"To have a good chance of beating Frie," I began, leaning on my practice greatsword. "I would encourage you to learn at least three skills. That would be a good starting point for you."

  "Right, got it. Learn three skills." Mord paused, then coughed. "So um. How do I learn a skill? Do I read something? Do some ritual?"

  "Ah, for some spells that would be the case. But as you looking to become martial fighter, then the answer is different." I tapped the pommel of the wooden weapon. "For our cases, nothing but practice will suffice. Intense one at that, so I hope you've readied yourself."

  The dragon swallowed then gripped her practice lance tightly. "I wouldn't have agreed to this otherwise. How will I know when I've acquired a skill?"

  "You will know, trust me. It may sound awkward, but it simply is the way of the world." That had been how it'd been explained in the lore of FLOW anyway. Saying that the game system would bestow it upon meeting the requirements was probably just going to cause a lot of confusion. "Right, first thing I want you to work on is your stamina. Start running laps around the arena."

  "Wait, really? Just running?"

  "With all your practice gear. If you think that sounds too easy, you could always take a jog out in the snow instead-"

  "Suddenly, I love running around indoors! I'll get right to that now!"

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  Mord had more talent than I'd have though. Maybe it was because she was a shadow dragon? They had been legends in Harbinger for a reason after all. So it wasn't unlikely that her heritage allowing her to learn [Serpent Step] so soon already. Though maybe also because it was a pretty basic skill for the lancer I was training up here. I couldn't claim to know that class worked, I didn't make a good build for it.

  That had been Isabella, being a blood-colored streak that rocketed across the battlefield as the vampire ripped the blood from her enemies.

  I at least knew the theory and hopefully, Mord could work things out from there. [Serpent Step] was the first step and gave one a passive speed boost that would allow them to already act faster than most. Then you could even activate the skill to boost it to go even further for a brief period of time, building up the speed needed to turn a usually unwieldy lance into a frightening force.

  Forget needing to be on horseback, when you had the speed of a horse!

  Now she was working on her thrusts and swipes, attacking the training dummies with a ferocious look. I have no doubt that with that attitude, she'll develop [Vein Ripper], something that ought to greatly increase her power when used. She could very well penetrate good plate with that.

  Better make sure her own armor wouldn't buckle first.

  My supply of good iron ore was down to the very last rocks, nowhere near enough to make her a full outfit using it. But that was fine, because I now had a better material: her mother. Okay, that sounded a bit wrong.

  Her mother's corpse.

  The scales I mean!

  Illusion Dragon Scales (Item Quality: 489) (Infuse Level: 566)

  Dragon scales were highly prized for good reason, as they were light as cloth but just as strong as iron. You could make very good light armor with them, which so perfectly fit the fighting style Mord was developing. Something that could protect her if she got hit, but still remain very light and nimble on her feet to keep moving. With that in mind, I needed to stress flexibility above all else.

  Meaning that she couldn't just wear a few large shards into a battle and call it a day. No, those shards needed to be broken down into smaller version that I would knit onto a below layer. Something that in the real world was called-wait for it- scale armor.

  But of course, it also had to not flap around so openly or loosely. So some more rigid additions would be placed on, strategic anchors that would keep the scales tight over Mord even when she was zipping around the battlefield. Those could be the more larger shards, molded into something akin to plate. Yes, that sounds like a plan.

  Hm, I should ask whether or not she'd like a helmet to top it all off.

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  She blinked at my question and frowned. "Is it necessary?" she asked, unsure. "Wouldn't I need it for protection against arrows anyway?"

  Kuch loudly snorted. "Arrows won't get anywhere near you if you're doing it right, you'll be a terror that they can't hit!" they called out from where they were practicing some swings. "Plus, your skin's a more durable than many others. You are a dragon on two legs after all, I wouldn't be surprised if they just bounced off your skull or eye even."

  "But a helmet would also let you hide your face away if you ever feel embarrassed about those scars." I traced on my own face a copy of her most prominent one, aside from the scarred flesh where her wings normally would be. There was the big one on her face that went across her eye and cheek. "So I'm offering you the option."

  Mord thought about it for a few seconds, then shook her head. "No. I'm not ashamed of my scars. They're proof I survived." She returned to the training dummy and raised her practice lance. "So no helmet, thank you."

  "All I needed to hear. Keep at it, you're getting pretty familiar with your new body."

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  Right, no helmet then. Then I better design the armor so that it'll look good with her hair. Aesthetics matter, helmet on or off is a toggle for a reason!

  After a quick awkward sketch on charcoal and parchment (I really needed to improve both come spring), I began to first work on that under layer. The strongest pelt I had would be the dragon hide I harvested from the crimson dragon's arm. But I think using that was asking for Mord to throw a fit.

  She'd probably would hate the idea of being protected by the one she wanted to kill most of all.

