Heya guys, sorry this chapter is like... a lot late. I wanted to originally get all the preparations Clara did get done in 1 chapter, but then a few ideas came up and I needed to drop em earlier.
Also I was visiting family, also also the power was knocked out so I couldn't even use a pc to post stuff anyway, and doing so from a phone would be way too much of a pain.
But hope you enjoy another... 3750 words here. Also I will update the rest of the fic tomorrow, cause why not. Spelling errors and small details, nothing major. Also Tiffany has an accent now. No plot relevance or worldbuilding, I just thought it'd be funny.
"Hey there, Cooking Hero. I've been wondering where ya went, since ya never visited back," Tiffany exclaimed the second Clara walked into her shop.
"Sorry. I wanted to come by earlier, but so much was going on," Clara said, while cursing herself silently for forgetting about the shop.
"Woah. What is this place?" Reiya asked, poking a knife from the display the second she walked in.
"And ya brought a friend this time!" she added, looking Reiya up and down. "Who's this ya got with you?"
"Hi. I'm Reiya. Nice to meet you," Reiya said, backing up a bit so that she was behind Clara.
"She's a friend I picked up on my adventure, and we both need armor," Clara explained, trying to hide herself behind a weapon display. But Tiffany looked her up and down, her brows furrowing.
"Gotcha. So where is your old set?" Tiffany asked, pulling out a tape measure and approaching Reiya.
"Oh… it uh… got incinerated…," Clara mumbled. Tiffany paused and looked back at Clara.
"I beg ya pardon? What did ya use after that?"
"Laura gave me some enchanted clothes and Hol gave me a monster drop armor… but then both exploded," Clara recalled, trying to remember what she used after that. Tiffany's look changed from confusion to concern, and then to horror as Clara continued. "Then I think I used my own mob drops with a coat and shield to grind. Wait, no, my own shield got melted so I used Sherone's old one… but that one also exploded while on my arm, and the clothes got soaked in blood and ripped."
"Dare I ask what ya used afterwards?" Tiffany said, exasperated.
"I… don't think I got anything after that? I used my pot for defense and Sherone guarded me during the wave," Clara mumbled, as realization dawned on her.
I was… I could have died at any second in just one good hit from that. Or from the lizard guy!
"What kind of a reckless… ya can't just treat armor like that!" Tiffany yelled. "I can't make ya new armor every wave, Cooking Hero!"
Clara lowered her head, as Reiya hugged her from behind.
"Miss Clara fought a lot of opponents stronger than her. She's lucky the armor is all she lost!" Reiya defended Clara and glared at Tiffany. Clara mumbled 'well, not all I lost' as she tugged at the sleeve of her arm, but Reiya just hugged her tighter to comfort her.
"Sure, I can understand a wave boss, maybe the soul eater that was spotted flying around a few weeks back, but how did ya lose everything else? Even hero item drops should last ya a while!" Tiffany exclaimed, not willing to relent.
"Ok, that soul eater was the least of my troubles!" Clara yelled. Reiya glanced at Clara with tears brimming in her eyes and mumbled 'I was?'.
"And yet you're currently my strongest ally," Clara hugged her back and patted her on the head to try to cheer her up. Reiya's fave quickly lit up and she smiled again.
"Da hell did ya fight? A crystal golem? A crescent wolf? Hol?" Tiffany inquired sacrastingly, but Clara just looked at her. After a few seconds, Tiffany looked back in confusion.
"Ya… ya didn't fight 'em, right?"
"No, I did."
"Just… one or?"
"All of those, in reverse order, plus a half moon wolf at the end."
"During the day, right?"
"Night."
"A really cloudy night?"
"No, the moon was out and about."
"Like… a sliver?"
"Hm, I think it was pretty full actually."
"…Ya level 90?"
"76. But I was under 70 at the time."
"…"
"…"
"Ya forgiven for no… 76?"
"Yeah?"
"… weren't ya here for a month?"
"A bit less, but almost."
"Oh…" was all Tiffany could mumble, slumping on her chair.
