Baggy eyes. Daiden noticed his eyes in a reflection. He dipped his hands into the bowl and splashed a little water on his face. He waited for the water to settle and checked his reflection again. Daiden sighed in that moment, wearing a tired expression. He returned to his bed and mumbled into a collapse. Lazily, he pushed off from one side and turned towards the ceiling. He remained there, motionless, even as the sun crept in from the cracks, the windows.

“Didn’t the appraiser say something similar as well?” remembered Daiden. “Dividing my attention between combat and production, two very separate professions…It should make sense, shouldn’t it? I mean, it’s information from the source, from the horse’s mouth.”

Daiden focused on the message from Takshaka and opened his Mioveroldian Page. Even with the updated skill, the page offered little information on Takshakan Tailoring. He covered his face and pulled down on his cheeks in frustration. He toyed with his Mioveroldian Page and noticed a message from Skunk. It opened with a tap.

“My friend,

We received word of another interesting quest. I apologize for leaving in a hurry; exploring the dark alleys of Multana City will have to wait. Let’s stay in touch, and do consider my proposition on joining us as a permanent member of our group.

Oh, and yes. Lina apologizes for not being there to hug you goodbye. Are you sure there’s nothing going on between the two of you? I jest.

Skunk”

“It took a lot out of me to not go into her tent that night,” said Daiden, under his breath. He smiled. “Well, she’s still a good friend!”

Daiden shot up straight and freshened to a new set of clothes. He broke from his morning routine and decided on an early breakfast instead. At the table, he noticed and waved at Amora. The two of them ate together.

“I have a question,” said Daiden, gesturing with his wooden spoon. “Is tailoring a good profession?”

Amora cocked her head with interest. “That depends on how good you are. Isn’t that the case with any profession?”

“True,” admitted Daiden, with a shrug. “Have you heard of a link between the needle and the sword?”

“What?” asked Amora, plainly. “I don’t understand.”

“Needle and sword?” repeated Daiden. “Has there ever been a link between the two professions, combat and tailoring? I’m just curious.”

“I…don’t think so,” said Amora. “A tailor is a tailor, soldiers and combatants are different. I don’t suppose there’s a lot of time in the world to master two professions.”

Daiden hummed, resting his head on the back of his palm. He almost laughed even. “Strange that you say that.” He quietened to his thoughts and finished, “Given immortality and all…”

“Opportunity, access, and time…” thought Daiden. “I suppose they’re just excuses from my old world. We’re all the same. Probably what ends up creating the one percent.”

As Daiden juggled between memories, he finished and thanked Amora for the meal.

“Why don’t you stop by Balder’s Promise, if you have the time today,” suggested Amora, watching Daiden prepare for departure. “He’s the best tailor in Multana City, and fairly renowned across the Empire. You could maybe get a different answer to your question from him. Do you want me to write you an introduction?”

Daiden’s eyes brightened with excitement. “Ah, yes, please!”

Amora cheerily updated Daiden’s Mioveroldian Page through the GCQI Magic Network. With the introduction, Daiden returned to his room for a quick check and exited the building. He stretched in the sunlight and moved towards Craftsman’s Cross. His feet waded through the bazaar-like rush once more, with relative ease this time. He dodged a few more hawkers and hurriedly entered a familiar environment, with blacksmiths working the bellows, breathing hot air, and in motion to the music of hammer against anvil. He smiled at the board that read, Ironside & Sons.

A little later, Daiden met with Anvi and Kir deep in discussion. They turned to Daiden in a frenzy and rushed him with several designs. With the Sand Cores and the Sand King’s exoskeleton, they focused on the armour first. Anvi urged Daiden into a seat and sat across him, with Kir by his side.

“Thank you for sending us the materials in advance,” said Anvi. “Also, Kir spent a few hours with me describing your preferences in combat. Would you like to go over it once with me?”

“Of course!” said Daiden, happily. “Anything to reach the best result.”

Anvi opened his Mioveroldian Page and placed it flat on the table. He cleared the information to a blank page and worked on a design. His fingers guided the aeter to ink, and then to a detailed diagram. The protective gear around the shoulder and elbows showed several hinges, with multiple parts interlocked for motion. Daiden noticed a similar design around the knees and ankles as well. The breastplate connected to the armour on the bottom, shaped to the hips, from the centre, using a shorter piece. Anvi chose to use tough leather as inner garments to protect the exposed portions on the sides, and some other parts of the body as well.

Daiden expressed his admiration with a wide, childlike smile. Just as he had described it, protective equipment designed for agility and speed. He scratched his chin and glanced at the result once more, then nodded.

“I love it!” said Daiden, honestly. “This will use the exoskeleton, yes?”

“We’re going to spend a little more than usual on this,” said Anvi. “It’s not everyday that I receive such materials to work with. Kir and I will be mixing in white iron as well; it absorbs aeter very well. I’m not an enchanter, but smelting the Sand Cores this way might give us interesting results. We’ll be doing something similar for your sword as well.”

“What about the leather parts?” asked Daiden.

“We can work with leather,” explained Anvi. “You might get better results from a tailor though. I wanted to consult with you on that. It might increase the cost a bit.”

“Let’s involve a tailor,” said Daiden, without hesitation. “What about Balder’s Promise?”

“A bit of an eccentric, but I like the boy,” said Anvi, raising an eyebrow. “How do you know of him?”

“Ah, I have business there,” admitted Daiden, with a half-truth. “I have a Letter of Introduction from the GCQI as well, should make things a lot easier for us.”

Anvi hummed at the explanation. His eyes moved to Kir for a moment, and then to Daiden again. With a sigh, he chose to avoid probing into the matter. “I don’t mind.”

Daiden noticed Anvi’s curiosity as well and hurriedly asked another question. “How much would this cost me?”

“Balder will give you a better estimate on the leatherwork, but I expect no more than twelve thousand bloodstones,” said Anvi, after some quick calculations. “But as discussed previously, we’re willing to lend you the capital without interest. Think of it as a favour, considering the materials you’ve given us.”

“Could you lower the price to ten thousand?” asked Daiden. “I can front four thousand bloodstones immediately. And I’ll exclusively sell anything I obtain from future raids here.”

Anvi turned to Kir. “Son, you didn’t tell me he liked to bargain.” He returned to Daiden and folded his arms, leaning in for a nod. “You have yourself a deal, boy. I can smell good business when it slaps me in the face.”

“Great!” said Daiden, shaking hands with Anvi and Kir. “How long until its ready?”