The street urchin led Edwin through the maze of alleyways between the western quarter’s workshops, factories and foundries until they spat them out on a street further south. Olin pulled the large man down the road, stopping in front of a shop. The sign showed the customary needle and thread of a tailor without any further adornment or a name.

“Is Mistress Tullia’s shop.” Olin said, looking pleased with himself. “Makes clothes for workers ‘n stuff. Sturdy ‘n cheap, ye?”

“That’s the plan.” Edwin acknowledged, entering the building.

The inside of the small shop was packed, fabrics and stacks of garments taking up almost every available space, leaving only narrow aisles. It was colorful, but undyed greys and blacks dominated. As Edwin took in the sight, an old woman came out of a back room to greet him. She looked short and fragile, walking with the help of a cane, but her kind smile and demeanor made her seem lively.

“Hello, dearie. I haven’t seen you before, what can I do for you?”

Edwin returned the smile, stepping up to the counter. “Hello, Mistress, my name is Edwin. I’m looking to buy clothes, and your establishment came highly recommended.”

“Oh my, did it really? You flatter me, but you should know that I mostly sell work attire. If you wish to look your finest, say, to woo a lady, you might want to consider going elsewhere.”

Edwin tilted his head in agreement. “So I’ve heard. You see, I’ve just joined the Adventurer’s Guild, so I’m looking for clothes that can withstand the hardships of training, travel, and ultimately combat. In a way, you could say that I do need work clothes.”

“Oh my, an adventurer?” Mistress Tullia exclaimed in wonder. “Well, I’ve yet to make clothes for one of our valiant protectors. I do believe I understand what you wish for, however, and I can surely make it. I‘m afraid I have nothing on hand that would fit you, so it will take a few days at least.”

Edwin agreed, and the old woman asked him to the back of the shop where she took his measurements. She did it with practiced ease, only slowing when she had trouble reaching Edwin’s shoulders. The use of a step, and Edwin finally kneeling down despite her profuse apologies, allowed her to finish the process. The seamstress told Edwin he would be able to pick up the sets of clothes he had ordered in a week, and he found himself back on the street.

“So, whaddaya think?” Olin asked, jumping to his feet. “Good?”

“Hard to say.” Edwin said. “I don’t have my order yet, after all, so I can’t speak to its quality.”

He scratched his head in thought. “I didn’t think of this when I offered you the job, so it’s my fault. Tell you what: The price was right, and the clothes I saw in the shop seemed of good quality. I’ll give you your bonus this time, but next time I have to order something, you don’t get it until I have my wares. Sounds fair?”

Olin grimaced. “I guess.”

Edwin chuckled, tossing him another coin. “Oh don’t pout. You’re already up two coppers, and you’ll still get the last one once we’re done.”

“I s’ppose.” The urchin grumbled, although he was unable to hide his satisfied expression when he let the coin disappear. “Where to next?”

“Our next stop is a shop called “Armin’s Arms”. You know it?”

“’Course I do.” Olin huffed, strutting towards the mouth of the the alley they’d come from. “Told ya, know all the shops.”

“So you did.” Edwin laughed, following the scrawny boy. “My apologies.”

--- ----- ---

‘Armin’s Arms and Armors’, as the sign called it, was massive. If it wasn’t the largest blacksmith’s shop in the city, it had to be close. It was three stories high, with a tunnel for carts and a loading door with a crane above it. It would have looked like one of the workshops that churned out items to be exported throughout Harvand, except for the inviting storefront with large windows that dominated the bottom floor. If Mennick hadn’t sent him, Edwin would have passed by the shop, assuming it to be too pricy to fit Edwin’s purse. The instructor knew best, however, so Edwin entered – and stopped in wonder.

The large showroom was filled to the brim with weapons of all kinds. An entire wall was hung with different shields, wooden and metal, round, triangular, oval, square, no two were the same. The opposite wall was all swords: Long and short, wide and thin, one or two edges. There were displays scattered around the space with special pieces in them, and Edwin couldn’t help but stare.

“Welcome to Armin’s Arms and Armors! How can I help you today?” The cheerful greeting broke Edwin out of his reverie, and he directed his gaze at the counter. A young girl with pigtails, maybe ten years old, was proudly sticking out over it, probably standing on a box to contribute the necessary height. For a moment, Walter thought it was Minyara. They had the same smug smile, the same blonde hair darkened by dirt, the same confident demeanor. Just as Min had been in the days before Walter had found her beaten and bled out in an alley in Pel Oreis.

Edwin realized he was staring and pushed Walter’s memories back down. Min had died a long time ago, before Walter had even left to build the Immortalizer. He hadn’t thought about her in a long time, and this was as bad time to start scratching at old wounds as any. He conjured a fake smile, noticing how often he’d had to do so since he arrived at the city, and approached the counter.

“Greetings, Mistress, I assume you are the proprietress of this establishment?”

She giggled. “No, silly, that’s my father! I just help out around the shop!”

Edwin nodded, understanding. “Ah, my apologies milady. But I am sure you can assist me either way. You see, I am a recruit of the Adventurer’s Guild, and I was informed that you could fulfil my needs regarding armaments.”

