After a week of hellish training in the Forest of Frost under the tutorage of Matthew, the girls and their master return to Sour by morning together through southern gate, and Emi separated off from them at some point to sell Emily’s and her own materials at the Adventurers’ Guild.
“…Hey, did ye’ hear the Lord’ll be raising taxes?”
On her way to the Adventurers’ Guild, Emi overheard a woman talking to someone about taxes increasing. In fact, she heard stuff along the same lines of that throughout her whole walk this morning from various people. She didn’t really understand what they were talking about, so she tried to ignore it, but the woman’s funny way of talking forced Emi from her stupor.
“Hm…”
With her ear-covering hat on, Emi walked over to the woman she heard a moment ago and asked her what she was talking about.
“Excuse me, what is this ‘raising taxes’ everyone is talking about?” She asked the somewhat larger lady with pretty brown hair who carried a straw basket containing bread and vegetables.
“Oh…? Ye’ haven’t heard? The Lord’ll be raising the taxes soon apparently. ‘Tis a bit ridiculous though, we already pay too much.” The lady answered with an annoyed expression.
“Ye’d do well to put something over y’self.” She said as she looked down at Emi’s chest.
She had a somewhat odd way of talking, but she had answered Emi’s question. After thanking her, she let the woman get back to what she was doing and continued down the road towards the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Heh…”
Information collecting is kind of cool.
“…Also, my clothes are in quite the state.” Emi commented to herself as she looked down at her simple cotton clothes.
Her clothes had already been fairly roughed up after the adventurers’ test where she fought Ballard the Guildmaster. Not only that, the week long training trip that Emi and Emily went through made it even worse; the large claw that scratched her chest also left a pretty sizeable tear in Emi’s clothes, though thankfully it wasn’t enough to see anything—not that there was much of anything to see. Basically, her clothes were looking quite bad and were not doing a good job.
Emi reached the Adventurers’ Guild shortly after her comment and immediately went to the middle window at the reception desk where a familiar red-haired lady whom she was pretty fond was occupying.
“Hello, Seraphina.” She said to the receptionist who had protected her not long ago.
“Oh… Hello again, Emi.” She replied with a sweet smile.
“…? Did I ever introduce myself?”
I can’t remember.
“I don’t believe I ever introduced myself either… I saw it on your adventurer card when you came in last.” She answered with a chuckle.
“I see… I’m here to sell monster materials.”
“…So you were hunting in the Forest of Frost, I take it?”
“Yes.”
“Is that so… Try to stay safe, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. Okay, let’s see what you’ve brought.” She says, urging Emi on.
Emi pulled out both hers and Emily’s materials and placed them out on the counter; Emily isn’t an adventurer, so Emi has to sell it for her.
She placed down twenty-four Frost Wolf skin, twenty-four Frost Wolf manastone, two Evil Tree manastone, two Trap Plant manastone, five Frost Rabbit hide, and five Frost Rabbit manastone. It was a fair bit, but luckily they did not have to carry the heap of materials around as Emi was simply able to use the item box that Matthew had given her instead. It’s clear both the girls were thankful for their respective item boxes since they had been using it nonstop, apart from when they first went monster hunting together and had to carry several Frost Wolf skins—after seeing the state of the two of them, Matthew conceded and gave them an item bag each.
The Trap Plant manastones were from when Emily got stuck in not one…but two Trap Plants and both times Emi had to save her; the monster is basically a large plant with a big mouth that hides by camouflaging together with its surrounding so that it can snatch up anything if it gets too close. It really isn’t the biggest threat though.
“This is…quite the haul…”
“Well, I was there for a week. And it’s not just my stuff I’m selling, but my…friend’s materials too.”
“You went hunting with a friend? How old are they?”
“Yes. She’s twelve.
“I see… You should have them become an adventurer so they’ll be able to sell their own monster materials.” She recommended before continuing.
“Normally, I shouldn’t let someone sell on behalf of another, but I shall make an exception for you.”
“Hm. Thank you.” Emi says with a slight smile.
She began inspecting the materials that Emi and Emily had gathered with a “Hmm…” and Emi eagerly watched on in anticipation. She spent a considerable amount of time looking over the Frost Wolf skins and Frost Rabbit hides—in all fairness though, there were a lot.
“Are there any materials I should be keeping from monsters I kill? I don’t know what to take and what to leave.” Emi asks.
