Aozaki Aoko Case File [487] (Patreon)

“Well done.”

As Aoko lounged contentedly in a chair on the second-floor balcony of her new Neverwinter mansion, flipping through Sofina’s confiscated spellbook, a voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

She recognized it—it was Mystra, the Goddess of Magic.

“You’ve been watching me?” Aoko asked, her expression odd.

“Haha, as if I have the time,” Mystra replied cheerfully. “I have to manage the entire Weave, across multiple crystal spheres. But I did rewind your fight when you won, and you did well.”

“That’s all? No reward?” Aoko asked expectantly. “Most parents reward their kids for good grades, right?”

“Knew you’d say that,” Mystra replied, sounding unsurprised. “But yes, I have a reward for you. Go check your wardrobe!”

Aoko blinked, then got up and walked to her bedroom wardrobe.

She opened it and was nearly blinded by magical radiance. She quickly adjusted her magical sensitivity, rubbed her eyes, and finally saw what was inside.

“This is a Weave outfit,” Mystra explained. “Many legendary mages across the multiverse have worn this set.”

“I’ve heard of them,” Aoko said, picking up the Weave set—cloak, hood, and robe—and sensing their power. “Tansen, Edith Clarke, they all wore this… These aren’t hand-me-downs, right?”

“Relax, I’m not that stingy,” Mystra replied. “I crafted this set just for you, using your body and soul data. They’re uniquely yours.”

“Thank you!” Aoko beamed as she donned the Weave cloak, posing before the mirror. “I can feel the power within, resonating with the Weave fragments inside me…”

“That’s right. Wearing the full set amplifies your spellpower and your resistance to hostile magic,” Mystra said, watching with satisfaction as Aoko tried on the outfit with the help of her invisible servant. “Not a bad look—for your set, I based its design on your memories and subconscious.”

The outfit was made of multiple layers, with a comfortable wine-red lining that matched Aoko’s red hair. The outer robe was pearl white, looking soft and elegant.

The cloak and hood were also pearl white, but a slightly darker shade than the robe, with the same wine-red lining.

They were connected by chains and ornaments of mithril and sapphire, like understated jewelry that complemented the outfit without being ostentatious.

A mithril chain linking the hood and cloak hung at her chest, adorned with a circular emblem of seven blue-white stars—the symbol of the Goddess of Magic, with a faint red mist rising from the center.

This was the Midnight Emblem, and Aoko knew it well. It seemed that the influence of the second Mystra over the third wasn’t as strong as expected. The style of this Weave attire leaned modern, since Aoko’s recent fashion sense had been much influenced by Habetrot, and Mystra had drawn on these memories. Thus the set combined the best of Faerûn’s magical medieval style with Habetrot’s British fae aesthetic.

She loved it.

Aoko happily struck various poses in the mirror, from serious to spellcasting stances—no matter how she looked, it was beautiful.

Her previous outfit from Habetrot was nice, but ultimately too fluffy to fully blend in with Faerûn’s style.

But this set, made by the Goddess of Magic herself, took the best aesthetics from both worlds, fitting perfectly into Faerûn.

“No boots?” Aoko asked suddenly, hinting at something.

“You know, greed isn’t a virtue,” Mystra admonished, then continued, “But you can take out those boots you found earlier.”

Aoko thought for a moment and remembered the magic boots she’d taken from a drow mage in the Forge of Vengeance.

She pulled them out of her extradimensional space and set them on the floor, looking at them expectantly.

“I know you don’t like wearing second-hand shoes,” Mystra said patiently. “While I won’t make you new ones, I can upgrade these—”

With that, the original Shadowstep Boots exploded into magical light before Aoko’s eyes, swirling and reforming into a pair of deep wine-red ladies’ Martin boots.

“Praise the Goddess of Magic!” Aoko shouted, happily trying on the reforged Shadowstep Boots and admiring herself in the mirror.

They fit perfectly, were very comfortable, and retained all their magical effects: immunity to web, entangle, or capture spells, never slipping on grease or ice, and a once-per-short-rest use of Misty Step.

“Hmm?” Aoko suddenly noticed the Goddess-modified boots now had even more magical effects than the original.

“Don’t be surprised,” Mystra said. “These boots always had powerful magic, but over time, some of it wore off due to neglect by previous owners.”

Now, with the Goddess’s restoration, the boots gained a daily Dimension Door, and immunity to slow terrain like swamps and snow.

“I have a question,” Aoko asked. “These boots originally came from drow, and I sensed some shadow magic in them. Is it safe to use?”

“You guessed right,” Mystra confirmed. “They were originally made with Shar’s divine power. But most of that is long gone, and I’ve replaced it with my own. No need to worry about offending Shar—besides, she can’t beat me anyway.”

With that, Aoko could relax and enjoy her new, super-powerful magical gear.