Chapter 8- Weapons

After around two hours, Hob woke up feeling a little better and found Friz still sleeping. He found her cute when sleeping and was about to wake her up but then decided against it and decided to bathe instead.

After the bath, when he came out, he found Friz already awake. "You woke up; I was going to wake you up after the bath," Hob said.

"Well, I woke in the meantime, so it's alright," said Friz.

"How about we pay a visit to that training facility after asking for new weapons from the reception?" Hob said in anticipation.

"Alright, let's do that. I've already chosen mine. You should take a look at the list as well."

"Nah, I already know what weapon to choose," Hob said confidently.

"Well, good for you. Let's get going then," said Friz.

"Just try to be a little inconspicuous once we're out, because, well..."

"I understand," Friz cut off Hob in the middle of his sentence.

Hob nodded and walked outside in front of Friz as she followed him silently. Soon they reached the reception area. "Hey Dell, I was thinking of asking for our weapons from you, you know, the one we can request per person."

"Alright, tell me which weapons you both want to have, and I'll see how fast we can provide them to you," Dell said.

"I'll take a shield with a flail, also known as the chained-morningstar. Combo weapons are allowed here, right?" Hob said, grinning.

"Yes, yes, of course, combo weapons are allowed. What about the pretty lady behind you then?" Dell asked, looking at Friz.

Hob nodded at her, and she said, "I'll take a blow gun with darts and some poison to use on them. The deadlier the poison, the better."

Dell's smile froze, but he regained his composure and replied, "Ah, I see! We can provide the blow gun and the darts to you, but the poison can't be provided before you're about to leave for the hunt. As you know, it would be quite bad if an accident happened and you came to be suspected."

"I understand. I'll take the poison before leaving for the hunt," Friz said in understanding, to which Dell heaved a sigh of relief.

"And since I won't be able to provide you with the poison at the time, I'll try to look for some of the more deadly poisons for you," Dell said with a professional smile.

"Thanks, that'll be wonderful," Friz said with a smile.

"You guys stay here for a bit; I'll bring your weapons for you," Dell said and went inside the room behind him.

"Damn, you're already being hit on. I guess I'll have to be careful of hostile males from now on," Hob said, teasing Friz.

"Shut up," Friz said, blushing and punching Hob lightly on the shoulder.

After waiting for a bit, Dell came out of the door carrying two boxes. "And here are your weapons. Check them out and tell me if there's any problem with them," Dell said while placing the boxes on the table.

Hob and Friz went forward to check the weapons. Hob's shield was V-shaped with two arcs meeting at the top, making a pointed end which could be used to make a shoulder push more deadly. In addition, it was a little heavier than he thought, hinting at it being made of metal, which was exactly what Hob was hoping for. His chained morning star had a long iron handle to keep it away from oneself and a chain that fell just short of making it back at the wielder. It was surprisingly well made and had a leather strap on the handle, just like his shield had on the inside, but the shield had a metal handle instead.

As for Friz's blow gun, it was a long metal tube made to not let air escape, along with a small magazine used to hold darts and a handle that could be used when wanting to shoot again. But the most eye-catching thing was a rubber balloon attached to the back of the tube which could be pressed in order to release the dart instead of blowing into it, making multiple shots in a row possible.

"These weapons are amazing," Hob said, expressing his awe towards the weapons.

"Indeed, these weapons are ingenious," Friz nodded in agreement.

Dell smiled proudly. "Of course they are; they were made by myself after all."

"Wait, so you're a blacksmith? What are you doing as the receptionist then?" Hob said in disbelief.

"Well, you see, as a blacksmith, there's nothing better than knowing firsthand whose hands a weapon will end in and what could have been done better in order to suit their needs. Here, right after the 'HUNTED' exam, those who choose to prove themselves with a hunt are the most suitable to give this kind of review, as the weapons they choose will help them survive, thus making them especially blunt about any issues they find with the weapons, helping me perfect my art in the process," Dell explained passionately.

"That's indeed a unique way to approach your craft, but I believe this shield you made has considered almost everything I could think of, and the flail has even considered the length of the chain so that there's a low chance of hitting myself when using it," Hob said, praising Dell's blacksmithing.

"Understood," Dell said and turned his gaze to Friz.

"Well, I gotta say, this blow gun is indeed unique. The magazine for the darts, the airtight space, and its style are all top-notch. And most of all, this rubber balloon-like thing which is sturdy and will just blow air in my stead; that's the dream of a dart user. I can even do rapid fire with it. So yeah, I don't see any room for improvement in this one," Friz said, holding the dart gun tightly in her hands.

"Well, thank you both for your review of my weapons. It is appreciated, and do tell me if any issue arises with them in the future. And yes, Friz, here, take these darts with you as well. Recollecting them in between battles can be hard and unsafe; keeping a few extras is always a better idea," Dell said while handing a cylindrical box to Friz.

"Well, yeah, it really can be unsafe. I saw her collecting them mid-battle before, and I was in awe at her speed," Hob said, remembering Friz's fight against group one and two.

"Let's make our way to the training facility, shall we?" Friz said, pulling back Hob.

"Ah, alright. We'll get going, Dell. See you around later," Hob said to Dell.

And then Friz and Hob made their way outside of the building towards the training facility.