Quoted By:
"Wh- b- huh?" The merchant sputters, not having expected it. "But...they're priceless artifacts, I..." He starts.
"You almost lost them to some random dumbass pirates that would probably have used the helmet as a dinner bowl and the journal as toilet paper." You counter.
"I..." The merchant's brow furrows, as he considers it. "You're right...certainly, they could use protection in the hands of someone who knows their their true value and has the skill to protect them..." He begrudgingly admits out loud. With a sigh, he offers the book out to you. "Very well, I shall entrust them to you. I just ask that you do everything in your power to ensure that these vital pieces of history are not damaged or lost."
"I will. That's a promise." You say, pouring all the seriousness you can into your voice. You can tell that he'd respond best to someone that understands the gravity of the exchange.
"Thank you." He says gratefully as you take the book, and as you grab the helmet to carefully tuck it under your arm. "Now, you'd best get back to your crew - I'm sure they're trying to count heads right about now." He ushers the three of you back up out of the ship.
"Cool helmet. Gonna wear it?" Gigas asks you while you start the climb back up the chain of the harpoon still embedded in the deck of the ship. Damn it, you're going to have to climb the second one, too!
"Maybe. I don't know if it's exactly my style yet, but Orichalcum sounds pretty good." You say, admittedly not knowing much about the substance.
"Twice as light as steel, thrice as strong." Val speaks up.
"Huh...how about that. I thought it seemed really light for its size." You decide to put the helmet on your head, just to...you know, try it out for a bit. See if you like it. It definitely kind of clashes with your usual wear, but you're not exactly set to one style of clothing - what kind of fashionable man would be so mad as to limit himself like that?
Once the three of you have made the trip up two chains back to the deck of the Golden Mirage, you file into line with the rest of the surviving crew members - which looks to be a significant number, with two or three casualties from such a large raid. Captain Keats is busy counting heads, naturally, while the lazy-ass quartermaster Ms. Weaver is sitting behind him on some piles of loot that must have been brought up, already popping open some firewine to celebrate. God damn is she fine.
"Woah, nice helmet? Who'd you loot that off of?" Your captain asks you when he gets to you.
"Heh, we saved the Merchant's life, so he gave it to me as thanks." You admit proudly. "By the way, guess who got the kill on the bounty?" You say, pulling out your bounty book to flash it.
"Tsk! Damn, I must have missed him. Lucky you!" Your captain snaps his fingers and laments jokingly. "You're just gonna be swimming in riches, aren't you?"
