It was easy enough to find the guildmaster Nicholaus, standing as he was on a small wooden platform before the now cleared rubble of the hall as he called out at laborers shifting materials into place. Vera and I sidled up to the platform and patiently waited for a break in the shouted instructions. When at last there descended a moment of quiet, I hollered up “Guildmaster!” Swinging his head round, the stocky dwarf’s beard split around a wide grin as he caught sight of us.

  “Bram! By my bristles I’d half expected never to catch sight of you again! Hold a moment, let me get down to ya.” After clambering down from the platform, the guildmaster spun to face the two of us, placing hands on his hips as he addressed us. “And a good morning to ya both! Now, what can I do for ya?”

  Vera handed over the canvas bag containing the ‘evidence’ of our quarry, explaining, “Good morning, guildmaster. We’ve completed the contract on the kobolds infesting the city sewers. I can confirm we found and destroyed the nest. Thoroughly,” she added, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

  Nicholaus took the bag with a raised brow, glancing inside briefly. “Aye, well, good then! And Bram here was part of yer party as well?” At Vera’s affirming nod, his brows rose higher before settling over eyes crinkling in a smile. “Good! Good on you, Bram. Well, though the vault wasn’t harmed in the fire, we did have to secure it during all a’this, so you’ll have to give me a moment. I’ll give you a writ, you can stop by the Ealdorman’s, he’ll pay out from the Guild’s funds.” Vera and I both nodded our understanding before the dwarf trundled off to write up the payment.

  Ealdorman Trust was a local money lender, though he’d chase off anyone who said so. He insisted on being referred to as a ‘Financier’ as if that made a lick of difference to anyone who did business with him. We didn’t have to wait long before Nicholaus returned, a writ of withdrawal folded neatly in his hand. He handed the writ to Vera, before clarifying the details. “At two silver a head, verified with taken left ears, that is 18 silver, plus 2 gold allowance for destroying the nest. Now, anything else I can do for ya both?”

  I took a moment to answer, the sheer wealth described making my head swim. My total pay for the last six years would only tally up to around 3 gold and 30 silver. And we’d earned 2 gold just for wiping out one nest? I had of course known the pay would be high, having handled payments to guilders for years, but now that it was me getting a payout, I could hardly believe it. I blinked, realizing that the guildmaster was still waiting, a small smile tugging at the edge of his beard. “Ah, yes guildmaster, I wanted to discuss my employment here.” At the dwarf’s consenting nod, I continued. “I would like to formally resign, as well as petition for an increase in my guild rank. Having completed the kobold job with an Steel rank adventurer, I would like to apply for Bronze myself.” I forced myself to stand straighter, nerves pulling my shoulders into a hunch. I’d been thinking on this the entire walk over, and hoped the guildmaster would allow it. I’d been a tin rank, the most basic rank that anyone with a pulse could reach simply by registering with the guild, for six years. The only way to increase in rank was to complete a job of a greater rank of assumed difficulty, and the listed difficulty on this job had been Bronze, which meant two entire ranks higher than my own, passing Copper entirely. Each increase in rank raised the level of danger to a greater degree, with fewer guilders at each successive rank, all the way up to the highest, mythical rank of Adamantine.

  The guildmaster rocked back on his heels, running a hand through the long beard tucked into his belt. “Hmmm, that’d mean skipping Copper entirely, unless me memory deceives me. Quite an unusual request, and not one normally entertained.” He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Vera. “However, the word of an Steel rank might sway me one way t’other. What say you, Miss Vera?”

  Vera looked him straight in the eye, stating calmly, “I have no doubts about this, guildmaster. Bram here was a staunch ally, assisting in a fight far outside of his prior experience, and surviving significant odds against him. Copper rank jobs would not trouble him at all, even alone. I would wager my own rank and pay on this.” This of course, was the general measure of a guilder’s capability, especially at the lower ranks. The ability to handle a job of one rank lower alone ensured that a group together, could typically handle a threat of a higher rank together. This policy ensured the guild wasn’t constantly losing members to threats outside of their capability, though accidents did still happen.

  Nicholaus seemed to take this in stride, nodding his head sharply. “That’s all the evidence I need. I’ll get your rank updated in the ledger. Congratulations Bram, you’ve earned it.” He ended with a wide smile, and clasped my hand, my mind a cloud of happiness as we said our goodbyes and headed to Ealdorman’s. Our visit there was brief, the cloying perfume of the shop swiftly giving me a headache, all but forgotten as we stood outside and separated our pay.

  Just as promised, we split it equally, each receiving 1 gold trine, so named for the triangular shape of the coin, and 9 silver rectangular florin. I twisted the trine in my hand, watching the sunlight glint off the scuffed gold. Vera chuckled, watching as she tucked her own coin pouch away.

