Refreshed after an almost decadent amount of sleep, Edwin was waiting in front of Armin’s Arms and Armors. Bordan was the next to arrive.

“How’s the arm?” He called as he approached.

“Good as new.” Edwin answered, flexing it. “Didn’t even take long, apparently they just needed to stitch it all together, barely any regrowth required.”

“That’s good.” Bordan nodded, prodding at the smooth, unmarked skin. “It’s high time you get some armor though. Do you know what you want yet?”

Edwin’s reply was cut short when Salissa spotted them from across the street and walked over.

“Good morning.” She greeted them. “This is it?”

“This is it.” Edwin agreed. “Apparently, it’s the official supplier of the Guild. Or was it the unofficial one?” He tried to recall the conversation but gave up when he couldn’t remember the details. “Either way, it has a wide variety of weapons and armor, and several master smiths. We should be able to find pretty much anything we need here.”

They entered and were greeted by an apprentice.

“Is Toris in?” Edwin asked.

“I think so. Let me fetch him for you.”

The apprentice disappeared in the back, returning a short time later with the other young man. Toris’ face lit up the moment he recognized them.

“Edwin! Good to see you back from your assignment. How did it go? How did the mace do?”

The adventurers told a very abbreviated version of their experience, the two apprentices listening with rapt attention.

“What I had worked well enough, but we realized that I need some upgrades, especially when it comes to protection. I was thinking a helmet, pauldrons, gauntlets, and greaves. You did good work last time; do you think you could do it again?”

Toris smiled sadly. “You flatter me. I’m afraid that anything more complicated than simple weapons is still far beyond me. Even if I was allowed to try, I wouldn’t be comfortable making armor for you, as I couldn’t guarantee its quality. On top of that, you’ve picked a horrible time for buying armor.”

“Why?” Edwin said with a frown. “Did Iron get even more expensive than last time?”

“It was expensive, but that’s not the point.” Toris said. “When the duke instituted the draft, he also issued a duchy-wide ban on the sale of steel and iron. Our iron production was never an issue before, but with thousands of new soldiers coming in, all needing weapons and armor, it seems the mines can’t keep up and supplies are running out. We actually can’t sell you any iron armor.”

“Well, that puts a damper on my plans.” Edwin said with a frown “Isn’t there an exception for adventurers or something?”

Toris shook his head. “No exceptions, I’m afraid. You know how it is, the war is all that matters now.”

Edwin shared a look with Bordan. “Huh. I guess I’ll have to think of something else. Maybe I’ll go for leather armor instead. You can still make me a new shield, right? Also, Bordan needs his spear fixed. It just needs a new shaft, so no laws broken.”

“Sure, that’s possible. Actually, wait here for a moment!”

Toris grabbed the other apprentice’s arm and they scurried off, whispering to each other. Bordan looked at Edwin with a raised eyebrow. Edwin shrugged.

While the adventurers waited, they looked around the room. Edwin hadn’t noticed at first, but many of the weapon and armor mounts on the walls were empty. He didn’t know if the items had been melted down or sold to the army as they were, but the bare walls of the store looked strange.

The apprentices came back, following an elderly man. He was short and wiry, with the weathered skin of one who spent too much time near hot fires and flying embers.

“Good day.” He said with a smile, approaching the adventurers. “I’m Master Quinnick, the owner of this establishment. You must be Edwin.”

Edwin shook the proffered hand and returned the greeting, introducing his companions.

“I try to meet all the new adventurers who come here for their equipment. I heard of the deal you made with Toris, but I was on a trip during that time. It was somewhat unusual, but I hope you were satisfied nevertheless?”

“Absolutely.” Edwin said firmly, causing the apprentice to beam. “The mace performed admirably against a variety of monsters.”

“The boys tell me you’re in the market for armor?”

“That we are, Master.” Edwin said. ”But Toris here said that the market’s not in for us. We only just got back from a long assignment, and we hadn’t heard about the iron restriction.”

“Yes, that.” The Master shook his head sadly. “I understand the necessity, but not being able to supply our craft to the Guild for the first time since my ancestors opened the shop is still painful. There might be a solution, however. What do you know about direbeast armor?”

Edwin scratched his head. Walter hadn’t known anything about any kind of armor, except for some aspects of their trade and supply, so he looked to Bordan.

“I’ve never seen it.” The former soldier said slowly. “But from what I’ve heard it’s something rich people hang on their walls. Expensive, gaudy and useless.”