"The waves give a decent amount of EXP with so many monsters out and about," Clara explained.
"Huh… Is the next wave soon?"
"Yep. Less than two days actually, and it'll be around the Royal Islands."
"Is ya party full?" she asked quietly.
"No, I have soldiers set up as allies so I can bring them to battle," Clara began, opening up her status. "Well, it took a bit but I made them into sub parties that got teleported with me for the waves. I still have some room in my main party though, as it's just me, Reiya, and Sherone."
"Can I join?" Tiffany asked, her voice barely a whisper now.
"Oh, sure. Let me shoot you an invite," Clara replied. In an instant a new party member joined her party.
Tiffany looked deep in though for a moment before opening the door to the back of the shop and disappearing.
"Miss Clara, do you know her well?" Reiya asked, while poking a glowing dagger.
"Not really. I only talked to her once," Clara admitted, rubbing her hand. "But she made weapons for Hol and… Ellis. So she must be pretty good, right?"
"Well, it couldn't hurt. They were pretty strong," Reiya replied, shuddering.
"True. Maybe we can get that strong soon too," Clara hoped, glancing at her knife.
"Of course we will! And we'll get even stronger than them!" Reiya assured her with a bright smile.
"Yeah," Clara replied, returning a smile. "I'm sure we will."
"I'm back," Tiffany said, dropping a bag onto the counter. "Hafta gather a few things. I'll be joining ya'll for the next wave."
"... Eh?" Clara questioned, confused. "But don't you have to manage the shop?"
"I have a student who can take over for now. Plus, the waves currently take priority," Tiffany explained, reaching under the counter. "Hell, if I'd known that the waves give so many rewards, I'd have come sooner. Also, here is that order ya placed a while back."
With that, Tiffany handed Clara a long bread knife. It was as long, if not longer than a sword, but surprisingly light. The only thing giving away what it was made of was the same scaly pattern on the hilt as the shield Clara got rid of.
Clara swapped to her new weapon and began to spin it around in her hands.
Lizard Scale Bread Knife
abilities locked equip bonus: "Dritte Slash"
"Thank you. I really needed some extra range options," Clara said, giving the knife a few swings.
It's pretty light, but it's stats are lower than the wolf knives.
"Why not use magic? I can probably whip up a magic knife and get it enchanted to help with magic power."
"Oh. I'm actually not… very good… with magic," Clara replied, her voice getting quieter and quieter with every word.
"Why don'cha use a spell template to… oh right," Tiffany's eyes widened in realization. "Ya'll can't use offensive spells if they're in a template."
"Yeah… I tried and my knife zapped me," Clara mumbled, glancing at the gem on her knife. She swapped it into a pot and attached it to her back, causing Tiffany to raise her eyebrows.
"But I can cast spells!" Reiya piped up, leaning onto the counter. "And I have a lot of mana. Can I get a gun?"
"Don't have any in stock, sorry kiddo," Tiffany said, reaching into the . "But I may have something for ya. Give me a second."
With that, she pulled out a white and gold pot with the golden engravings of a var and several gems all around its base.
"Woah. What is this?" Clara asked, picking it up.
"Just a commission Ellis made a few weeks ago. Ya should have told me you can copy pots like Ellis. I'd have sent this ya way the day I was done."
Clara opened up her status and glanced at the new weapon form.
Healers Pot
abilities locked equip bonus: magic recovery up (small), +15 mana
equip effect: Healing Circuit, HP recovery up (small)
"Woah," Clara marveled over the copy, looking at six small crystal spheres on the inside of the pot in the shape of a cross. She ran her hand over the smooth surface of the circuit, and willed some of her mana to move. Almost instantly her health bar lit up, and her body began to feel warm.
Ellis… thank you.
Clara smiled and hugged the pot, as the magic faded from it.
"Woah, you can do healing magic now too?" Reiya asked, frowning.
"I can… I CAN!" Clara yelled as her eyes widened. She turned towards Tiffany. "Tiffany!"
"Um… what?" she questioned, taking a step back.
