Rise of the Living Forge - Chapters 566-567

Rodrick wasn’t usually one to present himself directly before a problem. Unfortunately, not every situation allowed him to deal with things from the shadows or while wearing someone else’s face. There were occasionally times where he had to deal with things himself, as himself.

This was one of those times.

And so, his features set in a careful mask, Rodrick stepped out from the alleyway and right into the path of the members of the Adventurer’s Guild.

There were two of them. Rodrick knew what they looked like, what they walked like, what they smelled like, even before he laid eyes on them. The man at the lead wore a dark cloak that left no part of his body visible but his mouth.

His companion was ragged and dirty, with the wild eyes of a caged animal but the silken robes of some pompous noble. The dagger on the wild-eyed man’s hip didn’t suit him in the slightest — and given who they were dealing with, the presence of any daggers whatsoever immediately set Rodrick on even more edge than he had been before.

“Excuse us,” the cloaked man said. “You appear to be in our way.”

“So I am,” Rodrick said. He made no move to attempt to rectify that fact. “And you seem to be heading in the direction for my street. I’m afraid to inform you it’s currently closed off for the purposes of an Auction. This is, of course, entirely legal as per Milten’s laws. We own the entire street.”

The ragged man didn’t look particularly impressed. He barely even seemed to register Rodrick’s presence in the slightest. He just gazed aimlessly around like a bored child searching for a toy to play with.

“You’re with the Menagerie, are you?” the cloaked man asked. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Congratulations on the apparent success of your auction. But don’t worry. We have no deigns or interest in that. This is official Adventurer’s Guild business. We won’t be long.”

I believe that, at least. He definitely doesn’t have any interest in the auction itself. Doesn’t seem to care about us either. That’s good. Means we’re still somehow under the Guild’s radar… though I’m not sure if we’ll be able to keep things that way after this.

We’re not ready for a head on collision with the Guild yet. I’ll have to figure out a way to divert attention. But that’s a problem for later. Can’t go counting eggs before they hatch.

“Thank you for your kind words,” Rodrick said. He remained exactly in his spot before the two men. “But I think you might have misheard me. I’m well aware of who you are. That changes nothing. The Guild represents a great number of powerful individuals. It holds respect that few institutions can even hope to match… but you are still bound by the same laws as everyone else.”

“Of course we are. What does that have to do with anything?” the cloaked man asked. His foot tapped impatiently on the ground. He wanted to get somewhere, and soon.

That was good information. As eager as the Guildsman clearly was to get past Rodrick, he wasn’t doing it in an overt manner. They were trying to hide their intentions. That wasn’t out of any amount of goodwill or kindness.

Whoever the Guild is after… they’re strong or connected enough to cause a stink if they realize what’s happening. They don’t want to let on that something is going down. Does that mean their target has spies that the Guild doesn’t want to accidentally spook?

Most likely.

That narrows the potential options down a lot. Only a few people in the Mausoleum have anyone waiting outside on the street.  

“Maybe I should be clearer,” Rodrick said. “You’re bound by the same laws as the rest of us. And I am refusing you entry to the street. For the purposes of the safety of our auction attendees, nobody who is not participating in the auction is allowed past me right now.”

A long moment of silence dragged by. The ragged man’s eyes stopped wandering. They lowered as his gaze finally found Rodrick’s. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his lips to reveal two rows of rotted, pitch-black teeth.

“Come now,” the cloaked man said wearily. “Do I need to show you my Adventurer’s Guild badge? You’ve already admitted you know who we are. That should be more than enough—”

“The rules cannot be bent. Not for you. Not for anyone,” Rodrick said firmly. “And though I do believe you, there is always the possibility for human error. We can’t afford that risk. If there’s something you need to handle on our street or with any of our audience members, please deal with it in a few hours when the auction is complete.”

“You do realize that you’re standing in the way of official Guild business, yes?” the cloaked man asked. “We can respect your dedication to the safety of your audience members, but I am not here today to hurt the good people of the kingdom.”

That’s probably true as well. This guy isn’t the one here to kill anyone. That’s what his creepy ass companion is for.

“Perhaps if you informed me of your goals, I could assist you with them without risking the safety of anyone we’re currently responsible for,” Rodrick offered smoothly. “Is it an audience member you’re seeking out? I could retrieve them for you.”

“I’m afraid that wouldn’t be possible,” the Guildsman replied.

There was a hint of annoyance in his voice. He could clearly feel the time slipping away. Whoever the Guild’s target was, they were strong. No random adventurer would justify needing more than an hour of time to get into position for.

 Good information, but still not enough. There are a lot of strong people at the auction. I need more.

