Chapter 25 - Armored
Callie and the others of Ogre House, minus Tazrok, took their leave from the three Bladeweavers and started the walk back towards the bunkhouse. The remnants of Tazrok’s speech, the ridiculousness of the ‘punishment’, and the still-fresh horror of the Nether Hound all swirled together into a scramble of thoughts.
“Callie!” an excited voice called out. As a group, everyone turned to see Jesca literally bounding towards them, leaping deftly over a hedge before skidding to a stop.
“Hi Pixyl!” the Cheetahkin added. “Did you all know what Tazrok was going to do? Everyone said he was going to pull their legs off, but I knew he wouldn’t do that. He’s too nice to everyone, but I didn't know he’d make them wear baby bonnets. That’s so silly! And what was with that speech he gave! It was really inspirational and completely made me forget that scary Demon dog standing next to him. What was that thing, anyways? It’s really scary!”
Lena huffed a quick laugh. “You need to slow down a little bit. You’ll trip over your tongue.”
“Like Lena said,” Callie scolded lightly as she reached out and took Jesca’s paws, one in each hand, pulling her arms tight to keep her from bouncing. “Girl, you need to take some deep breaths. You just asked us like … eighty-seven questions.”
“What do you mean?” Jesca responded. Then she got it. “Oh. I sometimes talk too fast because my brain sometimes thinks really fast. I know it can get annoying for some if I do that, but if I’m excited I can’t help it.” Jesca suddenly put her paws over her mouth, clamping it shut, a frustrated look on her face. Finally she said, “I’m sorry,” with a somewhat crestfallen look on her face.
“It’s fine, Jesca. We had no idea what Tazrok was going to do,” Callie said with a giggle. "He refused to tell us all day long, even though we tried to pry it out of him several times. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that!”
“I knew he wasn’t going to do anything too mean,” Lena added. “I managed to at least get that much out of him. But never in a hundred lifetimes could I have imagined baby hats!”
“Bonnets,” Vanis clarified.
“What?”
“They are called baby bonnets.”
Lena shrugged. “Baby hat, baby bonnet, same thing. Not like I ever wanted to be a mother. I didn’t think I did, that is. Huh. Strange. Anyways, I don’t think anyone was expecting that! So do we all call those recruits Baby now?”
“Those were the orders given,” Xin said. “We should follow them of course.”
“As for the Demon that was summoned, Jesca, that was called a Nether Hound,” Vanis said. “It is one of the many types of Demons we will encounter in combat. It was only a small one, Bronze Tier I believe.”
“Only a small one!” Jesca croaked with a bit of panic in her voice. “They get bigger? How are we supposed to fight that!”
“We’re Rangers,” Callie said with a grin. “We shoot them from far away.”
“What if we miss?”
“Then don’t miss,” Xin suggested with a shrug.
“But…” Jesca sputtered with confusion.
“Do not worry, Jesca,” Vanis said with a smile. “I’m sure the training you receive will alleviate your concerns.”
“If the arrows don’t work, then we use our swords and stick ‘em with the pointy end,” Callie added, only somewhat helpfully.
Jesca swallowed hard, and then nodded.
“Jesca does raise a good point,” Vanis continued, addressing everyone present. “What was with Tazrok’s speech? I too found it quite wonderful, honestly.”
“But why was he speaking normally?” Callie asked. “I mean, he was using complete sentences and big words. That wasn’t like him. ‘Shining stars of hope in a world of darkness’? Does that sound like something that would come from him?”
“It is odd,” Vanis agreed. “How about we ask him?”
Tazrok was approaching, his head downturned and barely watching where he was going, as if he was lost in thought. It wasn’t until Lena sharply called his name that he broke out of his reverie and looked up, stopping as he joined the rest of the group. The look on his face was quite strange.
“Hi Tazrok. How are you doing?” Lena asked, a note of concern in her voice.
The Ogre shrugged. “Feel bad. Have headache. Will just go home.”
“That … uh … was some speech you gave, Tazrok,” Lena said, prodding. “It was very inspirational for all the recruits, and I think even a few of the officers and staff. Did you practice it?”
The Ogre looked confused. “Speech? Just told recruits to not be babies. Showed them Demon Dog. Hope they understand.”
