The first thing Lily did after entering Naly was to drag Luna to the nearest weapon shop. At Luna's questioning look, Lily told her, "You may have your claws and a great deal of strength, but if someone were to see your claws, it would immediately expose you as a Beastfolk, and it is always wise to have a backup weapon in case something unexpected happens. I, for one, always carry a couple of throwing knives." She pulled three black throwing knives out of her kimono and showed them to Luna, they were about 25 centimeters long with a blade length of 15 centimeters, "these can be used to take someone out silently from a distance, but also to defend yourself if someone surprises you while you are unarmed."

On their way to Taylor's Weapon Shop and Smithy, Lily couldn't help but notice the peculiar absence of young women around their age in the town of Naly. The streets were filled with young men and older women with their families, but the vibrant presence of other teenage girls was eerily absent. It was as if they had been plucked from the fabric of the town, leaving only the whispers of their former laughter and the ghosts of their footsteps behind.

The shop they found was called 'Taylor's Weapon Shop and Smithy'. The shop's sign creaked in the gentle evening breeze, the metal wolf's head that served as its emblem seemingly snarling at the passing shadows. As they approached, Lily leaned into Luna and whispered, "Just follow my lead." The door to the shop was a heavy wooden affair that groaned as Lily pushed it open, revealing a warmly lit space filled with the scent of metal and leather. As they entered, a fit, blonde-haired woman in her mid-thirties looked up from her work at the counter, her forest green eyes meeting theirs. "Welcome to Taylor's, my name is Yukio Taylor. How can I help you today?" she asked with a friendly smile.

Lily put a friendly smile on her face, the kind that didn't quite reach her eyes, and said, "Hello, my name is Bella, and this is my friend Mia." She gestured to Luna, who nodded in agreement. "We want to become adventurers, but she doesn't know what kind of weapon would suit her. So, we thought we should go to a weapon shop and ask for a recommendation."

Yukio's gaze lingered on Luna for a moment before turning back to Lily. "Ah, new blood eager to test their mettle, I see." She said with a knowing smile. "But before we talk about weapons, I need to know what you're capable of, young lady," she nodded at Luna, "What can you do that would make you an asset to any party?"

Luna took a deep breath, trying to calm the excitement inside her. "I am strong," she began, flexing her now human-like hands, "faster than most, and I can be as silent as the night."

Yukio nodded thoughtfully before speaking, "Good, good. It seems you'd benefit from something that complements your speed and agility. These gloves will protect your hands and give you a better grip." She handed them over, the leather supple and well worn. "And as for your armor, I suggest something light, like this set here." The armor was indeed black, made of supple leather reinforced with steel plating. It looked like it would allow for swift movement without hindrance.

Luna took the gloves and pulled them on, feeling the snug fit and the slight increase in protection they provided. Then she tried on the armor. It fit like a second skin, the weight almost negligible. Yukio watched Luna move and noticed that she seemed more comfortable, more deadly in it. "Now, for your weapon," she mused, her eyes scanning the wall of blades. "How about a pair of these?" She handed Luna a pair of the plain steel daggers.

Meanwhile, Lily's eyes scanned the shop for anything that might catch her interest. Her gaze fell on a pair of menacing looking daggers with a stylized wolf carved into the handles. Luna looked at them and whispered, "Those look like they could tear someone apart." Lily nodded, intrigued.

"What about these?" Lily asked, pointing at the daggers with the wolf motif. Yukio's expression grew solemn. "Ah, those were sold to us by an adventurer a few years ago. He claimed that they had special powers, but no one has ever been able to draw them out. They're just decorations now." She handed them to Lily, who studied them closely.

Lily was glad no one could see her face right now; what she found within these daggers brought a manic grin to her lips. They were no mere decoration; she could feel the dormant power within them, begging to be unleashed.

With a smile back on her face, Lily walked back to the counter and placed the daggers down next to the other items. "We will take the gloves, the black leather armor set, and these daggers," she said, laying down a sum of gold that was more than enough to cover the cost. Yukio's eyes narrowed slightly as she recognized the weapons as the ones the girl had shown interest in earlier. She nodded solemnly and took the gold without a word. "Just one last question," Lily added, her voice a serene purr that belied the storm raging within, "why are there no young women in this town?"

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Yukio's smile faded and she dabbed at an errant tear. "They were all taken when the 'Draco Bandits' attacked us," she whispered, her voice trembling with unspoken anguish. "Even our Emily."

