Story So Far:
Kinu and Kvaris are inducted into Autumnhollow. The two get to benchmark Ingrid with their Priapus Spell, while carrying out their mission they take down a red bear which earns them extra money.
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S01E06
Masquerade Piece
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It was another pleasant evening at New Gorpisal. The moon hung in the sky a little pinker than usual, a sign of the upcoming Red Moon in the next few nights. This has urged most of the town to continue shoring up their defenses for the upcoming Red Moon. Meanwhile in the Heucuva Tavern, Cecil was once again drinking with his guard friends and swapping stories. No one could fault them however, for the guards have spent most of the day keeping order in the town and now with the rest of the population busying themselves with setting up their defenses, it made the guards' presence a little redundant.
Most of the farm houses have already been emptied; the occupants along with their valuables, harvest, and livestock have prudently taken shelter in the city. Tomorrow morning, more adventurers will be dispatched to look for those still camping outside, and as such, most of them have had the night off to come out early that morning and gather those still outside.
Among those outside were the occupants of Autumnhollow, an enchanted house that can be summoned at will by one Zefir Aargrove, a reincarnator from Earth who was reborn as a ciltran, a catboy. Awakening from his previous life, he had found himself transported to the nearby village of Ontala one year ago.
Recently he had made the acquaintance of one Ingrid Lily, his idol back on Earth formerly known as the magical girl Star Lily and his life has changed dramatically since then and
Due to the intensity of this scene, please enjoy this poem:
> A mushroom sprouting majestically from a tree
> A serene forest amidst a waterfall
> Ice from the glaciers gently melting, pooling into the rocky ground below...
> The crashing waves sending salty sea foam everywhere.
> A volcano erupting at night.
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Previously, yesterday…
"How'd it go?" Zefir asked and he and Cecil entered Rhathmin's Atelier. The two had returned from Dain's and got an upgrade for Cecil's gear. His Hunting Slingshot got an upgrade with the rubber at a nearby shop, allowing it fling shots much harder. Meanwhile from Dain's they got a bunch of scrap metal quickly forged into balls twice the size of a pea. They weren't perfectly shiny orbs but it didn't matter, they may not be aerodynamic but that would only matter if Cecil needed to shoot from extreme distances, which wouldn't be an issue considering his Dialogue Window has an enhancement lens that hyper accelerated projectiles as they went through it.
As Zefir entered the shop, he blushed a bit and let out a pleased sigh as he had entered the effective field of Ingrid's Seal of Devotion,
"Ugh..damn… no way we can ever play hide-and-seek with Ingrid, that's for sure." Zefir purred Cecil chuckled.
"Hehehehe… looks like you got an Ingrid detector."
Ingrid too detected Zefir's presence from the Seal and she turned around. Zefir could clearly see that the three Channeling Stone clips at her back where the scarves criss-crossed each other now had azure channeling stones installed to them. The same was for the four clips where the scarves were knotted at the front; below her sternum belt, above and below her belly button and on her hip where the straps parted. Ingrid clenched her fists and raised her arms, bringing them to her chest and showing off the azure gems attached to the back of her hands, and on the sides of her biceps, and on her thighs and top of her feet.
"Umm… I hope I didn't break the bank…" Zefir said nervously, but the Enthasa sisters wagged their tails happily, he wasn't sure what that meant and he hoped it didn't mean he was going to owe them big time.
"They're just blanks for the moment." Kvaris said, "we can have them enchanted piecemeal at a later time."
"But that's like… fifteen gems." Cecil said, doing the math.
Kvaris waved her hand dismissively. "Ingrid's our heaviest hitter, she's a good investment. Besides, Tunk's footing the bill for this one.."
As they spoke their hips involuntarily squirmed while they wagged their tails happily, the effect of being in Ingrid's Seal of Devotion's active field. Even who Kinu was settling with the pheasant-like bird-folk clerk was doing the same reflexively. Rather than pay in gold, Kinu was writing on a signed parchment with an elaborate seal and embossed with decorative gold edges.
