Rise of the Living Forge-Chapter 428: An Offer

“You sure this is going to work?” Wallace asked, looking up at Arwin doubtfully.

He, Arwin, and Koyu stood around the anvil within the Infernal Armory and stared down at the large heap of metal and monster parts piled between them all. The three of them had wasted no time in getting back to the smithy after the talk in the Devil’s Den.

To most people, the materials might have resembled a bunch of scraps. They might have appeared to be nothing more than rubble and random components gathered up from the back of some smithy.

It looked like that to Arwin as well, but he was certain others would probably agree.

“Of course not,” Arwin replied. “That’s the point of a prototype. It’s not exactly about being right on the first go. It’s about testing to look for flaws. You can’t get anywhere if you’re afraid to make mistakes, you know.”

“There are some mistakes that you can afford. There are some that you can’t,” Koyu said. “How are you going to use Soulmancy on so many different components? You will not be able to get a cohesive unit. And this material… it’s trash. Assorted metals of different quality. Bones. Scales. I’m no smith, but even I know that this won’t go together well.”

“He’s right,” Wallace said. “I know we don’t have much good material to work with yet, but wouldn’t it be smarter to just start with all Brightsteel or something? At least it would be easier to work with. There’s no cohesion here.” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

“That’s exactly the point,” Arwin replied. “The lack of cohesion is the goal. Every piece of metal, and that goes doubly so for the more magical ones, has desires. That means they effect the final result.”

“That’s a good thing,” Wallace said. “That desire is what you sing to. It’s what you bring out to achieve an item’s full potential.”

“It would be if I were making the final version of the armor,” Arwin agreed. He rested a hand on the anvil. “But I’m not. This is a prototype. One that’s meant to be used, tested, and tossed to the side. One that I don’t want anything fancy from. I’m testing theories, and I’d rather do that in a place where there are as few variables as possible.”

Koyu’s brows lifted slightly. “You’re intentionally weakening the result in order to see the strength of your techniques alone… and using weaker components to ensure they don’t feel like their purpose has been wasted because they lack enough sapience to comprehend what has been done?”

“Basically,” Arwin said. “It feels the most humane, doesn’t it?”

“Never heard of anyone calling smithin’ humane,” Wallace muttered. He looked from Arwin to the pile of trash on the table. Then the corners of his lips twitched. “Maybe I’ve still got some more to learn. This aught to be interesting. Lead the way then, lad. Let’s see what you’re thinking.”

Koyu nodded slowly. “I haven’t considered such aspects of smithing. But when it comes to dealing with Soulmancy, there are few things that relieve me more than the intention of being humane. I am interested to see where you are taking this.”

“Good. Then let’s get started,” Arwin said. “I have one more thing I want to get to before night is upon us, so let’s get this right on the first go.”

“Confident, are we?” Wallace asked with a chuckle. “That’s the attitude I’d expect from a smith twice your age and three times your girth.”

Both Arwin and Koyu looked to Wallace. The dwarf blinked.

“What? What is it?”

“Three times my… girth?” Arwin asked.

Wallace patted his stomach. “Older, rounder, better. That’s our motto. Real skill comes with experience… and experience tends to come with age. It’s not my fault nature decided our metabolisms don’t quite keep up with our appetites.”

Arwin snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind. But my attitude isn’t borne from any of that yet. I’ve got it because I’ve got three experts backing me up.”

“Three?” Koyu asked.

Black tendrils slithered from the walls of the Infernal Armory. Both Wallace and Koyu took a step back, watching the magic warily. The Armory’s fingers coiled across the ground and rose up behind Arwin, driving into his shoulders.

Energy sputtered to life as the building connected itself with him. Arwin drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering the churning ocean of lava housed within his soul. His fingers flexed and Caldera appeared within them. The Infernal Armory extended another tendril and drove it into the back of the weapon, adding it to their link.

“Three,” Arwin said. “Now, shall we?”

***

Night fell. The sun set and darkness fell over Milten like a cloak. It came faster than any of them had expected, arriving as if to catch the three at work by surprise. But when the night washed over the armory, it found no sound coming from within.

No song of clanging metal rang. The bubble of lava had already stopped, and the concentrated chatter had come to an end.

Their job had already been finished.

