Chapter 23 – A Lovely Time
It was an ordinary day.
A simple, ordinary day.
That's what Reina told herself as she walked to gatehouse that separated the Violet Storm Church from the rest of the city. She was to meet someone for an important meeting regarding an interpersonal relationship between her and one of her associates. The associate in question was who she was meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to grow and expand on said interpersonal relationship and find common ground suitable to both parties.
A date. She was going on a date.
After going around to the other churches and copying everything she could yesterday, Reina had more weapon forms than she knew what to do with. She hadn't taken the time to go through them all in detail yet, so she just picked one with a good Forge ability and started unlocking it.
Then, she registered with the hourglass. There were three days left until Keston's Wave occurred. More than enough time to unlock a few weapons and gear up. The various high priests already promised to send templars to the Wave with them, so soldiers were taken care of.
All that was left was a single date, then they could make any other preparations they needed.
When Reina woke up this morning and recalled what happened the day before, naturally she reacted in a measured and appropriate way.
~A little while ago~
A short, braided-hair girl was rolling on the ground while clutching her head.
"AAHHH!"
"What the hell did I do!? I groped Maria, that's what I did! That's sexual harassment! And she works under me! Power harassment! What was I thinking!? Why did I do that!?And now I have a date with that woman! How did that even happen!? I'm not some pervy shonen protagonist that always gets away with crap!"
"And what was that about my brain being fried? Who says that? Who believes that? That's exactly the kind of crap excuse a pervy shonen protagonist would give! I'd rather be a tsundere than this!"
"I mean, I'm not even sure I'm attracted to women! It's probably just the skinship. And the flirting! So much flirting! This could go so wrong!"
"And I yelled at a bunch of important, powerful church people! Aren't I supposed to be this revered person and I just made threats like it was no big deal! That demon girl was wrong. I am going crazy!"
"AAAHHHH!"
~Back in the present~
An entirely reasonable response.
"Well, my actions weren't that bad. Maria would probably try to do the same if I didn't stop her. Besides, I could tell she liked it…why doesn't that sound any better? Actually, it makes it sound worse."
Once she came back to her senses, Vyrdrun told her Maria would be waiting just outside the church's grounds. Or, more accurately, he reminded Reina of what Maria said before she left the room. It involved something about setting the stage, whatever that meant.
That led up to where Reina was now, walking to meet the woman she was going on a date with, wearing what she always wore. On the one hand, wearing something different would have shown she was serious about the date, which she was. On the other hand, a hero wearing armor for social events was common enough. It also made her dashing, according to Maria, so it was fine.
Although, Reina really couldn't see how her armor was 'dashing'. If it wasn't made of metal, she could pass as a dancer of some sort. Full plate armor would be dashing. A metal skirt and what was basically a metal bra with some fancy cloth going down her sides and back was not dashing.
"After this Wave, I'm going to get new armor. Maybe I'll buy some before the Wave and change into it immediately after." Reina vowed. "I have all those dragon parts from that cave. Dragon armor should be pretty good."
As she was making her plans, Reina came up to the gatehouse. Once she passed through, she looked around for her party member. It didn't take long.
The violet hair was a dead giveaway, despite Maria facing away from her. That was the only feature Reina recognized, and even then it was pulled back into a ponytail. What she expected was some highly revealing dress, maybe this world's equivalent to a miniskirt. Her belly would be bare and her chest would be so pushed up that Reina would wonder how the woman was even breathing.
Instead…
"Wow." The word slipped out of Reina's mouth, causing Maria to turn around.
From what she could see from behind, the outfit looked like something a noble would wear. Finely woven pants that ended in slick boots. A shiny coat that almost resembled a sort of dark gold. A vest that gave a sense of power while pushing up her—
"Oh, there it is." Reina thought. Aside from her chest basically being on display, Reina could see this outfit being worn by any of the men in the court of Lespax or Savia. Of course, instead of that scarf-handkerchief thing she's seen men wearing near the top of their chests…
"Glad you could make it." Maria gave a warm smile while practically throwing her chest forward.
"Yeah…" Reina continued to look the woman up and down. "Wow…that's really doing it for me. Guess that settles that little concern of mine."
What else could she say? Reina found Maria attractive before, but not necessarily in a romantic or a more…physical way. This was far closer to that.
"I mean, I guess I'm not surprised. I might have supposedly checked her out on more than one occasion…" The morning after Lespax's Wave came to mind.
"Am I that beautiful~?" Maria moved her hand to her chest, giving Reina a smirk.
The glint of metal caught Reina's eye. There were only three things Maria had on from her previous outfit, those being her amulet and a ring on each hand. Since one of those was being used to maintain her Levitation spell, Reina wasn't all that surprised. No point in taking off small items that boosted her abilities, especially since she didn't have her staff with her.
"Ah, um…yes." Reina gave her honest opinion to the woman she'd be spending the day with. "You look very nice."
The blush on Maria's face told Reina she wasn't expecting that sort of answer.
"Well, I'm glad you think so!" Maria quickly said.
There was a bit of comfort knowing that Maria wasn't her usually confident self.
"And you've got a little tagalong with you~." Maria smirked, regaining a bit more of her composure. She pointed at the dragon egg strapped to Reina's back.
Apparently, even though the egg was registered to Reina, she still needed to keep it close by until it hatched. Meaning, attached to her body for most of the time. Otherwise, the dragon could end up being disobedient to her. The good news was, thanks to the magic the monster tamer used, it would most likely hatch within two days, giving them a whole day before the Wave. If she had to bring it with them like this, she doubted it would survive.
Incidentally, despite not actually being born yet, the Charm Animal spell was revoked in Reina's status. She wasn't allowed to have monsters registered to her and this egg seemed to count.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Reina remarked. At the very least, her comment helped ease the tension she was feeling.
