Karl looked through the pile, looking for chest plates. There were only a few to choose from, as the ones worn by the Hill Giants were too large to be easily brought back.
But there was a decent one without any visible damage that Karl matched with its backplate and tried.
Unfortunately, It didn’t bond with him.
So, Karl kept digging through the pile until he found a human sized one that was made of light blue metal chain with a shining steel or silver chest plate over it.
Karl knew this one, it had a single hole over the heart both front and back. That made it the first one that Rae had ambushed after her skill advanced, the guy who had died while trash talking.
It wasn’t undamaged, but it was in better shape than what he had been wearing, and the materials looked both powerful and exotic.
There was no actual restriction on having spare armour, as far as Karl knew, so he tried to bond it, and the armour easily slid into place under his shirt and jacket.
It was lightweight, comfortable, and once the holes were fixed, it should be good protection that could be somewhat stealthily worn at all times, not like the heavy leather and plate combo he had before.
That might also mean that it wasn’t actually great armour, but it was bonded now, and he could get Tessa to fix it quickly while the mangled pieces waited.
“What you up to down there?” Bob Mackenzie called from somewhere in the distance.
“Sorting through armour pieces for something that won’t make Tessa cry when she sees the condition.” Karl called back, then heard the Cleric laugh from above him.
Bob came over and looked at the loot pile. “Mind if I look as well? My gear was pretty beat by the end of the fight, and we loaded a literal tonne of stuff into Thor’s bags.”
“Have at. I’ve got a new chest plate the bonded. It’s this, and only a little damaged.” Karl explained as he took it off to show the warrior.
Bob whistled. “Now that’s pretty. It looks like a Commander Rank piece, but the Clerics will be able to tell you better if it’s any good.”
“Throw it up here, and I’ll tell you.” Tessa called as she extended her hand out the entrance.
Karl tossed it up to her and heard the cleric curse.
“This has to be Rae’s work. Or is that your sword that went through and through? It had to suck to be whoever was wearing this last. But it’s an easy fix with the proper application of repair magic.
It’s Commander Rank, and it’s actually very sturdy armour, despite being designed to be worn under cleric robes without adding visible bulk.” She announced.
So, it was a church created piece that the traitors had taken with them.
Karl saw similar blue metal in the pile. “Oh, there are the matching pants here as well. Check these out.”
He equipped them to ensure they would bond with him, then removed them and tossed them up to Tessa.
“Yeah, this is the matching half of the set. Help Bob find what he wants, and if you see more of those pieces, save them. They’re good for the other clerics and mages.” Tessa replied happily.
The pants weren’t damaged at all, so she could fix the chest and put Karl’s original set of armour on the back burner, to be done when she had the others combat ready again.
She was quite familiar with the pattern of the clergy produced armour set, though the quality was higher than she was used to having access to. Commander Rank armour was normally reserved for High Priests, and they had their own armourers at the Cathedral, so she hadn’t had the opportunity to test her skills on their equipment.
She could likely take a set for herself to be less conspicuous than the chain and plate set that she wore now, which layered around her robes, to leave shining golden plates on the outside, and dull metal chain under her robes, making her look only partially armoured.
Bob stopped as he reached the pile, and immediately picked up the plate set that Karl had set aside as incompatible with him.
It vanished as soon as he picked it up, and a freshly polished steel plate, complete with arm guards, which hadn’t been part of the original set, appeared on the warrior.
“Now pants. I need to find some new pants. One leg is totally mangled on mine, and the repair team won’t have that ready for days.
They say that we can take a few shifts off if our gear is still too damaged, but I would rather be back in battle.” He explained.
“Here are some undamaged ones, but they’re smaller, so they’re likely Ascended, possibly even Awakened.” Karl explained.
Bob looked the gear over and shrugged. “Ascended is good enough until I get my own armour back. Having a spare set will be a huge improvement, even if it’s not as good as my primary gear.”
Tessa stuck her head out to see what they were talking about.
“No, that’s Commander Rank as well, but made for a younger Ascended, or Awakened Giant. Likely some young master of the clan.” She announced.
Bob put it on, and the armour completed his look, making him look like a proper knight, covered in shiny steel armour.
“Did you break anything else?” Karl asked as they both began to sort through the pile for the cleric pieces that Tessa wanted.
It appeared that the scavengers had managed to save most of the traitors’ armour, minus the set from one that had been yeeted off into the distance somewhere or completely mangled.
Bob was not answering, but he was still digging after Karl was sure that they had all the repairable pieces of gear from the traitors that they were going to find. He was intent on something, so Karl just waited patiently as he hunted.
Then he came up with a helmet that had a beaked front, like the plague doctors wore to keep the smell from reaching them as they worked, but made of polished steel, with two black horns on the sides.
He equipped it on his head, and Karl couldn’t help but laugh. “That hat is glorious. Absolutely ridiculous, but glorious.” He joked.
“Right? I saw it going into the bag and knew that I had to try to get it when none of the teachers were watching. You know that they would all want it for themselves once they saw its glory.”
Their conversation drew curious looks from above, and Morgana laughed as she saw Bob all dressed for work.
“What in the world were you thinking? That hat is ridiculous.” She laughed.
“Come down here and help me find a matching shield. I’ve got a black tabard and cloak to go with the look.” Bob demanded.
Morgana rolled her eyes and pointed to the far side of the pile. “There is a black oak one over there. Try that first.”
It was round, with a metal central dome and banding. Simple, but effective enough, and hopefully a reasonable size once it was equipped. It had better shrink when equipped because right now, it could double as a dinner table.
Bob slid his arm through the straps to slide the pile of armour off the huge wooden platform, while Karl wondered what possessed Thor to bring that back with them. Unless he was using it as a platform to hold more bags of loot.
The final look of the replacement armour set was simple, and once Bob equipped his tabard over the top, it was a good blend of steel and black. Other than the helmet, he looked like a proper knight, and the shield was large enough to keep using in his role as a defensive warrior.