It had almost a week in game since Isabelle has taken over Loksha.  All in all, not much had change for the rural town.  Isabelle had left the running to the city to the mayor and none of Flinas’s nobles had even wanted to touch the area it was in, much less lay claim to it.  The reason why was obvious to anyone with common knowledge.

To Loksha’s north lay the Ulim Mountains, which was the mountain range that served as the border between Artam and Izalic.  Of the three border ranges, as they were know, Ulim’s vast and maze-like cavern systems were the perfect hiding places for the various bandit clans that lived there.

To Loksha’s east, sandwiched between Loksha and Artam’s coast, lay the Forest of Change, known for it’s monsters whose abilities were focused on transforming others.  These same monsters would occasionally venture outside the forest, but luckily these times were so few that they could easily be dealt with by Loksha’s walls and ranged fighters.

When these two things were taken into account, it was no wonder that none of the lords wanted to bother with the area.  Loksha was only there because it’s founders wanted to be left alone by the nobles so much that they prefered to take their chances, which left no one to challenge Isabelle’s claim to the town.

The permanent Charm status on the Residents living in the town weighed on Isabelle’s conscience. That is, until she found out that Charm statuses were only permanent as long as the feelings of those afflicted by them lined up with them.  It turned out that “her” speech accepting the town’s loyalty, combined with her looks and Harem Protagonist trait, had caused her to accidentally seduce the town’s members, as well as most of the Travelers in the audience, much to her chagrin.

As for Isabelle’s progress…

STATUSNameIsabelle Lazulu (Ignix)Fame7231Level7GenderFemaleClass TreeN/AClassN/AClass LevelN/AGuildN/A

RACERacial GroupSpiritRaceKitsune-tsukiSub RaceSkytail

TITLESClarissa's Favorite

Lucas's Toy

Irene's Ally

Wendolyn’s Protege

JOBSJob 1BerserkerJob 2N/AJob 3N/AUnequippedN/A

STATSHealth850/850Mana4045/4045Stamina425/425Satiety100/100STR183VIT196AGI301DEX130INT155WIS120CHA740LUC1

TRAITSFavored by Clarissa

Favored by Lucas

Harem Protagonist

Favored by Irene

Favored by Wendolyn

PROFICIENCIESRunning -  Basic Lv6

Hiking - Basic Lv5

Wind Magic Mastery -  Basic Lv5

Critical Hit Mastery - Basic Lv2

Unarmed Combat Mastery - Basic Lv5

Kicking Mastery - Basic Lv4

Jumping - Basic Lv3

Parkour - Basic Lv4

Stealth - Basic Lv5

SKILLSCharming Presence - Basic Lv7

Gale - Basic Lv4

Air Bullet - Basic Lv5

Art of Shapeshifting - basic Lv 3

Teary Eyes - Basic Lv 2

Wind Manipulation - Basic Lv5

Gale Burst Strike - Basic Lv 3

Gale Step - Basic Lv2

Gale Walk - Basic Lv 2

Wind Edge - Basic Lv3

Gale Clad - Basic Lv4

Her stats and skills had reached a point where she could fight on par with Dawn in a fair fight, although the cheetah beastkin was still more likely to win their sparring matches.  But the real cause for her gains was something else entirely.

“Come back, Mistress! You need to dress in attire more befitting of your station!” a flying demon dressed in a completely black maid uniform shouted at her.

“That’s right, Isa-chan! Someone as cute as you should be wearing something equally as cute!” a red-haired human agreed, holding up a frilly white dress.

While she had sparred often with Dawn over the past few days, most of her play time was spent trying to escape from from Lynn and Lilith.  The two girls’ initial animosity for each other seemed like dream once they bonded over a desire to see the adorable kitsune in cute outfits.  This led to Isabelle having use everything at her disposal to get away in order to avoid being used as a dress up doll, while the Resident watched with wry smiles, already used to the frequent cases.

