Rise of the Living Forge - Chapters 445-446 (Patreon)

“Thane,” Esmerelda repeated, squinting at the well-dressed boy standing in the street before her. She dug through her memories. There was a very slight chance that one of the beings she’d worked with in the past was trying to mess with her.

The gods knew she’d screwed enough of them over to justify it… but she’d done pretty well by the vast majority of the powerful ones. Thane didn’t stand out to her senses in any way. He didn’t seem to be immensely powerful, nor was he disguised by any magic that she could recognize.

Is he really just an addled teen that somehow managed to pick up rumors about me and had a sharp enough eye to recognize my appearance? That seems rather unlikely… but my shop wouldn’t have sent me here for no reason. I’d have to be a blind idiot to assume this boy isn’t part of it.

“You want to see my shop?” Esmerelda asked, arching an eyebrow. “It houses items meant for only the greatest adventurers, you know. Not just anyone can look into it. Are you up to the challenge?”

“Yeah!” Thane exclaimed, giving her an energetic nod. “I can do it! I want to see!”

This is… considerably easier than it normally is.

“Right,” Esmerelda said. She coughed into her fist, then turned on her heel and hobbled back into the alley in the direction of her shop. A glance over her shoulder showed that Thane was following her without so much as a flicker of suspicion behind his eyes. 

If I’d wanted to spill his guts across the floor, he’d already be dead. How is this little idiot still alive? Who follows somebody into a dark alleyway? Or does he just assume I’m not a threat because I’m old?

Esmerelda’s eyes narrowed. She placed a hand on the handle of her crooked wooden door and pulled it open with a creak, stepping to the side and gesturing grandiosely to the shelves laden with magical items within.

“Please. Enter… if you dare.”

“Okay! Thanks!” 

Thane strode right into the store. 

This almost felt too easy. It was like going hunting, only for the monster she was after to tie itself up and deliver itself to her doorstep before she’d even had a chance to draw on her magic. 

Esmerelda paused for a moment. Then she followed after him, closing the door behind herself. Thane didn’t even seem to notice. He looked around in awe, his jaw hanging askew. 

“Feel free to take a look around,” Esmerelda said. “Everything here is for sale, boy. Your future could very well lie within these dusty shelves. What is it that you seek? I will help you find your destiny. A sword that can cut down anyone that dares stand in your path? A cloak that conceals you from even the most inquisitive of gazes? A poison that—”

“Whoa!” Thane exclaimed. He made a beeline right over to a shelf, his eyes going as wide as saucers as he spotted something. “Gods above! Is this a pickled goblin head? I’ve never seen a goblin up close before!”

Esmerelda stared at Thane. Out of everything he could have picked out from her store, that was possibly the least interesting thing he could have gone for. She was pretty sure she’d just accidentally left it out after a particularly intense potion making session.   

 “That… yes. But perhaps something more interesting could catch your eye?” Esmerelda hedged. “That head isn’t going to—”

“Whoa!” Thane spun, his eye caught by something new on the shelf. “A knife!”

Yes! That’s right. That’s what you need. A good, bloodthirsty blade. Which one did he pick? The Hellhound’s Fang? The Bloodletter?

Esmerelda shifted to try and get a better look at what Thane had picked up. He turned toward her mid-movement, an excited grin on his features as he held out his prize. 

It was a butter knife.

“This is incredible!” Thane said, holding the plain silver utensil before him in reverence. “I figured the rumors had exaggerated a bit, but they’re true! You have magical items for sale! What an awesome object! This heats everything it cuts to the perfect room temperature, letting it make the perfect cut of butter every time!”

Esmerelda’s eye twitched.

Why do I have that?

“And it’s Cursed too,” Thane continued in the exact same excited tone. “If you use it to try and cut anything other than butter, it’ll stick to your hand and start melting through your flesh! Awesome!”

Esmerelda froze. 

Wait. Thane can see the fact that the item is cursed? That’s impossible. Its status should be completely concealed. It would take an immensely powerful ability to see through the magic shielding the cursed effects. Thane should have only been able to see the benefits of the knife, not the drawbacks.