  “Alright, enough ogling, we’ve got tasks to be about. You need a weapon, and to replace the armor you lost, ey?”

  Cheeks flushing, I stowed the money, nodding to cover my embarrassment at my naked greed. “Aye, I lost my coat and bracers, and my sword.” This last I said with considerable regret, I’d bought that with the last of the inheritance my father had left, and it stung to lose it.

  Vera considered a moment, before responding. “Well, good protection is worth more than a fancy blade for squishies like you. I’d advise we get some good, light armor then see what we can find for a weapon.”

  With that, we made our way across town, to just off the main market street. The only armorsmith in town, Vargas did most of his business on commission for the guild, though I had only stopped by once before, years ago. Stepping into the wide open front shop, the gruff man behind the counter looked up from scrap leather he’d been working on.

  “Welcome to Nerves of Steel. What can I do for you two?”

  Vera answered first, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Nothing for me, thanks. My armor’s home grown. This fellow was separated from his previous kit, and needs to replace it.”

  I nodded my thanks to her, and added: “I need a new coat of plates. I had a solid, reinforced leather one. I’m looking for something solid, but light.”

  Vargas rolled his eyes, “Aye, solid but light. You and every other guilder that wanders in. I’ve got some good steel banded leather that might do ya.” The armorsmith eyed me over, and I had the strange sense that this man immediately knew my exact dimensions, even from across the room. Vargas nodded, moving into a room in the back briefly before returning with two items. One was a brigandine coat similar to my previous, rivets poking through along the warm brown leather along the torso and onto the shoulders, ending at the forearms where bracers would complement. The other was shorter, and would only cover perhaps a third of my thigh, along with being sleeveless. I frowned, immediately gravitating towards the longer coat.

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  Vargas cleared his throat. “Let's not be hasty now. Try them both on, then we can talk about price.”

  The way the armorsmith seemed to relish that last bit caused me to frown with worry, but I put it aside as I tried on the long coat first. The leather was stiff, but flexed with me as I tugged it on. It was a tad narrow in the shoulders, surprising me and causing Vargas to frown. “Hmmm, I might be able to let it out a bit, but not much. You’ve got a bit more meat on you than I thought. Still, the length is good, and coverage of the important bits. Alright, try the other one then.”

  The smaller garment went on much faster than the first, and while it covered less, it flexed with me easily, fitting snugly against my shirt. Vargas nodded appreciatively. “Aye, that’s a better fit. And doesn’t require any alterations,” he added.

  I twisted and bent, nodding. “Yes, it fits well, but…I mean my arms are completely exposed. I was going to need new bracers anyway, but this is a bit of a leap.” I looked to Vera, raising an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

  Vera hesitated before answering, pacing around me and looking from every angle. “It’s good protection, no doubt. Your arms are exposed, but you’re typically going to be moving them around. This is difficult for me to really give an opinion on, since it doesn’t apply to me. Smith, what’s typical?” she said, turning toward Vargas, who stood off to one side.

  He sighed, running a calloused hand through his thinning, close cropped hair. “That’s tough, ma’am. Most up close and personal fighters prefer either heavy plate n’ chain, or hardly anything. This here’s pretty close to the light end of the spectrum. I’ve got long vambraces, but they’re meant to complement a breastplate and chain, and they’re entirely steel. Not to mention, they don’t come cheap. This and a good pair of bracers, you could do worse, I say. And my gear is tough, it’ll stop a blade or claw from most anything ‘round these parts.”

  I ran my hands over the leather. It felt good, solid. And something tickled the edges of my mind, something that made me sure. It just felt right. I nodded sharply at Vargas. “Alright, well lets see your bracers then.” It was the work of only a few minutes to find an appropriately sized pair of bracers, and I met Vargas at the counter, as he tallied it up.

  “That’ll be… call it even for 1 trine.” My eyes nearly burst from their sockets at the price.

  “What?! That much! My previous set was half that!” I looked to Vera for support.

  She grimaced, but Vargas replied first. “Well I don’t know where you purchased your old kit, but that’s the price, and a fair one! Ain’t easy, making armor, and I do a damn fine job of it.” He paused, considering. “I could knock it down to 70 florin for just the coat, no bracers. But that’s as low as I’ll go, so don’t be askin’!”

  I looked to Vera again, and she considered for a moment. “You do still need a new weapon. You can either get bracers, or a blade, I think. And this is better than your old coat, with all that steel banding. Grab the coat, I say.”

  I nodded, handing over my single trine begrudgingly as the smith counted out the change. Stepping out onto the street, I was struck by how my coin purse was now physically much heavier, and lighter all at once. Now significantly poorer than I’d been when we walked in, we turned off down a side street and headed for Jerome’s. I trusted the man, and figured I’d get a better deal there than any of the merchants hawking imported blades.

