< Estimated time to reach Festi Town | Epiderma D3 | 2 Hours >

 

A small train flew across a barren plain. A tree or two populated this strange stretch of grasslands every few hundred meters and found herds of animals trotting peacefully. Alongside them were golden, happy slimes bouncing without a care in the world.

Another railway line ran in the backdrop of this place. It was a major line that directly ran from D3 to D10, whereas the one they followed was no more than an intra-sectoral line. Or a Local Network, as opposed to the Express Network.

Low ranking adventurers frolicked in these fields, some befriending these peaceful slimes whilst others rushed to snag them in nets. These golden slimes were one of the few mediums that could be converted directly into coins and were derived from a family of slimes called ‘mineral slimes’.

How did they come to? How were they converted into coins? Why did this matter in the first place?

It didn’t, because it was no more than a ruse to distract Frost from the real issue at hand. Her inevitable fate was sealed the moment she agreed to wear something appealing for Jury…

No. Perhaps it was already sealed from the very beginning when she first became a woman.

What was laid before her along a walnut table was the maid set that Jury so politely handed over to her. She was sealed in one of six private rooms in a compartment located in the furthest end of this populated train. Snap ran alongside her window, observable only by Frost.

And as she sat there contemplating on what to wear first, scanning over each piece of article which were laid out like evidence of a crime scene, she could have sworn she saw Snap wave at her encouragingly.

C’mon. Have some courage. We’re about to head straight into a monsoon dungeon. A Black Monsoon. The second highest difficulty a dungeon can reach, right behind white. A little dress up isn’t going to hurt, right?

“Aside from your pride?”

My heart, more like. Look, I’ve already accepted being a woman, but that doesn’t mean I want to dress up like one… still, I’ll gladly wear it for Jury. Tch…

Frost gazed over the various pieces of apparel, sifting through the materials between her fingers as she used Analyze Object, revealing very little of note. They were made with incredible craftsmanship, and the silk felt utterly divine.

It was nothing like anything she had ever felt, and upon closer inspection, she realized that they possessed a surprisingly high level of DEF. The knee socks for instance granted around 50 DEF, whereas the black tights gave a significant 150 DEF.

Frost was a function over form person to begin with, and as painful as it was having to put these on, there were very clear advantages of doing so.

“Just for Jury?” Nav teased in its monotone voice, causing Frost to wince.

Yeah. Just for Jury. And maybe it’ll help me survive the upcoming ordeal. Alright…

“Alright!” Frost rallied herself up, standing straight in this claustrophobic room lined with reflective wood and beautiful cushions.

She slid her apparel off one by one, beginning with her Coat of Prejudice and storing it straight into her Dimensional Storage. Her base DEF alone was high enough to justify going stark naked into fights for all she cared, but Frost had dignity.

And perhaps it was her dignity that was hurt the most as she stood there, naked in the creeping light of the sun. Snap closer to the window now, using its body to completely block out the view in case anyone managed to catch a glimpse of her stunning, lithe form from the outside.

In one pile were the remnants of her old apparel: mismatched and worse for wear. The reason why no one noticed how shabby they were was because of how much her coat covered her body in the first place, much like Jury’s mantle.

She lurched over the table, her hands gripping at the edges as she calculated her plan of attack.

First thing’s first is underwear.

And luckily for her, Jury was kind enough to sympathize with her situation, leaving her with two options.

“Fucking panties, or boy shorts. I love you Jury… thank you for making this easy for me.” She sincerely thanked from the bottom of her heart.

Jury likely heard this from the bench outside.

“Why do they call them boy shorts?”

I honestly have no clue. Maybe because they look like boxers? Tight… incredibly tight boxers. No, they kinda like cyclist shorts now that I realize it.

Frost stretched this black piece of wear right before she slipped them straight on. The fabric latched onto her quite snugly with a firm clasp. There was a mirror in this room right by the sliding doors, and she was surprised to see how well it suited her.

“Huh… not like I’ll be showing it to anyone.”

“Aside from Jury, of course.”

“Well… naturally, right?” Frost easily admitted, her hand naturally moving over to a singlet as opposed to a bra.

She did not have any problems with her chest in the first place, nor did she need any support so there was no point in using one to begin with. The tights came next, and the only reason she took it over the socks was because of the additional 100 DEF it gave over them.

Once having slipped them on, she threw on the dress with little trouble and clipped the cuffs at the end of her sleeves. The hems of the maid outfit ran down just below her knees, revealing a pair of black, maid-like shoes.

They were not made of leather or any material she was aware of. In fact, it was the only piece of wear that could not be analyzed.

