“This is the best I can do with it.” Nel says, tying the less bloodied of the torn strips of cloth around my chest. It’s functional, and that’s about all I can really say about it. I’m not entirely unfamiliar with showing off my midriff but usually I do so for better reason than lack of other options.

We’ve cleared away all the blood and gunk that we can with what limited tools we have, leaving a small pile of bloodied rags along with Eshya’s sword on the inside of the door. A good surprise for any other rebels that decide to poke their heads in the dark world under the academy.

Nel mutters something about finally learning cleansing magic as we check each other over for anything particularly ‘beastly'. Eshya had a few stray chunks of chitin stuck in her hair, but after that we’re close enough to presentable that we should be able to get to a nearby public toilet.

“Are you sure there’ll be a cleansing stone?” I ask.

“Once again, yes.” Nel says, “Every restroom has at least one cleansing stone and I advise that you use it every visit. We aren’t living in that hell-hole anymore, there’s no reason to run about filthy and stinky.”

“Yes, yes, I do clean myself properly, you know.” I insist with a shake of my head.

The few people we pass on the way to the restroom aren’t much bothered by the sight of us, though I think some do smell the blood and guts on us, so it’s a relief when we finally get to the restroom and close the sliding stone door behind us.

There on a tall table and over a small drain is the foretold cleansing stone, just where Nel said it would be.

The blood, dirt, and spider juice all flow from my skin and clothes, but it isn’t able to take the taste out of my mouth. I start gurgling water to try and wash away the flavour of bug as Eshya takes her turn with the cleansing stone.

“The mana was nice, but…” Eshya mutters over the sink, “I’ll be tasting bug guts for the next week.”

“Is there any magic that can clean away this taste?” I ask, after spitting.

“Magic can do anything, and we’re not filthy beasts living in the wilds. At least not today…” Nel says, “The cleansing stones at the dorms are higher quality, they should work, but we can’t risk crossing paths with Adler until we have new clothes.”

“Damn.” I swish around more water, but the oily feel of spider innards remains. In the end I content myself with sucking on the mana filled sphere, the prickly feel of mana is enough to distract from the oily sensation that won’t go away.

Vii shivers as she readjusts her clothes, looking at the few places that they're torn and damaged.

“Clothes shopping first.” I say, and no one has any complaints. “Then we head back home to see about getting rid of this taste before lunch. Might just get something spicy to fully flush the memory out of my mind.”

“I hate spicy foods.” Vii says, “But maybe a little...”

“Nel, do you know where to go?” I ask as we finish cleaning ourselves.

“I’ll lead the way,” she says as Eshya quietly tries to clean her mouth out.

From where we are it’s a short walk to the markets where our new clothes are waiting for us. We don’t gather as much attention as I expected to, which I’m thankful for. Adler is surely running about in search of us, and I’d rather not be wearing these torn clothes when she does find us.

“So, there’s no such thing as barter, or money, or anything like that?” I ask as Nel leads us to the markets.

“No barter in the Unified States unless you visit the third-grade civilisations,” Eshya says.

“Precisely, you can take everything that you need and want. Though, it’s better not to be greedy.” Nel says, “Everything you take is marked on your records so if someone runs around taking more than they really should, the welfare officers might get involved.”

“Huh, I suppose every good dystopia is modelled off of a utopia…” I mutter.

“What’s that about?” Vii asks, fluttering by my side, her energy fully returned from our earlier struggles.

“Nothing important. Just my growing worries about the ever-present influence of the welfare officers.” I say, “We should be able to get everything we need?”

“It’ll be fine for our needs. I mean you are supposed to collect what you need for class and living here, I doubt it would damage any of our records to do just that,” Nel says.

“How do you know if you’re taking too much?” Vii asks.

“You don’t?” Eshya says uncertainly, looking curiously at Vii, “If any of us should know, it would probably be you with all your strange knowledge.”

“I only know what I know.”

“Well, anyway,” Eshya shrugs, "it’s rather clear what you need. It’s more that you shouldn’t be taking too many things that you want but don’t need.”

“Well, we can’t waste time worrying about it too much.” I say, “If someone wants to say we don’t need clothes, then they’d better be a freaking nudist. Is there anything else you three are after? Some toothpaste and mouthwash would be godsend right now.” I’ll also need to ask about this world’s hygiene products before the time comes that I need them.

