodged out of the way of several grabs and swung his club twice more.

    The second Joe crumpled beside his brother.

    Blood plipped against the wet ground. The Vagrant turned to Hazel. The dirt that had caked the bottom of her shoe was still on the side of his face. He wiped it from his cheek, then adjusted his grip on the club.

    ¡°The healer,¡± the vagrant said. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Eat¡ª¡±

    The vagrant lunged. Hazel whipped her sword up, thrusting it for his chest and leaving him no time to dodge.

    But the vagrant didn¡¯t try to dodge. He twisted his club, letting Hazel¡¯s sword drive straight through it. As soon as it lodged, he thrust the weapon to the side and carried the de away from his heart. He grabbed Hazel¡¯s neck with his other hand, pulling her so close that their lips nearly touched.

    Then an elbow mmed into Hazel¡¯s skull. Weak or not, the blow was enough to send stars flying before her vision. He struck her again. She staggered, dropping to one knee. Her vision blurred and his face shifted, oveying over itself.

    <em>Wait. Isn¡¯t this¡­</em>

    ¡°Kien?¡± Hazel rasped, horror wrapping around her neck like a noose. ¡°Kien of the Twin des? A hero came to kill <em>bandits?</em>¡±

    ¡°The healer,¡± Kien repeated, jerking Hazel to her feet and mming his forehead into her nose. It broke with a crunch, sending blood spilling across her face. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Mi-ben!¡± Hazel said-sobbed. ¡°He¡¯s in Mibben!¡±

    ¡°Milten?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Let me go, please! I¡¯ll stop being a bandit, I swear!¡±

    Kien stared at her.

    A spark of hope lit in Hazel¡¯s pained chest.

    ¡°I¡¯ll change?¡± she swore, words garbled by her broken nose and the blood dripping down the back of her throat. Kien picked her sword up off the ground. Hazel hadn¡¯t even realized she¡¯d dropped it. He shifted his grip on the hilt. Hazel reached for it with trembling fingers. ¡°Yur a hebo, righ?¡±

    The sword thunked. Hazel¡¯s gaze slowly lowered to her chest, where the de ran straight through her heart.

    ¡°Not anymore.¡±

    Death swallowed anyst words Hazel might have said. She pitched forward, dead before she hit the ground.

    Kien looked down at her, disgust ying over his gaunt features. Then he stepped over the corpse and continued down the road in the direction of Milten.

 Chapter 314: Quite

    Arwin¡¯s prediction proved correct. It didn¡¯t take long for something to go wrong. As good as Olive, Elias, and Maeve¡¯s cooperation was in the simple fights, the holes in their shared experience were ripped wide open the moment Olive managed tond her first good blow on the Ripfish¡¯s back.

    Her sword carved deep into the heavy chitinous carapace of the monster and it let out a bone-chilling scream, thrashing and bucking her right off. Olive hit the ground in a roll and jumped to her feet ¡ª just in time to see a massive w crashing down toward her.

    She rolled out of the way, but the Ripfish wasn¡¯t done there. Itshed out with its smaller w at Elias and Maeve.

    Elias grabbed Maeve and dashed to the side to bring her to safety, leaving Olive¡¯s side undefended.

    <em>Maeve wasn¡¯t that close to the attack. Elias is focusing on protecting her too much. She could have dodged on her own. </em>

    The Ripfish lifted therge w and Olive¡¯s eyes traced it, preparing to dodge again. She didn¡¯t notice the w that the monster had just swung at Elias and Maeve, and they didn¡¯t see it either, as their backs were still turned to the monster.

    ¡°To your right!¡± Arwin roared.

    Olive threw herself back without an instant of hesitation. She didn¡¯t even turn to look in the direction that Arwin had indicated, and an instantter, the monster¡¯s second w mmed down into the ground where she¡¯d been standing.

    Elias spun toward Olive as the Ripfish raised its ws back into the air, rubble spilling away from them and ttering against the ground. ¡°Shit, sorry!¡± Elias yelled. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop talking and move!¡± Olive yelled, even as the Ripfish swung its w at Elias.

    He cursed and dashed to the side, narrowly ducking away from the huge appendage as it whistled above his head. He stumbled, nearly losing his footing, but Maeve plucked her fingers across the air and the notes of a harp rang out.

    Golden magic wrapped around Elias¡¯ feet and he caught himself in the fall,unching to the side in a roll.

    The Ripfish¡¯s w mmed into the ground with a deafening crash behind him. Elias returned to his feet amidst a spay of rubble, but instead of attacking the boss monster to regain their momentum, he turned back in the way he¡¯de.

    ¡°Maeve! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡± Olive yelled, forced to abandon her charge and dodge back from the Ripfish before it could crush her. Getting close to the huge monster without someone to keep its attention was almost impossible.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin called. ¡°Get your head back on the damn fight!¡±

    Elias jerked his gaze back to the monster, but the damage was already done. The momentum of the fight had swung back into the boss¡¯s favor. It pressed toward Olive and Elias, massive crashes ripping through the cavern as it pulverized the ground before it.

    They were forced to y on the defensive and slowly pushed back toward the entrance of the room where Arwin stood.

    Arwin flexed his fingers. Prism¡¯s Reach materialized in his grasp and its arrow, the Prism¡¯s Vengance, appeared along with it. The Ripfish wasrge enough that killing it with the bow when it wasn¡¯t watching him wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, even from such a close range.

    The Ripfish lifted a w into the air and lurched forward, preparing to bring it down on Elias¡¯ head.

    Arwin took aim.

    Olive thrust her wooden arm forward. The bandages covering it ripped and fell away as wood cracked and exploded forth in a wave. It was like the forest itself hade to life. Branches ripped through the air and rose up, their tips sharpening to the points as they mmed into the side of the Ripfish.

    The monster crashed into the wall behind it with enough force to send dust raining down from the ceiling. It whipped a w down onto the wood and ripped through it with a crunch, freeing itself.

    A hiss of pain burst from Olive¡¯s lips and she staggered. Her arm retracted, snapping back to ce by her side ¡ª but something had changed. Dull red rivers pulsed beneath the wood like veins.

    Her hand flexed, then twitched. Olive ground her teeth. Then she froze in ce. Immediately, Arwin realized what had happened. She was locked in a fight with the arm. It was trying to take over her body.

    The Ripfish lurched toward Olive, reaching out for her with a massive w. Its legs beat a furious drumming crash against the ground as it closed the distance between them in a blur.

    Arwin banished Prism¡¯s Reach with a thought, already sprinting by the time the weapon had disappeared. Killing the Ripfish didn¡¯t matter if it took Olive down with it. The bow took too long to fire for this situation.

    The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge materialized in his hand and he lunged forward, [Scourge] pumping through his legs and driving him forward like a freight train ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t the fastest one in the room.

    Olive was still in the center of the cave, a fair distance away from Arwin, and the Ripfish was just feet away from her.

    But despite the Ripfish¡¯s proximity, it wasn¡¯t the one that made it to Olive first.

    That honor went to Elias.

    One moment, there was only empty space before her.

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    The next, Elias stood in the Ripfish¡¯s path as if he¡¯d always been there. The bandages that covered his entire body danced and fluttered in the air around him like a nest of writhing snakes. His body beneath them was gray and pallid, gripped by the hand of death.

    Flowing rivers of deep purple magic rolled off his back and rose into the air like strings, forming into a misty form that took shape behind him. A form that almost looked like ¡ª

    A haunting song rose into the air and filled the entire cave. It froze the breath in Arwin¡¯s lungs and he missed a step as his entire body locked up. The control of his limbs evaporated for a brief instant before [Indomitable] kicked in and his mental defenses overwhelmed the song, thrusting its effects from his mind.

    The Ripfish also recovered. It whipped a w down for Elias and Olive alike, aiming to crush the both of them with a single strike.

    The song roiling through the air reached a sharp screech. Arwin staggered and pped his hands over his ears as he felt them rupture. The Ripfish screamed in pain, disorientation gripping it for an instant.

    Elias thrust his hands forward. The bandages covering him whirled forward and wrapped around the monster¡¯s arm. They snapped taut, binding around it. Then heunched himself into the air, using the bandages like a grappling hook.

    The Ripfish swung its other arm, trying to bat Elias from the sky. He released his bandages and spun freely through the sky at a new trajectory. The w whistled through the air beside him harmlessly.

    Purple mist extended from his back and grabbed onto the freely pping bandages, yanking them back to his hand. Elias caught them and he snapped back into an arc, carving through the rest of his swing and mming into the Ripfish¡¯s back with a crunch that brought him to his knees.

    Above him, the mist reformed. This time Arwin was certain of it. There wasn¡¯t just some random humanoid figure above Elias.

    It was Maeve, and her incorporeal form was singing.

    Elias¡¯ bandages unraveled from the Ripfish¡¯s arm and furled back to twist around him. The lobsterlike monster twisted to try and grab him, but Maeve flicked her translucent fingers and he danced out of the way, the misty strands connecting to his limbs yanking him into the air as if he were a puppet.

    The song gripping the room reached a crescendo. Olive blinked and shook her head, control of her body returning to her. She took a step back, refocusing on the fight. Blood trickled down from one of her ears and she swayed in ce¡ª she hadn¡¯t been spared of the ear-splitting noise any more than Arwin had.

    Elias leapt forward, diving past one of the Ripfish¡¯s ws and extending his arms behind him. The bandages whipped down his body and fluttered through the air in his wake like long, flowing ribbons.

    His feet hit the ground and the bandages fluttered in sync with the song, binding together and wrapping around the Ripfish¡¯s eyestalks. Elias yanked the two gangly stalks together, smacking its eyes against one another with a squelch.

    A hiss of pain filled the air, but Elias wasn¡¯t done. Maeve¡¯s misty form yanked her hand back and Elias mirrored the motion, jerking the monsters eyes down to the ground. He took a step forward.

    Olive beat him to it.

    She lunged, bringing her sword down with both hands upon the exposed target. The de carved through both stalks in a single blow, driving into the ground beneath them.

    An agonized scream tore through the cave.

    The Ripfish reared back.

    Arwin¡¯s scalp prickled as the haunting song grew more aggressive. Elias¡¯ bandages stiffened and dug into the ground like they¡¯d transformed into cloth appendages. Theyunched him forward, carrying him through the air on dozens of white legs, and he threw himself at the Ripfish¡¯s head, mming into it and binding its front legs together with the bandages.

    Olive ran after him. By the time the Ripfish was reaching blindly in his direction, she¡¯d arrived before its face.

    With a wordless cry, Olive drove her de straight through its face. She ripped it down lengthwise, carving deep through the monster¡¯s head and pulling the sword free in a spray of gore. Chunks of carapace skittered across the ground at her feet.

    She wasn¡¯t done. Olive reared back and drove her sword home again, ripping it down in the opposite direction and carving an <em>X</em> into the monster¡¯s face.

    Its legs gave out.

    The Ripfish crashed to the ground, and the song went silent.

    Arwin lowered his hands. He hadn¡¯t needed to interfere after all. It had gotten close, but in the end, Elias had actually worked with Olive instead of justpletely abandoning her and fighting together with Maeve ¡ª though the screech that had damaged his and Olive¡¯s hearing had definitely been questionable.

    <em>They¡¯re still holding back their full capabilities, but what kind of technique are they even using? Is Maeve using Elias like a puppet? What sort of monster is she?</em>

    Elias¡¯ bandages retracted and wound back around his body. He hopped to the ground as they covered him once more. His eyes cast to the ground as shame washed over his features, and the misty form of Maeve behind him dissipated.

    ¡°That was a poor showing,¡± Elias said, his voice distant and tinny. ¡°I take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Better to screw up now thanter,¡± Olive said. She wiped some of the blood from the side of her face. Arwin was pretty sure she was speaking a lot louder than she needed to, but her ears had definitely taken a lot more damage than his. ¡°Did you really have to do that scream thing?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Elias said with a firm nod. ¡°Maeve¡¯s magic would have done a lot worse if you could hear it properly.¡±

    He cast his gaze in her direction. Arwin followed it.

    Maeveid on the ground in a heap. Purple mist swirled around her body, slowly pouring back into it.

    ¡°Is she okay?¡± Olive asked, taking a concerned step toward her.

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Elias said. ¡°That¡¯s just what happens when we do¡­ well, you saw.¡±

    ¡°Not the best teamwork,¡± Arwin observed. ¡°Seems like something that should have been discussed <em>before </em>a fight.¡±

    Elias flinched. ¡°I know. It¡¯s not something we can afford to use at the tournament, though. We weren¡¯t nning on ever doing it. If we did it in public¡­ well, it would be pretty obvious that I¡¯m not human anymore.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have happened if you were looking out for Olive as much as Maeve,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You¡¯re overly focused on one member.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a way to defend¡ª¡±

    Arwin arched an eyebrow.

    Elias¡¯ shoulders slumped. ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry, Olive. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got stuck in ce because my arm started acting up and you saved me, so I think we can call it even.¡±

    ¡°I did not realize your arm was capable of doing¡­ that. I¡¯d heard rumors, but I didn¡¯t realize it was so powerful.¡±

    ¡°Another thing that should have been discussed,¡± Arwin said with a wry smile. ¡°Especially since Olive is more than capable of using that power during the tournament. I don¡¯t need it hidden, Olive. I¡¯ve said as much.¡±

    Olive nodded mutely.

    Everyone stared at the corpse of the monster. The fight had been a lot closer than any of them had wanted. On the other side of the room, Maeve brushed the dirt off herself and rose to her feet. She shook herself off and walked to join them, embarrassment ying over her features.

    Arwin pped his hands together.

    ¡°Right. No point wasting time feeling stupid. Mistakes happen and we learn from them. Olive, show them what you¡¯re fully capable of doing. Elias ¡ª tell Olive what kind of monster Maeve is and work together to figure out exactly what she <em>is </em>capable of doing in a fight in front of other adventurers.¡±

    Elias stared at Arwin. ¡°I ¡ª you know she¡¯s a monster as well?¡±

    ¡°Lillia is very observant. And cheer up, you lot. This wasn¡¯t all bad. It was actually pretty useful.¡±

    ¡°It¡­ was?¡± Elias blinked, still clearly stuck on his previous question.

    ¡°Quite.¡± Arwin nodded and gave them all a grin. ¡°After watching that fight, I¡¯ve got a damn good idea as to what to make all of you for your equipment.¡±

 Chapter 315: Haunted

    A knock on the tavern door pulled Anna from her thoughts and lifted her gaze from her palms. She¡¯d only heard the sound because of how closely she was seated to the door. Even with the ever-present aura of darkness that muted both sound and light alike, the tavern was bustling with conversation and the clink of cutlery.

    It was early afternoon, and a horde of adventurers had descended on the tavern like a swarm of locusts. Today might have been one of the busiest ones in recent memory. Anna hadn¡¯t seen so much as a nce of Lillia since the rush had started, and Reya was working with Madiv to queue people up at the door.

    That made it all the odder for someone to be knocking on the door. It was clearly open, but as if in spite of that thought, another knock rang out.

    Anna rose to her feet and walked over to pull it open. Then she nced down. Standing before her was a young girl, somewhere around eleven or twelve years of age. She cradled a hand, which had been wrapped heavily with stained bandages.

    The girl wasn¡¯t alone. About five or six other people had gathered in a line behind her, and even without looking closer, Anna could smell the lingering grasp of sickness on them.

    This wasn¡¯t the adventurer line. That one ran off to the left, wrapping around the Devil¡¯s Den before continuing off into the street. These people weren¡¯t here for food.

    ¡°The thin man said we coulde over here and skip the line since we aren¡¯t trying to eat at the tavern,¡± the girl said, peering up at Anna with wide, brown eyes. Her skin was pallid and her features were sunken, but there was a strong air of propriety that seemed to have been imbued into her very being that wouldn¡¯t allow her to act impolitely in the presence others. ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°I suppose that would depend on what you want,¡± Anna said with what she hoped to be aforting smile. Rodrick had always been a bit better at dealing with kids than she had.

    The girl picked at the bandages on her hand and shifted her weight from foot to foot ufortably. A man behind her ¡ª burly and with the smell of a tanner lingering in his clothes ¡ª spoke first. ¡°I heard there was a smith that could fix ruined limbs here.¡±<em>I was wondering when this would start in true. </em>

    ¡°Have you gone to see any healers?¡± Anna asked gently. ¡°The smith isn¡¯t in the tavern right now, and his services are rather expensive. There are cheaper ways to get a wound fixed.¡±

    ¡°Already tried that,¡± the man said gruffly. He took his girl¡¯s hands and gently uncrossed them before pinching the end of the bandages and unraveling them.

    Anna¡¯s throat tightened. She smelt the injury before she saw it.

    Rot.

    There was something eating away at the girl from within.

    Healing magic was one of the most restrictive forms of all magic. It possessed immense strength but was bound by irond rules that could be boiled down to one simple idea ¡ª if the body couldn¡¯t fix it normally with enough time, then it couldn¡¯t get fixed at all. The limits of that rule could be stretched with sufficient power.

    She could extract poisons and knit shut nigh-mortal wounds, but rot was not a wound. It was a corruption that spread through the body, eating it alive from within.

    The girl finished unwrapping the bandages. Anna¡¯s suspicions were confirmed immediately. There was a long cut along the girl¡¯s palm. The skin around it was bright red and the cut was sickly, full of pus.

    It was little wonder that the healers hadn¡¯t been able to do anything about it. Minor rot would often leave on its own, but there was nothing that healing magic could do about it.

    The best solution was to stop it before it could start. But if that couldn¡¯t be done, the most efficient way to remove it was to remove the worst chunk of flesh and then try to heal the missing flesh rather than fighting the rot itself.

    <em>But when it gets this bad¡­ the rot might have already spread through her body. Carving the girl up wouldn¡¯t do anything other than weaken her even further. This was left to sit for far too long.</em>

    ¡°How bad is it?¡± the girl asked. Her eyes were squeezed shut. ¡°I don¡¯t want to look.¡±

    ¡°It¡­¡± Anna caught herself before she answered that question honestly. ¡°Well, it looks painful. You better wrap this back up.¡±

    ¡°The smith. When will he be back?¡± the man asked, a note of desperation entering his voice. ¡°We¡¯ve tried everything else. I¡¯ve got some gold. If he can fix this¡ª¡±

    ¡°He makes <em>new </em>limbs,¡± Anna said gently. ¡°This isn¡¯t something he could fix.¡±

    ¡°What? Why not?¡± the man demanded.

    ¡°How long has this wound been on the girl¡¯s hand?¡±

    The man hesitated for a moment as he dug through his memories. ¡°A few days.¡±

    If youe across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    <em>And it¡¯s gotten this bad that quickly?</em>

    Anna brushed the girl¡¯s hair back, then gently put her hands over her ears so the girl couldn¡¯t hear what she said next.

    ¡°The rot has likely spread through her body. She was cut by something covered in filth. Even if Ifrit was to remove her entire arm and rece it with a new one, there¡¯s no guarantee that would be enough. How did it get this bad?¡±

    ¡°She cut herself on a de while she was trying to help me in the tannery,¡± the man said, his features going nearly as pale as the girl¡¯s. ¡°Are you a healer as well? Are you saying there¡¯s nothing that can be done? I told you, I can get gold! Just tell me how much and I swear we can get it!¡±

    ¡°I am, but it¡¯s not a matter of gold. If she¡¯de a few days ago right when the wound had started, this would have been rtively easy to fix. Painful, but easy.¡± Anna released the girl¡¯s ears and took a step back. Arwin couldn¡¯t fix this wound ¡ª but there was a chance that she could.

    Her healing magic wasn¡¯t any different from what other healers would have been able to pull of when poisons weren¡¯t involved, but there was one more option.

    The title she¡¯d gotten from helping to defeat the Ashleaf Tree. It was called [Sacred Purifier] and allowed her to, at an immense expense of magical energy, cleanse it. She hadn¡¯t been in an unfortunate enough situation to try to use it before today, but she highly doubted there was much else that could be done about the rot.

    <em>Well, I could probably try to make a poison that directly attacked it, but I wouldn¡¯t be able toe up with anything fast enough. Not something that wouldn¡¯t kill the kid in the process ¡ª and if I did that, she¡¯d definitely lose her arm at a minimum. It¡¯s toote for roundabout treatments at this stage.</em>

    ¡°I ¡ª what about the smith?¡± the man asked desperately. ¡°He hasn¡¯t taken a look yet. If he could fix a missing limb, I¡¯m sure¡ª¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t. Not yet, at least,¡± Anna said with a firm shake of her head. She wasn¡¯t actually sure if that was true. Arwin was capable of a lot of things. There was a chance he could make an item that would draw the rot out of the girl, but she had no clue when he¡¯d return from the dungeon. If the man left with his daughter now, there was a very good chance she wouldn¡¯t be alive when they next came to find Arwin. ¡°But I might be able to do something.¡±

    ¡°You can?¡± the tanner sped onto her words like a drowning man a piece of driftwood. ¡°Please. I don¡¯t care what the cost is. I won¡¯t let things get this bad next time. I swear I¡¯ll pay more attention. I just thought it was a cut. I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Let me focus,¡± Anna said in a firm tone. She crouched beside the girl and took her hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to sit down, okay? I¡¯m going to try to help you.¡±

    The girl nodded. She crossed her legs and sat down on the street before Anna.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to kill the rot in you. It might be a little painful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt?¡± A flicker of fear passed through the girl¡¯s eyes.

    Anna winced. That definitely hadn¡¯t been the right way to approach this. She wished Rodrick was here. He could have kept the kid distracted the whole time she worked.

    Fortunately, the girl¡¯s jaw set and she swallowed before stering a confident expression over her tired features. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be fine. I can do it.¡±

    ¡°You definitely can,¡± Anna said as she took the girl¡¯s injured hand in her own. She didn¡¯t risk saying anything else. It was already stressful enough working with everyone staring her down, but she¡¯d worked in high pressure situations before.

    Her eyes focused on the wound. Magic bubbled up within Anna and poured through her arms.

    Nobody but her and the rot mattered. The rest of the world wasn¡¯t there.

    She drove the healing magic out from her palms and into the girl¡¯s hand.

    [Sacred Purifier] activated.

    Magic evaporated from her reserves at an rming rate. What felt like an ocean of power was transformed into little more than a desperate trickle. Thin strands of white light coiled out from her palms and wormed their way into the wound.

    The girl stiffened. She let out a whimper of pain as the magic burned into her. Then she went quiet, determination burning in her eyes and her jaw clenched so tightly that Anna feared she was going to have to repair a few teeth after the arm.

    Anna sent her magic deeper into the girl, probing through the wound. She didn¡¯t let herself think about how little power she had to work with. Distraction would only waste energy.

    She couldn¡¯t see what was happening in the kid¡¯s body, but she could feel it through the strands of white power.

    And it was working. The rot was copsing before her.

    Awe fought to squeeze its way into the forefront of Anna¡¯s mind. She¡¯d read the Title, but actually feeling it work was entirely different. This was breaking a fundamental rule of magic¡ª

    No. It wasn¡¯t breaking the rule at all.

    Realization drove into Anna¡¯s heart like a de and she nearly lost her concentration. Only years of practice kept her focused. The Rot was burning away as her magic consumed the sickness and leaving nothing behind.

    Healing rot was impossible ¡ª but that was because there was nothing to heal. She was <em>killing </em>the rot. The title was targeting it and consuming the damaged flesh rather than trying to fix it.

    And then it was done. Exhaustion mmed into Anna and nearly knocked her out on the spot. She¡¯d drained herself far more than she¡¯d thought.

    The girl swayed, and her father steadied her.

    Anna looked down at the wound. The skin around the cut was tender, but the sickness was gone. It had worked.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± the tanner asked in a mixture of anticipation and fear. ¡°It looks like it worked! All that¡¯s left is a normal cut!¡±

    ¡°I believe so, but you¡¯ll have to keep the cut clean until it fully recovers,¡± Anna said, pushing herself upright with a grimace. The line leading into the tavern had shrunk considerably. She blinked, then realized her knees were aching. She¡¯d been kneeling for a lot longer than just a minute or two. ¡°I don¡¯t have energy to fully fix it. Any healer should be able to take care of the rest, though.¡±

    ¡°She cured rot,¡± one of the men in the line behind the girl and her father said, cradling what looked to be a broken arm. His eyes went wide in disbelief. ¡°Did you see that? She cured fucking rot!¡±

    <em>No, that¡¯s impossible. I killed the Rot. Big difference.</em>

    It was a bit toote to say anything about that, not that anyone would have appreciated its significance.

    Loud mors exploded through the crowd, quickly drawing the attention of the adventurers that had been waiting in line to get into the Devil¡¯s Den.

    <em>Well, I suppose I did tell Arwin I would get some more attention by offering healing services. At least not everyone is going toe asking specifically for the magic healing smith when they¡¯ve got a normal cut¡­</em>

    <em>But I think I might have just made a whole lot of work for myself. </em>

    But, as Anna looked at the girl¡¯s peaceful face, devoid of the pallid tone that had haunted it, she knew that she couldn¡¯t have made any other choice.

 Chapter 316: Art

    Anna¡¯s satisfaction from helping the tanner¡¯s girl onlysted a moment longer than the rush of magic that the Mesh sent her way. It had rewarded her quite well for the healing ¡ª more than some of the work she¡¯d done in dungeons. She knew why. Purging the rot had been difficult. Straightforward, but difficult.

    She would have liked nothing more than to trudge back into the Devil¡¯s Den and flop down on her bed, sleeping until her energy returned.

    Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be an option.

    Even after the tanner had led his girl away, relief stamped into his features, the rest of the crowd that had been waiting for healing from Arwin all turned their attention straight to her. They weren¡¯t going to want to go anywhere easily. Not after that disy.

    And as tired as Anna was, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to wave them off. She still had some power left. Not enough to deal with a second wound as severe as the girl¡¯s, but enough to deal with a few smaller problems.

    The next man in line swallowed nervously as he stepped up to Anna. She didn¡¯t even need to ask him what was wrong. His arm was poorly bound with white cloth and he clutched it gingerly to his chest, doing his best not to let any part of it move.

    ¡°You broke your arm,¡± Anna said.

    ¡°I was hoping¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is it rotted?¡±¡°No, nothing like that. I just saw people gathering here for a healer and thought you might be able to get it for me.¡± The man¡¯s words were a little terse, but he wasn¡¯t about to copse from pain.

    ¡°I could, but I¡¯m conserving power,¡± Anna said. ¡°Healing severe wounds takes a lot. And as I told thest two, Ifrit isn¡¯t going to be able to heal something like your arm. He can <em>rece</em> things. Not fix them.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± the man asked with a hopeful grin.

    Anna shook her head. ¡°No. Not unless you¡¯re unable to find another healer. Your situation isn¡¯t serious enough for me to spend the energy on it. And if you want Ifrit to handle your arm ¡ª well, be ready to remove it.¡±

    The man grunted in annoyance. He opened his mouth toin, but the words never made it past his lips. His gaze drifted up past Anna¡¯s shoulder and he turned, striding away while muttering a hurried ¡®thanks for telling me¡¯, under his breath.

    Anna turned to see what he¡¯d been looking at.

    Monica stood behind her. The orc¡¯s burly arms were crossed in front of her chest and her fangs protruded from her mouth, curling up past her top lip and turning her confident smile into something far closer to a snarl.

    ¡°Doing alright?¡± Monica asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to tread on your toes. I¡¯m sure you could knock a few heads together. Figured you could use someone to look big and scary behind you.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Anna said with a smile. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sure everything would have been more than fine, but cutting the problem off at the head before it can start is always nice.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an incredible costume,¡± the woman that had been standing in line behind the man with the broken arm said. Anna didn¡¯t see any overt injuries about her, but didn¡¯t mean that she couldn¡¯t be in need of healing. The woman, however, seemed more concerned with Monica than Anna. Awe filled her eyes as she peered up at the towering orc. ¡°How¡¯d you get the skin so realistic?¡±

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    ¡°I grew it myself,¡± Monica replied with a huge grin. She held her arm out. ¡°Want to touch?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t. I would be too scared of damaging your hard work,¡± the woman said with a hurried shake of her head. She nced to Anna and a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡­ uh, just wanted to see if there was another healer here. They can be quite difficult to get a hold of. I don¡¯t actually need anything dealt with right now.¡±

    <em>I might have been mildly annoyed if I wasn¡¯t so tired right now. As things are, I¡¯m actually d that I don¡¯t have to do any more work. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but I¡¯m going to start charging if everyone justes to watch. Is there anyone that actually <em>does </em>need healing? I don¡¯t have a ton of energy left, but I¡¯ll do what I can if it¡¯s urgent. If not, I¡¯m going to crash in bed for the rest of the day.¡±

    The woman stepped out of line, joined by several others that had gathered just to watch the show. Anna nearly made to leave and head back into the tavern when she realized that there was one person that had made his way up to the front.

    A boy so thin that she¡¯d nearly missed him in the small crowd, with well-defined features and snow white hair, approached her with the help of a carved wooden crutch.

    This time around, Anna didn¡¯t have to wonder why he was looking for Arwin¡¯s services.

    The boy¡¯s right leg was malformed. Even though a pant leg covered it, the wind passing through the street was enough to asionally pull the cloth against the overly-thin limb beneath.

    ¡°And what of me?¡± the boy asked, taking a step forward. His staff rang against the stone as he came to a stop before Anna. Something about his gaze gave her answer pause. It was sharp ¡ª almost honed. He shifted his weight to his good leg and tapped theme one with his staff. ¡°Can you fix this?¡±

    ¡°I suspect I already know the answer to my question, but I¡¯ll ask it anyway. Were you born like that?¡±

    The boy nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Anna said with a regretful shake of her head. ¡°Healing magic can deal with injuries. I can try to remove malignant forces from your body, but that leg is part of you. Your body won¡¯t register anything wrong with it. It¡¯s the leg¡¯s natural state, so healing magic will do nothing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard as much many times before.¡± The boy didn¡¯t seem perturbed. ¡°But I did note here to seek you, as talented of a healer as you seem to be. I came to ask for the smith. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s capable of doing things that even healing magic can¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°I gathered your purpose,¡± Anna said. This definitely wasn¡¯t a job for her. But Arwin¡­ there was a small possibility that he actually <em>could </em>do something about an issue like this. Arwin would probably be mad if Anna turned the boy away without even giving him a chance toy out his request. ¡°There is a chance he might actually be able to help you. But I¡¯ll warn you upfront, even if he has time to see you, I don¡¯t think it will be simple.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± the boy asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°He can <em>rece </em>limbs,¡± Anna said. ¡°Not repair them. Are you willing to lose your leg in exchange for getting a new one?¡±

    ¡°What kind of question is that? Who would choose a useless leg over a fully functional recement?¡±

    There was something in the boy¡¯s voice that wasn¡¯t just annoyance. His question wasn¡¯t rhetorical. He actually wanted to see if Anna had an answer for him.

    <em>That¡¯s interesting. Not the response I thought I¡¯d get for a warning like that. Is he trying to test me? Well, even if he is, it doesn¡¯t change my answer. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make your decision for you. If that¡¯s how you feel, then perhaps Ifrit can aid you. Just remember that there is a lot of power stored in our bodies. Even a leg like that is still your<em></em>leg. A recement is far better than nothing, but it may not be superior to what¡¯s <em>yours</em>.¡±

    ¡°I can second that,¡± Monica said from behind Anna. ¡°But personally, I think I¡¯d go with the workin¡¯ limb if I had a twisty one. Can¡¯t beat the shit out of someone if my body doesn¡¯t work right.¡±

    The boy¡¯s lips twitched in what almost made it into a smile before his expression went t again. ¡°I appreciate your council. I think I¡¯d like to see the smith all the same. Does he do consultations?¡±

    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll find out. He¡¯s out in a dungeon right now, so he¡¯s not at the Infernal Armory at the moment, but he should be back fairly soon. Would you like to wait in the tavern? The line¡¯s died down a bit. I doubt anyone would have much of a problem with it.¡±

    ¡°That would be greatly appreciated,¡± the boy said as he started past Monica and into the dining room, his cane thudding against the wood. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem. What¡¯s your name? I¡¯ll find Ifrit when he gets back and send him your way.¡±

    The boy paused and nced over his shoulder. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done introductions. My dad had a shitty sense of humor. I¡¯m Art.¡±

 Chapter 317: Know

    The market was awash with conversation as Arwin, led Olive, Elias, and Maeve back to the Devil¡¯s den. He normally made it a point not to listen too closely to what people were saying. Rodrick already kept more than enough of a track of the rumors for him to bother with them ¡ª but even Arwin was starting to pick up on a few topics that wereing up more often than not.

    ¡°Did you hear the Twin de¡¯s brother ispeting in the Proving Grounds?¡± a man by a meat pie stand asked through a mouthful of food.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize he had a brother.¡± The potbellied vendor¡¯s words were t. He didn¡¯t sound particrly interested in the conversation ¡ª his tone made it clear this was far from the first time that he¡¯d been subjected to it.

    The Secret Eye had been busy. They certainly had quite a bit of hype building up about their tournament. It seemed that half of the town was talking about the Proving Grounds. Arwin had absolutely no idea how everyone was actually going to see it.

    <em>Are they just going to send papers out talking about what happens? Or maybe a bunch of town criers will use magic tomunicate with the Secret Eye and give people live updates. It would have to be something like that because there¡¯s no way everyone that¡¯s talking about the tournament will be able to make it. </em>

    For that matter, Arwin didn¡¯t even know how Olive¡¯s team was meant to make it to the tournament. He hadn¡¯t heard a single word about the tournament from the Secret Eye yet. He imagined they¡¯d be reaching out with information soon enough ¡ª or there wouldn¡¯t be anyone at their tournament.

    They made their way out of the market and continued through Milten. It wasn¡¯t long before they¡¯d arrived back on their street. A small line of adventurers was present at the entrance of the Devil¡¯s Den, and the sound of clinking cutlery came from within.

    Given how much Lillia¡¯s magic muted every sound within the tavern, it was definitely a lively night.

    The four of them cut the line and slipped through the door, drawing one or two mutteredints from the crowd before people realized who they were.Monica, who stood guard near the entrance of the room with a tankard of ale in one hand and antern in the other, raised both in greeting.

    ¡°Wee back! How¡¯d it go?¡±

    ¡°Poorly,¡± Elias said. ¡°Our performance was less than exemry, but I appreciate you asking. It¡¯s nice to be thought of.¡±

    ¡°Ignore him,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They did fine. Just a few kinks to iron out.¡±

    ¡°And unfortunately, not the fun kind,¡± Olive said through a sigh, but Arwin caught the faintest flicker of a grin on her lips before the darkness swallowed it.

    Monica let out a loud bark ofughter, then nodded across the room. ¡°Should probably tell you know that you¡¯ve got someone waiting for you, Arwin.¡±

    ¡°I do?¡± Arwin squinted across the tavern, but the lighting with the addition of the bustling crowd made it impossible to tell who she was indicating.

    <em>Is the Secret Eye finally here to tell us about that the details of the tournament? It¡¯s long overdue at this point. </em>

    ¡°Yeah. There were a bunch of people looking for you to heal them.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Arwin grimaced. That had been inevitable. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to help people ¡ª he just didn¡¯t have enough time to help everyone. Every item he made took hours, which was an expense he couldn¡¯t afford right before the tournament.

    <em>But can I really turn people away that need my help? </em>

    ¡°Anna handled a lot of it,¡± Monica said, catching Arwin¡¯s thoughts and giving him a grin. ¡°She¡¯s incredible. Most of them didn¡¯t really need your services. They were just treating you like another healer, but she managed to pull off some pretty impressive work. I think we¡¯re going to have to open a house for her to work out of near the Tavern if you don¡¯t want to get swarmed. We¡¯ve had easily thirty peoplee by in thest few hours looking for her rather than you. Word spreads fast. You should probably make her start charging for her work, though. If you don¡¯t, this ce is going to get swamped.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said. That <em>was </em>good news. A steady stream of wounds meant Anna would have a great way to start advancing faster ¡ª and it would keep some of the focus off him. ¡°What about the person looking to meet me? They¡¯re not in urgent condition, are they?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that. He¡¯s the skinny little kid sitting at the table across from Rodrick,¡± Monica said. ¡°Rodrick said that his name was important, but he didn¡¯t have time to fill me in on why. The kid is called Art.¡±

    It took Arwin a split instant to remember why that name was relevant. Art was the name of the child that Rodrick had said was his biggest threat in the tournament.

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    <em>What¡¯s he doing here?</em>

    ¡°Elias, Maeve, head up to your room,¡± Arwin said, his eyes sweeping back over the room. Now that he knew what he was looking for, it only took him a few moments to locate Rodrick sitting across from a young man with white hair. They were situated beneath antern, but the boy had been positioned so that his back was to the door. He couldn¡¯t see them yet.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Elias asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°But Art is from one of thepeting teams. I don¡¯t want to give him any information about you two. For that matter, Olive, you go back to your room as well. Art could be doing reconnaissance on our abilities.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t really seem that threatening,¡± Olive said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize he was actually that young. He¡¯s like half my age.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an exaggeration. Are you even in your mid-twenties yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Olive admitted. ¡°What do I look like to you? Old and withered?¡±

    ¡°Just go to your room,¡± Arwin said, rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re making me feel like someone¡¯s grandfather and I¡¯m just a few years older than you are. If Rodrick said this kid is the real deal, then I trust him.¡±

    Olive nodded. She joined Elias and Maeve in slipping through the crowds and making for the stairwell at the edge of the tavern. Arwin gave Monica an appreciative nod for the information before making for Rodrick¡¯s table.

    Both Art and Rodrick noticed himing before he was within ten feet of them. The two turned, nearly as one, to look straight at Arwin. For some reason, a shiver ran down Arwin¡¯s back.

    ¡°You must be Ifrit,¡± Art said as Arwin came to a stop across from them.

