When Dario walked downstairs to the first floor of Hidden Haven, he was greeted by the glorious sight of three scantily clad gorgeous young women draped over some of the couches. They appeared to be in the middle of eating breakfast when they noticed him.
“Oh, hey Dario. How’s it hanging?” A green-haired woman wearing a loose shirt and mini shorts called out to him.
Another woman sitting opposite her with black raven hair tied into a ponytail waved towards him. “Eyy, Big D! Where have you been, man?” she asked, chewing on her food with crumbs falling on top of her translucent nightgown.
“Been busy figuring things out,” he replied, calmly focusing on keeping his line of sight above their necklines. “Turns out I’m more like you guys than I thought.” With an amused twitch of his lips, he raised his arm to show off his Status Band.
“Oh damn, you’re a supe now?” the third woman asked in surprise, brushing her blonde bangs back behind her right ear. “It’s about time! I knew you had it in you!” She clapped her hands in joy, shaking the generous bust hidden underneath her night robe.
“What’s your powers?” the green-haired woman asked curiously.
“Yeah, tell us,” the raven-haired woman said with a mouth full of food. “What can you do?”
“Sorry, but it’s a secret,” Dario said, grinning an impish smile. “Knowing might kill ya.”
“What!? That’s not fair! You can’t not tell us right after saying that!” They chorused in a cacophony of protests.
“It’s what you all get for keeping Superior secrets to yourself all these years. Karma’s a bitch ain’t it?”
“That’s completely different, and you know it!” the blonde pouted.
“Too bad, so sad.” Dario chuckled as he walked over to one of the bars and served himself a glass of water. He was pretty thirsty after the discussion with his mother.
“Dario,” he heard from behind. “I order you to tell us.”
He turned around, ready to deny them once more, but paused when he saw the face of his mother staring back at him from the couch. She had a stern expression on her face, which clashed with the loose shirt and mini shorts she was wearing.
“Nice try Tova, but the hair’s a little too light, and the eyes are a bit too large,” Dario critiqued.
“Damn,” Tova muttered, her hair slowly returning to its previous green color. “I thought I had it that time.” The rest of her facial features returned to their normal state as well.
“You’ll get it next time,” the blonde reassured her.
“I doubt that, Brie,” Dario told the blonde with a smirk. “My mother's one of a kind.”
“You really are a mama’s boy, aren't you?” Tova asked with an amused smile.
“Psh, would you argue against my mom being one badass woman?” Dario asked with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s true, Amarys is a badass bitch,” the raven-haired woman chimed while licking her plate clean. “Can’t deny that.”
“Exactly,” he said with a nod. “It’s less of me being a mama’s boy, and more like having a healthy respect and fear of her.”
“She is pretty scary,” Brie muttered.
Dario chugged down his water and placed it down with a pleased groan. “Anyways, I’m off to go do stuff. I’ll see you all later.”
“Wait!” Tova called out. When she noticed him stop and glance back at her, she gave him her most seductive smile. “Are you sure there isn’t anything we could do to get you to tell us about your new powers? Anything at all?” she purred.
“Nope,” Dario promptly rejected. He had dealt with their antics for several years now and knew to never expect them to go through with anything. “If you really want to know, then go ask my mother. She knows all the details.” He turned and walked towards the back room hidden underneath the staircase. “In the meantime, I’m gonna go raid the armory.”
“Ooo, the armory? What for?” the raven-haired beauty asked, sitting upright on the couch with a look of intrigue.
“Well, so I can go and kill monsters outside the city of course,” he proclaimed with a smirk. He continued towards the back room while the black-haired woman scrambled to follow him.
Dario stood in front of the tall imposing entryway of the armory with a look of excitement. He’d only been inside once before, and he was eager to explore its confines once again. The security measures for the room were fairly straightforward, merely being a simple heavy metal door that could only be unlocked if you were keyed into it with blood. It was only now that he realized the entire vault was made by an Artificer. The idea was that — even if your blood was attuned to it — only someone with Superior strength could move the large slab of metal. Fortunately, he fit both criteria.
With a grunt of exertion, Dario tried prying the entrance open. After a few seconds, it finally budged and he sighed in relief before continuing to pull as hard as he could. Eventually, he managed to open it and he walked inside with a feeling of triumph.