"I normally don't do credit, but I recognize Amaduscia Enthana." The bird warbled. "Alright now sign here…."
Zefir looked at Kvaris confused "Did you get her something else?" he asked. In response, Ingrid pointed to her neck, showing additions to her padloi choker. It now bore an oval gem set on a diamond shaped bezel. The rim around the gem resembling braided rope, extending to the sides of the bezel is a gold-embossed design of a chain.
"Masquerade Piece" Kvaris said, pointing to the oval gem. "We can't demonstrate it right now, we'll need to get her some clothes."
She then pointed at the embossed chain that ran along her choker.
Due to the intensity of this scene, please enjoy this poem:
> Workers industriously building a house,
> Strong arms working together to raise the chandelier high on the ceiling.
> The family looking up brightly as the illuminary shines on them from above.
> The next day a great banquet is held.
> And the guests compliment the architech's wonderful chandelier.
"I'm glad you find our work excellent." The bird chirped pleasantly.
"Great feature h-huh?" Kvaris said, smiling, She disengaged the spell so everyone could think straight.
"S-still…" Zefir said, composing himself. "It's not a good idea to have this on Ingrid's usual wear, what if we're in the middle of a dangerous situation?"
"Tsk, tsk tsk." Kvaris said, "This spell is quite easy to break for Ingrid. As a matter of fact, it's set to break easily… we'll have to spend soooo much money if she ends up doing so…riiiiight?" the garm girl said, slowly turning her eyes to Ingrid.
"I'll be as good as a bored dog on a weekday~" Ingrid said cheekily.
As the three kemonomimis sorted out business with the birdfolk clerk, Ingrid patiently waited in the store. Various customers came by and regarded her with curiosity, not expecting to see such a high-end looking Nemesis-Stalker in a town like this, much less dressed in a Drow Solenrala. Among the customers that came by were a pair arm-in-arm with each other. A human and her tiger-headed master walked in, talking animatedly. Despite the obvious servant role she was probably in, her master held the bulging bags of their purchases. They seemed to be more like lovers than a master-and-servant relationship and from what she could hear he was buying her gifts.
"It's for your fiftieth birthday, dear." The baritone voice of the tiger-man said. "You can't tell me your issue won't be needing something like this, your son already has children of his own!"
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Fiftieth birthday? Ingrid thought, she clearly looked like she just graduated and young enough to have stolen her daddy's car and crashed it a couple of times! And he basically mentioned that she already had grandkids… Perhaps what Fyrra said was right, that in this world humans did stop aging. The human's voice was lively and young but her choice of words did remind her of her aunt back on Earth; she was very direct and to the point. Too old to find excuses to be polite.
"Oh…dear! That just looks dreadful! I know a couple of other shops that…" yup, Ingrid would've been so embarrassed if she was shopping with her… of all things to say in someone else' own store! And her poise, it wasn't like the actual twenty-year olds looking for a date because they have only a decade left, this lady knew her worth and let it speak for itself, not a single calorie wasted trying to overcompensate.
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Kvaris returned alone
Due to the intensity of this scene, please enjoy this poem:
> A beautiful morning at the Grace Farm
> Farmer John enters the barn with gently mooing cows
> A butterfly flips around a field of sunflowers
> Young girls frolic in the sun and make flower wreaths to put on their heads.
The three were now back outside, heading towards a tailor's shop.
"Alright then, what sort of clothes are going to get for Ingrid?" Zefir asked. "Seems like a shame to dress her up when she's scaring people looking like a Drow Assassin."
"We need her in wear that'll butter up people. There's value to not looking scary after all." Kinu said.
"Whaaat!?" Ingrid said in disbelief, "I'm not scary! I am beautiful!"
"A beautiful gold dragon," Kvaris giggled. "You need something to look harmless."
"Yes, like a great desert dragon." Kinu chortled "The ones that burrow in the sand pretending to be a harmless dune."
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PARTY INFO
CECIL recieved the following
* Metal Shots: Metal balls twice the size of peas
* Hunting Slingshot (Upgraded): A slingshot used for hunting small game. Upgraded to shoot even harder.
