Chapter 188: Getting Fitted

  Desding the stairs to the lower floors of the War College Tower, I got a lot of stares for my filthy state. I ighem and almost turned around for my sword to belt it, but then I would have to spend time uning the weights I meticulously added to it. I po use it every day, and reing it would waste time. I had my legion short sword that I secretly pulled from my spad strapped on.

  Each floor of the massive ical tower housed s, small libraries, offices, and rooms for practig spellcraft. One in four had a css being ducted. I reached the ground floor aered the courtyard, following the paths toward the gate for the Imperial Pace Grounds. The fionnaires in polished red cquered armor looked me over dubiously.

  The oldest of the group, with a well-trimmed silver beard and an aged-lined face, moved to stop me. I held up the scroll with the seal, “I have business with the Imperial Legion armorers.”

  His eyes traveled over me, assessing me, and his distaste was evident on his face. He took the scroll, his face twisting further as he broke the seal and read it. His jaw tightened as he looked at me again, “Is this how the cellor’s legionnaire presents himself in public?”

  “Yep,” I said curtly, holding out my hand for the scroll to be returned. “ you direct me to where I o go?”

  He shook his head in disapproval, spped the scroll into my hand, and addressed the you-looking of the legionnaires. “Artorius, escort this legiono the smiths.”

  Artorius snapped his gauo his chest in salute, spun, and began walking. He didn’t wait to see if I followed. I guessed he was embarrassed to be seen with me by his haste. I had been ihe pace grounds before, so I was not surprised by the opulence of the manicured paths, gardens, and outbuildings. We kept the wall to the right as we moved toward an impressive white stone building along the wall of the expansive grounds.

  Roman ns decorated the outside with impressive fifteen-foot statues of legionnaires between them. “Who are they?” I asked as we passed through a wide entranked by two Imperial legionnaires.

  The legionnaire gave me a sour look but answered, “Legion heroes. Most from the First Legion.” I wao go bad ihem as the detail oatues had been amazing. Instead, I followed the impatient man through the eg halls.

  Polished white, bck, and blue marble was everywhere, and this seemed more like a pace than a funal military structure. Imperial legionaries walked the wide, high-ceiling corridors with purpose in their step. Some gave me curious looks as their steps echoed past. nored me pletely, assuming by my escort that I had a right to be here.

  We exited out the back of the Legion Hall into a training yard with a handful of legionnaires sparing. I slowed my steps to study them, ign my escort’s impatiehese legionnaires were good. Maybe as good as Xavier with a sword. I tried to focus oeique and form to add it to my dreamscape.

  Artorius waited, his expression s as I wasn’t moving, auro stand beside me. Of the twenty men practig, eighteen wielded swords and two spears. The peak of movement efficy was on full dispy, and I particurly focused on the footwork as that was my greatest shorting.

  “Only the best are quartered in the Imperial Legion Hall. I doubt you could match a single legionnaire here,” he said desdingly. I almost rebuked his cim but kept my tongue. As long as I had my air shield, I was fident I could best almost anyone here as long as they didn’t have their own spell form to enhaheir bat.

  There was a siray brick building with the sounds of metal being pounded on the far side of the training grounds. “It is in there,” Artorius waved at the building, seeing I was uo move. He spun around to return to his post. His disdain for me was evident. I could only guess it was because I was disgrag the legion by my appearance.

  I watched the bat for aen minutes before I ehe building and got hit with a wave of dry heat that made me blink my eyes rapidly to keep them moist. When my eyes adjusted, I found a wide, long room with three workstation alcoves on each side.

  Each workstation had three rge curved anvils of varying sizes and racks of hammers and tongs behind them. Red hot furhat reminded me of pizza ovens were at each station. I assumed they were heated by thermal stones as there were no fumes or coals. Five of the smiths tio work, hammering on ptes, while the oopped and approached.

  “Whaddya need?” His dry voice asked in an unfamiliar at. I held out my scroll, and his broad shoulders rolled to loosen up before he took it. He had earhick, veined forearms from his years as a smith.

