Saintess Summons Skeletons

Erredis returned to the city late the next morning, finding Sofia reading in her workshop, sitting on a pile of books. She approached from behind, undetected, giving Sofia a rare scare with a sudden hug.

“Look who’s back! Took you long enough, kid! Enjoyed the trip?”

Sofia looked back, answering the totally normal bunny-eared woman with a smile, “Long time no see, grandma. There were some ups and downs but it was nice.”

“I see, I see…” Letting go and stepping back a little, Erredis poked the piece of bone passing as Sofia’s left ‘arm’, “And how did you end up like this?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Had a bit of an accidental run-in with an ascended machine from the dark epoch…”

“Hah, and you’re still alive? Sure you ain’t Richard’s hidden daughter? How’d you get out of that?”

“I killed it somehow. Though, I think it’s mostly because it tried to erase my soul, you know, the same thing I told you happened with Hugo.”

“Right, right, the mark or whatever? The less I know the better. Killed an ascended somehow… If it wasn’t you saying this I would think you’re full of shit. What are you reading?”

Sofia handed over the book she had been flipping through to Erredis. “Studying gold. Leverle is going to repair my arm with extra materials using Richard’s grafting technique, same as my eye, but with the skin instead.”

“Hmmm… Going to enchant your arm?” Erredis immediately understood. “Pure gold is a pretty bad choice, too soft.”

Sofia nodded in agreement, “I found a black gold thing in the forbidden layer, so I’m thinking that might be a good alternative, but it’s hard finding much detail on it.”

Erredis shook her head, throwing the book over her shoulder, and walking toward a table. “Black gold is mostly good for heat-resistance or curse-containment. Whatever you want to do with your arm, that’s probably not it.”

“Well, honestly I don’t really know what I want to do with it yet. Since I can enchant it after the fact, I was hoping to just find a good material to get my arm fixed first, and worry about the details later,” Sofia admitted, jumping off of the pile of books, “Especially since I want to go spectate Asty and Alith’s trial so I can’t waste too much time here.”

Not responding, Erredis started lining up an array of different ingots on the table.

“Are these all gold alloys?” Sofia asked curiously, observing the twenty or so ingots laid out on the table.

“Most of them, those five on the right are Orichalcum-based,” Erredis explained, “Those would be your possibilities…” Leaning over the ingots with both hands on the table, she hesitated for a few seconds, before pulling back and picking out two of them out of the lot. “I recommend one of those.”

“And they are? Sorry I still can’t properly use [Identify]...”

“I know,” Erredis answered, tossing one of the two small ingots that looked like regular gold to Sofia. “Since you’re going to use it for a skin replacement, you want something flexible but durable. There aren’t a thousand possibilities really. I say these are the two good ones and you’re already using both of them.”

“I am?!”

Erredis tapped the top of her own head, “This one’s what your headband is made of, adamian gold. Strudier and incomparably more flexible. It’s not even that hard to make if you have some adamian steel on hand, but very few people work with it, because the mana conductivity drops to Orichalcum level, and once it’s set, you’re not melting it again without ruining it.”

“... I always thought the saint set headband was just regular gold…”

Erredis snickered, “with how durable that thing is? As if.”

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“And what about this other one?” Sofia asked, pointing at the ingot Erredis was still holding.

“That’s what the anklet I gave you is made of, and likely some of the other parts as well Gold moth silk thread. Or as everyone calls it, silk gold. You already know how good it is, barely any loss in mana conductivity, while almost reaching Orichalcum level durability. The main issue with it is Gold moths are dangerous, eat their cocoon the moment they hatch, and don’t produce shit in captivity. You have to go find them in the wild and kill them in their cocoon before they hatch.”

“Oh… That sounded too good to–”

“I have a good stockpile of it,” Erredis interrupted her with a shrug, “you can help yourself to it, just repay me later alright?” she continued, summoning a pile of golden thread at Sofia’s feet and tossing the ingot on top of it.

“How… How much does that cost?”

“Don’t sweat the details, sweetie. I’m not a few stones short.”

“Ah, wait, right, I– It’s good that we have that because uh… Yeah… About that run-in with an ascended robot…”

Sofia produced her two ruined pieces of the saint set, shamefully handing them out to Erredis.

“Oh, my ancestors be damned, these took quite a hit, huh? Don’t worry about the anklet, I studied it for long enough to be able to fix it with my eyes closed. That sash, though? I might have to pay an annoying fox a visit…” Erredis said, pocketing the two items and starting to walk out of the workshop.

“Wait, wait! You’re going right now?!”

Erredis nodded, “I’m not going to let you walk around with tattered clothes am I? Are you not coming?”

Sofia enthusiastically joined Erredis, explaining how she had that black gold cursed weapon to sell to Valeure so she would have needed to go anyway.

Valeure was immediately intrigued by the [Phoenix Ire] when Sofia pulled it out, saying “I’ll buy it!” before Sofia could even say anything. Asking Sofia to place it down on the ground, she floated around it, observing it closely.

“Such a good thing! Where did you find this?!” Valeure asked with gleaming eyes, grabbing Sofia’s shoulders, fully forgetting Erredis was even around.

“Uh… Well. In the forbidden layer. Do you need the details? For how much are you buying?”

“Yes! Yes! All the details! I’m taking it, this– Three– F– No, six! Six stones! And I want a retelling of your entire journey in the layer!”

“... It involves someone else and some private things so I can’t really do that, but the events in the area where I found this I can talk about in great detail. Is that fine?” Sofia asked.

“Hmmmmmmm…” Valeure was casually floating away, hugging her knees, she started doing frontflips like this, her long fox tail swishing behind her, only stopping after flipping like that three times, and cancelling her levitation. She landed next to the half-molten sword, putting her hand on the handle. “It’s a deal.”

Sofia glanced at Erredis who stood a bit behind her, who silently nodded to her.

It looks like I got a good price.

“You said there was another thing?” Valeur asked with curious eyes.

Sofia nodded. “Not something to sell, though, you remember the saint set piece I got from you, right?”

Erredis stepped up, holding up said item for Valeure to see, “Look at the state she managed to get it in… I hear from Richard you know a thing or two about item restoration and repair? I never looked too closely at it before it got like this so I can’t do it myself.”

Valeure nodded in response, with an uncharacteristically bashful smile, almost bowing, “Richy has talked highly of your skills, too. It would be my honor to assist you, great plague dragon.”

“Tssk… Is this how he usually calls me when I’m not around? Damned skeleton needs another beating. I already have the silk gold, do you have a forge around here?”

“Of course! Please follow me!” Valeure enthusiastically said, flying off to another of her home’s floating islands. Erredis also followed, leaving Sofia behind with the [Phoenix Ire] in the empty colosseum.

“I guess I’m not needed…” Sofia sighed, sitting down on the ground, her back against the warm black gold weapon. “I never expected I would see Valeure act so out of character…”

The small foxes roaming around Valeur’s domain curiously observed Sofia from a distance while she closed her eyes and organized her thoughts.

Still so much to do, but I’m getting there. Then I can finally go see Alith and Asty!

Then… I suppose it will be time to seriously study enchanting next. Do I need a teacher? Delicate might be enough to teach me well… Or I could ask Zerei. It’s too bad whoever made the saint set is dead…

As she was lost deep in her thoughts, Sofia suddenly felt a strange vibration, like an aftershock from a distant explosion.

Hmmm?

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by a very unnatural sight. The sky had somehow turned fully red.