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Chapter 15: How much?

“Calm down,” Lillia grumbled, releasing Reya and letting out a heavy sigh. “Let’s just consider it an advance payment, yes? You aren’t allowed to go to any taverns other than mine. And, in exchange, I help out my most valuable customer.”

“Deal!” Reya said. She paused for a moment and her features crumpled again. “Wait. How are you going to be able to help? Your food is good, but they aren’t going to stop fighting us if you feed them.”

Didn’t you specifically come here just to get food?

“I’m more than just some mere tavernkeeper,” Lillia said. “I’ve dealt with a few rowdy idiots before, and three bodies against thirty is much better than two. If you think about it, that means we each just have to take out ten of them.”

“You know, that’s almost exactly what Arwin told me about himself. And you’re right!” Reya’s eyes lit with just a little hope. “That’s not too bad. As long as they’re all looking in the other direction and completely oblivious to my presence for the entire fight, I could probably do that.”

Do you want them to strip naked and point to their vital spots as well?

“Right,” Lillia said. She could still barely believe a single word coming out of her mouth, but it was too late to back out now. Despite what the humans had claimed about her kind, a demon did not go back on their word.

There was a moment of silence as the two regarded each other. Then Reya’s stomach rumbled.

“Do you think you could still make that food, though?” Reya asked, her cheeks reddening.

Lillia sighed. “Just wait here. I’ll be out in a moment.”

***

Bearing a plate laden with food, Lillia followed Reya out into the street and over to the smithy. Rhythmic thuds echoed from within it, just loud enough to ring in Lillia’s ears.

Reya stepped right through the crumbling entryway, but Lillia paused just before she entered. Her skin prickled, her body screamed warnings at her not to press further. She was standing at the domain of her greatest foe – the spot where he was most comfortable.

No. I’m not backing out. He walked right into my tavern like he owned the place, and I’m going to do the same thing.

Lillia ground her teeth and stepped inside. Arwin stood, his bare back to them and his arms buried up to his elbows in the roaring flames. He didn’t even look slightly bothered by the heat, and Reya held a finger to her lips as Lillia opened her mouth.

“Don’t distract him too much while he’s working,” Reya whispered. “You know, I could have just brought him the food myself. You didn’t have to come.”

“You’d have gotten used to taking food out of my tavern if I did that,” Lillia grumbled, but she kept her voice low. “I’m not letting that happen. This is a one-time thing.”

“Well, you might be waiting a while,” Reya said. She squinted at the forge. “I don’t think he’s anywhere near done yet, and if finishing that armor will give us a chance against the thieves’ guild, I don’t think we should bother him.”

Lillia pursed her lips. Food was always best when it was fresh. At least, she was pretty sure that was the case. It certainly wasn’t going to get any better if they left it out – but any advantages for the upcoming fight would probably be invaluable.

“Fine,” Lillia said. She glanced around the smithy, then sat down and leaned against the wall, beckoning for Reya to do the same. “In that case, tell me about what we’re up against. Maybe I can try to put some form of plan together while we wait for him to finish.

Reya nodded and sat down.

It was in that position that hours passed. The night squirreled away and the sun rose, but Arwin didn’t budge from his spot at the forge. Lillia was pretty certain he had absolutely no idea that they were even there.

Her discussion with Reya only proved one thing, and that was that they were likely screwed. Going up against twenty-nine Apprentice Tiers and a Journeyman was a ludicrous fight. Sure, it was unlikely that all of the guild would be there at the same time, but there would still be far more enemies that they had any right to take on.

To make matters worse, Reya didn’t even have a class. Lillia had been fairly certain that she was a Thief or an equivalent, but Reya didn’t even have that. She had no Titles, no Achievements, and no skills. All she had was the dagger at her side.

This might well and truly be screwed.

Lillia pushed herself upright and brushed the gravel off her backside.

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He’s been working at that armor all night and a good part of the morning. I wonder if he’s actually making any progress, or if he’s just banging away at nothing.

Ignoring the look Reya sent her, Lillia crept closer to the forge. She kept her distance, making sure not to get close enough to startle Arwin, and squinted into the flames. Her eyes widened as she got her first look on the armor.

Layers of interconnected scales had been tightly woven together into a scale mail shirt. They all glowed with merry orange heat that Lillia could feel even from where she stood. It looked like there were only a few scales left to be placed.

The Mesh tickled at the back of her mind as she studied the armor. It wasn’t magical – not yet – but it certainly seemed as if it would be. Despite the person forging the armor, a flicker of awe passed through Lillia.

He can make magical items this soon? It looks like I’m not the only one that got a Unique crafting class, then. I guess I shouldn’t even be surprised. We’ve always been perfectly matched, so I don’t know why this would have been any different.

