With a flourish, Samantha summoned the set of scrolls that passed for a Character Sheet in this new world of hers.
Stats
Class: Warden (Lvl 1)
Stat Points: 0
Strength : 0 (+5)
Perception: 0 (+5)
Agility: 0 (+5)
Dexterity : 0 (+5)
Constitution : 0 (+5)
Vitality : 0 (+5)
Focus: 0 (+5)
Will: 0 (+5)
Spirit: 0 (+5)
Titles and Boons:
Hero of the Royal Trinity: Summoned from another world by the Gods of Royalty, at the request of Princess Amelie of Austria.
+5 to all Stats, +3 Stat Points per Class Level. +3 free Skill Slots.
Skills
Pistols - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Carbines - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Long Blades - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Light Armour - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Medium Armour - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Riding - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Scouting - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Tracking - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Clever Footwork- Lvl 1
Abilities: None
Hidden Movement - Lvl 1
Abilities: None
-Open Slot-
-Open Slot-
-Open Slot-
Upon looking over her scrolls, there was little to suggest that she was a great hero, at least from what little she understood of such things. All of her Skill levels were at one, and even her stats were rock bottom. But she had her Hero title, which would make her stronger than anyone at a similar level to her. And having extra Skill slots would let her become more than just a Warden, though she hadn’t yet decided what Skills she would take. What she could decide on, however, was what to take from the splendid array of accessories around her.
Now, what did she need? The Warden began to muse aloud, "Well. I have my bandolier of pistols, and my saber. I also have this splendid jerkin. I suppose I just need some, ah, magical support? Got any Rings of Fireball?" Samantha tried to keep her voice calm, but her excitement bled through, causing Amelie to raise an eyebrow.
"Yes, we have rings of that sort. But you are wrong if you think a few rings is all you need. Do you really think a bit of padded cloth will be enough for you?"
Samantha shifted nervously as she eyed the thick cuirsasses and large metal helmets that lined the walls. They looked heavy. "I don't suppose you have any Amulets of Magic Armour in here, too?"
That got her a puzzled expression from the Princess, who slowly shook her head. "N-no? I don't think so. The only thing I can think of that might fit that description would be a Brooch of Shielding, but they are rather unreliable. Metal is a much better form of protection; magical charms are best kept as secondary forms of defense. Besides, I'm sure you'll look absolutely dashing with some real armour on."
Stolen story; please report.
Biting her lip, Samantha watched as Amelie searched through the armoury. "Now, let's see what we can find that will fit. Sadly, most of our cuirasses stick out at the belly so that blows don't end up deflected down into the legs or the horse. But a few oddball craftsmen stuck out the chest more, figuring it better to deflect down towards the legs than up to the head, even though most Cuirassiers wear helmets. Maybe some of those will be big enough to accommodate you and your, ah, special requirements."
The Hero looked down at her chest, then back at the breastplates on display. She couldn't help but feel the term 'breastplate' was a bit misleading, as none had any room for breasts of modest size. But they did have room for a belly. Go figure.
Eventually, Amelie came back with a pair of cuirasses, hauling them over one at a time, before leaning them in front of Samantha. "Alright, these two look about right. They're both excellent pieces, so focus on the fit, rather than the quality." The Hero nodded, before lifting one of the breastplates up. She was right, they were heavy. Not to the point that she struggled to lift it, but wearing one for an extended period of time was going to be hell on her shoulders. Shoulders she'd specifically kept slender, because broad shoulders had, in her opinion, made her look dreadful back in the Gods realm. A choice she would make again in a heartbeat, but it was going to bite her in her well-shaped ass now.
Still not sold, Samantha looked at the armour critically, searching for any flaw that she could use as an excuse to leave it behind. Alas, the work was perfect, without a single scratch marring the smooth metal surface, which shone with a silver sheen. "What's it made of? It's pretty heavy."
Amelie glanced back at the plaque. "A silver steel alloy, forty percent silver. Excellent mana conductivity, so the high steel content won't inhibit your abilities much. Two and a half millimeters thick, it will stop a musket ball at close range, though any more shots near the same spot will probably be an issue. Swords will barely leave a dent unless a powerful wielder is using it in tandem with a potent ability."