“Just be patient, Kyra. We’ll use the cleansing stone in the dorms soon enough.” Nel says lightly, “Beyond fresh clothes, I don’t really need anything.”

“We might need some things for our classes,” Eshya says thoughtfully.

“Just clothes,” Vii adds, “I don’t really need anything else. I like to travel and live light.”

She taps at the book holstered on her thigh before continuing, “We’ll need to get a few things for our excursions below. A healing potion would save our butts if we get in trouble again. We can’t be relying on strange people to come and save us every time.”

“We’ll have to develop a proper plan before that shopping trip,” I say with a sigh. Before I can even consider what we need to buy for that trip, I’ll need to see what abilities we can learn here and what we’ll need to make the most of our currently undeveloped combat skills and Skills.

As we walk the beautiful stone roads shaded by the world tree, we encounter more and more people carrying all sorts of goods, but mostly groceries. It’s a little strange to see so many baskets and hemp bags, with no plastic in sight.

“It’s a day for clothes shopping,” I say.

Everything else is secondary as there’s free food, lodging, bathing, and seemingly all else. It’s actually bothering me how nice that aspect of this society is, our room is great, our food is wonderful, and the bath is the nicest I’ve ever had.

The clothes here don’t seem to be too bad either, matter of fact they seem quite nice, though certainly not the patterned and printed sort that you’d find back home.

“What sort of clothes should we go for?” Vii asks, “Trying to look pretty? Something a little better suited to combat? Something for hiking? Cold weather shouldn’t be an issue here.”

“Something a little more formal and pretty. I’ll have to ask you two to help decide for that,” I say. I’m looking for something that screams, ‘not-a-beast’ essentially, but actually saying that is a bit...

‘Image is important.’ Damn it. My brothers brainwashing sticks in my head even after my brain chipping.

“Also, something more durable for exercise and our planned excursion,” I say.

“That makes more sense, but I think I’ll stay away from the overly formal stuff,” Vii says, “My only clothes have been ruined for a little too long now. I’m used to it, and I can put up with it for a little while, but I really hate it.”

“I have to agree with you there,” I say, adjusting my bandages that have slipped a little. “Anyway, where are we going?”

Looking around, there are wooden stalls set up on the streets, and a few larger stone buildings with ornate signage up over the top.

“Over here,” Eshya waves us over to an elevated stone pillar, standing at a height just shy of my chest. On it is a map written in liquid metals and marked with countless shops.

The lines of the map swim about as Eshya touches its surface, the stone below glows dull green as the metal trembles and focuses on a spot I recognise as where we’re standing. A list to the side of the map describes all the stores nearby.

“Clothes store.” Eshya says as she selects the catagory. In response the map trembles again, the glow of certain stores growing brighter as others dull back to plain stone.

“We should go to one of these stores, that one seems close and seems to have decent size. Rather far from the high-end markets too, so it should be good for our needs.”

“High-end markets?”

“Higher quality goods.” Nel explains, “We haven’t the need for them, lower quality clothes would do well for us.”

“How do you know where the high-end markets are?” I ask, I don’t recall seeing anything marking it out on the map.

“The size of the stores, and the lack of stalls.” She explains, “If you get close, you’ll also notice a difference in the people visiting.”

The more things are different, the more they’re the same.

“So, why is it that we don’t have a map like that on our chips?”

“On the support devices?” Vii asks, fluttering excitedly as she looks all about.

“The functions it has now are rather new as it is… To me it seems rather silly to waste space on the device with a map of every shopping district you might go to.” Nel says, “Though I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad to have a general map of the academy since it’s mostly the same layout worldwide.”

“Huh, is that so?”

“You sound disappointed,” Eshya says.

“Remind me to show you my phone when I get the chance.”

“Okay…” Eshya seems perplexed.

“Here’s the shop,” Vii declares, waving her wing at the building. “This is the one that you pointed out isn’t it?”

“It is,” Eshya says.

It’s not the most ornate of those that we’ve walked by, but it isn’t in shambles either. In fact, I haven’t seen a single stall or store that hasn’t at least been nice. I sort of wish that I had, so that I can find something more to criticize this civilization for.