  When we arrived at the forge, the sound of steel ringing filled the warm air, warmer still as they entered. Jerome’s shop was one large space, where he created and showcased his wares for sale. Currently he was beating a glowing bar of square stock, folding and fusing the metal, before depositing it in the forge once more. Closing the doors of the fiery instrument, he turned to the customers waiting patiently, face splitting into a wide smile when he did.

  “Bram! Didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon! And who’s your friend?” he asked, extending a hand to each of us in turn.

  “Vera, pleasure to meet you forgemaster.”

  “Likewise, likewise! Well, what can I do for you both?” He folded his arms, looking between us expectantly.

  I scratched my head in mild embarrassment, and said, “I need a new blade. Our first job went well, but my sword was lost.”

  Jerome frowned. “Well, that's a shame. Lot of work you put into that blade, and a fine piece of work. Looking for something similar then?” He turned, moving towards a standing rack with several swords of various length and style, picking out another short sword.

  “Well, I’m not sure. I lost a lot of my kit, and funds are a bit… thin for something so fine.” The loss of my trine still caused an ache deep within me, but I mustered myself. “I’ve got around 40 florin, if there's anything you can part with.”

  Jerome cringed, sucking in a breath. “That’s… not much for a good blade, Bram. Certainly nothing with any glyphwork.”

  “I know, that’s fine. Just need something that will work,” I sighed.

  “Hmmmm. I’ll be right back. Let me get you some options.” With that, Jerome poked into the store room, the sound of shifting crates and steel banging clear through the walls. I took a moment to look around at some of the new pieces, especially attracted to a massive greatsword partially assembled on a workbench against the back wall. It was enormous, nearly as long as I was tall. I could only imagine someone of Vera’s stature being able to wield it effectively, and only in a wide open area. As I looked, Vera joined me, commenting “This Jerome is a fine smith. These are good blades, no doubt. I could use one of these myself…” She ran a finger along the greatsword, humming appreciatively. “Perhaps when we return from… Parma, right?”

  “Yeah, Parma. It should only take us a day and a half. Pleasant enough as long as the weather holds,” I said distractedly.

  There came a bang from the storage room, quickly followed by a hollered “I’m fine! Out in a moment!” causing the two of us to share a quiet chuckle. Soon enough Jerome emerged with a wrapped bundle, clearly heavy by the way he puffed as he laid it out on one of the work benches. “Alright, found a few options I can part with.” Unrolling the bundle revealed several weapons. First, a straight bladed dagger, long enough where the line between dagger and shortsword became muddied. Next, a curved sword, though the blade was badly nicked and the leather wrapped handle was badly worn. And finally…

  “A hammer?” I asked quizzically, looking up at Jerome.

  “Indeed! But let's go through one by one, starting with the dagger. I know you’ve trained with a blade, and this was the closest I could get to something that would be familiar. Try each of them out, swing it around a bit.”

  I did just that, grasping the dirk and moving to make a few thrusts and swipes, but pulled up short. Immediately, it felt wrong in my hand, so strongly I nearly dropped it. “No, definitely not,” I said, placing it down. Gripping the saber, a similar sense of disgust mixed with that alien sense of wrongness filled me. I shook my head, confused, but pressed on. Wrapping my hand around the haft of the large, heavy hammer tentatively, I was relieved when no phantom sensations assaulted my mind. Lifting the hammer, the weight felt… neutral. Acceptable. I did a few test swings, stepping away from the table and the others to ensure I wouldn’t accidentally catch them in the wide arc. With every swing, the hammer felt lighter, more balanced.

  I stopped, nodding. “This will do. The others… I’m not sure entirely why, but they won’t work. I’m not even completely sure about this, but it will do for now.”

  Jerome nodded sagely. “Indeed. A weapon is an extension of yourself, and it has to feel right. An interesting choice. That’s a mining hammer, I took it in partial trade years ago, planning to use the steel for something else. It’s dwarven steel, and hard as anything in the shop, but far too heavy for most blades.”

  “Interesting. Dwarven steel is rarer here even than back home in the mountains. May I?” Vera held out a hand, and I placed the hammer in it. She grunted in appreciation, nodding her approval. “Good weight. This’ll knock some nasties for sure.”

  With that agreed, I handed over the 29 florins. Jerome said he hadn’t touched it in years, and selling it at a loss wouldn’t matter, to him or the smith’s guild. I gratefully shook his hand before exiting, slotting the heavy hammer into a loop in a simple leather baldric the smith had tossed in for free.

  With that we stepped lively, gathering up the last of our supplies over the next hour. It was midafternoon when we finally met beside the southern gate, reviewing our packs one final time. I tightened the straps on my new armor, settling the straps of my pack as Vera did the same, her own supplies tightly packed into a compact travel pack. With a nod and a grin, we stepped out of the gate. To the next adventure.