“I was thinking instead of the leather overcoat like Dan has in this picture you could have something made of cloth in the same design. This in my opinion differentiates you as a mage rather than a hunter.” The tailor looked at me with clear excitement in her eyes, she was definitely invested in her work and thought the design was a good fit.
I nodded along with her, the idea sounded pretty good and the outfit did look nice. “There is one thing I would like to change though.” I said, interrupting her. “The hat doesn’t really fit my style. So could we do without that?”
The tailor smiled and nodded. “Of course, you are the customer after all. And that is a good idea, the hat is a little outdated. I don’t think anyone has worn anything like that since the second era, and only towards the end of it, which was just a little over 1,100 years ago.”
The tailor quickly got to work using the measurements she took to design my outfit. She started with the pants which were made from a dark brown fabric and were rather simple compared to everything else. When the pants were done and adjusted to fit me perfectly she moved onto the shirt and the leather vest that I would be wearing under the cloak/overcoat she would be making after.
The shirt she made was just a simple brown color, yet the material it was made from was very comfortable. However the color didn’t really matter all that much as it would be almost completely covered by both the vest and the cloak/overcoat. The vest was a bit different, it was made of special treated leather and dyed a very dark brown that was almost black. Like a nobleman's jacket the vest had little metal buttons to open or close parts of the vest.
With just the pants and vest I was feeling like some sort of noble in his casual clothing, they were by far the most comfortable set of clothes I had ever worn in my life and I still didn’t have the last part.
The two of us had decided on calling the last part a cloak as it was made from dark brown cloth rather than leather like how a normal overcoat would be. The tailor started with a simple long piece of cloth and slowly created a simple cloak with just an armhole on each side. From there she added on the somewhat complex sleeve design which was made up of two parts, the inner stitching being covered up to prevent anything from leaking through the weak points.
From that point the tailor only needed to worry about the smaller details such as the design of the collar and the buttons to close it from when it rains.
When I finally was able to put the cloak on I felt like a real vampire hunter. I gave a spin to the tailor and looked at myself in the mirrors around the room. The tailor was ecstatic at the outcome and couldn’t stop smiling for the life of her. “This is my best work yet, I need to make more of these whenever I get an opportunity. The design will be famous throughout the whole distinct by the time I am done with the design.”
When she was done we walked back to the front counter and I paid for my clothes with five gold coins. It was a little surprising how expensive the clothes were, but they were custom made so I paid with no complaints.
“You are paying with coins on hand? Most of the rich folks around the district like to pay through their bank accounts instead. I have no idea why they chose to do so, if I had to give a guess they must think it is a classy thing to do.”
“Well I personally find paying with coins right away is a far better way to keep track of my spendings.”
“Well said. If only the rich had enough common sense to do something like that, But it might be for the best that they don’t, otherwise I certainly wouldn’t have nearly as much business. The rich ladies always have some sort of event that requires a new dress or something along those lines, in fact most of this street is dedicated to appealing to them and their clothing needs no matter how ridiculous they get.”
*******
Stepping outside the tailor around an hour after entering I looked around the street for a cobbler with my new clothes on. I would need a cobbler for a new set of boots, while there was nothing wrong with the boots I was currently wearing I doubt all the important and wealthy people at the party would feel the same way.
Directly across the street was a cobbler with a nice selection of shoes and boots in the window. I noticed a pair of dark brown boots that I thought would go well with my current outfit, so I entered the cobbler’s store and looked around a bit more just in case there was something else that would catch my eye.
Unfortunately that set of boots in the window was the best looking set I could find, more unfortunate was that they were far too small for me which I found when I picked them up to get a better look. “That is a little disappointing.” I muttered to myself as I returned the boots.
“Is there something I can help you with?” An old voice suddenly came from behind. I turned around to find an old dwarven man with mostly grey hair with the occasional brown strand standing just a few feet away from me. He was dressed in what I assumed was a typical cobbler outfit with all sorts of tools that I assumed would be needed to make shoes, boots and anything else someone might wear on their feet.
“Yes.” I quickly answered. “I like these boots right here in the window, but they are far too small for me to wear. Do you by any chance have another pair just like this one, only larger?”
I handed the boots to the cobbler and he looked them up and down before answering. “Well I’m not too sure. I can have a look in the storage room to see if I have a similar pair, but I make no promises.” I smiled upon hearing the dwarfs answer. It wasn’t definite, but there was still a chance that he had another pair.
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“Thank you, I will wait right here.” With that the dwarven cobbler left the room and stepped through a door past the front desk. After several minutes of waiting he eventually returned with another pair of boots in hand that looked very similar to the pair I liked.
“Here I found this pair of boots in the back a few sizes larger.” The dwarf said as he handed me a pair of boots that was almost identical to the pair I wanted. “I have several pairs just like this one in all sorts of sizes if you like em.”
