Rise Of Myth: Heir To Valor

"So what"s this tailor like?"

"She"s not a tailor, well, she is as skilled as any tailor, and instructs those among her students in the craft, but she"s something more of an armorer. As long as it"s not steel plate, she will work with it, she finds the heavier pieces lack the flexibility she needs to remain interested in the work." Asha explained as they stopped before one of the workshops. It was a large two story structure, made largely from brick, unlike other workshops, it did not seem as welcoming to customers, not even a welcoming mat or sign.

"Not much for marketing her wares, huh?"

"Trust me, she does not need to."

Without so much as a knock, Asha simply opened the door and entered a foyer; armless mannequins were stood along the walls with a variety of armor made mostly from hides, thick wool, and an occasional accent of light mail.

A dwarf girl greeted them, she seemed young in appearance, but Val was not too sure about the lifespan of dwarves.

"Welcome, picking up or placing an order?" The seeming receptionist dwarf was courteous and did not seem to care about the unannounced entrance.

"Placing one, though what you have in stock may suffice. Is Joanne in?" Asha asked, eying the wares around the room.

"She is, can I ask your name?"

"Just tell her that her friend from House Evenwind is here with warm regards, and a fair amount of coin to spend."

"One moment please." The receptionist scurried up some stairs at the back of the room.

Val was perusing the wares, and overall looked very impressed with what he found. Jerkins made from leather with soft woolen lining along the interior, thick enough to feel st.u.r.dy but they all seemed at most a pound or two in weight, even one with fine chainmail lining the shoulders. He was particularly looking for anything that was close to what he was comfortable with.

It was only a few minutes when Val heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a stern voice chiding Asha.

"You don"t visit, you don"t write, and now you show up unannounced sending me your "warm regards" through my apprentice instead of marchin" up yourself? I patched up your armor who knows how many times and you disappear for two years?" A tanned, dwarven woman standing little over four feet with scowling brown eyes was descending the stairs, maybe even stomping down the stairs. Val was not sure about dwarven lifespan but she was definitely older, though not elderly. She had an air of experience about her, contrasted only by bright red hair in a single thick braid, it looked dyed but Val could not tell, perhaps it was natural.

Normally a four foot tall woman might just amuse Val but this one seemed terrifying, like one"s mother on a warpath. He stood off to the side trying to find a way to escape her gaze.

Asha herself seemed rather fl.u.s.tered. "I"ve been busy, spent most of the last couple years up North on a—"

"Bulls.h.i.t, you know Boldir deals information to more than just you. You were here not one year ago, just before winter."

"I heard you opened a store in Aurulia so I a.s.sumed—"

"You a.s.sumed I was not here and did not bother the ten minute walk from your warm bed over at the Chimera?"

"I uh… Forgot. I"m sorry?" Despite having nearly head and shoulders on the dwarf, Asha seemed incredibly small in comparison.

*Holy c.r.a.p this is amazing.* Val could not peel his eyes away from the scene, a giddy smirk creeping up the side of his mouth.

"Val. Look. Away." Huginn hissed quietly from his shoulder.

"I can"t." He whispered back.

"Boy, if you would like to keep that pretty face, I suggest you find yourself some other amus.e.m.e.nt before I get ideas about whether human hide is as flexible when tanned." Joanne was still fixed towards Asha but she clearly caught Val in the corner of her eye.

"Yes ma"am." Val unintentionally blurted and whirled around to study the st.i.tching up the sides of a pair of brown leather pants that otherwise matched the cut and length of his jeans.

"Your kind may live for many centuries and two years might be naught but a moment to you, but mine is fortunate to survive three, so you visit when you"re in town so I might mend whatever horror you"ve brought upon my work, as you tend to do. I"ll not have a wind dancer blaming my armor for a stray arrow or knife between her ribs."

"Yes ma"am." Asha meekly echoed.

"Now, what is this about coin? Something wrong with what you have?"

"Not me, him." Asha pointed to Val, not having quite recovered to her full stature yet.

"Him? What does he need?"

Val turned around to face her, scratching his head awkwardly. "Uh, apparently everything."

Joanne studied Val carefully, noticing the sword and pair of knives. "Hmm. Now that I think about it, what are you even wearing? Fancy yourself a swordsman? In plain clothes? You think yourself invincible, walking around naked like that?" As if to demonstrate her point she walked over and sharply jabbed at his ribs with her finger.

"Ow, what"re you doing?" She continued to grip, poke, and squeeze Val around his chest, arms, even his legs, before taking his hands and studying them.

"Hmph. It seems you do in fact wield the sword, so you"re just an enormous fool then."

"I just haven"t gotten around to it, haven"t really needed armor yet." Val protested, feeling unusually attacked for what was supposed to be relatively straightforward shopping.

"Both of you come with me." Joanne led them to a s.p.a.cious backroom which seemed to be her own personal workshop within the building. Tools hung on the wall above a large workbench, raw materials and a couple unfinished pieces were placed upon some shelving. Huginn and Muninn seemed particularly interested as they hopped off and studied the pieces.

"Alright, strip." Joanne instructed to Val.

"What, here?? Now?"

"Yes, now!" The dwarf confirmed impatiently.

Val looked at Asha, who seemed to be recovering herself at his expense, and looked at the dwarf, who seemed ready to strip him herself if he did not.

"Uh, everything?"

"Where did you even find this boy? Is he alright?" The dwarf asked Asha with concern, seeming to suggest Val might be mentally impaired.

"He"s a bit slow, but yes, this is normal."

