Heavy Metal

"They really did a number on this place…"

"A number? I do not see any numbers, just a lot of chaos…"

"It is just a… never mind. It is probably best we get things in order here."

Alexander replied to Rusty as he finally descended into his underground basement. The door had been forced open, one of its hinges damaged, but that was only the beginning. The smithy built there had been completely trashed. Equipment and materials lay scattered everywhere, and even the bellows had been cut open, as if they had searched every corner to see whether gold was being hidden.

"At least they did not find the hidden compartment…"

Rusty commented when he noticed that no one had tried to pry open the concealed opening in the ground.

"Because there was nothing there in the first place, my dear Rusty. If you had been inside undergoing evolution, they would have likely detected something with that magical device they were using."

Aburdon spoke as Rusty stepped forward, his metallic boots crunching over lumps of spilled coal scattered across the floor. He stood at the center, looking around and wondering if all of this had been necessary. Some tongs were bent, molds were cracked, and many of the tools had been cut by something.

"Why go this far…"

He picked up a chisel that had been sliced along the side and frowned.

"They were probably checking whether you had mixed gold into the tools. It is a valid tactic to hide it for later."

Said Alexander as Rusty went through all the cracked steel tools.

"I suppose…"

It was possible to mold gold first and then pour bronze or iron over it as a hidden layer beneath the surface. However, such tools would likely have problems with weight and durability, since pure gold was a rather soft metal. That also explained why the tongs were bent.

"So they were testing whether these would bend more easily than real steel tools…"

Rusty nodded and took the bent tool, straightening it with his pure strength. In truth, this was not the real forge, and the tools lying around were mostly for show. Most of them were copied through the system. He still worked here from time to time, mostly handling smelting, which made the damaged molds a serious problem.

"They even punched a hole through the smelter…"

There was a two-finger-sized hole punched through the thick smelter. It had not been made by any tool. Instead, it looked as though something uneven had drilled its way through, leaving behind cuts and gashes along the edges and across the surrounding walls.

"This looks similar to that magic. Did Varkas do this?"

"It's possible. Wind magic is quite versatile."

Alexander responded, as it did appear that magic had been used. The size of the hole could probably fit the tip of a sword, and it was bent slightly, much like the saber the mercenary leader wielded.

"So he can puncture even thick metal like this."

Rusty realized that engaging Varkas directly would be unwise. Taking hits with his metallic body was not something he could afford. His durability was high, but he was not invincible. With the right spell, even a sword, a weapon he was normally well protected against, could cut him in two.

"This won't do. Rusty, we need to kill that man. Show everyone what happens when they cross you."

Aburdon voiced what Rusty had already been thinking. Varkas had crossed him several times, and his presence was becoming an eyesore. Now he had come to Rusty's lair looking for trouble. The damage was extensive, and Rusty knew that even if he reported it, nothing would come of it. He certainly would not be compensated for the losses unless he was seen as more useful than the mercenary leader by the humanoids in power.

"..."

"Don't be rash, Rusty. We have enough money to fix this. It would be wiser to wait until a proper opportunity presents itself."

"Oh? You also wish to slay this man, hero?"

Aburdon sounded surprised that Alexander was not dismissing his attempt to provoke Rusty.

"Is it the children? Is that where you draw the line?"

"Shut up."

Alexander snapped back at the demon king's taunts while Rusty continued to think. His anger was growing, and he wanted nothing more than to kill Varkas. Still, acting now, right after his home had been vandalized, would be far too obvious. He needed to wait for the right moment.

"I will get him for this, but not now. When the time is right…"

Rusty picked up a dagger from the floor and drove it into the wooden table with force.

"When the time comes, that man will die."

He stared at the dagger embedded in the wood. A moment later, the table's legs gave out, and it collapsed to the ground.

"..."

"Well, let's clean up first."

Alexander broke the silence as Aburdon cackled at the sight of the ruined table. Rusty could only stare at the splintered wood, momentarily speechless.

"Fine, but you two are helping me clean this up."

"You want me, the great Demon King, to help you clean? Preposterous!"

Aburdon was not too keen on the idea, but Rusty knew this would go much faster with more help. He could summon puppet armors, but they were not very intelligent, so asking them to clean would be difficult. His two guides, however, were competent. With the children upstairs keeping watch over Rolo and cleaning the main shop, he could safely summon them without being noticed.

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"Yes, you will clean."

With that, Rusty brought out the two suits of armor he had made for them and used his skill to let them inhabit them. The light armor and dark armor surged to life as his guides took control.

"Now work together to clean this place. I will fix the door first and make sure none of the children come in here and see you two."

The suits of armor stood motionless for a brief moment as the skill finalized. The light set rolled its shoulders first and, without a word of defiance, grabbed one of the nearby brooms that had somehow survived.

"I will start sweeping. You gather the larger pieces from the ground and place them on the workbench."

Alexander said to Aburdon, who instantly refused.

"Do not order me around. This is highly undignified for someone like me!"

"Just do what Alexander told you. He is in charge of cleaning."

Rusty cut in immediately, leaving no room for argument.

"You heard him. Now get to work, Demon Lord."

Alexander's tone was openly mocking, but with Rusty's order in place, even Aburdon could not refuse. The two suits of armor began to work in silence.

Rusty moved to the door to examine the broken hinges. The door itself was mostly intact, but a strong force, probably from one or two enhanced kicks, had torn it from the hinges. For now, a few nails and a replacement hinge would suffice, though the door would likely need to be replaced in the future. It proved unable to hold back a few D-rank class holders, so making it out of enhanced metal would probably be needed.

'Should I enchant the door so that it explodes when too much force is applied to it?'

