Sunlight streamed in through the window, just as it had every day. For days on end, nothing had come of it, and there was no indication that this day would be different. But as the brilliant beam fell across a couch inside a dingy secret base, there was movement.
Lightforge twitched as the light fell across his face, wakefulness slowly easing its way into his body. He tried to open his eyes but found them sealed shut with a thick layer of gunk that had accumulated there. His limbs were heavy and uncoordinated as he rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.
What the hell had happened? He remembered getting into a fight, and then working in his shop. After that things got hazy, and his memory was a blurry slideshow of scenes that obviously didn’t go together. He remembered crafting, drinking something that tasted like licking a battery, and a visit from Circe. Or maybe that had happened first? He couldn’t tell.
He stepped into the shower with the intention of washing the crap from his face so that he could open his eyes. As he turned on the water, he became aware of another issue that was much more pressing. His mouth was so dry that it felt glued shut, and his insides were screaming for water.
He forced his jaws open and stood under the falling water, eyes ignored as he greedily drank the shower water. It was a matter of pure instinct; his body was severely dehydrated and was no longer interested in listening to his input. It needed water, and it was going to get it.
He choked three times as he desperately tried to force the liquid down. Finally his body began coming back to working order and he drank as much water as he could hold.
With that immediate need handled, he turned back to his previous mission of actually cleaning himself. There was gunk and… other things all over him, and none of it had woken him even for a moment. That was definitely a bad sign. How long had he been asleep?
Once he was thoroughly clean and awake, he tackled the next pressing issue: food. He’d stuffed himself with water, but that didn’t seem to matter. He had space for food, and he used all of it. With that, all of his immediate physical needs had been satisfied, and he could finally focus on the tasks in front of him. Which were important. Intensely important, in fact. So important that he couldn’t remember what they were at first.
The memories came trickling back with time. Circe’s suggestions for how to keep himself safe. It was a simple concept, and he hadn’t been in a state of mind to truly debate the issue before. Now he was, and took the time to consider what she’d been talking about.
Selling to both sides. Becoming a figure of such importance that neither side of a conflict could afford to attack him without drawing the ire of the other. It wasn’t really anything new; it was the same stance that Circe had been trying to get him to take since the beginning. She was really pushy, and he still didn’t know what deeper motivations she might have. But did it matter?
At the end of the day, no. No it didn’t. She was right that this would be the most direct route forward for him. He would continue gaining experience while his customer base would keep him from the worst of whatever was going on in the streets.
It was with that confidence in his purpose that he stepped out of his base and out into the street. Now that he was refreshed after a thorough rest, he was ready to face whatever challenges presented themselves next.
He made it nearly three blocks when Circe made her appearance, walking next to him. It was actually amusing to see her moving double time to keep up with his long strides. Lightforge waited and let her get in the first word. She seemed to prefer it that way, and it was usually worth the effort to have her in a reasonable mood.
“Took you long enough. I had everything ready yesterday, and people are starting to spread the wrong rumors.”
“Oh, come on. I couldn’t have slept for all that long. You said it would take a few days at least.”
“Wow… I already wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the reminder to never drink those awful energy drinks.”
“Seriously, how long has it been?”
“I dragged you out of your shop five days ago.”
Lightforge froze in mid-stride and a retort died on his lips. He could honestly say that he’d never had a morning like this one. It had felt like he’d been asleep for a long time, but five days? That felt like too long, even for what he’d been through. But then his mind returned to the state of his body and his bedding that morning. No, he could believe that it had been that long.
“Ok. New rule: no more energy drinks for me.”
“Smart call. Now, we need to get things moving. Tensions are still high, and you need to have a strong reputation before things boil over.”
“Sure, you’ve set that before. How long do you think we have?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Honestly, it’s hard to say. Maybe things will stay calm for a few weeks, or maybe there will be fighting in the streets tomorrow. But my best guess is that we’ll reach the open warfare stage in about a week or so.”
He had a sneaking suspicion that her “best guess” was anything but. She always acted as if she were privy to every secret in existence. How much of that was an act was a subject for debate, but it was a ruse that only worked if you were sufficiently plugged into the secrets, rumors, and mysteries of an area. So he nodded along and chose to expect a week to be the best case scenario for him.
“Ok, that’s not a long time. Is it even possible to gain a reputation in such a short time?”
