Isaac and Lenna took the bounty to hunt the Land Shark, enjoyed a pre-dawn meal, and then headed off to hit a few stores before they opened. A tailor and a smithy were supposed to be the first two places. The duo planned to pay for everything, of course, but some early-bird shopping was still generally frowned upon.

There was a new change of clothes for Isaac, though they weren't as nice as the ones he got from the Silverstrands, and a few new outfits for Shamesh. There were a few different kinds of suits in various different styles from around the world. One was too plain for Isaac's tastes but was fine enough for Shamesh, one was made of a canvas-like material but was dyed so completely black that it was hard to tell what it was made of at first glance, one was dark purple silk but lacked a jacket to go along with the rest of it, one was untreated yellow-white silk, and the last one was made up of dozens of ribbons that were stitched to each other to hold their shape. The last one was made of black and dark grey dyed silk, and with every move that Shamesh made, he seemed to almost leave afterimages due to the rippling ribbons of fabric. The ribbons, when he was standing still, laid in line with each other and made an illusion of the 'too plain' suit, but with darker and lighter lines running vertically and occasionally diagonally down through it. It was perfect. The suit was unassuming at first glance, but once Shamesh sprung into motion, it would captivate any onlookers, much like Shamesh himself.

Shamesh was, to most people, an oddity and a terrifying presence because of how similar he was to a lich. To people that expected his presence, especially to those that saw him fulfilling his duties as a servant and retainer, he would soon be entirely overlooked. If those people then saw him in combat, their perception of him would once again be flipped onto its head. Shamesh was a powerful wizard and an utterly merciless one after all. His suit was the same way.

The trio realized, as they checked their final total, that they barely had enough money left to pay for everything. The total of nine hundred and eighty two gold, seemed excessive for a few suits that weren't even magically enchanted but there wasn't exactly anyone around to haggle with. After they left, Shamesh returned to Isaac's shadow, now wearing his new suit of canvas because it was more durable for the road. The pair then headed to the local bank to withdraw money as they had somehow managed to spend all of the money that they had been given for their honeymoon.

With heavy pockets, figuratively because the money was either in Isaac's Inventory or Lenna's Bottomless Backpack, the pair then restocked on travel food and other necessities, like blankets and bedrolls, before they headed to the blacksmith. Thankfully the bank had been open all night, to help deter any would-be thieves, so the pair were able to go there before morning. With the rest of their errands run, the pair reached the blacksmith just as a middle-aged, dark skinned woman, flipped the sign from closed to open.

"Early ones." She said to the pair with a nod. Her muscles were out for all to see and she was covered in tiny burn scars. Her hair was pulled back under a bandana and she was wearing heavy boots, pants, and a canvas apron that was cinched tight behind her back.

Lenna stepped in front of Isaac as a warning for him not to stare at the woman whose sides and back were entirely bare. "Yes." Lenna agreed with the woman. "We are planning to leave soon."

The smith nodded. "Repairs or new?" She asked in an accent that was thick, but it was clear that years of being around the people of Altia had turned it into a vestige of her heritage.

"Both." Lenna replied. "Can you work with Adamantine?"

The smith's eyes brightened and she opened the door and ushered them inside. "Yes, Adamantine." She assured Lenna with a nod. The duo entered her shop and were met with an almost bare room, save for racks on racks of mass produced swords ranging from simple short swords to greatswords taller than Isaac. All of them were simple steel and none of them were enchanted.

Lenna slowly drew her sword. "This needs sharpening." She told the woman and held it out for her to see.

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The smith gingerly took the sword and looked up and down the blade. "How old?" She asked Lenna.

"A few months." Lenna answered simply.

The smith's eyes went wide. "How?" She questioned and looked back up at Lenna. "It sword, not club."

"I cut a magic diamond, fought a dragon, fought a man with Adamantine gauntlets, and got blown up. It is only a little dinged. I've been using it properly." Lenna defended herself.

The smith looked Lenna up and down for a moment before she held out her hand with a look of newfound respect for Lenna. "Farashuu." She introduced herself. "Second best smith in Vespera."

