Chapter 73: Shell Day“Zara, Sima, welcome to our home.”

  Alina comes out of guys’ old room and immediately blurts out, “Wow, look at those huge tits!”

  “Alina, mind your manners. That’s rude.”

  “Once you get some money, David, you just go all out. First Roxanne and now these two! Sherry is going to kill you.”

  “Alina! Stop it.”

  Alina calms down and the sisters start giggling.

  “Zara, Sima, meet the incredibly rude Alina.”

  Zara announces, “Master wife has sharp tongue.”

  Roxanne quickly corrects their assumption, “Alina is Master’s senior sve, not wife.”

  Zara and Sima seem confused.

  After making a little frown at Roxanne, Alina expins, “Master doesn’t like to be called Master but allows Roxanne to do it. I and Sherry, his other sve, call him David. The former vanguard called him Boss, but they now work for a noble who calls him Lord Moreau.”

  Zara appropriately says, “Who?”

  “A bit too much all at once. Anyway, let’s have lunch. Roxanne, please show them around while Alina and I prepare something.”

  Once out of earshot, I talk to Alina in a serious voice, “Alina, these girls are not sex sves. You will not tell them to seduce me. I made a promise and it’s in their contracts.”

  “Yes, David, I understand. I will not interfere.”

  “Thanks, Alina. Offer them the guys’ old room or give them separate rooms downstairs. I have a tub for them and we can move the big one further away.”

  We serve a meat-heavy lunch. Zara and Sima eat heartily and the conversation is light. Evidently, their cn of dragon-kin comes from a mountainous region near Kassim called ?Atashkuh?, or something like that. [1] Their family emigrated when the girls were very young and eventually fell into poverty, as seems to be typical. The girls were purchased together and served only one master. The shell grit topic came up and I agreed to provide it once a week.

  I will definitely enlist Sherry’s help to improve their Brahim. I hope Tutor still works even if we don’t speak their native nguage. Well, the old-fashioned way should help considering that they’re already understandable.

  I’ll also need to take them shopping today for personal items. I don’t know what they’ll need but it’s probably more than whatever the guys left behind. Since I don’t have enough gear for both, we’ll get that today too.

  “Alright, it’s time for some basic tests.”

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  Besides Warrior, Zara and Sima have Swordsman and Explorer at level 1 and Vilger at levels 9 and 8, respectively. There was a Dragon Knight at Malik’s sve house. It sounds like a racial job though maybe it becomes avaible after Warrior hits level 30, like a normal Knight. I could wait for Sherry or just ask directly.

  “Zara, Sima, do you know about a job called Dragon Knight?”

  Zara answers, “Yes. After bravery trial. We not Dragon Knight.”

  So, it’s more likely to have a specific trigger, like Runesmith. Either way, it might be better to let them become regur Knights, as long as I don’t tell Rutina.

  “No problem. Just curious. I want to observe your fighting style to make it easier to decide on weapons and armor. I’ll take you first, Zara.”

  “Zara and Sima fight together.”

  “Yes, I expect that you will. Right now, I only have equipment for one at a time. It won’t take very long and Roxanne will come with us.”

  “I understand.”

  “Sima, help Alina and follow her instructions.”

  I take Roxanne and the nervous Zara upstairs. The leather cap, shoes and mittens fit perfectly, of course. The hardened-leather armor looks absolutely ridiculous — it’s good that I can warp us directly into a byrinth. I also give her Sabo’s old two-handed sword with the Daze skill. [2] In my Item Box, I have the tower shield, the other big sword and a smaller shield for testing. Roxanne empties her Item Box so I can switch her back to Assassin. I put on my armor and open a portal to the 2nd floor of Nordselm.

  “Zara, I want to see your fighting style against a single opponent. We will help you if needed. Roxanne, please lead us to a single Needlewood.”

  Zara stands her ground against the tree monster and takes it down in just a couple hits. She’s clearly experienced with a big sword, as expected. A bit of a long-shot, but I need to check. Well, what do you know, she qualified for Dragon Knight after killing one measly tree. [3] I’ll take the easy win and switch her job on the spot. Let’s see, this job grants a ton of endurance and skills of Dual Wielding, Critical Outbreak and Damage Reduction.

  “That was very good, Zara. You are now a Dragon Knight.”

  Zara looks at me in confusion as Roxanne praises me for such a wonderful accomplishment. I temporarily switch to Knight and ask for Zara’s hand.

