Chapter 9 - The Fitting

Master untangled himself from my embrace and laid me on the bed.

-" Try to refrain from moving, you will bleed again if you keep acting recklessly. “ He said and stood up. -” I will be back soon. " He said before leaving.

Sometime later Master returned with steaming bowl of soup. I was still in a sorry state, whatever I was hit with left me as weak as a kitten. My hands were really shaky and if I moved too much I risked another nosebleed.

It was really embarrassing to be taken care of, propped on a pillow against the headboard, and fed spoonful after spoonful of scalding liquid.

-" You need to rest, you can't be moving about or you will never get better. " He said while he fed me.

-" What happened to me? " I managed to ask between sips.

-" You inhaled some of the Bloodroot extract...coupled with few other exotic ingredients. You should get better in a day. " He said with a bit of hesitation.

-" Isn't there an antidote? "

-" Well, do you think we would be speaking if there wasn't? " He asked light heartedly.

-" Umm, couldn't you get a bit of magic to help? " I asked because I remembered that there should be priests and other sources of magical healing available in this world.

-" Well, lets just say that I am quite fond of that particular extract for a reason. " He said with prideful smile on his face.

I sighed in response.

-’ It seems that magical healing would not be a good idea after all. ‘

-" Enough of your questions Little One. You should be resting, not interrogating me. " He said in a soft voice and headed for the door. -" Sleep for now, you have a lot to do tomorrow. " He closed the door, while ignoring rest of my questions.

I sighed again and resigned myself to rest. The lights started to dim down and eventually darkness fell upon the room...

* * * *

I was woken up by the commotion in my room. I looked around in confusion as two men, dressed in dark-red linen tunics, black breeches and white shirts, put a heavy looking tub on the floor. Two more entered with steaming buckets of water.

My attention was attracted by a woman, which was wearing a dark-red on black maid uniform, a white apron and a  headpiece. She stood before my bed and coordinated servant looking workers. She somehow noticed that I was no longer sleeping and suddenly turned to me.

-" Good Morning, Milady. I am the Head Maid. My name is Clothilde and the Master requested that I am to prepare you for the day. " The Maid introduced herself.

-" Umm, prepare for the day...? “ I asked in a weakening voice while the realization of doom began dawning upon me.

-" Yes, Milady. Live and Ollie will be assisting me with the task. " She said briskly while the last of male servants left the room, shooed out by the maids. Other maids were clad in a bit less ornamental version of the uniform.

Suddenly, I realized that I was alone in a room, with three maids, and that I had nowhere to run. I was quickly caught, undressed, moved into a tub, forcefully washed in a scented water, dragged out of a tub, dried, hair brushed, dressed up in a gown and presented with a cloak.

I looked at a cloak in astonishment, still dazed and embarrassed by the lightning fast turn of events.

I was scared to ask, but I could not hold out while three pairs of preying eyes were focusing on me.

-" Umm, what's with the cloak? " I asked uncertainly.

-" The cloak is a must, Milady. We are going to visit the tailor's workshop, which is located in the city, after all. " Clothilde replied patiently.

I made a dumbfounded expression and was rewarded with an explanation.

-" Your Mark, Milady. It would cause undue attention during our visit. " Clothilde said.

-" But, why do we need to visit a tailor? " I asked with an ominous feeling.

-" It’s for your costume, Milady. " Said brown haired maid called Ollie.

-" Master Dal is sure to make you a cute outfit, Milady. " Blonde haired Live chimed in, but was chastised for speaking in an improper manner by a Head Maid.

-' . . . ' I closed my eyes and concentrated. -' I need to start thinking, otherwise I will end up asking a stupid question and will get messed up by the trio... current gown and bath non-withstanding. '

-" Could I speak with the Master? " I asked cautiously.

-" Of course, Milady. He requested that you visit him after you have woken up and readied yourself. " Clothilde said.

-" Lead the way. " I responded.

Livia and Ollie opened a  door for me and led the way while Clothilde positioned herself behind my left side.

A corridor, which we entered after leaving the room, was lavish. A dark-red knotted pile carpet, with complicated patterns made from golden thread, was covering the whole length of the corridor. There were magical lamps, made from shining magical gems and complicated arrays of small ornamental mirrors, hanging on the walls.

While we made our way through the wooden corridor, we went past several paintings that shared one of the two similar themes. One could categorize them into either an Enchanted Forest type, with nymphs, satyrs, fey and other typical creatures, or into a Mountain and Creature of Awe type, which depicted, with painstaking detail, a great mythical beast, like dragon or gryphon, presented on a rocky outcropping.

