“So? Who do you think will win?”
Vir thought on it. The larger demon was no doubt stronger. Both were in great shape, but the bigger foe simply had more muscles, and by his movements, knew how to use them.
“The smaller demon,” Vir said. It wasn’t just that he was partial to mobility and dexterity, the smaller demon anticipated nearly all his opponent’s attacks.
“Aye, the big guy over there winds up a tad too much. Lets on that a punch is coming. But I’ve seen him fight before. He’s got a trick or two up his sleeves.”
Just then, the smaller demon landed a hit. While it didn’t look like anything special, the larger demon stumbled, encouraging his opponent to press his attack.
“It’s a trap,” Vir whispered.
The big demon suddenly righted his balance and threw a vicious punch to his opponent’s gut, sending him tumbling away.
He did not get back up.
“And we have a winner!” the referee announced.
Vir couldn’t help comparing this fight to the one he might very well have against the Hiranyan Mejai of Realms and his cadre. He fully planned on avoiding a confrontation, but fate seemed to enjoy foiling him.
“Now come, let us see the armorer.” Badal rose and beckoned Vir to follow.
Vir was planning on visiting there himself, though based on what he’d seen in the Upper City, he kept his hopes in check.
They left the giant cavern for one of the many tunnels connected to it, and after a solid ten minutes of walking, finally arrived at a nondescript wooden door.
Unlike the door, though, the room inside was hardly bland. Weapons and armor covered the walls, and racks of steel glistened in the light of a forge that ran hot, casting a warm glow upon the room and complimenting the electrical rope lights that brightly illuminated the entire space.
With the subterranean construction, it all made for a cozy space, despite its large size.
And unlike the Upper City, there were plenty of high quality steel weapons, including some seric ones. Even seric armor.
While Neel wanted to bound around, Vir grabbed his collar, restraining his overeager pet. He couldn’t afford Neel knocking over stands and scratching the armor.
Looks like the demons keep the best stuff for themselves, Vir thought, growing excited at the weapons on display. The Tribunal had even compensated him for his help during the raid, bringing his total wealth to just over two serics.
Only a year ago, the idea of having a seric coin to his name was unthinkable. He’d surely have swooned. Yet now, both he and Maiya had accomplished that feat. Sometimes, he pinched himself to make sure this wasn’t all just a dream.
“Ho, Akar! You around?” Badal shouted.
A sooty-faced four-armed red demon popped his head up over the racks and waved back. “Badal! What brings you ’ere?”
“Looking for weapons and armor for this guy. Vir. You got the message from Lord Reth?”
“Disanna, actually,” the blacksmith, Akar, replied. “Came down ’ere herself!”
“What’s this all about?” Vir asked.
“You get a discount,” Akar replied. “A hundred percent off.”
“A hundred… isn’t that—”
“By order of the Tribunal, you’re to take whatever you need for your trip. Free of charge.”
Vir’s eyes bulged. “Anything?”
“Anything. Well, anything you can carry on ye!” Akar said, laughing. “Can’ have you clearing out my shop now, can I?”
“That’s… but why?”
“Only the Tribunal could tell you that, friend,” Badal said. “If I had to guess? They see in you a promising ally. They might not dissuade you from venturing into the Ash, but the least they can do is to help you come home safely.”
“I honestly don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
Akar shrugged. “Thank the Tribunal. I’m jus’ doing my job. So, what’ll it be?”
“Seric chakrams and chakris,” Vir said immediately.
“Hmm. Chakrams, eh? Not a common request. Don’t have any on hand—I’d have to forge ’em from scratch. How long you got?”
“As soon as possible. I want to leave within a day.”
Akar exhaled. “Sorry, friend. I’m good, but I’m no miracle worker. Don’t think I can make that happen for ya.”
“I see…” Vir said, doing his best to hide his disappointment. “Truthfully, I’ve already got some good kit. My katar’s seric.”
“What about armor? Why don’t we outfit him with some seric pieces?” Badal offered.
“Aye, I could do seric bracers and greaves to replace the ones you got there. Make ’em less gaudy, too. As for your cuirass… hmm. Might have just thing, if it’ll fit,” he said, beckoning them to the racks of armor displayed against the wall. With the electrical lights placed inside them, they glowed, as if alive.
Vir’s eyes went to a black-and-bloodred brigandine. Not only did it look menacing, its craftsmanship was exquisite. Upon closer examination, the black pieces weren’t black at all, but an exotic seric metal pattern, veiled by black chainmail that sat in front of the plates. Instead of leather to bind the plates, it used mail, allowing for more flexibility. And unlike most brigs where the metal was fully hidden, this piece left sections exposed to show off the metal underneath, using mail only where necessary.
“Noticed that oddity, did ya?” Akar said. “With seric being as strong as it is, there’s hardly a need to protect all of it with more leather. Keeps it lighter this way. More supple, but it doesn’t lose any strength. One of my masterpieces, if I’m honest.”
Though it lacked carvings or gold, the way the seric plates wove into the black mesh mesmerized Vir. It was the most beautiful piece of armor he’d ever seen, and suddenly, he felt very insecure.
“How much would this go for? If I had to pay for it?”
“Armor like this? A seric and a half, easy.”
Once again, Vir felt like no amount of wealth in this world was enough. In the village of Brij, a seric would’ve made anyone a king. Most there hadn’t even seen a seric coin their whole life. Here? Even with ten serics, Vir doubted he’d feel rich.
“Right, then. I’ve got seric bracers, pauldrons, and greaves ready to go. Jus’ take yer pick,” Akar said, pointing to the small selection of finely crafted pieces.
They varied slightly in design, with some being larger to cover more area, and others prioritizing ease of movement.
Vir normally would’ve opted for the lighter, smaller pieces in an instant, but this was the Ashen Realm he was venturing into. A single swipe from an Ash Beast’s bladed limb could sever his whole arm. More protection was probably not a bad thing.
And if there’s as much Ash prana there as I think there is, I can use Dance of the Shadow Demon all I want.
He wouldn’t have to rely only on his parkour and Kalari training to evade enemies—Dance would give him a better option.
“I’ll take this one,” Vir said, pointing to a larger pauldron. Not the largest, but enough to fully cover his shoulders. Likewise, he opted for slightly longer bracers that covered his entire forearm, and segmented greaves that ran from his boots all the way to his cuirass. That one would take more getting used to—though it articulated surprisingly well, the extra weight required more effort on his part.
Luckily, he could abuse Empower to speed up his movements in the Ash. Almost like a second set of muscles. As fearsome as the Ashen Realm was, Vir was more than a little excited to see just how strong he’d grow there.
“Right. Come back tonight. Should have all this tailored to ya by then. We can do some final adjustments, and ye can walk right out wearing ’em, if you like!”
“Thanks, Akar,” Vir said, bowing his head to the four-armed demon. “This might very well save my life in the Ash.”