  “See, Zara, there it is. You have become a Dragon Knight.”

  Zara is shocked, but quickly regains her composure. “You give great honor, Master. I not forget. Sima also can?”

  “I think so. First, we need to complete your tests. One of your skills is called Dual Wielding, I guess that means you can use two swords.”

  “Yes, Dragon Knight use two big sword. Or big shield and sword.”

  “Great, I have both with me.”

  I give Zara the tower shield and she comfortably holds the two-handed sword in one hand. Roxanne leads her to the next monster and Zara moves in to attack. It’s clear that she’s used a shield before and blocks the attacks with ease. Her attacks don’t look quite as strong as before, but they’re more than enough to finish the monster after a couple hits. After a few monsters, she already looks a bit more comfortable.

  “Very good, Zara. One more test before we return.”

  I take back the shield and give her the other two-handed sword.

  “How does this feel?”

  “Heavy. I try.”

  Zara catches on to using two swords like magic, which is perfectly reasonable in this case. She tends to attack more than block, just as Sherry said. I’m honestly not sure which would be better. Unless Sima shows a clear preference, I’ll prepare for both options.

  “All done, Zara. Let’s go back.”

  Zara runs to Sima and they excitedly speak in their nguage — let’s call it Draconic, even if it might just be a regional nguage. Sima bounces over to me to ask for the same opportunity. Zara peels off her armor, with some difficulty, for Sima to squeeze into. (Maybe I was supposed to leave the room.)

  When ready, I take Sima and Roxanne to Nordselm’s Labyrinth. Without waiting, Sima bursts ahead to absolutely thrash the first Needlewood she encounters. A quick check confirms it worked for Sima too. It really would have sucked if she didn’t get the job.

  I give her the tower shield and Sima gets ready to run after the next monster.

  “Sima, not so fast. Slow down and be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Yes, Boss.”

  I guess Alina told her to use that name since they repce the guys. Roxanne mutters, “Good.”

  Sima’s shield test proceeds very much like her sister’s. Her dual wielding is almost identical as well. I guess they have simir styles from fighting together, or it’s just a function of their job. With two successes, we’ll need more equipment, especially armor that doesn’t look like exaggerated cospy. No need to ask their preferences before we see what’s avaible.

  “Congratutions, Sima, you are a Dragon Knight.”

  “Thank you, Boss David!”

  Back home, the sisters celebrate again and I put away their equipment. Alina reports that their room is ready.

  “Good work, Zara and Sima. Thanks for the help, Roxanne and Alina. Let’s go shopping.”

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  After a few minutes of preparation, I take us to central Curatar. Before checking the normal shops, I’ll see if Luke has anything good. I send the girls to buy personal items, backpacks, etc., and go to the guild. I ask for Luke, who comes out quickly.

  “Hello Luke, do you have any special armor or weapons avaible?”

  “Yes, Mr. Moreau, I do have a few items remaining. The market has been good, both for buying and selling. I’ve also obtained some skill crystals for you.”

  Luke shows me a pair of dragon-leather boots with two skill slots. These could be good for Sherry, or even better for me if I give her mine. I buy them along with a rge, Damascus-steel shield. Even without slots, it’s better than what we have at home.

  My skill crystal haul is two Carnivine, one Caterpilr, two Corals, five Kobolds, one Ox, two Sheep, and two Shrubs. With some reluctance, I fork over 97k for the gear, skill crystals and future bids. It’s a good thing I’m so wealthy, rgely thanks to Sherry and Rutina.

  The girls are already at the armor shop. Zara and Sima say that they wore chainmail in the past, but I have them try out steel pte mail first.

  Zara responds, “This good. Not heavy.”

  Sima adds, “Move easy.”

  Several sets are avaible, so I select two made of normal steel, each with a single skill slot. Pte armor isn’t cheap, but not as expensive as Sabo’s armor with its ornate design. We grab the only two pairs of steel boots and look for gauntlets. Only one pair has a skill slot so we get that too.

  The biggest shields seem to be sized for humans, so I ask the Merchant, “Do you have any tower shields?”

  “Not now and only rarely.”

  “How about anything special in the back?”

  The Merchant hesitates for a moment and then lets me through for the sake of the dragon-kin — he’s nicer when I wear my fancy robe. Here, I find a pair of Damascus-steel gauntlets with two skill slots. I’d hoped to keep things even, but there’s no way I’ll let these slip past. Unexpectedly, I also spot dragon-leather gloves with two slots. I don’t know if it’ll be possible to find much in normal stores without luck like this.

