Rise of the Living Forge - Chapters 541-542

Loud cracks echoed through the Auction House around Arwin. He staggered as huge cracks split through the ground, racing across the stone faster than his eyes could follow them. It took everything he had to keep his balance in the face of the immense tremors shaking the earth under his feet.

What the hell is happening?

Arwin grabbed Lillia and Olive, pulling both of them closer to him as the magical magma pumping through his veins started to heat.

Debris rained down from the ceiling as the tremors intensified. They were so strong that Arwin didn’t even dare try to walk. A single step was liable to send him plummeting into the growing chasms forming in the ground.

“Stay near!” Arwin yelled over the growing din.

“What’s happening?” Olive yelled back. “Is this normal?”

“No!” Arwin replied. “It—”

The world snapped to a stop. Arwin nearly tripped a second time as the violent shaking abruptly vanished. In an instant, the groaning stone of the Auction House ceased all motion as one. A few tiny pebbles of debris rained down around them.

And then there was silence.

A moment passed. But, before any of them could muster up any words, a tongue of sickly green smoke coiled up from one of the many cracks riddling the ground. It was thick and heady, so dense that Arwin could barely even see through it.

More smoke followed suit. They streamed upward, slithering through the cracks in the ceiling and rising out of view. A chilly breeze rolled through the room.  

The hair on Arwin’s arms stood on end. His eyes narrowed. Magic hung in the air. He could literally taste it on his lips, an electric current building in intensity all around them.

More smoke continued to rise from within the earth. The sickly green energy pumped up from the ground relentlessly. It showed no signs of stopping. For that matter, more and more of it came with every passing second.

“We should probably get out of here,” Olive said.

Arwin nodded. “You’re right. Move. We’ll figure out what happened later.”

He summoned the Wyrm’s Revenge to one hand as he herded the two of them toward the exit. Arwin kept his guard up as they made their way back through the tunnel. Thoughts spun through his head, but he repressed them, keeping his focus razor-sharp.

The cracks continued into the hall. Curiously enough, there was no sign of any actual fallen debris. All the damage to the auction house somehow hadn’t managed to dislodge a single piece of stone.

Is that a testament to Ridley’s work, or is there something else going on? It doesn’t matter. We have to get to safety first. Everything else can come later.

A growing sense of confusion built in Arwin as the three of them made their way out from the passage and into the open-topped main section of the Auction House. Then he paused. The others did too.

“What?” Olive muttered. “That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Arwin had to agree.

Not a single one of the seats had been impacted by the cracks. The damage riddling the Auction House stretched through the stone in every direction, but it had avoided the pathways between the seats and the seats themselves entirely.

Instead, it wound along the walls and made its way toward the center of the building where the auctioneer’s platform sat in a spiraling pattern, only traveling over the paths where no people would tread.

The green smoke rising up through the cracks had formed into a cloud just about halfway up toward the ceiling. It had formed into a ring that blocked off view of the upper VIP booths entirely… but, if one had been in any of the booths, Arwin was pretty sure they’d have had no trouble at all seeing anyone standing on the auctioneer’s platform.

“This damage doesn’t feel very random,” Lillia said, her brow furrowing.

“There isn’t any debris here either,” Arwin said. He looked around to confirm it. He was right. Just like the hall, there wasn’t a single scrap of rock that had fallen out of place. The only actual damage that could get in the way of a passerby was back in the Heart Room and the hall leading up to it.

It was in places where no customer would ever be. For that matter… the damage actually looked pretty cool. There wasn’t another way to properly put it. The jagged cracks were asthetically pleasing. It was like an artist’s fictional rendition of a monster’s lair rather than the real thing.

Arwin’s eyes narrowed.

“You can’t be serious,” Lillia said. “You don’t think…”

“It was intentional,” Arwin finished. “It must have been. I’m far from an expert on collapsing buildings, but this definitely isn’t the way they fall down. Nothing broke. Nothing at all. There are just cracks.”

“You’re telling me the building felt it wasn’t edgy enough?” Olive asked in disbelief. “You think it did this to itself?”

Arwin squinted at the green smoke. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw the beginnings of a face with it. Then the features were gone and he found nothing but thick green mist waiting for him.

“Yes,” Arwin said, blowing out a slow breath. “I do. But only Madiv is going to be able to tell for certain. The building is bound to him, not us.”

“But you made it,” Olive said. “It’s yours.”

“Do you own a child you give birth to?”

Olive blinked. Then her nose scrunched. “I guess not. But that’s kind of a weird anology. Are you implying you’re a mother?”

