[ti]closed[/ti][S][C/Alicia] Armarouge's Armaments

"...What's done is done," Josh replied with a shrug. "Going forward, try to rein him in, okay? Though I'm not sure what kind of bridle a Pokémon like Giyun would accept..." he trailed off as he turned back toward the shopkeep. "Sorry about that. We had... a bit of an issue. Anyway, I'm looking for gear ideal for mounted combat, but not something overly heavy. It's important that my Pokémon aren't weighed down too much by the gear."

"Very good," the young female replied. "Take the second right, then go all the way to the end. That's where we keep everything equestrian-related." Perhaps he wasn't specific enough? Would they have armor for humans, or armor for Pokémon? He didn't want both.

Luckily for Josh, Armarouge's took good care of their prospective customers. The section was exactly what he was looking for -- the armor looked biased toward head-on protection, and the weapons were mostly polearms, one-handed swords, and other weapons designed for use from the saddle. He pointed at a sword shaped like a lightning bolt. Its yellow blade looked thin but incredibly swift. Even while stored, its business end danced with electricity. "That one looks right up my alley! How much is it?" he excitedly asked a nearby employee, who quoted him a price that was multiple orders of magnitude beyond what he could afford.

"You're also too low of a level to equip this. Even if you had the money, I couldn't sell it to you," the armorer added. As Josh focused on the item, he saw he needed to be level 35 to use the powerful and speedy weapon.

"Holy... that's gotta be endgame gear. What do you have that's like that, but for a character around... level 17?"

The single added constraint made the armorer frown. "I'm... sorry, but what I have for a character of your level is going to be a lot less impressive. Weapons with special properties, like the Lightning Sword's power being proportional to its user's Dexterity instead of Strength, tend to have steep requirements to wield them. It won't be as light, but I can recommend this to you."

Walking to the other side of the department, Josh was led to some medium-length swords. They didn't have the speed of a shortsword, and also lacked the raw power of a longer one optimized for mounted combat. "I know they're not exactly ideal, but these are the closest that also fits your level." He showed Josh a Heat Blade, a basic mystic sword with a fire-based physical attack and no other properties. Next, the Thunder Buster, a similar weapon that inflicted electric damage. There was nothing special to them other than their respective red and yellow glows when in the hands of a mystic knight: exactly how Josh had developed as an Ironsmith.

"Of course all the fun toys are locked behind late game," Josh sighed, picking up the Thunder Buster and holding it in his right hand. "Might feel a bit awkward to hold while mounted. What do you think, Alicia? Could take a look at polearms, too." This was a time he wished Armarouge's Armaments had a try-before-you-buy policy...

"Oh, you mean like upgrading existing weapons?" Josh asked Alicia, snorting upon her reference to a weapon customization system that was highly abusable. "Fair, because I still have to buy armor." There was still the defensive aspects of Ironsmith. Constantly being in the thick of combat, especially while in the saddle, meant that he needed to raise his defenses as much as he could. He was going to be on the front lines, and performing the somatic components of spells while in the saddle wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"Before I commit to anything, I'd like to look at armor, as well," Josh waved toward the smith. "I'm looking to prioritize low weight but with... this threshold of defense. What have you got?"

After performing a search, the shopkeep gestured toward the highest result. "This looks like it would be perfect for your needs and your level," he said with a gesture toward... a windbreaker? That wasn't even armor. It was just a green jacket whose inner lining blew around like the wind. "It provides more defense than it looks, and it even gives you force resistance."

Josh turned around and rolled his eyes. Force resistance was not a concern for him, and this piece of gear looked way too flimsy. The duo went back and forth, negotiating among pieces that provided lower defense, were too heavy for him, and other issues the child saw. "Arceus me, Alicia... it's like pulling teeth," he whispered. "Not gonna lie, I'm kinda inclined to just take the swords and grind. Because this is not at all what I was looking for."

Josh sighed; Alicia was right. He was at that in-between spot on the level curve where he couldn't equip any of the fun toys, yet mundane weapons would be lacking. At the very least, he could get a couple of elemental weapons and a jacket that looked tougher than it seemed, particularly against special attacks.

"That's... very fair," he admitted, Alicia again making him look like a fool. How was she so damn wise all the time? It seemed like she thoroughly thought through every action she took, no matter what kind of time pressure she was under. Just... how?

Turning toward the armorer, Josh came to his decision. "One Windbreaker, one Heat Blade, and one Thunder Buster, please." Silently, he retrieved the sheaths that the swords would rest inside when not in use, made out of special materials designed to resist their respective elements.

"Your total comes to 300 BYTES." Silently clicking in his UI to confirm the purchase, Josh was now the proud owner of two weapons and a chintzy piece of armor, each of which appeared on him after confirming to equip them in the store.

"Equip here" was such a nice convenience.

Josh's appearance had changed drastically with his new gear. "I...I feel a lot more safe now. Thanks for the help. Once I do a bit more prep work, I think I'll be finally ready to take on that Colossal Skarmory," he mused as he led the way toward the armory's front door.