YoTS: Lord January ~ 25!

CHAPTER 25

Grant swung around as the commanding tone reached his ears. Waddling towards him briskly was a bulky figure wearing a pleated suit and half-moon eyeglasses draped on the end of a pointy nose. Grant could just barely make out the name ‘Bob Sunrise’ above his head. “Shoo. Go on. I need to open up!”

“I’m a customer,” Grant stepped forward and gave a sketchy bow. “I’m here to buy a suit of armor.”

“Huh. No chance. Look at the size of you! If you can't afford a proper meal, you certainly can't afford…” Bob paused, wiped his eyeglasses, and peered through them. “Oh. Oh! I do apologize, Sir Monday. Dressed like that, and so thin, I assumed…”

“I know that-”

Grant’s words were cut off as Bob pressed forward. “You must have been to a masquerade party, of course! How silly of me. For a moment there, I thought you a lowly peasant that somehow snuck into the Noble shopping quarter!”

“Yes. A party.” Grant deadpanned, seeing only benefit in going along with Bob’s interpretation of the situation.

“Give me a moment, sir, while I open up the shop.” The full figure of Bob Sunrise entered the premises. The door was twice as wide as needed even for him; this shop clearly catered to the aristocracy above all else. Grant’s excitement was building; soon he would get a suit of armor that would protect him from Sir Friday Twenty-ninth’s Wielded Weapon, and he would be able to begin armor cultivation!

Across the plaza, obese individuals approached various shops, and the unease that Grant had been feeling by being in such an empty area began to fade. The slimmer silhouettes of normal people were starting to trundle around, bearing heavily laden carts on their way up the hill. Bob’s sign flipped around, and Grant didn’t waste a moment before entering. Bells tinkled merrily as he crossed the threshold, and Bob boomed, “Welcome! To Bob's Armor Emporium! We have wonders from all across the Districts, fulfilling the armor needs of the aspiring adventurer, monster slayer, or dungeon crawler!”

“Wonderful. I need a suit of armor.” Grant walked up to the counter and took a seat on a plush cushioned chair, as though he shopped at places like this regularly.

Bob laughed and wiggled a finger at him. “You have to be a little more specific, sir.”

“I need protection from impacts and cuts.” Once more, Grant was interrupted by the garrulous man.

“Ho ho! All armor here will protect you from cuts, everything from Early Spring to Early Summer armor can be found in this wondrous shop! Perhaps I can be of some small service for milords selection? Do you need protection from slashing, or piercing attacks?”

“I… I’m not sure. Slashing, I think? I’m going to be going through rough areas, so I require protection from a… a weapon. Think of a… peasant weapon; a club that has metal nails embedded within it.” Grant tried to be as vague as possible, but he thought he had described what he had fought against.

“Hmm… in that case…” Bob tapped his chins, deep in thought, “Leather armor will probably suffice. It is light, you’ll be able to move much more easily than in chainmail, or full plate armor.”

“That sounds-”

“Of course, we do have special suits of armor for our more… discerning clients.” Bob pulled a sheet off a mannequin, presenting Grant with a gleaming suit of obsidian-colored armor. The gleaming black metal was stunning, and appeared to absorb the light. Grant realized he’d seen a suit of armor like it before; worn by the magnificent Wielder in the market of New Dawn long ago. “I’ll take it!”

Bob swooped in front of Grant, showing nothing but a smile as he stopped the young man’s outstretched hand from touching the gleaming surface. “Everything is available, for a price. This beautiful armor is a stealth enhanced plate, and contains many unique properties. It is an Early Summer Heavy suit of armor, providing maximum protection while allowing you to be as agile as wearing a thin suit of leather armor. Now, if you look closely, you can see that the plates don’t actually touch.”

Grant bent over for a closer look. There was a tiny gap between the obsidian metal plates. They were perfectly aligned, but something stopped them from touching and making a noise.

“The ore was mined in the depths of April’s darkest pits. Many adventurers died mining this coveted mineral, and it is said that the armorer who made the set,” Bob whispered, leaning closely to draw Grant’s full attention, “sacrificed himself upon its completion. His life force embodies each and every metal plate, and provides its enhanced stealth abilities. These properties are highly prized by assassins, such as House Sa - well, let’s not give in to supposition, shall we? Ha! It’s also sought by adventurers that brave the deep mines and dungeons across the lands.”

“Sounds awesome, Bob! I’ll take it!” Grant pictured himself slaying dragons, cutting the head off Krakens, and leading vast armies to victory in war. This was his armor. Lords and Ladies of the Month would tremble at the sight of such a warrior! They would be so intimidated that they’d surrender at first sight!

<What’s the point of looking at this junk? You can’t wear it.> Sarge's non-sequitur gave Grant pause, but not so much as Bob's next words.

“Excellent. A fine choice, sir! We take coin or cart. Unfortunately, we don’t accept credit anymore… not after that adventurer made a run for February!”

“Cart?” Grant had never heard anyone ask for a cart as payment before.

Bob nodded gravely. “Yes, indeed; that is the most popular option. A member of your household can bring over a cartful of small Time, and once payment has been received; your armor will be available. Free delivery is available throughout January.

“Cart… full of Time.” Grant coughed and blinked a few times.. “Let me, um… check my family finances for approval.”

“For you, sir, today only, I can let it go for the low low price of… fifteen Years. Do be quick, armor of this caliber will be snapped up. I can only keep the price this low until tomorrow!” Bob smiled cheerfully at the thought of making such a wonderful sale.

