Chapter 083. Vol 3 - Enchantments, Clothing & Supplies

When Anton awoke the next morning his body was a strange mixture of weightlessness and exhaustion. Verona and Kal, dishevelled and soundly asleep in his arms, had not surrendered until well into the night. Both took quite a bit of effort to make them submit, and even then they hadn't given up but rather worked together against him. When they were finally done they collapsed in a heap and used what energy they had left to arrange themselves like normal. A few short seconds passed and they were all out cold in a deep sleep. It had been one of the most exciting and best nights they had shared yet.

He looked over to the door and was glad to see that nothing had moved. Tiny streams of sunlight came through the opaque window and covered the bed, illuminating their exposed bodies. Verona lay curled in his arms while Kal remained half spread over him. The softness of her Beast-kin hand just below his chin felt incredibly good. Where he tail was he wasn’t entirely sure.

I hope I get to wake up to this every day. This is something no human being would ever tire of. I'm glad they said yes, now I can monopolise them.

Finally, after some encouragement from Anton, the girls started to wake. Verona mewled as she twisted and laid on her back, arching upwards and allowing her voluminous breasts to spill over the side. When she was done, a few tiny clicks from her joints, she crashed into a heap on his arm. She gently grabbed his hand, entwined it with her own, and directed it to her soft breasts.

"Good morning." Verona mumbled as she nestled deeper into his body, a leg wrapping around his. "Or. Husband, I should say." she let out a cute laugh as they watched Kal lazily roll onto her front. "I wonder if...doesn't matter. How was your night?"

Anton kissed her deeply, one eagerly returned. "Amazing. Absolutely incredible. You both were. How about you?"

Verona used her free hand to rub one of her legs. "Well. I'm starting to get feeling back into them after what you two did to me. But, to answer your question, I don't ever want to be away from you again. I'll let that be my answer."

Kal murmured in agreement. She slowly stretched her body out, raising her impressive behind into the air as her legs stretched out to their utmost. Both digitigrade feet flexed their claws and toes as they dug into the soft bed. Her tail twirled and flicked about in the air before floating over Anton’s chest, the three fan end near his free hand. As he gently stroked the soft limb she lowered her back and pushed out her front, accentuating her breasts. She moaned as she fell into a heap next to him, her face lying in the crook of his arm.

"It was an amazing night." Kal murmured as she slid down the bed. She raised her hand, the wedding ring on proud display, and smiled at the sight. "I have to keep reminding myself this isn't some crazy dream that I've fallen into. And that I'm not going to wake up back in my cell in Seocuria."

Anton gave her a quick kiss before turning his attention to the magnificent tail lying on his chest. As he wrapped his arm around Kal's waist and began to play with the end she moved it away just out of his reach. She did this when she was being playful. Both digitigrade feet rose through the sheets, casting them aside, and bounced idly in the air. Nobody said anything for some time as they simply enjoyed the touch and presence of one another.

"I would love for nothing more than to lay here with the both of you for the next couple of hours and enjoy this scenery." Anton squeezed them both and pulled them onto his chest, neither resisted and only helped each other manoeuvre themselves on top. "But we can't stay for too long." Both pouted dramatically, it was a little strange to see Kal doing it alongside Verona. "Because, if we do stay here." Anton squeezed their shapely rumps. "It's going to be quite a while before we're ready to go."

Verona laughed as she rose up, sliding off his chest and onto the bed. "We understand." she frowned as she pushed down on the soft bed, her hands pushing down a considerable way. "Though it was amazing to sleep on a bed this soft. We have to get one for our house. I don't care how we do it but we need to do it."

Anton smiled and pulled himself, and Kal, upright to land a kiss on Verona. She returned it slowly and gently, unlike her normal self, before she pushed herself back. Judging from her body she would have been unable to stop herself from pushing him back down in a few more seconds if they continued.

"We're getting that armour before we go on that job?" Kal asked as she wrapped her tail around his shoulders and allowed Verona to play with the fan ends. "I...I'm kind of excited to see what I'll look like. Even though I need to keep wearing the mask."

"I'm excited too." Anton said as he gave them both a quick kiss and pushed them to the edge of the bed. Kal retracted her tail before he accidently pulled on it, something he guessed was very painful. He and Verona had tried extremely hard not to pull on the tail, even during their most adventurous session. It would have ruined the night if they did. "At least nobody will think that we are poor...though they might think that we have something worth robbing now." He shrugged as he hopped off the end of the bed and began to put on his clothes, quickly followed by Verona and Kal. "If it's not one thing it's another. Though, Verona, I didn't know your hair was going to be this much of an issue in Graterious. Kind of pissed of that they're giving you so much shit and there's not much we can go about it."

Verona scoffed as the hurriedly pulled her shirt on. "I know, right? They take one look of my hair and they make all these grand assumptions about me. Like I'm going to be like one of those Deweth Clansmen people; raping, pillaging and murdering my way through the city." she sighed as fastened her pants tight and looked up at Kal. "I understand, a little better, what you go through every day. Not that much but...fucking hell it's shit."

Kal could only smile back. As Kal started to wind the cloth wraps around her arms she looked at Anton. "I'm guessing that those sort of things still happen where you come from?"

"Did, does, and I'm sure it'll continue long after we're gone." Anton gave Kal another small kiss. "And I'm hoping that, in this world, one day beast-kin and humans will be able to walk together without hating each other. Though that may not be in our lifetimes."

Kal sighed again. "It would be nice to be able to walk with you both outside without fear, where I can feel the wind and sun on my face just as you do. When we get back home at least..."

"We've still that chasm to deal with before we can get even ourselves back home, not to mention the other slaves." Verona turned to Anton. "You said that you had an idea to get around that thing?"

Anton nodded. "Yeah. While I was thinking around getting these rings, and what Kal did to make it fit, I thought a bit more about the prayer power. Up until now I've been a bit hesitant to use it, since it takes so much mana to do one thing and I didn't want to be without my magic if disaster struck. Anyway, thinking about what I did to those packs and the communication pens, I was thinking of making some kind of teleporter."

Verona and Kal stopped and looked confused at him. Verona finished pulling on her pants, gave a quick glance at Kal who was half way through wrapping a hand, then cocked her head.