Arwin sighed. “You know what? Never mind. Let’s just head out. I don’t think we have to be worried, though. I was pretty sure that everything worked correctly. Nothing seemed like it went wrong. The building is just dramatic.”

“They can do that?” Olive asked.

Arwin and Lillia exchanged a glance.

“Yes,” they said in unison.

A faint ripple passed through the stone at their feet. Instead of knocking them off balance, it lifted the three up and ferried them several feet toward the exit before dropping them back down on firm ground harmlessly.

Olive’s eyes widened. She looked down at her feet, then back to Arwin.

“Holy shit. Did it just tell us to get lost?”

“Pretty much, yes,” Arwin said. “I would imagine it wants Madiv. There may be something it wants to prepare. I have no idea, to be honest. This is a first for me as well. I’ve never had a building I awakened kick me out.”

“Is it dangerous?” Lillia asked as, after one last glance over their shoulders, they started for the open-doored entrance. “I don’t want to feed Madiv to a bloodthirsty auction house.”

“No. It shouldn’t be,” Arwin said. He paused for a moment. “I’m pretty sure it’s safe.”

“Not very convincing,” Lillia observed.

“The complete lack of any damage to important structure makes me think it should be fine. It kept itself habitable for people,” Arwin replied. “That makes me think it plans to carry out its purpose as normal. It just wants Madiv… I guess.”

“That really isn’t convincing at all,” Olive said.  

The three of them walked through the doors and back out onto the street, where a fair number of people were all staring in their direction. Even as thin as the crowd was this late into the night, the awakening of the Coffin clearly hadn’t gone unnoticed.  

Arwin suppressed a grimace. There were going to be far too many rumors cycling through Milten by this time tomorrow. Even if he wanted to head them off early, it was far too late. That was certainly one way to make sure word of the newly completed Auction House spread.

“We’re going to need a sign,” Lillia said as she looked back at the entrance of the building.

Arwin followed her gaze. He couldn’t help but notice that the doors were completely undamaged, as was the stone around them. They’d still be able to work perfectly. That solidified his theory even further.

The building was literally just giving itself a dramatic makeover, huh?

“What now?” Olive asked. “A lot of people saw that. We’re going to have company soon. More than we already do.”

“We find Madiv,” Arwin replied. He paused for a moment. The back of his neck was prickling as if someone were staring at him. His gaze moved to the shadows near the edge of the street. “Though I don’t think we’ll have to look far. It seems someone beat us to it.”

Madiv stepped out of the darkness, his suit as pristine as ever.

“You called?” Madiv asked.

“How long were you waiting there?” Olive asked.

“About an hour and a half,” Madiv admitted sheepishly. “My leg is quite cramped. Rodrick told me that my presence would be needed. What happened in there?”

“Your building was a bit temperamental,” Arwin said.

Madiv blinked. “My building?”

“Yes,” Arwin replied. He gestured over his shoulder. “You’re going to be the auctioneer, aren’t you? We already discussed it. Lillia and I just finished the awakening process. It’s fully ready for you now.”

“I understood that part,” Madiv said stiffly. The vampire shifted from foot to foot. “But I may have misheard you. You said the building belongs to me?”

“Of course. You’ll be in control of it. Just like Lillia’s Den,” Arwin said with a frown. “Is there a problem?”

“No. No, of course not,” Madiv said. He swallowed. “I just didn’t expect so much. It is a far greater gift than I was prepared for. Thank you, Arwin. You have given me more than I have earned. You and the Mistress will not be disappointed.”

“Oh,” Arwin said, somewhat lamely. “Well, ah, enjoy?”

Lillia shot him a flat look.

Arwin shrugged helplessly back. He had been about as prepared for heartfelt gratitude as Madiv had been for getting a new building signed under his name.

“It’s called The Coffin,” Olive said. “Because… you know.”

“The Coffin,” Madiv repeated. A smile stretched across his lips. “A good name indeed. Well chosen.”

“You might want to go familiarize yourself with it,” Arwin said. “The building will be able to speak with you. At least, it should. Let us know how it goes.”

Madiv gave him a sharp nod. “I will do as you say, and with greate haste. A building of my own. A lair. Yes. I quite like the sound of that.”

Excitement glinting in his eyes, the vampire strode into the Coffin without another word.

The massive doors slammed shut behind him with an ominous bang.

A second of silence passed.

“Madiv isn’t going to get eaten, right?” Olive asked hesitantly.

“He should be fine,” Arwin said. He sent one last look at the closed doors. Then he cleared his throat. “Probably.”

Chapter 542

No sound emerged from within the Coffin 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 Coffin 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—”

“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 Coffin. “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 Coffin 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 Coffin 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.

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