She had even leveled her Wind Magic Mastery enough to get two new spells: Wind Edge and Gale Clad.  Wind Edge was an attack spell that launched a sharp wave of wind at an opponent while Gale Clad wrapped her body in a wind that provided a boost to defense and speed.

She had also created two new original skills.  One of them, a derivation of Gale Burst Strike called Gale Step, gathered compressed air around a leg of her choosing and released it as she lunged forward, granting her a short burst of speed and allowing her to cover greater distances with a single step.  The other, a skill further derived from Gale Step called Gale Walk, compressed air beneath her feet while she was airborne, allowing her to use it as a foot hold.  This let her literally walk on air.

At first, the pair had been able to easily catch her, dragging her back to the hotel they were staying at located in the town’s plaza, only to be saved by Dawn, who was good at distracting the duo while she slipped away.  But as her stats and skills increased, so did her ability to elude her two pursuers.  Last time, she had nearly gotten to Loksha’s gate and this time she had decided to use a skill that she had been practicing in secret.  One that she hadn’t even told Dawn about yet.

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One chase scene later, Lynn was waiting by the gates to block off Isabelle’s escape path while Lilith hover above the central plaza, scanning the streets below.  Unbeknownst to either of them, however, a pair of small fluffy white foxes were currently squeezing through a small hole at the bottom of the eastern wall that the workers had missed.

Once outside, the smaller of the pair began to give off an azure blue glow as her body grew and shifted.  Once the glow subsided, a small pale girl with a pair of white fox ears and a single white fox tail got off her knees.

“I never thought I’d be so glad I forgot to tell the others about that skill.  Let’s keep it to ourselves for now, okay Sorako?” Isabelle said, brushing herself off.

”As you wish, Lady Isabelle.” the remaining fox said with a bow of her head.

“Now then, let’s get going.” Isabelle said, picking Sorako off the ground and heading for the burrow, her other Territory.

After half an hour off walking, she began to hear strange sounds.  Her curiosity once again getting the better of her, she headed towards them.  As she drew near, she started to realize they were the sounds of something metal against something hard, mixed with the sound of an odd song.

“I’m a happy golem! I’m a happy golem!

I mine, I skin; I craft, I win!

I’m a happy golem! I’m a happy golem!

The veins are mine! So full of shine!

So I’m a happy golem! I’m a happy golem!”

Just as she could make out the words, she came to the spot where the sound was coming from.  What she saw was a green eyed golem in some sort of martial arts attire happily mining away at an aboveground ore vein.  Curious about why he was loudly singing in a place where he was likely to attract monsters, she decided to walk up and ask him.

“U-Um...Excuse me?” she asked nervously.

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One explanation of what she was doing in the forest later, the golem, who had introduced himself as Gondorrer Gravelbane or Gon for short, was laughing loudly while an embarrassed kitsune hid her face in her hands.

“You don’t have to laugh so much…it wasn’t that funny...” Isabelle said quietly.

“You’re right! It’s not funny, it’s hilarious! I mean you basically spent an entire week training just to get out of wearing something frilly!” the golem said, continuing his laughter.

“Alright then, if you’re so clever then explain why you’re loudly banging a pickaxe against a vein in the middle of a forest full of monsters by yourself!” she retorted, pouting from being laughed at.

“That’s easy. Two reasons.” Gon said, holding up two of his fingers, “One: To get ores. Two; To attract some monster for me to hunt.”

He pointed his thumb to an area behind the fallen log they were sitting on, where an assortment of monster corpses lay in large pile.  Isabelle’s eyes widened before she realized something, causing her to return her attention the golem with her head tilted.

“Why are they just sitting there? Are you going to loot them?” she asked, referring to the process of using the looting system.

“Nah. I’m going to dismantle them for stuff like their hides and fangs.”

“Crafting materials? You on a quest or are going to sell them?”

“Neither, I’m going to craft with them.” the golem said with a widening grin.

“You’re a crafter?!” Isabelle shouted excitedly.  

