Before the sun rose that next morning, I slipped out of bed and made my way through the silent, dim halls of the Palace, making my way to the chapel and praying to Reincantra, beginning a new morning routine that I hoped to keep going forwards.
While I was there, I purchased the three items for the girls, staring down at them with a complicated expression.
[Windburst Bracelet : Increased DEX by 10% and STR by 5%]
For Anput, the bracelet was a beautiful silver band that was around a quarter inch wide, its tops and ends embezzled with large red gems that were shimmering with mana; simple yet elegant, and it would boost her prowess to another tier.
[Protector's Coin : Increased CON by 10% and STR by 5%]
For Jahi, a golden coin emblazoned with the wreathed head of a serene woman surrounded by interwoven bolts of lightning dangled on a thin golden chain, making for a rather unassuming piece of jewelry.
[Arcane Droplet : Increased WIS by 10% and INT by 5%]
Finally, Leone was getting a teardrop of what looked like a white and silver opal, connected to a hoop of silver to secure it to the ear through piercing.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAll three items cost me 1,250 Shop Points each, for a total of 3,750, but I believed it to be worth it; after all, I was getting 9.2 points of AGI and 4.6 points of DEX from my anklet, which pushed me extremely close to 100 points in both stats; my AGI was 101, while my DEX was 96 with the anklets buff.
Small numbers, but considering I needed to almost die to increase my stats by a large amount these days, that was far from a laughable increase, and if that was what it was doing for an allrounder, imagine the boosts for someone who is getting a targeted buff towards their highest stats?
An incredible increase, and one that I could continue to build upon as I earned more and more points.
With the three pieces of enchanted jewelry in my hands, I exited the chapel and made my way back to the room, slipping inside and quietly entering our bedroom again, where I saw the three yawning as they lounged on their beds, idly staring at one another as they tried to muster the will to get up.
Seeing me return, they all blinked a few times before sighing and sitting up, partially leaving the warm comfort of their beds as they curiously observed me, their eyes falling towards my hands to inspect the jewelry that was filling my palms.
It took a moment, but eventually Leone got out of bed and approached me, her brow furrowed as she reached forwards to lift up the bracelet, staring at it in confusion before inspecting the others.
"How..? What? Kat, what ARE these?! Their mana is so..! So..!"
Hearing the Vampire's intense voice, the other two got up as well, approaching me before picking up and inspecting the bracelet together.
They both frowned as they stared intently at the pieces of jewelry, trying hard to understand just what they were.
I took a deep breath before switching the jewelry to go to its respective person, pursing my lips for a moment as I looked at each.
"These... appeared before me in the chapel, when I was praying to Reincantra to look over us all and give us aid... I thought it'd just be something mental, reassuring, but... I guess she took it literally? They should just boost your capabilities quite well."
Leone frowned, inspecting the rune laden opal earring, nodding as I added "You won't understand the runes, because I don't either. It's like that Summoning Magic you have, Leone. You think you get a grasp of it, only for it to slip away the second you lose focus on it."
The Vampire pursed her lips before looking at me, her crimson eyes questioning as she asked "But you know what they do then, don't you? You knew who they went too, after all..."
"Yes... Your's increases your spells control and power, Anput's makes her more precise and stronger, while Jahi's increases her body's toughness and makes her stronger. I... know they work because of this."
Lifting up my dress a bit, I revealed the green anklet to them, saying "When I was in Nevrokopi State to the East, I prayed for a way to get faster, to make my journey from there to here quicker, and this... was something I found. It makes me faster and gives me some more control over my body."
The three women stared at the item for a few moments before looking back at me, their expressions serious as they contemplated their own pieces of jewelry.
Before they could speak, Sla'Caligo appeared in the middle of us all, the Arch Fiend humming softly as she tapped each one, a wry smile on her face.
"It's been awhile since I've seen something besides a person be Divine touched... You were just the perfect little puppy to wander into Khanla, weren't you~? I know my words mean... little to you all, but do trust me when I say most Divine things from Reincantra tend to be exactly what they look like; she's a benevolent - yet sometimes quirky - Goddess that simply wants to watch a new story unfold. Divine tampering is dull to her, since the world used to be filled with such stories. She prefers to let fate run its course, but if her devoted display... well, their devotion, she doesn't mind aiding them. However, she doesn't smite them either, instead just grasping the threads of fate and forcing the devoted to either repent..."
Turning back to me, Sla'Caligo grinned as she placed her taloned finger on my throat, her pink eyes filled with dark mirth as she whispered "Or die."
The pink skinned Arch Fiend giggled to herself before turning back towards Leone, tapping the opal earring as she said "If you want more proof, go ask dear old Mom about the times that she grew up in. If there is any mortal that's seen it all before, it'd be her. Mm... I guess that wooden Elf as well, since she's just as old. Ooh, or go talk to Tza'Yul~! Bit eccentric, but Tza'Yul knows more than most about the Divines..."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShe looked towards Jahi with a grin, caressing the Demoness' palm before muttering "Trust a bit more, Asmodia. The Divines are fickle, yes, but some mean well. Go read about them, and you'll understand. Though, this natural distrust you have is valuable..."
Chuckling, she vanished just as quickly as she appeared, leaving us standing there quietly as we looked at one another.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to her popping in and out at random..."
We all nodded at Jahi's words, before the Demoness sighed and rubbed her jaw, staring at the coin in her palm for a few moments before clasping it around her neck, the chain just long enough to dangle an inch below her throat.
She scrunched her brows for a moment as she felt the enchantment begin to take effect, making Anput curious as she slipped the bracelet on, blinking a few times at the surge of power.
Leone pursed her lips before shaking her head, raising the opal teardrop towards her right ear and slipping it on, her crimson eyes narrowing as she looked towards me.
"This... is quite an increase. My mana is flowing far more smoothly than before. This isn't just an 'increase'! It's like being buffed by multiple mages!"
Her excitement was restrained by her natural caution, and Jahi nodded as she tapped her abdomen, her eyes narrowing as well.
"I can feel it too. It's... odd. Like I have adrenaline, but... I don't."
They all looked towards me, before Jahi sighed as she gestured towards the book that Lady D'Arcon had told me to read.
"I guess we need to get some reading done tonight. I'm... curious to go try these out now."