"We need to pick armor that's more compatible with you," Uncle said as he held open the door to his underground vault. "Melee Hunters often choose armor that protects them from the elements that they most often fight against. Such as the Hunters that specialize in fighting hellhounds will pick fire resistant armor. Mages choose robes that enhance their element. However, the armor I made for your sixteenth birthday didn’t apply to either of those situations." He paused and gave me a stern look, nearly freezing me in place. "Which brings up the question, why the hell did you go into the wilds with just your Hunter Prep armor? Especially when I have all this?"

He waved his hand and the motion sensor lights flicked on. Golden light reflected on the treasure trove of armor and weapons displayed in the seemingly never ending room. Swords and axes hung on the right wall, arranged in clean rows by size and rank. The various shades of pattern weld steels and magic stones gleamed, as if begging for the thrill of battle. On the left wall were bows and staffs, no less diverse than the swords, displaying the power behind the elegant designs. Dozens of armor stood in the middle of the room, like a small army ready to deploy. There were all kinds, from light to heavy armor, and various mage robes, tailoring from sensual to straightforward.

And behind all that were hundreds, if not thousands, of different monster materials for making said gear. It was all meticulously organized and preserved. There wasn't fancy furniture, paintings, or decorations of any sorts in the room, just neutral colored walls with darker flooring. It didn't need anything else for the ‘wow’ factor.

My breath stopped in my chest and my eyes widened with glee. Oh my god, look at all those pretty toys! I knew about this vault, but this was the first time I entered it. My inner fan girl exploded in manic giggles, begging to touch everything. Swing every sword, draw every bow, test every armor. I could spend weeks here and never get bored.

Levi, however, reacted much differently. His stiffened on my shoulder, his thin body coiling in a tight roll. His tongue flicked in and out quickly, as he filled one sound with anger and hate. Eeeeee. Images flickered through our bond of armed Hunters attacking him. And of how distasteful their armor was to eat he killed them. The flesh and blood inside the crunchy armor wasn't even worth the effort. He didn't mind my armor and weapons because they were a part of me, but this was different.

I paused, my excitement cooling off a little. While I saw a cave of wonder, Levi saw reminders of the times he was attacked. One of those attacks resulted in his scale being stolen, which sent the unknown dragon after him.

"Ria?" Uncle snapped in front of my nose. "Don't get distracted. Why didn't you get better armor before you left Boulder? You know that it's more dangerous the farther you get."

I blinked, waiting up from my thoughts. "Yes, I know. But I also didn't think I was going to get stranded then. And honestly, I was trying to keep it low key." Gently, I ran a finger of Levi's smooth scales, trying to soothe his tension. "I'm not strong yet. So I didn't want to draw negative attention to my gear." A bitter smile tugged my lips. I managed to do that, anyway. "My Hunter Prep armor is still heads above beginner grade, so I thought it was fine until I could afford something new. I was actually planning on upgrading with the commission I got from the Laramie task." I paused. "And yes, I want to pay for my gear. Even if I get a family discount, I don't want it for free."

He paused then gave a stiff nod. "Alright. We'll discuss the price later." He turned and walked into the room, finally letting me in. "Although if you have as many scales as you say, you can easily afford everything in this room a hundred times over." He stopped by a blue mage robe and fingered the fabric. "I'm already working on an armor design for you, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Mage material and melee metal are naturally incompatible, and I'm still working combining them in a way that won't negatively affect you." The corner of his lips quirked up and he shot me a delighted side glance. "Although, with a supply of leviathan scales and knowing what your ... companion is, I have a few new designs in mind now." He was practically exploding with creative energy.

“Oh, right.” I took Levi off my shoulder and met his gaze. "I have a question for you."

He pulled his attention from the things in the room to focus on me.

"How would you feel if I turned your scales into my armor?" I asked.

I bet there wasn't a Hunter in the world that asked a monster that question. After all, monsters were killed for their body parts. On the flip side, monsters hunted Hunters for their body, too — they just ate humans instead of wearing them.

A lot of Hunters valued mounts for the resources they provided. Even if the Hunter didn't bag a monster that day, they could still sell a handful of their cluckatrice mount's discarded feathers for a — merger — paycheck. But it was better than nothing. More exotic mounts provided better income. The feathers on Terre's winged tiger were worth at least four digits each. As such, there were also strict laws in place to protect mounts from illegal organ harvesting. That is, if the monster didn’t retaliate against the Hunter first.

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But I'd never met a monster as intelligent as Levi. Even Ghost, as arrogant as he was, wasn't on the same level as Levi. Mounts didn't seem to care, or even notice, when their discarded hair or feathers were sold or used to make things for their Hunters. I could brush Shiva down, have a bag made of the bundle of hair, and she wouldn't care in the slightest when I wore it in front of her.

