It takes a long time to get everything I need. A lot of the shops in the square that I usually rely on are shut down from damage, and the ones that are open have already been picked over by other Delvers with the same idea as me.

  So I end up shopping around. A lot.

  Eventually, though, I manage to gather the essentials: simple cookware, a mana-powered cooktop, another pair of mostly-charged arcanite stones to go with the ones in my storage, foodstuffs, and a few other basics like cleaning supplies and whatnot.

  Oh, and rope. Everyone forgets how useful rope is until they need it.

  All said and done, I’m one gold and fifty-two silver poorer. It still leaves me with twelve gold, one hundred and forty-six silver, and far too much copper. Still more than I’d ever imagined having, and more than I really know what to do with.

  But that’s why I’m in front of a shop I never even had the courage to enter before the update. ‘Glimmer & Glyph’ was an enchanters shop, with all the expenses that would entail. It’s always been well outside of my budget, but now…

  Well, I have money burning a hole in my pockets.

  This place is nearly as rune covered as the Guild itself, though most of them aren’t even active. Probably just for show, but I have to admit it gives the place a certain weight.

  A low chime rings throughout the store as I enter, the normal bell replaced by some clever enchantment around the door. Inside are dozens of displays with various obviously enchanted items inside, most of which have little price tags that show numbers big enough to make me uncomfortable.

  Some just say “See Reception,” which tells me that they’re worth more than I’d ever consider handing over in one transaction.

  “Be with you in a moment!”

  A male voice shouts from the back, through a door behind the large counter. Even the counter is covered in runes, though unlike the ones outside, all of these are fully powered. I have no clue what they do, but the desk itself practically glows with mana.

  I can feel Relic Whisperer trying to come alive as I look at the mana, but it only gives me a general feeling of protection, rather than any specifics.

  Weird. I didn’t know it’d work on things like that…

  I decide to look around while I wait, giving Relic Whisperer a proper workout. Only one item really catches my attention though, and I become concerned for my purse.

  Ashari’s Grace

  Rare, Blood Binding

  Enchantments:

  Cleanliness

  This item can clean itself and its wearer of most substances, so long as the wearer has mana.

  Self Repair

  This item can repair itself from most damage, so long as the wielder has mana.

  It’s a dainty little choker made of nearly translucent black fabric with a small blue gem on its front. It almost looks too delicate to be enchanted, and I can’t help but wonder how it would look on me. The Cleanliness enchantment alone is tempting, as well.

  Not that I'll forgo baths... ever. But still, tempting.

  Of course, the price tag is one of those that just says See Reception.

  Movement behind the counter catches my eye, and the man who finally emerges is exactly the sort I’d expect to spend his days hunched over scrolls instead of dealing with customers. His spectacles sit slightly crooked on his nose, and his dark hair is more bedhead than style—like he forgot to fix it before stepping out.

  Human Crafter

  Level 33

  “Sorry for the wait—oh. H-hello,” he says, his voice cracking mid-greeting. He fidgets with the hem of his robe, trying for casual but failing miserably to hide the spark of interest in his eyes.

  Poor guy. He’s not unattractive, and there’s something endearing about the awkwardness, but I just don’t swing that way. Still, it’s cute. And honestly a welcome change from the usual stares and posturing I’ve been getting at the guild and around the city.

  Charisma usually nudges me to own these moments. To be more confident, to swish my tail and sway my hips just a little more to make others want to look. Normally, I’d ignore it.

  But this? This is a safe place, with a harmless audience of one. So I let the nudge guide me, and give him a demure smile. I’m rewarded immediately by the faint flush rising to his cheeks.

  “I’m looking to have some of my clothes enchanted,” I say, voice light. “And I’m interested in that choker there. Can you help with that?”

  “Ye—” he coughs, stumbling over his own eagerness. “Yes! I can. Absolutely. What enchantments? How many items?"

  “Self Repair and Self Clean. Or Cleanliness, if you can manage it,” I say. “On a full outfit. Shirt, pants, shoes, underthings—the works.” Then I tilt my head and lean into my hip, tail swishing lazily. “How much would you charge me?”

  A bit bold, maybe, and I feel the warmth in my cheeks, but it only seems to fluster him more.

  “W-well! I’d be happy to help with that, though I can't do a double enchantment with Cleanliness. Uh… how does three gold sound?” he says, leaning on the counter, trying hard to seem smooth. His elbow slips, and he barely catches himself before face-planting, ending up with his chin awkwardly propped in one hand, pretending it was on purpose.

  I frown at the price. Three gold probably isn’t bad. Actually, I have no idea. I’ve never shopped for something like this. Just cook-tops and lanterns, which are plenty expensive on their own.

  “Two! How about two gold?” he blurts, eyes wide with alarm.

  …Was that all it took? A pause and a frown?

  I almost consider introducing him to Cari. Then immediately think better of it. She’d eat him alive.

  “One and a half! B-but that’s as low as I can go. Does that work?” he asks, practically pleading now.

