CHAPTER 106: Grim's Workshop and Shadows in the Alley

Soot Alley in the lowest reaches of the Lower City smelled of burnt tar, carbon monoxide, and damp soot, but inside Grim's forge, everything had changed.

When Dave tossed heavy bundles of starlight titanium and glassy, obsidian-silver alloys—won for five gold coins at the Aethelgard Auction House—onto the low oak table, the old self-taught smith stopped breathing for a moment. Grim slowly extended a large, calloused hand, touching the cool metal. His fingers trembled slightly as they traced the perfectly smooth edges of the rare ores.

"Starlight titanium..." the blacksmith rasped, raising his eyes toward Dave. "And lithium alloy from the deep rifts of Red Ridge. The Craftsmen's Guild in the Upper City holds an absolute monopoly on this. I heard they import barely two ounces a year exclusively for court artisans... And you bring me a full fifteen pounds?"

"Bought completely legally," Dave replied with a smirk, resting a hand on the hilt of Raiten, which sat diagonally across his back. "Here is your raw material for expanding the station, reinforcing the anvil, and upgrading the main furnace. Do what needs to be done so your workshop can process any S-rank material without a hitch."

Grim swallowed hard, then swore loudly and slammed a fist onto the table with wild, engineering satisfaction.

"Give me four days," he said firmly. "I'll rebuild the airflow, insert a titanium core into the combustion chamber, and reinforce the matrix. After that, no arrogant bastard from the Craftsmen's Guild will even come close to what comes off my anvil."

Shnee and Karys stood near the entrance, vigilantly watching the narrow alleyway outside the doorway. As Dave nodded to the smith and turned toward the exit, both girls joined his side without a word.

The way back led through winding, damp alleyways connecting the Lower City with the outskirts of the forested hills. The cobblestones were slippery with dense evening fog.

Dave didn't need to turn around. As they glided noiselessly between the dark facades of abandoned warehouses, his KAI sonar—Yomi Level II—activated instantly in his mind. A silent, spherical pulse of pure energy bounced off the brick walls, rendering a monochrome, three-dimensional terrain model in his mind.

About fifty meters behind them, in the deep shadows of roofs and behind the bends of walls, two figures moved. One operated with the light, agile step of a guild spy, while the other moved with a stiff, heavy formality characteristic of Inquisition scouts.

"We have a tail from Aethelgard itself," Shnee muttered quietly, not slowing her pace. Her hand rested smoothly on the pommel of her Celestial Silver rapier.

"Three of them," Karys added with a predatory gleam in her green eyes. "One is perched on the ledge to the right. Should I take him down?"

"No need for a commotion," Dave replied calmly. "A short explanation will suffice."

Dave turned sharply into a blind, narrow alley dividing two stone granaries. Behind him, both girls slipped through noiselessly.

The spies, seeing their target duck into a dead-end alley, quickened their pace. The first—a Craftsmen's Guild scout in a dark leather doublet—glided around the corner with a drawn dagger. The second, a taller agent in a gray cloak embroidered with the discreet Silver Eye of the Inquisition, entered right behind him.

They did not find cornered mercenaries waiting for them.

Before the Guild scout could raise his eyes toward the roof, Dave emerged from the dense shadow to his right. No energy, no rushing air—just pure, black physics of muscle and bone in Quick style.

Dave executed a narrow, lightning-fast step and struck with a wedge of two joined fingers directly into the anatomical hollow below the scout's collarbone. The motor signal from brain to arm was severed in a fraction of a second. The dagger slipped from the scout's limp fingers and clattered onto the cobblestones. Before the man could make a sound, Dave delivered a short strike to the base of his neck. The nervous system overloaded instantly—the scout slid down the wall to his knees with dazed, vacant eyes.

The Inquisition agent took a step back, reaching under his cloak for a short, engraved blade, but before his fingers touched the hilt, the dark steel of Raiten appeared right before his face. Dave hadn't drawn the sword from its sheath—he simply struck with the bottom fitting of the black-basalt scabbard straight into the man's jaw.

Nasal bone crunched quietly, and the agent crashed back against the stone wall. Before he could regain his balance, Karys appeared right beside him, pressing the edge of her dark blade directly against his carotid artery. From the roof, noiseless as a falling leaf, Shnee dropped down, blocking any potential escape route.

Source matters here: hosts the author's chapter, but this version was reproduced without permission.

Dave took a step forward, looking down at the bloody Inquisition agent.

"Pass one simple message to your masters in the Guild and the Inquisition," Dave said in a quiet, flat voice carrying no anger, only dry, irrevocable logic. "Crossgard is a free market. If I see anyone snooping around Grim's forge or my manor again, I will melt them into furniture glides. Move out."

Dave gestured with his head. Karys withdrew her blade with a quiet snort, and the Inquisition agent, wheezing and spitting blood, dragged his semi-conscious companion from the wall and evacuated the alley as fast as his legs could carry him.

