Note to the reader: *.......* means he's saying that in his head.

Rate and Review. :x

I'm not planning on dropping Becket. I'll be writing it along with the other story I plan to start. A comment in the last chapter mentioned using both first names which I decided to do. Morgan Vale will be my next main characters name.

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Chapter 44

I woke up the following morning with Eva snuggled up next to me. My arm was wrapped around her while her head rested on my chest. Looking around reminded me of the first time I opened my eyes in this world. There were very few differences between the current room and what it looked like back then so it felt a little weird.

I easily escaped Eva's grasp and began getting dressed. It was still early so after leaving her room I went to the library. When I was told about the goblin king mission the queen also mentioned that a new route into the dark continent had been found. It had caught my interest since the dark continent was so mysterious. Not only was this continent unmapped it was also where all the artifacts had been found.

I pushed open the large double doors and entered the library. It had three floors filled with books available to me and a fourth floor below ground only available to royalty. I'm sure if I asked they would give me access to this floor, but I hadn't thought about it until now. I didn't want to bother anyone this early so I decided to stay on the floors available to me.

I searched through all the geography books, but they didn't have any useful information. Even if the dark continent was dangerous the edges should be mapped. Why hadn't anyone mapped out the coast? This was strange so I figured some information had been purposefully left out.

After going through a few more books, I found out that a small island near the dark continent was used as a base for groups headed there. No one wanted to spend the night on the dark continent so a town had formed in the island and was mostly filled with inns. Maybe this town would have maps of the coast?

After searching for an hour I found no useful information so I decided to give up and leave the library. There were a few things I needed so it was time for a shopping trip. I stopped by my room in order to get a few gold coins out of my pack since I never carried it with me while inside the palace.

I quietly opened the door to my room since Aria might still be sleeping. The lump under the bed sheets told me she was. Just as I finished removing the coin pouch from my pack I heard her move around on the bed.

Aria:"Becket?"

Becket:"Morning Aria."

She began to rub her eyes while looking towards me. The bed sheet was still pulled up, but I could tell she was sleeping naked.

*She probably wiggled out of her clothes again.*

Becket:"I'm going out to buy some stuff. Do you want to come with me?"

She jumped up from the bed completely revealing herself to me.

Aria:"Yes!"

Becket:"Then get dressed and brush your hair. It's a mess."

She searched around the bed for her clothes and quickly dressed herself then ran up to me. It was unclear where she was keeping it, but the brush was already in her hand. She held it out towards me with expectant eyes.

Becket:"Alright."

I took it and she spun around. Brushing it like this wouldn't be a good idea so I first used my hands to slightly straighten it out then began to use the brush. After a few minutes everything was in order and we left the palace.

The streets were just as crowded as usual so I kept Aria close. A few people actually tried to pickpocket me, but they left with broken fingers. Reporting them would be a hassle and I doubted they would try anything like this against me again so I let them go. They had absolutely no technique to their pickpocketing.

Anyone would notice if you just shoved your hand into another persons cloak. Also never target someone that stands out as much as we do unless you have complete confidence in your skill as a pickpocket. The fact that we stand out so much is probably what caused them to target us. A well dressed elf accompanied by an attractive young woman with white hair would obviously draw a lot of attention.

It takes a keen eye to find a target. Obviously, you need to avoid anyone carrying a weapon. If you are caught they can instantly retaliate against you. They also usually have a better sense of their weight. When the coin pouch is snatched from a veteran warrior it throws their balance off which immediately alerts them of what happened.

If you're only a mediocre thief then a fat target is the best option. Since being overweight can reduce blood flow and cause circulation problems, they are usually less sensitive to touch which increases the chances that they won't notice anything. Of course it's always safer to draw their attention to a different part of their body by making contact with it. The most common method is bumping into them.

We finally made it to a shop I had passed a few times while walking around the city. The clothes displayed in their window had an unusual number for its thread count. I didn't think this thread count was possible without the assistance of a machine. I already knew this world had a fairly advanced textile industry, but these clothes were comparable to the ones from my world.

Elderly Woman:"Good morning."

Sitting behind a counter at the back of the small store was an elderly woman with long grey hair. A smile appeared on her wrinkled face as she looked at Aria who was already browsing the wares lined up near the door. I strolled up to the counter and smiled at the woman.

Becket:"Good morning young lady."

She found my comment funny and chuckled.

Becket:"Are you the one who creates these fine clothes?"

Elderly Woman:"Not anymore. My granddaughter does all the work now, but I was the one who taught her. Why?"

Becket:"I couldn't help but notice how much work must have been put into making each piece. It piqued my interest so I thought I'd ask. How did you get such a high thread count?"

The woman smirked then brought her thin finger up and waved it back and forth.

Elderly Woman:"That's a family secret. If you really want to know then try to win my granddaughters favor. If you marry into the family I'll tell you, but it won't be easy. I heard she's recently found herself a boyfriend."

Becket:"Your secret does make me want to try; however, I already have plenty of other problems so sadly I'll have to leave your granddaughter to her boyfriend."

Elderly Woman:"That's disappointing. Lately she's been spending more and more time away from this shop. If a young man like you showed interest in it maybe her love for this kind of work would return."