"Aw, don't be like that~." Maria stifled a laugh. "Once it hatches, you'll have a baby dragon with you. Isn't that a good thing, Mama~?"
"AAAAAAHHHH!" Reina screamed internally. A certain conversation involving that very topic in the Gromnar village played itself in her head. One that implied the two of them would be raising a child together.
For her part, Maria turned scarlet and covered her mouth as she turned away. "S-Sorry, Boss! I realized it the moment I said it!"
The rollercoaster that was Reina's emotions was sure to be all over the place this day.
"Ahem. Well then, let's get going." Reina said, bringing up her hand. Despite the medieval-esque culture, there was nothing that suggested that two women going on a date would be an issue. Maria definitely would have brought that up before, and probably wouldn't have been as handsy as she was.
"Oh~? Did you have something planned out for today?" Maria asked, taking her hand.
Reina looked up at her, words not coming out of her open mouth.
Maria smiled. "I thought that might be the case. You didn't strike me as someone who's had many suitors. Well, neither have I, but I've talked with people about it before."
It was an obvious setback to never going out with anyone before, let alone being the one to initiate things.
"As much as I love your armor, I think you might enjoy wearing something a little more casual." Maria offered.
"Yes, please." Reina returned the smile.
The only thing she owned that passed as clothing was the pants and shirt she got as part of her chainmail armor previously. Even then, the pants were padded and basically light armor. Same with the shirt, to an extent. Neither of which were things Reina would call 'casual'.
"Then let's go to a tailor first. I know just the one!" Maria announced, pulling Reina along as she 'walked' forward.
Her legs moved slightly, but Maria was clearly levitating. It's not like she could really use her legs to stand, let alone walk. Reina would know. She gave up the spell less than five minutes after getting it, completely fed up with the restriction. Still, it was a bit funny to watch.
Reina was rather relieved. She couldn't come up with any real ideas yesterday and spent most of the morning earlier freaking out. Getting lunch was the only thing she could think of, but that wouldn't last the whole day. She also didn't know how long dates were supposed to last here. Her only point of reference was what she overheard her classmates had done on weekends, plus a single romantic manga that she didn't even finish reading.
Now that Reina wasn't worrying about their current situation—beyond the date itself—she could take the time to look around the capital. Like Maria said before, Savia was greatly influenced by the old empire's culture. In this case, it was the gold theme.
Many buildings were decorated in material that looked similar to gold, though was likely something else. Probably polished pyrite, if she remembered the correct mineral. Savia's buildings were very much like the ones in Keston, both in design and aesthetics.
One difference she did note was the palace. While Savia's castle was heavily decorated in what might have been actual gold in places, the palace was severely lacking in both real and fake gold. It seemed more geared toward function than appearance, leading Reina to further her belief on the churches having a disproportionate amount of power. Their halls were much more decorated.
"Here we are!" Maria announced as they stood in front of one building. There was lettering on the sign, though Reina still couldn't read. She hadn't made the time for that yet. The engraving of a needle and thread on the sign told her enough.
They didn't talk on their walk, Reina being too engrossed in looking around. Having no urgent matters really helped with the sight-seeing. Still, this was a date. They were supposed to talk more. Reina would need to step up.
On that note, Maria hadn't initiated any conversations on their walk either. Reina chalked it up to nerves.
"How did this tailor make an outfit for you so quickly?" Reina thought to ask as the bell on the door chimed, signaling their entry. As far as she was aware, normal people couldn't just make things automatically. That was a function of hero weapons. Sure, stats and tech skills—as she learned they were called—made it quicker and easier, but not instantaneous.
"Oh, hello again!"
Reina nearly panicked at what she saw, but she quickly recovered herself. The woman at the desk who spoke had long, blond hair, but she most definitely wasn't that Maphai woman. For starters, she was much shorter, about Maria's height. And then there was the other thing about her.
"Ah. Never mind." Reina dismissed her earlier question. The woman's body type was very similar to Maria's.
"This must be the Spirit Forger." The woman came around the counter and stood before them. Reina got a full view of her beautiful dress, as well as what it displayed near the top. "You're right. She is quite dashing in that armor~."
"And she has a similar personality, too." Reina lamented.
"Easy, now." Maria shifted a little, putting herself a bit between Reina and the woman. "She's on a date with me, remember?"
"Right, right." The woman stepped back, smiling pleasantly. "I'll have to try becoming one of her maidens later."
"One of my what?" Reina asked.
"Oh, you didn't know~?" The woman cast a playful glance at Maria. "You see—"
"I'll tell you later, Boss." Maria quickly assured her.
"Aw, you're no fun!" The woman teased.
"Are you harassing customers again?" A new voice asked.
A man stepped through a doorway, sporting similar hair to the woman. It was pulled back into a ponytail, though that didn't stop a fair amount from hanging forward. He very much had the appearance of a tailor. While the woman had on a beautiful dress, his clothing was plainer, an apron covering his front. A pincushion was fastened around one of his wrists with a tape measure hanging around his shoulders.
Since he and the woman shared the same amber eyes, as well as blond hair and facial features, it was pretty clear they were siblings.
"Of course not!" The woman quickly dismissed her brother's accusation. "I was just speaking with Maria and Reina."
"Who's Reina?" The tailor asked.
In response, the sister pointed at the person in question. "She's the Spirit Forger. Remember what Maria told us yesterday?"
The tailor had a look of confusion on his face until it brightened. "Oh! That's right, she said she wanted to bring you here!"
The sister snickered. "That's my brother for you. Endlessly talented with fabrics, making all manner of beautiful clothing for me, but he can't remember anything important."
The tailor looked at his sister with a scowl. "Don't you have a delivery to make today?"
The sister flinched. "C-Come on~. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I can't miss getting to dress up the Spirit Forger."
