“Hey Tom… I got something for you,” Jacky’s voice called from the doorway of the workshop, where he was currently attempting to rig a way to safely insert a large vial of blitzgel into a small chest that was to be filled with flash powder.

Leaving his work he turned to look at her curiously. She was leaning against the doorframe, one hand behind her back, looking mighty smug- or perhaps excited. Either way he had a feeling this would be good news. “I thought you lot were out hunting and scouting?”

“I have training with Nunuk and Rachuck. And probably most of the guards too. And our guests. But before that I have something for you.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

She gestured for him to come closer, which sure did pique his curiosity. Stepping up in front of her, he wasn’t sure what to expect. With perhaps more force than necessary she slapped down a helmet on his head. But it didn’t hurt: it fit. Quite well in fact. 

“Tadaaa. Mum got it done. And just in time,” Jacky all but snickered. “It’s got everything you asked for. A little thingy for your night goggles.” She grabbed the forehead of the helmet and gave it a jostle. “The metal faceplate that can be removed, space for your day goggles or your blacked out ones for the sun. We got to make sure the precious human can put all the things he wants in front of his eyes,” she mocked, looking mighty happy with herself.

“Only optimal performance is allowed. Do not worry, I will invent sunglasses for dragonettes at some point.”

“Har, what, do they let you see anyone coming at you with the sun at their back?”

“It certainly helps,” Tom admitted with a shrug. “Better some than none.”

“Shit that’s actually handy… anyway. There is an eyeshield too. Here.” She held up what was little more than a rounded piece of steel with narrow slits for you to see through. “For when you care about getting stabbed in the eye. So you really can just pick and choose. It ain’t magic like the rest of it, but it’ll work. Right?”

Tom chuckled as he took the helmet off to inspect it. A steel plate helmet fit for a human, probably the only one in existence. The removable sections in the front would make it weaker than a proper one, but he needed those badly. It was a compromise he was happy to make. “It’s perfect. She even refrained from polishing it.”

“Probably cause she’s out of time, but yeah. Won’t shine like a beacon. Don’t want you getting shafted when trying to hide in a bush or something.”

“Sounds good to me,” Tom chuckled. ”It would be a shame to mess up all the work that went into making that set sneaky in the first place.”

“And the best part-”

Tom looked up at her expectantly, not sure what to expect. But she wasn’t holding anything else for him to see, though she looked ready to burst with excitement. 

“That was the last piece. It’s done! You can actually try it on.”

“What, the whole set? It’s ready?” Tom had hoped it would be possible. But he also knew there was a lot of work involved, even if it was just a matter of reshaping it.

“Hell yeah it is! Mum probably has to sleep for the next day or two.”

“I’ll be sure to get her a bottle of something nice,” Tom jested, trying to peek around Jacky to see if it might all be waiting in the hallway. Instead he got grabbed by the wrist and pulled along behind her as she power walked down the halfway, leaving him jogging behind. 

When she forcefully opened the door to her own room, there it was, laid out on the bed. His stealth armor, for lack of a better name. The bandoliers for both rifle and shotgun ammunition had been grafted to the chestplate, the various pouches and bags having been sewn onto belts or mounted with leather straps. The pistol side holster and mounting ring for the scabbard were on either hip.

“Whooo boi, some armorsmith is gonna have a fit if he ever sees this, that’s for sure.”

“Oh fuck yeah, like, who cuts away at a perfectly good pauldron? It’s crazy stuff.”

“Gotta be able to shoulder that fucker right. Well then. I guess it’s time to try it out.”

“Ain’t got a choice in the matter. I wanna see this on you; we’re gonna look like death incarnate come to visit.”

Tom chuckled as he stepped up, starting to go through the pieces, not even sure where to start. Jacky did though, and soon he found himself being clad piece by piece in enchanted mithril and wing leather worth more than a Bugatti might go for back home. 

It was quite the process, but not quite as extreme as Jacky’s juggernaut of a set. It was still a considerable upgrade in coverage from what he had sported before with the random assortment of plate sections mixed with his chest rig. Most importantly in his mind was how his abdomen and neck were now protected properly. The scale mail that was draped over his neck and clavicle looked tough, though he had no idea what it could actually take. 

Hopefully the answer was at least a crossbow shaft. He was confident the brigandine that made up his torso protection was more than up to the challenge, but loose hanging scale was not something he knew anything about. 

“Hey Jacky, question. What would this stop? The scales and such.”