The interior was filled with various armors and weapons that Dario knew cost hefty sums. His mother never did anything half-assed and that trend clearly continued here. From the floor to the ceiling, every bit of it was occupied by some manner of usable gear. There were many of the traditional weapons and armor, but there were equally as many that he had never even seen before. He was somewhat dumbstruck by the large array of choices, and he had no clue where to start.
“Are you really going out to kill monsters?” he heard from behind him.
Dario turned and saw the statuesque figure of the raven-haired woman standing by the doorway.
“If I said yes, would you try and stop me, Rox?”
“Hell no. I’d join you if anything,” she replied, grinning. “If I didn’t have this place to call home, I’d probably be out there hunting in the Wildlands.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “For me, it was either fighting or fucking, and I chose the slightly more enjoyable option.”
“I see,” Dario said, bewildered. “So… why did you follow me here?”
“Well, if I can’t be out there killing monsters and fighting the good fight, then I figured I could live vicariously through you,” she stated.
“Uhh, what?”
“Look, I know most of the weapons and armor here by heart, so I’ll help you gear up. In exchange, when you come back, you tell me all about your adventures out in the Wildlands,” she said enthusiastically. “Do we have a deal?”
Dario shook his head in amusement. “You know what? Fine... Why not?” He spread his arms wide open. “Gear me up, woman.”
Rox placed her hands on her hips and inspected him from top to bottom.
“Hmm, let’s start simple. We don’t want to overcomplicate things, and we definitely don’t want you damaging the more expensive stuff on your first outing. Maybe when you’re more experienced and actually need the good stuff.” Rox hummed as she walked past him and began picking out various items on a nearby stand.
Dario leaned back on a nearby wall and watched her work in silence. He liked to think that he was completely professional in his scrutinizing, but if anyone asked, he was simply observing her choice of gear and certainly not focusing on how she was bending over while wearing a translucent nightgown. That definitely never entered his mind.
Dario tilted his head in an almost ninety degree angle and stared with an appreciative grin. “Damn.”
Nope, that totally wasn’t the case.
Dario walked through the bustling streets of the city with a bounce in his step as he headed towards one of the city walls. Even from a distance, he could see the fifty meter tall stone barrier that separated the city of Voirsten from the Wildlands. It was an exciting prospect for him, knowing that he would soon pass through such an imposing structure.
He had decided to hide his Status Band for the time being since he didn’t want to be hounded by more passersby asking for help. He was tired of receiving requests from random people asking him to go find their cat or something. At some point, he just wanted to get to where he was going in a timely manner.
That wasn’t to say he didn’t get the odd looks now and then. It wasn’t as often as when he proudly displayed his Superior status, but it was still noticeable. He couldn’t exactly go incognito with what he was wearing, much to his dismay. He noticed a nearby reflective window and decided to stop by to inspect his outfit once more.
Staring back at him from his reflection was a young man with amethyst colored eyes and short, messy black hair. Standing an inch over six feet tall, he was taller than most of his peers, but more notable than that was the gleaming armor covering the entire length of his body.
Atop his torso was a pure white chestplate trimmed with gold lining that was cut off to reveal his lower abdomen, which was instead covered in glimmering white chainmail secured by a leather belt on his hips. On his shoulders were a pair of white spaulders with rerebraces placed underneath them in a surprisingly comfortable setup. His arms were further protected by white elbow guards and forearm bracers. The gaps between them were covered in chainmail and were attached with cords strung through them.
His legs were armored correspondingly with thigh guards, knee guards, and greaves. He hadn’t felt the need for feet protection as he deemed it unnecessary. Rox had insisted he represent the Hidden Haven, so she had given him gear that matched its outward color scheme. This, of course, resulted in him being covered in gold-trimmed white armor. It was a bit gaudy, but all in all, it wasn’t a bad sight.
What he was most impressed with were the runes engraved on the armor. Rox had informed him that the entire armor set was crafted by an Artificer and had some minor effects. He considered each rune significant as he couldn’t imagine wearing the armor without them.
First of all, they made putting it on much easier as the links between the armor would automatically connect to each other without any action on his part. He simply had to place the pieces against his body, and it would do the rest of the work. Secondly, the armor was a lot lighter than it had any right to be, and was kept cool at all times, regardless of external air temperature. Those quality of life improvements were more important to him than the slight increases in toughness the metal gained compared to other similar armors.
