Free The Warlock's Gambit by David Alastair Hayden, Pepper Thorn Page A

of each leg. The button-up shirt that went on next was also perfectly fitted just for him and was a cream color. Over the shirt went a light canvas jacket with leather reinforcing the elbows. He thought it would be too warm and heavy, but it was surprisingly comfortable, even inside the Manse. On the jacket, where a pocket might normally go, was a sunburst symbol like the one on the shield in the Great Room. He sort of understood the triskelion, since it was a protective symbol, but he had no idea what the sunburst meant.
    Next, he sat on the bench beside the rack, and pulled on a pair of black leather boots that came halfway up to his knees. He’d never worn boots before, much less ones this tall, but the leather was soft and, as he walked around, he thought they might even be more comfortable than his old tennis shoes. Valet offered him a black belt and gloves. He put on the belt and declined the gloves. Valet shook his head and showed Arthur how to tuck the gloves into his belt so that he would have them for later, though why he would need them, he had no idea.
    The whole get-up was surprisingly comfortable for something so official.
    “Guess if I’m going to be the Multiversal Paladin, I’ve got to look the part, huh?”
    Valet nodded.
    The outfit had loads of pockets. Several on each pants leg, and the leather belt had pouches, empty raygun holsters, and a place where he could hang a sword. All the armor and equipment he’d gotten in the Armory fit over the uniform like they had been made to go together. Once he’d gotten everything on, he did feel a little weighted down, but it wasn’t anything he couldn't get used to.
    Arthur admired himself in the mirror. He’d never looked so sharp — and if he dared think it himself, handsome — in all his life. It fit him perfectly. This was the new him. Now he just had to learn to live up to this uniform.
    He met Morgan in the Office. Her jaw dropped as she spun around in the desk chair. “Holy crap, what did they do to you?”
    Arthur spun around. “Isn’t this awesome?”
    “You look so handsome, young master,” Lexi cooed.
    “Right proper now,” Vassalus added.
    “You don’t like it?” he asked Morgan.
    “It’s … very smart.” She nodded. “Yeah, I do like it. You’ve been needing a uniform. You were always so … messy before. Now you look official.”
    He rolled his eyes. Naturally, she would approve of him wearing a uniform. “I bet you have one waiting for you, too.”
    The smile left her face, and her eyes narrowed. “The only uniform I'm ever going to wear is the one I’ve got on. Nothing else.”
    “Whatever. It’s your turn for the shower. Getting anywhere with the computer?”
    “Yeah, I think I’ve got all the basics figured out.”
    Arthur stepped up beside her. “Scoot over.”
    “No.”
    “The office chair’s enormous. We can both fit.”
    “Can we fit? Yes. Will I let you sit in this chair with me? No. Don’t let that uniform go to your head. No touching.”
    Arthur sighed. Whatever. He dragged over a chair from the other side of the desk and sat it down next to her. “Figured out anything about what we should be doing?”
    “I have confirmed that there’s no information stored on it, unless it’s locked away somewhere secret, somehow.”
    “I guess Lady Ylliara was right about the Manse’s memory having been wiped,” Arthur lamented.
    “Here’s what I can do: I can write, save, and open documents.” She pulled up an onscreen keyboard and typed a bit to show him. “I can move through the application list, though none of them have text labels. You have to figure them all out from the pictures, and the symbols are a lot weirder than the ones we use on Earth. They’re more like hieroglyphs. I can record audio and video in here, or in any room of the house.”
    “Even the bathrooms?”
    She nodded. “Disgusting, huh?”
    “Why would it let you do that?”
    “I don't think it's intentional. It's just …” She