Chương 40: Chapter 39 - Whispered Half-Plate

Ren's pulse quickened as he read the white words floating in front of him.' A Soul Attunement!' he thought excitedly, and without wasting another second, he focused on it to expand its description. [Whispered Half-Plate] [Rank: Awakened] [Attunement Type: Armour] [Attunement Enchants: Moderate Protection, Sound Absorption] [Attunement Description: Crafted from the dark, shimmering scales of an adolescent Lyndwurm, this armour's surface is adorned with intricate patterns resembling flowing mist. The armour is surprisingly lightweight and pliable, allowing for fluid movements during combat. When worn, the wearer seems to exude a serene quietness.] [Artificed by: Mr. Magician] His heart pounded, and without further hesitation, Ren summoned it from within his soul. He willed it out in much the same way he would summon Alice, but without the verbal component. White motes erupted around his entire body, condensing into a sleek half-plate that wrapped around him perfectly.

Patterns on the dark metal-like scales seemed to move across its surface, faintly, mimicking mist that shifted and reformed in slow motions, just like the description stated. A sculpted breastplate guarded his torso, its edges layered with overlapping plates that ran over one shoulder in the form of a spaulder. Beneath the armour lay fitted layers of grey and black cloth, with a gambeson visible at the joints where the Lyndwurm scales gave way to allow movement.

Strips of dark fabric hung from the waist in long tassets that swayed soundlessly. His legs were protected by fitted greaves and knee plates that were strapped over sturdy, dark leather boots, while reinforced gloves of black leather were capped with matching plates across the knuckles and forearms. The Soul Attunement settled perfectly over Ren's existing clothes, the boots and pants he'd had on before felt as though they weren't even there at all.

He could feel the new armour pressing lightly against the scabs of his burns, though not so much that it caused him any real discomfort. Ren lifted one arm and drew it closer to inspect, the movement making no sound at all. He moved again, more pronounced this time, and still there was almost nothing. Even when he hopped once in place, the half-plate barely so much as whispered. His grin widened, and he returned his attention to the floating words in front of him, to read the first enchantment.

[Moderate Protection] [Enchantment Type: Passive] [This armour provides moderate protection against physical attacks, and minor protection against elemental attacks.] His eyes widened slightly.' Just this alone would have saved me a great deal of pain last night...' he mused before moving on to the next enchant. [Sound Absorption] [Enchantment Type: Passive] [This armour dampens sound made by the wearer.]"Well," Ren murmured, testing his steps again, "that definitely explains a lot."

"Do you like it?" Mr. Jester asked.

"I personally think Mr. Magician did a good job with it." Ren looked up, his golden eyes shining.

"It's perfect, Mr. Jester," he responded honestly.

"I really do appreciate it." What pleased him most wasn't just the protection, but the fact that he could dismiss it at will and slip instantly back into comfortable clothes whenever he liked. That the armour would also mend itself whenever it rested within his Soul Plane only delighted Ren all the more.

The only thing that could have possibly made it better was if it cleaned itself outside his Soul Plane too, the way Alice's Marionette's Attire did, but that was neither here nor there, and he certainly wasn't about to complain over something so trivial. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"No, no," Mr. Jester said, waving a hand with theatrical bashfulness before starting to walk away.

"You earned it all on your own, little protégé." But even as Ren admired his new boon, a question lingered at the back of his mind, one that had been there ever since he'd first awakened as a Blessed. One that had been dredged back up the moment he'd inspected his status, and now refused to be ignored any longer.

"Hey, Mr. Jester…" Ren began.

"Do you know what an Aethersoul is?" That earned him Mr. Jester's full attention, the man turning to study Ren with a curious expression, one that might've suggested the colourful jester knew far more than he was letting on.

"I know a little about the Aether," he said lightly.

"What makes you ask, little protégé?" Ren hesitated. Between his status naming him an Aethersoul instead of a Blessed, and Alice's [Oscillation] Attribute allowing her to recognise those touched by the Aether, he still had no idea what any of it truly meant, what it was, or how it might come to affect him. But he also recalled what Varrin had said, all that about never revealing the details of your Soul Power to others. And even though Mr.

Jester had slowly begun to grow on him, and had shown no real interest in prying into his Soul Power—even outright refusing to listen to the explanation—Ren simply had no way of knowing just how unique or what sort of target being an Aethersoul might put on his head, especially seeing as even someone like Elowen didn't know what one was.

