Having stripped the stripper - 'Chameleon Courtesan', Lorelei reminded herself - of her passive armour Skill, it would have been unfair to begin the journey to the cathedral before the hour was up and was back at its rightful home. Lorelei did have a moment of wondering what a 'miscast' would count as in this scenario - the less skin showing the more protection? - but resisted trying it out. She didn't want to encourage her Guide any further. She’d already made clear that, now she had Anna Marie LeBeau appropriate hair, ‘sugar’ was now a thing of the past.

No one in the party was delighted with yet another delay. Hild, in particular, brought everyone's attention to the countdown to their impending doom that was ticking away. However, in the end, it seemed everyone – at least the guys - were far more interested in exploring the limits of Chrissy's Class than they were in a dangerous journey across the city. Lorelei was sure that Kris and Steffan were genuinely interested in the implication of having a team member who could effectively change their Class as easily as changing their clothes. Some of the others, though . . . well, they just seemed interested in Chrissy's tits.

"You have Skinning, right?"

Lorelei was so astonished that Hild had joined her in the pub's beer garden that she didn't immediately respond. From behind them, inside the ruined remains of the pub, the sound of incoherent cheering and clapping could be heard, which suggested the Chameleon Courtesan was putting on quite the show.

"Are you deaf as well as a huge liability?"

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to want to chat. We've hardly hit it off."

The Valkyrie rolled her eyes with such force that Lorelei thought - hoped? - she might actually do herself a serious injury. "And I don't want to 'chat' now. I was asking if you had Skinning."

Lorelei nodded. "Yes. Well, sort of. I have something called , which means I can pick up professional Skills without being trained in them. But, to balance it out, they each have some sort of penalty attached to them. Pretty much like every other aspect of my Class."

"You skinned the wolves we defeated."

Lorelei was struggling with Hild's conversational style. She seemed to be making statements she knew the answer to while being extremely aggressive about the whole thing. To be honest, it was starting to piss her off. "Not that I'm not loving this, but was there something I can help you with, Hild?"

The Valkyrie put her hands on her hips, reminding Lorelei that the tall, blonde woman before her was largely naked. It was funny how easily you became used to it. Although, judging by the raucous noise inside, Chrissy's assets were still very much an appreciated novelty. "I need some new armour."

"Okay . . ." again, Lorelei struggled to jump on board this particular conversational train. "Do you want me to come with you while you look for something to loot?"

"No. From what I can tell, being anywhere around you in a fight is a recipe for death."

"Right. Is this just a casual drive-by insulting, or can I expect you to be throwing hands soon?"

Hild blew her cheeks out in frustration. "Why is this so hard for you to understand? I want you to make me some armour."

Lorelei blinked at the tank for a few moments before repeating her words back to her. "You want me to make you some armour?"

"Yes. You have Skinning, so you must have the appropriate resources. And if you have . . . what did you call it, , you should be able to learn Leatherworking. I wear Medium Armour. Make me some."

"I'm sure there was a 'please' in there somewhere?" Lorelei said almost reflexively. It was a phrase she had uttered under her breath throughout her time at Glyde and Glyde. One of her determinations for the new 'her' was that she would say the quiet part out loud.

Hild's face took on a strange expression, and then she forced out, obviously very much against her will: 'Would you please make me some armour?"

"It would be my pleasure."

*

Lorelei emptied the various pieces of leather and hide she had accumulated from the wolves in front of her, the smell filling her nostrils in a not unpleasant way. She had not had a chance to work through the pros and cons of her ability yet, but if Leatherworking functioned the same way as the other abilities she'd gained via this method, she should be able to pick it up simply by making a start. Of course, each of her other Skills turned out to have some problematic small print, but with the imposing, bare-chested Valkyrie towering beside her, she thought she better give it a go.

"And you’re telling me you have never done this before?” Hild’s voice was a mixture of scepticism and impatience.

Lorelei smiled nervously. “Not exactly, no. But my Class seems to mean that I’m a quick learner. Besides, how hard can it be?”

Hild sighed. “Fuck's sake. Okay, look, I need this armour. I can't be walking around stark naked all the time, and the way you are attracting trouble to us, us tanks are going to be kept busy. Pete can only wear Heavy Armour, so we're going to have to loot some for him. Until then, we can't risk him too much in a fight. My Class, though, wears Medium Armour, which - after a fashion - you should be able to make. So, I need you not to fuck this up.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Lorelei looked at her for a moment. "What are you not telling me?"

Hild glared and then drew a protective arm across her bared breasts. "Look, it was funny making them all blush. But now she's coming out of her shell . . . " Lorelei didn't need the little head nod to the pub to know who Hild was talking about. "I'd rather return to being the badass with the axe rather than some sad mutton dressed as lamb."

"Although, I would suggest that not being dressed is kind of the point," Lorelei couldn't help adding.

Hild simply glared back. After a rather uncomfortable silence, Lorelei took a deep breath and rolled up her sleeves. “Alright, I’ll give it my best shot. But no promises on this working out how you seem to hope.”

They'd laid various implements they'd found around the pub on the picnic bench outside, which would function as Lorelei's worktable. Hild had quickly gone through Lorelei's available leather and hides, carefully selecting the ones she wanted used.

