Chapter 405 - Well Earned Reward

My beta reader hasnt had a chance to give this one a look and I haven't proofed it, so I hope there aren't too many errors. Did my best to catch them as I went but some always seem to slip through. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

The Royal Armoury was about as grand as Hump expected, located inside a castle by the riverside, right at the edge of the Temple District. Once, it overlooked Elenvine’s main harbour and housed the royal family, but as years went by and the city expanded, its use as a defensive fortification diminished, and the monarch moved into a more lavish palace. Now, its walls were used to guard many of Alveron’s greatest treasures. Guards patrolled the outer walls, adorned in the most extravagant ornate armour that Hump had seen, styled with gold and red, it looked straight out of a puppet show. Within the walls, the tower keep loomed high overhead, four turrets rising from its corners.

The guards provided an escort at the gate, who ushered them through a small, heavily secure side door. Well-tended grass lawns and gardens filled the area surrounding the central keep, with a steep, wide road leading up to it. As they walked, Hump’s eyes roamed the many towers of the outer wall, each of them three stories tall with doors leading to them. A small temple to Lady Light sat nestled between the castle walls and the barracks. Yet for all the space, none of it was in use. The gardens were empty, the lawns vacant but for a few guards patrolling the road. As impressive as it was, Hump couldn’t help but see it as wasteful.

Ahead of them, the keep rose in the air. It was massive. A giant block of stone that Hump could hardly imagine the effort it must have taken to create, but this was just one of many castles in Elenvine. The only entrance was halfway up the wall, connecting to the first floor of the keep. A wooden staircase built along the wall provided access and could be removed in the event of an attack. At the top of the stairs, a tall man awaited them, their escort referring to him as the royal steward and leaving them in his care.

The man descended to meet them, polished boots clinking softly against the stairs. He was impeccably dressed in deep blue livery trimmed with gold, and his curlsed moustache was so neatly maintained that Hump suspected it required its own morning ritual. This was a person that cared much about appearance.

Inside the keep, the grandeur continued. Hump felt the hum of magic in the air the moment he stepped into the open halls. Essence stone lights glowed softly above, illuminating rows of display cases lining the walls, holding ancient weapons, enchanted artifacts, and polished shields emblazoned with family crests. Suits of armour stood tall on plinths, their intricate designs blending silver, gold, and gemstone inlays. Some seems too fancy for real use, but Hump saw the marks of battle on others. Dents and scratches, smashed helmets, shattered breastplates, and jagged holes where the armour was pierced. Many had plaques beneath them with a short description of the previous owner.

“This is fascinating,” Bud said enthusiastically. “My uncle once told me of his visit here and the history held within.”

“Indeed, there is much! The other floors have been converted much like this one,” the steward explained as they walked. The Grey Keep has a simple layout. Three stories high, each floor is divided into three halls. Once, the king’s court, lodgings, and temple were all in here but these days it is largely used to display the possessions of past royals.”

The steward seemed to open up after the comment, guiding them through the displays with a monotone explanation of the more interesting pieces.

As interesting as it was, this wasn’t exactly what Hump had expected from the Royal Armoury. This was the equipment of knights and Chosen, and he saw little of use to a wizard. And the steward had made no indication that any of this was available for them today.

Soon, they passed out of the hall, not stopping until they reached one of the corners of keep where a spiral staircase descended underground. There, they arrived before an enormous steel gate. Runes gleamed on its surface, and Hump’s sensed the strength in them—the divinity. These were the marks of Chosen of Loften—god glyphs combined with blessings. Looking at it, Hump thought he could spend a hundred years and still not crack it. He waited, wondering if the Book of Infinite Pages could record such a thing, but the familiar shake didn’t come.

Even if he could, two Chosen knights stood on either side, greeting the steward respectfully. One seemed to catch Hump’s gaze and frowned, and Hump gave an awkward, definitely not thinking of how I could break in, kind of smile. There was a short wait while a number of other people arrived, each dressed in uniform. In the meantime, the steward presented each of them with what was literally a treasure chest.

Hump’s eyes were wide as he opened the wooden chest atop the table, the lid surprisingly heavy. Inside was pure gold. Hump swore that the coins gleamed back at him, and his eyes widened even further at the beautiful sight. He swallowed.

Even Bud and Emilia seemed a little caught off guard by the amount.

“Fifteen hundred gold coins each,” the steward said. “As promised by Prince Greggory. You may take it with you as is, or we can arrange for it to be deposited in the Bank of Alveron.”

A bank? Hump thought. He’d never needed a bank before. For now, Celaine would store it for them all, though such a prize was far too much to keep in her belt alone.

Once all were gathered, the hall they had entered through was sealed shut, locked by the same runes. Hump shared a nervous look with Celaine, but what he saw in her eyes was on the verge of panic. He gave her arm a squeeze and smiled, getting a nerve smile back.

He should have thought about it, but she didn’t like underground spaces at the best of times, let alone when she was sealed in by god glyphs. But it was only now that the five new arrivals work together to activate the vault door, each of them adding their essence to it. Silently, the vault swung open.

Hump’s breath caught as he looked inside. The chamber was vast, its walls lined with pedestals and shelves holding all manner of artifacts: swords, staffs, armour, jewellery, ornaments. All of it pulsed with unrestrained power.

“You have been granted the right to take a single item from the vault each,” the steward said. “Each of you will be under escort when inside. If you wish to search for artifacts with specific properties, you may enquire with your escort. Each artifact is bound here and cannot be removed without an official, so once you have selected your piece inform me.”