“Sure!” she chirped, hopping off her box and emerging from behind the counter. “Normally my father likes to help out new adventurers, but he’s away on a trip right now. I can fill in while he’s gone.” She stopped, her face scrunching up in thought. “I’m not so good with the smithing part though, so I’ll get you someone! Wait here!” And with that she scurried off, disappearing between the displays before Edwin could get a word out. He was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed quietly.

Yes, just like her.

With the girl gone, Edwin decided to peruse a little. He slowly wandered through the room, marveling at the different weapons on the stands. He had absolutely no clue about smithing, but they seemed impressive and well-crafted. Towards the back, he found a few hammers and maces on a stand. One of the maces caught his eye. It was entirely made of shining steel, as long as his forearm, and the head was forged into eight nasty looking blades. To top it off, the whole thing was tipped with a barbed spike. It looked mean, but Edwin wondered if it was still useful as a mace. Wouldn’t all those blades get in the way?

A door opened, and Edwin turned. The girl was back, excitedly dragging a laughing young man in a leather apron after her by his hand. Noticing Edwin, he let himself be towed the rest of the way.

“Hello, I’m Toris. Essa said you’re an adventurer?”

Edwin offered him a hand, and he shook it.

“I’m Edwin. Yes, I just joined. My instructor told me to come here for my initial equipment. Looking around, I’m not sure I can afford your services, though.”

“Nonsense!” Toris laughed. “Armin’s has been the official supplier of the Adventurer’s Guild here in Pel Darni for over a century. Usually, Master Quinnick would welcome you himself. He likes to help recruits pick out their first weapons, but sadly he’s traveling.

“I already told him that!” Essa cut in. “I’m here as his sub-sti-tute!”

“Well that’s okay then.” Toris chuckled, roughing Essa’s hair, which caused her to squeal indignantly and hide behind one of the displays. “So, Edwin, what shall it be?”

“A mace.” Edwin answered. “I am…somewhat limited in a budgetary sense, and instructor Mennick mentioned that a mace might be inexpensive. I am starting to have my doubts, however…” he trailed off, looking at the mean-looking mace he had been admiring earlier. Toris followed his eyes and laughed.

“Don’t worry, that one is a bad example. Come, I know exactly what you’re looking for.”

He led the way to the very back of the room, where several doors led further into the shop. The wall between the doors was taken up by a tall stack of shelves filled with boxes. Toris stuck his hand into one of the boxes, tossing something to Edwin. He reflexively caught it, curiously studying the item. It was a thick metal ring, the outside fashioned into broad, dull spikes. For a moment Edwin was confused, then it clicked.

“We make these by the dozen.” Toris explained. “You can choose the length of the haft you want, and I’ll stick that on top. You can’t really get cheaper than that unless you buy just the stick.”

“Makes sense.” Edwin answered, tossing the ring up and catching it again to feel its weight. “It seems a bit light, though.”

“It isn’t as heavy as you would think, but that’ll change once it’s on the haft.” Toris promised.

Edwin wasn’t convinced, measuring the object in his hands. Finally, he asked “Do you have a larger size?”

Toris scratched his head, looking back into the box. “I don’t think so. We do them all the same. Are you sure you want a bigger one? Swinging that could get real tiring.”

Edwin tossed the ring up again. “Yes.” He decided. “This one is alright, but a larger one would be better. As long as that isn’t too much effort…?”

The blacksmith took another ring out of the box, studying it. “Well, here’s what I think: These things are easy to make, so it’s not a real problem to make it a different size. It would require more material, obviously, and with the extra work… You would want a thicker haft as well, to take the additional force. Maybe a slightly longer one, too.” He trailed off, considering Edwin thoughtfully.

“Alright, here’s the deal: I have an apprenticeship examination coming up, where I have to forge a weapon all by myself. Usually I would do something simple, but not too simple. A mace like this wouldn’t work for that. If it’s a custom job where I improve on a tried and tested design, however, that would be permitted. I would actually prefer that, because it would allow me to really show the masters what I can do instead of making the same piece that everyone else does. It comes with more risk for you, however. I’m an apprentice, so you don’t get the guaranteed quality that you would get if you just ordered this from our shop.”

Edwin pondered his words for a moment. “Alright, what’s in it for me?”

Toris grinned triumphantly. “Well first of all, I’m pretty good, so just because the quality isn’t guaranteed doesn’t mean it won’t be good. And secondly, since you’ll help me out, I would sell it to you at the same price that the smaller ones go for.” He held up the ring. “So, what do you think?”

“Are you allowed to do that?” Edwin asked, slightly wary.

“Don’t worry!” The smith laughed. “If I didn’t tell you that I would be making it, I would get into trouble. But if you agree to buy something I made, you basically accept the risk. This way, you can’t complain later if I mess up. However, since it’s an exam piece, it will be looked over by a master anyway, so that’s not really a problem. Honestly, we both win!”

“Alright, you’ve sold me.” Edwin said, infected by the young apprentice’s enthusiasm.

“Great. Come over here, so we can figure out the specific measurements.