[DCI] Chapter 73 - The Paragon of Defense (Patreon)

“Let’s leave the rest of your General Skills for later and take a quick peek at your Class-Related Abilities,” I said, trying to keep the conversation on the proper tracks. “These will be much more important in the upcoming hours. As I mentioned earlier, I would love to welcome you to our team as intended after the crisis is averted. Again, sorry about the rush.”

Shuri dragged her fiery eyes away from my possessive mate. “And I appreciate this notion of knowing what to focus on instead of being bogged down by formalities. People often forget that it’s the objective that matters, not how by-the-book your approach is.”

“Not in every case, of course,” Levia added softly.

“Of course.” Our new friend nodded in agreement. “But your case fits rather well. So, how do we change this illusory image?”

I slowed down my movements this time since it looked like she was extremely curious about my fascinating gadget and navigated to the section listing her Class-Related Skills.

★━━━━━━━━━━★

CLASS-RELATED

★━━━━━━━━━━★

Bond Armor (F)

Armorer’s Credo (F)

Reinforce Armor (F) 

Mend (F)

Preserve (F)

Immovable Fortress (F)

★━━━━━━━━━━★

“The first one is rather self-explanatory,” I commented. “Does it have any limitations depending on the armor’s source?”

“I wouldn’t call them limitations,” she replied. “I can bond with gear crafted by myself and by others. That process allows me to use my other abilities on it and through it. The armor becomes my magical focus. Not many realize this, but Armorer is actually a magical Class. Nevertheless, I unlock the full potential of it only when donning something I worked on with my own two hands. It’s more like there are additional options that don’t show up in the lesser equipment.”

“Sounds like you share the same connection with your armor as most Classes share with their intended weapon or type,” Aisha said thoughtfully. “I could technically use a bow, but the majority of my kit won’t activate with arrows. Only when wielding two-handed weapons can I display the full potential of a Berserker.”

“That’s it,” Shuri confirmed. “But, the main difference between those aspects is the fact that I’m proficient with all kinds of armor even if my General Skills don’t show it specifically. You would still need to practice with other weapons, my magical bond lets me become one with every boot, chestplate, pauldron, or helmet.”

“All of it is super interesting, but we need to move on and explore those qualities later,” I reminded the team of our tight schedule. “What’s the second one?”

This time, I pulled its full description up to investigate the unfamiliar ability.

★━━━━━━━━━━★

Armorer’s Credo (F)

Depending on the type of Bonded Armor, you gain different benefits that enhance various aspects of your performance. By following specific rules related to those types, you can achieve feats otherwise unachievable by normal people, displaying prowess worthy of the most fantastic legends.

Current Type: NoneCurrent Type Benefits: NoneCurrent Type Unique Abilities: Fleetfooted

※ ※ ※

Primary Scaling Attribute: ConstitutionSecondary Scaling Attribute: Fortitude

★━━━━━━━━━━★

“Damn, this looks like a topic for a deeper discussion,” I cursed under my breath, really eager to delve into theory-crafting and strategizing. “It also seems like you get something even for not wearing any armor?”

“Yes, albeit not that strong and not that many. However, these get better with my level,” Shuri replied with a reminiscing smile. “Fleetfooted is simply a bonus passive skill that makes me a little bit faster and more agile. There’s a chance I won’t activate pressure triggers if I move over them fast enough. I did abuse it a few times in my Assignments. Though, only if they were solo missions. Having to get practically naked in the middle of the Dungeon isn’t the most comfortable prerequisite.”

Her red cheeks darkened a tiny bit more as she glanced aside, clearly embarrassed to even be talking about it.

“That must have been a great show!” Aisha laughed openly. “Thankfully, you don’t need to worry much about your body impairing your evasive performance even in fully nude!”

The petite oni princess squinted at her offensively. “Are you insinuating that my charms are underdeveloped?”

“Dunno, are they?” My impish mate grinned, emphasizing her own chest with a tighter hold underneath it.

“I think they are charming as they are,” I interrupted them as Shuri was opening her mouth for a retort, raising a brow at my drakan lover. “Just as your muscular figure has its appeal, her more slim physique possesses a specific allure too. And we can all see that she does have a reason to be proud of her feminine aspects. Which reminds me, we still didn’t give you anything to cover yourself with. Rose!”

Shuri’s breasts definitely weren’t small, but it was hard to compare them to Aisha’s firm mountains when there was just so much difference in their general builds. If she somehow grew to the taller lady’s level, I had a feeling she might be even bigger in that department.