There were small alcoves, with pedestal tables, on which works of art has been laid. On the first table I saw an ornamental dagger placed on an equally magnificent stand, on the next table a crystal sphere, with wispy lights swarming around a miniature crystal tree was laid, and, on yet another table, there was a golden bowl in which a glowing orchid flower floated.

Compared to the corridor my room suddenly lost most of its splendour, because it only had lamps of simple design, two paintings and a big bed in it, but there were no  works of art that could be compared to the ones on the corridor, though the carpet was the same. Also, I had yet to find a single window.

I was quite impressed with what I had seen so far and began to wonder.

-' It seems like I made quite a blunder by assuming that I was speaking to a simple Assassin Trainer. While, in fact, I was speaking to THE Master Assassin. Actually, I should have realized that earlier, though I wrongly assumed that he is just some *simple* NPC. ' I thought and made necessary connections.

I swallowed when the realization dawned upon me.

-' So, all the lame beginnings and limitations are actually set in place to prevent the players from tangling with a really important stuff before we realize that it is not just a simple MMO game, but an actual new world. '

I almost laughed when I remembered the *assassin wannabe*, Blair and the others, who still were in the dark.

I was brought back to reality when I was ushered into the room by the maids.

The room looked like a study. It had intricately carved shelves, which were filled with books, magical lamps, similar to the ones on the corridor, and a big, ebony desk stacked with papers and writing implements.

Behind the desk there was a big, cushioned armchair, that almost resembled a throne..

My sight was glued to the wiry man that was sitting in the armchair. He wore a dark-red tasseled cloak, but it was hanging from his back, revealing the man beneath.

His face was sharp, with straight nose and hollow cheeks. He had almond shaped eyes, that had a piercing look due to his facial features, accented by a straight and slim eyebrows. When he leaned back on the armchair his brown eyes met mine.

-" Good Morning, Apprentice. I hope that you have made a full recovery. " He said in a non committal manner.

-" Greetings, Master. I think so, therefore I would rather handle myself alone. " I said with a shiver, because today's event reminded me of the after effects of some retarded mage’s experiment, not to mention the embarrassment of being... handled... as a girl...

-" I will have none of that, Apprentice. I see that you can speak properly, and that pleases me greatly. Still, you need to learn how to handle yourself in a proper manner. “

-" Could you elaborate, Master? " I asked, though I began to see where the conversation was going.

-" Very well, let me explain, Apprentice. From now on you have been officially accepted as one of my Apprentices, therefore you need to learn how to behave like one. While I do not doubt that you could easily handle more *common* parts of the society, I find your etiquette lacking. Therefore you will learn how to behave like a Lady. " He explained while looking at me intensely.

Then he continued in both playful and chastening manner.

-" Be glad, because, usually, I need to teach my Apprentices how to mingle with a common crowd. Instead, you will be given servants, etiquette lessons and dresses. But make no mistake, because you will need to work that much harder for it. As the saying goes, the higher the place the higher the stakes. "

-" Master, could I at least handle myself? " I asked again, while flushing with embarrassment.

-" Don't make me repeat myself, you will be treated like a Lady and behave like one. I have already arranged your servants and schedule for today as well as for foreseeable future. You better not disappoint me, as a sizeable amount of resources had been invested in you...and I am really keen on the returns. " He said in a threatening voice.

I swallowed hard, because I suddenly felt like I had been placed in a middle of a minefield and only way out was to learn on how to fly.

I gave my best to do a curtsey bow, about which I read so much.

-" Thank you, Master. I am grateful for your faith in me, I will not disappoint you. " I said respectfully. -" Now, if you excuse me, I believe that I have an appointment scheduled soon. " I tried hard to show my best manners.

His face lit up when he smiled.

-" Well said, Apprentice. You are excused. " He said and waved me off. His face bore strangely soft expression.

-" This way, Milady " Said the Clothilde, when she opened the door.

I curtsied again and left the room.

Head Maid closed the door behind me and turned to face me.

-" Milady, we should head to the Tailor's, because you do require a new costume for the Academy. "

-" Couldn't I just use a cloak...and a gown? " I hesitated because being in a  gown was unsettling to say the least..

-" That won't do, Milady. You are to attend the Academy as someone whose identity is too important to disclose, therefore you need an attire that matches your supposed status. Also, I can assure you that you will not dislike the work of Master Dal, as his skill is highly coveted by ...certain skilled individuals, Milady. " She explained and respectfully nodded at the end..

-" I see, thank you for your explanation, Head Maid. " I said dutifully while sighing inwardly.