    <em>This isn¡¯t creepy at all.</em>

    ¡°And you would be Art. Rodrick has told me about you. I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be turning up at the Devil¡¯s Den, though.¡±

    ¡°It was certainly a bold move,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Walking alone right into enemy territory is an act of either sheer idiocy or genius. Generally the former.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s riching from Rodrick. He¡¯s gone into enemy territory on his own more than anyone else in the guild. It¡¯s practically his hobby at this point. </em>

    ¡°The difference between an idiot and a genius is measured in sess,¡± Art said. He rifled through a deck of cards that sat on the table, shuffling them together so fast that Arwin could barely follow the boy¡¯s hands. ¡°Anding here would only be stupid if I was at risk.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you be?¡± Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°We¡¯re rivals in the tournament.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you operate,¡± Art said. ¡°I¡¯ve looked into your guild quite extensively. You¡¯ve never attacked anyone that hasn¡¯t started the fight with you first¡­ though that information only dates back to your creation. Half your guild has absolutely no history.¡±

    ¡°And you won¡¯t be finding any more of it out today,¡± Rodrick said with a cool smile. ¡°Art informed me that he was here for entirely personal reasons, and not due to the tournament. So long as that remains true, I don¡¯t see why we should be enemies today.¡±

    Art inclined his head. ¡°Rodrick is correct. I have been told you may be able to heal a severely injured body part. Is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Heal probably isn¡¯t the right word. I¡­ might be able to rece one, though,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve only done once, but I can take a look at you and see what we can do. Is it your leg?¡±

    Art blinked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, that¡¯s it? I didn¡¯t say it would be easy.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re enemies,¡± Art rified. ¡°We¡¯ll be fighting each other in the arena.¡±

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be in the arena myself.¡±

    ¡°Irrelevant. You¡¯re willing to help a crippled opponent? Even though I¡¯ll be up against your team?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tournament. Not a war,¡± Arwin said through a snort. ¡°My people will carry their weight through skill and equipment. I¡¯m not going to deny someone assistance because we¡¯repeting.¡±

    Art studied him for several long seconds. ¡°You¡¯re confident in your abilities.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And their abilities as well. But it would be cruel for me to deny someone quality of life when I am capable of helping. I should just warn you it could take me some time. I can¡¯t abandon my team to work on this.¡±

    ¡°Nor would I expect you to.¡± Art hesitated for a moment longer. ¡°What about internal organs?¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Internal organs,¡± Art repeated. ¡°Can you rece them as well?¡±

    ¡°I was under the impression it was your leg¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am a greatly troubled individual.¡±

    Rodrick¡¯s head tilted to the side. He¡¯d caught something in Art¡¯s tone, and so had Arwin. He was trying to hide something.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ possible,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried it. I genuinely don¡¯t know the answer. It would probably depend on the organ. It would be exceedingly difficult, but I would be willing to do my best. That would probably have to happen after the tournament.¡±

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t want to give us the advantage?¡±

    Arwin snorted. ¡°No. Because it would require an immense amount of preparation and research. If I screw up fixing a leg, I can make you a new leg. If I mess up with a heart, then you¡¯re dead. I don¡¯t want you dead.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Art said slowly. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s all. You live up to your name, Arwin. It was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to facing your team in the tournament.¡±

    He rose to his feet, grabbed his cane, and limped out of the room without another word.

    Arwin and Rodrick exchanged a nce.

    ¡°That was strange,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Strange is an understatement,¡± Rodrick said, tapping a finger on the table with a deep frown. ¡°He¡¯s one to keep an eye on. I can¡¯t get a read on him at all. Don¡¯t underestimate that kid. Did you see that deck of cards he had?¡±

    ¡°Only briefly. Why?¡±

    ¡°It had pictures of each of us on it,¡± Rodrick said grimly. ¡°He¡¯s got information that he shouldn¡¯t have. Not all of it, but a lot.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°Just how detailed?¡±

    Rodrick moved a hand from the table, revealing a small card that he¡¯d palmed.

    It had a drawing of Arwin upon it, along with a single sentence scrawled beneath it. The blood rushed out of Arwin¡¯s face as he read over it.

    <em>Impossible.</em>

    But the words were written right there, impossible for him to deny.

    His gaze lifted.

    Rodrick gave him a grim nod.

    ¡°Art knows who you are.¡±

 Chapter 318: Plots

    Arwin¡¯s mind raced even as his body locked in ce. Someone knew who he was ¡ª someone that wasn¡¯t part of the Menagerie. Thoughts raced through his head, each one recing the previous before it could even begin to take form.

    <em>How is this possible?</em>

    <em>What does he want? </em>

    <em>Was Art here to threaten me and the Menagerie to try to get us to drop out of thepetition? But if that was his goal, wouldn¡¯t he have said something? Was he just waiting to get somewhere safer before he did?</em>

    <em>Does he know something about the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? Is he nning to tell them that I¡¯m still alive¡­ or has he already done that?</em>

    <em>How could this have happened?</em>

    ¡°Arwin!¡± Rodrick¡¯s voice was like hot steel through butter, ripping Arwin¡¯s attention back to the present to feel the blood pumping in his ears and his heart pounding in his chest.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked, more tersely than he had meant to. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°Do implies that something hasn¡¯t already been done,¡± Rodrick said, putting a hand on Arwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m so deeply outmatched by a child, do you? I know how you must be feeling ¡ª but take a big breath and get a hold of yourself.¡±Arwin blinked once. Rodrick¡¯s stern tone brooked no room for argument. He did as the other man suggested, letting a breath slowly out through his mouth. His hands clenched and released at his sides.

    ¡°Right. Sorry. I¡¯m back with you. But we need to act. This is dangerous. Very dangerous. It¡¯s beyond what I can y around with for the purpose of a tournament. The things at stake¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know. Which is why Lillia has been looking into Art the moment he got here. I wasn¡¯t ready for something at this scale, but we aren¡¯t without a few ys of our own. The thing is ¡ª I¡¯m never off guard.¡±

    That was a¡­ slightly cocky im. One that didn¡¯t really fit the generally humble man. Rodrick was confident of his abilities, but Arwin had rarely seen him boast. A small frown creased the former hero¡¯s features.

    <em>What¡¯s he up to?</em>

    Arwin¡¯s gaze lifted past Rodrick as he took in the room without letting any of his thoughts reach his features. Something was going on. His search confirmed that. Scattered through the crowd around them were the members of the Menagerie.

    Reya sat hunched over a table with a mug in her hand, her face concealed but her hood recognizable. The shadows had darkened near one of the walls near the kitchen to a point where they were nothing but pitch ck. Only Lillia was capable of doing something like that.

    Anna stood several tables away, locked in a conversation with someone while her eyes remained firmly affixed on Arwin and Rodrick¡¯s table rather than the person she was speaking with.

    Even Madiv and Esmerelda stood off to the side at the ready. Everyone was in position to act. There would have been no reason to do that now that Art had left¡­ unless he hadn¡¯t left at all.

    <em>Rodrick thinks Art has a spy here somewhere. That or some form of skill that let him remain behind to observe our reactions to him. If that¡¯s true, Lillia should be able to find out what¡¯s going on pretty damn easily. </em>

    <em>So that¡¯s what this is. They had more time to prepare for Art than I did, so I¡¯ll just have to y things by ear and let them pull off whatever it is they¡¯re nning.</em>

    Knowing that the situation wasn¡¯tpletely out of control brought more than a little relief to Arwin¡¯s clenched heart. This was still bad, but it looked like the rest of the Menagerie ¡ª other than Olive, who was hiding up in her room with Phoenix Circle¡¯s two members ¡ª were already on top of things.

    A second ticked by. Arwin resisted the urge to tap his fingers against the surface of the table. If they were going to do something, he really hoped it would be soon. He could fight an enemy, but this was something he had no control over.

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    Somewhere deep in the back of his mind, a distant voice made itself known.

    <em>There could have been something, </em>the voice said. <em>If you were stronger. If you didn¡¯t take things so casually. You can do so much more than what you allow yourself to. You could advance so much faster.</em>

    Arwin couldn¡¯tpletely ignore the voice because he knew it was right. He <em>could </em>have been pushing harder. He hadn¡¯t been cking off, but he hadn¡¯t truly been treating this like the prelude to a war that it was.

    There would be a day when he would face up against the Adventurer¡¯s Guild ¡ª or the people controlling it. He¡¯d been content knowing that day was far away, but now that day could be as close as tomorrow.

    <em>I need to get stronger. No matter what happens today, I can¡¯t afford to remain as I am. Strong enough isn¡¯t sufficient.</em>

    Lillia stepped out from the darkness and emerged into the dim orangentern light illuminating the tavern. From the glimpses of her serious features that Arwin caught through the shadows, it was apparent that she¡¯de to the same conclusion.

    For an instant, an old memory surfaced in his mind. She wore the same expression now that she had the first time they¡¯d met on the battlefield. There was no room for anything but sess within it.

    She was deadly serious.

    As Lillia walked, she flicked a hand. A tendril of dark energy coiled out from the ground, moving so quickly that none of the adventurers it passed by even noticed its presence until it was nothing but a passing shadow.

    The shadow flicked out and wrapped around something near the ceiling of the tavern before jerking taut and slithering all the way down to the table beside Arwin. Arwin couldn¡¯t see what it was wrapped around ¡ª not because it was too dark, but because there was nothing there.

    Despite the situation, the corner of Arwin¡¯s mouth curled up imperceptibly.

    <em>Someone was using invisibility to try to spy on us. That¡¯s unfortunate. Nobody is safe from Lillia¡¯s knowledge when they¡¯re inside her tavern. </em>

    ¡°Drop the skill,¡± Rodrick said, pressing the pads of his fingers together and leaning back in the chair. ¡°I prefer to see who I¡¯m talking to. And don¡¯t try to run, please. I would hate for this to get violent.¡±

    A second slipped by.

    The air bound by the tendril rippled and a woman appeared within its grasp. She was in her early to mid 20s, with ck hair bound into a lengthy ponytail by golden bands. Her features were strongly reminiscent of Art¡¯s. She had pale skin almost to the point of being as white as Madiv.

    Her expression was well controlled. Despite being bound, she didn¡¯t look even slightly concerned.

    A momentter, Lillia released her. The woman brushed her arms off. ¡°How¡¯d you know I was there? I¡¯ve never been spotted before.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re capable of a number of things that most people don¡¯t expect,¡± Rodrick said. He nodded to the chair beside Arwin. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Your threats are nothing but air. We¡¯re in a crowded tavern. I can walk right out and you can¡¯t stop me. Even if you could prove I was lurking around, that¡¯s not exactly illegal. We aren¡¯t in some protected area.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Rodrick agreed. He leaned back in his chair and flicked his fingers dismissively. ¡°We aren¡¯t, and we can¡¯t do anything to you here. Feel free to head out now. I¡¯ll just leave you with a piece of advice and we can call it at that.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± the woman asked, arching an eyebrow.

    ¡°Buy a shovel on your way back to Thornhelm. You¡¯ll need it for Duke Aleric.¡±

    Fury washed over the woman¡¯s features in a split instant. ¡°Are you threatening my father?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t <em>threaten</em>. I do,¡± Rodrick corrected. ¡°But in this case, this has nothing to do with me. I have no quarrel with Aleric. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s a good man. Well-liked by those that live under him and hated by the guilds that try to push into his city. All bode well for a man¡¯s character ¡ª and, unfortunately, bode poorly for his continued wellbeing when his many enemies sense blood in the water. I would never stoop so low to try to kill him, but I can¡¯t say the same for your enemies, Vix.¡±

    The woman stiffened at what must have been her name, but she didn¡¯t question how Rodrick had figured it out. ¡°You im that there is a plot to kill my father?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rodrick said simply. ¡°Now, off with you. I believe you were leaving.¡±

    Vix¡¯s jaw set. Unease gripped her posture and she shifted her weight, clearly trying to get a read on Rodrick and failing. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Art?¡±

    ¡°Because Art thinks he¡¯s clever,¡± Rodrick replied. He paused for a moment, then inclined his head. ¡°Well, he <em>is </em>clever. He yed his hand very well, but now it¡¯s my turn. If you leave this room before I say you can, then we¡¯ll tell you nothing. You and Art can figure out what¡¯s going on with your dad on your own.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d never miss a plot like that.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Rodrick tilted his head to the side. ¡°He missed that group of yours that the Starforge guild wiped out. He¡¯s just a teenager. A very talented one, but one whose attention is heavily split. There¡¯s only so much he can aplish on his own.¡±

    ¡°How did you know about that?¡± Vix¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°Shit. No wonder Art was so worried about you.¡±

    ¡°He was worried? I¡¯m honored,¡± Rodrick said with a grin. ¡°We don¡¯t need to be enemies. I genuinely don¡¯t want to fight your family in any way other than in the tournament. But you¡¯ve gone digging where you shouldn¡¯t. Art is ying dirty cards, and he¡¯s forcing me to pull my own. So make a choice, Vix. Sit down and have a conversation with us ¡ª or leave and be our enemy.¡±

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 319: Threats

    The tension around the wooden table was so high that Arwin could practically taste it in the darkened air. Thick shadows gathered around their table and the noise from the rest of the tavern faded into little more than a distant buzz as Lillia¡¯s magic worked to mute their conversation from anyone who might have been trying to listen.

    Vix stood at the end of the table, her hands clenched tight at her sides. Rodrick observed her, leaned back in his chair, the tips of his fingers pressed together in silent confidence. There wasn¡¯t a flicker of worry or fear in his posture.

    Finally, Vix moved. She took a step forward and grabbed the back of a chair. She dragged it out and flopped down in it with a thump.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she snapped. ¡°But just so you know, I hate this shit. I¡¯ve never been good at the political crap. It¡¯s Art you should be talking to. I¡¯m just the hand to the mind. Don¡¯t get pissy if I end up saying something rude. You¡¯re the one who told me to sit.¡±

    ¡°We can appreciate being blunt a whole lot more than bandying words,¡± Rodridck said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m d you decided to speak with us. I much preferred this to the alternative.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me what you want. And what were you saying about Art ying dirty cards? All we¡¯ve done is observe you. That¡¯s hardly anything special. You¡¯ve been doing the same to us.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if Vix was telling the truth or not, but she sounded sincere enough. That analysis would have to be left to Rodrick, but it was impossible to tell what the man was thinking.

    ¡°Just observing? I¡¯d say it was a bit more than that,¡± Rodrick said with a shake of his head. ¡°But it¡¯s no matter. I prefer you make it to your father in time, so I¡¯lly everything on the table in a moment. But first I want you to tell me something. What do you think Art is thinking right now?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Vix blinked. ¡°How would I know? He¡¯s the genius, not me. I just stab things.¡±¡°You¡¯re his sister. I¡¯d imagine you¡¯ve spent enough time around him to figure out a bit of how he approaches problems,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to ask you a trick question here ¡ª and you are not as stupid as you¡¯re trying to act. Answer the question.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d be trying to leverage any information we have to weaken you in the tournament,¡± Vix said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°But that¡¯s not illegal. Mental warfare is just as important as physical.¡±

    ¡°So it is,¡± Rodrick agreed. ¡°And Art thinks he¡¯s found something he can use, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    Vix nodded. ¡°Yes. He told you as much.¡±

    ¡°So he did. And I wouldn¡¯t have any issue with that in most situations. I¡¯d do much of the same, to be frank. But there¡¯s one problem. He¡¯s not nning that against a member of the tournament. He¡¯s nning it against Arwin, who is not participating as anything but a smith. Now wouldn¡¯t you say that¡¯s a little dirty?¡±

    Vix shifted ufortably. She was clearly unused to being questioned so closely. Her eyes flicked to Arwin. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re still in the tournament, aren¡¯t you? There are a lot of rumors. About your weapons. They could sway the battle a lot if even half of what has been said is true. I¡¯d say it¡¯s fair game.¡±

    ¡°And where does that end? Are you fair game? What about Art himself? He doesn¡¯t n to fight himself, just to direct you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re getting at. Is that a threat?¡±

    ¡°Not the kind of threat you¡¯re thinking of,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Anna, would you please¡ª¡±

    Before he¡¯d even finished speaking, Anna walked over from where she stood in the crowd and held out a sheet of paper along with a quill and a pot of ink. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d heard him from where she stood ¡ª which meant this had probably been rehearsed between the two of them at some point.

    <em>How much has Rodrick prepared for? I almost feel like I¡¯m getting pulled along for the show just as much as Vix is.</em>

    Rodrick took the paper with a nod and started to write. It took him nearly five minutes to finish. He¡¯d written quite a lot. The former pdin picked his work up and read over it briefly before blowing on the ink, folding the paper up, and sliding it over to Vix. ????????S

    She raised an eyebrow.

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    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I have a ir for the theatrical at times,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°That paper has everything you need, including all the information I have about the plot against your father. Take a look ¡ª and burn it when you¡¯re done, if you would. I don¡¯t want to be connected to this.¡±

    Vix¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Just like that,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°There¡¯s more than just one thing on there. You aren¡¯t going to like everything. Go on. Take a look.¡±

    Vix unfolded the paper. Her eyes flicked as she followed Rodrick¡¯s suggestion. Seconds ticked by. Her features paled and she looked back up at Rodrick, her expression having gonepletely t.

    Arwin resisted the urge to lean over the table to read whatever it was that the other man had written.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Vix demanded, mming the paper into the table.

    ¡°The truth,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°Research it yourself if you want ¡ª but you¡¯re running out of time, now. Your father is in danger.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t make it back in time!¡± Vix snarled. She shot to her feet. ¡°If this is true, it¡¯s already toote! It takes more than a few hours to travel between Thornhelm and Milten, and the plot is set for dawn! Why didn¡¯t you warn us?¡±

    ¡°You only arrived a short while ago,¡± Rodrick said expressionlessly. ¡°And you came here to threaten us out of the tournament. Why would we help someone that sees us as an enemy?¡±

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Vix said, panic gripping her features. She made toward the exit of the tavern. ¡°I need to find Art. We have to send a message. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t make it,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°You don¡¯t have time.¡±

    Vix spun back to him. ¡°What would you have me do? Nothing?¡±

    Rodrick shrugged one shoulder. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve known about this for some time. Long enough to set measures in ce. After all, you never know who might turn into an ally.¡±

    Vix¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°I have people ready to act,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°Your father¡¯s mansion is under watch. One word from me and they¡¯ll interfere with the assassins. He¡¯ll be safe¡­ but I¡¯m not going out of my way to help an enemy.¡±

    Vix¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°This is ckmail.¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. You¡¯re asking me to put people¡¯s lives on the line for someone trying to ckmail my guild leader.¡± Rodrick¡¯s tone darkened. ¡°And I¡¯m not doing that for an enemy. I¡¯m no saint, Vix. And neither are you or your brother.¡±

    The woman stared at him for several long seconds. Then her shoulders slumped.

    ¡°We¡¯ll drop out of the tournament. Save my father. But if I find out you¡¯ve lied to me, I swear on every god that¡¯s listening that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Whoa there,¡± Rodrick said, holding his hands up. ¡°That is not what I¡¯m after.¡±

    Vix blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to drop out,¡± Rodrick said firmly. He pressed his hands against the table. ¡°We don¡¯t want to cheat our way to a victory. That¡¯s some scum bullshit. The only thing we want is for you to stay the hell out of our business. Take the information you and Art found with you to your graves. It can <em>never </em>get out. Do that for me, and I¡¯d consider you a friend.¡±

    Vix stared at Rodrick in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s all you want? Just that we don¡¯t reveal anything that we found about the smith?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Godspit, I¡¯m sure Lillia would toss in a nice meal for you and Art while you¡¯re at it. Her food is famous. I wasn¡¯t lying when we spoke earlier. If we can be allies, I¡¯d like to be. Art is a very capable individual. I¡¯d love to work with him. But it¡¯s your choice. Feel free to go try to find someone else.¡±

    ¡°Done,¡± Vix said without a second of hesitation. ¡°If that¡¯s all you¡¯re asking for, then it¡¯s done. I swear on my life that we¡¯ll never share the information Art found. Save my father. Please.¡±

    ¡°Go give that note to Art, thene back for dinner if you want it,¡± Rodrick said, rising to his feet. ¡°We can all have a meeting under better circumstances. I¡¯ll pass the orders along.¡±

    Vix gave him a sharp nod. She grabbed the paper and turned, nearly running for the door. Arwin stared at her back until she was gone, then slowly turned back to Rodrick.

    ¡°What the fuck was all that about? Is anyone else confused?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to exinter,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°At the moment, I need to send word to deal with some assassins.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You weren¡¯t bluffing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°I was dead serious. No pun intended. Having a real threat is far more effective than a fake one. There are assassins that n to kill Duke Aleric by next dawn.¡±

    ¡°Then when did you get warriors strong enough to fight off assassins?¡± Arwin asked, baffled. ¡°How much have you been hiding from us?¡±

    ¡°Too much, but I don¡¯t have warriors strong enough to fight off assassins.¡±

    ¡°What? Then how¡­¡±

    Rodrick turned to fully face Arwin. The man¡¯s features were as t as stone, and there was something deep within his eyes that sent a coil of unease twisting in Arwin¡¯s soul.

    ¡°I¡¯m the one that <em>hired </em>the assassins,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°And every morning, unless they get word from me otherwise, they are to execute the duke.¡±

    It took a moment for Arwin to process that. By the time he could, he could only muster a single word.

    ¡°Why? I thought Aleric was a good man.¡±

    ¡°He is. I had no ns of actually killing him,¡± Rodrick replied. ¡°But the contract is real. The threat was real. I know how you think, Arwin. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you. Peace can¡¯t be achieved through entirely peaceful ways. Sometimes, there has to be a monster in the shadows. I¡¯d be happy to continue this conversationter, but I have to go make sure Aleric doesn¡¯t identally get offed.¡±

    With that, Rodrick strode away from the table and headed out of the Devil¡¯s Den, leaving everyone watching after him with a mixture of awe and horror in their expressions.

    <em>I¡¯m not sure how I feel about this. He¡¯s not wrong... but I only know one thing for certain. </em>

    <em>Rodrick is terrifying. I¡¯m d he¡¯s on our side. </em>

 Chapter 320: Win

    Art and Vix didn¡¯te back for dinner that night. That didn¡¯te as too much of a surprise to Arwin ¡ª if only because Rodrick had told them that he highly doubted that the two would be back tonight.

    He was confident that Art would take time to research if Rodrick had been lying about the threat to their father or not. When he determined that it was a real hit order and not made up, he would likely return to speak with the Menagerie in a few days.

    That meant they had some time to get their eggs in a row and get back to their preparations for the Proving Grounds, which were growing closer with every passing day¡­ even if the Secret Eye hadn¡¯t actually been nice enough to tell anyone when the damned tournament would be taking ce yet.

    Even after Vix left, the air in the tavern was a little uneasy. Arwin and the rest of the Menagerie didn¡¯t me Rodrick for what he¡¯d done at all. None of them were saints. There were times when one had to step into the shadows to keep the light shining ¡ª but tension didn¡¯t evaporate from the air quite so quickly.

    Everyone went off to busy themselves with something just to calm down from that night¡¯s events. Lillia still had dinner to work on, Rodrick and Anna had more research to do, and Reya joined in with the imps to help with the dinner rush.

    Arwin took the time to head back to the Infernal Armory. He had a lot of ns for the equipment he¡¯d make for the Phoenix Circle and Olive, but it wasn¡¯t the best time to start yet. That would be best saved for the morning.

    Instead, Arwin¡¯s gaze lingered on the inactive Soul Guardian that stood at the back of his forge. It needed its core ¡ª and it was more than just the armor. Verdant Inferno had asked for a core quite some time ago.

    He¡¯d still yet to figure out how to make one, but that was very quickly bing one of his top priorities. The Mesh rewarded little as much as challenging oneself to the point that they discovered something new.

    But, for that night, Arwin focused on the strange anti-magic swords that he¡¯d gotten from Twelve. He was convinced they would be instrumental. There were a great many forms of magic that worked in more ways than he could count. All were dangerous and powerful.But something that cut through magic like butter ¡ª that was the counter to them all. If he could find a way to harness it¡­

    Arwin shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to get too ahead of himself yet, but he needed strength. This was a path to it. It was a path he absolutely nned to walk.

    He spent several hours looking over the des and testing them in multiple ways, trying to determine their origin and how they were made. He submerged them inva, observed their durability, and ran them through a number of other tests.

    None were sessful in revealing anything groundbreaking, but Arwin¡¯s understanding of the strange metal continued to increase. He was only certain of a single thing ¡ª the anti-magic properties of the de had nothing to do with its metal.

    They were made from the same material as the normal ck weapons that Twelve had used, but they couldn¡¯t have been tied directly to his ss because their magic had remained after he¡¯d died.

    While that was a step in the right direction, it unfortunately didn¡¯t give Arwin any insight into how to replicate the weapons. He was forced to put them aside and head back inside to take a bath after several hours of work.

    Night was well underway by the time he¡¯d cleaned up and made his way into Lillia¡¯s room. He crept over to the straw bed, not wanting to wake her up, only to find the pointed tip of a tail prodding him gently in the stomach.

    ¡°You¡¯rete,¡± Lillia said, finding his hand with her own and guiding him down to sit beside her.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arwin said sheepishly. ¡°I got caught up working. I was trying to figure out how Twelve¡¯s weapons functioned.¡±

    ¡°I gathered as much.¡± Lillia rested her head against his shoulder and let out a slow breath. ¡°Any luck?¡±

    ¡°Progress. I wouldn¡¯t quite call it luck, but I¡¯ve had progress. What about your garden?¡±

    ¡°Only tried to kill me briefly today. It¡¯s making good progress. I¡¯ve got an Ashleaf Tree growing at a pretty good rate in our basement. We should be able to harvest a bunch of its wood for you to make more limbs for people.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got an Ashleaf Tree growing in our basement?¡±

    ¡°A small one, yes.¡±

    Arwin decided not to question that. ¡°Well, we probably won¡¯t need too much from it quite yet. I¡¯ve got a lot of material left over from the older one.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°For now. We¡¯ve had a lot of peoplee knocking, you know. And I know you. The moment this tournament is done, you¡¯re going to be making limbs left and right. If they aren¡¯t all weapons, then it¡¯s going to be hard to turn people that need them down. That means you¡¯ll need a lot of stock.¡±

    It was hard to argue with that. After all, Lillia was right.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arwin agreed. He flopped back onto the bed and pulled Lillia along with him. She let out a yelp before they both hit the straw.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Lilliained through a mouthful of straw. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. We should probably get a better bed,¡± Arwin said with a chuckle. He found Lillia¡¯s face in the darkness and wiped the offending straw away from her mouth. ¡°There was a really scuffed bed store in Milten. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have something a bit more suitable.¡±

    ¡°A problem forter.¡± Lillia pulled herself up and rested her head against his chest with a yawn. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and threw a leg over his waist, pulling in close. ¡°How were Olive and the Phoenix Circle? I haven¡¯t had a chance to see how they work together.¡±

    ¡°They were pretty good. Not exactly a trained unit, but they¡¯re getting along well¡­ though Maeve and Elias were hiding some abilities. Not really a surprise.¡±

    ¡°Not great for the tournament, though. They can¡¯t have surprises from each other.¡±

    ¡°Maeve and Elias have some form ofbo technique that makes it quite apparent that they¡¯re monsters,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It¡¯s not something they¡¯ll be able to use during the tournament.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate. You think they have any chance of winning, then?¡±

    Arwin hesitated for a few seconds before he responded. ¡°I think I¡¯d have to see the other teams.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fancy way of saying probably not.¡±

    ¡°Not as things stand,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°I haven¡¯t made them armor yet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to go all out, then? That¡¯s a bit dangerous, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Arwin let out a slow sigh. He stared up at the ceiling ¡ª or rather, the darkness directly before of his face. There could have been anything in front of him and he wouldn¡¯t have known. He idly ran a hand through Lillia¡¯s hair as he pondered her question.

    ¡°I am,¡± he finally said. ¡°And yes, it¡¯ll be dangerous. But I don¡¯t think we can let that hold us back any longer. Rodrick is a good example of that. I still don¡¯t know everything he¡¯s capable of. Far from it ¡ª but he¡¯s not holding back. He knows what¡¯s at stake, and we¡¯re the ones with the most to lose here. It¡¯s not fair for us to y it safe while he¡¯s putting everything on the line.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about what the guilds will do if they find out the full extent of what you¡¯re capable of?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll find out eventually,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯m not going to go shout my abilities to the world. I¡¯ll take every step I can to make sure nobody can figure out what our full strength really is, but we can¡¯t afford to y it safe forever. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild certainly isn¡¯t just waiting around. When the time inevitablyes that real troublends on our doorstep, we need to be able to fight back. I don¡¯t want to be on the backfoot anymore.¡±

    Lillia scooted up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°If that¡¯s what your call is, then I support it. It¡¯s a lot easier for me to push my power in secret. The changes aren¡¯t quite so¡­ apparent. Not unless someone attacks the Devil¡¯s Den, that is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not an impossibility.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Lillia¡¯s tone darkened. ¡°We both have to be a little more proactive with our power and pushing our limits, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°We do. But, fortunately, we¡¯re in a very good spot to that. Money¡¯s not a problem anymore, and we both have just about everything we need to work at full tilt. You¡¯ve got a steady flow of customers¡ª¡±

    ¡°And a garden.¡±

    ¡°¡ªand a garden. Keep growing the inn. I¡¯ll focus on improving my crafting. Then I¡¯ll make all of us new armor or update your old stuff. The greatest limit on crafting sses isck of resources, and we don¡¯t have that problem right now. If we¡¯re both pushing what we can do and discovering new things about our sses, we¡¯ll advance quickly. And even if our opponents are stronger than us, powerful equipment can seriously shore up that difference.¡±

    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re preparing for something.¡±

    ¡°More like doing what I should have been from the start,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°I¡¯ve got ns for Olive and the Phoenix Circles¡¯ armor ¡ª but I need to figure out how to make a core first.¡±

    ¡°I thought a core was for your Soul Guardian ability?¡±

    A smile crossed over Arwin¡¯s lips. ¡°It is. Mind helping me out a bit tomorrow? I think your expertise might go a long way in figuring things out.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Maybe it¡¯ll give me some inspiration.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arwin gave her a kiss on the forehead. ¡°I¡¯ve already got some ideas that I think should have some potential.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing them, then. And if you can make more than one Soul Guardian, I want one for the Devil¡¯s Den.¡±

    ¡°Consider it done.¡±

    ¡°Look at that. I didn¡¯t even have to convince you. That¡¯s unfortunate. I was fully prepared to.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s cheeks heated and he cleared his throat.

    ¡°On second thought¡­¡±

    Lillia¡¯s gentleughter barely reached his ears through the muffling darkness filling the room.

    She convinced him, and soon after, the two were fast asleep, entangled together in a ball of limbs and a tail with a hope that the following morning woulde slower than promised.

    It didn¡¯t.

    But, when the following day dawned, they rose with determination on their minds.

    The Menagerie had taken a half-step onto the stage already. They would not try to shy back any longer. The Proving Grounds would be the stage to demonstrate what they were capable of. Power begat power. If they wanted allies to fight the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and to be ready for any opponents that arose in the future, then they couldn¡¯t afford to remain as they were.

    They had to grow stronger.

    Strength came through challenge ¡ª and that challenge was staring them right in the face. If they could show the world their might, then more doors would open. It would draw attention¡­ and it would draw opportunity.

    Their path was set.

    They had to win the tournament. Not just for the Phoenix Circle, but for themselves as well.

 Chapter 321: Where

    ¡°See?¡± Arwin asked, taking a step back and crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°It makes no sense.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m picking up on why you¡¯re having trouble with this,¡± Lillia agreed with a frown.

    The two of them stood in the Infernal Armory. It had formed a pedestal on which Arwin had set two of Twelve¡¯s ck des ¡ª one of the normal ones and one of the ones that could cut through magic.

    For the past few minutes, Arwin had gone through all the tests he¡¯d done on the weapons to bring Lillia up to speed. He had high hopes that she would be able to spot something that he might have missed and help crack the code of how he could replicate their anti-magic effects.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a property of the metal,¡± Arwin said as he picked up both of the swords and held them up to the light of the fire cracking in the hearth to their side. ¡°I couldn¡¯t feel anything special when I spoke to it. It¡¯s got desires and goals just like any other metal, but that¡¯s it. Nothing in particr about not liking magic in the in sword.¡±

    ¡°What about the other one?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t speak to it,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°It cuts through my magic.¡±

    ¡°You know, I probably should have guessed that,¡± Lillia said through augh. She crossed her arms in front of her chest to mirror Arwin¡¯s pose and tapped a foot on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right that it couldn¡¯t be from Twelve¡¯s ss. Anything like that would have evaporated when he died. Maybe there¡¯s some form of treatment done to the de? Like an oil?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting idea,¡± Arwin said. He grabbed the normal sword and scratched at the edge of the de of the other for a few seconds, but his efforts earned him nothing more than the annoying shrill of metal on metal. Neither sword was even slightly affected. He straightened and shook his head. ¡°If it was a treatment, then I¡¯m not seeing any visible results of it in the surface. I¡¯d assume at least some of it woulde off, or it would havee off during all the tests ¡ª but it looks and feels exactly the same. There¡¯s no marring or other signs of external material.¡±¡°Hm.¡± Lillia scratched at her chin and picked the sword up. ¡°Well, I suppose we could go through a few of the tests I tried when I was figuring out my own powers back in the tavern. Maybe one of them will apply.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a n.¡±

    ***

    The next few hours of their efforts were unsessful.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if that was because boiling a sword didn¡¯t work quite as well as boiling an egg, or if it was because the sword didn¡¯t fit in any of Lillia¡¯s pots.

    That wasn¡¯t the only test they tried, of course, but after running the weapons through a dozen different trials and tribtions, they were unable to glean anything about its origin other than the fact that it was supernaturally tough.

    Lillia even brought the weapon into the Devil¡¯s Den to scan over it with her abilities and see if it would reveal itself to her. That didn¡¯t work either. Just like Arwin¡¯s tries to speak with the de, the magical effect encasing it kept her from sensing anything more than the fact there was a magical gap where there should have been a de.

    The two of them then found Esmerelda in her incredibly suspicious shop and showed her the weapon. She pored over it for a few minutes, only to conclude that it wasn¡¯t cursed and while it reminded her of a few things, none were identical. It was just too far from her area of expertise.

    They next brought the de to Rodrick and Anna to get their thoughts on it. Rodrick had a few suggestions, but none of them turned up anything. He and Anna had never heard of a weapon with its properties and were just as baffled as everyone else was.

    There was only so long Lillia could dedicate to helping Arwin, and with more than a little reluctance, she was forced to bid him good luck and head back to the tavern to get back to her own work for the day. £Ò?

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Arwin was left sitting in the Infernal Armory, one of each of Twelve¡¯s swords in his hands, and tapping his foot on the ground.

    <em>This is a pain.</em>

    He only had a single idea left, and it wasn¡¯t one he suspected to be wise.

    ¡°Call her back,¡± the Infernal Armory said, red mist rising up from the ground beside Arwin. ¡°I enjoy her presence. It makes your mind warm.¡±

    Arwin nced away from his swords. ¡°You know what my mind feels like?¡±

    ¡°I can sense it every time you enter my domain. It is normally very frigid.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said dryly. He nodded to the swords in his hands. ¡°I miss her too, but that isn¡¯t going to help me right now. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got any ideas as to what I could do with these? I really want to master making this anti-magic so I can work on a core.¡±

    ¡°I do not know anything that¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Arwin finished with a sigh. ¡°You could at least try to toss something out there, you know. Why can you say that you miss Lillia?¡±

    ¡°Because you do.¡±

    ¡°Very helpful. Thank you.¡± It was harder toin when he knew the armory was correct.

    He was just about entirely out of ideas. None of the tests he¡¯d gone through had given any fruit. The swords secrets werepletely locked up within itself. There was a chance that Wace would have been able to give him some useful thoughts on it¡­ but that would have involved showing someone Twelve¡¯s weapons.

    Even though Arwin trusted the dwarf a lot more than he once had, he wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted to reveal such a dangerous secret. That was the kind of thing that was just better to keeppletely within the guild.

    <em>And that only leaves me with one option. Ugh. I¡¯m d that Twelve used two weapons rather than just one. </em>

    Arwin set the normal sword down and cradled the anti-magic one in t palms, lifting it up to the light. He sniffed at the de.

    It smelled like metal.

    The urge to sigh again tugged at him, but he ignored it. There weren¡¯t any more options that he could think of. Not if he wanted to get anything done anytime soon. If there was one thing that would let him know what the sword was and how it worked, it was this.

    And if it didn¡¯t work, at least he would know and could explore different ideas. There was no point sitting on it forever. An advantage that couldn¡¯t be capitalized on was nothing but a shiny distraction.

    And that was how Arwin raised the weapon of a deadly assassin that could cut through magic itself ¡ª and took a giant bite out of it.

    A part of him had expected to identally stab his own mouth. Its anti-magic had blocked the rest of the abilities that had been tried on it, but instead, the metal melted in his mouth like jelly.

    <em>It worked?</em>

    Something bubbled up in his stomach. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure if it was magic or indigestion. He decided not to take the risk on the former. With several swift bites, Arwin ate the rest of the de, hilt and all, leaving absolutely nothing of its passing.

    A shimmer of gold passed before his face.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes went wide.

    <strong>Hidden Milestone of [Curb the Hunger] has been unlocked.</strong>

    <strong>??? Milestone: <em>Still the Hungering Maw.</em></strong>

    <strong>??? Reward: A moment ofplete silence.</strong>

    <em>There¡¯s no way¡­ a secret milestone? But it makes sense! Eating anti-magic must have caused the Hungering Maw to take on that property for a moment, removing the hungerpletely until its effects wear off. </em>

    <em>But what¡¯s a moment ofplete silence?</em>

    No sooner than Arwin¡¯s thoughts had finished passing through his mind did he feel something prickle against the base of his spine. A strange sensation passed over his entire body, as if the world had been submerged into a sea of static.

    Darkness encroached at the edges of his sight. Almost instantly, Arwin realized what this was. A vision. But this one was different from the ones he¡¯d had before. It was not a forceful advance so much as an offer.

