It didn't take too long for them to finally arrive at the doors of the Royal Armory. They could enter with ease as they already had a royal decree in hand. Once inside a slightly hunched old man greeted them.
"Welcome young heroes. Let's not waste time and gear you all up. Come to me one by one and I'll choose your items personally. No questions asked!" The old man eccentrically spoke as he waved at Vota to get to him.
"You guys are lucky the Grandmaster Visio is here. He's the best appraiser in the entire Kingdom!" Vota, being the knowledgeable man he is, proudly gave the information to his party members before rushing his thick legs to the Grandmaster.
"Tall, full of vitality and strength. Good good." Visio nodded repeatedly while studying every inch of Vota. He even squished Vota's fat body from time to time.
Vota didn't feel weirded out at all. He even raised his chin proudly from the comments the old man was giving him.
"Hurry! Get his young man the Titan's Armor, the Earth Shield, and the Mace of the Berserker." Grandmaster Visio shouted at his apprentices behind him.
While they rushed to get the items, Visio explained to Vota the description of the items they were taking:
-Titan's Armor: Wrought from the heart of ancient mountains, this armor hums with quiet strength, fortifying the wearer's body and spirit against the harshest trials.
-Earth Shield: Born from the petrified roots of a forgotten forest, this shield stands as an unyielding guardian, absorbing blows as if the very earth itself defends its bearer.
-Mace of the Berserker: Forged in the fires of battle and etched with the marks of countless warriors, this mace awakens the wielder's inner fury, delivering strikes that echo with primal power.
"Worthy of a person of my stature!" Vota laughed loudly as he received the items. He couldn't wait to wear and test them out.
"You next!" The Grandmaster pointed at Crystal next.
"Tall, flexible, agile, decent strength, inquisitor training and… ice cold."
"Good good"
"Get her the Frostwind Cloak and the Sword of the Pegasus."
-Frostwind Cloak: A flowing, frost-covered cloak that grants the knight increased speed and flexibility, while also allowing her to move through the battlefield like a gust of wind, leaving a trail of freezing air that slows enemies in her wake.
-Sword of the Pegasus: A sleek, fast blade infused with the essence of the mythical Pegasus, allowing the knight to strike with incredible speed and precision, embodying grace and agility in every move.
"Next!" He pointed at Decus.
"Interesting… We have a Jack of All Trades right here." For the first time, the Grandmaster raised his eyebrow and thought for a bit.
"Get him the Shapeshifting Ring."
-Shapeshifting Ring: A magical ring that allows the wearer to summon and transform into any weapon they need, adapting instantly to the situation with blades, axes, bows, or any other weapon of choice, making the wearer a true master of all combat styles.
The Grandmaster stretched his back a bit before finally pointing at the last party member: Spes.
"Boring…"
"Just look around if something catches your eye. I'll just explain to you whatever you like." Visio just gave Spes one glance and gave that conclusion.
Decus wanted to intervene because he thought he thought he was being discriminated against for his commoner status but stopped his steps as he realized… Decus himself too was a commoner. It was not a matter of discrimination, the Grandmaster truly found Spes… boring.
As for Spes, he tried to hide his dejection but it was apparent on his face. Still, he walked around the armory to see if anything caught his eye as the Grandmaster told him so.
"That is too heavy for you boy." The Grandmaster immediately spoke as Spes was about to pick up an item.
"No no! You don't have enough mana to wield that!"
"That's not for you!"
"Your aptitude is too low for that!"
Every item that caught Spes's eye was followed by harsh criticism. It made him not even want to look anymore. Now, he was just walking around with shame without bothering to check what was in front of him.
As he was about to give up and just return without any item, he suddenly felt something strange. It felt like something was calling him. He continued walking and that feeling got stronger and stronger until he reached a door.
"What the…? I've never seen anything quite like this before!" The Grandmaster shouted as he stared curiously at Spes.
Spes couldn't see it as he was too focused on the feeling but he was back to glowing blue again!
"Open the door in a hurry!" Viseo ordered his apprentices.
With the door unlocked, Spes slowly entered and examined what was in the room. It was a small room full of runes and magic circles. And at the center of all that was a closed black grimoire, emanating a mysterious aura.
As if feeling Spes's presence the Grimoire suddenly lit in blue too and floated in the air.
"Impossible!!" The Grandmaster and the apprentices behind him all stared in disbelief.
"That grimoire has been sealed by the most powerful enchanters of the Kingdom!"
The Grandmaster's jaw fell as he saw all the seals get instantly destroyed as if they were never there. And as for the Grimoire, it slowly floated and fell in Spes's hands, both their blue hue disappearing.
"Is this a Hero's artifact?" Spes asked as he realized what just happened.
"That?! A Hero's artifact?! That's the devil's book!!! The people who discovered it instantly went mad! And every other Mages and Appraisers that tried to study it met the same fate…"
"The last Appraiser that tried his luck discovered its name but died in the process… He said it's called… The Necronomicon."
Spes felt the Grimoire slightly pulsate when Viseo mentioned the name.
"Is this… safe?" Spes was instantly scared of what just happened.
"Definitely not! Even when left unintended it would somehow corrupt the area it was at. We had to keep it sealed and renew its seal every month as it also slowly corrupted the seals."
"How have you not gone mad yet?!" The Grandmaster cautiously took a step back as he slowly distanced himself from the grimoire.
"You-you don't feel anything?" Viseo stopped his steps when he noticed that Spes was just looking at him with a confused face.
"I feel normal…" Spes tried closing his eyes and concentrating on himself but nothing came up. Even that feeling of attraction from earlier disappeared.
"Yeah, nothing."
"The gods be blessed!!! I feared that cursed item would be the doom of this armory!!!"
Not only the old man but his apprentices started cheering and clapping. Despite the item being sealed, strange occurrences would still appear within the armory's vicinity. It did impact their work and personal life. With it gone, things would finally go back to normal.
"You, what is your name?" The old man wanted to hug Spes but he did not dare to get close to the grimoire.
"Spes…"
"The Royal Armory offers its thanks to you Spes!!"
The Grandmaster and his apprentices all gave him a deep bow.
"Accept this as a gesture of gratitude." The Grandmaster carefully placed a silver circle on Spes's head.
"One of the Royal Armory's latest works"
-The Crest of Safeguard shields its wearer from physical, magical, and spiritual harm, and can deflect a single mortal blow.
Meanwhile, the three others were just staring quietly at the side as if they were watching a show.
"His items are a bit cool but can't match mine." Vota was slightly jealous as he found that Spes's items were way too awesome.
Decus next to Vota had a warm smile on his face. He was worried that Spes would feel bad that he was 'boring' but now it seemed that Spes wasn't that boring after all.
And as for the ice queen Crystal, she just stared quietly without saying anything with no expression on her face.