Rise of the Living Forge-Chapter 419: A simple task

Arwin managed to keep his surprise under control for the rest of the vision. It was not a small feat, but he couldn’t afford to let himself get distracted now. Missing any information right at the end would be disastrous.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much more to watch. Once Shade finished the creation of his crystal, he quickly re-bound it within strands of his will that sent tremors through the room and Arwin’s soul alike. Rather than trying to form its shape, it seemed Shade was forming a mental connection to the crystal.

It’s like a twisted version of the connections I have with my own weapons. But my links are closer to partnerships, his is just putting a leash on a mad dog. A mad dog he created. No wonder Koyu hated this kind of magic so much. It’s evil beyond belief.

There’s a saying that no weapon can have true desire. That the potential for good and evil belongs to the one wielding the weapon… but if I didn’t have some experience with similar magics myself, I might have been lead to believe that this magic is just purely dark with no redeeming features whatsoever.

Those thoughts had been the last ones Arwin had within the vision. It slipped away shortly afterward, dropping Arwin and Koyu back down within the walls of the Infernal Armory. But even here, the scent of damp moss and acrid blood lingered in Arwin’s nostrils. It was several seconds before his nose normalized and the foul stench was replaced by that of heat, metal, and ash.

A welcome change.

“Was it what you hoped?” Koyu asked from beside Arwin, his voice grim. It was clear the Lich had not enjoyed reliving that memory. Arwin didn’t blame him.

I don’t think I’d want to relive much of my own memories, much less whatever Koyu might have done in his time as a Lich in the war. How is it that I keep managing to land myself alongside former war-criminals? Do we just have an aura that attracts each other?

The corner of Arwin’s mouth twitched at that. It was a dark thought, but sometimes gallows humor was the only thing left to lean upon.

“No,” Arwin said. “I don’t think anyone can hope for that. I’m sorry you went through it, and I’m sorry I made you go through it again. But it was useful.”

“Then it was a worthy use of time,” Koyu said. “And I trust you understand why, if I ever see you using Soulmancy in a manner anything like Shade, I will do everything in my power to ensure you never draw breath again. It is not a matter of trust or friendship. This world is already ill at ease. It cannot handle another Soulmancer like Shade.”

Arwin rose to his feet, brushing the ash off his backside before looking down to the still seated Lich. “I can’t often make promises about the future, but I can assure you that I will never be anything like Shade.” ƒreewebɳovel.com

“That is all I can ask.”

“Then consider it fulfilled.” Arwin offered a hand to Koyu. “But our work is far from done, and I think there are a few things you should know. A true partnership requires both sides to put something on the table.”

“Oh?” Koyu’s cold eyes bored into Arwin’s. He reached up and took the proffered hand, letting the smith pull him up to his feet. “You have something to tell me?”

“More than I think you’d expect,” Arwin replied. “But we can start with this. Have you ever heard of a Dwarf called Necrohammer?”

“No.” Koyu shook his head. “I have not kept up with the doings of this world beyond my street. Not in a long time. The state we met in was the one I kept for many, many years.”

Arwin grimaced. When they’d first met, Koyu had been little more than a drunkard. The man had basically staggered around the street, murdering people he felt didn’t belong there. It hadn’t seemed like a very fulfilling existence.

“He is a necromancer. I’m still unsure how much he can be trusted, but I believe the information he gave me,” Arwin said, trying to figure out where to start with this. He didn’t want to spend all day explaining what Necrohammer had told him. “He told me that the world is dying. That the Adventurer’s Guild manufactured the war to keep people dying and energy flowing into the world in an attempt to sustain it longer.”

Koyu didn’t even blink at Arwin’s words. The Lich just nodded. “This is unsurprising to me. To be honest, I have not paid much attention to the war. It did not reach Milten, and I have partook in enough wars for many lifetimes. The death of the world also does not surprise me. It has been unstable. This explanation seems as good as any other.”

He took that well enough. I suppose I should have expected as much from a Lich. He’s so much older than me and Necrohammer that I imagine most things don’t really surprise him anymore. That certainly makes things easier for me.

“Two more things, then. First — have you ever heard of something called a Sunsetted class?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Koyu blinked. Then he nodded. “Yes. In brief. Shade was one such being. He Sunsetted his Lich class into an Archlich. But if you are asking me how it can be done, I do not have the answer. I did not remain his student for long.”

Damn.

That might have been for the best. There was rarely only one answer in the world, and any method Shade used to Sunset his class was probably twisted and vile. Whatever the Setting Sun did was probably better… but it wouldn’t have hurt to at least know if there were options.

“No matter,” Arwin said. He paused for a moment. “Wait. You don’t know of the Setting Sun, do you?”

Koyu shook his head mutely. “Guilds have held no interest to me. That is doubly so if they were not present on this street. Why?”

