by David Petrie
“Must run faster.”
Ginger sped up, ignoring the miniature Kira clinging to her head and shouting, “Fashion,” in a squeaky voice as it waved around a fist-full of her hair.
Together they dove through the door, Larkin slamming it behind them just as a tidal wave of bodies slammed into the shop window. Hundreds of faces pressed against the glass as Max and Ginger clung to one another on the floor of the entryway.
Miniature Kira climbed back up on to Max’s chest, squealing a furious battle cry. He swatted her into the empty shelves, then glared up at Larkin.
“What the hell man? I thought you were on our side.”
The man just stood there looking down at them.
“Hurry up and get upstairs. You have no idea what you’ve done.”
Larkin dropped his inspector on the table of his crafting studio. Checkpoint’s message boards lit up its surface. Ginger took one look at the screen and immediately clasped a hand over her mouth.
“Oh no…”
“Oh no, is right.” Larkin picked up the pane of glass and handed it to Max. “When I said your house should stand out, I didn’t think you all would take that advice so literally.”
The bottom dropped out of Max’s stomach as soon as he saw the title of the first post.
[Where did House Lockheart come from?]
Max scrolled further.
There were dozens more like it.
Many speculated how a house as unique as theirs had stayed hidden. Others questioned why they had chosen to reveal themselves now. The fact that they had been invited to the Jewel of the Sea had even sparked a debate as to whose side they were on.
He kept scrolling, finding scores of players arguing about what it all meant that they were loyal to the fallen city of Rend. It seemed that they had accidentally reignited the debate that had surrounded the enormous dungeon for years.
A post with over a thousand comments caught Max’s eye. All it contained was a photo of Kira twirling around Berwyn on the dance floor surrounded by sparkling pixy dust. Apparently, that dress had made quite the impact. There were entire threads on it, wondering where she had purchased it. Larkin snatched back his inspector while Max was still reading and set it down on the table.
“I made the mistake of commenting on one of the posts that I had made Kira’s gown.” He gestured to the dress form in the corner that now wore the sparkling, white garment. “It was a moment of weakness for me. It is one of the finest pieces I’ve ever made. So I was proud to see so many people admiring it.” He dropped his hand back to his side. “But now my inbox has been flooded with hundreds of requests, and customers have been showing up nonstop. I’d have a line down the alley and out into the street if my shop was easier to find. As it is, I’ve had to increase the agro of my dolls downstairs just in case one of my clients has a case of loose lips.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, by the way,” Max grumbled.
“Sorry, but it really was necessary.”
“And was this thing necessary?” Ginger held up a birdcage that now held the miniature version of Kira clawing at the bars.
“Yes, well, I had some leftover fabric from Kira’s gown, and I felt inspired. Sue me.” Larkin tossed a scrap of fabric over the little prisoner. “She should go dormant if she doesn’t see anyone for a bit.” The cage rattled back and forth for a minute before going silent.
“Anyway,” Larkin picked up the birdcage and placed it on a shelf, “thanks to your antics over in Reliqua, my inbox has been flooded with requests.”
“Isn’t getting more requests for work a good thing?” Max leaned on the table. “You should make more money, right?”
“I make enough money already, and besides, I don’t craft items for just anyone. I’m an artist, and I prefer to work with the best quality materials as possible.” He ran his hand through the folds of a piece of stray cloth. Then he gestured to Ginger. “The canvas is just as important as what you put on it.”
“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.” Ginger shifted uncomfortably.
“You should. I don’t give out many.” Larkin shot her a wink.
Max tugged at the bottom of his vest, understanding a little more about the man that gave it to him. “Thanks for the compliment, I guess.”
“Not you, Max.” Larkin waved away his words. “You’re just a guy I can unload my hand-me-downs on to.”
“Oh.” Max fidgeted the strap of his shoulder holster. “I kind of thought that might be the case.”
The eccentric crafter grinned. “Oh, don’t look so morose. You look great.” He then spun on Ginger. “But you! You are the Lady of House Lockheart. How do you expect to impress anyone in this?” He tugged on the end of the short cloak she wore.
She looked down at the garment. “What’s wrong with this? I’m a Coin, it makes me look stealthy, and I can hide items under it.” She rummaged around for a second, producing a handful of small explosives that she no doubt had stolen from a shop.
Larkin scoffed and started pulling the cloak up over her head. “Nope, you can do better than this. Thanks to your high-profile escapades, you represent me now. I can’t have you parading around in something so basic.”
“Hey, ask before you pull someone’s gear off.” She squirmed.
“Sorry, but I’ve spent all day working on something special for you.” Larkin tossed the cloak to the floor like a discarded piece of trash.
Ginger stood, looking shocked and disheveled, her hair sticking up on one side from having her hood removed. The fashion-obsessed Rage took a moment to brush it back down with his hand. He took a step back and leaned his head to the side.
“Good enough.”
Suddenly, he turned and raced into a closet, leaving Max and Ginger alone to stare awkwardly at each other. A moment later, Larkin burst back into the room with something draped over his arm.
