Rise of the Living Forge-Chapter 542:

No sound emerged from within the Mausoleum after Madiv entered it. There weren’t any more earthquakes or surprise tremors either. As far as Arwin was concerned, that was a good sign. It gave the Menagerie time to herd the thin crowd of watching adventurers away from the street and back to their homes.

Nobody put up much argument. When it became clear that the building’s antics seemed to be done for the night and there were new rumors to spread, everyone departed rather quickly. It wasn’t long before the only ones remaining on the street were the Menagerie’s members.

There was no sign of Rodrick or Art. The two of them were probably off keeping tabs on the area to make sure that no malicious actors managed to get too close. But just about everyone else gathered on the street before the Mausoleum to watch it expectantly.

“What happened in there?” Reya asked nervously. “Did something go wrong?”

“No,” Arwin replied after a moment of hesitation. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t sound very confident,” Anna said. “Is this building considerably stronger than the previous ones?”

“I don’t think so,” Arwin said. He scratched the back of his neck. “I improved a few things in the construction of the Dungeon Heart’s housing, but it shouldn’t be anything major. I think it’s more Madiv’s personality than anything else. He’s always been… well, Madiv.”

“You mean the building exploded because you connected it to Madiv?” Vix asked, tilting her head to the side. “Does that mean it should be safe for him? Is it going to be safe to open according to our schedule?”

“It should be fine,” Arwin said with a nod. “None of the damage seemed structural. To be honest, I’m pretty sure the Auction House was just making itself fit the creepy vibe of the street better. Ridley did too good of a job making it. I suppose the building felt it looked out of place or something.”

“Wow,” Thane said. “That’s some dedication.”

“The schedule remains unchanged, then,” Kien said, looking entirely unconcerned about the potential risks of a temperamental building. “That means our preparations should continue as before. And somebody should probably make sure Ridley doesn’t find out that his building self-destructed.”

“Right on both counts,” Lillia agreed. She pursed her lips. “But I was hoping creating the Auction House would draw out the people screwing with us. I had a strong suspicion it was the other members of the Dwarven Council. The ones that tried to wipe out Art’s team back in Thornhelm.”

“It’s as safe a guess as any,” Vix said. “But they might not be stupid enough to attack us when we’re waiting for them.”

“We’ll have to keep our guard up.” Monica crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Especially with Koyu missing.”

“So we will,” Arwin said. “But we’ve already got Rodrick and Art on the lookout. We can’t draw our preparations to a halt in fear of an attack that may or may not come. Everyone should focus on preparing for the auction in two weeks. Whether it’s getting stronger or seeing what leverage we can get with wealthy families to draw their attention… all of it will be important.”

“Raen and Melissa have already made good progress. I think we’ll have quite a bit of attention even before the Council announces their support,” Monica said with a sharp-toothed grin. “But getting stronger never hurts.”

“I’ll be gearing up to feed everyone in the auction hall as well,” Lillia said. “It’ll be the biggest group I’ve ever tried to serve at once, but I’m pretty sure I can pull it off. It’ll just take some extra preparation and some late nights.”

Maeve nudged Elias. She didn’t say anything, but she never seemed to have to. The bandaged man scratched the back of his neck.

“Are you going to make anything special for the auction?” Elias asked. “To put on sale? That would probably draw a pretty significant amount of attention.”

“Eventually,” Arwin said. “My focus right now is going to be outfitting all of us better. Not everyone is properly equipped… and Anna will be my first focus. She’s our healer and the most likely target for anyone trying to do damage to the guild. I started making some armor for her some time ago but haven’t yet had a chance to finalize it.”

“I don’t know if that’s necessary,” Anna said. “I’ve already got a really strong piece of equipment. It should be more than enough. There are others who don’t have anything yet.”

“Everyone will get something eventually,” Arwin said flatly. “But you’re the only one that can heal us. We can’t afford to let someone take you out because I was busy making trash to sell stuffy nobles with too much money in their pockets. The only matter I have that might be more pressing is Vix, but—”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“It’s fine,” Vix said with a shake of her head. “I’d rather you not rush that bit. It’s kind of important, you know? And I don’t think I’m going to collapse any time soon. We’ve got time.”

Arwin nodded. He’d already gathered as much, but it never hurt to get confirmation.

“Arwin’s right,” Lillia said. “Especially since our enemies are going to be working with limited information. Healers typically aren’t very competent at protecting themselves. The most likely targets in the Menagerie are you and Thane. And, well…”

Everyone turned to look at Thane and the pitch-black sword hanging at his side.

“I don’t think he’s in much danger,” Arwin finished. “Not with Vireth.”

The sword trembled. Arwin got the feeling the devil within it appreciated the compliment. Either that or she wanted to kill something else. Both options were equally likely.