“Then it seems we’re at an impasse,” Rodrick said. “Whatever business you have can surely wait an hour or two, can it not? I would be happy to put you up in the Devil’s Den. We have some of the best food and drink in the Empire. Free of charge as repayment for the inconvenience.”

“A kind offer. But not one we can accept,” the Guildsman said. He lowered his voice. “This is a secret operation. One that we can’t go spreading around. The Kingdom’s safety is at stake. I’m sure you understand. We’re also here to protect people. For the greater good. But perhaps we could come to an agreement to keep everyone…”

A burst of raucous laughter rolled through the street. Both Rodrick and the Guildsman turned in surprise as the ragged man doubled over, cackling madly.

“What’s gotten into you?” the cloaked man hissed. “Conduct yourself properly!”

“Oh, you sorry fool,” the other man replied. His laughter evaporated as quickly as it had arrived and he straightened, but the smile remained plastered across his dead lips. “Dense idiot. Don’t you get it? You’ve been bargaining with a brick wall. This man has had his mind made up since long before we opened our mouths. He isn’t letting us through no matter what you offer him.”

The Guildsman paused. Then he turned back to Rodrick. There was a shift in his stance, so subtle that almost nobody would have noticed it.

Godspit. Looks like my time is up.

“Damn it,” the Guildsman sighed. “What a fucking shitshow. I’m giving you one last chance to get out of the way. You’re going to make me do something I really don’t want to do. I’m trying to be reasonable here.”

“Oh, man,” Rodrick said. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “You do make a very good point. I don’t want trouble or anything like that.”

The Guildsman smiled. “Then—”

“But I’m not,” Rodrick said, cutting him off.

“What?” the Guildsman tilted his head to the side. “You’re not what?”

“Trying to be reasonable,” Rodrick replied.

The wall of the building to their left exploded. An enormous metal arm erupted from the rain of debris in a blur of motion. Thick chunks of stone spun out all around it as debris sliced through the air like knives to explode against the far wall of the alley.

There was a heavy crunch as the palm of the massive hand slammed into the Guildsman. It drove him into and through the wall of the already-crumbling building with a crash. The rest of the house’s structural integrity gave out.

It collapsed with a rumble, falling upon the guildsman. A thick cloud of dust buffeted out from the collapsed building.

A shadow passed over Rodrick. Uriel extracted herself from within the house she’d been waiting within, molten power burning within the eyes of her helm as she passed through the stone wall as if nothing at all were in front of her.

“Ooh,” the ragged man said, not so much as twitching from where he stood. “That looked painful. But I don’t think you killed him. You might want to take another pass. Nobody that disappears off a cliff or into a fallen building is ever actually dead.”

“Good advice,” Rodrick said. “Uriel?”

A stone shifted within the ruins of the fallen building. A burst of shadowy magic howled through the air, flinging debris in every direction as the Guildsman erupted from within the house.

“You idiot,” the Guildsman snarled. “Who do you think you’re dealing—”

Uriel’s fist slammed down directly on his head. The rest of the Guildsman’s words vanished beneath a deafening crash.

There was a moment of silence. Uriel lifted her hand. Both Rodrick and the ragged man looked at the ground where the Guildsman had been a moment before. There was no sign of him. He’d been embedded straight into the stone.

A muffled voice came up from the earth.

“Nope,” the ragged man said with a shake of his head. “Not even close.”

“One moment,” Rodrick replied. “We’re working on it. Uriel?”

The huge suit of armor nodded. She raised her leg, waves of humming white power enveloping her foot with growing intensity. Then she dropped it like a meteor. It slammed down on the spot where the Guildsman had been with a deafening boom.

When her foot raised again, there was nothing but a hole in the ground. Debris rained down into a cavernous opening far beneath the street, pitch black save for the light streaming in from the sun overhead.

He’s still not dead. I’m not even sure if he’s seriously injured. He took nearly zero damage from her first attack. But that’s hardly a surprise.

Uriel dropped down into the hole, tearing through the stone in her way as she threw herself after the Guildsman.

“I know,” Rodrick said before the ragged man could speak. “He’s not dead.”

“I didn’t say anything yet,” the other man replied with a grin. “Anyway. Your big metal friend is dealing with mine. That leaves the two of us.”

“Something tells me you aren’t too interested in the offer of food and waiting?” Rodrick asked. “I really don’t give a shit what you do to anyone after they’re off our street.”

“It’s tempting, actually. I’d kill for a good bite to eat. It’s been too damn long. But I’d kill without that as well. Can’t have everything we want, can we?”

“I suppose not,” Rodrick said. He cracked his neck, then lowered his stance. “Well, then. Let’s get on with it.”

“You know how to fight?”

Rodrick blinked. “…yes?”

“Ah, good. Just making sure. I hate killing things that can’t defend themselves. It’s no fun at all,” the other man said. “You ready?”

