They arrived at a weapon store, which was well-known in the area. It was also in the noble district, so it was likely to have some really good wares. But the owner was locking the when Elena arrived.

“Please wait! We would like to buy weapons and armors!” Elena shouted. Stopping two meters behind him, she panted slightly. The owner looked like somebody at the age of forty. He had a short, brown beard and hair. His eyes were dark blue and he had bulging muscles. He was about a hundred and seventy centimeters tall, only a few centimeters longer than Elena.

“A good Assassin can wait for the best time. Tonight is definitely not one such time. You should come back tomorrow,” he replied, turning around to leave. Laughing at his words, Elena said ‘ok’ as she turned around to leave. After spending a night with training their mental capabilities and their new spells, they came back the next morning.

It was only seven a.m. and most people were still sleeping or opening their stores. They waited only ten minutes when the man from yesterday appeared. A smile formed on his face upon seeing Elena and her group. “Miss woke up early just to see me,” he said, unlocking the door.

“Did I?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. After fumbling in a drawer behind the counter for a few seconds, the man stood up straight as he said, “Welcome to Xen’s Metal Store! I’m Xen. So? What can I help you with and how much money do you wish to spend?”

“We have two hundred gold coins to spend,” Elena replied, having a bad feeling.

“Well, that’s not much. This is a high-end store, you know? The materials I use to craft weapons and armors are expensive. The cheapest piece of armor I have is fifty gold coins, while the most expensive are five hundred gold coins. But an armor is a part of your body. It can save your life, which is the most precious, isn’t it? It’s the same with weapons,” the owner replied.

“Could you craft weapons for us, if we gave you materials to work with?” Elena asked with a smile.

“Everything will be much cheaper, obviously. But if you want me to craft the best kinds of armors and weapons, it will still cost you at least a hundred gold coins per person,” Xen reasoned.

“Elena, just let me pay instead,” Jake said with a mysterious smile, pulling out a huge bag of gold coins. Her face froze in surprise upon seeing the money he just pulled out, out of nowhere.

“When did you-” she started but decided to stay silent in front of Xen. Jake kept grinning like an idiot. Stepping closer to Audrey, he put his arm around her waist. “What do you want, dear?”

“Haha, stop joking,” she laughed at his playfulness as she pushed his face away.

“I suppose the amount of money you can spend just grew by a huge amount?” Xen questioned, rubbing his palms. His sudden change of character left everyone dumbfounded. Seeing them staying silent, he laughed loudly, “Did you believe that? Aye, let’s start with your weapons. What do you need?”

“That’s more like it… I need two long daggers, Jake wants two Uchigatana, and Audrey is in need of a short sword,” Elena replied, based on their prior agreement.

“I know long dagger and short sword, but what is Uchigatana? I’ve never heard of it,” Xen asked, scratching the back of his head, feeling ashamed of his lack of knowledge as a Master Smith. Making a thoughtful face, Elena stayed silent, pondering on how to show it.

Jake snapped his fingers and a wooden stick grew out of the wooden floor, having the shape of an Uchigatana. “This is what it looks like.”

“Oh! This is called Chikan here. Are you from another country?” he said with realization, looking back and forth between the wooden weapon and the group.

“You could say that we are village bumpkins,” Elena replied with a smile, not telling him their exact origin.

After trying a few weapons and liking their stats too, Jake paid for them. “Now… I don’t really need metal armor. I need something lighter, which is easy to move around in. Audrey needs something for a Mage, which will still let her move freely, and Jake needs metal armor,” Elena explained what they need.

It took only ten minutes for them to find something that fit them and was good for their classes. “It will cost one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five gold coins unless you need something else?” Xen asked, receiving the money in the meantime.

“No, thanks. I found your crafting abilities good. I hope that my eyes weren’t wrong or I’ll have to come back and complain,” she said with a meaningful smile.

“Miss is a dangerous person, but I’m confident in my abilities,” Xen replied with a chuckle.

They left the store and went back to their room. Before anyone could wear their new set, Elena caught Jake by his collar and asked with a happy smile, “Dang it, where did you get that money from?”

“Haha, when we went to set Gautama’s mansion on fire, I happened to come across his safe too. Devour is a really useful skill. It corroded the metal in no time and I was able to store the money in my Void Space,” Jake replied. Raising his hand, he quickly covered his mouth.

“Your what?!” both of the girls asked at the same time.

“Well, you know that my Specialization is Void Master. Although I never told you, I’ve learned a few things. And why are you so surprised? You too know the Void element!” Jake replied, knowing that he was busted.

“Yes, but not on a level where we can create storage spaces…” Dred remarked, lying down in the middle of the bed, closing his eyes.