    <em>The visions usuallye after I try to craft something, though. This is new. I haven¡¯t had one show up before I started crafting. That must be what the reward from the Mesh is. ess to the vision early. </em>

    He epted that offer without a moment of hesitation. If the vision could give him even a moment of insight into either Curb the Hunger or the sword he¡¯d just eaten, then any threat it might have posed would be worth it.

    The world fell away. Arwin barely managed to sit down before he found his soul flying through a sky of endless ck, leagues away from his body.

    Distant shapes moved in the shadows surrounding him. None of them bore enough form to identify, but he could tell they were there.

    Arwin waited to arrive at wherever he was being sent, but arrival never came. He simply remained in the empty void, surrounded by nothing.

    He blinked as he realized that his body was working again. He lifted his hand, surprised to find that he could see it even in theck of any light.

    ¡°Where am I?¡± Arwin asked. His voice rolled through the darkness and vanished into the nothingness.

    ¡°That,¡± a familiar voice said, sending chills down Arwin¡¯s spine. ¡°Is exactly the question that I was going to ask.¡±

    Arwin spun. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how ¡ª there wasn¡¯t any ground to support himself on ¡ª but his body spun nheless.

    And, floating in the dark across from him bearing a pair of twin ck des, was Twelve.

 Chapter 322: Glass

    For a split instant, Arwin stared in shock. His blood pounded in his ears and goosebumps gripped the back of his neck like a skeletal hand. Twelve was dead. There was no way that the assassin could have survived their attack. He¡¯d watched the man die himself.

    Then the panic faltered in the face of realization.

    This was a vision.

    It was no different than any of the other visions he¡¯d had. Twelve was still dead. Arwin was just seeing the remnants of who he was¡­ but if it was a vision, then the order was all wrong.

    The visions came when he was connecting with a material in order to forge it into something. Arwin hadn¡¯t tried to craft anything yet, and even if he had, he most certainly wasn¡¯t working with any pieces of Twelve¡¯s dead body. There were certain lines he wasn¡¯t looking to cross quite yet, and he wasn¡¯t desperate enough to be making equipment out of the corpse of a dead human enemy.

    <em>This makes no sense. Why am I seeing Twelve? He shouldn¡¯t be here unless the Mesh is trying to show me something, but I don¡¯t know why it would do that either. Is it trying to let me learn techniques or something by fighting him? That feels like a reward that abat ss would get rather than a ¡ª </em>

    Arwin froze as a thought mmed into his skull like a hammer.

    <em>A vision onlyes when I¡¯m working with something that used to be part of someone. The only thing I ate was the sword. </em>

    ¡°The fucking sword is part of you?¡± Arwin demanded, his eyes going wide.Twelve¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°What? How do you know that? Where are we, smith? I don¡¯t know how you managed to defeat me, but you are sorely mistaken if you think I can be held. Release me.¡±

    <em>He doesn¡¯t remember dying? What part of Twelve am I even speaking with? Is it his soul? A fragment his existence left behind?</em>

    ¡°Tell me how the anti-magic sword was made,¡± Arwin said, cracking his neck. He reached for his magic and was unsurprised to find that it was sealed from him. There was only a single ability that would work ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t about to reveal his trump card quite yet.

    ¡°The anti¡ª how do you know this?¡± Twelve demanded. He raised a de for Arwin. ¡°You¡¯re out of chances, smith. Refusing to give me the Dungeon Heart was foolish enough. Keeping me prisoner is thest mistake you¡¯ll make.¡±

    Darkness swallowed the assassin.

    This was basically the perfect area for Twelve. They were in a giant sea of empty shadow with nobody around left to counter his abilities. Arwin didn¡¯t waste an instant. The moment Twelve vanished, he activated [Unleash].

    A wordless roar filled the dark like booming thunder. Green shed through beside Arwin as the enormous form of a Wyrm materialized, its body coiled around him protectively.

    The air was split by a loud ng as Twelve¡¯s sword struck the Wyrm on the side. It sheared through its scales and bit deep into its flesh, but the monster was far toorge to be brought low by an offhand strike.

    Its tail whipped forward in a blur, catching Twelve off guard for a brief instant.

    <em>Wait, he actually got hit by a normal attack? This is the real Twelve, not a clone. A trained assassin shouldn¡¯t be getting struck that easily by such a telegraphed attack, even if he wasn¡¯t ready for it. </em>

    It seemed that nobody had told Twelve that.

    There was a loud crunch as he was picked off his feet andunched through the air. Twelve flew for farther than he should have beforending on a patch of twisting shapes and rolling to a stop. He staggered to his feet and readied his swords again.

    ¡°What infernal magic is weakening me?¡± Twelve demanded. ¡°Poison?¡±

    That¡¯s it. He¡¯s weakened. I don¡¯t think the Mesh weakened any of my other opponents before the fight, though. Any power I managed to get always came after I proved myself worthy to wield their strength, and it was granted to me by the item I was trying to craft. Why would he be weak¡ª ?

    And then the next piece of the puzzle slotted into ce.

    Anna had killed Twelve with Sympathetic magic. He¡¯d had his power split between eleven other bodies, and they were all still dead. There would be severe bacsh to him for having lost so many of his clones.

    <em>But if that¡¯s the case, then that means the Mesh only saw fit to bring him back to the point where he was a single person rather than the normal state of his power, which the other monsters I fought seemed to be at. </em>

    <em> This isn¡¯t the same as a normal vision. It¡¯s almost like I¡¯ve already taken a portion of his power already, but we haven¡¯t even fought yet. </em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there and stare at me,¡± Twelve snarled. Darkness washed over his body and swallowed him whole. His words still echoed out through the shadows from every direction. ¡°You should have killed me when you had the chance!¡±

    Instinct made the back of Arwin¡¯s neck prickle.

    He spun, twisting his entire body into a punch and unloading every scrap of force he could muster. Arwin struck a patch of night before him. He couldn¡¯t see anything, but every sense he had screamed that Twelve was within it.

    If youe across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    A satisfying crunch rewarded his attempt. Arwin felt his knuckles dig into flesh and a cheekbone shattered beneath his fist. Twelve shot back like he¡¯d beenunched from a cannon. Darkness peeled away from him in ribbons that rose up, evaporating from his body. He bounced across shadows that formed into the ground beneath him until he slid to a stop.

    ¡°I did,¡± Arwin said, letting his fist lower. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a remnant ¡ª and not a particrly good one at that. Your weapon is already selling you out, Twelve.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Twelve pushed himself up with one hand and wiped the blood from his face covering with the back of one hand. ¡°How much power were you hiding? What games are you ying at?¡±

    ¡°Punching someone in the face does not instantly make me have an ulterior motive,¡± Arwin growled in response. ¡°Give me the answer. What is the sword? How did you make it?¡±

    Twelve vanished.

    Arwin¡¯s senses screamed again. It was almost as if he could tell where Twelve wasing before the man had even decided that himself. He had absolutely no idea how he was doing it, but Arwin didn¡¯t question his fortune.

    His knee drove up. It mmed into flesh, and shadow exploded out of Twelve¡¯s back like a spray of ck paint. His eyes bulged and he folded over Arwin¡¯s knee with a wheeze.

    Arwin¡¯s elbow mmed into Twelve¡¯s temple and the man tumbled back, hitting the ground with a pained cough. The Wyrm took a step back, watching them with a bemused expression on its scaly features. It seemed to enjoy watching Arwin beating the shit out of someone other than itself.

    ¡°How are you hitting me?¡± Twelve demanded again, his voice weaker and nasally from a broken nose. ¡°I am invincible and immaterial within the shadows!¡±

    Arwin almost burst intoughter as he realized what was happening.

    <em>Ah. So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. I took the anti-magic abilities from your sword. I guess that means even Twelve is weak to his own bullshit magic. That just makes me want to get my hands on it even more. It¡¯s too powerful of an ability to be left in the hands of a dead murderer like you.</em>

    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Arwin replied honestly. Eating the de must have given him a huge amount of leverage over the scales in the vision. Where they normally started heavily skewed in the favor of his opponent, now they were tipped toward him ¡ª and he had no ns of letting Twelve shift the tides. ¡°Answer the question, Twelve. Answer it and I¡¯ll let you go. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think you can make demands? From <em>me</em>?¡±

    Twelve vanished. Arwin stepped forward, driving his weight behind his fist.

    It mmed into Twelve¡¯s face, ripping him from the darkness once more and driving him straight into the shadow before Arwin¡¯s feet. Blood sttered against the inside of the assassin¡¯s cloth mask as he let out a cry of pain.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arwin said, his mind shifting gears as a strategy made itself known to him. ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m offering you a pretty good deal, Twelve. You don¡¯t even have to give me that sword of yours. You can keep it. I¡¯m not trying to start trouble with the Setting Sun. Your guild is powerful and we want nothing to do with them. You can just tell me how the swords were made and I¡¯ll let you leave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Twelve growled.

    ¡°Perhaps another day. But today, if you stand up again, I¡¯ll put you down like the sick dog you are. You¡¯ve got one way to get revenge, and that¡¯s getting out of here. And the only way that¡¯s happening is if you answer my question. Even if you kill me, my guild has us locked in here with magically reinforced doors. You¡¯ll never get them open, so you can enjoy starving with only my corpse aspany.¡±

    Twelve stared at him. ¡°You risk your life purely to¡­ figure out how to copy my sword? Who told you about it?¡±

    ¡°None of your business,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°The cards are yed, Twelve. Leave and get a chance to get revenge on me when you aren¡¯t weakened ¡ª or die here.¡±

    Twelve snorted. He wiped the blood from his features and rose to his feet. ¡°epted. You will not like this. The de can only be created by a smith with talents far beyond anything you are capable of. She recorded the true form of my soul and imbued it into my weapons, awakening their true potential.¡±

    ¡°You mean the anti-magic properties are because of your soul, not because of some intentional enchantment?¡± Arwin asked, his eyes going wide.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Twelve said. ¡°It is not something you are capable of stealing, smith.¡±

    Arwin barely listened to any of his words after the confirmation.

    So the sword itself has the power, but it¡¯s based off his soul. It¡¯s almost like Awakening a weapon then, isn¡¯t it? Just with a specific goal in mind. I didn¡¯t even think about trying to control<em> how a weapon Awakened, but that seems incredibly close to what this is. </em>

    <em>That means there¡¯s someone else that can make Awakened weapons out there¡­ but that¡¯s not my problem right now. If the way to replicate those swords is to somehow replicate someone¡¯s soul, I can work with this. More than that. Twelve¡¯s soul was able to actually stop the Hungering Mawpletely. I¡¯m sure that won¡¯tst, but if I can replicate that, this could actually be the way I truly master my greatest weakness. Lillia has kept it at bay for now, but who knows how long it will be before it starts needing more power than what we can provide it through magically enhanced food. </em>

    ¡°Are you ignoring me?¡± Twelve demanded.

    Arwin blinked. He¡¯d forgotten the assassin was speaking. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Our deal is done,¡± Twelve said with a low chuckle. ¡°You have received your answer. And, if you keep me here, then your earlier guess was correct. My guild will destroy you and everyone you hold dear. Free me, and my de will seek your heart alone.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Arwin said. He blew out a slow breath. ¡°Sorry about that. No.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I lied,¡± Arwin said. It was a far shot from the burdens that Rodrick had taken onto his back, but he couldn¡¯t leave all the distasteful tasks to the former pdin. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere but right back to hell, Twelve. You¡¯re dead. We already killed you, and your guild isn¡¯ting. They have no idea what happened to you.¡±

    <em>I¡¯ve got to find out how to imbue the form of someone¡¯s soul into a weapon, huh? That¡¯s as good a starting point as any. </em>

    <em>This should be interesting.</em>

    Arwin swept his hand down.

    Twelve¡¯s eyes widened in horror. He threw his hands up ¡ª and the Wyrm¡¯s jaws mmed around him, crushing his body and swallowing the assassin whole.

    There was an instant of stillness. The world seemed to grind to a halt as Twelve vanished within the Wyrm¡¯s mouth.

    A glimmer of gold danced through the air before Arwin as words traced themselves out a foot away from his nose.

    <strong>Milestone 3 of [Curb the Hunger] has been revealed.</strong>

    <strong>Milestone 3: <em>Master the Hungering Maw. Your control over yourself grows, and so does your hunger. Find a way topletely bring the Hungering Maw under your control before it consumes you. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 3: <em>Unknown Title; ss Upgrade</em></strong>

    A burning pain lit in the pit of Arwin¡¯s stomach. His eyes widened. For the first time in quite a while, the Maw had made itself known ¡ª and it was starving.

    He didn¡¯t get a chance to think on the returned threat of his own body or the additional ss Upgrade that was now included in the reward for the 3rd milestone of his challenge.

    The vision shattered, falling away like nes of ck ss around Arwin, but he barely even noticed.

 Chapter 323: Weird

    The Hungering Maw had reared its head once more.

    Arwin stared at the ground of the Infernal Armory, a burning pain building in his gut calling for his attention but not yet strong enough to summon it.

    He¡¯d let himself forget about the hunger that lurked within him. He¡¯d hoped that the problem had been as good as solved. Lillia¡¯s cooking had been able to keep it satiated for so long that he¡¯d figured that, along with the asional supplemental snack of a more powerful item, would be more than enough to ignore it.

    It hadn¡¯t been.

    He could feel the curse in his gut now, throbbing stronger with every second that passed. It would be hours before it got strong enough to pose him a real threat, but the Hungering Maw had made itself known once more and would not be silenced again so easily.

    Arwin¡¯s ears rang as he fought to process everything that had just happened.

    The news wasn¡¯t all bad. He¡¯d gotten more than just the return of his curse. He¡¯d gotten the final step he needed to take to cure it. The third step of his challenge ¡ª not counting the hidden one that he¡¯d gotten by eating Twelve¡¯s sword ¡ª had made itself known to him.

    <strong>Milestone 3: <em>Master the Hungering Maw. Your control over yourself grows, and so does your hunger. Find a way topletely bring the Hungering Maw under your control before it consumes you. </em></strong>

    <strong>Reward 3: <em>Unknown Title; ss Upgrade</em></strong>¡°A ss upgrade in addition to a title. Something that lets mepletely control the maw,¡± Arwin said, letting the words roll over in his mouth. Dozens of emotions flew through him like a swarm of vultures, swooping and picking at his thoughts.

    Fear was not among them.

    Excitement was.

    Sure, there was apprehension. Arwin knew that there were so many things that could go wrong that he could never even hope to start counting them ¡ª but just a short while ago, he¡¯d been reminded of just how badly they needed to grow stronger.

    How badly they needed power.

    And power never came for free.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t the same lost, betrayed man that had first been given the Hungering Maw. He knew how the ability worked. What it wanted, and how to control it. And after all the research he¡¯d done, the equipment he¡¯d crafted, the friends and allies he¡¯d made to call on ¡ª he had a pretty damn good starting point.

    <em>This won¡¯t even get in the way of my work for the tournament. It¡¯s abundantly apparent that I¡¯m already working toward a way to bring the Hungering Maw under control. That¡¯s why I got a hidden challenge reward.</em>

    <em>Twelve¡¯s anti-magic sword was able topletely shut the Hungering Maw off after I ate it. Sure, that didn¡¯tst, but that means I¡¯m on the right track. If I can figure out how to make the truly awakened items, then I should be able to use those to master the Maw as well. </em>

    He wasn¡¯t going to figure out how to do that just sitting around, though. The tournament ¡ª and his curse ¡ª weren¡¯t going to wait around while he stewed. Arwin had all the information he needed to get started. He just had to figure out exactly how one could imbue someone¡¯s soul into a weapon.

    Should I start with my own? I know myself more than pretty much anyone else, right? That seems like it would be the simplest to imbue into a weapon¡­ but at the same time, it¡¯s easier to tell things about other people than it is to really look inside. That might not be the best angle. I want to get started, but it¡¯s important to actually start on the right thing so I don¡¯t waste time.

    Arwin pulled his status sheet up and scanned through it. It had been some time since he¡¯d looked at the thing in its entirety. There was a chance that something within it would give him an idea or synergize with his goals to make an awakened item that was imbued with someone¡¯s soul. He wasn¡¯t too optimistic, but it couldn¡¯t hurt.

    <em>Every rule I¡¯ve learned still holds true, but now I need to merge them together. The less influence I try to put over anything I make, the more random the results are and the more that its likely to end up poorly created. </em>

    <em>I can mitigate that by being very intentional with everyponent I use and by removing impurities from the pieces I work with. </em>

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    <em>Awakened items, though¡­ those came when I just let the item run wild or when it had a really strong influence from theponents. Awakened items are from the passive ability Living Forge gets, giving everything I make a chance to be awakened but also the potential to be detrimental. </em>

    <em>Interestingly enough, I¡¯ve seen neither Awakened nor detrimental traits as ofte. The Wyrm¡¯s Revenge is just a cursed shield. It doesn¡¯t have the trait differentiating it, and I don¡¯t think being Cursed would stop something from also being Awakened. </em>

    Arwin blinked as his gaze caught on a title that he hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to use recently.

    <strong>[Couple of Crafters] - <em>Linking your intent with your partner enough times has established a connection between you so long as your goals remain aligned. The dissonance between you and your partner¡¯s intent has been permanently reduced.</em></strong>

    ¡°Partner,¡± Arwin muttered, his eyes going wide. ¡°I thought the Mesh was being cheeky about me and Lillia¡­ but could this be tied directly to making items the way Twelve was speaking about? If I have to imbue someone else¡¯s soul, this is the perfect way to do it.¡±

    But Lillia was busy right now. He couldn¡¯t just monopolize all of her time. She had her own work to do and couldn¡¯t just keep dropping everything to help him out.

    <em>If my theory is correct and Partner doesn¡¯t mean lover but just someone I¡¯m working on an item with, then it¡¯s actually better to test this with someone other than Lillia. It¡¯s a good thing there are a few more members in the Menagerie. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s someone that isn¡¯t doing anything too important right now.</em>

    <em>***</em>

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Reya asked, squinting at Arwin from where she sat perched upon the anvil in the Infernal Armory.

    Arwin had found her in the tavern, foolishlymitting the crime of not looking particrly upied for a brief moment. That mistake had been enough justification for him to kidnap her and bring her back to the smithy so he could test his theories out.

    Unfortunately, the Hungering Maw wasn¡¯t as eager for Arwin to test his ideas out as he was.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin said, forcing a smile across his features. ¡°And this will help me get fine-er.¡±

    ¡°If you need to get fine-er, you¡¯re not fine. Is your magic-eating thing acting up?¡±

    <em>Am I that obvious?</em>

    ¡°Yes, but this will help it,¡± Arwin said. He could almost instinctively tell that the Hungering Maw wasn¡¯t going to ept just anything as a sacrifice. He needed to make something more ¡ª which was where Reya came in.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure. Just tell me what to do, then. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°I need to test a theory out,¡± Arwin said, briefly exining the jist of what had happened with Twelve in his vision and how he needed to make an Awakened item that had been imbued with someone¡¯s soul.

    Reya thought over everything for a few seconds before nodding her understanding hesitantly.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m with you. I¡¯m ready to start¡­ but I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re supposed to get my soul into anything, though. Does this mean I¡¯m not going to get to go to the afterlife?¡±

    ¡°What? No. I¡¯m not taking your actual soul. That would be some really vile magic. Not even Twelve did that. I think this is more of an imprint. Like you¡¯re smacking your soul into something hard enough to leave an impression of it¡­ but probably a little more elegant than that.¡± Arwin paused, then frowned. ¡°Wait. Did you just agree to let me take your soul?¡±

    Reya shrugged. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen it, so figure it can¡¯t be worth that much.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to have a serious discussion about your self worthter,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But, for now, just¡­ think soul-thoughts.¡±

    ¡°What are soul thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Whatever you feel your soul is,¡± Arwin said, walking over to a single ingot of Brightsteel sitting on a stone pedestal beside his hearth. The Infernal Armory had already lit it with ck me in wait for their work. ¡°Think about your soul ¡ª and send some of your magic into me while I try to make something. It might take a few tries.¡±

    ¡°Kay,¡± Reya said, hopping down from the anvil and walking over to stand beside Arwin. ¡°Just don¡¯t make a weapon.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    He¡¯d been nning on making another dagger for old times¡¯ sake. It had felt rather apt.

    ¡°Wyrmhunger,¡± Reya replied. ¡°She¡¯ll get jealous. I promised her I wouldn¡¯t use any other weapons.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What about a bracer? Simr to the one Olive has.¡±

    ¡°That sounds awesome!¡± Reya eximed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. I don¡¯t really know what abilities it¡¯ll have. It might end up being pretty terrible since I¡¯m not putting any random monsterponents into this yet. I just want to see if I can get an imprint of your soul.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Reya said cheerfully. She put a hand on the hilt of the red dagger at her waist, and it trembled in response. ¡°That¡¯s what you said about the first dagger you made me too, and look how that turned out.¡±

    <em>Mildly creepy.</em>

    A pang of pain pressed into Arwin¡¯s stomach. He shoved it into the back of his mind. The Hungering Maw didn¡¯t rule him, and it most certainly would not be stopping him from finding a way to control it.

    If it was scared, then he was on the right path.

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said, turning to the hearth and hoisting the ingot of metal. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°Ready when you are. Do you think my soul will taste good?¡±

    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll find out,¡± Arwin said wryly.

    Reya pressed her hands to his back. Magic prickled against his skin ¡ª and then he could <em>feel </em>it. There was new power waiting for him to use it. There was a connection to Reya.

    If there was any way to get a good feel for someone¡¯s soul, it was going to be this.

    <em>Let¡¯s see if we can make a Reya-vored bracer.</em>

    <em>Is that weird to say?</em>

    <em>Eh. I¡¯ll worry about it after I¡¯m done, but maybe I won¡¯t be feeding the Maw this one.</em>

 Chapter 324: Old lady

    The thump of blood pounding in Arwin¡¯s ears mixed with the rush of magic pouring through his body. Sweat rolled down his back and soaked into his shirt as he gritted his teeth, drawing on a mixture of strength from the Infernal Armory and Reya.

    They¡¯d been trying to find a way to get Reya¡¯s soul imprinted into an item for¡­ well, Arwin wasn¡¯t actually sure how long it had been. Using magic from the Infernal Armory helped alleviate a lot of the stress on him and Reya alike, but it had definitely been at least a few hours.

    He wouldn¡¯t go so far to say that their efforts had been worthless. It had taken Arwin more time than he¡¯d thought to get used to actually working with Reya¡¯s power. He¡¯d thought it would have been just as easy to work with as Lillia¡¯s, but apparently not everyone¡¯s magic functioned the same.

    That made a certain amount of sense in hindsight. It still hadn¡¯t stopped Arwin from spending nearly an hour just finding out how to direct Reya¡¯s power withoutpletely losing his grip on it.

    And that had just been the first step. They¡¯d had to pause for a short while so Reya could recover her strength before they got back to work ¡ª and then the hard bit had started.

    There was a subtle but painfully important difference between using someone else¡¯s magic to empower himself and trying to put their power directly into an item. Arwin had done the former several times together with Lillia.

    It worked great at empowering an item and establishing a better connection between it and its intended wielder, but that wasn¡¯t his goal right now.

    Arwin was looking to imprint Reya¡¯s soul upon the metal. He needed more than just the magic. He needed what made that magic up to be preserved. And, unfortunately for him, that bit was painfully fragile. He couldn¡¯t control Reya¡¯s magic with his own without identally crushing it down into pure energy that would give her a stronger connection to the item but fail to imprint her soul upon it.

    No matter what Arwin tried, Reya¡¯s magic did not just go right into metal like his did. Even when hepletely gave up on all the more advanced techniques he¡¯d learned in recent times and just tried letting the Mesh do everything so he just get something to start from, her magic still stubbornly refused to enter anything on its own.There was something fundamentally wrong about his approach. He continued to tweak it. Arwin tried different strategies, brought in different techniques and approaches. He let Reya take the hammer while guiding her blows. He tried getting the Infernal Armory to bond with her ¡ª it refused ¡ª and he tried several Dwarven Smithing strategies.

    The most promising of them was synchronizing his song with the metal before Reya worked on it, but that failed to solve the problem. The next attempt involved trying to hear both Reya and the metal¡¯s song, but that too met in failure.

    Reya didn¡¯t have a song. As best as he could tell, that was because she wasn¡¯t a hunk of metal or some form ofponent. The songs could only synchronize when he was actually putting something into the metal, and it wasn¡¯t like Arwin was actually taking her soul out of her body.

    After another try failed to provide them with any results, both Arwin and Reya flopped down on the ground to gather their magical energy again. Reya absentmindedly fed the Infernal Armory scraps she¡¯d taken from Lillia¡¯s kitchen while they both recuperated.

    Arwin¡¯s fingers drummed against the ground as he thought.

    <em>Maybe I need to find some form of carrier for Reya¡¯s soul? Like a middleman that I can get Reya¡¯s soul to imprint onto, then pass that on as aponent to the piece of equipment I¡¯m trying to make?</em>

    The idea seemed promising. Making Reya¡¯s soul into some form of item would likely give him more ways to connect with it. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have the faintest clue as to what could possibly contain a soul.

    <em>Well, I do have a few ideas, but none of them are particrly fun for the host and they¡¯re definitely not something I¡¯m looking to get into learning how to make right now. I¡¯ll leave phcteries to the liches. Twelve didn¡¯t need anything like that as far as I could tell.</em>

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Arwin blew out a long breath. It was the most promising idea he¡¯d had so far. Synchronizing the songs of all hisponents was probably the best way he could approach this problem, and he couldn¡¯t do that if he didn¡¯t actually have a song to work with on Reya¡¯s end.

    He refused to believe there wasn¡¯t one, which just meant he had to find a way to get it. If her soul wouldn¡¯t give him one normally, he¡¯d have to find a new angle.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t too concerned about that. He¡¯d ruled out a lot of possibilities and learned a lot about how to work with someone else¡¯s magic in the hours of work. Progress wasn¡¯t always about hitting the right note on the first try. Removing a bunch of wrong ones until only the good remained was just as viable of a strategy ¡ª especially when one was flying blind.

    <em>Hm. Maybe that¡¯s another part of the problem. Lillia was right. I try too hard to do everything on my own. Maybe Reya and I don¡¯t have to be flying blind here. </em>

    ¡°You know what?¡± Arwin muttered under his breath.

    ¡°You¡¯re hungry?¡± Reya guessed.

    ¡°I ¡ª no. Not really.¡± Arwin blinked. ¡°Sorry. Have I kept you in here for too long? How long has it been?¡±

    ¡°Six hours,¡± the Infernal Armory provided, its voice audible only to Arwin¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Not that long. It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. I can keep¡ª¡± Her stomach grumbled. Reya¡¯s cheeks reddened and she continued, ¡°going.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arwin said dryly. He braced his palms against his knees and rose to his feet before holding a hand out to Reya. ¡°Time for a break. Up we go. You¡¯re getting dinner.¡± ?

    She epted his offer and let him pull her to her feet. ¡°Thanks. I was low on magic anyway I guess¡­ but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back right after. We¡¯re going to get this figured out.¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± Arwin agreed. ¡°But don¡¯t lose sleep over this. I¡¯m not trying to grind you into dirt testing my theories. You can always rest and we can try again¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Reya said firmly, fists tightening at her sides, features as serious as Arwin had ever seen them. ¡°I can do this, Arwin. I don¡¯t need more breaks than you do. I¡¯m not a baby. This will help everyone if we can figure it out.¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth. Reya¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°And don¡¯t say I shouldn¡¯t push myself so hard,¡± she added. ¡°You¡¯re doing the same shit. I¡¯m not a child. I can make my own decisions. If you can do this, then I can to.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I was just going to say you should bring some extra food from Lillia to help you recover your strength faster. This isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡±

    Reya blinked. ¡°Oh. Yeah, that¡¯s probably a good idea.¡±

    ¡°Take an hour or two off,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Recover and see if you can think of anything we can try.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready before that. You don¡¯t have to dy so long. We don¡¯t have that much time to waste. Who knows when the tournament can start, and you need this for Olive and her team, right?¡±

    ¡°I do, but I think I¡¯vee to realize that there might be better ways to find a solution than bashing our head against the wall incessantly for hours on end to no avail. This isn¡¯t just about dying. I¡¯m diversifying.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re what, now?¡±

    ¡°Asking someone who might know a whole lot more about messing with specialized equipment and fancy enchantments than I do,¡± Arwin replied with a smile.

    Reya blinked. Then realization washed over her features.

    ¡°Esmerelda?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª yes, actually, but how did you guess that? Why didn¡¯t you say Wace? He¡¯s the one that actually knows smithing.¡±

    ¡°Because messing with souls is definitely on the creepy side,¡± Reya replied in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°There¡¯s no way a goody dwarf like him would be an expert on finding ways to stuff somebody¡¯s path to eternal life into a metal bar.¡±

    <em>Hold on. We all know she makes potions and the like, but I swear we never told everyone that Esmerelda knows about or sells cursed items. Did everyone else just know she sold cursed stuff already?</em>

    Arwin pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a pained sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, this isn¡¯t going to actually consume your soul. Just think of it like using your soul as a mold. At least, that¡¯s my running theory. I don¡¯t actually know how it works¡­ but we¡¯ll find a different solution if this actually involves leaving your body a husk.¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯re going to get a different solution from <em>Esmerelda</em>? She¡¯s going to say you have to pickle me.¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on. She¡¯s not that bad.¡±

    Reya squinted at him. ¡°Probably not. But still ¡ª No pickling.¡±

    ¡°No pickling,¡± Arwin promised. ¡°Now go get some dinner while I track Esmerelda down. Meet me back here in an hour. If Esmerelda can give me any good ideas, we¡¯ll try those. If not¡­ well, we can just get back to it as we were. There are always more things to try.¡±

    Reya gave him a sharp salute before darting out of the Infernal Armory.

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how she still had the energy to do that. That thought made him wince. He was starting to sound old.

    <em>I¡¯m only a few years Reya¡¯s senior. This is bad. I¡¯m going to start going gray at this rate. </em>

    Shaking his head, he ambled out of the armory and headed for the small shack down the street in search of Esmerelda.

    If there was anyone that could help him figure out how to smack any part of a soul into a weapon, it was the batshit crazy olddy.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 325: Mine

    ¡°You want to pull the girl¡¯s soul out?¡± Esmerelda asked, raising an eyebrow.

    She and Arwin sat in a pair of rickety wooden chairs within her cluttered shop. Esmerelda had pulled them out the moment he¡¯d walked through her door and let her know that there was something he needed her advice on. Unfortunately, he was having a bit of difficulty actually conveying just what it was that he wanted her to help him with.

    ¡°No. Not at all.¡± Arwin pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers and repressed a sigh. ¡°I want an <em>imprint </em>of her soul.¡±

    ¡°Just use the real thing. Works better.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want the real thing,¡± Arwin snapped. ¡°I want Reya¡¯s soul to remain in her body, where it belongs. Why would I be looking to rip somebody¡¯s soul out to make them a weapon?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s deeply ironic.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª well, yes. I suppose it would be. But that¡¯s something you do to someone you really fucking hate, not your friend.¡±

    Esmerelda stared at him for several long seconds. Her brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°Never seen a demon worried about friends before. You¡¯re a weird one.¡±

    ¡°A what now?¡±¡°Never mind,¡± Esmerelda said with a shake of her head. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll be happy littlessies with flowers in our hair. That¡¯s what you want, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what I¡ª¡±

    ¡°You want a copy of someone¡¯s soul without actually stickin¡¯ your pointy bits through the real thing.¡±

    ¡°I do <em>not </em>like the way you phrased that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But yes. I don¡¯t want to injure Reya in any way. This needs to be something I can do for all of us. I basically want to cast her soul in some form of magical mold so I can work with it.¡±

    ¡°Its an interesting thought, but I don¡¯t know how you¡¯d do that without some immensely powerful magic materials,¡± Esmerelda said with a frown. ¡°Souls are slippery things. They don¡¯t mesh well with other materials. If they did, there would be a lot more liches wandering around.¡±

    ¡°But is it possible? If anyone would have experience with something like this, it would be you.¡±

    Esmerelda¡¯s cheeks reddened and she coughed into her fist. ¡°You tter me. I¡­ don¡¯t know how you could do what you¡¯re proposing, but what if you were to use a bonding reagent?¡±

    ¡°A what now?¡±

    Esmerelda reached up to her head and plucked a white hair free without so much as flinching. The hair coiled around her finger like a snake and she held it up.

    ¡°Something that connects you to your target. It¡¯s a verymon technique used in a lot of dark magic. Attacking someone from a range is incredibly difficult when you don¡¯t know where they are. But, if you¡¯ve got a bit of something to connect to them, then you can use sympathetic magic to form a connection. It¡¯s what that bastard Twelve did to control his clones. Each of them probably had a tiny piece of his real body in them somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arwin said. He tapped a finger on his chin in thought. ying with dark magic didn¡¯t exactly sound like a wise idea, but there was no inherently evil magic. It all depended on how it was used. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I could try to establish a connection between Reya and the item by using some of her hair?¡±

    ¡°I am. It wouldn¡¯t quite be her soul, though. It would be her. Body and soul alike. There¡¯s a bit of a difference there.¡±

    ¡°Would it be dangerous for her?¡±

    ¡°Not as long as you aren¡¯t casting a spell intentionally meant to hurt the girl. The item you make will just be an item. Sympathetic magic doesn¡¯t always cause bacsh when the connection is severed. The object would have to be very powerful for something like that to happen."

    "I see," Arwin said, rubbing his chin. ¡°That seems like it could work.¡±

    ¡°It might. I don¡¯t know if it would aplish exactly what you¡¯re looking for, but it¡¯s the closest thing I can think of.¡±

    Arwin was already rising out of his chair. ¡°No. That¡¯s perfect, Esmerelda. Thank you.¡±

    <em>I won¡¯t mention the bit that it took me nearly an hour to get a single useful answer out of you. Curses or not, the poor olddy just wants someone to talk to. She must not get out very much.</em>

    ¡°Any time,¡± Esmerelda said.

    Arwin paused before he left the store. He nced over his shoulder at her. ¡°You know, you can spend more time with the others. There¡¯s no reason to sit cooped up in this dusty old shop. You wanted to join the Menagerie, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    ¡°Bah. Who would sell items to people if I left?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more to life than selling cursed shit. Get dinner with Madiv or something. God knows the vampire needs something to focus on other than following Lillia around asking if she has orders for him.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ suppose I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Esmerelda said. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re officially epting me?¡±

    Arwin grunted. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t go selling cursed items to normal people.¡±

    ¡°What? You expect me to give up my livelihood?¡±

    ¡°How much gold have you made in thest month?¡±

    There was a long pause before Esmerelda answered. She cleared her throat. ¡°Ah¡­ none. I haven¡¯t sold anything.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a livelihood.¡±

    ¡°A girl has to have hobbies, Arwin.¡±

    ¡°Find a new one ¡ª or only sell things to people that actually deserve them. No ruining innocent peoples¡¯ lives. That goes against everything the Menagerie stands for.¡±

    With that, Arwin strode out of the store. Esmerelda stared at where he¡¯d stood for several long seconds. Then she blew out a slow breath, the look on her face growing thoughtful.

    ¡°What an odd demon,¡± Esmerelda mused to herself. She slowly rose to her feet and flicked a hand. Her chairs folded themselves up and ran off into the back of the store with the tter of wood on wood. ¡°He actually wants a hag like me to help people. He¡¯d really trust my word that I¡¯m only selling to the scum of the city? Just like that? It would be so easy to lie, you fool.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t there to answer her. Esmerelda¡¯s shoulders slumped and she shook her head.

    ¡°Damn convincing demon. I don¡¯t know what nefarious n he¡¯s building up, but something about his damn eyes would make me feel so guilty if I lied. I suppose a small change in business models wouldn¡¯t hurt too much. It¡¯s good to keep things fresh when you get older.¡±

    ***

    Reya was already in the Infernal Armory when Arwin returned. She had several tes of food next to her, about half of which had already been fed to the maw in the center of the back room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give it too much food,¡± Arwin said as Reya scraped the contents of another te into the grinding mechanism. ¡°It¡¯ll get spoiled.¡±

    ¡°Silence,¡± the Infernal Armory said, its words brushing across Arwin¡¯s ears alone. ¡°I like this girl. She is permitted entry to my premises. Particrly when shees bearing offerings. All should treat me in this manner.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Reya said. She straightened to her feet and brushed the dust off her knees. ¡°It looked hungry.¡±

    ¡°How does a building look ¡ª oh, forget it. It was hungry. You¡¯ve be its favorite human right up until its time for someone else to feed it. Are you ready to get back to work?¡±

    Reya grinned and nodded. ¡°Yeah! Did Esmerelda give you any ideas?¡±

    ¡°One, and that gave me a few more. I¡¯m going to need some of your hair,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I think I can establish a connection between you and the bracer I¡¯m trying to make with that. Sympathetic magic.¡±

    Reya started to nod. Then she hesitated. ¡°Twelve¡¯s magic? That¡¯s not going to mean it¡¯ll kill me if it breaks, right?¡±

    ¡°No. There¡¯s not nearly enough power going into this for something like that. I¡¯ve already asked Esmerelda about it to be safe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, great. That¡¯s good,¡± Reya said through a sigh of relief. She lifted Wyrmhunger to her head and cut a strand of hair away, holding it out to Arwin. ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arwin said, taking it from her. He made his way over to the anvil and she started to re-sheath the dagger. A thought passed through Arwin¡¯s head and he tilted his head to the side. ¡°Hold on, Reya.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Keep the dagger out,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That thing is linked to you really closely. Maybe it¡¯ll make it a bit easier for me to listen for your soul.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Reya held Wyrmhunger before her and the smithy pulsed as it awakened, ck tendrils slithering through the air and driving into Arwin¡¯s back. She approached Arwin, putting her free hand on his back, and the two of them got back to work.

