Bab 84: The Queen Ysbeil
There were no major battles ahead of them, except for Antani and Ellamir, team Valhalla simply stopped by Augustia's workshop to address Shatter Sound's clothing situation after assuming her transformation. It was here that Augustia unveiled the fruit of Yulia and Magna's date.
Forged from the scales of the Magma wyrm, Augustia's phenomenal blacksmithing skills made Yulia's new crimson armor not only pristine with its metallic hue, but at the same time, offered lightness as if she wasn't fully plated.
"Augustia, this is fucking amazing!" Yulia's muffled voice belied her admiration underneath her helm, waving both of her arms as she reveled in their lightness.
"Of course it is. Aside from being lightweight, that baby is fireproof. I'm tellin' ya, it gives me peace of mind knowing ya won't return here with my creation looking like it just got used as a dragon's chew toy!" The proud dwarf crossed her arms and puffed up her chest with pride.
An armor that can withstand even a raging magma would no doubt seamlessly harmonize with Yulia's transformation. The dwarven smithing magic imbibed in her armor allowed her helmet to retract down into her shoulder and the back of her neck on its own, blending naturally as if it's just an added layer. The now smiling ear-to-ear Yulia opened both of her arms and gestured it down to the dwarf.
"The hell are ya doing?" Augustia knit her brow.
"I'm giving my friend a hug!"
"Fuck off, how about ya hug me hammer instead!? I need gold, not a hug!" Augustia grabbed her hammer from her side and brandished it in a terrifying way. Was the tiefling expecting her to just leap into her arms?
"It was just messing with you, geez. I'll pay when the others are done, so you can collect our payment in one go." Yulia chuckled lightly. Her teasing just went exactly as planned.
Meanwhile, Shatter Sound had just come from the back end of Augustia's workshop. Wearing a black turtleneck sleeveless shirt and skirt, it was made from weaving both leather and the arcane in order to produce a one of a kind clothing that could withstand Shatter Sound's transformation.
Uncomfortably, Shatter sound stretched the neck part of her new fit. Although she's not repulsed by its design, hell, even her boots were now turned into sandals to prevent their tearing, she preferred her previous clothing that exemplified tribal breathability.
"Ya don't look happy with my work? Is there anything ya want for me to adjust?" Augustia questioned. The dwarf's talent was matched only by her pride, it had been a while since she had a patron that didn't like her creation and Augustia's ego demanded that she please the werewolf.
"I am. It's just that, I like the simple design of what I wore before."
With the care of a doting sibling, Yulia wrapped her shoulder around Shatter Sound.
"I get how you feel but we can't have you going all nudist on us every time you transform. You might start giving our cleric some impure thoughts." Yulia said, giving Stefano a smirking glance.
Stefano, who had been pious all his life would throw away his oath of celibacy just because he saw a bit of skin? Yulia's suggestion infuriated him, "The fuck are you insinuating!? My faith in Mithra is iron clad! I will never be swayed by the temptation of the flesh!"
"Ah, so you are getting tempted!? It's a good thing Gloria isn't here or she would definitely run you over."
"What does that annoying mermaid have to do with anything!? Screw Gloria, and screw you!"
"So much repressed anger, you really need to get laid one of these days, pipsqueak." Ellamir, who was holding her lover's hand as they perused the scattered trinkets, butted in.
Stefano grimaced, it's such a shame she can't call Ellamir a cyclops anymore. That one really got to her.
"I will not tolerate this slander against my celibacy. If you're all done why don't we just leave?"
"And before ye head off to wherever it is yer adventuring, take this." With her thick dwarven accent, Augustia handed a small ornate box to her tiefling friend.
Yulia opened the box to reveal several rings for the rest of team Valhalla. Fiery red, Yellow like the sun, as blue as the ocean, and Grey similar to smoke. Augustia's communication rings. Yulia had requested only for her and Magna, but the dwarf went above and beyond.
"Although Ellamir's evaluation was a bit unorthodox, it still performed well. Gather me some data, so I can finally mass produce it come next year. It's going to take the whole city by storm, hell, maybe even the whole continent!"
Unorthodox? More like lascivious. Redness was infused into Antani's cheeks, followed by pinching Ellamir's side. How many pinches would it take for Ellamir to get that she should not tattle on their bedroom habits?
"You told her what we did with the ring!?"
"Ouch! It's called transparency, Antani! We promised Augustia to report on its performance, did we not?" Ellamir reasoned.
"Wait, what did you both do with the ring?" Yulia questioned, she hoped to derive some pointers on how they used the ring now that she and Magna are about to be apart for weeks.
More than happy to oblige, Ellamir would let Yulia know how she and Antani conquered even distance and were still able to make love to each other while they were separated.