"How long would it take for you to make mana circuits for other spells into weapons I can copy? Preferably more attack based!" Clara rambled on, grabbing Tiffany's shoulders.
"Woah there, friend. Why don'cha calm down a bit," she pleaded, trying to back away, but Clara just tightened her grip.
"Please. I have been struggling to even cast baic spells," Clara continued, shaking Tiffany's shoulders. "I need mana circuits asap and I can't use any attack ones that aren't attached to my weapon!"
"Miss Clara, please calm down," Reiya grabbed Clara's shoulders and gently pulled her off of Tiffany, giving the woman room to breathe.
"Jeez. Ya doing alright there?" Tiffany questioned, putting a hand on Clara's shoulder. "I know that job's stressful, but ya need to take time to rest. Tis no good if ya overwork ya'self."
"Sorry. I've just been practicing magic for a while now but the best I can do on my own is a ball of light. Even bonuses from my weapon didn't help," Clara admitted, her face reddening.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, friend. I know some people spent years and ya'd be surprised at how many o' 'em can't cast a light," Tiffany smiled as she said this, patting Reiya's shoulder.
"And I can help cast enough magic for the both of us, Miss Clara," Reiya assured her.
"I know I can count on you. But I want to be able to use my mana for something in combat. Otherwise it's just there."
"Well, it'll take time, but I can try and whip something up for ya," Tiffany said, picking up the original pot. "Ya won't mind if I melt dis down, do ya?"
"Wait, what if we get another container hero? We can give it to them," Clara exclaimed, snatching the healer away from Tiffany, causing the latter to look at her with a knowing smile.
"If ya wanna keep it, ya just gotta ask," Tiffany answered. "I should have more materials to make ya something. Now how bout I get y'all some armor?"
"Yes please!"
==}—
"How about this one? It'll make ya blend into the shadows a bit better and won't restrict ya movement," Tiffany suggested, as Clara finished putting on the armor.
"We'll be fighting the boss, not hiding from it. And it makes Clara look like a creepy loner," Reiya protested.
"This one has great defense and gives extra damage."
"It makes her look like a bandit!"
"This one has great defense and resistances, but it'll slow ya down a bit."
"Miss Clara looks like a turtle!"
Clara sighed as the two argued, handing the armor back to Tiffany.
"Well what ya want? I only got so many options that you can use for now."
"Um… can I get a say?" Clara piped up, trying to get in between the two.
"Right. Didn't even ask what ya wanted for ya custom yet. Got any preferance?" Tiffany
"Um… some agility would be nice. And fire resistance too," Clara mumbled, rubbing her arm.
"Something wrong there?" Tiffany asked, pointing to the bandage sticking out from under the sleeve. Reiya walked in front of Clara, but it was too late.
"It's… nothing," she replied, hiding her arm behind her back.
"Ya might not wanna tell me, but I'm making ya armor. Want it or not, ya gonna have ta show me," Tiffany declaired. She turned to Reiya and rolled her eyes. "Settle down, will ya? I'm making ya friend's armor to keep 'er safe."
"Reiya, it's okay," Clara assured the ghost girl, patting her on he shoulder. Reiya looked back at the blacksmith, and then back to Clara, before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Okay," she mumbled, reaching for Clara's arm. She quickly removed the bandages, causing Clara to wince as she saw the shriveled up skin.
"Damn. Who burnt ya?" Tiffany questioned, walking up to gt a closer look. She tirned her hand over and frowned. "Yeah, I'ma add a gauntlet for this, to help protect what's left of ya arm."
"Thank you," Clara nodded, turning back to Reiya who pulled out another roll of bandages.
"Here," Tiffany said, dropping a set of armor onto the table. "It ain't got fire resistance, or a lot of defense, but it ain't gonna restrict ya movement and help ya be lighter on ya feet."
Reiya looked over it and turned to Clara.
"I dunno. It doesn't look too sturdy. What do you think, Miss Clara?"
Clara picked up the armor and turned it around in her hands. It didn't look too sturdy, but it was pretty light compared to the other armors.
