Rise of the Living Forge - Chapters 239-240 (Patreon)

Arwin stood silently as Wallace’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 completely evil, but that was hardly a compelling 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 Wallace decided he was a threat, Arwin had no plans 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.

Wallace’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 Wallace, but —

The dwarf lowered his hammer. Its head clinked against the stone ground of the Infernal Armory and Wallace 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,” Wallace rumbled. “You confuse me, Arwin.”

“I’m not so certain that’s a good—”

“It’s not a good thing,” Wallace snapped. “I like to be confused by my wife, not by — whatever you are. Never before have I met your like.”

“Is the cursed item really that bad?” Arwin glanced 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 flame. “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 accident.”

“I ain’t even talking about that damn ring of yours,” Wallace 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 you.”

“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 Wallace was talking almost made it seem like—

“How many people have you killed, Arwin?” Wallace asked. “Why? How?”

A tight pit formed in Arwin’s stomach and a hand clenched his chest. Wallace 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—”

“And how many did you save?” Wallace 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 occurred, 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,” Wallace 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’t completely trust, but if he had been in Wallace’s shoes, he wouldn’t have been any less willing to compromise.

He didn’t know how much information Wallace 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.

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.

“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 was completely pointless. “If you’ve seen my character, then—”

“Not happening. The only reason you still live is because everything I see before me does not match up with the monster I should 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—”

“I’d think again,” Lillia’s voice carved through the air like a blade. Arwin and Wallace 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—”

Wallace’s mouth, which had dropped slightly askew in surprise, snapped shut. Arwin nearly laughed despite the situation. The dwarf had definitely been fooled just as badly as he had been.

“Of course I knew,” Wallace snapped. “Oldest trick in the book, that. I was just playing along.”

“I don’t care what you were doing,” Lillia said flatly. The darkness swirling around her extended to blanket 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 was completely focused on Wallace. “I welcomed 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—”

“I didn’t see?” Lillia snarled, a curl of shadow rolling off her back and rising up like a flame. “I was there, 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 blame her for her anger in the slightest. He felt some of it himself, but Wallace 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.”

Lilla tore her gaze away from Wallace 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,” Wallace replied evenly. “The reason I have not acted is because of all the ones you just stated. But… you claim to have been there as well? An Innkeeper?”

Lillia watched Wallace silently. The shadows in the room hadn’t relented, but they’d stopped growing. The dwarf’s eyes suddenly widened in realization.

“The war,” Wallace 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 — 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…” Wallace’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 plates as he drew in a surprised breath. “Earth Father. The child soldier — 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 knew?” Lillia exclaimed. “You were aware a child was waging a war for the kingdom and you did nothing to stop it?”

“I — I was not in a position in which I could act,” Wallace 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…”

Wallace trailed off. He squinted at Arwin’s face. He turned to look at Lillia. Then he turned back to Arwin.

I think the gig might be up.

“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,” Wallace said. His mouth worked for a moment in search of words before he finally managed to gather them. “And you — 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,” Wallace 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 Wallace and arched an eyebrow.

“You want the story? Apologize.”

 “Tell me what happened first,” Wallace 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 — 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 — she isn’t evil — but you accepted that way too easily. Why?”

Wallace’s features twisted into a grimace. “Shit, boy. You’re digging in places you shouldn’t be. Guess that’s my fault. Let my guard down. But if you are who you claim you are, then I suppose it’s only my place to reveal it.”

“Reveal what?” Lillia asked.

“I’m surprised you don’t know yourself,” Wallace replied. “But I expect I’ll find out soon enough.”

“Just fucking spit it out,” Lillia exclaimed. “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

Arwin and Lillia stared at Wallace in the very same disbelief that he was observing them with. The dwarf’s revelation 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,” Wallace said through a bark of gruff, nearly hysterical laughter. “You killed more of them than anyone else, and you should be among the ranks of the dead. How in the Earth Father’s name are you alive? And with the Demon Queen at that! How did any of this come 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,” Wallace countered. “Just like not every human is. Your society is no better than any other.”

“I never claimed otherwise,” Lillia replied. “But if I was able to forgive Arwin for what he’s done, then it’s time to put your dick 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 Wallace’s shoulders sank and he shook his head. “No. 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 can complain 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.” Wallace raised a hand defensively before himself. 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,” Wallace muttered.

“Whose question were you answering?” Lillia asked. “Because I don’t really care if you agreed with mine, but the second one—”

“Both,” Wallace 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 glad 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,” Wallace 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.

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 Wallace and every other dwarf in existence were collaborating with the Guild to keep the war going.

“Why did you sell to the demons?” Lillia asked, her voice flat as she came to the same conclusion as Arwin. If Wallace 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,” Wallace said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. “Wasn’t even meant to be in battle in the first place. 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 the guild crest on me. He pulled me to my feet and left. Guild rolled up a few hours later 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 months later 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 glance. 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,” Wallace 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 petulant child. Arwin was forced to bite back a laugh.

“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 claim 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 explain any more and put ourselves at risk?”

Wallace 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 Council comes knocking, I’ll be telling them we have a new trainee. It’s up to Arwin on if he continues his tutelage under me or if he sets out to find that knowledge somewhere else — 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 have come 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. You’ve just danced around it.”

Wallace glared at her. Lillia held the dwarf’s gaze and he groaned, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “Damn it. We don’t like apologies much.”

“Good. They’re not meant to be comfortable. That’s how you know you mean it.”

“Earth Father — oh, fine.” Wallace ran his hands through his hair and looked over to Arwin. “I apologize for not trusting my instincts more and accusing 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. “Accepted. Also, Arwin’s more than just a friend, thank you very much.”

Wallace 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 —”

“Yes. He’s my consort. I trust you don’t have any issues with that? Not that I would particularly care if you did.”

“The Demon Queen and the Hero,” Wallace 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.”

Wallace 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 accepted my apology, then we’ve balanced 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 Wallace 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.”