Spear of Destiny: Chapter 33

With the first round of money sitting in the KMS, it was time to do something I’d wanted to do for months: clean out my Inventory, replenish all my necessary tools, and get better gear. While Rin went to go deal with Ebisa, Suri and I linked up and hit the markets.

The best place to get gear tips in Taltos was at the Temple of Khors. Most Vlachians worshipped Khors exclusively, relegating the other gods of the Nine to support roles or ignoring them as myths. The God of the Forge had temples, a university, faith-militant training centers, and countless workshops in the city. Suri and I both had a pretty good reputation with the priests, thanks to our role in solving the murders of several members of clergy. We were able to speak to the new Arch-Smith, add some new map markers to our HUD, and set off without wasting a whole lot of time.

We went to pick up weapons for Suri first, at a player-run store named Bear’s Anvil. Bear, an Artificer, was more than happy to sell Suri a new Very Large Sword™, a black-edged blade with a red-bound hilt named Warmonger’s Misery. It packed 677-714 damage, and it gave Suri an extra 3% head-chopping bonus that stacked with her vorpal combat ability, Gorgon Overdrive. He also tried to sell her a scale-mail bikini that had more AC than her full plate. I was keen, but Suri wasn’t buying.

After that, we rode Cutthroat to the Tanner’s District, to an obscure little Mercurion armor boutique that was little more than a market stand in front of a much larger smithy and workshop. Suri stayed behind with Cutthroat at a public stable, letting her gorge on meat to her heart’s content while I walked to the store.

“Welcome!” Our salesman was human, judging by the warm brown color of his hands, though he wore the robes, concealing enchanted mask and large flat basket hat that was the typical outdoor wear of a Mercurion civilian. “Looking to buy?”

“Yeah. And looking to trade in,” I said. “I’ve got a ton of pelts, metal, and even some mana for sale or trade. I’m also looking for new armor. Good armor, suitable for someone who does a lot of flying.”

“Flying?” He eyed the Nizari Suit with a critical eye. “A quazi rider?”

“Dragon,” I said.

“Ohh! You’re him! The dragon knight who attends the court of the Volod!” The man clasped his hands together.

“Count Dragozin, at your service.” I twirled a hand and bowed. “This is the workshop of Master Armorer Yaola Tlaxi’Zanya, right?”

“Yes, my lord.” The salesman bowed from the waist. “The Master Armorer does not serve customers directly unless they require a custom piece, so let us see if we have something you already like before we fetch her. We can take care of your materials sales, first.” He gestured in the air, working his HUD with his hands. “Let’s see here...”

I was able to unload a lot of Inventory space: selling my old pieces of armor and unused weapons for scrap. When it was time to buy, I had a look over the options, but didn’t see anything that was exactly what I wanted. At that point, the checkout guy went and got the smith—a small, fine-boned Mercurion with a smooth, soft voice.

“Describe your combat needs to me,” the smith, Yaola, asked me as she led me back into her workshop.

“High mobility. I do a lot of jumping around,” I said. “Armor that provides speed, stealth, or evasion bonuses, but something heavier than what most Rogue Path classes would need. I can wear metal, I just don’t want it to clatter when I’m flying or moving.”

“Hmm. The Dragoons almost exclusively request leather and chain hauberks, so that is what I sell outside.” Yaola crossed her arms, looking around. “Are you an open-minded man?”

“Not so open-minded that I’d let my brains fall out, but I’m willing to try almost anything once.”

“Then let me show you something.” Yaola stopped in front of an empty armor stand, went into her Inventory, and began equipping pieces onto the dummy. First up were a pair of metal boot sheathes with a bladed ridge on either side of the square toe, perfect for those times when you wanted to kick someone in the junk and castrate them at the same time. The boots climbed up into elegant thigh-length greaves that were made to fit over leggings or close-fitting breeches. The cuirass was a form-fitting suit of interlinking, diamond-shaped mail that strongly resembled dragon scales. There was a layer of solid plate over the most important vitals: neck, chest, spine and kidneys. The gauntlets matched the boots, with spiked knuckles and reinforced protection over the hands.

“Huh. Neat. How does this work?” I rubbed a finger over the raised diamond mail. It was one of the weirdest designs for flexible armor I’d ever seen. The pieces didn’t overlap, like scale armor: they fit together like a tessellation.

By way of reply, Yaola took a dagger from her workbench, braced the mannequin around the back with her other arm, and forcefully stabbed the dummy in its belly several times. The scales bowed, contracting into a wide depression around the point of the knife. It diffused the impact almost completely, and the blade didn’t penetrate.

“I took a very fine looking-glass and studied the armor of small ocean creatures known as chitons to create this. Their armor is some of the finest in the natural world,” she said proudly. “It is my own patented design. Here. Try it.”

I took the knife and did my best to gut the dummy. I was not successful: it was like ramming the knife into dense putty, and the steel didn’t even scratch the armor. “Well, damn. Can it stop bullets?”

