Crooked Scissors

Renato considered himself reasonably self-aware.

After a morning of study, he discovered that he truly was not cut out for learning spells.

Though somewhat frustrated, he soon adjusted his outlook and decisively abandoned the path of a mage rather than waste any more of his time.

Perly, on the other hand, was brimming with enthusiasm. She scribbled and revised things on paper, hoping to resume her magic lessons that afternoon, but Renato politely declined.

To escape further torment from formulas, he made up an excuse and slipped out onto the street.

His trips to the Inner District the previous week had all been to accompany Perly to the Grand Library to study magic. He had yet to properly explore Fried City's bustling center.

The guards did not stop him, letting Renato stride through the gates into the Inner District.

He wore a silver adventurer's badge on his chest, a chain shirt, and an elegant elven circlet.

Clearly, in the city guards' eyes, Renato had left the ranks of the penniless far behind and become a proper citizen of Fried City.

The broad streets showed the natural blue-gray of their stone, free of filth, suggesting that someone cleaned the paving stones every day.

As he walked down the shopping street, shops filled both sides with a dazzling array of goods without seeming crowded. Their locations had clearly been carefully planned by city hall.

A bard knelt on one knee beside the road, reciting clumsy verses as he wooed a noblewoman in a carriage. Citizens gathered around them to watch the spectacle.

Renato could not appreciate the "artistic merit" of those verses. Had he been that noblewoman, he probably would have felt nothing but embarrassment.

After passing two taverns, a weapons shop, and four general stores, Renato entered a tailor's shop called Crooked Scissors.

He pushed open the carved oak door, and the brass bell above the lintel gave a clear ring.

Renato's gaze swept over the finely crafted garments on the racks. Fabrics of various colors lay on the counter, some draping like water, others crisp and smooth as a mirror.

He saw no shop assistants, however. Just as Renato began to wonder, a voice came from behind the counter.

"Welcome! Adventurer, I'm over here." A miniature human who stood only as high as Renato's waist emerged, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Good heavens, I really must replace that front counter. Human carpenters always make everything so tall!"

He was a halfling, dressed in a green velvet waistcoat. Standing on a raised wooden box, he addressed Renato:

"Hello, adventurer. I'm Welby, the owner of Crooked Scissors. What do you need? Clothing repaired, or something made to order?"

Welby's booming voice seemed at odds with his size, taking Renato somewhat by surprise.

"My name is Renato. I'd like a gambeson made to measure. Roughly how much would that cost?"

Renato's gambeson had been taken as loot and had never fit his build particularly well. His old leather armor had left enough room for him to manage, but since switching to a chain shirt over the past two days, he had found the old gambeson increasingly ill-fitting.

The halfling hopped nimbly off the box and brushed the dirt from Renato's trouser leg. Unbothered by the dust on the adventurer, he took a measuring tape and held it up against Renato.

"Hmm, for your height-let me measure-you'd be looking at about two silver crowns and fifty copper coins."

Welby drew Renato over to sit down, handed him a cup of water, and said warmly:

"No rush to talk prices! Sit down and have some water first! Honestly, seeing you armed to the teeth reminds me of my younger days hauling goods with caravans-"

Renato interrupted Welby's reminiscence. Once halflings started chatting, they never stopped, and he had not come to listen to stories.

"How many days would it take? Do you have a sample I could look at?"

"I don't have any ready-made gambesons. It'll have to be made from scratch, but I can have it ready the day after tomorrow." Welby deftly circled behind him to measure his shoulders, then noted the measurements on paper. "Those are some sturdy shoulders!"

Putting away his paper and pen, Welby muttered to himself:

"The trouser legs need to be taken in two inches to fit under armor; heavy wear at the elbows, so those will need extra reinforcement..."

The halfling bounced back to the counter and took out a small box.

"Besides the basic linen, cotton, and wool fabrics, I have three other kinds of cloth here. Would you like to hear about them?"

"Go ahead." Renato picked a plain white swatch out of the little box. It was very tough.

"This is elven brocade, made from the plant fibers of a large tree. Combined with the elves' exquisite craftsmanship, it offers excellent toughness while remaining lightweight."

"The price is a little high, though." The halfling winked. "For a gambeson and matching trousers, the materials would cost around ten extra silver crowns."

"Then there's this one." Welby carefully drew a roll of white silk from the cabinet. "I don't have a sample of this. This roll is all I've got."

"This isn't ordinary silk. It's woven from freshly spun giant spider silk. Without treatment, those threads quickly harden, so they can generally only be harvested from the fresh silk glands at the rear of a giant spider's corpse."

Welby gently stroked the silk. "This is the perfect fabric, supple yet incredibly light. Feel how little this roll weighs. It's practically a feather."

"Er, but I wouldn't recommend this material for you. We'd have to kill over a hundred giant spiders for enough silk to make a gambeson." He winked. "Better leave this expensive silk for the rich ladies in town to make dresses."

"What about this last one?" Renato stroked the gray-black cloth, its surface covered in extremely fine fuzz. "What is this fabric made from?"

"You've picked a fine material! This cloth is exclusive to our own Fried City." Welby looked proud. "It's made not only with high-quality sheep's wool, but also blended with a rare moss that grows deep in the Phantom Forest."

"Shadow moss?"

"You know your stuff! Shadow moss it is, so the fabric resists damp and doesn't let much water through." Welby turned the cloth over and showed Renato its edge. "It's moderately thick and very tough, and thanks to the wool, it's exceptionally warm overall."

"This fabric is ideal for wilderness adventures or long journeys. Look at the color-it practically disappears in the shadows."

"And the price?" Renato was no fool. The owner was clearly pushing this fabric, and he had no intention of getting fleeced.

"Five silver crowns for the materials, with any excess refunded or shortfall paid afterward. Including the labor for a full gambeson outfit, the total comes to six silver and fifty copper."

The price was not low, but it was within Renato's budget.

"All right, but I'd like to hear the details of the design. An adventurer's livelihood depends on this, after all."

He did not intend to haggle. Renato knew from experience that in places like taverns and tailor's shops, every coin saved would cost twice as much in inferior materials or workmanship.

"Of course. Armor design isn't something to be careless about. Come closer, and I'll explain."

Welby took out a sheet of paper and explained to Renato as he sketched:

"I'll use double-thickness reinforcement in six areas: the chest, back, shoulders, elbows, outer thighs, and knees, to ensure proper protection."

"You'll be wearing it as an arming layer underneath your armor, right?" After Renato confirmed this, Welby continued, "Then I'll keep it light, reducing the number of layers to preserve your mobility and keep the weight under eight pounds."

"I'll sprinkle some alum and citronella powder into the cotton padding to make it resistant to fire and insects."

"For the stitching, I recommend a diamond pattern. That distributes the force of a blow. When a blade strikes, the whole network of diamonds absorbs the impact, making it harder to cut through."

"I'll bind every edge with small pieces of tanned deerskin. That will resist wear and keep the padding from leaking out, without chafing your skin or damaging your other equipment."

"Finally, I'll use a special coating made from beeswax, tung oil, and a little pine resin-the secret recipe of Crooked Scissors."

Welby wore a mysterious expression, but on a halfling's face, Renato found it merely comical.

"I'll apply the coating and gently heat the surface. Not only does that keep out water and damp, it also slightly hardens the gambeson's fibers, forming a thin protective shell on the outside. That improves its protection by another ten percent, and makes it easier to wipe clean and maintain."