“Uh, what about us having to ‘rise to our fates and prepare to face the hordes’?” Callie said. “Those were good words. Very good words, in fact. Did the Major or someone help you come up with them?”
The Ogre looked blankly at Callie, and then at the questioning expressions of the others. “Major must have helped,” he finally mumbled with a shrug.
If Callie didn’t know better, it seemed Tazrok was depressed about something, or at least lost in his own world. She looked up at her friend with concern in her eyes. “Tazrok? Are you okay?”
“Brain tired. Go home now.” With that, he shuffled around everyone, making sure not to step on any of them, before heading off to Orge House. He walked with a slow gait, running his big fingers through his hair and down his face, almost oblivious to the world around him.
“Lena, you know Tazrok better than all of us. Have you ever seen him looking so … down?” Vanis asked.
“No,” Lena said, shaking her head. “I’ve seen him angry, confused, and protective, but I’ve never seen this before. And I’ll tell you this much, I have never heard him speaking as eloquently as he did during his speech. Something happened to him up on that stage, and I have a feeling he doesn’t know what it was. Do you think we should tell someone?”
Everyone collectively shrugged, not sure what the next actions should be. Finally, Pixyl spoke up. “They obviously saw the ch-ch-change during his speech. The officers, that is. We should let them w-w-worry about it.”
Another round of collective shrugs went through the small group, as if resigning to not having a better plan at the moment, although it was obvious everyone was still a little concerned with Tazrok’s behavior.
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As the quintet entered Ogre House, Jesca having returned to her own, there was a strange new scent in the air. Callie immediately recognized it from more than a few stores and biker bars back on Earth. The smell of leather.
Tazrok was lying on his bed, his arm over his eyes. He wasn’t sleeping, but it seemed he didn’t want to chat. But that didn’t matter. Next to everyone’s bed was a set of pristine new armor hanging on the rack that had been vacant since they arrived. Callie’s and Pixyl’s had been replaced by a stand that was smaller, sized for their height. Each set of armor seemed distinct, as if custom made for the person and their class.
Callie and everyone else immediately went to check out their new deliveries. She lifted the top half of hers off the rack, laying itout on the bed where she could get a better look, and setting aside what looked like a shoulder piece. Before her was a suit of hardened brown leather, similar to what she’d seen in movies, although not quite as decorative as she’d expect from the same. The front had a series of criss-crossed heavy strings designed to tighten everything like a backwards corset, although if it was anything like the clothing, it was designed to fit perfectly and wouldn’t need much. A few other buckles and belts were also present, to help cinch things into place as needed. To call it a work of art didn’t give it proper respect. And this was just ‘training armor’?
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At the top corners of the chest area was a strip of yellowish fuzzy something about six centimeters long that had been attached to the leather with some kind of an adhesive. A similar strip was at the top of the backside as well. It took Callie a minute to realize their purpose, but finally she figured it out. A set of hard-leather shoulder pads was on the bed where she set them, designed to fit around the head and buckle in the front to keep them tight. The shoulder armor consisted of a series of overlapping pieces, designed to allow for flexibility as well as protection. But to help keep the shoulder armor in place, on the inside was a similarly sized piece of material to the one on the chest, this one with tiny little grabby hooks. Velcro! They had Velcro here!
“What do you call this stuff,” Callie asked the room in general pointing to the Velcro-like strips.
“Gripping Scufrow,” Lena said, seeing what Callie indicated. “It’s a type of tree bark.”
“Really? We have something like this back home, but it doesn’t come from a tree. It’s manufactured.”
“If you cut the bark off the tree, you can pull it apart and dry each side,” Lena continued absently, still checking out her new outfit. “It continues to be flexible and you cut it into strips and use it just like you have there, to keep pieces of armor attached and in place. It’s used in a lot of places where you might have something you want secured but easy to move if needed. Just glue one side of the bark to the object and the other to where you want to stick it. Because it’s flexible, light, and really strong, it’s especially great for armor.”
“Huh,” Callie said, surprised that it was a naturally-occuring material, but then quickly realized she shouldn’t be. “Gripping Scufrow. Neat!” It was then she noticed another long strip of Scufrow down the side of the torso piece, allowing the entire top to be removed by just tearing it open, and also easily allowing one to put it on just by wrapping it around.