“Hmm… Usually you would want to take stuff like furs, skins and whatnot if you can, but also make sure to collect things that can be used for weapons or armour—claws, hard exoskeletons, tough skin, even teeth depending on the monster. Essentially, you want to keep everything; monster meat doesn’t spoil as quickly and you can use certain parts of a monster for potions or other things. It’s all about picking and choosing though, unless you want to spend all day dissecting everything you slay. You can even bring dead monsters to the Adventurers’ Guild and we’ll harvest the materials for you—you just won’t get paid as much. I recommend you read through monster books when you get the chance.”
“I see… That’s good to know, thank you.” Emi thanked Seraphina after the lengthy explanation she gave, and she complimented Emi for her manners.
Do adventurers not have good manners?
“Anyhow, is this the first time that you’ve harvested any materials from a monster?”
Oh no…
“It is… Are they no good?” Emi asked with worry written on her face as she remembers her and Emily’s skinning sessions.
The skins Emi brought in could not be considered amazing by any means, which is not surprising considering it was the girls’ first time doing it; but all Emi hoped for was to earn enough money to at least be able to buy mushrooms. They spent a lot of time and effort on collecting the materials, but unfortunately it was simply impossible to make up for the lack in experience.
“No, no, no! Well, they aren’t excellent…but they are not bad either!” Seraphina said in a rushed manner like that of an overly nice mother desperately trying to ease her child.
Phew…
“Some people bring in ridiculously damaged skin, so I give you a passing grade for them. Therefore, you should get an good amount of money from all of this. You did a good job for your first time.”
“Mm.”
“I shall list your earnings. For the twenty-four Frost Wolf manastone, you’ll be given nine silver and sixty bronze; for the twenty-four Frost Wolf skin, you’ll be given sixteen silver and eighty bronze; for the two Evil Tree manastone, you’ll be given one silver and ten bronze; for the two Trap Plant manastone, you’ll be given eighty bronze; for the five Frost Rabbit hide, you’ll be given one silver; and finally, for the five Frost Rabbit manastone, you’ll be given seventy bronze. In total, that works out to be exactly thirty silvers. Here you go.”
Seraphina placed a bag of coins on the counter once she had finally finished; Emi didn’t even bother checking to see whether it had the right amount in it as she picked it up.
“…Oh? This little girl brought in thirty silvers worth of monster materials?” An egotistical-sounding, pompous man who was clearly eavesdropping asked.
“Indeed.” Replied Seraphina.
“Unacceptable, isn’t it!? How would this little girl bring in that much!?”
…How am I meant to work out how much to give to Emily if we killed different amounts?
“That’s really not something you should concern yourself with, is it?”
“It is when a little girl comes in and gets that much! It makes no sense… You must have given her higher prices because of favouritism!” He squealed.
…I guess I can just split it. Also, this guy talks even louder than Emily.
“Emi here may be my favourite, but I never once increased the value of her materials. They have been fairly evaluated.” She replied in a ticked off tone.
“Hmph. You just admitted that she’s your favourite no? Isn’t that proof enough!?”
“Oh, perhaps I should just burn you people to a crisp…”
“…What?”
“Are you here to trouble me?” She asks.
“Shall I simply up the price of her materials like you so clearly wish and make it true? What will you do then I wonder…?” Seraphina said with a finger to her chin.
“That’s…that’s ridiculous! You’re just flaunting your power now!”
“I am. What will you do about it?” She audaciously narrowed her eyes with a vaguely evil smirk.
Emi was still standing by the counter; her position placed her right in between the two and their bout, though she was only standing there waiting for it to end. Most of the other adventurers remaining in the Guild this morning were half watching on in some weird combination of both concern and curiosity, with many glancing at Seraphina with an intimidated look. Emi didn’t really understand their expressions.
Is Seraphina really that scary?
“I’ll report you to the Guildmaster! The there will be no more favouritism!” The man threatens.
“You can do what you want—it won’t change anything.” Seraphina calmly replies as she looks down at her fingernails with an obvious disinterest.
”…What do you mean?” He asked in a befuddled manner after a brief pause, entirely confused by her unexpected reply.
“I mean that I am the Guildmaster here.”
“…”
“…”
What?
Judging by the shocked faces on many of the adventurers as if it was the last thing they thought she’d say, almost all of them didn’t know about this fact.
“Umm… I thought the big old guy was the Guildmaster?” Emi asked with confusion.
Besides, wouldn’t she have to do Guildmaster-specific work or something?
“No, he’s just acting as Guildmaster. Think of him like a Vice Guildmaster or something. Ballard basically just does my extra work…and all my other work.” She says with a carefree attitude and a slightly awkward smile while she looks down at Emi.
“…Y-you’re the Guildmaster?” The pompous man asks with utmost shock on his face.
“Precisely. So tell me, why does a newcomer like yourself think that he can cause trouble in my Guild?” She asks with predatory eyes as she placed her elbow on the desk and rests her chin in her hand.