Lily's gaze grew colder than the steel of the weapons around them. "My sympathies," she said flatly, her tone devoid of warmth. She took the items and led Luna out of the shop, the chime of the bell above the door echoing in the silence that had descended upon them.

The two of them made their way through the cobblestone streets, the moon casting eerie shadows that danced around them like silent sentinels. The night was calm, almost too calm. "Mistress," Luna whispered, her voice a mixture of awe and uncertainty, "why do we have to pretend?" "Because," Lily replied, her eyes never leaving the path ahead, "it's not always about strength. Sometimes it's about strategy. And we can't afford to show our true colors just yet, not when the Empire has eyes everywhere."

The Adventurers' Guild was a hive of activity, the murmur of voices and the clinking of glasses spilling out into the night. The smell of ale and sweat permeated the air, mingling with the faint scent of fear. Luna felt out of place, but Lily moved with a confidence that could only come from knowing one's own power. They approached the reception desk, the clerk barely looking up from his ledger. "We have heard that this town is having trouble with bandits," Lily began, her voice cool and measured, "do you have any information about them?"

The clerk glanced up, his eyes narrowing. "Are you two registered adventurers?" he drawled, the boredom in his voice as thick as the smoke that hung in the air.

Luna bristled, ready to argue, but Lily's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "No, we're not," she said calmly. "We're just looking for some information, that's all."

The clerk's eyes flickered between the two of them, his expression unreadable. "If you're not registered adventurers, I can't give you any sensitive information," he said, his voice a blend of bureaucratic indifference and a hint of annoyance. Luna's hand clenched around the hilt of one of her new daggers, but Lily's grip on her shoulder was firm, a silent command to hold her tongue.

"We understand," Lily said with a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. "We'll just have to become adventurers ourselves then, won't we?" The clerk handed them the paperwork with a sigh, clearly used to eager newcomers.

The forms were simple enough, asking for their names, ages, and combat specialties. Lily filled hers out with practiced ease, using the name 'Bella' she had already used with the adventurers in Pala. Luna, however, paused over the paper, her hand hovering above the parchment as she considered what to write. "Just be truthful about your skills," Lily murmured, "and I will take care of the rest."

After submitting their applications and receiving news of the combat test scheduled for tomorrow, the two left the guild and sought out the local inn. It was a quaint place, the wooden walls adorned with the trophies of past adventurers and the smell of roasting meat wafting from the kitchen. The innkeeper, a portly man with a thick beard and a hearty laugh, gave them a room with a single large bed.

Luna looked around the cozy room, her eyes wide with curiosity and a hint of excitement. "Mistress Lily," she began, her voice tentative, "why did you choose these daggers for me?" Lily's expression grew serious as she placed her own weapon, the black-bladed katana, on the bed beside her. She took the daggers from Luna's hand and held them up to the moonlight filtering through the window.

"These," she began, her voice a low purr, "are not mere decoration. They are artifacts of your wolfkin lineage, Luna. They hold a power you are not yet ready to harness. But in time, when your anger and your will are honed sharp as these blades, they will serve you well. For now," she said, placing the weapons gently on the bedside table, "keep them close. They will protect you."

The room was simple, but the bed was surprisingly comfortable, the scent of fresh straw and clean linen filling the air. Luna felt a strange sense of comfort being so close to Lily, as if the Foxkin's coldness was a shield that could protect her from the horrors she had seen. They had washed themselves with warm water conjured by Lily's magic. Luna had felt a blush creep up her neck as she watched Lily, whose own nakedness seemed as natural and innocent as the moon shining outside their window.

They had settled into the bed, Luna feeling the warmth of Lily's body beside her. It was a strange sensation, one she had never felt before, but it brought with it a sense of security and belonging that she hadn't realized she was missing. Luna watched Lily's chest rise and fall with each deep, even breath, the soft strands of her silver hair a stark contrast against the dark pillow. With a yawn, she closed her eyes and hugged her new mentor and friend as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

In the middle of the night, that peace was shattered. Lily sat up straight, her eyes snapping open with a start. "Mistress?" Luna mumbled sleepily, her eyes fluttering open as she took in the sudden change in the room's atmosphere.

"We are surrounded," Lily said in a low, urgent whisper. The hairs on the back of Luna's neck stood on end as the reality of their situation set in.