Callie returned her attention back to the clothing rack, seeing a pair of light leather pants colored a forest green, along with a new utility belt designed to be worn outside of the armor. The pants, however, weren’t nearly as hard, retaining their flexibility while offering some protection.
Looking around, from what she could immediately see, it appeared Tazrok and Xin both had armor of hard leather almost identical to hers, simply sized appropriately. However, both sets were missing any buckles, relying on the Scufrow strips to hold everything in place. In fact, there appeared to be no metal of any kind on either set. Poor Xin was looking at her armor with distaste in her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Xin?” Callie asked.
“I hate clothing. Even though this is armor, which is acceptable in times of combat, it is still annoying to wear. At least they have a hole for my tail to fit through and this is much better than robes would have been.” She held up the leather pants, and sure enough there was a split in the back her tail would be able to fit through comfortably, which would then be secured by a strip of Scufrow at the top.
Turning to Pixyl’s set, Callie could see it was quite different from her own. Rather than hardened leather, the entirety of the leather in the Pixie’s suit was made of a softer, more flexible and form-fitting leather, very similar to what Callie’s pants were made of. Given Pixyl’s role as a Striker in combat, it made sense her set would be lighter, to allow for maximum mobility, especially since she also was able to fly. Like for Xin’s tail, a similar slit was in the back of Pixyl’s armor to allow her wings the full freedom they would need. Also like Xin, a strip of the natural Velcro would keep everything in place.
Vanis had a set of lightweight armor just like Pixyl’s, albeit without the accommodation for wings. Callie reasoned this was likely to allow the caster the flexibility he would need for spellcasting. As Vanis had specifically said he didn’t want robes, it seemed the natural alternative to allow maximum movement while still providing protection.
Finally, Lena’s armor was more like the hardened sets, but also sported metal in the chest area, along the forearms, and a metal mesh under the arms and down the side of her torso. It was still reasonably light, but afforded even better protection than what Callie, Xin and Tazrok would be wearing. Obviously, this was needed for someone in that Guardian role like a Bladedancer, as they were much more likely to take a wayward strike.
“I don’t think we’d have time to try all this on before the bell,” Callie said, walking to the mirror while fitting the shoulder piece around her neck to check its look and fit. “But I can tell you one thing, we’re all going to look amazing when we’re wearing these,”
Xin snarled a little at the reminder she’d have to put the armor on.
“Why is there no m-m-metal on your’s, Xin?” Pixyl asked. “Tazrok’s is the same.”
Xin pondered the question for a moment, poking at her leather suit with a sneer, before finally answering. “I believe it is so we can shape shift into our animal forms.. My trainer told me only natural materials, or things inside of natural materials, will stay on when a Shaman changes forms. Otherwise, metal would drop to the ground. Druids must be the same way. It is why if I use a spear, it must be made of wood. She was not sure if stone would transform, so we will have to test that when I learn a form.”
“And since the Scufrow is a tree bark, it’s a natural material,” Callie mused out loud. “What a perfect alternative solution to having to use a buckle to hold armor in place.” Then Callie wondered, “Xin, I’m curious, do you know how many animal forms you get to learn?”
“I do not. In fact, I know very little about Shaman forms, only that we will get at least one. But, none of the skills I learned from my Symbiote had to do with shapeshifting, so it must come at a higher tier. I’m actually rather eager to find out what I will be able to turn into. My elder trainer was able to transform into a wolf.”
“I w-w-won’t be able to wear any of this for a few days I think. It will put some stress on my wing that would be p-p-painful,” Pixel said with a sigh, tossing the shoulder piece onto her bed.
“Healer Tasi had warned us that might be the case, or that you might need help putting it on,” Lena said, standing in front of the mirror checking out what she looked like with the shoulders in place.
Pixyl was just about to snap back that she didn’t need any help, but caught herself. These people were her friends and they were happy to be of assistance. She finally answered with a “We’ll see.”
“Remember, yesterday they said this was only training armor,” Vanis said, returning his suit to the rack. “This will allow us to get used to fighting and casting while wearing something. After that, we will likely be given something better to wear, either here or when we arrive at our final destinations.”
