Chương 70: Chapter 69- Quality Armor is a Rare Find

Elias looked around the square and the occasional groups with armed and armored men and women definitely gave the feel of a mercenary district. Many of the groups were perusing the local shops although the highest traffic area was a large building sporting a crest featuring a crossed sword and axe over a shield that Eli did not need three guesses to figure out was the League hall.

While Astra was making a beeline for one shop in particular even Eli could tell they contained gear for professionals, the weapons and armor adorning the displays out front were far less ornamental, for the most part the only details on display were enchanting sigils and not filigree or scrollwork. Astra stopped before a store with no sign, but a window full of assorted armor of fine craftsmanship and pushed the door open, " Here we are."

The shadowed interior was dim compared to the midday sun outside but was well lit with a series of lanterns containing glowing stones which lit a line of displays like miniature spotlights that were flanking the sides of the salesroom leading up to a wide bar in the back. A short man with short gray hair, a long grey beard, sharp hazel eyes, and slightly pointed ears was manning the counter, glancing up from a ledger he was busy writing in as they filled into the store.

He gave them all a once over before his eyes met Astra's sword with a faint grimace that could be easily missed before plastering on what Eli could tell was a practiced customer service smile and greeting her, " Good Day my Lady, how may I assist you?" Eli could tell she had caught the man's slip by the bemused look on her face, " I take it you are the one they call old Graff?" He set down his pen, and closed his ledger giving Astra a wary glance, " Aye, that would be me."

Astra strode forward and leaned on the counter, giving him a smile, " Great! To hear it from Guardsman Wilson, your shop is one of the best around, and we are in the market for some armor. I assume I am in the right place?" He snorted, " You can tell that pup, that while I appreciate the business," he eyed the filigree on her scabbard for a moment before glancing back up to meet her eyes, " I'm not sure our wares will meet your elevated tastes?"

Astra chuckled before gesturing derisively at the scabbard, " Never mind all that, I keep this hideous thing buried in a chest for when I am staying at a place where I need to flash a little extra coin for appearance's sake." She shook her head, "No we are looking for something well made and sturdy, not pretty. To tell the truth," she shifted the arm on the counter to prop up her chin on her palm while gesturing at Eli with her free hand, " We are actually shopping for my friend here, the lizard chauffeur."

She stuck out her hand, " The name is Astra, and the big one is Elias, think you can help us out?" His eye brow twitched slightly when she called the wyvern sleeping in his arms a lizard, but barked out a laugh when Eli dumped her on the counter like a sack of potatoes and she did not even wake. He clasped her forearm with a slight smile, " Aye, I reckon we can. You will have to forgive my caution, we sometimes get a certain type of customer that does not respond well to our selection."

Astra smirked and shook her head, " I know the type." She nodded to Eli, " Tell the man what you are looking for." Eli thought for a moment, " Well, it would be best to leave it to the experts, but something focused on speed and mobility with a bit of protection. I am not a frontliner but I fight in close to mid range so on the occasion when I don't outpace my opponent I need to be able to take a hit. A little bit of stealth if it's an option."

The man considered him for a moment drumming his fingers on the counter before asking, " Speed and stealth, rogue type? How stealthy are we talking?" Astra snorted and replied for Eli, " No, he's a true striker, but he can move like a shadow when he needs to. I saw him get the drop on a third tier shadow assassin with just an improvised spear and smearing some mud and grass on his clothes." The man guffawed in disbelief and gave Eli an appraising look, " If you say so, I will take you at your word my lady.

Once the blades are out how fast does he move? Fast standing strikes or heavy foot work and dodging?" Eli smirked as Astra replied for him again, she does seem to enjoy shopping for me, she leaned forward and grinned at the shopkeeper, " Dodge type, and he moves like the wind. As if his hair is on fire and his ass is catching." Taylor snickered behind them at his post by the door while Mason rolled his eyes. Taylor had definitely repaired some burns to the seat of Eli's pants after a duel or two.

Graff waved Eli forward, " Let me get a good look at ya lad, give me your hand." Eli obliged, the man probed his calluses, felt the skin of his palm, and then gave his arm a few squeezes over his forearm, bicep, and shoulders. He flipped through his ledger for a moment before grunting, looking down at Astra's scabbard, and back up to take in her expression. He hesitated for a moment, before grunting as she raised a brow at him, " Yes?" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site.

Support the author by reading it there. He tapped the counter, " A little expensive, but I have just the thing, wait a tic." He hopped down off his stool and as he disappeared into the back of the shop, Eli realised the man was even shorter than he thought, a halfling or dwarf equivalent maybe? After a moment, the man returned carrying a bundle wrapped in oilcloth that he set on the counter and unfolded, before laying out a full set of pitch black leather armor.

The top was full sleeved with a hood that folded into the neckline, with rigid patches on the shoulders, arms, and over the heart that indicated reinforced patches. The trousers were similar with some kind of plates inset into the thighs and shins, and the set was rounded out with a set of thick gloves and soft soled boots. Eli triggered [Identify] on the set.

