Hunter took a moment to drink in the contents of the armory. There were neatly stacked items of clothing in shelves. He saw leather boots lined up in orderly rows underneath wooden tables. On top of each table were stacked pieces of leather armor, metal bracers, pauldrons, girdles, and grieves. There were things that he didn’t have a name for. All of it was cast in a shimmering silver metal that reflected the warm overhead light. Swords, shields, spears, and bows, and all types of other weapons were hanging in racks along the walls. Hunter activated his Covetous Eyes and he was bombarded with information.

Common Quicksilver Sword (Lvl 5): This common-tier sword is used by members of the Heavenly Host. This sword has been blessed by a Sentinel and does extra damage to enemies of demonic origin. Value: 5 Gold

Common Quicksilver Hauberk (Lvl 6): This common-tier armor is used by members of the Heavily Host. This chainmail armor has been blessed by a Sentinel and resists demonic corruption. Value: 6 Gold

Common Padded Silkweave Tunic (Lvl 1): This common-tier padded tunic is used by members of the Heavenly Host. It is designed to be worn under other forms of armor and helps to reduce blunt force attacks. Value: 1 Gold

Common Weatherproof Quiver (Lvl 5): This common-tier quiver is used by members of the Heavenly Host. It is designed to hold twenty-five arrows. This item has been blessed by a Sentinel to prevent weather from degrading the arrows. Value: 7 Gold and 50 Silver 

There were so many notifications that his Covetous Eyes skill leveled four times after just glancing around the room. He was pleased to see that the other side effect of his skill finally manifested. Before, he hadn’t been able to quantify how much his greed armaments were worth. He wasn’t sure if that was a by-product of their demonic origin or if they had no value. This skill would help him in the future if he wanted to bargain for better prices.

Looking at everything, he felt like the time he and his friends had snuck into an outlet store that had been going out of business. His mom had never been able to afford name brand clothes, and someone had stupidly left the back door unlocked. He had been able to raid a few outfits that night before the motion detectors in the store had gone off. He still remembered the sheer adrenaline he had felt running from the cops. It was a stupid prank back then, but now it could save his life.

He walked up to the nearest table and picked up one of the bracers. There wasn’t a message from the Archives telling him that he couldn’t take the item so he smiled from ear to ear. He was definitely going to take the opportunity to change his clothes and get better equipment.

He made his way around the room and studied each item. In the process, his Covetous Eyes leveled two more times. When he was finished, he frowned at the results of his examination. Not a single item in the room had some kind of magical effect. He had found a couple of Rings of Holding, but that was more of a utility item. Nothing else had the same sort of abilities that his greed weapons did.

He idly wondered if that was normal. So far, his Archive paths had prioritized strength through skills, whereas his demonic items prioritized power through weapons. If the armory was standard, it hinted that the Heavenly Host didn’t focus on worldly objects while the Infernal Horde did. It made a certain kind of sense, but it was frustrating.

When he had initially found the armory, he was hoping for some equipment that would keep his greedy impulses in check. Looking around, there was nothing that fit the bill. He would have more protection but no real increase in strength. 

Disappointed, he returned to the shelves that had multiple kinds of clothing. They were mostly white garments, but he found a couple of sets of tunic and trousers that were dyed blue or gray. He eyeballed a pair of gray items that looked like they would fit him and gathered them into his arms. After that, he found a pair of brown leather boots that seemed to fit. 

Having made his choices, he grabbed a white tunic. He didn’t plan on wearing it. He wanted to shower before changing, and he hadn’t spotted any towels in the communal shower area. Before he left, he slipped on a Ring of Holding and stowed his selections within it. He probably should’ve been amazed at the effect, but he had played enough video games that it was less startling than the imps he had to fight. There had been so many surprises and near-deaths in the last two days that a magical ring seemed commonplace.

Hunter looked around the room and questioned whether he should make a few more choices before leaving. He sighed heavily a the thought. He wanted to get showered and changed before picking up more equipment. There was an expansive selection of equipment, and he knew that he would need time to make choices that would fit his burgeoning combat style. It would be cool to strap on a bunch of heavy plate armor, but if he did that, he might fall on his ass and then get gored by an imp. He’d rather choose things that he could effectively use.

He walked back to the berthing and took off his trusty converse sneakers. He was almost nostalgic when the last shoe came off. It was a symbol of his past being left behind. His sneakers didn’t provide much protection, and that was more important when trying to survive the Rift. He tore off his ratty band tee and shredded jeans. There was no sense of loss with those items. They had practically been destroyed by the battles against the imps. When he was left in his boxers, he frowned. There hadn’t been any underwear that he had seen in the armor.

What did medieval people do for underwear? 

Shrugging, he set them aside on top of one of the chests in the room and decided that he would wear them underneath his new tunic. 

He took a shower and was annoyed that the water was icy cold. 

I guess the Sanctuary couldn’t be perfect, he groused to himself. 

When he was done, he toweled off and started donning his new equipment. The light gray long-sleeved tunic and trousers were soft and slightly slippery to the touch. There were reinforced sections in the chest, arms, thighs, and knees. Each item of clothing weighed at least ten pounds. If it weren’t for the points he had put into Strength, Hunter wasn’t sure he would have been able to wear them as easily. Above the trousers and his old socks, he slipped on the knee-length boots. They were a supple brown leather and they were more comfortable than they looked. They still pinched his feet in strange places, but he hoped that after a couple of days of use, they would form to his body.

When he was fully clothed, he walked around the room and did some jumping jacks to check his range. It was definitely heavier, but it wasn’t any more cumbersome than the winter clothing he had been wearing before the imps set it alight. Satisfied, he left his old clothing in the berthing and made his way back to the armory. It was time to pick out the armor he was going to wear. He felt a thrill of excitement at the thought.