“It reduces the damage caused by bullets substantially. In fact, that is what I designed it to do. As time marches on, I predict that warfare will be ruled by two factors: the bullet and the sky. He who fields the best air power and the strongest firearms will triumph.” Yaola drew themselves up tall, hooking their thumbs in their belt. “I call this the Stormrider armor. It is an innovation in protective technology, though I have struggled to convince the Black Army command of this fact.”

“Why?” I took my Spear and poked the armor with the tip, testing it against the razor sharp bluesteel point. “I’d be shitting myself with delight if I was a general, and someone came to me with stab-proof armor that could stop a musket round.”

“Two issues,” Yaola grunted. “I am an artisan, not a saleswoman. I must hire others to do that work. And second, there is a lot of red tape. The army is led by a cabal of old lords who think the same way they did fifty years before. I swear every soldier must visit a scribe and file paperwork to take a shit on their Royally approved toilet seats, which must have been reviewed and expressly approved by the Volod. Innovation is slow to gain traction in a bureaucracy.”

“Jeez. Tell me about it.” I winced.

“However. If a popular and prominent human lord were to wear it into battle and report its efficacy to the Royal Court, that would be of great benefit, both to me and to the soldiers whose lives this armor could save,” the smith continued. “I would be willing and able to reward you if you were to test the armor, and drop a kind word in His Majesty’s ear.”

“You don’t have to do that, but sure.” I jumped as a new Quest Alert chirped in my HUD.

[New Side-Quest: Field Research.]

New Side-Quest: Field Research

Yaola Tlaxi’Zanya, one of the Master Armorers of Taltos, has requested that you test her new flexible chiton-scale armor, an innovation in materials development the Royal Army has been slow to consider. To receive your reward, report your results back to Volod Ignas Corvinus II after surviving three combat engagements while wearing this armor.

Rewards: 500 EXP, Armor Upgrade.

I mentally swiped for ‘Yes’ and walked around the armor stand, studying the back as I listened. The armor had articulated titanium down the spine, testament to the fact that quazi riders—and dragon riders—were more likely to be struck on the back or sides while in the air. “No helmet?”

“No. I am working on a design,” Yaola said. “It has to be economical enough to be viable, but sophisticated enough to protect soldiers from firearm injuries to the head. I am researching ways to make a sightglass or sightsteel visor that can withstand the impact of a bullet.”

I rubbed my thumb over the mail. It was so smooth that it almost felt slick to touch. “Are there magical add-ons or material enhancements you can make?”

“Certainly. Though they are expensive. To improve the physical protection, I will need you to field-test the armor before I can judge which metals will work best for improving it.” The smith folded their arms over their chest. “You can browse the store menu for magical enhancements.”

I brought up the Armor stats and had a look over what I was signing myself up for:

Stormrider Scale Armor

570 Armor

+30% Damage Reduction from falls or Bludgeoning weapons

+35% Resistance to Piercing Damage

-15% chance of vital or mortal blows landing on wearer.

Special: Unarmed strikes made against enemies deal lethal, instead of non-lethal damage.

Medium Armor

Body Slot

100% Durability

Level Required: 25

Price: 1100 gold Olbia

An experimental armor design which relies on precisely machined scales woven into an interlocking matrix. This armor offers exceptional piercing and bludgeoning resistance, but is very expensive due to the expertise required to create it.

The Stormrider armor was easily the best suit I’d seen since arriving in Archemi. Just the body, gloves and boots had more armor than the entire Raven Suit. I opened my HUD and queried the Store Menu. The Buy and Sell Windows opened up to my right, displaying all the different purchases I could make. I surfed to the Modifications and Add-Ons section and read through them.

“Elemental air, light and water protection covers lightning, doesn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes, my lord.” The smith inclined her head.

Each elemental enchantment cost 50 olbia per 5% enhancement, to a maximum of 30% total resistance. There was also a stealth augmentation available, Dampening, which further decreased the noise of the armor. There was no mobility enhancement option for medium armor: that was for light armor only.

“Okay. Let’s get the Stormrider with the lot.” I selected all my options and added them to the cart, then some armor and weapon care supplies I was lacking. All up, it came to just over 2000 olbia. “Can you tint the armor to match this?”

I held out the Raven Helm. The smith took it, and looked it over curiously.

“Hmm. Black sightglass. This is the work of House Azpatl. Dara Tlaxi’Azpatl is the favored armorer of the Royal Court.” Yaola turned it in their hands. “Yes, I can tint my armor to match this.”

“Brilliant,” I said.

“Excuse me, then, while I make the modifications. Wait outside, please.” The smith bowed, confirmed the sale, and went to pick up the armor stand and carry it back over to the forge.

Twenty minutes later, I was back to strolling through the streets of Taltos beside Cutthroat, looking every inch the well-to-do Lancer.

“Have to admit, I’m almost jealous,” Suri remarked from behind me, jerking Cutthroat’s reins as she tried to turn around, for the millionth time since we’d left the castle. “That’s some nice-looking gear.”

“Want to try it on? See if you like this style of armor more than full-plate?”

“Nah. Too clingy. I’d feel underdressed.”