“W-well…”
“Spit it out.” Seraphina ordered after conjuring a powerful red-hot flame that floated out in front of her, and she began inching the dense magical attack closer and closer towards him until he spoke. In an awkward way, this meant that her flame was practically floating above Emi’s head.
“I was jealous…” He faintly said.
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“What was that?”
“I was jealous of everyone in the Guild where I came from and people started to dislike me so I left and came here! And when I saw a small girl get thirty silvers…I lashed out.”
“…Are you being serious?” Seraphina asked with bewilderment.
“Instead of getting jealous, how about you work hard so you can have a sense of pride. Who cares about other people? You can stay. Tch… Just don’t cause unnecessary trouble again.”
“It won’t happen again…” He concedes with a truly sullen look.
“Emi. Try doing quests when you get the chance so you can work your way up the ranks. Right now you’re only Rank F—the lowest—so you can only get the easy jobs that don’t pay well. Once you climb the ranks you’ll be able to do better quests. Also, you should probably buy new clothes soon—wouldn’t want them destroying when you have nothing on underneath.”
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind… What happens to clothes when they become destroyed?”
“They disappear, unless you have them repaired before then.”
“Oh… Okay… I’m sorry for the trouble I caused once again.”
“It’s nothing you need to apologise for sweetie, it’s the riffraff here that need some fixing.” She finishes with a frown as she looks around the room.
Emi said goodbye to Seraphina and walked out of the Adventurers’ Guild with the terrifying knowledge swimming around in her mind that her clothes could disappear at any moment; Emi took her purse for a walk, looking for somewhere she could buy new clothes.
Hmm…
“Should I buy armour or something? I am an adventurer…” She thought out loud.
All of the adventurers she had seen were wearing armour, even if only partly, though the more intelligent looking ones wore cloaks. Her clothes already had a large tear running across her chest and shoulder, so Emi thought she might as well use the opportunity to buy protection in the form of armour.
Emi walked down the large main street after climbing down the few steps that led from the Guild. She was looking for a shop that ideally sold armour that suited her, however she would have also been just as happy finding somewhere that sold clothes; she didn’t want her clothes disappearing in a similar fashion to her dagger when she first met Matthew. She walked north from the Adventurers’ Guild which stood quite close to the southern gate, and only after a short couple minutes of walking, she happened across what she hoped was a blacksmith—at the very least, it was a shop with a sign on the front that showed a sword and hammer.
She crossed over to the other side of the street and stood in front of the well-crafted wooden door, intently scrutinising the front of the building, though only for a short moment.
Emi pushed on the door and found herself standing in a surprisingly bright-coloured and well-lit shop, a contrast to the unwelcoming appearance she saw on the outside. It was tidy inside but still looked battered as though it had been in use for a while, and it was just big enough to not feel cramped. There were a group adventurers—considering their armour and swords—talking over the well-sized counter to the stout man who was probably the blacksmith running the place. The likely blacksmith was well-built and had a tough look; he was an older man with a bushy beard and a heavy, coarse voice that reverberated around the room as he talked to the group of four. The group of adventurers were all men that looked to be in their mid-to-late twenties.
The well-crafted door hadn’t made a sound when Emi opened or closed it, so she decided to look around without interrupting their conversation.
Most items on display were most likely the popular weapons that most adventurers used, such as swords, spears, or axes. There were also bows and magical staffs that were quite stunning even without comparing them to the simpler bladed weapons; they had complex and colourful designs.
Emi wasn’t here for weapons—she wanted armour.
The problem was that there was no way any of them were suitable for her. There were full metal suits of armour lined along the walls and another spot in the corner by the counter had a fancy-looking light armour outfit with a long cape, but they were clearly way to big for an eleven year old like Emi and were clearly designed with men in mind.
Hmm…
“Hey, missy.” A rough voice from not far behind her spoke.
The adventurers that the blacksmith had been talking to earlier had left while Emi was busy looking around. The person who spoke to her from behind was the blacksmith of course.
“You’re not here to steal anything are ya?” The well-built man said as he looked Emi up and down.
“I don’t steal. I need armour of some sort but none of the ones here will ever fit me…” Emi replied, looking from the blacksmith to the armours littered throughout the shop.
“Well, that makes sense don’t it? Are you an adventurer?”
“Yes, but these are the only clothes I have.” Gesturing to the near-destroyed clothes she currently had on.
“…Well, I doubt you’d find any display armour that would suit ya. Those are all for men. You’ll need to get it custom made, which is what most adventurers do anyway.” He began walking away, so Emi followed behind.
