Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 447-448 (Patreon)

“How did you get this?” Arwin asked, holding the invitation gingerly as if it was about to dissolve into midair. 

“Why’s that matter?” Esmerelda asked. “It just kind of wound up in my hands. That happens, you know. It’s just a coincidence.”

“A coincidence is bumping into an old friend in a market,” Art said. “It is not happening to have the very object we’ve all decided we need. Especially not when said object is something that has to be specifically signed and issued to the Menagerie — which this is. Is it a forgery?”

“What? No!” Esmerelda’s eyes narrowed. “What do you take me for, boy? A scammer?”

“My answer would be considerably worse than a scammer.”

“Good,” Esmerelda said with a satisfied nod. “I’d have been worried I was slacking in my duties if you were of that opinion.”

“That is not something to be proud of,” Anna said. “Esmerelda, please tell me you didn’t do anything to antagonize Thane. He’s a good kid.”

“Bah. I just sold him a few things.”

Every single eye in the room narrowed. 

“What?” Esmerelda asked. “Stop looking at me like that. I didn’t give him anything bad. He asked for all of it. Damn little bugger even knew the items were cursed. He didn’t seem to care in the slightest. He knows the risks of everything he got.”

“What exactly did you give him?” Arwin asked warily.

“A butter knife and a rusty old sword handle.”

“Are either of those objects liable to kill him?”

“No,” Esmerelda said. She paused for a moment. “Probably not.”

“Are they going to maim him horribly?” Olive asked. 

“What kind of person do you take me for?” Esmerelda exclaimed, clasping a hand to her chest in horror.

“A terribly vile one,” Madiv said without missing a beat. 

“Why, thank you,” Esmerelda said, sending him a delighted smile. “Thane will be fine. I promised Arwin that I wouldn’t go around doing too much harm. Sure, I enjoy skirting the rules, but I’m not going to straight up kill a child that doesn’t have it coming.”

“Weren’t you trying to sell him a more powerful magical item than the one he actually got?” Elias asked, clearing his throat. “That feels… somewhat adjacent.”

“It couldn’t be farther,” Esmerelda said crossly. “Power is power. Those who seek it will inevitably find it. All I offer is a path that helps people unite with that power in a slightly different and mutually beneficial way.”

“Perhaps you could elaborate on that?” Arwin asked, splaying his fingers out on the table as he let out a slow sigh. “This has been a long time coming, Esmerelda. I think we’ve got too many questions to just ignore at this point. And I’m pretty sure I told you to stop selling Cursed items entirely.”

“And I’m sure you promised Lillia that you’d show up to bed on time too.” Esmerelda let out a dry cackle. “It’s about following the nature of a promise, not the word. You don’t have an issue with Cursed items. You’d be quite the hypocrite if you did.”

She sent a very pointed look at Olive’s arm. 

Arwin cleared his throat. Esmerelda had a bit of a point. But the Cursed items he made weren’t the same as the ones she sold. His increased the risk someone bore in exchange for giving them a chance to become more powerful. Hers were actively detrimental… right?

He blinked. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

…they’re the same thing.

“You may have something of a point, but that doesn’t validate your whole argument,” Arwin said. “I may be being slightly hypocritical, but I make sure people who I make Cursed items are very aware of what it is they have. You’re putting them into dangerous situations.”

“The world is dangerous. Better to learn to deal with a sword as a child than to first hold one as an adult.”

“Something tells me that isn’t true, but I don’t actually have a rebuttal for it yet,” Rodrick muttered. “My dad gave me a sword when I was a kid.”

“Mine too,” Elias said. “But I think a cursed weapon is considerably more dangerous than a mere blade.”

“In some ways, it is,” Esmerelda allowed. “I’ll give you that. Cursed items are far more powerful than any mere sword.”

“Then?” Anna arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Esmerelda, you’re a genius potion maker. You have so many other ways you could easily earn a living. A very good one. Why do you insist on selling these items to people? There has to be a reason.”

“Of course there’s a reason,” Esmerelda snapped. “You’ll notice nobody we care about has found themselves suddenly in possession of a soul-sucking sword. That isn’t a coincidence. I ensure that the real nasty curses only end up with the people that deserve them. The other ones — the ones that aren’t actively malicious — land in the hands of people who can bear their responsibility. Usually. There are a few little knickknacks. Butter knives that melt your hands when not used for butter. That manner of thing. But that’s just a hand. You’ve got two of them, don’t you?”

“No,” Olive said.

Arwin bit back a laugh. He wasn’t so sure Esmerelda’s argument was entirely convincing, but there was one thing she’d mentioned that stuck with him. He couldn’t recall a single mention of anyone getting seriously injured by a Cursed item. 

Sure, a portion of that was probably because of Esmerelda’s sheer inability to sell an item in almost every single circumstance, but surely at least a few people would have been talking about it. 

He sent a glance at Rodrick. The expression on the former paladin’s face told Arwin that Rodrick was wondering the same thing. He caught Arwin looking at him and shook his head.

So he hasn’t heard anything either. That’s odd. Really odd. Then again, it could also mean that Esmerelda managed to sell something so dangerous that it just killed anyone who might have found out about it.