"Well, I suppose it only needs to be delivered by the end of the day." The tailor said with a sigh. He gave a smile to his two customers. "So! You were hoping to have something for the hero?"
"That's right!" Maria pulled Reina forward lightly. "Something simple to wear."
"Hm." The tailor scratched his chin. "Well, you have a lot to choose from. I'm sure we'll have something you're looking for."
"Really?" Reina looked around. While not as filled out as a clothing store from her world, there were still plenty of outfits already made. In fact, the most common ones were for people who were like Maria with the next most common in Reina's approximate size.
"Well, I do have two models to work with. Speaking of…" The tailor turned back to the door. "Angel! We have customers!"
"Coming, Brother!" A girl's voice called back.
A few moments later, the owner of the voice came into view. Like the other two, she had blond hair and amber eyes. Her apron only went around her waist, unlike her brother's that covered his chest.
Reina would have preferred that. The girl was her height, but looked to be around 15, maybe younger. That wasn't all. Reina's eyes were drawn down slightly to what the girl's dress attempted to hide. It didn't do a great job.
"Life just isn't fair." They weren't as obvious as her sister's, but Reina could tell where they were headed.
"Checking out another woman while on a date? And a younger one at that? I'm crushed~!" Maria playfully spoke.
"Maria!" Reina shouted back.
"I swear, I wasn't this bad back in my world! I never checked out girls there! What is this place doing to me!?" She really didn't want to liken herself to a pervy shonen protagonist, but the evidence kept presenting itself. It's not like she was deliberately ogling the girl or anything. She was just jealous of how developed she was at her age.
Once again, that thought made it sound worse, just in a different way.
The girl, Angel, simply smiled with rosy cheeks. "Right this way, Miss. I'll take your measurements."
"Y-Yes, please." Reina uttered.
She was brought to the next room to have her measurements taken. Of course, she had to strip down to only her essentials. She was thankful Maria wasn't there, though she had to bite back the slight desire of wanting her there.
Instead, she apparently had another admirer, though far less extreme. While being measured, the girl took an uncomfortable number glances at her. Even while she was gearing back up, Reina could feel eyes on her. She wanted to say something, but she herself was guilty of slightly looking at the girl, and to a lesser extent her sister. Reina simply accepted it.
Soon after, Reina was paraded around in outfit after outfit. It turned out that many of them wouldn't need to be adjusted that much before being purchased. Despite her name and girly appearance, Angel was a bit of a tomboy. A good number of the outfits were ones that looked closer to boy clothing. Reina suspected chest binding was used, making her sulk ever so slightly.
For her part, Maria seemed to enjoy the show Reina was putting on, or rather being put through.
"Absolutely gorgeous~!"
Each outfit earned her another complement, and she wasn't quite sure how to handle that. That definitely wasn't something she was used to receiving in earnest. Still, she kept at it. Some normal clothing would be good to have.
And, of course, it was making her date happy…
Eventually, it was between two outfits.
The first was a pair of simple, short black pants that cut off mid-calf. The top was a bit more fancy, though nothing spectacular. A white shirt covered her upper chest to the upper part of her stomach. It was accompanied by a long, blue vest that covered her shoulders and trailed down her to her thighs.
The second was a dress…of sorts. If Reina didn't know better, she'd say the tailor took light inspiration from her armor. The top was like a tank top, except it left more of her stomach in view than the previous shirt. It wrapped around the back of her neck, leaving her shoulders and her back exposed, except where it tied together near mid-back. For her lower half, it was something like a loincloth that went down to her knees. Her legs would be completely shown off if not for the short-shorts she had on underneath, something like what she'd seen rogue-looking girls wearing in the Adventurers Guilds.
Truthfully, Reina could barely handle wearing it. It was at least as exposing as her armor.
"Beautiful…" The soft murmur from Maria made her blush. Of course, the wizard woman sported an even deeper shade of red on her face. She reached up, trying to pull down a hat that wasn't there, before turning away slightly. "Boss…you should wear that whenever possible."
Hearing those words made Reina's heart beat faster. She knew why both outfits were chosen, though more for the second one. Not to brag, but her stomach was quite toned, as well as her legs. Riding her bike everywhere really helped.
"…I'll take them both." She said, wishing she too had a hat to cover her face.
"Wonderful!" The tailor clapped his hands.
With that settled, Reina got the dragon egg strapped to her back once more. Her armor was stored in bag, something else they'd be purchasing. Maria, however, was the one to pay, using some of her cut of the reward money from Lespax.
"It's a gift!" She happily explained. "That's what your date is supposed to do, isn't it~?"
"R-Right…" Reina accepted that, even though she was the one that asked out Maria.
"Plus, it's for me, too~." Maria purred. She reached her hand forward to Reina's bare shoulder. Her hand never made contact, stopping in the air before quickly being pulled back. "Haha, and, you know, I know you aren't incredibly comfortable in it, so it's also a 'thank you' for wearing it!"
The words spilled out of her mouth fast as she rubbed the back of her head. An embarrassed Maria was always a pleasing sight.
"Please come again!" The tailor called as the duo left the shop.
They went on their way to their next destination, wherever that was.
"I think the little one might want to join your harem."
Reina nearly tripped over herself. "I'm sorry, what!?"
Maria held her hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Oh my~. I didn't think you'd react like that!"
"Never mind that. Explain now." Reina demanded.
"Well, 'harem' might not be exactly accurate." Maria said as they kept moving. "See, other heroes often form harems around them, or at least the men tend to. Some women, too. But the Spirit Forger is more often than not a young woman. For some reason, she tends to gather other women around her instead of marrying anyone. I wonder why that could be~."
Reina picked up on what she was saying. "So most previous Spirit Forgers were gay?"
"Maybe!" Maria beamed at her. "I've read that some Spirit Forgers are referred to as 'chaste maidens', so take from that what you will. Or, maybe the women around her were. The books weren't in that great of condition."
