In Another World With JUST MONIKA 47 Now We're Gearing Up?

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Arma was a golden-haired young foxgirl wearing rough but cute commoner clothes. Her sister, introducing herself as Olga Strand, had a more martial air. Her hair was tied back behind into a ponytail by a large green bow. Her irises, unlike Arma's warm vulpine-yellow eyes, were more of severe ruby red.

She was wearing a blue military-looking coat over a skirt that was open in front, exposing her riding pants and tall black leather cavalry boots. Her hair was more of a reddish fox hue and her tail was much larger and bushier with a white tip.

She bowed in thanks again. "Thank you for helping my sister, sir." Olga blinked and stared down at Monika's flickering image and seemed to dismiss her as a magic trick. She reached into her pocket. "Could I… repay you somehow?"

/"Ahaha, no that's not necessary. Despite all the singing, money is the one thing we don't lack right now."/ Monika looked up and glared at me. /"Player, don't you dare. There has to be a limit to your money-grubbing ways."/

I nodded. "Instead of that… do you happen to have something else to do this afternoon? Maybe you have time to join me for tea so we can talk about what's there to see in Alephis?"

/"… Player. Are you seriously trying to pick up another girl? Right in front of me, even?"/ She put a finger to her chin. /"Although, the fact that this is deliberate now rather than accidental does make me feel better about your self-confidence."/

"Monika please. We are new here in Alephis. And look – someone who either lives in Alephis, or is also here for work. We have common ground to talk about!"

/"Lies. You just want to Touch Fluffy Tail, don't you?"/

"There is no need for that salacious tone, woman!" I replied in mock injury. "My intentions are pure and purely hands-free!" I wiggled the fingers in my other hand to demonstrate. Also the fact that she even knew that meme proved her intentions were hardly so innocent either.

Olga stared at the wriggling digits with suspicion. "Umm. Actually, we had actually best be heading home right now, I'm sorry. Couldn't I just… pay you?"

Alma's ears drooped. "Sis…? We don't really have more time?"

I smiled and nodded. "That's fine too. It's fine to be suspicious of strangers too." I reached into my pack and brought out a piece of paper. "I'm based mainly on Reflet, just visiting the capital for now. If you ever need anything or in that part of the country, please feel free to drop in at the Silver Moon Inn.

"We deal with medicine, open air sound systems, and wide scale extermination. My references include the Duke of Ortlinde, if ever you have the chance to ask someone in the House of Ortlinde about Zah Playa Von Chara."

I nudged the mantle flap of my traveling hood away to expose the medal I had pinned to my chest.

Her eyes widened. "T-the Duke?!"

Yep. Namedropping people works. Of course it could also backfire if you were speaking to a political enemy or revealing yourself as someone that could be used to damage your patron's reputation.

"I… I myself work with people in the palace," Olga admitted. "I am an amba.s.sador for Mismede. I apologize for any offense, sir. I… might have time for a little chat over tea after all."

"Yay!" said Arma, her fox ears perking up again.

Ahh. That might explain why she was so suspicious. She was politically relevant.

I shook my head sadly. "No… I would not want to make you feel uncomfortable or feel under duress. That's not the kind of guy I am." Then a thought just occurred to me. "Do you know Charlotte, the court magician?"

"I have seen her, yes. She did study in Mismede. We are not real acquaintances, but we have met before."

"We may be speaking to her tomorrow too. We may meet later in more… official… capacities. There will be plenty of time to speak then."

For some reason she looked vaguely displeased at my mentioning Charlotte. Why?

Racial tension from a human studying in the beastkin kingdom? Sounds unlikely.

/"Flag?"/ Monika asked.

"Inevitability," I responded. "We might not deal in politics, but politics deals with us."

Olga now far less warily accepted my business card. I dropped down to one knee and ruffled Arma's hair, who was pouting at being ignored. "And you, don't go running off on your own anymore, eh? Your sister just wants you to be safe. Be more careful of random people on the street, not everyone is a good person. Be a good girl."

Arma's fox ears flicked up and she nodded happily. "I wills!"