  So instead, I'll use that bear pelt I just skinned and treated. Despite Kuch's clumsy initial fleshing, I managed to clean it enough to be quite acceptable. It was unfortunately going to be the weakest part of this armor, but if anything had managed pierced through the outer scales already, then a little more resistance was just pure optimization instead of being practical.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Bear Leather (Item Quality: 72) (Infuse Level: 181)

  Oh, excellent. I got a very good roll. That'll extend its lifetime quite a bit. By the time it fails, I'll hopefully have been able to head back to the mountain and get more from the mother dragon. Mord should definitely feel more comfortable being protected by family than the one who wanted her dead.

  Now came the tricky part- cracking apart the dragon scale for processing. My iron hammer didn't do anything aside from a lot of dents...on the hammer. Damn, this thing was tough and my tools weren't going to be enough by their own.

  I tried a variety of tricks to get around it. My saw broke their teeth before I even notched the thing. My chisel was the one that split first when I tried to hammer it in. Dammit, was I going to need good steel first? That was definitely going to be a major headache.

  Inspiration struck when I took a break to go and skin a wolf who had been brave enough to try my ward wall, so Kuch dealt with them. I returned to the workshop and retrieved one of the fangs I pulled out from the mother dragon, angling it so that the sharp end was pressed against the scale. Then I hammed on the base of the tooth of the hammer with everything I had.

  Finally, the thing cracked and split!

  I excitedly repeated the trick until I had broken down the scales into the smaller sized I needed, then checked the tooth. The sharp tip was dulled now from striking such tough material repeatedly, so it probably wasn't going to make for a good sword anymore. It'd likely make for a great shaft though, so I set it aside for later. For now, let's sew these scales onto that bear leather.

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  Though on paper they were fellow believers of the Ten Divines, the Duchy of Gabion had always put matters of faith at the bottom of their concerns. As guardians of the empire, matters of military and survival had always taken precedence. It did little to earn them favors in the courts, many of whom believed them to be poor adherents at best, and non-believers at worst.

  They would be correct, because what use was belief of the above in the face of these tides which threatened to drown their city?

  For Duke Gregori, whoever had taken his wife or eldest child to the great seas beyond mattered not. He didn't care if it had been the Goddess of Death or the God of War who laid claim. Either way, the lives taken were gone, never to return again.

  Much of the people in the city shared the same cavalier attitude, and those who didn't had at least the courtesy to remain quiet at the funeral ceremony now. There was a time to protest and complain, about how the large pyre to cremate the fallen went against the teachings of the faith. It had even been what had caused their last chaplain to forsake them some time ago, leaving the chapel untended at this supposed blasphemy done by their backwards duchy.

  Let them sneer. Let them look on in disdain.

  Duty and service, like their great ancestor had preached, was above all.

  This time, it would be his daughter who bore the responsibility of lighting the fire. She stepped forward, with torch in hand, and gently pressed it against the precious firewood. The flames caught and Petula stepped back, watching ashen faced at the relatives and friends she would bid farewell too. Everybody had directly lost someone they knew in the defense, or knew somebody who had. There was nary a single exception.

  And they would lose more again come the next one, if the empire did not finally answer their continued polite requests for aid.

  Gregori's wrinkled hands twitched. Perhaps he should hear out his solemn heir, if it wasn't too late already. But regardless, they had to already start preparing- there was no telling when the next tide would come.

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  Once again, I was so glad I didn't suffer from carpal tunnel anymore once I finished the last repetitive stitch. [Weave] would unfortunately not work as a shortcut here, so I had to do it all myself. At least I could be satisfied with the quality of the work so far now.

  Right, now onto those additional attachments to anchor and tighten the scale attire. I purposefully made that a bit loose to accommodate for Mord's possible growth, so these heavier pieces would function as the anchors to allow her to tighten the scales as need be. However, I was now faced with an issue.

  The original plan had been to use larger scale pieces for these things, something like pauldrons and gauntlets. But through my difficulties with processing the thing, I'd realized that unfortunately wouldn't work. The pieces I broke it down were either too large or too small to function for the role.

  So I pivoted and decided to use the last of my quality iron to make the last parts of Mord's armor. It wouldn't be the best it could be, but at this point? I think I'll change my plans again. This one for her right now should be good enough for midgame levels. When I could get my hands on her mother's body again, hopefully with better tools as well, then I'll make proper endgame armor for Mord.

  And who knows? Maybe in her travels as an adventurer, she'll come across better materials too.

  That helped greatly assuage me in finishing it all up and adding the final cosmetic touches. While it might sound a little risky, I was also going to gamble on the odds that most dragons hearing about people dressed like them instantly rolled their eyes and put them out their mind. So by shaping those iron plates to resemble Mord's true form, protective curves ending spikes and claws, then perhaps audacity would be the best disguise for her.

  With that done, I studied the suit of armor on a mannequin before me.

  Ornate Light Lancer Scale Armor (Final Grade: 491)

  Hm. I suppose it'll do. But I wasn't going to be so lenient with my next creation. It had to be a weapon capable of slaying a dragon.

  Nothing less would suffice.

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