The Primal Hunter

Jake had a confession. He had never actually been shopping with a girl before in his life. Well, besides with his mom, but that wasn’t really shopping together but more going shopping at the same place separately. Even when he had a girlfriend, it had never happened. Perhaps another indicator of how poor that relationship had actually been.

This meant he really didn’t know how this sort of thing usually went down. Like, what was he supposed to do? Just follow along? Should he wait outside? As he was utterly clueless, he chose to simply follow the incubus as that guy seemed confident in what customs were. Meira looked as clueless as he as she had likely never actually gone clothes shopping due to her life before coming to the Order, making them both absolute newbies.

The incubus led the two of them into a private room. It was as lavish as every other place Jake had seen in the establishment, but the entire room was a bit off compared to what Jake had expected. It was large and had a few couches, with a mannequin as a centerpiece. That part was semi-normal, but Jake had no idea why the hell there was a king-sized bed in the room. It gave him a bad feeling, but he tried to explain it away. Probably just doubles as a hotel or something.

He knew he was just grasping for straws, and his final attempt to deny he had gone somewhere very unplanned was shot down the very next moment.

“Considering it is your first visit, let us start out light,” the incubus said as “clothes” were summoned on the mannequin. He used the words clothes very loosely as there wasn’t a lot of it. What was displayed was a mini-dress with a few crucial parts missing, especially in the chest region.

Jake just stared as Meira turned red like a tomato.

“Basic, yet irresistible in its simplicity. This one is a very popular item amongst humans and elves alike, so what say you? If you want to, you are even allowed to test out some of the items we offer in the room provided, but you must buy them if anything gets damaged,” the incubus said with a polite smile.

“…If Lord Thayne wants me to…” Meira said in an almost whispering voice before Jake spoke up.

“Big misunderstanding!” Jake exclaimed. “Huge one. We are not like that at all and came for actual equipment, not… this. You know, things that give stats and stuff and help when something attacks you.”

The incubus seemed taken aback at what Jake said and asked clarifyingly: “You were referred by Irinixis, though? I apologize if there is any confusion, but we deal not in armor but equipment with quite a different use– one I dare claim just as important as combat.”

“Not questioning that, just saying it isn’t what we came looking for,” Jake quickly said. “I apologize for wasting your time.”

“No worries, young man,” the incubus said unbothered. “If you change your mind, you are free to visit once more. Both of you. Now, if you are looking for equipment for the young lady, may I ask what type? What does she specialize in?”

“Healer and alchemist,” Jake answered, happy that the incubus didn’t make a bigger deal out of the awkward situation than he needed to.

“In that case, I can recommend a quaint little store just down the street run by a friend of mine,” the incubus offered as he waved his hand and displayed a magical 3D map.

Jake recognized it instantly as one of the stores Irin had also recommended, making him clarify: “Just to make sure, they just sell normal equipment, right? Gear for the battlefield, you know.”

“They do indeed, though I would once more argue that the battlefield of the bedroom is one often too neglected,” the incubus said semi-jokingly.

Jake didn’t comment on it but just excused himself once more as they left, getting a few light jabs on the way out and stares from other patrons who no doubt made assumptions about the human and elf exiting a private room. Once they were outside on the street, Jake couldn’t help but joke with Meira a bit to relieve the tension. “Well, that was a screw-up. Sorry for that; we’re never going back there, that is for sure.”

mind, Jake and Meira headed to the second shop. It was a lot

quaint, with only a single story, and Jake and Meira headed inside right away. It was just as small and homey inside as it was from the outside, and it had fabric stacked

already seen the one person in the store through his sphere, and she also noticed him and Meira when they entered. A small dwarf came out of the backroom with a smile a few seconds

her and took note that she was C-grade. Contrary to other dwarves he had met, she was wearing a light dress and was far from as bulky. Still bulky by human standards, but probably considered a

while going there – that Meira needed to ask for herself. Jake thought it was awkward to act like he was out shopping with a kid who couldn’t speak for herself on what she wanted. He knew it was because Meira didn’t want to actually decide what to get as Jake was paying, but he hoped he had put those

the tailor asked as she looked Meira up and down. Mostly up,

some fighting, I think…” Meira

as subtly as he could, began making his way towards the

for a bit of gear. He had a few pieces of equipment he

are incredibly thin, nearly unnoticeable, and are incredibly resilient against all attacks. Will become immensely more durable if infused with arcane energy. The Crystalized Essence has been fully integrated. All constructs using your arcane affinity and your

in

them with arcane energy. There was also the part about arcane constructs made with his hand becoming stronger, but as with most things in the system, that was all relative. When he got them, it was noticeable, but now that he was several times stronger, it was utterly irrelevant. In ten or more levels,

not run any stores themselves, but that did not mean members of the Order didn’t run their own stores and that members didn’t

directly by talented members of the Order. It was new and had a pretty special requirement for those who were allowed to shop there – you had to be blessed either by the Malefic Viper or a god subordinate to him. He feared that he was walking into a madhouse of fanatics, but he also knew they had good stuff in there. Draskil had even mentioned it once

alone, he had placed a Mark of the Avaricious Hunter on her.

motif of the Order of the Malefic Viper proudly displayed right above the entrance. A massive tower shot up from the center of the castle, too, making it a landmark.

felt a faint pulse scanning him. He was not blocked and simply walked through the entrance to enter a large hall. The moment he stepped inside, he felt many presences all around him, not from people but from the statues lining the hall on each side depicting different gods. At the end of the hall stood the statue of the Malefic Viper. It

getting flashbacks to the lesson with Viridia and the statue of Villy there. As usual, Jake didn’t care about the presences but quickly still understood what was happening. He chose to walk slowly through the hall before reaching a new gate and

had been. And oh boy, was it expanded. Jake entered an utterly massive curving tunnel of sorts, extending what seemed like infinitely upwards. He also felt that his Mark on

knew this individual was a fully-fledged B-grade. The person wore a

Jake said in return with

the young master come looking for?” the hooded attendant asked. Jake had studied a little and knew this place was quite unique, and Draskil had also said that the ones running

preferably gloves. Also, if there are any items capable of awakening Records within an item to further enhance them, that would also be supremely useful,” Jake said. While Jake had come looking for new gloves, he wouldn’t say

D-grade,” the B-grade said. “But for the gloves, we have plenty on offer. Please, do tell, what kind do you need? And do you

why the second question mattered but answered both. “I do possess the Legacy skills, and I need gloves primarily to help

nodded and

of a trophy room. There were

couldn’t properly see or sense them, but that the barriers themselves messed with whatever Identify did. Rather than getting full information,

Identify on a few of the pedestals, all of them holding pairs of gloves, Jake got the gist of

– Magical – Pride of the Malefic Viper