CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Suiting Up, Part 2

Sam brushed his hand against the shiny metal chest plate. He could almost see himself wearing it and looking like a proper hero.

"This is awesome," he said.

“Spartan Endurance Suit for the front-line hero looking to keep his mobility in high-pressure situations…” Mr. Moonday rapped his fist against the abdomen, eliciting several dull thuds from it. “It’s a bi-weave suit made from a special combination of Kevlar fibers and Arachne Spider Silk. It’s both shock absorbent and tear-resistant up to a certain threshold.”

“What threshold?” Sam asked.

“A gunshot at point-blank range or a high-velocity knife cut would mean all bets are off,” Mr. Moonday answered.

He tapped a finger on the bronze chest plate next.

“The metal for this spell-forged bronze plating was dipped for twenty-four hours in a vat of molten lava I’d obtained from the underwater forges of the Cyclopes, and then cooled in a basin of spring water taken from a naiad’s fountain, all in preparation of shaping it into a sturdy piece of armor,” Mr. Moonday explained. “It’ll protect you from most low-tier debilitating powers such as enchantments, hexes, and curses, but I’d avoid anything gamma-level and above.”

Mr. Moonday asked Sam to set his mask against the suit’s dark blue fabric, which Sam did after a bit of fumbling around in his jacket pocket.

“The suit also comes in black, red, white, and green, but do you notice how the bronze of your mask pairs perfectly with this shade of blue?” he explained. “I recommend that this pairing should definitely be your new hero colors, Sam.”

Mr. Moonday’s explanations were already pretty detailed, but Triple-A had its own description for the suit that had automatically popped up as soon as Sam laid his eyes on it.

ITEM: Spartan Endurance Suit QUALITY: Rare TYPE: Equipment DESCRIPTION: A decent hero suit forged by the legendary Mr. Moonday himself. Its simple aesthetic design and survival capabilities make it the perfect companion for the newbie hero. BOONS: Strength +1, Willpower +2, Constitution + 4, Delta-level Shock Absorption, Delta-level Tear Resistance.

“This looks really, really expensive,” Sam commented.

“Not at all,” Mr. Moonday replied. “Given your discount—”

He tapped on his tablet some more.

“I’ve set the price at exactly five hundred Golden Drachmas,” Mr. Moonday added while showing Sam a numerical calculation on his tablet that Sam didn’t understand because it just looked like ancient Greek to him.

Sam couldn’t help the grin that appeared on his face then. It wasn’t just because Mr. Moonday was obviously favoring him, but also because he’d recalled the master telling him that five hundred drachmas, which had been the price of Cranium Smasher, would have been enough to buy Sam a decent set of hero gear.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Sam said.

“Say you’ll buy it,” Mr. Moonday prompted, “So we can move on to servicing your other needs.”

As an added incentive, Mr. Moonday even threw in a pair of supple, dark brown combat boots that Triple-A showed Sam increased his dexterity by one.

Sam accepted Mr. Moonday’s generosity while swearing to be worthy of the items he provided him.

“I’ll be happy if it keeps you alive long enough for you to make the front cover of the Herald, that would be nice publicity for me too,” he chuckled. “Now, you said you also wanted something to help you move around, yes?”

Sam’s brow furrowed when he recalled his desperate escape on the rooftop of the burning apartment building. His mind also flashed on the high-powered grappling gun strapped to Crow-Man’s belt. “Yeah… something within budget though.”

Mr. Moonday scrutinized Sam some more, his eyes moving up and down the length of Sam’s body.

“You look athletic enough to run at the head of an Iron Man race,” Mr. Moonday noted. “So I assume you’ll want something that’ll give you a vertical advantage… I have just the thing too.”

After more tablet-tapping and more clanging sounds, a second black case appeared on the conveyor belt. Inside this case were two bronze-plated leather bracers. A small bronze launcher with a grappling hook inserted into it was attached to the blade side of each bracer.

Sam’s eyes gazed hungrily down at the pair of bracers. “Whoa…”

“Whoa, indeed,” Mr. Moonday chuckled. “These gas-powered Grappling Bracers are a favorite of my more roguish customers for their ability to help one scale tall walls and reach high places.”

He picked up the pair of bracers and placed them into Sam’s hands.

“The rope is made of Arachne Spider Silk with over three-hundred-pound test monofilament and has a maximum length of fifteen yards,” he explained. “I treated the bronze plating the same way as the chest piece in your suit so you can expect them to have minimal defensive power against zeta-level powers.”

Sam was inspecting the small bronze hook that was shaped like a four-sided arrowhead. “Won’t these just tear my arms off when I use them, though?”

