(A/N: I understand it might be a pain with me changing up how the dialogue is done, but I'm just trying to figure out a setup that works for me. So I'm sorry, but please bare with it for a bit.)
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We spent a day relaxing at the inn, and ate some dinner in the dining area. There were some of the adventurers form the guild, and sometimes a few of them would come up to congratulate us on taking out the Demon. The men would steal gazes at Sana which I would repay with leaking out my bloodlust. At some points, while we ate, I could feel Sana leak out her own bloodlust. I'm not sure the reason why, but when I looked around, no one would look me in the eye.
Not understanding what happened, I went back to enjoying my meal. After we finished eating dinner, Sana and I went back upstairs to our room. Supplying Noroi with mana I helped her transform to her human form, and like this, we all went to bed that night.
The next morning, Noroi was still asleep and so was Sana. I wanted to get my armor taken care of, so I left a note to let them know I was going to the commercial district looking for a blacksmith to make some armor from the Demon Core.
Walking around, I choose to go inside a random nearby blacksmith. There was a ring from the bell on the doorframe as I walked inside. What came out was a Human male, he seemed like a competent on the outside, but when I investigated his inventory, all I found was standard swords and armor that you would see on any adventurer. I sighed and walked out of the shop, I want someone who can craft this core into something great. I almost died to get it, so I would like something amazing to be made from it.
I went through five more blacksmiths shops, and they all fell below what I was looking for. I considered going to Elise, but I'm unsure how she'll feel trying to craft gear using a material from her own kind.
Pondering this for a while I walked into another blacksmith, its name was 'Amdagaer's Smithy' and it looked like a mess on the inside. I was considering just walking out right then and there, but when I investigated the gear sold here, it was all of amazing quality, and the materials used in them were fantastic.
There was a short, stout man with a thick beard behind the desk. He was reading a book, and didn't acknowledge me until I stepped up to the counter. He simply gazed up at me, and grunted before returning to his book. I suppose that must have meant something along the lines of 'What do you want?"
I took the Core from my Pocket Dimension and placed it on the countertop. He picked it up and examined the material, then looked up at me and asked.
"How much you want for it kid?" (Man)
"Actually I'm not looking to sell it, I was hoping to find a blacksmith who could turn it into gear for me." (Sora)
I seemed to have caught his interest, cause he closed the book he was reading, and set it at the end of the counter. I asked him how much it would cost, to have it made into gear.
"Hmmmm...depending on what you want, it could cost close to 1mil Ruld...maybe a little more." (Man)
"Well I don't need a weapon, since I already have a sword. However, due to circumstances, there are moments where I fight bare-handed. So I was thinking maybe some gauntlets? The price can be negotiated after you've finished though, so I'll leave it to you. I just wanna make sure it's made into something amazing...kind of like it'll be one-of-a-kind type of deal." (Sora)
Nodding his head, he set the Core on the table, and reached his open hand out for a handshake.
"My name's Amdagaer, welcome to my shop young man. I'll have the gauntlets finished in about a week if all goes well. So come back around then." (Amdagaer)
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Takahashi Sora. Ah, Sora is my first name, and Takahashi is my last name." (Sora)
I shook his hand, and with this, I was able to set an order for some gauntlets. This way I'll be able to have Noroi defend Sana during difficult battles without worrying as much, and without having to snatch her up in the middle of a fight.
Going back to the inn, I picked up some sweets as a way to apologize for leaving Sana and Noroi behind.
As I came near the inn, I saw Sana and Noroi standing outside looking in my direction with angry expression. It seems they were a little upset about it as I thought they would be. Joining up with them, they were yelling at me for leaving them behind, but then they quieted down when I gave them the sweets. We sat outside by a fountain as they happily munched on their sweets. I smiled looking up, thanking the goddess in my heart for allowing me to have this second chance at life. Even if I almost died already, I'm still thankful for this new life.
Now that we've relaxed for a bit, I suppose its time to take our next job. Since I don't know how much my new gear will cost, I'd prefer we wait on purchasing a home. So, with Noroi in her human form, we went to the guild to pick out our second request.
When we walked inside what awaited us was that fat bald noble from yesterday. He was sitting in one of the chairs, since he was wanting the Demon Core, I figured I would avoid him as best I can. We walked up to Serene, and struck up a conversation with her.
"Hello there Serene, I was wondering if there was any request you could recommend to us. Since that Noble is here, I'd prefer he didn't see me when I go up to the Request Board." (Sora)
"Of course, I understand. Well considering you just recovered yesterday, maybe something easy would be best right? If so there's an Alchemist that's requesting help in acquiring some herbs for his experiments. However, if you want to go back to C-Rank quests, then there are sightings of Dire-wolves in the area. The city would like someone to investigate the reason why they are here, any materials you collect from killing them are yours to do with as you please. It's not a subjugation mission so much as an investigation, but the guild will still be happy to buy their pelts." (Serene)
"The Dire-wolves sounds like fun...who knows? I might get a pet in the process." (Sora)
I chuckled a little, at my comment. Serene then processed the paperwork to allow us to take on the request. After we were given confirmation, we left the guild, avoiding being caught by the noble. Before we reached the gate, we stepped off into an alleyway to allow Noroi to switch forms. This way we can avoid any suspicions about how a stranger was able to get into town without any identification. Once Noroi was strapped to my waist, Sana and I continued until we were outside the gate.