"I don't think I'll be taking anything from that, thank you!" Reina all but shouted.
"Well, it wouldn't be so bad." Maria said soothingly. "It would work out for me pretty well…"
She immediately quieted down after saying that. Something on her expression changed. Reina wasn't sure what it could have been, but it didn't seem like the type of thing to ask, especially not in public.
"Here." Reina instead held out her hand. "I'll carry that."
"No, no, I've got it." Maria waved her hand.
"You know I'm stronger than you…" Reina was about to reference that moment in the Gromnar village, where she held Maria against a building and nearly kissed her. Luckily, Maria didn't seem to pick up on where she was headed.
"Levitating makes it easier. And you're already carrying the egg, Boss." Maria pointed behind the shorter girl. "Besides, it doesn't mesh well with your look. I look much more dashing now, don't I~?"
Reina cleared her head and looked the woman up and down. Maria had the bag over her shoulder, held by the drawstring. It actually had quite the appeal.
"You're right. Except for your chest, you look like a prince going out on a hike." Reina told her.
The reaction was priceless. Maria immediately slammed her mouth shut, her face as red as a tomato.
"Oh my god, that's adorable! I can't believe how weak she is to genuine complements. Not that I'm much better." Reina held back a chuckle.
"Accessories!" Maria shouted, grabbing one of Reina's hands with her free one. "Let's look at accessories next!"
She pulled Reina along with her, the pair continuing on their way.
There were several stands in the market where traveling traders sold accessories, plus more permanent shops around them. They quickly browsed what was available, looked at their prices, and weighed their uses.
Accessories served two purposes—three if you count nobles and aristocrats who wanted to show off their wealth. For adventurers, it's either for containing a cast spell to prolong it without concentration or for increasing stats of some sort. For the former, most spells don't actually require anything fancy. Maria's amulet and one of her rings are proof of that. The bigger, more complicated spells required something more, like Maria's other ring. Reina had asked once what the spell was, only for Maria to say it was a secret in that sing-song voice of hers.
On their own, accessories couldn't really hold spells. If one mage used it to maintain a spell, someone else couldn't just take it and benefit from it. The accessory had to stay in contact with the caster's body. There were ways to make magic items, such as the talisman Demon Lord Karth had, but that was pretty advanced. Armor and weapons with effects were different, but Reina didn't really see how.
For the latter purpose, any number of stats could be increased. Attack, defense, and the like were more common, followed by specific resistances, like against fire or lightning. Slightly rarer were ones that increased specific abilities, like damage of cast fire spells. The most expensive were ones that had abilities of their own for the user to activate. Of course, accessories that granted very high stats would be more expensive than one that could create a glass of water once per day, as an example.
Once again, they didn't talk much while they browsed. To Reina's credit, she just put on a small fashion show. Even if it was for four people, it left her a bit drained socially. It wasn't nearly as bad as the banquet in Savia, but it added to her still-present stress from realizing her actions yesterday. That was her excuse, anyway. All-in-all, she was thankful for the quiet activity.
'Quiet' being relative, since they were still in a noisy market.
"How's this one, Boss?" Maria held up a bracelet.
The design was simple enough. A polished silver bracelet with a small emerald laid into it. From Reina's appraisal, the quality was average but it gave a decent buff to attack.
"It looks pretty good." Reina nodded in approval.
"We'll take it." Maria turned to the merchant.
"Wha-wait! Just like that?" Reina looked up at her.
Maria simply smiled. "You like it, right?"
"Well, yeah…"
"Then we'll take it." Maria handed the simoleons over to the merchant.
Reina wanted to protest, but Maria just held out her hand. Seeing what she wanted, Reina placed her hand on top of Maria's. The bracelet slid on easily.
"…Thanks." Reina whispered, turning her head slightly.
"Y-You're welcome!" Maria turned as well, her face sporting a blush.
This time, Reina couldn't hold back a laugh. "She keeps doing these things for me and then gets all embarrassed when I respond."
"What is it?" Maria asked, though she couldn't quite meet Reina's eyes.
"Oh, nothing~." Reina mimicked her usual tone, causing Maria to again try reaching for a hat that wasn't there.
"L-Let's go to the next place!" She quickly pulled Reina along.
From there, they continued going around the capital's market to a few more shops. The next one was connected to the Adventurers Guild, where they looked over what potions they could get. Reina could still make some potions from ingredients they collected, so they only purchased what she couldn't make. They also got some emergency provisions for when they couldn't find any good monsters to harvest.
They went to a few more places, though Reina was quickly seeing a pattern. Every shop they visited had to do with either preparing for the Wave, or for adventuring in general.
Not that Reina was complaining. They needed to prepare, of course, and it wasn't like either of them knew of any great hotspots in the city.
"Let's check out some blacksmiths next." Maria said, pulling Reina along.
Still, she thought to ask. "Hey, Maria? Is this what you want to be doing?"
"What do you mean?" Maria asked over her shoulder as she continued to move.
"I mean, shouldn't we do…something else? I know going to all these places is good, but we're still on a date."
"Hmmm." Maria hummed as they continued on, though she did move to Reina's side. "Well, how about we get lunch after the blacksmiths?"
Sharing a meal was definitely on Reina's list of date destinations. Plus, after her freak-out in the morning, she forgot breakfast.
"Sounds good." She gave her a smile.
Maria quickened her pace, her face removed from Reina's view. Of course, she could still see the woman's ears from behind, and how red they got.
"What? Can't even handle a smile from me now?" Reina teased.
Maria jolted, telling her she hit the nail on the head. Their little role-reversal was a lot of fun, so much so that Reina wondered if this would keep happening.
"I may be weak to your touch, but you're weak to my words." Reina thought to herself smugly.