“Oh this stuff?” She gave him a poke in the neck which did not hurt at all, though Tom could feel the pressure against the side of his throat. “It’ll turn away arrows, bolts, even swords. But don’t go around getting smacked with a hammer there. If I had to hurt you that would be where I’m aiming. Well that and armpits of course. Or your head.”

“Don’t need to crack the egg to rattle what’s inside.”

“Damn right, and if they don’t know what’s going on you can kill ‘em easy. Works for darklings too. Though they might be a bit quicker to come back at you. Well a lot quicker. They don’t care about the pain.”

“Scary fuckers.”

“Not as scary as you,” Jacky noted, taking a step back. “You look like a fucking menace. You should totally go scare some kids. Dark blue, ashen gray. You look like some noble knight that got turned into a monster from a children’s story. The brave Sir Nearly-Did-It.”

“Hah, a proud tradition I suppose. The frogmen would be proud?”

“The Thatchi?” Jacky questioned, confused.

“No no, frogmen. It’s an army unit back home. Well, Navy. Soldiers who do stuff in the water.”

“And they named themselves after frogs? The least scary thing anywhere near a lake?”

“Gotta subvert expectations. They do look damn scary though… sadly not much point in sporting the head webbing here… gods that would look ridiculous.”

“Head webbing? Are you gonna start making sense soon?”

“Think like a fine but stout net you wear over your head like a drape. It leads the water off so when you emerge from below the surface there is no dripping to make any sound. Very handy if you don’t want whoever you are after to hear you coming.”

“The demon frogs have come for your cookies, resistance is futile.” Jacky chuckled as she got the heart plate, which was complete with its own separate harness. “The final touch. Mum made it for you and Linkosta painted it. I hope you like it.”

Tom stopped her from putting it on so he could see it first. It was a simple metal plate, unpolished as per the rest of the armor, with the face sporting a pretty good rendition of the Bizmati family crest. The edge detailing looked like real silver wire that had been hammered in. It glinted in the light, which did worry him a touch. But it was the family crest. Something you wore with pride. And should it come to it, it came on its own harness. He could remove it should there ever be the need. Or cover it with the silken cloak.

“It’s beautiful… I take it back, I need to get her more than a mere bottle.”

“Just don’t tell her it’s ‘cause of this thing. The rest was soooo much more work. The helmet was a complete bitch.”

“I know, she’s come by to measure and try parts on several times.”

“And how’s the fit?” Jacky questioned as she slid on the heart plate, lodging the leather strap under the pauldron. 

Tom tried to move around for a bit. It definitely did limit his range of movement, but not as much as he might have feared. It was both lighter and more mobile than his adhoc solution.

“Good.” He walked over and picked up his rifle, shouldering it into the gap where some of the armor had been cut away from his right shoulder. 

It would certainly make a weak spot, but it made it possible to get a decent sight picture while wearing armor, and that was the whole idea. He could cover his right side with the cloak if needs must, much like Glazz preferred. That should hide the weak spot well enough. It had kept them from realizing her arm was a prosthetic for months, so that would do for Tom. 

“How do I look?” he questioned, striking a pose as he aimed down the sights towards the window. 

“Like something from under the bed, and it’s not a frog either.” Jacky chuckled, shaking her head.

“Might scare ‘em off then. Preferred strategy. Maybe it could even work on someone like that bitch who paid for Yldril.”

“Oh I’m sure she’d crap herself if you waltzed into her room dressed like that. Hell she might even if you don’t,” Jacky snickered, shaking her head. “Right, now lend me a hand would you? We’re probably already late.”

“Late? For what?” Tom questioned, turning to her as she removed the fur lined blouse.

“Practice of course. Rachuck wants to teach you how to use your armor. And Dakota, and Nunuk. I would listen to Nunuk. She’s used to using armor that’s a bit on the light side you know. Even if you don’t have to fly in it.”

“Oh, how lovely. I was a bit busy, you know. I was taught how to fight in the old armor, and I practiced with Rachuck during the winter.”

“If you don’t learn you’ll be dead. Now hurry up and help put this on me. Otherwise I’ll have to go ask Ray for help,” Jackalope declared, starting to lift parts of her own heavy armor from the stand that had once been the home of her huntress gear. That had in turn been relegated to chests, shelves, or just laying about the place. Tom’s set would probably end up having to be stored in the armory. There really wasn’t room for any more armor in here.