I chuckled, patted her head one last time and got up. Let this world keep warming the cynical lump of coal that is my heart. When I'm allowed to put a mask on my face I can shed bit by bit the armor around my essential humanity.

The two fox girls bowed again and made their excuses to leave. Arma waved happily at us all the while until we were out of view.

/"So what now?"/

I pointed. "Conveniently we're in front of the thing we were looking for in the city. A magic shop."

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The inside of the magic shop was exactly as we expected, a bright and clean well-stocked establishment that nonetheless managed to have this musty mysterious smell to it. The proprietor was a middle-aged woman who looked a bit like a librarian.

We bought a few books and arranged to deliver others to the Silver Moon Inn in Reflet. The magic shop owner told us that magic items and armor were sold in a much more exclusive shop in the eastern avenue.

/"Well that was interesting,"/ said Monika. /"Because it turns out, that's what a magic shop is. Something like a bookstore and office supplies shop. In world of functional magic, they would treat magic with the same view of ubiquitous utility as we would our computers."/

Interesting, but not very useful. Certain ubiquitous items as in DnD were actually quite rare or sold in more specialized high-cla.s.s shops. A small downtown magic shop didn't stock magic items, they actually stocked magical reagents.

Enchanted items were usually found in deep ancient ruins, or ma.s.s produced by a magic-using kingdom in the Far East. Even then however, it was said they were expensive due the success rate for enchanting an object was very low, and sometimes even risked the destruction of materials.

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After some time, we found the place. It was a tall brick structure with a large signboard that said BIRKUT. It felt like the insides of a high-cla.s.s department store, what with its tall ceilings and a large open indoor courtyard area and white paneled walls. Oddly enough, there were no visible guards anywhere.

An attractive young lady approached and greeted me as soon as I entered.

"Welcome to Birkut's, milord. Is this your first time here?"

"Yes. This is my first time in this establishment."

"Very well, sir. Might you have something that proves your social standing or an invitation that permits you to shop here?" It really was no place for random gawkers or street customers. Only n.o.bility and the truly wealthy were allowed to shop there.

I showed her the Ortlinde medal and handed it over for inspection. Unlike Olga, she merely bowed her head in acknowledgment, not impressed at all.

"All is in order, milord. Now, how may we help? Is there anything in particular you seek?"

"I'm looking for a very specific enchantment on a piece of armored fabric. And also light armor in general."

She bowed again and requested for me to follow her to a section of the store that stocked armor. There were things from shiny shields, to fine plate armor, to plain leather gloves that didn't seem special at all. "All of these things are enchanted, right?"

"That is correct, sir. For example, this Silver Mirror Shield has been enchanted to reflect offensive spells, while this one is a Gauntlet of DemiG.o.d Strength, which has a strength increasing enchantment placed upon it. It will increase the power of muscles through your whole body."

/"So just like Elze's [Boost]?"/ Monika mused privately. /"This sort of general body enhancement sounds like a common enough Null ability, but there are variations enough to be unique to each person. If this strength boost magic doesn't provide increased durability, it is actually inferior to what [Boost] can already do, and giving it to someone else in our team… will just bother them about strength they're not trained to handle.

/"My [Amplify] is already so much superior to this thing. It is useless."/

I tapped at the gauntlet. "Rather thin. I'm a.s.suming this isn't just enchanted steel."

"You are correct again, sir. That is fine mithril, crafted by the dwarves of Lyle and enchanted in the Felzen Magic Kingdom."

"Good. Then am I allowed to ask for customized items? I don't necessarily need to have it now, but I will pay in advance and then have it delivered to another town. I'm here in the capital on business, and will need to leave by day after tomorrow." I took out a piece of paper from inside my pack.

"We can certainly accommodate that, milord. What exactly were you looking for, sir?"

"First, what is your name?"

"I am Marine, milord." p.r.o.nounced 'Mah-ri-nee' rather than 'Mreen'.

"Thank you, Marine." I showed her a drawn page with schematics. "For now, find me a better helmet than the one I'm wearing right now. I need something lighter yet stronger. I will also need it to be modified with certain attachments to the front – like these."