Soon enough, they arrived at the street where most of the blacksmiths did their work. Forges lined the street, hammers slamming against anvils all around them. Savia and Lespax had areas like this, but not with nearly so many. Weapons and armor lined racks as adventurers and soldiers alike looked at what was available.
Reina wouldn't have known where to start, had she not saw someone familiar.
"Baric?" She stopped in place, halting Maria as well.
"Huh?" The man in question stopped his hammering and looked behind him. "Well, I'll be. How ya been, lassie?"
It was a bit hard to process exactly what she was seeing. "You're…here."
"That I am." The man came closer, taking off his work gloves. "Looks like you handled the Wave well. That Gromnar friend of yours is still alive, right?"
"Yeah, he's…" Reina was about to answer, but a more important question came to mind. "How're you here?"
"I traveled." He gave her a wink.
"No, really." Reina shook her head. "How did you get here? This place is so far away from Lespax. You'd have to use an Adamantine Gate to get here so quickly, wouldn't you?"
"Who says I didn't?" Baric grinned. "Anyway, you looking for some new armor? The one I sold you before not cutting it?"
There were more questions about his speed, but Reina supposed they weren't that important. If Baric could make such amazing armor, he could probably afford a mount that flew. That would certainly get him to an Adamantine Gate quickly, even if the closest one wasn't usable until recently and under unusual circumstances.
"Well…it works well, but I was hoping to get something else. The armor is a bit revealing, you know?" Reina told the blacksmith.
Baric simply looked her up and down and made a face. "Right…"
"This is different!" Reina waved her free hand. "This is for a date! It was a gift! From the date!"
With raised hands, Baric closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright, alright. So, what're you looking for?"
Reina breathed out. "I have some dragon parts. Can you make something out of those?"
"Hah! Who're you talking to?" He waved the pair over to a workbench as he walked over. "Let's see what you got."
Reina pulled the idol from her belt and pointed the gem down, letting the dragon remains fall from her inventory. Since it was a bit too big, she just let them fall to the ground. Passersby spoke out about the sudden appearance of a dragon corpse, but Reina didn't pay them any mind. It wasn't like she was hiding that she was a hero, she just didn't advertise it.
Baric looked it over, prodding it a bit with his fingers.
"Hm." He crossed his arms in thought. "These scales aren't the best quality. I know a curse wound when I see one. Still, I think I can whip something up. What did you have in mind?"
"Breastplate." Reina answered immediately. "Something that completely covers me. Nothing like what you sold me before."
"Aw~!" Maria pouted, but Reina was adamant. She wanted proper-looking armor this time. If her hair style or whatever made her look like a boy, then so be it.
"Alright, I got a few ideas in mind. What's your level now?" He asked.
"Thirty-seven."
"Hmmm. Dragon armor tends to be a bit higher, 40 at the minimum." Baric said.
"It can wait until after the Wave." Reina told him. Her armor served her well so far, and it wasn't as if she took many hits herself. Her forged spirit did most of the work.
"In that case, I'll have something for you after that." Baric smiled. "Supplying the materials lowers the cost, and I'll lower it further if you let me have the rest of this."
"Deal." Reina didn't need to barter further for now. She knew his work was good, and his apprentice in Lespax said he traded fairly with heroes.
"Alright, I'll get started on this right away." He bent over and moved his arms around the dragon.
"Do you want me…to…?" Reina couldn't finish her offer. She was going to absorb it again and move it for him, but Baric simply hefted the corpse over his shoulder. Something the size of a full-grown Gromnar was easily being handled by him.
"Should be done the day of the Wave, maybe a day after." He called back as he moved it to another work area. "We can discuss payment then."
"Ah, yeah." Reina couldn't really comment further on that. His level must have been pretty high. Since level helped with things other than combat, it shouldn't be that surprising.
"Well, that was fast." Maria said, bringing Reina back. "So, lunch?"
Reina nodded. "Lunch. And I think I know just the place."
~Forging Legends~
The hole-in-the-wall restaurant wasn't as hard to find as Reina thought it'd be. The way she figured, she was able to make it back to the Violet Storm Church without even thinking about it, so she should be able to find her way back here. She had a few reference points to work with, so they got there in about 20 minutes.
The place was about as busy as it was the last time she was there, though it was mostly concentrated at a single table. A large group of men and women looked at them from their seats as the pair entered. Whatever thoughts ran through their minds didn't manifest in reality. Reina recognized one of the people at the table, and, more importantly, he recognized her.
Whatever opinions Reina had about the slaver, Borgi the Fat at least didn't want to cross a hero. That, or being thought of as a friend of Lola's was enough to dissuade any action. Even if it wasn't, Reina was confident they'd at least be able to run away. After all, who would want to fight a large, ghostly, flaming zombie that suddenly appeared?
"Cozy place." Maria commented as she took her seat. She glanced at the large group behind her, some of whom let out a few whistles. "Could do without the audience."
"Yeah, sorry." Reina sheepishly apologized, setting the egg in the seat next to her. "This was the place Lola brought me, but I was too freaked out to try the curry."
"Oh my~. Talking about another woman while you're on a date? Scandalous~." Maria held a hand to her cheek, giving the fakest pout Reina had ever seen.
"Oh, hush!" Reina laughed. Yeah, she was still a little shaken from the whole thing, and being here wasn't exactly comfortable, but her curiosity was peaked. She wanted to know what the best curry around tasted like, and it'd been too long since she last had rice.
The server came and went, taking their order back to the cook. Both ordered the curry, though Maria got a double portion for one of her other contract restrictions.
"I'm interested in what your home world's food is like." Maria said, resting her chin on her propped up arms.
"Yeah, that's…" Reina trailed off.
"Something wrong?" Maria asked.
There wasn't something wrong, per say. Everything was going really well. She was on a fun date with a beautiful woman. That wasn't something she could ever see herself doing for multiple reasons. And that woman was attracted to her, something else pretty unlikely.