  While he was reading, I noticed his oven furnace was the only one absent a red-hot glow. He grunted as he read. Then handed me the scroll. “Ignis is at er end ht.” He theuro his work, folding a pte over the curve of the anvil and smoothing it with his hands. I guessed he must have had a metal-shaping spell form.

  It was fasating to watch, as he quickly made a pauldron pte and took out peared to be a bnk to pare it to before shaping the metal a little more to finish. He looked up, seeing I was watg him, so I left him to work and strode down the length of the building.

  I opehe scroll and read it as I walked. It was a request from cellh Mage Zyna to equip her personal legionnaire guard with a suit of ceremonial legion armor with a single entment to guard against rust.

  I reached the workstation to find Ignis, an old woman with gray hair but built like a lumberjack. She was unhappy to be interrupted, so I handed her the scroll wordlessly. She took it despoly, read it, and smirked.

  “Heard the old fire witch got herself a shield and sword arm. Follow me. I don’t think I meet her request to finish it in four days, but I owe her a favor. Maybe six days.” The old woman moved through a side door, and I noticed she was w on three separate sets of legion armor. All of the cuirasses had slight feminine curves. I khere were female legionnaires, but they were rare.

  I hurried after Ignis, and the cool air beyond the door caused goosebumps to form as my sweat vahe room was familiar to me, with six mannequins inside for fitting armor. The quality and dition of the mannequins far outstripped the ones used in the script legion training camp. Ignis was standing by one, waiting for me.

  “How many women legionnaires are there?” I asked, remembering the orained with. I wondered if Helena had pleted the training and now served somewhere.

  “Maybe a hundred iire Imperial Legion and half that elsewhere. Strip.” Ignis ordered and folded her arms across her chest, waiting. In that pose, with bulging biceps, square shoulders and a thieck, she looked more like a squat bodybuilder than an impatient old woman.

  I removed my clothes, leaving just my underclothes, and she assessed my body with her trained eye. Her curiosity caused her to inquire, “Not many scars. Are you fresh, or did you e from a pany with a healing mage?”

  Instead of answering her question, I asked my own. “How long have you known Zyna?”

  The aused in her preparation of the mannequin to match my physique. “Be careful with your familiarity with the fire witch when talking with others. Even if you are stig her in private, it is best always to use her titles elsewhere.” My mouth hung open for a moment. Ignis was hypocritical in her own familiarity with Zyna, and now she thought Zyna had taken me on as a boy toy.

  She locked eyes oo ensure I uood, and I nodded, not correg her assumption. Ignis tinued, “And to your question, I have known her lohan you have been alive. She got me this position when she found me w in a small vilge. After thirty years, I still don’t know if I should thank her or curse her.” She chuckled to herself at some private joke.

  After setting the mannequin thly match my physique, she moved in oh a tape and a stick. “I need you to flex in various poses. An individual’s muscles have some variance, and I want to make sure you have a ge of motion in your armor when you swing your stick around.” I twirled the stick she had givehe stick could be used as a spear or sword, and I went through the sword forms with Ignis stopping me in poses, askio flex, and taking a quick measurement with her tape.

  “Enough,” she said after an hour. “You are a big boy, but I will give the armor some py frowth. Just don’t get zy and drink yourself a belly. How big is your sword?”I thought about a multitude of responses for the armorer but instead just used the stiark the bde length and width from memory. “How much will this armor add to my debt?” I asked after I finished dressing in my filthy clothes.

  “Nothing. The cost of the armor will be credited to the cellor’s at; however you decide to pay her back is up to you. Each cellor is allotted four personal legionnaires paid for by the Emperor. Normally, the Emperor will hand-pick legionnaires from his personal guard. High Mage Zyna just resumed her role as cellor but has not had a legionnaire in her servi years.” Ignis fiaking notes and preparing to return to work at her fe.

  “Do you have any gloves?” I inquired, stopping her.

  She turned slowly. “Only tough beast hide gloves iant spider silk would hold up for any period of time. If the cellor approves it, I charge it to her at,” the armorer said patiently.

  I sidered and thought the Imperial Legion Hall might have someone who could use the spis I got in the dungeon. I sidered a moment before I produced one of the spis and asked, “ gloves be made from this?”

