Rise of the Living Forge

Chapter 207: Kererus Coalition

The air was taut with tension. Nobody spoke as they all waited to see if their efforts would be enough to completely stop the poison ripping through Melissa’s body. Seconds dragged on, rolling by just like the droplets of sweat that traced down Anna’s concentrated face.

As the minutes went by, Melissa’s posture continued to relax. The top of the counter definitely wasn’t comfortable, but her back, arched in pain, eased. Her white knuckles unclenched and her breathing steadily drew softer and calmer.

Anna continued to watch over her and push magic into Melissa’s body whenever she gathered enough energy to get back to work. Lillia looked like she wanted to go cook something else, but there was only so much food that somebody could eat at once.

There was nothing they could do but hope that Anna had what she needed to and Melissa could gather the strength to pull through with her aid. Arwin could nearly taste the frustration in the air.

He could fight a monster. He could block an attack. But this — he couldn’t do anything other than watch. The others were the same. Even the drunkard in the corner radiated unease. There wasn’t a single feeling in the world that stung more than helplessness.

Arwin was no more than a few seconds away from heading upstairs just so he could pace back and forth without distracting Anna when she finally let her hands drop and rest against the counter.

“It’s done,” Anna said through a weary sigh and a smile. “Nine Underlands, that was a tenacious poison. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like that.”

Rodrick wiped the sweat from Anna’s brow with the back of his sleeve and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to support her. “The girl’s fine, then?”

“I’m not a girl. I’m grown,” Melissa said, her voice nearly twice as strong as the last time she had spoken. There was a confident, strong air to her tone that would have felt more at place at the side of a commander rather than someone her age. “And thanks to your efforts, I believe I am.”

Melissa pushed herself upright. This time, nobody stopped her. Whatever she’d been planning to say was put on pause as she finally got her first proper look at the tavern. A frilly dress-clad imp stood in the shadows, hands wrung in response to Lillia’s concern.

Lillia herself stood across from her, tail and purple skin in broad view. Some stroke of luck had spared them from Madiv being present as well, but Lillia was definitely more than enough to give anyone sane pause.

Melissa hesitated for a grand total of three seconds before gathering herself and getting her surprised features under control. She swallowed before speaking. “Oh. I’ve been captured by the Horde.”

Why is she so apathetic about it? Shouldn’t you be more concerned if you think the horde kidnapped you?

“No, no, nothing like that!” Lillia said hurriedly, lifting her hands to show they were empty. “You’re still in Milten. This is a themed tavern.”

“This is Lillia,” Arwin said, putting a hand on the demon queen’s shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. “She’s the owner of the Devil’s Den, a monster themed tavern. That’s why it’s so dark in here. The imp in the corner is a shadow construct she made.”

Melissa’s brow furrowed. She hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. “I — oh. That does make sense. No actual monster would live somewhere so… obviously monster-like. It’s over the top. I see. My apologies. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.”

“I think we can give you a pass considering how close you were to dying,” Anna said from behind Melissa. She walked around the counter to get a better look at the girl’s face, then nodded to herself. “You’ve got some color back. How are you feeling?”

“Incredible,” Melissa said, a note of wonder entering her voice. “Like I could bound over a rooftop with a single jump. What did you do to me?”

“If you’re referring to the feeling better part, that would be Anna. She’s a very talented healer,” Lillia said, giving the girl a winning smile. “The excess energy you feel now is because I fed you Wyrmling steak. I use special ingredients to help it give you a boost of strength. It won’t last forever, but it’ll help you recover.”

“Ooh,” Melissa said with a knowing nod. “Drugs.”

“What?” Lillia exclaimed. “No! I don’t drug my food. It’s just my class.”

“I’m sorry!” Melissa said, bowing her head repeatedly in embarrassment. “I didn’t think I’d said that out loud. My head is still a little hazy. I really don’t mean to cause any offense. I owe all of you a formal thanks for saving my life. Especially the man in the corner. He brought me here, didn’t he?”

Arwin followed Melissa’s gaze to the drunkard. The white-haired man curled his lip in distaste and looked down into his empty tankard. He gave them a half-hearted shrug. “Didn’t do much.”

“Perhaps that’s how you see it, but I value my life quite a bit,” Melissa said. “Would you all be willing to share your names with me? I am… not in a good position right now, but I swear I will find a way to repay all of you.”

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“I’m Arwin. You already know Lillia and Anna’s name. Rodrick is the guy next to Anna. The girl with the dagger is Reya, and the one by her side is Olive. And as for our white haired friend, I think I’d like to know that as well,” Arwin said, sending the drunkard a flat look. He wasn’t sure if he could even think of the man as a drunkard anymore.

“My name doesn’t matter,” the drunkard said. “If you want to thank me, feel free to buy me a drink. Mine is out.”

Melissa’s cheeks colored in embarrassment and her face fell. “I… don’t have any money right now. I’m sorry. I’d offer to spend time here and work my debt off, but I fear my presence may be more trouble than the work I can do. The sooner I leave, the better. I swear I won’t forget this, though. I—”

“Hold on,” Arwin said as he raised a hand to forestall any more apologies. He wasn’t about to get blindsided by some pissed off guild. Not again. “I won’t keep you here, but I’d like to know what we’ve gotten ourselves into by helping you. Tell us why someone is sending assassins after you. After that, if you still want to leave, you’ll be welcome to. We can even give you some supplies.”

