Mikeal expertly led her through the multitude of people. He looked like a fish in water as he guided her around several streets to a slightly fancier street. It was hard to pick out what exactly was fancier, but everything just felt… more. There were more glamorous colors, more needless notches in the architecture, more carriages, more frilly dresses and perfectly fitted suits, and more… it was definitely a higher venue than the clinic.
People’s eyes seemed to naturally flick to Mikeal as he walked around like he owned the place. Maybe it was because he flashed his status as a mage off, but it seemed like people couldn’t keep their eyes off of him.
Speaking of mages, she had only seen a few walking around. Most had carriages or rode horses in the stress, making it all but impossible to approach them. Maybe that was why Mikeal was so favorable in their eyes. Of course, they simply looked past Quinn as if she herself was just filthy baggage clinging to a mage.
Mikeal lead her to a fancy-looking establishment and held the door open for her. The other side was definitely a high-end clothing store with attendendents lining up along the golden inlaid walls ready to help customers. For the briefest of moments, she caught several looks of disgust at her lacking clothes. That disgust nearly instantly vanished as Mikeal walked in behind her. She wouldn’t have even caught on to it if it weren’t for the fact that every attendant did the same thing.
The attendants collectively spoke in a well-practiced manner. “Welcome to Vatton’s!”
A man in a fine suit approached the duo, skipping past a line of well-dressed people. “Mister Mikeal! What a pleasure to have you back in Vatton’s! I didn’t think you would be coming back by…”
Mikeal laughed his slow laugh. “I wasn’t planning on it, but this fine lady,” he pointed at me, “needs some new clothes.”
The man, who had a poor comb-over as most of his hair was gone, looked Quin over from head to toe. “Indeed… may I ask what happened?”
Mikeal looked over to Quinn, who simply shrugged, before letting out a labored sigh. “You wouldn’t believe it, Vincent. It was just the darndest thing. I got what I wanted from the Veiled Grove, but then we were attacked on our way back!”
The man led them to the back of the room and up a set of stairs. “Oh my! How dreadful.”
“It was truly horrendous! An entire town was turned into zombies! We held on all night, our backs to the wall as we tried to stay alive until dawn. I single-handedly held back at least a thousand of the undead filth. This lady here shot dozens down with her bow but was wounded in the process. Truly horrible.” He zealously flopped his arm over his brow as they were led into a high-end room.
She didn’t remember it quite the same as he described. To be fair, she didn’t remember much after she was slashed up.
“Wow! You sure are brave, Mister Mikeal.” Vincent said as he had them sit down on a luxurious couch. “Now then, before we hear the rest of your harrowing tale, what are you looking for?”
Mikeal shrugged, pouting slightly as his story was interrupted. “I don’t know… Quinn? What do you want?”
What did she want? Not a dress. She would be moving about for the next week, so wearing a dress would be a horrible idea. She looked over her tattered sagen and clothes deep in thought. “Hmmm… m-maybe a new sagen would be a good place to start?”
Vincent nodded along as he seemed to enter a different mode than his brown-nosing self. “Anything, in particular, Miss Quinn? Sadly, sagen colors are limited by the government, but we can offer various shades of gray black.”
Limited by the government? That explained why colors other than gray were quite rare… but then why could those mercs have so many different colors? Maybe they were in a special category?
What did she want though? She claimed to be a hunter, so maybe something to blend in? She would be able to better avoid a confrontation that way too… “Do you have a mottled gray-black? Something without easily noticeable frills or tassels?”
The man tapped on his chin as he looked her over. “Yes, we do have something like that. We call it our Noble Hunter’s line…however, it might be a bit out of your price range.”
“Nonsense,” Mikeal laughed. “Quinn here is quite rich.”
“If you say so, sir. They can run for around four to five silver.” He spoke one last time before leaving the room.
Quinn leaned over to Mikeal. “Four silver! That’s more than the trip to Strumgard! Are you insane?!”
Mikeal held up his hands defensively. “The world runs on appearances, I’m afraid. If you don’t look the part, you will be easily preyed upon by those who think they are superior.”
That's how her old world worked too, so he had a point. But why would she spend that much on simple fabric?! She voiced that question exactly.
“It’s simple. The more money the ‘fabric’ - as you put it - costs, the higher grade it is. I’ve heard of this Noble Hunter’s line back in the academy. The fabric is supposedly enchanted to blend in easier and help a noble with poorer skills hunt.”