  The old smith had a surprised look, “Dimensional space?” I didn’t eveo nod before she said, “Now it makes sense why she chose such a young and inexperienced legionnaire.” I was surprised this armorer was making so many assumptions about me, but then again, I looked like I had just mopped a floor.

  She tur over in her hand appreciatively. “Yes, a mage tailor get yloves from this. It appears fresh. Do you know the species?”

  I recalled what Castile had called it. “Dungeon bck repelling spider.”

  The armor smith looked surprised, “Just as good as drake hide and much more fortable as the mage tailor will create them without seams. If you don’t mind giving up the excess, I vihe Imperial Mageweaver to make yloves.”

  “How much excess would there be?” I asked before accepting.

  “One spihis size is good for a single shirt or three-yered gloves. But I am no mage tailor, and I am guessing how far one strete spi,” the old smith said, studying the spi like it was a jewel. “Spider silk is prized for making excellent underclothes as well. The fort ’t be matched.” Her eyes drifted below my waist, indig what she meant.

  “Two long-sleeved shirts, two pairs of gloves,” I said, pg the other four spis on a table. “Bck, if possible, for everything. The extra material from the two additional spis pay for the mage’s time.” I replied after sidering. “Also, I would prefer the in of the spis remai.”

  Ignis was shaking her head, “Full of surprises. I know these must be used quickly after harvesting, or the strands bind together. I have some pressions of the bad front of your hands.” Ignis moved quickly, and after my imprints were made, the soft cy was baked to harden, and Ignis headed off to deliver the spis.

  I was happily ing out my dimensional ste in exge for more useful items. Hopefully, I wasn’t evading some Imperial duax, and Ignis could be trusted. I began my walk back to the War Mage Tower. An Imperial legionnaire escorted me from the pace grounds back to the Mage College. At least he wasn't as spiteful as Artorius.

  I climbed the tower ourning. I had been gowo hours and found a filthy Renna scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees o a bucket of bck water. She looked filthier than me.

  “Well, at least your robes are already gray.” I joked on seeing her sorry state.

  A spell form fshed in her left hand over a few seds, and a small fireball formed. It raced toward me and exploded in a small pop of light as heat washed over my legs. Her grin at her dispy faded when I had made no attempt to move. The air shield I had erected was not visible to her, and the only effect I felt was the hot air washing over my legs. I guessed mages flirted differently— at least, I was assuming she was flirting by her mischievous grin. Or maybe she was trying to impress me with her magic.

  “You are different, Eryk. More fident, Battle-hardened.” Renna said seriously after the disappoi at my ck of surprise left her.

  I brushed off her ents. I had faced death’s embraany times and no longer feared it. “Do the grey robes mean you are a mage now,” I asked, crag a smile while she stood with an obvious hunch from being on the floor for so long. She straightened her bad arched to stretch it.

  She let out a groan as her muscles stretched and theurned her attention to me. She smiled smugly at my wandering eyes, “Yes, I have learwo spells. I earned my grays faster than anyone i six years. I will earn my whites and be reized as a full mage before the end of my first year. That is why I have been assigo the War College early.” A muffled bell chimed in the distance courtyard of the Mage College. Flora and Livia came out of the bedroom, covered in filth aed. Renna expined, “Zyna said we are free to go to di the bell. But we will be baorrow.” She smiled as she backed toward the door, her bright white teeth showing through her filthy face. The two mage aspirants were already dashing dowairs, eager for food.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised that the weasel pelt I had draped over the elven assessment table was folded back, revealing it. A heavy book was on the exposed table. Was it Renna, the mage aspirants, or Zyna who had ehe room, vioting my privacy? In truth, I had left the table out to see how much I could trust Zyna. She had gained a lot of points by returning the dreamscape amulet but had just lost them.

  I sighed helplessly and looked at the title of the book. Preparing Dungeon Flora and Fauna: A Guide to getting the most out of your time in a dungeon.

  Well, thank you, Zyna, but it looks like we o talk and hopefully set some boundaries—after a bath.

  ? Chted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne

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