I finish my late breakfast, 'Or it could be 'early lunch', by Emeri's request before continuing on our way to collect the second commission for Veda. 'For what it's worth, the detour could've given Mr. Fyord extra time to make any 'last minute touch ups' for the chainmail.'
Entering the Armorsmith's, it's still as hot as the first time we arrived, but this time the Armorsmith was waiting behind the counter. "Happy to see you Ms. Deidura! I finished up your armor over an hour ago and the only commissions to come after were some novice knights putting in requests. Simple requests I could give to my apprentices to make them practice by themselves while I waited for you."
"Happy to see you too Mr. Fyord. I'm glad to hear the Chainmail is finished. I can barely wait to see it."
'Could almost say I missed breakfast in anticipation, but it was actually because of a chain of distractions happening one after another.'
A very eventful hour and a half that wasn't helped by my split perspectives.
"Then let's get down to business." He bends down to under the counter and pulls out the chain mail to the counter.
Not as refined as the stylist but since the Blacksmith just did the same thing, it must be common to throw durable items around like nothing would break.
"As per requested, Steel Riveted chainmail, designed to be under your clothing! Unfortunately, we aren't a clothing store so no changing room is present, but lucky you, chain mail can be put over your clothing if the situation calls for it. If you'd like, I can show you how to use the pin to make sure you aren't suffocating yourself by putting it on too tight, like most noble women's dresses do hehe."
He chuckles at his last statement, though I don't really know what he means. Emeri seems to have known considering she gives a deep sigh while shaking her head so I'll ask what that means later.
"Sure. Help me put it on over my clothing for now so I at least know how to wear it."
With Mr. Fyord and Emeri's help, I put the Chainmail on. The soft padding on the inside will keep the chains from my skin, making it a more comfortable fit.
And just as he promised, I only need to strap a single hook around my waist to keep it in place. It's heavy but I'll try to have Veda wear it as often as I can in order for her to get used to it.
'Maybe I can build up some muscle with her by doing this.' 'I just hope the chainmail doesn't chafe.'
At the very least, I should stop noticing the weight difference if I wear it long enough, like a swordsman gets used to having his sword by him at all times.
"Alright, for the cost, it will be 40 Alcrime-g'Septims. Custom orders usually cost more but I'm willing to make an exception if you wouldn't mind spreading the word about where you got that wonderful armor. Especially to your brother. If he's the Warrior you told me he is then he might bring about some new business."
I give him a light laugh at the circumstances he wouldn't believe as I pull out the pouch. "Of course I will. Though he's more about using lots of weapons than wearing heavy armor, he may need many repairs for his weapons considering how often he uses them."
He shrugs, this seeming to not interest him, "So long as he doesn't mind some of my apprentices' works being in the mix! I barely have enough time to make all the knights' armor. But I'll try to find time after we meet."
I pull out 40 of the gold coins and pass them to Mr. Fyord. As I was getting ready to head out with Emeri, something came to mind as I turned back to Mr. Fyord. "This may be a bit random but could rusted weapons be recycled?"
He had a raised eyebrow over the sudden question but answered honestly. "Rust is still iron at the end of the day so they could be brought in and melted down, but I wouldn't bet on getting a full piece of armor back just because you picked one off a goblin's corpse. And even then, it would have to be a hefty bunch of weapons if you want a good discount because we would have to put in the work to melt it down again."
"I see. I'll keep that in mind for my brother seeing as he tends to collect a bunch of rusty and broken blades off the Hobgoblins back when we lived in the Valley."
He seems surprised. "Then he's a daring bastard to have a bunch of rusty gear in a bag while traveling through monster-infested lands."
I thanked him one last time with a bow, giving the bow I couldn't do my first day here in this city before leaving the store with Emeri. My chainmail is currently in a bag that was given to carry it better.
Emeri offered to carry it but I told her I need to learn to handle it if I were to wear it around everywhere after today.
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I picked up different weapons to get a feel for them, but despite feeling like I could use everything in the store, my current setup felt like the best.
A Two-hander for heavy swings, a spear for distanced melee, throwing knives for quick decision-making moves against swift, often four-legged foes, a shield for defense, and finally a sword, the most familiar weapon in every culture.
It would be nice to upgrade the shield considering it's just some wood with holes in it after all that use but judging by these prices, I will end up losing a weapon.
The Blacksmith stares in confusion as I pick out a bunch of different weapons till Sapheir returns. "I brought your gear! But I left the shield when I realized you were going to be trading these in."
I kind of guessed but it's still unfortunate it couldn't even cut it as firewood. When the weapons are set on the counter, the Blacksmith's eye twitches before getting up from his seat to take a careful look at their condition. "Quite the strange condition they're in. Rusty and chipped yet sharpened enough."
"The sharpening was my doing but the rusted and chipping is from their time as hobgoblin weapons before I claimed them."
He nods his head, sitting back in his chair. "I see.... Well, with this metal I will take 7g off your order, not counting the axe and throwing knives as those are worth too little more than a single silver each. With the discount, all those weapons you're carrying comes to 44 Alcrime-g'Septims and 7 Alcrime-s'Septims."
