Fresh Look (R-18)
(Caution: This chapter has some explicit implications/actions. You have been warned!)
"What a great haul!" Karion laid his back on the bed," How much do we have?"
Ruby opened her card, "83 goblin ears, 14 hobgoblin ears, 10 Dire Wolf fangs, 3 Roost feathers, and 1 Roost egg."
"Paired with what I have, " Karion opened his card, "7 locks of Dire Wolf fur, 2 brown crystals, and 4 slime shards… Not a bad haul for one day."
Karion sat up and patted his hand on the bed, urging Ruby to join him. She quietly sat down next to him. Although Karion had no intention to push her down, her beautiful figure almost made him second-guess himself. He resisted by caressing her cheeks, his fingers periodically brushing up against her ears. Her eyes closed as her ears twitched at every touch.
"Does it hurt?" Karion asked.
"N-Not at all!" Ruby quickly responded with a flushed face, "Rather… I-I like it when you pet me, sir…"
Karion's discipline hung by a thread. When told such a thing, he wondered just how many people wouldn't cave in his situation. Staring into each other's eyes, they kissed.
"Let's clean ourselves off," Karion said, forcing himself to regain control of his libido.
"Ah- Yes! I will go fetch the water," Ruby stood, walking to the door.
Instructing Ruby to retrieve three buckets of water, she exited the room with a bow, leaving Karion alone. He reflected on his day, focusing on his sword's sudden change of movement that persisted in his mind. Drawing his sword, he inspected the craft. From the steady hilt to the radiant blade, even a novice could determine that it was a blade forged by the heavens.
Karion knew it was a stupid thing to ask, but the various coincidences couldn't be brushed off so easily,
"Can you…. understand me…?"
The sword was silent.
{
Ivory Ataria - Owner: [Karion]
Skills: [Restore], [Victory], [Recall], [Sythesis], [???]
}
Ataria's status and abilities remain unchanged. His gaze locked onto the mysterious skill labeled with question marks. His intuition advised him that it was not meant to be ignored, but no matter how many times he tried to cast it, nothing changed. He looked over his status, wanting to find answers.
{
Karion - Age: 19 [Health: 20/20] [Mana: 50/50]
Active Class: [Swordsman Lv. 3], [EX - Jack+ Lv. 2] (Farmer Lv. 1, Villager Lv. 4, Taurus Lv. 2, Magician Lv. 1)
Skills: [EX - Appraisal], [Pierce], [Taunt]
Equipment: [EX - Ivory Ataria]
}
"Huh..?"
To his surprise, he attained a new class.
"Magician…?"
He was certain that Jack+ was able to give him classes that were race-exclusive. He assumed that Magician was not a race-exclusive class, but a class he unlocked with conditions. Reflecting on his day, the only instance of magic he used aside from Swordsman's Pierce, was Taurus' Taunt.
[Magician must be unlocked when you use two different types of magic! But just how do normal magicians attain such magic?]
{
Karion - Age: 19 [Health: 20/20] [Mana: 250/250]
Active Class: [Swordsman Lv. 3], [Magician Lv. 1] (Farmer Lv. 1, Villager Lv. 4, Taurus Lv. 2, EX - Jack+ Lv. 2)
Skills: [EX - Appraisal], [Pierce], [Trinity]
Equipment: [EX - Ivory Ataria]
}
[..?!] After equipping Magician in place of Jack+, his mana surpassing Ruby's health was something he never expected. Finding a new skill, he appraised it immediately.
{Trinity: Allows the use of basic Flame, Frost, and Shock magic}
[I'll need to test this tomorrow. Dungeon crawling on the silver level might not be as difficult now.]
Ruby entered the room holding the buckets of water as requested. With one resting on her arm, and one on each hand, Karion reaffirmed just how strong Ruby is.
"I've returned sir," She set the buckets down, "If I may, why did you need three buckets?"
"Since we're running low on potions, I wanted to keep some for us to make later. But we're running low on bryas and vials, so tomorrow morning, we're going to the market." Karion set two of the buckets aside, bringing one to the center of the room.
Taking off his shirt, Ruby was quick to retrieve it, folding it before placing it on the table, "Master, may I suggest you withhold my meals?"
"I- What..?"
"I'm very grateful to be with a benevolent master, but for a slave, having the same meals as you is unheard of," Ruby's voice was firm, "I'd hate to be another reason to spend bryas on…"
Karion listened to her words earnestly, but his decision was already made. He walked behind her, holding her tightly. Leaning his head over her shoulder, Karion nuzzled his head against hers.
"Don't be silly. Going through the dungeon depths requires the energy to do so. It's my duty as your master to look after your well-being."
Ruby held Karion's arms. The warmth she felt put her at ease, "You're… a unique person, sir. Not everyone is as amazing as you are."
Karion chuckled lightly. His hands drifted across her body, going inside her shirt and pants. She responded with a soft moan.
"I also must make sure you're well-cleaned, don't you agree?"
Ruby held Karion's hands over her clothes, "Yes, sir..!" She said with a smile.
-
Waking the next morning after a night of passionate fornication, Ruby helped Karion dress himself after a morning kiss that he requested.
Watching Ruby dress herself, Karion noticed her clothes showing signs of wear.
"Let's use the time to get you some new clothes too, Karion said, emptying the wardrobe of the remaining monster materials.
"I-I could never…! We're on a tight budget, I couldn't possibly think of adding another expense!" Ruby began lightly stretching parts of her clothing, proving their durability, "I'm still able to use these clothes, there's no need to-"
Karion walked to Ruby, sealing her mouth with a kiss, "This isn't up for discussion, okay?"