[Shadestalker Leather Armor - Rare - Tier 3] His brow rose at the result, as the man started pointing out features, " I lucked into this piece a while ago, but few of the younglings in our town could either use the set to its fullest extent or afford it if I am being honest. Made of shadestalker leather, it blends in well with shadows naturally, but if you run a small current of mana through it, the covering will slowly shift to match the color of your surroundings.

No where near as fast as the beast itself, maybe a few minutes, but the effect stops you from having to carry multiple sets to match the landscape." He rapped a knuckle on the side of the chestplate, " Northern Steel Heartguard insert as well as plates on the arms, pauldrons, thighs, and shins." He wrinkled the material of the belly showing a few more plates inside, " Ribbing along the sides and a couple gambeson plates to protect the gut."

He picked up the boots, pulling out the insoles to show some sigils, before opening unstrapping the throat protector and showing a few on the inside of the chest." The boots only have [Soft Step] not [Silent Step], which helps the price a bit, and given what you told me lass I doubt the lad needs it much. The rest has the standard self-repair and cleaning sigils, nothing to knock your boots off, but it will repair small punctures with ambient mana and larger ones if fed for a while."

He slapped the counter, " I think it fits your request quite nicely, if a mite expensive. What do you think?"

Astra smiled slightly, running her fingers over the seams, checking the interior stitching, " Definitely the best we have seen all day so far. Try it on Eli, let me know what you think." Eli shrugged and kicked off his boots, before reaching for the hem of his shirt as Astra laughed, " Not here, mountain man! In the fitting room!"

Graff guided him to a cubby with a curtain as he heard a soft snort outside from the shopkeeper as he heard Astra's commentary, " I swear you would think he was born in the Reach, not just lost out there from the way he acts sometimes."" You found him out in the deep woods?"" Aye! Quite the tale, I was fighting some bastards out in the dark on my last legs, when this man came flying out of the tree looking like some kind of crazed mud spirit…"

A few minutes later Eli finished changing and exited, interrupting her tale, as she turned and gave him a low whistle. A slow grin spread across her face, " Suits you to the letter Eli, what do you think?"" I tested the color shift, it works way better than I expected." He paced around the shop for a moment, without even running mana to the boots they barely made a noise, and when he did his steps were silent.

He eyed the rafters of the shop for a moment before jumping to grab one and swing himself up, padding quickly back and forth for a few times before dropping silently to the floor with a grin." Oh yeah, it's perfect. No chance you have a mask laying around? Would save me from needing to paint my face." Graff snorted before reaching under the counter and tossing a plain black full face mask with eyeholes on the counter, " Easy, consider it part of the package. Any other thoughts on the set?"

Eli shrugged, " A little tight around the shoulders, thighs, and instep. Will it stretch a bit?" Eli heard someone clear a throat behind him, and turned to find Taylor behind him. He reached out and tapped the three places as they shifted to fit perfectly, " Better?" Eli smiled and clapped the man on the shoulder, " Perfect, thanks!" Graff arched a brow at the man, " Any chance you could use a little extra work on the side?" He raised a placating hand at Astra, " I jest my Lady, a valuable man you have there."

She smiled as Eli left to get changed, " Oh I know, as good as he is with clothes he is better with a bow. Now, if you thought he was sneaky just now, when we got around the back of the bandit camp he pulled a coil of homespun cord from his belt, and you would never guess what he did with it…" By the time Eli had changed back, his ears were burning from Astra's boasting on his behalf, as he dropped the armor set back on the counter, " If you two are about done out here, it is a fine set. How much will it run us?"

Graff guffawed, " Come now lad, every man can use a pretty lass singing their praises now and then, that was a great story." Astra grinned as she gave Eli a wink, Graff sighed for a moment, " That be the only difficult piece, the set is not cheap. I should be charging at least 12 gold crowns for a set, but for a budding hero like yourself and a mighty fine tale from a pretty lass I can drop it to 10."

Eli winced, nearly a hundred small gold pieces, and going off of Mira's lessons it was almost a couple years salary for a small-time craftsman or a standard guard. My share of the loot from the camp was fairly hefty but I only have 2/3rds of that. Astra slapped the counter, " Add in a refresh on the sigils and we will take it." Eli shook his head, " Sorry Astra, but I can't afford it. It is a nice set but we'll have to find something else." Astra gave him a serious look, " Nonsense.

Even if you can not afford the set, I can. I will not risk your safety for the sake of a few coins." She gave him a faux haughty look, a small smirk slightly ruining the effect, " Consider it payment for services rendered to your liege lady." Eli grinned and gave her a wink, " Well if a pretty lady wants to buy me something nice, who am I to complain." Graff guffawed, after settling up payment and scheduling for the armor to be delivered to the inn where he was staying as the party turned to exit the store.

Graff grabbed Eli's elbow to stop him from following Astra and the others out the door, before he leaned over and spoke to Eli in a low voice, " Noble Lady or not, only one woman ever looked at me like that Lad and it was the Missus. You would be a dimwit to let a lass like that slip through your fingers, and ones like that don't stay on the market long." He jabbed Eli in the chest with a stiff finger, " Stay sharp now lad, and good luck." Eli gave him a wide grin, " Don't I know it?

Thanks Graff, I'll keep my eye on the prize." Eli exited the store with a smile on his face, Astra arched a brow, " What did he want?"" Oh nothing, just a little last minute advice."