Page 1535

((The 14 pages of Valentine's Day + Double Wednesday -- Page 4 of 16))
‘Learning about history is a point unto itself,’ said Garovel.

‘Learning about history? Or explaining about history?’

‘What’re you tryin’ to say?’

Hector exhaled and shook his head. They were getting sidetracked again. ‘You really can’t tell me anything useful about this scarf?’

‘Well, okay, so Amordiin had a lot of “interesting” items like this--items which I suspect gave him extraordinary aid in various ways. He seemed to acquire more as he gained fame, supposedly from a “witch” or “coven of witches,” depending on who you ask. As far as I know, he also had a mask, a dagger, a hat, and a couple rings, but--’

‘You’re still not telling me anything about the scarf, Garovel.’

‘Would you quit being so impatient?! Just let me finish!’

Hector wanted to talk back some more, but he held his tongue.

‘Amordiin had his scarf and mask from the beginning, meaning they were likely the most instrumental in his rise to power. So while we may not know what this item is capable of specifically, we know that it helped him sneak into a castle full of soldiers and kidnap the most well-protected woman in the land.’

‘Hmm.’ Hector wished he could touch the scarf with his bare hands, but his armor was in the way. It did seem incredibly light, though, even for a piece of cloth. Almost like a feather, fluttering and trying to catch the breeze at even the slightest of Hector’s movements.

‘Why don’t you try putting it on?’ said Garovel.

‘You sure it’s safe?’

‘Absolutely not, but when has that ever stopped us?’

A horrifically good point, Hector supposed. He set his two weapons down and stood up.

He’d never actually worn a scarf before, though. He decided to just open up a hole in his armor and wrap it around his torso like a stomach warmer, trying not to cringe too badly at the searing pain of the Undercrust’s heat before closing the hole back up.

He waited, focusing his mind away from the pain and more or less succeeding, though maybe not as well as he would’ve liked.

He kept waiting.

And kept waiting.

‘...I’m not feeling anything special,’ said Hector.

‘Is it touching your skin?’

‘Yeah.’ He had made sure to tuck a bit of it up and under his shirt.

‘Well, shit. Maybe you’re wearing it wrong?’

He definitely was, but he didn’t see what difference it made.

‘Try wearing it over your armor, instead,’ said Garovel.

Hector’s mouth flattened in his helmet. ‘Wouldn’t that be bad in a fight? My opponent could just yank it and throw me off balance or something.’

‘Look, I dunno, just try it, okay? You don’t have to wear it that way forever. And besides, it’ll look cooler.’

Hector sighed but did as he was bid, enduring more pain in order to remove the scarf and subsequently wrap it around his neck. It was quite long, probably meant to be worn by someone taller, and he didn’t want too much bulk around his neck, so he forewent any extra loops and let it drape over his back instead.