    Infusing a bit of a monster into a piece of metal was something that Arwin was no stranger to. Reya wasn¡¯t a monster, but the principle was no different, and infusing it with the piece of Brightsteel should have been simple.

    Unfortunately, that was far from true. He didn¡¯t hear so much as a hint of a song when he tried to link the hair with the metal ¡ª and thebination failed shortly afterward.

    Reya handed him another strand of hair.

    ¡°I think I might have felt something that time,¡± Reya said. ¡°I think it was the best try yet.¡±

    Arwin took the hair with a nod.

    They got back to it.

    Another attempt came and went to simr results.

    Reya wordlessly gave him another hair.

    Minutes stretched to hours and the day ran into the night. The glow ofva illuminated the Infernal Armory as the two of them worked, seeking to find the connection they were looking for.

    Every attempt failed ¡ª but not in the same way that they had before. Bit by bit, Arwin ripped down the wall in their way. Each mistake taught them more. It revealed more of the puzzle. The defeats did nothing but motivate them even further.

    And then the defeats stopped being defeats.

    Arwin learned to direct Reya¡¯s magic into her own hair rather than the item as a whole, infusing it with her energy. He encased her energy with his own to protect it from the heat of the moltenva.

    And, as they worked on what must have been the fiftieth attempt that night, he heard something that had been absent through every other attempt.

    At the back of his ears, so distant that he almost missed it, was a distant duet.

    It was a familiar one. One voice was one that he¡¯d never truly heard, but he recognized it almost instantly as one of the first items he¡¯d created.

    The voice was Wyrmhunger¡¯s.

    Alongside it was a yful, flitting tune. A thrum that resonated deep within Arwin, growing louder the more he focused upon it.

    It was the sound of Reya¡¯s soul.

    ¡°I hear it,¡± Arwin whispered. He looked back at Reya and a huge smile split his features.

    ¡°I feel it,¡± Reya said, her voice distant. ¡°It¡¯s so strange. I¡­ feel something. In my chest. What is that melody?¡±

    ¡°The metal,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just rx and focus on yourself. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. I¡¯ll take things from here. Now we¡¯re really cooking. Lillia might have to give us a spot in the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been spending too much time with Olive.¡±

    Augh slipped from Arwin¡¯s lips before he could stop himself. He knew he should have been concentrated on the task at hand, but the delight that gripped him was too strong to suppress.

    He could feel it deep in his soul.

    This was what they¡¯d been working for.

    <em>Your secrets are mine, Twelve. </em>

 Chapter 326: Applicable

    Arwin¡¯s hammer rang against the metal, sending sparks dancing away from the anvil as he struck the glowing metal in a steady cadence. Four presences thrummed within his chest, eachpeting to be heard.

    The more he practiced Dwarven Smithing, the more Arwin understood why Wace referred to them as singing. It wasn¡¯t like there were actual songs. The materials weren¡¯t all speaking to him when he worked. What he felt was more akin to a presence. It was the underlying truth of what one what they were.

    But now, as his own song oveid with that of the metal, Wyrmhunger, and Reya, he quickly became aware that there was far more to it than he¡¯d ever previously seen. He could have sworn he could hear distant notes of music with every step he took toward finishing the bracer.

    Arwin didn¡¯t let himself get too distracted by the semantics. Dwarven Smithing had never been about outlining irond guidelines and following them to the T. It was not a science. It was an art, and one that focused on feeling.

    He let the songs mix within his body, tweaking and adjusting the item as he attempted to bring it closer and closer to a true harmony. Each dissonant note prickled within him like a needle being driven into his muscles.

    They came fewer and farther in between the longer he worked.

    Wyrmhunger was in perfect synchronization with Reya already. Their songsplemented each other with practiced ease, but they left no room for a new one to fully integrate. After all, it wasn¡¯t the dagger¡¯s soul that Arwin was trying to bring into the bracer.

    He did his best to fit everything together, but the four pieces simply all refused to go together. There were too many insurmountable differences. And still Arwin tried. He could finally hear Reya¡¯s soul. He refused to give up until he didn¡¯t have a single scrap of energy left to try.

    And then something strange happened.Wyrmhunger¡¯s voice started to silence. It came quieter with every note, but Reya¡¯s voice remained unchanged. He could still feel her, could still direct the magic running between them and into the bracer.

    The dagger had realized that its purposed had been served. It was intelligent enough to understand what they were doing and that it wasn¡¯t needed anymore. That was¡­ oddly terrifying. Reya didn¡¯t seem to be entirely aware of what Arwin was doing, but the dagger did.

    <em>How intelligent is Wyrmhunger? If it can understand the other songs in thebination, then does it have some degree of understanding as to how Dwarven Smithing works?</em>

    That was a worry for another time.

    As Wyrmhunger¡¯s voice faded, the pieces of the song suddenly started to slide together. They moved so quickly that Arwin barely even had a chance to do anything. It was as if the item was practically building itself for him.

    All he could do to keep up was to patch up the edges of the songs as they oveid and harmonized, making tiny adjustments to make them fit together better ¡ª but even that work was minimal.

    Reya¡¯s magic slid past Arwin, using his own powers as guiderails, and gathered into the bracer. Gentle golden light illuminated the metal from within as Arwin continued to shape it, but every strike of his hammer was needed less than thest.

    It was almost done. The smell of a fresh forest tickled his nostrils, roses and berries and distant rain. Even without looking, he could feel that the item was beautiful.

    And yet something felt unfinished. A small frown pulled at the corners of Arwin¡¯s lips. He didn¡¯t dare pause his work, but the swing of his hammer slowed as he tried to analyze the songs filling the armor.

    Finishing the bracer should have been simple enough. The Mesh had gathered all around it and had infused the item through and through. There wasn¡¯t much to do but to step back and dere it done ¡ª but Arwin couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was missing something.

    <em>Wait. My own song. This is meant to be a weapon that contains an imprint of Reya¡¯s soul. I should only be the vessel, not an influence. Having my song wrapped up in everything is going to end up shifting the result away from what it should be.</em>

    Arwin had no clue how he was meant to peel his own song back, but the moment the thought brushed his head, the answer came to him. The songs were more than just a feeling or an imagined voice. They were magic itself.

    And if there was one thing he could do, it was getting rid of magic.

    It only took a thought. Arwin brushed his hand across the bracer, and he felt his finger catch on an invisible thread of power like it was the string of a harp. He pulled it back gently. Soft gold light materialized as a of magic that had been woven around the now mostly formed bracer stretched taut.

    Then, with a delicate movement, Arwin pulled it away and popped it into his mouth. It was delicious. He didn¡¯t even get a chance to figure out what the vor was before it was gone and the magic vanished back inside him.

    A thrum passed through his body. The songing from the bracer suddenly sounded brighter, more vibrant. His own song had been like the rapports covering a lovingly crafted building.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    The true form of the song that made up the item had been built in conjunction with his own notes, but there was no need for them anymore. They had served their purpose. Now, all that remained was a piece of armor.

    A bracer that had been made for Reya, with her powers alone remaining within it. Every other influence had been peeled back.

    Arwin let his hands fall. A delighted hum filled his mind from Verdant Inferno. The hammer was beyond pleased ¡ª and a momentter, he felt energy drive into his chest.

    Strands of the Mesh¡¯s warm mist twisted and swirled all around the bracer, folding in on themselves and flowing back into the metal. It shimmered like a piece of gold left under the morning sun ¡ª and then brilliant golden letters sliced into the air above it.

    <strong>The Thief¡¯s Passing</strong>

    <strong>[Soulforged]: The Thief¡¯s Passing bears the reflection of a loyal soul. This item shares the goals and desires of its owner. It will not absorb external magic. Instead, it has taken on true life and will grow together with its one and only wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Flowing Visions]: At the cost of magical energy, the bearer of this item can enter a ghostly form and slip through non-magical walls. The amount of energy required depends on the width of the wall and the strength of The Thief¡¯s Passing. </strong>

    <strong>[That¡¯s Mine] Gain ess to an extradimensional space essible only to body parts under the effects of [Flowing Visions]. The amount of energy required to open it depends on the duration of ess. Its size will grow together with The Thief¡¯s Passing. </strong>

    <strong>Every part of The Thief¡¯s Passing¡¯s wielder other than the hand they wear this item upon bes immaterial at the cost of magical energy. The amount of energy required depends on duration and the strength of The Thief¡¯s Passing.</strong>

    <strong>[Harmonious Growth]: This item feels its wielder¡¯s goals and desires. As it grows more powerful, it will change and evolve to grow into a more perfect fit. </strong>

    <strong>[Soul Weapon]: This item¡¯s status is unreadable to all but the one who made it and the one whose soul it reflects. It is resistant to all forms of damage, both magical and physical. </strong>

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Reya breathed.

    <em>Holy shit is right. This¡­ incredible. A weapon that directly grows with Reya rather than needing kills or havingpeting desires. It doesn¡¯t have the Awakened attribute. It has something more. Instead of requiring kills or other forms of magical energy, it grows directly together with Reya herself. It¡¯s an extension of her body. The potential this has is nothing like a normal Awakened item. </em>

    <em>In fact, the description of [Soulforged] almost makes it feel like a weapon that grows with anything that isn¡¯t its wielder itself is¡­</em>

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as realization mmed into him.

    ¡°Detrimental,¡± Arwin breathed.

    <em>Every other Awakened item I¡¯ve ever made has been detrimental. It¡¯s not that everything with the trait is bad. It just means that there¡¯s something holding it back. Verdant Inferno takes a portion of energy from my kills and the weapons I craft, but this item is in perfect synchrony with Reya and will only ever help her. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s got no rarity,¡± Arwin muttered to himself. His heart was pounding in his chest like a runaway horse and awe lingered in his words. There was no way to rate a weapon that was merely a reflection of someone¡¯s soul. It was what it was.

    He finally understood one more piece of how his talents worked ¡ª but he pulled up his status anyway. And, as he did, he realized that the description of [Awaken] had changed.

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) ¨C <em>All items forged by your hand have the potential to take on a trait, determined by the harmonization of theirponent¡¯s songs. The potential for the trait to be detrimental is [67%]. This potential drops to 0% if perfect harmony is reached. Materials with songs that do not easily harmonize with yours or the other materials will fight with you to exert their influence on the piece they are being made into.</em></strong>

    ¡°Are you seeing this, Arwin?¡± Reya asked, swallowing heavily. She reached for the bracer, then caught herself before she could touch the in, unassuming looking metal.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing it,¡± Arwin said with a disbelievingugh. This was incredible. One of the earliest questions his ss had ever posed him had finally been answered. The missing link had been truly aligning every single one of his materials with each other. His visions had been a result of disharmony betweenponents¡­ or himself.

    ¡°Can I put it on?¡± Reya asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s yours. Do what you want with it.¡±

    She reached out for the bracer. As soon as her hand touched the metal, it flowed up around her wrist and locked itself in ce as if it had always been there. Reya stared at it in awe and ran her fingers down its smooth surface.

    ¡°It feels¡­ right. How did you make this?¡±

    ¡°Mostly just by letting it be what it wanted to be,¡± Arwin replied. He was finally starting to understand the role of a Dwarven Smith. It wasn¡¯t to hammer materials into the shape and magic he wanted them to be.

    It was to find materials that <em>already </em>suited his desires and to give them the outlet to be what they already desired.

    It was what the Mesh already showed him how to do by letting himmunicate with materials.

    He¡¯d just taken a bit too long to realize it.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m a bit hardheaded,¡± Arwin said through a sheepishugh.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Reya nced up at him. Her body rippled and she turned into a haze of blue. An instantter she reformed, blinking. ¡°Whoa. That¡¯s so¡­ natural.¡±

    ¡°Make sure nobody sees you using it. It¡¯s not like anyone can see the item¡¯s properties, but we don¡¯t want to reveal trump cards on ident.¡± He shook his head. ¡°And never mind me. I just figured something out. This is exactly what we needed, Reya.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Arwin nodded. ¡°This is how I¡¯ll make the Cores for the [Soul Guardians] as well as the armor for Olive and the Phoenix Circle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to give them such powerful weapons?¡±

    ¡°For their case, it¡¯ll be more like a loan,¡± Arwin replied, a finger tapping against his thigh as his mind whirred. He had an idea. It might have been a bit ridiculous, but it had lodged itself firmly in his mind and wasn¡¯t going to leave. ¡°I have an idea. I just hope there¡¯s enough time before the tournament to pull it off.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Arwin grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it out loud until I¡¯m done. It¡¯s bad luck. When tomorrow dawns, I¡¯m going to be locking myself up for a little while. I get the feeling this might take a few tries to get right.¡±

    His gaze drifted over to the Soul Guardian standing in the back of the armory, watching over him and Reya in wait of its Core.

    <em>It won¡¯t be long, now. Just be patient for a few more days. </em>

    <em>I need to make sure Olive is ready for this tournament ¡ª but don¡¯t worry. All of this work is going to be very applicable for you.</em>

    <em>Very applicable indeed.</em>

 Chapter 327: You

    It was five dayster when Arwin finished his first Core. It was one of the most simultaneously difficult and straightforward projects he¡¯d ever worked on. The constraints on it were so general, so indeterminate, that he had no idea what would work or what wouldn¡¯t.

    All he knew was that he needed a heart for his Soul Guardians. A source that was more than just power. It had to be an artificial soul.

    He knew how to make an item with a soul. He¡¯d made one for Reya. The only difference was that he had to make one for a suit of armor instead. In theory, it shouldn¡¯t have been too different.

    Things were more than a bit harder in practice. The core was meant to be part of arger being. It was simultaneously a piece of the guardian and also its own item. Arwin couldn¡¯t just stick one of his own hairs into it, but he couldn¡¯t just modify the suit of armor made from the Ivory Executioner Armor and add the core in.

    The armor had to serve the role that Reya did, providing him with energy and giving him a way to make the item its own item.

    Figuring out how to do that took Arwin three of the four days. He spent practically every waking moment he had in the Infernal Armory, emerging only to get food for it and himself and to sleep.

    He spoke with everyone in the Menagerie to see if they had advice. Wace swung by at one point and lent him a few pointers on working with more intelligent items, but in the end, the solution turned out to be far simpler than Arwin had thought.

    Every step he¡¯d tried had been one where he tried to rece the source of power that Reya had provided for her item. After all, he¡¯d been convinced that no piece of metal could ever actually <em>provide </em>magic.

    That was his job. Metal was nothing but that. Metal.Except Arwin was wrong. The Soul Guardians were so much more than metal. And on the third night, when he¡¯d been trying just about everything he could to see if he could find even a small hint to work off, he tried doing more than just smelling or listening to the metal.

    He tried asking it for help.

    And to his disbelief, a trickle of energy brushed against his mind. It was so faint that he barely felt it, but there was power within it. The distant scent of blood and ashes had wafted through his nostrils and his entire back had gone as stiff as a rod.

    Then he¡¯d thrown himself into his work.

    If anything, he was disappointed in himself for not trying to ask the Soul Guardian for energy sooner. He¡¯d already determined that soul items were far more than just crafted weapons. He knew that he was an outlet to let materials make themselves what they truly wanted to be by merging their desires with the deepest desires of who someone was.

    He just hadn¡¯t made the connection that the Soul Guardian could have desires of its own even after it had been made. The armor, even though it did not belong to anyone, knew what it wanted.

    And all Arwin had to do was let that power free.

    For the next day, he didn¡¯t leave the Infernal Armory.

    He remembered little of what happened in that day. Arwin ¡ª fortunately ¡ª didn¡¯t forget the methods and the theoretical strategies. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t replicate the feat. On the contrary, he suspected he would never forget how to forge a Core.

    But the immensity of the undertaking nearly broke him. It was pain. The torture that was the forty hours he spent crafting the Soul Guardian¡¯s core had been locked away into the recesses of his mind. He¡¯d pushed his body and magic to their limits and then well beyond them. Every single drop of magical energy in both him and the Infernal Armory had been wrung dry.

    They worked tirelessly, but the Core was hungry beyond measure. Arwin had been forced to call for Lillia to back him up, unable to leave his post as he worked and barely able to muster requests for food.

    He couldn¡¯t ask the other members of the Menagerie for power. The Core could not be influenced by their power or souls. It had to carved from him and the Soul Guardian alone. There was no time for a break; no time to rest. Stopping would have meant everything fell apart. All the work he¡¯d put into creating the core would be wasted.

    Looking back at it, Arwin would realize that he¡¯d been far too weak to handle the immensity of the task he¡¯d taken on. Shouldering the burden of bringing true life into the world without another human soul to help him was beyond an immense task.

    It was an impossible one.

    At least, it should have been.

    But, in the darkest moments of the night, when his entire body was desperately trying to shut down and his mind was wrung so thoroughly that he could barely swing his hammer, he felt another pair of hands around his. ?

    A presence, always at the edges of his awareness and never visible, stood alongside him. It held his hand when it faltered; propped up his back when he stumbled. And that presence would not let him fail.

    He couldn¡¯t afford the dy. Lillia would have told him if the Secret Eye had announced the tournament, but it would being any day now. He had to finish this Core so he could make Olive¡¯s armor.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    And with the Infernal Armory and the strange presence at his side, Arwin did not fail.

    He finished the Core. It was made of several segmented pieces that had all been slotted together into an orb ¡ª a deceptively simple looking piece in spite of the amount of effort that had gone into it.

    His eyes were so blurry that he could barely even keep them open for long enough to see, but he couldn¡¯t stop now. Arwin couldn¡¯t even read the hazy words pulsing in the air above the core from the Mesh.

    All he knew was that it was done. The Mesh didn¡¯t need to confirm it for him. He could <em>feel </em>it. The Mesh was just writing in the air. It had nothing on the connection he felt with the materials he worked with when he truly allowed them to flow through him.

    They were satisfied, and so was he.

    Arwin dragged himself over to the Soul Guardian awaiting him on the far end of the smithy. Every step threatened to send him tumbling to the ground, but he was too close now. He couldn¡¯t stop.

    He reached out to the armor¡¯s chestpiece, and the metal split down the center. It slid open, revealing a perfect cavity sitting in wait. The armor had prepared itself.

    A faint smile pulled at Arwin¡¯s lips.

    Then he slotted the core in.

    An explosion of magical energy drove into his heart like an ice pick.

    Arwin crumpled on the spot. He hit the ground in a pile of limbs, and thest thing he saw before a wave of darkness mmed into him and dragged him into the depths of a ck ocean was an enormous swirl of golden energy.

    ***

    Arwin sat up with a sharp breath. His hand shot to his chest, clutching at his heart, to find that the pain was gone.

    Everything was gone.

    He sat in an endless white void, d in nothing but in gray robes. There was no end to the infinite ne. It was just¡­ white. White that stretched on as far as the eye could see.

    Even his mind felt still. There was no panic. No stress. No worry. He could still feel them lurking beneath the surface, but every emotion seemed to have had a thick, wet nket thrown over them.

    He was truly alone.

    And then he wasn¡¯t.

    A man stood before him where there had been nothing. There was nothing about the man that could have been adequately described. He was of average height, with average posture and features. His hair was the kind that could blend into any crowd and his skin could have been any color or none at all.

    There wasn¡¯t a single discernable feature on his face. Arwin could have sworn that the man¡¯s appearance was constantly changing, and yet, when he squinted, it was the same as it had always been.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Arwin asked. His words sounded strange to his ears, as if someone else had spoken them. A flicker of panic broke through the wall that blocked him from his emotions. ¡°Am I¡­¡±

    ¡°Dead?¡± the man asked, the corner of a lip pulling up in the faintest bit of amusement. His voice was vaguely melodic, and a distant part of Arwin¡¯s mind noted that he would probably be a fantastic singer. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d certainly hope not. I was really busy, and there¡¯s still too much I have to do with Lillia. We¡¯ve only slept together a few times, you know. I want to taste more of her cooking. I want to see monster towns with her. I want to do everything with her. She¡¯d be really damn pissed at me if I killed myself making an item. The rest of the Menagerie, too. I can¡¯t die right now.¡±

    ¡°I think I might have dialed the haze up a bit too much,¡± the man said, extending a hand toward Arwin.

    Something popped in the back of his head. Arwin drew in a sharp breath and staggered.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°You were a little too loopy. That¡¯s what happens when you get mmed with that much magical energy at once, but you didn¡¯t give me much choice.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡± Arwin shook his head. ¡°Hold on. Am I dead? I can¡¯t be dead! I ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please, Arwin.¡± The main raised his hands. ¡°Rx. You aren¡¯t dead.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Arwin blew out a relieved breath. The panic had gripped him so suddenly that it had threatened to choke him on the spot. ¡°Where is this, then? What¡¯s going on? Who are you?¡±

    ¡°One thing at a time. You¡¯re still in the Infernal Armory. We¡¯re just having a little discussion inside your soul. You¡¯ll be back to the real world soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Are you the item I just made?¡±

    The man let out a softugh. ¡°That would have been interesting. No, you aren¡¯t quite at that level yet. You could not make something like me. But we do have something important to discuss.¡±

    ¡°About the item?¡±

    ¡°About <em>you</em>.¡± The man crossed his arms behind his back. ¡°You¡¯ve put me in quite the conundrum.¡±

    ¡°Who <em>are </em>you?¡±

    ¡°You first,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a question at the end of our discussion. I¡¯d say you deserve it at this point. Really, you¡¯ve been <em>fascinating.</em> But I have other tasks I am called to do. I can¡¯t sit around here forever, so we¡¯ll have to solve your little conundrum quickly.¡±

    ¡°My¡­ what now? I¡¯m still not sure what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°You did too much,¡± the man said tly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to make that Core, Arwin. It was too early. Reflecting someone¡¯s soul into a weapon¡­ that¡¯s in your power. Well done, by the way. But what you¡¯ve just done was <em>creating </em>a soul.¡±

    Arwin stared in disbelief. ¡°What? But that¡¯s impossible. I can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite possible. It¡¯s not a soul in the manner that you¡¯re thinking. A soul is a bundle of beliefs and goals. Love and hate and <em>life. </em>That sort of thing is borne of desire and experience¡­ and power. A great amount of power. Armor for Olive¡­ you could have made that. But this? It should have been beyond you.¡±

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t?¡± Arwin asked carefully, stillpletely lost. ¡°I seeded?¡±

    ¡°You seeded. You had a little help. Help I didn¡¯t foresee.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t foresee?¡± Arwin¡¯s brow furrowed and he pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers as he tried to force his muddy brain to work. ¡°From who?¡±

    <em>The presence I felt? And how does this guy know so much about me? Who is he? Hell, how is he in my soul?</em>

    ¡°That¡¯s not a question for me to answer.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who. What matters is that you seeded. That¡¯s an immense aplishment. One that cannot be handled so simply.¡±

    And then it finally clicked.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes went wide and he took a step back. Goosebumps exploded over his arms and wreathed his neck.

    ¡°You¡¯re the Mesh.¡±

    The man smiled, but Arwin knew he was right before another word left his lips.

    ¡°I am,¡± the Mesh said with a small smile. ¡°And we must discuss what you will receive for your creation. You have just taken one of thergest leaps in magical energy that I have ever seen someone earn. Arwin Tyrr, you have amassed enough power to jump all the way into the Adept Tier ¡ª and you¡¯ve got some options as to how we¡¯re distributing that. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a reward if you missed out on arge amount of power in the process, after all.¡±

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Short Moving Delay

    Howdy all! For today (Monday Dec 16th) and tomorrow (Tuesday the 17th) I''m moving into my new apartment (a long term one, finally) and writing is going to be diabolically difficult because moving people keep showing up with furniture and shit. I''m just going to be taking these two days off so I don''t have to write whilst constantly getting interrupted. I think I might have mentioned there would be a dy in this general area a bit ago, but making a reminder in case anyone missed it or forgot... or if I forgot to post the damn thing on patreon & RR alike. Thanks for the understanding and see you Wednesday!

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

 Chapter 328: Rewards

    The Mesh¡¯s words rung in Arwin¡¯s skull like a church bell. He stared at the impossibly average man before him, the blood pounding in his ears and the endless expanse of white that stretched out in every direction swaying like he was in a kaleidoscope.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin managed to force out. ¡°All the way to Adept Tier?¡±

    <em>I¡¯m going to lose all the Achievements that I could have gotten through that time? The skills? The potential Titles?</em>

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rather problematic,¡± the Mesh said, holding his hands up. ¡°And there¡¯s the problem. You¡¯ve created a ridiculous amount of potential energy with that item of yours, and you <em>must </em>be granted it. But if that happens, you effectively get punished forpleting an enormous challenge. Normally, when people speed through the ranks, it¡¯s because they¡¯re impatient, stupid, or otherwise their fault. Nobody skips this many at once.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ there¡¯s something you can do about it?¡± Arwin asked, hope seeping into his words. ¡°Can you dy the energy or something?¡±

    ¡°No. What¡¯s earned must be paid. I cannot withhold rewards from anyone. They are yours, rightfully earned. What we must determine is how you receive them. As it stands, you should have gotten two entire skill selections before you reached Adept Tier. Both of them have been skipped.¡±

    Arwin suppressed a groan. Two entire skills. Even if he got both of them at once as he leveled up, they¡¯d be severely weaker than they could have been. There would be no Achievements improving their strength.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty shit,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°And hardly a proper reward,¡± the Mesh said with a nod. ¡°Thus, Ie to you with an alternative. An offer that I have never before given anyone in the history of the world.¡±Arwin¡¯s panic subsided as he processed the Mesh¡¯s words.

    <em>That¡¯s certainly a tempting way to phrase things. I¡¯ve always been a fan of unique¡­ but there has to be a catch with this sort of thing, right? </em>

    ¡°Keep talking,¡± Arwin said slowly. Any alternative to just straight up losing all the potential that was about to get burned by his unexpected level-up was better than nothing. If he could get something out of this, then he would.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± the Mesh asked simply. ¡°If you could have anything. What would you choose?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ seems like a very open-ended question. An easily abusable one. You can¡¯t expect me to believe that you¡¯re going to give me literally anything I want just because I managed to pull off something you¡¯ve never seen before?¡±

    ¡°Do you always argue against your own favor?¡± The corner of the Mesh¡¯s lip twitched up.

    ¡°Only when I suspect something seems a bit too good to be true. Is this going to be some sort of trick question?¡±

    ¡°Rx, Arwin. You aren¡¯t going to get everything you ask for. That would be breaking my own rules. What you deserve is an <em>earned </em>reward. It¡¯s the spirit of your desire that I want to hear.¡±

    That made a fair bit more sense. Arwin scratched at the side of his neck in thought. This wasn¡¯t a question that he wanted to answer without being intentional about things. If the Mesh was going to give him a reward based on what he said, it could be an enormous opportunity.

    <em>But when ites to what I want¡­ there¡¯s only one answer, isn¡¯t there?</em>

    Arwin thought for nearly five minutes in search of an answer beyond the first one that came to his mind. None appeared. At the core of his heart, there was only a single thing he had ever truly desired.

    If the Mesh had asked him this question a day before he had fallen as the Hero, his answer would have been that he sought to protect everyone dear to him. An ironic answer, as by then, he¡¯d already failed entirely at that.

    Every single person he¡¯d cared about ¡ª everyone he¡¯d fought to protect ¡ª had died. He¡¯d been fighting for nothing but an ideal.

    That ideal hadn¡¯t changed, but Arwin¡¯s answer had. He wasn¡¯t the same person that had died on the battlefield together with the Demon Queen.

    There was only one thing he could ask for.

    ¡°I want to be able to enable the people I care about to protect themselves,¡± Arwin said.

    The Mesh tilted his head to the side. ¡°That¡­ is an interesting answer. You don¡¯t want to be able to protect them?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. He shook his head and let out a chuckle. ¡°That would be great, wouldn¡¯t it? If I could be there every single time they got into a fight. If I could always keep the world at bay. But I can¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t as the Hero, and I can¡¯t now. I am not some omnipotent being that can protect my little babies from the horrors of the world. They¡¯ve shown me that. Lillia, Reya¡­ all of them. They don¡¯t want to be kept away from the world. They want to experience it. I just want them to be safe, and the best way to do that is to ensure that they¡¯re equipped with the most powerful gear possible.¡±

    ¡°What a fascinating answer,¡± the Mesh said. ¡°What led you to pick Cursed Dwarven Smithing as your ss specialization when these were your motives?¡±

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    ¡°Power at risk is still power. They can take that potential and draw it out. We needed a trump card. Something that we can call on to beat overwhelming odds.¡±

    ¡°I see. You are willing to let them take great risks for power, even in spite of your desire to protect them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s <em>because </em>of my desire to protect them. I haveplete faith in every single one of my guildmembers. I wouldn¡¯t ask for a threat to them, but if that¡¯s what it takes, then I know they can handle it.¡±

    ¡°And if you could remove the threat from the items?¡±

    ¡°Would that make them less effective?¡±

    ¡°All things are a tradeoff.¡±

    ¡°Then I would not want that. I wasn¡¯t lying before. Every single person in the Menagerie is capable of taking that risk and mastering it. I would not deprive them of potential strength just because I¡¯m scared they might get hurt. As I said before, I want to give them the tools to protect themselves. That means they might get injured along the way, but they¡¯ll be more powerful for it in the end.¡±

    ¡°Not a doting father, but perhaps a wise one,¡± the Mesh said with a slow nod. ¡°I know your reward.¡±

    ¡°You do? So I won¡¯t lose all the potential from reaching Adept? Are you going to use the magical energy for something else and keep me in Journeyman?¡±

    ¡°No. You will still advance to Adept. I will not stop that. You earned it. No Journeyman can create an ensouled object such as what you just made. It is a power that even those at the peak of Adept would be incapable of. But between you, the Infernal Armory, and¡­ well, it matters not. What does matter is that you have earned the advance.¡±

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    The Mesh smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t look so disappointed. I have not gotten to the enjoyable part. As part of your advancement to Adept, you have earned a unique advancement to your ss Specialization. In addition, I willbine the potential of the two skills you would have gotten into one.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened as every speck of distress he¡¯d felt evaporated in a split instant. A single more powerful skill was <em>always </em>better than two weaker ones. That alone was a massive benefit. Getting an extra advancement to his ss Specialization along the way¡­

    ¡°How much energy would I have gotten?¡± Arwin asked, swallowing heavily.

    ¡°The peak of Adept Tier,¡± the Mesh replied. ¡°Instead, you will be ced at Adept 1¡­ though I fear it will hardly be anywhere near representative of your strength. You are quite the interesting one. Your magical hunger will also temporarily be sated. There was so much excess power that the Maw consumed some of it before I even got a chance to y around.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡± Arwin gave the Mesh a hurried nod before it could even think about changing its mind. Its offer was leagues more than generous. Whatever core he¡¯d made for his Soul Guardian¡­ it was far, <em>far </em>more powerful than he¡¯d thought it would be.

    <em>What the hell happened with it? Was that mysterious presence I felt while I was working the thing that the Mesh won¡¯t mention? I¡¯m so damn confused, but I¡¯m not about toin.</em>

    ¡°Very good. Then only one thing remains, Arwin Tyrr. I promised you a single answer. Ask.¡±

    Arwin opened his mouth. Then he hesitated.

    The Mesh chuckled. ¡°This isn¡¯t a trick question. I am not going to deceive you. If you desire rification, then you may seek it.¡±

    ¡°I can ask anything?¡±

    ¡°Anything. One question.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s that arguing against yourself again.¡± The Mesh crossed his arms and leaned back, supporting himself on an invisible wall in the empty white space that extended all around them. ¡°You are not the first to be offered this. There are other ways to receive my counsel, and all information I can give is information that can be discovered of other causes. I will not tip the scales of bnce.¡±

    <em>I guess that makes sense. But what do I even ask?</em>

    <em>Who put the gemstone bomb in my armor? What the Mesh really is? The way to defeat the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? </em>

    There were hundreds ¡ª no, thousands of things that Arwin would have given a great deal to have answered. But he didn¡¯t have that many questions.

    He only had one.

    <em>What¡¯s the most important thing I can ask? It has to be about defeating the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, right?</em>

    A pit formed in his stomach as his mind whirred. He didn¡¯t know why, but something about that sat wrong with him.

    And then he realized why. The corruption in Adventurer¡¯s Guild had to be taken down¡­ but it wasn¡¯t his main priority. Their time woulde as inevitably as the ticking of time. But he¡¯d just told the Mesh his deepest desire, and that hadn¡¯t changed.

    There was only one thing he¡¯d give anything to get. The Adventurer Guild¡¯s time woulde. The answer to all of his and Lillia¡¯s questions woulde. They would find it on their own.

    ¡°I have my question,¡± Arwin said, determinationcing his tone. ¡°I want to know I can best help my guildmembers more powerful.¡±

    There was a long second of silence.

    ¡°Truly? You won¡¯t ask about who put the gemstone in your armor? You won¡¯t ask about why you were summoned to this ne, or who did it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°None of that matters. I¡¯ll discover it on my own someday.¡±

    Then the Mesh started tough.

    ¡°Brilliant, Arwin. Absolutely brilliant. Then you may have my answer ¡ª and your rewards.¡±

    Golden letters exploded through the air before Arwin with a roar like crashing thunder.

    <strong>Title: [Questgiver] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Questgiver] ¨C <em>Your zeal to aid your allies has manifested raw power from mere desire. You may grant a challenging task to an individual at the cost of magical energy. Upon itspletion, they will receive rewards directly corrting to the difficult of the task. </em></strong>

    Arwin heard his heart beat once in his ears. He stared at the words before him, the blood freezing in his veins and his lips parting in disbelief.

    ¡°Rewards?¡± Arwin breathed.

    ¡°Achievements. Titles, if the Quest is hard enough,¡± the Mesh rified. ¡°But I suspect by the look on your face that you¡¯ve already deduced that.¡±

    And there was only a single line Arwin could say in response to that.

    ¡°Holy fucking shit.¡±

    Augh echoed through the endless white space. ¡°I like you, Arwin. Not enough to bend rules, but enough to enjoy your victories. Keep taking care of your people. My world needs someone like you more than you could imagine.¡±

    Before Arwin could ask what the Mesh meant, the world shattered. Huge nes of jagged white fell away and he found himself back in his body within the Infernal Armory, new golden letters shing into the air before his eyes.

    <strong>Your Tier has raised by 6 ranks.</strong>

    <strong>You have advanced to [Adept 1]</strong>

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong>

    <strong>Your ss Specialization has evolved.</strong>

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 329: Arwin

    The Mesh was relentless. Arwin was still desperately trying to pull himself out of his stupor and think over the Mesh¡¯s parting words to him when new sentences of gold traced through the air to rece the old ones.

    <strong>Your ss Specialization has evolved.</strong>

    <strong>Cursed Dwarven Smithing has changed to Forbidden Soulmancy. </strong>

    <em>Forbidden Soulmancy?</em>

    Arwin blinked, then wiped at his eyes as he squinted at the words. He supposed that it was pointless task to be surprised that the Mesh hadn¡¯t just advanced his smithing ¡ª it had advanced the Cursed tag as well.

    <em>Forbidden¡­ that sounds a whole lot more intimidating than cursed. I wonder if the Mesh took me literally about being willing to let the Menagerie take on all the challenges they could if it meant they could grow strong enough to defend themselves. </em>

    <em>And what is Soulmancy? Clearly something to do with the Soul Guardians, right? I have to tell Lillia about this and figure out what it¡¯ll let me do before the tournament rolls around. Olive needs her ¡ª </em>

    More gold letters sliced through the air and Arwin¡¯s thoughts alike. It didn¡¯t seem that the Mesh nned to give him more than a brief moment to catch his breath between each announcement until it had finished telling him everything it wanted to.

    <strong>New Skill Choice Avable. </strong><strong>You may select one of the following skills. </strong>

    <strong>These skills have been adjusted by [???] to better fit the desires of your soul. Beware. Some of these skills are [Forbidden] and are liable to cause immense damage to their wielder. </strong>

    <strong>[Living Storm] ¨C <em>Bond a portion of your soul into every Soul Guardian you create, permanently marking them as part of you. So long as the Core of your Soul Guardians remain intact, you may shatter, and re-arrange, and direct theirponents into any shape or form you desire. The Soul Guardians will rebuild themselves upon thepletion of this skill. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Forbidden][Heart of Metal]: <em>Infuse your soulpletely into the body of a Soul Guardian, recing its core and leaving the weakness of your mortal flesh behind. You will be able to adapt and modify your body as you desire. It will grow as your mortal form did but will take on properties and desires of theponents used to create it. This armor can be donned by anyone you allow it to, changing in form to adapt to their abilities. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Forbidden][Lifebreaker] ¨C <em>Focus your soul into a single strike, driving it into the soul of a target. Should your will and magical energy overwhelm that that of your target, their soul will shatter and they will be removed from the cycle of life in its entirety, leaving behind nothing but an empty husk. Should you instead be defeated, this effect will be applied to you in your target¡¯s stead. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Forbidden][Volcanic Soul](Passive) ¨C<em> Take the fire that burns the furnace of your soul and push it past the limits of what a mortal soul can handle. Should your will be strong enough, be tempered. Should you fail, your body and soul alike will be consumed. </em></strong>

    Arwin¡¯s mouth felt dry. He stared at the glowing letters before him, unable to tell if he should be awed or sickened by some of the offers before him. They were terrifying. There was no denying that.

    The Mesh hadn¡¯t been joking about offering him seriously empowered abilities¡­ but this wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d been expecting. Some of them seemed far more powerful than anything he¡¯d expected to get in Master Tier, much less Adept Tier.

    Even before he had a chance to really think through the benefits and drawbacks of the offers, he could see immediate, enormous threats that many of the skills posed. Ones that could just straight up kill him ¡ª or worse.

    Even the wording of the skills felt more ominous. The Mesh was warning him. He¡¯d never seen or heard of a [Forbidden] skill, but it had shown up at the same time that he¡¯d gotten his new ss Specialization.

    And now, given the immense danger that each of the Forbidden skills was promising, there was no doubt about it. His new ss specialization was equally as dangerous.

    As dangerous¡­ and as powerful.