Well, it is a temporary measure. And I should have enough stats for the next two waves anyways. This should be enough, right?
"I'll take it," Clara decided.
"Alright. Go change and I'll see what I need to resize."
After a few minutes Clara was now a proud owner of a set of armor that hopefully won't be broken or torn apart in the time it takes her to get a custom set.
"Alright. That looks good on ya. Howd'ya feel?" Tiffany questioned, looking Clara up and down.
"Pretty good. I feel like I can take a hit or two now!" Clara replied, patting the armor. It didn't restrict her movement at all, but she felt safer wearing it. It barely weighs anything either.
"Alright, try not to trash this one too, will ya?" Tiffany joked, patting Clara on the shoulder.
"I'll try," she replied, rubbing the back of her neck.
"You look ready for battle, Miss Clara," Reiya said, hugging Clara from behind. "Should we go find you some enchants and potions?"
"Woah, hold on, will ya? Where ya think ya going without a proper weapon?" Tiffany said, grabbing Reiya's kimono just as the two started to leave the shop.
"Hm? But I use magic and my fists," Reiya protested, trying to break free from the blacksmith's grasp.
"Then ya should have these," Tiffany said, tossing Reiya a pair of gauntlets covered in dull red scales and small spikes on the knuckles. Two gems were embedded into the top of the hand, giving off a light glow.
"Are those dragon gauntlets?" Clara asked as Reiya put them on. They seemed to shrink down to her size, fitting on perfectly.
"Whu-hey! How come hers just fit on and I had to get mine resized?!" Clara exclaimed, pointing to the gauntleys.
"That one's made with a mix of mana stones and dragon scales, plus a special size changing enchant. Helps morph to the size of the user," Tiffany explained. "Pain to make and enchant on larger armor pieces and very few can do that to begin with."
"Speaking of armor. How about we get you something too?" Clara suggested.
"If I do, I can't change shape though," Reiya pointed out, while shadow boxing with the new gauntlets.
"Wait wait wait, ya do what now?"
Instead of answering, Reiya suddenly towered over Tiffany, with a mushroom cap on her head and glowing pale armor covering her body. The gauntlets changed their size too, now becoming bigger, with the spikes growing in length.
"What in tarnation!?" Tiffany yelled, backing away.
"Yeah, she does that every now and then. She turned into a Crescent Wolf once," Clara giggled at Tiffany's reaction.
"I see that. Doubt any armor I made will be able to keep up with ya," Tiffany grumbled. "Anyhow, those will help ya cast spells and recover mana faster. Gives a bit o' defense too."
"Yay! More magic!" Reiya smiled, summoning light spells and lighting up the room around her.
"Speaking of magic, get ya armor enchanted if ya can. Defense is good, but some of the effects those at Boomerang Island can achieve is a whole different level," Tiffany said, smiling at the two. "And don't forget to take me with you for the wave."
"Thank you! I won't!"
==}—
"O~oh! Shiny!" Reiya whispered, staring at one of the golden rings on display with a colorful gem embedded into it. Clara looked around for an accessory, but nothing on display looked like what she had in mind.
"Why hello there! How may I help you ladies?" a man asked, walking into the room. Dressed in white robes, this man couldn't have been much older than Clara, perhaps 19 or 20 at most. His brown hair was neatly combed, his bangs cut just a bit before his light blue eyes that seemed to radiate a gentle warmth underneath his small rectangular golden glasses. He smiled kindly, turning to Clara. "Have my glasses piqued your interest, or is it just me? The name's Javier, by the way."
Clara's cheeks flushed and she turned away in embarrassment.
"Um… I'm Clara. We're… uh… looking for some accessories," Clara sputtered out, trying to hide her blush and regain her composure. If the guy noticed, he didn't mention anything.
"Of course," he said, leaning into the counter. "Are you looking for anything specific?"
After a short pause, Clara snapped her attention back to the topic at hand and quickly reached into her pocket.
"Do you have anything like this by any chance?" she asked, pulling out the small golden ring that she could snap onto her holy knife. It was a while since she used it, as no occasion really came up with many undead mobs, but Clara wondered what other effects could pop up if she had a few of these.