The hair on the back of Rodrick’s neck stood on end. His instincts were screaming all sorts of warnings — and he didn’t take those lightly.

“If I said no, would you wait?”

“At this point? No. I just don’t want to waste my first good blow in a while on a boring surprise attack. It’s no fun if you go down with one hit. I just want to make sure you’re ready or the fight might be over too soon to enjoy.”

Rodrick’s eyes narrowed. “Then you can consider me ready.”

The ragged man’s grin stretched across his face.

Then he vanished.

Chapter 567

Rodrick’s eyes went wide.

He lurched back, instincts screaming a warning an instant before the ragged man appeared directly before him. The only thing that saved Rodrick was his preemptive dodge. A  leg blurred through the air where his head had been, whistling with the force of its passing. A second blow came followed it so fast that there was no time to even think about dodging.

The world blurred around Rodrick. He hurtled to the side, smashing through a building making up a wall of the alley with a loud crash. Pain exploded through his arm. He rolled over and forced himself upright, gritting his teeth.

His armor was cracked. Blood trickled down from his arm where his defenses had shattered beneath the force of the single strike and dug into his own skin.

Disbelief swirled in his stomach. That had been a normal blow. There hadn’t been any magic or ability supporting it. The ragged man was just so unbelievably strong that he’d been able to crack armor that Arwin had made in one strike.

Magic energy trickled out of Rodrick as the armor started to repair itself. He kept himself ready to dodge, his senses honed for the slightest indication of a follow-up attack, but none came. There was nothing but dust and debris.

Rodrick edged forward. He stepped back out of the building and onto the street, where the ragged man stood idly, watching him with a mildly interested expression.

“You survived,” the man said.

“You don’t have to sound so impressed about it,” Rodrick said. “It’s insulting.”

“Didn’t mean to be,” the other man replied with a one-shouldered shrug. “That just doesn’t normally happen. Your armor is impressive. Most things don’t usually survive a hit from me. What else can it do?”

What kind of monster did the Guild bring here? I’ve never heard anything about this guy. Not even in the Secret Eye’s records.

“Thank you,” Rodrick said. “Unfortunately, this is it. The armor is spent. It doesn’t do anything else.”

“Oh. That’s a little disappointing,” the ragged man said. “Well, you survived one blow. That’s not too bad at all. What was your name again?”

“I never said.”

“Most don’t get the chance. The Guildsmen call me the Beast,” the ragged man replied with a weary shake of his head. “Horrible name. You should choose one for yourself before some fool does it for you. Well, you should have. It’s a bit too late, now.”

Then the Beast was gone.

Rodrick dropped to the ground and rolled. At the same time, he activated the Chameleon’s Shadow’s ability, vanishing from sight.

Stone shattered as the Beast’s foot slammed down on the spot where he’d been moments before. The ragged man paused, tilting his head to the side as he looked at the spot where Rodrick should have been.

“You liar,” the Beast said. “That wasn’t all your armor could do at all.”

Rodrick’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. Power flowed out from him and into the blade. Normally, that would have made it glow a brilliant yellow. But he wasn’t the only thing that was invisible.

His weapons were just as concealed by his armor as he was. That included the magical glow that his abilities put off. Perhaps that was a bit unfair. Invisibility was already a rather annoying ability. Being able to use magic without even the slightest indication of its activation was straight up ridiculous.

But Rodrick had never been particularly interested in a fair fight.

He flicked his sword for the Beast’s neck. It cut through the air soundlessly, a practiced motion that he’d done thousands upon thousands of times before.

The Beast’s head snapped to the side. Rodrick’s blow passed straight through the air, catching nothing but the wind in its path.

Another warning trilled in the back of Rodrick’s mind. He darted back, watching his footwork carefully to avoid making too much noise and revealing his location. Invisibility didn’t mean intangibility — and something told him that the Beast’s hearing was probably pretty keen.

But the Beast didn’t attack. He just stood there, his head tilted to the side, for a long moment. The unease in Rodrick’s stomach intensified. There was something deeply wrong about his opponent — and his senses were very, very rarely wrong.

“You didn’t follow up on that attack,” the Beast said. “That was smart. You would have died if you did. You’re good at reading people, aren’t you?”

Rodrick didn’t respond. He wasn’t that stupid. Giving his position away was the worst—

The Beast turned to looked right at him.

It wasn’t a guess. Rodrick could see it in the other man’s eyes. He could tell from the faint smile pulling at the corners of the Beast’s lips. Even though Rodrick was invisible, the Beast knew exactly where he was standing.

 “Shit,” Rodrick said. “What are you?”

“Good question,” the Beast replied. “Maybe I’ll figure it out someday.”

