Appearing deep in thought, Alex stares at Glimmerwhisk, hoping for a suitable solution to his 'problem'.
Princess Jewel is heartbroken; she doesn't want to get any thiccer.
"Thicc... would be one thing... on a human," Alex comments drily.
Spiders can be thicc too!
"... A thicker spider just means scarier and more deadly," Alex disagrees instantly.
Thicc, not thick!
Explain the difference to me; spiders do not have curves!
Of course they do, Soulmate! Just look at Princess Jewel's divinely formed, beautiful, curvy body!
The fuck?
"Shut up!" Glimmerwhisk yells. "I can't think if you two keep up your stupid conversation inside your head. Jewel only talks to others if the conversation involves them! Idiot, Alex, teach your pet properly!"
Princess Jewel hopes she never experiences a bleeding this terrifying.
I hope you thought that... silently.
However, much to Alex's shock, Glimmerwhisk stares at him and Jewel, her expression growing even more hateful.
"..."
I guess not.
Finally, after a minute or so, she speaks up.
"There are special items, but they are as rare as they are pricey; it's not realistic to aim for these," Glimmerwhisk says, causing Jewel to look terrified.
"Don't worry," Alex immediately says. "We can start the next mission in a few days if there is no solution."
"There is one," Glimmerwhisk says. "Put her into the care of the Pet Hub. You can store her there, and she'll be frozen in time if you choose a certain option. That will perfectly solve your problems."
"Good," Alex says, nodding at her.
That actually works! How convenient.
"I'm gonna do that immediately so Jewel will be fine... I am grateful for your help. We were really in trouble, and Jewel's heart was bleeding," Alex says, genuinely thankful.
Ups... bad choice of words.
As soon as Alex finishes his sentence, Glimmerwhisk glares at him, puffing her cheeks. "You... once I've dealt with this crisis... oooh, I'm gonna enjoy that... I'm so gonna enjoy that... you better hope you die during the next mission because that will be the easier and more comfortable way for you!"
"You look awfully cute when you say it like that," Alex says with a smile, standing up and gently patting her on the head.
"Thank you! If you ever need my help, just tell me, okay?" he offers. "I'm gonna quickly get Jewel to the Pokémon daycare center before she grows so big that I can ride on her."
Princess Jewel doesn't think it's a topic to joke about!
"Do that!" Glimmerwhisk yells, blushing slightly. "Leave already! You disrupted my work... you are so annoying!"
Satisfied, Alex turns around, walks to the door, waves one last time at his Goblin friend, and leaves, Jewel clinging to his head.
Walking straight to the Pet Hub, Alex feels Jewel getting nervous.
Princess Jewel doesn't want to get locked up and stored like a damn Pokémon. She doesn't want to split up from Soulmate.
She genuinely sounds scared and sad... despite all her shenanigans, she's still somewhat of a kid who hasn't left her home and family, meaning Benezia, Menchi, Tereza, and me behind too often.
"... Jewel, it's just for a few weeks," Alex says. "I don't want that either... but after that... it won't be necessary anymore. You know we don't have a choice... I'll use that time to prepare for the mission."
Princess Jewel knows... but she still doesn't want to....
Reaching the pet store and recognizing the familiar worker, Alex somehow feels extremely frustrated, choosing to 'willingly' give Jewel away.
"This... is a lot more difficult than I imagined," Alex admits, used to Jewel clinging to his body at any time.
💔
Sighing loudly, Alex gently lifts Jewel off his head and pulls her into a tight hug.
"Just a few weeks... it'll be over in a flash... okay?" he argues, almost tearing up.
Princess Jewel will endure....
He then looks toward the Realm worker and gently places Jewel on the counter, softly petting her.
"I need to... uhm, store her here for a few weeks. In such a state that she's essentially time-locked. I've heard that is possible," Alex states.
"Indeed," the worker replies. "Standard storage is free, but what you are asking for costs 100 FC per day."
"No problem," Alex says, willingly transferring 6,000 FC. "I'm loading up for 2 months... I'll reclaim what I don't need later."
Finally, looking at the slightly shaking, nervous spider, Alex sees her being gently placed on a sort of platform in the back of the shop.
Please hurry up, Soulmate... Princess Jewel doesn't like this. She has so many things to do at home. She didn't even get to play a single game of Dot—
However, before Jewel can finish, a mysterious light envelops her and encases her in a completely cube-shaped energy field, freezing her entirely.
The worker then carries her to the back, and Alex sees the cube with Jewel inside disappear.
Returning to Alex, she presents a screen to him, displaying Jewel's stats and an image, looking almost comical as she's caught in the middle of talking about video games, her surprise recognizable even to a human like Alex, who doesn't have much comparison when it comes to other spiders.
Current Timelocked Pets:
Jewel: Lvl 9
Relationship: Worshipped (Maximum - Can't be lowered or increased)
Rarity: Gold
HP: 430/430, MP: 380/380, AURA 422/422
STR: 23 (+10), AGI: 23 (+10), PHY: 23 (+10), SNS: 23 (+10), CHA: 23 (+10), MNA: 23 (+10), INT: 23 (+10), SPR: 23 (+10), LUK: 23 (+10), NEN: 23 (+10)
Innate Skills: Thornback Conquering Trailblaizer lvl MAX, Nen Prodigy lvl 6 (Limitless Legacy lvl 6, Basic Nen lvl 6, Advanced Nen lvl 6)
Thornback Legacy/Namtaru Enhancement: Thornback Poison lvl 6, Thornback Poison Spit lvl 6, Thornback Web shoot lvl 6, Thornback Burrow lvl 6, Thornback Bite lvl 6
Free Skill Slots: 1/4
Skills: Arachmagic Eight-Spear Style lvl 6, Superiority lvl 6, Hidden Power (Dark) lvl 6
Special Skill: Telepathic Bond lvl MAX
Smiling weakly at the funny picture, Alex turns around.