Lillia made her way back to Reya and sat down.

“Well?” Reya whispered. “Is it working?”

“You could look yourself, you know,” Lillia said dryly. She looked back to Arwin, a thoughtful expression passing over her face. “But yes. I think it is.”

***

Arwin worked the final nail into the armor. His fingers were sore and exhausted, and even though his [Soul Flame] didn’t burn him, his entire body felt like it had been baked in an oven.

He barely even noticed. Arwin lifted the scale mail, delight dancing in his eyes as he felt the Mesh come to life within it.

[Forest Lizard Scale Mail: Unique Quality] has been forged. Forging a magical item has granted you energy.

Achievement: [I’m Special] has been earned.

[I’m Special] – Awarded for forging your first Unique Quality item. Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. This achievement will be consumed immediately.

[I’m Special]has been consumed.

Before Arwin could even think about what the Mesh had said, a list of his existing skills flickered to life before him, blinking impatiently.

[Awaken] (Passive)

[Soul Flame]

Getting his current skills upgraded was just as important as acquiring new ones, but Arwin’s nose scrunched in distaste. As usual, the Mesh had given him absolutely no information about what the skill upgrades would actually be.

There were certain Titles and Achievements that gave more information on upgrades that he’d always found invaluable, but he didn’t have the benefit of any of those this time. Fortunately, he only had two skills to choose between.

It’s not hard to tell what upgrading Awaken would do. I’d get magical items more often, and they’d be less likely to have detrimental effects. Soul Flame, on the other hand, I’m unsure. I’d assume it would become more effective.

Normally, I’d go straight with Awaken. At some point, I’d want to upgrade Awaken regardless. But… if Soul Flame gives me the chance to make stronger weapons, even if they happen less often, wouldn’t that be the better choice?

Arwin’s jaw clenched. It was just as possible that upgrading Awaken would result in the same improvement. It was difficult to tell because the description of the skill said that the component that affected his chances of making a trait was unknown.

After a few more seconds of deliberation, Arwin selected [Soul Flame].

Both skills were tempting. Going with either one was a bet, and if he was going to bet, he wanted to bet on the one that he had the most information on.

[Soul Flame] – Passion burns within you with such intensity that it become manifest. You may draw out your Soul Flame, empowering the fire of your forge, but be wary – any magical damage done to the Soul Flame will transfer onto your soul. Your Soul Flame can pull all the traits from a magical item and allow you to transfer them onto other items without pre-existing magic.

A delighted grin stretched across Arwin’s face. It wasn’t a direct upgrade to his actual items, but considering the random nature of the traits he was able to make right now, this change would be invaluable.

The catch is that I have to take all the traits, so I can’t just separate off the detrimental ones, but this will still be useful if I get a strong defensive trait on a dagger or something like that.

Arwin let the skill fade away. He was mildly surprised – and pleased – to find that he hadn’t reached the next level in his Tier. It got exponentially harder to advance with every level, and Unique Classes often took even more energy than normal to grow stronger.

To Arwin, that was a blessing. It meant more time to claim Titles and Achievements, which was exactly what he needed. Arwin summoned the Mesh once more, this time studying the newly made scale mail to see what rewards his efforts had reaped him.

Forest Lizard Scale Mail: Unique Quality

[Molten Fury]: This item was not just forged in flame – it is one with it. The wearer of this item gains heat resistance. Upon being struck, this item may forcibly draw magical energy and release a whip of molten flame at the attacker.

[Unique]: Once donned, this item will bond with its owner. It will change sizes so long as material permits to fit them perfectly, and anyone else who attempts to wear it may suffer retaliation. Information about this item may be hidden from others after it has bonded.

It possesses [1] concealed property.

The armor was beautiful. Its scales rippled in the firelight, shimmering like green gemstones. The description of the armor was short and to the point, but Arwin could see exactly why it had been marked as Unique. The word was rather self-explanatory. Being Unique wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but it did mean that the item would be different – and the addition of a concealed property was interesting. He had no way of knowing when it would show up or what it would do, but that just added to his interest.

Of course, Arwin could see the potential risks of the armor immediately. It didn’t say how much magical energy it would draw, nor did he have any way to control it. Hypothetically, it could completely drain him the moment he took a single blow. On top of that, there was always the chance that the additional property was actually detrimental and would make the armor worse.

But, despite that, the armor was exactly what he needed. A wild card that would give them even the slightest edge up against the assassins.

He turned to the door so he could show Reya – and froze. Reya was there, but she wasn’t alone.

Sitting beside her was the Demon Queen, and her eyes were transfixed on the armor, her mouth slightly askew in disbelief. She’d watched him forge a Unique magical item, and it looked like she’d been there for quite some time.

Shit. How much did she see?