“You have been granted the right to take a single artifact each,” the steward announced, stepping aside as though presenting the vault itself. “Each of you will be under the escort of one of our curators while inside. If you require artifacts with specific properties, you may inquire with them or consult our complete index. Once you have made your selection, inform me and it shall be retrieved for you. If adjustments are required for fit, we shall arrange them. No artifact may leave this vault without official authorisation.”

Well that’s convenient, Hump thought. He’d expected to have to search through the catalogue of goods himself—a method of keeping costs to the armoury down and hiding away the best stuff. It seemed he might be able to get what he was looking for after all.

Hump was paired with a stoic woman, with cropped black hair and a no-nonsense demeaner. She didn’t smile as she introduced herself, and was brisk regarding the artifacts that he might want. He explained his need for an artifact that could hide the presence of his soul, or storage artifacts, both of which they had a number inventoried.

The woman guided him through the vault, pointing out various artifacts that a wizard might found useful as they passed. Many held history just like those outside, though it seemed most of the artifacts here were created by Chosen of Loften. While that wasn’t a problem generally, when it came to concealing his soul and the Book of Infinite Pages, Hump decided that relying on the blessings of the caster god was less than ideal. One never knew who might set their sights on it.

Hump’s eyes roamed the shelves, lingering on tempting items—a staff carved from midnight wood, pulsating faintly with restrained magic, a mask that promised to cloak his presence entirely, and a circlet that would disguise his soul aura by giving him the appearance of a holy leader. Both the mask and circlet were powerful, but they weren’t subtle. Drawing attention in the wrong way could be just as dangerous as leaving his soul exposed.

While he could only take one while he was here, he mentally noted down many of the most useful. With any luck, he would find similar in the Vault of the Inquisition, or if not, he could use some of the fifteen hundred gold he had earned for his work in the Infernal Halls.

In the end, Hump settled on the Eclipse Brooch. The small pin was crafted to show a crescent moon of black steel eclipsing a polished obsidian sun at its center, as though it swallowed the light around it. It had been designed for the use of rogues wanting to hide their presence, much like Celaine’s Hunter’s Instincts blessing, but for Hump it suited his purposes perfectly.

“Are you sure this is the one?” his escort had asked him.

Hump nodded. “This is it.”

“What is it that chases you, wizard?” she asked. “Even the gods will not be able to find you with such a thing.”

Hump did his best to keep his face straight at her words, not wanting her to realise that such a thing would be absolutely fine by him. “Mine is more of a demon problem,” Hump said. When he didn’t elaborate further, the woman took the brooch and instructed him to leave the vault.

By the time the group emerged from the vault, each of them had chosen their artifact. Celaine had selected a cloak woven from shadow silk that allowed her to vanish in dim light. Bud had chosen a new shield, its surface reinforced with divine runes of protection. Dylan—after much deliberation—picked a druidic bracer that enhanced his blessings without compromising his movement.

Next up was their visit to the Vault of the Inquisition. Hump supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that it was inside another keep, though this one lacked the outer walls of the Royal Armoury. Wizard Aldric’s acquaintance was waiting for them when they arrived, and they were soon taken down to a vault that was almost as heavily guarded as the armoury. Inside, they were met with thousands of treasures.

It was a day unlike any Hump had experienced, picking through magical artifacts with no cost attached. They spent a couple of hours there, searching through the gear, before returning home to the Rike Estate with so many artifacts Hump struggled to imagine how much more powerful they would be.

Hump had focused on his weaknesses, taking artifacts that would aid his defence and provide utility in battle. The equipment wasn’t unique, but all of it was silver tier quality. He’d found a Bag of Holding that would solve his storage needs. While lacking the convenience of the stones on Celaine’s belt, the bag would give him more than enough space for everything he needed her to carry for him and Nisha. Second, he added a Ring of Counter to his finger that could deflect an attack back at his attacker. Perhaps most useful of all was a Lifesaver Charm—a silver band that stored essence and would resist a single physical attack anywhere on his body. If a stray arrow came for Hump now, in theory the charm would stop it

It was a good haul. Back at the estate, each of them showed off their new equipment. An amulet and set of rings for Bud. Boots of Speed for Emilia, along with a Ring of Protection to compensate for the buckler she no longer carried. Dylan had taken a cloak crafted with the divine protections of Loften, while Celaine, a new quiver that used dimensional magic to increase its arrow capacity. For the afternoon, they experimented with it all, learning to wield their pieces properly and to take advantage of them in battle.

Hump saved testing his brooch until last, taking it from the small box it had been prepared in. Its surface was unnervingly cold to the touch, and when he fastened it to his cloak, he felt his soul shrouded in a veil of shadow, as if the world itself forgot he was there.

“How is it?” Hump asked.

Everyone was staring at him, but it was Celaine’s eyes that were the most intense.

“It’s like you’re not there,” she said, amazed.

“Brilliant!” Hump said.

“Now why don’t we go find that inn,” Bud said cheerfully, putting an arm around Hump’s shoulder. “Anyone want to join us for a drink?”

Dylan raised a hand. “Wouldn’t say no to that!”

Emilia shook her head. “I’ve been out enough today. I should stay home.”

Celaine stepped up to her side, smiling. “I’ll keep you company. You boys enjoy your night. I’ll watch Nisha for you, Hump.”

“Thank you,” Hump said. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow and let you know how the academy tour went.”

As he stepped away, he adjusted the pin on his robes. It wasn’t flashy, but for the first time in months, he felt secure.

For anyone searching for the Book of Infinite Pages, the hunt had just become a lot harder. And Hump would make damn sure it stayed that way.