Renaissance: Chapter 4

“I’m Nick Young, a 20 year old emigrant from Scantern village of the Eastern Alliance. I recently came to this country a few weeks ago with my mother. However there was a conspiracy against me. I was separated from my mother and forcefully imprisoned by the Imperial guards.”

(Hmm...If I stay here for too long, I’d waste a lot of time. Besides, disclosing too much information would mean trouble for me. For now, the story I made up seems to be pretty good.)

“I don't really want to be a burden on you guys but uhhh… What was your name again ?”

“...” (Young…? Now where have I heard that title before…?)

“I asked something, sir?”

“Oh, forgive me. It's Sam. ”

“Nice to meet you, Sam. And thanks a lot for helping me out there.”

“Okay, so do you want to explore the town or get some rest? Your wounds look pretty bad, to be honest.”

“No, Let’s explore the town” (For now, gathering information is my top priority)

“Okay! Let’s go then, shall we?”

"Yeah… I guess so"

The town was nothing special in particular but the people looked very happy and content with whatever resources they owned. The town had a broad and long street with houses on both sides. At the end of the street, there was the Mayor’s villa, a bunch of official buildings, an area with a big old tree and an open market consisting of the daily-life requirements.

“Although small, this town is very lively, isn’t it?”

Sam asked while grinning cheerfully and patting on Nick's back.

“Yeah, it is.“ replied Nick with a dull yet comforting smile, as if he had a lot going on in his mind. (This market should contain all the materials needed for the time being. Great...I should visit a blacksmith too, if there are any... and the next thing I need to do, is plan my escape without gaining much suspicion.)

“Hey, are there any blacksmiths around? We should probably arm ourselves. The guards might be looking for us.”

“Hmm...but you don’t look like a warrior. What, are you an assassin or something?”

“HEY! Don’t go on my looks! It may not look like it but I’m very good with small weapons.”

“Yeah yeah, alright. Let’s go and buy some equipment. Maybe, Phil could help us out.”

“Huh? Who’s Phil?”

“Oh, pardon for not telling you. He’s the blacksmith of this town and people say he’s a very good craftsman. You’ll definitely love his works!”

As Nick followed Sam to the shop, he could hear the rumbling and clanking noise of steel equipment and the loud strokes of Phil's hammer.

"Hey, uh… do you have any weapons that even a small kid like him could use?-"

"-HEY! I'm NOT a kid!"

"Whoa! Calm down, you two. Now, what would you like, young man? I’d recommend using a shortsword, or maybe knife, a dagger to be precise, if you’re an extreme-close combatant.”

“Yeah, I’d like to buy a shortsword, two daggers, greaves and vambraces too.”

“Alright then!"

-Phil went towards the shelf near the door and took out a rapier blade, shiny and made of steel, then he went in the storage room and brought a pair of greaves and vambraces, and daggers and placed all of them on a table in front of them.

"This the best sword I have currently. It’ll cost 1 gold coin and these are the daggers. They were made quite recently so they cost 8 silvers, 4 for each. And...here you go. A pair of metal greaves and vambraces. They will cost 4 gold coins.”

“The sword isn’t bad and the daggers...yes, they are a fine pair of daggers. By the way, what is that shining chest?”

Nick asks while pointing towards a strange but rather captivating old chest with unusual sparkling rims.

“Oh, that? That chest contains a sword made of Adamantium. It’s been passed down my family for generations. I’ve never actually seen someone swinging that monster since it’s too heavy for any average human. Would you like to give it a try?”

“Nah! I’m good. I’m not THAT much of a fighter, really-”

“-Hey, maybe I could give it a try!” said Sam immediately.

He slowly opens the chest as it piques his interest. The Adamantium sword had a glorious shine to it such that even it's handle was made of stainless and finely handcrafted metal. Sam held the sword with his right hand and pulled it up without struggling even a tiny bit. Phil’s jaw dropped and he couldn't believe what he witnessed. Sam started swinging the sword with elegance and placed the sword on his hips after slicing the air with it.

"Sir… I… I can’t believe what you just did… You… ah.... Haha, tell me, do you want this sword?"

"Well, yeah, I'd love to have it but it probably costs a TON of gold coins, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, that's true. But I'll give this sword to you for free. I'd rather have someone make use of this beauty than just let her be locked in that chest."

"Well...okay then, I guess, thanks!"

"Haha! May this sword protect it’s master from all the struggles and hardships that awaits in the world. Please take good care of it.”

“Yup, I'll definitely make sure to take care of it.”

Nick and Sam paid for the other items and headed out through the door.