“Why didn’t you say it was enchanted in the first place!” They were in an entirely different ballpark now. There was a major difference between a piece of cloth and an enchanted piece of cloth. Even a blind man could see the difference.
Mikeal shrugged. “In my defense, Vatton’s is well known for its enchanted fabrics and high-end cosmetics. Even though this is just a branch store, it is still Vatton’s after all.”
“How the hell was I supposed to know something like that?” Quinn could’ve punched the smug bastard if he wasn’t helping her.
He snapped his fingers. “Right, amnesia.”
She breathed in a calming breath as she glared at him. In two three four, out two three four. She forced the burning desire to smash his pretty face down. “What happened back in Umbersknecht?”
“Didn’t you hear me telling Vincent earlier?” Mikeal put an offended look on his face.
Quinn pinched her brow. “What actually happened?”
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He sighed as he leaned back into the couch. The haughty look and prideful smirk were gone as his face drooped slightly. “It was a shit show since the moment I saw that flare… we all grouped up under the tower and I cast magic to stall the approaching undead. I was so distracted by the magic that I didn’t notice your group breaking through the mass of zombies.”
“I finished my magic shortly after that and all hell broke loose. They swarmed in by the dozens as we fought back. My illusion magic barely made a dent in their numbers. You were delirious the entire time, so you were no help. Sangomas was too busy tending to you to be of much help, so it fell upon the rest of us. It didn’t help that the low-level undead was laced with poison affecting the mind. Eight of the mercenaries died and the rest of us were injured before dawn broke…”
He shuddered and a far-off look came into his eye. “We left at dawn. There was a brief period where the zombies completely shut down. We took advantage of that opportunity and raced for Mauershein while tending our wounds on the way out. Realistically, we should be thankful that only a dozen mercs died with how shit our situation was…”
His look faded as his charm reappeared, though it was far more forced. “But that’s the life we chose, my lady. I’m glad to see that you are as right as rain.” He laughed at his own pun.
Quinn laughed along with him for the first time. Poor guy. She was beginning to see why he was so insufferable with his flirting and charming side. He wouldn’t be the first to hide his pain.
The door opened and Vincent returned carrying a sagen. She sighed deeply as she began the long and tedious process of getting clothes…
She made small talk with Mikeal as Vincent came in and out of the doors with dozens of clothing options at a time. Nothing too serious was said, and they did not approach the subject of Umbersknecht again.
“We’ll, Lady Quinn, is it to your liking?” Vincent asked as he showed her a mirror, the first of the tool she had seen in this world.
She was quite shocked, to be honest. Not about her clothes, but about her appearance. She had… changed since she last saw herself. Her hair had grown darker and the violet tilt of her eyes had grown more prominent. They almost seemed to gleam with a faint light. She had also grown just a tad bit taller, which was exceptionally weird since she hadn’t grown in at least thirteen years. She wasn’t tall by any means, but she was at least as tall as Mikeal’s chin now.
Her clothes were very nice too, she guessed. Her sagen was barely noticeable, already slightly blending into the room. The fabric was also exceptionally more breathable than her old tattered sagen. According to Vincent, it was an “old fifty copper knockoff” and “a waste of good Rain Deer fur.”
She ended up getting a fine shirt made out of Slaythern Silk. It was apparently silk that came from a species of spider called Slaythern Spiders. They were a monster known for their large appearance, even larger nesting grounds, and cut-resistant silk. Naturally, that made her shirt cut-resistant too. The nature of the fabric jumped the price up by quite a bit since Slaythern Silk was super difficult to get.
Her shirt was a style called a poet shirt. Mikeal said it was all the rage in Merlo, Magin’s magic academy. It had long sleeves and was supposed to have plenty of frills around the collar and sleeves. The poet shirt also fell past her thighs. It reminded her of the pirate shirts she had seen in the movies.
Quinn managed to get the least frilly shirt in a black color. It blended in perfectly with her sagen. It blended in so well that she was having trouble telling where her sagen ended. Her only regret was that the shirt was a V-neck and the price was seven silver. The v-neck part was at least made slightly better due to the leather straps holding it closed in an x pattern.
