Page 857

Next came the faulds and modified tasset, which protected Hector’s waist and crotch, respectively. Together, they basically looked like a metal skirt, though Garovel assured him that they made him seem very intimidating and manly. Hector wasn’t too concerned either way, as long as they shielded his balls.

The piece covering his ass was called the culet, which had been perhaps the most difficult thing to find in his studies. There weren’t many pieces of plate armor designed for the ass, probably because knights in full plate historically fought on horseback. Ultimately, he’d decided that a culet was slightly more practical than materializing a horse.

For his thighs, there were cuisses; for the knees, poleyns; and for the shins, greaves. All easy enough. And for his feet, he simply created a series of riveted plates, called lames, over the top of his shoes. He certainly didn’t want to lose the superior traction of his modern footwear, especially on this already slick ground.

All together, it was heavy as shit. Which was another strike against wearing it all the time, he supposed. But of course, he would be cheating with undead strength as soon as the fight started. The knights of ye olden times must have been monsters to be able to fight like this. But then, as he thought about it more and remembered how long reapers and servants had been around, he began to wonder if they actually had been monsters.

‘Hey, Asad, would you mind?’ said Garovel, motioning toward Hector. ‘Lend us a bit of your soul.’

Asad paused when he saw Hector. “Interesting,” was all he said before pressing a tattooed hand against the iron. After a few moments, he removed his hand and said, “That should last about fifteen minutes.”

“Th-thank you...”

“You are welcome.” Asad crafted a glassy helmet for his daughter and handed it to her. “Tell me what I need to hear.”

Jada donned the gift immediately. “Only as a last resort,” she said. Her hands rustled beneath her dark robe for a second, and then she revealed a handgun. “Otherwise, I will provide support from a distance.”

“Good. I will be fine on my own, so concentrate on helping Hector.”

“Yes, abbi.”

Asad did not bother creating a helmet for himself, Hector noticed, despite still having time to spare.

‘They are surrounding us,’ warned Qorvass.

Hector could see them approaching now.