"What's that?" Verona asked. "Is that something from your world?"

"Umm...sort of. I mean, when I left there weren't any. But the idea is to move from one place to another instantly. So we could move back to Atros right now and come back here in an instant."

"Okay. I think I get it." Verona nodded, Kal also nodded. "So how would we go about making one?"

"I don't really know. I'm guessing that it'll involve the prayer power. But I don't know how to set it up in the first place. Is it a mark I make on the floor? A circle of stones? A metal plate or a pool that you walk into?" Anton shook his head. "This is why we need to see about getting into the magical academy and see if they have any clues on how to use this power. I'm just stumbling in the dark and I want to keep my mana reserves as high as possible at all times."

Verona grumbled. "And to get those clues we need to get into the magical academy proper. Which, they aren't just going to let us do. So we really need to stand out if we're going to get their attention before we leave for Seocuria. Nobody has tried to collect using yet, like in Maxill."

"I'm sure they're watching us." Anton said. "Virgil's employer would have undoubtedly heard about us and, even if he doesn't believe it, he'll want to keep an eye on us just in case."

"Anton." Kal began, a hand gripping hard on the end of her shirt. "If...If we want to get noticed, and in a good way...Can we try testing my powers? I haven't been able to do really anything with it and it's getting really frustrating. We were supposed to do it when we got back, but..."

Anton flushed as he nodded. He wouldn't forget that night in a long time. He focused himself on what happened when she received the blessing of Tethra; how she said finally, and how she had said before that felt weak compared to them, only able to fight with a bow and daggers while they could use powerful magic. Now she had her chance and she still couldn't test it. He had no idea how maddening that would be. They were also supposed to practice the moment they got back but temptation got the better of them. She didn't seem miffed about that though.

"We definitely will be..." Anton's mind raced over what they would be doing over the day. None of it was good for testing out the power of an Old God, and they probably wouldn't be here that night. There was no way they could practice safely surrounded by a large number of mercenaries. "Doing that right now. We won't have privacy any other time. So, let’s do some practice."

"Yes!" Kal exclaimed. Her hands were nearly thrown high above her head before her expression dropped. She hurriedly brought them down and coughed to cover the creeping embarrassment. "Right. That sounds like a...An excellent idea."

Verona started to chuckle and it wasn't hard to see why. As Kal wasn't wearing her cloak, or pants, it was easy to see her shapely behind and her tail trying desperately to wag in delight.

So much emotion goes through that lovely tail, and she can't show it off. Such a shame.

They moved to the table and took a seat. Verona, since there was no compatibility between their magics, sat on the opposite side to Anton and Kal and began idly picking at the dried and salted food left on the table.

"Okay." Kal stretched out her arms on the table. "I know that I can heal myself, or anyone else, pretty easily. But how can I use this power to fight? I don't want to be hanging back and just healing people. I want to be in there with you two."

"Well." Anton began. "I also used the prayer power to enhance our vision and eyesight. So it can do that too. I haven't tried to fight with it, not when I've got the lightning and fire magic."

Kal nodded but remained quiet. To Anton the prayer magic was to be used in a support role, and not as part of the front line. As he had the lightning and fire magic he hadn't put much thought into how to use the prayer magic to attack. Kal's eyes widened as she looked to her bow and quiver. Evidently she had some idea. She raced to the quiver and pulled out a single arrow.

Are there different sort of arrows, beyond what type of material they are made from? There’s harder metals than iron but they’d be really expensive. Anyway, I wonder what she's thinking.

"Okay." Kal placed the arrow in front of her. Verona lent over to get a better look. She threw them a quizzical brow when she saw it to be a simple iron tipped arrow. "Maybe. Maybe I could cast some magic onto the arrow, so when it hits something it'll burst into flames or throw out lightning or something." Kal smiled awkwardly as she looked up at him. "I'm using your powers as a guide for now."

"I haven't tried something like that yet." Anton admitted. "It could work, given what I've already done with the power. Only one way to find out."

As Kal placed her hands on the arrow Verona frowned again. "Could you infuse the arrow with healing? That would be interesting, if it could be done."

"I think it might send the wrong message." Anton replied. "A wounded soldier wouldn't want a bow pointed at them, no matter who was holding it. And then getting hit only to have their wounds heal themselves. I’f this works it could work."

"I suppose." Verona went back to picking at the food.

Kal closed her eyes and placed a hand over the head and tail of the arrow. "Okay Kal, you can do this." her face turned into a light grimace when she realised she had spoken aloud. "Tethra, goddess of prayer, I ask you to infuse this arrow with the power of flame. For this arrow to burst into flames when it finds its target."

Again Anton could not see if it worked. Kal took a deep breath as she raised her hands. Over the small iron tip of the arrow a swirling mixture of red and white grew. There was no discernible pattern but it was very similar to the glyphs on his hand.

Kal exhaled a deep breath. "That was interesting. I felt the mana flow out of me and into the arrow. Is that what of feel every time you use your magic?"

Anton nodded. Verona shook her hand as she gnawed on a piece of dried meat. "Not really for me. My power seems to be a little different to yours. I need to...light a fire within me first. Then I can use my magic. That's the best way I can describe it."

Kal nodded no looked back to the arrow. Anton lent over and delicately picked it up.

"It looks like it should work." he said, taking great pains not to touch any of the swirling marks. "We definitely don't want to test it in here. We won't be welcome back." Verona gave a light chuckle. "But I'm guessing we'll have a chance to test this out when we retake that fort. How much mana did that take to make?"

Kal huffed and hummed before she gave a light shrug. "It's...really hard to tell. I don't think it used that much though."

Anton nodded as he placed the arrow back. He was glad that it didn't go off. A thought crept into his head as he looked at the white and red marks.

If Kal can do that, and not use much mana, while I still nearly used a third to make a wooden spoon from a tree branch...maybe Kal has a much higher affinity with Tethra's power than me. We should try and test it while we are relatively safe.

"How many more of these do you think you could make?" Anton asked.

"Quite a few more." Kal replied. "How many do you want me to make?"

"As many as you can until you've used half of your mana."

"Are we going to try and sell these?" Verona asked. "Make a bit of a name for ourselves?"