Esmerelda’s eyes narrowed. Something was going on here. Cursed items were not so easily revealed. Even she struggled to peer past some of the veil on the more powerful items she held. 

The fact that the item the boy had chosen was a worthless butter knife didn’t matter. He’d just torn through the Mesh’s concealment to identify it without so much as even realizing what he’d done. There was absolutely no way that a random boy could pull something like that off.

And, worse, if he realized that all the items in her shop were cursed…

I’m going to lose my customer!

“Merely a safety mechanism,” Esmerelda said hurriedly. “I wouldn’t want to sell a butter knife to someone who used it to kill, would I? The knife is perfectly lovely so long as you only cut butter with it.”

Until you go to cut a piece of bread… but that’s on you.

“That makes — whoa!” Thane spun to another shelf, nearly taking Esmerelda’s head off with the butter knife in the process. He raced over to it, his jaw dropping open in awe. “Is this authentic?”

“Everything in this shop is authentic,” Esmerelda said immediately, trying to move so she could get a better look at what had caught Thane’s attention. “Is there something particular you’re looking for? I’m sure I could help you find something just perfect for you.”

“Oh, this is definitely it,” Thane said eagerly. He turned back to Esmerelda, still clutching the butter knife in one hand. And, in his other hand, was the hilt of an ancient sword. 

A grin split across Esmerelda’s features. She could feel the age of the weapon in Thane’s hand in an instant. It was old. Carvings wound up the hilt, pitted from years of disuse and covered with a dark sheen that had definitely been blood at some point before it had crystalized. 

Now that’s a proper cursed weapon right there. But why isn’t the Mesh telling me what—

And then her gaze lifted slightly higher.

There was no sword.

It was just a hilt.

Not the slightest trace of magical energy resided within it. The item wasn’t even cursed. It was literally just a piece of trash that had somehow found its way into her shop. Perhaps it had even been there before Esmerelda had inherited the rickety old thing all those years ago.

You have to be kidding me.

“This is ancient!” Thane exclaimed, his eyes affixed on the sword hilt. “It might even outdate the kingdom! Isn’t that incredible? A historic artifact like this… it could be a once in a lifetime find! I have to research it! There are carvings beneath all the blood on this, too. They might hold fantastic information about our past.”

“It seems a bit… plain,” Esmerelda hedged. 

“Plain?” Thane sent her an affronted stare. “This is incredible! A one of a kind item! Artifacts like this should be preserved somewhere where everyone can study them! After I do, that is. I want it. Uh, the butter knife too. I hate cold butter.”

Esmerelda’s eye twitched — but she could work with this. He wanted to buy from her. That was an improvement over some of her more recent customers, but she wasn’t really sure how much she could actually wring from this odd teen. 

None of my truly powerful items would want to be wielded by someone this… whimsical anyways. This is fine. They want people that are either set in their ways or easy to control. The ambitious or fools. Not whatever Thane is.

“Whoa,” Thane breathed, catching sight of something else. Esmerelda felt a flicker of excitement that was promptly quenched the instant he spoke again. “How old is that curtain?”

This kid is going to start peeling the wood off my walls if I don’t get him out of here. 

“Perhaps we should get you on your way,” Esmerelda said, making her way over to the counter and snapping her fingers so Thane would follow her. Besides — this was her favorite part. “I trust you’re prepared to pay the price for what you seek?”

Thane blinked. Then his jaw set and he gave her a firm nod. “Yes. I am.”

“Good,” Esmerelda said, a grin pulling across her features. “Then—”

“I have five gold,” Thane proclaimed, plopping a pathetically empty bag down on the table before her. 

Esmerelda stared at it. 

Thane stared at it.

She didn’t even want gold in the first place. But offering her five gold was practically an insult. Even the shittiest magic weapon in the world would go for more than that. 

Godspit. Even a knowingly cursed weapon would sell for two magnitudes more than this! Is he playing me for a fool?

Esmerelda looked back up to Thane. The teen’s features were dead serious. He wasn’t joking. For some reason, he genuinely thought that five gold was somehow worth not one, but two items. 

“That’s a one of a kind relic you’ve got there,” Esmerelda said. “Not to mention a magical knife. Do you really think five gold is enough?”

