"Heavy Smash...!"
Though she put all her force and weight into a powerful, overhead strike with her warpick, Gagaran's attack ricocheted off Evileye's head as if she had struck a durable metal plate. The vibrations in her arms nearly caused her to drop her weapon, but she endured through gritted teeth.
"Ugh...seriously? Did you have to go for the head...?" Keno questioned with a grimace. She hadn't taken any noticeable damage, but the impact was loud and disorienting—as if her head had been tolled like a bell.
"You're not leaving me with a lot of options..." Gagaran countered with a wry smile, her brow and body beaded with sweat beneath her armor. She had readily agreed to help Keno test the equipment Vahn had gifted her—a B-Rank Gothic Lolita outfit designed by Ravel. But the harder she struck, the more damage she caused herself.
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[Faux Vampire Princess]
Rank: B-Rank Battle Dress
P.Def: 311
M.Def: 638
Enchantment(s): [Sunlight Conversion(B)], [Temperature Regulation(B)], [Damage Reflection(C)], [Self-Repairing(C)]
A battle dress designed by a member of the Phenex Clan, providing comprehensive protection against physical and magical attacks. It was designed for males with feminine features, but adjustments have been made to the bust.
Special Property: The wearer can store up to 10 objects beneath the skirt, irrespective of their length.
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"Alright...it's my turn to go on the offensive..." Keno decided, reaching beneath her skirt and pulling out the Dragon God's Promise of Victory, leaving Gagaran and the spectating members of the Blue Roses varying degrees of slack-jawed.
"Hey, now...this is starting to feel dangerous—for me, specifically..." Gagaran noted, holding up her warpick and taking a defensive posture. She wasn't able to sense Mana or Magical Power, but her instincts were screaming at her that the flag in Keno's hands was dangerous.
"This banner is unique in that, unless the wielder intends to kill their target, it cannot inflict fatal damage..." Keno revealed flatly, unfurling the banner with a flourishing sweep. As she did, an aura of pale gold formed around her, spreading outward across the ground like a tide of swelling flames before forming a protective barrier that resembled the visage of a Dragon.
"Oh, come on...this is clear favoritism..." Gagaran groused, gnashing her teeth and charging forward to give Dragon's snout a probing bash. The golden membrane deformed slightly under the force of her blow, but that was it.
'It's like hammering a metal slime...' Gagaran noted, her brows creased in annoyance as she leaped back to try and create some distance—try being the operative word.
Though it was her first time using the standard, Keno understood how it was meant to be used. As Gagaran attempted to leap away, she made a grasping gesture with her left hand, causing the Dragon's head to lunge forward and capture the fleeing warrior in its jaws.
"Ah, fuck! I give up...!" Gagaran screamed, straining every muscle in her body to avoid being crushed. Keno wasn't trying to crush her, but the golden light that had enveloped her was denser than liquid gold, causing it to exert tremendous pressure on foes.
Opening her hand and pulling it back, Keno released Gagaran from the Dragon's maw, her brows raised in surprise. She knew the power of the banner was great, but she was awed by the notion that she could have reduced a powerful warrior like Gagaran to meat paste with a squeeze of her hand.
'I wonder if this is how he feels all the time...?' Keno pondered, turning her head to glance at Vahn. She recalled him grasping at the air fairly often to manipulate people and objects using what he called his Domain. Now that she had access to a similar ability, she had a better understanding of how much he had to hold himself back to avoid injuring people.
"Goodness...with these new armaments Lord Vahn has provided you, I daresay that you've well and truly entered the realm of an Outlier among Heroes, Evileye. Congratulations..." Lakyus expressed, sporting a notably cramped smile. As far as she was aware, Keno and Vahn hadn't been that close. That, combined with the fact that she was more powerful than the rest of their Party combined, left Lakyus wondering why Vahn had chosen her, among all of them, to receive his favor.
"There's no need to be jealous. Lord Vahn is generous, and the members of Blue Roses are good people," Keno contended, adopting a rare smile as she pointed out, "There's a reason that Tina and Tia have received several gifts from him, and it's not solely because they flirt with him. It's because they had the courage or lack of shame to ask."
"If that's the case, I also want equipment that can protect my entire body. I don't care if it makes me look like a doll..." Tina asserted, her expression and tone flat but serious.
"Same," Tia appended, removing her metal breastplate as she added, "I also don't care how it looks, as long as it matches the preferences of the Pervert Dragon Lord..."
"Is that intended to be a jab at me...?" Vahn questioned, tilting his head in confusion. He had definitely shared intimate moments with both Tina and Tia, but they were consistently the ones to initiate. And because of his promise to Lupusregina, things never escalated beyond playful comments and light skinship.
"If you're really open to requests, I sure as shit stinks wouldn't mind a new warpick. It feels like half the things I fight these days are impervious to my attacks," Gagaran added bluntly, removing her current warpick from her right shoulder and stamping its tip heavily against the ground. It was specially crafted from materials that wouldn't bend or fracture, no matter how hard she swung it. But after her bout with Entoma, where she had failed numerous times to bypass the Entomancer's defense, she had been feeling it wasn't nearly enough.
"Hmmn...alright, then. But if I give you new equipment, I expect you to pay my kindness forward to others..." Vahn answered, producing a stack of folded black garments, boots, and vambraces that appeared notably translucent around the edges.
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[Shimmersilk Shinobi Duds]
Rank: A-Rank Shuzokusho
P.Def: 640
M.Def: 1280
Enchantment(s): [Perfect Assassin(A)], [Stealth Boost(B)], [Self-Repairing(B)], [Charming(C)]
Shimmersilk garments of exceptional quality, made for alluring female assassins who understand that beauty is just another weapon in their employ. The fabric distorts light and bends shadows around the wearer when Mana is infused, making it difficult to read their movements.