I covered myself with a cloak and was escorted through the corridors. We reached the staircase and went up.

-' As expected, this place is underground. Probably there are some magics that handle the ventilation because the air doesn’t feel stale at all. '

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

We arrived on a ground floor and I was led through a really plain set of corridors to a coach house.

Soon after we rode in the coach. A coach man was dressed really well, he had a dark-red frock coat, a knee high, dark leather boots, a black breeches and a white, frilled silken shirt. On the back of the coach, there were two servants dressed similarly to those from earlier.

I felt daunted when I thought about my current situation, especially when I considered the Maids. It was a strange thing to have servants at your beck and call, but what worried me was a debt to my Master, which kept accumulating. I was sure that the services, to which I was subjected to, did not come cheap.

Though what I dreaded the most was the costume that was mentioned. That Dal guy was said to carter to assassins, which are known for being picky in regard to their equipment...and also wealthy in a way. I couldn't imagine the kind of a ridiculous price that will be placed on me for a fully customized outfit.

While I worried in a gloomy mood, I failed to notice that the coach had stopped. I was brought back to reality when the door opened and a coachman extended some sort of cross between a ladder and a stair from the side of the coach. Then he assisted maids with leaving the coach.

I quickly made sure that the cloak is set up properly and I too began to descend. I was glad for a coachman's hand that helped to keep my balance on a *stair ladder*.

When I was standing on a street, I noticed that we were in one of the Central Districts and that there was a huge crowd of people moving around. People avoided the coach due to two servants that were previously riding on the back and were now keeping the crowds at bay with help of long wooden poles.

I was led to a door of a great building. It had four floors, walls made of stone, a red tiled roof and no unusual markings whatsoever. It was just a grand but plain building.

-' Considering the kind of customers, and prices, that he probably has  I assume that he does not need a sign, or advertising. ' I mused while I was being escorted through the door and then straight to the fourth floor.

What greeted me there was a great open space. There were stands for garments in the middle of it and a LOT of many different shelves that had been placed on the walls and filled with all kinds of fabrics and props.

In the middle of the room stood a man. He looked around his mid forties, but he might have been much older, or younger, because his olive skin was really worn down, hollow and creased, it made me assume that he spent years under a desert sun. His hair was ruffled and discoloured to a light brown colour. When he gave me a measuring look I noticed that his eyes were intensely green.

-" Just starting...I see. " He said and smiled openly, it caused his rugged appearance to suddenly turn roguish.

-" I was told that you are to assist me with my new costume, Master Dal. " I said politely after remembering maid’s talk.

-" That I am, now lets get that cloak out of the way and lets measure you properly. " He said and took out a measuring tape.

I complied and removed the cloak, which was quickly taken by the maids.

He looked a bit surprised when he gave me an evaluating glance.

-" Truly a pity, to cover such, if not for the red gem I would have declined the commission. " He said while shaking his head.

-' He is saying some strange things, but I guess it’s common for an artist character to be a bit eccentric. '

To my embarrassment I was stripped to my undergarments and measured thoroughly. Master Dal was whispering to himself the whole time, but all I could gather from his bable was that he was trying to come up with an idea.

He asked me some questions in the meantime, to which, I was not sure how to answer.

-" What about a stole? "

-" Do you think that a hat is better than a hood? OR maybe the hair accessories? "

-" Leather or cloth, or maybe both? "

-" Hmm definitely something to move easily in... " He kept saying and I realized that he was talking to himself.

When measurements were done I was shooed out of the room and sited in an armchair on a third floor.

Maids soon provided me with a cup of tea.

All the talk about my costume got me wondering how it’s going to look like.

I couldn't sit still, but I had to endure as Master Dal would not bear any interruptions to his work, or so I was told. All I could do was to sit down and be pampered by the maids, luckily there were books that I could read there.

*The Journey around Gis* turned out to be a rather boring book, but it had some important information.

-’ It appears that anyone who will rush out of the city looking for cute, fluffy bunnies to slaughter and gain experience on, will have a hard time. There seem to be a multitude of dangers outside. ‘‘

Eventually I was notified that I should go upstairs for the fitting.

When I arrived at the fourth floor I noticed that there was a table placed in the middle of the room and that there's a big pile of clothing spread over it.

Soon, I was striped to my undergarments again and maids helped me into a strange costume. After some time, and few minor corrections from Master Dal, I was led to a mirror. What had greeted me there was quite surprising.

I looked at the image from bottom to top.