"It is simple, we used the rings to…hmmph!"
Before Ellamir could continue, she found herself abruptly gagged by Antani's hand. Antani would consider Yulia a close friend, close enough to even let her in on how they improvised with the ring. But topics like that are best discussed behind closed doors, NOT in an open workshop.
With an awkward smile, Antani answered the tiefling's inquiry, "I'll tell you about it later."
+++
Underneath the afternoon sun, the party had just exited from Augustia's workshop.
Stefano relayed his excitement to the rest of his party as they were about to get onto their stagecoach.
"I've never traveled the seas until now, I'm kinda looking forward to it."
Ellamir smirked, "Any chance you've traveled by air before?"
"No, why?" Such an odd question made Stefano's brow cross.
Suddenly, Stefano heard the flapping of mighty wings from behind, making his eyes widen in terror.
Like an eagle hunting a mouse frozen in fear, the wyvern swooped down with its powerful claws, easily snatching and bringing the screaming cleric high into the air.
It wasn't just Yulia who had taken a shine to the wyvern, Gloria even ordered from Augustia a customized saddle tailored for her mermaid constitution, ensuring her safety as she rode the wyvern.
Gloria, who was practically strapped in the saddle was filled with glee at another successfully executed prank. IF you could still call it that, Stefano would argue otherwise.
"Stefano! How about we take a stroll first before heading to the pier?" Gloria practically shouted just to ensure that the cleric underneath would understand.
Unfortunately, the only thing that the cleric understood is that if he ever fell from such a height, his guts and brain would splatter all over.
"AaAAaAAaaA!" Never mind replying to the mermaid, Stefano would rather scream the fear away and hold onto the wyvern's legs, his life literally depended on it.
"Wonderful!" Gloria yipped the wyvern's reins, Zarg belted out a shriek before picking up speed.
Ellamir gazed at the sky, "See you on the pier, pipsqueak!"
+++
The 'Queen Ysbeil' is a sailing ship as majestic as the woman it was named after. Its wood made from treants, it can ram itself against pirate ships made from lesser wood and emerge unscathed. Its Formidability is another trait it shared with the Amazon queen.
There in the waters of the pier, Queen Ysbeil docked proud. The three rows of its sails were already at full mast, ready to sail once the party is aboard.
As Antani and the rest walked the ramp leading up to its main deck, a rather strapping man awaited her on the other end, wearing a sailor's vest and pants, Dumas was tanned from all the time he spent everyday in the ship's deck, bathing in the sun. His handsomeness was something carried well with age, like a barrel of fine rum, it was now apparent where Antani had inherited her dashing looks from.
Antani immediately ran and leapt into her father's arms.
Once seperated, Dumas took notice of Antani's dragon necklace, "I see that my little princess is now an adventurer, you never mentioned that in your letter."
"I wanted for it to be a surprise, and speaking of surprises. I have another one that I haven't mentioned. I will be participating in the festival, with my lover as my partner." Antani brimmed with happiness as she is now finally introduce her other half to her father and their desire to have a child together. Assuming Ellamir can beat her, that is.
Dumas almost swallowed his tongue. He was quite aware of what participating in the festival meant, too aware. That was where Antani was conceived after all. The only thing Antani mentioned in her letter was that she was going to challenge her sister for the right to the Amazon throne, she and and her party needed a lift which Dumas was more than happy to provide.
From behind Antani, the usually proud Ellamir was now skittish. All that matters for Ellamir is that she and Antani are together, but it wouldn't hurt to have the approval of Antani's father.
"Hello, s-sir. My name is Ellamir, your daughter's lover. I am pleased to meet you."
Antani chuckled. Sir? Antani could tell that Ellamir really forced that one out by how she stammered.
"Dumas." With a curt introduction and a wary stare, Dumas extended his hand forward.
Dumas intimidated Ellamir by squeezing her hand, a squeeze to let Ellamir know that she hasn't approved of her just yet. Dumas was simply respecting her daughter's decision, he needed to determine on his own what kind of a woman Ellamir is. No father would want their daughter to end up with a scoundrel, and Ellamir's race were known exactly for being just that. Luckily, he had two days to determine whether Ellamir is deserving of her daughter or not.
Cutting the tension between them, the screaming Stefano was let down onto the ship's edge before Gloria landed with Zarg.
From air to sea, the color drained from his face. Stefano crawled and stumbled upon the ship's railing, emptying the entirety of his lunch on the ocean below.
Watching as his vomit sailed before them, his fists clenched, internally cursing the mermaid.
"Is that your companion, is he going to be alright?" The concerned Dumas inquired.
Antani answered, "He is. He'll be fine, just give him a moment to recover and he'll be able to heal himself."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone