Hera's time inside the ATR was mostly to stall for when her new armor would arrive. At first, she considered it just a necessary purchase, but now it was the only thing stopping her from hunting. The last hour of training seemed to drag for hours. Hera had yet to receive the message from the guild, letting her know that her order had arrived. The distraction made her movements more sloppy, and the control of her mana was all over the place. With 15 minutes still remaining for her time in the ATR, a message came on her tablet.

She rushed out of the training room and headed to the counter where she could pick up her order. Her sudden arrival surprised the clerk working there. He had just confirmed her order less than five minutes ago. Hera opened the package and saw her armor. It was a one-piece jumpsuit, with the zipper starting on the right side of the waist and coming up towards the left shoulder. The sleeves would stop before the elbow, just like the legs that stopped before her ankles. The entire thing was made of metal shaped like small scales to give flexibility and protection. According to the crafter, one could even do ballet while wearing the armor. It was also a beautiful shade of purple, getting very close to black. She paid extra to change the color like that. She needed something that would blend well with the shadows. The mineral used in the armor was silver by nature, and this shade of purple was the darkest option available. The armor had shoulder guards that looked like maple leaves in an opaque lavender shade. The same type of ornament was in the middle of the chest, just before the opening by her neck, and following the zipper, the leaf pattern would hide the seams in the armor.

She noticed that inside the armor, several parts had thicker padding. The knee, shoulder, waist, and between the legs all had that extra cushioning. Hera touched the inside of the armor. It was soft as a T-shirt, but as she rubbed the cloth together, she noticed that she could feel the metal scales in her fingers. In places where the fabric wouldn't bend, she would never notice, but it could be a problem in places with a wider range of movement. She looked to the outside of the armor once more. Behind the knee and under the arms, the scales were much smaller than in other places. Those could be weak spots created to give more mobility.

"Excuse, miss?" the clerk asked.

"Yeah, sorry. I was distracted," Hera snapped out of her trance.

"Is everything ok with your order?"

"Oh, hang on." She looked at all the pieces. The armor seemed fine, and the boots and armguards were also there, "Everything seems to be here."

"Ok, then I'll mark it as a complete delivery. If you want to try now, you can use the locker rooms. If not, you have a day to let us know if any adjustments will be needed. If you could just place your card here to verify that you received the parcel," he pointed to a scanner to the side.

Hera took out her silver guild card. Every time she looked at it, she had to hold back a smile. The clerk noticed the silver glow of her card, and instantly his expression changed. As Hera confirmed the delivery, he spoke.

"Actually, if you need more time. I'm sure we can send it back for adjustments a couple of days from now."

Hera shook her head, "No need. If I need to send it back, I'll come back today. But thank you," she picked the plastic box that her armor came in and headed back to her home. She wanted to try the armor right now, but she was sweaty and dirty. If she was going to wear it for the first time, she at least wanted to be clean.

She came home like a hurricane, dashing towards the shower. In less than ten minutes, she was already drying herself in her room with the armor lying in her bed. Now she could see the rest with more clarity. The skirt was made with the same metal, but it was attached to the waist. For some reason, Hera thought that it would be a separate piece. The metal on the skirt was different. Instead of several small scales, there were large plates on the sides with some scales in the mix to help with flexibility. Oddly enough, this armor focused on protecting the lower side of the body. Hera used her [Inspect] to confirm its attributes.

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Autumn's Reflection (Reflect Affinity)

Rarity: Uncommon

An armor created by an exemplary blacksmith. The mix of materials used to craft something this resilient and flexible normally doesn't work well together. However, due to the effort and mastery of the crafter, this armor was produced=.

Defense ration: D+

Attribute Scaling:

Agility x 1.2

Intelligence x 1.25

Armor Skill: Repulsion blast

Triggers an energy burst as a response to impacts in the armor. This effect can be turned on or off by the user. The potency of the blast is based on the user's charisma.

Attribute Scaling

Charisma x 1.4

Mana cost: 25 mana

Cooldown: 10 seconds

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Autumn Armguards (Metal Affinity)

Rarity: Common

Armguards created by an exemplary blacksmith. The materials used are excellent magical conductors.

Additional effect:

Increased magical compatibility.

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Autumn Boots (Metal Affinity)

Rarity: Common

Boots created by an exemplary blacksmith. The materials used are excellent magical conductors.

Additional effect:

Increased enchanting effects.