As if brain chipping, kidnapping, and forced military service weren’t enough for that. I suppose they’ve given me a chip on my shoulder as well as in my head.

“It seems nice enough…” I remark stepping inside only for my words to die.

It’s amazing.

I was expecting something like a store back home. Some racks filled with clothes and maybe neatly stacked piles set up here and there, but instead it genuinely feels magical.

Mannequins walk around the store, looking to be made from folded paper, they avoid blocking the customers but walk close by them to show off their clothes. At the sides and in lines around the room these strange golems fold themselves neatly in rows as others unfold and replace them on the floor.

I can tell none of the dresses, or suits, or shirts, or trousers are the same. Even with the different wraps and clothes from all sorts of cultures and suited to all sorts of bodies, I can tell that they’re all unique.

That’s the most confusing part, there is not one piece of clothing here that seems to have been made for pure utility. Nothing made just because it needed to be made. Everything is a work of art, even though most are art pieces made by amateurs.

I really must pay more attention to everyone else’s clothes, because the more I think of it the more I realize that many of the citizens of this world are dressed in clothes of the same nature as these.

“Is there something you need help with?” An attendant approaches us as I’m frozen in the doorway looking all over the place while my mind races through these thousand thoughts.

“I, ah, just browsing for now.” I reply, looking over everything.

“If you need anything, please call for me.”

“Thanks.” I say, as Eshya giggles at my slightly awkward interaction. Vii, meanwhile, is already fluttering about. Nel pokes at a frozen paper figure wearing clothes of about her size.

“Okay,” I clear my head and get serious, “Something pretty, and something durable. I could too easily ask for more, but I’m guessing that wouldn’t help my records, would it?”

“Can’t say for sure, if you need it, get it.” Nel replies without a hint of worry. Yet, I can’t help but worry, myself. Too many red flags have been raised; from this way-too-nice store, to the idea of walking out with free stuff, all of it is making me uncomfortable.

“This would look good on you. Oh, that would be nice too. This one’s more Eshya. I like this!” Vii is already floating between all the mannequins, not hesitating a moment to wave them to a pause and get a better look at their clothes.

I hesitantly join in and we spend a while looking through the moving stock. Dresses and wraps of all sorts and natures wander around the room, interestingly only those that would seem to fit me ever approach. The stranger, and larger, clothes showing themselves instead to those who would fit them.

“This one isn’t bad…” I say, waving down a walking dress.

The dress is a dark, dark purple and is made of something reminding me of silk, though not quite as fine. A few scattered flowers are sewn along the hem of the fluffed-up skirt which rests around mid-thigh in the front while gradually lengthening to mid-calf in the back.

There are fewer flowers higher up the dress, and even the patterns in the cloth smooth as it reaches up to the breast. A different, much more textured fabric wraps around the shoulders in loose sleeves and around the neck.

A small window between the smooth fabric and the textured remains to reveal a little cleavage. I mean, who doesn’t want to look a little bit sexy?

“What do you two think? How does it work with my hair colour?” I ask, as the girls come over to check on the dress I’m looking at.

“I like it! It really suits you really well,” Vii says, her shining eyes seem unable to lie, but she’s a measure more excited that I think the dress really deserves.

“It should suit you well, but we’ll have to see it on you.” Nel says, with a thoughtful expression, “It would be good for your image, as well.”

“It’s not bad, but where are you going to even wear it?” Eshya asks.

“Is it too formal?”

“For everyday attire, yes, probably.” She responds, “Though I suppose it’s not that bad. With all the different sorts of people around there is always someone wearing something that stands out.”

“That is the plan…”.

“What was that?” Eshya asks.

“Don’t mind it.” I reply, before asking for help to get the dress off the doll, and then further help to get it on once I’m ushered to a changing room.

The assistant who’d approached earlier is exceedingly nice through all the trouble. Her slightly greying fur and gentle but insistent tone make the otherwise embarrassing affair not so bad.

“The fitting isn’t going to be a problem?” I ask, yet again.

“No, no, it’ll be fine.” The assistant laughs lightly, “It’s been made well, and you're well within the standards this dress was designed for.” She explains as the loose parts of it tighten, hugging comfortably close.

