Rise of the Living Forge - Chapter 51-53 (Patreon)

Last post was too big, I'm breaking it up so phones can handle it. I also uploaded the wrong stuff. I'm sorry... have some chapters though.

Also edit for $5 tier: Chapters 46-this were just released.

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“That… is terrifying,” Reya said.

It was the following morning, and Arwin had completely 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.

Perhaps the delay had been a blessing in disguise, because it had given him time to bind Verdant Blaze to himself with [Arsenal]. He’d also been able to dismiss 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.”

“So 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–”

“Yeah, yeah,” Arwin grumbled. “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 breath, 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 Flame] 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 Flame] 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 place 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 yet 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.”

And I also don’t have all that long. I haven’t really eaten anything magical recently, and even though I don’t feel the stomachache coming on yet, I don’t think it’s going to be long. I’ll need to get materials and make something right after this is done.

“Do you want to come, 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.”

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.

“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 relatively quiet area. Reya walked over to a run-down, two story building directly across from the alleyway they’d stepped out of.

“This place,” 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.” Reya rapped on the door with her knuckles. “I think this place 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 suspsiciously, keeping a hand on the door to slam 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 placating 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 to be in possession of?”

“What?” he squinted at Arwin. “Speak louder. I can’t see you.”

You can’t what now?

“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.”

I don’t recall ever asking for a donkey.

“That would be perfect,” Arwin said, keeping his heightened tone. “How much for the cart?”

“You don’t have to yell,” the old man said with a grunt. “Twenty gold.”

“Twenty?” Reya exclaimed. “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 a common 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 a layer of dust that spoke tales of the last 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 a layer 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 the last 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 blacksmith’s shop.

And, once I start to get a steady flow of money, I’ll be able to start doing magical weapons and armor on commission for people that I think deserve them. Then I’ll be able to upgrade the smithy even more.

It was time for Ifrit to make his name known, and he couldn’t wait to do it.

Chapter 52

The market was busy when Arwin and Reya arrived. But, unlike the last time where not a single person had glanced 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 glanced around. “Here. Let me try something.”

“What are you going to–”

“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–”

“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–”

“You’re not wearing it because it’s no good,” Reya said. “It’s uncomfortable. It’s unwieldy. Probably heavy and a huge pain to lug around, isn’t it? But look at me!”

Reya slapped her chest. She’d taken her armor off – which was probably wise, as it was magical and had no way to conceal its properties – then pointed over at the cart with her other hand. “Look at that. Light, easy to wear – and yet, just as effective as metal.”

“I already have–”

“You don’t have this 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 clanky, 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 plate, 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.

“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 man laughed 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 the latches, which he helped the adventurer fasten 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 more comfortable than I thought it would be. Why is the shirt mail while the pants are plate?”

“Still working on plate shirt,” 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 amount 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 become 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.”

That’s one way to completely undersell yourself.

“I’m not so sure that was it. You definitely–”

“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 hours later, 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 shocking 362. In the span of five hours, they’d gone from destitute to rich. 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 both laughed.

“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 successful 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 black 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 claimed to know anything are a bunch of worthless grubs.”

“Grubs?” Jessen asked, tilting his head to the side and glancing 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–”

“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

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. 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.

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.

And that was exactly what Arwin did. As the heat of his [Soul Flame] washed across the smithy, he got to work forming a bracelet out of one of the three ingots. He used Verdant Blaze to hammer it down, flattening 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 – 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 flame 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.

[Brightsteel Bracelet: Art Quality] has been forged.

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 not magical either.

Arwin examined the design on the bracelet for a few minutes, marveling at the work. It was hard to believe it had come from his hands – 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 passe over his lips and he let out a relieved sigh.

“Art Quality seems to be good enough, then. Lucky me,” Arwin said. He glanced 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.

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.

Arwin brushed his hands off and sucked the [Soul Flame] from the hearth, heading for the door. He paused as he reached the exit, putting his mask back on.

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.

Arwin headed into the street and locked the door behind himself. It was, as usual, completely desolate. 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?”

“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 people come 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 a laugh.

“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 dryly. “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 relax with his friends – back when they’d still lived.

It had felt like he was living underwater, slowly drowing 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 a completely carefree life, but it finally felt like a worthwhile one.

“Wish you were here with me, Blake,” 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 become a crafter hadn’t actually been his.

It had been Blake’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.

I’ll live it for the two of us, Blake. 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.

A faint smile formed on Arwin’s lips. He reached the smithy and lifted the key to the door, going to turn the handle – and froze. It was already unlocked. Arwin’s grin fell away and his eyes narrowed.

The thieves’s guild? Did those idiots come back?

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 place as my hideout. Thought it was weird when someone put a door on it, so I picked the look to come 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 class 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 places 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 – 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 recommend 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 from laughing. 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 of labor. 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.

I better get that habit out of him before he and Reya meet, or I’ll never hear my actual name again.

“Yessi – 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.”