The guildhall doors swung open, spilling the party into the cool midmorning air. The sky was pale and cloud?streaked, the streets already busy with traders and apprentices hurrying to their work.

  Bheldur was the first to break away. “I’ll meet you later,” he said, adjusting the strap on one of his axes. “Need to get myself presentable before I start swinging at anything. Don’t want to give you guys the wrong impression.” He was obviously trying to put on a brave face. Without waiting for a reply, he turned down a side street toward the inn where he’d been staying, his heavy boots thudding against the cobbles.

  Carcan and Perberos exchanged a glance. “Store run?” Perberos asked.

  Carcan nodded. “We’ve got a list. Let’s get it done before the good stock’s gone.” With a nod at Josh the twins peeled off toward the market district, already debating the merits of different potion flasks and arrowheads.

  That left Josh and Brett standing in the street. “Armourer?” Brett suggested.

  Josh grinned. “Armourer.”

  The pair roamed around town for a bit, looking at several stores, many of whom they didn’t get the right vibe from. They eventually found a little store located not too far away from their inn, something about it catching Josh’s attention.

  The shop was tucked between a blacksmith’s forge and a leatherworker’s stall, down a quiet alleyway that had seen better days. Its sign marked with a stylised shield and crossed spears. The pair strode through the door, inside, the air was warm with the scent of oiled metal and polished wood. Racks of armour lined the walls, and a long bench displayed shields of every shape and size.

  A broad?shouldered man with a neatly trimmed beard looked up from polishing a breastplate. “Morning. Looking for something in particular?”

  Josh stepped forward. “Hey, yea I need a new shield. Something that’ll hold up against more than goblin daggers, and do a bit better than this.” He nodded towards the remnants of his old shield in his left hand.

  The armourer set the breastplate aside and came around the counter, looking at the shield and whistleling. “Looks like you got hit by something tough lad. All right, let’s talk options. You want speed, or you want cover?”

  Josh glanced at Brett. “Bit of both, ideally.”

  The man chuckled. “Everyone says that. Truth is, you’ve got to lean one way or the other. Let’s start small.” He picked up a round shield, ashwood rimmed with steel. “Light, quick, easy to turn. You can punch with it, deflect blows, even throw it if you’re feeling dramatic. But—” he tapped the edge “—you’re leaving your legs and upper body more exposed. As I imagine you’ve already found out” again, looking towards Josh’s old shield, that had been of a similar style.

  Brett tilted his head. “Good for mobility though.”

  “Exactly,” the armourer said. “Now, if you want more coverage…” He lifted a kite shield, its tapered point gleaming. “Protects the torso and thighs, balanced weight. But in tight spaces? You’ll be cursing it.”

  Josh ran a hand along the edge. “Feels solid.”

  “Solid, yes. Versatile? Not so much,” the man replied. He set it down and picked up a heater shield. “Compact, curved top, flared sides. Great if you’re on horseback or fighting in narrow corridors. But again, less protection for the lower body.”

  Josh frowned. “Not much use to me on foot.”

  “Then there’s the brute force option.” The armourer hefted a tower shield, nearly as tall as Josh. “This is a wall. You plant it, nothing’s getting through. But it’s heavy. You’ll feel it in your shoulders after a few minutes, and your speed will suffer.”

  Brett smirked. “You’d look impressive though.”

  Josh shook his head. “Not if I’m too slow to hit back.”

  Finally, the armourer laid his hand on a scutum, tall, slightly curved, layered planks bound with bronze edging. “Now this… covers most of you when held forward. Curved shape helps deflect blows, and the rim’s heavy enough to smash into an enemy’s face if you’re close. Not as quick as the round shield, but it’s a good middle ground.”

  Josh gripped the scutum’s handle, testing the weight. “Feels… right. Enough cover to keep me safe, but I can still use it offensively.”

  The armourer nodded. “You’ll lose a bit of speed, but you’ll gain reach and protection. If you know how to use its weight, it’ll serve you well.” He quickly looked to Josh’s side, eyeing his sword “You might also want to get a short sword to go with it, makes it easier to stab and withdraw, rather than getting stuck at angles like you would with the bigger sword.”

  Brett grinned. “Big enough to hide behind, but you can still swing it like you mean it.”

  Josh smiled faintly, picking up the shield he gave it a few test swings and strikes. The weight felt good in his grip, and he instantly felt it offered him a better level of protection. “I’ll take it… does it come with the sword you mentioned?”

  The armourer laughed “Unfortunately not - I don’t sell weapons, but you could try Lysris next door, she might be able to do you a deal”.

  With the shield settled, Josh moved to the rack of greaves. Rows of shin guards gleamed under the lamplight, steel, bronze, and hardened leather, each with its own price tag.

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  The armourer followed. “Greaves are simpler. Steel?plated, padded inside, best protection, but they’ll cost you.” He lifted a pair, the metal catching the light. “These will laugh off a sword cut.”

  Josh glanced at the price and winced. “That’s… steep.”

  Brett peered over his shoulder and whistled at the price. “I’m not sure we can stretch to that Josh, especially if we need to get you an extra sword.”

  Josh set them back and tried another pair, lighter, made from boiled leather reinforced with thin steel strips. “Cheaper. But they won’t stop a heavy blow.”

  “They’ll stop most,” the armourer said. “But if you’re facing something that swings a heavy weapon, you’ll feel it. Combined with your new shield, they’re a good option, and a lot cheaper” flashing the price tag, which in fairness, was much lower than their metal alternative.

  Josh sighed. “Ok, lets go with the leather option along with the shield. I can always upgrade later.”

  The armourer shrugged. “Sure can, and if this keeps you face, all the better.”

