19 Tagsibol, 891 ED

Buwan, 14:03

Milagre, Empire of Tyrman

I tied the last strip of the bracer tight, then held my arm out, studying the piece. It fit perfectly, creating both a snug grip that wasn’t uncomfortable, and also not sitting so tight that it was uncomfortable. I flexed the arm and moved it around, noting with pleasure that it didn’t inhibit my movement in any way. The smooth boiled leather, dyed black, had two silver metal plates woven into the surface to provide extra reinforcement. It was for all intents and purposes rather plain armor, but well made.

“Nice,” I commented, turning to the merchant who was watching me with a grin on his face. “Just thirty gold for the entire set?”

The merchant nodded enthusiastically, leaning against the sturdy wooden stall that served as his business’ front. “It is my best set of armor at the moment, young man. It’s lucky that you fit it perfectly.”

“Helps that I’m average-sized,” I replied. “Still, this is excellent work. I’ll take it.”

I fished in the coin pouch at my belt, counting out thirty gold coins and passing them over. The merchant accepted them eagerly, dumping them inside a box to his left. “Pleasure to do business with you, friend.”

I tugged the second bracer on, tightening the straps. The armor was easy to put on, I thought. Obviously a recent improvement in design, one that I hadn’t seen or planned for. It was what had attracted me to the armor in the first place. One quick tug on each of the two straps made sure the piece wouldn’t move in a fight. The chestplate, which had hanging leather and metal plates that reached down to my knees, and the greaves to cover my skin, were much the same way.

“It will also be easy to remove when you want,” the merchant explained. With a quick gesture, he directed the attendant to man the boot and came around. “As you can see, there’s a small buckle where the two ends of the strap meet.”

I nodded my understanding, looking at the inside of the bracer, and the man continued. “Well, it holds the armor in place. But when you wish to remove it, applying pressure to that buckle will release the tension on the leather straps.”

He grabbed my left forearm to demonstrate. Sure enough, with firm pressure on the buckle, the strap loosened considerably, and he was able to pull the strap loose enough for my arm to slide through. It was the same sort of simple technology that ratchet straps used. Well, if those could hold down heavy loads in the back of a truck, then they’d more than suffice for keeping my armor on my body. I yanked the strap tight again, nodding my gratitude.

“If you’re also interested,” the merchant said, glancing down at the sword on my waist, “I have several longswords that could prove to be an improvement over yours there.”

I frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then shook my head. “I’m not sure I can afford that just yet, sir. But thank you for the offer.”

The man’s face fell slightly, then brightened again. “Well, that’s alright, I suppose. If you’d like, I could hone that and give it a new edge. As a mark of gratitude for your patronage, of course.”

I hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged, reaching down to unclip the sword. Handing it over, still in its scabbard, I said, “If you insist. It would be rude to refuse, I suppose.”

He took it with a smile of good humor. “Quite so, sir. I’ll be just a moment.”

He carried the weapon over to a grindstone that he had behind his booth, and unsheathed it, tossing the worn leather scabbard to the side. While he went to work treating my blade, I finished tugging the other straps of my new armor tight. It was a little uncomfortable after years of not wearing armor, but I bore it willingly, knowing I’d grow accustomed after a while.

You have equipped [Plated Leather Armor]!

This equipment raises your Armor Class (AC) by 3 points!

New AC: 16

I’d expected an increase in my armor class with armor, but it was a bit more than I’d predicted. Still, I wasn’t the type to complain. It gave me decent protection without inhibiting my movement or preventing magic. There were some armors of course that were so heavy that they weighed you down, or else interfered with spellcasting with large metal pieces. With this, I could be as dextrous as I wanted.

“Are you sure you’re not going to get any new equipment?” I asked Gogo, turning to where he was watching my equipment change with minimal interest. “That leather you’re wearing looks old. No offense.”

Gogo only shrugged in reply. His chestplate, a sturdy piece of tough leather, was the only armor he bothered to wear. It fit underneath his red coat comfortably enough; at least I’d never heard him complain. He wore no bracers or greaves to protect his limbs. Of course, he had the medium shield to protect his torso, and he was nimble enough to avoid serious injuries to his legs.

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“What I have is enough,” he replied.

I opened my mouth to reply but then hesitated. I’d heard something odd, just off in the distance, close enough that I was aware of it, but far enough that I couldn’t make out exactly what it was. I didn’t have much time to consider the strange noise either, though I found out an instant later what it was, as something struck my left shoulder with enough impact to nearly knock me off my feet. I staggered to the side, then, as if in a daze, looked down to where the object had hit me.

Attack: 15 (+3) = 18 [Success]

6 Damage

15 Sneak Attack Damage

You are heavily wounded!

There, sticking out of my shoulder, yet having driven through the armor with enough force to bury itself several inches into my arm, was a grey-shafted arrow, still quivering slightly from the force of its entry. Only then did I place the sound. It had been the twang of a bow! The pain of the wound didn’t seem to register to me just yet. I glanced up at Gogo with a frown, as if hoping that he could understand what had happened. But his expression was just as blank as mine.