“I think you’re going to like this.” He beamed with pride as he dropped a dark gray frock coat over her shoulders and pushed her toward the mirror. “Now, this is how the Lady of House Lockheart should dress.”
“That is pretty badass.” Max nodded in agreement as Ginger stood there with her mouth open.
She shoved her arms through the sleeves and ran her fingers down the row of silver buttons that lined the front. One sleeve was cut short to display her party readout with a small cape, bearing their house crest, hanging off her side to cover her arm. “I look like a pirate,” she spun around to check the fit, adjusting its hood and flipping the collar up as she winked at her reflection, “a sexy lady pirate.”
“Yes, certainly, but that’s not the best part.” Larkin held the side of the coat open and gestured to the lining. Stripes of two different shades of green ran through the interior of the garment. “This is what is left of your dress from the night before. Which means–”
“That it has the same passive Venom Bite ability!” Ginger clapped her hands excitedly.
“See, told you you’d like it. Also, the defense is much better than whatever that cloak you had on before had. Each of those buttons was made from a mimic tooth that I infused with five different types of ore. So right now, that coat is giving you the same protection as a set of plate mail.” He strolled back to his work table, looking pretty damn pleased with himself.
Ginger admired the coat a bit more, then grabbed Max by his tie. “Avast, I claim this wench as my bride.” A smile spread across her face that looked more carefree than usual.
Max accepted his fate, letting her shake him about until she got bored.
“You done?”
The Coin straightened his tie before letting go. “I am, thank you.”
Larkin shook his head. “Now that you look a little more appropriate for your title, let’s talk swimsuits?”
Ginger threw herself into a chair with one arm slung over the back like a buccaneer lounging in a tavern. “Yes, I was hoping to for something similar to our dresses from before but, you know, covering less.”
“I can do that; I have some leftover material that will work for yours. Kira’s will be a little more difficult to find a way to incorporate the morning stars into something so much smaller than a dress.”
“It has to be completely form-fitting too, for, umm… reasons,” Max added.
Larkin eyed him suspiciously.
“Sorry. We need Kira to fit through somewhere, so there can’t be anything hanging off of her. And she’ll have to wear her bathing suit most of the time under her regular gear so she can strip down when the time comes.”
Larkin tapped his fingers on the table for a second, then grabbed pad of paper and started sketching. “That gives me an idea. I’ve never tried it, but maybe I can set it so that her swimsuit takes up her undergarment slot instead of an armor slot. That way, she can keep the extra thousand mana and its regeneration rate no matter what she wears on top of it.”
Max leaned on to the table, trying his best to hold in a laugh. “So what you’re saying is that you’re going to make Kira some magic underpants?”
Larkin smirked. “That gives me another idea of how to get all those morning stars in there.” He stopped sketching and glanced across the table at Ginger. “You would describe Kira is a unique character, yes?
“To put it mildly.”
“And now that she’s all over the message boards as part of House Lockheart, would it be appropriate to think of her as a somewhat of a house mascot?”
Ginger laughed. “I guess that would be accurate.”
Larkin nodded with a smile and continued sketching. “Okay, while I finish this, do you have any requests for Farnsworth?”
“Just something comfortable would be good,” Ginger said, giving Max a wink. He rolled his eyes.
Larkin continued to sketch. “That’s easy enough. I can have these ready and sent to you by the time you log on tomorrow night. So you may as well leave me to it.”
“Actually, I have one more request.” Max tapped the skull tattoo on his wrist to open his stat-sleeve. He navigated to his inventory list and selected an item. An oversized, dusty robe materialized in his hand, its ends in tatters.
A parting gift from the Nightmare of Death the year before.
It felt heavy, reminding him of the fight that he’d received it from, the fight where he had missed a shot and wasted a powerful contract in the process. The one that had taught him a hard lesson about himself. It seemed right that he kept it close to stop him from making the same mistakes.
“Oh my god, you kept that?” Ginger placed a hand over her mouth.
“Yeah, it didn’t seem right to throw it out. Even if I can’t use it for anything.” He placed the robe on the table. “Have you ever seen anything like this, and can you make anything out of it? Its description is just a bunch of question marks.”
“Where did you get this?” Larkin immediately dropped his sketchbook and grabbed the fabric. “Was it from a rare monster? Something one of a kind?”
“You could say that.” Max took a step back, not expecting the crafter to be so interested. “It’s the Robe of Death; it was a Nightmare fight hidden in Rend. We were the only players to ever face the boss as part of a unique quest that put us through hell last year.”
Larkin arched an eyebrow. “Rend again? There seems to be a thread of destiny between your house and that city. Interesting.”
“I’m not sure about destiny, but am I to take from your interest to say that you know what this is?”
Larkin poured over the material, checking its description with his inspector. “It’s an enemy-class item. I have only encountered one of these before, dropped by a rare monster. Though, I get the feeling that this item is more powerful, having come from a Nightmare.”
“So it’s like a contract item?“
Larkin shook his head. “It’s far more than that. Whatever item I craft with this will bond to your character and grow as you level like a second character class. With enough time and experience, it could give you a whole new set of skills.” He tore his gaze away from the robe and looked straight into Max’s eyes. “I take it back. You’re a more interesting canvas than I thought.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
NIGHT FOUR: THE TURN
Farn stood in the corner of the palace suite, struggling not to grin as Ginger offered Kira what could only be described as a work of art. Larkin had outdone himself.
