Karl let Lotus drag him to the armoury room, following the two Church Guards who were navigating them through the corridors of the Cathedral, avoiding the public areas which were packed with tourists during the middle of the day.
With so many different Gods, there was a reason for numerous travellers to come to the cathedral every week of the year, but this week was the anniversary of one of the larger subjugation wars, which had freed an eastern region from the control of a Giant Clan.
So, every year, people from that region used their holidays to come here to the Capital and celebrate the anniversary with parties and a trip to the Cathedral in honour of the Priests and Priestesses who had come to their rescue, leading armies of Church followers.
The armoury was hidden at the back of the Cathedral complex, in a newer building next to the loading docks. If he hadn’t known that they were still within the grounds, thanks to the number of ancient stone buildings around them, Karl would have thought that this was part of the commercial district.
From the outside, this loading area was hidden by trees and a long driveway, but it was modern enough that they could move all the goods they needed in and out efficiently, and without interfering with the experience of the visitors to the Holy Buildings.
“What can I do for you?” The clerk asked as Lotus waved happily at him.
“Karl here needs new battle armour. We get to go fun places.” Lotus replied, excited about the day’s upcoming events.
“Ascended Rank, and as he doesn’t have armour yet, I will say that he’s not the team leader, so it will be Ascended minimum with a heavy dose of Commander Rank targets. We can do that.
As long as he has the merits and access, that is.” The clerk agreed.
Karl handed over his card, and the clerk scanned it through the reader.
“That should do it. Do you need weapons as well, or is what you have good enough?” He asked.
“I’ve got an Ascended Rank bonded sword, and the ability to coat it in Ascended Rank attack skills. It should be alright, as far as my abilities go.” Karl replied.
The clerk nodded. “Can you take it out and show me? It’s better if I know what we’re working with, just in case you might need a backup.”
Karl took out the blade, and then used the new shared skill [Flaming Body] that Hawk had shared to coat his lower arms and the blade in flames.
“Ooh, when did you learn that? Nice trick.” Lotus cheered.
“When Hawk learned it. It should work out fairly well, and I can use it with the Refreshing Lightning barrier to keep up my defences.” Karl agreed.
The clerk made a short note and then tapped a button to update his listings based on what Karl had mentioned for his skills.
“Well, we don’t have much that’s compatible with both Lightning and Fire, but we do have either or. If you’re using Lightning as a defensive shield, I would recommend this suit. Are there any pieces of gear that you need to keep on?” He asked.
“My gauntlets. I’ve got a set of Bestial Strength gauntlets that should be kept on when I’m heading into combat. Then there’s a ring I keep on as well, but that shouldn’t interfere with the armour.” Karl explained.
“A ring with what properties? So I know what to build around.” The Clerk asked as he refined the search.
Karl did his best not to laugh as he realized how lopsided his buffs were.
“It’s a ring of Giant Strength.”
The Clerk blinked twice, slowly, and then entered it into his computer.
“You didn’t look like the ‘smash everything to paste’ type of warrior, but I guess appearances are deceiving.”
Lotus giggled. “Oh, he’s not a warrior, he’s a Beast Master. We just happened to have fought plenty of Giants recently, and they value strength above all else.”
“I see.”
It was obvious that he didn’t quite get what a non-warrior class would want with all that strength, but he also wasn’t well versed in actual combat, just in the theoretical aspects that went into balancing gear to distribute to the other Elites.
Being strong also meant being fast, in a way. It didn’t help your reflexes, but Karl’s were already excellent, thanks to his Class, so he could react smoothly while moving at much higher speeds than his body was normally capable of.
“Alright, I have a match. It has strong defence, a natural affinity for Lightning attacks, which should strengthen your barrier, and no gloves required, so you can wear your gauntlets.” The clerk announced, before turning the screen to face Karl.
It was a superhero. The entire outfit was designed to make the wearer look like a children’s cartoon superhero, complete with a masked helmet that Karl was certain had to be some sort of copyright violation.
“Heart Ranger, GO!” Lotus laughed as she saw the outfit.
That was precisely what Karl had been thinking, and the Church Guard with them nodded in agreement.
“I take it you would like me to look for something else?” The Clerk asked sheepishly.
Normally, if the armour was the best that you could get, but it was ridiculous looking, or it was mismatched and piecemeal as many Elites would wear when they didn’t want to spend the money on a crafted set, they would wear it under a combat uniform instead of over.
Lotus didn’t like the combat uniforms, though, and Karl was trying to get away from destroying them as well.
The clerk went through the options that he thought would be suitable, and at least wouldn’t interfere with the skills that Karl was using, and came up with three options, which he brought up on the screen behind him.
“Those are your better-looking options. Not cartoonish, or superhero. These ones were designed more for the working mercenaries than the up-and-coming stars who are likely to be recorded and put on the news, but if that’s what you prefer, we’ve got them.” The clerk explained.
“That’s very much what I prefer. I spend a lot of time scouting and on point in the wilderness. I would rather not look like a Super Ranger.” Karl laughed.
One of the men in the back laughed as he heard the conversation. “Tell the kid it’s not that bad. We all go into the woods with bright white robes on.”
That made both Karl and Lotus laugh. The Church Guard did indeed go to battle in bright white robes, and their defensive magic even ensured that they stayed pure white for as long as possible.
Who had decided that was a great tactical decision, Karl had no idea, but it had been a tradition for so long that even suggesting changing it now would be unthinkable to most of the church members.
Lotus pointed up at the screen. “There, that one second from the left. What are its properties? I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen next to that.” She asked.
“It’s lightning neutral, fire element friendly, and has an Ascended Grade durability. The materials are a mix of monster leather and enchanted metals, with no additional enhancements to benefit the user.
That means it is one of the budget options at the Ascended Rank. However, it is a quality magical product, and will hold up well to long-term use with the leather pants and the ability to be bonded, should the user be sufficiently compatible.”
Lotus smiled. “Oh, bonded is good. What about the one on the far right?”
“Roughly the same, neutral to Lightning magic, but more attuned to fire. It also makes fire magic a bit less mana intensive to use. It can also be bonded by the right user, but it is all leather, no metal.”
“Can you bring them both out? If Karl can bond with one of the two, that would be the preferred option, just for the sake of daily combat use.” Lotus suggested.
The clerk nodded, and tapped the screen, eliminating the others.
A few minutes later, a muscular warrior came out from the back room with two boxes of gear, and a smile on his face. “Priestess, Elite. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I think that too many people overlook the benefits of not looking like an idiot when you’re on patrol, especially when you’re young.
Sure, you might think it’s cool, but the team members who have been out in the field longer probably don’t appreciate the walking flag in their midst. No, I can say for certain, nobody appreciates that.
I might not be one of the Elites, but I served over a decade on the front lines with the army before retiring. I doubt that having superpowers instead of a battle cleric will have changed the basics.”