“Fizzlebek, he’s the Gnome Artificer and Enchanter in charge of the workshop, is going to put enchantments on my new bow,” Callie said. “I wonder if they’ll do something like that for everyone’s armor, or everyone’s weapons. He said enchantments weren’t difficult to do, but take a while because they needed to be stirred every few hours, or whatever the enchanting equivalent of that is.”
“If we were provided magic armor, I would probably be willing to wear it,” Xin said, hanging her own suit back in place. “I still don’t see how I’m going to wear boots, though. If I do, I lose the use of the claws on my feet. Why would I give up that advantage?”
“Because someone laced the battlefield with poisoned spikes?” Vanis suggested.
Xin paused, as if that sour thought never occurred to her. “Perhaps boots would have uses. In certain situations, that is.” But quickly she added, “I don’t have to like it, though.”
“Tazrok, how are you feeling?” Lena asked the Ogre.
His arm still over his face, Tazrok shrugged. “Head still hurt.”
“Would you like me to see if we can get something for that? I could flag down an officer, or run over to the medical tent and get you a mild painkiller.”
Tazrok paused before answering. “No. Will be fine. Resting is good,” he said finally.
Lena glanced worriedly at the others, saying, “Sure thing. You just let us know if you need anything.”
“We’re here for you, big guy,” Callie added, returning her own armor to its stand.
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Time passed as everyone chatted about nothing in particular. At one point Callie walked back to the mirror, taking her hair down, before putting it back up in fresh pigtails secured with her colored ribbon. Since the baths, it had loosened a bit. “There’s supposed to be a feast tonight, followed by a party. Any social customs I need to be aware of?”
“If it’s like a truly traditional group feast,” Vanis said, “it will be a long meal. Portions are generally small, but there are many courses. Eating is encouraged to be slow, and conversation is a big part of it. I suspect the Commandant and others will speak between courses.”
“There will be both meat and non-meat options, depending on your preference,” Lena said. “Some of the Beastkin can’t eat meat, while others can’t eat plants or mushrooms. If you are asked which you’d like, ask for either, or a bit of both is fine, too.”
“Often,” Vanis continued, “between each course, people will change seats to eat with someone else for the next, the hosts will move around as well, joining guests. Usually a game is made to make finding your new seatmates interesting. The whole thing is as much a social event as a mealtime.”
“And remember you are small,” Xin said. “Do not drink too much. You are easy to carry back here, but it would be embarrassing for you.”
“Embarrassing? Xin, I was shooting my bow half-naked in front of half the recruits earlier. It can’t get much worse than that,” Callie said. “What happens at the party?”
“More socializing, always with food and drink,” Vanis said. “Someone will probably be playing music, and maybe even dancing. Who knows. I suspect our hosts have a plan.”
“Hey! Maybe you could play something!”
Vanis winced. “I’m not terribly fond of playing to a raucous crowd. I prefer more … intimate venues.”
“He means he plays to impress the ladies,” Lena said in a teasing, singsong voice. “Then again, who doesn’t love a musician,” she added with a sly twinkle in her eyes and a sultry pose.
“Yes. Well …” Vanis stammered, his normal fluent speech temporarily stymied and his face growing a little red in the cheeks.
“Ah hah! Yup, I knew it!” Lena said, pointing with both hands. “Girls, a bit of advice: Never trust a musician as a lover. They may be all handsome and even good in bed, but there are always ladies lined up behind you that he’ll move on to.”
“Meh,” Callie said, dismissing Lena’s warning with a casual wave. “Not my type.”
“That’s right! You have a th-th-thing for the Dryad,” Pixyl said mockingly.
“Hey!” Callie snapped. “She was totally hot! Even Lena said so.”
“She was, Pixyl. Callie’s right about that,” Lena confirmed.
“See!” Callie’s face was blushing hard, and so was Pixyl’s for some reason. But the friendly banter made all the teasing okay.
“Still too bony,” Tazrok said matter-of-factly, his deep voice breaking through the giggles. “Very easy to break. Give me Ogre woman with big hips. Very solid.”
Somehow that statement just made the mood all the more jovial, and you could see a smile on the big Ogre’s face as his arm continued to cover his eyes.