    <em>It¡¯s always about risk and reward with you, isn¡¯t it? </em>

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    Arwin¡¯s hands tightened at his sides and his eyes narrowed. The Mesh had given him a single skill that didn¡¯te with any of the risks at the others. He could start with that one and then get to the otherster. There was no point skipping ahead. ??

    [Living Storm] was definitely a powerful option, and it was clearly influenced by his creation of a Core. It was clearly meant to truly be powerful after he had enough Soul Guardians made to rip them all apart and bring a wall of magical metal and force down on anyone in his path.

    <em>I can see it now. Waving my hand and ripping apart an entire army. A tsunami of metal and energy ripping through everyone that stands in the Menagerie¡¯s path. This ability has some ridiculous potential, but not until I¡¯ve got enough Soul Guardians to really take advantage of it and enough magical energy to actually control that much strength.</em>

    Arwin pursed his lips. Even with one Soul Guardian, it seemed like it would be quite strong. He wouldn¡¯t write it off yet ¡ª but there were other abilities to look at before he made any decisions.

    <em></em>The next option took an immediate dive off the deep end of sanity. The first of the [Forbidden] skills, [Heart of Metal] was the ability that only a madman would take. It made Arwin¡¯s insides twist at the very thought.

    Protecting people was one thing. Transforming <em>himself </em>into the very armor he made was an entirely different one. It doubtlessly came with enormously powerful benefits and the ability to basically be an eternally adapting defense for his guild¡­ but at the cost of his own body.

    A life lived as a metal chunk was not a real life. Taking this skill would mean giving up his ability to taste food. To hug his friends. To live. Arwin wasn¡¯t so sure that he wanted to give up everything he had for some more power. Not when there were other options.

    And that led him to [Lifebreaker]. Arwin could see immediately why it was [Forbidden]. Even if he¡¯d never heard of the ssification before, the skill was literally a guarantee of death. When it connected, one of the two people involved in the blow was gone. Completely and utterly wiped out.

    It was a skill meant for a man who desired nothing but the ultimate revenge. Arwin was also pretty sure that the existence of this skill technically confirmed that there was in fact an afterlife of some sort ¡ª and that there was a way to remove people from essing it.

    <em>I know I myself have said that there¡¯s no such thing as evil magic, just evil methods¡­ but this is just evil. Who am I to determine who gets to enter the afterlife or whatever happens after that? </em>

    <em>What if people arepletely shaped by their circumstances? Wouldn¡¯t their soul still be technically pure and have a chance of bing a good personter on? I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t be the one to decide that, though. I¡¯m not living solely for revenge. </em>

    <em>Thanks¡­ but no thanks. </em>

    Only one skill remained to look at.

    <strong>[Forbidden][Volcanic Soul](Passive) ¨C<em> Take the fire that burns the furnace of your soul and push it past the limits of what a mortal soul can handle. Should your will be strong enough, be tempered. Should you fail, your body and soul alike will be consumed. </em></strong>

    ¡°Volcanic Soul,¡± Arwin murmured to himself.

    The skill almost didn¡¯t fit in with the others. It was clearly adjacent to Soul me, but on an entirely different level. It had clearly earned the right to be a [Forbidden] skill by right of the threat that his soul could simply burn away to ash simply by selecting it.

    There was so little information as to what the skill would actually let him do. But, if it really was simr to [Soul me], then it was more than just a powerful option. It was a ridiculous one.

    Dwarven Smithing relied heavily onva to purify and work with items. If he could fill thatva with the soul-empowered equivalent, he could already imagine just how significant of a boost to his crafting abilities that would provide.

    <em>I could work with materials that were beyond me. I could produce things faster and connect to them better since the magma would be a portion of my own soul rather than just imbued with [Soul me]. </em>

    And that was just for crafting. If [Volcanic Soul] let him control soul-empoweredva¡­ well, there weren¡¯t many things on a battlefield that were more terrifying than a literal wall ofva crashing down on somebody, not to mention soul-empoweredva.

    That wasn¡¯t to say the ability was all positives. It was generic in description, so he had no clue as to the full extent of what it would cover. There was also the rather significant matter of actually having to survive getting it.

    Forbidden Skills didn¡¯t seem like they were going to ever be easy.

    But Arwin hadn¡¯t asked for easy. He¡¯d asked the Mesh for a way to defend his people ¡ª and it had more than given it to him.

    He scanned over all the options that floated before him onest time. There was no point. He¡¯d alreadye to his decision. Out of every single ability, there was one that fit in the goals he¡¯d had with every ability choice since the very beginning.

    There was only one that made both his crafting andbat stronger. One that could create as well as destroy.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision,¡± Arwin said, his hands tightening at his side. ¡°I¡¯m not going to die to an ability, Mesh. And I¡¯m getting answers to all those questions you asked me on my own. Give me Volcanic Soul.¡±

    The golden words slipped away.

    A presence mmed into Arwin¡¯s gut like a hammer blow. It drove the breath from his lungs. And, for the second time that day, the world shattered. It fell away around him, fragments of broken ss plummeting through the void.

    Arwin¡¯s heart thumped in his ears as he found himself careening amidst the fading shards of reality. His heart rose into his throat and goosebumps exploded across his skin. Everything faded away until there was only ck.

    A glowing ember of light fluttered to life before his eyes. Molten orange, a leaf of warmth that danced on an invisible wind before gently, gracefully, alighting upon his forehead.

    Agony exploded through his body.

    The darkness vanished, and all that remained was an endless sea of burning hotva ¡ª and at its center, Arwin.

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 Chapter 330: Soul

    Arwin wasn¡¯t sure how long he spent in the ocean ofva. It could have been an hour. It could have been a day. It could have been a year. It could have been ten. The moment his soul was plunged into the sea of molten orange, all conscious thought ceased like it had been stolen straight from his mind.

    Not having a physical body should have been a mercy. Pain was only pain. It should have been something that could be pushed through. At least, that was what he had thought.

    He couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.

    Ack of a physical form meant there was no way for the agony to end. There was no skin to burn away or heart to cease its beating. There was only the molten heat pressing in on him from every direction.

    It burned skin that could not burn and pumped through his lungs in ce of air. Drowning inva should have been theoretically impossible. Any normal body would have given out within moments or, at the very least, gone into shock.

    Arwin was not granted such a mercy. His thoughts were stripped away from him in waves. They burned in ce of his flesh, and no amount of struggling or screaming could free him.

    The pain was like nothing he had ever felt. It went beyond agony and into a realm that was something beyond. He could feel his very soul being ripped apart by the scorching heat, reduced to nothingness.

    But even that didn¡¯t have the good grace toe quickly. Demise crept toward him with the delight of a sadistic hunter circling dying prey. There was no escape, but it had no desire to grant him peace.

    He couldn¡¯t breathe. He couldn¡¯t see. He couldn¡¯t even think. Every thought that tried to take form in Arwin¡¯s head melted away before it could get a chance to take root.Piece by piece, speck by speck, everything that was Arwin sank deeper into the endless ocean of magma ¡ª sank toward oblivion.

    ***

    Theva pressed in. It surrounded the single mote of light that had once been a man, the immense magical pressure and heat imbued within it chewing away at the moat relentlessly. With every passing unit of time, that little mote shrank¡­

    But it did not fade. Like a minute number being halved infinitely, no matter how close to zero it grew, it never ceased to exist.

    It persisted.

    ***

    There was something unique about pain. It could be light. It could be bad, or even really bad. It could be an ocean of magma burning away at Arwin¡¯s very soul, but it was still pain.

    For a rich man, pain could be losing what the poor man had never had. For a poor man, pain could be losing what the rich man had never wanted for.

    There were a great many types of pain. It took more forms than any could count and reared itself in more ways than any could ever name. But there was one thing that always held true about pain.

    It was rtive.

    A motivated man crushed under sufficient sorrow became a hardened one, and then that sorrow was no longer so great as it once had been.

    A man who had lost everything had nothing left to lose.

    And Arwin¡¯s soul did not receive any reprieve from the agony. It was endless and unrelenting. It did not stop. And when pain never stopped, it there was only so much more it could do.

    It started with a flicker of thought. A distant memory passing through the tattered being that had once been Arwin ¡ª nothing more than a faint face that had ingrained into the very depths of his soul.

    Then there was another thought.

    A letter.

    A name.

    A flood.

    Memories mmed back one by one, wing their way to the surface of the tattered soul. Unrelenting pressure eventually equalized.

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    And then, scattered throughout the rippling magma waves, a flickers of energy ignited. They were so small that they may as well have not existed at all, but they burned with an intensity that could not be washed away.

    The specks of light drifted through the sea of magma toward the mote at its center. And, one by one, they returned to their master.

    With each one, more of the soul¡¯s mind returned. His very soul wed itself subconsciously back from the brink. There was no more change in the agony. It was a constant scream that sought to drive into his mind.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    It attempted to burn away what little of him remained, but there was nothing left to be burnt.

    A form drifted together in that orange ocean, fragment by fragment, until a whole had taken form once more. Theva roiled and hissed as it tried to rip the soul apart.

    It did nothing.

    Even the pain it brought begun to fade.

    Determination lit within the glowing eyes of the soul. An irond will burned with such intensity that the magma flinched back. Theva had done more than burn and destroy.

    It had forged.

    What remained was a fragmented soul no longer.

    It was Arwin, and he was in control.

    He inhaled. Moltenva rushed into his lungs, but this was not the real world. It was and of will and spirit ¡ª and there was nothing left for which to burn.

    Arwin¡¯s hands clenched.

    He drew breath, and he felt air rush into his lungs even in spite of theva trying to stifle him out.

    Names and faces shed through his mind. Lillia. Reya. Rodrick. Anna. Olive. Madiv. Even Esmerelda, for some godforsaken reason. Every single person within the Menagerie was waiting for him.

    He¡¯d be damned if he let a pool of magical, melted, pissed off rocks be his end.

    The ocean ofva surged. It mmed and beat and burned against him. Arwin simply floated there, silent as the immense magical force drove into him over and over again.

    With every strike, he felt less. It wasn¡¯t that theva had gotten weaker. It was as strong as it had ever been. As constant as always. But that was all it was. Spiritual magma could only be as strong as the soul that infused it.

    ¡°I will not yield,¡± Arwin swore. The sea beat against him, but he remained unflinching. He swept a hand through the molten rock, pushing through it like it were thick water. The pain barely even prickled against his skin. ¡°You had your chance. The opportunity has passed. Surrender.¡±

    The sea roared in fury. Enormous waves of crashing molten rock mmed down onto Arwin¡¯s back. They tried to force him to his knees, but his soul had reformed in its entirety. Theva could not destroy him. Not anymore.

    He stood, a statue in a raging sea, and waited. He watched. He felt.

    And then he raised an open hand.

    An enormous wave towered dozens of feet in the air above him, its top breaking and sending molten embers swirling through the void that stretched out across the sky. The wave crashed down for Arwin.

    He clenched his fist.

    The entire sea mmed to a halt.

    All those little pieces of his soul that had been distributed throughout theva had returned to him, but they had not returned the same as they had left. The magma had irrevocably changed him¡­ or perhaps he had changed it.

    He opened his hand.

    The sea ripped away from him like a nket kicked from a hot bed in the depths of the night. It sshed against invisible walls, shoved to the reaches of the void that Arwin stood in. Then it began to drain away, taking the light with it.

    Arwin could do nothing but stare at his palm as the void grew darker. It looked the same as it always had, but it couldn¡¯t have been more different. It felt simultaneously right and as if he¡¯d stolen the hand of a stranger.

    The seconds felt both longer and shorter than they should have. Arwin tried to determine how long he¡¯d been within the embrace of theva. How long he¡¯d lost himself ¡ª but he couldn¡¯t.

    It was like trying to describe color to a blind man who had never seen.

    His hands lowered to his sides.

    A heartbeat thumped in his ears. He felt the blood pumping in his veins and tasted ash and iron in his mouth.

    <em>I don¡¯t care what happens. I don¡¯t care if my soul is ripped apart and put together a thousand times over. I will not abandon my desires, Mesh. I will not give in to anything but death ¡ª and should death turn its back on me, then I will cheat it as well. </em>

    The void wavered.

    Then it evaporated.

    Arwin¡¯s eyes snapped back open. He sat on the ground of the Infernal Armory. A wave of super-heated air exploded from his mouth as a breath that he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding slipped free.

    His fingers trembled at his sides as he pressed a palm to his skin. It was fresh. Unburnt. It felt like an eternity had passed, but if he was still in the Infernal Armory, then it could have been only hours at the most.

    Arwin swallowed. He braced a shaking hand against a knee and pushed himself upright. The smithy was empty. There was nobody here but him. The others would havee for him if it had been too long.

    <em>Was it even real? </em>

    He sent his mind inward ¡ª and what he found lurking in wait was infernal heat.

    Arwin¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    He extended a hand. Clenched his fingers, then pulled them apart.

    Droplets of molten ckva bubbled up from his palm. Immense heat rose up from theva, but it did nothing more than tickle his skin. It couldn¡¯t affect him, but the heat was real. Undeniably real.

    It was hotter than anyva he¡¯d ever worked with before, so intense that waves of distortion twisted the air around his hand.

    Arwin clenched his fingers back into a fist. His soul had an infinite amount of time toe to terms and process the pain that it had felt in the void, and even the memory of it had been burned away. There was only one thing that remained.

    The determination that had carried him through hell. The corners of his lips twitched upwards in determination and he pulled his fingers apart, letting the ckva spill free.

    <em>This power ¡ª no. My power.</em>

    <em>Show me what you¡¯re capable of.</em>

 Chapter 331: Who

    ckva coiled down Arwin¡¯s fingertips and encased his entire hand in a glowing gauntlet. It shifted forms, moving as easily as a new limb in ordance to his will as it moved through shapes and twisted around his body like a coiling snake.

    Every movement drew power from him. Controlling the soulva drained his magical energy reserves at an rming rate. He¡¯d only been controlling it for around a minute and he was already nearly drained of power ¡ª but the tests had shown him all he wanted to see.

    He could control theva with a thought. It was immensely hot and immensely powerful ¡ª and he could feel everything that it felt. It was an extension of his very soul. Instinctively, he knew that the terrifying power could do anything his [Soul me] could do.

    That, and more. Much, much more.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Arwin called his status forward with a thought as he let theva sink back into his own skin. The temperature within the smithy immediately started to lower now that it was no longer being super-heated from within.

    Letters shimmered through the air before him. It had been some time since he¡¯d taken a moment to look at the full extent of his power, and things had changed significantly.

    <strong>Name: Arwin Tyrr</strong>

    <strong>ss: Living Forge (Unique)(Tier: Adept 1)</strong>

    <strong>Specialization: Forbidden Soulmancy. </strong><strong>Skills: </strong>

    <strong>[Awaken] (Passive) ¨C <em>All items forged by your hand have the potential to take on a trait, determined by the harmonization of theirponent¡¯s songs. The potential for the trait to be detrimental is [67%]. This potential drops to 0% if perfect harmony is reached. Materials with songs that do not easily harmonize with yours or the other materials will fight with you to exert their influence on the piece they are being made into.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Molten Acolyte] (Passive) ¨C <em>You have spent enough time working immersedva that it has begun to recognize you. It will respond to your song, should you sing well enough. You have be a Dwarven Smith. Your potential depends only on your creativity ¡ª and how hard you can swing a hammer. Your very soul has taken on volcanic aspects, deepening your connection with all molten materials. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Soul Lava] ¨C <em>Passion burns within you with such intensity that it be manifest. You may draw out your soul, empowering your forge and turning it to soulva, but be wary ¨C any magical damage done to theva will transfer onto your soul. Increasing the amount of magical energy you use to form the Soul Lava will increase its intensity and the amount that is manifested. Your Soul Lava can pull all the traits from a magical item and allow you to transfer them onto other items without pre-existing magic. It will consume all materials given sufficient time. This ability can also manifest Soul me. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Arsenal] ¨C <em>You live and die on your equipment, so you might as well make it part of yourself. Bind yourself to [4] pieces of equipment, summoning and dismissing it at will. The number of equipment you can bind to scales with your Tier, up to a total of 10. Unbinding a piece of Equipment will make this skill inactive for 1 day. You may temporarily bind yourself to 1 extra piece of equipment after holding it for an amount of time scaling with the difference between your current Tier and the Tier of the item¡¯s holder. Breaking this bond will not deactivate [Arsenal]. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Dragon¡¯s Greed] ¨C <em>Your hunger for magical power has begun to manifest itself in the physical world. Extend your senses to search the area around you for magical items at the cost of significant magical energy. The range of this effect scales with the amount of magical energy used. At the cost of extra magical energy, the focus of this ability can be targeted to a specific type of magical item or material.</em></strong>

    <strong>[Unleash] ¨C <em>A master of cursed items never fights alone. Meld your power with that of an item bearing a soul, allowing it to temporarily manifest itself. The effects and duration of this ability depend on the strength of the targeted item. Stronger items will require increased amounts of magical energy to maintain their bond, and this ability is ineffective on items whose requirements exceed the magical energy you can supply. </em></strong>

    <strong>[CURSED][Soul Guardian]: <em>Draw upon the connection between yourself and the Infernal Armory, temporarily melding your spirits into one and inserting them into a Soul Guardian that can be activated when the armory is under threat. The Soul Guardian¡¯s strength is magnified by your own and is strengthened by any materials within the Infernal Armory. For this ability to function, a Soul Guardian must be crafted. The Soul Guardian is powered by [Soul me], and a portion of the damage it takes is transferred onto you. </em></strong>

    <strong>[Forbidden][Volcanic Soul](Passive) ¨C<em> Take the fire that burns the furnace of your soul and push it past the limits of what a mortal soul can handle. Your will survived submersion within an ocean of magma and your soul has been tempered. </em></strong>

    All of his Achievements had been consumed and the only change to his Titles was the addition of Questgiver ¡ª but the changes to his abilities and subss were significant. [Soul me] had beenpletely changed by [Volcanic Soul], transforming it tova instead of fire.

    That fit Dwarven Smithing considerably better, though it would take some adapting to get used to working with exclusivelyva. The immense benefits it gave, forbat and crafting alike, were more than worth it.

    Arwin swallowed as he dismissed the page. The Mesh hadn¡¯t said anything about what Forbidden Soulmancy would actually let him do. It was something he was going to have to discover on his own.

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    He nned on doing that quite shortly, but there was something far more important that he refused to put off for a momentter.

    It was more important than his ss or his abilities. More important than checking on the fully finished [Soul Guardian] that stood at the back of his smithy, as dormant as it had been when he¡¯dpleted it, stuffed so full of energy that Arwin could feel it prickling against his skin. ?

    He turned and strode out of the smithy at such a speed that he nearly blew the doors down on the way out. The sun hung low in the sky and the evening was well underway. Loud conversation came from within the Devil¡¯s Den.

    A line of people waiting to get into the tavern wrapped around the block. Arwin cut past all of them. Nobodyined ¡ª they knew who he was. And, even if they hadn¡¯t, a single look at his face was more than enough to stop anyone from anyone from standing in his path.

    Arwin walked straight through themon room, not slowing in the slightest, and right into the kitchen.

    Lillia stood in the center of a swarm of flying utensils. Knives chopped, spats shuffled food around on dancing pans, and dishes washed themselves. A cacophony of sounds that was somehow in perfect organization at the will of their conductor.

    ¡°Arwin?¡± Lillia asked, turning to him. She caught the expression on his face instantly and concern passed over her features. ¡°Are you oka¡ª¡±

    The rest of her sentence was swallowed by a muffled grunt of surprise as Arwin pressed his lips against her. Her eyes widened, but she leaned into it and returned the kiss, wraping her arms around his back. They didn¡¯t part for several seconds.

    One of the knives thunked against its board a bit too hard, lodging itself deep within the wood.

    Arwin reluctantly pulled back, though he kept one hand on her waist. One of her arms remained looped around his shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you,¡± Arwin said.

    Lillia stared at him, a mixture of concern and satisfaction in her expression. ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯ve missed you too, Arwin. You usually aren¡¯t so¡­ forward. Did something happen? Are you doing okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin said with what he hoped to be aforting smile. He didn¡¯t need to dump everything that had happened with the Mesh on her ¡ª but they were going to have to talk about what it meant when she wasn¡¯t quite so busy. ¡°I just needed to see you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s sweet,¡± Lillia said, a small smile pulling across her lips. ¡°I¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t finish the rest of her sentence. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and she stiffened in shock.

    ¡°What?¡± Arwin asked urgently. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lillia eximed, taking a step back from him. ¡°What the <em>fuck, </em>Arwin? How are you Adept 1?¡±

    ¡°I made a Core,¡± Arwin said. ¡°It gave me an enormous amount of power. Far more than I had expected.¡±

    ¡°Enough to skip half a Tier? How is that even possible? What in the world does that Core do if it gave you that much power? Is it going to destroy the entire city?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m, ah, not actually sure yet.¡±

    Lillia stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re not sure. You jump six levels in a single item, waste an enormous amount of potential in the process, and you aren¡¯t sure about what you even did? Are you insane, Arwin? Wait. Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin promised, putting his hands on Lillia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°And I didn¡¯t lose any potential.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you¡ª¡±

    ¡°After I leveled up and saw what had changed, the only thing I wanted to do wase see you again,¡± Arwin said. ¡°The [Soul Guardian] will still be where I left it when I get back.¡±

    Lillia¡¯s cheeks reddened and she coughed into a fist, averting her gaze. ¡°Did leveling up somehow turn you into a flirt?¡±

    ¡°That would probably be the void,¡± Arwin muttered, his thoughts drifting for a moment before he yanked them back.

    ¡°The void?¡± Lillia¡¯s concern was back. ¡°Are you <em>sure </em>you¡¯re okay, Arwin? What happened to you when you leveled up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arwin promised. He gave her shoulders a small squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything tonight. I¡¯m messing with your dinner preparation. Sorry. I should have waited until tonight, but I had to see you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you big oaf. You¡¯re more important than dinner is. Losing a bit of satisfaction isn¡¯t going to hurt me after the amount I¡¯ve gotten over the past few days. I¡¯m practically getting flooded with strength and energy,¡± Lillia said with a shake of her head. She put a hand on Arwin¡¯s cheek. ¡°But I can wait until tonight.¡±

    Arwin nodded. He covered Lillia¡¯s hand with his own. She let her hand lower together with his and he gave it a tight squeeze.

    A weight felt like it had lifted off his chest. Even though it had only been a few hours since he¡¯d seen herst, his internals couldn¡¯t quite tell if it had been seconds or years. It was like someone had tossed his internal clock down the side of a cliff.

    They released each other and, after one final exchanged look, Arwin slipped out of the kitchen and walked through themon room of the tavern. His eyes locked onto Olive. She sat at a table eating dinner with Reya, Elias, and Maeve.

    <em>Perfect.</em>

    He walked over to them.

    ¡°Olive, Elias, Maeve, I¡¯d like to see you in the Infernal Armory after you finish dinner,¡± Arwin said.

    Reya¡¯s brow scrunched as she squinted at him. ¡°Are¡­ you okay?¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°What? Yes. Does it look like there¡¯s something wrong with me?¡±

    ¡°Reya¡¯s right. You do feel a bit odd,¡± Olive said slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to phrase it. Kind of wild, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Like you haven¡¯t slept in forty days,¡± Elias said. Even though his face was covered with bandages, Arwin caught the unease in the man¡¯s posture. ¡°It¡¯s your eyes. They¡¯re different.¡±

    ¡°Well, never mind that,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯m just ready to make your equipment. I don¡¯t know when the Secret Eye are going to announce the Proving Grounds are starting and we need to make sure you¡¯re all ready for it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be there,¡± Elias said immediately. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough. We¡ª¡±

    Arwin was already gone, sweeping out the door and slipping past the crowd.

    The four adventurers at the table exchanged a nce. Then they set back at their dinner with renewed vigor. Not a single one of them was about to bete for this. Something important was happening.

    ***

    Arwin returned to the Infernal Armory, not pausing once until he stood before his [Soul Guardian]. The imposing suit of armor rose before him, silent and still. Power radiated from within it, but it was fading with every passing second.

    <em>No. Not fading. Concealing itself. The power is still there. I can feel it deep inside myself, but externally, this just looks like a suit of armor. How do I pull up its information with the Mesh?</em>

    <em>And more importantly¡­</em>

    ¡°Who helped me make you?¡± Arwin whispered, reaching up to touch the armor.

    ¡°I did.¡±

    Arwin spun as cold prickled against his back.

    Standing behind him, even though Arwin been certain that he¡¯d been the only one to enter the smithy, was a man d in dirty rags with pure white hair and ice blue eyes.

    It was the drunkard.

 Chapter 332: Body

    For a brief second, Arwin and the drunkard stared at each other inplete silence. The Infernal Smithy itself seemed to hold its breath as it watched. There was no possibility that the blue-eyed man hade through the doors.

    One second, he had not been there.

    The next, he was.

    And that should have been impossible.

    ¡°You,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Me,¡± the drunkard agreed, but for the first time since they¡¯d met, he didn¡¯t sound particrly drunk. The man¡¯s words were as cold and measured as his eyes. ¡°I suppose this has been a long timeing, Arwin.¡±

    ¡°It was you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You helped me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why? How?¡± A dozen questions bubbled up and died within Arwin¡¯s mind. It hadn¡¯t exactly been a mystery that the old man was far more than he¡¯d appeared. He¡¯d helped them save Monica¡¯s life and had aided in the fight against the Falling des.He may have been no mere drunkard ¡ª but this was something else entirely. Helping craft an item wasn¡¯t something that a random retired assassin would know how to do. It took experience.

    ¡°There are too many questions that those two words could imply, and I don¡¯t much feel like answering all of them. You¡¯re going to have to be more specific if you want to get anything out of me.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯re actually willing to answer some?¡±

    The corner of the drunkard¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Just for today. I¡¯ve been in a good mood. Lillia feeds me well. Tell her thank you, by the way. Leaving those tes of food in the back alley for me is thoughtful of her. She¡¯s a good leader.¡±

    <em>She¡¯s been leaving him food in the back alley? That must be a way to get around the System making sure she makes people pay the appropriate price for their food. Clever¡­ but surely this guy could be paying her for her work. He¡¯s not exactly devoid of skill.</em>

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Arwin asked finally. ¡°And how did you get into my smithy?¡±

    ¡°Only you could manage to ask two questions that share the same answer.¡±

    ¡°And only you could manage to answer neither of them despite just agreeing to.¡±

    The man¡¯s lips twisted into a grin as he shook his head, his long hair pping around like a g. ¡°Fair y, Arwin. My name¡­ it¡¯s been so long since Ist bothered with it that I barely even remember the damn thing. Ku ¡ª no. Koyu. That was it.¡±

    ¡°A name,¡± Arwin said. He waited for a moment, but the man didn¡¯t expand on his answer. Arwin arched an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s it? I¡¯d say that barely answers my first question, much less my second.¡±

    Koyu snorted. ¡°I suppose history was kind to me. I am not sure if I should be thankful or sad. My name is indeed the answer you asked, but I don¡¯t have the energy to y cryptic today. The Mesh is weak here today. Weaker than usual. I will speak freely. My name is Koyu the lost, and I am a dead man.¡±

    <em>Well, that¡¯s edgy. What is he ¡ª</em>

    <em>Wait.</em>

    Appearing and leaving whenever he wanted to. The ice blue eyes. His pallid skin, so pale that it might as well have been as white as paper. The way he¡¯d retrieved Zeke¡¯s sword from the fire, even though it should have been warped and destroyed by the intense heat within moments after the explosion.

    Koyu wasn¡¯t trying to sound cool or make up some edgy title that he¡¯d once imed for himself.

    He was <em>literally </em>dead.

    ¡°The ghost,¡± Arwin breathed. ¡°<em>You¡¯re </em>the ghost that was rumored to be haunting the street?¡±

    ¡°Rumor.¡± Koyu let out a wearyugh. ¡°There is no rumor here, Arwin. This is my street. I fought to protect it when I was alive. The only thing that changed with my death was my corporeal form. Not once have I left a single one of its bricks unattended.¡± ?

    ¡°Ghosts dissipate once their task is done or the residual energy within them is spent,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly research it, but this street is old. Far too old for a ghost to still be around.¡±

    ¡°Ghost. I am no mere ghost. The little shivvrunners and thieves that used to frequent these streets called me a ghost. Are you truly surprised they can¡¯t tell the difference between a ghost and something more? Have you ever met a ghost that feels human?¡±

    <em>No. Ghosts don¡¯t have a corporeal form. But I¡¯ve seen him holding objects. He handed me Zeke¡¯s sword with his own hands, not to mention strangled some of the assassins.</em>

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    ¡°You had to be some sort of assassin when you were alive,¡± Arwin said, squinting at Koyu. ¡°What assassin has the power to do something like this?¡±

    Koyu¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Just because I no longer wield immense magics now does not mean I never did.¡±

    <em>But there¡¯s no magic that can preserve somebody¡¯s soul to such a degree after their death. Not unless they were¡­</em>

    ¡°Lich,¡± Arwin breathed. Ice coursed through his veins. There weren¡¯t many monsters he feared anymore. He¡¯d been fighting the Queen of Demons for years. Compared to her, there was almost nothing worth worrying about.

    Almost nothing.

    Liches were one of the very few exceptions, among Hydras and Aberrations. They were one of the very few beings in the world that could be well and truly immortal. There was amon rumor that they could be purged by destroying their phcteries, but that wasn¡¯t entirely true.

    Even when the object binding a Lich¡¯s soul to the mortal world was shattered, their soul remained behind. The ritual they underwent to permanently bind themselves to life did more than grant them immortality. It prevented them from ever moving on.

    A Lich could never know rest. They could never pass into the great beyond, into whateverid in wait.

    They doomed themselves to forever wander the world, their power slowly fading as the years ground on. There were records of Liches that had supposedly been recorded hundreds of years ago. They could be sealed and trapped. They would eventually reduce to little more than a mote of consciousness ¡ª but still they remained.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Koyu said. ¡°We all make some poor decisions in our youth. There isn¡¯t much I care to remember of my younger days. It¡¯s been a long time since I wielded magic like that. I¡¯m thankful to never touch it again.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What would a Lich be doing in a ce like this? And why in the world would you ever help me?¡±

    ¡°Because this was my home seven hundred years ago, and it remains my home today. I spilt acres of blood to defend it on the day I died, and I have spilled acres more since. Thesends are mine.¡±

    ¡°There were a bunch of thugs living on the street before I moved in.¡±

    Koyu let out a chuckle. ¡°That is far from filth. They were low lives, but acting takes energy. Until you moved in, it was preferrable to have them than some of the alternatives. I must admit that I find the currentpany far mor enjoyable ¡ª despite your constant invitation of scum onto mynds. I have removed the worst.¡±

    ¡°Removed ¡ª wait. So the rumors of people going missing¡­¡±

    Koyu raised a hand to reveal a thin garrote wire. ¡°The weeds have been pulled. As they always have. And, so long as I retain any semnce of strength, as they will continue to be.¡±

    ¡°So why did you help me finish the Core?¡±

    <em>It¡¯s little wonder a Lich would be capable of it ¡ª they¡¯re masters of making soul items. But for him to help me¡­ it just doesn¡¯t make sense. We aren¡¯t really allies. We tolerate each other at best.</em>

    ¡°Because I promised to.¡±

    ¡°Promised? Who?¡±

    Koyu smiled. ¡°None of your concern. You¡¯ll find out, eventually. Move on.¡±

    There was no room in his voice for argument. Arwin suppressed his annoyance and focused instead on hisplete befuddlement. <em></em>

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re dedicating your life to¡­ defending a run-down street? Is there something hidden in it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Koyu said with a smile. ¡°It is just a street. Just as Lillia¡¯s inn is just an inn. Just as Esmerelda¡¯s little store is just a store. Just as your smithy is just a smithy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not much of a <em>just</em>.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. It is mine. Since thest Great War, it has been mine.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t all that long ago. It¡¯s been a few months at most.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Koyu burst intoughter.

    Arwin stared at the ghostly old man in confusion.

    ¡°Months?¡± Koyu repeated. ¡°Oh, no. I said <em>Great </em>War, not the stage y you partook in. There was a time before this neatly organized empire. Before factions had even been put together. When the only thing that ruled was power. Before the Mesh itself had be a concept¡­ and before this started to starve.¡±

    ¡°Before¡­ the Mesh?¡± Arwin repeated.

    ¡°There was such a time, but I only lived for a few short years of it. Where power could be imed without any resistance or challenge. When magic was free. It was a beautiful time. A horrible time. Do not ask me of it. My memory has waned, and to my delight, drinking has ensured that it does not return.¡±

    <em>I suppose drinking even works on Lich apparitions. Good to know. </em>

    ¡°Then¡­ what did you mean by the starving?¡±

    ¡°A suspicion more than anything else,¡± Koyu admitted, ncing away. ¡°The more time that passed after I lost my body, the more I have felt in tune with the world. Despite my best attempts to shut it out, I have gotten¡­ feelings. Deep, gut-wrenching pain, like my stomach¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is trying to eat itself.¡± Arwin finished. The goosebumps against his skin intensified. He could have sworn a cold breeze pressed its hand against his neck. ¡°Like you ate hot coals and they¡¯re trying to burn their way out.¡±

    It was Koyu¡¯s turn to look surprised. ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡±

    ¡°The Hungering Maw,¡± he whispered. ¡°The curse the Mesh gave me with my ss that forces me to consume magic. That¡¯s what it feels like when the Hungering Maw needs to be fed.¡±

    ¡°You are tied to it,¡± Koyu said, staring in surprise. ¡°You have something to do with the degradation of the world.¡±

    ¡°You said it was a suspicion.¡±

    ¡°I was being optimistic,¡± Koyu snapped. He flicked his hands irritably. ¡°You are involved. The Mesh has brought you in. To what purpose, I do not know.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re going to have to find out.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Koyu tilted his head to the side. ¡°There is no ¡®we¡¯, Arwin. I gave you answers today because I was feeling unfortunately lucid. I am not throwing my lot in with your guild. I will protect the street as I always have. You will¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you a Core.¡±

    Koyu stared at Arwin. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°A Core,¡± Arwin repeated. ¡°And a body. A Lich apparition as old as you¡­ you can¡¯t have much left. You can¡¯t keep a corporeal form, right? That¡¯s why people think you¡¯re a ghost. But I could give you one. A permanent one.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think I want a body back?¡±

    Arwin arched an eyebrow.

    The two of them stared at each other for a few moments.

    ¡°I need help,¡± Arwin said. ¡°This is bigger than me. You just said that. We know it¡¯s true. If something is wrong with the world, we have to do something. And you want a body.¡±

    ¡°I want a body,¡± Koyu admitted.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll need you to tell me every single thing you know about the Mesh.¡±

 Chapter 333: Magnificent

    ¡°The answer to that question is precious little,¡± Koyu said, blowing out a long breath as he held Arwin¡¯s gaze. ¡°There aren¡¯t many beings that can im to know much about the Mesh at all.¡±

    ¡°Precious little is more than nothing. You said there was a time before it.¡±

    ¡°And I said that I didn¡¯t care to remember it.¡± Koyu¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Much of that time is lost to me. All I truly remember of it is that the Mesh did not always exist. There was a day it came into being, and things <em>changed</em>. As to what changed¡­ can anyone ever remember what the boulder looked like before it was eroded away by the sea?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that meant to mean?¡±

    ¡°It means the change has been so gradual that my already fragmented memory can barely tell the difference between what was and what is. I have not left this street in centuries. My view is narrow.¡±

    ¡°You have to remember <em>something</em>. With everything you were just going on about, it seems pretty ridiculous to bepletely and utterly clueless.¡±

    Koyu¡¯s lips pursed. The old man stood in silence for a long second. Then he let his hands unclench. ¡°It has a motive. The Mesh ys impartial, but it is not.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s eyes widened. Out of everything he¡¯d been expecting to be told, that was probably at the bottom of the list. There was basically only one thing that <em>everyone </em>agreed on about the Mesh.

    It was impartial. It treated everyone the same. It didn¡¯t care who you were or what you did. All that mattered was challenge. If you sought it, you grew stronger. If you didn¡¯t, you were weaker.That was that.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me it favors people?¡± Arwin demanded.

    ¡°No,¡± Koyu said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°Not that.¡±

    <em>Well, thank god for that. That would have been just about the worst news he could have given us. If the game ispletely rigged from the start, then everything is well and truly fucked.</em>

    ¡°What is it, then?¡±

    ¡°It has an agenda,¡± Koyu replied. He chewed his lower lip and cracked his fingers one after the other, digging through ancient memories. ¡°It is fair¡­ but pushes the world in directions it desires.¡±

    ¡°To what?¡±

    The Lich shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. It evades me. This isn¡¯t something that I can just dig free from my head, Arwin. Do you know what happens when you exist as long as I have? When you witness what my eyes have witnessed? The world breaks. Your memory starts to crumble. Things lose meaning.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re iming to be insane.¡±

    ¡°Not insane. I¡¯m not that far gone. But¡­ less than I was. Perhaps the Mesh itself chose to remove some of those memories. But I think you are taking your questioning in the wrong direction.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? What could be more important than figuring out what¡¯s going on with the Hungering Maw? You just told me the world seems like it has the same damn issue!¡±

    ¡°Do you always try to run before you can walk?¡± Koyu walked over to Arwin and prodded him in the chest. His finger felt as real as anyone else¡¯s would have been.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Arwin paused. Then his nose wrinkled in annoyance. ¡°Don¡¯t get philosophical with me.¡±

    ¡°I am saying that¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying. I can¡¯t even control my own Maw yet. There¡¯s no point worrying about the world when I can¡¯t fix myself, and that there¡¯s a good chance I¡¯ll find out more about the bigger problem when I can solve mine.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m on thest step of the Challenge as far as the Mesh has told me. That means getting the Hungering Maw under control can¡¯t be too far away. I already knew I was going to have to find a way to get this solved sooner rather thanter ever since the Hungering Maw grew stronger. </em>

    It¡¯s quite fortunate making this Core gave me so much power that it managed to satiate the Maw. I¡¯d have had to make a bunch of items or eat some of my other ones if I wanted to avoid it consuming me.  ?

