Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Preparations, part 1

The next morning, Alex stepped out of his portal and onto a street, arriving at Olivia's side. He was slightly surprised at the fact that they were not in Olivia's cottage, but understanding dawned on his face when he saw that they were standing in front of a brown brick building with green trim and a green door, with a sign above the door reading "Nadia's Clothing and leatherworks." As he peered into the display window, admiring a leather jacket that was obviously padded for protection from bladed objects or a tumble off a motorcycle in his realm, he felt something latch onto his arms, and his breath caught as Olivia's ample cleavage pressed into his side.

"Good morning, Alex," the cute summoner's voice drew his attention to her, his brown eyes locking onto her beautiful sea green orbs, which were roaming over the features of his face, "are you ready to do a bit of shopping?"

He nodded, still drawn to her eyes, and her cheeks took on a rosy hue, her boldness evaporating as she lowered her head and hid her face in his side. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the actions of his summoner friend, bringing his free hand up and gently stroking her hair. "I sure am, especially if it thrills my adorable employer so much." He felt her head push harder into his side, and she reached out and playfully swatted his shoulder.

"Hey, no teasing the adorable employer..." she mumbled. Her words from last night still echoed in his memories, and he chuckled a bit. He walked forward, still arm in arm with Olivia, and held the door open as she finally let go of his arm and stepped inside in front of him, nodding shyly at him before leading him through the shop. He stared in wonder at the wares Nadia had on display. The store was split into two sections, with the left being filled with clothing of all styles, from plain worker's wear to elegant formal attire, all of which were obviously created with great skill and pride in the work they did. The right side was filled with leather attire, from blacksmith's aprons with heat resistance to full leather armor. Display cases showcased enchanted leather pieces, from greaves with protection from bladed weaponry to belts with spatial storage runes embedded in the leatherwork, giving off a faint crimson glow.

Near the back, the pair came upon the elegant shop owner behind a long counter which doubled as a display case for enchanted jewelry, Nadia obviously being in a partnership with a skilled enchanter whose work complemented her own skills and likely saved them both on operating costs as they could share one store between them. Alex smiled as they approached, and chuckled as Olivia again took his arm, much more protectively this time. Nadia was, after all, a skilled flirter, as he could tell after their brief meeting last night.

"Hi, Nadia!" Liv said cheerfully as the pair stopped before the grinning shopkeeper. "Well, hello to you both, Liv, Alex. Did you come to gear up before the trip to Veradin to register with the Adventurer's guild?" Olivia nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, we don't want Alex sticking out like a sore thumb, and I need a new robe, preferably with some protection enchantments. We'll be looking for a party to join up with once we're registered, and hopefully some low-level party is needing a support magician and a ranged attacker. Luckily, I know healing and defensive magic a little better than my summoning magic, thanks to Davios' teachings." 

Nadia nodded. Well, let's get you both fitted, then. And you," she looked intently at Alex, "I have a piece that I worked on last night for your artifact, I think you'll like it."

Alex grinned. "Well, I can't wait to see it." Nadia nodded and led them both into a back room that served as a changing area. "I took the liberty of picking out pieces for Alex that I'm pretty sure will do him well." She pointed at a small room with a thick curtain serving as a partition. Alex thanked her and went inside. Sitting on a small bench to one side were a set of tan pants with accents the same green as Liv's eyes, a white long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose the wearer's forearms, a set of leather greaves in the same color scheme as the pants, a padded jacket, again in the tan and green, and a holster and belt combo with a strange metal plate in the middle of the back.

Alex spent a moment getting dressed, surprised when the holster fit over the open jacket perfectly. It seemed unorthodox, but it would make it easier to reach his pistol in a firefight, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what the metal plate's purpose was. He lifted his rifle, unhooked the sling, and lifted it onto his back, where it secured itself in place. It seems Nadia had added a magnetism enchantment to make carrying his rifle much more simple.

He stepped out of the changing room, almost running headlong into Olivia, who had stepped out of her own room at the same time. He looked her over, noting the green and tan robe she now wore, which he couldn't help but note made her eyes seem an even brighter shade of green as always. "... wow." Liv blushed at his statement, looking over his attire as she stood there. "Wow yourself. You'll fit right in now, and we match! I love it." Alex grinned at her. " I know, right? Looks like our fledgling party has a color scheme."

A low whistle sounded from off to the side as Nadia stepped into view. "Well, look at you two. I even impressed myself this time." She walked around the pair, checking the fit and function of all the pieces before giving a self-satisfied nod. "Yes, this will do nicely for you both. Oh, and Alex..." she tossed him a ring. "Put that on." He did as he was told and felt a surge of power course through him. He focused on it, and suddenly the visualization of a huge storage rack appeared before him. 

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"It's a spatial storage ring. You'll be able to store around 500 kilos of items in there before it is filled up. So extra ammo, camping supplies within reason, even warm or cold food can be stored in it, as it enters a sort of stasis when stored, so nothing will deteriorate or rot while stored inside. Be careful with it, there are those out there who would gladly slit your throat for just that artifact, not to mention your unique weaponry." Alex nodded at her words. "They'd have to be desperate fools to try." 

Nadia smirked. "Never underestimate the willpower of desperate fools."

Alex nodded back. Olivia spoke up from his side. "So what do we owe you for all this? my funds are a little..."

Nadia waved her hand. "Your father has already taken care of it. Consider it your reward for the rout of the goblin raiding party yesterday."

Olivia looked shocked. "But this must all have cost him a small fortune!"

Nadia shook her head. "No, we've come to an agreement to barter a few things between us as payment, instead of coin. Neither of us are beyond reason, and my enchanter partner is excited to ply his trade on some of Roderick's weaponry. Old Jaron has been itching to test on dark steel for decades now." Olivia thanked her profusely and led Alex out of the shop. Nadia waved to them as they left.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to do two more things before we set out, and I could use your assistance with both." Alex nodded to her. "Of course, Liv. I'll help to the best of my ability." She smiled and blushed a bit at his words. Alex thought to himself that it was really cute how easily flustered his companion could be.

"I want to summon another familiar, a mount this time. We'll be on the road for a few days, and I don't want to have to waste money on horses. If we combine our mana together, we should be able to summon a considerably powerful beast to add to the strength of our party." Alex nodded but frowned a bit. "Do I even have mana?" Olivia smirked. "Could you access your storage? Are you able to summon your portal at will to travel back to your realm? Of course, you have mana. I can sense your spiritual essence through our connection. The problem in your realm is not the ability of your people, but the lack of mana in the realm. Through our connection, I could only detect the barest traces of mama on your world, just enough to keep your planet's spirit alive. I wonder if some ancient calamity happened in eras before your people's recorded knowledge that cut off the source and left you all weakened, leading to the advancement of technological marvels in place of our realm's magical abilities."

Alex nodded. It made sense, when you pondered over it. Humanity was a stubborn and resourceful people. If they suddenly found themselves cut off from the power source they had taken for granted for ages, they would replace it with an equally powerful source of their own design. Olivia's voice roused him from his thoughts. "Do you need to make some preparations before we commence the summoning?"

Alex nodded. "Give me a couple of hours to return to my realm and make a small shopping trip. I think I can make our traveling experience a bit more comfortable." Olivia nodded. "Very well. We shall meet back up in, say, three hours' time. Be safe, I await your return." She leaned over and gently kissed his cheek before retreating into her cottage. Alex smirked, and made his way back into his realm.

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