Taking about thirty minutes to herself, to simply be, and to recover, and then taking one less luxurious, more existential and introspective shower, Kya put on her tattered sweatpants and sweatshirt. Which were at least cleaner than her… everything else, and was about to leave when she thought better of it. She’d only had it for a little while, but she’d grown rather fond of her new cloak. Whatsmore, as she pulled it on, she noticed that it had actually, at least somewhat, cleaned itself while she’d been sleeping.
Not for the first time, she reflected on how nice it was to have little conveniences like that in her life now. It wasn’t much, but a clean warm piece of clothing can make all the difference sometimes.
Making her way downstairs, she once more found Wave sitting at the desk, idly flipping through what seemed to be this world's equivalent to a newspaper.
“Finally awake again. At this rate, you’re turning into an outright nocturnal creature. Were you always this way?” His deep, monotonous voice still caught her off guard. He was just so thin and wiry, it was downright incongruous.
“Well, that depends on the day, I guess. If I have nothing going on, then I will usually stay up well into the night and sleep well into the day.”
He raised an eyebrow at that, looking up from his paper “And you’ve had nothing going on, have you?”
Kya laughed, a slightly forced laugh, but mostly genuine at least. “No, I suppose I have been rather busy. Call it an occupational hazard then.”
Wave simply shook his head and put the paper down on the desk. “What can I do for you then?”
“I’d like to extend my stay here to cover the next three months. How much would that cost?”
He let out a long, low whistle and said “Three months? That’s quite a jump. But, so long as you’ve got the coins doesn’t matter much to me. I don’t normally do a monthly rate, but if you pay fifty agrens, I’ll give it to you for the rest of the semester, and two weeks into the next one as well.”
“How much longer is left in the current semester?”
Wave scratched at his stubbly chin and said “Around about two months and some change I’d say. They just started classes last week.”
Kya now also scratched at her own chin in contemplation before saying “How about sixty five agren, and I keep it for the rest of this semester, and the rest of the next one as well.”
Countering without even a second's hesitation, he said “Ninety.”
Kya scoffed and said “Seventy.”
“Eighty five.”
“Seventy five.”
He gave her a flat look “Ninety.”
Realizing she was beginning to push the limit here, she said “Alright alright alright, eighty and five curen.”
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he pondered this for long enough that Kya began to wonder if she’d gone too far and he was simply ignoring her, before finally he said “Seventy eight, and I can call in a small favor at my time of choosing.”
Laughing, Kya reached out and said “Lets just do eighty, I already owe you a favor for pointing me to Merivan.”
A twinkle entering his dark brown eyes, Wave reached out as well and shook her hand. With a slightly pained feeling Kya remembered all too well, she paid out all the money she’d just gotten for killing the hellhounds, and a bit more besides. She had discovered, to her utter delight, that upon thinking about how convenient it would be to visualize the money currently held in her storage space, that a new window had popped up in the corner of her vision, with little markers telling her exactly that.
After paying the eighty agrens to Wave, she had left over fifty seven agrens, one hundred and eighty two curers, and five hundred and thirty six ferons. Each one was helpfully displayed with their corresponding metal, so a small gray coin for the iron ferons, a small copper coin for the curens, and a small silver coin for the agrens. All in all, she felt herself pretty well off, especially as she still had her entire amazon warehouse of randomly looted goodies to sort through.
Bidding farewell to Wave, she made her way out onto the street, grateful for the hood of the cloak which she now pulled on over her head to ward off the rain. She began to lightly jog through the wide stone streets, more crowded than she’d ever seen them before, but still not uncomfortably so. This was clearly a city built and planned for large groups of people walking everywhere they went, and with the freedom that magic brought, the wide open streets and colorful buildings, trees and fountains, lights and crystals, all of it worked together to make it seem positively tranquil despite the hundreds of people hurrying here and there in disparate light of the evening suns and rain.