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Your expression tells me that you aren¡¯t too far from that goal.¡± The corners of Koyu¡¯s lips pulled upward. ¡°So you aren¡¯t aplete meathead after all. You may not have always seen me, but I have been watching you for some time. Ever since you arrived on my street, I felt something about you.¡±

    ¡°My charming personality?¡±

    ¡°Hardly. I thought that we were simply kindred spirits, but I realize now that I must have felt you had the same hunger that I feel building deep within me. A hunger that is not my own.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t leave the street. That might entirely be on you.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps so. But you are what I have to work with. My memories of the past may becking, but I still have enough power to aid you in the present. I believe there was a pressing task you spent a fair amount of effort on. Don¡¯t you at least want to take a proper look at it?¡±

    He turned to the Soul Guardian. Arwin followed his gaze.

    ¡°You know how to see its information?¡±

    ¡°Information.¡± Koyu let out a chuckle and shook his head. He put a hand on the towering armor and shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t even understand what it is you made, do you? How much more powerful did you get for creating this? The Mesh would have had to heap rewards on you for making something like this. I certainly hope it did. I spent a lot of power helping you for no reason if I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re right. My rewards were very significant. How did you know? And are you implying you helped me to¡ª¡±

    ¡°To get you the power you need to aplish those goals you speak of. Wanting to protect your allies. To protect your home.¡± A smile crossed over Koyu¡¯s lips and his eyes went distant, as if looking straight past Arwin and the wall behind him. ¡°We¡¯re not so different, Arwin. I saw a sea of blood spilled to save my people. I can still hear¡­¡±

    He trailed off.

    ¡°Hear what?¡± Arwin asked.

    Koyu blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°A sea of blood?¡± Arwin prompted.

    <em>Not exactly the least ominous reminder. Liches don¡¯t tend to go down without a massive fight. Koyu might be the biggest mass murderer I¡¯ve ever casually spoken with. If his talk about a war even bigger than the one Lillia and I were in¡­ he might have killed even more people than we have. </em>

    <em>That¡¯s a sobering thought. I don¡¯t even know if I can hold it against him. If you were a terrible person a thousand years ago but changed in the time since then, are you still a terrible person? If so, does that mean it¡¯s impossible to atone for past sins?</em>

    <em>Not the internal dilemma I want to be having right now. </em>

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Koyu shook his head, interrupting Arwin¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Never mind it. I gave you a helping hand so you could im the power you need. If you want real strength, you have to work <em>around </em>the Mesh. Not with it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°More than possible. <em>Encouraged.</em> It¡¯s quite the challenge, after all. Tell me, why do you think you can¡¯t see the information of this¡­ what do you call it?¡±

    ¡°A Soul Guardian.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that. Why does it have no stats?¡± Koyu asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought I might have been too slow to check and they were hidden.¡±

    ¡°Wrong. They are not there for the same reason that the Mesh rewarded you so heartily for this creation. Look at it, Arwin. You can feel its power, can you not?¡±

    Arwin nodded. He could. The [Soul Guardian] wasn¡¯t burning with energy like it had been, but there was a mote deep within it. He put a hand on the guardian¡¯s chestte. It was like a distant sun warmed it from within.

    ¡°Yes. I feel it. But I can¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°And why could that be?¡± Koyu asked. ¡°If you can feel power within an object, you should be able to at least sense what it is capable of. The Mesh should reveal the abilities of something you yourself crafted to you. It is not an item for someone else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true,¡± Arwin said slowly. A frown crossed his features as he dug through his mind. Koyu was clearly giving him leading questions, but the Lich had a point. The Mesh didn¡¯t arbitrarily hide information.

    ¡°What would cause the Mesh to give you such a great reward?¡± Koyu prompted.

    Arwin¡¯s jaw clenched as he tried to dig through his memories of his conversation with the Mesh. It had put just as much stress on the creation of the Core as Koyu did. He¡¯d thought he was just making the equivalent of a magical heart.

    But no matter how impressive a heart was, if he had just made a normal magical item, it shouldn¡¯t have given him a jump all the way through the Journeyman tier ¡ª especially not one that came with extra rewards like the ability to give mini Challenges out to his allies.

    <em>I can¡¯t see the power in the armor, but I can feel it. Koyu was really focusing on that. There had to be a reason.</em>

    A thought struck Arwin and his back stiffened. His eyes flicked over to the ghostly apparition.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason the Mesh wouldn¡¯t show me the abilities of an item like this,¡± Arwin murmured. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be hidden¡­ and I don¡¯t think any item I could have crafted with ¡®just a little help¡¯ would ever get me the amount of energy I earned. The only thing that could do that was if I made something entirely outside of the bounds of the Mesh.¡±

    Koyu smiled. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly difficult to create new life without knowing exactly what you¡¯re doing, but humans have kept that tradition for quite some time. It seems you¡¯re thetest in line. Congrattions on your new child.¡±

    Arwin and Koyu both turned back to the dormant armor.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡­¡±

    ¡°A lifeforce, born entirely from souls and desires,¡± Koyu said, his voice reverent. He reached out toward the armor but caught himself before his hand could touch it. ¡°It still rests, but I feel it absorbing power. A being that exists entirely outside of the boundaries of the world. One that exists outside the limitations of the Mesh. <em>Magnificent</em>.¡±

 Chapter 334: Unexpected

    And, with that revtion, Koyu vanished.

    It may have been more urate to say that he walked through the wall of the Infernal Armory, muttering something about needing a drink. Arwin barely noticed. Several minutes had already passed by the time he realized the Lich had left. He¡¯d been staring at the Soul Guardian, half waiting for it to lurch to life.

    <em>A child? This is a child?</em>

    Logically, Arwin was pretty sure that Koyu had been exaggerating. He highly doubted he¡¯d made a child in the literal sense of the world. He might have spent the majority of his teenage years at war, but he wasn¡¯t <em>that </em>out of touch.

    The whole purpose of the core had been to give the materials a way to fully manifest their desires in the world. It was the heart and soul of whatever it was put into. In this case, that was a [Soul Guardian].

    If Koyu¡¯s words were right¡­ then this was the next logical step beyond that. He hadn¡¯t just given the armor a way to influence the world. He had pulled out the desires themselves and formed them into one, coherent being.

    It was an amalgamation of energy from his soul and the will of hisponents. And, if he understood everything correctly, then the [Soul Guardian] was really more akin to a very estranged cousin than a child.

    Arwin let his hand rest on the breastte of the armor. Warm heat met his touch. It was¡­ strange. He could feel something almost familiar, as if it were his own hand he was feeling, but at the same time, it was something else entirely.

    And there was something else there too.Deep within the [Soul Guardian], Arwin could feel its Core. It thrummed with power like an alien heart, concealed from the world by the armor surrounding it. A faint connection drifted between his palm and the segmented metal ball.

    And within that connection came knowledge.

    His lips parted in wonder.

    The core was impossiblyplex. Layer uponyer of will. Of desire and of information. It was like a miniature library, recording every single thing it had witnessed deep within itself.

    Not all of the information made any sense to Arwin. It felt like the core was a book written in anguage he only vaguely understood, but a book that he¡¯d already read once before. Parts of it were familiar to him. Others were so foreign that he couldn¡¯t have ever even guessed where they¡¯de from.

    <em>This connection¡­ it¡¯s because of my ss specialization change to Forbidden Soulmancy. It has to be. I¡¯ve been able to speak to andmunicate with materials before, but never like this. Something about the Core is more than just a material or a magical object. </em>

    Arwin couldn¡¯t tell if he wanted tough in disbelief or simply continue staring in wonder. He could tell innately that by upgrading his ss, he¡¯d gotten the ability to make even more Cores.

    They might not be as powerful as this one on his first try, but he knew how to make them. He knew how to improve. An entirely new form of crafting had been ripped straight from the Mesh¡¯s hands, and it had <em>rewarded </em>him for it.

    <em>I wonder if it was peeved about that. Koyu¡­ he said it had an agenda. What is that agenda? And am I working with it or against it?</em>

    There was a knock on the door. Arwin blinked, tearing his gaze away from the armor to look over his shoulder.

    Red mist twisted up from the ground, swirling around an invisible figure as the Infernal Armory made itself known.

    ¡°Olive is here,¡± the mist said. ¡°As is Reya and the monsters. Are you prepared for me to let them in? I can conceal the [Soul Guardian] to ensure nobody gets a look at what they should not witness.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said. ¡°They won¡¯t see anything but armor. Nobody will. You can¡­ hold on. When did you find out that the members of Phoenix Circle are monsters?¡±

    There was a pause, as if the Infernal Armory were trying to gather its thoughts. Then the invisible figure ¡ª which Arwin was willing to bet did <em>not</em> have a voice box ¡ª cleared its throat.

    ¡°I have beenmunicating with the Den.¡±

    ¡°The Den?¡± Arwin blinked. ¡°You can speak with Lillia¡¯s building?¡±

    ¡°You forged both of us, and our senses grow with our power. Lillia has been feeding the Den a great number of delicious special meals, and there are many that feed her with their presence. She grows powerful. We have been able to connect, and she shares some of the passings that happen within her walls with me.¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn

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    ¡°That¡¯s sweet,¡± Arwin said. He briefly considered asking exactly what a <em>special </em>meal was before deciding he didn¡¯t want to know. Lillia would tell him if he needed to be in the loop, and there were people waiting on him. ¡°Get ready to work. We¡¯ve got some armor to make¡­ among other things.¡±

    He extended a hand and Verdant Inferno mmed into his grip. The weapon shuddered, a mixture of a purr and a warning growl. Arwin patted the hammer on its head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. Your Core ising right up. I¡¯m finally ready to make it¡­ but I have to get our good friend Olive taken care of before the tournament. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±

    A flicker of emotion that carried something between a middle-finger and an epting pat on the head passed from the hammer to him. It was disturbingly vivid. For a moment, Arwin could have sworn he felt a hand touching his hair.

    Then it was gone.

    He shook himself off. ¡°Right. Let them in.¡±

    The Infernal Armory obliged.

    ***

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Vix asked.

    She sat on the dusty bed across from Art, who leaned against the back of the ufortable wooden chair he¡¯d spun around to face her.

    Art wished he had the answer. His fingers drummed against the wood and dull pangs rose up from his bad leg, as they always did whenever he started to think a little too hard.

    This was not how he¡¯d been expecting the visit to Milten to go. Every card had been in his favor. He should have been the one in control.

    Now, he couldn¡¯t tell if he ever had been.

    Rodrick¡¯s threat about their father had been correct. He¡¯d put word in with the assassin¡¯s guild in search of information and had received it a dayter. Everything the man had said was true. There had been a hit out for Duke Aleric ¡ª a hit that had been called off due to an increased threat to the assassins bringing the threat level of the job above what had been paid for.

    Art¡¯s jaw clenched.

    It had been easy to get the information. Too easy.

    <em>I¡¯m not an idiot. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Rodrick himself was the one that put the hit out for my father. This is too clean. Too neatly wrapped up¡­ and he¡¯s good enough to have covered his tracks better if he¡¯d wanted to.</em>

    <em>This was a message. </em>

    <em>But why wouldn¡¯t he ask for anything more? Hepletely outyed me. We were so overextended that he could have asked for anything he wanted and we¡¯d have been forced to give it to him. He knew we wouldn¡¯t sacrifice dad. We could have been forced to drop out of the Proving Grounds¡­ but all he wants us to do is keep Arwin¡¯s identity a secret?</em>

    <em></em>Art blew out a heavy breath and slumped over the back of the chair. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m trying to figure out what Rodrick¡¯s motive is, but I¡¯m drawing a nk. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s ying at.¡±

    ¡°Could he just be being honest?¡± Vix asked. ¡°What if he really just doesn¡¯t want Arwin¡¯s identity getting out there? I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they want to reveal that?¡± Art demanded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Sure, it would be embarrassing for the Guild for them to admit that the former Hero isn¡¯t actually so former, but it should be a celebration! People would flock to him. The war needs him. The kingdom¡ª¡±

    ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t want to be in the war.¡±

    Art blinked. ¡°He¡¯s the Hero.¡±

    ¡°Heroes get tired,¡± Vix said quietly. ¡°Everyone does, eventually. Maybe he got fed up having to fight for his life every day and never seeing anythinge from it. We haven¡¯t gained a damn inch ofnd since the war started. Who can me him for wanting to retire?¡±

    Art¡¯s brow furrowed and he looked down at his hands through the ts on the back of the chair. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like I¡¯m working with a broken mirror and only seeing half the reflection.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how mirrors work, Arty.¡±

    Art rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever. And don¡¯t call me Arty. That¡¯s even worse than what father came up with, and he already butchered my name for life.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it could be worse,¡± Art admitted. He tapped his good foot on the ground and let out what must have been the hundredth sigh that day. ¡°What do <em>you </em>think?¡±

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m just a killer, Art. I don¡¯t think. I do.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. You¡¯re not an idiot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a sword,¡± Vix said. ¡°You¡¯re the hand. Wield me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯rezy is what you are.¡±

    The corner of Vix¡¯s lip quirked up in amusement. ¡°Maybe a bit. Thinking takes a lot of energy, and I don¡¯t have much of that left to spare.¡±

    Art¡¯s foot stopped tapping. ¡°Are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Art.¡± Vix raised her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t jump on me. I didn¡¯t mean I was dying already. I¡¯m alive. I¡¯m just tired. That¡¯s all.¡±

    He squinted suspiciously at her. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡± Vix¡¯s words were firm. Possibly too firm. She red at him and shook her head. ¡°If you want my opinion that bad, then I say Rodrick was honest. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s trying to y us. He meant everything he said ¡ª including the part where we got invited to dinner.¡±

    ¡°To poison us,¡± Art muttered.

    ¡°Possibly,¡± Vix agreed with a grin. ¡°There isn¡¯t a poison that¡¯ll be able to get past me, though.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Art agreed thoughtfully. ¡°There isn¡¯t. That¡¯s true. Perhaps I¡¯m approaching this wrong. We need more information.¡±

    ¡°You want me to spy on them?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that would go well?¡±

    ¡°No. I would get caught. They¡¯ve got some form of magic that lets them detect me. I don¡¯t know if that stretches outside their inn, though. It might be a localized spell.¡±

    Art shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t want you to spy. That avenue was already lost to us. As I said, we need a different approach. Even if Rodrick was honest with us¡­ we can¡¯t win the tournament like this. Something has to change.¡±

    ¡°So what <em>do </em>we do?¡±

    ¡°Hopefully, something unexpected.¡± Art smiled and rose from his chair, leaning against it to avoid putting any weight on his bad leg. He grabbed the deck of cards from the ratty desk beside him and shoved it into his pocket. ¡°Go get changed. We have a dinner to prepare for.¡±

 Chapter 335: Secrets

    A fist pounded against the door of the Devil¡¯s Den like the thunder of crashing hooves. It split through the night incessantly, and it brought a small frown to Lillia¡¯s lips. The inn was already at max capacity tonight. It was toote to keep cooking and the kitchen had been shut down; themon room was empty.

    Everyone who had been waiting in the crowd had already been informed that they¡¯d closed for the day. There shouldn¡¯t have been anyone waiting around at this hour of the night. There were even signs that Reya had made a few days ago set up to inform any potential customers that they didn¡¯t have any more room.

    <em>I just expanded, but I really need to expand again as soon as I can. I can¡¯t keep up with capacity and we¡¯re pulling in money by the shovelfuls. Still, I suppose I should go let whoever that is know that we¡¯re closed for the day.</em>n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Lillia set the feather brush she¡¯d been using to clean off the countertop down and wiped her hands off on her apron. She stepped around the countertop and made her way past neatly arranged tables, already tidied up and prepared for the night.

    It was well into the evening hours and, even though she couldn¡¯t see outside, she knew the moon hung high above Milten. Half the reason she was even still awake was because she was waiting for Arwin to finish up with Olive and Phoenix Circle. They¡¯d all been in his smithy for thetter half of the day.

    <em>I can¡¯t wait to find out how things have gone. There can¡¯t be that much time left before the Secret Eye announce the tournament¡¯s dates. I¡¯m honestly surprised they haven¡¯t done it already. There must be something holding them up for some reason.</em>

    Lillia shook her head and made her way across themon room to the door. Whoever was on the other side still hadn¡¯t stopped knocking. She pulled it open, half expecting a hand to whistle through the air where the wood had been a moment before.

    Instead, she found herself standing face to face with a hunched, dirt-covered man. His clothes were marred with stains and blood; hung from his body like the ragged scraps of a g. Dark hair framed his face and his features were so sunken that he almost resembled a corpse.

    Lillia might have taken him for a beggar at the pits of his luck if it hadn¡¯t been for the look in his eyes. There was a darkness deep within them ¡ª a determination like that of a falling de.¡°I seek the smith,¡± the man said, his voice raspy fromck of use. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°I think the thing you need to seek is a bath,¡± Lillia said tly. She took a step back into the darkness of the tavern, keeping her powers at the ready. The Mesh hadn¡¯t identified any information about the man and he hadn¡¯t stepped into the premises of the Devil¡¯s Den yet, so she had no way to know just how strong he really was.

    <em>He¡¯s seen battle. That¡¯s for sure. The look in his eyes is of someone who knows all to well what it feels like kill.</em>

    ¡°A bath can wait,¡± the man rasped. He coughed into a clenched fist, then wiped his mouth with the back of a sleeve, smearing blood across his lips. ¡°The smith. I was told he lives here.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a long line of people waiting to see him. I¡¯ll put your name down if you want me to.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to wait,¡± the man said, doubling over as another raspy cough shook his body. He straightened again, grabbing onto the doorframe to steady himself. His gaze lifted up to meet Lillia¡¯s and his lips pulled back in something between a snarl and a grimace. ¡°He can fix me.¡±

    The hair on the back of Lillia¡¯s neck stood on end. Even though the man had entered her domain, she couldn¡¯t feel anything from him. The Mesh revealed no information about his abilities or level. It didn¡¯t even say his name.

    <em>It¡¯s like there isn¡¯t even anyone in front of me. Even a person that hasn¡¯t unlocked a ss from the Mesh should have something about them. Is this guy even alive? He¡¯s like a void. </em>

    ¡°What <em>are </em>you?¡± Lillia asked. She took a step back despite herself. It wasn¡¯t right to just attack someone purely off the fact that they made her unsettled, but a little extra caution went a long way. Every single one of her senses warned her that this wasn¡¯t someone to take lightly.

    ¡°A monster.¡±

    A surprisedugh slipped from her lips before she could help it. The man blinked in surprise as Lillia let her hands lower.

    <em>How ironic. </em>

    ¡°A monster?¡± Lillia repeated. ¡°I doubt it. Come inside.¡±

    The man stepped into the Devil¡¯s Den. Fully immersing himself within the building did nothing to reveal his status ¡ª and Lillia didn¡¯t miss the fact that he waited to enter until she gave him permission to.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    There¡¯s something wrong with him, but he¡¯s polite. Point in his favor. I need to do something to kill some time tonight anyway. Something tells me I should at least hear this guy out. ?¨¢

    ¡°Where¡¯s the smith?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Busy,¡± Lillia replied. She pointed to the bathroom. ¡°And so are you. Go wash up. I¡¯ll have someone bring you a spare change of clothes.¡±

    ¡°I need¡ª¡±

    ¡°A bath. As aforementioned.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the man shook his head. He coughed into his fist again, staggered, then caught his bnce in a sh. The man swallowed heavily before speaking again. ¡°I do not have time for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Let it be said I tried the easy way.¡±

    Lillia snapped her fingers.

    The Devil¡¯s Den came to life.

    A chair shot out beneath from a table to the man¡¯s side. He twisted, dodging out of the way ¡ª and another chair shot into the back of his legs. He fell back into it with a grunt.

    Before he could even try to move or stand, the chair scooted off across the floor, galloping upon wooden legs. The door to the bathroom flew open of its own ord and the man, along with the chair, vanished within it.

    There was a loud ssh a few momentster. A slew of raspy curses followed after it, but those were quickly muted by the sound of aggressive scrubbing. Water crashed over the sound of man¡¯s muffled voice. His curses changed to pleas for help, but the Demon Queen waited in cold stoicism.

    A few minutester, a chair walked back out of the bathroom. The man sat upon it, wrapped tightly within a fuzzy towel. His long, ragged hair was stered to his face and a second towel had bound itself around his head.

    The edges of a fresh outfit stuck out from beneath the towel holding him in ce. It was one of Arwin¡¯s ¡ª Lillia had bought so many extras for when he inevitably ruined them in the smithy that she could afford to spare one.

    All the grime and muck was gone from the man¡¯s body. He had been thoroughly scrubbed¡­ and traumatized.

    ¡°There,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that better?¡±

    ¡°What manner of mage are you?¡± the man asked, staring at her in disbelief. His voice sounded considerably less pained than it had a few minutes ago. For him, it might have just been a bath, but the longer anyone stayed within the Devil¡¯s Den, the more it passively worked to strengthen them. Taking a bath within the inn was a good way to elerate that.

    ¡°One who doesn¡¯t like her customers tracking dirt and blood across her floor,¡± Lillia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°You¡¯re thin as a rail. When¡¯s thest time you had food?¡±

    ¡°I cannot afford to waste time¡ª¡±

    ¡°Right. You don¡¯t get to make demands when youe banging on my door thiste at night. You¡¯ve got two options,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I unwrap you and you feed yourself ¡ª or I shove a sandwich down your throat. Which is it going to be?¡±

    The man stared at her for a long second. Then he swallowed.

    ¡°I am capable of eating myself.¡±

    ¡°Good. Stay there.¡± Lillia snapped her fingers and the towel unwound from the man, spinning him from the seat like a dancer. He staggered, stopping himself against the counter.

    Before the man could say anything else, she strode into the kitchen. It would be easy enough to toss some food together for him quickly. There was definitely something damaged in the man, and she wasn¡¯t going to have him dying on her before she could figure out why it was he wanted to see Arwin so badly.

    <em>It doesn¡¯t hurt that I get more control over anyone that eats my food. If he¡¯s a threat¡­ then he¡¯ll be simple to deal with after he¡¯s eaten my cooking.</em>

    Lillia got to work.

    She emerged from the kitchen a few minutester, armed with a simple ham sandwich. The man¡¯s eyes tracked her as she smacked it down on the counter before him, then arched an eyebrow.

    This time, he didn¡¯t waste energy arguing. He wordlessly picked the sandwich up and took a bite. Then he froze. His eyes widened and he stared at it for just about half a second before shoving the rest of the food down his gullet in record time.

    It was gone within moments.

    ¡°Hungry?¡± Lillia asked, unable to hide the flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

    ¡°That was the best sandwich I¡¯ve ever tried,¡± the man said, staring at the empty te in awe. ¡°What is this ce?¡±

    ¡°The Devil¡¯s Den. We aren¡¯t exactly serving dinner at the moment ¡ª you owe me a silver by the way ¡ª but you¡¯re wee to swing by for a proper meal any other day.¡±

    The man hesitated. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any money right now.¡±

    <em>What a surprise. </em>

    ¡°Then perhaps you can pay by answering some of my questions,¡± Lillia said with a sly smile. ¡°Starting with why you¡¯re looking for Ifrit. If you¡¯ve got a really good reason, I¡¯ll introduce you to him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± the man nearly leapt up from the table, but his chair shot back into his legs and pushed him back into a seated position.

    ¡°I¡¯ve bathed and fed you. You aren¡¯t doing anything other than answering my questions.¡±

    The man stiffened. Then his shoulders slumped ¡ª not out of defeat, but exhaustion.

    ¡°I need a healer,¡± he said. ¡°I am dying. Every healer I have been to is helpless to aid me.¡±

    ¡°We have a pretty good healer,¡± Lillia said. ¡°She might be able to do something. Just what is it you need fixed?¡±

    ¡°My heart.¡±

    ¡°Okay. That might be slightly difficult,¡± Lillia admitted. ¡°You¡¯re certain it needs to be reced? It can¡¯t be healed?¡±

    ¡°It is already healed,¡± the man said with a shake of his head. ¡°And it is worthless. My power. My body. My soul. It is all gone, and it is tied to my heart. I need the smith. Perhaps, should he know who I am, he will help me.¡±

    ¡°You knew each other?¡± Lillia asked in surprise.

    ¡°No,¡± the man replied with a shake of his head. ¡°But perhaps he knows me.¡±

    ¡°Who are you? You¡¯ve still yet to say.¡±

    ¡°You must not share my name with anyone other than the smith. Can you swear that? If you do, then I will tell you. If you cannotply, then it is likely that everyone here will die.¡±

    Lillia blinked. Then she shrugged. Keeping secrets was nothing new to her.

    ¡°We can do that. I swear I won¡¯t share it with anyone outside this guild.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ will have to be eptable.¡± The man looked at her with his dark, empty eyes. Deep within them, sorrow and hatred burned like dying mes sputtering in a stormy night. ¡°I am nothing but an empty shell. But just a few mere passings of the sun ago, I was known as Kien of the Twin des.¡±

 Chapter 336: Something else

    <strong>Achievement: [Core Skills] has been earned. </strong>

    <strong>[Core Skills] ¨C <em>Awarded for forging 2 cores in one day. Quite the go-getter, aren¡¯t you? </em>Effects: One skill in your next Skill Selection has been upgraded. <em>This achievement will be consumed upon choosing your next skill.</em></strong>

    Arwin stared at the golden words humming in the air before him. He wasn¡¯t so sure his eyes were processing the information before them. It took everything he had just to keep his eyes open.

    For thest few hours, he¡¯d thrown every scrap of strength and determination he had left intopleting the armor for Olive and the members of Phoenix Circle. There hadn¡¯t been time for him to dally longer, and he¡¯d known exactly what he wanted to make.

    Making three sets of armor in the time he had should have been impossible to do in a single day. It was a monumental task. One that he never even would have considered a few weeks ago, much less when he¡¯d just started scripting.

    But things had changed since then ¡ª and he¡¯d taken a few slight creative liberties in the project. The faintest of grins pulled at his lips. That alone should have been an impressive feat. Smiling took a surprising amount of energy when there was nothing left to spare.

    He suspected that Olive, Reya, Elias, and Maeve would be able to vouch for thate morning. The four of them allid on the ground of the smithy around him, fast asleep.

    Reya was spread out like a starfish and Olive¡¯s head rested against her shoulder. Her wooden arm asionally twitched and her lips fluttered as she muttered something in her sleep, but the other girl was passed out cold and didn¡¯t notice.

    Elias and Maeve¡¯s backs were braced against other for support in a position that was somewhere between lying down and slumped over each other. Everyone waspletely spent. Arwin had dragged every scrap of energy that he could wrest free of them.It had been the only way he had a chance to finish¡­

    But finish he did.

    Lined up along the ground ¡ª in what felt like a slightly disrespectful mess ¡ª were pieces of armor. Custom made equipment for all three of the prospective tournament-goers. Each piece was made in conjunction, and Arwin¡¯s seal was embossed in the very center of every chestpiece. Even though he no longer had a mask, as it had been confiscated for the sake of his still-sleeping [Soul Guardian], it was still his maker¡¯s mark. It would be another way for the Menagerie to continue to grow their name through the tournament.

    Arwin dragged his gaze up to the huge suit of armor watching over all of them from the back of the armory. It still had yet to budge from his spot, but something about it made him feel inexplicablyforted. As if they were safe.

    <em>I hope I don¡¯t have to find out if that¡¯s just a cebo effect or not.</em>

    Repressing the urge to heave a sigh, Arwin pushed his tired body forward. As badly as he wanted to just flop down next to the others and sleep, he couldn¡¯t. There was still a little more to be done with the night.

    He scooped the sleeping adventurers up one after the other, slinging them over his weary shoulders in pairs of two before dragging himself out of the Infernal Armory and heading across the street to the Devil¡¯s Den, one ponderous step at a time.

    His surroundings were little more than a muted blur as he dropped Reya and Olive off in their room before depositing Elias and Maeve in theirs. Even more strength flooded from his body the moment thest door was closed, but he still made his way back down to themon room.

    <em>I¡¯m not going to sleep in the hallway when Lillia is probably waiting for me in our room. I¡¯m so close. Soon, I¡¯ll be able to ¡ª</em>

    Arwin ground to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. He¡¯dpletely missed them the first time he¡¯d walked through the room, but Lillia and a rather raggedy man that Arwin had never seen sat at a table near the center of the room. ?

    <em>Huh? What¡¯s going on? Why is there someone up thiste? It¡¯s the middle of the night.</em>

    Arwin made his way over to join them, silencing his muscles and weary minds¡¯ints.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The ragged man flinched like a wild viper as he arrived beside them. He spun toward Arwin and almost lurched out of his chair. The man had deep bags under his sunken eyes and looked about half a step away from joining Elias in the ranks of the undead.

    ¡°Arwin!¡± The smile that pulled across Lillia¡¯s features ground the weariness in Arwin¡¯s bones to dust.

    At least, it did for a moment.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte,¡± Arwin said with the best nod he could muster. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you all up sote?¡±

    ¡°I was just saying you were probably busy. This is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kien,¡± the man said, extending a hand toward Arwin.

    He took it, and the two of them shook. Then Arwin flopped down in the chair beside Lillia. Kien had spoken as if his name was meant to mean something¡­ but he hadn¡¯t the slightest idea about what.

    <em>Have we met before? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him. He certainly doesn¡¯t look familiar. Doesn¡¯t sound familiar either. </em>

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I take it by the way you¡¯re eyeing me that there¡¯s something you want?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kien said. He grabbed Arwin by the wrist with surprising speed ¡ª and strength. The man looked disheveled, but his grip was as strong as forged metal. ¡°I havee in search of you. You are the Smith, yes?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Arwin said warily.

    <em>Lillia would have sent this guy off if he was just some random person looking to get something made. If he was sick, I¡¯d have assumed Anna would have looked at him already¡­ but she isn¡¯t here. What does he want, then?</em>

    ¡°I am dying,¡± Kien said. ¡°As best as I can tell, you are the only person that can fix me.¡±

    ¡°What? I think you might have skipped over a few things. I¡¯m not a healer. If you were looking for healing, maybe Lillia hasn¡¯t had a chance to introduce you to Anna. She¡¯s our guilds¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your healer,¡± Kien said. He coughed into his fist, then shook his head, causing his long hair to flop around his head like strands of seaweed. ¡°No. A healer cannot fix what is not already broken. I have already spoken with the Innkeeper of this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his heart, apparently,¡± Lillia said. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Arwin, he¡¯s got no magical energy. None at all. Try to use the Mesh and look at him. He isn¡¯t wearing any items to conceal his status.¡±

    Arwin blinked. He did as she said. It wasn¡¯t the most polite thing to try, but Kien didn¡¯t make any moves to ask him to stop.

    And Lillia was right.

    There was no status or information about Kien. That would have been fine if he just didn¡¯t have a ss, but he clearly had the look of an adventurer. His eyes told the story of a man who had seen death¡­ and men like those did not often find themselves in want of a ss.

    Arwin didn¡¯t have the advanced analysis abilities that Lillia did when they were inside the Devil¡¯s Den, so if she said there was something wrong with him, then there was.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can do anything to fix that,¡± Arwin said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not really a healer, per-say. The rumors just went wild about me. I¡¯m a smith. The only thing I can do¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can make body parts.¡± Kien stared into Arwin¡¯s eyes like he was trying to dig the information out with his gaze. ¡°That rumor is true, yes?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Arwin allowed. He pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He wasn¡¯t against helping the man, but he was far too tired to deal with the problem at an hour like this. ¡°But you don¡¯t appear to be missing any limbs.¡±

    ¡°I am not missing a limb. I have a faulty organ,¡± Kien said. ¡°I want you to rece it.¡±

    <em>If word gets out that I¡¯ve gotten into the business of recing organs that don¡¯t quite work, I fear all the noble women are going to send their impotent, sedentary husbands my way. </em>

    Arwin shuddered at the thought, but it would have been rude to refuse the man outright¡­ and at this point, he was curios enough to at least want the beginnings of an answer.

    ¡°What organ?¡± Arwin asked, then hurriedly amended his statement. ¡°And, just in case, no showing.¡±

    The corner of Kien¡¯s lip twitched. The man did not smile. ¡°I could not show you if I wanted to. I want you to rece my heart.¡±

    <em>Right. He¡¯s got a death wish, then. </em>

    ¡°Your heart? That¡­ even if I could do that, there¡¯s a ridiculously high chance that it goes wrong and you end up dead.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I die, so long as I get a few good weeks of the heart first.¡± Fervor dripped from the man¡¯s words and his gaze burned into Arwin¡¯s. ¡°Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You will not believe me, but I do not care. This is the truth. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild stole my magic,¡± Kien said, clenching a hand into a fist and driving it down onto the table beside him with a loud bang. ¡°They left me to die, smith. After a lifetime of servitude, they drained me dry and tossed me aside like a dirty rag. I¡¯m going to make them pay.¡±

    Arwin¡¯s ears rang. He stared at the man sitting before him for a long second, unable to believe the words he was hearing. There was far too much pain and anger within them for it to be some sort of trick.

    <em>We weren¡¯t the only ones? How many people has the Guild betrayed?</em>

    Arwin swallowed. His weariness was gone, now. It woulde back when he was ready for it ¡ª but it would wait its turn.

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised to find just what I¡¯d be willing to believe.¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°Is your heart dying? Or have you just lost your magic?¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°I¡­ live. It is a tortured existence, but I believe it functions properly.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s not jump ahead too quickly with recing hearts. There might just be something else I can do for you.¡±

 Chapter 337: Unlikely

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Kien demanded. ¡°I must have my strength back. Like this, I am nothing. If you can fix me¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need to know more about just what you mean by losing your strength,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to cut the other man off. ¡°But I¡¯m going to be honest with you. I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯ve been working all day and basically have no magical energy left to work with. If I¡¯m going to be able to really help you, I need to be able to think. Are you going to die tonight?¡±

    There was a long pause. Then Kien grit his teeth. ¡°No. I have waited this long. My body has stabilized. Gotten used to this new¡­ condition. I will survive.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Then we will speak again in the morning. You can tell me exactly what¡¯s happened and I¡¯ll see what I can do for you. Do you have somewhere to sleep?¡±

    ¡°No. I have not slept since my betrayal.¡±

    <em>You know what? I can tell. His eye bags have eye bags. </em>

    ¡°That sounds like a great recipe for sess,¡± Arwin said dryly. ¡°Somebody needs to get you a sword and stick you in a position of abusable leadership as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kien stared at Arwin.

    ¡°Nevermind. My head is hardly functional right now. Lillia, is there room in the tavern for another?¡±¡°No,¡± Lillia said sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m out of rooms. I¡¯m going to be expanding as soon as I can.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± Kien said. ¡°If you insist on it, then I can sleep here. The floor is far from the worst spot I have spent a night.¡±

    Arwin was far too tired to argue. He just grunted in approval. ¡°Great. Then I¡¯m going to bed. Don¡¯t do any stupid shit before I wake up, or I¡¯m going to be pissed.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen too much stupid shit happen,¡± Arwin said tly. ¡°Just call it a precaution.¡±

    ¡°I will remain here.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arwin said. He nced to Lillia. ¡°Bed?¡±

    ¡°Bed,¡± Lillia said with a nod. ¡°Until tomorrow, Kien.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Kien said. It was hard to tell if that was meant to be an agreement, a promise, or a threat.

    Arwin and Lillia both rose without another word. They headed through the kitchen and into Lillia¡¯s room. And, without further ado, the pair of them copsed into bed without another word.

    Exhaustion mmed into Arwin like a charging bull. As badly as he wanted to tell Lillia about everything that had happened with the mesh, his body was practically shutting down on him. It would have to wait until the morning.

    They¡¯d kept sleep waiting for them for far too long. It was time to pay their dues.

    ***

    The next morning arrived, as usual, earlier than anyone would have preferred.

    Arwin was woken by Lillia gently shaking his shoulder. He let out a groan and blinked the sleep away from his eyes, his features screwing up as he pushed himself up with one hand.

    ¡°Already?¡±

    ¡°Already,¡± Lillia said apologetically. ¡°Long night yesterday?¡±

    ¡°You have no idea.¡± Arwin let out a chuckle.

    ¡°Well, we should get moving quickly,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Kien is waiting for us in themon room. I don¡¯t think he slept for long¡­ but it looks like he honored his word. He hasn¡¯t moved much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Arwin said. His thoughts drifted back to the work he¡¯d done in the smithy with Olive and the others. ¡°But there¡¯s more we need to speak of. Before we see the others. About what happened when I saw the Mesh.¡±

    ¡°When you saw ¡ª what? You saw the Mesh? Like, the actual Mesh? Not a message?¡± Lillia asked, her eyes going as wide as saucers.

    ¡°More than that.¡± Arwin¡¯s voice was grim as his thoughts drifted. His stomach clenched involuntarily at the thought of the sea of magma that had tried to swallow his soul. The power that now resided within him. ¡°Crafting a Core is what made me advance like this. It¡¯s¡­ not the shortest story.¡±

    ¡°I think Kien can survive waiting a bit longer,¡± Lillia said tly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him, but this takes priority. What happened? What did the Mesh tell you?¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ***

    Arwin told Lillia everything, starting from when he¡¯d felt a strange presence helping him while he worked on the Core and not finishing until the Achievement that came from crafting Olive¡¯s groups¡¯ armor.

    She listened inplete silence until he was finished. Even though Arwin couldn¡¯t see her features ¡ª it was, as usual, pitch ck in their room ¡ª he could feel her surprise by how tightly her hand was gripping his knee.