“No, I’m an artisan who uses these pieces of my foes to create wondrous works of arts that other hunters utilize in their own dangerous jobs, be them as mighty weapons of destructions or sturdy pieces of armor.” Gon reply, with a faked tone that sounded both pompous and a little insulted.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t realize…” the kitsune said, naively taking him completely seriously.

“Hmph, people like you have no appreciation for true art! You have no idea how complex the art of skinning can be when you take it seriously!”

“It can’t be that hard to skin a monster...I mean it’s ” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“If it’s so easy, why don’t you give it a shot? I’ve got plenty of beasts to spare.”

“Okay fine then!” she replied in a huff, strutting over to the pile only to turn around once she got there.

“U-Um...could I borrow a knife…?” she asked sheepishly.

Gon walked over to her and handed her a skinning knife from his inventory.

“Thanks…” she muttered quietly, before pulling a large boar-like monster from the pile and setting on the ground.  She sat down on her knees was wondering how to start before getting a prompt for the system to do it for her.  After she confirmed it, the boar shone briefly before disappearing, leaving it’s hide behind.

Large Boar HideItem TypeCrafting MaterialQualityGoodA piece of particularly tough boar hide.

She smiled as she gave the window a quick read, pleased with her work.  But that smile quickly fade when she turned to the golem standing behind her to gloat.

“Why are you smiling about such a lazy job?” the golem said with his arms folded.

“B-But the quality-” “I’m not talking about the quality.” Gon said, cutting off her protest.

“Then what…?” the bewilder kitsune trailed off, confused

“I’m talking about how you used the system assist.  Sure you probably got a good piece of material, but you took the easy way out and wasted a lot more than you gained.”, he continued, keeping to his fake seriousness.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I could tell you, but I think showing you would be better.” the golem said, taking the knife from her and pulling another boar of the same kind from the pile.

Sitting down next to it, he began to skin it manually, not only taking the hide but the tusks and even the bones as well.

Large Boar HideItem TypeCrafting MaterialQualityExcellentA piece of particularly tough boar hide.

Large Boar TuskItem TypeCrafting MaterialQualityExcellentA large boar tusk that is harder than normal.

Large Boar BoneItem TypeCrafting MaterialQualityExcellentA large bone from a boar.

Boar MeatItem TypeCooking MaterialQualityExcellentA large clump of meat from a boar.

Isabelle was speechless as the golem turned her with a smirk.

“Do you see now what you did wrong?” he asked her.  Isabelle thought about it for a few seconds before coming up with her answer.

“Using the assist cause the monster to disappear after skinning, which makes all the other useful stuff vanish along with it?”

“Not bad, young one.  Perhaps i could make you my disciple in the art of crafting, if you’re willing that is.”

“Could you?! That would be great!” the kitsune shouted, looking at him with shining eyes.

“In that case, remember to call me ‘shishou’ at all times.”  

“Why is that?” the fox asked, tilting her head.

Acknowledging me as such will form a teacher/apprentice bond that will give you a boost to your craft skills’ experience.”

“Alright then! Thank you, Shishou!”

*Ping*

You have gained a Title!Disciple of the Crafting GodYou have accepted an apprenticeship under someone with the title of “Crafting God”.All crafting related jobs, skills, and proficiencies will gain experience faster in the presence of your teacher.

“Oh wow! You were right, Shishou!” Isabelle said excitedly, showing Gon her new title.  When he didn't respond after a few minutes, she turned to him to see a shocked expression on his face.

“Shishou? Is something wrong?” she asked him, bringing him out of his shocked state.

“Oh it’s nothing, my disciple. i was just surprised that you received it so quickly. You must have been very sincere in you desire to learn from me.” he lied on the spot.

“Of course, Shishou! I look forward to learning from you!” she replied honestly.

“I shall look forward to teaching you then!” he said, placing a hand on her head and starting to pet her.

“Wha…” Isabelle started to say something but trailed off when the petting began.

“...” the golem didn’t say anything either as he continue to pet her soft and fluffy hair.

After about 10 minutes, the two were startled out of their respective trances when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

”If you are quite done, Sir Gondorrer, me and Lady Isabelle will be on our way for now.”

