Rinka's Construct Contract materialized and settled in her hands. She turned it, and all the pages dumped aside to reveal the back cover. Alphonse jerked involuntarily when he saw the strange symbols written with a bizarre ink that differed from a typical black color. It was more of a greenish hue, and every few seconds the symbols shifted and vanished. They were soon replaced by words, some familiar and some seemingly outlandish. There were possible attempts at forming sentences, but only a few phrases managed to take form as they were cut off by symbols or breaks of indentations.
"What the hell..." Alphonse clawed at the side of his head as the symbols nagged at him.
"I believe it is a language," Rinka explained. "It took many years for me to decipher enough for basic understanding. Think of this is a sort of representation for what is happening in Hovestile. You can imagine how difficult it was to translate since it changes constantly."
"So, you can see what's happening?" Alphonse asked. "Like monsters in dungeons, people in the capital city, all of it?"
"In a sense. This is the unique ability of my contract. I have no control over what it shows me, but at some point I learned about you outworlders with this method." She read his confounded look, and a bit of disappointment traced her features. "I assume you don't have anything to share about this language."
"I know some of the words," Alphonse said. "It's definitely English, or I guess you refer to it as 'common tongue,' but I don't have a clue about the context and format. I recognize some symbols too, but they aren't used in any way I've seen."
He opened his contract and started copying some of the language and structure down on the pages preceding the rules he'd written. The paragraphs and indents made no sense to him. Letters stood out by themselves with symbols and numbers that seemed to show some vague relation. He wrote at a sloppy, feverish pace in a desperate attempt to get as much down as possible before the language disappeared and was replaced.
"I don't know who to trust in this world," Alphonse said when he finished. He flexed his fingers as a cramp flared up in his hand. "But maybe one day I can ask someone about this. It might shed some light on what exactly these contracts are. Do you know the unique ability of my contract?"
Rinka shook her head. "That is something you must discover. I have never used your contract."
Alphonse willed his contract away with a disappointed wave of his hand. "I guessed as much. In any case, I only plan on using it as a last resort."
There was more he wanted to ask, and he was absolutely certain that Rinka knew that his questions would continue to stack on the answers he received. His nature demanded that he question everything around him. All possible outcomes were considered -- like the possibility that if he and Rinka held a contract, then there were others who might own one as well.
A part of him was relieved when Rinka decided to change the subject, since refraining from further discussion on the matter implied it wasn't relevant at the moment. The other part of him that demanded closure was understandably disappointed.
'I guess it's enough to be wary of other contract holders,' Alphonse thought. 'She probably doesn't know enough either. I'll have to give her the benefit of the doubt.'
Rinka rose from her seat as a sign of finality and willed away her contract as well. "Excellent. When you return, I expect a full report on your findings. Now, let's move on to one last important matter." She motioned for him to wait and walked around to the other side of the dais.
Alphonse frowned at her peculiar change in tone. His astonishment was complete when Rinka reappeared with her arms full of some strange black garments and armor.
Rinka laid the outfit at the base of the stairs and separated the individual parts so Alphonse could view its entirety. It looked like a type of garb worn by some sort of rogue assassin. The cowl hood and chest area were stitched from a soft, fine wool. The other portion was a short shawl that went over sections of leather armor for his upper body near the collar. Straps circled the leather bracers and boots for carrying tools or small concealed weapons. Thin, but durable-looking leather tassets were fitted to hug tight on the thighs without impeding mobility. He also noticed a pair of gloves with double ties hanging out one of the many pockets. The main defining feature was that almost every bit of the outfit was black for dark places like dungeons, while also accompanied by some dark greens to blend in with verdant environments.
Alphonse couldn't deny that the rogue armor was the perfect fit for a scout. There were plenty of areas for carrying necessities without compromising his silent movements.
"I modified this with your contract in mind," Rinka said. "Kirie and Asa found most of this outfit during their early adventures around the oasis. There is gear in Hovestile imbued with defenses against certain spells -- appraisals included. I enhanced the runes to block some of the highest forms of appraisal spells so that others won't see your name and missing stats. If you wear this, it will also protect those in your party."
"It looks amazing for quests," Alphonse said as he crouched down to feel the fabric. "Honestly, this is incredible. I don't even know what to say." He shifted to one of the bracers and gingerly picked it up. He examined the inside and found the inscribed runes Rinka mentioned that would hide his status from the appraisals of spellcasters.
"Don't thank me just yet," Rinka said. "It's also a precaution to protect my daughters. You are supposed to be dead, after all. We don't know if that archer was employed by someone else. I imagine word may have spread among the other outworlders that one of their own is dead. I'm afraid that means hiding your face is crucial as well."
Alphonse understood it was a necessary precaution. If anyone saw his incomplete status, then he would be scrutinized and possibly apprehended for questioning. The stats of outworlders were no mystery to the natives. Even worse was the possibility of others discovering that Kirie and Asa -- natives of Hovestile -- had stats as well. Barring those possibilities, another complication involved the wrong person appraising him and seeing that Alphonse Kneller was still alive. He didn't know many people that he once considered as a friend or comrade, but there were those from the facility on Earth that might still recognize him.
He needed to forge a new identity for himself.