    ¡°That sounds like hell,¡± Lillia said. ¡°The Mesh let you torture yourself?¡±

    ¡°It was a choice,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t pass up on the opportunity. We need to get stronger and we both know it. A huge portion of my rewards were that one skill improvement, and are you really telling me that you wouldn¡¯t have chosen a Forbidden skill? Even if I didn¡¯t know for certain it would be worth it¡­ the chance was too good to pass up.¡±

    ¡°I would have,¡± Lillia admitted reluctantly. ¡°But are you telling me that you wouldn¡¯t be worried if I¡¯d chosen it?¡±

    Arwin winced. ¡°Okay. Fair point. I didn¡¯t exactly have time to warn you about the choice, though.¡±

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m mad about it.¡± Lillia let out a smallugh that turned to a sigh. She squeezed Arwin¡¯s knee. ¡°And the Title that lets you give Quests¡­ that might be even stronger than the ability. I can¡¯t tell if the Mesh is beingpletely unfair in our favor or if you pulled off some bullshit so astronomical that it had no choice but to deal you rewards like candy.¡±

    ¡°Probably thetter,¡± Arwin said, though Koyu¡¯s words run through his head even as he answered. The Mesh had an agenda. It wasn¡¯t going to unbnce the way it worked, but it could certainly throw more challenges someone¡¯s way.

    That wouldn¡¯t give them an unfair advantage. Every challenge was a chance to die. A chance to fail. But if that person was able to survive those challenges¡­ well, they¡¯d certainly be stronger. A lot stronger.

    <em>The question is more if the Mesh wants me to seed or if I¡¯m standing in its path. It knew something about the explosion and about what happened to me and Lillia. I could have gotten the answer to that¡­ but something tells me it would have only given good questions. There¡¯s no point ying with wishes. </em>

    ¡°You did what I would have,¡± Lillia said, reading Arwin¡¯s expression through the darkness. ¡°Are you nning to test the Quest ability soon?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I want to make sure I use it on something that¡¯s actually reasonable. I get the feeling that the Mesh isn¡¯t going to just let me hand power out like candy. If I assign a Quest and someone fails¡­ I don¡¯t know what will happen. I¡¯d prefer to avoid finding out.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°Smart,¡± Lillia said. She shifted on the bed beside him. ¡°What of Kien, then? Do you think we can do anything about him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arwin admitted. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A man betrayed by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Hardly a new story. ¡°But I¡¯m going to try, so long as he isn¡¯t so consumed with whatever his goals are that he brings us down with him. Any allies against the Guild will be useful.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what he¡¯s got to say. I¡¯ve only gotten portions of his story.¡±

    She helped Arwin to his feet and the two of them set out, heading through the kitchen and emerging into themon room.

    Kien sat at the table they¡¯d left him at the night before. His fingers were inteced and some of the exhaustion had faded from his features, though his eyes were still sunken and cold.

    ¡°Morning,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Fix me,¡± Kien said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind blunt, but I¡¯m not going to go doing anything until I know exactly what happened and what it is you want,¡± Arwin said, pulling the chair across from Kien out and sitting down. Lillia sat beside him.

    ¡°There is little of interest. I was an adventurer,¡± Kien said with a shake of his head. His hands tightened at his sides and his jaw clenched. ¡°Then my brother invited me to a dungeon. We were ¡ª no. It doesn¡¯t matter what we were. The dungeon was a ruse. We got to the bottom and he stabbed me in the back. The dagger had some form of magic in it. One I¡¯ve never seen before. It stole my powers.¡±

    ¡°It <em>stole </em>your powers?¡± Lillia asked, her eyes going wide.

    <em>His own brother did this to him? If ke had betrayed me before the end¡­</em>

    A spike of pain pressed into Arwin¡¯s heart. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how he would have felt.

    ¡°As best as I can tell, yes. My magic is gone. My strength is gone. I¡¯m still faster than a normal man¡­ I heal better as well, but that¡¯s it. It¡¯s my fault. I did not realize what my brother had be. The Guild twisted him. They must have. They must have filled his head with lies and deceits to convince him to betray me. I wasn¡¯t meant to survive, you know.¡± Kien was rambling now, but neither Arwin nor Lillia made any move to stop him. This seemed to be just as important for him to say as it was for them to hear. ¡°The Guild sent a cleaner to get rid of my corpse, but I killed him. And then I ran. I ran until I heard of a smith that could rece damaged limbs. And if you could rece my heart¡­ perhaps you could rece my powers as well.¡±

    Arwin studied Kien¡¯s features for a long time. It didn¡¯t look like the man was lying. It was too ludicrous of a story for anyone toe up with ¡ª and only a fool would ever try to tell someone the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would do such a thing.

    ¡°Why would the guild do that?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Kien said. ¡°I know it seems impossible to believe. They¡¯re traitors. The guild seeks only power. I swear¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, not that bit,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We know the guild is scum. We¡¯re more confused as to why they would betray <em>you</em>, specifically.¡±

    Kien blinked. ¡°You knew of the guild? How?¡±

    ¡°A story for another day,¡± Arwin said. ¡°There¡¯s something about your power that the Guild had to want. Could you think of what it is?¡±

    ¡°Will this help you get me my power back?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said honestly. ¡°Probably not. Separate issue.¡±

    Kien studied him for a few seconds. Then he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. My powers were nothing special. I am unaware of what their goal was.¡±

    <em>Damn it. A puzzle piece¡­ but where does it fit?</em>

    <em>Either way ¡ª Kien is involved in something. I want to know what.</em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Think on it. See if you can figure out what it is. In the meantime¡­ I¡¯ll help you as best as I can.¡±

    ¡°Can you get me my powers back?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Arwin admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t think that recing your heart will fix you. It¡¯ll just end with you dead. But there¡¯s one thing I <em>can </em>do, even if I can¡¯t give you your old magic back.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    A grim smile crossed Arwin¡¯s features.

    ¡°I can give you new ones.¡±

 Chapter 338: Offer

    ¡°New ones?¡± Kien¡¯s haunted gaze bore into Arwin. ¡°What do you mean? How is that possible? Do you know of the dagger used to steal my powers?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin admitted with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a weapon. I have absolutely no idea how magic like that would function, much less how to actually repair the damage. But you came to a smith, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°A weapon. You want to make me a weapon?¡±

    ¡°The tone of your voice seems to imply you aren¡¯t too thrilled with the offer.¡±

    ¡°I need more power than any mere sword could ever give me,¡± Kien said. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. ¡°Do you understand what was taken from me? Years of work and blood and sweat, all for nothing. My strength is gone. And you want to rece that with a mere de? I appreciate your offer, smith. It is kind ¡ª but it is not sufficient.¡±

    Arwin wasn¡¯t offended by the man¡¯s outburst. Instead, a small smile tugged at his lips. ¡°I think you may be underestimating the strength of what I am capable of making. I do not make <em>mere </em>weapons.¡±

    ¡°I do not doubt the quality of your craftsmanship, smith. But my opponent is my own blood. Hein stole my power from me, but he will not be satisfied. He will seek more strength. More will suffer because of my failings. I must stop him.¡±

    ¡°Your failings?¡± Lillia asked, holding a hand up. ¡°What do you mean? You said you were stabbed in the back. You can¡¯t be ming yourself for that¡­ unless something else happened?¡±

    ¡°I was stabbed in the back, but only because I turned a blind eye to what should have been obvious.¡± Kien¡¯s eyes tore away from them and he stared down at the table before him. ¡°I knew my brother coveted my power. I thought he had gotten over it. That he was interested in simply being who we were when we were children. Brothers. But I was wrong. I handed him the power he sought, and he will use that strength to take more and more. It is my duty to put that to an end. I trust you can see why a glowing sword will not be sufficient to stop the strength of a former hero.¡±¡°I sympathize with your plight,¡± Arwin said, trying to keep a straight face. It was obvious how distressed Kien was, and he <em>did </em>understand where the man wasing from. Betrayal was a wound to more than the flesh. It bit deep into the soul¡­ but Arwin was fairly certain that nobody had lost more power than he and Lillia had. Kien was preaching to the choir. ¡°But I believe you are still underestimating what it is that I am capable of. I am willing to help you, but you¡¯re going to have to have a little more faith than that.¡±

    ¡°You think your weaponry would be enough to defeat a man with the powers of a hero?¡±

    ¡°Hero,¡± Arwin said, turning the word over in his mouth. ¡°You keep using that word, Kien. But I don¡¯t think you properly understand what it means.¡±

    Kien frowned. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hero isn¡¯t a ss,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It¡¯s a title. One you earn ¡ª and one that nobody can ever take away. Besides, was your actual ss literally the Hero?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I would not have been felled so easily were I the Hero. I was a Soulde. Now, I am nothing.¡±

    <em>You¡¯ll definitely be nothing as long as you keep that attitude. I know how brutal this situation can be, but dwelling in misery won¡¯t fix shit. Unfortunately, neither will telling Kien to get his shit together. This needs a slightly finer touch than what I¡¯ve got. </em>

    ¡°Well, a weapon is what I can offer you,¡± Arwin said. ¡°If you¡¯re nothing, then you have nothing to lose.¡±

    The corner of Kien¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°I apologize. You are correct, smith. I am being a child. Anything that can bring me closer to what I need is a wee blessing. I have coin. Not much, but enough to buy your time.¡±

    ¡°You have thousands of gold on you?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°And I thought you said you were broke!¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°It was not my money to spend. I liberated it from some people. This is a worthy cause for it. But what manner of weapon costs thousands of gold?¡±

    <em>Looks like he¡¯s got a sense of humor rattling around in there. Also, definitely a little bit of a cheapskate. </em>

    ¡°A very magical one.¡±

    Kien stared at Arwin. ¡°I only have around a few hundred gold worth of tinum on me. I was under the impression that your specialization was recement limbs. You can make magical weapons as well? Are you a Smith or an Enchanter?¡±

    ¡°I am who I am,¡± Arwin replied with a shrug. He leaned closer to Kien and let his voice lower to a whisper. ¡°You cannot afford my work, but you can pay for it in another way. You are not the only one who has a grudge against the Guild¡­ but their corruption is deep. We will not be able to cleanse the kingdom of their filth on our own.¡±

    ¡°You want me to aid you against them?¡± Kien asked. ¡°Done. Should I survive this, then my de would have turned against them next nheless. I do not expect I will be of much use, but I will offer what I can.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get your magic back if you seed at your task,¡± Lillia said.

    Kien heaved a sigh. He sent Lillia a bitter smile and shook his head. ¡°No. As much as I would like that¡­ it is impossible. I can feel it within me. My powers are gone. They are no longer mine. My body is as it was before I first got my magic.¡± ?¨¢???¦¥??

    <em>Wait.</em>

    ¡°Even your titles?¡± Arwin asked.

    Kien hesitated. Then he shook his head once more. ¡°No. They remain.¡±

    Lillia and Arwin exchanged a nce. The world around them seemed to fall away and Arwin found his hand tightening on the wooden table.

    <em>Hold on. A hero stabbed by a weapon that took their powers, returning them to their state before they got a ss? One where the victim kept all of their Titles? </em>

    <em>I¡¯ve heard this story before. </em>

    Arwin¡¯s skin prickled like someone had poured ice water over his back.

    <em>Our weapons. I don¡¯t know every enchantment my sword had, and it¡¯s possible to hide magic from even a weapon¡¯s wielder. I did it for Melissa¡­ so someone else could do it to me. </em>

    <em>Our sses didn¡¯t just evaporate. They were stolen¡­ but something gave them back to us. The gem? The explosion? The achievement? The Mesh itself?</em>

    <em>I don¡¯t know. </em>

    <em>But Lillia and I weren¡¯t the guild¡¯s first time doing this. How many other people have gotten their magic stolen before they got killed and silenced? And what the fuck is the guild doing with this stolen magic?</em>

    ¡°What is it?¡± Kien asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity. You don¡¯t have to look at me like¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not you,¡± Arwin said. He ripped himself from his thoughts and met Kien¡¯s eyes. The Arwin saw was teetering on the brink of shattering. He was an inch from broken ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t gone. Not yet. The Guild had tried to remove him from the ying board. And, if anything, that was the best possible way to vouch for someone¡¯s character. If the Guild didn¡¯t want them around¡­ he did.

    ¡°Then what?¡± Kien asked. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    ¡°Old memories,¡± Arwin replied. ¡°And I was mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Mistaken? How so?¡±

    ¡°I said the only thing I could do was make you a weapon. I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°You can fix me?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to fix. You¡¯re a clean te. Wiped nk and ready to start anew ¡ª but I can give you more than just a little of a head start,¡± Arwin replied. Magic prickled in his chest and bubbled up through his throat, seeping into his words seemingly of its own volition. He did nothing to stop it.

    A faint wind picked up around Arwin. Magic coursed through his body and a tremor took grip in the ground, causing the cutlery on the tables around them to rattle and bounce.

    Kien rose from his chair, nearly tripping over it as he took several steps back. ¡°What is this magic? I thought you were a smith!¡±

    Motes of golden energy gathered in the air. They danced like tiny fireflies, swirling in the wind and growing brighter with every passing second. The magic caught in Arwin¡¯s mouth, hanging at the tip of his tongue like a forgotten word.

    Then it spilled forth.

    ¡°I can¡¯t get you your old ss back, but I can do you one better. I suppose it might be construed as paying forward a favor that someone else did for me,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Nobody can really <em>give </em>you power, but I can certainly open the path for you.¡±

    ¡°The path?¡± Kien asked, but even as the question left his mouth, his eyes narrowed. ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t care. If you have something that will help, then I ept. I don¡¯t care what the cost is. I must be strong enough to end this before it can go any farther.¡±

    ¡°Then you will need to find a ss.¡±

    All the energy in the air drove into Arwin¡¯s words. They left his mouth like crashing rivers of melted gold.

    Kien flinched back as a wave of power mmed into him.

    Then it vanished. Power drained from Arwin and he staggered, catching himself on the table at the sudden loss of strength.

    When he looked back up, Kien¡¯s eyes were as wide as saucers.

    <strong>You have offered Kien of the Twin des a Quest.</strong>

    ¡°A¡­ challenge to get a new ss? Not from the Mesh, but from you?¡± Kien breathed, reading something invisible floating in the air before him. He swallowed heavily, his hands shaking at his sides as he stared on in disbelief. ¡°How is this possible?¡±

 Chapter 339: Offer

    ¡°It¡¯s not about how I can give you a Quest,¡± Arwin said, leaning against the table as his body shook off the effects of suddenly losing a wave of magical energy. The power was already trickling back into him, but it would be a few hours before it returnedpletely. ¡°It¡¯s about if you want it. This isn¡¯t some instant path to power.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d start at the beginning again,¡± Kien said, his eyes flicking through the air as he read a notification visible only to his eyes.

    ¡°Not exactly the beginning,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°You¡¯d have your Titles ¡ª and whatever I make you.¡±

    ¡°But it is a start.¡± Kien swallowed. His eyes sparkled with something for the first time since Arwin had met the man and his head jerked in a stiff nod. ¡°I¡­ was not expecting to survive this. Defeating someone who bears my powers felt like an exceptionally unlikely oue. But this gives me a chance. I ept your Quest.¡±

    ¡°What exactly does it offer?¡± Lillia asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one of them before. Is there a drawback if you fail?¡±

    ¡°Presumably, I will die.¡± The corner of Kien¡¯s lips quirked up in what could almost have been a smile before his weary expression took control of his face once more. ¡°It has given me the location of a powerful monster in the vicinity of Milten. I am to defeat it. Alone. Should I seed, I will earn a ss.¡±

    <em>Sounds like the consequences of the Quest aren¡¯t expressly in the Quest itself. Not sure if that¡¯ll hold true for other Quests or not¡­ but getting killed is a pretty significant consequence. Unless your name is Elias, that tends to be permanent. </em>

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly straightforward,¡± Arwin said. ¡°At least you don¡¯t have to do things hoping the Mesh will give you a ss. You¡¯ll do it, then?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have fought monsters before. I thought I would be fighting the next one without a ss and with only stolen power. If I can earn it for myself again¡­ I will not ept failiure. I am Kien of the Twin des. This opportunity will not be wasted.¡±There was a fervor in the man¡¯s voice that hadn¡¯t been there a few mere moments ago. Even though he looked just as tired as he had been a moment ago, it was as if strength had been breathed straight into his lungs.

    The man looked alive again.

    ¡°Then I look forward to working with you,¡± Arwin said, extending a hand to Kien.

    The other hero took the offered hand and they shook.

    ¡°As do I,¡± Kien said. ¡°But you must tell me¡­ what are you? <em>Who </em>are you? This is not the power of a smith.¡±

    ¡°I am Arwin ¡ª or Ifrit. Depends on if I¡¯m working at the time or not. For you, I¡¯ll be Arwin. If your fight is with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡­ then you¡¯re joining the Menagerie in all but name.¡±

    ¡°The Menagerie is your guild?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Lillia said. She fought to keep a smile from forming on her face. ¡°Did you really not know that? That¡¯s honestly a bit hurtful. I thought we were doing a good job building up our name.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I heard it somewhere, but I have been¡­ preupied. I only came this way because I ran into some helpful bandits. Is the purpose of your guild to take down the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? What grudge do you have against them?¡±

    Something about the way Kien said the word <em>helpful </em>made Arwin suspect that the bandits had not enjoyed their encounter with the hero very much.

    ¡°That¡¯s a long story. Not one that I¡¯ll be sharing today,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Let¡¯s just let it suffice to say that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is our enemy. There¡¯s a lot you¡¯ll want to hear¡­ but that information needs more than just an agreement. We need trust.¡±

    ¡°I understand that more than most,¡± Kien said. His features darkened. ¡°Trust seems to be something in great demand these days. It seems to be getting more expensive. I will not press. The only request I have is that you make my weapon sooner rather thanter. There is an opportunity for me to halt my mistakes in their tracks that rapidly approaches.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯d advise you to y on the side of caution,¡± Lillia warned. ¡°You¡¯re weaker than you were. Killing yourself to get revenge a few months faster is a poor trade ¡ª but what opportunity are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The Proving Grounds,¡± Kien said grimly. ¡°Hein will be there. I know it. I will attend ¡ª and I will kill him. I have an invitation to them.¡±

    <em>He¡¯ll be in the Proving Grounds? Is Hein nning to use that weapon on everyone in the fight? This is for ranking, so the tournament shouldn¡¯t be until death. What¡¯s his n here?</em>

    ¡°Do you have a team as well?¡± Arwin asked. ¡°Even if I make you a weapon in time for the tournament, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to be able to solo your way through everything. Everyone else will have groups of three.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kien admitted. ¡°My team¡­ I can¡¯t even let the Guild know I still live. I will have to go in disguse. You are attending?¡±

    ¡°I am not, but my guild is.¡±

    ¡°Our team is full, though,¡± Lillia said. ¡°And swapping someone out would be too difficult.¡±

    ¡°More than difficult,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Impossible. I have made them armor that is meant to work specifically in conjunction. Our team is set.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Kien said. ¡°Then I will find another way to deal with this. UIntil then, I will seek out this monster that your Quest has assigned to me. Once I have imed my ss, I will be able to begin preparing to grow once more.¡±

    ¡°I can try to have your weapon made shortly,¡± Arwin said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot on the te, but this won¡¯t take too long. What do you use? A sword?¡±

    Kien arched an eyebrow and Lillia sent Arwin a pointed look.

    ¡°Kien of the <em>Twin des,</em>¡± Lillia said through a snicker. ¡°What do you think he uses?¡±

    Arwin coughed into a fist. ¡°Ah. Right. Yes, I can make something like that.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Then I will retrieve it after the monster has been defeated.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to wait?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Kien shook his head. ¡°Your weapon will be gracefully epted, but I will defeat this monster with what I am, not what you give me. If I cannot do that, then I do not deserve victory.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s a stiff way of looking at things. The only thing that matters is winning, not how you do it¡­ but I¡¯m not going to tell him how to live his life. More challenge should mean the Mesh rewards him more appropriately as well. </em>

    ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard,¡± Arwin said. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to keel over. It isn¡¯t going to help anyone if you get yourself killed before you even get a chance to aplish your goals.¡±

    Kien let out a snort. ¡°I am aware. Do you have a cloak I could borrow? I wish to explore the town without showing my face. Someone may eventually recognize me.¡±

    ¡°Reya should have some spares,¡± Lillia said. ¡°You can wait in the basement for now. It¡¯s out of the way. Just don¡¯t touch the demon tree growing there. It might kill you.¡±

    ¡°It¡­ what?¡± Kien stared at Lillia, waiting for her tough, but she never did.

    ¡°What? I¡¯ve gotten into gardening. Gods forbid a woman have hobbies,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Feel free to wait on the streets if you prefer.¡±

    ¡°I am certain the demon tree will be perfectly eptablepany.¡±

    Lillia smiled and rose to her feet. ¡°Good. Off we go, then. I¡¯ll get you a cloak once everyone else is up. Shouldn¡¯t be too long.¡±

    She led Kien from the table and out of themon room. A part of Arwin was tempted to follow after them and get a look at just what Lillia was talking about ¡ª but his thoughts were a bit too cloudy to let him move from his spot.

    <em>I¡¯ve got a pile of puzzle pieces, but I still don¡¯t know where they go. The Guild is stealing sses for some reason. I don¡¯t know why, but I suspect Kien and his brother might be the chink in their armor. We¡¯re so close to the truth. I can almost taste it.</em>

    Arwin needed to get his hands on the dagger that Hein had used to steal Kien¡¯s magic. But to do that, they were going to need to beat the man in the tournament. If they were lucky, he¡¯d have the dagger on him. If they weren¡¯t¡­ they¡¯d have to find a way to make him share the dagger¡¯s location.

    <em>I don¡¯t even know why Hein would be in the tournament in the first ce. The guild wouldn¡¯t put him there for no reason. They have to be aiming for something. I just wish I knew what. </em>

    <em>Either way, if Kien ns to take out his brother, he¡¯ll need a team. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be doing it on his own.</em>

    Arwin blew out a short breath. Answers were close. Closer than they¡¯d ever been.

    He refused to let them slip through his fingers.

    The door creaked open.

    He paused, pulled from his thoughts, and turned to the entrance. It was a bit early for anyone to be paying the tavern a visit. Lillia hadn¡¯t even started making breakfast yet.

    But it wasn¡¯t an adventurer that stood on the other side of the door.

    Arwin blinked.

    Waiting just outside the Devil¡¯s Den was Art, and behind him, Vix.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Art said, inclining his head in greeting. His eyes glistened as a faint smile pulled at his lips. ¡°I know you invited us for dinner, but I hope you¡¯ll excuse me for showing up early. I¡¯d like to take you and Rodrick up on that offer you made.¡±

 Chapter 340: Basement

    Arwin didn¡¯t let his surprise at seeing Art show on his face. He fortunately hadn¡¯t been takenpletely off guard. Rodrick <em>had </em>warned him that the boy was likely to return. It was just a bit odd to see him this early in the morning. A re-meeting like this felt like it would be best saved for the evening orte at night.

    ¡°Art,¡± Arwin said. He took a step back from the door and nodded toward the table. Rodrick had done more than give them a warning of Art¡¯s likely return. He¡¯d also primed them on what to say. Arwin wasn¡¯t sure why that was necessary, but he saw no reason to start doubting the former Inquisitor now. ¡°Rodrick told me that you¡¯d being back.¡±

    <em>If Rodrick was right, the next thing he says should be something about his father not being dead. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he did,¡± Art said as he and Vix followed Arwin into the Devil¡¯s Den. The three of them sat down at the tavern where Kien had just been. Art leaned his cane against the table and inteced his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be pleased to know that my father still lives.¡±

    <em>God, this is creepy. How the hell did he know that Art would follow up with that?</em>

    ¡°He would,¡± Arwin confirmed, trying his best to not let the goosebumps prickling against his back show on his features. ¡°We have no desire to cause pointless death. That isn¡¯t what we stand for.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we got your message quite well.¡± Art reached into a pocket and pulled his deck of cards out. He rifled through them, pulling a cart free without looking at the cards¡¯ faces once. He flipped it around to reveal Arwin¡¯s sketch drawn upon it.

    A me licked across the top of the card. It enveloped the paper in an instant, swallowing the entire thing with a <em>whoosh</em>. The card burned away within a second, leaving nothing but a few flecks of ash to float through the air in its wake.

    Arwin¡¯s nose wrinkled at the smell of burnt paper. Rodrick hadn¡¯t told him that Art was going to go around starting fires.¡°We won¡¯t share any information about who you are,¡± Vix said. ¡°Not with anyone. It¡¯s all gone. The only people that know are me and Art, and we¡¯ll never breath a word of it. We swear.¡±

    <em>Rodrick¡¯s methods are terrifyingly effective. Thank god for them, though. If Art had gone around trying to use this as ckmail¡­ or hell, if someone had believed him, it would be over. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild can¡¯t figure out who I am. Not now ¡ª not when I¡¯m so close to being able to truly start fighting back.</em>

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arwin said simply.

    ¡°I have to ask, though.¡± Art shuffled his cards back together, then raised his gaze to meet Arwin¡¯s. ¡°Why? You¡¯re¡­ you. What could you possibly gain from hiding like this? From pretending to be a smith? The kingdom loves you. We all owe you everything. What could you possibly get from starting a new guild and participating in the Proving Grounds?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Not one that will give you a satisfactory answer, and not one that I¡¯m looking to share today.¡±

    Art examined Arwin¡¯s features for several long seconds. It was surprisingly awkward. Arwin almost said something just to break the silence, but that was almost certainly what Art was going for.

    The teen eventually inclined his head.

    ¡°I understand. We¡¯re far from allies, so I can see why you wouldn¡¯t want to share the story. Especially when you¡¯re trying to hide it. My curiosity does not enjoy being stifled, but you have already made it abundantly clear that it will have to learn. I am not here today to pry you on history.¡±

    <em>This is just about where Rodrick¡¯s guesses for what Art would do ended. He said he¡¯de back to talk, but I don¡¯t think even he expected Art would show up before the crack of dawn. I¡¯d go run and get him, but Art hasn¡¯t even said what it is he wants. </em>

    ¡°I can hazard a guess that your time is more valuable than that,¡± Arwin said with a wry smile. ¡°So what is it that you want?¡±

    ¡°Toy my cards on the table,¡± Art said. He nced down at the deck in his hands. ¡°Metaphorically speaking. I¡¯m not sharing these yet.¡±

    <em>Yet?</em>

    ¡°Go on,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°I need to win the Proving Grounds for a number of reasons,¡± Art said. ¡°But none of them are irreplicable. There are two things in particr that I must ensure. The first is a demonstration of my father¡¯s power. Our house must prove it has not gotten weak. ¡° ?§Ñ¦­??§¦?

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    ¡°Typical enough, and you¡¯re right. You don¡¯t have to win to do that. You just have to perform well enough that you make it high up in the tournament.¡±

    ¡°The second is harder,¡± Art said. ¡°I need a new heart.¡±

    Vix blinked and nced at Art in surprise, but he ignored her.

    ¡°So you mentioned during our first meeting,¡± Arwin said.

    <em>I have to say, it¡¯s a bit odd that I¡¯ve had 2 entirely separate peoplee in here requesting a new heart. I¡¯m a smith, not a witch selling love potions. Why does everyone think I¡¯m in the business of giving out hearts?</em>

    ¡°You said it would be difficult,¡± Art said.

    ¡°It would be. Possibly impossible. But what do you think a new heart has to do with the Proving Grounds?¡±

    ¡°The prize for victory is an answer to any question,¡± Art said simply. ¡°If anyone can point me toward a recement, it would be the Secret Eye. It is a matter of life and death.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°I see,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°I know where you¡¯reing from. But¡­ if you¡¯re asking that we stand down so you can win the tournament, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t ept, no matter what you offer. Our own team has a question they need answered that is of a simr level of importance.¡±

    ¡°I had guessed as much. There would be little other reason for someone such as you to enter the tournament,¡± Art said. He leaned forward and braced his arms against the table. ¡°I am not arrogant enough to ask you to quit the tournament. I am here to ask for help.¡±

    Arwin blinked. ¡°Help? To win the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯repeting against each other,¡± Arwin pointed out. ¡°Why would I help you?¡±

    ¡°Because you are <em>you</em>. I will never share that information with someone else, but for this one circumstance, I will abuse it without regard for self-respect or honor. The Hero would never abandon someone to die.¡±

    ¡°Art,¡± Vix hissed. ¡°You said we wereing to ask for another member for our team! This isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°My sister is dying,¡± Art said tly. ¡°Her heart is diseased. A rot from birth that my own leg was afflicted with. Our father bankrupted our family in search of a cure. He found nothing. The Secret Eye are our final chance, but we cannot defeat your team as we are.¡±

    Vix looked absolutely stricken.

    ¡°This is wrong,¡± Vix said. ¡°Art, you can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can,¡± Art said, driving a fist down onto the table. ¡°I can and I will. I will not ept a victory thates at the cost of your life, Vix.¡±

    ¡°You are sacrificing your honor,¡± Vix snapped. She pushed back from the table. ¡°We promised to not use his identity against him. My life is not worth the name of our family.¡±

    ¡°The name of our family does not matter if there is nobody left to carry it on,¡± Art snarled. ¡°Sit down, Vix. You promised to follow my orders for this mission. This is an order.¡±

    Vix¡¯s hands clenched at her sides.

    ¡°Art is right. Sit down,¡± Arwin said. Vix nced at him in surprise. Then she slowly lowered herself back into the chair.

    <em>I honestly respect the determination. If I were in Art¡¯s position and Vix was any member of the Menagerie, I¡¯d do the exact same thing. He¡¯s not threatening to reveal my identity to people. He¡¯s just trying to use what he believes to be my nature against me.</em>

    <em>Unfortunately, he¡¯s right. </em>

    It was several seconds before Arwin spoke again.

    ¡°If you¡¯re asking me for a way to fix Vix¡¯s heart, I¡¯m unsure if it¡¯s possible. I¡¯ve never tried something like that before. The chances of failure are astronomically high.¡±

    ¡°What if we were to withdraw from the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Art!¡± Vix eximed.

    ¡°It is not a matter of wanting to win,¡± Arwin said with a shake of his head. ¡°If I could fix Vix right now, then I would. I would not leave someone to die because we are opponents in a tournament. If she were going to die tomorrow, then I would try to fix her now. But it seems her death is not that pressing.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Vix said. ¡°I have time.¡±

    ¡°But not enough,¡± Art said. ¡°If you cannot fix her before the tournament, then we must attempt to win. It is our only choice.¡±

    ¡°I have noints with that. We are more than happy to face you on the battlefield,¡± Arwin said. A small frown pulled at his lips. As Art and Vix were, he couldn¡¯t see any way that they would win the tournament.

    Even if they were both immensely talented warriors ¡ª which Art most certainly was not ¡ª there were only two of them.

    <em>They¡¯re also clearly looking for another member. Someone new isn¡¯t going to be able to mesh that well with a team that hasn¡¯t trained with them. These two are in a pretty shit spot. </em>

    <em>Hm.</em>

    ¡°You know,¡± Arwin said, drawing the word out. ¡°I¡¯m unsure of my ability to fix Vix now, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll stay that way. I¡¯m constantly working to improve. There is a decent chance I¡¯ll be able to do something in the near future.¡±

    ¡°How soon?¡± Art asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It could be days or weeks, or it could be never. I don¡¯t want to give you false hope,¡± Arwin said. ¡°But¡­ feel free to correct me if I¡¯m wrong here, but I don¡¯t think you pose a very good chance of performing well in the Proving Grounds right now.¡±

    ¡°We will perform as best as we can,¡± Art said with a one-shouldered shrug. He grabbed his cane and pulled himself to his feet. ¡°If you can work on something to help Vix, that is all I can ask. We will attempt the tournament to secure our house¡¯s standing. I know we will not win, but we will do our best.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, there,¡± Arwin said, raising a hand to keep Art from leaving. ¡°I¡¯m not done.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t?¡± Art tilted his head to the side. ¡°Ah. You seek some manner of reward should you be sessful in healing Vix?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Arwin said. A small smile pulled at his lips. ¡°I was just thinking that, even if we¡¯repeting against each other in the tournament, some of our interests may still align. I think I can help you.¡±

    Art blinked. ¡°You can? With what?¡±

    ¡°An introduction,¡± Arwin replied. He rose to his feet. ¡°There¡¯s a man in our basement in need of a team that I think you should meet.¡±

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 341: Aim

    Arwin hadn¡¯t actually been to the basement yet. Lillia had told him that she¡¯d ced her garden below the Devil¡¯s Den, but the mental image he¡¯d made had turned out to bepletely and utterly wrong.

    It wasn¡¯t really his fault. When someone said they had a garden in the basement, it was only natural to picture a dingy little box with some half-dead nts in desperate need of sunlight. Arwin had been a bit more optimistic.

    He had full faith in Lillia¡¯s abilities, so he was expecting to find some glowing moss and mushroom-adjacent herbage. She¡¯d told him she¡¯d nted the Ashleaf Tree¡¯s seed as well, which he¡¯d been picturing as a small sprout that had just barely pushed a foot above the ground.

    Instead, when he got to the basement with Art and Vix in tow, he found a short, ck-trunked tree with glistening crimson red leaves. A trill of warning raced down Arwin¡¯s back as soon as they stepped into the room.

    The tree was already six feet tall. It loomed over the bunches of multicolored herbs in the garden around it, its razor-sharp leaves primed to carve through flesh.

    Arwin¡¯s hand was halfway to calling his hammer from within [Arsenal] before he reminded himself that this wasn¡¯t the same monster that the Menagerie had fought in a dungeon.

    It helped that Lillia and Kien were just a few paces away from it. An imp stood beside them, apparently having brought a chair in from the tavern above for Kien to sit on. The two of them nced in the direction of the stairs.

    Lillia didn¡¯t look even slightly surprised about the fact that Art and Vix were back. That wasn¡¯t much of a surprise. She knew everything about who came and left the tavern. Arwin wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if she also knew exactly how their conversation had gone.

    ¡°I was under the impression that I was to be avoiding extra attention,¡± Kien said. He hunched forward in his chair, his ragged hair hanging around his face and casting it into shadow to conceal it from view. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±¡°I was just thinking about our earlier discussion,¡± Arwin said. He nodded back to Art. ¡°And I think the three of you may have something inmon. Lillia, I don¡¯t know if you picked up our conversation¡ª¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    <em>Figured.</em>

    ¡°Great,¡± Arwin said. ¡°What do you think? I imagine you already know what I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    Lillia nodded. She looked from Kien to Art and Vix. ¡°It seems perfectly viable to me. No reason it wouldn¡¯t work. I honestly don¡¯t know how much this improves their chances, but if they¡¯re adaptable¡­¡±

    ¡°I find it remarkably displeasing to be kept in the dark. Would you care to enlighten us?¡± Art asked. He squinted at Kien, leaning heavily on his staff. Arwin could have sworn that the boy hadn¡¯t needed it nearly as badly on the way down the stairs.

    <em>Is he intentionally making himself look weaker in case Kien is a threat? Interesting. I wonder if he¡¯s actually able to fight or if he¡¯s purely focused on information gathering. </em>

    ¡°You need an extra member if you want to make it very far in the Proving Grounds,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Arwin might not be able to fix the main issue you were hoping he¡¯d take care of quite yet, but this will give you a chance to aim for your goals.¡±

    ¡°You are suggesting we add this man to our group?¡± Vix said with a small frown. ¡°Is he a member of the Menagerie?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said.

    ¡°Then why?¡± Art tilted his head to the side. His deck made an appearance from his pocket and he rifled through it before pulling a card free. Arwin couldn¡¯t read its face, but Art read over it before frowning. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any magical strength. This isn¡¯t even an adventurer.¡±

    <em>Is that deck somehow magically reading people¡¯s abilities? That seems ridiculously strong. I¡¯d love to know how it works and what level of information it can give¡­ but it also seems a bit inconsistent. Unless Art is hiding it, he doesn¡¯t seem to recognize who Kien used to be. He was able to tell who I was, though. I wonder why. </em>

    ¡°I have a simr question,¡± Kien said. He tapped a finger on his knee. ¡°Why would I want to ally with children?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not children,¡± Vix said, her voice growing taut.

    ¡°Because you both want to win the tournament, and you¡¯re both in need of a team. None of you have a chance of making it where you want to be as you are now. It¡¯s up to you lot if you want to work together or not. I¡¯m just trying to help.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°Why?¡± Art asked. ¡°What do you get out of giving us a teammate? If this man isn¡¯t actually as weak as he appears to be, then you¡¯re just making the tournament even harder for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t need to have others at a disadvantage to win. Our team will not allow themselves to lose ¡ª and I don¡¯t see any reason to not help all of us get what we want. I can assure you that Kien is capable, and he will be even more so within a few days.¡±

    ¡°And what of them?¡± Kien asked. ¡°You know what I must do. You give me children for a task like this? Do they know what I seek?¡±

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    ¡°No. I don¡¯t go around spilling others¡¯ secrets. If you want to work together, that¡¯s for the three of you to share. I¡¯m just performing an introduction and vouching for your abilities.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen him fight?¡± Art asked, tilting his head to the side. He looked from Arwin to the card he¡¯d drawn, then up to Kien. Art¡¯s brow furrowed and he shook the card as if it had wet ink on it. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s odd. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My identity is unimportant,¡± Kien said. ¡°What reason do you have to enter this tournament, and what skill do you bring to the table?¡±

    ¡°Your name is Kien. Just Kien. Nost name. How odd,¡± Art said. His brow furrowed. ¡°And I was wrong. You <em>are </em>an Adventurer. Or¡­ at least, you were. I think. Why is the Mesh so muddy around you? Is it some form of advanced concealment ability? I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±

    ¡°You recognize me?¡± Kien asked, his back stiffening.

