Chapter 38

Crimson made his way to the Armory; since he leveled up he needed to grab a new weapon- one appropriate for his level, and there was something else he needed to consider: katanas aren’t really meant for stabbing. Well, they can- they have a tip, but they aren’t really meant to. There are some katanas that were designed to stab, but he wasn’t interested in picking one up.

There were a few ways he could solve the problem, first: change out his sword for something equally good at stabbing and slashing, second: pick up a dagger designed for stabbing as a secondary weapon, or third: just pick up a secondary weapon like an estoc.

He kinda liked the third option, but lugging around a second sword when he needed to be able to move quickly would be a hinderance, not a help. He didn’t like the first option, he liked his katana, and the fighting style Mars had taught him worked remarkably well with it, and his ideas for his own style relied on the overall design of a katana. That left the second option.

He glanced around the courtyard to make sure that nobody was watching him, and summoned Lena again. She appeared in a bubble of light and he caught her. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and asked, “How did it go master?”

“I hit level 2, and I lost my arm.”

“Lost…your arm?”

“Lena, that look in your eyes is scary.”

“Please explain what you mean master.

“Well, when we were in the dungeon I accidentally froze and a goblin got a critical strike when it was attacking me so…I lost my arm for about 2 minutes? I think it was about that long before Dale started growing it back.”

Lena still had the scary look in her eye as she responded, “It was probably quite a bit less than that master, time will feel like it passes slower during stressful situations. Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay now, and congratulations on hitting level 2,” She glanced around, “by the way, what are we doing now?”

“Oh, I was going to pick up some new weapons. I want to check on Sariya after that as well. I haven’t seen her in a while.”

Lena nodded as he set her on his shoulder, “That’s a good idea, I’m worried that she’s being bullied behind your back.”

“It’s more or less certain that she is Lena, remember those maids that tried to make me stay away from her? Based of that I’d have to say that she is definitely being bullied.”

“You can’t say it’s ‘definite’ master, we don’t have any proof.”

“True, but I’m not a police officer, I don’t need proof to be worried about a friend, especially a friend I’m dating.”

“You aren’t dating yet master, you’ve just talked to her a few times.”

“True.”

Crimson waved to the guards as they entered the Armory and walked up to the first pedestal.

“Hey you! Hold on a second.”

He turned around and saw one of the guards approaching him, “Yes?”

“Are you here to return a weapon?”

He nodded, “I am, and to pick up a new one.”

The guard nodded back and gestured for him to follow him. The guard led Crimson to the wall on the far side of the room- opposite the entrance. He pointed at a weird alcove in the wall. It was large enough to hold any weapon and any shield, which meant that it was massive. It was about 4 yards wide and easily 2 yards deep, the bottom-most part of it came up to his waist, and it arched- ending a foot or so above his head.

“You put the weapons you’re returning here. They need to be checked and repaired by a Blacksmith before it can be put back into stock.”

Crimson took the [Wayfarer’s Katana] out of his inventory and set it in the alcove. Blue particles of light began to surround it, after a few seconds it was completely covered in them, and they condensed together to form a blue ball with shot up a hole in the ceiling.

“Pretty cool huh? I like how it disappears without warning.”

With out warning? But I just saw it…

“The reason we don’t have the DGs just give it to the blacksmiths themselves is because it interrupts the flow of their work, and some DGs are sissies and want to blame their failures on the weapon, and by extension the blacksmiths themselves. Because of that we had to create a separation, and this was the solution!”

Crimson nodded distractedly, “Thank you for helping me.”

“It’s no big deal.” The guard waved of his thanks, “Well, I’d better get back to my post, you grab your new weapon and skedaddle.”

“Gotcha.”

Crimson walked to the first pedestal again and went to swords, he picked out another katana- one more appropriate for his level- and then began to browse through the knives.

“What are you thinking master?”

“I was thinking it might be useful to have a weapon that can stab.”

“Can’t you stab with a katana?”

“Technically, you can, but they aren’t really meant for it. They’re more for slashing, and stabbing with a curved blade is harder than with something straight.”

“Really? It seems like you could just get used to it.”

“I could, but it’s better to just pick up another weapon instead. I need a back-up in case I drop my katana, and a weapon that’s designed to stab will always be better than on that isn’t.”

Crimson found what he was looking for.

“For example: compare the tip of my new [Requiem’s Toll] katana to this [Backbiter] stiletto knife. The katana has a point yes, but the blade gets broader much more quickly making it unsuited for stabbing.”

“That knife looks like a giant needle.”

“Yeah, it’s called a stiletto. It’s designed specifically for stabbing, from what I know of them they were popular for assassinations. Apparently they could also pierce plate armor, but that probably won’t hold up in this world.”

“It depends on the stats master, but why do you need a weapon for stabbing at all?”

“Well, in some of the games I played there was different kind of physical damage: slashing, piercing, blunt, etc. and there were enemies that were weaker to some types than others. I’m just trying to be prepared in case that happens here.”

“Oh, that makes sense master, and you’re right, but don’t think of this like a video game I don’t want you to die.”

“Don’t worry, I know it’s not a game.” He coldly stated as he rubbed his ‘new’ arm.

“Let’s go check on Sariya.”