---

The day’s hunt and patrol had gone well enough. Pickings were still rather slim, but there was enough for an evening’s table. Even Jarix and Yldril could at least get something fresh. Tom’s cold box was amazing, but there was something different about a fresh kill. Though you did still want to let it hang for a few days if at all possible, depending on what it was. 

Jarix had spent his day flying far and wide, looking for any signs of trouble. The island had been divided into segments, each far flung segment to be swept in sequence by the young blue. One segment per day. Closer to the keep the duty fell to the dragonettes to survey during their hunts. Everyone had kept their eyes open, but there had been no sign of anything out of the ordinary thus far.

They had made an attempt to locate the unicorn Kalestine as well, even bringing offerings, but there had been no sign of her. Of course this was hardly unusual, as sometimes they may not see her all year, but this was no ordinary year, and they all knew that. 

Back home the black drake was spending her time assisting with what she could and resting for the remainder. The less she laboured the less she would eat. But no one was carrying icy water in this cold whilst they had a dragon around. And they did not want to send out both of their dragons in case they were caught by surprise like had happened when Yldril herself arrived.

All that mattered from Deriva was safely inside the walls at Bizmati. To Saph’s eyes it had not been a very large amount of stuff. Even without all that Tom had brought about, she felt quite lucky she had not lived in their shoes. She had always known Bizmati did well for itself as a frontier keep, but it truly did put things into stark contrast.

Returning home they were greeted by Ray and Gidea, the young girl helping take the bounty to the kitchen for preparations. The pair were soon handed what they could carry; Sapphire being left to haul her own bounty. She had managed a duck and a pair of rabbits as well as a satchel of gar roots. 

Their attention was soon stolen away by the sound of blades clashing from within the grand hall. Perhaps Rachuck sought to see what their latest additions were made of. By the sounds of it they were doing quite well, a rapid flurry of blows being exchanged.

Sapphire hurried through the door, eager to be the first to warm herself in front of the fires and to see just who was going at it. 

As she stepped through the doors, harvest in hand, the fighting came to a stop. Looking around the room, there were many people indeed. Some armored, some not, but all armed with an assortment of weapons. Though they all looked at her for some strange reason. She stopped in her tracks, looking around, fearing something was wrong. She even looked down at herself, fearing that perhaps she had not noticed some wound or something. But nothing seemed amiss.

“Okay what are you-” she began as she noticed something moving off to her right. Turning she came face to face with an ashen grey armored monstrosity, its face covered with a plate of pure void. She stared for a moment into the abyss as it lunged forward, reaching for her as she flinched back with a scream.

“Booo!” 

Laughter erupted as Sapphire fell over backwards, her bounty long since flung into the rafters as she raised her arms to defend herself. Only as she landed did she truly behold the creature, which was now laughing hard enough it doubled over leaning on its knees.

“TOM YOU BASTARD! I’M GONNA FLAY YOU!” Sapphire shouted out as she started scrambling back onto her feet, the dastardly human starting to turn to make his escape. 

He made it but a few steps before his laughing sacrificed his meager lead, Sapphire tackling him in the back and sending them both to the floor.

It did not take long to have him rolled onto his back as she pinned his arms to the floor. “I should bring out the water and linens for that one you little bitch. You scared the shit out of me.” She laughed as the human heaved for breath, evidently finding it all hysterical. 

“Revenge is sweet. You can do nothing… For I have already won!” the human declared between breaths, the roaring laugh of the crowd seemingly agreeing with his position.

“Hooo, I’m gonna remember this one. It wasn’t me who tossed you out the window, remember? That was that big old harlot you got in bed with. I had nothing to do with that.”

“Oi!” Jacky shouted out from the sparring ring. “I ain’t old!”

“Downright ancient. Look at her, hiding inside that armor, could be anyone… Are you sure you’re not Shiva actually?” Sapphire questioned as Tom slowly got his laughing under control and she proceeded to get up. 

“Say that in here so I can smack your ass with a pole axe!” Jacky counter fired.

“Nah thanks, I’ll stay out here thank you very much. Just about bow range.” 

The human stayed on his back but started making strange noises at her, bending his arms so his hands were up by his armpits and wiggling about like an idiot. “Baaaa buak bwauk bwuaaaa buak buak.”

“And what is that supposed to be, a dying fox?” she questioned, looking down at the odd display.

“Oh come on, it’s a chicken,” the human protested as he stopped.

