Isekai For Hire Chapter 4: Do You Really Need Armor?

Read chapter 4 of Isekai For Hire by wk_rust on NovelPedia.

Do You Really Need Armor? Lorena woke to an unfamiliar silence. There was no traffic or sirens, just the sound of vendors quietly setting up for the morning market. Her hand drifted to her chest, fingers pressing the spot where the spider had dug its fang into her. The hole was still gone. No pain, no scar, as if the whole thing had been a dream. I’m still living the nightmare. Lorena sighed as the reality of yesterday came rushing back. She pushed the emotions away and focused on practicalities. Her class choice of Rogue had come with four new abilities: Stealth, Vicious Stab, Precision Strike, and Gouge. The techs had called the Rogue class a builder/spender class, and looking at her new abilities that made sense. Vicious Stab: Strike your target with your main hand weapon, generates 1 combo point Lorena stopped reading the skill descriptions, a frown spreading across her face. The skill was red and an error message appeared when she hovered over it. This skill requires a dagger or a sword to use. Cannot use [Rusty Pitchfork] with this ability. How had she missed that detail? Lorena opened her armor page for the first time, something that should have happened before now but with the chaos of yesterday it had slipped. shirt: Plain brown shirt, +0 armor legs: Hand Stitched Canvas Pants, +25 armor feet: Worn Leather Boots, +10 armor Empty slots: head, neck, shoulders, back, chest, main hand, off hand, ranged weapon, hands, waist, ring 1, ring 2, trinket 1 Frustration grew with each entry in the Empty Slots list. No wonder she’d come so close to— Something stirred in the back of her mind and she swallowed the thought. The armor could have been worse. Getting a weapon would still be her top priority, but new armor would be high on the list. The market was alive and bustling despite it being only 9 AM. Lorena browsed the various stalls as she passed, most people selling foods and trade goods. The scent of grilled pumpkin filled the air, making her pause. Lorena had never smelt grilled pumpkin before, yet she knew not only what the smell was, but even that the pumpkin was under ripened. I was a competent farmer, you know. Right. But before an argument could start a sign caught Lorena’s attention, The Soot and Spark. It was carved into a large wooden plaque, a sword and shield on either side of the words. The smell of oils and coal was immediate, followed by warmth; the furnace had clearly been on for several hours. There was a single entrance to the shop, and a door on the far wall that presumably led to the store room and workshop. “Greetings traveler! I haven’t seen you ‘round here before. What can I do for ya?” a stout dwarf said as he hopped off a stool behind a large iron workbench. Lorena had rehearsed for this and said her prepared line. “Just passing through. I need a weapon.” The dwarf put down his hammer and lumbered over toward her. “And where might a fine lass such as yourself be passing to?” “The Southern Loche.” She didn’t want to give anyone any more information about her plans than was strictly necessary, so she had come up with a believable lie on the way over. He took another step closer, his wiry mess of a beard scraping against her hip. “The Loche is a dangerous place for a lass like you.” Ren stirred in the back of their shared mind, apprehension spilling over. Lorena took a step back. He wasn’t a threat, but she always tried to maintain personal space. “That’s why I need a weapon.” The dwarf reached out and held the edge of her shirt. “Aye. I think maybe some armor is in order first. This doesn’t do too much for you in the armor or the looks department.” You should leave. Now. Now who’s the paranoid one? I’ve dealt with pushy vendors before, it’s fine. Lorena kept her voice light, “I’d prefer to see a weapon, thanks. I need that more than—” “Alright alright,” the dwarf said, cutting her off. “Follow me and I’ll show you the finest selection of weapons you ever did see.” He walked toward the door in the back of