Vincent had attempted to get her skirts, dresses, and corsets, but she vetoed that idea instantly. She wanted to at least be comfortable when traveling. And since shorts weren’t even sold - it was apparently unacceptable to show off any part of the leg above the lower calf for men and women - she settled on a pair of trousers.
And not just any trousers. No, this was Vatton’s. Selling anything but the highest quality was simply ludicrous. The pants were also part of the Noble Hunter’s line and were enchanted to reduce the amount of noise made when walking. They were also pretty expensive at five silver.
The trousers were also apparently “in style” according to Mikeal. They reached up just past her belly button and had several studs inlaid in parallel lines around the middle of the trousers. The studs were dull, of course.
A belt held up the trousers. Suspenders were more in style, but she wanted a belt to hold her dagger, coin purse, and a couple of other miscellaneous items. The belt was the cheapest item at a piece of silver. They had an autosizing enchantment.
Quinn looked herself over. She had to admit, she looked quite nice. She was far gone from the country hick that had walked into the place. And, although it hurt to spend so much on clothes, she couldn’t deny the practicality of her choice. The trousers and sagen would allow her to hide better if danger ever approached her. The shirt would stop something from getting to her sides so easily like the zombie in Umbersknecht had.
“I must say, my lady, you are quite adorable. Now that your previous… clothes… are gone, you are absolutely enchanting.” Vincent was back to his brown-nosing ways.
He had been that way ever since she ‘innocently’ dropped a gold coin and simply left it lying on the ground. Of course, it was Mikeal’s idea to get the butler-like man to take her more seriously and it worked wonders. It was like he said, appearance was everything in the modern day. No matter how much she hated that fact, it wouldn’t change.
Should she be mad at being called adorable? It was a compliment, so maybe not… “Thank you, Vincent. Now, what are your shoe options?”
A well-rehearsed look of sorrow flashed over the man’s face. “Unfortunately, we are only a branch location. As such, we do not have any of our nicer lines. As this is a fortress city, most of what we offer is boots.”
And what was the problem with that? She really didn’t get these people and their sense of fashion, but she had a part to play. “Unfortunate indeed… I guess I will settle for some boots, preferably the kind that I could walk in for long periods.”
Vincent bowed and raced out the door with a refined gate. As soon as the door closed, Mikeal spoke up, “That guy really is good at what he does…”
“Kissing ass?” Quinn asked.
He laughed, for once a normal-sounding laugh. “That too. No, I was talking about sizing up his customer. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s brought clothes that fit your taste almost every time.”
It was true. Aside from the dresses, she liked everything he brought out. Of course, her not being a picky shopper helped, but his skill was nonetheless impressive even if he was a greedy brown noser.
Vincent returned with a pair of calf-high boots. They were a black material and seemed to have a very steady soul. “This is a part of our premier Mountaineer line. They are enchanted for durability and to have a slight suspension effect. As long as you land on your feet, you can fall further without being hurt.”
“And how much are they?” She liked the boots. She honestly didn’t care too much about the price as long as she got a good pair.
“As they bear three enchantments, they cost ten silver.”
“Oh?” That was a bit more expensive than she was thinking. It hurt, but she wanted shoes. Enchanted shoes were even better. “May I try them on?”
“Of course, my lady.” Vincent handed them over like a good butler and stood off to the side.
Quinn easily slid them on and nearly groaned at how comfortable they felt. She took a few steps and felt pure bliss as if she was stepping on a cloud.
“How are they, my lady?”
Quinn flicked him a gold coin casually. This was also a prearranged plan of Mikael’s. Although the coin could easily feed half a million people a cheap meal, she casually threw it in the air like it was rubbish. “I’ll take it all.”
Vincent’s eyes almost fell out of his head as he nearly lunged for the coin. “I shall bring you your change, my lady.”
After he left, Mikeal burst into laughter. “D-Did you see the way his eyes bugged out?”
She laughed along with him until Vincent returned. He came back with a black pouch tied with a golden string. The pouch was bulging and jingled with each step he took. “Here you are, Lady Quinn. The total price was twenty-seven silver, so here are seventy-three silver pieces.”
She grabbed the bag and strung it to her new belt. “It’s been a pleasure, Vincent.”
He led them out the door and escorted them to the entrance. “Please come again, Mister Mikeal, Lady Quinn. Vatton’s will always welcome you.”
“Welcome my wallet,” Mikeal muttered as he walked down the crowded sidewalk.