Silver steel alloy, huh? That sounded weird to Samantha, but the thing about mana conductivity tickled at something deep in her memory, something from her brief time with the Gods and all of that introduction nonsense. "Steel. That causes issues for mana, right? Like, when you use an ability with a steel sword, it isn't as efficient?"
The Princess raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes. I thought that sort of information was covered by the Gods? Our records say as much, but they are fairly old... To make a long topic brief, worked metal interferes with magic, as does anything that has been severely transformed from its natural state. For some reason, certain metals and other materials don't have this issue: such as gold, silver, platinum, and most gemstones. Now, let's get that one on you, shall we?"
Unable to put it off any longer, Samantha worked with Amelie to get the bulky piece of metal over her shoulders. The front and back were two separate pieces, with welded joints at the shoulder, but only leather ties to hold it closed tight beneath the armpit. It had to be made this way, otherwise the only means of getting into the armour would be to try to wiggle and squeeze in through the bottom like a snake. The armour opened like a mouth to swallow Samantha, pressing tight against her chest. Amelie worked on the leather ties beneath the armpits to tighten the fit, but it was already very snug, especially around the breast. Her thick jerkin wasn't helping matters either, but Samantha wasn't getting rid of clothes given to her by literal Gods. Besides, they looked great on her.
Once the ties were fixed, Amelie stepped back, circling Sam to ensure everything was in place. "How do you feel? Any pinching?"
Samantha shook her head. "No pinching, but it is really tight." And it was, cinched around her waist as tightly as any old-fashioned corset, making it rather hard to breathe.
Amelie frowned. "I'm sorry, I'm guessing at sizes, and I'm no Armourer with Skills to help me. Let's try the next one, it's a bit bigger, and has more, er, chest space?"
Sam let out a sigh of relief as the armour came off, able to breathe easily now that there wasn't several pounds of steel weighing down on her shoulders and chest, slowly squeezing the air out of her lungs. But she wasn't free yet, there was still another piece of armour to try on. Again, a metallic mouth opened to swallow her whole, collapsing around her like an iron maiden. It was stifling: the cuirass was tight and utterly inflexible, so very different from normal clothes. But this one didn't press as tightly against her chest, nor try to steal the air from her lungs, so, progress.
Taking a few hesitant steps, the Warden tested her range of motion with the new armor. To her surprise, there were no restrictions to her movement. She could bend at the waist, stretch, and even cartwheel at will, though she fumbled the landing and took a stand of rifles along for a trip to the floor. The armour still weighed a tonne, but it didn't keep her from being able to move around any which way she wanted, which was a big relief.
Amelie gave the Hero an amused smile as she began putting the stack of rifles back in place. "Well, I'll take that as a positive endorsement. Now, a helmet. That should be much easier to find."
Sam froze, and she turned on the spot to stare at the Princess. "Helmet? That isn't necessary, surely?" The last thing Samantha needed was yet more weight on her dainty neck and shoulders.
Amelie tutted, "It is very much necessary, if you want to keep that pretty head on your shoulders. A good helmet is even more important than a good breastplate. A blow to an unprotected chest might not be lethal. A blow to a bare head is a death sentence."
The Princess soon returned with a shiny, silver cavalry helmet, complete with a big white plume. With great aplomb, Amelie placed the gaudy piece atop Sam's head, nodding to herself in satisfaction. "Perfect. You look dashing. Like a young officer in his first uniform just out of the academy. The girls will be all over you when they first see you."
Samantha raised an eyebrow, before muttering under her breath. "When they first see me? Implying they won't still be interested once they actually meet me?"
Amelie cocked her head. "Sorry? I didn't catch that. "
The Warden waved her words away. "Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking the helmet is a bit over the top. Why the big white plume?"
The Princess smiled as she grabbed Samantha's arm. "Why, because it looks absolutely splendid, and cavalrymen love nothing more than to hear the adulation of adoring crowds of women." Sounded like something Samantha could get behind, though she'd prefer the theoretical crowd to have some men in it to liven things up.