I had to keep myself from smiling.

*She knows I'm a man!*

Becket:"Working with a needle and thread has always been something that soothes me. I was only curious. I'll give up on learning your secrets, but I would like to make some purchases."

Elderly Woman:"Any special requests?"

Becket:"I need a roll of beige fabric and black thread."

I tapped my finger against my coin pouch while thinking.

Becket:"Also, do you have any small beads?"

Elderly Woman:"Will these do?"

She reached under the counter and pulled out a small black bead.

Becket:"It's a little bigger than I'd like, but it'll do. I need a few pounds of those beads."

I wasn't exactly sure how many I needed. If this wasn't enough I could always get more later.

Becket:"There's one more thing. Do you have any mohair?"

The elderly woman tilted her head. She was obviously confused.

*Maybe it doesn't exist here.*

Mohair is what people typically use for doll hair. I couldn't keep using my own hair for all the dolls Carmilla wanted. I didn't actually think they would have any, but after seeing such well made clothes I thought it was a possibility.

Becket:"Could you show me the thinnest thread you have?"

Elderly Woman:"Sure."

It took a minute of moving things around under the counter until she pulled out a spool of red thread. She passed it over to me and I examined it.

Becket:"This is perfect. I'll take this one and also some in black, yellow and white."

The woman smiled as she lined up the other three spools of thread on the counter. She was a little slow as she gathered all of my order, but after checking over everything I got that short wait didn't even bother me. I paid her a little extra since I wanted to be on her good side. Losing the right to shop here would really suck.

Becket:"I'm very happy with my purchase so expect to see me again."

Elderly Woman:"I'll be patiently awaiting your next visit."

I waved goodbye as Aria and I left the shop. There was nothing else I needed to do so we shoved our way through the crowd back to the palace.

Aria:"What are you making?"

We were back in our room and I had all the material I just bought spread out in front of me.

Becket:"I'm making a doll."

Aria sat down beside me. She looked pretty excited about what I told her I was making.

Becket:"How about I model the first one after you?"

Aria:"Can I have it?"

Becket:"Sure."

She watched for about half an hour as I worked, but she eventually wandered off. I thought Carmilla would like them more as beanie baby dolls and that's why I bought those beads. That was a mistake. I spilled the beads three times while making the first doll.

Adding the small details on the face wasn't possible, but I tried hard to make it look like Aria. Even though I wasn't getting paid for this I still wanted it to turn out good. The hair was easy since all I had to do was sew the thin white thread onto the dolls scalp. Each piece of the doll was made separately starting with the head, torso then arms and legs. They had all been sewn and filled with beads.

I sewed all the pieces together at the very end and began working on the dress. Aria had told me to have the doll wear that red dress I made for her so I created a smaller version of it. I didn't have anything I could use to make the wings so she turned out to be a wingless Aria.

Becket:"Finally done."

I held the doll up into the air and examined it.

Becket:"Not bad. Maybe next time I should use fewer beads. She's a little stiff."

It was larger than I had originally planned, but I had to make it this big since the beads were larger than I wanted. The doll was about the size of an ordinary teddy bear. Still small but at least twice as large as the one I already gave to Carmilla. The red dress this doll was wearing could actually be removed so if I felt like it this doll could have its own wardrobe.

I looked around the room for Aria. She had left a long time ago so I got up and set the doll on the bed next to the pillow.

Maid:"Sir."

I turned toward the door and saw the same maid that I often run into. She was carrying a sheathed sword in her hands. It was clutched to her chest.

Becket:"Is that my sword?"

Maid:"Yes sir. It was finished about an hour ago and I've come to deliver it."

I walked up to her and reached my hand out. She carefully placed the sword in my hand and stepped back.

Becket:"Thank you."

Maid:"It was my pleasure sir."

She bowed before turning and leaving. I looked down at my sword. It was obviously a few inches longer and there were grooves on the handle for my fingers. The guard extended out a couple inches in both directions and then curved upwards into a point on either side of the blade.

Becket:"Not bad."

The grooved grip was made of a smooth reddish brown wood while the guard was completely silver. I drew the blade from the sheath made of the same reddish brown wood with a black belt strap. It was a normal double edged european style sword except the silver blade had a purple shine. Just above the guard was a small black magic circle.

I swung the sword around a few times to test it. It felt slightly heavier than my last sword, but there wasn't any serious problems. I walked to the window and pointed the blade outside so that I could check the magic circle.

Becket:"Alright lets see what you can do."

I injected mana into the blade and in was absorbed by the magic circle. The blade suddenly became extremely light as if all the weight had vanished.

Becket:"Is that it?"

I was a little depressed. I expected it to be some sort of attack, but I guess this makes more sense. The sword was sheathed and strapped to my waist as I left the bedroom. I walked down the hallway with my hand placed on top of my new sword. A part of me really wanted to test it out.

Maid:"Sir Becket."

That maid showed up again.

Becket:"Yes?"

Maid:"A message just arrived from the adventurers guild. They are requesting your presence."

Becket:"Right now?"

Maid:"Yes sir."

I sighed and took my hand off the swords hilt.

Becket:"Alright."

Testing the sword will have to wait.

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