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Chapter 144

  “Wooow…” Lilfira gasped, touching her cheeks with both hands while being in awe.

  “You look absolutely gorgeous, Ranalaiya,” Sylfrin, who would rarely become surprised or impressed had a jaw dropping moment as well.

  “Thank you. I saw myself in the mirror in the bathroom and couldn’t believe it was me. This new armor is so amazing. Thank you so much, Master Rockin,” Ranalaiya exclaimed, falling on my neck like an excited little girl, jumping on her toes while hugging me.

  “Haha,” I laughed, clinging to Ranalaiya, more so to keep my balance and not fall down due to Ranalaiya being so energetic.

  The Swiftstrike Armor looked to be a perfect fit for Ranalaiya and it made her look much more attractive too. The armor was mainly dark green in color, with some shades of brown and white thanks to Rhaki skin and Carnabbit fur. I’ve made the armor so it would cover Ranalaiya’s body more than her previous Rhanabbit Armor, making it offer more protection. I’ve sewn the armor pieces in layers, connecting Tarkee skins together, sewing Rhaki skins in between the layers before adding Carnabbit fur last but only from the inside to offer extra comfort while wearing it, with a bit of the fur being seen at the edges. With how nimble and flexible Ranalaiya was, the layers made it easy for her to move around, in addition to making the armor look exceptionally stunning too. Or maybe the Swiftstrike Armor looked so awesome because it was Ranalaiya who was wearing it.

  As for the individual armor pieces, the Swiftstrike Bracers looked more or less like ordinary bracers, except that the way I had sewn Tarkee skins together, it gave the bracers a sharp finish. The Swiftstrike Breastplate was fully covering Ranalaiya’s body, both from the front and from the back, including her belly. It had two straps at the top to help hold it in place better, the straps were going from the outer sides where the armor was covering Ranalaiya’s breasts, the straps crossing each other above her chest in an X form, doing the same on her back too. The Swiftstrike Shoulder Pads had three layers, with one layer being firm and straight, sitting on her shoulders in a horizontal position, the two remaining layers falling down her shoulders on the sides and covering her arms halfway to her elbows. I made the Swiftstrike Belt to be just like a simple belt, adding a triple layered piece of armor on each side that were falling down her hips for extra protection.

  Now, the Swiftstrike Leggings took me some work, but only because I wanted to make them to be extra sturdy and flexible at the same time. Ranalaiya’s legs were the most important part of her body. She was relying on speed when fighting and having her legs injured could lead to very dire consequences. Like the other pieces of armor, I had sewn the Swiftstrike Leggings in layers, making them extra long too, with the bottom part reaching Ranalaiya’s ankles. I’ve added extra Carnabbit fur inside the leg openings at the bottom to make it more comfortable for Ranalaiya to wear it. Last but not least was the headgear. I don’t know how I came up with it, but the Swiftstrike Headgear looked more like a head accessory than a helmet. Obviously, I had to make two openings in it to allow for Ranalaiya’s ears to stick out. Despite it looking like a head’s accessory, it offered good protection, especially at the front for her forehead and at the back of her head.

  The Swiftsrtike Armor set’s amazing looks aside, the real treat was the stats it offered. The majority of the armor pieces had an Equip Level of nine, with only the headgear having an Equip Level of ten. Maybe I was lucky on it or maybe the headgear piece came out one level higher because I’ve already crafted five Swiftstrike Armor pieces before it, making it much easier for me to craft it. Either way, I was happy about it.

  About the stats the set provided. The bracers and the belt each offered one point to Stamina, two points to Strength and five points to Agility. The shoulder pads offered two points to Stamina, two points to Strength and five points to Agility. The breastplate and the leggings were both the same in terms of how much stats they offered. Each gave two to Stamina, two to Strength and six to Agility. Lastly, the headgear offered one more extra point to Strength compared to the breastplate or the leggings, giving two points to Stamina, three points to Strength and six points to Agility.

  Now, when I crafted the very first piece of the Swiftstrike Armor set, the Swiftstrike Bracers, I thought it offering five points to Agility was really nice, but I was yet to realize how big of a boost to Ranalaiya’s stats the whole set would give overall. All six pieces offered a total of ten points to Stamina, eighteen points to Strength and forty five points to Agility. It made my jaw drop when I added all the stat points together. I knew it right there and then all my work to craft the Swiftstrike Armor set was well worth it. However, I had forgotten one minor detail – the set bonus. I couldn’t see what the set bonus was because a person had to equip the whole set in order for the bonus to take effect.

  As it turned out, the six pieces Swiftstrike Armor set offered an additional one third of the total bonus in stats, adding three more points to Stamina, four more points to Strength and a whooping eleven more points to Agility. I could see the armor set bonus numbers before Ranalaiya left the bathroom because I could access Ranalaiya’s Status Window from my own. My eyes almost popped out of their eyeholes when I saw the total number of stats that the Swiftstrike Armor set was providing, thinking I must’ve miscalculated it at the beginning, noticing the notification of the set bonus a moment later. Ranalaiya’s current total stats looked nothing but incredible.