  All this will cost enough for me to deserve a discount, in my opinion. I leave the shop a bit guilty and the owner thanks me for my purchase. Around the corner, I stuff the armor into my Item Box and we continue to the weapon shop.

  “Roxanne, now that we see that petrify works so well, we should look for another sword for you. I probably should have waited with that second skill.”

  “If you say so, Master. Could I possibly be allowed to keep the Baradam sword?”

  “Yes, Roxanne, you can keep it as a trophy, like Alina has Simon’s. It may take some time to find a new sword for you so keep using it for now.”

  I wouldn’t want to sell it anyway — never know when we might need a reasonable repcement.

  This time, I ask to be taken to the back room right away while others check through the regur items. Unfortunately, nothing good. The girls show me the shop’s collection of two-handed swords. They have a Damascus-steel two-handed sword with two skill slots. Immediate purchase.

  Maybe some shops closer to Kassim would have a better selection for dragon-kin, though what we found certainly isn’t bad.

  The only other thing I can think of would be a good supply of shell grit. We could try to get it from monster drops, buy from a guild or get the natural stuff near the sea. May as well start with the cheapest so we warp to Hafen in Elven Territory.

  It’s pretty te in the day so most of the stands have closed. We could probably gather some ourselves, but that seems bothersome. Luckily, I run into a guy who recently gathered some to sell to farmers. Zara and Sima approve so I buy the entire 5 kg sack for practically nothing.

  We warp home from a nearby tree and I drop everyone off at home before going to pick up Sherry.

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  “Hello, Sherry. Have you had a good day?”

  “Yes, David, thank you. How did the search go?”

  “Two new party members are waiting to meet you. By the way, be careful not to breathe on them — don’t want to start a fire.”

  “Oh, dragon-kin? That’s good.”

  At home, the greetings proceed peacefully, as expected. Alina was silly to think that Sherry wouldn’t already know what they typically look like.

  “Sherry, I bought another pair of boots. Would you like to take my dragon-leather boots with stun-protection?”

  “Yes, thank you, David.”

  Since the best defense is a good offense, I ask Sherry to add Stun to the new Damascus-steel sword. It’s been a long day so I go fill a small and rge tub with water to enjoy after dinner. Alina and Roxanne make stew and the new girls eat really well again. Good thing we’re used to the guys in our portioning.

  I forgot to move the tubs further apart. I guess they can say something if they’re too close or they can just bathe ter. I warm the baths and take Zara out to test the temperature.

  Zara asks, “No night?”

  “Right, Zara, no night.”

  I sit in the big tub with my back to the small tub out of politeness. I’m soon joined by three girls and we soak up the warmth.

  When it was about time to get out, Sima walks over to our tub and stands directly in front of me, quite notably undressed. Good to know I won’t have to move the tubs for her sake. With this clear invitation to look, I look. Hmm, completely normal, humanoid anatomy from this vantage point. It sure is nice of Sima to show me. How did she know I’ve been curious?

  Why do they need to eat shells? Should I ask? While I was pondering this grossly inappropriate question, Sima turns and walks away. Maybe she’s asking for a bath towel. Towels sort of suck here. They’re worse than what you’d get in PE css. After Sima completely disappears from sight, I notice that my tub-mates are staring at me.

  “What?”

  In a suspiciously gentle voice, Alina tells me, “Sima wants you to follow her”.

  “I didn’t hear her say that. Well, I was a bit distracted.”

  “David, it’s shell day. They need your help.” [4]

  “Alina, did you tell them something weird?”

  “No, David. Go now.”

  No reason to doubt Alina. I go to Zara’s and Sima’s room to find them waiting for me. Apparently, shell day involves the opposite of what I assumed ‘no night’ to mean. Anyway, after I help them, they promptly fall asleep. Since the bed isn’t big enough for three, I go upstairs.

  “David, did you tuck them in properly?”

  “Well, that was certainly unexpected. How did you know?”

  “Let’s just call it a guess. Can you do the same for us?”

  “Of course, it’s shell day, after all.”

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  [1] Kassim and Zabir suggest Semitic nguages. Atashkuh suggests a Persian nguage.[2] Made with Shrub skill crystal without a Kobold enhancer.[3] The trigger for Dragon Knight is to fight and sy a monster without assistance (v9 c1).[4] Shell day isn’t mentioned in the LN or WN.