She saw, off in the distance, the brightly lit academy that Wave had mentioned. There were classes for users there, or rich kids who expected to become users. It would probably be worthwhile to look into that place. Not that Kya was overly anxious to return to a school setting or anything, though who didn’t love a good transfer student in a magical school arc, but some structured education and teachers to help her navigate the twists and turns of this place and her abilities would be a vastly welcome prospect.
Of all the people she’d met so far, she trusted Rory the most, but she valued the opinion of Merivan above even that. She was also one of the only other people she knew for a fact had an identification skill, which for some reason, weighed in quite heavily for her decision.
Needing to seek her out regardless for the promised wardrobe reunion, Kya made her way to the shop as quickly and quietly as she could.
~ ~ ~
Muffled shouting could be heard before she even opened the door, making Kya smirk for some reason, because she had a pretty good idea who was doing the yelling.
Peeking her head in through the door, she pretty much exactly what she’d expected to see. Merivan, dressed in an absolutely stunning outfit of muted bronze and a stark white overcoat that made her look simultaneously like she was ready to fight a platypus in a fedora or walk a runway in New York City, was yelling down at a pompous looking young man.
He was well dressed, of course, but it was the kind out outfit that tried to tell you how wealthy the one wearing it was, rather than being simply quality in its construction. A form over function type of outfit.
He had on brown boots that seemed to emit their own light on the floor around him, loose fitting pants with an interwoven pattern of purple and black, a jacket that sported several sewn in and luminous gemstones that radiated power, and half a dozen necklaces, bracelets, rings, and more just to tie the whole ensemble together. Again, it wasn’t that any one piece was poorly made, or even that they didn’t fulfill the design and function for which they were intended. It was simply that the clothes wore the man, rather than the man wearing the clothes.
Kya had never once in her life been a person to put too much stock into the fashion of others, apart from checking on the uniforms of her battle buddies to make sure they were correct, so if she noticed this… well, the man was likely about to be murdered right in front of her by Merivan.
Coming into the conversation partway, the first thing she heard was Merivan shouting “-think to come in here and demand ANYTHING of me, well Mr. Daddy’s little favorite, I have some fucking news for you.”
The man blustered, and responded in a voice that made Kya realize man might be less accurate than saying young man, or even boy, as he looked and sounded now that she studied his face, to be in his late teens at best.
“W- Well- I Can’t- I don’t- Wait until my father hears about this, you won’t be so high and mighty the-”
“OH yes, please get little Brakis here. I would love to see him speak to me in half the indignant manner that you did you sniveling little- Oh my gosh, Kya! Hello dear, how are you doing this fine evening?”
Changing her tone on a dime, she smiled and walked over to Kya, heels clacking loudly wherever she struck the parts of the floor not covered in the soft plush carpeting.
Taking a full three seconds to register that she wasn’t still in the face of the young man and was now talking to her, Kya’s grin broadened into a full smile and she said “Hello again Meri, I’m better than I could be. Missing caffeine drinks dearly, but hoping to find a new substitute soon enough. Actually, can I bother you for a cup of tea?”
“Won’t be a bother at all for a paying customer. Let me just take out the trash quickly, and I’ll be right with you.”
Chuckling softly to herself, Kya watched from the plush and softly cushioned couch as the verbal sparring match carried on for a minute longer, before the man left in a huff, looking simultaneously outraged and on the verge of tears. He touched one of his necklaces and an honest to god umbrella hat appeared on his head as he left the store.
Kya simply stared out in shock and disbelief, unable to comprehend why he would have that, and then dreading that, perhaps, they were actually popular in this part of the world, or this region, or this city.
“Meri, I need to know this, desperately. Was that hat-”
“Oh gods no.” She said with a smile, and a toss of her bouncy orange curls “The fact that he even owns such a thing was reason enough alone to never be seen within a hundred meters of this building. I can’t breathe the same air as the inept, dear. What if it’s contagious?”
Snorting her laugh, she then called out as Merivan walked behind the counter and into a back room “How's your husband doing? Is he in today?”