"It's a good idea." Anton replied. Kal looked a little concerned that she was being turned into an income source for him. "If these work really well we can sell them and use that money to free more slaves from Seocuria."

Kal appeared quite happy with the idea now. Anton turned to Verona, who returned an odd look. "And we can also invest in a much more comfortable bed."

"Yes." Verona smiled. "I would help make them if I could."

"Any ideas on what types you can make?"

"I...I've got a few ideas." Kal gave him a warm smile before retrieving her quiver full of arrows.

She placed the quiver by her leg and began to cast. Anton was quite stunned by the number of arrows she was able to infuse with magic. When she stopped ten fire and ten lightning arrows, a swirling purple and blue mark for the lightning arrows, lay in front of her. Both he and Verona were very impressed. Kal was a little flushed but equally happy with her efforts. Anton took a normal arrow and tried to infuse it with fire using the prayer power. It worked but took nearly an eighth of his power. While Verona and Kal looked happy with the result Anton was stunned at how much mana it took.

Something's definitely going on. It's not that I'm getting weaker, it's that Kal's really good at using the prayer power. Perhaps believing in Tethra for nearly twenty years, praying to her every night, has given her some increased affinity with the power.

Anton looked at the red marks of Verona's hand as she picked up Anton's arrow and compared it to Kal's. While Kal's white marks were hidden it gave him another thought.

I don't have those marks. Even Kal, who's only had the power for a few days, has it covering most of her upper back. Verona's covers most of her body, and I don't have anything like that. Shawn and Jocelyn have them too, despite being very new to the power…Maybe that's why it uses so much.

He looked down at the crystal embedded in his hand.

I still have the feeling that this crystal is the only reason I can use magic. Am I using my own mana to use magic or am I just using this to use magic? When the gods said that I was getting used to my magic did they mean this thing? We need to get into that magical academy, failing that into the Deweth Clans territory and ask some of their priests or scholars…They still worship the Old Gods.

“Anton?” Verona asked lightly. Her voice brought him back to reality. Both girls were looking rather worried at him.

“Just got a little distracted there.” he replied. “I don't think that I'll be able to do much of that. It used quite a bit of my magic just to make one.”

“But you could burn down half a forest if you wanted to.” Verona raised a silver brow. “I thought making an arrow would be so easy for you.”

Anton shrugged. “The prayer power has always used so much of my magic, no matter what I do. It took an eighth of my magic to make one arrow. I think that Kal's already got a better handle on the power than I do.”

Kal perked up, her ears pricked up, as she smiled but it quickly turned to a light frown. “You're just saying that.”

“No I'm not.” Anton smiled as he held her hand.

Kal smiled and picked up the arrows and dumped them in her quiver. “Now I can fight alongside you two now.”

“I wouldn't like to fight you with those blades.” Anton said. “You took down eight Orcs by yourself.”

Kal chuckled as Verona clapped her hands as she finished off the last piece of dried meat. “The three of us will be unstoppable now. So, are we going to go?”

Anton nodded. “Yep. Otherwise I'll be pushing you both down in a few minutes and then we won't be going anywhere soon.”

Verona and Kal flushed as they gathered their remaining equipment. Kal equipped her bow and Verona took her spear. Both were a little hesitant to touch the weapons, after Anton cast the security prayer over it, but nothing happened to them. Verona frowned at the red crystal on the top of the spear. It was very bright and looked like it would sell for an incredible sum. She took a spare piece of cloth and wrapped it around the crystal head. Now there was no way to know what was hidden beneath.

“Anton.” Kal gently tugged on his hand. “What do we do about our packs, and horses? We can't take them with us. We’ll be fighting to take back a fort and we really can’t use them. And if we bring them with us they’ll just get stolen.”

Verona nodded as she moved to their side, fastening the last of the metal clips on her chest armour. "I think I'm going to need something like this underneath that new armour. Getting distracted because these things are giving me back pain again is the last thing I need. Or throws me off balance." Verona mumbled in a barely audible whisper. She gave a final thump on her armour and looked at their collection of packs. "That magic that you put on them is still working. Right?"

"Let me just check." Anton lent down and spoke the prayer again. It felt like he was adding mana to the pack. He wasn't entirely sure if the security prayer needed to ensure it continued to work but a boost to its strength and effectiveness couldn't hurt. The mana that he used was only a little bit more than making the enchanted arrow. Again the Prayer power used so much mana and was wildly inconsistent in how much it used to perform different actions. He needed to get a better understanding of the power.

"Right." Anton said as he stood up. "Nobody will be able to get into these without turning bright blue and receiving quite a nasty shock. It didn't feel like it even lost any strength when those two idiots tried to open it. I think Tethra might have helped out and altered the prayer so the packs used Earth mana to work."

Verona nodded. "That's good to know. I was thinking we just rent this room for a few more days. About...eight at the most. We can tell them to clean the place up but not to touch the bags or anything else." A smirk graced Verona's face. "They'll definitely know why they shouldn't touch things that don't belong to them."

She was still miffed the Inn's workers had tried to go through their things. So was he, and he was certain Kal was as well.

"We'll pay them for the additional nights, minus the food, and tell them not to touch anything. Hopefully that'll be enough. Or we'll get the rooms for free so we don't complain about what happened." Both girls nodded to his words. “So…" Anton clapped his hands. "Are we ready to go?"

Kal nodded as she donned her mask, her white and green mask hiding her expression, while Verona frowned lightly.

"What about breakfast?" Verona asked. "You and I can get something as we go but it's going to be pretty hard for Kal to eat outside. And we haven't eaten anything since...since last night. Well, I have."

"I'll be fine without breakfast."

"No." Anton cut Kal off. "Verona's right. We'll have some before we go. We've still got some dried food with us. We'll have some of that now and take the rest with us. Who knows if there's going to be provided food on this job?"

"Good point."

They settled down at the table and enjoyed a quick meal of their dried food and what was left of the Inn's food before going over their gear one more time. As they were about to exit Anton stopped them.

"What's wrong?" Verona asked, leaning her spear against the door.

"Our...I really mean your, weapons." Anton reached for the bow on Kal's back. Even though it was fastened it came loose relatively easily. "There's a chance that with these weapons, and our new armour, that someone is going to try and steal them."