“If your chicken sounds like that it’s suffering from a blockage,” Sapphire replied, pondering for a moment if she should help him up. She elected not to, instead turning her attention towards wherever her bounty had landed, making sure to step on his chest as she did so. 

Unkai held up one of the rabbits, Rekui showing her the other with a nod. “Here. I must say, it is lucky you went first. I may have stabbed him.”

“I don’t think anyone would have blamed you, Rekui.” Sapphire was handed the pair of rabbits and looked back to Tom, who was now standing. Clad from head to toe in his enchanted armor. “Why are you wearing those goggles? Aren’t they supposed to be for when it is sunny out?”

“Of course,” Tom replied, lifting them and letting them rest on his forehead.

“Then why are you wearing them indoors?” Sapphire pleaded.

“To scare you of course. Did it work?” he questioned rhetorically, tilting his head like only a toddler would.

Sapphire stared at the human. She could easily imagine the shit eating grin he was wearing; his eyes certainly spoke volumes. “No comment. Now where is the duck?” She looked around, but there was no sign of it. ‘Oh one of you lot better not have stolen it.’

“Yo, Sapphire, up there. Gonna need a magic trick to get that down,” a chuckling Herron said, pointing at the ceiling. Heads turned upwards in unison. And true to his word, there the duck hung, head slipped between two joists and body dangling freely.

“Mother fucker…”

---

“Wheeeew, get me outta this thing. It might be magic stuff, but it’s still heavy,” Jackalope complained as they stepped through the doors to the armory, several other dragonettes following all around them.

Training was done for the day, and it was time to put the equipment away. With some deliberation it had been decided both sets were to be stored in the armory. Should the need arise there were likely to be more hands down here to help with putting it all on. Tom supposed Jacky’s huntress gear may regain its place of pride in her room then after all. 

“Well it’s not mithril is it?” Tom questioned as he started to fumble with his own gauntlets. 

“I don’t know, man. Just get it off would you?”

“You don’t know what your armor is made out of?” Tom got them off and laid the gauntlets atop the same crate his armor had originally been sent in. Straw and linen lined, it should do well enough for more long term storage too. 

He started by taking the heart plate off her, noting the same design as his own.

“You can believe whatever you want, man. I know I beat the shit out of you. And hurry it up a bit.” Jacky grumbled as he took his time examining the pieces.

“Hardly, I’m still standing upright,” Tom retorted as he got on with the task at hand.

“There are rules, you lost. SOOO many times,” Jacky reiterated. Truthfully of course. There was a big difference between having done a bit of sparring before and being able to compete with her. Even if she faced the same issue when pairing up against Rachuck.

“And I would have won if we kept going. You were getting tired.”

“What does that matter? Is there fifty Toms coming? I think getting you once will do.”

“Yeah yeaaaah, just cause I got the fancy drip doesn’t mean I’ll win a sword fight,” Tom relented. That wasn’t the idea anyway. The armor was to help him live through whatever might happen. He would still fight with guns and explosives, just like before.

“You’ll be dead long before you start dripping… oh no, don’t tell me you’ve sweated inside that thing now,” Jacky said, turning her head around to look behind her, metal plates sliding against each other.

“Of course I did, fighting’s hard work.”

“Oh it’s gonna stink just like the rest of your armor. We gotta wash that stuff before it ends up like the boots.”

“Welcome to being a human… Can you even wash this stuff? Isn’t that bad for it?” Tom questioned as he noted the intricate leather work keeping the pauldron together on the inside. Leather didn’t like being washed, he knew that much. And it looked quite tricky to oil or wax the inside bits of a pauldron like this one.

“Not the steel, you just wipe that off. The padding. All the soft stuff you got underneath. Gambeson can be washed. Takes forever though. The drying part that is.”

“I can imagine. It’s a thick bastard. Heavy too. Gonna take forever.”

“Tell you what. If we see the end of spring, I’ll wash the whole lot. Just so I don’t have to listen to people calling our side the stinky corner down here.” She chuckled as she turned to let Tom get on with her other arm.

“Shouldn’t have said that, stinky,” Balethon called out from one of the other small stalls where he was helping Herron get out of his own armor. The pair would be done in a quarter the time it would take Tom to get Jacky out of her suit. His own set was a similar deal though, brigandine as opposed to Jackalope’s plate armor.

“I am gonna gut you like a tree lizard,” Jacky fired back as Tom worked. “Besides, it’s him who’s stinky.”