"Lenna V'Nova." Lenna replied and took her hand. "Double platinum adventurer, the Lady of Hellfire."

Isaac glanced back and forth between Lenna and the smith, Farashuu. He honestly had no idea how Lenna and Farashuu had become friends with a grand total of seventy words spoken between the two of them, but they had.

"Can you sharpen it and tailor a set of chainmail by noon?" Lenna asked.

Farashuu looked confused and gave both her and Isaac another once over. "Chainmail? But yes. Who chainmail for?" She questioned in return.

"My husband's familiar." Lenna explained.

Farashuu shook her head. "Dog? Cat? I have no animal suit."

"Skeleton." Lenna replied simply.

Farashuu looked at her like she didn't quite believe her. Everyone had heard of wizards bonding animal familiars, usually birds but technically it could be anything that was physically weaker than the wizard. "Necromancer? That illegal. I get chink" She made a motion of a cuff being locked around her wrist. "for help you."

Lenna shook her head. "No. He's not a corpse. He is a familiar made of magically created bones." Lenna explained.

"Show." Farashuu told Isaac and waved him on to hurry him up.

"Shamesh." Isaac spoke and gestured to his side. His shadow darkened and grew in that direction. A moment later, a rather dapper humanoid bone golem with a shadow of a soul and a very real personality was raised up out of it.

"My Lord." Shamesh spoke with a bow towards Isaac. "How can I be of assistance?" Farashuu was stunned into silence. She just stared at Shamesh for a long moment as Isaac waved for him to shift his attention to the smith. "I am Shamesh, madam, is there something that I can assist you with?"

Isaac's chuckle drew Farashuu's attention. "She is going to take your measurements and fit a suit of chainmail to you. You'll need to wear it under your dress suit. We have learned recently that we can never be too prepared. When we get the chance, we can have all of your suits enchanted with impact absorption, to help save your bones from blunt impact. This should help keep magically enchanted blades from just cleaving you in two." Isaac explained to his retainer and Farashuu alike.

"I see." Shamesh replied and then bowed towards Farashuu. "You have my thanks, madam, some protection will be greatly appreciated."

Farashuu looked like she was about to speak three full times before she just whispered under her breath: "Oh gods on high bless my soul." In a language that Lenna didn't understand.

Isaac held back from replying in her native language, one shock at a time was enough for most people, so he continued to speak in Overworld Standard. "So you'll do it?" He asked her.

Farashuu nodded. "Yes. Custom fit chainmail: One hundred eighty gold. Adamantine repair, thirty five gold." She told them. "Finished by lunch."

Lenna smiled even though the woman couldn't see her face through her closed helmet. "Thank you, Farashuu. I'm glad we chose you."

—

Farashuu was true to her word. By lunchtime the work was done and the trio were ready to head out. Isaac was still not quite up to the task of maintaining his Shadow-cloak on Shamesh during the day time, so his physical shadow was returned to his resting place. Isaac and Lenna stopped by a bakery on their way out of the city.

"Are you sure you don't want to travel with a caravan?" Lenna asked Isaac. Walking, or maybe flying or running, the entire distance to the next town seemed like a lot for two people still recovering from heavy Soul Integrity Degradation.

"Yes." Isaac replied. "Lady Jikan said something about getting stiff if I didn't keep talking, and I realized what she meant when we were in her time dilation. I think that some exercise, both physical and magical, will help us in the long run. That is why I even decided to take a bounty. If for some reason it proves too much for us, Shamesh can always handle it."

Lenna nodded. "Okay." She easily acquiesced. "I am surprised you didn't want to track down Miss Thronsen or go look at the CSC headquarters. There was also another teleportation circle."

"Honestly, I think we did enough. Everyone else can handle everything else. I just want to leave this part of the country behind us." Isaac confessed. "So let's enjoy our bread, covered in delicious honey, and then run for the bloody hills."

Lenna laughed at how totally serious Isaac was at leaving. Usually, he was a busybody who claimed to not want anything to do with things, but this time, she could tell that he truly wanted nothing more to do with any of it. "Alright, then, once we are done with our bread, we can get back to our great adventure."

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