As he handed back Kal's bow she nodded. "And you’re thinking of something more than just keeping a good hold of them."

"Yeah." Anton spun Kal around, much to her surprise, and felt near where the bow was attached. When his hand travelled down and, just before he reached her butt, he felt the unmistakable coils of her tail wrapped around her waist. "If someone tries to steal your bow, and they feel that..."

"They'll know right away." Kal groaned as she rubbed her behind. "I can't hide it any other way, and I'm not going to get rid of it."

"Fuck no." Anton blurted out, surprising himself most of all. "I love your tail." Kal stammered at his words, a foot started scratching at the floor, much to his and Verona's amusement. "I was thinking that we do the same thing to them that we did to our packs. Make it so that anyone who touches them gets a massive jolt of lightning that'll send them flat. It worked with the packs so it should work with the weapons."

Verona nodded as she handed him her spear. "I'll have to leave that to you two again. My magic can't do that."

Anton looked at Kal as she held the bow in her hands. "Do you feel like you have enough mana? If you don't its fine. I've still got most mine and I don't want you passing out on me."

Kal looked at the white bow for some time. Finally she shook her head and handed it over. "Making those arrows used a little over half my magic and I don't know how fast I recover my mana."

"You made twenty." Anton rubbed her head, over her mask. "That's pretty impressive.”

Kal chuckled and gave a tiny nod. Anton focused on the weapons in his hand, speaking aloud a prayer to make anyone, baring them, who touched it receive a massive and debilitating jolt. The mana left him, so too did his breath. Even though he spoke the prayer aloud it took nearly all his mana. His vision blurred and his head spun as the weapons fell from his hands. Verona and Kal lunged for him, preventing him from smashing into the ground, ignoring the weapons as they bounced on the floor.

"You okay?" Verona asked, the worry clear in her voice and face. "What just happened?"

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"I..." Anton coughed harshly, it was like sandpaper had attacked his throat. "I just said the prayer and it took nearly everything away from me." He looked over at their weapons. Neither had looked to them when he fell, for that he was a little happy for. "I know it worked...but not why it took so much." He gave a glance at the white prayer glyph on his hand before he stood back up.

Standing was a lot easier now, at least with the world no longer trying to spin around him. Kal gave his hand a squeeze, which he returned to let her know he was alright. Both girls retrieved their weapons with more than a little hesitation. When their hands touched them, and nothing happened, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Verona looked relieved that everything was fine while Kal let out a faint groan. She raised her mask and inspected the bow extremely closely. When she found nothing a deep frown formed on her face.

"Why did that happen?" she asked, her bright green eyes searching his. "You completely healed my body and that made you fall over a little because you were nearly out already...the packs..." an idea was forming in her mind, Anton thought it best not to interrupt. "When...When you gave the magic lessons to Shawn and Jocelyn you said you couldn't...infuse a weapon with magic."

Anton nodded, doing so made the world spin a little again. He found a nearby chair. With the weight off his legs the spinning stopped.

"I'll get you something to drink." Verona placed her spear against the wall and raced to the small table of food. On it were several wooden jugs filled with water. As she poured some Kal continued to frown at her bow.

"What did you say happened?" Kal asked.

"It felt like it just sort of bounced off." Anton began. "That was with the fire and lightning power. I think that Shawn and Jocelyn might be able to make something out of it, if they are able to pour their magic in while the weapon is being made. Maybe. But we could get the arrows to work with the prayer power."

Kal nodded. "I...I think I might know what happened. If you don't mind me saying."

Anton smiled as Verona came back with a small cup of water. She refused to give him the cup, instead pressing it against his lips.

"You know I can do that on my own?"

Verona smirked. "Yeah, but I don't get to do this often so I'm going to take this chance."

Anton sighed and relented, much to Verona's enjoyment. When he was done she was nearly skipping as she moved back to the table. Kal gave him an odd look, to which he smiled.

"So, you were saying?"

"I...um...yes. I think I know what happened." Kal scratched idly at her face. "From what little I know I think it has to do with the words of the prayer."

Anton threw up a brow, Kal immediately threw up both hands.

"I'm not saying that you did it wrong." Kal blurted out. "Or you don't know what you're doing. I-"

"Kal." One word was enough to stop her. Already she was looking a little nervous. "Come here." Kal took a deep breath and hesitantly walked towards him.

Does she think I'm going to do something bad to her, or yell at her, for suggesting that I got something wrong? The horrors of Seocuria still linger...

When Kal was a meter away Anton stood up and pulled her into an embrace. She was a little startled initially but she very quickly melted in his arms, her clawed fingers gripping at his elbows. Eventually she pushed him away and lent her head onto his chest.

"I..." Kal shook her head. "No. You don't want me apologising for things I didn't do wrong."

Anton shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong." Kal remained still for some time before Anton coughed and held Kal's hands. "So, what do you think happened?"

Kal took a deep breath, now filled with confidence, and looked at Anton's glyphed hand. "I think it was what of were asking the prayer to do. With the packs you made it so that only people that tried to open it would be hurt. They could have touched and moved it and they would have been fine. You made the prayer, on our weapons, hurt anyone that touches them that isn't us, but not if they were stealing them. I think that we could just tap them on anyone and it would give them a blast of lightning, even if they kept their hands to themselves. Maybe because it has to do so much more than just stop thieves, maybe that's why it took more mana."

Anton nodded. "That makes sense..." Anton frowned, one matched by Kal. "But why didn't it use that much when you were making the arrows?"

Kal opened her mouth then hesitated. A sheepish smile crossed her face. "Either we use the power in a different way...Or that the arrows will only work after I've fired them from my bow. It didn't go up in flames when any of us held it."

But if it took so much mana to accidentally make those weapons how much would it take to make a teleporter? I need help to make that, beyond what Kal can add…I haven’t been able to really test out the tethering with the prayer power. Perhaps linking them all together at once…but I’ll need a lot more power or a better way to cast the magic. We need to get into that Academy.

"That it didn't. Well, it's a good thought." Anton gave her hands another squeeze before letting go. "It's something that we'll need to look into when we've got more time. Thankfully I can still do some healings without much issue so that's enough for me. Sometime in the afternoon, when we’re on the trip to the fort, I'll change the prayer on the weapons when I've got more mana and I don't want either of you to go through what I just went through. But right now we have shopping to collect."