“How much does that cost?”
“Getting custom made armour usually costs about twice as much as something already made.” He stopped for a second to think.
“For you…it would probably be cheaper because of ya size. I imagine ya’d want lighter armour, right?”
“Mm. Yes I need light armour so I can move quickly.”
What’s the price, though?
“How much are ya looking to spend?” He asked Emi as he reached the counter and stood behind it, like how he was talking to the adventurers from before.
“thirty-eight silver and fifty-five bronze is all I have right now.”
“Hmm…” He ran his fingers through his bushy beard.
Well…I do have more, but that is Emily’s share of what we got from selling the monster materials.
“For someone your size… I could make ya some light armour you could move in, as well as the other stuff for…seventy silvers.” The man said after a few seconds of contemplating.
I can’t tell if that’s expensive or not.
“Is that expensive or not? I don’t know.”
“Hm. You should be less honest.” He says with a slight sigh.
“For someone yer size, it might be considered a bit pricey, but it’ll be worth your money. I guarantee that it will be one hundred times better than what ya currently have on.”
“Okay. But, I don’t have seventy silvers right now.”
“Give me half of it now and the rest when ya come to get it. That’s how these things are usually done anyway.”
“Okay.” Emi said as she started counting out thirty-five silver before placing it on the counter.
“…So, ya have any preferences?”
“Preferences?” She asked with a slight head tilt.
“Do ya have anything ya want your light armour to have? Light armour is basically one durable outfit.”
“Hmm… I don’t really understand.”
“Sigh… Alright. I’ll come up with a design for you.” He said with exasperation, and right after, he began asking her many questions.
“What weapons do ya use?”
“I dual wield these short-swords.” Emi said as she revealed the sheathed short-swords that were hiding under her clothes—which by the way, attach to her by a string.
“I also have this dagger.” She added.
“Hmm… What about that hat, do ya want me to make somethin’ like that a part of your outfit?” He asks as he looks at the top of Emi’s head.
Right. I have cat ears.
“Yes.”
“Okay. You want short pants or a skirt? Those’d be easiest to move in.”
“…What’s a skirt?”
“Seriously…? Well… I suppose it’s somethin’ girls like to wear. It’s a separate garment that wraps around your hips and down.
“Hm. I’ll wear it then.”
“Okay. Do ya want your top to be breathable? I mean, would you like for it to feel light, and would it be better for some skin to be showing? Beastmen often like their skin to be out.”
“Well, I guess I wouldn’t want anything tight. Wait…beastmen?” She asked with a wide-eyed expression and a tail that stood on end.
“Ya use that hat to cover your ears right? I can see the bulge they make.” He blankly states.
“Umm… Are you still going to make my outfit now that you know I’m a beastman?” She innocently asked.
“Obviously. Why else would I be asking questions? If you’re an adventurer, that means people won’t be allowed to make you into a slave—they can still discriminate against you freely, of course. I don’t care about what species ya are and I’d have to be a failure of a blacksmith to turn away a customer.”
“Do I really need to hide my ears or tail then?”
“You can if ya want, I’m sure it would make your life a little easier. But, wouldn’t it be better for other beastmen if you were to show everyone what species ya are?”
“…I suppose I don’t need the hat.”
I’ll just keep wearing it until my outfit gets made.
“Good. In that case, I won’t make the hat.” He says before asking—
“But, can you show me your ears and tail?”
“…? I guess.”
Emi took off her hat and pulled her tail out from beneath the clothes she had on. Her dark blue cat ears with a white fluffy fur centre puffed up upon removing the hat she wore, and they flourished atop her head with rich colours that anyone could spot. Emi’s tail flowed freely once it was released; and similar to her ears, the tail she had was mostly dark blue except for its white-frosted end.
“Oh…? Blue and white… I‘ll make you the best outfit I can.” He gently said with a hint of determination in his eyes.
“Did ya know that beastmen can evolve?” He then abruptly adds.
“They can?” Emi asked.
Seraphina mentioned that I could evolve my class when it became time.
“Yes. Other species can too, even humans to an extent—but that ain’t a proper species evolution. Evolution happens once you go past level 100, and once that happens, ya get new skills, yer life-span increases and you evolve into an upgraded species.”
“I see…”
“Beastmen have been persecuted by humans for over 100 years, but there are still some who escape from that and evolve. But you’re special, y’know? You’re a Blue-White Cat right?” He asks.
“I guess so.”
“Hm. That means you’re superior to the others of yer kind. When you evolve, the white part in you increases the stats from the dominant colour even further. In your case, that’s blue.”
“Mm… How do you know this?”
