Rise of the Living Forge

Arwin led Raen, Monica, and Reya from the smithy and over to the Devil’s Den. Monica pinched herself at least four times over the short walk, still seemingly unable to believe that she actually looked and felt like a human.

Lillia stepped out of the kitchen as they emerged, an eyebrow arching as she made her way over to greet them.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“Perfectly,” Arwin replied. He nodded to Monica. “This is Raen’s wife, Monica.”

The orc seemed slightly preoccupied. Her gaze traveled over the tavern, lips parting in disbelief as she drank the atmosphere in. Arwin didn’t blame her. There was something about the darkness of the tavern, lit only by the gentle glow of the orange lanterns scattered throughout it, that was undeniably appealing.

“This place has it right,” Monica breathed. “It looks incredible. It feels just like—”

She cut herself off before she could finish the sentence. Raen sent her a sharp look, but it was too late. Lillia had caught onto the tone in the other woman’s voice. There had been more than just mere awe in her words. There had been recognition.

“I spent a lot of time studying the horde’s caves and hideouts,” Lillia said. Her eyes flicked down to Monica’s wrist, spotting the bracelet on her hand, and her lips curled up in slight amusement. “I am very dedicated to making sure everything is as realistic as possible to ensure the experience is enjoyable for all of my patrons.”

“Are any of the adventurers staying over still in their rooms?” Arwin asked.

Lillia shook her head. “No. They’ve all headed out for the day, and I’ve got the place closed down for an hour in preparation for the lunch rush.”

“Is this a bad time? We could come back later,” Raen offered. “Ifrit mentioned that there might be a potential job for my wife. She’s looking for something to keep her hands busy, but I don’t think she’d be very happy with me if we made ourselves a bother for you right now.”

“Right enough,” Monica agreed reluctantly. “I can come back—”

“Oh, no need,” Lillia said with a laugh. She nodded over her shoulder to the kitchen, where the faint thud of a chopping knife made itself known. “The meal is preparing itself right now.”

“It’s… what now?” Raen’s brow furrowed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lillia said with a wave of her hand. “And there’s no reason to be so uptight. We’re mostly alone right now. There’s only one other member of the Menagerie around right now. The rest went to a dungeon. They’re getting some practice in and restocking on some materials for Ifrit.”

“Oh, are they?” Arwin’s eyes lit up. “Perfect. I’m going to have a lot of testing to do pretty soon, so that’ll be helpful. Rodrick’s idea?”

“Olive’s, actually.”

“I’ll have to thank her,” Arwin said with a nod. “But don’t let me interrupt. I believe Monica was interested in a potential job.”

Monica shifted uncomfortably. “I am, yes. But I think something like this might be better discussed when we’re alone. Not everyone is as welcoming as you. I really don’t want to push my luck. I’m not really sure I understood what you meant when you mentioned the job before, but anything that has to do with… well, you know. Best not to take chances.”

Lillia glanced at Arwin. “What did you tell her?”

“Just that she might have a spot here if she wanted it and clicked with the rest of the team,” Arwin replied with a small shrug. “We are growing, aren’t we? Some extra help would go a long way.”

“Of course,” Lillia said. The corner of her lip quirked up but she suppressed the grin before it could fully take form. “Well, I can assure you that there’s nothing to be concerned about from our group.”

“I’m certain, but this is a sensitive topic,” Raen said, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace. “And it’s one of those topics that you never really know someone’s true thoughts on until you really know them. I can assure you that this isn’t us being nitpicky. You’ll understand when we explain.”

“Madiv, could you come out?” Lillia asked.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The shadows in the corner of the room shifted as Madiv rose from the chair he’d been sitting in, nearly completely invisible in the darkness, and walked over to join them with his hands crossed behind his back.

“Of course, Ma’am,” Madiv said as he came to a stop. “How may I be of service?”

“Just give them a winning grin, Madiv. I believe Monica is considering employment at our establishment, so it’s only right to give her a proper greeting.”

Madiv chuckled and followed Lillia’s request. He gave Monica a wide smile — which actually looked quite unsettling on his normally stern features. It sent a shiver down Arwin’s spine. There was something deeply wrong about a vampire giving a toothy smile.

That’s probably because a smiling vampire is normally akin to a soldier drawing their sword. You don’t usually flash your weapons if you aren’t about to use them.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Monica said, but she trailed off as her eyes focused in the darkness. Madiv had positioned himself quite close to a lantern, and the light reflected off his blindingly white teeth just enough to bring attention to them.