They were neither hard or soft, and she felt like she was standing on clouds. The soles were raised just a centimeter or two higher than normal, leaving her just a tad bit taller. But still nothing compared to Jury, and quite frankly everyone else aside from the Moon triplets and the Innocent.

And finally, she crowned herself with the classic maid headband and took a good minute scrutinizing herself in the mirror like she had committed a sin of the highest degree. If she glared any harder the glass would have undoubtably cracked.

With a long exhale she relaxed and took a step back, softly smiling.

“You know… I might end up falling for myself as well.” Frost muttered, unable to remove herself from the woman that stared back. “Not bad. It’s almost a shame that my Innocent wasn’t a one-to-one clone of myself.”

“Every day your mind slowly becomes corrupted. You may as well do a twirl.”

“Hey, it’s the eye. Just the eyes. And the face. Nothing wrong with admiring yourself… Alright. Jury! Sorry for the wait!”

Frost, after unlocking the sliding doors with the flick of a small latch, peered her head through and was thankfully greeted by a lone Jury. Before a single word could be exchanged Jury’s eyes instantly widened in shock as she hurriedly scuttled in, gently pushing Frost back into the room.

She was eager. Much more eager than usual.

The doors slammed shut as Jury firmly held onto Frost’s arms, her thumbs digging into her skin.

Though she did not say it, it was obvious that Jury wanted this sight all to herself. She could feel the heat in her eyes which burnt with an obsessive desire. Mostly because Frost had never shown this feminine side of her before. Although feminine was a stretch. She was more like a tomboy forced into a girly attire.

And it certainly did have its own kind of charm.

“A-Ah. Jury? You’ve gotten more aggressive since the last time.” Frost said, kind of happy that Jury felt this way. “Well, here it is. A maid outfit just for you. What do you think?”

“Just for me~ It really fits you perfectly. I’ve read stories about maids with the Archivist, and I thought you’d look good in one. My hunch was right! You’re kind of like a strict maid. The kind that scolds people for their own good.”

“Huh? The first thing that came to your mind was ‘hey, wouldn’t Frost look good in one of those?’” Frost gently laughed, tapping Jury’s head once. “Well… anything for you. You rarely ask anything from me to begin with.”

The woman titled her head to the side slightly as she gently cusped Frost’s hand.

“I don’t want to feel needy. Just being alone with you is enough… but I can’t help but want to see more of you. I just wish we could find more time to be alone together. Like now...”

“Hey. Needy? I never thought of you like that. Don’t feel reserved! C’mon.” Frost extended her arms, inviting the woman free reign over her body. “Where’s the enthusiasm? Don’t tell me you’re shy all of a sudden~” She further teased, grinning mischievously to further fuel Jury’s desire.

“… Then it’ll be my pleasure.” Her golden eyes fluttered.

The woman spent some time glossing over Frost’s body, patting her down across various places all the while Frost stood there under the all-consuming gaze of her lover. For some reason she felt like she was in the gaze of the One Thousand Eyed Bird again, waiting to be devoured at a moment’s notice.

And before long, Frost asked Jury to reveal her forbidden bunny suit. It turned out that the reason why Jury wore it in the first place was because Nav suggested it. This turn of events revealed that it was not Jury who betrayed her, but the very voice in their heads.

“Nav… when the hell did you become so cheeky?” Frost sighed as Jury began to remove her Mantle of Sin, revealing the black, matte material underneath alongside the cleavage of two… melons.

She somehow appeared much more endowed then before, likely due to the bunny suit perking her chest up.

The suit overall flushed well with Jury’s skin, and once the mantle fell behind her shoulder’s, Frost could not help but to stare in awe at her partner’s body. A strange heat began to circulate in the room despite the cold winds constantly cycling through the open window.

“I wanted to exploit your allergy towards unconventional erotic wear. That way you can build a tolerance. You’re welcome.”

What, through shock therapy?

“No. Temperance through exposure. Say thank you.”

Furthermore, and unlike other traditional bunny suits – her belly was left exposed, revealing her abs which lit a fire right underneath Frost.

“T-thank you…”

Frost cupped her mouth slightly as she became hypnotized by Jury’s tantalizing body. She even slipped on a bunny-eared headband, further enrapturing Frost’s heart which rapidly reached its breaking point.

“… W-what can I say. It suits you… almost too well. Alice was right about you being a rabbit. Which genius thought of the naval window?” Frost said sheepishly, unable to hide her attraction as Jury inched closer.

“Me. You don’t think I haven’t noticed your eyes? You were always looking at my stomach~”

“Can you blame me? I’m kind of envious of them. Here. Touch this.”