  ***

  Ranalaiya Nightlight (Slave). Level 18.

  Master: Rockin Starling.

  Class: Shadow Assassin.

  Character stats:

  Stamina – 17+13

  Strength – 37+22

  Agility – 79+56

  Spell Power – 1

  Magic Energy – 5

  Luck - 48

  ***

  The Swiftstrike Armor set’s amazing looks and the incredible bonus stats it provided aside, there was one more bonus that the set was offering to whoever was wearing it, and it was a real mindblower hands down. In addition to all stats, there was another notification which said – ‘6/6 set bonus: increases attack speed by 10%’. When I saw that, I thought holy hell, Ranalaiya will be the most badass killing machine ever. It really made my day.

  “Oh my gosh, look at those stats!” Lilfira exclaimed after she saw Ranalaiya’s stats.

  “Wow, your Agility stat is so high, Ranalaiya,” Sylfrin was amazed as well.

  “And look, it says your attack speed is increased by ten percent too. Amazing,” Lilfira noticed it.

  “Indeed. Now nobody will be able to compete with you on the monster kills, Ranalaiya,” Sylfrin said.

  “Maybe…” Ranalaiya said, sticking her tongue out, also sparkling like a star in the sky. “It is all thanks to this Swiftstrike Armor that Master Rockin had crafted for me. Excuse me, Master Rockin, but can I keep the Swiftstrike Armor on?”

  “Huh? What do you mean? Of course you can. It is yours,” I said, feeling perplexed Ranalaiya would ask me that, but then rolled my eyes remembering she was a slave.

  “Thank you. You’re the best, Master Rockin,” Ranalaiya jumped on my neck once again.

  “Ok, ok. I’m happy that you’re happy,” I couldn’t help but laugh, seeing Ranalaiya being so excited. “How about we go eat now?”

  “Yes, let’s,” Ranalaiya chirped, showing a very happy smile.

  “What will we do after we eat, Master Rockin?” Sylfrin asked once we were outside and on our way to Savirei’s diner.

  “I need to visit Alragus to collect my new armor. Also, I need to go to the Auction House today to check if our clan’s new headquarters are ready and available to use. And I need to meet up with Tarrion and Krisel regarding our dungeon run. Hopefully they will be at Savirei’s diner when we get there, but if not, well… we’ll have to wonder around the city in hopes we bump into them somewhere,” I explained.

  “Will we be going to the dungeon today, Master?” Lilfira asked.

  “Maybe. That depends on how long it will take me to do all the things that I need to do. In any case, let’s go eat now,” I said, picking up my pace.

  “Good morning, Rockin. Oh my… Ranalaiya, I could barely recognize you. You look absolutely stunning,” Savirei greeted me before gasping out loud when she saw how Ranalaiya looked in her new Swiftstrike Armor. “I take it that’s the new armor Master Rockin had crafted for you?”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Master Rockin? I grimaced, hearing Savirei call me that.

  “Yes, it is. Oh, I’m sorry. Good morning, Miss Savirei,” Ranalaiya said, Sylfrin and Lilfira offering their greetings to Savirei as well.

  “You must’ve been working really hard, darling,” Savirei said, finally turning to face me again.

  “Good morning. Table for four, please,” I simply said before looking around to see if Tarrion and Krisel were sitting at a table somewhere.

  “Hmph, you’re so mean, Rockin,” Savirei said, pouting her lips.

  “Good morning,” I said again, giving Savirei a kiss on a cheek too this time. “Table for four, please.”

  “Wow, what a treat. Right this way, darling,” Savirei said, brightening up. “Here you go. What would you like to order?” Savirei led us to a table, taking our orders right after. “Thank you. I will be right back.”

  “You’re so cheeky, Master Rockin,” Sylfrin said after the four of us sat down.

  “Yeah, well… I’m hungry too,” I said, adding a shrug which made Lilfira chuckle.

  “Hmm…” Ranalaiya was humming something under her nose in the meantime, looking like she was on the ninth cloud from how happy she was.

  “Here you go, darlings,” Savirei came back, carrying our food on a tray, serving it to us without delay. “Enjoy.” She added before walking away.

  We ate our food quietly, other than Ranalaiya, Sylfrin and Lilfira exchanging some words between themselves now and then, mainly about Ranalaiya’s new armor. After the meal, I went to talk to Savirei to ask her if Tarrion and Krisel visited her diner before us, Savirei informing they haven’t they haven’t been here yet. I informed her I will be going to the Auction House now, asking her to let Tarrion know I’ll come back here to wait for him. We had planned a dungeon run and would need to meet somewhere, and Savirei’s diner seemed like the best choice.

