Rise of the Living Forge

The thieves’ guild was about a thirty-minute walk away through the alleys. It struck Arwin that Milten was considerably bigger than he’d thought it was, and it had a lot more back streets and dark alleyways than it had initially appeared to.

Something tells me the guard saying they didn’t want beggars in the city was projecting a bit. I get the feeling that Milten has more than enough beggars and their ilk to share with the rest of the kingdom and not be left wanting.

But, as he took in the other parts of the slums, he did have to admit that he’d somehow chosen the ugliest, most run-down street in the entire city. Reya came to a stop at the edge of a cobbled road, then nodded across the street to a long two-story building. It was clearly old and run down, but it – and everything else on the street – was still in one piece.

A few people milled about the street both around the building and near the others beside it. The building didn’t stand out much aside from its size, but it only took a little attention to realize that it was different from the others.

The people at its front were more attentive than random beggars, and Arwin could see the telltale bulge of weaponry poking against their clothes. His lips pressed thin, and he took care to keep to the shadows, not directing too much of his attention to the building to avoid standing out.

“They’re organized,” Lillia murmured from beside Arwin. Her hands twitched at her sides, and it struck Arwin that she didn’t have a sword.

“Should we have gotten you a weapon?” Arwin asked.

Lillia shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m not very eager to pick up a sword again anytime soon. There are other ways of dealing with people that work just as well. The problem isn’t going to be us. It’s going to be how we can handle this many opponents at the same time. Besides, I don’t have the ability to serve a blade like I once did.”

Arwin’s brow furrowed. “Serve a blade? What do you mean?”

She joined him in his confusion. “You know. Wielding a sword. It’s not like you can just carry one around.”

“I’m pretty sure you can.”

“That’s not what I mean. You physically could, sure, but…” Lillia waved her hands in irritation, trying and failing to find the right words. “You know. It’s just wrong. If you carry a sword, you need to be able to use it.”

“I don’t know if I follow,” Arwin said. “Anyone can carry a sword. Sure, you might not be as good as you once were, but I’m sure you can do a good bit. There are no rules as to who can carry a sword.”

“Seriously?” Lillia blinked. “None at all?”

“None,” Arwin confirmed with a nod. “Is it different for demons?”

“Yes. The only people can bear a sword are those who have earned one. It’s a great service and commitment. Carrying one without being able to do it justice is taboo.”

Huh. Who would have thought.

“I see,” Arwin said slowly. “Well, we’re not swimming in resources, so I suppose there’s no reason to push you to break that. We can just go back to focus on dealing with these thieves.”

Lillia nodded, and both of them fell silent in thought. Arwin chewed his lower lip. Charging straight into the guild was guaranteed to result in their death – there was no doubt in his mind about it anymore.

If they’d been chaotic or unorganized, there would have been a decent chance he and Lillia could have just carved a path through their men and made it out before they could retaliate.

But, with a watch and clear preparation for an attack, mounting an assault against a force ten times their strength wasn’t going to work. He needed a different strategy, and it wasn’t like he had an army to attack with.

If I was at all stealthy, I’d consider breaking in on my own and just killing the leader. That would throw them into enough chaos to make ‘em forget we exist. I don’t think that’s possible, though. Unless…

“How stealthy would you say you are?” Arwin asked Lillia.

“Not very. I can be hard to spot, but that’s a far cry from stealthy.”

Arwin thought back to the oppressive aura that covered the entirety of Lillia’s tavern and grimaced. That definitely wasn’t what they needed. Reya was probably the sneakiest of the lot, and she wasn’t going to be able to break into a den of thieves on her own.

I’m so used to taking things on with a group of adventurers that I can barely even think on how I’d do this with just three people. Ideally, I’d just walk straight in and crush everything that fought back, but that’s no more realistic than me clanking up the walls in my new armor and hoping nobody notices me.

“I don’t suppose you know of some sort of secret passage?” Arwin asked.

Reya shook her head. “Not really. I mean, we could try entering through the sewage, but I don’t know where that is.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Lillia said, scrunching her nose in distaste and grimacing. “I think one thing of note is their surveillance isn’t that good. They still haven’t noticed we’re here. Or, if they have, they don’t care.”