  I smile. “That sounds fantastic. I have four outfits I’d like enchanted that way. Also, how much for this choker?” I say, indicating the case next to me.

  “Oh, right! That’s such a good pick. It would look great with—uh—everything. I can let it go for two gold? The Cleanliness enchantment is really expensive to make, but it’d be a c-crime to not sell it to someone as p-pretty as you,” he says, blushing furiously as the words stumble out.

  It’s almost enough to make me fidget. His compliment is so obviously sincere that I’m not sure how to react at first. Then, instead of leaning into Charisma, I take a step back and try to own it myself. I don’t want to have to rely on my stats alone to be me.

  “T-thanks. That sounds good,” I say, giving him as genuine a smile as I can.

  After he gets the choker out of its case, I quickly pay him the eight gold and start pulling out clothes. He doesn’t even blink at the usage of a storage item, which I guess makes sense for an enchanter.

  When I heard the price, I instantly decided to do two outfits for me and two for Cari. I still owed her for all the clothes I destroyed, and this would make for the perfect apology.

  The outfits I choose are the ones she favored the most while shopping. Simple, cozy getups that would look and feel just as good behind the reception desk as they would lounging in bed.

  My clothes were a bit more… characteristic. Both Cari and the owner of The Silken Strap refused to let me wear anything less than eye catching, and I hadn’t exactly been given a choice. Every pair of pants sat low on my waist to accommodate my tail, leaving a generous amount of hip and lower stomach exposed.

  Most of the tops I was given were made to expose my belly too, so there was no saving me from the light exposure. Cari had even convinced me to get underwear that's more thong than panty, with thin strings meant to ride over my hips rather than around my waist. But I couldn’t deny how good they looked on me—even if their visibility made me squirm a little.

  Admittedly, I feel incredibly sexy wearing my new outfits, and not all of them were quite as revealing, but I am still a bit self conscious. Understandably so, if my opinion has any say on the matter.

  According to Cari, it doesn't.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Still, my clothes cover everything important, and I have a few outfits for the cold as well that aren’t anywhere near as revealing.

  All that’s to say that I haven’t thought much about his reaction to me beyond how it made me feel, but when I start pulling out underwear and bras, his flush reaches an all new level of crimson. I could almost see the steam coming from his ears, he's so red. I'm also completely embarrassed, but I push through it.

  I have no reason to worry about him handling me and Cari's underthings. Plus, if he did anything weird with peoples stuff, he’d have gone out of business long ago.

  It only takes him an hour or so to get everything done, and in that time only one other customer comes by to pick something up. When he returns to the counter with the bundles of newly enchanted clothes, he wears a more genuine smile.

  His awkwardness is gone entirely as he talks about how well the enchantments took to the clothes. He even complained about how hard it was to get the enchantments onto my underwear, only a slight flush breaking through his visible pride at succeeding despite there being "so little fabric."

  At least, until he looked up and saw me smirking at him as he waved them around and rambled.

  “Thank you. These enchantments will be life savers,” I say with a smile before storing them away.

  He tries to muster up his courage as I leave, but I wave and make my way out quickly enough to avoid having to turn him down from anything. I was glad for the experience though. It had been a good test on the use of my Charisma, though I definitely need to practice being more confident without it.

  I can tell that the past few days have helped with that. Making up with Cari, my time with Krissy, fighting alongside Scruffy... hells, even my outfits play a part. All of it combined makes me feel more confident than I ever have as I step back out to the square.

  ...Even if I'm kinda-sorta running away from a certain crushing enchanter.

  While most of my day was spent shopping and on this last minute task, I still had to see Scruffy. After a day, he might have learned something from all those papers I left him, and I was more than a little eager to dish out some vengeance.

  It only takes a few minutes to get there, and only that long because I stopped by a small food stand that caught the attention of my nose. One bread bowl filled with stew later, I was at the door to the guard station.

  Like last time, the guards give me a nod, not stopping me as I walk inside. While odd, I am impressed with how up to date Scruffy keeps his underlings. The fact that I didn’t have to deal with any kind of confrontation speaks well of his skill as a leader.

  His office door is wide open for anyone to come in, and when I step in I almost laugh at what I see. The giant of a man is bent over his desk, peering at countless papers with reading glasses that look far too small for him perched on his nose.

  I pause at the sight, unprepared but pleasantly surprised by the look. When he looks up at me over the glasses from his reading, he looks like what I’d imagine a father might when distracted from something important. His imperious glare is severely diminished by his posture and the glasses, though.

  I let out a soft giggle at the sight of him, and his face returns to its normal stoic appearance as he tosses the glasses to his desk.

  “Emilia, to what do I owe the pleasure today?” he asks, a bit more gruffly than usual.

  “I’m just stopping in to see if you came up with anything yet. Sorry if I’m interrupting,” I say.

  I try to sound a bit contrite, but I don’t know if it works.

  “Yes, well, as a matter of fact, I have. Not much, but something. And it isn’t good,” he says, waving me over to his side.

  I join him, peering over his shoulder at the papers he points at. He taps a few specific symbols that shows up on the three papers before him. Two of which are nearly burned to a crisp.

