Rise of the Living Forge

Arwin’s mind raced even as his body locked in place. Someone knew who he was — someone that wasn’t part of the Menagerie. Thoughts raced through his head, each one replacing the previous before it could even begin to take form.

How is this possible?

What does he want?

Was Art here to threaten me and the Menagerie to try to get us to drop out of the competition? But if that was his goal, wouldn’t he have said something? Was he just waiting to get somewhere safer before he did?

Does he know something about the Adventurer’s Guild? Is he planning to tell them that I’m still alive… or has he already done that?

How could this have happened?

“Arwin!” Rodrick’s voice was like hot steel through butter, ripping Arwin’s attention back to the present to feel the blood pumping in his ears and his heart pounding in his chest.

“What?” Arwin asked, more tersely than he had meant to. “What do we do?”

“Do implies that something hasn’t already been done,” Rodrick said, putting a hand on Arwin’s shoulder. “You don’t think I’m so deeply outmatched by a child, do you? I know how you must be feeling — but take a big breath and get a hold of yourself.”

Arwin blinked once. Rodrick’s stern tone brooked no room for argument. He did as the other man suggested, letting a breath slowly out through his mouth. His hands clenched and released at his sides.

“Right. Sorry. I’m back with you. But we need to act. This is dangerous. Very dangerous. It’s beyond what I can play around with for the purpose of a tournament. The things at stake—”

“I know. Which is why Lillia has been looking into Art the moment he got here. I wasn’t ready for something at this scale, but we aren’t without a few plays of our own. The thing is — I’m never off guard.”

That was a… slightly cocky claim. One that didn’t really fit the generally humble man. Rodrick was confident of his abilities, but Arwin had rarely seen him boast. A small frown creased the former hero’s features.

What’s he up to?

Arwin’s gaze lifted past Rodrick as he took in the room without letting any of his thoughts reach his features. Something was going on. His search confirmed that. Scattered through the crowd around them were the members of the Menagerie.

Reya sat hunched over a table with a mug in her hand, her face concealed but her hood recognizable. The shadows had darkened near one of the walls near the kitchen to a point where they were nothing but pitch black. Only Lillia was capable of doing something like that.

Anna stood several tables away, locked in a conversation with someone while her eyes remained firmly affixed on Arwin and Rodrick’s table rather than the person she was speaking with.

Even Madiv and Esmerelda stood off to the side at the ready. Everyone was in position to act. There would have been no reason to do that now that Art had left… unless he hadn’t left at all.

Rodrick thinks Art has a spy here somewhere. That or some form of skill that let him remain behind to observe our reactions to him. If that’s true, Lillia should be able to find out what’s going on pretty damn easily.

So that’s what this is. They had more time to prepare for Art than I did, so I’ll just have to play things by ear and let them pull off whatever it is they’re planning.

Knowing that the situation wasn’t completely out of control brought more than a little relief to Arwin’s clenched heart. This was still bad, but it looked like the rest of the Menagerie — other than Olive, who was hiding up in her room with Phoenix Circle’s two members — were already on top of things.

A second ticked by. Arwin resisted the urge to tap his fingers against the surface of the table. If they were going to do something, he really hoped it would be soon. He could fight an enemy, but this was something he had no control over.

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Somewhere deep in the back of his mind, a distant voice made itself known.

There could have been something, the voice said. If you were stronger. If you didn’t take things so casually. You can do so much more than what you allow yourself to. You could advance so much faster.

Arwin couldn’t completely ignore the voice because he knew it was right. He could have been pushing harder. He hadn’t been slacking off, but he hadn’t truly been treating this like the prelude to a war that it was.

There would be a day when he would face up against the Adventurer’s Guild — or the people controlling it. He’d been content knowing that day was far away, but now that day could be as close as tomorrow.

I need to get stronger. No matter what happens today, I can’t afford to remain as I am. Strong enough isn’t sufficient.

Lillia stepped out from the darkness and emerged into the dim orange lantern light illuminating the tavern. From the glimpses of her serious features that Arwin caught through the shadows, it was apparent that she’d come to the same conclusion.