“Huh? When did she get here?” he asked, turning to Isabelle.

“Hm? You didn’t notice her, Shishou? She’s been there the whole time. I suppose I should introduce her. Shishou meet Sorako, my familiar.”

”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Gondorrer.” Sorako said, with a note of hostility in her voice, clearly having not have missed that Gon had been tricking Isabelle.

“The pleasure is mine. If you’d like, I could pet you too, Sorako.” he responded with a smirk.

”Thank you, but i believe I’ll pass up on that.”

“Is that so…?” Gon said as he began to pet Isabelle again.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh nothing much. You see, I have this quirk where I really need to pet fluffy things, and since you refused, I thought that maybe I would have to continue doing it with your master, so it’s not my fault if her brain becomes mushy after I finish, okay?” He said while looking at the kitsune who had her eyes closed in pleasure.

”Y-You…” Sorako growled.

“Something wrong?”

”...Fine...I’ll let you pet me…” she conceded.

The golem took his hand off Isabelle’s head and walk over, picking up the small fox and petting her instead, while Isabelle shook her head a bit.

“Huh…? Did something happen, Shishou?” the confused girl asked.

“Oh nothing.” the golem replied, smirking.  The kitsune narrowed her eyes for a second before shrugging.

“If you say so, Shishou.  Now then, what was I doing out here...” she said, before the sounds of her name being called reached her ears.

Recognizing Lilith and Lynn’s voices, she quickly grabbed Gon’s arm and began to run through the forest, using her Gale Step to speed herself along, dragging the golem along with her.

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A little while later, Gon was standing over an out of breath Isabelle while she lay on her back in the dirt entrance room just before her Territory.

“Are you alright?” he asked. a little concerned.

“Y-Yeah...Just not used to carrying things when I do that…”

“Why did you bring me along anyways?”

“Uh…Reflex?” the kitsune said with a shrug, before hearing voices coming from the entrance hole.

“Oh no…” Isabelle muttered, before jumping up and bounding over to a rock.  She quickly pushed it out of the way to reveal the stone entrance underneath.

“You coming?” she asked Gon,sending him an invitation to enter before she began to descend down the stairwell.

Curious, the golem accepted the invite and followed her down.

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“A-Aren’t these all sky crystals…?” the golem asked with a shaking voice when the reached the cavern where the altar once was.

“Hm? What’s a sky crystal, Shishou?” Isabelle asked with her usual head tilt.

”A sky crystal is the highest tier of wind elemental crystals.  They’re considered extremely rare on the surface and small fragments of them are used to give flight to airships, Lady Isabelle.” Sorako explained, having been dropped by Gon in his surprise.

“They’re rare?” she asked, looking around the cavern so full of the them that one could barely see the walls.

“Hey Isa...Do you mind if I take a few of these?” Gon asked.

“Of course not, Shishou. If a small fragment can power an airship, then I probably have more than I could ever need.” she asked, receiving a petting in return.

”Ahem! If you’d like, Sir Gondorrer, you may use the crafting equipment such as the forge if Lady Isabelle allows it.  That is, of course, if you can manage to repair it.”

““There’s a forge here?”“ the golem and kitsune asked in unison.

”Of course, along with most other crafting equipment as well. Though I must warn you that some of it may be outdated.”

Gon turned to Isabelle with a grin.

“Shall we get started on your lessons, my apprentice?”

“Yes, Shishou!”

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Cookie corner

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Today’s cookie recipients are: Truth!

Truth: pointed out that a permanent Charm status is basically brainwashing.

Better luck next time, guys!

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Author Corner

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And so begins Arc 2! I hope you guys are excited as I am!

This chapter was a lot of fun to write. Gon’s a pretty fun character and I enjoyed writing about his interactions with Isabelle, even if I had to consult with War a few times.

As for side stories, instead of just doing them at the end of an arc, I’ve decided I’ll just write them up whenever I feel like it.

That’s all for now!

GrandeFinale, over and out!