Dubious Bedfellows (4)

"We want to get Josh a good set of armor and a sword," I say as I turn back to Marshall.

"Alright, how about this?" Near the mannequin on the back wall is a set of shiny steel armor. He pulls it off the wall and holds it up next to Josh.

"What do you think, Josh?" He inspects it by testing the joints and nods.

"How much?" I ask.

"Two hundred eighty thousand."

"Why so much?"

"It's solid steel with monster scale used to protect the joints. The embedded Talistone increases the strength stat by sixty points."

"Impressive, Josh?"

"I like it."

"Perfect, then let's get that. How about a weapon?"

"I don't have the widest selection of weapons, so you might want to check another shop, but I'll show you what I've got." He takes us to the front of the store, where several bows, swords, and spears are aligned neatly around a table. He may not have many weapons, but they are the first thing you see when you walk in the door. "Do you want a two-handed sword or one-handed with a shield?"

"Two-handed." I've never seen Josh use a shield, so this answer seems obvious.

"This right here is a magic sword that can double the kinetic energy of your swing. It doesn't increase in mass, so it won't throw you off balance. It's a steal at only one hundred sixty thousand."

Considering how powerful his Slash skill is, this would be a great addition to his kit.

"Josh?" He stares at the sword for a moment before perusing the rest of Marshall's wares. The only other magic sword that he liked was one that reduced the stamina recovery rate of its victims but only worked on humans. As we exclusively fight monsters, it didn't make a lot of sense. It might be useful during the war, but I'd like to avoid any direct confrontations if possible.

"I like it," Josh says as he holds the sword in his hands.

"Perfect. Well, I'm actually more concerned about my weapon than my armor, so I'm going to get that first." I say to no one in particular. One spear that's caught my eye is leaning against the table. I grab the shaft to get a feel for it in my hands.

[It's hefty.]

Unlike my old spear, this one is made of solid metal. It's definitely heavier but not unwieldy. I look up at Marshall to get some information on the weapon.

"Good eyes. That spear has a mythril core in the middle, making it stronger and more flexible. It has a magic circle near the head, which causes the tip to heat up. You can actually use it to light a fire, and it negates most wooden equipment as well." I check out the point where the spearhead meets the shaft and see two semicircles sticking out of either side with an inlaid magic circle. Right at the center is a Magic Core about the size of my thumb. As the core is embedded in the metal, I worry that it will affect the durability of the spear and raise my concerns to the merchant. "That Magic Core is surrounded by a ring of mythril. It'd be easier to break the shaft at its center than at that point."

I'm not fully convinced, but I give him the benefit of the doubt.

"How much?" I ask, fearing the worst.

"One hundred twenty-five thousand," Marshall responds.

[If we're dividing five hundred thousand in three ways, that'll leave me with about forty thousand Denarii to buy armor.]

"Okay, let's see how much everything else sums to before I decide to buy it."

"Absolutely, I wouldn't want you to feel pressured." Marshall helps Sakura pick out a new bow and arrow set along with a new knife while Shinobu decides which sword she wants. She goes on to explain that she wants a free hand to cast magic while still being able to defend herself. After an hour of shopping, we arrive at the counter.

"Shinobu, I saw you eyeing the same armor as Sakura. Is that what you want to get?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. Let's add up everything we have so far and see what's left."

"Right now, you're at seven hundred fifteen thousand Denarii. With the bow set, knife, and sword, that brings it up to seven hundred ninety thousand."

"We still have two hundred ten thousand left if you want that armor."

"But then you would only have sixty thousand to spend on yours," Shinobu replies with a frown.

"Is there anything you would recommend?" I ask the large weapons shop owner.

"Hmm… How about this?" Marshall pulls out a very plain-looking set of armor from under the counter. It looks well put together but without the aesthetics of Sakura's gear. "This has a similar design to the leather armor Sakura is getting. While it might not be as flashy, I can vouch for its durability."

"Does it have a talistone?" Shinobu asks hesitantly.

"Yes, it increases your MP by fifty points. This is a bit of an oddball set that I've been struggling to get rid of. I'll drop it down to eighty thousand if you get it with everything else. How's that?" Shinobu looks at me to see if it's okay, and I gesture back that it's her decision.

"I'll take it!" She shouts excitedly. Her choice has left me with an unexpectedly large sum to purchase my own armor. My mind goes back to a suit of armor I saw earlier, and I walk to the left side wall. On it hangs a set of armor made largely from monster parts; most areas of the body would be covered by Punctastar scales with larger shell fragments and a few pieces of steel to protect the vitals. Given how much my build relies on speed, I think it's beneficial to get the lighter-scale armor. The monster part set also acts as a good middle ground between the leather and steel armor types. It has much of the durability of steel while retaining the lightness of leather.

"Does this one come with a talistone?"

"I believe that one increases endurance by seventy-five points," Marshall explains.

"How much is it?"

"That one I'll get go for one hundred ten thousand."

"Do you have a shield I could get as well?"

"Do you want a steel one or a shell?"

"Let's see how heavy the steel one is." I'd like to get the steel shield if possible. Metal armor is much easier to repair than a set made from monster parts. I plan on deflecting most attacks with the shield, so it'd be better if it was repairable.

I compare the two shields and pick the steel one, which I admire. With that, our total reaches nine hundred sixty-seven thousand five hundred Denarii. We agree to spend the last thirty-two thousand on odds and ends before leaving the store full of smiles.