Chapter 4
Stepping out of the guides office I was thrust into a scene of confusion, the fairy at his desk, shuffling documents in some semblance of order. Outside of that, there were almost 20 people in the small sitting room all looking my way with interest. I waved at them and stepped out quickly as another person was guided to the office. A line out the door was quickly growing and I hastened my steps out of the building. The street was bustling as doors were thrown open and streams of humanity still poured into the building I just left. I checked the note given to me and was pleasantly surprised when another golden path appeared before me.
Following this path I passed many still going to their guides while I was one of very few people going the opposite direction. With my pace increased I jogged through the buildings and arrived in the district I passed on my way here, which was, upon inspection, clearly dedicated to various deities. Temples and shrines surrounded me, countless in number with some clustered away, all with different work around the doorways depicting scenes of fanciful beasts and heroic encounters. With no time and the guide's urgent insistence still fresh I made my way into a district of smithies, some already hard at work by the clanging around me. An arena reminiscent of ancient Rome came into sight, with a building to the side that was nondescript but had inhuman guards of blue standing to either side of the doorway. The path confirmed this was my destination, I went forward and was hailed.
“Hey lad, ho there, ye got access?” Pausing as I didn't remember getting any sort of pass I pulled out the note the guide handed me as the other continued.
“Look at that Dens, he’s got permission. A quick one huh? You’re the third so far. Go on in.” Confused as I hadn’t shown them anything I just shrugged and continued in. Greeted by the metallic smell of armor, I stood just behind a young woman just finishing putting on a helmet wearing mail with a bow strapped to her back alongside a quiver. As she turned from the window she stood at, I caught a glimpse of consternation on her face as she passed.
“Hello, I’m Cild-” she didn't stop for a moment, and I immediately put her in the asshole category. “Well alright then,” I raised my voice behind her to ensure she heard, “I’ll just go fuck myself. Good talk.” She stopped momentarily and looked back, incredulous. I grinned at her as she shook her head and kept moving.
A booming laugh brought my attention to the window where a giant of a man was standing there openly gleeful. Huge bushy beard aside, his eyes were a piercing blue, a much lighter tone then my own. Considering the way he looked at me, I figured this was only for the good. “Ain’t you a right prick huh?” His voice rumbled much like his voice, “Well ain’t got all day let’s have that thing in your hand then.” Fumbling for a moment I presented the note the guide gave me, handing it over. The giants eyebrows lifted briefly and he looked me over again. “It says here yer to receive brand new equipment as close to fitted as can I manage eh? Must have impressed that humorless ol’ coot.”
I had read that damn note and it said nothing of the sort, upon seeing my reaction he just shook his head “Come on it's not for you to worry about yet, now what are we looking for, yer people are arriving faster and faster. Let's be quick about it.”
I had thought about it the entire way here, considering the path I was deliberating on, and the only real martial abilities I had relied on in the past were avoidance and misdirection, only striking when sure it would count, so remaining flexible was key. “Leather armor sir, if you will. With a light blade with acceptable reach.” He didn't reply as we headed to a separate area, passing other very large men with bright eyes almost as if.. “Are you a giant??” I blurted out.
Nodding his head “Aye partly lad, partly. Ye’ll see a lot of us mixed races around specially’ here at first for the initiation, after many of us will go back, or continue elsewhere. Now we here boy, we here.” Opening the thick stone door in front of him simply by waving his hand we continued into a small armory with only a few dozen pieces of equipment of every type. “Our smithies run constantly now to replace these but there will never be much new equipment until after the first cycle or so. No point as many of yeh will be dead by then anyway.”
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Despite being excited about the armor, fear took root in my heart, I voiced my apprehension “Truly? Will many of us die out there? Is it really so callous to us?” I looked around for a moment, these tools of war already taking on a new light, this was not the fantasy that had implanted itself in my head, this was life and death. War almost but without rhyme or reason. The system has made its intentions and absolute power known, every moment would be like that of getting a gun pointed at you. “How do we survive?”
