Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

"This was supposed to be a non-lethal match!" Rich, the Slavemancer cried out angrily.

As the cruel reality of the situation finally sank in, everyone reacted differently, though the most common was anger. The only person who seemed just as frozen as the hero, was the negotiator lady, who was staring at the statue, trying hard to deny the very reality before her eyes.

"Kyaa!" When she was forced to accept it by the angry voices around her, she fell to her knees and let out a scream filled with despair.

"Aren\'t you guys a little over-dramatic? It\'s not like Harker is dead, as long as nobody breaks the statue, that is. You just have to find someone to purify him and he will be as good as new. Of course, you should first declare the outcome of this match," said spoke nonchalantly to Rich and the crowd.

"I declare Minas Mar the winner of this duel. The Hero Ben Harker can no longer fight," Brock readily threw in. He had also been shocked, but he was slowly getting used to Minas Mar being outside of his expectations.

Rich was shiftily looking left and right as if looking for an excuse, but he couldn\'t come up with one. Finally, he had no choice but to agree with Brock and declare Minas Mar the winner. Seth stepped to the wailing negotiator and shoved a stack of papers in her face.

"That is a copy of the inventories from the Turquoise and Copper Anvil, and their marked prices. Don\'t forget, I want all of it back or a compensation of 1.5 times the price. I will give you a few days to get my stuff back, but I hope to see my detained people by the evening."

After saying his piece he turned around and walked back into his office building. Wolfram and Brock followed him. With the guarantee of the magic contract, the hostages were released and the encirclement around the building was relaxed.

"Why are you following me, too?" Seth suddenly turned to Brock, after the doors closed.

"I-I don\'t know? I just went along... Oh, on that note, what is Minas Mar planning?"

"Why do you ask, wanna join us?"

Although Brock and the Boulder Guild had the least losses, apart from Minas Mar, they had also been officially disbanded. Many of their members had lost their jobs and were either poached or detained. Seth couldn\'t imagine how it would have been for them to return to an empty place.

"Maybe we could join as an auxiliary guild?" Brock actually took the offer.

It actually played well into their future plans. Seth didn\'t mind scouting some auxiliary guilds, as Brock had phrased it. The more power and people they siphoned out from Delta, the better it was.

"Sure, I will tell you how we continue once we have our stuff and our people back."

…

As he asked for, around evening a crowd of people appeared at the doors of the office building of Minas Mar. Although there was some confusion mixed in, everyone was happy to have their freedom back.

They were the staff from the shops and members of the Oathguard that had acted as guards across the city. Many wanted to directly go home to look for their families but were stopped by other staff.

"Please don\'t worry, we have already made preparation for your families inside," Mary calmed them down.

Some of these people had been in detainment for weeks, not knowing how their family members were doing. Although Mary had been unable to do anything for them, she had shown her capability by taking care of and assembling these people from the shadows.

With the encirclement slightly scattering, the first thing they had done was bring over their families for a reunion and not just the families of those that had been detained. There were also the relatives of the 80 Oathguards that had come along on the expedition to the Holy Land.

Especially the staff and relatives that were originally living in Delta were now assembled here. They would have to make a decision soon.

A few days later a depressed negotiator lady appeared at their doorstep with several boxes full of items and system currency. They keep some items and many of the potions had been used, they could not do anything but compensate with money.

"Thanks, you can leave now."

"What are you planning?!" the lady suddenly exclaimed nervously. Even with the system\'s assistance and skills, she was not cut out for something like a negotiator. The boxes were quickly brought in by a pair of golems.

Seeing how Longbottom didn\'t act up during the past days, it seemed like everyone was adopting a wait-and-see tactic. They all waited to see what Minas Mar would do.

"You will know soon. We will announce our plan openly and publicly;" Seth said with a smile before he returned to the building, leaving her alone outside.

With everything stashed away, it was time.

…

It had been a few days since Brock, and the Boulder Guild had been invited to Minas Mar\'s business building. Those that decided to stay with the guild had also brought in their relatives, fearing the wanton action of Delta\'s Martial Law.

It was the morning after Delta kept its contractual obligations. Brock and the two chosen ones were now sitting in a big auditorium meant for speeches. They could some familiar faces from Minas Mar\'s Field Teams, Chimeras, and Oathguards among the audience. There were also unfamiliar people. Humans and Chimeras he had never seen, Cat people, there was even a massive Minotaur standing in one corner, looking menacing.

He also spotted Gin and some others from the remnants of the guilds. Brock had heard that Gin had arrived yesterday, with a similar request as Brock. The reason they were all here was that Minas Mar was finally going to give an internal announcement.

Although they were the only ones seeing it live, Brock observed several screens being installed all across the building. With all the people and relatives of people, the building was packed and Brock heard that everyone would be able to follow the announcement live on the screens. What could be so important, that everyone had to hear it in person?

As Brock was puzzling over this question Seth, the Tower Master, stepped on the rostrum to give his speech.

"You all have seen the changes in Delta. Over the past few days, we have communicated with the System Church and our contact in Chrona and have come to a decision. We have the resources, the facilities, the territory, and the military strength. We are not dependent on Delta.

Tomorrow morning Minas Mar will officially announce its status as an independent District of Urth."