Even though neither Verona nor Kal had been shopping but both seemed very excited. Like two normal happy girls about to go on a date.

---[]---

The owner of the Inn was very helpful in their predicament. Almost too helpful. She insisted they pay nothing for their extended stay, especially after learning they wouldn't actually be in the room. It was not Anton's plan to not pay and demand a free stay but it worked out in the end. After that it was a short walk through the busy streets, everywhere they looked was teeming with human activity, to reach the armoury store they placed their order the day before.

Once inside the chaos of the streets of Porswea vanished. The only thing they could hear were the clinks of metal gently lowered against more metal. Quite a few people were present today, Anton could see about ten perusing the isles of armour, and no one was waiting at the counter.

"Let's go see if our armour is ready." Anton said as they started walking forward. "They must have worked into the night if they got them done by now."

"If it's adjusting the size it shouldn't take too long." Kal said. Anton looked back, Kal tugged at her shirt underneath her armour. "I made this fit me, even though it was too large when I got it."

"That's sort of what I'm getting at." Anton looked forward and took a step to the side as he nearly wandered into a rack of metal chest pieces. "I mean we chose those types of armour because they were strong, much stronger than cloth or just this hardened leather. How are they supposed to work them in such a short time?"

"What were those swords made out of?" Verona asked before she snapped her fingers. "Adamantium. They could have used Adamantium scissors...or something. Adamantium needle and thread?"

Anton smiled as he looked forward. Verona's snap caught the attention of Johnny, the flamboyant man, who emerged from the room behind the counter. It took him a moment to recognise them but the moment he did a massive smile graced his face.

"I'm so glad to see you." He began, Anton instantly remembered the effect the man put into his voice. "It's always good to see a paying customer."

Anton smiled as he reached the counter and rested his arms upon it. Verona did the same, though it made her look a little small, and Kal remained very close between them. Anton looked around. He could see quite a few more people perusing the racks of armour.

"These people aren't purchasing?" He asked quietly.

Johnny lent forward and took a quick glance either side. "Most of them are just looking. But...a few of them are buying, not to the same level that you three are."

"They aren't stealing?" Verona asked. "After what happened yesterday?"

Johnny shook his head. "No. No one has tried anything after that. Probably tomorrow."

"By the way, what happened to those thieves?" Anton asked.

"The city watch arrested them. And now they're going to spend the rest of their days mining salt." Johnny shrugged, a little sadness in his motions. "Not that it'll be a particularly long life. But that was their decision."

An awkward pause followed. Johnny's fingers tapped on the counter before he clapped them together. "There's no point in thinking too much about that now. You are here for your armour, yes?"

"Is it ready?" one of Kal's hands gripped on Anton's shoulder as she leant around him. "I want to be out of these and into something better."

Johnny studied her mask for a second before he nodded. "That we do madam. I'm sure that you'll want to get changed right away and into your new armour. We can have some privacy back here."

Johnny waved for them to follow him through the room behind the counter. Anton took the lead with Kal safely in the middle.

"Where is your friend?" Anton asked. "I believe his name was Fergus?"

"I'm here." a voice called out. Fergus's head poked out from behind the wall, a small smile on his face. "We just got them finished before you got here. It was a little more difficult than I thought it would be."

"I guess that's why we picked it." Verona said quietly. "If it was easy to cut then it wouldn't be any good for us."

"True." Fergus replied. When Anton peered around the wall he saw the large man working on a green armour set. The metal looked to be Bosciycium, an exceptionally hard metal far stronger than iron, while he had no idea what the leather was made from. If anything it looked a little like crocodile skin. When they passed Fergus stopped working and followed behind. Johnny brought them to a halt in the next room. This appeared to be the main workshop of their store. One side of the building was filled with crates and boxes, the other had many armour items splayed out over some large wooden tables. Anton scanned them and found three armour sets next to each other that looked exactly like what they had ordered.

"I take it these are ours." Anton began walking towards them. On closer inspection they looked nearly identical to what they were before, but he could just make out some new seams where the armour had been cut and adjusted.

"Yes they are." Johnny nodded happily. "I'm certain you will be happy with them."

Anton ran his hand over the hide of his armour. He could tell that it was extremely strong.

This will help solve the problem that Alfred was talking about. Mages don't have much strength up close so this should give me a fighting chance. Though if I've run out of mana I probably won't be able to stand up let alone swing a sword. Still, this is good. Very good.

"It looks amazing." Verona squeaked in delight as she touched her leather armour. "I know that we are going to look so awesome in these."

Kal nodded as she inspected her own. Anton checked his out and was very impressed with their work. There was almost no way to tell these had been adjusted from the sets they saw the other day.

“We'll need you to try these on here.” Johnny said happily. “We don't want those to be ill fitting when you go out to fight.”

“While you do that I'll keep an eye on the store.” Fergus gave a nod towards the front. “Don't want another incident like yesterday.”

Johnny gave him a sweet little wave before turning to them. “We have a small storage room back there if you wish to get changed. I don't have interest in women but I can understand the concern to be seen naked by a stranger.”

Verona decided to go first. She gathered together her sections of armour and, like a giddy young girl trying on the latest fashion, ran towards the closet to get changed. The wordless tune, that she sometimes sang when she was happy, emanated from her lips as she closed the wooden door to the supply closet. They waited in silence for a little while before the door opened but Verona had yet to emerge.

"Okay." Verona called out. "I'm coming out. Please don't make fun of me."

"Come on out and show us." Anton said.

"Okay." her words were hesitant and nervous, something he rarely heard from her.

There was a final cough before Verona stepped out and into their sight. Gone was the old and worn cloth that made her look a little like a beggar. Now she looked like a new woman. The Grey Emperor Wyrm hide clung loosely to her body, hinting at the seductive curves underneath, and covered every inch of skin from her neck down. The white wolf fur, which Anton knew covered the inside as well, stuck out the top and lightly cradled her face. She moved her head slightly to get a better feel of the fur. To completely hide the glyph marks that licked at her jaw line she continued to wear the wrap of cloth for a scarf. Since they were buying expensive new gear they could spare a few coins on something a little better.

