"So, what are we doing here?" Thia asks as she and Jackson walk into the weapons and armor shop on the northern outskirts of the port while Evelyn and Darla wait outside.
"We're here because with the means to go into battle, you're the only one whose body is not protected," Jackson answers as he walks up to the weapons and armor merchant at the counter. "Women's armo-"
"-We don't have any," he quickly says.
Jackson stares at him more intensely and then says, "You sure?"
"Absolutely," the merchant replies.
Jackson shoots a look at Thia and she smiles as it looks like in the blink of an eye, she faded out of existence.
"He's lying," she says. "He has a bunch in the back."
"How does she-" He starts as he stumbles back when he blinked and Thia was suddenly at the counter next to Jackson.
"Please," Jackson says politely, "We're paying customers."
"You just didn't look like you could afford anything," the merchant fumbles over his words.
"What type of raggedy ole' broke ass backwater asshat window shops at a weapons and armor shop?" Jackson laughs.
The merchant grunts, heads into his storage in the back and comes back with a wagon full of armor that is fit for women. He sighs and says, "To answer your rhetorical question, I see much of it here. There's an Ultra Beast arena up the road where people try to test their luck. It hasn't been defeated in 400 years. With that information, people like to think it's their time now."
"Ah," Jackson says as he and Thia start to look through the armor. "You want something your body can still move freely in. I suggest a skirt for at least the bottom half of your body instead of chaps unless the leggings don't have a lot of friction."
"How do you know all this?" She asks.
"I used to be in charge of uniforms for technicians and paid more attention to female uniforms because I'm a man and not a woman so I couldn't half ass attention to their uniforms like I could the men," Jackson replied. He was silent and then said, "And Evelyn would kill me if you were immobile." He then sighed and stood up and looked at the merchant and said, "Don't worry. We're not going after the Ultra Beast."
They all turned their head at the door as it peeked open and Evelyn's head popped in and said, "Hurry up! We just found out there's an Ultra Beast ahead and I want a crack at it!" And then she disappeared from sight.
Jackson turned to the clerk who had an unamused look on his face and Jackson said, "I- I don't know her. She must have me mixed up with someone else in the store."
The merchant looks around to his empty store and looks back at Jackson and smiles.
"Oh no, she's talking to him alright," Thia says as she stands up supporting a bright colored light armor set with an iron breastplate, bracers, boots and black and breathable leather clothing. A sleeveless shirt, skirt, and pants. "He's Loverboy," she teases. "I'm good with this!" she gestures to all of her.
"Weapons?" Jackson asks.
"Daggers," Thia responds. "Works best with my ability and aerodynamics."
"Right," Jackson says. He looks at the merchant and says, "We're still paying."
"I know," he responds as he heads into his backroom again. "How many would you like?" He yells out.
Jackson looks at Thia up and down her armor choice and says, "Is seven good?"
Shocked, Thia responds, "Wouldn't two be enough?"
Jackson nods to her suggestion and yells back, "Eight, if you have them."
Thia's jaw dropped.
"Looking pretty snazzy there, Miss Riddick," Evelyn says as Thia and Jackson exit out of the shop admiring Thia's new armor.
A screen popped up in front of Thia as they approached where Evelyn and Darla were waiting for them.
[New armor acquired. Please name the new armor set]
She shoots a look at Evelyn, and she nodded and said, "Go ahead. Name it." And Thia looked back down.
[Armor Name: Speedster's Blur]
[Congratulations! Speedster's Blur has been registered.]
[Calculating Stats]
[Finished]
[Stat Boosts:]
[Strength: +2]
[Vitality: +4]
[Defense: +5]
[Agility: +10]
[Magic: +2]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 11] [+2]
[Vitality: 12] [+4] – [HP – 160]
[Defense: 10] [+5]
[Agility: 25] [+10]
[Magic: 20] [+2] – [MP – 440]
[Armor 'Speedster's Blur' can now be equipped and unequipped in the Armor tab of your inventory.]
"Great name," Darla smiled.
"I'd say," Jackson added. "Do you know she actually blinked stepped while we were in there? He was giving us a hard time at first saying there was no armor for women, and she literally checked to see if he was lying and it was like she faded out and then again, she like appeared somewhere else in the blink of an eye."
Wide-eyed at Thia, Evelyn said, "That's so cool! You must have been booking it!"
"I was!" Thia replies. "I was excited after all!"
Jackson drops a bag in front of Thia and says, "Come on. This is next. Put it in your inventory."
Thia looks at Jackson and groans.
"What's that?" Darla asks, walking up and opening the bag. "Shit. Theres…" Darla starts counting to herself silently and continues, "Shit, there's eight daggers in here!"
"Why do you need eight daggers?" Evelyn asks looking at Thia.
"I don't!" Thia exclaims. "I told him I need two!"
Evelyn turns to Jackson and asks, "Why does she need eight daggers?"
Jackson sighs and says, "Thia's power is speed, right?" They all nodded. He continues, "Speed is technically almost identical to how technicians operate. Although we draw power that is like magic, dark magic. And we specialize in precision and speed."
"So Thia is technically almost like a technician?" Evelyn asks.
"Without being one, yes. And being a siren as, well, pin her up against someone like my father, whom is mostly likely the best technician in the world, and he's beat, easily."
"Wait a minute," Darla says. "Don't technicians make their own weapons and masters of sacred arts or some shit."
"Well yeah," Jackson admits. "There's that too. But I mean on other stuff, she exceeds."
Evelyn interjects, "It's a cool story and all, but we have an Ultra Beast up ahead need to go."
Disgruntled, Jackson says, "You say that like the Ultra Beast is needed to be killed to move on. It's contained in its arena. We can just bypass it and move on. Plus, I hope you don't think you can take it on. According to the shop keeper, that beast has only been defeated once around 400 years ago and not again since."
"Which is all the more reason to go! Come on! Darla and I took out an Ultra Beast on our own already like six or seven levels ago! I'm sure we're more capable now and as a team! We could just call it a… A warmup! Yeah! A warmup!" Evelyn says excitedly.
Jack shoots a death glare over at Darla, "You guys already- You guys really went into that damn dungeon with the dragon!?"
"So what of it?" Darla shoots back a content-like expression with a cracked smile at him.
"So- wha-" Jackson starts stumbling. "With her as our captain we're supposed to keep her alive!"
"And am I dead?" Evelyn chimes in.
Thia pokes Evelyn and giggles, "Seems alive to me."
Evelyn walks up to Jackson and looks him dead in the eyes and says, "Did I seem quite alive last night?"
Jackson blushes bright red and looks down with a smirk and a sigh and in a low voice says, "Fair point."
"Oh shit," Darla started laughing. "You got him all fucked up and his knickers in a twist."
"Oh fuck off," Jackson sighs in aggravation. "I'm not all happy about this but fine, let's get a look at this damn Ultra Beast."
In about a half an hour up the road they arrive at the town that the Ultra Beast arena hosts and the amount of people are packed and cheering around the arena. "I really hope they don't kill this thing before I do," Evelyn says as the group pushes through the bystanders to see the arena.
Evelyn and Jackson eyes go wide once they see the current participants fighting the Ultra Beast.
"She's still alive?" Jackson says.
"I swore I killed her," Evelyn mutters.
Standing in the arena against the Ultra Beast with a few wounded soldiers among a few dead is the familiar dark skinned general from their home island, Roxanne.