I pointed out the distinctive trihorn crest with a pentagon-shaped centerpiece. "Inside this part of the crest, I will require a ceramic slug with copper wire wound around it. If possible I'd like the wires to be lacquered so that they don't conduct on contact with metal. The ends of the wire should go through these holes, down into the helmet, and trail a few yards. I'll handle the rest for my purposes."

/"… that's an electromagnet, Player. Why would you want to put something that would interfere with my wireless signals on your head? Although…. I suppose I could use the EM field to boost the signals too. I already have magic radar and sonar, this seems redundant."/

"Another hole must be drilled here, at the back, about a quarter of an inch wide," I finished. "It's a fairly simple job."

Marine nodded. "I understand. Is there anything more, sir?"

"Two things: first… cloth that has a certain enchantment placed on it, so that it appears to show the night sky. No matter how you move the cloth, it shows only the parallax background on an unmoving sky. Like a window cut into s.p.a.ce."

I took out the projector cube again, cast [Darkness] over us to obscure the light, and shone an example image onto the wall.

"How fascinating! But unfortunately we do not have such a thing in stock. If you are not in any particular hurry, we will see about fulfilling your request."

"All right. How about some general-purpose armor cloth? While I don't doubt that you have a good selection of armored clothing, I require enough bolts for some uniforms."

"We do have those in stock. That is not an unusual request. Would you like to see a selection of colors or undyed cloth? Unfortunately, armor cloth will not have as strong protective qualities as those of already finished outfits. How do you feel about tightly woven mithril mail?"

"Can that be worn an under-layer to standard clothing? I need enough cloth to outfit… say, five people, who will face real combat. I don't need s.h.i.te that just looks good, I require soft discreet armor for protection detail."

The shop a.s.sistant's eyes widened in some form of realization. "I see. I will have to discuss this with the others, sir. Is there anything else?"

I handed over the page. "No, that's it."

She bowed again as she accepted the order notes. "In that case, please have a look at our selection of helmets while I call for the samples. Please excuse me. I will be back shortly."

The young woman left us alone in the shop. Our attention was drawn to a white longcoat with a fur-lined collar. It looked terribly anachronistic. "Well maybe if I had decided to cosplay Soma Cruz instead of Char Aznable…" I murmured.

Monika giggled. /"Even I know that meme. You are certainly a man. What are you but a miserable pile of secrets?!"/

"Enough talk! Have at thee!"

"Ah! Dear customer, why?!"

I blinked and turned to see a young man in a shop uniform with arms up in surrender.

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In the end, it turned out that he was Florian, another shop a.s.sistant, and soon after Marine returned with the enchanted bolts of cloth and a sample of woven mithril mail for a mail shirt. The latter was a very fine metal weave, and indeed very much like what Frodo wore in the LoTR movie.

For much the same reason, unless there was some shenanigans afoot, however, without sufficient padding the mail shirt would offer almost no protection as it simply folds into the blade tip and drive into the wound.

The material had more resistance to slashing and being cut, however.

"They are enchanted with blade, heat, cold, and strike resistance. Not as much as this… say, leather jacket that is very strong against blades, flame and lightning…" Florian showed off a gaudy red jacket with gold filigree and an oriental dragon design at the back.

I shook my head. "No. A consistent theme is as important as protection."

"Might I make a suggestion?" Marine asked softly.

I nodded. "Go ahead."

"Why not a cape or a cloak? If a gambeson would be too conspicuous… you could get a thicker layer for protection and then another one close to the body."

"Cloak and dagger combat is perfectly legit, Player!

(ʰᵗᵗᵖˢ://ʷʷʷ.ᑫᵘᵒʳᵃ.ᶜᵒᵐ/ᴴᵒʷ⁻ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ⁻ˢᵒᵐᵉᵒⁿᵉ⁻ᵘˢᵉ⁻ᵃ⁻ᶜˡᵒᵃᵏ⁻ᵒʳ⁻ᶜᵃᵖᵉ⁻ᶦⁿ⁻ᵃ⁻ᶠᶦᵍʰᵗ⁻ᵂᵃˢ⁻ᶦᵗ⁻ᵉᵛᵉʳ⁻ᵈᵒⁿᵉ⁻ʰᶦˢᵗᵒʳᶦᶜᵃˡˡʸ/ᵃⁿˢʷᵉʳ/ᴱʳᶦᶜ⁻ᴸᵒʷᵉ⁻⁶)