“Only if you use them the wrong way,” Mr. Moonday chuckled. “I suggest either a running start or a leaping action at the moment you launch a grappling hook… This should help you counteract your body’s natural resistance to being pulled.”

Moonday’s got the right idea, kid, the master agreed. We should probably add in some more strength exercises to your daily training mission too, so you’ll be able to manage the strain on the arms.

ITEM: Grappling Bracers QUALITY: Uncommon TYPE: Equipment DESCRIPTION: A tool that allows the hero a means to a quick escape or to facilitate urban travel via rooftop or wall-to-wall rappelling maneuvers. BOONS: Strength +1, Dexterity +1

“Okay, how much?” Sam asked.

“More than what remains of your budget, I’m afraid,” Mr. Moonday answered.

Sam’s face fell into sudden gloom and seeing it made Mr. Moonday chuckle.

“Now, now, Mr. Shepard, I’m not averse to payment by installments, but with interest, of course,” Mr. Moonday added.

Sam was quick to agree to this arrangement despite not having heard just how much the interest would be because he really, really wanted the bracers. In fact, he stated as much, “I have to get these…”

He dropped the rest of his golden drachmas, all six-hundred-and-twenty-two of them into Mr. Moonday’s waiting palm with a promise of another two-hundred more to settle the difference of the bracers’ costs.

“Don’t you fancy a new utility belt as well?” Mr. Moonday asked. “I have an affordable Kevlar belt that pairs very well with the Grappling Bracers.”

Sam shook his head. It wasn’t because Sam had no more money to pay for a better belt, but because he was very attached to his old utility belt, and he really didn’t want to part with it just yet.

“As for weapons—”

“I’m good on that front too, sir,” Sam blurted.

There was no way he would willingly part with Cranium Smasher, not until he’d gotten his money’s worth from it and then some. Otherwise, his master would just tease him over getting cheated by the OTC.

“Well then, it seems we’re done shopping for today,” Mr. Moonday said.

It was about this time when his tablet buzzed; forcing Mr. Moonday’s gaze away from Sam and back onto it.

Sam was quick to notice how Mr. Moonday’s smile turned upside down while he continued to watch whatever was on his screen.

“Oh, dear,” Mr. Moonday said under his breath.

“What?” Sam asked curiously.

Ask Moonday to turn on a TV, kid, his master urged. There’s some interesting news on the Argus News Network.

Sam did as the master asked, and so Mr. Moonday directed him to the eighty-inch screen that had just slid into view on the wall behind the conveyor belt.

“Breaking News,” said the middle-aged, salt-and-pepper-haired news anchor on screen. “There’s been an explosion inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art… The cause of the explosion is still unknown, but we are getting reports that it had originated in the ancient Greek and Roman Galleries… We’re also hearing word that a fire has broken out inside the museum, but first responders and heroes are already on scene to stop the growing blaze from destroying more priceless artworks and relics.”

“The ancient Greek gallery?” Sam wondered aloud. “Wasn’t there a big exhibit there today?”

“Yes,” Mr. Moonday answered, while the master replied at the same time with, Yeah, kid.

“Something related to the Oracles of Delphi,” Sam added.

He knew a bit about the special exhibit because Mr. Kim had sent him an email earlier today about wanting Sam to write a fluff piece on it as his first freelance assignment for the Herald.

“Authorities fear that some of the most priceless artifacts from the Classical Age were lost to the fire that came after the explosion,” the news anchor continued. “Including the world-renowned Delphic Chronicle and Heracles Bow...”

Sam’s eyes widened as the news anchor's words sent details streaking across the surface of his mind. “The Delphic Chronicle… that’s one of the centerpieces of the exhibit.”

His mind flashed on another piece of news he’d read about just this morning, the one where last night’s fire had resulted in a single casualty.

“Madam Fate… she’s a seer too,” Sam whispered.

Sam recalled the dead woman he’d found on the third floor, and how he’d given her the last rites and paid for her passage into the Underworld by placing two drachmas over her eyes.

Good... It seems you've noticed what you needed to notice, kid, his master answered almost like he’d read Sam’s mind. One instance might have meant anything, but two instances of prophetic sources being destroyed in an explosion within twenty-four hours of each other… that’s what we in the hero business call a pattern.

His master was right, and after last night, Sam didn’t think he could let this go or let someone else handle the case either. He didn’t really understand it yet, but he felt somewhat responsible, and whatever was happening, it was his job to figure it out.

“Mr. Moonday,” Sam picked up his cases from the worktable while the silver-eyed smith watched him. “Thanks for all your help, but I need to go… there’s something I need to look into.”