“Well guess what happens when you share a bed.”

“Am I gonna have to hit you harder next time? Or have you got enough dents yet?”

“Crack my helmet and I might just get a new one. Sounds good to me,” the guard retorted as he and Herron switched who was being worked on.

“A brace plate and a few rivets and you’re good. Luke gets a new helmet before you do, that’s for sure.”

Tom shot a glance to the young captain who was in the midst of taking off his equipment as well. The helmet was sitting on the bench. Dented and pockmarked, a deep gouge was visible in the bridge that protected the snout and a plate had been hammered on and set with rivets like stitches across the scalp. Luke did turn to look at his helmet at the remark. 

“One day I’ll get a welder put together. Throw in some time with an angle grinder and good as new,” Tom said, trying to be supportive. He felt a little like the guy in the friend group with a brand new car while an old friend had a shitty rust bucket. He’d see that fixed if he could. 

“Oh no, it’s fine. There is nothing wrong with it. It just looks a little banged up… Dad always said that shiny armor was a sign of a weak warrior. Besides, it tells a story.”

“Like badass scars. Good on you man,” Balethon added in surprisingly upbeat style. “What kinda story’s that one got?”

“Oh, this old thing?” Luke picked up his helmet, a thumb running over the gouges. “I don’t know all of them. It’s at least 200 years old by now. I think. That one was years and years ago, dad got into a brawl with some people at a bar in Ylditz. They tried to chop his snout off. Didn’t work. He sure wasn’t happy when he made it back home though. That little scratch there was an arrow I think. No idea when. And the plate on top was this summer… So now it’s mine.”

“Bro, I didn’t mean it like…”

“It is fine. Besides, the helmet is stronger there now. Probably won’t happen to me,” the young captain replied. He was even younger than Balethon, but there was a lot more resting on his shoulders. 

“Must have been one nasty piece of work if it did that to a helmet,” Jacky added, standing with her arms spread as Tom worked. “What did that?”

“A dark knight we think. With a big pole axe, or maybe a halberd. Didn’t kill him actually. But well… That came later.”

“If you get the chance yourself, go for the eyes or up under the snout. Even for those who have protection there, it tends to be thinner, or more flimsy.”

“Thanks Jackalope… I’ll keep it in mind,” Luke replied with a nod as he put the helmet back on the bench. 

“Any time man… are you done yet?” she questioned, looking back at Tom who was gingerly putting the greaves away. 

“I mean feel free to help,” he chuckled. “You can move about by now.”

“Yeah, but why do that when I have my very own squire. This is much easier.”

“Har har, enjoy it while it lasts, your turn next.”

“Fine fine, I’ll help your sore little fingers.” She sighed dramatically as she got to work trying to undo the cuisses covering her thighs. “By the way Tom, I had a look about down here and upstairs. I can’t find that potion of being under water or whatever it was called. I know it’s around somewhere, and Linkosta has it on her list. Do you know where it is?”

“I uhhhh,” Tom replied, half freezing. “No… No I don’t think I know where that is… wasn’t it, uhm. In the cupboard, next to the bed you know?”

“I thought so too. The fire breather was in there. No sign of the water one. Think Apuma might have it? Trying to work out what is in it? I remember Vulzan said it was a very strange one. Like, who wants a potion like that at the end of the day? Only you’re crazy enough to actually use it.”

“Yeah… he probably has it. I wouldn’t dare. I didn’t even know if potions would work on me, you know. Sounds like an easy way to drown.”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know, might be better to start there than the fire breather one. They have a bit of a reputation for going wrong in not so amazing ways.”

“You can say that again,” Maiko added from across the room. The royal guard soldier had done very well today. He was experienced with training others in swordplay and was more than capable himself as well. Not to mention he had an affinity for dirty tricks which might come in very handy. “My mum told me about a woman who had her face melted off by a bad one. They threw out the whole batch, and the brewer got thrown in jail for it. Not to be trifled with.”

Tom heard Jacky gulp at that. “What a way to go, ey?” she questioned, without much enthusiasm. “Best find that water breather. If that works, the healing potion might as well.”

“The strange tea I got worked a treat, so there is that,” Tom added nervously. 

“Yeah… that’s true, that was almost like a potion, right? Definitely a bunch of strange magic herbs and stuff brewed together. Close enough… no you need to get the hasps at the top too, you can’t just pull it off.”

“Oh, sorry. Uuhh… ahr I see. There we go.”