She called back, muffled through the curtain that separated the main sitting area from the back room “He’s doing wonderfully, he should be returning soon from the academy actually. Depending on how long you stick around” she walked back through the door, a tea tray in her hand with two small cups, and a steaming kettle ready to go “You may just meet him.” She finished with a smile, placing down the tray on the table in front of them and sitting down next to Kya, crossing her ankles and resting her hands on her knees.
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“Now then, I’ve created several different outfits I think you’ll appreciate from the banner material you brought me.”
Kya listened closely as she poured herself a cup of tea, and then held the cup and saucer in her hands, waiting for them to cool but enjoying the warmth.
“I have two everyday wear outfits, two formal outfits, and of course, a combative outfit based as closely as I could to the specifications you gave me.”
With a snap of her fingers, Merivan made a large rotating clothing rack appear, and then with a wave of her hand, five outfits appeared one after the other. Pointing them out one by one, Merrivan began to go over the different outfits, explaining materials, enchantments, and design choices or features.
For the most part, they were all made of the same materials, being comprised of the banner materials she’d looted from the temple, as well as some other pieces of fabric or monster hide that she’d thrown in to enhance or add to the overall capability of the outfit to be as powerful as it could be, while also looking absolutely fantastic besides.
The two everyday outfits were fine. One was reminiscent of a long sun dress that would go down to her ankles. It was dark gray with accents of pink from place to place to add distinction to the piece. It was as soft as silk when Kya reached out to touch it, but she knew it was as strong as steel from Merivans work. The next was a pair of deeply pink pants, not red, but the shade of pink you’d get when holding a flower in a darkened room, as well as a vibrantly white shirt.
The formal wear outfits were much more exciting for Kya. One was the clear favorite for merivan. It was the most elegant ball gown she had ever seen, and put her in mind of a disney princess when she saw it. It had two simple straps holding it at the top, with a glossy pink that almost seemed to bend the light, appearing both brilliant radiant in some parts, and a matte void in others. It came out towards the bottom, seeming to possess at least a dozen extra layers all hemmed with lines of the deepest black. But what really caught the eye, and what Kya knew Merivan took the most pride in with the garment, was the black relief of a cherry tree making its way up the side of the dress, branches reaching out all across to add contrast and definition to the piece. Although it wasn’t really Kya’s style ordinarily… it was one of the most beautiful dresses she’d ever seen, and she’d be damned if she didn’t attend some sort of ball in this thing eventually.
Next was the first of her two specific requests to Merivan: The second formal option. This was a military style uniform, black pants and a black jacket with shining golden buttons up the front of the coat on either side of the stomach and chest, as well as for the epaulets on the shoulders. The only shades of pink that Kya could see on the entire thing was in the dress shirt underneath the coat, but even that was muted and overall, she thought it worked remarkably well. It wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind, clearly influenced by this world's customs and styles, and it had certain flares and changes that made it seem more like an odd cosplay uniform than a genuine one belonging to any real nation, but it made her simply delighted to have back in her hands.
However, all four of the others paled when she looked at the combat outfit made for her, and was the second of the two that she’d made specifications for. This, too, was almost entirely made up of black and gray fabric, with only the hints of pink accenting and accentuating here and there. But, more or less, it was exactly what she’d asked for. Sturdy and well built cargo pants with pockets on the sides of both the thighs and calves, and a light and breathable, yet insulating jacket with, again, pockets on the arms and the chest. It again wasn’t really close to anything they’d had on earth, making her look like a paramilitary cosplayer, but the familiarity of it, she knew, would make it well worth anything else she could have hoped for.
The whole time that Kya had been taking in the outfits, Merivan had been explaining different aspects of each one. Kya had been paying attention diligently to each and every part she said, but one thing kept coming to mind, and she simply had to ask “So, why all the pink?”