“Oh,” Thane said. He paused. Then he frowned. “Uh… those are all my savings.”

“You’re from a noble family. And your savings amount to five gold?”

Thane’s cheeks reddened. “I spent all of my money on vellum and ink.”

“How broke are your parents?” Esmerelda snapped. “What kind of noble goes broke buying paper? Your weekly allowance should be ten times that!”

“Oh, I don’t have an allowance,” Thane said sheepishly. “I earn my money by working as a scribe.”

“You came into my store expecting to buy magical items with five gold?” Esmerelda pinched the bridge of her nose. “Really?”

“I was kind of just too excited to see another member of the Menagerie right after Arwin took me through a dungeon,” Thane said, clearing his throat. “Sorry.”

Esmerelda tilted her head to the side. “He did what now?”

“Oh, shoot. Was he was keeping it secret?” Thane stiffened. Then he cleared his throat. “You know what? Never mind. It’s okay.”

“Hold on,” Esmerelda said, her eyes sharpening. Things were coming together. She’d known her shop wouldn’t have sent her here for no reason. The boy was tied to Arwin. And that mean the was important. “Maybe I could come to some sort of arrangement for those items.”

“You could?” Thane’s eyes lit up. “Maybe I could help organize some stuff in here? I’m great at that!”

That’s actually rather tempting… but is that what the shop brought me here for? Is there really nothing else?

“Is there anything else you could do?” Esmerelda asked, rubbing her chin in thought. “Surely there might be some other kind of leverage you have. You’re not asking for some random trash, you know. That sword hilt is very rare.”

“I don’t know if I really have that much else that would be useful to you…” Thane’s brow furrowed in thought for several seconds. Then his eyes lit up. “Oh! Do you like parties? My parents are throwing one in two days. I could get you and the Menagerie an invite!”

Parties with a bunch of rich nobles that can be easily scammed into wasting their money? So this is what the shop was after. Thane is just the path to the real prize. Can’t imagine the party will be very interesting… but I could definitely make some good sales. 

A slow grin spread across Esmerelda’s lips. “Why, yes. I do like parties. I think we might just have a deal, young Thane.”

Chapter 446

Arwin returned to the Devil’s Den late that night. He’d spent a long day along with Wallace and Koyu brainstorming ideas for the armor and testing out the materials that they’d gathered up until this point. 

It had been tempting to just launch right into the work, but that was a trap gilded in honey. Any satisfaction Arwin would have gotten from moving fast would have been quickly swallowed by wasted time when something inevitably went wrong.

They didn’t have time for mistakes. Their deadline was approaching fast — and if the next prototype of the armor had any flaws or serious gaps in its function, then it would all be for naught. Arwin couldn’t have it failing on him. 

Or worse, blowing up on me. I don’t want to imagine the fallout of accidentally blowing a bunch of noblemen up because they were standing too close to me when my armor decided that its time on this world had been spent.

No, everything had to be about as perfect as a protype could ever be. Fortunately, three minds were a hell of a lot better at doing that then one. With Wallace focusing on the different materials, Koyu on the soulmancy aspects, and Arwin’s ability to communicate with just about everything they were working with, the three of them wrapped all of their preparations by the time night had started to properly set in.

It was easily the most complex piece of armor that Arwin had ever planned to try and make. There was literally a print of it hanging on the walls of the armory — Wallace had whipped out several large sheets of parchment and quills with ink when he’d arrived to help that morning.

As it turned out, the dwarf was quite the artist. He’d drawn a detailed diagram of everything they were planning, taking careful note of all the most likely stress points for the projects and the areas where things were most liable to go wrong.

Arwin had thought that drawing everything out was a little bit overkill, had never realized quite how useful having everything laid out before him could really be. The mind’s eye could only go so far when things got this complex. 

Ideas were still spinning through his mind when the door of the Devil’s Den closed behind him and Wallace.  

Then Arwin blinked in surprise. 

The inn was surprisingly empty. That wasn’t to say it was completely empty. On the contrary — there were quite a few people sitting at several tables that had been pulled together near the middle of the room.

It was just that every single person before him was part of or closely related to the Menagerie. More specifically, it was everyone in the Menagerie. Even Esmerelda and Madiv sat at the table. The entire guild sat around large platters of still steaming food that smelled absolutely divine. 