Hope tinged Melissa’s expression. She swallowed, hands tightening at her sides, and she inclined her head. “You’re right. It’s only fair. My name is Melissa Montibeau.”

She let her words trail off into silence, giving them an expectant look. Everyone sent her a flat stare in response. Arwin glanced over to the drunkard, but he seemed equally as lost. The man just looked down into his empty tankard with a despondent expression.

“That’s a nice name, but something tells me the assassins aren’t after you because they want to steal it,” Arwin said gently.

“Do… you not know who I am?” Melissa asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“I haven’t the faintest clue,” Anna said. Olive and Reya both shrugged as well.

“If you don’t know who I am, why did you go through so much effort to help me?” Melissa asked in shock.

“Because you were dying and showed up at Lillia’s door. I’m a healer. My job is to heal.” Anna shrugged. “I’d have done it for anyone, and Lillia would have too. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to why your name is relevant?”

“My family — the Montibeaus — are a noble family that works with a number of small merchant guilds. We don’t have any major ones, but we have enough small ones that we have a pretty effective foothold in several small towns. Milten is one of them,” Melissa said. There was a strong note of pride in her voice. She swung her legs over the side of the counter to sit more properly and her shoulders slumped. “At least, we had a good hold. My father died two weeks ago, and everything has been unraveling since.”

“Your father… am I remiss in guessing that he was the head of your family?” Arwin asked.

Melissa nodded. Her lower lip quivered for just an instant before she steeled her features and set her jaw. “He was. I suspect one of the rival families killed him. But right now, it doesn’t matter. I can’t afford to wonder or speculate. I need to get back to my family before everything he built is destroyed.”

“I think I’m following where this is going,” Rodrick said. His eyes held none of their typical joviality. “The assassins are from the other families to put the final nail in your family’s coffin.”

“That’s the conclusion I’ve come to as well. My father taught me everything he knew about our business. If I could get back and take control, I’d be able to stop this. I can’t undo the damage, but I can keep it from getting worse. And that’s what I’m going to do. Once I get back to my family and stop it from crumbling, I swear on my family name that I’ll repay all of you for what you’ve done.”

Why am I not surprised that it’s a merchant guild causing trouble? They might not be fighters themselves, but they seem perfectly happy to kill people in every single indirect way known to man. Who needs to fight yourself when you can just hire some assassin and outfit them with a deadly poison?

“Do you know what guild may be targeting you?” Arwin asked, suspicion laden in his tone. If it was the Ardent guild —

“A group called the Kererus Coalition. I’m almost certain of it. They’re powerful, but I didn’t think they had a strong presence in Milten. I was wrong. If I hadn’t been out when they initially attacked, they would have killed me then and there. I went to try and find some mercenaries to hire.” Melissa’s fists clenched in fury. “But I lost all my gold. It got stolen.”

Arwin winced in sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s life,” Melissa said. She slid down from the counter and swayed for a moment. Arwin reached to steady her, but she caught her balance on her own. Melissa held his gaze, ironclad determination etched into her expression. “It just means that wasn’t the right path. I’ll find a new one. I have to. I won’t let my father’s legacy be destroyed like this. I will succeed. I have to.”

He believed her. Even after shaking hands with death, she stood before him with squared jaws and not an ounce of missing confidence. She was driven — and it was a drive he recognized.

I like this kid. She’s got fire.

Arwin realized that Lillia was looking at him. She caught his attention and gave him a slight nod. The rest of the Menagerie all had the same look in their eyes. This wasn’t their fight. They couldn’t afford to save everyone. Arwin knew that — but power didn’t come without risk.

The greatest victories were the ones wrested from the jaws of defeat. And, when there was a great victory, there was attention. A small smile pulled at Arwin’s lips.

Maybe I’m just telling myself this to justify my actions. Even if that’s true, I don’t care. I won’t stand aside when I can make a difference.

Besides, I already decided that it was about time to start making some basic magic weaponry and selling it to select individuals.

“Maybe you should stick around for just a little longer before you leave,” Arwin suggested. He activated [Arsenal] and summoned all of his equipment aside from his gauntlets and helm. “We’re no mercenaries, but I’ve always liked an underdog story. I can’t fight your battles for you… but I can give you the tools to win them. If you’re the head of your family, then you’ve got the authority to accept deals on their behalf.”

“I — I don’t understand,” Melissa said, her eyes going wide. “What are you offering? I can’t afford anything right now. I’m completely destitute.”

“Forget money for now. It sounds like you’ve only got to deal with assassins, not armies or warriors prepared for a serious fight. I can outfit you with magical equipment. I can’t guarantee you’ll win with it, but it’ll give you a fighting chance. I think your family could help me a lot in the future, and if you take these bastards down using my gear, it’ll bring me fame and attention. That’s what I’m after. Win-win.”

“You’ll… just give me magical gear?” Melissa asked in disbelief. “Something strong enough to let me fight the assassins? For free?”

“Not for free. You’ll pay me back in the future.” Arwin extended a hand to her. “Let’s call it an investment.”