But, those weren’t the things we should be considering right now. As our new friend glanced my way with some interest after I defended her honor, spending a moment examining her front covered by the simple underwear, I directed my attention to the side. Soon after, a cheerful ball of pink floated our way while attached to one of my t-shirts.

Rose being capable of using her light electric currents to interact with objects had still been a shock to all of us, but it was proof that she was growing alongside everyone. She couldn’t hold anything heavier than fabric right now, and not for long, but that didn’t stop the cute orb from aiding us with bringing us stuff or even playing harmless pranks now and then.

I would never forget the sight of a bottom-nude Aisha chasing after Rose to retrieve the panties our floating companion had stolen from her in a moment of weakness.

Was she becoming even more playful?

Nah, couldn’t be.

Anyway, my sweet familiar hovered over Shuri’s horns for a while, tracing circles above her head, and dropped the piece right on her face just as she looked up.

Okay, maybe there was something to it.

“You have a Pixie servant?” the princess asked as she wormed her way into the new clothing.

“Rose is Master’s familiar and our friend,” Levia answered before me. “He met her in one of the Dungeons and she showed signs of wishing to stay behind. Master offered her a contractual bond and she accepted it. Now, she is part of the family, not a servant.”

“I see.” Shuri nodded. “I had a puppy with me before death. I hope my Personal Domain didn’t just vanish with it inside and my family let it out.”

“I’m sure it is alright. The room or house or whatever must have definitely returned to its original state, opening up to the public.” I tried reassuring her while gently resting my hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks.” She smiled delicately. “Next skill, then?”

Not seeing the reason to disagree, I brought up the next ability in line.

★━━━━━━━━━━★

Reinforce Armor (F)

Using your mana, you can further reinforce the Bonded gear you are wearing. The enhancement can work passively while slowly draining your reserves or actively while boosting your defenses to great heights for a short amount of time. Neither of those modes has to be active at all times.

Maximum Passive Duration: 12hMaximum Active Duration: 1hMana Regeneration Speed After Activation: -50%/24h

※ ※ ※

Primary Scaling Attribute: IntelligenceSecondary Scaling Attribute: Fortitude

★━━━━━━━━━━★

“This one evolves a bit in higher ranks and also allows me to influence the armors of others,” Shuri added to the description. “As you can see, it’s like a safety switch. But, I need to be careful with the management of my mana. Obviously, when I’m low, the duration of either mode is cut down significantly.”

“So, you are a more efficient tank the fewer abilities you use if we decide to rely on this skill.” I hummed ponderingly. “An interesting skill. I can see how it can be brought to its full potential in a team that supports you from the back and the sides.”

“That’s correct. It’s not as great while soloing. You need all the mana you have for the fights,” she agreed.

“But, as you said, it’s an amazing oh shit button,” Aisha said. “And with us three, you won’t have to worry about offensive power.”

“Let’s check on Mend, then.” I scrolled further.

★━━━━━━━━━━★

Mend (F)

Using your mana, you can repair the damage received by your Bonded armor, from scratches and dents to full holes and tears. The more serious the impairment, the more energy it requires to mend. Some materials and magical elements might be impossible to fix, but you can temporarily fill in the lacking matter with a substitute.

※ ※ ※

Primary Scaling Attribute: WisdomSecondary Scaling Attribute: Handicraft

★━━━━━━━━━━★

“Does it upgrade in a similar way to the previous ability?” Levia asked.

“Yes, it does. One day, I’ll be able to use it on others. But generally, it’s insanely draining. I guess it’s only natural when you are converting pure mana into physical matter like metal or leather.” Shuri sighed lightly. “It’s another skill an Armorer needs to be careful with or they will inadvertently lead themselves to their doom.”

“Your Class requires a lot of self-control and accurate judgment,” I said with an impressed tone. “Not everyone is capable of being this precise. I bet it translates into the quality of your craft, doesn’t it? A perfect profession for someone like you.”

“A little bit…” She brushed a lock of her black hair behind her ear, once more showing how much a tiny praise related to her talents meant for her.

“So, Preserve. I assume it’s not related to food with your Cooking being only at F.” Aisha snorted, making Shuri glare at her again.

I considered commenting that hers wasn’t that much better but opted to display the skill instead.

★━━━━━━━━━━★

Preserve (F)

The condition of an Armorer’s Bonded Armor reflects the condition of their soul. Therefore, you are capable of purifying your gear from most negative effects and substances. When used without any negative states affecting it, the armor is cleaned up and brought to its best shape.