"I just… had some questions about it," he said at last.

"That's all."

"Hmm," Mr. Jester hummed thoughtfully, then turned back around and resumed walking away.

"That's not exactly an everyday topic, so I'm not just going to give it away for free, you know?" Ren had expected as much. If none of the people he'd asked knew what an Aethersoul was, and he hadn't seen the word anywhere other than his own status and Alice's Attribute, then it likely wasn't common knowledge to begin with. With a quiet exhale, he let the matter settle for now.

What mattered the most right now was eliminating the remaining three targets, getting himself closer to making it back to Yumè and curing her of her Soul Rot. Whatever mysteries surrounded the thing that set him apart from everyone else weren't all that relevant, at least not so long as they didn't hinder him. Ren lifted his head and looked over at Alice, who had been watching the entire exchange in silence with a neutral expression.

Grinning at her, he gave a little spin, showing off the new armour encasing his body.

"Pretty neat, huh?" he asked. Alice leant in and tapped the shifting metal curiously.

"It's very pretty," she said, watching the mist-like patterns swirl. Ren laughed.

"I'd like to see that homunculus captain explode through this!"

"Alice thinks Ren should rely on his skills and not count on armour saving him," Alice said with a frown.

"Well, at the moment I don't have very good skills so all the amour I can get helps," he scoffed before snapping his fingers lightly.

"Speaking of that, we should go train." Alice immediately turned toward the door.

"Not until Alice eats breakfast." Ren found himself agreeing with that far more than he wanted to admit, and quickly retrieved the coin pouch by dismissing and resummoning Whispered Half-Plate fastening it to the Soul Attunement's belt before hurrying after her toward the common room of the Bumbling Magician. The common room had cleared out significantly since the previous night, though it was still quite the mess, splashes of spilled drink and scraps of food littering both the floor and the tables alike.

A couple of patrons remained slumped over here and there, fast asleep. The tavernkeeper stood in his usual spot behind the counter, this time wringing out a damp rag as he prepared to start on the cleaning. Ren followed after Alice as she strolled up to the counter and settled onto one of the stools, taking a seat beside her. The tavernkeeper eyed him curiously as he approached.

"I 'erd you stumbled in 'ere covered from 'ead to toe in blood," the plump man said, raising an eyebrow.

"I got over it pretty quick," he replied with a shrug.

"Could we maybe get some breakfast?" The tavernkeeper sighed, picking up on the clear change of subject and deciding not to press the issue.

"Yeah, you can, though it'll be more of a lunch at this hour, that alright with you? And just so we're clear, if the Flameguard come sniffing around here looking for a murderer, I'm selling you out in a heartbeat. My tavern's no criminal's den."

"That's fine, and I understand," Ren said with a nod, sliding a gold coin across the counter.

"I don't take bribes," the man said gruffly after inspecting it briefly, though he made no move to hand the coin back.

"It's for the food," Ren clarified.

"... Oh." the tavernkeeper quickly pocketed it and promptly disappeared into the kitchen behind him. A while later, he returned carrying a pair of plates piled high with an assortment of meats and vegetables. After setting them down before Ren and Alice's already watering mouths, he leant in close.

"I don't mind what trouble you young people get up to," he muttered, "but don't bring it back 'ere."

"Don't worry," Ren said.

"You have our word that we won't." The tavernkeeper nodded, satisfied with that answer.

"Ah, I dunno," he grumbled after a moment.

"I feel like I owe you something, because once you started staying 'ere that insufferable clown 'asn't been a bastard down 'ere." Ren laughed.

"Don't worry about that either. As far as I'm aware, Mr. Jester is going to be in his room for the foreseeable future."

"That's music to my ears," the tavernkeeper said gruffly. After that conversation, Ren and Alice tucked into their meals, eating quickly but still savouring every bite. The meat was rich and tender, slow-cooked and pulled to the point that it practically fell apart on his tongue, while the vegetables had been lightly steamed, crisp and fresh in a way that reminded Ren fondly of how he used to prepare them back home.

Even so, he couldn't help but compare the meat to the jackalope's from days ago, and once again it fell just short. It seemed he would have to keep looking to find something to top that. Once they'd both eaten their fill and emptied their plates, the two of them bid farewell to the tavernkeeper before leaving the Bumbling Magician behind and stepping out into the street. Ren sucked in a deep breath of the cold winter air, which was less biting now that he was wearing Whispered Half-Plate.

"Let's get to training."