INGRID Recieved the following
* Channeling Stones (x15)
Enchanted Gems that allow Ingrid to store her mana into them.
INGRID Recieved the following upgrades to her Padloi
* Masquerade Piece
A gem set on Ingrid's Padloi Choker. Allows her to change costumes at will.
* ????
* ????
* ????
* ????
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About an hour later, the party exited from Dain's, Ingrid's deep dragonhide harness was fitted with Reeve-mount tassels dangling at the bottom.
Before handing it over. Kvaris decided to have Ingrid register the first ensemble.
"How do I do that?" Ingrid asked, not familiar with the process.
"Infuse the gem on your padloi with your mana." Kvaris said, "imagine being able to take off your ensemble at will."
It didn't take Ingrid long to get it done. At once, her clothes vanished, breaking down into fairy dust-like particles,
"Well that was easier than I thought."
"Now put it back on."
It only took Ingrid the same small amount and her Solenrala Ensemble came back on. A quick moment before it materialized she felt pressure on where her clothes would have been before it took shape in a small burst of that fairy dust again.
"Now just remember, those channeling stones don't work if you're not wearing them." Kinu reminded her.
"Not that she needs ta, yeah?." Dain grunted. Ingrid took off her harness and handed it over to Dain. "Alright, come back in an hour, off with y'ass!"
The Whale's next item on the itinerary was a clothing shop, Haldine's Boutique. The shopkeeper looked at Ingrid quizzically.
"A Nemesis-stalker and a Succubus?" The shopkeeper said, more of a statement than a question. "Looks like you have your hands full with that bunch." he chuckled. "Alright, what do you need?"
"You're right about the nemesis part, pop." Kvaris said. "Those reeve-mount tassels and deep dragon armor makes her look like she's liable to bite your dick off rather than suck it-"
"Nooo! That's cruel!" Ingrid said, pulling Zefir in for a tight hug. "I'll never do that!"
The shopkeeper laughed.
"Very well! If you want to disguise her and not spook people with that Killer Elf look, then I have a selection you'd like!" He said grandly. "Will that be showy, or formal?"
"Tactical, preferrably." Ingrid said, not expecting anyone to get the reference.
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"Let's go, Cecil!" Zefir said, "Let's leave this to the girls…"
"Let's meet up at the guild!" Kvaris said, waving at them. Zefir waved back, meanwhile Cecil anchored his Dialogue Window to Zefir.
"Where are we going?" Cecil asked, his Dialogue Window anchoring itself to Zefir.
"Filling up the fridge, getting booze, the usual…"
After they left the boutique, Cecil asked "Shouldn't you be getting some kind of weapon upgrade? So far all we've been getting is cosmetics for Ingrid."
Zefir shook his head "Stuff like that is expensive. Like really expensive. What Ingrid got is still on the lower end of the price spectrum. Amaduscia Enthana is a well-known figure, and being his daughters, Kinu and Kvaris have only provided Ingrid the lower budget stuff. Guess we're in the sucky part of an RPG where you're weak under-levelled, underpowered, and underequipped…"
"I trust Ingrid." Cecil says. "At the very least she'll protect The Whales when the Red Moon comes."
"I hope so, Cecil…"
"You've survived here for a year, haven't you?"
"I wasn't an adventurer then, I just hunkered down here and shot arrows from the town walls."
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It was at the guild hall that the group met up. Adventurers both from the guild as well as wanderers from other places convened in a large meeting hall where Millarna was discussing tactics regarding the defense of the town. Ingrid was quite surprised to see Millarna use the magic equivalent of a microphone by using a spell to amplify her voice.
No, that's not right. Ingrid thought. It sounded like Millarna was right in front of them.
"And so… by tomorrow morning, I would like to dispatch some groups to head out and assist those camping outside the town make their way here. I will call out your team names and your designated areas will be…"
"Redberry Woods?" Ingrid asked quietly. She was for once, dressed in something not too revealing. It was was a Ciltran garment called a Nykki that resembled a hooded poncho with cat ears, which helped hide her identity as a human. Underneath she wore a short and frilly babydoll dress and her feet were shod in fuzzy cowboy-like trapper boots.
