Porto looked confused by John's initial, sweeping request for "lots of swords." He stood there for a second, blinking, as if he expected John to start loading up a cart.
"Does master have a specific sword in mind?" Porto asked, his voice echoing slightly in the vast, quiet armory.
John smiled, realizing the armorer had taken him literally. "It was just a joke, Mr. Porto. Show me your best short swords or knives." After a week of struggling with the claymore, John had quickly concluded that speed was more important than the crushing force of a heavy blade. The claymore was simply too slow for him to handle comfortably.
"Follow me, young master," Porto replied, happy to oblige.
While Porto was leading John to the short sword and knives section, they bypassed all kinds of formidable weapons. John saw rows of jagged spears, heavy iron maces, and massive shields embossed with the Crimson crest. Then, while they were walking by a cabinet full of flasks and vials, something caught John's eye. He saw a flask full of a thick, viscous yellow liquid.
"Porto, wait up. What is this yellow substance?" John asked, pointing at the vial.
Porto stopped and carefully picked up the flask. "This is poison from the Silvereye Spider, Master. This particular formula causes paralysis that would last up to eight or more hours for a normal human being."
John was astonished at how effective the substance was. "Does this poison also work on vampires, Mr. Porto?"
"Yes, Master. This poison works on vampires but would probably last up to four hours at most. It depends on the vampire's strength and how potent the specific spider is, as not all Silvereye spiders' poison are the same."
"Damn, Porto, you know a lot," John said, impressed. "Let's get going to the knives section."
When they finally reached the knives section, John began looking through the blades. There were hundreds of them some curved, some straight, some with serrated edges but none of them immediately caught his eye.
"If I pick a knife, can I keep it, Porto?"
"Yes, Young Master," Porto replied.
John thought for a moment, looking at the sheer variety of steel. He knew he lacked the expertise to pick the best quality just by looking at them. "Then I want one dagger and one knife. I don't know a lot about knives and daggers, but I want you to pick for me. I trust your judgment."
Porto could not believe what John said. Being entrusted with such an important task by a member of the Crimson family made him feel immense pride. He straightened his back, his meticulous mustache twitching as he gave a firm nod. "It would be an honor to choose the young master's weapons."
Porto moved through the racks with the practiced grace of a seasoned butler, his hands hovering over several options before he expertly selected a set. He picked a dagger with a striking red hilt and a small, sturdy crossguard. The blade ended in a lethal point, with both sides sharpened to a razor edge. Next, he presented John with a handsome fixed-blade knife featuring a comfortable leather-wrapped handle.
"Wow, Porto, this knife and dagger looks awesome. I'm finna cut somebody," John exclaimed, his eyes widening as he gripped the red hilt. The weight was perfect, nothing like the cumbersome claymore from before.
"Please be careful, Young Master. Those weapons are truly sharp," Porto said, chuckling nervously at John's sudden burst of excitement. As a butler, he was used to formal decorum, but John's raw enthusiasm was something new.
"I know, Porto, don't even worry 'bout it," John said, already turning his attention back to the table where the poison sat. "Also, do you maybe have a small brush that I can use?"
Porto quickly reached into a tool drawer and handed John a small, clean brush. John took it and carefully opened the flask containing the Silvereye Spider poison. He dipped the bristles into the thick yellow liquid and meticulously coated the dagger's blade until it shimmered with a sickly golden hue.
"Why are you smearing the poison on the dagger, if Young Master doesn't mind me asking?" Porto asked with curiosity.
John giggled. "For emergencies, Porto. You never know what might happen."
After coating the metal, John sheathed the dagger, being extremely careful not to touch the poisoned blade, and stored both weapons safely away in his storage ring. He looked over at the workbench where Porto had been working earlier.
"So, what are you going to do now, Porto?" John asked.
"I am going to get back to cleaning the shields, Young Master," Porto replied, reaching for a dull, soot-stained shield. "Even as a butler, there are certain duties in the armory that I prefer to oversee personally to ensure the Crimson crest stays shining."
"Can I help you clean them?" John asked, reaching for a cloth.
Porto's eyes went wide, his butler instincts kicking in as he immediately pulled the shield back. "Oh, no, Young Master! That is work for a servant. You should be resting or practicing. I cannot have a member of the family scrubbing metal while I am here to serve."
"Come on, Porto, I insist," John said, already picking up a bottle of polishing oil. "I've got nothing else to do, and it looks like you've got a lot of them."
Porto tried to deny him a few more times, but John wouldn't budge. Eventually, the butler gave in with a bashful smile, realizing the young master was quite determined. They sat together at the long wooden bench, the rhythmic sound of scrubbing filling the room. As they worked, they fell into a long and pleasant conversation. Porto told stories about the history of the castle and John listened intently, sharing small bits about his own life.
By the time the shields were polished to a mirror finish, the two were laughing like old friends. John finally stood up, wiping his hands on a rag. After saying his goodbyes to the butler, he headed toward his room to rest for a bit. He had just reached the corridor when he heard a voice call his name.
"Hello, John."
When John turned his head, a beautiful woman was standing behind him with long black hair tied neatly into a bun, wearing elegant, traditional clothing.
"Hello, Miss. Who might you be?" John asked. He had not seen her around the castle before, but he also did not move around much. The castle was so big that he was afraid he might get lost, so he did not explore much.
"My name is Reina. I am the wife of Zeno. Nice to meet you, John."