Taking a seat on a nearby stool I took off the boots I was currently wearing and slipped the new pair on. While they were a little big for me they looked very nice with the rest of my outfit and I quickly told the cobbler so. “I really like these boots, though they are a little big on me. Could you bring one that is a size smaller?”
The cobbler nodded and took the pair he brought and returned with another pair that was slightly smaller. When I tried this pair on they were practically a perfect fit. The boots completed the look that the tailor was going for and I liked it wholeheartedly. I quickly paid the dwarven cobbler a gold coin for the boots and left back onto the street.
Since I didn’t have anything else I needed to worry about for the day I decided that I would return home, but the way the people around me in the northern district acted around me changed quite a bit. I didn’t notice right away, but the guards didn’t keep their eyes on me as I walked through the streets and the rich folk didn’t try to avoid me. It was an odd change that I wasn’t really expecting but it was nice to not have everyone staring at me like I was a murderer or a thief without even doing anything.
********
Time rolled onwards and lots of trying happened in the city. The first and most notable was the conspiracy regarding the captain of the southern district. His affiliations with the Misery's end thieves guild and by extension the Red Eye cult were uncovered with an extensive investigation. I almost wished I was there when it happened just to see his reaction when he was being arrested. The only problem was that someone tipped him off beforehand and he managed to escape the city before he could be arrested.
The members of the Red Eye cult were taken to the dungeons of the various districts to be used as fodder for the new recruits to strengthen them for the job, a similar fate fell upon the members of the Misery's end thieves guild members that the city guard managed to capture before a good portion managed to escape.
There was a manhunt for them, but given the lack of physical descriptions that the city guard had there were only a handful of unconfirmed reports of a few members from the occasional nearby village before nothing more a week later.
I continued with my studies during this time learning more about restoration magic on my own. By the time the first of Hematite rolled around, which was also the date of the party the crown was holding, I had managed to reach level seven in restoration magic. My healing potions and healing magic were much better than they had been before, I was able to heal cuts in a far faster and more effective manner than before both with and without potions. The most interesting part I found about restoration magic is that it technically just accelerates the natural healing abilities that a person has, as such someone with better vitality will heal faster with the same amount of healing magic than someone with average vitality.
/- - - - - -\
+ Restoration Level 7
\- - - - - -/
When I wasn’t learning more about restoration magic I was either brewing more potions or receiving some lessons for the rapier I was gifted by Captain Dio. The man in the mercenaries guild that she recommended I speak with, Hostus Scaevola, was more than happy to teach me about the weapon for a small fee for each lesson. By the date of the party I managed to reach Level three with the rapier.
Like the captain said the weapon was very effect and far better suited to a mage such as myself. While I did invest ten points into strength I invested twenty into dexterity which showed far more with the rapier than my longsword. I wasn't anything close to a master, but I was making steady progress given how occasional my lessons were.
/- - - - - -\
+ Rapiers Level 3
\- - - - - -/
**********
I spent the morning of the first day of Hematite brewing my daily potions to sell to the guild the next day, when I was done I left my home and walked to my ingredient supplier as I was running low on the necessary ingredients for healing potions. It gave me an opportunity to relax before the party that would come later in the day. I had no idea what to expect in a party hosted by the crown, all I knew was I needed to arrive when it started and show my invitation as evidence.
Speaking of the party I noticed a well made wagon drawn by a white horse carrying all sorts of expensive looking things pass through the street as I was walking towards my supplier. Most of what was there was covered with a large sheet but I along with a few others managed to catch a small glimpse of what they were hiding. Several objects made out of gold and silver were poking out along with several bottles of what I assumed was expensive alcohol, specifically wine given the shape of the glass bottle and the twine that was wrapped around it like some sort of poor protection.
A few rough looking folks tried their luck and tried to swipe something from the wagon while they had an opportunity, however they all failed. Somehow they couldn’t keep a grip on anything they touched like some sort of magic.
********
Hours later when all my business had been dealt with and the time of the party arrived I found myself standing just outside of the castle in the very center of the city. Several carriages were parked around the entrance and their occupants were walking towards the large front doors where a group of royal guards were standing.
Each of these royal guards was wearing silvery armor and a halberd of the same material. They all stool straight at their posts like statues watching over all the guests of the party. It was both comforting and disturbing at the same time to look at people standing so incredibly still and yet be very much alive, to be ready at a moment while not moving in the slightest.
Like those around me I started climbing the stairs to the front doors with my invitation in hand for whoever it was checking invitations. As I walked I noticed a few of the other guests looking at me and speaking amongst themselves, I couldn’t tell what they were talking about so for the time being I ignored them and focused on the party.
Reaching the top there were two of the royal guards standing and checking the guests and their invitations with a glass orb before allowing them through. A small line had formed as they only allowed one person at a time to pass and enter the party, it took about a minute of waiting on my part before it was my turn.
“Your invitation sir.” The royal guard said almost with a voice almost entirely devoid of emotion behind his helmet. I handed him my invitation and he placed it against the orb, a few seconds passed and the orb glowed green.