For an instant, an old memory surfaced in his mind. She wore the same expression now that she had the first time they’d met on the battlefield. There was no room for anything but success within it.

She was deadly serious.

As Lillia walked, she flicked a hand. A tendril of dark energy coiled out from the ground, moving so quickly that none of the adventurers it passed by even noticed its presence until it was nothing but a passing shadow.

The shadow flicked out and wrapped around something near the ceiling of the tavern before jerking taut and slithering all the way down to the table beside Arwin. Arwin couldn’t see what it was wrapped around — not because it was too dark, but because there was nothing there.

Despite the situation, the corner of Arwin’s mouth curled up imperceptibly.

Someone was using invisibility to try to spy on us. That’s unfortunate. Nobody is safe from Lillia’s knowledge when they’re inside her tavern.

“Drop the skill,” Rodrick said, pressing the pads of his fingers together and leaning back in the chair. “I prefer to see who I’m talking to. And don’t try to run, please. I would hate for this to get violent.”

A second slipped by.

The air bound by the tendril rippled and a woman appeared within its grasp. She was in her early to mid 20s, with black hair bound into a lengthy ponytail by golden bands. Her features were strongly reminiscent of Art’s. She had pale skin almost to the point of being as white as Madiv.

Her expression was well controlled. Despite being bound, she didn’t look even slightly concerned.

A moment later, Lillia released her. The woman brushed her arms off. “How’d you know I was there? I’ve never been spotted before.”

“We’re capable of a number of things that most people don’t expect,” Rodrick said. He nodded to the chair beside Arwin. “Sit down.”

“Why?” the woman asked. “Your threats are nothing but air. We’re in a crowded tavern. I can walk right out and you can’t stop me. Even if you could prove I was lurking around, that’s not exactly illegal. We aren’t in some protected area.”

“You’re right,” Rodrick agreed. He leaned back in his chair and flicked his fingers dismissively. “We aren’t, and we can’t do anything to you here. Feel free to head out now. I’ll just leave you with a piece of advice and we can call it at that.”

“And what’s that?” the woman asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Buy a shovel on your way back to Thornhelm. You’ll need it for Duke Aleric.”

Fury washed over the woman’s features in a split instant. “Are you threatening my father?”

“Of course not. I don’t threaten. I do,” Rodrick corrected. “But in this case, this has nothing to do with me. I have no quarrel with Aleric. I’ve heard he’s a good man. Well-liked by those that live under him and hated by the guilds that try to push into his city. All bode well for a man’s character — and, unfortunately, bode poorly for his continued wellbeing when his many enemies sense blood in the water. I would never stoop so low to try to kill him, but I can’t say the same for your enemies, Vix.”

The woman stiffened at what must have been her name, but she didn’t question how Rodrick had figured it out. “You claim that there is a plot to kill my father?”

“Yes,” Rodrick said simply. “Now, off with you. I believe you were leaving.”

Vix’s jaw set. Unease gripped her posture and she shifted her weight, clearly trying to get a read on Rodrick and failing. “Why didn’t you tell Art?”

“Because Art thinks he’s clever,” Rodrick replied. He paused for a moment, then inclined his head. “Well, he is clever. He played his hand very well, but now it’s my turn. If you leave this room before I say you can, then we’ll tell you nothing. You and Art can figure out what’s going on with your dad on your own.”

“He’d never miss a plot like that.”

“Are you sure?” Rodrick tilted his head to the side. “He missed that group of yours that the Starforge guild wiped out. He’s just a teenager. A very talented one, but one whose attention is heavily split. There’s only so much he can accomplish on his own.”

“How did you know about that?” Vix’s back stiffened. “Shit. No wonder Art was so worried about you.”

“He was worried? I’m honored,” Rodrick said with a grin. “We don’t need to be enemies. I genuinely don’t want to fight your family in any way other than in the tournament. But you’ve gone digging where you shouldn’t. Art is playing dirty cards, and he’s forcing me to pull my own. So make a choice, Vix. Sit down and have a conversation with us — or leave and become our enemy.”