While we were walking I turned to Sana and asked her,
"Hey so what happened to those bandits we left tied to a tree?" (Sora)
"Turned in. 3 Large Gold." (Sana)
"I see, that's not too bad at least. It'll increase our funds towards a good house, that way we won't have to worry about sleeping at the inn all the time. I won't be spending too much for the next week though, since I made a custom order on the gear made from the Demon Core." (Sora)
She nodded, signaling that she understood. Well I just realized I don't even know how much we have total between the two of us. Perhaps later, after this request, we should pool everything together that way we have an understanding of our current financial standing. It'll make it easier to plan everything out at least if we knew where we stood.
Continuing our walk, I thought about the fact I have a skill I haven't bothered trying out yet...in fact most of my skills I haven't even used yet. Although, one that I am pretty interested in trying out is the Musician skill. It's at the max level, and I wanna see how well I can play different instruments.
While we walked I looked at my status menu:
Name: Sora Takahashi
Race: Kitsune [Beastman] (Variant)
Level: 37
Class: Magic Swordsman
HP: 2,345,295/2,345,295
MP: 2,345,295/2,345,295
Strength: 2,345,295
Agility: 2,345,295
Intelligence: 2,345,295
Wisdom: 2,345,295
Luck: 100
Titles (Hidden): Person from Another World, Overseer of Auralel, Chosen by the Goddess, Immortal Kitsune, Holder of the God's Eye, Master Musician, Protector, C-Rank Adventurer, Demon Slayer, Demonic Kitsune, Enemy of the Demon Clan
Skills (Hidden): Creation Magic (lvl. 1), Fire Magic (lvl. 6), Water Magic (lvl. 6), Healing Magic (lvl. Max), Wind Magic (lvl. Max), Weapon Proficiency (lvl. Max), Physical Resistance (lvl. Max), Magical Resistance (lvl. Max), Mental Resistance (lvl Max), Cooking (lvl. Max), Eye of God, Chantless Magic, Space Magic (lvl. 5), Musician (lvl Max.)
Skill Points: 27
Blessings (Hidden): Blessing of Charisma [Makes it easier to talk to others, as well as other people enjoy speaking with you more], Blessing of Strength [Grants you immense strength to use how you see fit], Blessing of the Immortal [<One Requirement: Fox-Kin Race> By reaching the Ninth-Tail stage you have been recognized as an immortal, you will never age nor grow old, however you can still be killed], Blessing of The Bard [<Requirement: Musician Skill Maxed> By maxing out your musician skill, you are able to play any instrument. People will gather to listen to you play. Your music can influence a Demonic Beast's actions.Your music can either be used to strengthen your allies or to weaken your enemies.], Goddess of Worlds Blessing [Given by the Goddess of Worlds to someone she has recognized as an overseer of a world. Holder of the blessing will have all stats increased drastically.]
Huh? Skill points? What's that all about? Can I use them to upgrade my current skills? What'll happen if they all get maxed out, cause then I'll have a surplus of points with nothing to spent them on. Maybe there's some sort of skill store that I can access?
As I thought that, a new window suddenly popped in front of my eye. It even said skill store. Seriously? It's a real thing? This is pretty ridiculous, but what are the conditions to be able to have the chance at unlocking a certain skill?
Taking the time to look through the store while we walk, I see a skill that specifically interests me since I just thought about it before taking on the request.
Monster Taming: The ability to tame certain demonic beasts. The higher the skills level, the stronger the beast that the user can tame. (Cost: 10 SP)
I'll actually be able to tame a Dire Wolf like I was wanting! It's expensive though, so I am wondering if I should get it. Although, if I do get it then I can get an even stronger tame down the road if I level it up properly. With that I spent the 10 skill points to unlock the skill, then add 9 of my remaining 17 points into it to bring it up to level 4. With this, I shouldn't have a problem acquiring a Dire Wolf, hopefully. looking through the skill shop, I can guess that if I haven't put much effort into unlocking the skill then the cost will be higher. For example, a skill called Deception, would cost me 20 skill points, but that's because I haven't put any effort into deceiving people.
As nice as it is to use the skill points to upgrade my current skills, it gets expensive pretty fast, so it might be better in the long run to work on leveling it up through training. However, for a quick upgrade it is very useful to have the option. I look through the shop for one more skill if possible, and I notice one more skill the caught my eye. It made me excited at the possibilities, it's a classic that everyone wishes they could do. The ultimate freedom.
Flight Magic: Allows the user to fly through the sky. The higher the casters level, the better control they have during flight. (Cost: 5 SP)
If I spend five points on it, then I'll have three left, and can use two of them to make it level 2.
I immediately purchased the skill and leveled it up, and now I have just the one skill point left. I wonder why I only had 27 if I leveled up to 37, but maybe I only get the one skill point per level, and it wouldn't give any until I was level 10? I suppose I'll learn more as I continue to increase my level.
With this discovery, I have now learned Monster Taming and Flight Magic which will both be very useful....and also fun, but hey I'm allowed to be a little selfish sometimes.