“I’ve been around for a while, and everything I’ve told ya can be found in books.”
I should probably read a book or two at some point.
“…Anyway, I’ll do my best to make armour worthy for a Blue-White Cat.”
“I have a question… Why am I a Blue-White Cat? My parents were only Blue Cats.”
“Who can say? Apparently it’s just an extremely rare thing, so ya got lucky.” He passionlessly answered as if he wished he knew the answer.
“Back to your outfit. You’ll need something to hold your two short-swords and somewhere for the dagger; there’ll be a skirt; holes for your tail to poke out from; yer top’ll be breathable; and I’ll make a cloak a part of the outfit which you can pull over yourself if ya get cold or need to be hidden. The overall design will be up to me unless you have any suggestions—is all that fine?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay. I need to take yer measurements now, so follow me.”
Emi followed the blacksmith through the left of the two doors stationed behind the counter and was met with a workshop that looked like it was where tailoring was done. The first thing she saw was the huge open cupboards close to the entrance which stored cloths that had been stacked way too high—nearly reaching the ceiling. It may have been stacked neatly but there was no stopping the occasional piece drooping out, which overall, gave the impression that it was messy despite that.
Beyond the cloth cupboards and into the rest of the tailoring room was an area likely for fitting that had a mirror and an assortment of clothes hanging up beside it; there were various workstations with many different tools—a heap of sewing needles, a variety of different scissors, pin cushions, and many other things scattered about. Emi wasn’t given much chance to look at anything as she was led directly in front of the mirror that stood in the corner.
Everything in the busy looking workshop was definitely foreign to Emi, but it certainly gave off the impression that it was well-used.
“Are you a tailor and a blacksmith?” She asked curiously.
“Well, somethin’ like that… Not many people like wearing very light armour—like what I’m making you. Most adventurers trust the heavier feeling armour more than light armour, even if ya lose mobility for it. It’s a confidence thing, I suppose…” He answers with a faint sigh in his voice.
“What’s your name? I’m Emi.” She randomly asks.
“…Call me Henry.” He said before reaching towards the soft tape measure that was strewn across the bench.
Noticing this, Emi began to take her clothes off. Right as she started to pull her shirt up, Emi was interrupted halfway by the large hands that grabbed her arms.
“Let me just ask. Are you wearing underwear?” He frankly and seriously asked.
“…? What’s that?”
“So you— Sigh…” He gave a small bewildered exclamation before catching himself and turning to the bench once again to reach for something hanging underneath it.
“…Don’t worry about it right now. Here, put this on once ya take those clothes off.” He says after a moment of thought about what to choose from the selection of blank, snow-coloured material.
“It’s a bland, short form-fitting dress I have for when I need to measure women. That one should hopefully fit you.”
Henry turned around to look the opposite way, so Emi began taking her clothes off for the second time. She started to put on the dress-like thing he had given her, but for better or worse, it was fairly tight.
“Hmhh…!” Emi squeezed her way through the uncomfortable dress, pulling it over herself with a struggle until it eventually found its way around her. The main problem was that she had a tail inconveniently attached to her lower back; the tail was pressed tight against the dress which made it pretty uncomfortable, and it left a bit of an indent too.
“…Done.” She immediately said with one heavy breath.
“I’ll start measuring you then.”
Henry turned around once Emi had finished getting changed and started taking her main measurements. He worked his way down, starting with her shoulder measurement, her bust, then her waist, and eventually her hips. He then took measurements of Emi’s arms and thighs, as well as a length measurement going from her waist to halfway down her thighs which was probably for the skirt. He also wanted measurements of her feet, hands, tail, and ears—so he did all that too.
“Now for yer height. Stand up straight against that.” He gestures to a device on the wall.
“148cm… Okay, that should be everything. Put your clothes back on and come out when yer ready.”
After writing down all of Emi’s measurements, Henry walked back through the door to most likely man the counter while he waited for her to get changed. By the way, he was able to measure the circumference of her long tail quite easily as it was flowing very clearly out from under the form-fitting dress she had on. Emi finished getting changed back into her shabby, ripped clothes and exited the tailoring workshop. Met once again with weapons and armour, she remembered that she had actually walked into a blacksmith’s shop earlier, not a tailoring shop.
Henry heard the door as Emi came out and turned her way.
“…All done?” He asks.
“Yep.” She replied.
“Good. Come back in a week’s time; don’t forget to bring the rest of yer money.”
“Thank you. Bye-bye.”
With the plan to come back in a weeks time, Emi now had to think about how she’ll make the remainder of the money she owed Henry. Though, all that thinking could wait until she ate some mushrooms for lunch.
She is a growing child after all.