“A Year is a unit of currency? I thought Days were as high as they went…” Grant’s mumble didn’t reach Bob’s distracted ears. The young man narrowed his eyes; he suddenly didn’t buy the hard sell sales pitch. It may be an expensive suit of armor, but merchants across January were all the same when it came to money. It didn’t matter if it was a snot-covered loaf of bread, or a suit of the finest mithril armor.

Grant brought up the money tab of his status sheet.

Time

28 Hours, 10 Minutes

“Twenty eight Hours and ten minutes suddenly doesn’t sound like the huge amount I had thought it was...” Grant opened his backpack and spilled the contents out onto the counter, including the small pile of coins. The onyx idol Grant had forgotten about rolled onto the table as well, though he grabbed it and shoved it back in instantly. Still, not fast enough to keep Bob from seeing it.

“I… I’ll have to… visit the bank.” The embarrassed Grant didn’t want Bob to laugh at him, but the talkative Bob was oddly silent; staring longingly at the closed backpack..

“Can… can I have a closer look? Please?” Bob begged in a strangely quiet voice.

“I… no.” At Grant's denial, Bob sank to his knees and held his hands in a pleading motion.

“Please, Sir Monday!” Bob waited desperately, and Grant finally relented out of sheer discomfort. The Wielder pulled at the idol out of his bag, and set it on the table. Bob’s eyes never left it. He reached out and picked it up tenderly, as if it were a priceless work of art. “I’ve never seen one in the flesh before. Relics of the Cultivation Wars are hard to come by… and never come up for sale. It is said that Regent December holds the world’s greatest collection, and only a few pieces are passed down the generations by powerful Houses… such as House Monday, apparently.”

“Is it… is it for sale?” Bob clasped his hands together once more, and his eyes were shining. His fat fingers trembled at the thought of possessing such an item. “You can have the suit of mithril armor, and I’ll even throw in a Bottomless Bag!”

“I… um.” Grant seriously considered it. He could hand over the idol. It wasn’t actually worth anything to him, and if it were this valuable it would certainly bring him endless trouble in the future. Especially now that someone knew he had it. He popped the idol out from Bob’s sweaty palms and stared at it intently, mulling over his decision. He glanced over at the armor, dark as the pitch of night. He’d never need another set… but it niggled him how easily Bob would swap the insanely expensive set of armor for a lump of onyx. He put it in his bag with a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Bob… it’s not for sale. My… my family would never forgive me.”

Bob looked crushed. Tears streamed down his chubby cheeks. “I can throw in a set of Dragon Armor? List price of four Decades! The plates are taken from live Greater Dragons in District September! One hundred percent fireproof, guaranteed!”

<This is becoming dangerous, Grant. Get some armor, and get out. Early Spring, up to medium armor, is going to be the only thing that works for you properly anyway.>

The offer was tempting, but Sarge’s warning raised Grant’s hackles. It was time to leave. Grant stood up and took a step toward the door. “No, sorry, Bob. I can’t part with it. In fact, I’m leaving right now to get it back to the vault. I should never have brought it out.”

“No, no. I understand… I wouldn’t trade it either.” Bob wiped away his tears and wiped his fogged up eyeglasses. “What are you doing, walking about with such a priceless artefact?”

Ignoring the comment, Grant slipped the idol back in his pack just as an announcement popped up.

Quest Update: Ties that Bind (Epic Level)

Information: You have discovered that the onyx idol is an ancient relic from the Cultivation Wars. Proceed to February to learn more.

Reward: Unknown.

“Bob, I think a suit of Early Spring Medium armor would be suitable at the moment.” Seeing that the huge man wasn’t trying to mug him, Grant forced himself to calm down and get what he came here for.

“Of… course.” Bob composed himself and went away to collect the armor. He came back with a suit of flimsy brown leather armor. “Here you go! A full set: head, torso, and legs. It may not look like much, but each piece will mitigate two damage if you are hit. You do need at least ten points of armor cultivation to see it’s benefits, of course…”

Grant quickly checked his stats again. “Twelve armor proficiency… it’s appropriate for my level.”

<Why would you tell someone your characteristics!> Sarge’s roar nearly knocked Grant over. <That is the same as telling them exactly who they need to send to kill you off!>

“Twelve?” Bob’s face was quivering in delight. “That’s incredibly impressive for someone your age! You must focus all of your efforts into armor cultivation? Well… at that great height, the armor will mitigate a full five points of damage in total!”

Not wanting to get another earful from Sarge, Grant quickly agreed. “I’ll take it.”

Bob nodded hurriedly, “Excellent. For delighting me with your wonderful relic, it is yours for only… six Days!”

Grant stopped short at the price. That was almost as much as Jo had stolen from him. His mouth worked, and another idea appeared in his head. “My friend Derek said to mention his name? That you may be able to offer a better deal?”

“I've to say, Mr. Monday… you’re an odd one. Walking around with a priceless artefact and then haggling over the price of a suit of Early Spring armor?” Bob sighed dramatically, then waved his hand. “I do owe Derek for a job he completed for me. If you come back today, you can have it for five Days.”

Grant opened his mouth to argue, but Bob cut him off harshly. “Sir, that really is the lowest I can go. I make a loss at that price, but I will be repaying Derek’s debt.”

“Okay. I will be back later. I just have to visit the, um… bank.” The bells tinkled as Grant left the shop. His initial enthusiasm was long gone. “How in the twelve districts am I going to come up with five Days?”

With sixty Minutes in an Hour, and twenty-four Hours in a Day… unless he got a job and worked for almost two whole weeks - since he could only provide unskilled labor - Grant wasn’t going to be getting his armor anytime soon. He entered the Noble shopping plaza in a daze, unsure where to turn.