Rise of the Living Forge-Chapter 413: Brainstorm

As strong as the call of Lillia’s bed was, the morning eventually arrived as it always did. There was far too much work for Arwin to lay around giving into the temptation of sleeping through the day. And so, with great reluctance, he and Lillia both rolled out to face the day.

It was still the early hours of the morning when they emerged from within her room. The sun had still yet to begin its journey over the horizon and darkness covered Milten in a heavy blanket. The Devil’s Den was strangely quiet.

That would change soon enough. The moment the sun’s first rays poked their heads out over the horizon, adventurers would apparently be lining up to squeeze their way into the Devil’s Den. Lillia had warned him of as much as they’d been waking up.

Apparently, people had started to figure out that they slept far better in her beds than they did in any others. They’d discovered that her food granted boons to more than just attitude and swinging by the Devil’s Den was quickly becoming commonplace for any adventurers headed out to a dungeon.

But the inn was not completely empty when Arwin stepped into the common room.

Rodrick was waiting for him. The warrior sat at the bar counter, his fingers tapping against the wood as he muttered to himself under his breath. His eyes flicked to Arwin and Lillia the moment they walked into the room.

“Have fun,” Lillia said. “I’ve got prep to do in the kitchen. Don’t forget the idea about Madiv. You might want to get that moving sooner rather than later just so it can get started. Buildings can take a while, even when someone with a class is creating them.”

And then she was gone.

Rodrick snorted at the look on Arwin’s face. “Don’t worry. I know you’ve got work as well. This won’t take too long. Just some housekeeping, and I figured Lillia probably didn’t get very far with what I asked her to cover. If I had to guess… maybe the talk about an auction house. Possibly mention of the trade agreement we’re working on with the Dawnseekers and the Montibeau Family.

Arwin stared at Rodrick for a long second. “Were you under the bed while we slept?”

The question was a joke, but a small part of Arwin wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest. Rodrick was… Rodrick. Nothing was entirely impossible when it came to him. Fortunately for them all, the warrior shook his head.

“No. I just figured you wouldn’t get much farther before other matters distracted you. I know people, Arwin. And you and Lillia are no less human than the rest of us.” Rodrick paused for a moment, then frowned. “Well, I guess Lillia is. Demons aren’t human. But they’re still people. You get the idea.”

“Right,” Arwin said. “To be wholly honest, Lillia is far better at strategy than I am. That goes doubly so for you. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help if this has nothing to do with fighting or smithing. That doesn’t mean I won’t try. I like being kept in the loop, but I’m far from an expert.”

“That’s fine. I was just making sure you had no issues with furthering our relationship with the aforementioned trading guilds,” Rodrick said. “It will make us more enemies. The Kererus Coalition isn’t in a good spot after the tournament. I hear they’re a laughingstock now. Olive killing all their members during the tournament was rough for them. Their Guild Ranking is expected to plummet, but—”

“They were a Ranked Guild?” Arwin blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realized that.

“Were being the key word here,” Rodrick said. “They won’t be for long. It’s a tale as old as time. Merchant guild got fat and lazy. Someone cut the bottom of their purses and the coin is pouring out… but it’ll take time. And until they’re dead and gone, they still have connections.”

Arwin waved a hand dismissively. “I’d imagine so, but I’m not bending the knee to them. They brought this upon themselves. Go ahead with any trade deals you can get. I desperately need new materials.”

“Thought as much,” Rodrick said. “We did run a few dungeons while you were out. I collected all the components we got from the monsters and fed it to your smithy while you were out. Maybe some of those will be useful.”

“Really?” Arwin’s eyes lit up. “That’s fantastic. I was just about to get started on some pretty big projects. Speaking of which — the Soul Guardian. Did it do anything while I was gone?”

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“No,” Rodrick replied with a shake of his head. “It’s still in the smithy. None of us have tried messing with it. Figured the risk was too high. There’s like this… aura around it. Makes me not want to screw around and find out.” frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

“A magical one?” Arwin frowned. “I didn’t notice anything like that.”

“No. It wasn’t magical. I don’t really know how to describe it,” Rodrick said. “But it’s still there. Maybe you can’t sense it because you’re the one that created the guardian in the first place. But let’s keep moving before we get caught in a rut. Is there anyone from the tournament you want me looking into?”

“Oh, right! Yes. Necrohammer. I suppose that bit is evident enough, but I want to know more about him. The same goes for Setting Sun… but I figure you were already on that.”