When they reached the manor beneath the forest, the night was already deep and cold. Warm, amber light burned in the living room windows, and the scent of fresh bread and herbs prepared by Mina wafted from within.

Elena sat at the massive oak table in the living room, meticulously making entries in the thick, leather manor ledger. The pouches of gold and silver coins obtained from selling less critical cores sat safely inside the bottomless bag.

"Did cleaning the alley go smoothly?" Elena asked without looking up from the book, resting her chin on her hand.

"A couple of squeaking mice from the Guild and Inquisition," Karys replied, tossing her light cloak over the back of a chair. "Dave knocked any thought of tracking us out of their heads in two seconds."

Mina brought a tray with steaming mugs of mountain herb tea and fresh, crispy pastries. Ria, sitting cross-legged on the wide sofa next to Kaede, caught Karys's words and sent Dave a sly, amused smile.

"So the Inquisition is taking an interest in our quiet manor?" Ria murmured, tossing a copper token in her hand. "A waste of their men. They could spend that money on something more useful than bandages for broken noses."

Dave smiled faintly, sipped the hot tea, and walked through the sliding glass doors onto the broad stone terrace at the back of the manor.

The night air over the volcanic training grounds was crisp and smelled of pine needles. Below, a dense stream rushed, and above hung a clear, black sky dusted with thousands of crystalline stars.

Dave unbuckled the double leather harness from his chest and laid Raiten on the stone balustrade. The angular crossguard with its condensed sapphire Kaelar and the Lynx head pommel reflected the moonlight.

A step behind him, the soft, decisive clicking of heels sounded. Karys stepped out onto the terrace, resting her hip against the basalt edge of the balustrade right beside him. Her dark hair fluttered in the light breeze.

"Still admiring that steel?" she asked with predatory amusement, looking at Raiten.

"Works flawlessly," Dave replied, running a hand over the angular Lynx pommel. "Want to check the balance?"

Karys raised her eyebrows with interest. Dave lifted the sword and offered her the hilt. The girl grasped the weapon in both hands. She expected overwhelming weight due to the density of magnetic obsidian, but Grim's craftsmanship and the sapphire mana saturation placed the center of gravity exactly two fingers above the crossguard.

"Incredible..." Karys muttered, executing a smooth, short swing through the air. The blade cut the night air with a dull, clean whistle. "Zero inertia when changing angles."

Dave took a step closer, standing right behind her back. He cupped her hands with his own, correcting the position of her right thumb on the hilt wrap.

"Don't grip the wire so tightly on a thrust," he said softly near her ear. "Let the weight of the pommel guide the point. That way you don't waste power in your wrist."

Karys froze for a fraction of a second. She felt his warm breath on her neck and his powerful, solid presence. Her body stiffened slightly before relaxing, and a slow, predatory smile spread across her lips. She stepped away, turning to face him with Raiten in her hands, her green eyes flashing beneath her hood.

"Are you seriously giving me fencing lessons, Dave?" she murmured with sparks in her eyes, handing the sword back hilt-first. From behind her belt, two dark, curved blades slipped out fluidly. "Tomorrow morning on the grounds, you'll see how my new daggers work. I don't intend to hold back an inch."

"I'm counting on it," Dave replied with a cheeky glint in his eye.

Karys let out a quiet laugh and slipped back into the warm interior of the living room.

Dave watched her go, then began buckling Raiten's crossed harness back over his chest.

A moment later, the terrace doors opened again. Shnee stepped outside. She held two steaming mugs in her hands, her white hair gleaming in the moonlight. She approached noiselessly and stood right at his side, handing him one of the mugs.

"Not sleeping yet?" Dave asked softly.

Shnee didn't answer right away. She took a sip of tea, looking toward the dark wall of forest stretching beneath the manor. Then she set her mug on the wall and turned to face him.

Her slender, pale hand slowly rose and rested on his leather harness. Shnee traced her fingers over the chest buckle, then smoothly laid her palm directly against his chest. Beneath the material, she felt the steady, calm, and powerful beat of his heart.

"I just wanted to look at you," she confessed softly, raising deep, peaceful eyes to his. The remaining reservoir of her former assassin's distance had melted completely. "Seeing you with this sword... I feel a strange peace, Dave. As if no matter what happens in this city or in the dungeons, nothing could break us."

Dave set his mug down, cupped Shnee's hand resting on his chest, and gave it a gentle squeeze before pulling the girl closer to his side. Shnee rested her head against his shoulder, shielding herself from the cool wind.

"Because nothing will," Dave replied calmly, looking up at the stars. "We're building something of our own here. No Inquisition, Guild, or aristocracy is going to step on our heads. As long as I hold the guard, you are completely safe here."

Shnee smiled softly, closing her eyes and nestling closer against his side.

From the living room behind them came the cheerful voice of Elena complaining about overcomplicated tax accounts, followed by the amused laughter of Mina and Luthia. Everything was in its place.

Morning on the volcanic training ground would bring bursts of energy and the clash of steel, but this evening belonged to the absolute, warm peace of their own manor.