“That’s true. Anyway, you were always looking at Audrey’s tables, how she progressed and such, but you never checked mine… and I decided that I won’t tell you either!” Jake replied, puffing out his cheeks.

Letting go of his collars, Elena stepped back, holding her forehead. Looking at Audrey, she laughed as she said, “Is he a kid? Who would have thought that he is jealous of my attention? And jealous of his love interest, no less!”

“I didn’t know that you had such a side. I always learn something new,” Audrey said with wonder, her hand covering her mouth. Turning away, a slight blush on her face, she muttered, “You are cute.”

“Bwhahaha, I didn’t expect this turn of events,” Elena laughed, holding her stomach.

“Wh-What?! I’m not cute! I’m a man, damn it! Men aren’t cute! You girls are always playing an unfair game. It’s two against one! Dred, you should take my side! I’m being bullied here!” Jake shouted at Dred.

“Could it be that you are into younger men?” Elena asked, looking at Audrey with her brows raised.

“What? No… It’s just that they have a more innocent feel to them. I guess I’m liking that,” she replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Hmm~ this is an interesting piece of information. Do you have anything to say, Jake?” Elena said with a smirk on her face, looking back and forth between Audrey and Jake.

“No…” he replied, visibly lost.

“Well, I’m happy to see that you have such a side to you, so don’t worry about it,” Audrey soothed Jake, meaning it.

“At least Dred isn’t saying anything,” Jake remarked, shaking his head as he thought, At least, I know that she has something she likes in me… even if it is something that’s not real! I’m not cute! I wanted to show her my manly side, but now I feel unsure… I’ll just behave normally. She would see through my acting anyway and it would only make her trust me less.

Haah- but it can be hard to show your true self even in a small group, not to mention somebody you love. Well, but this feeling is slowly leaving me as time passes by. It must be because I’m outgrowing my humanoid instincts.

“I won’t state something that is obvious,” Dred remarked, turning on his side. At that, both Audrey and Elena laughed at Jake.

“...”

Calming down, “Alright, enough of you. Though next time you could really tell me such things since your abilities can change how we proceed with our plans. Now, let me check these armors and weapons once more!” Elena said with a clear sign of excitement in her voice.

Changing their shadows into simple clothes, they wore their armors and weapons. Audrey had a dark purple vest, with a skirt. The vest was made of a strong leather, which was the hide of a powerful monster at around the two hundred and eightieth level. It was a strange kind of leather since it was made up of very tiny scales. Her skirt had metal plates in it, adding some defense but still making it easy for her to move around.

The dark purple color accentuated her red hair and unique gray-green eyes. Looking at her armor and the black short sword in her hands, Elena inspected them.

Name: Dark Spellblade

Rarity: Rare

Durability: 680 / 680

Effects: Any spell channeled through this blade will have an increased Magical effect, meaning (+3%) to Wisdom. The blade devours light, due to its material. Strength output can grow by 2 to 20 percent, dependent on the type of physical movement

Name: Light Leather Armor of the Prion

Rarity: Rare

Durability: 650 / 650

Effects: Due to its strong fabric, it could easily stop a few deadly strikes before tearing. If Mana is channeled through the armor, it can turn as hard as a metal armor and take on even more attacks.

Jake had a dark gray metal armor. Instead of wearing full-body armor, he had arm guards, leg guards, metal boots, leather gloves with the same kind of metal on their knuckles. His chest was protected by a thick armor, which had the shape of a wolf’s head. Optionally, he had the possibility of wearing a hoodie, which was made of the same kind of leather as Audrey’s armor. Although he wouldn’t want to bet his head on such an armor, it could save his life. At least, that was what he believed in.

Name: Uchigatana (2x)

Rarity: Rare

Durability: 680 / 680

Effects: Increases your strength output by 5 to 32 percent, dependent on the type of your movement.

Name: Armor of the Wolf King

Rarity: Rare

Durability: 1500 / 1500

Effects: Thanks to its design, this armor is easy to move around in, but provides great protection. The armor is thicker at your vital points, giving you more defense. When you channel Mana through the armor, it partly merges with your body and increases your Vitality.

There were only two things left. Elena had two daggers with the same aspects, just like Jake’s Uchigatana. Her daggers were made from the same kind of material as Audrey’s short sword and they were forty centimeters long. Her daggers were called Sica, but instead of a curve towards the end, the whole dagger was slightly curved.

Name: Sica (2x)

Rarity: Rare

Durability: 700 / 700

Effects: This blade devours light, making it the perfect weapon for Assassin type classes. When Mana is channeled through the blade, the inscribed runes will stop the Wind around it, making it a soundless weapon. It increases your strength output by two to fifteen percent, but it is very easy to use, due to it’s light weight.