Art looked similarly lost, though he’d probably looked far less into Esmerelda than Rodrick had. 

“So what’s the reason?” Lillia asked. “You never actually said.”

Esmerelda hesitated for a second. Then she blew out an exasperated sigh. “Do I really have to say? I already know it’s going to get taken out of context. Why should we care what I sell our enemies?”

“Thane is not our enemy,” Arwin said.

“Thane isn’t going to cut things other than butter with his butterknife. I thought the kid was an idiot, but he’s actually quite intelligent. He isn’t going to run afoul of that curse. That’s the point.”

“Not cutting it,” Arwin said firmly. “Esmerelda, we need to know. We’re trying to be better than the Adventurer’s Guild. I don’t know how we can claim that if we don’t know why you refuse to stop selling Cursed items to people. You’re running circles around giving us an answer.”

“And your circles aren’t very straight,” Arwin said. “You’re good at a lot of things, but lying really isn’t one of them. Nor is selling, for that matter.”

Esmerelda glared at him. “You’re not too old for me to spank.”

“No, he’s right,” Raen said, clearing his throat. “Not to butt in. I’m not really part of this conversation… but I’ve seen enough. You’re a horrid saleswoman. For that matter, you don’t strike me as a salesperson at all. For a merchant whose entire shtick seems to be scamming people into taking an evil weapon, you’re awful. I’ve been in your shop before, and you were so bad at it that you convinced me not to buy anything before I even had a chance to get interested.”

“I get you all what you need and then you all decide it’s time to complain about me,” Esmerelda grumbled. “Rude, really. Bunch of insolent little brats. You want the answer?”

“Yes,” Lillia said. “That would be nice, actually.”

“Fine. Pat yourselves on the back, you lot. You’re right. My class isn’t that of a merchant. Not in the slightest. Cursed items aren’t actually my trade. People are.”

“That somehow doesn’t answer anything,” Vix said, leaning forward curiously. “What do you mean?”

“There are a great many things in this world that are dangerously powerful,” Esmerelda said, her features thin. “And those things will find their way into someone’s hands one way or another. Hide them and they free themselves. Destroy them and they come back. They cannot be denied… but they can be managed. Distributed at the right time, to the right person.”

“Wait,” Lillia said. “Are you saying that you’re—”

“—distributing them to people that can withstand them. Esmerelda deals with demons, devils, and all manners of cursed items. She’s a jailer that has to keep her inmates rotating so the prison doesn’t get too full,” Eleven said, her head lifting from the table as she let out a long yawn. “Sorry. You were going on too long, and I’ve known this for a while. We make it a point to keep track of everyone whose class has been Sunsetted — and we would have to have been blind and deaf to not know of Esmerelda the Curse Broker.”

Chapter 448

“Go back to sleep,” Esmerelda snapped, glaring at Eleven. “You’re making me sound like one of your stuffy little guild buddies. Don’t count me among your number. If you keep at this, then these idiots are going to start getting the wrong idea?”

“What would happen if you didn’t distribute the curses?” Arwin asked, his eyes narrowing.

Esmerleda sighed. “They would leave. I get the items in my possession into the hands of someone that suits them. Someone who isn’t going to bend and shatter under the force of their power. In turn, they reward me for locating the right person to suit them. I am not a jailor. If I didn’t do my job, they would leave and find their way into people’s hands the normal way.”

“Does that mean you’re doing this to help the world?” Arwin asked, blinking. “Because powerful cursed items just rolling up constantly and causing a ton of damage before moving on to their next wielder would be chaos.”

“Damn it,” Esmerelda snapped. “This is exactly what I was talking about. I am most certainly not doing this to help people. I am parting idiots from their coin and depositing some magical trash in their care. That’s it. I do not have some noble purpose. My shop decides who I sell to more than I do.” 

“You’re a matchmaker,” Lillia said, holding a hand over her mouth to cover a laugh. “Why would you try to hide that? I think everyone here understands necessary evil far more than most. Did you think we’d have been mad?”

“No!” Esmerelda snapped. “Are you all deaf? I was worried you’d start thinking I had a bleeding heart — which the lot of you all seem to be in the process of doing. Stop that. Stop it now. I do not like the way you’re looking at me.”

“That’s cute,” Art said. “You know, I was wondering why the number of cursed weaponry in the world was so limited. I looked into them while searching for a way to rebuild House Thornhelm. There are records of their existence… but the items always vanished shortly after their wielders died. You’ve probably averted more wars than anyone else in this room.”

“I’m going to have to kick a puppy after this,” Esmerelda said in disgust. “Actually, I’m going to kick Eleven. That was my secret, you seaweed haired freak.”

Eleven yawned. Then she laid her head back on her plate, right in the center of her unfinished mashed potatoes, and fell right back asleep.

 “Do you try to sell people that come into your shop stuff because you’re trying to get a read on what kind of item might fit them?” Arwin asked, tilting his head to the side. “I was wondering why you offered me so much trash.”