"So…How do I look?" Verona asked with a teasing voice, leaning forward and idly running a dark leather gloved hand through her hair.

"Amazing." Anton replied. "Utterly amazing."

"I'm a little jealous." Kal replied. "No one is going to mess with you now. You look like a really tough woman."

Verona flushed a little as she straightened up and laughed. "I thought so too. I was just a little nervous to hear what you would say, that's all."

"How does it feel?" Johnny asked.

"Pretty good." Verona began to stretch out her body. The armour made a little noise as it bent and stretched but it seemed very flexible. "The fur is really soft against my skin. Tickles a little but I'm going to get used to that."

"Are you naked underneath that?" Kal asked.

Verona shot her a wicked grin. "No. But I am down to my pants and the bra strap." She looked at Johnny. "Just that this doesn't do that great a job of holding my breasts right. And it's kind of uncomfortable without the support I used to have from the old armour. How did I manage to walk up straight before?"

"Too large." Anton heard Kal grumble. He playfully squeezed her hand, which she returned.

"I thought we did that right." Johnny rubbed his chin. "If you give us a little time we can-"

Verona raised her hand to stop him. "It's fine. I'm exaggerating a little anyway. I just need to make it a little easier to deal with these two. I have a few ideas."

Everyone knew what she was talking about. Verona performed a little twirl on her new boots before dashing to Anton's side. She manoeuvred his arm to wrap around her and looked to Kal. "Alright Kal. You're up next."

Kal nodded, scrunched her fists, and followed Verona's word. As she picked up her differently coloured armour pieces Anton freed himself from Verona, receiving an odd look in response.

Anton lent down to her ear. "I'm going to wait by the door, just in case something goes wrong. You know..."

Verona nodded before pulling his head down to hers. The new leather gloves gave her a surprising amount of grip. "What do you think she's going to look like?" she asked in the faintest whisper.

"Like a very sexy kitty cat." Anton replied. Verona laughed and slapped his thigh before pushing him gently to the door.

Kal took a deep breath as she closed the door. Anton felt a little silly for standing near the door as Verona and Johnny looked blankly at him. Thankfully there was a knock on the wood from inside.

“Um, Anton, can you give me a hand?”

Anton gave a small nod before slipping behind the door. Kal stood nearly completely fully dressed. She looked amazingly beautiful. Right now she wore all her armour, and looked like she was a terrifying sniper on a battlefield, but her beast-kin digitigrade feet were still exposed to the light.

“These boots don't really work.” Kal grumbled unhappily. “They look really good but it feels like my feet are constantly sliding back and forth and it's really uncomfortable.”

Anton knelt down and looked at the boot. “Okay. What can we do?”

“I need support on my feet if I'm going to wear human boots.” Kal said. “So, I could just use the cloth wraps to pad them out...”

“Let's give that a go.”

Anton and Kal picked the softest looking pieces of cloth and stuffed them into the boots. It took a little work but they managed to work something out that appeared to be workable. Anton took the boot and helped her slide it onto her feet. She flexed both feet, and jumped into the air a little, and seemed satisfied by the result.

“This feels pretty good. I'll make some adjustments as we go but this is good.” Kal donned the white and green mask. “I feel really powerful now. I couldn't possibly get something like this last winter. All this in under a few seasons.”

Anton gave her hand a squeeze, secured in the surprisingly soft black leather gloves, which she returned. Kal quickly spoke another verse of her mantra and opened the door. Verona gasped at the sight, not feigned in the slightest, and Johnny gave a small nod.

“Very good.” Verona hurried towards Kal and held her hands. “They're really soft too. Can you use your bow with this?”

Kal nodded. “I should be. I use my fingers and not my...” she coughed loudly. “It'll be fine.”

Verona nodded and looked at Anton. “She looks really awesome right now.”

Anton couldn't disagree. Just by looking at both of them now he knew he wouldn't want to tangle with them. Perhaps the incident at the Mercenary Guild wouldn't have happened.

“Now there's just you.” Verona smiled as she handed him his armour. “I wanna’ see you looking good too. Can't have you looking like that with us.”

Anton smiled as he retreated to the closet and donned his new armour. He didn't have the Winter Wolf fur like Verona but the Brackenlace cloth felt surprisingly good on his skin, far better than what he used to wear. Only time would tell if it would rub him raw. Hopefully he wouldn't have to be doing too much running about. With every piece firmly secured on his body, looking like a slightly darker version of Kal's armour, he took a deep breath before stepping outside.

Verona smiled, even gave a small whistle, while Kal nodded furiously.

“You look good.” Verona admired as she approached and ran her hand over his armour. “Really good.”

Kal poked the Grey Emperor Wyrm hide sections on his chest. She seemed very satisfied by the result.

“I feel a lot stronger now.” Anton admitted as he rotated his arms. “I think only your spear could pierce through this now.”

Johnny's eyebrows raised dramatically. Anton smiled as Johnny chuckled and shook his head. “When you said that I had a very different idea.” Johnny glanced at Verona's crotch for just a moment before snapping back up to Anton. “My mind tends to wander at inappropriate moments. I think that you probably want those Brackenlace cloaks now, along with some helmets to protect your heads.”

Johnny turned around pulled out three dark green cloaks, with a large hood, and handed them over. “These are a few older pairs. They're aged quite a bit so they're very strong and resistant. You can have these for free. They're just taking up space.”

They took the cloaks and wrapped them around their necks. Kal very quickly fitted hers and helped Anton and Verona with theirs. Johnny looked very impressed.

“Okay. You all look very dashing right now. Unfortunately I can’t just let those helmets go for free. They will cost you some money.” Johnny opened a small wooden crate near the door. Fergus peered around to investigate the noise but smiled and retreated when Johnny gave him a tiny nod. He retrieved three metal and leather helmets. The green metal looked very similar to some of the armour they had back in Atros. A very strong metal called Bosciycium. “These have Bosciycium bracing running throughout the helm so they'll be able to absorb just about any blow. It's also pretty dark so there's no chance of you being spotted when you're sneaking around.”

“That's very good.” Kal said. “I might have a bit of trouble with mine.” Kal's hands lightly scratched on her mask.

Johnny nodded. “I'm afraid there's not a lot that I can do for you there.”

