After Desmond arrived, the three headed off. They wandered the streets looking for these shops. After a few minutes walk, they spotted one.
"Hey, that's one right there!"
Ian pointed at the familiar name on the sign of an upcoming storefront, 'The Mail & Plate'.
The group quickly entered the shop. Inside they were greeted by a half elven woman.
"Hello, welcome. My name is Claire, what can I help you all out with?"
Ian stepped forward and addressed her.
"Hi Claire, we were just hoping to browse your leather armor. We're all in need of upgrades after that battle."
Without wasting time she led the group to where their leather armor was displayed. With a small bow she excused herself and returned to the counter. This left the group time to browse and decide whether to buy something or not.
Ian turned to the shelves displaying the armor. He inspected many sets around, comparing them all. Not only to each other but also to his current set.
This showed him the difference in quality between his newbie gear and actual items. Even the lowest quality set in the shop was better than his current armor set.
If it weren't for the [Iron Skin Cloak] Ian might have died many times over. Ty also browsed the armor, only he took a separate approach.
For Ty armor wasn't the most important. He was an orc warrior and orcs had good regeneration. Armor was the least of his concern, at least for the most part. He still had to cover his heart, just in case.
So instead of looking for whole sets of armor, Ty focused on finding the strongest chest cover possible. Once he found the one he deemed most sturdy he went to the counter.
"Hey miss. Can you guys modify this chest piece if I buy it? I just want something that covers my heart."
Claire looked up at the tall orc warrior with a smile.
"Sure we can modify it. I'll need to measure your chest first."
She pulled out a measuring tape made of cloth from under the counter. It didn't take long for her to take Ty's measurements and note them down. In a minute the affair was over and Claire was behind the counter again.
"It'll be done by sundown if you'd like to pick it up today. If not tomorrow works as well, we'll hold it in the back for you."
Ty looked at her with a thankful smile.
"Thanks Claire! I'll be here by sundown to come get it. How much do I owe you?"
Claire quickly took out one of those primitive calculators with the sliding balls. She did some calculations before turning back to him.
"It's gonna be 50 gold. 40 for the srmor itself and an extra 10 for the modification."
Ty wasted no time and paid the lady before turning back to his undecided friends. Desmond had gone around the whole store to find nothing that suit his taste. Ian had a two options in front of him but couldn't make up his mind.
The two sets were both a deep brown color. One had green accents and decorations on it while the other had white accents and no decorations on it. The two were called [Moonweaves Mantle] and [The Verdant Garb].
[The Verdant Garb] had an interesting ability that could come in handy for Ian. It made it so every shot he fired dealt some poison damage. It didn't matter if he actually poisoned the atrow or not.
[Moonweaves Mantle] on the other hand could save his life in the right situation. It healed the user under the moonlight. The healing effects weren't the strongest but they could change a horrible situation to a manageable one.
It was either more damage or a potential lifeline. In the end Ian went with the lifeline. Poison was useful but it wasn't his thing, it was Desmond's. More healing never hurt anyone, plus it could save him later.
With his choice made Ian wasted no time and bought the armor for 150 gold. Money was no limit when gearing up. You needed better gear to make more money anyway. This was all an investment into his future as an adventurer.
The three quickly headed out since Desmond didn't find anything for him in the store. Nearby they found another one of the armorer's shops. This one was called 'Ironheart Armory'. Inside they were met with a giant open smithy.
There was no front area where products were displayed. The whole building was one hiant smithy with multiple stations. Apprentice blacksmiths ran around the area busy as they could be.
Desmond strode up to a seemingly free apprentice.
"Hey kid, you guys have leather armor anywhere in stock or no? It's not looking like it from where I'm standing."
The apprentice turned to him still a bit spaced out, his expression dazed. He snapped to focus realizing someone was in front of him.
"Yeah we have leather armor. It's in our storage, what were you looking for?"
Desmond flashed the apprentice a smile as he replied.
"Anything that has stealth related effects is good. Something flexible, easy to move around in."
The apprentice zoned out for a second remembering their stock. He snapped back to focus in a couple seconds and turned back to Desmond.
"You know we might actually have something along thise lines around. The boss dated a rouge lady a while back so he made a ton of rouge armor. Not sure why, but that's what happened."
The apprentice turned away and headed to a corner of the open smithy. He came back holding two sets of leather armor. Desmond's eyes visibly lit up at the options.
The apprentice laid out the armors in front of Desmond and began explaining their names and properties.
On the right was a sleek black leather armor. It was called [The Nightstalker's Shroud] and as for its effects, it boosted stealth marginally. Nothing compared to the cowl he got from the lord.
To the left was a white leather armor set. This one was called the [Wraithwalker Armor], it completely silenced the wearer's steps. Apart from that it marginally increased his dexterity.
With the two options before him Desmond decided to go with the [Wraithwalker Armor]. The first one honestly wouldn't do much for him since his cowl already enhanced his stealth. At least this one did something mote practical rather than arbritarily boosting stealth.
The three quickly left the shop after Desmond bought his new armor. They were headed back to the inn before Ty would go get his armor. Tomorrow they would begin their journey south.
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Chapter 32! Now it's time! Official start of bext little arc is here. Hopefully this goes well.