I saw an extravagant,  thigh-high boots made out of a black leather. Toes were made out of lacquered leather, while sides and tops of the feet  were  covered with small metal plates that interlocked with each other, offering a protection and giving my feet a sleek and elongated shape. I tried moving my feet and noticed that small metal plates moved easily and soundlessly,  not impending my movements in any way apart from weight... with surprise I noticed that the boots were soft padded and made virtually no sound on the wooden floor.

At ankle height, there were overlapping leather pieces embossed and reinforced with intricate metal chains. Chains kept the pieces in place creating a strange leather flower that protected my ankles. Above, extending from beneath leather petals there were numerous leather straps, woven in a Herringbone Weave pattern, creating a mesh that fit snugly over my knees and legs, woven straps reached to a thigh height and ended with another arrangement of leather petals.

[ For reference: Herringbone pattern ]

All of those leather straps and petals were heavily decorated with silver patterns and sigils.

On a torso, above a black silk shirt, I wore a strange, short-sleeved jerkin, made out of a dark-red leather. The costume had leather breeches with small metal hooks used to anchor to an upper part of the boots, inside the upper petals..

When I was being dressed in the jerkin I noticed that it was really long, but split in a long skirts. Those skirts were then wrapped in a complicated way and secured together with a long silken sash. The end effect was a skewed leather skirt of unusual design, that consisted of few intermingling layers kept together by a dark red sash. The leather was embossed with overlapping geometric patterns apparently made of silver.

The sash, which served as a belt, kept the skirts and the breeches together. It was really long and made out of loose red silk. It was wrapped around sizeable silver ring that served as a buckle and was at least two inches in diameter.

The tunic had a high collar that fit snugly to my neck and  hardened with metal threads, it spanned from a collarbone to my jaw. The tunic  also had exquisite shoulder pads which looked like miniature works of art, though I could tell from the weight that they were heavily reinforced with metal.

My face was wrapped with a wide strip of dark red silk, serving for a scarf, with two loose ends hanging behind my back. On my head there was a black wizard’s hat with a wide brim squeezed by a buckled leather belt.

Soft leather gloves and reinforced bracers completed the costume and were heavily decorated in a similar matter as rest of the costume, which was teeming with silver patterns… and was extremely heavy.

-" . . . " I was speechless... and heavy. It didn't look like it but the garment contained a lot of hidden metal, mostly in a form of metal wires imbued into the leather.

-' It totally looks like something out of an anime cosplay… though the quality is insanely good. ' I thought. -’ Hmm, somehow it feels a bit similar to a Sith Lords attires, though with a twist. ‘

-" I am still not done with a cloak, but it's a standard order, so there is no need to wait for it. " Master Dal said. -" Anyway, how do you like the costume? " He asked expectantly.

-" Um, Am I really going to the Academy in That? " I asked in a weak voice while thinking about the ridiculous idea.

-" What's wrong with it? I do not see any deficiencies. " Tailor responded and gave me a long look, to ascertain what's wrong.

-" Won’t I be looking out of place, it’s totally looking like I had come from dress up party or something? " I asked while looking at my ridiculous image.

-" And? Aren't you supposed to be flaunting your status? As far as I am concerned if you will behave conceitedly enough, no one will even think it’s strange. Moreover it’s not restraining and offers significant amount of protection in combat... " Master Dal answered in serious tone.

I gave up and accepted my new garb.

-' I might be feeling like a cosplayer, but at least I am looking like damn awesome one. ' I thought.

Afterwards, we returned to the Master’s house and I had taken some etiquette lessons.

-’ Tomorrow I enter the Magic Academy… ’

=====================

Hey~, Author's here~

I have taken all of the cute fluffy bunnies, adorable little foxes and clueless stray wolves, and replaced them with fast  agile rabbits, brigands lurking in ambushes along the roads, wolf packs looking for feed and many other interesting things :D

Ah, Owlbear Commander found a cute little rabit for newbies to kill, such a Kind Monste Genereal he is... its name Vizzerdrix  [ You can find it easily, its really all over the place - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Vizzerdrix ]

Such a nice and caring Overlord I am to keep things interesting for clueless newbies who come to hunt for XP outside the city.

[ Rather wicked and cruel I would say, but that's why I like and follow you ]

How do you like today's chapter and can feel the hype for chapter 10?

PS Still working, so the chance is low for release prior to Tuesday and I got delayed by proofreading all the chapters.

EDIT: I have rewrote the description of the costume a bit - its still the same, just the description didn't show off properly and clearly enough details that I wanted to picture.

NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 10 - The Debuting (Special, Extended)