“First, you need to cut the leather into the right shapes,” Hild instructed, pointing to a drawing she had sketched on paper. “Follow these templates exactly.”

Lorelei nodded, picking up one of the chef's knives from the pub's kitchen and carefully cutting along the lines Hild indicated. The leather was tougher than she expected, but she kept the edges relatively straight. Hild watched closely, occasionally offering pointers on technique. Although, as this most often took the shape of telling her what a 'fucking waste of space' she was, Lorelei felt she could have functioned well without the encouragement.

Once the pieces were cut, Hild demonstrated how to punch the holes for stitching. “You have to be precise. Do you hear me? If the holes are too close to the edge, the leather will tear. Too far, and it won’t hold properly. If you fuck it up, you'll have to start again; and I don't think I can bear watching you go through all of the cutting again."

Lorelei frowned. "You seem to know an awful lot about this. Why aren't you making your own fucking armour?"

"I grew up doing this sort of thing. Don't you think I would if I could?"

"Well, why don't you?"

"I'm a fucking Valkyrie! I can't learn any professional Skills with my Class!"

Well, that was interesting.

Lorelei had assumed everyone had access to the same basic range of abilities. Sure, some Classes were obviously better at some things than others, but her impression was that everyone had the same sort of opportunities. That was apparently not the case. She wondered if this meant some people with professional Skills could not learn how to fight. Well, probably not anymore, she thought, thinking about the worldwide genocide that had taken place in the last day. For some reason, the ridiculous waste of talent this represented seemed to punch through her emotional dampening. How many crafting geniuses had been turned into XP soup by those who'd just happened to pick a more aggressive Class?

Not wishing to dwell on this any further right now, Lorelei followed Hild’s instructions with growing confidence. As she worked, she was aware she had a bunch of pinging notifications building up, but she was quite enjoying not having to engage with the System right now. He and his snark could wait.

Lorelei fell into a rhythm, her hands moving with increasing assurance. The repetitive nature of punching holes in the leather was oddly soothing, and she began to feel a sense of accomplishment, particularly as Hild's non-stop criticism dropped off the longer she worked.

Next came the stitching. Hild handed her a large needle and a spool of waxed thread from her inventory. “You need to stitch it tight, but not too tight. The leather needs to move and flex.”

Lorelei’s first few stitches were clumsy - "How is someone with such small hands so fucking clumsy!" - but she quickly, as with the rest of the process, got the hang of it. She stitched the separate pieces together, forming the shape of the chest piece Hild had designed. It was far from finished, but it was beginning to look like something wearable.

An hour passed - Lorelei released back to Chrissy and picked up some sort of fireball skill for Zorrobar. The big Mage came outside to say, as the Chameleon Courtesan was halfway through her set, they had all voted on giving it another hour before setting out.

Lorelei’s hands were sore, and her back ached, but she barely acknowledged the big man, continuing to work, driven by a mixture of determination and a desire not to have Hild swear at her anymore. Finally, just before the second hour ran out, the chest piece was complete.

Lorelei held it up, inspecting her handiwork and ignoring yet more notifications. It was rough around the edges, with uneven stitching and a few stray marks here and there, but it was a functional piece of armour.

And she had made it.

Hild took it from her, examining it closely. “Not bad at all,” she said grudgingly. “But it's barely tougher than my skin. I was hoping, with your Class, for something a bit more . . . unusual."

Lorelei thought for a moment. “I have an idea. Give me a moment.” She rummaged through her inventory, pulling out the small packet of dye Chrissy had used on her hair. Although most of it was gone, enough was left to try something. Lorelei carefully applied the dye to the leather, watching as it was absorbed into the material,

As it did so, it began to glow faintly.

As Lorelei worked, she felt a strange energy flowing through her, as if a connection was forming between the leather and the dye. Her notifications were going mad, but she ignored them, focusing on what she was doing. When she was finished, there was an almighty ding and the chest piece transformed. It gleamed with a subtle, otherworldly light, and the imperfections seemed to fade away, replaced by a sense of rigidity and purpose.

Hild’s eyes widened as she took the chest piece off her. “This is . . . incredible. What did you do to it?”

Lorelei smiled, feeling a surge of pride. “Just spinkled a little bit of luck at the end. I think it will serve you well.”

Hild nodded, her expression one of genuine admiration. Lorelei had not thought she had the facility to even make such an expression. “You’ve outdone yourself, Lorelei. This is more than I could have hoped for.”

The Valkyrie equipped the chest piece, adjusted the straps, and tested the fit. She obviously found it surprisingly comfortable, fitting her form perfectly. The magic within the leather seemed to hum with energy.

Tunic of Fortune

Item Type: Leather Chest piece

Required Level: n/a

Class Compatibility: requires Medium Armour

Durability: Excellent

· Enhanced Protection: Offers superior protection against physical attacks, with a resilience that belies its light weight.

· Magic Resistance: The enchanted dye provides a moderate level of resistance to magical attacks, reducing damage taken from spells and magical effects.

· Luck’s Embrace: The wearer gains a slight boost to their luck, increasing the chances of critical hits and successful dodges.

Lorelei watched as Hild continued to adjust the chest piece, a sense of satisfaction settling over her. The Valkyrie was just walking away from her when Lorelei opened her notifications.

At this stage, a different 'sense' settled over her.