Forest Dweller's Hauberk,

Common

Offers moderate protection against weapons up to [Common] Grade. Crafted from the hide of a now-extinct species, the material serves as a shock absorber and force retardant while maintaining minimal restriction to movement. Minor camouflaging effect in forest terrain.

Strong Against: Slashing, Brute Force, and Blunt Attacks.

Weak Against: Stabbing, Piercing, and Sharp Bladed Attacks.

"Nice" Noah grinned as he read the description, and while he wasn't quite sure what a hauberk was, shock-absorption and force retardation sounded like they were going to be a lifesaver, especially during the night time when he would lose Liam's assistance.

"Not too shabby lad, your luc- Actually, nevermind" Liam abruptly cut himself off and started looking in a different direction. Noah knew that old coot had done it on purpose, but he tolerated it for now. The rewards were so good that even Liam's insufferable antics didn't seem too bad right now.

He was still balancing on the branch, so he quickly grabbed what looked like a dark green colored full sleeve shirt and deposited it into his inventory, after which he began his descent.

A few minutes later, when Noah had both his feet safely planted into the ground, he hurriedly pulled the [Forest Dweller's Hauberk] out of his inventory. It turned out to be a fusion of a full-sleeved t-shirt and a trench coat, with a soft-leather feel from the exterior while the interior was padded with brown animal fur. It stretched out till Noah's knees, like a Scottish kilt, but with an incision right in the middle to allow for easier movement and a belt attached at the waist to keep it tight.

It took Noah a minute or two to wear the Hauberk, deciding to wear it over his existing shirt. During the process, he ended up noticing small runic engravings carved out into the animal hide, wondering if those were the reason behind the 'minor camouflage effect'. Finally clasping the belt button according to his waist size, he now felt much more dressed for the occasion.

"Well, 2 armor pieces certainly isn't a bad haul. No more time for treasure hunting left, unfortunately. Let's go around and hunt ourselves some goblins, and who knows, might find a crate lying around in the bushes somewhere. " Liam said lazily while holding a half-eaten hot dog in his right hand while flipping through the pages of a lifestyle magazine with the other.

Noah tsked, and shot back "You sure seem to love American food for all the shit you give me about it".

After taking a big bite into the hot dog, Liam replied "Whoa, steady there lad. Where'd you get that misconception from? I was critiquing the inherent flaw of American food, but man I couldn't live without a double cheeseburger and some chips alongside a dash of coleslaw" said Liam, nodding in appreciation at his hot dog as if it were his best friend.

"Why would you order a cheeseburger with potato chips?" Noah asked, puzzled.

"Huh? Have you gone daft, lad? Chips, not potato chips. C'mon, you never heard of fish 'n' chips?" asked Liam, looking at Noah as if he had come across some weirdo on the tube.

".....You could've just said french fries." Noah deadpanned. "So, Professor Liam, please tell me what the "inherent flaw" of American food is," Noah asked, slightly offended.

"Well lad, the flaw is simple. American food tastes so fuckin' good, you lot don't see a need to try other cuisines. I totally see why, but c'mon live life a little. " Liam explained to Noah as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"For the first time, Professor Liam, I think we might just be in agreement," Noah replied, and he couldn't help but break out in a wide grin at the man's ridiculous antics.

About 15 minutes later, as Noah was making his way through the bushes and shrubs that littered the forest, he heard guttural noises that were almost familiar to him by now. Except, the difference this time was that he was the one going 'round looking.

He instinctively dropped to a crouch and hoped that his new camo suit would let him blend in between the two bushes he was situated between. Slightly craning his neck to get a better view of the situation while hoping he wouldn't end up disturbing the bushes and making noise, he saw two goblins talking animatedly with hand gestures roughly 10 meters away from him.

The one standing to Noah's left had a spear that he loosely held, its tip pointed upwards, while the one to the right was holding a wicked-looking halberd.

"It's open, kid. You can complain now," said Liam, while yawning loudly.

"How do I deal with spear users? They'll impale me with that thing before I get anywhere near landing a blow," mentally asked Noah, vexed. If there was one, maybe an ambush would work. But with two, and that halberd as a looming threat, he really didn't want to take a chance like that.

"Simple. Get a nice shield and close in on them." Liam chuckled.

"...."

"They're goblins kid. Sneak up next to that tree and call them a wanker. If you get impaled with 5 dexterity, then that's on you. It's like that Spanish thing, where you're supposed to dodge a bull with just a red flag on ya" Liam had one leg crossed over the other as if he was about to watch an exciting show unfold.

Noah didn't reply, as he slowly distanced himself from the bushes he was hiding behind, and started proceeding towards the tree Liam had pointed out. It was only 5 meters away, though if it wasn't for his boots and hauberk, he probably wouldn't be able to go so far undetected.

Thankfully, there was enough foliage to act as cover, and a few minutes later he'd reached his destination. A mischievous grin appeared on Noah's face and he confidently said "Hey Liam, remember when I told you I'd surprise you?"

Noah didn't wait for a response, as he opened his inventory and pulled out the spiked bludgeon from earlier. Gripping it with both his hands, he focused on his target. The reason he had been so afraid earlier on was because the location of the tree was closer to the goblins, and only 7 or 8 meters separated them now.

Taking a deep breath, and thinking back on his successful attempt from before he abruptly rose with both his hands behind his back and let the bludgeon fly towards the goblin with the halberd. It was the goblin's fault for being scarier.

The bludgeon arced beautifully in the air as Noah let loose a shot that would make professional basketball players jealous, completing 5 or 6 rotations before it striking the halberd-wielding goblin right in its chest for no fault of his own, the spikes penetrating deeply into its skin as a pained howl could be heard.

"WANKER!" yelled Noah loudly in a faux British accent, preparing for the aftermath of his attack as the sound of howling laughter made its way into his ears.