Special Property: When the wearer successfully executes an attack from stealth, their defensive bonuses are converted into offensive bonuses for 0.001 seconds.
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"These aren't much different from what we're currently wearing..." Tina noted, her brows rising slightly as she accepted the stack of clothes and noted they were nearly weightless.
"As I mentioned before, you and your sister aren't the first Kunoichi I've encountered," Vahn excused, producing a set of identical equipment for the half-undressed Tia. The truth was that he had prepared the items he was about to give out in advance, not wanting to see the members of Blue Roses perish because he wasn't there to protect them.
"Haaaaaaaaa...could the two of you not change right here in front of Lord Vahn? It's inappropriate..." Lakyus sighed, posing with her arms crossed and a slight frown marring her face. She still didn't wish for her success to be attributed to Vahn. But if she suddenly became the weakest member of her Party because she was the only one to refuse his gifts, she would lose face and possibly even her position as leader of the Blue Roses.
"We could..." Tina and Tia responded in concert. At the same time, they continued undressing, prompting Vahn to erect a pair of privacy screens around them—more for Lakyus's sake than the duo's.
"Are you fine with just a new warpick...?" Vahn questioned.
"Hey, I'm not going to refuse if you also want to give me armor. Just don't turn around later and ask me to pay for it," Gagaran responded, shrugging.
"Rest assured. That won't happen," Vahn stated, producing a dark, silvery-grey breastplate with faux musculature that conformed to the breasts and body, sleek gauntlets, and thigh-high plate greaves forged from the same material.
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[Valkyrja Dominere]
Rank: A-Rank Plate Armor
P.Def: 1500
M.Def: 1390
Enchantment(s): [Einherjar(A)], [Mounting(A)], [Comfortable Fit(B)], [Featherfall(C)]
Enchanted armor forged from Asgardian Coldsteel. It is said that those who wear it can break any mount, be it man or beast.
Special Property: Grants the wearer +5 Class Levels of Valkyrja.
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"Aren't these plates a little thin? And I'm all for boob armor, but this feels excessive," Gagaran remarked, inspecting the breastplate and attempting to bend the material at its edges. To her astonishment, while the material was light and scarcely a millimeter thick, it didn't give in the slightest.
"I understand that you might be more accustomed to full-plate armor, but you shouldn't underestimate the importance of mobility and a full range of movement when it comes to generating power," Vahn stated, producing a pair of form-fitting black trousers and a leather belt with a silver buckle to complete Gagaran's new armor set. Then, in accordance with her original request, he produced a warpick with a notably thinner shaft than she was used to. The striking side resembled a meat grinder, with golden runes along its edges. As for the pick, it was a silvery fang bearing two Thurisaz runes, drastically increasing its penetrative power.
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[Thrudrnef]
Rank: B
P.Atk: 1303
M.Atk: 0
Enchantment(s): [Dragonsbane(B)], [Armor Break(B)], [Shield Break(C)], [Returning(C)]
A warpick wielded by the Shieldmaidens of Thrud, third of the thirteen Valkyrja, and the Lesser Goddess of Strength. It bears a grudge against all creatures born of Nidhogg, drastically increasing its offensive power when confronting Dragons.
Special Property: Becomes gravitationally fixed when not wielded or thrown by the intended wielder or someone they trust.
Current Owner: Vahn Mason
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"Oh, wow. That's some warpick..." Gagaran expressed, her eyes widening to their limits. The handle was a bit thin for her taste, but she could tell at a glance that the warpick Vahn had pulled, seeming from thin air, was far superior to any she had wielded in the past. It was an odd sensation, but she couldn't shake the feeling she was unworthy of it...
"And then there was one," Vahn mused aloud, planting the warpick into the ground using the spike on its end before turning his head to stare at Lakyus.
"Lakyus. Now isn't the time to be prideful. What's more important to you, the way people perceive you or being able to help as many people as you can?" Keno questioned flatly, prompting Lakyus's brows to crease further.
"If only things were that simple..." Lakyus sighed, exhaling from her nose before meeting Vahn's gaze and stating, "I greatly appreciate Lord Vahn's willingness to invest in the Blue Roses. But I already face accusations that the only reason I'm Adamantite-ranked is due to my legendary sword and the equipment I've acquired—irrespective of how painstaking the process of acquiring them was. I would prefer not to add fuel to those rumors. Not when so many women and girls look to Blue Roses as evidence that they, too, might succeed as Adventurers..."
"A noble sentiment..." Vahn acknowledged, nodding. Fortunately, he had already anticipated Lakyus's response. Thus, without skipping a beat, he produced a long box containing thirteen rings, each adorned with a blue, rose-shaped gemstone.
"These are rings that, when worn, divide the experience obtained from defeating monsters between other wearers within a range of five hundred meters," Vahn explained, attesting, "It should help close the strength gap between your current members. And if you take in additional members in the future, you can use them to accelerate their growth."
"Are you suggesting that the wearers of these rings can become stronger based on the efforts of other wearers...?" Lakyus questioned, her brows raised to their limits as she accepted the box and inspected the beautiful white-gold rings within. The fact that they were adorned with blue roses suggested that Vahn had prepared them specifically for her Party. And if their effect were as he purported...she might be able to grow Blue Roses from a Party to a Brigade of powerful female Adventurers...
"Not only that, but their effect increases when multiple people wearing the ring fight together," Vahn revealed, causing quite the stir among the members of Blue Roses. The weapons and equipment he had gifted them were undeniably incredible, but they ultimately had limited uses. The rings he was presenting to Lakyus, however, were infinitely versatile. If utilized well, their Party might very well grow into the most powerful military force on the Continent...
...
..
.