"Y-Yes, sir…"
While Karion returned to arranging his storage cells, Ruby took a moment to touch her lips, she smiled as her face blushed.
[Goblin Ear x117], [Hobgoblin Ear x27], [Slime Core Shard x17], [Dire Wolf Fang x24], [Dire Wolf Fur x5], [Brown Crystal x9], [Roost Feather x3], [Roost Egg]
[We have a lot of items. Ruby and I can carry them, but I don't want to lose items that I might need later…]
"Do you know if Roost materials are needed in alchemy?"
"I'm sorry sir, I don't."
[Alchemy is too secretive… Worth the shot of asking at least.]
"Ruby, empty your storage cells. Take the monster materials. I'll store the rest."
"Yes, sir."
Heading to the commercial district, they entered the apothecary. The clerk almost jumped at seeing Karion,
"You're back…!" She exclaimed with relief.
Confused, Karion asked, "Did something happen?"
"You talk about needing money fast, then I don't see you for a few days..! I thought you died doing something stupid, kid."
"Sorry to worry you," Karion weakly laughed. He couldn't deny what he did was 'stupid' but knowing that he was cared enough to be worried for gave him a warm feeling.
With Ruby beside him, he introduced her with pride, "This is Ruby, she's my slave."
Gazing at her collar before squinting her eyes at Karion, she held a grin, "Ahhh, I see now."
The clerk scoffed, "Good for you, finally leaving those privileged vultures!"
[Is she talking about the alchemist association?]
"Yes, it was a huge ordeal…"
A convenient lie dropped in his lap and he took it without question. Ruby intertwined her fingers, resting her hands below her waist. She stood behind Karion with her eyes closed.
"But hey, if you've left the dorms, you're crashing at an inn, aren't you? I'd find a cheap lot to rent soon," she warned.
"Why?"
"Well, because in the long run, inns will drain your bryas faster than you can make it," the clerk pulled an envelope from the counter, "There's a realtor at the start of the commercial district. Give this to her, she's a friend."
Karion accepted the envelope, "Thank you, I'll keep it in mind."
"Moving that aside, did you come here to sell or buy?"
"For now, we're running low on vials. I'd like to buy 12 vials please," he said while placing 100 bryas on the counter.
Exiting the apothecary, they remained in the commercial district. Walking into a clothing store that divided its products by size and gender.
"Is the clerk someone you know well?" Ruby asked while they walked through the store.
"She's someone with a good heart. She's helped me out a few times."
"Selling potions to an apothecary isn't a bad thing, however, selling them to the adventurers guild might be better."
"Really? How?"
"While there isn't a ranking system in place for adventurers, there's a secret watchlist for those who perform well. They do this to help the capable adventurers who are in trouble or persuade them to stay if they want to change affiliations. Selling a steady supply of potions might help you in the long term."
[While that certainly does sound enticing, if they figure out it was my sword who did the work, that might put an unnecessary target on my back.]
"Thanks for the telling me, but for now, I'll keep to the apothecary."
"Is that so? I understand." Arriving at an aisle of clothes tailored for Ruby's size, she stood to the side, "Anything from this section will fit me. Shall I wait outside?"
"Outside? These are your clothes. Pick whatever you'd like."
[Usually, it's the man who waits outside…]
"Eh? You're allowing me to choose?"
Karion was aware that slaves don't often have the freedom of choice, but he silently wished for Ruby to be a little more selfish with her desires. "Of course, pick whatever you like. You don't need to fret over the price."
While Ruby chose her outfit, Karion took the time to look at his own appearance. Despite the many activities he's been through, his clothes were as pristine as the day he arrived in the world.
[Are these clothes also blessed with something from the divine..?]
His thoughts were long enough for Ruby to choose her clothes. Holding a small pile of clothing she was satisfied with her selection, "I'm okay with this, sir."
Inspecting the clothes she chose, Karion wanted to get a sense of her style. Ruby chose a white, bishop-sleeved shirt stitched under a thin, brown vest, and western-styled jeans. Beneath the pile of clothes rested undergarments and a suggestive one-piece lingerie.
"Ah..!" Ruby noticed the lingerie in Karion's sight, "T-That was… I thought you might like this… I-It's not a necessity though, allow me to put it back!" Her flustered voice and reddened expression blinded her from seeing Karion immediately paying the attendant until it was already purchased.
-
Returning to the inn, they decided the day be used for rest. Karion began brewing potions while trying to find new recipes with different combinations. Ruby spent her day maintaining her shield. She used her old clothes as rags, insisting on waiting until nightfall to wear her new outfit. Though Karion wanted to ask for her reasons, he didn't want to take away the sight of Ruby's bare torso.
When the moon began to rise, they wiped each other's bodies off before Ruby decided to wear her new clothes, while asking Karion to turn his back.
"Go ahead, " she said.
"These clothes are very comfortable, thank you, sir," she spun in place, her tail extruding through a custom hole of her pants.
"You're stunning, Ruby." It didn't matter what she wore, to Karion, her warm, genuine smile at her outfit gifted a smile to himself.
"T-Then…" Ruby had a blush. Removing her clothes, a black, basque lingerie that complimented her golden hair was a sight Karion couldn't ignore.
"How do I look…?" Ruby said with uncertainty.
Karion's reply was with a kiss. He pushed her to the bed, charmed by her erotic figure. Ruby spread her limbs to Karion, hugging him tightly as she whispered in his ear, "I'm glad you like it."