    ¡°No,¡± Art said. He turned the card around and flicked it to Kien, who caught it from the air. ¡°Kien isn¡¯t an umon name.¡±

    The man examined the card. His eyebrows twitched. ¡°You made this? Is there more? Can you see anything else?¡±

    Art¡¯s lips twitched up in the faintest smile. ¡°What do you bring to the table? I¡¯m not sharing the extent of my abilities with someone that¡¯s going to be in the Proving Grounds if they aren¡¯t on my team.¡±

    Kien let out a dryugh. ¡°Fair y. I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t much I can brag about. I am nothing but a shell. Arwin is¡­ arranging to fix that.¡±

    ¡°Can you fight?¡± Vix asked. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters. How skilled are you atbat?¡±

    ¡°Skill is such a rtive term,¡± Kien said. ¡°I have held my own.¡±

    ¡°Then show us.¡± Vix blurred, slipping through a shadow. Arwin momentarily lost track of the girl as she vanished from view, using the darkness of the basement as cover. A sh of silver glinted as a dagger carved down for Kien¡¯s chest.

    The man twisted to the side, letting the weapon pass by him harmlessly. His hand snapped out, striking Vix in the chest and knocking her from the darkness she hid in.

    She rolled with the blow and vanished. A ripple of darkness marked her return behind Kien. A second dagger appeared in Vix¡¯s other hand and she brought both of them streaking down for Kien¡¯s back.

    Kien vaulted back, dodging the blow and passing clean over the chair he¡¯d been sitting in. He used Vix¡¯s head as a springboard tounch himself even higher into the air andnded behind her, a foot snapping out in a kick.

    Vix vanished an instant before it could connect. She reappeared at his side, a de streaking for his side.

    Kien crossed his hands, catching her arm. Vix flicked her hand, flinging the dagger at his shoulder.

    He shoved her back with one hand and the other darted out, grabbing the dagger from the air, bringing it up just in time to block another one of Vix¡¯s strikes. They remained locked in ce for a second, matched in strength.

    ¡°This is not an apt test of skill,¡± Kien said. ¡°True is strength is shown in a battle where life is at the line, not in sport.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to test your abilities,¡± Vix said, stepping back and letting her dagger lower. She looked to Art. ¡°Well?¡±

    The boy rifled through his deck of cards. They danced through his hands in an oddly satisfying dance before he pulled one free and read over it. His features were impossible to read as he returned the card to his hand. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. You¡¯re a good omen.¡±

    ¡°A good omen?¡± Kien let out a raspyugh. ¡°There¡¯s something new. Haven¡¯t heard that one before. And what makes you think that?¡±

    ¡°Just a suspicion,¡± Art said. He returned the deck of cards to his side. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I was just fishing for information. If Arwin is sponsoring you, then that¡¯s enough of a reason for me to want you on my team. Are you aware that we will bepeting with him?¡±

    ¡°I do not have any desire to win the Proving Grounds.¡± Kien turned his gaze to Arwin. ¡°They are trustworthy?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said honestly. ¡°Not yet. But we have an alliance. I don¡¯t think our goals are opposed¡­ and Art is the pragmatic sort.¡±

    Kien nodded. ¡°That¡¯s enough for me. I am only attending the Proving Grounds to kill a man. If I can aplish that, I do not care who wins.¡±

    ¡°Not the best pitch for yourself. Sounds like you aren¡¯t even going to help us that much,¡± Vix said. ¡°We are looking to win.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Kien asked. ¡°What purpose does it serve?¡±

    ¡°We need a question answered,¡± Art said.

    ¡°And a heart fixed,¡± Arwin said dryly.

    Kien¡¯s head tilted. Then a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. ¡°Another one? They were rejected, then. That¡¯s why they need to win the tournament?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Art said, his eyes lighting up in realization. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s odd about you. You came to Arwin to get your magic repaired? Then an injury or some manner of curse is what is obscuring your powers. I didn¡¯t even realize that was possible.¡±

    ¡°Nor did I,¡± Kien said. ¡°But it seems there is much in the world that we did not understand. Arwin ¡ª you realize that, if I am to partner with this team, I will be actively working to defeat your team?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be wearing my gear,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°I win no matter what. We want to win ¡ª but I have faith in our team. I already said I¡¯m fine with you working together. In the end, it¡¯s a tournament. That doesn¡¯t mean we have to be enemies. There¡¯s a lot that I think our groups can gain from each other.¡±

    Vix nced to Art, who nodded his approval.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure why yet, but we want him on our team,¡± Art said. ¡°It seems he will be instrumental¡­ but he¡¯s not ready yet. We need to wait for something. I am just unsure as to what it is. Everything about him is clouded.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re correct about that,¡± Arwin said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°And he¡¯s not the only one that¡¯s unprepared. Lillia, how is their gear?¡±

    ¡°Bad,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Basic or nonexistent.¡±

    ¡°And you really think you¡¯re getting anywhere in the tournament?¡± Arwin asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°Your skills aren¡¯t that high ¡ª unless you¡¯re hiding a lot more than you seem to be.¡±

    ¡°It was a problem to deal with at ater moment,¡± Art said. ¡°Vix is very talented.¡±

    Vix shifted ufortably at the praise. ¡°Our family is not wealthy, Arwin. Not anymore. I¡¯m sure Rodrick told you as much. We will make do with what we have.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t really have that.¡± Arwin locked eyes with Kien. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more to this tournament than you may believe, Art. I¡¯m not helping you out from the kindness of my heart. Kien¡¯s goals align heavily with my own, so I need to make sure you make it far enough to aplish them.¡±

    Art blinked. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ going to craft equipment for all of us?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately not. That would be a bit much. I¡¯ve already got a lot on my te. Kien is the only one getting a custom weapon from me ¡ª but I happen to be in possession of some connections that should suite our burgeoning partnership perfectly.¡± A smile pulled across Arwin¡¯s lips and he looked over his shoulder. ¡°I think Monica should be awake quite soon. Her husband happens to be in control of a merchant guild. A guild that wants an opportunity to start building its name in Milten¡­ and I get the sneaking suspicion the Montibeau family might be willing to lend you their funding as well. They happen to owe me a bit of a favor. If we¡¯re going to do this, then we¡¯re doing it right. We going to aim for first <em>and </em>second ce in this tournament.¡±

 Chapter 342: Used to it

    Kien, Art, and Vix didn¡¯t have to wait long for the introductions that Arwin promised them. The inn started to wake just a few minutes after their conversation had finished.

    Lillia informed them that people were already heading down from their rooms and entering themon room. She, as such, had already started on breakfast ¡ª even though she hadn¡¯t budged a foot from where she stood in the basement.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent for Monica,¡± Lillia said absently. ¡°Rodrick too.¡±

    ¡°Why Rodrick?¡± Art asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Because he¡¯s an expert on this plotty-schemey shit,¡± Lillia replied without missing a beat. One of her hands twitched and her head tilted to the side. Her lips pursed in concentration for a moment before she continued as if nothing had happened. ¡°And if you¡¯re nning to ally with us, then you better ept him.¡±

    ¡°It is not that I do not ept Rodrick,¡± Art said. ¡°I respect him.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°The problem is that I respect him.¡±

    Arwin hid a smile. It looked like Art wasn¡¯t much a fan of getting outmaneuvered. He supposed that he wouldn¡¯t have been either, had he stood in the boy¡¯s shoes. It was a toughparison. Unfortunately for Art, Rodrick had quite a bit of experience ¡ª and an entire library of magical, forbidden knowledge ¡ª up on him.¡°Then you should use this opportunity to learn,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Holding grudges will get you nowhere. If someone¡¯s better than you at something, you shouldn¡¯t endeavor to avoid them¡­ unless you have something to hide.¡±

    ¡°I do not have any ns of betraying <em>you</em>.¡±

    ¡°Does me include the Menagerie?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your guild,¡± Art said. ¡°And as long as that remains true, I would not seek to directly go against you. It would be the act of an unfathomable fool. Even before, I only nned to maneuver around you. If we were enemies, I would lose.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°High praise from one as arrogant as you,¡± Kien observed. He studied Art¡¯s face for several moments, peering at him from beneath his ragged hair. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I will not answer that question,¡± Art said. ¡°Even if we are on the same team. It was an order given to me by the very same person that brought us together.¡±

    Kien¡¯s gaze shifted to Arwin. ¡°Interesting. Something tells me that your goals and the boy¡¯s goals for the long run do not align.¡±

    <em>God, I hate all this lying bullshit. It¡¯s so hard to keep track of who knows what and who¡¯s on who¡¯s side. I trust Kien. We have amon enemy. He has more reason than anyone else to throw in with us. </em>

    <em>Art¡­ I¡¯ll leave that to Rodrick. The kid is on our side for the moment. He¡¯s a bit too squirrely for me to trust him any more than that, but it seems he has no ns of revealing who I am anymore. </em>

    <em>That, at least, is all I really need. </em>

    <em>I think.</em>

    <em></em>¡°Well, well. Art. Look who it is. I can¡¯t believe you showed up in the morning!¡± Rodrick¡¯s voice rang through the basement. They all turned as he stepped into the darkness, arms crossed in front of his chest and a frown on his features. ¡°We specified dinner! I had a whole n ready for it. Did you think it was a trap or something?¡±

    ¡°Rodrick,¡± Art greeted, his features growing guarded. ¡°No. I knew it wasn¡¯t a trap. That wouldn¡¯t have made any sense. I was nning oning for dinner. I just got waid in preparations. By the time I was done, it was morning.¡±

    Rodrick let out a grunt. ¡°The one thing I forgot to ount for. Teenage distractions.¡±

    ¡°I was not distracted. I was preparing.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Rodrick said. He looked to Kien and scratched at his chin. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°I am Kien.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re more than that, I¡¯d say,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°The way you carry yourself¡­ you¡¯re a warrior. No sword, though. You have a simr look to Arwin. You¡¯re their final teammate, then?¡±

    ¡°Showoff,¡± Art muttered as he scrunched his nose up. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to tell. I could have figured the same thing out if I were in your shoes.¡±

    A flicker of a smile pulled at Vix¡¯s lips. She averted her gaze to make sure Art didn¡¯t notice it.

    Arwin fought to hold back augh.

    <em>He¡¯s jealous. Or embarrassed that he¡¯s getting shown up a bit. Better now thanter, Art. It builds humility¡­ and I wish I¡¯d gotten the wakeup call that I was nowhere near the strongest a long time ago. If I¡¯d known, then maybe I¡¯d have looked more closely at the actions of people around me.</em>

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    <em>Maybe I would have figured out what was going on in the guild before my friends all paid the price for it. </em>

    Before anyone could say anything else, another set of steps echoed through the dark basement. A towering form ducked into it, practically bursting out of her maid uniform as she approached the group gathered around the Ashleaf Tree.

    Kien¡¯s eyes went wide and he jerked to his feet. ¡°Orc!¡±

    ¡°In a maid outfit,¡± Art said tly, his eyes not even leaving Rodrick. ¡°It¡¯s a costume. Obviously. Do you actually think a real orc would be strolling around in a pretty ck and white dress?¡±

    <em>It¡¯s interesting. Art is talented enough at gathering information that Rodrick was worried about him, but he¡¯s clearly still a kid. A sheltered one. Making such irond decisions is a dangerous game. Gets you locked into a worldview so tightly that you¡¯ll disbelieve what your own eyes tell you. </em>

    ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you, honey,¡± Monica said, giving Art a wide grin. ¡°I quite like the uniform myself. Never thought I¡¯d go around wearing one of these, but as it turns out, it makes bashing the brains out of idiots a whole lot more fun. I¡¯m sure d I don¡¯t have to wash the blood off it, though. That would be a hassle.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what the imps are for,¡± Lillia said. ¡°I¡¯d like you all to meet Monica. Our bouncer.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Monica said.

    Kien squinted at her. Then his eyes drifted to Lillia. Suspicion etched itself into his features. He was not nearly as easily convinced as Art was. ¡°Would you be offended if I requested to touch your makeup?¡±

    ¡°I would not be offended, but I would have to refuse the request,¡± Lillia said with a sly smile. ¡°That¡¯s a privilege reserved for my partner, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a husband,¡± Monica said, raising her hands. ¡°No touching the fangs. You can give me a handshake, though. Or a good sparring match. I¡¯ll go for either.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you get the fangs in there, anyway?¡± Vix asked curiously. ¡°They¡¯re so realistic! Aren¡¯t they ufortable?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve bit myself a few times,¡± Monica admitted. ¡°But you get used to them after a while.¡±

    ¡°Does your tavern require all its employees to dress up as monsters?¡± Vix asked Lillia.

    ¡°It fits the theme, don¡¯t you think?¡± Lillia asked.

    ¡°I suppose it does,¡± Vix allowed. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Monica. I¡¯m Vix. This is my brother, Art. And¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kien,¡± the former hero said tly. ¡°I am Kien.¡±

    Monica started to nod. ¡°Pleasure. I don¡¯t see anybody here in the need of a thumping, so I¡¯ll take it that you want an introduction to Raen? I¡¯d been wondering when you were going to follow up on that. Let me guess¡ª¡±

    Then she froze.

    ¡°Gut a hog and call it mother,¡± Monica breathed. She strode forward in a blur, mming to a stop a few feet away from Kien and crouching to be at head level with him. He didn¡¯t so much as budge as the two of them stared at each other. Monica let out a delightedugh. ¡°Kien? Of the Twin des?¡±

    ¡°I am just Kien. You have me mixed up.¡± The ragged man¡¯s features were indecipherable.

    ¡°No, I most certainly don¡¯t.¡± Monica shook her head firmly. ¡°I recognize you! Raen has a poster of you in our room. We¡¯re huge fans. What an honor! Where are your swords? I¡¯d love to try my hand against you! You¡¯re not on a mission right now, are you? Is there something you¡¯ve been sent to exterminate?¡±

    Kien was perfectly still for several long seconds. Arwin expected the slew of questions to annoy him even further. But, to his surprise, the faintest flicker of a smile graced the man¡¯s lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint. There is no quest, and I am not Kien of the Twin des. Not anymore. I have to admit that this is a first for me.¡±

    ¡°Twin des?¡± Art muttered under his breath. His features creased in a frown and he pulled his deck of cards out, rifling through them. He pulled one free. Then his eyes went wide and his gaze snapped back to Kien as he repeated himself, his tone of voice shifting to shock. ¡°Twin des? You¡¯re supposed to be dead!¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Monica said, her features twisting in horror. ¡°Did you retire?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Kien said softly. ¡°I just never thought that one of my fans would be a monster.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude,¡± Vix said. ¡°The tavern has a unique idea. I think it¡¯s cute.¡±

    ¡°I was not being rude,¡± Kien said. ¡°Monica¡¯s bodily proportions are not human. She handles herself too gracefully for it to be prosthetics ¡ª and she moves like a trained warrior. There is no costume. Monica is an orc.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were using that name as a pseudonym or you simply went by it to avoid using your real one,¡± Art said, staggering to his feet and leaning heavily against his crutch. ¡°You¡¯re actually Kien?¡±

    ¡°Wait. You¡¯re a hero?¡± Vix eximed. Her eyes darted from Kien to Monica. ¡°And you¡¯re a monster?¡±

    ¡°No! This is definitely a costume,¡± Monica said hurriedly, sending Arwin a panicked look.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arwin said, stepping forward before the situation could devolve any further. ¡°Monica is Monica. That¡¯s it. If you¡¯re going to be working with us, then you¡¯ll be finding that there¡¯s a whole lot more to most things than what they seem.¡±

    ¡°So I have already seen,¡± Kien said. His eyes locked on Lillia. Then they sharpened. Arwin could practically see the lines connecting in the man¡¯s head. He was intelligent ¡ª and the betrayal of the guild had shattered the basis his opinions had been built on.

    ¡°Only when what you believe to be true is shattered can you witness the world for what it is,¡± Rodrick said softly. ¡°Read that in a shitty, pompous book a while ago. Wee to the Menagerie¡¯s inner fold.¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Art muttered. His features were pale as he stared at a card in his hand, eyes darting from it to Monica and back again.

    ¡°What does it say?¡± Vix asked urgently.

    ¡°They¡¯re telling the truth,¡± Art said, his words barely above a whisper. ¡°Monica is an orc. A talking orc. In a maid costume.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you celebrate your new induction with some frivolous spending?¡± A new voice asked. They all turned as Esmerelda ambled into the room alongside Madiv. A massive bag clinked and rang with every step she took. She held a wicked-looking sword sheathed in obsidian aloft before her. ¡°Anyone want to buy a sword? Only the best prices for friends of the guild.¡±

    Art, Kien, and Vix all stared at her, their shock momentarily robbed by confusion. A second of silence passed.

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely cursed,¡± Vix said.

    ¡°No doubt about it,¡± Art said.

    ¡°Cursed,¡± Kien agreed.

    ¡°¡­only a little?¡± Esmerelda tried weakly.

    Kien squinted past her at Madiv. Then his eye twitched.

    ¡°Is that¡­ a vampire?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Madiv asked, pressing an affronted hand to his chest. ¡°Me? No. Of course not. Does a pristine sense of style make a man a vampire?¡±

    ¡°No. The blood on your cor does.¡±

    ¡°Tomato juice,¡± Madiv said. ¡°I have a fondness for spherical red fruits.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a vampire,¡± Art said tly.

    ¡°Definitely a vampire,¡± Vix muttered. She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking faint. ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°Wee to the Menagerie¡¯s inner fold,¡± Arwin said with augh. ¡°We do things a bit differently here. You¡¯ll get used to it. Probably.¡±

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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    Howdy everyone! I''m incredibly pleased to announce that Forge book 2 is finally out on both amazon & audible! It''s been a long waying and I''m actually so thrilled with how the cover turned out, it''s one of the coolest ones I think I''ve ever had made. The artist did an incredible job with it.

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 Chapter 343: Behold

    ¡°Is half of your guild made up of monsters?¡± Art asked, his eyes darting around the room. He held a hand over his deck of cards, his fingers twitching as if they couldn¡¯t decide whether he even wanted to try drawing a card or not.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said.

    <em>It¡¯s probably a little closer to a quarter. </em>

    ¡°Is this some sort of joke, then?¡± Vix asked. She swallowed heavily. Her eyes flicked to Lillia and her features paled as realization gripped her. ¡°That isn¡¯t make-up, is it? It¡¯s your real skin tone. Your imps¡­ the whole damn tavern ¡ª the Devil¡¯s Den. Are you making fun of people?¡±

    ¡°Making fun?¡± Lillia¡¯s lips creased into a frown. ¡°That¡¯s just rude. I do my absolute best to make the best food I can make for everybody that dines at my establishment. The Devil¡¯s Den is far from perfect, but the only thing I¡¯ve ever sought to do since setting it up is make people¡¯s lives just a little bit better.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re all monsters!¡± Vix eximed. ¡°You made it seem like the tavern was a monster <em>themed </em>building, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°It <em>is </em>monster themed,¡± Monica said, a slight smile pulling across her wide features. ¡°Rub those brains of yours together,ss. You aren¡¯t stupid. I see it in your eyes. When did we ever say that the members of the Devil¡¯s Den weren¡¯t real monsters? Lillia has never addressed it. Sure, she¡¯s said she wears makeup every once and a while¡ª¡±

    ¡°Which I do,¡± Lillia added. ¡°On asion.¡±

    ¡°Well, of course. Nothing wrong with that, is there?¡± Monica arched an eyebrow at Vix. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of,ss. It¡¯s a surprisingly effective way to go about things. I was even more surprised than you when I first got offered the job. But as it turns out, people just think what they want to. If we don¡¯t talk about who we actually are, then they just assume we¡¯re in costume¡­ and they love it.¡±¡°The Devil¡¯s Den has be the most popr tavern in Milten,¡± Madiv provided. He made no effort to hide the smug satisfaction in his features. ¡°I have been observing. This city loves us. Nobody who has not been deserving of it has evere to harm. So what care do you have if we are not of the same make as you are?¡±

    Vix stared at them. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re monsters.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to hold that one against you because you are small and your brain is still growing,¡± Monica said. The orc yawned, showing off her jagged teeth, then wiped her nose with the back of a hand. ¡°We are what we are. That is all. You had no issue with anything until you found out that we weren¡¯t human. Why? Our actions have not changed.¡±

    Art raised a hand before Vix could respond. She nced at him and held her words, confusion and unease warring in her features.

    ¡°I did not realize that monsters were this intelligent,¡± Art said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°I am¡­ lost. Deeply so. How is this possible? I may not be an avid adventurer, but I have seen battles. I have been in dungeons. The monsters there possessed nowhere near the mental capabilities to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not all of us are the same,¡± Lillia said with a small shake of her head. ¡°You¡¯ve ssed everything that isn¡¯t a human as a monster. There is as much difference between a mindless monster and Monica there is between that same monster and you.¡±

    Art¡¯s brow furrowed as his confusion deepened. Strangely enough, he seemed much more confused about the semantics of the differences between types of monsters than he was about being surrounded by what should have been enemies.

    Kien seemed to be taking the news the best of them all. While Art looked baffled and Vix was somewhere between stunned and scared, he just sat in silent observation. Arwin couldn¡¯t have said he waspletely surprised ¡ª though he was certainly impressed.

    A betrayal on the scale of what the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had done was enough to shake anyone¡¯s worldview. Kien had probably already been wondering about everything he¡¯d spent his life doing.

    Monsters not being what he thought they were was probably a surprise, butpared to what he¡¯d already gone through, Arwin knew exactly how the man was feeling. This was a small revtion in the face of the full truth.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    <em>Though I have to say¡­ I didn¡¯t take to it nearly this easily. Perhaps I had a little more personal stake in the game since the first monster that told me I had the wrong idea was also the one that was meant to be my greatest enemy. </em>

    ¡°This does not make sense,¡± Art said, breaking the silence that had bubbled up. He waved at the dark cer around them. ¡°Are you trying to im that monsters arepletely equivalent to humans in even desire? That they have goals such as¡­ this? Making a tavern and serving food? You have no ulterior motives?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has ulterior motives,¡± Lillia said with a shrug. ¡°But many of the ones you call monster have no greater desires than those of a <em>normal</em> human.¡±

    ¡°Then why are <em>you </em>of all people okay with this?¡± Vix asked as she stared at Arwin. ¡°I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Art finished, his features knitted together in concentration. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand. If monsters as equal to humans as you im, then we should have seen proof of this. Are monsters like Lillia meant to be¡­ evolved? A new form of normal monster?¡±

    ¡°No. We are separate,¡± Lillia said. ¡°It is possible for the monsters you¡¯re calling normal to evolve sentience, but they¡¯re separate.¡±

    ¡°Then the Horde? If they¡¯re as you im and are equivalent to humans, then why would we be in this war? Why are there no reports of monsters like you? And why would the Hero¡­¡± Art trailed off. His gaze moved to Arwin, then to Lillia. Then his eyes went wide and the blood drained from his face. ¡°Oh, <em>shit</em>.¡±

    ¡°So <em>that¡¯s</em> it,¡± Kien breathed, his eyes going wide. He rose from his seat. ¡°The Mesh has guided me to this spot. It heard my prayers. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I have made the right choice throwing in with you. Who better to bring down the guild than <em>you</em>?¡±

    <em>And there goes our cover. Suppose that was probably an inevitability when working with someone that even Rodrick felt was a threat, but it seems Kien has figured it out as well. At least its all happening in a controlled environment.</em>

    ¡°What is it?¡± Vix asked urgently. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Something? More like everything,¡± Art said. He grabbed his walking stick and jabbed it under his arm as he heaved himself to his feet. His pulled his gaze away from Lillia and stared at Arwin. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Right under our noses. That¡¯s why you vanished?¡±

    <em>He thinks I abandoned the fight because I fell in love with the demon queen while we were fighting? That would have been cute¡­ but not quite.</em>

    ¡°No,¡± Arwin said. ¡°That cameter.¡±

    ¡°<em>What </em>cameter?¡± Vix¡¯s features scrunched in irritation. ¡°You said you¡¯d stop doing this to me, Art. Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it is when everyone around you is talking about something as if it¡¯s obvious when you have no idea what¡¯s going on? I feel like an idiot!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not an idiot,¡± Art said. ¡°Your talents just lie inbat. I am unsure as to how much of this I can reveal in publicpany. It is¡­ sensitive. Beyond sensitive. The Guild would kill every single one of us if they knew what was going on.¡±

    ¡°Then it sounds like we stand for a good cause,¡± Kien said grimly. ¡°Anything that angers the Guild is probably just and true.¡±

    Art sent Kien a surprised look. ¡°I take it you¡¯re no longer on good terms with them?¡±

    ¡°Had I the power to tear every Guild building in the Kingdom of Lian down with my bare hands, it would have already been done. They took my brother from me. If not for them, then perhaps he could have been saved. I will not rest until the guild smolders.¡±

    ¡°Probably not on the best terms,¡± Vix concluded.

    ¡°Good,¡± Rodrick said. ¡°The Guild is not what you believe them to be. You¡¯ll learn that soon enough, especially once you know the extent of what they¡¯ve done. It¡¯s not something we¡¯re typically eager to share much of, but circumstances are changing. We are no longer as weak as we once were.¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you referring to?¡± Monica asked with a small frown. ¡°I¡¯m no fan of the Guild, but I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m missing information.¡±

    <em>Huh. I guess it makes sense Monica wouldn¡¯t know the Guild is orchestrating the entire war between us and the Monster Horde. She probably just thinks they hate monsters like every other adventurer. No reason to keep it secret from her, though. Her and everyone else in this room¡­ at this point, we¡¯re in this together. </em>

    ¡°Does it have something to do with this realization that nobody will tell me?¡± Vix asked, more than a little annoyance in her tone. She prodded Art in the side. ¡°The one which I¡¯m certain I will be enlightened of soon?¡±

    Art sent a look to Lillia. She and Arwin exchanged a small nod.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Just know there¡¯s no going back from this. You probably aren¡¯t going to like what you hear.¡±

    ¡°Information is a tool. The onlyfort that ignorance brings is that of an ignorant fool. I would rather know the truth and be able to make my own conclusions from there ¡ª and I am not the most patient woman.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Lillia,¡± Art said.

    ¡°What, she¡¯s a demon? I already gathered that much. All the monsters in the Devil¡¯s Den are actual monsters,¡± Vix said. Her brow furrowed. ¡°Why is that a big deal? I mean, I¡¯m not dense. I got that they¡¯re just people. That doesn¡¯t seem worth getting caught up over.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not just a demon,¡± Kien said with a dryugh. His eyes glistened in the dim light. ¡°Before you, d like a barmaid, stands humanity¡¯s greatest enemy. Behold, the Queen of Demonkind.¡±

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 344: Time

    Even though Arwin had known that there would be a time where Lillia¡¯s identity would have toe out, his stomach still tightened into a knot. This was about as controlled of an environment as they were ever going to get ¡ª but that did nothing to change who they were. Who <em>she </em>was.

    Even the most ignorant adventurer knew of the Demon Queen. It was their greatest order to put a stop to her. There was no greater foe. The Guild had managed to twist the truth so utterly thoroughly that it was impossible to tell if someone would instantly lunge in attempt to strike down their supposed foe.

    Even though Arwin knew that, logically, nobody in this room had a chance of posing Lillia a threat, he still couldn¡¯t stop the worry from welling within him. Even if they were in her domain, it would hurt her in ways more than physical if anybody just turned on her purely because they learned of her identity.

    But Vix didn¡¯t move. Her eyes widened as she stared at Lillia for a long second. She processed the information that Kien and Art had revealed.

    Across from her, Monica did the same. Human and monster alike stared in disbelief at the Demon Queen.

    It was the orc who broke the silence.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be stuck like a pig,¡± Monica breathed. ¡°I knew you were a demon, but you¡¯re the gods damned <em>Queen</em>?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Vix muttered. She looked from Lillia to Arwin, then lifted a hand to cover her mouth. ¡°Godspit. There¡¯s no way. You couldn¡¯t make this up. Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Dead,¡± Arwin said.¡°I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m impressed, horrified, or jealous,¡± Vix said. She leaned forward. Out of every emotion that could have been present in her features, Arwin was stunned to find that it was <em>interest </em>that made itself known. She was like a giddy child that had just gotten a juicy piece of gossip. ¡°Talk about switching teams. What the fuck happened? How in the world did you even get to this point? We¡¯re on your side now, so you have to say, right?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Art said hurriedly. ¡°We are <em>not </em>on any sides, Vix. This is a business deal. A temporary alliance. We aren¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on. We both know that isn¡¯t true,¡± Vix said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Now that we know this much, are we really just going to go back to how things were when the Proving Grounds finish? If Arwin manages to find a way to fix me and we save our family name¡­ what then? Are you telling me that you, of all people, would burn a connection like this?¡±

    ¡°Well, no. But¡­¡±

    Vix arched an eyebrow.

    Art sighed. ¡°Okay. I will admit that, against my better judgement, that I am interested to see just what is going on with the Menagerie. I hate not understanding things.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Rodrick said, hiding a smirk. ¡°The more you learn, the more you¡¯re going to realize how little you really knew.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to encourage me. I am already admitting that I am interested in pursuing further partnership, so long as our resultant goals end up benefiting both of us,¡± Art said. He crossed his arms and leveled a t stare at Rodrick. ¡°And I am more than aware of what my and Vix¡¯s talents are worth.¡±

    ¡°We can bargainter,¡± Vix said. ¡°Come on. You¡¯ll tell us, right?¡±

    ¡°Tell us what?¡± Monica asked. She looked from Vix to Arwin. ¡°This is a moremon tale than you¡¯d think. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just like how I met Raen, my husband.¡±

    ¡°How <em>did </em>an orc meet a human?¡± Vix asked, momentarily distracted from her prior line of questioning.

    ¡°I happened upon his tent at night while I was out hunting. I thought there was some delicious smelling food in there, so I took a peek. Turned out it was just Raen.¡± Monica¡¯s cheeks reddened as her memories drifted. ¡°It was love at first sight. We¡¯ve been together ever since. Just because I¡¯m a monster doesn¡¯t mean we had to meet in some horrible way. You don¡¯t have to assume that they had some crazy story just because Lillia is a monster. People just fall in love sometimes, you know.¡±

    Arwin coughed into a fist.

    Vix did not miss it. Her gaze sharpened. ¡°Come on. Please?¡±

    ¡°It is a long story,¡± Arwin said, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement. ¡°And not a particrly happy one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy,¡± Monica said. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together, right?¡±

    ¡°I will not breathe a word of what I hear. The Guild would hate unions between monsters and humans,¡± Kien said with a shrug. ¡°Thus, I support it with the entirety of my being.¡±

    ¡°Kien, you have a second shot at life. Don¡¯t waste it on hatred,¡± Arwin said. ¡°Righting past wrongs is important, but don¡¯t burn who you are now to do it.¡±

    ¡°Just get out with it,¡± Vix insisted. ¡°Please? We won¡¯t tell a soul.¡±

    Arwin let out a sigh. Everyone in the room already had the majority of the truth. And, if he was honest, he already knew that they needed allies if they were going to bring down the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    The most important information was already out. There was no reason for him to conceal the rest of the story. If anything, giving the others the full picture would let them understand just how serious the situation really was.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    ¡°Lillia and I knew each other for a long time before we ever got¡­ involved,¡± Arwin said slowly. ¡°We were not the best of friends.¡±

    ¡°Oh, enemies to lovers. I love it when bards tell these stories. Did she raid your town?¡± Monica asked, her eyes lighting up in delight. Then she paused. A frown crossed her lips. ¡°Wait. You knew the Demon Queen? Before you shacked up?¡±

    ¡°He more than knew me,¡± Lillia said. She sent a yful look at Arwin. ¡°A few weeks before we started dating, he ran me through the chest with his sword.¡±

    ¡°In my defense, she did the same thing to me.¡±

    ¡°Ran you through? What adventurer could possibly be strong enough to¡­¡± Monica trailed off. She was silent for a single beat of the heart as her eyes went wide. ¡°Oh. <em>Oh</em>. Godspit. You¡¯re a fucking hero. Holy shit. Not just a hero. <em>The </em>Hero.¡±

    ¡°I was,¡± Arwin corrected. ¡°Now, I am Arwin. Or Ifrit. Depends how close we are. I¡¯m just a smith.¡±

    Kien¡¯s smile evaporated as he stared at Arwin, shock crossing his features. He took a step backward and the wall met him. ¡°You¡¯re the Hero that died fighting the Demon Queen?¡±

    ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t make that connection already?¡± Art asked. ¡°I thought you¡¯d figured it out.¡±

    ¡°I figured out Lillia was the Demon Queen!¡± Kien eximed. He thrust a finger at Arwin. ¡°How could I have guessed that you were the greatest warrior in the entire kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Hardly. There were a lot of lies around the war,¡± Arwin said grimly. ¡°But I suppose now is the best time to bring everyone here up to speed with the full truth, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d just like to make it abundantly clear that I am not looking for a fight with the Menagerie,¡± Vix said. She gave him a salute. ¡°Looking forward to working with you, Hero.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Arwin said, a sharp edge entering his voice. ¡°That title is not thepliment you think it is.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Kien said grimly. ¡°Heroes are nothing but disposable trash.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Vix said. ¡°I¡¯ll remain silent until I¡¯ve got the full story. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything you could say that could possibly surprise us at this point.¡±

    ¡°Then the story would start about fifteen years ago,¡± Arwin said, heaving a long sigh. ¡°When I was kidnapped from my home on another world and summoned to this one by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Vix said meekly. ¡°I was wrong.¡±

    ***

    The story took Arwin several hours. He no longer had anything to hide, and he didn¡¯t bother concealing anything other than his direct conversations with the Mesh. For some reason, those felt a little too personal to spill with anybody but Lillia.

    He had to pause more times than he could count to answer numerous questions from Art, Vix, Monica, and Kien, but they steadily made their way through the war that had been Arwin¡¯s life and what hade after it.

    Arwin did his best to avoid lingering too much on the actual war. He gave them enough context to ensure that they all understood exactly how serious the crimes of the Guild had been, but the memories still hurt too much to recall for long.

    The story got marginally easier once he got to recent times. Arwin told them all the discoveries he and Lillia had made about the Guild and how both the Monster Horde and the Kingdom had been manipted into a war that had no purpose.

    He told them about the dwarves ¡ª many of whom knew of this truth and did nothing about it ¡ª and of the Menagerie. Of their enemies and friends, and their goal to grow strong enough to bring the Guild to its knees and end the war for good.

    The only other thing Arwin didn¡¯t go into detail about was Phoenix Circle¡¯s secrets. Those were theirs to share, and they weren¡¯t relevant to the immediate conversation.

    When he finished, the room waspletely silent. Nobody said anything for nearly a minute as everybody tried to process the magnitude of the revtion he¡¯d just dropped on their shoulders.

    Even Esmerelda didn¡¯t make any wisecrack remarks. The old woman stared at Arwin, unspeaking, from the corner of the room. The corners of her eyes were damp and her grip had tightened around the potion vial that Arwin suspected she¡¯d been about to try to sell.

    ¡°I had no idea as to the extent of things,¡± Monica whispered, finally cutting through the darkness with her words. ¡°The Menagerie have such a burden on their shoulders.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one that we have to carry,¡± Lillia said. ¡°Nobody else knows the truth, and we can¡¯t go spreading it yet. We aren¡¯t strong enough to face against the Guild. That¡¯s why we have to keep wing our way forward.¡±

    ¡°Raen will support you,¡± Monica said without a second of hesitation. ¡°I can promise that. Our funds¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bankrupt yourselves,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We will gratefully ept your support, but if it is too overt, then people will take notice. Right now, the Menagerie is building a reputation. We need that reputation. It¡¯s what will bring people to our doorstep. Step by step, we will build up trust and ready the hands to pull the rug out from the Guild itself. But if things start moving too above-ground, then the Guild will take notice. A talented upstart guild is nothing new. But multiple merchant guilds suddenly throwing their full weight behind us seemingly out of nowhere¡­ we can¡¯t afford that. Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Multiple? The Montibeau family?¡± Monica guessed.

    Arwin nodded. ¡°We interfered in a plot to kill their heiress. We¡¯ll be bringing her up to speed on the truth as well in due time¡­ but until then, everything I shared has to remain in this room. Aside from Raen. You can tell him. He¡¯s intelligent.¡±

    ¡°I am impressed you¡¯re able to restrain yourself this well,¡± Art said. ¡°If what had happened to you happened to me¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not apetition and I have a lot to lose.¡±

    ¡°Then we will not lose,¡± Kien said. His fists clenched at his sides. ¡°The extent of the Guild¡¯s corruption goes so much deeper than I thought. I will stand by you. Once the sins of my family have been dealt with, should I still draw breath, my de will turn against all in your path.¡±

    ¡°Focus on getting you ss first,¡± Arwin said with a grim smile. ¡°What we need the most right now is to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°Is that the purpose of the Proving Grounds?¡± Vix asked.

    ¡°Not directly, but it will aid our goals. It will make our name grow and draw people to us,¡± Arwin said. ¡°We are supporting Phoenix Circle in this because they need a question answered by the Secret Eye.¡±

    ¡°One that even I don¡¯t have the solution to,¡± Rodrick added.

    Art¡¯s eyebrows rose. A flicker ofpetitive spirit passed through them. ¡°Truly? What¡¯s the question?¡±

    ¡°We can discuss thatter,¡± Rodrick said with a chuckle. ¡°If you¡¯re fully on-board, I would be more than interested in seeing just what you¡¯re capable of. Maybe you can do what I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I must ask, why is it that you aren¡¯t participating in the tournament yourself?¡± Kien asked. ¡°Even if your ss is changed, you should be able to win this easily. Could you not attend under a disguise?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d much rather be working. I¡¯ve got a lot of stuff on my te,¡± Arwin said. ¡°And fortunately, I won¡¯t need to. Olive and her team are going to be a lot more capable than anyone is expecting.¡±

    ¡°Then I will look forward to facing them and honing my talents,¡± Kien said. ¡°I am eager to set out and earn a ss once more. I cannot sit around doing nothing after what I have heard.¡±

    ¡°We need to prepare,¡± Vix agreed. ¡°Who knows when¡ª¡±

    Footsteps echoed through the room, cutting her off. They all turned as Anna hurried into the basement.

    ¡°Anna?¡± Rodrick asked. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    Lillia¡¯s eyes narrowed a momentter. She¡¯d felt somebody enter the Tavern.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt,¡± Anna said grimly. ¡°But it¡¯s time. The Secret Eye are here.¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn

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