The Pact of Crimson
"I am ready," Nox said after hearing everything that Tlaz wished him to do.
"Very well," the old man replied, standing up before conjuring a piece of ancient brown paper out of thin air.
He grasped Nox's right wrist as the Aether flew past it, making a small slit in his skin. Bringing the parchment under the cut, he let a drop of Nox's blood drip on it.
Letting go of Nox's wrist, he pressed the long and sharp nail of his index finger into the dirty skin of his thumb and poured his blood over the parchment.
[A Blood deal has been initiated!]
"I'll be keeping this with me," the old man said, making the parchment disappear into thin air, "But don't worry… As soon as both of us complete our end of the deal, the contract will be automatically destroyed."
Nox nodded, observing the slit made in his own flesh, which healed as soon as it was cut. However, the scars around his body formed due to the red sand stayed the same as it was before.
"Don't worry, boy," Tlaz said, noticing what worried him, "The rot didn't reach your heart… The scars will heal within a week at most with a body such as yours."
Examining Nox's body once again, he pulled out something from thin air before throwing it to him, "Consider it a gift of our newborn friendship."
Nox looked at the item he had just been given. It was just the item he desperately needed at the moment… Clothes.
[Black Dragon's Vest]
[Black Dragon's Lowers]
[Red Dragon's Cape]
[White Dragon's Shoes]
Nox donned the clothes, which looked spectacular on his fit and aesthetic body. The black, full-sleeved vest looked to be one with his black, skin-tight trousers. The red cloak hung from his firm shoulders, reaching down to his ankles, while the sky-blue sneaker-like shoes fit him perfectly.
"Those are good clothes," commented Tlaz, stroking his beard, "They look good on you."
"The black dragon's leather is among the hardest substances in the Tower… It's usually used to make armour, but when made into normal clothing, its comfort cannot be compared to anything else," informed Tlaz, stroking his long beard, "That robe will help you against fires and will even strengthen your fire-based attacks, while those shoes will help increase your agility by leaps and bounds."
Nox examined his clothes once again. Not only were they at the peak of comfort, but he felt different as soon as he wore them. Although he wanted to look at their status screens, for some reason, he wasn't able to use his skills after he woke up.
"I am grateful," Nox said, thanking the elderly man.
"Me too, boy," mumbled Tlaz, snapping his fingers.
All of a sudden, the air right beside the bed crackled as blue sparks flew all around the room. A line formed in the air, which grew wider and wider as if something was forcefully pushing them apart.
Soon, a large portal formed inside the shack, with only darkness behind it. Blue sparks continuously crackled all around it.
"Don't forget… One year," he said, raising his index finger, "If you don't carry out the required conditions within a year, the punishment will be automatically carried out…"
"I understand," Nox replied, nodding his head.
As soon as he started walking towards the portal, the Aether spinning around his neck returned to its original master. He looked at the interesting liquid for a moment before stepping into the portal.
The foot he put inside the portal disappeared to the other side, probably to the Tower. As he was about to exit to the other side, Tlaz called out, "Ah! This is yours."
He threw a rusted silver dagger, which was on the verge of breaking apart, to the other side of the portal, which Nox had already gone through.
"What an interesting boy…" he smirked as the portal closed behind him, and he walked towards the hot pot, ready to pour himself another serving of soup.
.
.
.
The portal behind Nox disappeared as soon as he stepped to the other side. But, moments before it closed, an object came flying through it, aimed at him.
Instinctively, he stepped to the side before catching the blade handle thrown at him.
It was… his Moon Dagger. Its beautiful silvery shine had utterly vanished, replaced by a thick brown layer of rust. Its sharp edges had now been chipped at multiple points, and a long, shallow crack ran down the entire blade.
"Thank you, Moon," mumbled Nox, slipping the dagger into the inventory before massaging his eyes.
He had imagined the weapon to be vaporised due to the conditions he was in. Seeing the dagger in such a state, he felt a strange emotion, a sentiment he couldn't explain, no matter how hard he tried.
Looking around at his surroundings, lit by the starlit sky, he felt a strange feeling of nostalgia.
In front of him was a long path covered with lush green trees and bushes on either side and a city gate at its end. This was the exact place he had been teleported to when he first entered the Tower.
He stretched his body for a few minutes before finally opening up the status windows of the items he had just obtained.
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Black Dragon's Vest (AA)
A vest masterfully crafted from the thick hide of a black dragon, by a master tanner.
Due to being made into a thin, weightless, skin-tight vest, most of the defence of the black dragon's hide has been erased.
The hard and light leather will increase both the user's defence and agility.
The sensitivity of all five senses will be increased by 5%.
The cloth will repair itself as soon as a portion of it has been destroyed.
No additional enchantments can be applied to this.
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Black Dragon's Lowers (AA)
A lower masterfully crafted from the thick hide of a black dragon, by a master tanner.
The hard and light leather will increase both the user's defence and agility.
Due to being made into a thin, weightless, skin-tight lower, most of the defence of the black dragon's hide has been erased.
The cloth will repair itself as soon as a portion of it has been destroyed.
No additional enchantments can be applied to this.
**********
Red Dragon's Cape (S)
A cape masterfully crafted from the thick hide of a red dragon, by a master tanner.
All fire attacks with a grade lower than (B) will be absorbed and converted to arcane, gradually increasing the cape's defence.
The user can choose to use the skill *Fire Dragon's Breath* with the arcane stored in the cape.
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White Dragon's Shoes (A)
A show masterfully crafted from the thick hide of a white dragon, by a master tanner.
The user's agility will be increased.
The user's body will become lighter than before.
The skill *Fly* will be unlocked.
**********
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Fly (B)
The user will be able to levitate in the air, for one minute.
Cooldown: 1 hour
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"These are better than I thought," he mumbled, sliding on the Ring of Deceit.
But as soon as the ring touched his finger, a large crack appeared before it shattered into myriad tiny pieces.
[The proud leather of the dragons is refusing to be concealed!]
Nox stared wide-eyed at the system message.
'Do my clothes have an ego, too?' he doubted for a moment, looking down at his clothes.
Shaking his head, he mumbled, "Guess I'll have to think of something else to maintain my identity as a weak, side character…"
.
.
.
As usual, the Boar's Hat Inn bar was brimming with people chattering and laughing loud enough to shake an ordinary building.
The doors opened slowly before a man leisurely strolled in.
A red-haired woman serving a table at the corner glanced at the entrance before resuming her work. All of a sudden, she turned back, noticing the one who had entered their inn.
The man wore a black, two-piece suit, a black shirt underneath his matte black blazer, and a few of its upper buttons unbuttoned.
His long, black hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, complimenting his fair skin and charming smile.
He stepped to the left, gracefully dodging a drunk dwarf about to crash into him.
A group of about four young, beautiful women sitting at a corner of the inn, stopped talking and stared wide-eyed at the customer who had just entered the inn.
"He's so…" mumbled a woman, gulping down the saliva that had built up in her mouth.
"Hot," whispered another woman, rubbing her eyes in disbelief that such a human could exist.
"Glad to see you're back," said the red-haired waitress, making her way towards him.
A wide, natural smile appeared on the man's face on seeing the familiar face, "Glad to see you too."