We made it to the Limestone Village after those two days. I also made a makeshift backpack from cloth and whatever I had on hand, in which Shelly could travel. That turtle was quite heavy, therefore the backpack had to be reinforced a few times. With Shelly on my back, I entered the village. Although people stared at me, since I was carrying a turtle, no one came up to ask about it. 'Great, people mind their own business. That's what I like to see', I thought.
The village itself wasn't that big, but at least twice the size of Horseplain Village. We stopped at a tavern, where the owner asked me to pay more since I had a pet with me. I didn't argue, and paid him one silver coin for a few nights and food. "Alright, we have a few things to take care of here. I need to find a tailor first. Hopefully my leather armour will be ready quickly, since I don't need anything fancy. We will also try to get a map. Then we are leaving this village", I said.
With that plan in mind, we left the tavern. There was only one tailor inside the village, and it was an old lady. I showed her the silver-grey fur, which stunned her. "Where did you get that boy?", she asked. "I was lucky to have found a wounded wolf. Can you make a leather armour from this? I don't need anything fancy, just basic protection. The design can be as plain as you can get", I replied.
"Hmm, the material is tough and not processed. This alone will take some time. Then there is the sawing and everything else. You are looking at around two weeks of work. Moreover this will cost you a bit... I'd say about one gold coin. Do you have that much?", she asked probingly. "One gold coin is a bit too much... I was also hoping to have it done sooner, since my requirements are rather low", I replied feigning difficulty. "I have a proposal for you. You see, there are a few leather armours for sale already. If you give me this fur and pay something in addition, I will hand you a completed armour today. How about it kiddo?", she proposed.
Of course that would be a perfect solution, but that fur was worth much more than one gold coin. "This fur is not something worth less than one gold coin. I might be inexperienced, but I'm no idiot ma'am", I replied while shaking my head. "Alright, I admit. This fur is worth more, but the amount of processing I'd need to do and so on... Just the fur, and I'll give you a very good set of leather armour. You'd pay nothing else, just give me the fur", she said.
"Hmmm... Alright, you are kind and I'm sure this fur will be better used for a proper armour, than that made plainly. Show me your best leather armour, and we have a deal", I replied. "Clap! Great, wait here boy, I will bring the set shortly", she said before walking to the back of her shop. A while later, the old lady brought back a brown leather armour.
"This set includes the chest piece, pants and boots... The fitment will be off, since you are so skinny. Boy you need to eat much more, hehe. Anyway, I can adjust it, after taking the measurements. Have a look at the set and tell me if it's alright", she explained. I went through the set, and indeed the quality wasn't bad at all. The protection it offered was good, while the flexibility was something I could work with. "Alright, I will take this set", I said. "Great choice boy. Now let me take your measurements, since this is a bit too big for you. The adjustments will take me about a day, so tomorrow you can come back to collect it", she said then took my measurements. I asked her to make the armour a bit lax. I didn't want it to be skin tight, since I planned to wear other stuff underneath.
'My leather armour is done. That deal was favourable to her, but there is no need to flaunt my wealth. Besides, I can't wait two weeks for the armour to be made', I thought. Before I left, I had one more question for her. "Can you tell me where I can get a good map? I need something with a lot of northern regions", I asked. "Hmmm, we don't really have people who specialise in map drawing here. You'd have to buy one from someone else. If you don't mind, I can ask around. Maybe someone will be willing to sell you a spare or their own map. Some old people don't really need them anymore", she replied. "That would be great, thank you", I said and left the shop.
There was no point looking for a map, since no one made them inside that village. 'She will ask around, but I don't have much faith in her. Maybe the tavern owner could help me out. We will see tomorrow', I thought while heading back to the tavern. "It's been a while since I slept on a bed. Let's just relax and rest for a bit", I said and placed Shelly atop the bed. 'This will never get old', I thought while looking at Shelly trying to find a perfect spot.
Next day in the afternoon, we visited the old lady tailor once more. "Your set of leather armour has been adjusted. I have a room if you wish to try it out", she said. "That's fine. I'm sure with your skills, such adjustments were easy", I replied but didn't leave. "Ah yes, the map. I was told that the tavern owner has a few in stock, but he charges a lot for them. No one else was willing to sell their own unfortunately. I'd give you mine, but I still find some use for it", she added.
"That is fine, I will ask the tavern owner. Thank you for everything, take care of yourself", I bid her farewell before leaving. 'So the tavern owner has a few. Heh, he is a greedy bastard, so I doubt he will sell it for cheap. I could probably steal it at night, if I knew where he kept them... Though, do I need the risk?', I asked myself. There were loads of gold coins in my bag, I could easily afford the map. The problem was attention.
Back at the tavern, I asked the owner about a map. He told me that indeed, he had some in his possession, but it would cost me to buy them. "How much are we talking?", I asked. He looked me up and down, "One gold coin". "That's quite a lot for a map... Can you show me what sort of terrain it covers first?", I asked, showing reluctance. "Hmm, alright. Let me get one for you", he said before leaving his counter. 'So that's where you keep them? Let's see if they are worth a gold coin', I thought.
With the location of his storage clear to me, I could probably steal it. The owner returned a minute later, then unruffled the map in front of me. "As you can see, we are here... So? Do you want it?", he asked. The map wasn't bad, but wasn't good either. I'd get about three weeks of travel up north with its use. 'There is one more village further north-west, about two weeks away... I could try there next', I thought but asked for a lower price. "How about 90 silvers? The map doesn't reach that far, and you are not using it anyway. Besides, you have a few of them still left", I proposed.
He looked at me for a while then replied, "Fine, you sold that fur to the old lady Elena. I will lower the price a bit. 90 silvers, no less". I gave him exactly 90 silver coins, and grabbed the map. "Thanks, you've been a great help. I'll see you around", I bid him farewell before retiring to my room. 'With a new map and armour in hand, I can leave this place tomorrow. My next destination will be Sleepstorm Village', I thought. We rested for the rest of the day and night. In the morning, I got dressed in my leather armour, left the key with the owner and walked out of the village. "This wasn't so bad. Don't worry Shelly, I will let you down soon", I said while heading toward our new destination.