14 - Suit Up

  Joe ran out of mana for the third time. The pinching headache and lightheadedness were getting more bearable as he continued working with his mana. The more he utilized his spells, the more he strengthened whatever aspect of himself housed that energy. A single casting had no effect on him anymore. Only when he was down below half mana did his discomfort become painful.

  He was out of mana this time, thanks to a trio of builders coming over together for healing. The team had lost control of a wall timber, resulting in a sprained back, a broken finger, and a crushed foot. The bruises were easy to fix, but the bones were not. Joe’s healing did not seem to work well on bone. The best he could do was essentially glue the fractured pieces together and then add splints so the body could finish the repair on its own.

  As he needed some time to refill his mana, Joe decided to take a break and spend some of his newly acquired funds, which the tip bowl had seriously augmented. He counted the coins and found that his tips added up to a fantastic amount, just shy of thirty-three gold pieces. Joe had decided to give Rhiley a quarter of the tips since the boy had found his first patients, which is how they got the ball rolling for his improvised clinic. Pulling out eight gold for the Dellhams and tossing in the five gold he had left over, Joe had about thirty coins to spend.

  As he had been working, Joe couldn’t help but notice how the hamlet's few crafters seemed to be gathered on the west side of the town green. From where his stool had been placed, he could see a cooper and a potter. He knew Thorton’s workshop was further down the road; tanning was a stinky occupation.

  There were two other workshops situated right across the street from each other that Joe had noticed a while ago, one of which was going to be his first stop. On the left side, the sign over the door depicted a leather satchel, not unlike the healer’s kit currently hanging on his shoulder. The signage across the way displayed an anvil.

  The best part was the rival crafters somehow gave the impression they were facing off against each other, just by how they were constructed. The taller, elegant, elven leatherworking establishment appeared to look down on the heavy, dwarven construction across the lane. The blocky stone smithy seemed to be glowering back across the street.

  Joe wondered if this world would have the stereotypical animosity between the two classic fantasy races. As heavy metal armor was not something he was at all interested in, Joe skipped the dwarves and headed into Aelladon’s Armor and Apparel.

  The room was filled with the smell of leather and oil. Leather vests, chest pieces, and bracers covered the room. Armor, from full suits to individual items, was on display. Pouches, bags, satchels, and packs hung on hooks throughout the store.

  An elf dressed in an impeccable ensemble of greens with royal purple accents looked up from a ledger and then stood to greet Joe. “Welcome to Aelladon’s. Is there anything I can help you find?”

  “I am looking for some light armor but working on a tight budget.”

  “And how tight would that be,” the elf asked, seeming to glide more than walk up to the healer.

  “I have around twenty gold for armor,” Joe said, wincing. In tabletop games, the classic studded leather he started most of his light-armor characters with usually cost between twenty-five and fifty gold pieces. He had no idea what he could get here in Iluminaria for that much.

  He wanted to leave a third of his coinage for the rest of the basic gear he’d need.

  “Not to worry. There is quite a bit we can do with that amount. I have several leather suits that you could afford. I’m sure we can find one you will like. They will not be anything terribly special, but I will guarantee their quality.”

  He led Joe to a section of fairly simple leather armor. Most suits consisted of a stiff leather chest piece and layered panels over the shoulders. Some had pants; others had heavy leather kilts.

  Aelladon helped Joe into and out of several pairs, but Joe hated how restricted he felt in the armor.

  “New armor is always stiff at first,” Aelladon stated, watching Joe grimace as he tugged and twisted in one suit after another. “Might I make a suggestion? I have many sets of used armor that I have bought off adventures over the years. I buy them from individuals who wish to upgrade to something better or have looted something they don’t need. While they will not have the suavitude of new armor, they will be considerably more comfortable as they have already been broken in. As a bonus, you may get more value for your coin, though I cannot ensure that the suit will last as long as one of those made here in this workshop.”

  Towards the back of the shore, the elven craftsman had three racks of armor that were clearly more worn than those up front. Many had signs of repairs or mismatched replacement pieces. The first one Joe tried on felt better. Having been softened through use already, Joe did not feel like he was being strapped into a stiff, straight jacket.

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  “A number of these older suits have some small competency charms built into them. I have many new suits with those charms as well, but I’m afraid you would not have been able to afford them. With these used suits, I see no reason why we could not come to an agreement on the price. That one there offers a small resistance to poisons.”