“They were talking about helping us Sunset our classes, and I don’t know if we can trust them. But it’s not important right now. If you don’t know about them, we should keep to the more pressing matters,” Arwin said with a shake of his head. Then he blew out a sharp breath. “Namely, that crystal Shade made.”

Koyu’s eyes narrowed. “Why is it a pressing matter? It is lost. Do not even think about trying to turn it to your own purposes. That weapon singlehandedly ended the war. It destroyed everything in its path — including itself. Shade was fortunately among the number of those it slaughtered. It should be left to rest.”

“I think it might be too late for that,” Arwin replied.

He extended his hand and summoned the Prism’s Reach to his hand with a thought. The large bow shimmered into being. It had been some time since he’d let the weapon out, and a flicker of annoyance passing through the weapon and into his mind told him just what it felt about that.

Don’t worry. I’ll put you to use soon. Once I get some armor made to house the Infernal Armory, the whole Menagerie is going out to do some dungeon delves. Just bear with me a bit.

That seemed to satiate the bow for the time being. Arwin wouldn’t have noticed even if it had continued to protest.

The look on Koyu’s features had stolen all the attention he had.

Slow realization passed over the Lich’s face as he stared at the polished crystal at the heart of the bow. His eyes went wide as disbelief tore through them like a storm. Koyu’s back hit the wall of the armory with a thud.

“The crystal in this weapon is—”

“From an item called the Heart of the Devouring Prism. I forged it into a bow,” Arwin said. “I did not know what it was. To be honest, I’m still not sure what it is. This isn’t the same crystal that we saw. But it—”

“It’s similar,” Koyu finished with a sharp nod. He took a step forward and squinted at the bow intently. His face was still slightly paler than it had been, which was an impressive feat considering he was already as white as a sheet normally. There was a tremor in his voice somewhere between fear and awe. “Yes. I see it. This is not the weapon. But it is born of it. Related to it. Where did you find this Devouring Prism?”

“In a dungeon,” Arwin replied. He grimaced. “It was sealed away. We took it out.”

Koyu’s gaze bored into him. Then he let out a weary huff. “Adventurers. Do you remember where the dungeon is?”

“Yes. But I think the heart was the core of it. There were a lot of the crystals that it created, but they seemed pretty inert without the Heart.”

“Once you create my body, I will investigate,” Koyu said firmly. “I have seen what you have not. There must be no chance of the weapon returning, or the world really will die. Perhaps it is the reason it dies now.”

That thought gave Arwin a moment of pause. The Devouring Prism had been hungry. It consumed energy.

Just like him.

Could it be connected to the reason the world is dying? That’s definitely a possibility. What if Shade’s weapon got fragmented, and the Devouring Prism was just part of it? The other ones might still be somewhere, eating away at the world.

I — shit. I don’t even know how we’d go about finding them if that was the case. Koyu might be able to help, but he can’t leave the street until I make that body for him.

“The crystal didn’t seem to be spreading when I found it,” Arwin said after a few moments of thought. “It was contained to the dungeon.”

Koyu examined the bow for a few more seconds before letting out a long sigh. “Yes. This is not the weapon. It is absolutely of similar make, possibly descended from it, but it is still different. You would have known if the weapon that Shade created still existed. We all would. There is no cause for panic, but I will investigate this once you have created the body you promised me.”

That’s good at least. If Koyu thinks the crystal Shade made isn’t actively snacking on the world, I’ll trust him. I don’t think anyone’s better suited to analyze that than the apprentice of the guy himself.

“Then we’ll endeavor to do that soon,” Arwin said. “Until then, I have one more question for you. There’s something I need to build. Something far greater than anything I’ve ever done before. I’d like your help on it.”

Koyu tilted his head to the side. “Me? Why? I know little of smithing.”

Arwin grimaced. He’d been expecting that. Koyu was no crafter. He had information about Soulmancy and knew a lot about many things… but smithing was not among them.

And if I want to get this armor made to the absolute peak of my abilities, I am going to need assistance. There’s Dwarven Smithing. Soulmancy. My own abilities to speak to materials. I straddle the line between so many different spheres, and I have only begun my journey toward mastery.

The best way to learn and improve is to work with those who have the understanding that I need to develop.

I cannot forge ahead blindly.

“Because it’ll be directly related to making that body we spoke about,” Arwin replied. “I need you to help make me a particular suit of armor.”

“I will do what I can. Why do you word it in such an ominous manner?”

“The undertaking is bigger than what just two people can accomplish,” Arwin said. He’d been hoping to avoid this, but there really wasn’t a choice. The time for some of their secrets was over. The task ahead of them was too large to put anything but their best foot forward. “There’s a dwarven smith that I’d like to introduce you to.”

Wallace might have been stiff, but he was the best smith Arwin knew… and probably the only person who had made anything near the level of quality that the tasks before them needed. Arwin needed his training.

All he had to do was convince the dwarf that working with a Lich and some arguably forbidden magic was in the world’s best interest.