The helmet ended up not being quite so bad as she had initially thought, as the entire face was open save for a thick bar of metal hanging down in front of her nose. There was no visor or mask to block her vision and foul up her breathing. The sides and back were odd though, as rather than being solidly attached to the rest of the helmet, they were connected via hinges and formed a series of metal plates that hung atop one another like the shell on the tail of a lobster. These lobster tails went down near to her shoulder, covering her whole neck and a bit of her spine in the back. A solid metal piece wouldn't be able to reach that far, as it would smack against her breastplate or neck whenever she turned her head too far, but the tails were flexible, which let them cover more than a full helm could. Sam found the whole thing rather clever, and gave whoever invented the lobster shell design a mental thumbs up.
With both the cuirass and helm on her, Samantha felt a powerful urge to see what she now looked like. "Is there a mirror in here?"
The Princess shook her head and drew a small hand mirror from somewhere in the mass of frills and silk that was her skirt. "Here. I keep this for checking my hair when I'm out. It’s small, but should serve well enough."
Sam took the mirror gratefully, and she checked her new outfit. It was like Amelie had said, she looked just like some young officer, handsome and pristine. It wasn't quite the swashbuckling look she'd first envisioned back with the Gods, but she liked this just as much, and maybe a bit more. Samantha had no doubts that the ladies would like it more too. And who knew, maybe the men of this new world would like a woman in uniform more than those from her old one had. A girl could dream.
To Samantha's surprise and delight, Amelie was not yet done showering her with gifts. Next, she brought over a carbine; a short rifle for use by cavalry or while fighting in woods, or other close quarters situations. "You are a Warden, so you should definitely carry a carbine. The more Skills you practice and level, the faster your Class level will rise. But I assume you knew that?"
Samantha nodded vaguely. "Yes, the Gods covered that." Which was technically the truth, they had mentioned something along those lines. Sam had just been daydreaming about her upcoming adventure during most of that part of the discussion. Oopsies. Still she had a princess to fill in whatever she missed, so no harm done, right?
Amelie raised an eyebrow. "Good. Now, you have those three free Skill slots. Your selection right now should be rather low, so don't go picking any off-hand. You will want to be careful in your choices even if it means you won't be leveling them in the meantime."
This got a shrug from Samantha. "I'm okay with waiting. I've got a lot to learn with all my other Skills, after all." Amelie nodded, returning to her investigation, picking through rings and amulets. She rose a few moments later, giving Sam an odd look.
"What did you mean by ‘a lot to learn’? Did you mean that you will need to level up quite a bit for your Skill level to match your true talent? This was remarked on by some heroes in the past."
The look Amelie gave the Warden made her nervous, as if the Princess desperately wished she was correct but was also somewhat doubtful. Samantha clasped her hands behind her back, fidgeted slightly, and did not quite meet the Princess's eyes as she answered. "Well, to be honest, I think my current levels reflect my true skill pretty well." Amelie slowly closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before opening her eyes again. She opened her mouth to speak, but Samantha interrupted her. "Wait, no, I took fencing lessons last summer."
The Princess blinked several times, obviously struggling to come to grips with this new information. "I… I see… Well, perhaps a brief adventure in the Wilds will do you some good. Teach you how to fight, before we return to our true task.”
Samantha met Amelie’s gaze with a grin. “Oh? Not giving up on the Demon Lord?”
Amelie’s expression hardened, and her eyes narrowed. “No. The fate of the nation is now in our hands. Without a proper heir, there are few choices left for Austria: accept the domination of a foreign power, or prepare for war. I know where I stand. Will you stand with me?”
The Hero knelt before the Princess. “I am yours to command, Your Highness.”
With a wave, Amelie bid the Hero rise, before she embraced her. “Thank you, Samantha. We need you, warrior or not.” The Princess stepped back and brushed imaginary lint from her skirts. “Now, I believe we were to prepare for a trip to the Wilds. That means you will need a horse.”
Samantha’s eyes widened, voice pitching two octaves higher. “A horse?!”