“You can’t be serious.” The fairy tilted her head to the side like she was observing something otherworldly.
“Oh, I assure you I’m quite serious.” Ginger held up the white pair of bikini bottoms, stretching them playfully.
“What the hell? Why does Farn get a one-piece and I get that?”
“I’m happy with mine.” Farn admired the sensible bathing suit that Larkin had sent over. It matched the color scheme of her new armor.
Ginger smirked. “Oh, I’m sorry, would you prefer to see Farn in something more revealing?”
Farn’s ears perked up at the question.
“No,” Kira snapped back, driving a spike through Farn’s hopes.
Ompf, right in the feelings. Farn clutched her swimsuit to her chest to absorb the emotional impact. Though, despite her answer, Kira did turn a rather cute shade of pink that soothed away the ache in Farn’s heart. Maybe there was interest after all? She shook off the thought as Kira continued to argue.
“But that covers less than my underwear.”
Ginger shrugged. “It’s not my fault you wear granny panties.”
Kira winced.
“You don’t like the word panties, do you? That’s adorable.” The Coin stretched the offending swimsuit and fired it at Kira like a slingshot. It hit the little mage in her cute, pink face.
Kira snatched the garment off the ground. “Oh shut up, a lot of people don’t like… that word.”
Farn let out a laugh before covering her mouth with one hand and adding a quick, “Sorry.”
Kira turned even redder, then plopped down into a sofa and crossed her arms.
“Okay, fine.” Ginger’s tone shifted, sounding a little more nurturing. “I get it. You’re not wild about wearing something like this in public. But you’ll get to play in the water, which I know you’ll like if you give it a chance. Then you’ll forget all about what you’re wearing. Plus, it will give Berwyn a more enticing view while still having Farn close by to cock block him if need be.”
“That’s true. I am excellent at ruining the mood.” Farn wished she had something more impressive to boast about, but there it was, her claim to fame.
Kira smiled but continued to sit with her arms crossed in protest.
Ginger handed her the top that came with her bathing suit. “Okay, here’s the deal. We can argue about this for the next half hour and eventually give you a guilt trip about how this is important for the heist. Or, you can just go in the washroom now and change so you can get down there and start having fun in the water sooner.”
Kira sat silently for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. “Fine, but I’m going down the hall to find a quick-change panel. Getting undressed for real still weirds me out.”
Ginger rolled her eyes at the fairy. “Oh, be a grown up and get changed. We can’t have you roaming the halls looking for a quick-change panel when we have our own suite. That would be suspicious, and besides, Farn and I are going to get changed in here. So unless you want the awkwardness of us getting naked in front of you, then you should probably get moving now.”
“Oh yeah?” Kira stayed sitting. “I dare you.”
Farn’s eyes widened at the thought. Ginger shrugged and started unbuckling the clasps on her corset.
“Okay, then this is happening. Farn, start stripping.”
Farn was tempted to go for it, her hear racing at the thought. Guilt immediately pushed the desire from her mind, as if taking advantage of the situation would have been wrong. She sighed.
I would have chickened out anyway. I am so not ready for that. Farn gestured fo
r Ginger to proceed without her. “Nah, I think you have that covered.”
The Coin dropped her corset to the floor, then paused, giving the stubborn fairy a chance to escape the room before things got uncomfortable.
Kira stayed put and let out a harumpf.
“Suit yourself.” Ginger pulled off her shirt without hesitation.
“Oh god fine, fine.” Kira blurted as she raced into the attached washroom, slamming the door behind her.
“Well, I should have done that sooner.” Ginger stood proud with her hands on her hips. “Never underestimate the power of boobs.”
“Ah… yeah,” Farn turned toward the balcony and unbuckle her armor.
A few minutes later, they were both ready for the beach. Ginger draped herself over the chaise, looking comfortable in the little, green two-piece that Larkin had sent her. She sat back up a second later and eyed the washroom door.
“What the hell is Kira doing in there? It doesn’t take this long to get changed.” She marched over to the door and knocked as loud as she could. “Hey, quit looking at your lady parts in the mirror and get out here!”
A fairy-like squeak came from the room, followed by the sound of someone bumping into things. The mage emerged a moment later, avoiding making eye contact.
“Everything how you expected? No surprises?” Ginger swept her gaze up and down the fairy’s body.
Kira simply crossed her arms and turned up her nose. “Like you wouldn’t look.”
“True.” Ginger nodded. “I’d do a whole lot more than look if it was me.”
“It’s good to know which one of us has more self-control.”
“That’s fair. I suppose there is a reason I have two kids,” Ginger commented on her own lack of will power, “but more importantly.” She twirled her finger in a circular motion.
The fairy groaned and turned around.
Farn immediately lost her composure, laughing so hard that she had to lean on the furniture. Larkin really had outdone himself. A design of morning star crystals sparkled across the fairy’s rear in to form Lockheart’s house crest, a keyhole at its center.