“Probably means we’re a relatively minor problem for them,” Arwin said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a branch of a larger guild. A lot of the small thieves’ guilds work together, and while thirty members is a lot to us, it’s hardly many in the long run.”

“Doesn’t that mean we’ll get into more shit if we kill the guild leader?” Lillia asked.

Arwin nodded. “Yes. Which is why I’m thinking about adjusting my plan. Not that I’ve managed to develop one in the first place, but I think trying to destroy the entire guild by ourselves isn’t the best idea. A more surgical strategy might be better.”

“What are we supposed to do, then?” Reya asked. “They’re not going to stop coming after me, are they?”

“No,” Arwin agreed. “Probably not. But we can make them think twice about it. If we show them that coming after us is more effort than its worth, then we get what we want.”

“How are we going to do that without pissing them off even further?” Lillia asked. “If I had an enemy that fought back, I’d strike back even harder to make sure they knew their place.”

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“By hitting them hard enough that they think twice about coming after us again, but getting out before we cause a permanent vendetta.”

“How?” Reya asked.

The inklings of a plan started to tickle at Arwin’s mind. It wasn’t exactly the smartest or most effective strategy he’d ever thought of, but it was the best thing he could think of.

We’ll still probably have to kill a few people, but it’ll be better than having to take out an entire guild on our own.

“It might be simpler than we’ve all been thinking, but a lot of it will depend on you, Lillia.” Arwin said. “Reya, can you check to make sure nobody is eavesdropping near us? Come running back if you get spotted, though."

Reya blinked, then nodded. "Sure."

She set off, and Arwin turned to Lillia. "Tell me, what is it that you’re still capable of?”

***

Arwin strode straight up to the front of the thieves’ guild, his hands resting on the hilts of the swords at his sides. As if it hadn’t already been obvious that the beggars at the entrance were more than they appeared, both of them stared at him with bored expressions. If they’d been paying closer attention, they would have noticed that his shadow was considerably larger than it should have been.

“Good day, gentlemen,” Arwin said. He nodded to the door. “I have business with your boss.”

The men exchanged a glance, then chuckled.

“That’s not how this works,” the man to Arwin’s left said. “If you want an audience, then you have to beg for one unless the boss expressly invited you. Did he?”

“No,” Arwin replied. “I don’t believe he did.”

“Then get lost, idiot.” The other man let out a raspy laugh. “Or feel free to stick around and donate whatever you’ve got in your pockets to us. Your choice.”

Arwin let out a sigh. He rubbed his chin between two fingers, then let his hand drop and shook his head. “No, I don’t think that was the answer I was looking for. See, your lot came to my smithy and asked for something of mine. I’ve come to discuss it.”

“We don’t discuss,” the first man said. “Did you bring whatever it was we asked for?”

“No,” Arwin replied. “Do I look like an idiot? If I brought it, I doubt you’d have much reason to bargain, would you?”

“There’s no reason to bargain at all. Bring the shit or get out.”

“I think we’ve possibly misunderstood something,” Arwin said. He drew the first magical sword he’d made, holding it loosely at his side and letting the two men get a good look at its information.

Short Sword: Garbage Quality

[Brittle]: This weapon has a chance of shattering on every blow. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion.

As their eyes transfixed on the sword, Arwin let [Scourge] slam into his body with full force, driving his open palm into the wall of the building beside him. With a loud crash, the stone shattered. Debris fell down all around Arwin as a cloud of dust rose up into the air surrounding him.

“See,” Arwin said, pointing his sword at the first of the men. “I’m in a rather poor mood. Your folks thought it would be fun to stride right into my smithy and pin a little note to the wall. I didn’t like that much, so here’s how this is going to work. Your guild leader and I are going to have a chat. And, if he hides like a coward in this building, I’m going to tear the whole thing down. Come at me, and I’ll shatter this sword myself and send us both straight to the Ninth Underland. Sound good?”

The thieves stared at Arwin in horror, and he suppressed the grin that threatened to split his face. People on the street hurriedly left, leaving it desolate aside from the guards and the growing shouts of surprise from inside the building. Even though he didn’t have the power of a full Hero anymore, Scourge gave him far more power than anyone his Tier had any right to possess.