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She wasn't expecting the scaling to be that high. According to the crafter, the base value of the scaling would be 1.2. The increase wasn't that big, even if it looked like it. Hera's point of view was that of a beginner. For an experienced crafter, a decimal increase would barely be considered a success. The work put in during the production of the item could affect the item's effects, but the description of the items they sold was always the same, meaning that it wouldn't go lower unless they messed up during the production. It wasn't uncommon for crafters to increase the price if an item had extraordinary results.

The boots seemed to be made of the same material, but instead of the scale mail, it had large metal plates. The only engravings were the maple leaves around the tip of the boots. They were clearly made for function instead of appearance. Still, it fitted well with the rest of the armor. The armguards had the same style. Instead of the scale mail, it was the same plates that were used on the boots. However, unlike the boots, they had some decorations. The metal was forged to look like the same maple leaves that decorated the rest of the armor. They were lying on top of each other, making the bracers look like they were made exclusively of those metal leaves.

Hera started getting dressed. She was going to wear a long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants. As much as she hated wearing those, it was better to wear a tight outfit under the armor. Wearing nothing wasn't a good option. Even with the cloth that was weaved inside it, everyone recommended the use of proper clothing beneath it all. Hera had bought those two pieces to use with the armor. There were several high-end fabrics, and even some enchanted ones to lower the temperature and such, but for now, she just bought a basic, comfortable outfit. Hera had already spent too much on the armor. She still wanted to save some money, just in case. Getting dressed in the armor, Hera took a look at herself in the mirror.

The armor fitted really well. It wrapped around her body without an issue. The only problem was that the armor was tight. Not to an uncomfortable degree, but it showed too much of her body. Hera always made a point of wearing baggy or less revealing clothes, but now, even wearing metal armor, she felt a bit exposed. The armor followed her curves so perfectly that it had little difference compared to wearing a diving suit. At the very least, she was showing very little skin. Only her hands and neck could be seen. Staring at the mirror, Hera had to admit. As long as she could ignore the fact that she was the one wearing it, the armor looked amazing. Her previous armor gave off a feeling of being a ranger or a hunter. This one, however, made her look like a warrior. Hera rushed off downstairs. She wanted to put the armor to the test, but before she was able to leave the house, Helena was already waiting on the living room.

"Wow, that armor looks amazing!" Helena rushed towards Hera, "This color looks great on you, and how is the movement? Do you feel restricted in any way?"

"Not yet, but I'm going to hunt now to figure out."

"Are you crazy? No, no, no. You don't test that during a fight. What if you need to move to avoid an attack and the armor gets in the way? Try moving around now," Helena commanded.

Hera started walking, waving her arms around. The movements felt smooth, and the only restriction was how much she could twist her body.

"Ok, now do some side steps and kicks. Make sure the skirt won't get in the way."

Hera followed Helena's instructions. She could feel the skirt hitting her legs, but it never hurt. Raising her leg, she was able to keep it straight until it reached the height of her chest before not being able to continue. Not because the armor got in the way, but because she wasn't flexible enough.

"Everything seems fine," Hera said after finishing all the tests.

"Hang on, let me see one thing," Helena kneeled by Hera and raised the side of her skirt. Although she was wearing pants underneath it, the motion made Hera feel embarrassed, "Here, inside the skirt, there is a strap. You can put your leg inside it, and the skirt won't be flying everywhere."

Hera looked at it. The strap was just above her calf. She placed both legs in the band and moved around. It felt much better. Yet, she wouldn't be able to say that there were any problems before tying it like this.

"Thanks, Lena. I didn't even notice that."

Helena got up and was inspecting the rest of the armor. "Don't worry. I can imagine how excited you were. And you were lucky you got the armor with an experienced crafter. Most people overlook how a skirt can get in your way. I know that from experience. Anyway, I think you are all set. Did you call Blue and Alex?"

"I texted them, but they didn't get the message yet. I think they are out of range."

"I know I won't be able to stop you from trying the armor out. Just be careful, ok," Helena said with a sigh.

"I will. Promise."

Hera left the house and went straight towards the swamp. She still had a couple of hours of sunlight. After fighting the toad, Hera understood how dangerous it was to travel at night, and she didn't want to fight something that dangerous on her own again. It was one thing to be bored, another to be actively chasing monsters that could kill her. Hera could be excited and wanting to test her armor, but she wasn't suicidal.

Walking outside the city, she found one of the smooth crocodiles. It wasn't very big about the size of a fox. Hera watched it for a moment and decided that it would be a great guinea pig. Looking down, she patted her armor and whispered, "Let's see what you can do,"