“Well?” Koyu asked. He and Wallace stared at Arwin intently. “Does it work?”

Arwin twisted back and forth. He raised his arms over his body, then let them fall again. His movements were… odd. There wasn’t a better way to describe them. Actions that should have been smooth were stiff. Some range of motion was missing. He couldn’t move his arms backward nearly as well as he would have liked… but he could move.

“Already spotting some potential improvements,” Arwin admitted as he let his hands fall back to his sides. “But I can move.”

Wallace reached up to Arwin’s collar and adjusted it to cover a thin line of metal running beneath his shirt.

“No side effects?”

“None yet,” Arwin replied. He adjusted one of the three newly made bracelets that now sat on his left wrist. “But it’s barely active. I smithed a whole extra set of armor wearing it. If there were going to be side effects from using this little power, then I would have felt them already.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Doesn’t hurt to be safe, but I agree. I think it’s stable. I don’t sense any fraying in the frame,” Koyu said. He squinted. The man’s pure blue eyes bore into Arwin — or rather, into the creation that rested just below his clothes. “There is power contained within this… skeleton. I do not know what to call it.”

“A skeleton seems accurate,” Arwin said.

“Just don’t push it too far. Don’t forget it’ll have a limited amount of energy. This is just a test,” Wallace warned. “Push it too hard and it might blow up in your face. The materials we worked with aren’t anywhere near strong enough to handle the immensity of the task they’ve been assigned. That thing is going to break. It’s not an if. It’s a when.”

Arwin nodded. “I’m aware. I won’t make it do more than what I think it can handle, and it only has to survive one day.”

“Seems like such a pity,” Wallace said sadly. “To create something destined for destruction and not even get to be present for its use.”

“Don’t be like that,” Arwin said, punching Wallace in the shoulder. “You’re acting like it’s going to blow up while I’m in the dungeon and you’ll never see it again.”

“It will,” Wallace said.

“It will,” Koyu agreed.

“Such faith. Well, fear not. I’ll take good notes.” Arwin knelt to grab an oilcloth bundle on the ground, then straightened back out and slung it over his shoulder. There was a muted thump as the pieces of armor within it clunked together. “Am I missing anything?”

“You’re wearing a third of it, and you’ve got another third of it shoved up your arse,” Wallace said. “It would be impressive if you were.”

I think Lillia might have provided us with a few too many snacks while we were working… and Wallace with too many drinks. He might need to take a break.

“I’ll see him back to the Devil’s Den,” Koyu said. “Best of luck, Arwin. The Mesh doesn’t even acknowledge that thing as a complete item yet, but I think we’re all more than aware of just what it’s meant for. Don’t underestimate it.”

“I won’t,” Arwin said. “Thank you.”

He turned and started for the door. Thane was waiting for him along with Olive and Anna. The two of them should have gone along with Melissa to meet Thane and give the boy a basic rundown of how the dungeon would go while Arwin had been finishing up with work.

“Arwin?” Koyu asked.

“Yeah?” Arwin glanced back.

“Don’t—” Koyu cut himself off, then shook his head. “Never mind. I’d wish you luck, but luck is fickle. Stay vigilant.”

“I will,” Arwin said.

Then he was off.

There was still a crowd on the street when Arwin emerged from the Infernal Armory. The night had only just begun, which meant there were still adventurers around. He didn’t give anyone time to hold him up. By the time a few people realized who he was, Arwin had already slipped through the crowd and vanished down an alleyway.

A short trip and a few minutes extra of waiting to ensure he wasn’t followed brought Arwin back to the room where Thane and the others were staying. He only got a chance to rap his knuckles on the door once before it swung open to reveal Olive.

“I knew it was him. Nice timing,” Olive said, stepping back to reveal the others. “We’ve been waiting.”

“How’d you know? Was it your arm?” Thane asked. His eyes darted from her to Arwin as he shifted in excitement. “Is that a bag? What did you bring? Weapons?”

Olive sent a glance back at the kid. “I already told you, bud. Save your questions for the dungeon.”

Thane scrunched his nose. “Okay.”

Arwin stepped into the room. Thane’s guard inclined his head in greeting as Arwin closed the door behind him.

“Can you get us to the dungeon? Or are we going to have to walk?” Arwin asked.