With Levi, it was better to ask for permission than forgiveness. The way this little snake held grudges, it wasn't worth blindsiding him.

Levi tilted his head, not completely understanding what I meant.

"Can I wear your scales?" I asked.

His eyes brightened and he sent me an image of myself. Only it wasn't exactly me. All of my skin was replaced with Levi's blue-green scales, coupled with a strong sense of approval. He gently bit my hand without puncturing skin, indicating that I was too delicate.

Uncle's brows pinched together when he saw my hand in Levi's mouth, but since I wasn't hurt, he didn't act.

I gave a weak laugh while cringing inside. Ah, god. Was I ever going to forget that horrifying image? "Ah, no," I told Levi. "I'm not replacing my skin." I pointed to the closest armor, a heavy earth element set, its brown and copper pattern weld steel gleaming in the light. The design was stoic and straightforward, just right for a tank Hunter. "Like this. Armor, remember? I'm not wearing mine right now."

He nodded, remembering the 'skin' that I take on and off. He examined the platoon of armor arranged in front of us. He didn't like the tank set I pointed out, then again, it gave a very strong earth feel — which was Levi's opposing element.

"I want to use your scales to make armor for me," I explained. "Your scales are the strongest, I know they'd protect me well." Of course, I was going to lay it on thick. After all, our lives were tied together. He was very concerned about my survival, just like I was about his.

Understanding clicked in his brain. Ssssss. He hissed in approval.

I grinned. "Thanks, Levi."

"Is that it?" Uncle Maveric asked. "Then let's pick out some armor for you to wear in the meantime. Dragon scales are tricky to work with – they're so damn strong, you can't treat them like flimsy steel — so it's going to take a while to finish your armor. Especially to get the effect I want."

I nodded, expecting that. After all, the stronger the material, the harder it was to break it down and merge it with other materials. There'd been special orders in the past that took a year to complete — it took that long to get the needed materials plus the creating process. I'd also taken orders where the Hunter actually died before it was done.

But I couldn't wait that long to upgrade my gear. My trip in the wilds made something very clear — E ranked gear just didn't cut it against D or higher monsters. Literally. If I wanted to level up at a steady rate, I couldn't keep picking off E ranked monsters. They simply didn't give enough EXP.

"Where are the water element armors?" I asked, looking at the sets.

"Over here," Uncle started walking back. "The female armor is on the right, male on the left. And no, you cannot run around in a bikini. Even if I let you out the door with one, your dad would murder me in my sleep."

I rolled my eyes. "Duly noted."

As if I wanted one, anyway. Only an idiot wore stuff like that to battle. Sure, the higher ranked the Hunter was, the tougher their skin was, but there was a limit. Bikini and thong armor — male and female — were used for one purpose, and one purpose only. Bedroom battles. And that wasn't on my list of things to do anytime soon.

"Do you really have some bikini armor in here?" Uncle only made them when specially ordered, and usually very begrudgingly.

He snorted and waved his hand to the far side of the wall. "Some orders that fell through."

Made sense. After all, everything in this room was either from him tinkering or orders where the client fell through. And it all pooled here, adding to his wealth. The things that Uncle's assistants made were kept in the vault below the business forge. Since they were paid commission for those works, they were kept separate.

"Ah." I found the water armor and started to look through them. Some were heavy tank armor, some were light steel, and others were leather. Some were very plain looking, and others had designs so amazing, the metal looked like actual water as the light shifted over it.

Uncle stood behind me, watching as I examined the armors, asking what I liked and didn't like. Without a doubt, he was taking mental notes for his plans.

Admittedly, I was drawn to the light armor that shimmered like water. It was just too cool looking. At the same time, it was a turn off. The reason Star took me to Laramie was to steal my armor. If I walked around in something this flashy before I was strong enough to defend myself, I'd be targeted again.

Levi jumped off my shoulder and slithered off. A short distance away, he stopped in front of a set of simple leather armor and looked up. It was mostly coppery-brown leather, with tasteful green and blue pops of color where water magic stones were hidden. The left shoulder bracer was metal, the pattern weld simmering in a way that looked like water ... or scales, depending on how the light hit it.

Levi touched the armor's ankle with his nose, brushing it with his magic. His magic touched the magic stones and seamlessly blended. Even though the magic on the armor was stronger than him — B rank — it didn't smother him. Which meant that it wouldn't smother me. His eyes brightened and he looked at me.

Uncle hummed under his breath. "I think your snake just picked your armor out for you."

Curious, I walked over and took a better look at the armor. "I think so too."

*****