Stopping short, then letting out a sweet laugh like wind chimes in a breeze, she said “Well, I basically have two options whenever I make outfits for users. Downplay their eyes, or heighten their effects. The eyes are the first thing anyone in the world will look at, they let everyone know immediately that you are not only a user, but a user of what, specifically.” She gestured at each of the outfits, then continued saying “with each of these, with any of these, you’ll strike such a fierce image that people won’t be able to do anything but look at your eyes.”
She pauses, going back to the white shirt “Except this one. This one is for when you want to go around town without drawing all gazes your way. White pairs well with your eyes, but will also wash them out and keep them from being as startling as they could be.” She shrugged then and said “your choice what you want to wear, or if you even want to buy them.”
Going over and taking the other woman's hand, Kya said “Of course I want to buy them, Meri, thank you, thank you so, so much.”
Meri laughed then, a genuine and delighted laugh “Excellent to hear, that will be twenty agrens for the lot.”
And there it was, Kya thought, the other shoe that had finally dropped. There was always a price to fashion, and here it was at last. Taking each piece into her storage space with a touch, she stopped on the combat outfit, and used identify out of curiosity.
- - - - -
- Item: Cloth Armor of the Spatial Path
- Rarity: 1-Star - Rare
- Description: Made by an expert seamstress, this armor has been enhanced beyond the materials used to create it. When word, it imbues the wearer with the following benefits: Increased effects of all spatial abilities. Nullifies or reduces the effectiveness of magic based attacks. Resistance to piercing attacks.
- Enchantments: Spatial Affinity, Self-Repair, Self-Cleaning, Mana Resistance-Weak
- Requirements: {Space} Class
- - - - -
She then tried something she’d wanted to do for quite some time, but never had the option to try until now. She took the uniform into her storage space and then simply… willed it to appear on her body.
It took a moment of concentration, but then her entire body from the neck down blurred, as if viewed through a haze, and then a second later, and she was wearing the cloth armor, her cloak over top making her feel significantly more like tempting people to the dark side than ever before, but she quite frankly found the outfit too enjoyable to care even one bit. Beyond anything else, though, was that the outfit was soft as a cloud on the inside. Not as soft as her divine tier boots of course, but still softer than flannel pajamas in the winter time.
“Well, what do we think?” Asked Merivan, grinning a knowing grin and leaning against the full length mirror.
“Meri, I just… This is fantastic, this is perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much. I-”
She was going to say more, was planning to say more, but at that moment she sensed someone walking up with her aura, and turned to the door, noting that Merivan had moved a second before she did.
A tall, well toned man walked with a nearly shaved head to either side, and then a mess of hair tied back on the top into a small bun. His skin was the same tanned color as most of the people in the city, and he had the radiant golden eyes she’d come to associate immediately with earth users.
She reflected to herself for a moment how true Meri was about the eyes being the first thing people would look at in this world, as she herself was already doing.
Which is why, the next thing she noticed about him were the bags under his eyes that she’d equally come to associate with the teachers she’d known in her life.
“Hello Meri, I’m home!” He called, his voice thick with exhaustion and yet chipper at the same. He went over, hugged and kissed his wife, then went into the back room, and called back as she could hear him walking up a set of stairs “I’ll get dinner started while you finish up there. I have a hell of a story to tell you about Professor Rishar” he laughed himself up the rest of the way, and then was gone.
The two women looked at eachother, and then laughed knowingly to one another, Kya saying “I like him, he seems like a good natured man.”
“Oh that he is, dear, that he is. He’s married to me, after all. His life can’t get much better, I assure you of that.”
Speaking of the professors, I was wondering about the academy myself. Would you recommend that I-”
“No. Not yet anyway.”
Sitting back down, and sipping at her tea, Kya listened intently, while also making a satisfied noise at the tea. It was, of course, delicious.
“You still haven't reached the first threshold. I can feel from your aura that you're close, but I’d say take another week and go train in the forest. There are three kinds of students at that school. The ones who will use the monster tokens to farm their abilities up without ever facing real combat, as well as the ones who haven't even managed to secure a class yet to begin with. I won’t lie to you, that’s a good two thirds of the academy right there. But that last part, the last third, they are the ones who take being a user seriously. They are the ones that earn the respect we take for granted, and the one’s with which I would choose to associate. So don’t show up there without having at least passed the first threshold. Honestly, taking the next several months to train until you reach even the third threshold would be even better, or find another awakening item and getting a subclass. Either way would be fine.”