Quinnick smiled. “Yes, it has that reputation, and not without reason. Most of the direbeast armor you find for sale doesn’t deserve the name, as it’s just beast parts stuck on leather to look interesting. As you said, they’re decorative. If you have the time to indulge me, I’d like to show you something.”

The adventurers shared looks, and when Edwin looked past Quinnick, Toris was nodding vigorously.

Edwin inclined his head towards the Master. “We have plenty of time, and we’d be honored to receive insight into your work.”

“Marvelous.” Quinnick said with a smile. “Follow me.”

He led them through the shop and through one of the back doors. They walked down a corridor, then through a large room with a high ceiling and a large forge in the middle. Several blacksmiths were at work, pounding metal into shape, apprentices scurrying about to aid them. Towards the back of the smithing floor was another door, which Quinnick unlocked with a key.

“This is my personal workshop.” The master said as he beckoned them inside. “I have the good fortune to employ enough skilled craftsmen that I am rarely needed to assist myself. That means that I have plenty of time for my own projects.”

The room was of a decent size, and with its own small forge in the corner. The walls were covered in tables and shelves. It wasn’t exactly disorganized, but Edwin could definitely tell that it was a private room, as it was much less tidy than all other parts of Armin’s had been.

“My father started research into direbeast armor as a hobby.” Quinnick continued, walking towards another door. “A good friend of his was a mage who studied monsters at the Mage’s College. When he returned to Pel Darni, the two of them began working on it. As you may or may not know, direbeasts are magical creatures. It’s why they can become so large. Some of their parts, especially the direshield, are highly responsive to magic.”

Edwin knew, of course. Walter had used the same principle when crafting his body. It was why his bones were so strong. Quinnick opened the second door and led them into a storage room. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of weapons, armor and other bits and pieces that Edwin couldn’t identify. Most importantly though was an armor stand that was covered in pieces of armor made mostly from direshields.

“To skip over years of trial and error and make a long story short, we have found ways to make these parts much more resilient, to the point where they are comparable to metal armor.”

“That sounds fascinating.” Edwin said. “Why haven’t we heard of that before?”

“Until now, it was solely a hobby.” Quinnick said. “I have gifted some of my practice pieces to friends and business partners, but there was never a reason to produce them for sale. Metal armor is much easier and cheaper to make, especially in quantity. One set of armor like this would need parts from several direbeasts, and they need to be the right size. Every direbeast is different, so every piece is unique as well. Also, I need the help of a competent mage to prepare it, which raises the price and limits the production again. The only clear benefit of using this type of armor is its weight compared to metal. On the other hand, it’s bulkier. Now that we can’t sell you iron armor, however, I was thinking of offering direbeast armor to adventurers. What do you think?”

Edwin carefully stepped over to the displayed pieces. It wasn’t really a suit of armor, simply a collection of individual parts that differed greatly in size and shape. It looked strange compared to the armor he knew, but if it protected him, did it matter?

“I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t interested, but I’m not sure if I can afford it.” Edwin said slowly. “We just finished several assignments, so I expect the payout to be quite decent, but If it’s even more expensive than iron armor, I doubt that it’s within my price range.”

“I intend to sell these pretty much at cost for now.” Quinnick said. “You adventurers protect all of us, and our mission here at Armin’s has always been to make sure that you can do so safely and effectively. I consider this my personal contribution to the war effort. If you agree to this, I’ll make you a special offer, as you’ll be the first one to wear this into actual combat. I’m sure of the quality, but nobody has ever tested one of the pieces over a longer period, so you would be part of the research process, if you will. If you’re satisfied with the product, you could also help me spread the word in the Guild. Advertise it, if you will. It will take me a while to finish these anyway, so you can pay in increments.”

“Master Quinnick, that is incredibly generous.” Edwin said, stunned. “I’m fascinated by this application of magic myself, so I was more than interested even before. With an offer like this, there is no way I can refuse.”

“Excellent!” Quinnick grinned, and Edwin saw a glimpse of a kindred spirit. Master Quinnick was one of the more wealthy and well-connected craftsmen of the city, but below the mask of an influential businessman was a boy who’d grown up beside a forge, who loved his craft and spent his free time experimenting and innovating. Behind Quinnick, Toris was looking at his Master with reverence. Edwin remembered the apprentice’s drive to explore and innovate, and with a role model like this, he understood where the boy had gotten it.