“Our tavern has a few unique requirements for employment,” Madiv said. “And the foremost among them is to serve—”

“That’s enough, Madiv,” Lillia said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Ma’am,” the vampire replied without missing a beat. “It is my pleasure to be of service.”

“Those are some very realistic inserts,” Monica said. She glanced at Arwin, realization passing over her features as a grunting laugh passed from between her lips. “So that’s what you meant. You all dress up as monsters. That’s the theme of the tavern, right?”

Raen nudged his wife with an elbow. “Monica?”

“Yes?”

“Those aren’t inserts,” Raen said, his voice trembling slightly in shock. “They’re real.”

Monica did a double take. Madiv obliged her, flashing a grin once more.

“What is this?” the orc asked, looking from one person in the room to the other as growing confusion gripped at her. “What are you saying?”

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Raen said. His eyes snapped to Arwin. He squinted at him, then turned his gaze to Lillia. “Godspit.”

“Is something wrong?” Lillia asked innocently.

“Raen?” Monica asked.

It barely even seemed like he’d heard her. He stared at Lillia for several long seconds. It looked like he couldn’t tell if he wanted to run in the opposite direction or rush closer to inspect her in more detail.

“You’re not screwing with me, are you?” Raen asked.

“Might as well spit it out,” Arwin said. “We’re going to be business partners from here on out if we set you up with the Montibeau family. No point hiding basic truths from each other, is there?”

I also have a pretty good grasp of what you and Monica are like. I’m a lot more willing to let on that the Menagerie are more than we appear to you than I am to Elias and Maeve — at least for the time being. The Dawnseekers have been pretty trustworthy so far, but I don’ t know enough about those two quite yet.

“You’re not pretending at all,” Raen said, forcing the words between his lips before they could die in his throat. “All the rumors about the owner of the Devil’s Den being a giant fan of demons… those are lies. Lillia isn’t using any makeup or specially made attachments. She’s a real demon — and Madiv is a real vampire.”

Lillia’s tail slipped free from her pants and swayed at her side as a grin pushed its way free on her features. “Guilty — but I’m not the only one. You really shouldn’t sound so surprised. I didn’t think I’d see the day when an orc walked into my tavern, but I have to say that I’m thrilled.”

“You knew?” Monica asked, her eyes going wide. “How?”

“It’s my tavern,” Lillia replied with a laugh. “I know everything that happens in here. Now take that bracelet off and let me get a look at what you really look like. There’s no need to hide anything here.”

Monica hesitated for a second. Then she pulled the bracelet off her wrist. Her body bulged, her fangs jutted back out from her lips, and her skin turned green as she filled out and rose back up to her full height.

Raen spun to Arwin. “And you? What are you?”

“Just a human, I’m afraid. Sorry to disappoint.”

“And you’re doing it with a demon?”

“Raen, your wife is an orc,” Arwin said. “Do you really have any room to be surprised?”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m more impressed than anything else,” Raen muttered, glancing back at Lillia and running a hand through his hair. “Godspit. I had no idea there were others like Monica just… living in Milten. What about the rest of your guild?”

“Madiv is a Vampire,” Lillia said. “Everyone else is human. Mostly.”

“I can’t believe it,” Monica said with a disbelieving laugh. “You’re just walking around in plain view as a demon? And nobody questions it?”

“I have a demon themed tavern,” Lillia pointed out dryly. “Everyone knows a demon would try to infiltrate society or hide their appearance. None of them would be stupid enough to parade around their identity like this, so it’s only logical that I’m just pretending to be a demon.”

“That’s some high rank bullshit,” Raen said. “I think I see why Arwin was so unsurprised about Monica’s identity now. The Menagerie. Gods, it’s even in your name. You’re flaunting it!”

“I want in,” Monica said, clapping her hands together as a determined expression crossed over her features. “What are the requirements? How do I apply? Is there a test I have to pass? I’ll do it.”

“Well,” Lillia said, tapping a finger against her chin in thought. “Ifrit was right. We do happen to be expanding right now. We could definitely use a bouncer so I don’t have to start breaking things every time someone gets rowdy. How would you say you are with bashing skulls together?”

Monica’s lips stretched apart in a delighted smile. “In my culture, a job offer like that isn’t too far from a marriage proposal. And if I wasn’t already married, I’d have considered taking you up on both.”

“Perhaps just the job, then?” Lillia offered wryly.

“With more pleasure than I could ever possibly put into words,” Monica said, pounding a fist against her chest. “Consider me hired.”