“You can say that again,” Lillia said. She turned to send a glance over her shoulder at the Mausoleum. “It’s been a while since Madiv went in. Do you think he’s going to be done anytime soon?”

“Couldn’t say,” Arwin replied with a shrug. “I have no idea. I suppose it depends if they’re doing something. There’s a chance it’s like the Infernal Armory and wants to begin working. But I don’t really know what that would involve for an Auction House.”

“Well, if Madiv is fine and there isn’t anything else to deal with today, I’m going to bed,” Kien said. “Proper rest is vital for training.”

“I think that would be wise for all of us,” Lillia said. She glanced to Arwin, then lowered her voice and leaned in. “You’re sure the Mausoleum won’t eat Madiv, right?”

“Yeah. It’s bound to him. I wouldn’t be so sure about the rest of us, but I’m confident the building doesn’t pose him any more risk than the Devil’s Den poses you or the Armory poses me.”

“Then let’s all get some rest,” Lillia said. “Tomorrow will be waiting for us when we get around to it.”

***

When the following morning arrived, the Menagerie almost managed to wake up earlier than the rumors.

Almost.

Adventurers had packed into the street so tightly that Arwin barely managed to squeeze out of the Devil’s Den’s front door. Chattering adventures had practically filled every single open space.

Loud conversation filled the air. Arwin heard no fewer than three different theories about what had happened the previous night — all of which were wrong.

He stared in surprise for a brief moment. Even though he’d known that word would spread quickly about the Auction House, this was even faster than he’d expected. He could just make out the doors of the Mausoleum past the crowd. They were still closed, but the thick green smoke that had been present the previous night was nowhere to be seen.

Madiv should be fine, then. Looks like the building is no longer active. But there’s no way I’m going to even bother trying to get in there right now. We’ll get the update as to what happened over dinner today.

Arwin squeezed into the crowds and started toward the Armory. Every step was like shoving through jell-o. Adventures parted around him, but many didn’t even realize who he was. They were all too focused on the newly made building or trying to squeeze their way into the line for the Devil’s Den — though Arwin couldn’t have even tried to hazard a guess as to where said line started.

We’re really going to have to do something about how many people have been coming to the street. It’s turning into a hazard. I don’t think Milten’s shoddy roads are meant for crowds this large. I wonder if Ridley could tear down a few of the crumbling buildings and open the space up a lot more.

Maybe we’ll add in drawn lines or give out reservation numbers so people don’t have to stay in one spot. That, with some places to sit and stand around, would make this a whole lot more bearable.

A few people did notice Arwin as he squeezed through the crowd. They called out to him in attempts to get his attention, but he ignored them. He didn’t care if they wanted armor or answers. At the moment, he didn’t have any particular interest in offering up either. He was considerably more focused on his task for the day.

Arwin eventually managed to squeeze his way over to the Infernal Armory. The door cracked itself open just enough for him to escape into the building, slamming shut behind him and locking itself. He let out a relieved sigh.

“Thanks,” Arwin said.

The back door opened.

Arwin headed into the crafting room, shaking himself off and grimacing. Coils of red smoke drifted across the ground in greeting, twisting up around the invisible form of the Armory.

“There are too many people,” the Armory said. “I do not like it.”

“We’ll figure something out there soon,” Arwin promised. “It’s a bit too much for me as well. I don’t think we could serve this many people even if Lillia wanted to. Don’t worry. If anything, it’s a good thing this happened now and before the auction. It gives us time to find a way to deal with it.”

The armory grunted. “Uriel should smash them.”

“I think that might be inadvisable,” Arwin said.

“But it would stop them from leaning on me. I do not like when people lean on me.”

“Noted,” Arwin said. He grimaced. The last thing he needed was the Armory starting to kill random adventurers on the street — but he doubted there was any chance people had enough room to avoid leaning on its walls right now, even if they’d wanted to. “Some distraction, perhaps? We’ve got some work to do. You want to make something?”

“You already know the answer to that,” the Armory said eagerly. “What will we create?”

“Anna’s armor,” Arwin said. “We got started on it some time ago, but I want another go. A better one.”

“A full set?”

“Of course,” Arwin said.

A raspy laugh rolled against the walls of the Infernal Armory. “Thrilling. There are few things that would draw my attention more than that. Do you already have a plan?”

“Yeah,” Arwin replied. “But I think we’re going to need a little backup for this one. Can you open a portal to get Wallace? I think he headed back to his place.”

“It is going to be a difficult project?” the Armory asked eagerly. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“Quite,” Arwin said. A small grin pulled across his lips. “I’ve got some lofty goals. This set should be an interesting challenge.”