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 were sent there by the decree of the king himself. Upon entering, 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 come 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 this 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.
"You next!" the Grandmaster pointed at Crystal.
"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 gave Spes one glance and gave that conclusion.
Decus immediately took a step forward, about to intervene thinking Spes was being profiled, him being a commoner but Decus would step back upon realizing that he himself was a commoner too, making the matter not about discrimination... the Grandmaster truly found Spes… boring.
As for Spes, he tried to hide his dejection, but it was apparent on his face. Still, as the Grandmaster told him to, he walked around the armory to see if anything caught his eye.
"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, the young man suddenly stopped in his steps and frowned.
"This feels... familiar." He mumbled, staring a door at the end of the room. Approaching the door, that feeling get stronger and stronger, making him wonder what was happening.
What Spes couldn't see was that he was slowly starting to glow blue again, the closer he got to the door. Something that the surrounding crowd did definitely notice, especially the Grandmaster who was staring curiously at Spes.
It was only when he arrived in front of the door did Spes realize what was happening to him.
"There's a hero artifact in there!" Spes mumbled, exited, wanting to see which hero's artifact he would stumble upon. He tried pushing the door but it didn't budge an inch.
"Open the door, quick!" Visio ordered, wanting to see what would happen next.
"But sir! The curse!" His apprentices shouted, glancing fearfully at the locked door.
"I said open it!" He shouted back, his apprentices quickly prancing around to fetch the key, unlocking the door.
Slowly stepping through the door, Spes entered a very ominous room. On each walls were inscribed countless runes and magic circles. And at the center of all that was a closed black grimoire, emanating a dark energy that slowly withered the runes and magic circles.
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 all stared in disbelief.
"That grimoire has been sealed by the most powerful enchanters of the Kingdom!" The Grandmaster's jaw fell, seeing all the seals get instantly destroyed. As for the Grimoire, it slowly levitated, dashing into Spes's hands, both their blue hue disappearing.
"I-Is this a Hero's artifact?" Spes asked, still slightly confused as to what had happened.
"That?! A Hero's artifact?! That's the devil's book!!!" The Grandmaster shouted as he cautiously took a certain distance away from Spes, his apprentices doing the same thing.
"H-how do you feel?" The old man asked, a drop of sweat rolling down his wrinkled face.
"I feel normal. Why?" Spes answered, wondering why the people in front of him were acting so strangely.
"That THING in your hands young man, that's an evil book!" The Grandmaster said, pointing fearfully at the grimoire.
"It was discovered by a renown adventurer who instantly went mad upon opening it. When brought here for safe keeping, many researchers would come to try to decipher it, meeting the same fate as the adventurer. The last mage who studied it last met a grim end, managing to learn of that evil grimoire's true name: the Necronomicon." The Grandmaster did his job as a appraiser, telling Spes in detail all he knew about the black grimoire.
"And that evil book, when left unattended, would somehow corrupt the area it was in, causing devastating irreversible damage. We had to keep it sealed and renew its seal every month, as it also slowly corrupted the seals."
"You—you really don't feel anything?" The old man asked again, staring intently at Spes's face.
"Nothing…" Spes tried closing his eyes and concentrating on himself, but nothing came up.
"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.