In response, the mage raised his staff. Lethargic energy sputtered to life at its tip as he traced a circle through the air, drawing a wavering blue circle the size of a man. Strands of energy crawled across the circle like slow-moving fingers of lightning, extending to grasp each other and pull into a glowing disk.

“He doesn’t talk much,” Thane said. “But that should take us right to the dungeon. He’s got the key embedded in his staff. The portal will remain until we’re done.”

That’s… huh. Interesting. So he’s basically carrying around a portal that directly accesses the entrance of the dungeon? This guy must be a fairly high-ranked mage, then. Definitely not a pushover if the Blacktongues are letting him carry around a key to an Expert ranked dungeon.

And I can’t help but notice how sneaky this is. Nobody will see us going into the dungeon. There won’t even be a record of it if the dungeon isn’t cleared, which they don’t plan for us to do.

Looks like the Blacktongues want the bragging rights they worked with us, but don’t really want to go broadcasting that they got their heir killed like arrogant idiots when it near-inevitably happens.

“Right,” Arwin said, exchanging a look with his guildmates before nodding. “In we go.”

There was nothing left to say. Not, at least, when the mage was still here to listen.

And so in they went.

The trip was over in a flash.

One moment, they stood within a tavern.

The next they were in a dark cave.

A twisting purple portal swirled before them, its depths a murky mix of shadowy flame and bright pink energy. Beside it rose a towering black obelisk as dark as deepest night. Its surface was smooth and flawless, untouched by the elements.

Leaning against the wall of the cave was a guard. The man gave them a lazy nod and not so much as a word. It looked like he’d been expecting them.

The Menagerie wasted no time. They headed right through the portal and, after another teleport, found themselves standing in yet another reddish-brown cave.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling and dripped with dull pink water, and the faint scent of sap lingered in the air. A dark passageway before them ran down into the earth at a steep angle and the portal they’d stepped through spun at their back.

A faint wind came from within the passage to brush over Arwin’s scalp and run its fingers through his hair. His nose wrinkled in distaste. It was warmer than he would have expected. Less like wind, and more like the sulfurous breath of some ancient creature.

“Whoa,” Thane breathed. He instantly winced and lowered his voice. “This is the inside of a real dungeon? It’s… so cool. I can’t believe I’m actually here. This is incredible. Where are the monsters?”

Despite his words, his hand clenched the sword at his side in a white-knuckled grip. He looked positively out of place with his giant bag of research strapped to his back and the mixture of fear and excitement warring over his features.

“Hold on, there,” Arwin said. He put a hand on Thane’s shoulder. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. There’s something we have to do before we go any farther.”

“There is?” Thane asked, looking to Arwin. “What is it? I was just hoping I could get to see you fighting something cool. Oh, Olive too. I want to see what her arm can do. Oh! And Anna. Maybe I should get the Rot? I’ve heard rumors that she can—”

“Thane,” Arwin said sharply. “I want you to focus for a moment.”

Thane blinked. Then he swallowed and nodded. “Okay. Sorry. What is it?”

“You said you were completely confident you would die today, didn’t you?”

The boy hesitated for a second. Then he nodded once more. “Yes. But—”

“Then I trust you can keep a secret and an order,” Arwin said. “The dead don’t share secrets, after all.”

“If it means I get to see something cool? You know it!” Thane gave him a hurried nod. “Confidential information is common. I have lots of secrets. I’ve never shared any of them. What’s the order? I’ll do whatever you say as long as I get to see real adventurers in action.”

Arwin reached deep within himself. Magic prickled against his chest and raced up his throat as it poured into his mouth. The air around him thrummed with power. Motes of golden light twisted to life around his body to race up as if in anticipation of his words.

Olive and Anna’s eyes widened while Thane stared on in awe.

For once, the boy couldn’t even muster any words. It was all he could do to stare in disbelief.

Arwin drew on the magic until it practically dripped from his tongue like honey.

“Thane of Blacktongue dies today. He dies right here, in this room of this dungeon,” Arwin said, and the magic poured into his words like a crashing tsunami. “But in his place, I order a new Thane to emerge. One that never lets his life be thrown away for such a pointless task ever again. One who values his own life with the reverence that all must. I order you to be reborn.”

You have offered Thane of House Blacktongue a quest.