"You can keep your delicates, but off with the rest, I need to take measurements if I am to furnish you with proper armor."

Val relented and undressed, feeling awkward with four pairs of eyes in the room.

"Hmm?" Joanne"s eyes narrowed slightly, studying the mark on Val"s chest with a serious expression. After a moment she stepped past him, issuing some instructions to her apprentice not to disturb her, before returning and shutting the door.

"Some answers first, boy, who are you?"

"Uh, right, haven"t introduced myself, I"m Val."

"Enough playing the fool, though useful, your name is not what I am asking. This, is not a tattoo, I know skin and I know what it looks like when inked. This is powerful, ancient magic, a runic formation even the greatest rune-smiths in our city would not be able to produce. Some of the most powerful of warriors in our history have been blessed with marks like this one, and many fancy tattoos to imitate them, but I would hazard a guess that this one is real." Val looked slightly alarmed, and even Asha suddenly took interest, having not actually noticed it before.

"It was given to me, but I honestly have no idea what you"re implying. As to it"s authenticity… Maybe I can just show you." Val activated his magic, igniting the brand and his eyes as his body warmed and his muscles swelled slightly, the Tyr rune in the center of the brand giving off an incandescent glow.

Joanne"s eyes widened, shock colored her face, though Asha seemed confused. "How old are you, really?" Joanne asked.

"Twenty-two, really."

"That"s impossible, there is no one left alive who can forge this brand. Tyr and his followers pa.s.sed thousands of years ago." Joanne rebuked with some hesitation in her tone.

"It"s not impossible, the fusion of realms has returned one who can give it." Huginn suddenly spoke up.

Joanne whirled around in alarm. "Ravens gifted with speech… Of course, he is alive? In our world?"

"My lord is alive and well, and yes, he is within the realm, it was he who gave the boy Tyr"s brand. I am Huginn, but I think you know that."

"Then this must be…?"

"I am Muninn, yes." Muninn introduced herself.

*This is great and all but can you all get along with whatever it is so I can put my clothes back on?* Val stood uncomfortably, grumbling to himself as everyone seemed to make a spectacle of him.

Suddenly Joanne laughed, rising to high spirits. "So I am to equip a student of the All-Father? This is quite an honor."

"Be that as it may, I"d request you keep his existence in the realm, to yourself." Huginn added.

"That is not a problem, I"m curious as to why he would remain hidden, but I"m not p.r.o.ne to boasting, the honor will be mine alone. Well then, let"s get some measurements." Joanne set about Val"s figure with a taut length of measuring tape seeming to be made from a fine cloth.

After taking a series of measurements, she began fitting what looked to be pieces and sections of complete jerkins and leggings to his body, testing their fit. The entire ordeal took about a half hour until she was satisfied and instructed him to redress.

"Pick some pieces that interest you, from the displays out front, I"ll have some pieces made based on that." Joanne instructed him as she led them all out.

"Alright, how much will it cost?" Val was not sure what the price could be, but the quality he had seen told him it at least would not be average.

"I"ll have some pieces ready for first fitting by tomorrow, for a jerkin and some leggings, little over three thousand crowns."
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*Christ, that"s a good twenty percent of my finances…* Regardless of the seemingly high price, Val relented, desiring the quality that appeared to hold up to its reputation. He picked out the leggings he had been inspecting earlier and a jerkin that had some chainmail reinforcement st.i.tched in, protecting one"s lungs and ribs.

"I"ll stop by tomorrow, but otherwise you know where we"re staying, we"ll be here at least a week.." Asha rea.s.sured Joanne, before they both departed. Dinner time was approaching and Val was getting hungry, they planned to settle for whatever Boldir was serving, Val could go explore the industrial sectors tomorrow, and find a smith to inspect the sword then.

"What is the deal with your brand anyway?" Asha asked as the group walked the way back to the Chimera.

Val shrugged. "Karl gave it to me, said it would vastly accelerate my growth and ability with magic."

"But for what purpose?" The elf glanced at Huginn, questioning with her eyes.

"Even we do not know exactly why. My lord is rather tight-lipped about the matter, but he was intent to do so, nearly killed the boy in the process." Huginn explained flatly, putting an end to the topic.

When they returned to the tavern, Val noticed a group of well armed people from several different races gathered around a bulletin board, stuck in heated discussion. Boldir was at his usual spot behind the bar, so he approached the dwarf proprietor.

"What"s the commotion about?" Val asked.

"Mm, a rather lucrative contract was posted, I had one of my boys get a copy and posted it here."

"A contract?" Val raised an eyebrow.

"Aye, many of them are posted all the time, hiring free mercenaries for various tasks. This one apparently is a bounty, quite a hefty reward too, paid in gold coin, not dwarven crowns, a hundred whole gold coins."

"A bounty? On who? Why so high a reward?" Even Asha seemed slightly interested.

"Not really sure it"s a who, to be honest. Livestock has been disappearing for a week now, apparently, whatever it is and however many there are, it has an appet.i.te enough to clean off a whole cow, nightly, a few farmers have gone missing too."

"Isn"t that concerning enough to send the guard? Or even the army?" Val asked.

Boldir shrugged. "If it was a known enemy, in larger numbers, yes, but to hunt what could possibly be a single target in the woods, army won"t be so useful, and they certainly won"t march out until a few dozen would-be heroes try their hand first. Either they succeed and the army does not need to do anything, or they fail and we have more information about this one. Contracts like this are not too unusual, see one of them once or twice a year."

Asha studied the crowd of sell-swords with some concern in her emerald gaze, brooding about something as Val ordered himself a drink.