/And I mean this literally, not ironically. Fencing masters kept it in their repertoire from the 16th to 18th centuries when it was largely replaced by pistols. Which made things more lethal, but more equal, with less need for physical skill and training. Even Mark Twain narrowly avoided fighting a duel with a rival newspaper editor."/

(ʰᵗᵗᵖˢ://ʷᵉᵇ.ᵃʳᶜʰᶦᵛᵉ.ᵒʳᵍ/ʷᵉᵇ/²⁰¹⁰⁰⁶¹¹⁰⁹⁵⁷⁰⁸/ʰᵗᵗᵖ:/ᶜˡᵃˢˢᶦᶜᵃᵘᵗʰᵒʳˢ.ⁿᵉᵗ/ᴾᵃᶦⁿᵉ/ᵗʷᵃᶦⁿᵇᶦᵒ/ᵗʷᵃᶦⁿᵇᶦᵒ⁴⁶.ʰᵗᵐˡ)

I rubbed at my chin and thought it over. "All right. Show me several cloaks, preferably ones that won't lose their enchantment if dyed or re-st.i.tched."

After a few more hours, I ended up buying three bolts of armor cloth, six armor cloaks (colored deep purple similar to the shade on Elze and Linze's clothes). They gave me a lighter replacement helmet with anti-heat and anti-sweat/wetness enchantment. Their in-house smith managed to actually hammer to shape, modify and attach the mithril crest for a real Char Aznable helmet within the hour.

I also bought several sets of new facemasks so I could go around with my face still covered if I removed the VR headset. The eyeholes were matte on the outside but perfectly clear seen from the inside. Magic was nifty like that. The cloth would also reduce skin chafing.

New white gloves with basic cut and stab resistance, and most importantly – magic conductivity. I could actually wear magic rings or wands and still cast spells even with my hands protected. Though after practicing with spells magic amplifiers shortly proved unnecessary anyway.

I also found white boots with interesting composite material soles. Metal was sandwiched between anti-noise pads and grip layers. The shop a.s.sistants tried to get me to sh.e.l.l out for boots with stride enchantment to feel impact with every step and thus end up less tired in the long run, but I was already doing that all the time with Wind Magic.

Anti-poison magic items? Sure why not. Rings were the most convenient form for that.

"So, how much for everything?"

Florian and Marine looked at each other, and then Florian said to me "Since you're buying a lot, we'll make it cheap for you and sell the combined goods for only eighteen gold coins."

"Two platinum, huh? Fair enough."

I reached into my pack and brought out two platinum coins. Marine smiled at me and held out a small tray. I put the two coins onto a tray, and she went off to the counter for change while Florian began calling out for servants to pack everything.

/"So that's fifteen thousand dollars down the drain, in melt value, and up to ninety thousand adjusted for purchasing power. Player, is this even a reasonable investment?"/

"It is a very small price to pay compared to going Full Vlad Tepes if Elze and Linze dies."

Monika sniffed. /"Heh. You say that like you're joking. But between the two of us, I'm the one who has actual experience with murdering people."/ Her smile was open and serene. /"Don't rely on me to keep you sane when that happens, Player.

/"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. Thy Fates open their hands. Let thy blood and spirit embrace them. And, to inure thyself to what thou art like to be, cast thy humble slough and appear fresh.

/"Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act Two, Scene Five. Greatness awaits us, Player. Maybe the great and terrible. I actually do appreciate that you recognize we would simply go mad together, instead of unfairly placing me on an pedestal."

I smiled back at her. I loved this new life of mine. But while Monika and I might be able to beat back our suicidal depression, that didn't mean we have essentially solved the reason why we have that deep-seated despair.

We ached to be good people. We wanted to be happy in the company of others, we would care for them and protect them and be good to them.

Because deep in our hearts we knew we were just terrible people capable of some terrible things.

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-- end Now We're Gearing Up end --