Chapter 82: Ekavir Goes Shopping

Chapter 82: Ekavir Goes Shopping

Vir contemplated heading to Params shop, but the Brotherhood not only had more weapons and armor to choose from, with examples all across the Known World, but their quality was also better. And, unlike with the inn, Vir got a five percent discount.

Located in the same Sanctum building, the armory shop was just a short walk from his room, across the courtyard that served as the Balar rank arena.

Hundreds of weapons lined the racks of the tall, vaulted ceiling room. A long counter dominated the side wall, behind which hung several more weapons.

The expensive ones.

Vir doubted hed have the money to afford those gorgeous blades, but it was still fun to ogle.

Only a handful of other mercenaries were present, allowing Neel to freely run around while Vir admired the sea of armaments on display. Not only were there multiple examples of most weapon typesarming swords, greatswords, talwars, shamshirs, maces, polearms, flails, and several morebut they all had different accents and styles, too.

Some were unadorned, meant to be basic, rugged implements of war. Others had intricate carvings and gold inlays. Those looked like theyd be more at home on a Sawai aristocrats waist than in a warriors hand.

There were even a couple of urumisbizarre flexible whip-swords that looked both deadly and comical at the same time. Vir had to wonder if any martial arts incorporated such strange weapons, or if they were more for intimidation.

To Virs immense disappointment, there wasnt a single seric weapon in sight. Materials ranged all the way from mid-grade iron all the way up to gleaming steel alloys, but there wasnt a hint of seric.

Maybe they keep those in a back room? Or maybe they were so expensive that most warriors couldnt afford them. After all, whod stock an item that never sold? Seric blades started at one seric coin and went up from there. To afford even the cheapest seric katar, Vir would have to work over a hundred contracts for the Brotherhood. Taking living expenses into account, hed probably have to work nonstop for an entire year to afford one.

Some day, Vir thought with a sigh, walking over to an especially strange rack of swords. Vir initially mistook them for training swords, since some were made of wood. Others were steel, but pencil-thin. They looked as though theyd snap when struck at anything harder than flesh.

That was when he noticed the spherical cavities at their hilts.

Magic weapons!?

Every weapon on this rack had at least one slot for magical orbs.

So thats why they look like this. Theyre designed to be used with magic!

Vir had heard of combat support magic, but had never really understood how it worked. Spells like Sharpen Edge, Enhance Speed, Enhance Edge Retention, and Enhance Durability could be slotted into these swords, boosting their properties.

With magic augmenting them, these swords would behave extremely differently from regular weapons. A sword with the weight of a feather could deal the damage of a greatsword.

Itd be able to strike much faster, too. He could scarcely imagine how devastating these weapons could be.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Must be nice to have a mejai along. Vir wondered whether hed ever get to join a party with a mejai in it. Maybe he could pair up with Maiya to become an unstoppable duo one day?

Vir shook off those delusions and forced himself to think about the reason he was here. He didnt come here to buy weapons. He needed armor.

Walking to the far wall of the room, he found an array of armor-clad straw dummies. There was less selection here, but still dozens to choose from. Gambesons in various colors and thicknesses, brigandinesboth fitted and square-shaped, and full plate armor, with a half dozen helmet options.

Those he ignored. While protecting one's head was most peoples' top priority, Vir found helmets made him feel stuffy, no matter how many coifs he wore, and they robbed him of his hearing. Maybe hed regret it one day, but his hood would suffice for now.

The same went for boots. Hed learned that any metal in his soles interfered with his ability to pull prana through the ground. He imagined it was the same for mejai, which was likely why mejai never wore gauntlets.

How much? Vir asked.

Ten for bracers and greaves. Five if you just want the bracers.

Vir had come in here expecting to walk out with a full protection solution. Maybe not decked out in armor, but enough to offset the risks hed face in the sewers, at least. Bracers without shin greaves wouldnt do much for him.

Is there anything else? Vir asked.

Well I might have something. But youre not going to like it, the bald, hooded man said, walking over to his counter. He crouched and rummaged around behind the counter for a moment, before standing with a set of bracers and greaves.

Beautiful! Was Virs first reaction. Gaudy! Was his second.

Both the greaves and the bracers had intricate red and gold inlays that made the armor pieces look more like ceremonial armor than anything functional. Even the steel was polished far beyond what it ought to be.

But the most striking thing was how the greaves had both shin and thigh parts, with a separate steel knee plate.

Alright, so this armor may be a tad more restrictive than what you were looking for, seeing as how it covers everything from your waist down. But the segmentation is actually well done. Ive tried it on myself; its quite mobile.

Sure, Vir replied, but what of the cost? I cant afford anything this fancy.

Well, thats the thing, the armorer said with a grimace. I know the blacksmith who made this. The guys obsessed with decorations, but he cant afford the real deal. This isnt gold, friend. Its fools gold. Doesnt even look like the real thing! There isnt a single Sawai who would touch this stuff. And few warriors want to wear this gaudy thing to battle. This has sat on my shelf for half a year. Cant get rid of it.

And? Vir asked cautiously. How much do you want for it?

Friend, the steel in this set makes it worth ten silvers, easy. But, given its other qualities, Ill let it go for seven.

Virs face fell. Seven is literally all the money I have. Five was stretching it, but the most I can do is six. No point having armor if Im gonna starve. Ive got a bandy and an Ashva with a bum leg to look after, too.

The armorer leaned on the counter and looked Vir up and down. Well, yknow. Youre an Initiate, right? Five percent discount Well, I was never all that good at my numbers. Five percent sounds like a silver off of seven to me. Sound right to you?

Vir barely suppressed his grin. Sounds about right to me.



He spent the next half hour getting fitted for the armor. The alteration process would take another day, so the set would only be ready for him tomorrow. Even then, Vir doubted he'd use it for this upcoming mission. Stealth was a priority, and these pieces were not. Vir doubted that hed be doing very many assassination missions in the futurehoped he wouldnt, ratherso this didnt strike him as too much of a downside. Especially when they could be painted black or hidden under clothing. Besides, if he needed armor for an assassination mission, that meant he'd done something horribly wrong. Rather than slugging it out, he'd simply Dance to safety, after all.

As it was, the armor wasnt ideal for stealthy operations. But then, beggars couldnt be choosers, and this was only his first set. For now, itd protect not only his forearms and shins, but his whole leg, too.

Having tried it on and worked through some moves, its weight was noticeable. Hed have to get used to fighting with it, but the armorer had been right. It wasnt restrictive enough to compromise his acrobatics.

Vir also ended up selling his old training katar. The rusted iron weapon was hardly useful in combat; in fact, Vir hadn't even used it once. Itd fetched a pittance of thirty coppers, but he used the funds to pay for having his chakrams and chakris sharpened up. Hed pick those up from the armorer tomorrow when he returned for the armor.

With his affairs in order, Vir retrieved Neel and set out.

He was on the clock for this contract, and if Ravin was to die by Virs hands, he needed to know everything about the man.

Vir left the Brotherhood Sanctum not as a villager of Brij, but as a judge and executioner.