Trading Up

The moment Rain entered the shop, gleaming blades and butter-oiled armor greeted him on both sides, displayed in a dazzling array.

He also noticed that some particularly valuable armor and weapons had been placed in dedicated display cases.

The weapon shop was quiet, but a few customers dressed as adventurers were browsing its weapons and armor.

"Hello, young sir. What can I help you find?" An old man in a silk coat approached Rain with a warm smile.

"I'm looking for chainmail, a shield, and a helmet. Could you show me what you have?"

"Of course, sir." At the prospect of selling more than one piece of armor, the old man's eyes narrowed with delight.

"Let's start with the shields." He gestured toward the nearest display and began his introduction.

"All right." Rain nodded.

"This is a Cross-Riveted Wooden Shield. It has the shape of a kite shield, iron edging, and a cross of metal strips reinforcing the center. It's highly effective against both arrows and slashing blows."

The old man pointed to a dark brown kite shield as he spoke.

"How much?"

"Just eighteen silver coins." The old man indicated the price with his fingers.

Rain nodded calmly, though inwardly he balked at the cost.

Eighteen silver coins for a shield that wasn't even solid iron. A similar one at the blacksmith's would cost about half as much.

Still, there was no denying that the workmanship and materials here were much better.

"What about this one?" Rain asked, pointing to a solid-metal kite shield.

"This is a Gilt-Riveted Metal Shield, a fine piece shipped from Dorn City. Even a heavy-weapon strike from a Bugbear wouldn't damage it. It is rather heavy, though, and a little more expensive at thirty-five silver coins."

Rain nodded.

He was now fairly certain that even with the "fortune" he had just earned, he couldn't afford all the equipment he wanted in one go.

Sure enough, the prices only climbed from there.

After hearing the old man's explanations and asking a few questions, Rain settled on the prices of the items that interested him most:

A full-length chainmail shirt cost sixty-five silver coins, while a half-length one cost twenty-six.

A fully enclosed pig-faced helmet cost thirty-five silver coins, and a steel bucket helm cost twenty. A Bull-Horn Helmet, however, was only twelve.

The Gilt-Riveted Metal Shield cost thirty-five silver coins, with a metal spike adding another five. The Cross-Riveted Wooden Shield cost eighteen, and adding a spike to it was only two more. Since the latter was made primarily of wood, fitting a spike was much simpler.

A heavy iron Shoulder Guard suitable for charging cost thirty silver coins. Adding steel spikes would cost another nine and require a wait of about twenty days, as the order had to be sent to Dorn City for custom work.

Finally, buying three items at once would earn a ten-percent discount.

Rain fell into thought.

The half-length chainmail was a must. It would protect him against both a swarm of Goblins wielding poisoned daggers and arrows fired from a distance.

As for the helmet, the fully enclosed pig-faced helm undoubtedly offered the best protection. But the horns on the Bull-Horn Helmet could make his charges more damaging.

Buying the pig-faced helm and the half-length chainmail would cost sixty-one silver coins. That would wipe out everything he had just earned and dip into his previous savings.

More importantly, it would leave him unable to buy anything else.

If he chose the half-length chainmail, the Bull-Horn Helmet, and the Cross-Riveted Wooden Shield with an added spike, the total would be fifty-eight silver coins. After the discount, it would come to a little over fifty-two.

That would replace all three major pieces of his gear and greatly improve his defense. The trouble was that nearly all of it would be stopgap equipment he would eventually have to replace.

That was right.

Rain wasn't considering the iron Shoulder Guard for now. He planned to charge with his shield first, then buy a spiked Shoulder Guard outright once he had enough money.

The old man noticed Rain's hesitation and said:

"Young sir, any weapons or armor you buy from Ironforge Workshop qualify for a twenty-percent discount on future maintenance and repairs."

"And as you grow stronger, you'll naturally want to replace your equipment. Ironforge Workshop can buy back weapons and armor you purchased from us."

"The price will be lower than what you paid, of course, but it will still be a far better deal than you'd get from another shop or workshop."

"Oh?" Rain nodded.

In that case, there was no reason to hesitate.

The equipment he was buying now might not be his final choice, but he could upgrade it again when he had the money.

"I'll take this half-length chainmail, the Bull-Horn Helmet, and that Cross-Riveted Wooden Shield. And fit a metal spike to the center of the shield."

The old man was visibly taken aback by Rain's choice.

Unless they were barbarians, few ordinary Apprentice Warriors chose both a horned helmet and a spiked shield.

But a customer buying three items at once was not someone he intended to argue with. He hurriedly nodded and smiled.

"Ah... of course, sir. The total is fifty-two silver and twenty copper coins, but fifty-two silver will do. Does that sound acceptable?"

"Yes, thank you."

He rounded it down?

He certainly knows how to make a sale.

Rain gave the old man another look.

"The Bull-Horn Helmet comes in different sizes. You can try them on first."

"All right."

A few minutes later.

A sturdy young man wearing a Bull-Horn Helmet and half-length Chainmail walked out of Ironforge Workshop with a kite shield on his back, its metal spike protruding from the center.

That young man was Rain.

A faint smile lingered on his face beneath the helm.

Ironforge Workshop had also thrown in the first maintenance service for his Chainmail free of charge.

Maintaining Chainmail was a troublesome job.

Whenever an iron ring was damaged, it had to be removed and replaced, which took time and effort. One free maintenance service was worth at least a silver coin.

Chainmail was a garment made of interlocking iron rings. Each ring linked with four others, forming a dense mesh.

It offered the best protection against arrows, followed by thrusts from sharp weapons. Heavy weapons were its greatest weakness.

It certainly wasn't the best armor in the shop, but its protection was more than two grades above Rain's leather vest.

His increased strength and constitution had greatly improved how much he could carry and how long he could keep fighting. The sense of security that came from being wrapped in metal armor and a helmet was something cloth or leather armor could never provide.

Even if he'd had the money before, Rain might not have bought Chainmail.

A single shirt of Chainmail weighed over twenty pounds. Add a sword, spear, shield, and other gear, and his load would easily exceed thirty pounds.

Even with the Vigorous Lv. 1 effect granted by his Goblin Warrior ability, that would have been a little too much. It would have slowed his reactions in battle.

Now, though, that was no longer a problem.

Even without his Boarfolk Warrior bloodline, the strength and constitution granted by his Common Boarfolk Bloodline were enough to bear that weight.

Rain reckoned that, with his current strength and constitution, even a suit of thick plate armor wouldn't slow his reactions in combat.

"Good. I'll keep taking jobs and saving up. Once I can afford thick plate armor, I'll have plenty of protection and be hard to bring down!"

Rain had come to realize something else as well.

Whether it was armor or weapons, the best equipment for a person was, without question, equipment made to fit them!

But that took a great deal of money and a master smith.

He might not be able to manage it anytime soon, but at least he had a clear goal.