Name: Leather Armor of the Aosaginohi

Rarity: Epic

Durability: 1200 / 1200

Effects: When Mana is channeled through the leather, black feathers will cover the owner’s body, adding a powerful layer of defense. The feathers can regrow unless the armor is torn. There will be two layers of feathers at the vital points, making this armor even more of a lifesaver.

She had a thick, black, leather armor covering her upper and lower half, accentuating her black hair and making her green eyes stand out even more. It draped tightly around her body, showing her appeal. Her boots ended a little below her knees, and they were easy to move around in, on any terrain, thanks to an enchantment, which evened out the ground under her feet. Of course, only if she used her Mana.

There were a few black feathers standing upward behind her head, which was able to cover her head in case somebody attacked her. A few, thin metal threads were weaved into the leather collar, covering her neck, which might be enough to defend her neck against a weaker strike.

She had dark gray colored gloves covering her hands, which extended up to her shoulders, adding another thin layer of defense. Since Xen knew from a look that she had something to do with assassins, the pair of boots he offered had a hidden sheath in it too, which Elena used to hide a serrated knife.

Her armor was Epic ranked, which was truly great. That alone cost five hundred gold coins, and it was one of the best leather armors in the store. Elena didn’t want to spend so much money on herself, but Jake and Audrey pressed on. If she died, they could very well throw in the towel too, so it was in their best interest to keep her alive. If all it took was money, then none of them minded it.

Not to mention, that she wasn’t just somebody they had to keep alive. She was their friend and they wouldn’t bother with petty things like gold coins. There were lots of it, but there was only one Elena. After telling this to her, she couldn’t help but accept their choice.

Noticing the gentle smile on Elena’s face as she kept looking at her armor, Audrey stopped behind her and coiled her arms around her friend. Placing her chin on Elena’s shoulder, she said, “What’s up? Did you fall in love with us?”

“Haha, I did. Thanks…” she replied, showing her white teeth, brushing her hand through her black hair. Smiling back at her, Audrey let go of her and stepped back, only to notice Jake’s burning gaze.

“What is it?”

“Ah! Nothing…” he replied, almost stuttering in his surprise.

“Suspicious.”

“Am I?” he scratched the back of his head.

“I told you that I’m not lesbian. I didn’t know that you were such a pervert, always looking for something strange to happen,” she replied, throwing her red hair over her shoulders.

“But I didn’t think of such a thing! I was just-”

“Listen, just because I’m quite old and didn’t have a relationship, it doesn’t mean that I’m dense. I’m sensitive to lustful looks and I know what a male thinks just from a look… You should cover it up better,” she interrupted Jake, waving her finger.

“I’ll reflect on my actions…” he muttered, his head hung.

“You are like his mom,” Elena said with a chuckle, freezing Audrey on the spot.

“Could you repeat it again?” she asked, showing a dreadful smile on her face.

“I said that you are the perfect wife material. You are young, and beautiful, and clever, and… voluptuous!” Elena ‘repeated’ her words, smiling all the time.

“I don’t think that the last was necessary… Haah- but it’s true that I’m old. I guess I wasted my life in my room, all because of something in the past. It’s strange how one thing can change your whole life. But I met you thanks to the same thing and now I’m here! Who knows? It is possible that I’d have died long before your birth if I lived a normal life,” Audrey sighed as she slightly hung her head.

“How old are you, again?” Elena asked, sitting down on the side of the bed, looking out the window.

“I will be forty-four years old this September, taking that this planet has the same Months and days. But that’s definitely not the case, even if one day is twenty-four hours. We should really visit that library, let’s go there,” Audrey admitted her age, not bothering with Jake. If he really loved her, he wouldn’t care about such a thing.

“Huh? You are one year older than me!? Hehe~ but your body is another case,” Jake remarked, making a fantasizing face. Audrey shook her head and chuckled upon seeing the stupid face he made.

“I’ll take your words as a compliment.”

“They were,” he said with a serious face, surprising her.

“When you finished flirting, we could go and do our thing too,” Elena interrupted the heating mood. “You know, it is broad daylight and we are in the room too. You can do anything when we aren’t but…”

“Damn you, Elena,” both of them said at the same time, for different reasons. Jake was unhappy with her interruption, while Audrey disliked what she referred to.

“You will make a great couple nonetheless,” Elena shook her head, chuckling. Standing up, she made her way towards the door, Dred in her shadow. Opening the door slightly, she turned around and smirked, “Will you come?”

“Yes!”

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