Around the neck this is exceedingly uncomfortable, especially given the pins and needles that the entire dress is pressing on me all over my skin. I hadn’t noticed when selecting it, but this dress must be quite well made with the amount of mana pressing on me from it.

“And it shouldn’t be giving me a rash or anything?”

“A rash?” She seems confused before something clicks, “Oh, are you talking about mana friction? It shouldn’t be a problem with clothes so lowly infused as these.”

“Ah…” I sigh in resignation, “It’s just that my mana is a little low at the moment.”

“Is that so? You shouldn’t hesitate to choose something else if it’s uncomfortable.”

“No, I’ll be fine soon enough.” I tell her, holding back my frustration at the renewed mana friction. I can deal with pain well enough, but the insistent irritating nature of mana friction is something else entirely.

I force a smile on my face and explain a little about my predicament, joking here and there to keep the atmosphere light until the last of the ‘mana buttons’ has been fixed.

“You really are an interesting one,” She laughs lightly, giving me a look over, “Well, let’s show your friends, I think it looks rather nice on you.”

“I still need some accessories to finish the outfit,” I reply, and her yellow eyes sparkle with overflowing passion. I can practically hear the fashion filled thoughts racing behind those eyes.

I open the curtains to Vii, Eshya, and Nel, waiting excitedly as they look through a few sets of clothes of their own. Nel and Vii even have some clothes selected.

“Ooooh, nice!” Vii says, her eyes glued to me as she wears a distant smile.

“It will do well.” Nel says with a nod, looking me over carefully.

Eshya, meanwhile, doesn’t reply immediately, her eyes slowly moving up my legs to my face.

“Do you dance?” She finally says, fully serious, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why she asks this now.

After a while longer spent shopping, I complete the outfit with some considerable assistance. I get a few sets of black, thigh-high socks, tall boots made of supple leather, also black, and a fluffy wristband that matches in colour and fabric with the dress.

The others have also taken a liking a to some new outfits.

“I like it,” I say, taking in Vii’s new clothes.

She’s wearing a simple dark blue cloth that’s similar to the cliché togas of the ancient Greeks and Romans. It suits her surprisingly well. As she moves, as she so often does, whether it’s bouncing, or skipping, or swaying about, the clothes wave as if with the movements of the ocean. At times gentle waves, and other times like a terrible storm.

Nel’s new dress is long and as black as her chitin but dyed with a shifting white pattern. The length of it is split at the sides like a Chinese dress, while it’s long silken sleeves go all the way to wrist. She moves slowly but confidently in the clothes, as if more familiar with the style compared to what she’s worn before.

Eshya, having taken the most time of all of us, has ended up with a simple white summer dress. It’s not too plain, with a little patterned embroidery, but it’s certainly not over spoken.

“This is much better than our old rags,” I say, shifting my prickly dress about.

“Literally rags in your case.” Nel says, rubbing at her head. True to her words my bandages were balled up and tossed into a waste basket for disposal.

“We just need another more durable set of clothes now.” Eshya says, looking around and only seeing clothing way too nice.

After leaving for the stalls outside, and saying our goodbyes to the lovely assistant, we quickly gather together some rough clothes for fighting in.

Though it’s as we’re leaving that I find the last thing that I need.

A big, dull brown leather jacket, reminding me a little of motorcycle gear. It even has a little strap around the neck to keep it on when I have it wrapped around my shoulders rather than wearing it through the sleeves.

Vii and Nel both seem most perplexed by this acquisition, but on this one thing I will not compromise, and Eshya is on my side.

This is a nice jacket and will pair nicely with my new work clothes, my armour (one day), and my new dress.

I walk out of the markets, the leather jacket billowing out behind me. I can feel my lips rising even as I try to keep a passive expression.

“Well, you certainly will leave an impression…” Nel says, looking me over again.

“That she most assuredly will.” Vii chirps with laughter, which is certainly not to do with my awesome jacket.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stats & Skills

~Mana Form:

Current mana density: 106 units

~Mana distribution:

Skin: 21%

Muscle: 7%

Mind: 4%

Cardiovascular: 7%

Misc.: 1%

Efficiency: 40%

~Skills:

-Mana skin

-Mana shield.

-Mana surge strike

-Flame burst

-Fireball

-Infused Delayed Casting