"Yes, of course, let me bring out my tools." The Scribe says, eyeing the claws greedily. Once Danni hands them over the Inscriptionist uses an Earth Magic spell to grind them to a fine dust and begins mixing in other ingredients to create the ink.
[He pocketed 3 of the 4.] The Oath Breaker merged with Cain notes.
[Jokes on him, they're going to disappear.] Cain sends back with amusement. As soon as Kone learns the skills he's going to dismiss Danni. The odd Dragon has been complaining about the heat all day, and they're about to go to the beach. Cain is sure he would prefer not to come with.
It takes twenty minutes, with one failure and almost all the ink used up, but both books are finished successfully. Kone pays the 500 gold per book fee, making Cain realize just how lucrative Inscription can be, even without skimming rare materials. She learns both skills, doing a little happy dance as she gets the notifications, before bowing to the rude Inscriptionist and leaving the room, followed by Misha.
The Inscriptionist looks like he just won the lottery, and Cain is looking forward to crushing him mentally.
"We're headed to the beach next, so I'll dismiss you to rest." Cain tells Danni who bows politely and gives the Inscriptionist a smirk before vanishing as Cain dismisses him.
Cain walks out after dismissing Danni, waiting to hear the sound of anguish when the man realizes the Dragon Claws he pilfered have disappeared.
Being merged with the Oath Breaker grants him a number of advantages, including increased hearing, and Cain can hear the other senior Inscriptionists congratulating the man on his profits, before the celebration is interrupted by a wall of anguish.
"That damnable dragon stole them when he left. Grab the Summoner, make him bring it back." Comes the voice of the Inscriptionist.
Cain takes advantage of the incredible speed provided by merging with an Oath Breaker to run back downstairs and go see RhickJaymz.
"Would you care to come to the beach with us? Or are you busy?" Cain asks, startling the Earl with his sudden appearance.
"Unfortunately I should get back to work. I'll try to join you and the lovely ladies another day." The Earl says sadly, looking at the collection of city staff waiting around the room with messages and other work for him.
"Alright, we're off then. If you need us, we will try to find a hotel near the beach tonight." Cain says, mentally instructing his companions to usher everyone out of the building.
They're not quite quick enough, the irate thief has made it to the door guards before Cain, who was the last to leave thanks to his detour to talk to RhickJaymz.
"Halt there. This man says you stole from him. I'll have to ask you to display your inventory." The guard says. Wait, is that even possible?
"Hand on the device and it will display the number of items with the specified description in your inventory." The guard says, seeing his confusion.
That makes sense, you have to give an exact item name to claim theft, and then the guards can determine if you have it before determining the truth of the accusation.
Cain extends his hand, knowing that the materials simply vanished along with Danni.
"What is the fee for an S Ranked Inscription? 500 Gold plus materials, right?"
The guard nods agreement, waiting for the device. "Nothing with Ancient Dragon, Dragon Claw or Ancient Claw title in his inventory. Now, explain to me what exactly happened."
Other workers from the library have gathered with a malicious look, not for Cain, but for the Inscriptionist. It looks like Cain is about to get caught up in office politics. Especially now that an old Elven woman in Robes with the library emblem has arrived with a scowl and what looks like a modern tablet, though it's likely a magical device.
"We needed Ancient Dragon Claws for the Inscription, and he pilfered the remainder of our stock after I ground what was needed to create the books." The man explains carefully.
A younger woman in the crowd gets an evil grin at this "But manager, his dragon provided the Claws, we didn't have any in stock, did we Madam?"
The last is directed at the Elf, who is clearly in on whatever drama is occurring.
The Inscriptionist has now realized he's about to get railroaded by his coworkers and he's thinking fast to come up with a plan. "They came in just today, and I didn't have time to add them to the inventory yet madam. Isn't that right brothers?"
The other Inscriptionists who were in the room at the time mostly nod in agreement, except the woman who brought the big boss Elf here. She instead smirks and gestures to the tablet in the old Elf's hands.
"Fortunately for us, I recorded the entire interaction for learning purposes. I'm a mere intern and I've never seen an S Ranked skill book created before."
The Inscriptionist takes off running at this and the Elf laughs, gesturing for the guards to follow him.