She finally just shrugged, and sat down to enjoy her own tea, making a similar noise of delight at its taste.
“And what…” Kya began “is a threshold…?”
Merivan paused, tea cup halfway to her lips for a second drink and stared at her blankly. Then closing her eyes and sighing, she placed the cup and saucer back down and the table. Muttering under her breath the whole time about lunacy and standards and society as a whole, she gave a quick snap of her fingers, and produced a pad of paper and a pencil. She drew a quick and simple circle at the top of the page, then a shaded in dot at its center.
“This is at the center of your star, right darling?”
Looking down at her left hand, Kya mentally commanded her star to appear, and watched as the black and pink flower bled into existence. Sure enough, there at its center was the black circle with the single pink dot almost seeming to shine out from the void around it.
Right, so that means you are still in the beginning part of your star, you’ve yet to reach the next threshold and unlock a second ability.”
She then drew a second circle below the first, and divided it in half, drawing two shaded in dots on either side. “Once you reach a threshold, all of your abilities will take a noticeable step forward, this is true no matter where you are in your power from 1-star to 5-star. At your level it won’t be as staggering of a leap as it will be later on, but you’ll still get an appreciable step forward. Moreover, you’ll gain your second class ability.”
This time, she did stop and take a long sip of the tea, savoring its taste and warmth for a moment before continuing “This is also the only time in your entire life you’ll be able to unlock a subclass with a second awakening item. We can talk about subclasses in detail another time, but suffice to say, it immediately puts you at the peak end of your first star, and also gives you access to your third ability right away, but also means you have to train up both abilities simultaneously. This can be good or bad depending on the abilities, possibly resulting either an incredibly rapid advancement to your second star, or an outright stalling of your progress for far longer than it should ever take anyone who’s even remotely trying to advance themselves.”
Nodding along, Kya finished her tea and placed it back down before saying “So then, the best recommendation for me for now is to go train.” Kya gave a fierce, wolfish grin and said “I can do that. I can certainly do that.”
They talked for several more minutes, Merivan trying to pry out any more secrets she could about Kya’s origin and how exactly it had come to pass that she didn’t know some or even most of the basic information regarding users. Not wanting to reveal too much, at least not yet, Kya kept her answers short and succinct, relying on the vague “I’m from a remote place” answer to explain away most of it.
It was clear Merivan wasn’t fully buying it, but equally clear that she respected Kya, or her patronage, enough to not poke at her too hard. Taking this time to also ask about the armor she’d received from the Hellhound quest, Merivan was quite intrigued. The red and black armor was the classic ruffians' leathers you’d see in a medieval movie. It was a chest piece with flowing white sleeves to either side, and then armored bracers for the forearms as well. On the back were several buckles meant to loosen or tighten it to fit various individuals. Merivan offered to buy it off of her to study the fire enchantments that were upon it, and as she had no real need of it, she could simply have it for free.
Explaining against her protests that it was “For my first real lesson in classes, for the advice, and for the tea.” Whether due to her own skills as a negotiator, or Merivans entrepreneurial spirit, she eventually took the armor with a gracious smile and said “I knew you were a good investment.”
Bidding her thanks once more, and a good evening with her husband, Kya made her way back out onto the streets, which were rapidly becoming both deserted and dark as lights in shops were put out. The various glow stones along the street still glowed with a soft blue light, but it wasn’t the same as the well lit and boisterous atmosphere that had been there just an hour or two before.
Still, Kya felt like absolutely nothing in the world could touch her at this point, as she walked with a joyous step back towards the southern exit of the city. She was going to get some dinner or breakfast depending on how she counted it, and then… Well, then she’d be going hunting.