“I was,” Rodrick confirmed. “It’ll take some time before I have anything. My network will dig around to see what it can find. I’m also going to be organizing dungeon runs for the guild. Do you want to come?”

Arwin considered the offer for a moment. It was tempting. He really hadn’t gotten much chance to test Caldera yet. Olive had put the hammer to great use during the Proving Grounds, but it wasn’t the same as swinging the hammer himself.

Eventually, he shook his head.

“No. Not yet. I’ve got a backlog of magical items to make, not to mention all the new orders that’ll come filtering in soon. That isn’t even to count the new armor I have to make for myself. Once that’s done — then I’ll come along.”

“Thought as much. Just pass along what materials you’re looking for then. We’ll let the merchant guilds know and keep an eye out ourselves,” Rodrick said with an understanding nod. “That’s pretty much it for the most pressing stuff. All other guild matters are running pretty much exactly as you’d want them to.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Arwin said honestly. “Could you let Reya know that I’ll probably need her help routing customers today?”

“Easy enough. Best of luck today.” Rodrick gave Arwin a mock salute.

Arwin returned it with a chuckle, then headed out of the tavern and made his way toward the smithy. There was already a lot on his mind… but much of it was about to get a chance to take a pause and simmer. His mind wouldn’t have room for any distractions when he was working.

I never really got a chance to fully plunge into the depths of what Forbidden Soulmancy allows me to do. It replaced Cursed Dwarven Smithing when I made my Soul Guardian, and I know that it’s got to do with creating cores, but I haven’t really pushed its limits yet.

That’s my next goal. I should be able to use it to make a set of armor that’s far more powerful than the Ivory Executioner Set.

But this was a conversation he planned to have with the Infernal Armory. There was no point holding it inside his head when he had someone to bounce his ideas off.

Arwin made his way into the Infernal Armory, thankful that it was still too early for people to have started gathering on the street. He didn’t love the idea of them piling into his smithy while he was trying to work — especially when he didn’t have anything for sale at the moment.

Red mist greeting Arwin as he stepped into the back room. The door locked behind him.

“I have been waiting,” the Infernal Armory said. “We will make interesting items now.”

“Soon,” Arwin said. “Trust me. I’m just as eager to get started as you are. But I want to do things right. Well, as right as we can get. But, first — what materials do you have?”

“A number,” the armory replied. There was a note of reluctance in its voice. “Do not waste them. I hunger.”

“I’ll get you other food. Give me something basic to work with while we speak. I want to create some basic magical equipment while we’re talking to maximize on my time.”

That seemed to satiate the Armory. The ground opened and a column rose from within it, bearing a small pyramid of metal ingots upon it. Arwin didn’t actually recognize the metal. It was a glossy greenish-silver.

Must be something Rodrick brought in.

He picked an ingot up. The metal felt heavy, but not overly so. Desires prickled against his mind as he let his thoughts brush through the ingot. It whispered its dreams to him, revealing its properties and uses in the process.

A good, hardy metal. Should be solid for a heavier suit, but it’s too heavy to try and make any fancy light armor. Good enough for me.

Caldera materialized in Arwin’s hand.

“Right,” Arwin said as the hammer hummed in approval. Its head lit with molten black energy as power started to pulse through the weapon in response to his intent. “Let’s get started.”

“Open your power to me,” the Infernal Armory said.

“Not yet. I’m not trying to make anything too powerful here,” Arwin said as black lava started to pour through the grooves running throughout the Infernal Armory. “We don’t want to outfit random people with my strongest equipment. Even the ones on the waitlist. That’s saved for the guild. I need your focus on helping me plan.”

The Infernal Armory was silent for a few moments. Then it let out a huff.

“Very well. What are you thinking? Let us do this quickly so we can start the interesting part.”

Caldera’s head heated even further in his hands until the air around it started to warp in a haze. Arwin adjusted his grip on the hammer. Then he glanced over at the red mist twisting at his side.

“I need armor.”

“Yes. I was already aware of that.”

“I wasn’t done. I don’t just need any armor,” Arwin said. “I need something powerful enough to let me stand against people who are far stronger than me. I don’t just need any armor. I need the armor. Something that will grow with me. Something that makes Necrohammer’s work look like a toy… but preferably without the horrible bits. And you’re going to help me make it.”

A chuckle ran through the Infernal Armory. “Now you’re talking. Very well, Arwin. Let us see what we can come up with.”