"Sorry about that. You know how politics are. Meet my great Granddaughter Symbia, my undercover investigator and an accomplished sculptor here in Assah." Going by her tone, the old lady is definitely playing matchmaker.
"Symbia was it? It just so happens I have need of a Sculptor. My Puppet creation, unlike Summoning, requires actual puppets. Preferably long lasting and somewhat realistic, for easy interaction with other people." Cain says, wondering what sort of sculpture she specializes in.
The younger Elf blushes "Um, you see, I think I can help you with that, if you've got an open mind. Thanks grandma, I needed some new clients."
The old woman just smiles and waves then away, returning to her office and sending everyone back to work with a glare.
"Everyone else in my group is headed to the beach, can we walk and talk?" Cain asks.
"Sure, my work here is done. The Inscription Guild Leader was looking out for his nephew, so we needed a solid reason to fire him. Catching him stealing at work was perfect, and he even made himself a public spectacle of himself trying to get the Dragon Claws back. Even his uncle wouldn't dare do anything against you now and risk running his reputation. His position is elected after all." Symbia agrees, following Cain towards the beach.
"Your grandmother said you're a sculptor, but what medium do you specialize in? Wood, stone, clay?" Cain asks.
"Actually, latex. You see, I make love dolls. Ultra realistic ones. They have an internal hinged metallic skeleton, covered in a soft but durable latex rubber produced here in town." Symbia answers without hesitation them waits for Cain's response.
That's actually one of the best options he could have hoped for. They look human, they are easy to repair, and with some luck, she can make them in bulk.
"Is your shop nearby? If not we can come visit this evening after we leave the beach. My abilities will Reinforce them enough to be practical, and a realistic Puppet would make a good domestic helper, where they don't need to interact with people." He says thoughtfully and he face lights up at his acceptance.
Telling people you make love dolls as a hobby doesn't always bring the best responses.
"I've got one with me, dressed in casual clothes." Symbia says, bringing it out.
It's a generic Elven Female, 150cm tall, blonde hair, exaggerated assets, exactly what Cain expected, except that the detail is amazing. The fingernails are hard and painted, the hair is high quality, the eyes look real, even the teeth are made of something solid and not just rubber. The doll holds the pose she puts it in, every joint that should be adjustable is.
"Do you mind if I animate it for a moment? I want to see how it interacts with my ability." Cain asks when he finishes looking it over.
"I don't see why not. Maybe set it a task and see how well it can function?"
Cain animates the Puppet and thinks about what to instruct it. "Puppet, follow behind me between 1 and 4 steps, staying out of the way of others until further notice. Carry any items that myself or Symbia hand to you until you are directed on where to place them down. In addition, follow any other instructions given directly to you by Darklight Host Guild Members."
The Puppet bows slightly, in acknowledgement of the order, and moves to stand behind Cain.
"Now, let's grab dinner and more snacks for the beach. I hope you're not busy today." He tells Symbia who is fascinated by the Puppet.
"For this, I've got all day." She laughs, moving over to a street cart selling drinks.
"These are a local specialty, made from a sweet cactus juice and ice. Mildly alcoholic, but not enough to get most people drunk." She says, handing the bag full of drinks to the Puppet, which holds on tight and lets them hang by its side.
The blank and vacant look it adopted when animated is a bit disconcerting though, like it's deliberately ignoring everyone. "Puppet, additional direction. If personally greeted or given an instruction by an approved authority, respond with a closed mouth smile and a small mood of the head in the speaker's direction."
The Puppet does exactly that in response to his order and Cain smiles in satisfaction. That's much better, just a small addition to make people comfortable.
A few blocks later they find a kebab shop and add a few dozen kebabs, then at another shop, some cupcakes. The Puppet doesn't seem to be having any problems with the weight, being a level 10 equivalent according to the skill description, and hasn't been damaged by carrying the bags, due to its durable design and Cain's abilities enhancing it. It's so realistic looking that a number of people have done a double take, thinking it was a silent third person until the latex skin gave it away.
Despite his instructions to smile and nod at people who greet it, Cain is secretly very glad that the puppet's expression changed to a stony faced neutral one when he animated it. Having his Puppets give everyone a wide mouthed orgasm face all day would crush any hope at a decent reputation.