But it wasn’t even just the core members of Menagerie. Not only was there Art and Vix, Maeve and Elias and Kien, but seated alongside them was also Raen, Melissa, and — for some reason — Eleven. 

Then again, Arwin wasn’t sure if Eleven counted. Her arms were crossed in front of her to cradle her head and she was snoring away, completely deaf to the outside world. 

“Whoa,” Arwin said. “What’s going on? It’s been a while since I’ve seen everyone together. Did something happen? Nobody’s under attack, are they?”

Melissa let out a laugh. The young woman looked good. Her eyes had always been sharp, but they’d gained the confidence that came with being the head of a powerful noble house. Her clothes were fine, not so fancy as to be extravagant, but clearly of quality make. It looked like business was going well for her. 

“Lillia said you’d ask that,” Melissa said. “Rodrick invited all of us tonight. We’ve just been waiting on you and… I don’t believe I’ve met your friend yet. Care to introduce us?”

There was a note of professional interest in her tone. Something told Arwin that Melissa was still on the hunt for more business opportunities. The corner of his mouth pulled up in amusement.

“This is Wallace. Dwarven Master Smith and professional hardass. He tried to kill me the first day we met.”

Wallace let out a sputtering curse and sent Arwin an affronted look. “You broke into my house! Why, you’re lucky I didn’t ring your skull like a gong for that!”

“Master Smith, you say?” Melissa asked, eyes sparkling. 

“Hands off, Melissa,” Raen said with a good-natured grin. “We agreed no business tonight. Not of our sort, at least.”

Melissa let out a small huff, then inclined her head. “You’re right. My apologies. It’s a bit difficult to switch off, even when I’m trying to.”

“Tell me about it,” Monica said with an exasperated grunt. The orc picked at her teeth, then shook her head. “Raen blabbers about that shit for hours on end at night sometimes. I occasionally have to remind him that there are better things in life than a little extra coin.”

Raen coughed loudly into his fist. “Perhaps we can turn to matters at hand? Tonight’s meal is beckoning to me, and it is quite the temptress. Someone please drag Lillia out of the kitchen… should she want to leave, of course. It wouldn’t be right to start without our host.”

No sooner than he had finished speaking did Lillia pop out from within the kitchen with one last large platter bearing a dozen meat pies upon it. She strode over to the table and deposited the tray in the final open space with practiced precision. 

“The Infernal Armory told the Den you’d be wrapped pretty soon,” Lillia said as she caught a glimpse of Arwin’s surprised expression. “And a good thing, too. Rodrick was kind enough to herd everyone together for a meal. Where’s Koyu?”

“He phased off,” Arwin replied. “He must have known there were a lot of people here. I don’t think he’s much one for introductions.”

“Definitely not,” Wallace said as he strode over to the table and took a seat. “But I damn know that I’m one for some of that ale.” 

Arwin followed suit and took the empty chair. It had been so long since he’d seen everyone in one place that it was actually somewhat surprising to see just how large the Menagerie had gotten.

Reya was midway through sneaking a few pieces of food from her plate and into her mouth. Olive was doing the same thing, but much less discreetly. Art was staring at everyone he didn’t know like he was trying to peel them apart with his eyes, while Eleven was completely dead to the world. 

Maeve and Elias both looked far more relaxed than the last time that Arwin had seen them. They sat beside Vix, and Elias was busy translating Maeve’s gestures for Vix. Rodrick and Anna both sat patiently while Madiv and Esmerelda had gotten themselves into yet another argument.

But, the very instant that Lillia took the chair beside Arwin, every single eye in the room went from whatever it was that its owner had been doing to the food piled high on the table. Everyone dug in without restraint.

Even Eleven managed to rouse from her sleep long enough to eat.  

It was nearly fifteen minutes before anyone spoke so much as a word. But, finally, Rodrick broke the silence. 

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Rodrick said. “I know everyone’s been quite busy with their own tasks. But I felt it was a good idea to bring everyone together to touch bases on some fairly important events that will be occurring in the near future.”