Kal placed the helmet on her head and adjusted it so it didn't interfere with her mask. It appeared to work out relatively well. Anton and Verona donned theirs as well.

“Now we're really tough.” Verona puffed out her chest, a wide grin on her face.

“That'll cost five silver rings.” Johnny smiled warmly.

Anton retrieved a gold coin and handed it over. “That should cover everything. Thank you for everything. Oh, by the way, do you know anything about armour that can inhibit magic?”

Johnny shook his head. “I'm afraid that we don't have those sort of things. You're looking for something like a protective amulet. All of which are strictly controlled by the Academy and Lord Cassius. There's no way that you could get one of those without knowing someone near those two.”

“Okay. We don't need the old armour and clothes. I don't know if you want them...”

“We'll sell them.” Johnny nodded. “It'll help someone just starting out. Even though they look a little old and worn I can see they're pretty tough for what they are.”

“Well, thanks for everything. I wish that everything goes well for you two.” Johnny nodded to Anton's words and allowed them passage out of the back room.

Fergus looked very impressed by their attire as they passed the counter as three armoured women stood at the counter buying a new set of iron armour. All three gave Fergus a small wave as they passed through. Anton stopped and shook Fergus's hand, so too did Verona while Kal gave him a tiny nod. Fergus smiled and returned the nod.

“Good luck with everything you two. Thanks for everything.” Anton yelled back as they exited the building, he hoped that everything would go well with them both, the tiny chime jingling as they re-entered the bustling armoury district.

Anton felt so much more confident with his new set of armour, Verona and Kal looked equally more confident. It was amazing what a change in attire could do for their sense of self-esteem and confidence. Even though most people would only see the cloaks and their faces peering from underneath their hoods it still made Anton feel a lot better about himself. Verona’s smile looked like it was about to rip off her face and Kal kept brushing a hand over her backside. Anton looked and couldn't see movement but obviously Kal was struggling with containing her delight at her newfound attire. It was probably the most expensive thing she had ever owned.

Verona was the first to speak. "It looks like we've got a bit of time on our hands before we need to be at the Guild." She glanced up at the sun. Anton guessed that it was a little before ten o'clock. "We should probably get something to eat for the trip."

Anton nodded. "We should get some more food to bring with us, just in case they don't have anything for the trip to the fort. And we can keep whatever is left over for the next phase of our journey." He squeezed Kal's hand. "How much do you know about what's edible in the wild lands of Graterious?"

"A bit." Kal replied. "I spent a good portion of my life in Graterious and living off what I could find. We shouldn't have a problem with food...but buying it already made will cut down on time that we would otherwise spend foraging. We'll be able to take more time resting and travelling..."

"Alright." Anton cracked a smile. "We might even be able to show those mercs a thing or two about cooking. I really want to try that mushroom soup again."

"I want to try it too." Verona grumbled loudly. Kal chuckled and her hand began to heat up in his. "But where do we get it? Oh, we'll want some extra skins for water. We're going to want quite a few of them. Ours are a bit old and leaky."

The water skins they had brought with them from Atros were good though they were finally showing their age. They were also the best that could be given to them. A few new ones would not go amiss.

"Let's head back to the mercenary district." Anton said. "If there's all those mercs heading off beyond the city than there's a good chance that there will be businesses that will sell those supplies. It makes sense to have them close together." Anton shrugged lightly. "At the very least we'll be in the right area and be able to ask someone if we can't spot it quickly."

"We might have to buy another of one of those awesome kebabs to get directions." Verona tried her best to hold herself back from licking her lips but to no avail. Her appetite was nearly insatiable, outside and inside the bedroom. She shrugged as she pulled closer to Kal. "Who knows, we might even run into the six idiots again."

"I really hope we don't." Anton groaned dramatically, though his face leaked a faint smile. "I wonder if they'll puff up like a frog this time."

Anton puffed his chest out and started bouncing about like a human frog. Kal chuckled, and Verona smiled as she shook her head, as they both leaned their head against his shoulders as they moved silently through the busy streets.

---[]---

Unfortunately finding accurate directions involved the purchase of yet another kebab, not that Verona appeared to mind as she devoured it in a matter of seconds. The directions were simple enough and led to a large, open building, bustling with mercenaries, Graterious soldiers and civilians. Racks of food and other miscellaneous items filled the building. It looked very similar to a large open market stall from earth. Anton, once again, moved behind Kal and Verona in front as they entered the busy market building. Immediately they were assaulted by a torrent of noises, of hawkers trying to drum up sales, and the smell of cooking meet. Much to Anton's relief and Kal's judging by the tension in her shoulders, none paid them more than a quick glance. Kal's mask was relatively well hidden by the hood and Verona's silver hair was pulled back and hidden by the hood of her cloak. Nobody would know of her heritage or try and judge her.

It's still sad that they have to hide themselves from the world. I would love nothing more than to walk hand in hand with them down the street. Maybe one day it'll happen outside of Atros.

"What are we getting?" Verona asked, looking back and pulling the hood back a little to see better.

Anton looked over the stalls. Most of it look quite appetising but it would probably go off in a few days. He placed his hand on Kal's shoulder. "Any ideas on what sort of stuff we should get?"

"A good, healthy variety of anything that will last." Kal replied, a little happiness in her voice. She nodded to a stall a few down from where they stood. "Some dried and salted meat, quite a few nuts and some hard vegetables. They're going to go rotten first so it's important that we get the ones that will last the longest until we can find more. I think I can see some carrots. Those will be good to start with."

"If we don't have our veggies there's a good chance that we could come down with scurvy. That's something that nobody wants."

Verona turned around and raised a silver brow. It occurred to Anton that they might not know of the affliction that affected so many of the first long distance sailors of earth.

"Think of it as a deficiency of...healthy food." Anton answered. He also guessed they wouldn't know about vitamins and minerals. "Basically we need to eat some fruit and vegetables to keep healthy. We can't just live on dried meat."

Verona, satisfied with his answer, nodded and began walking to the stall. The selection on display was rather impressive so Anton took a moment to properly peruse before he made any decisions. After a few hushed exchanges they made their decision. Just as Anton was about to get the stall owner's attention a shadow moved beside them. The lowered light levels made it a little difficult to see but something about the profile of the person jogged his memory. More important was the patch of blue hair on the right side of their otherwise short black head of hair.

