Chapter Thirty-Seven


    Surrounding the entrance of the mountain were Kellan and ten others. All mounted on horses. All wore a combination of what Ambrose would call desert-style robes and gleaming armor. Scimitars were belted on, and Kellan himself wielded a staff.


    The staff was made of wood and curled at the top like a question mark. It did not have glyphs or designs, nothing at all adorning it. Unmistakable power radiated from the staff. Ambrose would have sworn that the staff itself had a spirit of its own. Aleksei was frowning, staring hard at Kellan.


    Ambrose knew why, too. Aleksei’s spirit had fallen over the area like a canopy. It wasn’t focused on Ambrose this time; instead, Aleksei’s spirit was fully concentrated on the mounted warriors surrounding the mountain entrance.


    Aleksei was frowning because it had no effect. Kellan was beaming, his rich voice echoing around them all.


    “Now that we are all on even playing field, it is time for you to hear my proposal.”


    Kellan’s voice became as hard as granite,


    “Surrender to me, and give me everything in this mountain, and I’ll let you live. Don’t, and I’ll be forced to take more…drastic measures.”


    Aleksei’s frown turned into a full-blown scowl. Herne stayed silent, sweeping his gaze around. No other reaction was forthcoming from the dwarf king. He was waiting for Ambrose’s response.


    The Infernal Paladin was still weighing his options. His instinct was to kill Kellan and everyone there. Even with the power of the staff he currently wielded, Ambrose was fairly confident he could take him down. Kellan was a forerunner, and he was dangerous.


    But he wouldn’t be expecting an attack, so he felt confident he would have the element of surprise. He wanted to go after Eric, and he had finally taken a step closer to that goal by closing an Incursion.


    Just because he had closed didn’t mean he could walk away. He had an agreement he was now System-bound to keep. This was his mess, in other words. He wanted to clean it up through his most effective tool: brutal violence.


    Part of him also felt that Kellan deserved it. The man was far too willing to butcher people just to get some wealth. Not even certain wealth, either, as Kellan could have no idea what was in the mountain. Even Ambrose didn’t really know. He had no idea how to measure how good the metal the dwarves mined was.


    He assumed it was very good since the dwarves were not willing to leave the mountain. Despite this, he tried talking first. Stepping forward, Ambrose said,


    “Kellan, I’ve closed this Incursion. Dwarves and I have an alliance. If you attack them, you’re attacking Avalon, too.”


    Kellan’s voice was hot, burning as he responded,This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    “So what? Your little island wasn’t very hospital to me when I was there. I’m not afraid of you, Mr. Severen.”


    Ambrose shook his head, a little bemused.


    “You think you can take on both the dwarves and my people? The dwarves alone are probably enough of a match for you.”


    Kellan smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.


    “I’m far more powerful than you think. Here’s my ultimatum. Three months. Three months to gather to resources you want and then to clear the mountain. If you help them, Ambrose, consider your people and mine to be in conflict with one another.”


    With that, Kellan and his people turned and left. Herne turned to Ambrose.


    “Well then, it looks like you have your deadline, human.”


    Since hitting D-Grade, Ambrose had yet ever to experience a headache.


    He certainly had one now.


    ***


    Ambrose returned to Avalon, but not to see Andrea, but rather Vivienne. So he appeared under the tree, closing the portal behind him.


    “Welcome back, Sir Knight. I believe there are events transpiring on the island you should be apprised of.”


    As always, Vivienne stood beneath the tree, her hands at her sides.


    He raised an eyebrow, manifesting Noelle moments later. The Arcane White Tiger promptly strayed away from him, lying near the water. Ambrose frowned slightly at the tiger. Her mind was walled off from him. She licked a paw, acting like he didn’t exist.


    He turned his head to look at Vivienne.


    “Well, hit me with it, then.”


    “It involves Andrea Pender, and a certain man named Cassius. They are at odds.”


    Vivienne filled him in on the recent town hall.


    He leaned against the tree, feeling the rough bark beneath his fingers. He could go up to the island’s surface and take care of it. It was his island; what Cassius wanted meant very little. He had put Andrea in charge; he trusted her.


    This political nonsense was just that, nonsense. He would never let Cassius remain in charge.


    Sadly, if he stepped in, it would just worsen the situation with Andrea, really. She would be seen as incompetent, unable to keep control. On any other day, Ambrose wouldn’t have cared a wink about what people thought, but he was building a society here.


    It was important for her to show she could handle things. Especially since Ambrose intended to go off on his own to another world. He didn’t want to worry constantly about Avalon and what was going on here. He needed to know Andrea wouldn’t need him every five minutes.


    It meant that the people needed to trust her, too, and look up to her. If he solved every problem, it would be clear who the real leader was. He didn’t want that. He wanted Andrea to lead; he wanted to be in the background, helping and investing, but not leading.


    Ambrose had never had what one would call a real job, but he knew he hated micro-managers and wouldn’t be one.


    “Thank you, Vivienne. Keep an eye on it, but I have other things I want to talk to you about.”


    He told her about the vision the System had shown him.


    Unlike the dwarves, Vivienne did not act surprised.


    “System insight is very valuable. It also isn’t cryptic, it was showing you a forge. How that connects to yourself and your spirit is for you to decide. You will know because your spirit will resonate with it. You will feel it as you feel your own hand.”


    “That’s it? All I need to do? There must be more to this Icon stuff.”


    Vivienne nodded,


    “There is, but the first step, which leads to C-Grade is understanding what Icon fits you best. It’s more than just knowing the right Icon; it’s also understanding why it is the right Icon.”


    Ambrose leaned his head against the tree.


    Why does a forge fit me, then?


    Obviously, he was forging himself. That was clear, but that didn’t feel totally correct, either. There was more to it. He just wasn’t sure how much more. Was it Avalon? Yes. He felt a click, but it was just a single puzzle piece.


    He needed the other puzzle pieces. He just wasn’t sure what those were. What else was there about a forge that connected to him? There was the hammer, and he wasn’t sure how that fit in. It was a tool used to shape the metal in the forging process, so maybe that was it.


    No click.


    Sitting against the tree, Ambrose allowed his mind to drift, thoughts filled with the sound of a hammer on an anvil and the roar of a fire.