Arwin and the rest of the Menagerie made it back to their street without incident. But, when they drew up to the door of the Devil’s Den, there was someone waiting for them.
Madiv stood by the door leaning against the wall. There was a canvas bag at his feet. He spotted them coming and pushed himself upright, adjusting his suit and smoothing out his hair. Arwin was pretty sure that was something that generally should have been done before anyone saw the merchant and not after, but it was probably the least of the vampire’s worries.
“You have been missing for some time,” Madiv said as they drew to a stop before him. “I have acquired the Ivorin that you requested.”
“That’s perfect timing, actually,” Arwin said. He ran a hand along his armor, feeling the grooves running through it. He needed more Ivorin to patch it up, not to mention make his gauntlets and boots.
There was also the matter of making some suits of armor to sell the following day, but he had to balance innovation with creation. It was a little awkward to be a smith that didn’t even know how to make a full set of armor.
Madiv pulled a bar of metal out of his bag and held it out so that Arwin could take a look. It definitely looked like Ivorin. If Arwin was honest with himself, he was slightly surprised. He’d fully expected the merchant to show up with a bag of rocks.
“This is… actually Ivorin,” Arwin said, taking a moment to listen to the metal’s desires before speaking. “Where did you get this?”
“Is that of any concern?” Madiv asked, tilting his head to the side. “My sources are my own. I acquired it, did I not?”
“I suppose you did,” Arwin said. “Forty gold per bar, was it? How many did you get?”
“I did not kill him. I am not an animal.” Madiv let out a derisive scoff. “It was only his first offense. I shattered the bones of his arms and hung him by his wrists from a tree.”
What the hell kind of merchant class do you have if you’re beating the life out of a warrior? Actually, I’m not sure if I should be surprised. The Mesh doesn’t seem to mind letting people stick onto some abilities from previous classes when they change, and he’s still a Vampire. I’d imagine there are some benefits that come with being a monster.
“You know what? I think I know why they stuck anyone that works with you on a blacklist,” Olive said. She blew out a breath and glanced at Arwin. “Not to be impatient, but I’d really like to hear what it was that you’ve been holding off on telling me.”
“That’s a fair request,” Arwin said. “We’ve got a lot ahead of us in the next few days, so no point wasting time. Reya, are you still willing to help Madiv out?”
“Yeah, if you want me to.”
Madiv sent Reya an incredulous look. “This is the master salesman?”
“You got a problem with me?” Reya asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Where is your suit?” Madiv demanded. “Your livery! How do your customers know of your competence when you dress like a mere adventurer?”
That clearly hadn’t been the objection that Reya had been expecting Madiv to make. She blinked, then let out a snort. “Your suit doesn’t make you look like a good merchant. It makes you look like you’re going to try to sell me a shitty rug.”
Madiv looked down at his suit. Then he looked back up at Reya. “I see. The solution is to wear women’s armor to demonstrate your wiles while proving that you are capable of protecting your goods.”
“Oh boy,” Reya said. “This might take a bit. Come on.”
She stepped out of the tavern and Madiv followed after her. The rest of the Menagerie watched them leave without a word.
“That can only end well,” Rodrick said.
“At least he seems willing to learn,” Anna said diplomatically. “I think Reya will be a good teacher. It’ll be a good experience for her to actually be the one that knows what’s going on for once.”
Arwin nodded, but his thoughts were already elsewhere. They’d kept Olive waiting for long enough. She’d proven her worth, both to the guild and as a person. There wasn’t any excuse to keep her in the dark any more.
A tendril of shadow curled out from the corner of the tavern and snagged a chair, bringing it over to Olive. She glanced at it in surprise.
“You might want to sit down,” Arwin said. “You wanted to hear about who I am, didn’t you?”
Olive sat down without another word. Her gaze danced across the room, picking up on the shift in mood quickly. “Yeah. Why does it feel like I’m attending a funeral?”
A small, bitter laugh escaped Arwin before he could stop it. “That’s a surprisingly astute observation, as I’m supposed to be dead. Do you recall hearing about the final fight between the Hero and the Demon Queen, the one that ended with a massive explosion?”
“Yeah,” Olive replied, her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to piece together what Arwin was talking about. “Did you desert the Guild during the final battle or something?”
“More like they deserted me.” Arwin couldn’t keep the note of bitterness from his voice. “I was at the center of that explosion, together with the Demon Queen.”
The befuddlement on Olive’s features only grew stronger. “What? You managed to survive a blast like that? Are you really not lying about your Tier? There’s no way the Hero and the Demon Queen would both get killed while a random smith wouldn’t.”
“You’re right. They didn’t die,” Arwin said. As always, finding the right words to actually explain what had happened was a thousand times harder than thinking them, but there was nothing to do but push forward. “I lived. I haven’t always been a blacksmith, Olive.”
He could see the moment Olive put his words together as clear as day. Her brow lifted as she drew in a small breath, her lips parting as her gaze focused. Olive flew from her chair, knocking it to the floor behind her in the process. “Nine Underlands. You’re the fucking Hero? You lying son of a bitch. You said you—”
“I was,” Arwin barked, cutting Olive off. “I’m not the Hero anymore. My class and Tier were both taken in the explosion. I’m nothing but Apprentice 6 now. I swear to you that I have never put anything less than my complete effort into everything we’ve done.
The wind left Olive’s sails, but the shock remained within her eyes. “Why? And how do I know you’re telling the truth about this?”
“Because I wasn’t the only one that survived that explosion,” Arwin said. He looked to Lillia and Olive’s eyes went wide.
“Fuck,” Olive breathed. “I knew that wasn’t makeup. Nobody likes demons so much that they dress up like that every single day. Why did I even believe it?”
“Because it’s a lot easier to believe than the alternative,” Rodrick said.
She let out a bark of laughter. “What, easier to believe that the Hero and the Demon Queen retired to a shithole town and started dating? Was the war even real? How much of what I know is bullshit?”
“With regard to the guild? Probably most of it,” Arwin said. He blew out a heavy sigh. “I know this is overwhelming. There’s a reason we didn’t mention it mid-dungeon. If you give us the time, we’ll tell you everything you want to know.”