Hearth and Home

After paying a deposit of three silver coins, Renato left the Crooked Scissors.

The halfling tailor Welby seemed thoroughly professional, and Renato trusted that his craftsmanship would be good.

Since he had decided to keep adventuring, he needed a full set of equipment.

Dying with money left unspent was a tragedy he had no intention of letting happen to him.

But Renato wasn't about to throw his money around, either. An expensive magic item would offer him limited help at this stage and only drain his purse.

Suppressing the urge to enter a magic shop, Renato forced himself to turn aside and enter the armor shop next door.

Battlefield Camaraderie was a small, partially open-fronted armor shop. Even from a distance, he could see an apprentice at the entrance hammering a helmet, smoothing out its edges.

Inside, the smiths' apprentices were all busy with their own work, and no one greeted him. The owner was a copper-skinned man with a cloth wrapped around his head. Bent over a set of bellows, he said gruffly without looking up:

"Look around. If you want something, ask. Don't go putting your hands all over everything."

Several gleaming suits of Plate Armor hung on the wall, embellished with gold trim and engravings. They looked more like lavish formalwear than armor, clearly designed for young nobles just starting out.

Helmets of every sort stood on the shelves: medium helmets, bucket helms, kettle helms, flat-topped helms with nasal guards...

"I need a pair of Plate Armor arm guards and Plate Armor leg guards." Renato couldn't be bothered to search for them himself. He was the customer, after all.

With the Crown of Intellect, he couldn't wear a helmet as well. His arm and leg guards were the pieces most in need of replacement.

His Splint Vambraces, which protected only his forearms, and his leather leg guards were the weakest links in his armor.

Hand protection mattered, too, and he currently wore only leather gloves. But gauntlets were complicated to make and expensive, and unless custom-fitted, they could interfere with his sword swings. Renato wasn't considering them for now.

The owner put down his work, looked him over, and said in an even tone:

"I have a pair of arm guards ready. Leg guards will have to wait. Earliest I can fit them in is five days from now."

The arm guards the owner brought over were steel, with integrated protection for both the upper arms and forearms. The forearms were fully enclosed, connected by rivets to overlapping, rounded elbow joints; the elbows and upper arms used a half-enclosed design, leaving room on the inside for ease of wear and movement.

The curved metal plates bore faint hammer marks from forging, with no decoration, but their edges had been ground smooth enough not to catch on clothing.

With an apprentice's help, Renato put on both Plate Armor arm guards. Once tightened, the leather straps spread the weight evenly along his arms. They actually felt lighter than his Splint Vambraces.

Several curved plates overlapped at each joint like a lobster's tail, allowing Renato to bend his elbows freely without leaving gaps.

They fit very well. Renato moved his arms around, then asked:

"How much for just these arm guards?"

"Twenty Silver Crowns. Let me make this clear: I don't haggle." The owner planted both hands on his hips. "The guild takes twenty percent. I can't knock off so much as a tenth of a coin."

After some bargaining, Renato found that the man wouldn't budge. It seemed he wouldn't get the price any lower.

"Then how about this? What do you think of these Splint Vambraces and my flat-topped helmet?"

"The guild has rules. I'd advise you not to try anything clever, or you'll end up getting fined."

Renato chuckled and lowered his voice:

"I'm not selling them. They're just my old gear. How could trading old equipment for new violate guild rules?"

Seeing the man's eyebrows rise, Renato knew he had a chance and pressed his advantage:

"My name's Renato, a third-tier adventurer registered with the guild. Everything I have is legal and aboveboard... Armor gets damaged easily on adventures, so I'll need repairs sooner or later. We'll have plenty of chances to do business. Why not be friends?"

The owner took the flat-topped helmet and Splint Vambraces and inspected them carefully. After a moment, he replied with some hesitation:

"Edgar. Armorsmith. You can call me Old Ed."

Humming a pop song he had enjoyed back on Earth, Renato looked for somewhere to have dinner.

He was in a fine mood. Those two pieces of old equipment had fetched him five silver coins in trade, far more than he had expected.

Apparently, Fried City's high prices had their advantages, too.

Fifteen silver coins for the Plate Armor arm guards, plus an eight-silver deposit on a Gambeson and Plate Armor leg guards, had pushed Renato's spending far beyond his plans for the day.

Even so, he still intended to treat himself, though he had been doing that rather often lately.

Renato had never eaten in the Inner District. From the tailor Welby, he had learned of a well-known halfling tavern nearby.

Hearth and Home. It didn't sound like a tavern's name.

The doorframe was rather low, only a few centimeters above Renato's head. As he lifted the door curtain, warm air washed over his face, carrying the mingled aromas of toasted bread and meat broth.

Dusk was approaching, and compared with the cold air outside, the tavern was wonderfully warm.

Most importantly, it was a tavern that somehow didn't smell of alcohol and vomit.

"Welcome to Hearth and Home! Just one? There's a seat in the corner. The table's a little low, though. I hope you don't mind!"

The halfling waitress spoke in a clear, bright voice as she led Renato to a round table.

It wasn't just the table. The chair was low, too, and Renato felt as though he were sitting on a stool.

A large mug of foaming golden beer arrived at the table. It was so big that the waitress had to carry it with both hands, clearly a mug meant specifically for humans.

"Try this first. Golden Wheat Waves, our house specialty. It's on me!" The halfling woman's radiant smile made it impossible to refuse. "What would you like? If this is your first visit, I'd recommend the chicken medley soup. It has mung beans, peas, sweet flint corn, red bell peppers, and shredded chicken..."

The diners around him wore brightly colored clothes and were mostly halflings, yet the waitress was especially welcoming to him, a human.

The food was also much cheaper than at the Silver Deer Inn. Renato ordered a bowl of stewed chicken and a piece of white bread spread with butter.

"One large medley, double bread! For our big guest!"

Apparently, halflings all had powerful voices.

The halfling diners in the tavern came over of their own accord to greet him, leaving Renato a little embarrassed. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he lifted his free ale, tipped his head back, and drank.

The beer was thin and light as water, with gentle carbonation and a hint of spice.

Listening to the noisy chatter and laughter around him, the clatter of dishes, and the sizzling oil in the kitchen, Renato almost felt as though he were back on Earth, back in his familiar hometown.

As though this weren't another world teeming with monsters, but an open-air food stall beside his neighborhood.

Renato shook his head to dispel the illusion. The beer was barely alcoholic. Since when had I become so sentimental?

At the next table, a halfling child bit down on a spoon, pointed at the Greatsword on his back, and asked in a childish voice:

"Mom, is that an adventurer? With such a big sword on his back, do you think he's ever chased away a dragon?"

The child's mother quickly pulled the little one's hand down and gave Renato an apologetic smile.

Chased away a dragon? Renato raised an eyebrow.

That kid had a surprisingly good eye.