He looked at me for a moment, gruff indifference fading into a semblance of pity. “Stay together, do not fracture, and trust in yourself.” He shook his shoulders as if waking up, “well that be the best way I see anyhow. But what do I know? Come let's get this leather on ya before we dally too much, or my fellows will think we lazy.” As he said this he went through the rows, occasionally looking at me and selecting a piece of equipment. As I watched I noticed a theme to the equipment he was gathering. As he went down these rows I marveled at the treasure before me. Any Larper in his right mind would go absolutely nuts with envy with this ‘small’ stash able to outfit dozens, maybe even as much as a hundred in a full kit. But thinking about the thousands of people outside, how would they all get equipment. And I asked that exact question as he came up and dropped a pile on a table to my right.
“Well, we ain't the only ones supplying, there are two more depots of arms, one tailored to mages specifically. We don't have none of that here but we do good work if I do say so myself.” Looking me up and down, he mentioned nonchalantly, “I do suggest you put a few cosmetic scrapes on yer armor though. Ye’ll understand once most have been kitted. Almost all of theirs, after all, is secondhand, while serviceable, not quite up to this quality.” At that he pulled out a padded tunic from the pile, “full plates won't care, as they have gambeson and thinner leather in some cases protecting underneath, but ye leather armor will very thick in comparison, as ye won't have any metal involved except the stitching.” At that he handed me the tunic and some padded pants I could see were also all soft but sturdy material.
As I put them on he continued, instructive. “These be made for punishment underneath ye leather, now while not very thick it will soften the blows ye armor manages to stop. Ye’d be surprised at how much it helps.” As we continued he began instructing me on the straps of the various pieces of armor, which were surprisingly heavy and thick, a strange dark blue with streaks of red color I’ve only see in fantastical pictures, the scaled feel of it made me think of crocodiles, when I commented on this he chuckled, “They be made from forest drake, not to be confused with a dragon, or wyvern. Drakes are everywhere but they be tough, quick little buggers and be somewhat magical, so when I saw ye would be a spellblade in the ol’ coots message we needed to make sure it would be conductive for ya. These here drakes were air and fire, some stronger than others in each element but they'll be what gets ye through it. Just dont be lettin’ people know yeh got both ye elements. Most will only get one. Ye’ll notice the plates not at all in the majority of cases.”
And on went the chest, greaves, and vambraces, when it came to the pauldrons I opted out, as it would restrict me too much and the layered armor already seemed able to take the claw of a grizzly bear a few times. I tried to get out of the gorget but was staunchly refused as I was told in no uncertain terms my head will be struck off my body within the first wave. The thigh armor went next followed by gauntlets that left the inside of my hands only protected by thin strips. I was then presented with a blade.
The scabbard was serviceable but scuffed, in a dark blue hue. Upon drawing the blade I was astounded, with a slight green tint, the blade was two feet long, perhaps an inch, maybe two more. Especially surprising was the thickness of it for how light it was, double edged with a swirling rune near the red leather wrapped hand and a half pommel. At my look of profound awe at the giant he simply laughed, “Worry not my friend these are a bit hard to find but not impossible, most of the weapons others have will be enchanted with durability, while yeh’s is for weightlessness. See how thick the tang is? It's to support the weight of the actual blade, which only has hints of Orichalcum. Really, it's nothing.”
He was a fucking liar. “What’s your name?”
“Our order demands we dont divulge such things until the end of the first cycle.” He looked a bit embarrassed but stood by it. I only nodded.
“Then what can I call you?”
He smiled. “Some used to call me Cedalion. Stay sure in your path, Cildarian, set your feet and meet the oncoming storm with ruthlessness.” And with that he took his hand and spread his fingers before running them across my chest armor, creating shallow grooves. “Go, be steadfast, and may the primal energies bless you.” As I left him to it, I passed a growing group of humans that were being helped by tens of attendants swiftly moving through them. I looked at my list and to my surprise it wasn't swordsmanship as I thought, it was a class on Air magic. Kitted out in my new armor of blue-red streaked leather, a sword on my hip and a grimmer outlook on life I moved forward as I was told, one foot in front the other as the mystical path showed the way before me.