On top of that, the sword was a perfect threat. Nobody in a second-rate thieves guild like this was going to care about it more than they cared about their own life, and it wasn’t exactly easy to counter an explosion.

“You’re mad,” the first thief said, taking a step back.

“No, I’m angry,” Arwin corrected. “And you’re my guide. Step to it now, lad. If you don’t, I’m going to start killing people.”

For a moment, none of them moved. The thief’s gaze flicked from Arwin to the sword. Then he swallowed and gave him a nod. “Fine. It’s your death warrant. Let’s go.”

Arwin just gave the man a cold smile, and the two of them headed into the building. The main room was surprisingly nice, with couches ringing its edges and a table piled high with food in the center. Thieves were already racing down to see what the commotion was, pouring into the common room and staring at the hole in the wall in shock. About a dozen of them had arrived, and they all stared at Arwin as he followed the man inside.

Flicking his sword, Arwin impaled a large apple sitting on one of the tables and brought it over to his mouth, taking a bite out of it. The more confident he looked, the less likely anyone would try something stupid.

“Carry on,” Arwin said, waving the sword with the bitten apple on its tip. Everyone’s eyes followed the blade, reading the information the Mesh gave them on its properties. Almost immediately, they paled and backed up.

It didn’t surprise Arwin. Minor Magical Explosion wasn’t exactly reassuring, as there was no way to know exactly how small minor truly was. Nobody stopped them as Arwin and the thief walked across the room and up to a large wooden door at the far end of it.

“The boss is through here,” the thief said, watching Arwin warily, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. “I hope he kills you.”

“Your sentiment has been noted.” Arwin drove his foot into the door, using [Scourge] to add just enough force to his kick to slam it open to reveal a long, well-decorated room. It had a high ceiling and a second floor that was mostly cast in shadows aside from a few lanterns running along its edges.

A man with a salt and pepper goatee and a small moustache sat at a desk, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his green eyes focused directly on Arwin. Rows of tables covered with shimmering items and gold lined the sides of the room, making it resemble the banquet hall of King Midas.

“Did you miss the explosion outside?” Arwin asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind himself.

“I had trusted that my men would be competent enough to handle it themselves. I have better things to do,” the man said, rising to his feet. He moved with the grace of a killer – this man was no stranger to fighting.

“Not the best men if they leave you alone to fight an unknown threat,” Arwin said.

The man chuckled and snapped his fingers. Several clicks rang out, and Arwin recognized them as the telltale sound of crossbows being cocked.

“I’m not alone,” the man said. “But you are. I’ve never had someone so bold as to break straight into my dwellings on their lonesome. Who are you?”

He doesn’t have an Identify Skill that’ll let him see information about me or my class, then. Good. I was betting on that, but you never know.

“I’m hurt,” Arwin said. A large portion of his shadow broke away and slipped into the darkness, but he didn’t let his eyes follow it. “You sent Jin to my smithy to leave a threat on my wall and you don’t even know who I am?”

“You’re the smith?” the guild leader blinked, then started to chuckle. “A lone smith has come to challenge my guild?”

“Who said I was alone?” Arwin asked. “I’m just the one speaking with you.”

“You’re claiming to represent an organization?” the guild leader watched Arwin carefully, clearly trying to read if he was lying or not. “There was no information about a guild on that street. It sounds to me like you’re bluffing to keep that key your girl stole.”

“We were a bit delayed on announcing it,” Arwin said with a shrug. “Consider this our official announcement. That shitty little street is ours. Keep your paws off it.”

“I think we’ll just take what we want instead,” the guild leader said softly, raising a hand. Arwin’s skin prickled. He couldn’t see the other thieves in the room, but he could tell their weapons were pointed straight at him.

“You know what that sounds like?” Arwin asked, keeping his tone even and tilting his head to the side. “A declaration of a guild war.”

“You don’t have a guild! There’s no war if you’re alone, and the girl certainly doesn’t count. She doesn’t even have a class.”

Arwin smiled. There was a soft thud from the upper decks. Arwin and the guild leader both turned as a man’s head rolled over the edge of the balcony and fell to the ground, striking it with a splattering squelch.

For an instant, nobody spoke. Then the guild leader’s eyes went wide. He jerked his hand down. “Kill him! We’re under attack!”