  “You see these? That one I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it’s Etherian. This one, though, is a Councilors seal. I’ve only managed to find these three intact enough to actually point at what might be going on, but I still have much to go through,” he says, waving his hand towards the extra desk, shelves, and trunk I’d dumped here yesterday.

  “What does it mean?” I ask.

  “Nothing good. A Councilor in our city working with Etheron is bad news. Etheron is a shit neighbor, and an even worse enemy. We’ve had a few small skirmishes with them, but the last war ended over fifty years ago. This points to something bigger than just a few gangs causing problems, but I don’t know what yet. And before you ask, I don’t have anything concrete on the guy you ran into yet,” he says with a sigh.

  While it’s not what I wanted to hear, it’s not all bad news. He’s making progress, and the papers I managed to save are actively playing a role in that.

  “What would a nation want with a gang in a small city like Bephis?” I say.

  “That’s the thing. I don’t know. Not yet, anyways,” he says, rubbing his chin and glaring at the untouched reading material across the room.

  “Well, good job anyways. This is big, whatever it is. When I get back from the delve, I’ll help you however I can with sorting this out. I’m not sure what I could do against the Council, but…” I say, trailing off.

  “Thank you. I may take you up on that. Now, what of the favor you mentioned?"

  I hesitate.

  Then take a deep breath and just ask, "Can you watch over Tails and Temptations while I'm away?"

  Can't hurt to have a few extra eyes while I'm away... especially with how fragile they all are right now.

  I'm both surprised and not when he agrees without complaint.

  "Sure, why not. We're already on overtime patrolling the entire city to pick up any straggling thugs," he says. "I can arrange for a few patrols to pass through those streets as we do. Is that all?"

  I nod

  "Good luck on your delve, kid,” he says.

  He reaches up to ruffle my hair, but I quickly retreat and give him my meanest glare. He just laughs.

  “I’m glad you stopped by again, these discoveries were starting to give me a headache,” he says.

  I keep glaring at him as I approach more cautiously this time, then touch his shoulder and push Arcane Regulation into him. He isn’t injured, but a bit of healing wouldn’t hurt anything. It seems to help though, at least a little. He sits up a bit straighter, looking a bit less disgruntled.

  Then his hand twitches, and I dash away once more to the sound of his bellowing laughter.

  By the door, I turn back to him. “Thanks for your work. I’ll make sure to heal your arm one day, even if it takes years,” I say, then step into the hallway.

  There’s a new weight on my shoulders now. The delve was at the forefront of my mind, as was the Rogue that Cari and I ran into. Now, though, the Council itself is somehow involved, and not in a good way.

  Something about that doesn’t add up though. It feels like we’re missing something. But I trust Scruffy to get to the bottom of it, even if it takes a bit. I’ll be gone for weeks, and by the time I get back he’ll probably have sorted everything out and tossed our attacker behind bars.

  He’s reliable like that.

  By the time I get back to the guild, it’s well and truly dark out, and the lobby has mostly emptied of its hustle and bustle. It only takes a few minutes to exit the lobby through a side door and navigate the familiar, mazelike halls. I give her door a gentle knock, and it violently swings open an instant later. The moment she registers its me, she yanks me inside before closing the door before giving me a big hug.

  I laugh out a, “Good to see you too.”

  “Took you long enough!” she complains, pulling away to sit on the edge of her bed.

  She pats beside her invitingly, and I oblige her when she takes me with her as she lays back.

  “So, I got my first massage,” I say conversationally.

  The sheets ruffle as she turns towards me excitedly. “Really?! Aren’t they amazing? It’s a shame the only place that really offers them is that brothel… what did you call it now?”

  “Tails and Temptations,” I fill in.

  “Right! Tails and Temptations. I wish we had a proper spa, like some of the Traders and Delvers talk about, but our city is too small for something like that. How was it though? Did you love it? They’re great right?!” she gushes.

  “Yeah,” I say, chuckling. “Honestly, it was so relaxing that I passed out the instant she got to the base of my tail.” I let out a contented sigh at the memory, then I’m reminded of what Nyria did, the traitor.

  “Then there was this other girl who woke me up this morning with ear scritches, and she abused the heck out of her skills to pet the base of my tail. It was so embarrassing, but it felt sooo good! It's how I learned I could purr, believe it or not. Honestly, whatever Classes she has are unfair—wait, what are you doing?”

  She’d started sitting up and leaning over me as I spoke about how Nyria abused me, and the look in her eyes immediately puts me on guard.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I say, narrowing my eyes. She dives towards my tail. “Cari, no! Ah!” I let out the most indignant squeal I’ve ever heard as she assaults me.

  I manage to fend her off for a little bit, but when one of her hands brush just above my tail, I turn into a limp noodle from all the tingles.

  “It’s not a Skill?! Wait, Cari, don’t!” I whine, trying and failing to wriggle away.

  Then my body betrays me.

  I start to purr.

  Gods damn it all. She’s going to abuse this every chance she gets.