“I’m done answering questions,” Esmerelda grumbled. “My reputation is already ruined. I’ve lived longer than the vast majority of you idiots combined. I will not have you going around thinking that I’m some wrinkled up prune of a saint that weathers the unbearable weight of her sins that were necessary for the greater good by masking it behind a bitter words.”

 “Nobody said that,” Kien said, clearing his throat. “That was you.”

“I’m going to relocate a cursed sword right up your ass and let it find its way out to locate a new owner,” Esmerelda informed him. “I’m sure there are a number of them who would settle for a former hero’s backside, even if you’re such a little do-gooder that you’d probably make them sick on the way up.”

 Arwin and Lillia exchanged a glance. 

If he was totally honest with himself, he’d been prepared to a hear a hell of a lot worse about Esmerelda. He didn’t have any delusions about the old woman.

She definitely wasn’t a moral pillar. Something told him he didn’t want to know what manner of activities she’d been involved in during her past. But that same sentiment went for many of their allies. Koyu’s history certainly wasn’t any better — and neither was his or Lillia’s.

What mattered was what they were now. Shining morals wouldn’t take the Adventurer’s Guild down. Sometimes, the only way to win a fight like theirs was to be play dirty. But that didn’t mean he was going to throw his lot in with someone actively trying to bring hell to innocents. 

“Just one question,” Arwin said, raising a hand. “And then we’ll drop the topic. I need to know, Esmerelda. After I told you the rules of the Menagerie… have you sold a truly malicious item to anyone who didn’t deserve it? And I mean that by the standards of a normal person. Someone who wasn’t truly heinous or planning to use the item to cause great hurt or destruction to others.”

Esmerelda’s eyes bore into his for a long second. Then the old woman sighed.

“No. I have not.”

“Then we have no issue here,” Arwin said. 

“But I do have questions of my own,” Art said, his eyes glinting. “Does your shop move around on its own? Is it intelligent?”

“You heard the guild leader,” Esmerelda said, her lips curling up into a smile as she rose to her feet and strode for the stairs. “We’re done here. You want answers? Show up to the shop and help dust shit off. You can join Thane in working for his questions.”

“Wait. Thane is working for you?” Olive paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. Her stomach must have been completely endless for her to be able to still shovel food into her mouth. Somehow more impressive was the fact that Reya was still doing the very same thing. 

“He wanted to keep asking me insufferable questions,” Esmerelda grumbled. “I had no other way to get the brat out of my shop. The damn thing seems to like him.”

And with that, she strode up the stairs and was gone.

Everyone was silent for several long seconds. Then Lillia let out a small laugh.

“Well, that’s a relief. It was always a bit hard to get a good read on her. I’m glad she isn’t evil. At least, not completely evil. A little evil is just some spice on an otherwise bland meal.”

“Exactly what I say,” Reya mumbled through a full mouth. She was still somehow stuffing her face with the dwindling remains of food on the table. “Though nobody ever seemed to agree when they caught me lifting from their pockets.”

“And it seems the Menagerie has yet another Sunsetted class within it,” Kien said, sending a look at Eleven as the woman snored away on the table. “That’s quite a number of them. I wonder… does my class count as well?”

“Interesting question,” Arwin said. “We’ll have to ask Eleven when she wakes up. She’s going to owe us a detailed explanation of just how to Sunset a class and what it means pretty soon. That was part of our agreement.”

“Speaking of which — we should get ready for tomorrow,” Lilia said, rising from the table and clapping her hands. Shadowy imps sprung up, rapidly grabbing the plates with food while the others all floated into the air and filed into the kitchen in an orderly fashion. Lillia nodded to them. “Everyone should get some rest. Ridley’s expansions have gone enough that I’ve got a room for everyone to stay tonight. They might need a bit more work, but it’ll let us jump right back to work tomorrow. I believe there’s still more to discuss.”

“There always is,” Rodrick said. “Your suggestion sounds good to me.”

“And me,” Arwin agreed with a nod, though he may have admittedly been motivated by something else entirely. Ending the dinner now meant more time alone with Lillia. There was only so much time in a day, after all — and as important as this was, time with her won out over just about everything else.

“Then tomorrow morning, merchants, convene back in the common room,” Rodrick said. “We may as well optimize for this. More than one goal can be accomplished at the Blacktongue’s party, and Arwin will likely need a distraction while he looks into the Adventurer’s Guild’s goals. That seems like a perfect opportunity to see if we can expand our networks.”

Arwin grinned as he exchanged a glance with Lillia. They were in good hands. There wasn’t any one better than Rodrick to handle making a distraction. If they weren’t careful, they’d all end up at the party only to find out that the former paladin had somehow dressed up as the matriarch of the Blacktongue family.  

This worked just fine for him. Something told him the Blacktongue family wouldn’t be too keen on working with the Menagerie after the ridiculous amount of wealth he’d lifted from under their nose… but there was going to be more than one noble family attending their little coming of age celebration. 

And, while Rodrick and the others figured out their angle to make money tomorrow… 

Arwin had a prototype for the most powerful suit of armor he’d ever dared to create that was waiting for him to bring it into existence.