The city folk around us, however, heard the meaty smack of the arrow striking me, and, when they’d glanced around for the source of it, many let out screams of concern and fled. They scattered in all directions, some brushing past Gogo and me, rushing for cover and leaving us exposed. Even the merchants in nearby stalls, those who had run at least, ducked low behind their stalls for protection.

Sneak attack damage, I thought, still looking at Gogo. That meant that a rogue was nearby, and had struck me with an attack from concealment. Gogo’s face tightened into a glare of concentration, and his eyes slid from mine to the right, and the skin around them tightened suddenly, indicating that he’d spotted something that made him furious. Then suddenly, the situation hit me. The pain did as well, but I pushed it aside, whirling around and reaching for my sword.

Initiative Check: 12 (+3) = 15

You do not have the advantage!

Attack: 15 (+3) = 18 [Success]

10 Damage

Another arrow soared out of the sky. Thankfully, it lacked the extra impact of the sneak attack. Still, slamming into my abdomen, it sent a shaft of red-hot agony rushing through my body. I let out a yell of pain and only then realized that the sword I was reaching for wasn’t there. Belatedly, I remembered that I’d just handed it off, and now the merchant was cowering for shelter. My sword lay over two dozen feet away, with many large objects in the way.

Gogo let out a yell of rage and rushed forward. I couldn’t see the archer, but obviously, he could, and was charging for the enemy’s position. Unarmed as I was, I ducked behind the blacksmith merchant’s stall, getting some cover. No sooner had I done that than another arrow rained down, slamming into the next stall over. I yanked the arrow in my shoulder out with another yelp of pain, quickly followed by the one that had struck me in the stomach. Blood was coursing down my brand-new armor from the two holes it had gained now, staining it.

I didn’t have my sword, but I was by no means completely without weapons, I realized. Getting back to my feet but still partially protected by the stall, I saw that Gogo had been intercepted by yet another figure, this one holding a sword and shield. They were fighting all-out, and seemed equal, with Gogo having a slight edge. My eyes followed the road and rose slightly. Then I saw him.

Perched precariously atop the wall that separated the Market District from the rest of the city was a figure in black armor, holding a large bow. He had his string drawn back, sighting on Gogo, waiting for an opening. I had to help my ally somehow. Conjuring mana to my hands, I thought of the spell that Miel had taught me. At once, the spectral bow appeared in my hands for the first time, and an arrow was already on the string that had formed between my fingers. I drew it back, sighting on the enemy archer, and released.

Attack: 6 (+6) = 12 [Failure]

I let out a curse as I saw that the arrow would fly wide. Indeed, it slammed into the wall nearly three feet below him with a loud bang. Undaunted, I drew back the second arrow, which had just appeared.

Attack: 4 (+6) = 10 [Failure]

Yet another miss. The archer didn’t even seem aware that I’d been firing at him. Between us, Gogo jabbed twice in rapid succession at the enemy he was fighting, but each thrust was blocked by the metal shield the man wielded. He retaliated with a slash of his own sword, which Gogo parried away with his shield. Then an arrow struck him a glancing blow on the shoulder, making him recoil away. Even from this distance, I could hear his shout of pain and anger. Still, I seemed unnoticed.

Attack: 12 (+6) = 18 [Success]

9 Damage

Attack: 19 (+6) = 25 [Success]

13 Damage

This time, my arrows hit true. The first hit staggered the enemy archer, and the second knocked him off of his careful perch, sending him toppling out of sight behind the wall. I felt a rush of pleasure at that, knowing that the twenty-foot drop would cause some damage of its own. The bow vanished from my hands at that point, having fired its four arrows, and I directed my attention to the enemy fighting Gogo.

Just then, the opponent threw his entire body forward, thrusting the sword for Gogo’s torso. He sidestepped the thrust with grace, then brought his spear back and forward, burying it in the man’s chest. There was enough force in that one move to slam the man down to the ground. He still moved, but was clearly disabled by the attack. I glanced up again, and there was no sign of the archer.

Constitution Save: 9 (+1) = 10 [Failure]

“Hold!” A voice bellowed out of nowhere, rippling across the mostly abandoned market. Instantly, my body froze, and I could only move my eyes. When I looked to the side, I saw a figure stepping into view. He was clad in the ceremonial armor of a Royal Guard. They weren’t only in charge of guarding the palace, but also keeping order in the streets of the capital. Judging by the command of his voice and the decorated pin on his chest, he was at least a Sergeant in the Guard.

“Drop your weapon, Beast-Kin!” He bellowed, talking to Gogo. He stepped away from the man he’d struck then, pulling his spear free and letting it clatter to the ground. He might have been a newcomer to Milagre, but he at least had the sense not to disobey an order from the Royal Guard. More figures of the Royal Guard followed the sergeant, moving ahead of him to take control of the situation.

“This is a very serious scene,” the Sergeant said. He turned to include me in his words, knowing that I had been part of the battle. “You two will be coming with me to answer questions as to what the hell you thought you were doing, fighting in the market of all places! Round them up!”