I start looking through the pouch and counting them out only to find I have 28g and 92s from my share of the rewards. The extermination of the hobgoblins gave most of it, but the herbs helped.
With 10 silver making 1 gold, I am close but not close enough with only 37g and 2s.
Sapheir noticed the look of dejection on my face. "If you need it, I could give you some of my..."
But I cut him off. "No need. This is my first time paying for something myself, so I want to buy what I can. Will it cost more or less to repair the weapons instead of getting new ones?"
The blacksmith scratches the back of his head looking at each one a little closer. "It will take me time and work, but it will cost less than getting a new one off the rack. Tell me what you want repaired and I will give you the price... Just make sure you put back what you're not going to buy."
This could take me a minute but it looks like this store is having a slow day.
...
Holding his chin, the blacksmith double checked the order. "So, you're buying a new Javelin, Two-hander, and Shield, selling the Spear and two-hander, keeping the throwing knives, and finally the Axe and Scimitar will be repaired."
I confirm what he double checked. With the sword and some new throwing knives no longer on the list, it dropped to 33g and 7s. The Axe doesn't require much iron, and the Scimitar would give me more use out of being repaired than being sold for scrap.
Overall, 35g and 8s, leaving me with a little over 20s.
Taking a seat once more, the clerk seems thankful it's finally over. "Alright. If it continues being slow, you can get the repaired weapons back tomorrow."
All and all a great outcome. A new sword would be nice but if I'm not getting rid of the Scimitar then I won't need it. The Scimitar was also the first weapon I picked up since 'that day' and getting rid of it before meeting back up with my other feels like bad luck.
'Not that it was 'Lucky' in the hands of its original owner, or in the hands of the Hobgoblin after that.'
"Thank you for your business... Please come again."
I took one last look back and the blacksmith's head landed on the table. I was probably the first customer in a while to upgrade everything. At least he made over a third of a hundred gold from a single customer, even if it isn't as much as Mr. Fyord made for a single set of chainmail.
I'm a little curious why these weapons were so cheap compared to the single set of chain mail, but I guess that's just how much of an improvement Steel is over Iron.
Exiting the shop, I see the sun steadily setting, only about 4-5 more hours till the end of the day.
...What to do in the meantime...
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I was taking long deep breaths while resting on a bench, the chainmail being heavier than I expected. Having watched me all this time, Emeri decided she would be carrying it for me from now on seeing as the 50 pound armor is too heavy for Veda right now.
Having gotten to catch my breath, I asked Emeri, "We got everything from where we needed to go. Are we just going to head back to the castle now?"
She shook her head, not ready for the trip to end. "How about we check out the East District? The East District is the area of the capital housing peddlers from the Jiiruno Kingdom. It's where many arts, treasures, weapons, and other items of interest from Hugo Desert are traded to the people of Siltria. Farmi is set up there and it would be a good idea to meet the rest of the party you'll be traveling with, just in case."
Hugo desert? That's the first I've heard the name of the place where the Jiiruno Kingdom was built.
'But she's right, before getting stuck traveling with strangers I might have a bad relationship with, I should see if we can get along. If not, I may be able to wait a few more days for a new escort.'
"Sounds like a great idea."
"Glad to hear, then let's head for the gate." With Emeri leading the way, we head to the eastern district to meet up with my future traveling companions.
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"Since we have a lot of time left how about we grab a..."
"NO!!!" The three gave an in-sync answer before I could ask about starting a mission.
"You just woke up from experiencing excruciating pain and you already want to go out for another mission?!" Jikani reprimands me.
"We were fearful you would die, so please take a day off to rest!" added Sapheir.
"I was tapped out of magic power after casting that spell and still haven't recovered all of it yet, so please just wait another day before we take a new mission!" begged Floris.
I understand their worry, but the spell turns back time on the entire body, leaving no trace of a wound up to 30 minutes before. The only side effect listed is the body doesn't regain the stamina on top of the strain put on the body that would have someone knocked out for days on end...
'Wait days?'
'Not right now, I can investigate it when Veda has the book.'
Regardless, that is too detailed for a person who has only looked at the spell a few times like I made Verei out to be so it would be best to just keep this to myself.
'Sigh, guess there's no other choice but to accept I'm not leaving the village today.'
'But that doesn't mean we can't do something else...'
"Alright fine, but I'm not the kind of guy to sit on my hands doing nothing. So, time to start your guys' training!"
Both Floris and Jikani start backtracking as they try to make excuses.
"C-can't! I have to umm... get a new bow string!"
"I-I'm still recovering from overusing my mana pool so..."
Their insistence on me resting is swiftly shattered the moment my hands got a hold of their shoulders. With an insidious grin, I shatter their flimsy excuses. "No worries. The kind of training we'll be doing, you won't need a bow or mana."
Sapheir is the only one of the three who is looking forward to the training. He wants to better himself, even if he feels a bit of pain because of it.