"It gives a completely different effect if I put it onto my weapon, so I was wondering if I could try a few to test what they give me and get some," she said, handing him the rim. He looked over it for a moment, and then at the knife on Clara's hip, before smiling.
"Right, I have one on me right now actually. How about we test it?" he said, pulling out a small metal band out of his pocket. A small lock design was on the rim, but he quickly covered it up before Clara could take notice. However, Reiya quickly walked over to Clara's side, glancing between the man's eyes and the accessory in his hands.
"Sure," Clara replied, grabbing her knife and holding it on the table.
As he clipped the accessory on, Javier opened his mouth to say something. But as he looked up he paused. Reiya glared back at him suspiciously, sending shivers up his spine. The two looked at each other, as if trying to gauge one another.
"Doesn't seem to give me anything at all. Weird," Clara piped up, looking through her status.
"RIght. Let me see if I have any more of these in the back," Javier said, taking the accessory back and tossing it into his pocket.
"Miss Clara," Reiya whispered once the man was out of earshot. "I don't like it here. Can we go, please?"
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"I don't know. But he just… doesn't feel right," Reiya mumbled, laying her head on Clara's shoulder. Clara looked between her and then her status. She sighed and patted Reiya on the head.
"I'll make it quick, okay? I'll just try a few accessories and we'll be done in no time," Clara assured her. Reiya pouted and looked down at the ground, mumbling a quiet 'okay', but remained by Clara's side.
"Here they are. I think these here are ones that we had left over from when the past two heroes ordered them," Javier returned, setting a box of accessories, similar to the one Clara brought, but made with different materials and carved with different patterns. "They ordered a lot too, but only ever ended up using three or four each."
"Sweet! Give me a few minutes to try them out," Clara smiled, pulling out a few.
"Of course. Take your time, Clara," he said, giving her a warm smile, making her blush all over again.
"I-I will," she stuttered, turning to the accessories and trying them out one by one. Reiya, however, remained looking at Javier as she put her hands on Clara's shoulders.
The store fell into silence, with the only sound being the clang of metal and accessories dropping onto the counter one by one. Javier eventually began to walk around the shop, rearranging some things and adding more accessories to the display, replacing some of them with ones from a box he pulled out from behind the counter.
"Ooh, this one is neat," Clara muttered, setting a third accessory to the side, before reaching into the box again. But when her hand came out empty, she frowned and sighed.
"Well, I'll just take these three for now," she said, quickly pocketing the three accessories she laid out.
"Alright, great pick," Javier replied, quickly brushing off the rest of the rings back into the box and hiding it away. "I'll send the bill to the queen later. Is there anything else I can get you? I'm sure we can find an accessory that would complement your pretty eyes."
"Ah.. um, I'm good for now. Maybe next time?" Clara puttered out, blushing even more than before. Not knowing what to say, she quickly turned to Reiya for help. "What about you, Reiya? Do you want to get something for yourself?" she asked, but Reiya quickly shook her head.
"I wanna leave. Please?" Reiya pleaded, trying to gently pull Clara to the direction of the door.
"Okay then. Thank you very much, Javier," Clara smiled, waving to the man as she walked out the door. Javier waved back, but as soon as he saw Reiya glaring at him again. As she exited the store with Clara, Reiya pointed two fingers at her eyes, and then at Javier behind the counter, before quickly walking out of there.
"Reiya, is there something wrong that you want to tell me?" Clara asked with a concerned look on her face. Reiya looked back at the shop and then back at Clara.
"I'm not sure. I just… I don't know," she muttered, looking down at the ground. She didn't say anything else, instead opting to fiddle a bit with her kimono. Clara put her hand on Reiya's head and smiled.
"If you say something's off, then let's not come back here for a while, okay?" she assured the girl, patting her on the head.
"Okay." This seemed enough for Reiya, who brightened up and turned away, leaving the shop behind. Clara took one final glance at the store and turned away as well. They still had a lot they needed to get and the day was already coming to an end.