  “Huh? I thought you said we’ll be going to Alragus’ workshop first, Master Rockin?” Sylfrin wondered when I turned the other way after we have left Savirei’s diner.

  “Yes, but I thought checking if the office for our clan is ready to be used would be better. If it is, I could let Alragus know about it too,” I explained my decision.

  Once we were at the Auction House, one of the guards promptly informed me that Miss Meribel Willmint was expecting me. The same guard accompanied me to where my clan’s office was, with Lapis being there already, informing me he was waiting for me since early morning.

  “Greetings, Mister Starling. I welcome you to your clan’s new headquarters,” Lapis greeted me politely, bowing down low too.

  Wow… Very impressing. I was looking around in the meantime, taken aback by how amazing the whole place looked.

  “Ah, sorry. Hello Lapis. How have you been?” I said, finally snapping out of my daze.

  “I’ve been very well. Thank you for asking, Mister Starling,” Lapis said. “May I enquire if the office is to your liking, Mister Starling?”

  “Oh, yeah. It looks… very nice,” I said, nodding my head before starting to look around again.

  The place looked impeccable to say the least. It was very clean and had everything we agreed upon it would have. There was a large desk for Lapis to sit at that served as a counter too. A Quest Board was put up on the right wall from where the entrance to the room was. It wasn’t as big as the one at the Guild, but it had plenty of room to put more than a few quests on it. Two round tables that could sit four people each were set on the opposite side of the room, the furniture looking to be of high quality too.

  “Mister Rockin, hello. Please, forgive me for keeping you wait,” I heard Meribel’s voice from behind me, turning around to face her.

  “Good morning, Miss Meribel. It’s ok, I know you are very busy,” I said.

  “Thank you for being so understanding, Mister Rockin. So then, what do you think of your clan’s office?” She then asked.

  “It looks… amazing. I appreciate what you had done here,” I said, trying to think of what to say.

  “That was no problem at all. I am glad to hear it is to your liking, Mister Rockin,” Meribel smiled before turning to my three lovely ladies. “Good day to you, Sylfrin, Ranalaiya and Lilfira.”

  “Hello, Miss Meribel,” the women greeted her back, bowing their heads respectfully.

  “Oh my. I see you have a new armor, Ranalaiya. It looks fabulous,” Meribel couldn’t not notice Ranalaiya wearing new armor.

  “Thank you, Miss Meribel,” Ranalaiya said.

  “It looks quite extraordinary. I must admit, I had never seen this type of armor before. May I enquire where you have got it, Ranalaiya?” Meribel asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

  “Master Rockin crafted it for me,” Ranalaiya said, a happy smile not leaving her face.

  “Mister Rockin, is that true?” Meribel asked me.

  “Ah, yeah,” I said, showing an awkward smile.

  “That’s right. Now I remember. You have the Armorcrafting Skill, don’t you, Mister Rockin?” Meribel asked again.

  “Well, I don’t have the Armorcrafting Skill. It’s just a normal Crafting skill,” I explained.

  “Normal?” Meribel said, giving another glance at Ranalaiya before turning to face me again. “You can craft such an extraordinary armor while having a normal Crafting skill, Mister Rockin?”

  “Ahh, well… It is listed as a Crafting skill under my Skills tab and… it allows me to craft stuff,” I explained, not that I provided any extra details about the skill.

  “Oh, I do apologize for being so nosy, Mister Rockin,” Meribel said, showing a kind smile.

  “No, no. It’s ok. I mean, I can’t explain it in any other way, so I’m sorry if it sounded rude,” I apologized back, realizing Meribel must’ve thought I was withholding information from her.

  “I see. In that case, may I know what kind of armor Ranalaiya is wearing, Mister Rockin?” Meribel asked.

  “Of course. It is called the Swiftstrike Armor and it focuses on boosting Agility stat for the most part,” I said.

  “And what are the stat bonuses if I may ask?” Meribel pushed for more information.

  “Oh,” I tilted my head, realizing she wanted to know the full details. “Ok. So, the set consists of six pieces in total. Five armor pieces have an Equip Level of nine while the headgear has an Equip Level of ten. The whole set provides ten points to Stamina, eighteen points to Strength and forty five points to Agility. The six pieces set also offers an additional bonus of three points to Stamina, four points to Strength and eleven points to Agility.”

  “That is quite amazing,” Meribel said, not hiding she was impressed.

  “Oh, sorry. It also provides another bonus when you wear all six pieces together. It increases attack speed by ten percent,” I added, remembering it.

  “Oh my…” Meribel gasped, becoming quiet suddenly. “Ah, please do forgive me for spacing out like that, Mister Rockin. This Swiftstrike Armor set is truly remarkable, both in looks and in the bonus stats and the additional effect it provides. May I ask how many sets have you crafted so far, Mister Rockin?”