It wasn't a day-long thing like back home, but they spent all morning with each other going around to all sorts of shops. That part was very date-like, especially since they were about to share a meal together. Atmosphere aside, things looked good.
And Maria herself was nice to be around. Sure, the flirty nature of the woman was annoying at first, but Reina grew to enjoy it. Rather, she admitted to herself that she liked it. She's slept soundly as the curvy woman's body pillow and learned a lot from her. Aside from Vyrdrun, Maria hadn't really flirted with other people, so it wasn't like anyone would do.
But there was still one thing that was on Reina's mind. Something she grew more aware of during their date, at least in the back of her mind. One thing that needed to be said for anything to really happen.
"I…don't really know that much about you." Reina addressed the elephant in the room.
That was the truth of it. Maria hardly talked about herself. Sure, she was a traveling wizard. She'd been to all sorts of places and knew all sorts of things, but she rarely spoke about them on a more personal level. It brought back unpleasant thoughts she had about this world being like a game, the people not being real.
Reina was a little better about talking about herself, but she knew she could say more.
"Oh…" From Maria's expression, she knew the same thing.
"I want to know about you." Reina told her. She braced herself to say the next part. "I…do like being around you. I want to keep being around you. And I think I…want to be closer to you."
The blush on Maria's face was different. Before, it was more bashful, more realizing what she just said or did and how that could be taken. Now, though, it seemed filled with something else. It wasn't quite regret, maybe anxious. Reina wasn't the best at reading people, but that's what it felt like.
"But to do that, I need to know more about you. And I want you to know more about me, too." Reina finished her point.
Maria was nice. She was fun. She was certainly beautiful. There were many times when her actions caused Reina's heart to skip a beat, though most of those were from today. Still, if anything more was to develop between them, she needed to know more.
Maria sat up straight, folding her hands in front of her. She took in a deep breath and kept her head straight, but her eyes were lowered to the table.
"There are…certain things about me. Things that might make it difficult for us to be together. That's why I was hesitant to accept anything you might have felt for me." She smiled slightly. "Well, that's not entirely true. It surprised me back in Gathana when you kissed me. And when you almost did it again, I really did want that to happen. That was the first time I thought someone would think of me that way, if I'm being honest."
That was pretty unbelievable. To Reina, there didn't seem to be any strong reasons why someone wouldn't want to be with Maria. That did explain why doing those flirty things back to her made her uncomfortable, as unbelievable as it could be. Maria really didn't have any experience with romance.
"I'd like to tell you about them, but…I guess I'm a bit of a coward." She laughed. "It's funny. I've fought against a bunch of monsters by this point, but I'm more afraid of what you'll think of me if I say anything. Gods, when did that happen?"
Reina didn't respond. She wanted to wait for Maria to say whatever it was she needed to.
"This is the first time I've felt like this. I guess I don't know much more about you than you do me, but I really don't like the idea of you not wanting me around anymore. Had I known this would happen, I might not have slept with you as much. I mean, I know how that sounds, but you know what I mean."
Reina nodded. "We did things out of order."
"Yeah." Maria gave a single laugh. "I guess, deep down, part of me knew this could happen. 'Chaste maiden' and all that, though clearly that's up for interpretation."
With Maria's simple joke making things a bit lighter, their meals arrived. At the moment, neither one wanted to start eating.
"I want to tell you about myself, but to understand a lot, there are two things I'd need to say. But…I can't." Maria lowered her head. "I want to, but I can't. I just can't risk it. I'm sorry."
That was a pretty substantial roadblock. It wasn't something they could really get around. It was disappointing, really. Reina didn't want things to halt between them. She wanted to be closer. She wanted…to fall in love.
Thinking about it, it was kind of silly to think of. Do people want to fall in love? Maybe not said quite like that, but they want to find someone to fall in love with. It wasn't really that different. Either way, that almost made it sound impersonal.
Reina didn't want to fall in with just anyone. Right now, she thought that person could be Maria. If that's was the case, there was something she needed to say.
"You're not a daughter of the Demon Lord, are you?" Reina asked first.
"What? No!" Maria yelled. She quickly looked around before calming herself.
Reina just smiled. "Well, that's the worst secret you could have kept from me out of the way. I think I can live with anything else."
Maria stared at her, thinking. "What if I said I was using you for my own gain?"
After thinking for a moment herself, Reina answered. "I mean, you already are, remember? I'm supposed to take you to spirit locations, ones normal people aren't allowed to visit or are difficult to reach. Right?"
"Oh, uh, well, yes…" Maria quietly responded.
Reina reached over, placing her hand over Maria's. The woman flinched, but she kept her gaze on Reina.
"I don't really know a lot about dating or courting, but I'm pretty sure part of it is getting to know one another. If you can't do that yet, that's okay. I'm fine waiting until you're ready."
What she felt for Maria wasn't love. Reina was pretty confident about that. Affection, sure, but those feelings could easily grow into love.
"Are you sure?" Maria's voice was quivering. "Are you sure you're fine waiting for me?"
"I'm sure." Reina smiled.
She didn't know what Maria was scared about revealing, but was willing to wait. She wanted to know what this could become.
Maria pulled her hands back. Before Reina could speak up, Maria floated around and wrapped her in a hug from the side. In any other circumstance, she might have protested at where her head happened to be. But the almost inaudible whimpering next to her kept her protest back.
"Thank you." Maria whispered. "I'll tell you someday. I promise."
"I'll be waiting." Reina brought her hands up to hug her, accepting the warmth in her chest.
Even if things can't progress quite how she ended up wanting them to, Reina liked the direction things were going. She could be patient. It's not like she was expecting them to be a couple right away. She didn't know what to expect to begin with. She was more than happy with this.