It was mind boggling to find out that it wasn’t even one of the more expensive things in the armory, and was actually considered to be on the lower end. He could have grabbed more high quality gear, but he had actually agreed with Rox on the notion that he shouldn’t be using more than what was necessary, especially for his first outing against weaker monsters. It would also be more challenging and fun.
For his weapons, he only took two items that could be considered as such.
The first was a pair of black gloves with white-colored metal plates covering the fingers, knuckles, and back of the hand. It had soft padding underneath that would soften the blow on his hand while increasing the damage to whoever was on the receiving end of his punch. It wasn’t much, but he was used to fist fights and wanted to play to his strengths rather than wield weapons he had no idea how to use, like swords — he’d probably end up hurting himself more with long blades than anything else.
The second item that could be considered a weapon was the shield on his back. Like his outfit, it matched his current color scheme, being pure white with golden inlays. Similarly, it was lighter and more durable than it had any right to be. He was reluctant in taking it at first, but it came with the armor set, so he decided he might as well take it. To his relief, it conveniently attached to his body without any need for straps and was fairly simple to use.
Artificers made some really handy stuff.
In the end, he was satisfied with what he was given, and he continued walking towards the opening on the southwestern wall. Once there, he was met by several imposing guards standing next to a large, dark metallic gate. It was then that he pulled out his Status Band.
“Halt!” one of the red themed guards commanded. “State your business, sir.”
“I’m here to go for a stroll outside and hunt monsters,” Dario said casually. “I’m a new Superior, so you may not have heard of me, but I have my Status Band here to prove it.” He raised the golden hexagon-shaped object in his hand and placed it against his forearm. It immediately latched onto him and formed a loop around his vambrace.
“Let me see,” the guard requested with his hand outstretched. Dario obliged and showed him the Status Band. After a few moments of inspection, he grunted in affirmation. “It’s legit,” he told the other guards.
“So, can I go through now?” Dario asked calmly despite the excitement racing throughout his body.
“One moment, you just have to write down your name on the Checkpoint List and tap your Band on our Record Device.” He brought Dario to a table situated against the wall. “It’s important to keep track of who goes in and out of the city, and at what times. It’s standard procedure, you understand?”
“Makes sense,” Dario said as he looked down at the table. On top of it was a single long piece of paper and a strange cube-shaped device next to it. They were most likely the Checkpoint List and Record Device respectively. “Where do I sign?”
“Right here.” The guard pointed to a section underneath a bunch of names that were already written.
Dario raised his eyebrows at the names on the list. He recognized most of them as some of the more famous Superiors around, and even saw the name ‘Soldier Smolder’. According to what he was reading, it turned out that the man had left the city with a bunch of other Superiors earlier in the morning. Interesting.
After signing his name and tapping his Status Band against the cube, the guards opened the large gate and led him through several smaller ones behind it. Eventually, he ended up on the other side, and for the first time, Dario was able to have a small glimpse of what lay in the Wildlands.
What he perceived was a vast collection of trees and green forestry as far as the eye could see. Near the gate was a cleared path through the woodlands that stretched for many kilometers. It was evidently used as some sort of road. He assumed that its purpose was to connect Voirsten to other smaller cities and outlying villages scattered throughout their area of the Wildlands.
He completely ignored it and went in the opposite direction, instead heading for the forest itself. If he wanted to hunt, then he would likely have to avoid the roads since they were probably marked by monsters as too dangerous to tread. It was more plausible that they would prefer sticking to the familiar surrounding of the trees. With that in mind, he wandered into the green of the Wildlands feeling excited, yet cautious.
For several minutes he walked deeper into the forest, the sunlight shining through the sparse open canopies. He checked every bush and looked behind every tree in search of any kind of prey. However, he came up empty each time and eventually decided to take a break, somewhat frustrated that he couldn’t find a single beast to slay. He had come out here in search of glorious battle, but was instead met with disappointment.
“Isn’t there anything around here?” he asked dejectedly, shoulders slumped down.
He turned to go off in another direction when he suddenly heard a strange noise. He looked up just in time to see a large eight-legged figure fall from directly above, heading straight towards him.
