Chapter 59: Work

Chapter 59: Work

“Whoa,” Reya said. “That’s one nasty dagger. Who’d make something like this?”

“I can think of a lot of people,” Rodrick muttered, looking over Arwin’s shoulder at the bone dagger. “Still, that’s a magical weapon. Not the prettiest, but magic is magic. Could probably sell for around a hundred gold, maybe more. If it wasn’t limited uses, it would go for a lot more.”

“Anyone want this?” Arwin asked. “I have a possible use for it, but I don’t know how it’ll turn out.”

“Not me,” Reya said hurriedly. “I want my dagger back, not this one.”

Arwin wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or feel flattered by how much Reya liked the dagger he’d given her. It had definitely been quite the weapon, but he was pretty sure he could always make another one.

Not sure if she wants another one, though. I suppose I’ll have to hope the magic was enough to keep it safe in the Wyrm. With any luck, we’ll be able to get it back after the Wyrm leaves – or dies.

“Daggers aren’t of any use to me,” Rodrick said. “I don’t know how to use them. Anna?”

“I prefer to heal, not kill.” Anna’s lips pressed thin in distaste as she shook her head. “And this dagger is meant for killing people. Not for me.”

“Can’t cook with it. It’ll get bone in the food,” Lillia said with a shrug. “All yours.”

Arwin wasn’t surprised. The dagger hadn’t been something that he thought any of the team would have wanted, but it was still good to check. And, if anything, their refusal to take it was a reassurance.

He’d known far too many people that would have gone for the weapon just so they could sell it. Money was a powerful lure, even when people had everything. A group that only took what they needed and nothing more was a group that would be able to work together for a long time.

Arwin carefully placed the dagger in his bag, making sure to keep it as far from the metal ingots as possible. He closed the bag and straightened back up, nodding to the others.

“Right. Shall we continue on, then? We can take on one more room before calling it for the day and heading back to celebrate our victories.”

***

The next room wasn’t anything of particular interest to anyone other than Lillia. It contained a large, fuzzy monster that the Mesh only identified as a Wiggler. It was really more of a furry cylinder than anything else. Arwin hadn’t even been able to figure out which end of the Wiggler had been its head, but it had gone down before it had a proper chance to fight back.

None of them got any Achievements from killing it, a fact which Arwin was somewhat thankful for. If the Mesh was going around handing out Achievements for killing moldy turds, the world would have probably been headed for disaster.

Unfortunately for everyone, the Wiggler had turned out to have a rather fleshy interior that very strongly resembled normal meat. Lillia carved the monster up, then stuffed her arms – and the rest of Arwin’s bag – full of its meat. Considering it was the only thing that she was going to take from the dungeon, Arwin didn’t complain too much.

The group didn’t push their luck any further, not wanting to press so deep into the dungeon that they ran into something they couldn’t handle yet. They retraced their steps and made their way back to Milten. Before they returned, Arwin pulled his Ifrit mask back on to hide him from any prying eyes. He dismissed his armor and hammer as well.

As usual, Rodrick and Anna split off once they were inside the city, promising to meet back up with everyone after a few days. The remaining three headed over to Lillia’s tavern, only to find that something had changed.

“What in the Nine Underlands?” Lillia asked, nearly tripping over her own feet as she entered the tavern. She managed to catch herself at the last second and Arwin grabbed a piece of Wiggler steak as it fell from her arms to prevent it from falling to the ground.

Not that falling on the ground would have been much of an issue anymore. Someone had gone through the entire tavern and made it spotless. It had been relatively clean before, but now it was polished.

Sure, the majority of the building was old and dilapidated, but the worst of the cracked stones had been replaced and repaired. The floor had been swept and the last remnants of dust that had been in the corners was gone.

It was still dark, but the tavern looked... fresh. Ready. Lillia hurried into the kitchen, only to find that it had received a similar treatment. Everything had been wiped off and dusted, and the damaged parts of the walls had been replaced.

“Whoa,” Reya said from behind them. “It’s almost shiny in here.”

Lillia set the pile of steaks in her arms down and turned in a circle. Even in the darkness, Arwin could see the delight on her features.

Arwin burst into laughter and slapped Zeke on the shoulder. “Perhaps not. I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. You’re doing great, though. I haven’t had a chance to really figure out how to be a proper smith yet. I’ve been overly reliant on my class, as the Mesh has been helping guide me to keep my work from being complete trash. Without that, you might be better at this than I am right now.”

“I’m not doing that great,” Zeke grumbled, sending a glance over his shoulder at the hearth. “That’s not hot enough, and we don’t have any oil to quench the stuff we make.”

Oil... not anymore. I kinda torched up my barrel. I’d tell him about my little hole next to the ditch, but I think that might just make things look even worse. Better keep that as a surprise. For a first weapon, water will be fine. I don’t want to mistakenly break another barrel and pour flaming oil onto Zeke.

“Resources have also been tight up until recently,” Arwin said with a sheepish grin. “That will come in time. And getting the hearth hotter is a pretty simple task.”

“I already used the bellows,” Zeke said, crossing his arms. “But it’s way too windy, even with all the repairs. Also, your wood supply is almost entirely gone. How was that thing hot enough to do anything?”

“If you can keep a secret, I’ll show you.”

Zeke’s eyes widened and he nodded without missing a beat.

“Lillia says thank you for all the work you put into the tavern, by the way,” Arwin said as he approached the forge.

“It wasn’t much,” Zeke said, glancing away as his cheeks reddened. “I just wanted to help out a little more. I didn’t have anything better to do with my day anyway.”

“Well, we’ll get that changed soon enough,” Arwin promised. He held his hand up and summoned a ball of [Soul Flame] to it, tossing it into the hearth. The fire roared up, instantly tripling in size.

Zeke’s eyes widened and he rushed forward – though he made sure to keep enough space between himself and the crackling flame to avoid getting burnt.

“Whoa,” Zeke breathed. “You can throw fire?”

“It’s one of the abilities my class got,” Arwin said. “No sharing that, though. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but I don’t want the extra attention, you know?”

“Oh, yeah. I won’t say a word,” Zeke promised. He fidgeted in place, and Arwin could tell he was resisting the urge to look back at his sword.

“Go on,” Arwin said with a chuckle. “Get your sword. Let’s finish it, shall we?”

Zeke didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed the blade, then carefully edged forward and stuck the first half of the blade into the fire. Arwin took the unfinished piece between two fingers and lifted it into the fire, ignoring Zeke’s yelp of warning.

“It’s my fire,” Arwin said. “It won’t burn me. You’re a different case, though.”

Zeke, who had been moments from sticking his hand into the fire, quickly yanked it back and cleared his throat. “Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll work the bellows.”

He ran over to the other side of the forge and started to pump air into the fire, causing it to roar even higher. It wasn’t long before the sword had turned a mixture of bright orange and cherry red.

As tempting as it is to whip out Verdant Blaze, I don’t think this is the right spot for it. This is Zeke’s sword, and he can’t use my magic hammer safely. He’ll have to settle for the normal one.

“Go ahead and grab the hammer,” Arwin said. “I trust you can swing it considering you’ve already got this much of the sword made. Just be careful. It’s kind of... vibrate-y.”

Zeke picked up the black hammer and hoisted it over his shoulder with a grunt, giving Arwin a sharp nod. “I can hold it.”

“Good. Don’t hit my fingers,” Arwin said, bringing the heated sword over to the anvil. “I’ll hold it in place. Get to swinging.”

Zeke grinned, and then the two of them got to work.