After a few days of training and questing nonstop, I decided that it was finally time for Log to get his first set of armory.
We went to a local smithing shop early in the morning to try a few pieces first. We moved out early since we'll be shopping for other things later. I have already drained most of my supplies, so I will need to restock.
"How is this, master?" Log shyly asked while showing off the light armor he was wearing.
Fortunately, we were able to find some armor that suits Log well and fits him. I should've have expected it, since we're not exactly looking for a heavy piece of armor that will be difficult to readjust to the wear. What we're looking for is just a simple light piece which parts could be equipped individually and could be readjusted easily to fit Log's petite body.
"It looks good," I replied with a thumbs up.
"R-really?" he beamed up, but as if he suddenly got struck by lightning, his face became pale. Then he asked nervously, "Kuh... Is it really okay for me to have this? Isn't it expensive?"
I suppose he would be worried about that...
"We'll be using the money you earned yourself, so it's fine," I reassured him.
All the money we will be spending this time is from his own wallet. While I do take the rewards for the quests we complete and the payment for the monsters I killed, I do not own the money that Log makes from his own kills.
Log struggled to fight against just a single goblin before, but now, he's totally able to defeat three of them all at once. His speed is particularly impressive, and with it, he was able to develop a lethal first strike attack that can kill just about any low rank monsters. If he continues on with his way of fighting, he could become a deadly front line fighter who could instantly take down the leader of a big horde of monsters.
Because of his growing kill ratio, his savings accumulated to a huge amount. It would be dangerous if somebody sees him with it, so just in case, I decided to keep most of it in my storage. In lieu of that, I'm giving him his own weekly spendings instead which he can use to live on his own.
"Ngh..." Log groaned.
He was swirling his arms around, testing the flexibility of his new armor.
The armor was just a set of cropped metal, fit in by the wearer using leather belts. The primary body parts the metal pieces shielded were the shoulders, forearms, and chest. It leaves the neck and stomach with no protection whatsoever. However, that's by design. Having metal chunks covering those parts will hinder the movements of the wearer. Log is a front line fighter who prioritizes speed and flexibility, so he cannot exactly wear any more heavy chunks of metal that would lessen his traits.
As for his legs, he just has a simple strapped knee-guards and shin-guards. The reasoning for the lack of covering there is obviously the same.
"How about a headgear, missy? Don't you think he should have one as well?" the old blacksmith on the corner of the room asked.
The old burly man has been here the whole time, giving advice and providing help with fitting Log his armor. He said that he had made the armor he's selling himself, and thankfully, he had made some for clients who has shorter heights from humans. Apparently, the armor which Log is wearing now was actually for a certain sub-species of dwarves and humans called halflings.
"Won't something like that block his ears?"
As a beastkin, Log has an incredible sense of hearing. If it suddenly gets impede with, he might feel disoriented. Even worse is that the echoes of his own voice might disrupt him while he's battling.
"No, I'm not talking about a full helmet," as if he was able to read my thoughts, he suddenly explained, "What I'm talking about is this."
What the blacksmith took out from one of his shelves was a metallic crown with four long but thin extensions on equal places. They definitely look familiar to me. They're the same as the headgears I sometimes see shinobis wear in some historical dramas or anime.
"It won't protect your face from direct thrusts, but it will work to defend it from side slashes," he explained.
"How about it, Log?" I asked Log, who was still keenly testing out his armor.
"Kuh! I'm sorry, master! I don't want it... It looks lame..." he said apologetically.
"You don't want it, boy? Don't you want to protect your head in battle? Look, even if it don't look like it, this can actually deflect sword slashes."
"Will it? It's not even covering anything!" Log rudely said with a glare.
As usual, he only acts nice towards me and some other exceptions. The blacksmith haven't even done anything bad, and yet he was staring daggers at him as he sold him his pitch.
What's worse is when someone makes a move on me, and he would immediately lash out. It's like I found an overly protective guard to keep. A guard dog to keep...
"That's what he said... Sorry, but we're not buying it."
I'll let Log make his decision.
Of course, his safety is my responsibility, so I feel conflicted about him not wearing any helmet for protection. With that said, I also trust the instinct he has as a beastkin. I can sense that his rejection to wearing anything above his neck is not just simply because of how good or bad it will look. It certainly feel like his revulsion towards it was a natural response from his instincts.
Now that I think about it, it's indeed rare for a beastkin to wear a helmet or anything similar. There are many factors for it that I can think of, but one of them is certainly because it somewhat disrupt their senses. It could also be that they simply want to feel the flowing winds in the midst of battle.
"That's too bad," the blacksmith said with a dissapointed sigh.
"But we'll be buying all these stuff, so can you give us the price?"
"Of course."
We decided to purchase all whatever Log has on him. That does not only include the armor, but also some more tools and equipment.
One of those equipment is a tool belt. It's for carrying tools that can be use mostly for dismantling monsters, but it additionally has a small box storage for carrying potions. We also purchased a thin layer of chainmail which Log can wear under his clothes. Some equipment to also conceal were the knee belts he's going to use to carry smaller knives or daggers.
With all of those combined, you can say that Log is now perfectly equipped for monster hunting.
"Do you still have anything you want to buy? Maybe we should also buy some smoke bombs so you can escape if something troublesome happens?" I asked Log just in case.
The smoke bombs was actually just a thrown out suggestion. I know for a fact that he doesn't need anything else, but he might have something similar in mind that can help him with his particular style of combat.
"N-no, this is enough, Eria-sama!" Log stuttered, the baffled expression on his face screaming "overkill!".