Frost said, drawing Jury’s hands against her stomach. “Nothing. You’d think with all the strength I have I’d at least have some muscle. Turns out healers are perpetually stuck as whatever they were when they first received their healing affinity.”

Frost complained, illustrating the reason why her body saw little to no physical progress aside from the Corrupted characteristics she inherited.

It also explained why her hairstyle hadn’t changed the in slightest as well, and perhaps even why her mental fortitude was stronger than most. Although Frost wasn’t thin skinned to begin with, but it brought about an interesting thought regarding the healers and their wholehearted aspirations to heal and forgo violence.

Maybe a healer’s mentality would reset or ‘heal’ to normal upon brewing a violent thought, much like how their bodies did. This thought was no more than to distract herself once again from the reality at hand, as Jury began to fondle her belly, trying to find an ounce of muscle but to no avail.

“Can I feel it directly?” Jury asked, instantly causing Frost’s heart to bash against her chest.

But before she could answer – the train violently shook.

The pair were thrown off balance and toppled over one another against the cushioned bench. Jury unintentionally pinned her down as Frost kept a hand firmly placed against Jury’s abs, now feeling its warmth and detailed brickwork, her fingers gliding past as if reading braille.

A loud melodic ding then played from somewhere above.

 

“Please be advised that the train will be stopping shortly. May the adventurers please begin to head to the front compartment and prepare to disembark. We ask for all passengers to remain seated. Caldera Industries prioritizes your safety.”

 

Another tune then rang again.

 

“We repeat, may the adventurers please disembark at the following stop. We are approaching the Fairgrounds of a Black Monsoon dungeon. Your safety is guaranteed while aboard. Please make the onboard healer aware of your injuries. Caldera industries appreciates your commitment to using our Local D3 Network.”

 

The male voice spoke through a magical intercom, addressing the situation calmly and precisely like a trained pilot. The voice resonated from every corner of the train as everything rocked once again, tangling their hairs together as Jury’s pale strands tumbled over Frost’s cheeks.

Frost was about to say something, her mouth parting midway until the intercom played the tune once again.

 

“Remember – Do not attempt to convert minerals into currency under any circumstances. We appreciate the compliance of all metalworking and foodery professions.”

 

This struck Frost as somewhat odd. The last profession or industry that would come to her mind was food regarding the creation of coins. To begin with, it was unclear how coins were made other than certain creatures such as the golden mineral slimes were used as a medium to create them.

And since they were called mineral slimes, it was likely that they possessed traces of gold. Still, it was strange. Frost’s Appraise Object was currently level 19, just one level shy away from finally allowing her to uncover new information about her items.

She was awfully thorough when it came to appraising objects, as always. But compared to other skills, Appraise Object was by far the hardest to level hence why it had barely moved up in levels.

… and that being said…

She kind of wish she could appraise Jury’s abs right here and now.

“Ha… ahaha.”

“Mm. Haha.”

They shared a small laugh together, breaking the still silence that cradled them both in this precious moment as Jury leaned down close and pecked Frost on the forehead.

“Ah… Thank you. Let’s go, Jury. We’re here now. At a circus of all places.” Frost softly spoke as Jury pulled herself off her, dragging Frost along.

“… I’d love to stay like this a little longer. But that’s not possible, hm. I love the time we spend together. I just wish it wasn’t so short lived.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way. Maybe one day, after all of this we can have a longer period of respite. As for right now? Let’s go destroy this circus. Let’s get dressed… and good timing too. I was just getting hungry.”

“Mhm!”

The two shared another giggle in the heat of this little moment where nothing but the two of them mattered the most, and as they rose to their feet and began to redress themselves accordingly –

– A familiar voice suddenly brigaded the intercom.

 

“Aaaand, by the way!”

 

This voice undoubtably belonged to Cer. And unlike the man’s crystal-clear voice, Cer’s was distorted, kind of like she was talking through a crusty, low-quality microphone.

“The hell is she doing on that?” Frost uttered, unamused by this stunt.

“The little wolf has an announcement.” Jury hummed.

And as they wrapped themselves tight with their fabulously feathered coats, the two suddenly froze as Cer spoke again.

 

“Something steamy’s going on in cabin 5 of the last compartment! Give them a loud knock! Please leave your love making at home and not on public transport. Caldera Industries – oi, get the fuck off me –! Res!? Get that away from me! H-healer! Heal me dammit!”

 

Her voice abruptly cut off, right before a melodic tone played for the final time.

 

“We apologize for the inconvenience.”