Gotta take care of my gear....
Chatting a little with his guildmates, some of them advise Alex on how to customize his gear a little more effectively instead of paying the worker-run stores to do slight modifications.
After begging a little, he's told the location of a rather hidden store at the edge of the Realm, requiring him to walk for almost an hour to reach it.
Entering it, he sees no other players, and the only one inside is an elderly Realm worker, a horned gray individual who only vaguely looks like an actual man and more like a demon.
"It's rare to see new visitors; not many want to pay for a service that mostly affects looks," the worker states, eyeing Alex.
"Well... I heard that it is a more uh, what's the word... uuuh... hmmm... streamlined! Yes, a streamlined way to modify equipment," Alex says, perking up.
Nice word! I've got the best words in the Realm!
"..." The worker stares at Alex, confused by his choice of words. "Based on your individual skills, preferred equipment type, the equipment you used in the past, as well as your reputation and alignment, we can offer you a few random choices of cosmetic and design enhancements. You can simply modify your chosen design here, take it with you, and then equip it like any other type of item. Every single item you wear will automatically be modified to fit the style of your chosen design if you activate it during a mission."
"Just to make sure, if I choose a design featuring heavy armor, the defensive properties will be enhanced... and for example, a pair of thin and short gloves will cover my lower arm as well, right?" Alex asks, needing confirmation.
"Depending on the design, that is possible, while the opposite might also be true if a weak design, featuring lower-quality resources, is chosen. Also, be aware that it will also bring various downsides; it's rarely a process that is positive. Almost always the design comes with equal upsides and downsides, though rarer and more expensive designs might bring clearer advantages," the worker explains, going on an explanation spree. "It heavily depends on your luck if you manage to find a high-quality design. I recommend visiting for a year in the hopes of getting the privilege to buy a worthy design. Personally speaking, from years of experience, mind you, any design costing more than 20,000 FC is considered quite rare and useful. If you choose to use any design for a mission, your items will be permanently transformed for that mission. You can't switch back between the default look and the modified look like you can in the Realm."
Five minutes later, Alex, listening attentively for once since he's interested in the mechanics, finally hears the worker offer him his wares.
"Here are your current choices; they reset every few months. You may only possess a single style... if you want to replace it, you need to give away your old one. You may get a part of it refunded when you do," he concludes.
"Let me see!" Alex says, excited about his choices.
[Analysing Player Alex Kerber:
Armor check...
Preferred type of Armor: Heavy Armor
Fighting style check...
Preferred fighting style: Trickery, cheap shots, and direct assaults.
Bastard system....
Alignment check...
Alignment detected...
Current alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Reputation check...
Current Reputation: The Butcher, Willing Servant.]
"The fuck? Servant?" Alex interrupts angrily, no longer willing to remain silent.
As if reading his mind, the system goes into more detail.
[...Chosen to offer his services freely in exchange for backing and support.]
"... Why not call it mercenary, then, you stupid system? Fuck you! I am not wiping floors, or do you see me with a mop in my hand?!" Alex yells angrily.
Excessive Rage and pettiness detected...
Choices slightly altered, adding modifier: Dark
[Available choices:
Blackwood Armor - 2,000 FC
Armor Knight Armor - 9,000 FC
Bandit Lord's Plate Armor - 12,000 FC
Pluto Armor - 15,000 FC
Ebony Armor - 100,000 FC]
"What the..." Alex asks as he looks at his choices. "Blackwood Armor is... armor made out of black wood? Damn, that one sucks. Armor Knight Armor... that's the one from Fire Emblem? No way, it makes me look like a round ball of steel... it also covers my entire face and body. No way will I ever walk around like a damn meatball. It might actually slow me down, despite my STR. I can't buy this garbage."
"Bandit Lord's Plate Armor... a little darker and roughed up... meh, kinda rough. From what kind of game or movie is that even? Still, a mediocre choice that I'd barely accept," Alex critiques harshly.
"Then there is the good old Pluto Armor... my current choice. Must have been unlocked because I wore the actual armor for so long... should I just pick that one and retain my looks? It's fairly high quality, 15,000 FC... almost at the 20,000 the worker mentioned, and I'm used to it," Alex wonders, before his gaze shifts to the last choice.
"Ebony Armor!!... not as outrageous-looking as Daedric Armor... but looking slightly more normal. Can't run around like a damn Daedra worshipper anyway. Also, lore-wise it's damn good... but... it would make me look totally suspicious! Heavily armored, dark, and outright hostile... but if the quality and defensive properties are affected, I guess I have no choice! The best items are always the most expensive ones as well. Spending more makes me almost feel relieved. I'm lucky that I'm even offered such a choice; I need to take it," Alex decides.
"An interesting choice," The Realm worker comments. "You are certainly one of the more promising and curious players I've encountered. Please choose your modifications."
Maybe that is the reason I barely see people with skins. Aside from the Ebony and Pluto armor, the other choices are mediocre... and only Ebony seems like a material that would be beneficial to the base properties of my items. I could also use it as a disguise... hehe, that's a smart idea. I can walk around like a clown, with mixed items, looking like a total fool, but then, when I need to stay anonymous, I simply activate the skin! Genius. Only works inside the Realm... but still!
Maybe I'll become the Realm's Ebony Warrior!
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