“Should she really be here for anything like that?” Art asked, glancing at Eleven. “Eleven isn’t directly allied with us.”

Eleven yawned, then rested her head back on the table. “Don’t worry about me. I really don’t care. I’m just going to take a nap. Food always makes me so tired.”

“Why is she here, exactly?” Kien asked. “Having a spy within our ranks seems risky.”

Eleven started to snore.

“Nothing being shared today is information we care about Setting Sun getting,” Rodrick said with a wave. “Besides… Setting Sun is the reason we’re doing this in the first place. I’d normally ask Eleven to fill everyone in since she’s the one that requested our aid, but she appears to be asleep.”

“I’ll fill in,” Arwin said. “The Blacktongues — a noble house, for those of you unaware — are throwing a party in two days. For some reason, the Adventurer’s Guild is sending representatives. The guy that’s responsible for giving Hein the dagger… he’ll be there as well.”

Kien’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Mask. That’s bad news. What are they planning?”

“We don’t know,” Arwin said with a shake of his head. “But that’s presumably why Rodrick brought everyone together. We need to find a way in.”

“Breaking into a noble party is annoying,” Art said. “They tend to be just well defended enough to notice someone trying to sneak in, but not anywhere near enough to provide proper protection should things go wrong. You’ll need to somehow secure an invite.”

“Hmm.” Raen pursed his lips. “I might be able to do something, but I don’t have very good relations with the Blacktongues. Melissa?” 

The argument between Esmerelda and Madiv grew louder. 

“Nothing. Haven’t dealt with them,” Melissa said with a shake of her head as everyone did their best to ignore the bickering duo. “I’ve been focusing all my attention on partners that are actually relevant. The Blacktongues are old money. All talk and no bite. They won’t even invest. I can look to see if there are any old favors I can cash in… but I’m not optimistic.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Esmerelda snapped. “You couldn’t sell a knocker to a promiscuous door!” 

“Esmerelda! Madiv! Is now really the time?” Lillia asked sharply. Shadows twisted behind her with displeasure. 

The old woman glanced over to Lillia. “Sorry. Got carried away. Your pet vampire has the sales acumen of a hamster. Oh — Arwin’s here.”

“Did you really just notice that?” Arwin asked, somewhat impressed that she’d managed to completely avoid notice of his presence. She must have been really involved in her argument with Madiv. 

“I was preoccupied,” Esmerelda said. She ignored the stares of everyone boring into her back. “I believe you have something for me.”

Arwin blinked. For a moment, he had no idea what she was talking about. Then he remembered the ring. Someone must have told her. 

He dug through his bag and pulled the box holding the Acid Thumb ring within it. Now hardly seemed like the right time for this. They had a rather important problem to deal with first.

We’re probably going to have to ask Rodrick to track Thane down in whatever town the Blacktongues reside in, then send someone to ask Thane to give us an invitation. Egh. Pulling that off in the time we have left is going to be difficult… and I don’t even know if Thane can invite us yet. 

“Perhaps you can handle this later?” Elias suggested. “I—”

“Bah. You want pay, do you?” Esmerelda asked, squinting at Arwin. She pushed back from her chair and walked around the table to make her way over to him. “I should have known. Here. Got this thing earlier today. I’ve no use for it, so I figure the shop had me go get it for someone else. You can figure out who.”

Esmerelda snatched the box from Arwin before he could respond, then slapped a piece of paper down on the table before him. She then made her way back over to her chair and sat down with a harrumph. 

Arwin looked down at the paper despite himself.

Then he blinked.

“What?”

Sitting before him was an invitation for a delegation to a certain Blacktongue’s coming of age party, signed by none other than Thane Blacktongue himself. Arwin stared at it for a second. 

Then he looked up at Esmerelda. 

Lillia peered over Arwin’s shoulder at the paper. Her eyes went wide with surprise. 

“Is that an invite to the Blacktongue’s party?” Lillia asked in disbelief. “How did you get this?”

Every single eye in the room turned toward Esmerelda. 

The old woman paused. Her brow furrowed as she realized that she’d suddenly become the center of attention. 

“What do you all want?” Esmerelda asked, looking up and grabbing a napkin from the table to dab at her mouth. “Is there something on my face?”