Rinka approached him and handed the last part of the outfit to him. A scarf. When Alphonse unfolded it, he noticed a design stitched in white thread that depicted a double-edged axe and a staff crossed over each other.
'Kirie and Asa's weapons,' Alphonse immediately thought.
Rinka nodded appreciatively when the recognition crossed his features. "It is the symbol of your unity. I managed to enhance the runes on the rest of your outfit, but this received my own personal touch. I daresay, it is my finest work. No appraisal spells will breach the defenses I've inscribed on this scarf."
Alphonse found himself at a loss for words. He stood up and stared at the outfit for a few disbelieving seconds. Rinka never ceased to amaze him. She had given him and her daughters something invaluable for their new start.
''Unity.' I guess the time really has come,' he thought. He blinked a few times to hold back the tears he felt building up.
Rinka laughed. "You should probably try it on."
"Ah, right. Good idea." Alphonse nodded eagerly as he gathered the various portions of his new scout outfit. He was about to make his way to the other side of the dais to change when a thought froze him in his tracks.
"Wait, how did you know my size?" Alphonse asked. He figured that his old gear was too damaged to use as a reference. A scout's armor needed to be almost a perfect fit for stealth and quick movements.
Rinka played with her ponytail and whistled innocently. "Oh, I may have asked Asa to measure you while you were still recovering."
'While I was sleeping!' Alphonse thought. 'That's not fair!'
But it did make sense since she would have seen him half-naked anyway to tend his injuries.
He made no further comment as he forced himself to walk with an air of calm and approached the opposite side of the dais to try on the new gear. He heard a few giggles from Rinka and tried to shut them from his mind. Kirie and Asa poking fun at him was one thing, but he didn't know how to respond to Rinka with this sort of topic.
His brain unwittingly conjured a few brief fantasies of the beautiful catgirl mother that he didn't bother to suppress. He reasoned that such thoughts were only natural for the moment, and he certainly didn't mind them. He pictured another in his head of Asa wearing nothing but her undergarments as she leaned over him while he supposedly lay unconscious in bed. She raised a hand and parted some of her crimson hair as she maintained her usual stoic expression. She leaned in closer and closer...
Unfortunately, his pleasantly indecent thoughts were ruined as an unruly Kirie entered the fantasy by busting down a door and shouting, "It's adventure time!"
"Crazy catgirl." Alphonse shook his head violently and managed to retain his focus again. It had been a long time since he had such thoughts. At least the scarf would serve a few other purposes he could think of in the future.
He started donning the outfit and pulled the scarf over his mouth. It felt comfortable. Warm. The hood didn't obstruct his peripheral vision and the scarf was actually rather easy to breathe through. It didn't feel like anything would impede him in the least.
It took some time to figure out how everything fit, and there was a certain order to the clasps and different pieces. This wasn't a surprise. Adventuring gear wasn't as simple as throwing on a shirt and some pants. It took a considerable amount of preparation, and he wanted to make sure everything worked in acceptable order before he tested it in the field.
He gave himself a once-over when he finished and checked that everything appeared satisfactory. He stepped up to one of the calm streams fed by ceaseless water that trickled down the wall. The intense eyes of an assassin stared back at him. The dark outfit concealed nearly every trace of skin, save for the area around his eyes.
Alphonse removed the hood from his head and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. There was a word he'd heard back on Earth for people who wore similar outfits in stories. He couldn't deny that the gear was functional and looked pretty darn cool, but he needed to wear it constantly to hide his identity and stats.
He groaned as the word popped into his head. 'I look like a friggin edgelord. Well, shit.'
He glanced over his shoulder to tighten a strap that felt a little loose and froze when he thought he saw something disappear from the side of the dais.
"No, don't tell me..." he muttered
He wasted no time rushing over. He skirted the wall at a wide angle, slid to a stop and found exactly what he suspected.
"Damn catgirls," Alphonse breathed.
Kirie and Asa sat crouched on their toes facing away from him as they attempted to make a hasty retreat. They slowly turned around to look at him when they heard his hushed voice. Kirie had a silly, impish grin on her face, while Asa simply stared at him with her typical neutral expression.
Kirie twisted in her crouch and gave him a swift salute. "Hey there, friend. Looking good."
Asa scooted next to her sister and nodded vigorously. The motion didn't match her expression in the least. "Nice scars. I'm impressed. Looks like I missed a couple while you were sleeping."
"Compliments don't work on me," Alphonse said. His face flushed, but the scarf did its job well to hide it. He punched a fist into his hand for emphasis. "Like my contract, I believe in equivalent exchange."
Kirie pointed an accusing finger and backed away as he took a few intimidating steps forward. "Like hell! It's your fault for letting your guard down!"
"Yes, it's your fault for being so vulnerable," Asa added. She took a sliding step behind Kirie to use her as a shield.
Alphonse was about to make a retort when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He halted mid-step and turned around slowly. He observed Rinka with a hand held over her mouth. Alphonse realized she didn't look any less beautiful with her cheeks puffed up as she held back her laughter. He detected tinges of red on her face as she let out an innocent chuckle.
"I may have peeked from the other side," she admitted with a sly wink.
Alphonse turned away from her and lifted the scarf up even further to conceal the rest of his face.
"Not fair. Not fair at all," he muttered.