Available Uses: 3Recharge Time: 12h

※ ※ ※

Primary Scaling Attribute: IntelligenceSecondary Scaling Attribute: Handicraft

★━━━━━━━━━━★

“That just sounds like a cheat for maintenance.” The draconic beauty clicked her tongue.

“It isn’t.” Shuri shook her head. “It might be written here that it brings the armor to its best shape, but this skill purifies it from any foreign substances, including armor oils and other products. The gear basically returns to its display condition from a shop.”

“It has the opposite effect, then,” Levia noted.

“Unfortunately, yes. If you relied only on this skill, the armor would quickly shred through its durability and require Mend to make up for that damage. But, even with this rather heavy downside, it’s still a useful option. Usually, after a tough battle, your gear is all dirty in and out and requires thorough cleaning anyway, which gets rid of the maintenance you have done beforehand. So, it speeds the process up and lets you jump straight to reapplying the oils,” our new oni friend explained in depth.

“You studied your abilities thoroughly too,” I pointed out. “This is definitely going to be useful in a swamp. Also, this is the first skill that has actual charges. I can see why with the previous ones being closer to a channel instead of an activation.”

“Only one more left now,” she said, trying to ignore my compliment, perhaps reaching the threshold of her resistance to kind words.

★━━━━━━━━━━★

Immovable Fortress (F)

Your Bonded Armor is capable of altering its weight without affecting your body inside it. If the situation requires it, you can increase its mass numerous times, becoming a mountain your opponents need to overcome if they want to get past you.

Available Multipliers: 1x-20xAvailable Uses: 2Recharge Time: 16h

※ ※ ※

Primary Scaling Attribute: ConstitutionSecondary Scaling Attribute: Fortitude

★━━━━━━━━━━★

“Looks like we found our glorified doorstep.” Aisha snickered, once again making fun of Shuri’s skills.

“One that can cause our enemies to fall right on their face,” I quickly added. “Just imagine if we had this while fighting the Tree Gundam or the giant Bone Daddy. She could have surprised them so easily while combining Armor Reinforcement with Immovable Fortress and taking a kick or hit. Considering our current streak of facing humongous Bosses, her help will be invaluable.”

“I concur,” Levia supported me. “Overall, I think it was a good choice to recruit her. Our party is now even stronger. We should have no issues facing the current threat.”

“Yeah. Albeit, it’s unfortunate there are no starting taunt skills or something similar.” I scratched my head.

“I had one or two early in my journey,” Shuri said. “They should show up in a few levels. And I created my own means of luring enemies around that were incorporated into my armor so I can try working on them as soon as I make one.”

“That will be great. For now, we have to do with the hand we have been played. Thus, Levia, take our new friend to your workshop and start preparing for the ritual. We’ll fetch the equipment rewards and join you two in a moment.”

“As you wish, Master.” My serene Witch trotted up to me and graced me with a dainty peck on the cheek before taking the Armorer’s hand and leading her away, the oni girl sneaking a few glances back at me as they went.

They disappeared into the storage first and I turned to Aisha. “Alright, would you mind toning it down a little bit? I don’t mind you poking some fun at each other but you’ve been on her case constantly.”

She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“It wasn’t the usual, even for you.” I crossed my arms, mirroring her pose. “The change wasn’t that hard to spot.”

My strong mate peered at me silently for a moment before sighing heavily and raking her fingers through her impressive scarlet mane. “Fine. I’m sorry. I’m not sure what it is, but she just brings it out of me for some reason.”

Moving closer and taking hold of one of her sharp horns, I bring her face in front of mine. “It’s alright. Even the best wing-woman in the harem can sometimes get a tad jealous. I imagine it would have been so much worse with the Crusader. Remember, your position is not threatened. Just let her settle down a bit before you set her ass on fire, got it?”

Aisha snorted as a beautiful smirk curled up her lips. “I’m fairly sure that’s your domain, not mine, Mr. Overlord of Lust.”

Chuckling lightly, I pulled her in for a sensual kiss, enjoying the prolonged moan of satisfaction that tickled my mouth.

“WHAT IS THISSSSSSSSSSS?!” A high-pitched shout reached our ears and we hastily stepped back from each other, shooting a glance towards its source.

A wide-eyed Shuri jogged out of the storage with the ominous orb held in front of her through the cloth we had wrapped the crystal in. She looked between the big gem and us in turns.