The moment was so nice, Reina decided to ignore the light cheering she heard from the group of slavers and killers on the other side of the room. One drunkenly wished them the best of luck, but Reina didn't want to listen to them at all.
Not wanting to put on another show—especially for this group—the two ate their lunch in peace. The demon girl was right. This food was the best curry she'd ever eaten.
It seemed like a good time for the date to end, so the two women head back to the cathedral. They had light conversations on the way, mostly about Reina and her world. Just because Maria didn't want to say much didn't mean Reina was in the same boat.
Lots of things needed an additional explanation first. One such thing was how TV shows worked, be it with real people or animation. Fortunately, there were things in this world that were comparable, something know as recording crystals. Animations, of course, were grand illusions made by many people. With that, she was able to tell Maria all about her favorite show. She may have geeked out a bit more than intended, but Maria listened to it all.
"I had a really good time." Maria said as they stopped close to the gatehouse. "Thanks for asking me out."
"You're the one who bought me all these things." Reina smiled up at her.
Maria shrugged. "Well, of course~. I wanted my lovely hero to know I cared about her~."
"I know you do." Of that much, Reina was certain. If it was just the flirting, Reina wouldn't be able to say so. But the reactions Maria gave her, the genuine embarrassment, and the fear of being rejected, Reina was sure Maria's feelings were true.
Maria rubbed her arm. "So, after everything, would it be too forward if I said I wanted to kiss you?"
With a blush, Reina shook her head. "Compared to everything else you've done or tried to do, not at all."
Maria set the armor bag on the ground and lowered herself as well. Stiffly, she brought up her hands, placing them on either side of Reina's face.
Despite what she said, Reina felt her nerves acting up. Part of her wanted to pass this off as another joke and back away, but that was very much a minority. She really did want to kiss this woman. Maybe not outside, where anyone could see, put it was a bit late for that right now.
With a gulp, Maria brought her face closer. When their lips touched, there was no fanfare or outrage or any indication the outside world paid them any mind. It was simply bliss, a kind Reina hadn't felt before.
She could wait to hear what Maria had to say. If it meant doing this more, she was willing to wait a long time.
Something new was starting today. Somewhat contradictory to what she said, she couldn't wait for them to get closer. She didn't want to, but she would for the person she was growing attached to. If nothing else, at least one good thing came out of going a little crazy yesterday.
~Forging Legends~
Metal clashed against metal in the field. How long had the battle lasted? The sun was only barely starting to brighten the night sky, so it had been many hours.
Such a thing wasn't unthinkable. With the opponent they were facing, such a time might have actually been seen as short. After all, this tower wasn't just a simple home.
It was made specifically to ward off these types of attacks. Unfortunately for the old man inside of it, his defenses would soon fail.
Maphai hacked away with her greatsword. The thrill of the fight had long since passed. Her opponents didn't scream, or cry, or beg. They didn't even bleed. Their sole purpose was to fight, and they did so without complaint.
"Golems." The edge in her voice was evident as another one twice her size stomped over to her. "I'm tired of golems."
Derdir wanted the old man in the tower dead, so that's what would happen. Maphai didn't need to enjoy things for that to happen.
Most of her siblings shared a similar sentiment to this drawn out battle. Despite being the weakest, Lola and Darvon still held their own well enough, but these opponents weren't to their liking. Meruthia had physical power to spare, but even her claws were growing sore. Goalith, on the other hand, battled with such ferocity and vigor that one would be forgiven to think the fight had only just begun. To a lesser extent than their father, he didn't smile often. More than their father right now, he was having the time of his life.
The golem brought back its massive fist and swung down. The strike was blocked by her large sword, though not without pushing her back first. These impressive golems were close to the ones they fought in Savia one month ago. Even then, they weren't especially threatening.
But back then, there weren't hundreds of them.
These were the foot soldiers, the common units for the tower's defense. Stronger ones were fighting her siblings, but Maphai had switched out to only the weaker ones a while ago for a break. If things continued much longer, she'd swap places with Meruthia next.
"Mistress!" Voices called out as bodies launched up at the golem.
Pale humans with heavy maces beat against the golem. The damage was small compared to what Maphai could do, but it was still more than the golem could entirely handle. It stumbled back and away from Maphai, trying to rip them from its body.
Maphai decided not to let it be. Not that her interference would matter in the end. The four things were able to skitter around on the golem, avoiding its hands. They'd whittle it down soon enough anyway.
With her greatsword in hand, she charged it and swiped at its legs. One was cut through easily enough, but the second halted the blade in the middle. Still, it toppled over and fell to the ground. Her underlings were able to quickly dispatch it.
Were they fighting against humans this powerful, the fight would have been over all that much sooner. After all, humans were far more susceptible to their powers, both of her underlings and her siblings.
When the golem moved no more, one of the pale humans spoke up. "It is defeated, Mistress!" It smiled in the moonlight, large fangs protruding from its mouth.
Vampires. The only good humans were dead humans in Maphai's book, and these four were exactly that. Undead abominations that preyed on the living. Able to make more by draining humans of their blood completely, albeit as weaker versions. Physical strength, a permanent contract with a spirit, and life only ceasing at destruction. They truly were a marvel of magical and alchemical ingenuity.
This was why she was Derdir's favorite. At least, that's how she saw it. Transfigurations weren't easy, especially with such drastic changes. The three witches Derdir was fond of were the only ones who came close to her level of ability, though one archmage might be a contender. Archmages rarely showed their true power to others.
"The sun will rise soon." She told them. "Return home at once."
"Yes, Mistress!" They shouted, quickly running away from the field of battle.
They had only two weaknesses: susceptibility to spells that targeted any undead, and the sun. But with such powers to gain in exchange, who could resist?
A ball of fire flew through the air and landed nearby. Maphai ran over to it. Or, rather, him.
"Father!" She called out, seeing the man in the indent in the ground.
