Chapter 18: The Blacksmith's Horror
Around Silverdale and its neighboring realms, Aghora's name was legend—a blacksmith both famous and feared.
Most cities and kings revered weapon smiths, hoping to win their favor and have mighty arms forged for themselves.
But in the North, the ruling lords hated Aghora, utterly shunning his forgecraft. More than once, they'd even tried to have him killed.
Their hatred had a reason: Aghora wielded truly monstrous methods. It was whispered that, to temper his weapons, Aghora drew blood from the living into his cauldron—or sometimes, simply tossed a man alive into the pot, burning him for the sword's sake.
Many a northern ruler had sent armies hunting Aghora, but none had captured him. His speed and supernatural power always bought escape. Today too, Aghora had outrun them all, vanishing into the wilds with Tyler as his captive.
Darren could only stand frozen, stunned. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen—he'd watched with his own eyes as Aghora abducted Tyler, and still, he'd been powerless to stop it.
He was still trying to process the moment when a sweet, anxious voice interrupted him.
"Have you seen Tyler?"
He turned to find a breathtaking girl standing before him, a man in silver armor beside her. Darren felt momentarily flustered in their presence. "Yes… Yes, I have!"
Princess Aurelia glanced around, scanning the area for Tyler, but finding no sign of him, asked again, "Did he tell you where he was going?"
Darren was unsure how to answer—he didn't want to upset the princess, but could hardly speak the whole truth. At last, he said haltingly, "He was headed for Seven Rivers Abbey to study, but…"
"Seven Rivers Abbey!" Aurelia's eyes lit up, then narrowed at his hesitation. "But what?"
Darren swallowed. "He was… taken. That wicked blacksmith, Aghora, abducted him into the forest."
"A-abducted? But why? And who is Aghora?" Princess Aurelia and Viktor fired off their questions in quick succession.
Darren, uneasily, gave them the whole tale. "Aghora is the villain of these lands, kidnapping people for years. They say none ever return—he's rumored to use living men's blood to craft his cursed weapons."
"What?!" The two looked at each other in shock and horror.
"Uncle Viktor! We have to save Tyler now!" Princess Aurelia declared.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I cannot allow you to endanger yourself—I must not disobey the Emperor's orders, not for anything," Viktor insisted, moving to physically block her.
"But Uncle! Tyler's life is at stake! Please, take this boy and rescue him!" Aurelia pleaded, thinking quickly. If Viktor wouldn't let her go, he could at least go in her stead.
"Forgive me, Princess. I cannot leave your side for anything. That would be a direct violation of the Emperor's command." Viktor remained unmoved; her safety was his only priority.
Princess Aurelia looked to him in helpless despair, her hopes unraveling. Everything had fallen apart, all because of Tyler's treacherous uncles. Since learning the truth, she'd grown deeply troubled for her empire—and her father. Julius had cunningly forced her father into a blood pact, binding the emperor from ever harming Silverdale, directly or indirectly. Should her father break it, death would follow.
Yet if she could have made Tyler stronger, helped him reclaim his throne, the emperor needn't lift a finger—Tyler himself would crush those traitorous brothers in due time. But now, that hope seemed faint indeed.
With heavy hearts and no other choice, they headed back toward the city.
Within the city, others had seen Aghora abduct Tyler and the news spread quickly. All who heard it felt cold fear for Silverdale's future. When Viren had ruled, monsters like Aghora would never have dared strike boldly in the open. Even after the demon wars, under Viren's hand, Silverdale had begun to rise once more, enough to win the emperor's alliance. But since the king's murder, things had only worsened.
Once, Silverdale's people had walked the streets with pride and peace, no one daring to trouble them. Now they feared not only monsters but also their own lords and soldiers—they had to bribe even the guards just to avoid harassment.
Today, even the faintest hope had been snuffed out.
Inside the cauldron, Tyler sat in silence—his hands and feet bound in unbreakable chains. Despite all his strength, he couldn't snap them.
Of course, as Silverdale's former prince, Tyler knew all about Aghora. His father Viren had often said that if ever he captured Aghora, he would cut him down with his own sword.
Tyler had heard the gruesome stories of human sacrifices for weapon forging—a fate now heading for him.
The cauldron rolled on at speed. At last, it stopped. Aghora's eyes gleamed feverishly, and he bent close, sniffing at Tyler.
"I've never met a specimen like you. This boy's scent is just like that of my finest weapons!" Aghora muttered, eyes wild.
"You can't be serious! I'm flesh and blood, just like you—not a sword! So go on and let me out!" Tyler replied, trying to keep calm even as his heart pounded.
Aghora cackled, "Let you out? And throw away such treasure? Boy, finding a body like yours is like stumbling upon a dragon's hoard! I can only imagine how powerful my blade will become if I throw you into my cauldron! I'm thrilled!" He checked the chains binding Tyler's wrists and ankles again before hopping back out.
Inside the cauldron, Tyler slumped in dread—when suddenly, he realized the entire pot was being lifted.
Aghora had picked up the cauldron and hurled it onto his back, running even faster than before. Now at least Tyler was spared the stench and the bumpy ride—so much that he managed to stick his head out for a look at the world.
Examining the chains, Tyler quickly realized these weren't made of gold or iron, but some strange, stronger metal. He tried to break them, but they refused to budge.
He scouted the landscape: the forest below was an unfamiliar sea of shadows racing past—Aghora was running on bare feet but at tremendous speed. The forest grew colder, darker, filled with animal sounds and near-total gloom. Soon, Tyler knew, they had reached the very depths of the wilds.
Eventually, they burst through the trees and Tyler saw a great stone rise ahead, rapidly approaching. But Aghora neither slowed nor stopped; instead, reaching the peak, he gripped the cauldron tight and hurled himself over the cliff's edge.
We're going to die! Tyler gripped his bonds in terror, bracing for the end. But suddenly, instead of crashing, he felt the cauldron's flight slow.
Aghora had grabbed a protruding stone. Using both hands, he scrambled down the cliff, springing from ledge to ledge, until finally he landed beside an enormous ancient tree at the base.
Aghora stepped onto a gnarled branch and stopped before a massive, hidden cave mouth. He cleared away thick branches from its entrance, carving a path big enough for the cauldron to pass.
Inside, the space widened: in the cave's depths, the ceiling soared high. The walls glowed with deep crimson light, and a faint fire flickered in the forge—a more perfect setting for weapon making could hardly be imagined.
At the center, a black cauldron rested on four legs. Eight chains descended from the ceiling, each binding a nearly lifeless prisoner.
Blood trickled steadily from cruel wounds, drip by drip falling into the cauldron's depths. Their figures were emaciated, mere skeletons; though most seemed dead, Tyler noticed small twitches—they were still alive, if only just.
Nearby, a row of iron cages held a dozen more prisoners, all of them broken and shivering, their eyes hollow.
The rumors hadn't exaggerated—Aghora's depravity was on full display, terrifying in its reality.
With a clang, Aghora dropped the bronze cauldron to the floor, climbed atop it, and again leaned in to sniff Tyler.
Aghora grinned. "In all my years, I've learned if I use the living flesh and blood of men to make a weapon, their agony and hatred transfer, making my creations far stronger!"
His smile grew wicked. "Boy, you smell just like the finest mortal weapon. When I throw you—and my hellblade—into the cauldron together, I may finally craft a true spiritual weapon!"
What happens next? Can Tyler hope to escape— or is he doomed to die in the Forge of Hell?
Find out in the next chapters…