“Normally, no. But I’ve been doing the legwork, and I know the right ears to whisper in. Besides, we don’t need everyone in the city to know you; for now it’s just Chancery Hills and Decker Row.”
“Sure, but how many people is that?”
“That we care about? A couple hundred at most.”
“What? That few?”
“Of course. We might get ten or fifteen new people each month. No more than thirty between the two neighborhoods. And while progress is slow, people do level up and leave for higher level territories. So yeah, probably no more than a couple hundred people.”
“Right. And we don’t need all of them to know me personally. They just need to have heard of me.”
“Now you’re getting it. All you need is a few satisfied customers and word will spread. And you’ve already done that for the heroes’ side.”
“And now it’s time for the villains?”
“You’re on a roll. I’ve spread the word, but it’s up to you to do the work.”
“I know. And now that my brain is working again, that shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, I think I have a good idea for some simple bombs.”
“There we go! I’m glad to see you getting into it. One last thing: the villains won’t call you by your name. As far as they’re concerned, you’re “The Forgeman.” That’s how they’ll address you.”
“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of playing both sides? They need to know that it’s the same person.”
“They will, but it’s good form to have a pseudonym so that both sides can pretend to not be sharing with each other.”
“Sure, if you say so. Can I go now? I have some errands to run before I open up the shop.”
“But of course. I’m excited to see how you do.”
She was gone by the time he looked over to shoot her a dirty look. He didn’t so much as blink at the disappearing act; he was used to it by now. Of course, that brought with it the uncomfortable realization that he was starting to grow comfortable with Circe’s mannerisms. Maybe he would even say that he understood her?
No, not that. That was a bit too far. But he was closer than he had been before, and that was something. Sometimes he was still convinced that he would end up on the opposite side as Circe, but such thoughts were becoming fewer and further between.
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A little while later, Lightforge stood in front of the Scrap Heap, the local parts store where he could get his hands on just about anything that he might need to start crafting with. It looked like a junkyard had been thrown up on a mechanic’s shop, but he knew better. The place was wired with more sensors and equipment than he could hope to build for a very long time.
At first glance it appeared to be deserted, but that was also an illusion. He walked inside and rang the little service bell on the counter. He waited patiently as the sounds of crashing metal filled the air and someone stomped around outside. It took a few moments before the shopkeeper finally appeared in the doorway behind him.
Sam only looked slightly annoyed, which probably meant that she hadn’t been asleep. What else she might have been up to, he had no idea, but waking her up had involved a lot more noise and swearing than this time.
She walked around the counter and glared at him. Her glare lasted a full twenty seconds before she spat on the floor in front of his feet.
“Where the hell have you been? Who comes in, makes a deal, and then disappears?”
“I’ve been busy, but I’m here now.”
“About time. There’s going to be war out there any day now, and both sides want my products. Products that would score me a lot more money if you’d been fixing them up like you’re supposed to.”
He waved off her concerns and let a wicked grin slide onto his face.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t change the past. Let’s focus on making money right now.”
“Oh ho, is that so? Finally speaking my language. What did you have in mind?”
“I need parts in bulk.”
“Not a problem.”
“I also need to defer payment until later.”
“Not happening. Not a single chance in hell.”
“Come on, be reasonable here.”
“I am. You pay, I supply; it’s a real simple equation.”
“Sure, but we have a unique opportunity here. Like you said, people are worried about war in the streets. You have plenty of parts, but I can make them into weapons.”
“And put a target on both our backs from the other side? What kind of idiot are you?”
“Sure, it would be dumb to sell to one side and piss off the other. But what if I didn’t take a side?”
The shopkeeper broke out into a grin of her own as she began to nod.
“Oh, so that’s how it is? You’re going to take my route?”
“That’s right. Coin for gear, nothing more. Sides don’t matter.”
“And they’ll stay out of the way to keep you neutral. I like it. But what’s this about deferred payment?”
“I don’t have the cash for this kind of bulk order. But if I’m going to make it big, then I need to capitalize on this moment. War or not, people will want to be safe. But that means having products on the shelves, and I don’t have any of that.”
“Uh huh, I get all that. But what do I get out of it?”
“You get full price once all is said and done. I’ll waive my discount until I’ve paid you in full.”
Sam’s eyes glittered and she began to nod happily. She reached out a hand and Lightforge took it. The deal was struck, and now he would have tons of material to work with. Now all that was left was to get to work and make things that people would need.