Derdir slowly rose, extinguishing the flames that covered his body. A silent glow around him sealed his wounds and repaired his burned flesh.
"The ward is as weak as it's going to get." He stated simply. "I'll be through it soon."
He cast a short gaze around the battlefield. Everyone was doing their duty. His children were battling the strongest of the golems, the few of those that remained. They had gotten clever, or so one might think. Their creator had given them the instructions.
When the shaman and druids took to the field, many of those more powerful golems were quickly taken out. It didn't take long at all to switch tactics, using lesser golems to block the way and keep the Gromnar back. Derdir's children were more than up to the task of defending them.
That tactic was the best they could do. These golems were made with powerful poisons in them to weaken living creatures. The elite forces Derdir brought had no such weakness to that. He and his children were practically, if not fully immune. His daughter's prize creations likewise were unaffected. The Gromnar could purge the poison before it even took effect.
If he had brought his army of created monsters, they would have been laid to waste. Instead, it was just six augmented humans, four Gromnar, and four undead abominations. With the sun, they'd lose about a third of their forces, but that no longer mattered. The battle outside would soon cease anyway. Derdir's fight inside would soon begin.
And he was happy. It showed on his face with the smile he sported for the entirety of the night. It showed in his voice as he spoke with his daughter. And it would show even more once he was inside.
Taking to the air, Derdir rushed the wide tower once more. Its defenses were impressive. The tower was composed of adamantine, an incredibly hard and rare substance. For the man inside, acquiring such a vast amount was no problem. He was able to make it himself. It's what his strongest golems were made out of. Pity it didn't channel magic that well. Otherwise, he could have made more.
The tower's physical composition was its third and last line of defense. The golems were the first. The second, which Derdir was about to pierce, was a magic ward that surrounded the structure. It was a barrier that would burn to ash anything that touched it. Derdir, however, was beyond such a weak magic. He was still lit aflame, still took damage, and was still stopped by the barrier itself, but he wouldn't stop.
One last strike was all it took.
With his claw brought back, Derdir tore into the barrier for the last time. An explosion of fire rained down all around, setting the field ablaze. That was the likely outcome of his assault, and also the signal to his children and allies. They no longer needed to remain.
This fight was now his and his alone.
Despite the impressive material it was made of, Derdir slashed away at the open window, cutting out chunks of metal until his form could fit through. He could see throughout the wide tower and everything this floor held. That included the man that stood at the opposite end.
"What's your plan now, old man?" Derdir asked with a sneer. "Your toys can no longer protect you."
The old man crossed his arms, looking down his nose at the beast of a man that slowly approached. "I will simply kill you myself, so-called Demon Lord. Children like you have acted out in the past. This time will be no different."
"The world has changed since you were in your prime, since the last time you even left your tower." Derdir stood in the center of the room, arms spread wide. "I am proof of that."
"You are proof of nothing." The man uncrossed his arms. One hand was empty, but the other held a weapon. It was a chisel, a single gem in its handle.
"You are unworthy of the weapon you wield." Derdir pointed at him. "Nothing but a coward who hides away."
"I have a greater understanding of the legendary weapons than you do, fool. The Ritual Implement Hero protects the world from destruction, the Cleaver Hero seeks endless battle, and the Chisel Hero makes constructs to perform tasks. That is why my weapon has never abandoned me, unlike heroes of the past."
"Your role is not so stagnant. If you had done your job properly, I would have allowed you to live. For a short time, at least." Derdir casually said.
"Who are you to judge me?" The Chisel Hero questioned.
"I'm the only one who would."
The Chisel Hero smirked. "But that is not your duty, now is it?"
Derdir narrowed his eyes.
"He came to me, you know. Warned me you'd be coming."
"Did he now?" Derdir's face grew more annoyed.
"He said some of what you just told me, to perform my duties and fight against the Waves of Destruction. But I am not so easily ordered around by anyone, least of all someone like him."
"Watch your tone, old man." Derdir grit his teeth.
"Or you'll kill me?" He scoffed. "A threat is meaningless if you plan to do it regardless. But it matters little. You and those children you mutilated won't be enough."
"Each of my children are more than enough for you." Derdir called back. "I've ensured they'll have power to spare."
"A pity you could not do that with your first one."
Silence filled the room. The battle outside had already subsided, Derdir's forces having easily retreated from the tower's grounds. Even if they hadn't, Derdir wouldn't have been able to hear anything beyond the sound of his teeth grinding against one another.
Derdir gave his claws a flex. They glowed an eerie red as he poured his magic into them. The smile was gone from his face. "It seems I won't be able to enjoy fighting you after all. Only your gruesome death will bring me pleasure."
The hero twirled his weapon for a moment before quickly lowering himself, jamming the tip into the ground. "Recall Golem!"
A circle of light emitted from the ground in front of him, expanding to where Derdir stood. He flew back as a figure began to emerge from the light. A towering golem, one that put the ones outside to shame. Six arms came from its torso, each wielding a weapon larger than Derdir was tall.
"Then try and claim my death for yourself, pitiful Demon Lord!" The hero practically roared, his massive golem taking a combat stance.
Derdir slid one foot back, his arms out and ready rend his enemy to pieces. "Gladly!"
Author's Notes:
Whispers in stage voice: In today's chapter, the role of Unnamed Tailor was played by a Motoyasu Kitamura impersonator.
This chapter was a biggin. Once again, I wrote most of it in one day, about 80%. Still had most of the ideas planned out, so at least I wasn't completely writing off the cuff. Really need to get a backlog started. I'll call that my New Year's resolution.
To mr. bumpity: Technically, there are only two races: Humans and Gromnar (demi-humans). As alluded to above and before, the demons are modified humans. As for any other demi-humans, some might make an appearance through a Wave, but I don't have any plans at the moment.