"It's a pretty safe area for camping" Zefir whispered back. "You remember seeing the giant spiders in the forest?"
"Oh those Shepherds of the Forest? I remember you calling them that." Ingrid and Cecil weren't particularly spooked with giant arthropods since they've both had their share of dealing with them during her Starchaser days. Cecil himself had choked one to submission by engulfing its head in his body, causing it to collapse from lack of oxygen, its sharp claws and mandibles rendered useless as it ended up getting stuck.
Zefir nodded "See it's not just the giant bugs, anything that preys on people becomes free food for the Shepherds. In turn that makes the Redberry Woods generally safe."
"Looks like you know where it is." Ingrid said. Zefir nodded again.
"It's not far from here." He then leaned over to Kinu and Kvaris and let them know.
"We should travel as far as we can then." Kinu said, leaning over. "We leave after this meeting, we'll have our supper at Autumnhollow."
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Kvaris stayed behind for a couple of minutes before rejoining the group who had gathered at the gate. By the time she arrived, she saw the party talking with Roger, who was now sporting full battle armor and packing a bigger sword and a pole axe. It seemed that everyone was gearing up for a Red Moon.
"Take care out there, by tomorrow, it's recommended that all of you stay inside." Roger said. "A caravan from Ontala village is expected to arrive soon by now, they'll be sheltering here as well."
"Will do, Roger!" Ingrid said. She nodded at Kvaris and then the Whales stepped out of the town. Outside, they saw people setting up spike barriers a good distance from the walls.
"Stampede spikes they call them. On Earth we know them as Cheval de Frise." Zefir said to Ingrid.
"Makes sense they wouldn't be called that here." Cecil remarked. "There aren't Friesian horses in this world."
The sky had turned pink by this time as the sun was setting. Off in the distance they could see the convoy of various wagons from Ontala making their way to New Gorpisal.
"Looks like they've come early." Zefir said. "Let's cut through the grasslands, I don't want to be caught having to make these 'Hi, how are you?' small-talk. Nobody's got time like that in a situation like this."
"Yup, hate'em." Ingrid said "But I love blowing them off by just walking past them. Good times." She said with a big smile.
"Eyyy! Eyyy! Eeeeyyyy!!! Eyyy Ingrid, you too big to stop and talk to me no mo'?" Cecil said in an exaggerated accent, and that made Ingrid and Zefir laugh out loud.
"I forgot what the score was with that windbag." Ingrid said.
"Ingrid forty-five, Windbag: zero."
And with that, The Whales cut through the farms, avoiding the main road and headed straight for the grasslands and towards the forest. At that point, the Enthana girls took out their shields and drew their kriegsmesser swords. Cecil pulled in his bag of metal shots and slingshot while Zefir drew his short sword. Ingrid on the other hand briefly flared her aura and switched from her Nykki Poncho Ensemble and into her Solenrala.
"I always wondered where they get stored." Ingrid wondered.
"Oh right, we didn't mention it but early at Rhathmin's Atelier, while you were hanging there we bought some mannequins. That's where your clothes get put on. It took us a while to enchant them and then we stored them in Autumnhollow." Kvaris explained.
"Zefir and I did." Kinu said. "Sis had to stay behind and supervise the work with the rest of the padloi's other abilities."
"How many mannequins did you get?" Ingrid wondered.
"Six." Zefir said.
"Wait, so if you put a chicken suit on one of them I'll get to wear one?" Ingrid asked.
Cecil groaned "Please, you need to switch off your theme park employee mode."
Kinu shook her head. "No, you need to wear it first then channel your mana into those clothes."
"I see…" She said. Three other ensembles huh? I wonder what else can I wear?
"We should get a maid to keep your clothes cleaned and freshly pressed." Kinu said.
"One at a time, ladies." Zefir remarked "We need to be earning big first…"