"Cetina?" Anton asked quietly.

The person twitched and looked towards him. Anton saw the grey eyes, flecked with purple, stare into his own for a few seconds before it dawned on her.

"Anton." Cetina said happily, a smile forming on her lightly scared face. "I never thought I would meet you somewhere like this. I didn't recognise you looking like that. You've got new armour. How are you? How are all three of you, I should say?"

Verona turned and smiled at Cetina, a shiver of annoyance ran up her spine that she had to look up at her, while Kal moved so Anton was blocking most of her back and any chance of someone accidently finding out who she was.

"We're doing great." Anton replied. "It's all gone really well for us." He saw Verona play with the silver ring on her finger. "Very well for us. How about you? Are you doing alright?"

Cetina hesitated before she answered. "Yeah. Things are going alright, considering what they were."

Something grated on the back of Anton's mind. Every word she spoke was accompanied by a tiny flash of pain over her face. Like she was recovering from a wound or bruise. The lack of light made it a little difficult to see and Cetina's skin was a light tan in colour so it could hide a bruise. She also didn't look straight at them, her head was tilted just enough to hide her left cheek.

"Is something wrong with your face?" Anton asked.

Again she hesitated. "No. I'm doing very well, actually."

Verona shot Anton a look. She did not believe her and neither did Anton. Cetina did not appear to be the best liar. Anton raised a hand and gently pushed Cetina's head to the side, she did not stop or say anything to his action, to show her left cheek. Underneath the light scars scattered over her face he could see the beginnings of a bruise. A very large one at that.

"Who did that to you?" Kal asked quietly.

Cetina bit down on her lip as she hung her head low. Anton heard the grinding of teeth as she refused to say anything.

"It wasn't Duran, was it?" Verona asked. Anton glanced down to see genuine concern on Verona's face. She didn't think it was likely but she wanted Cetina to say something.

Cetina frowned angrily as she looked back up. "Dad didn't do this."

"Then who did?"

Cetina shrugged as she sighed deeply. "It's not too hard to guess, is it?"

"But you got those two back." Verona moved forward to get a better look. "Right?"

Cetina glanced at Anton before she smiled bitterly. "No. As much as I would have liked to I didn't."

"After what we've seen you go through I wouldn't begrudge you if you hit them back." Anton shook his head. "I don't know why they pick on you. I wouldn't want to hit you. I know you're a very, very strong woman. Far stronger than they ever will be. And a better swordsman too."

Cetina opened her mouth to speak but decided against it as the tiniest hint of a flush rose over her face. "Um... Thanks. But that will probably be one of the last times I see them. I hope it's the last. So this bruise is nothing compared to what it has been."

"It didn't get better, did it?" Kal asked. There was a deep sadness to her words.

Cetina shook her head as she let out a deep sigh. “No. No, it got a lot worse. So much so that I had to get out of there. I listened to what you said and I knew it wasn't going to get any better if I stayed. I wanted to stay but I knew it was only going to get worse.”

She didn't elaborate on what that meant but Anton was not pleased to hear any of this. “What about your father? I thought he had finally grown a pair and was trying to fix this?”

Cetina shrugged and remained silent, with only the noise of the surrounding market to fill their ears.

“Did you have to leave behind your shield?” Verona asked.

Cetina grimly nodded. When they first met she had a large plain metal shield that she kept attached to her back. That was gone but her sword remained on her hip.

“Yeah. It...It hasn't been a good few days.”

“Do you have somewhere to stay?” Anton asked.

Cetina nodded as she rubbed her bruise. “Yeah. I used the money you gave me to rent a room on the other side of Porswea. It's not much but it's better than sleeping on the streets.”

Kal nodded while Cetina sighed again. Anton vigorously rubbed his face. “Right. Well, we've still got the fort job in about an hour or so, and we don't have time to find and beat some sense into your father.” Cetina frowned but didn't stop him from speaking. “The moment we get back from reclaiming the fort we'll force some sense into your father. And deal with whatever happened to you.”

“You're going to retake that fort?” Cetina asked, a black eyebrow raised up.

“Yes.”

A faint smile drew over her scarred face. “So am I.” She chuckled as she reached underneath her metal chest armour and produced the same style of metal plate they had received from the Graterious Mercenary Guild. It looked nearly identical, other than it had the name Cetina de Yascar on it. “After...Afterwards I decided to join a mercenary guild, since I didn't know what else to do for money. One of the few things that I actually know is fighting. Apparently Virgil said something about me so it was really easy to get in.”

“No favours?” Verona asked.

Cetina flushed slightly as she put the plate away. “No. Thankfully there wasn't any mention of that. And if there was I would have turned around and joined someone else. There are quite a few of them in Porswea.”

“So long as you don't join the Red Company.” Kal said quietly. “No matter what.”

Cetina could only nod. Anton wasn't entirely sure if Kal's words were out of genuine concern for Cetina's wellbeing in joining such a deplorable and rowdy bunch or if it had to do with her wanted poster. Perhaps she feared that, upon knowing how much Kal was worth, Cetina might give into temptation and attempt to capture her. It was probably a combination of concerns.

“Do you want to come with us?” Anton asked, Verona throwing an odd look at him while Kal turned her mask. “We're about to head that way ourselves. It'll be good to travel with someone else we know. Someone that can fight really well.”

Cetina took a moment as she glanced between them. Her hand gripped tight on the pommel of her sword as a look of determination washed over her face. “Yeah. Sure, I'll come with you. You're the only people in Porswea that I know that I can trust. I know that I'll survive this thing if I'm with you three.”

An awkward smile graced her face as she scratched her head. She knew how powerful they were, it sounded a little like she was taking a free ride.

“What about a shield?” Anton asked, Cetina glanced over her shoulder. “When we fought the Ghlotsm you used it really well.”

Cetina smiled, forcing back the tiny hint of pain on her face. “I'll be fine. If the people at the guild were right there will be people selling equipment at the fort. I'll get one there. I’ve fought without one before and I did alright.”

“Okay.” Anton looked at the patiently waiting stall owner. “Let's get some food and water and then be on our way.”