Such an enchantment would damage the inside of his smithy, but it would likely kill whoever tried to force their way in. Still, with children living here, he was not sure he could risk experimenting with that kind of magic. Things could always go wrong, and if the door exploded after a child knocked, he would never be able to forgive himself.

'Best save that one for later… instead, I should focus on the best moment to strike!'

As he worked, his thoughts returned to Varkas and the Black Hounds. The mercenaries were hired by the current noble, Borran Vexen the Fourth. Even if Alexander claimed he was not a true noble, his word was law here. The mercenaries formed a core part of his power, a force that operated without restraint. If something went wrong, they would likely be blamed and discarded without hesitation.

'Should I ambush them again when they transport more gold? No. They would increase their guard, maybe even bring in knights or adventurers.'

Time passed, and he began to strategize. There were not many places where he could realistically attack. The man was a mercenary who rarely went anywhere without support. He was also not an adventurer, so attacking him inside the dungeon did not seem like an option. Still, Rusty was not entirely sure, as he did not know much about Varkas.

In the past, he had avoided confrontations like this. His main reason for being in the city was to grow stronger, and the shop was meant to be only a temporary measure. It existed to take advantage of the humanoids' ingenuity in trading goods. He had not considered the downsides of living in such societies, where bonds naturally formed. Even if he would not remain here forever, he wanted to make this place safer for the children living in his current home.

"Okay, everyone. What do we know about the Black Hounds and this Lord Borran?"

A few hours later, the door had been fixed, the shop cleaned, and all the children had fallen asleep beside Rolo. That left Rusty, Aburdon, Alexander, and Gleam to think about future plans against the mercenaries who had crossed them.

"Not much, I'm afraid."

Said Alexander from within his suit of armor. He shrugged while studying the board they had put together for the occasion. It listed some of the major players in the city, such as its lord and the mercenary leader, along with others they could identify, including the adventurers' guild master and the head of the merchants.

"This calls for some espionage!"

Aburdon said it, and Rusty simply repeated the word.

"Espionage?"

"Indeed. We will keep watch over this little mercenary leader. Learn where he goes, discover his weaknesses, and once we have all of that, coming up with a plan to end him will be rather easy."

"Hm… but that would require someone to watch him for quite a while…"

"( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و"

"You want to do it? But then you won't be able to go to the dungeon and advance your evolutions, Gleam…"

"( •̀ ᴖ •́ )"

"I see…"

Gleam seemed even more enraged than Rusty and was willing to give up some of her precious time to trail Varkas and the Black Hounds.

"Hm, but perhaps before that, we should also focus on his base of power first."

As Aburdon deliberated he also came up with a secondary objective.

"Why don't we whittle them down bit by bit? Instead of focusing on their leader, let's deal with their lieutenants first. Once their power structure crumbles, that will be the perfect time to strike."

"That might not be a bad idea…"

While there was one main leader, there were many other members in the group that they could target first. Some would likely be easier to reach and eliminate before the final confrontation.

"That is a sound plan. Even if we deal with Varkas, another leader could simply be chosen afterward. It would be better to destroy the entire organization so it cannot be reformed under a different name. If we cut the limbs before taking the head, the body will die twice as fast."

Alexander tapped his gauntlet against the table, his lust for revenge overriding his usual moral reservations.

"My my, Hero. You are absolutely right. Varkas is the charismatic core. Without his lieutenants, the ones who handle logistics, bribes, and muscle, the Black Hounds are nothing more than a pack of disorganized thugs. If we remove them, the noble Borran will see the group as a liability rather than an asset."

Aburdon finished speaking and Rusty nodded, as it all made sense. He was not sure how large the mercenary organization truly was, but after everything that had happened, he had no reservations about wiping them out. Even without their leader, they had abused Rolo and the others long before he found them.

"We should probably focus on those above E rank. The four who were with him today might be part of his inner circle."

"( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و"

"You think you can track them, Gleam?"

Rusty did not feel completely at ease assigning Gleam this task, but it was the perfect time to begin their reconnaissance. The trail was fresh, and Gleam could fly to escape if needed. Her magic allowed her to hide to a certain extent, so as long as she kept her distance, she should be safe.

"Good. Just be careful, Gleam. If you are in any danger, flee immediately. For now, we only need to know where they live and where they like to go."

"( '̀ - '́ )"

"Besides the mercenaries, the next problem would be the noble and the Orcs."

In Rusty's mind, there were two major factions at play. One was the humanoids, led by a false noble, and the other was the orcish tribes hiding within the forest. He had already encountered one of their powerful leaders, a C-rank Orc that had nearly killed him. If he ever wanted to make the city truly safe, he would also need to eliminate the monster threat lurking beyond its walls.

"Those Orcs will not go down easily. It would be best to use those lowly humans to deal with them, but this plump and lazy noble seems content to keep his forces tucked away inside his little fort."

Aburdon cackled as he mocked the man running the city. Alexander, on the other hand, responded with a repulsed tone.

"I bet he is doing it on purpose. There is always money in war and monster parts. It probably also makes ruling the city easier. Fear is a powerful tool."

Rusty had to agree. Humanoids were creatures ruled heavily by fear, and when it was present, they were far easier to control. If the Orcs were gone and the people's minds were at peace, they might begin to notice just how much corruption was festering within the settlement.

Right now, Borran was seen as a protector, and his soldiers and mercenaries were regarded as keepers of safety. They were allowed to act without restraint because, without them, the Orcs would overrun the city and kill everyone inside. Eliminating the tribe would also help end the rule of the false noble, but it would likely be impossible until he reached C-rank power.

As always, it came down to levels and skills. He needed to go to the dungeon to level up and complete as many summoning missions as possible. A plan of action was beginning to take shape. First, the Black Hounds, then perhaps the corrupt merchant association, and finally, the nobility…