  Josh chuckled, hefting the scutum onto his arm. “By the way, do you offer newbie discounts?”, his smile being met with a blank face.

  They stepped back into the street, the morning bustle carrying on around them, Josh’s purse feeling significantly lighter, but surprisingly he’d not had to borrow any money from Brett - the rewards from their quests last night and the items they’d traded in apparently more than he’d realised… not that he’d actually counted his reward.

  Josh looked to the store next door, and the weapons glinting in the sun. “Do you mind lending me some money for a bit, and I’ll get the sword he mentioned if it’s not too expensive… what he said makes sense, I did struggle at times wielding the sword around my shield, especially when I was trying to be more defensive.

  Brett nodded “Sure, just leave me with enough to pay for rent when we need to, and some food… ideally I could do with getting some mana potions for emergencies, but I have a feeling we’re going to be busy over the next few days, and making plenty of money.”

  The bell above the blacksmith’s door gave a dull chime as Josh and Brett stepped inside. The air was thick with the scent of hot iron and oil, and the rhythmic clang of hammer on metal rang from somewhere in the back.

  A dwarven woman emerged from behind a rack of spearheads, wiping her hands on a leather apron. Her hair was tied back in a messy knot, streaked with soot. “You must be the lads the armourer sent over,” she said, voice warm but brisk. “Name’s Lysris. He said you’ve just picked up a big shield?”

  Josh nodded, confused at how she knew who they were already, hefting the scutum slightly, his nerves showing through. “Uh. Yeah. He reckoned I should pair it with a short sword.”

  Lysris’s eyes flicked to the long sword strapped at his waist. “That’s a fine blade you’ve got there from the looks of it, good reach, decent balance. But with a shield like that, you’ll find it fights you in close quarters.”

  Brett leaned on the counter. “How so?”

  She stepped around to a rack of swords, pulling one free. “Long swords are great when you’ve got space to swing, or when you’re fighting without a shield. But with a scutum like that, you’re already carrying a lot of weight in front of you. You don’t want a blade that’s going to catch on the rim or force you to overextend.”

  Josh took the short sword she offered, its blade broad and double?edged.

  “This,” Lysris continued, “is built for shield work. Shorter reach, yes, but you can thrust from behind the shield, slash in tight spaces, and recover faster. You’re not trying to win a duel at twenty paces, you’re getting in close, you’re breaking lines, holding ground, and making sure the enemy doesn’t get past you. It lets you lash out like a scorpion, and withdraw the weapon just as quick.”

  Josh turned the weapon in his hand, testing the balance. “Feels… quicker.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “A long sword is all arcs and angles, big slashes that eat up space and demand room to breathe. Makes a big show, and good for one on one fights, but no good when you’re in a small space or fighting several foes.. With a blade like this, it’s straight lines: shield?bash, thrust, step, repeat.” she said, mimicking the movement, lashing out with her left hand, delivering a bash to an imaginary enemy, before her right hand lashes out with another short sword she’d somehow drawn without either of them noticing, before making an exaggerated step over her fallen imaginary doe. “The rhythm flows with the shield instead of fighting it. Long swords rely on the edge to cut, but that reach can leave you open. A short sword puts the work on the tip, driving into gaps, punching through armour, leaving quick, dirty wounds that end a fight fast.”

  Brett smirked, looking at his friend who was nodding along with the dwarfs words. “Sounds like you’re selling him on it.”

  “I’m telling him the truth,” Lysris replied with a grin. “But if you want options…” She gestured to the rack. “You’ve got leaf?blades for more cutting power, narrow points for armour?piercing, and hybrids that give you a bit of both. Depends on what you expect to fight.”

  Josh glanced at Brett. “I guess I just need general purpose at the moment. Eventually we’ll be fighting in the undead cave that’s been discovered, but I also imagine we’ll be fighting all kinds of other monsters going forward.”

  Lysris’s expression sobered. “Then you’ll want something that can punch through bone and armour. Broad enough to break, sharp enough to pierce.” She pulled another blade from the rack, newer, polished, with a carved hilt. “This one’s fresh from the forge. Pricey, but it’ll last you years.”

  Josh’s eyes drifted to a sword further down, worn, the leather grip darkened with age, but the blade straight and solid. “What about that one?”

  Lysris picked it up, running a thumb along the edge. “Old campaigner’s blade. Seen its share of fights, but the steel’s good. Won’t win any beauty contests, but it’ll do the job and it won’t empty your purse.”

  Josh weighed it in his hand, feeling the balance, the way it sat naturally with the shield. “I’ll take it.”

  “Good choice,” Lysris said, wrapping the blade in oiled cloth. “Now, before you go, have you ever thought about a ranged option? Javelins, throwing knives, even a light crossbow? Gives you something to do before the enemy’s in your face.”

  Brett raised a brow. “Trying to upsell us?”

  “Trying to keep you alive,” Lysris countered. “And if you’re set on the undead, you might want a backup defensive piece, a parrying dagger, or a buckler for when you’re not carrying the scutum.”

  Josh chuckled. “One step at a time. Shield, sword… then we’ll talk about the rest.”

  “Fair enough,” she said, sliding the wrapped sword across the counter. “But remember, the right steel at the right time can be the difference between walking back here and being carried.”

  Josh took the sword, feeling its weight settle into his grip. “Thanks, Lysris.” Brett quickly passed her the payment, relieved that Josh hadn’t gone for the fancy new sword, instead picking something that left him with a decent chunk of his money.

  “Go put it to use,” she replied, already turning back to her forge. “And don’t forget, I’m right here if you change your mind about those javelins.”

  Ahem! Before you wander off to slay more dragons or do whatever readers do —

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