  “Well, that could be helpful. Do any of them have an enchantment to make them more comfortable? I have never worn armor before. Where I come from, I have always worn soft, loose clothing. The leather is making me feel a bit claustrophobic.”

  “In leathers no. Many suits of heavy armor have that enchantment, but I don’t recall ever seeing it in a suit of light armor.”

  “It’s ok. This suit is better. I’m sure I’ll get used to it over time.”

  “Wait,” the armorsmith exclaimed. “ I think I may have just the thing for you.”

  He spun about and scanned the racks until he spotted his target. With a flourish that seemed inherent to his natural grace, Aelladon pulled out a dark blue gambeson. It looked like a slightly puffy jacket made of suede. When he handed it over, Joe was surprised to find that it was cold to the touch.

  “A gambeson will feel far less restrictive. I only have the one, as they are more commonly crafted from linen or wool instead of suede. Typically, one would buy a gambeson from a tailor.”

  Joe kicked himself mentally. He should have thought of that. Gambesons were historically far more common than the leathers found in RPGs.

  “What makes this piece special is that some clever crafter figured out a rather elegant solution to the problem that these suits of padded armor tend to be on the warm side when worn. Sewn into the padding are dozens of tiny pockets that contain small frost wyvern scales. If you look inside, you will see,” the elf stated as he slipped his long fingers into the fold of blue suede and withdrew a small pale scale about the size of a coin. “Not only do these keep the occupant from overheating, they themselves offer an additional degree of protection.”

  As he slipped the scale back in, he continued speaking, “I think at one point, every one of those pockets had a scale, but many have been either broken or lost over time. There is still enough to keep you cool in the coat, but you may want to track down more scales if you want the full protection the suit was meant to provide. I think this is something you will be quite comfortable in.”

  Joe tried on the gambeson and found it felt completely natural. It was like wearing a jacket, one that kept him cool instead of warm.

  “I like it. Thank you. Is it too expensive?”

  “Not at all. Suede gambesons are not very popular. Cloth is less bulky and easier to repair. I have not had anyone else look at that coat in over a year. You can have it for eight gold pieces.”

  “Really? Thank you.”

  “No need, young man. Now, let’s go look at something for your legs.”

  This was another process, as Joe found leather pants just as uncomfortable. Eventually, he and Aelladon settled on a pair of very light charcoal gray pants with a heavier set of studded leather tassets to protect his thighs. High boots would cover his calves. While this setup would leave his knees exposed, Joe was willing to chance it, at least until he became more comfortable in armor. The tassets cost him four more gold.

  This left Joe with plenty of funds to get a good set of boots. Sticking with the pre-broken-in, hand-me-down section Joe started looking for ones in his size. Almost all of these had minor enchantment as the elf did not keep unenchanted used boots unless they were exceptional. Joe wanted a pair with the Dryness or Mending enchanted into them, but there were none that fit him.

  Eventually, he settled on a pair of green and gray boots that felt great and were dirt cheap. While they did have a tiny spell woven into the boots, both of them felt it was a pretty silly enhancement.

  “What does a close distance mean, Aelladon?” he asked, walking the aisle in his new foot gear and really loving how they felt.

  “Close is roughly five yards from you. Would you like the other range definitions as well, Joe?”

  “Please.” It was amazing how helpful people became when they put together you were a Newcomer. While those transferred from Earth were exceptionally rare, the yearly celebration, often with gifts from Hawking, or as they called him, the One Above, meant he had been openly welcomed by everyone. Well, everyone except for the knight on the road, who he learned was the Sir Groven Madina had warned him about.

  Aelladon explained the range names the system used started with ‘Self’, which only affected the caster. Then there was ‘Touch,’ which was what it said: someone or something touched by you. Next was ‘Immediate,’ which was about a foot from the point of origin. The elf added that casting from your hand meant that the range started at your fingers, not your torso. ‘Short' was around ten yards, ‘Medium’ twenty yards, ‘Long’ fifty, ‘Distant’ a hundred, and ‘Extreme’ was a crazy thousand yards. The last range was ‘Sight,’ which was what it suggested. The elf said that, with the best of conditions, it might reach two or three miles.

  Joe glanced into one of the tall mirrors as he was heading for the door. He stopped and looked again. He was surprised to admit that he looked pretty amazing in his new armor. Now that the boring starter clothes were covered by the deep blue coat and dark gray leggings, he felt less like an outsider and more like a brand-new character. Joe gave himself a nod and a smile before heading off back to the General Store.