A knee slammed into Rodrick’s side. He was flying before he’d even realized that the Beast had moved. His back struck stone. Rock shattered, falling with him to the ground in piles of rubble before his thoughts could even catch back up with his body.

More cracks carved through the Chameleon’s Shadow and his ribs alike. Stars danced before his eyes and blood dripped down his side. Rodrick gritted his teeth. He rose to his feet, ignoring the world spinning around him, his eyes refusing to leave his opponent.

Heavy impacts weren’t anything that he hadn’t trained for before.

But the Beast, on the other hand, was.

I think I’m starting to see why the Guild gave him his name.

Once again, the ragged man had made absolutely no move to press his advantage. He just stood in place, watching Rodrick with a curious expression plastered across his dirty features.

Shit. I can’t read his movements at all. It’s like he’s not even thinking. And he’s so damn fast that I can’t react to them either. The only way I can even dodge is if I somehow guess where he’s going to attack and move before he’s even struck.

“You’re stronger than anyone in this area was supposed to be,” the Beast said. “Most people don’t survive two blows from me. Or is it your armor?”

“It’s the armor,” Rodrick said.

“You know what?” the Beast asked. “I don’t believe you. I think you’re a liar.”

“Then you would be correct,” Rodrick said.

Then he went invisible again.

A flicker of disappointment crossed over the Beast’s features.

Then he vanished.

Rodrick activated the Chameleon’s Shadow once more. But, this time, he called on the armor’s other power. His body itself shifted. He grew shorter, stouter, until the invisible being that stood where the Beast had last seen him wasn’t a human at all.

A fist whistled through the air where Rodrick’s head had been — and the fist of a newly formed dwarf drove straight up into the Beast’s crotch. The other man’s eyes widened. He took a stumbling step back as a flicker of pain crossed his features.

“You can shapeshift?” the Beast wheezed. “How—”

Rodrick was shifting again, his form now more than doubling in size. His knee flew up, the heavy, looming bulk of an orc taking the place of a dwarf by the time the powerful blow connected with the other man’s side.

The Beast’s eyes only had an instant to widen before he was torn off his feet. He flew back, bouncing across the ground before slamming into the far wall of the alley — not that there was much left of it at this point but rubble and large chunks of debris.

Rock shifted and collapsed all around him. It buried the dirty man in a small tomb, a cloud of dust wafting out around him. There was a moment of silence.

Then the Beast’s hand burst up from beneath the rocks. He extracted himself with no more effort than that of a man getting out of bed on a casual morning, his eyes affixed on Rodrick.

“Now that’s new,” the Beast said. A droplet of blood rolled down from his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “I haven’t seen that before. Can’t remember the last time someone got the jump on me either. Tell me your name. I want to remember it.”

Rodrick’s lips thinned. Even though he’d landed a good blow on the Beast, it looked like he’d barely managed to hurt the man. That strike should have been enough to do a hell of a lot more than just a drawing single drop of blood.

Damn. I’m not optimized for fighting anymore. But even if I was… I don’t fancy my chances. I’m just straight up outmatched.

Rodrick paused for a moment. Then his lips twitched up into a faint smile.

But that’s fine. I don’t need to be optimized for fighting.

It’s not my role.

He let his invisibility fade away.

“Rodrick.”

The Beast tilted his head to the side. His eyes narrowed. “That… wasn’t a lie. You were being honest. That’s a bit of a surprise. I figured you’d lie again.”

He read me? That quickly? He couldn’t tell if I was bullshitting him or not just a few moments ago. I don’t think that was just a lucky guess.

“I did consider lying, yes,” Rodrick said. He squinted through the ringing in his skull. It wasn’t getting any quieter. He’d gotten rung badly. “But I decided not to bother.”

“Why?” the Beast asked.

Rodrick sat down on a large chunk of debris, letting his legs stretch out before him. “Because I’m done here.”

“You’re giving up?” the Beast asked. He frowned. “That’s disappointing.”

“No,” Rodrick said, blowing out a slow breath and looking up at the clouds twisting through the sky above. “I’m just tapping out. This wasn’t my fight.”

A shadow passed overhead, alighting easily on the ground before Rodrick. There was a faint, wooden thud as the haft of a weapon drove down into the ground like it was the halberd held by some king’s guard.

But this was no halberd.

“It’s mine,” Kien said, pointing his broom at the Beast. “And I’m afraid that, on the behalf of the Menagerie, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

The Beast tilted his head to the side. An eager light lit behind his eyes. He didn’t look even slightly confused about the fact that Kien’s chosen weapon was a cleaning instrument. “And when I refuse?”

“You’re leaving one way or another. Either you walk yourself out of here on your own two legs and find something better to do with your time…” Kien lowered into a fighting stance. “Or your body leaves in a wheelbarrow and we waste a little gold covering the costs of filling up one more ditch.”