“That’s a Spirit’s Heart from what I know,” Aisha replied. “And I don’t think you should be handling it this casually. The last time one of us touched its surface, it wasn’t too pretty.”

“The energy this thing gives off is insane!” the oni craftswoman stated in disbelief. “The things I could do to my armor with crystals carved out of it! So many gadgets and contraptions! This would solve most if not all the issues with the power reserves! Tell me, can I have it?!”

I exchanged glances with Aisha, both of us smiling at the display of pure excitement. Levia stepped into the room after Shuri, some ingredients and components in her hands. She didn’t look bothered by our new companion’s actions.

“Well, the lady behind you has already been promised this thing for her own craft, so you need to negotiate it with her,” I answered, pointing at the blue-skinned girl, and she whipped her head to stare pleadingly at our silent Witch. “Do that later, though. Put the Heart back and let’s gear you up. The Dungeon is waiting.”

Reluctantly, Shuri carried the orb to where it belonged right now and I ordered the Set of Stylized Armor: Steel Guardian Theme through my phone, picking our Armorer as the recipient. After seizing the package, we wandered through the kitchen together. Aisha grabbed two cans of soda from the fridge as we passed it and tossed one to the crimson princess. A tad confused at first, the shorter lady followed my mate’s lead and opened it with some struggle, positively surprised by the bubbling drink she had been offered.

Entering Levia’s workshop, we spread out. She calmly moved to the floor and began her preparations for the blessing. I brought the others slightly aside so as not to disturb her, letting Shuri take in her surroundings for a while, and set down the quite heavy box of armor.

“I hope we will be able to let you tinker with something of your own making soon, but for the next raid, you are stuck with this,” I said while cutting the cardboard open.

My horned girlfriend pulled out piece after piece and set them down next to us, letting us admire the equipment in all of its glory.

However…

“Why is it blue?” Shuri let out a quiet whine, most likely holding back not to sound too ungrateful.

The set of heavy plate armor before us was of a very distinct shade of cyan. I wasn’t sure if that was due to the steel being used for its creation, but that didn’t feel right.

Nevertheless, a perfectly sized heap of protection was what we received, as intended. You could barely spot any gaps between the sections of this armor, save for the head, obviously. The neck guard was rather short, but it didn’t need to be that extensive with the full helmet as a part of the set. It resembled a Spartan design, complete with a colorful crest on top of it.

All in all, it was a set worthy of a famous knight. The pauldrons, greaves, and other segments bore simple depictions of shields and similar defensive subjects, fitting the Steel Guardian theme. Was it worthy of our smart and creative Armorer? Maybe not, but it was just a transitional piece.

“I agree that something like black would go much better with your carnation. Thankfully, not much of it will be visible. It’s this, or you are trying out that naked strategy of yours.” Aisha shrugged with a faint smirk.

Shuri huffed to herself but started picking up the pieces. We provided help and assisted her in donning the armor. In a moment, she stood there, fully covered, and tested the range of her motions.

“It will do for now. It’s not perfect, but I can’t complain.” She cracked her neck, evoking a few metallic noises. “Give me just a moment.”

Taking a deep breath, she sat down in a cross-legged position and entered the state of deep meditation. We noticed her amber eyes glowing strongly even through her eyelids, illuminating the helmet from inside. A moment later, as she had promised, similarly-shaded sheen traveled over the entire thing. Something magical had just happened.

Our warrior princess stood up with more ease than before, even doing a few hops in place. “The bond has formed without any issues. Now, I can fight and keep up with you even in this steel barrel.”

“The only thing you still lack is a weapon.” I nodded approvingly while rubbing my chin. “I didn’t know what type you preferred so I withheld choosing one.”

“I have all the weapons I need here.” She smashed her heavy gauntlets together and I could spot the grin on her lips through the visor. “They are pretty basic right now, but they will be more than enough.”

“Good, because I am ready to conduct the ritual,” Levia said from the side and we all turned to her. “Please, remove the armor if you may.”

Shuri snapped her fingers and sent another gleaming pulse over the metal. Then, we watched as it started twisting and morphing as the plates and other elements literally flowed toward the fingers she had used to make the snap. Slowly but surely, the seemingly liquid steel compressed itself and gathered over her crimson forearm like a thin decorative bracer attached to one of her knuckles with a heavy ring.

She examined it shortly and directed a proud smile my way. “Perks of being an Armorer.”

Wearing only my t-shirt and her underwear again, she sauntered towards the magical circle Levia had set up on her own.

It was almost time for the fun part.