  “This is the only set that I have crafted so far,” I said.

  “I see. Are you planning to craft any more Swiftstrike Armor sets in the future?” Meribel asked.

  “I… don’t know. Why?” I asked, feeling a bit dense for whatever reason.

  “Hmm…” Meribel smiled before speaking again. “Such an amazing armor set would sell for quite a sum on the auction, Mister Rockin.”

  “Oooh…” it finally dawned on me, but only after Meribel told me the reason why she asked. “You think… it would sell for a high price, Miss Meribel?”

  “I do. However, I wouldn’t want to offer it here at Hirvant’s Auction House, even though, I am certain it might sell for about thirty gold coins. I was thinking of offering it at the Grandorval’s Auction House instead and I could guarantee a minimum of fifty gold coins sale price for it, Mister Rockin,” Meribel offered and I knew she was serious about it.

  “Fifty gold coins?” My jaw dropped down while my eyebrows shot up.

  “Yes. Grandorval is one of the biggest cities in the continent. It is maybe the fourth biggest out of all the cities out there. It is a hub for many high-ranking clans and is favored by all types of adventurers. Grandorval has three dungeons close to it too, with one of the dungeons not being fully conquered yet. The city attracts more and more adventurers every passing year. As exclusive and as strong as the Swiftstrike Armor set is, I am positive it could fetch a very high price at Grandorval’s auction for you, Mister Rockin,” Meribel provided more details, also revealing how far ahead she was thinking.

  “Ahm… wow,” I scratched my head. “Aah… Sorry for asking, but… the Swiftstrike Armor set is only level ten. Well, only the headgear has an Equip Level of ten but still. And it is only blue quality too. What makes you think it would sell for such a high price, Miss Meribel?”

  “Oh my,” Meribel chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand to help her restrain her laugh. “Please forgive me for finding your question amusing, Mister Rockin. I didn’t think you haven’t realized how extraordinary Swiftstrike Armor set actually is. I do agree that a level nine or ten blue quality equipment is not that great for let’s say a level twenty and above adventurer. However, the Swiftstrike Armor is an armor set, offering a staggering bonus in stats when all six pieces are worn together. The whole set easily compares to six blue quality unrelated pieces of equipment that could be from level eighteen to level twenty. With the bonuses that the Swiftstrike Armor set provides, it would be very favorable by an adventurer who focuses on increasing one of their stats, Agility being the main stat in this example. Not to mention the bonus of it increasing the wearers attack speed by ten percent. This one additional bonus effect is what sets the Swiftstrike Armor apart from many others.”

  “Oh… ok,” I said, nodding my head a few times, finally getting the picture.

  “Now if I may return to my previous question, are you planning to craft any more Swiftstrike Armor sets in the future, Mister Rockin?” Meribel asked, wearing a very sweet smile on her face.

  “I probably could, however…” I said, making a pause to remember the details of what I was about to say, Meribel staying quiet to let me gather my thoughts. “Here’s the thing. The main crafting materials that I’ve used to craft the whole Swiftstrike Armor set are Tarkee and Rhaki skins. I’ve used a total of twenty two Tarkee skins and sixteen Rhaki skins to craft it. I’ve also used some Carnabbit fur and Halluspider strings. The majority of the crafting materials aren’t too difficult to acquire, but it was really hard to get enough Tarkee skins for me to be able to craft all six armor pieces. You probably know this but the drop rate of Tarkee skins is extremely low and unfortunately, I have only two Tarkee skins left on me right now.”

  “I see. Yes, I totally understand what you mean here, Mister Rockin. However, if you happen to acquire enough crafting materials to craft another set of the Swiftstrike Armor, I’d appreciate if you could remember my offer before selling the armor set to someone else,” Meribel said, her charming smile showing she’d definitely make it worth my time.

  “Yes, of course, Miss Meribel,” I had no reason to not offer the armor to her first.

  “Thank you, Mister Rockin,” Meribel said, looking pleased. “Now then, going back to the matter that still needs finalizing. Since you are happy with this office, Mister Rockin, now we just need to complete the paperwork for it. Unfortunately, I must go now, but Lapis has all the related documents with him and can assist you with it. It was a real pleasure seeing you again, Mister Rockin. If you excuse me.” Meribel dipped her head just slightly before turning to go.

  “Thank you, Miss Meribel. I wish you a lovely day ahead,” I said, Meribel offering me a smile in response.

  “Sylfrin, Ranalaiya, Lilfira, take care of yourselves,” was Meribel’s last words before leaving.

  “Goodbye, Miss Meribel,” the ladies said.

  “Mister Starling, if I may?” Lapis spoke to me after Meribel was gone.

  “Right, the paperwork. Ok, let’s get it over with,” I said, going to sit down at one of the tables available.

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