"First up is the item we came here to bring you. [Ice Dragon Robes] a Legendary recipe gained from a Tailoring quest."
Misha hands over the item and Lickity freezes in panic. "This binds when equipped. If I wear it, I can't give it back."
"We came here specifically to give it to you. See the outfits the girls have on? Both are the [Ice Dragon Robes] with accessories." Cain explains.
"Thank you so much then. Even if it's something embarrassing, I will still wear it sometimes." Lickity promises.
On her it's mostly translucent black silk, opaque where it needs to be for a bare minimum of modesty, strategically placed Dragon scales making a beautiful twin White Dragon pattern down her sides to below the knees. It's floor length, strapless and backless, the plunging neckline ending below her belly button and the back showing a hint of rear cleavage, as it closes just below her tail. The laws of physics demand this outfit must be impossible, but it fits like it has been stitched to her body in places at the edges.
"That's vaguely similar to Mythryll's gown." Cain muses out loud, producing a [Yeti Fur Cloak] like the Elf is wearing. "Try adding this."
On the Succubus, it is not a fur cloak in the standard sense at all, but a White leather collar with fur trim.
It does have a cloak though. Attaching at two points on the back of the collar and just brushing the Succubus' tail, instead of being near floor length.
"Well, what do you think?" Misha asks and Cixelcid discretely adjusts himself in his trousers.
"It's perfect, it covers everything! It's a real dress, and a real cloak, now all it needs is shoes." Lickity cheers, before digging a pair out of her inventory.
"Well that's one outfit sorted, let's go for more."
"That one. It's perfect night wear." Cain insists when the next item turns out to be a men's dress shirt that hangs down her thighs with only one button fastened in the middle, while Cid gives him a discrete thumbs up.
"Care to explain?" Mythryll asks confused at their reaction.
"It's a guy thing. It's hard to explain, but no man doesn't like seeing that outfit in the morning." Cixelcid laughs.
While the ladies try on fashion, Cain and Cid step outside to have a chat. There's a lot that Cain doesn't know about the system, and Cixelcid has not only been here longer, but he's also been helping newbies. The first thing Cid does is go over the basics, opening and hiding the menus, how to open sub menus while looking at an item and how to inspect both your own stats and the essential details of other transfers.
It's not perfect, illusions can hide or alter details both on transfers and on items, but it's a lot better than simply guessing by appearance. The system interface can be altered in a variety of ways, both in the basic heads up display as Cain already knows, but you can also save presets. You can cast on last location without actually aiming at the target again if it hasn't moved, a feature Cain wishes worked for Arrows. You can also set favorite settings for spells, like reduced output, a set range to cast at open air, or other conveniences. They all activate with a thought once they're finished, no need for keywords, interface buttons or anything else, just a bit of focus.
The most interesting things about the system aren't even about how you use it, but how it functions on its own. Cid suspects that there is an optimization subroutine within the system, as after a great number of low level runs where he gained almost no experience helping new people, he found that there was a pattern to the drops, they seem to be what one of the members needs. Not what they particularly want, but something useful to them either right now or in the near future. Cain wonders if the system is a sort of artificial intelligence, calculating about its interactions with the Transfers, but he really has no way to prove his theory one way or another.
The random Class and Species assignments are another strange point. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to them when viewed individually, but when you look at the population of the beginners valley, they're mostly short on Healers and Tanks. The most common Advanced Class that the random roll gives is Paladin, like the class is weighted to be more likely to appear than damage or support type classes, simply because the region needs healers and tanks.
Neither of them have been too far away from where they started and nowhere past the edges of this enormous valley, so that might not be true everywhere, but to Cain it seems logical. The System must have been designed by someone, though the locals here in Beginner Valley don't seem to know much of anything beyond their own Villages. It's not just something that nature would create on its own, at least not in the minds of either Transfer.
They chat until they hear the conversation die down inside, assuming the ladies are almost done.
"Last item I swear. As you're a Succubus, let's go for the [Succubus Business Suit]" Misha cheers, getting to the fun part of the day and Lickity sighs, now fully understanding this is what Cixelcid meant by a price for the clothing.
It's a form fitting Black Latex suit with leather cuffs and collar that contain sturdy metal rings and attached high heeled boots with platform soles.
"Um, well, everything's covered?" Misha tries stifling her giggle and Lickity looks herself over.
"Yes, I am not nearly naked. But somehow, I think this might be worse to wear in public than that little blue dress from earlier." The Succubus laughs, changing back to her Ice Dragon Robes based outfit and firmly handing it back.
Misha discretely trades it and the matching [Succubus Business Hat] to Cixelcid.
"Wait, there's one left." Mythryll says with an evil smile, producing the [Strappy Demonic One Piece].
...
Once everyone is dressed for dinner, Cid still sporting a small hand print on his face from Lickity's response to his final reaction, the group heads down to try the famous restaurant downstairs. The group gorges themselves on the most amazing steaks they've had in this world, with a collection of side dishes from sweet to savory.
"Worth every cent." Cixelcid declares, stomach now full, before heading to the pub with Cain for the evening while the ladies have a girls night in.
Cid is a storehouse of adventuring stories, and they just get better and better as the drinks flow, so in the end Cain stumbles back to the room just before dawn and collapses on the couch, spent and not wanting to wake anyone by trying to get in bed.
He wakes groggy when the afternoon sunshine hits his face, cursing at the onslaught of pain. Where's Misha with a healing spell when he needs her?
Still in bed, as he discovered a few minutes later when she emerges with red eyes and tousled hair.
"Wine is evil." She mutters before casting an area healing spell followed by greater cure poison and curing everyone's hangover.
Mythryll runs out of the bedroom, followed by an elegantly dressed Lickity and gives Misha a big hug "Thank you so much. I really needed that, I was too afraid to open the curtains and let the light in."
"Lickity, what can you tell us about the major dungeon here?" Cain asks, vaguely recalling having discussed that with Cid last night and deciding to get straight to business. But not until after he pages hotel staff to bring up breakfast. The hostess is there in seconds, taking their orders with a smile before leaving without a sound.
"It's an undead dungeon. Mostly skeletons and zombies with a few lich and ghost type monsters. It's another one without dedicated boss locations, instead you'll find wandering boss Level monsters at random. The primary drops are undead related, so there might be something good for Cain's Summoning. The few who rolled Necromancer from the random character creation love this place, and your class is a little similar."
That's all good news. As long as the trade in materials are worth decent coin that is. They spent a lot of Misha's money on this suite.
"Also, Cid sent me a message a few minutes ago that there's a [Book of Turn Undead] at the Hall, so we should head over there first thing if Misha wants it."
"Let's go. Cain, carry the Succubus if she can't keep up." Misha yells running for the door.
Even if it's situational, she's not playing about getting a second damage skill.
