Chapter 302: Chapter 302
The rest of that night passed quickly. Olive hadn’t been in much of a mood to speak after her revelation that her Challenge had returned. She and Reya retired to their rooms shortly afterward to think. Nobody made any move to stop them — there would be more than enough time to think further in the morning, when Olive had time to process what was going on and all of their minds had a chance to refresh.
Arwin hadn’t forgotten what Olive’s challenge had been — or what it had done to her. She’d described it well in her retelling of how she’d lost her arm.
[Master Thy Sword] – You have sought mastery over the sword for your entire life, striving to achieve it with such intensity that all other aspects of your life have been left to fester. Here’s a chance to claim that power you so desperately desire. Rewards: Variable depending on level of success.
Milestone 1: When the time comes, restrictions will be placed upon you by the Mesh. Defeat an opponent the Mesh selects to remove the restrictions and advance upon the path of the blade.
If the Challenge put restrictions on her in the middle of the tournament… it would be bad. Very bad.
But that was a problem to deal with later. Worrying about it now would change nothing and decisions made in panic would only cause damage. The day had been a long one, and the entirety of the Menagerie was long overdue a rest.
Arwin only managed to stay awake for just long enough for Lillia to join him in bed before the two of them joined the others in sleep.
When the following morning dawned, everyone gathered in the common room once more. Even in the dim orange light from the lanterns, something about the Devil’s Den felt lighter. A weight had been lifted from everyone’s shoulders, and it was palpable.
Elias and Maeve were among the last of them to rise, and arrived just as Lillia was handing out breakfast to everyone. She offered some to them, but the two politely declined. Elias didn’t eat anymore for obvious reasons, and it seemed that Maeve’s diet didn’t exactly line up with Lillia’s cooking.
Then it was gone, and his features were unreadable once more.
“Yes. Perhaps the rest of this conversation would be better conducted in my smithy,” Arwin suggested, starting for the door without waiting for a response. “There will need to be some final adjustments to ensure it works, but I have it prepared.”
Raen followed after him without another word. They headed into the Infernal Armory and Arwin pulled the bracelet out after he’d closed the door behind them.
“Is that it?” Raen asked. A tiny flicker of eagerness broke through his tone and his hands twitched. “It works as you said it would?”
Someone’s impatient. Why is this so important to him?
“It will,” Arwin replied. “A complete change of appearance… but I need to know what it is I’m changing. Until I do, I can’t finish the item.”
The eagerness fell away from Raen’s expression. “Can’t you just make it turn someone… plain? Remove any extra features that make them stand out?”
“Not unless I know what the features are. This isn’t for argument,” Arwin said. “I don’t know what you’re trying to hide, Raen, but I’m not trying to play games here. We aren’t backing out of our deal — either part of it. We have connections to the Montibeau family that we will be using to get you a foothold in the city. That’ll save you a huge amount of money that you would have spent Twelve’s reward on. We’ll pay you the rest of the gold ourselves… but if you want this item, then you need to give me what I need.”
Raen’s eyes widened. “Wait. What? You have—”
“The item,” Arwin ground out. “As I said. We’re not backing out. But I don’t have all day, Raen. You knew what I would need. Either work with me or don’t.”
Raen hesitated for several long seconds. Then his jaw clenched. “Is there truly no other way?”
“You must agree not to say a word of what you see,” Raen said. “Swear yourself to secrecy.”
What kind of disfigurement is so bad that he needs me to swear that I’ll never reveal it? That seems a bit extreme.
“If I went around blabbering about what my customers bought from me, I’d never have customers,” Arwin said. “I swear to keep your information confidential.”
“No matter what you see?”
“You could be the Demon Queen herself and the only thing I would ask is if you wanted freckles or not.”
The corner of Raen’s lips quirked up. “Very well. I will hold you to this secrecy, then. Allow me a moment. The person is nearby.”
Arwin blinked, then nodded.
Raen headed out of the smithy at a brisk pace. Several seconds passed. It had nearly stretched to a minute by the time the door swung open again and Raen returned with a cloaked figure at his side.
The figure loomed nearly a head taller than Raen. Even beneath the loose robes and the thick gloves that covered their hands, Arwin could make out bulging muscles. Whoever this was, they were no stranger to combat.
Maybe they’ve got an embarassing battle wound they need me to cover?
“Here is the one I need you to help,” Raen said, reaching up to put a hand on the figure’s shoulder. “Please remain calm. I can assure you, there is nothing to fear.”
“Fear?” Arwin asked, blinking. “Why would I be scared?”
“Go on. It’s okay,” Raen said, his tone softening. “We have no choice.”
The figure hesitated for a long second. Then they reached up and pulled their hood back. Thick, woven hair hung behind their head. A mask covered the bottom half of their face, but the top was exposed — and their skin was a dull green.
Oh, you have got to be kidding me.