“It’s not like anything’s uncovered,” I replied. “You know, other than my face.”

Her mouth quirked in a sultry, playful smile. “Yeah, but why do you think I asked you to walk ahead of Cutthroat?”

I could see the hookwing in my peripheral vision, staring daggers at me with her beady yellow eyes. “So she doesn’t rip my guts out and use me like a sock puppet?”

“Nah. You’d get out of the way in time,” Suri said. “It’s because that suit fits nicely around the back.”

“In other words, you’re staring at my butt?”

Soberly, she nodded. “Correct.”

I made a show of thinking for a moment. “Quick question: whydidn’t we get that bikini again?”

“Do you have any fuckin’ idea how uncomfortable they are? No support for your boobs at all, and the crotch of it rides up your cunt like a bandsaw. No thanks. I’ll stick to looking like a tin can with legs.”

“This sounds like something you know from experience.”

Suri let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, I know it from experience, okay? I was a gladiator. A female gladiator. What do you think my manager made me wear out in the ring? And why do you think I quit?”

Our next destination was the apothecary. I gratefully stocked up on King’s Grass and Cats Eye Mushrooms for the Dragon’s Blood Potions, then picked up at least five of every other herb they sold. From there, we went somewhere we hadn’t ever been able to afford until now: an accessory shop.

“Oh!” The man at the counter—an unusually tall, aristocratic Lysidian man with neat silver hair—jumped as I walked in through the door. “I remember you! Both of you!”

“Uhh… I didn’t do it.” I held my hands up, Suri looming over my shoulder in confusion.

“No, my Lord, it’s nothing you did. You were at that horrible auction at the winery!” The jeweler exclaimed. “You and the red-haired battlemaiden, you saved my life!”

It took me a moment before it clicked. “Ohh, hey! You were selling accessories at the cocktail party before it turned into a royal clusterfuck. How are you, man? You doing alright?”

“I was most fortunate to escape with my life and limbs intact,” he replied, leaning on the counter as I stopped in front of it. “But thanks to you, I returned to my wife and children in one piece. What about you? Are you still a mercenary for the Royal Court?”

“Nope. Well, kind of? We were both made counts by the new king,” I said. “I’m the Voivode of Myszno, and she’s Voivodzina.”

“And before you apologize for not ‘Your Gracing’ us, don’t sweat it. Neither me or Hector think of ourselves that way,” Suri added.

“A Voivode! Khors’ breath! A title well-deserved, I say.” The man beamed. “Ahh, to think that I knew one of the lords of the realm before he attained his station! And you, lady? Are you well?”

“Doin’ all right. Lost an arm in the fight. The Masterhealer grew it back for me,” she said.

“That is wonderful to hear. The regrowing, not the loss.” The jeweler splayed one long hand over his chest and bowed from the neck. “I am Viel Falka, in case I never introduced myself at the party. What are you looking for?”

“Anything that increases mobility, evasion, stealth, or that protects against knockdown,” I said. “Anything that helps with water elemental resistance.”

“We have some things you might be interested in. And I will give you a substantial discount, in thanks for saving my life.” Viel turned to the wall of drawers behind him, pulling out a number of small boxes. “Let me see... oh yes, this might be good...”

I waited as he came back and laid out the selection of items on the counter, opening the clam-shell boxes so I could scan the contents.

Improved Brawler’s Wristband

50 Armor

15% Evade

+10 Str and Con

300 gold olbia (25% discount)

Can be upgraded.

Simple wristbands studded with enchanted blue crystal.

Ring of Peace

Protects against the Fear and Hypnosis debuffs.

150 gold Olbia (25% discount)

Amulet of the Berserker

After receiving 150 points or more of damage, this ring increases your attack power and AP regeneration by 15%.

200 gold Olbia (25% discount)

Amulet of the Spark

Boosts AP regeneration by 20%; regenerate 1 point of Adrenaline per minute when outside of combat.

350 gold Olbia (25% discount)

Ring of the Ocean

Blessed by priests of Rusalka in their dark rites, this ring offers 15% protection against the Water element.

200 gold Olbia (25% discount)

“I’ll grab them,” I said, looking back to Suri. She nodded.

“Certainly.” Viel closed the boxes and handed them over. “I will have a different selection of between three and five items suitable for Starborn every week—assuming you are only interested in Artificed goods. For normal jewelry, you can simply browse the store selection.”

“What about…” I trailed off as my HUD chirped: a call from Rin. “Sorry, give me a second.”

“No problem.” Viel shrugged.

“Hi guys!” Rin said once we picked up. “Okay, so, I spoke with Ebisa, and she’s fixed a meeting for us at the Viper’s Pit!”

“Sure. When do we meet?” I asked. “And where’s the Viper’s Pit?”

“Oh! It’s the big pit fighting club in the International District. Kind of the hub for the city’s thieves’ guild, too. Anyway, we have to be there after seven p.m., so we have a bit of time. Ebisa said that if you have any questions, you should go back to the castle and ask her.”

“No worries,” I said, looking to Suri. “And thanks. I think we’ll go and do just that.”