Mantle of the Gods [LitRPG / Slow Burn / FTB Harem]

Trent buried his head in his hands.

He blinked a few times when he pulled them away before he stood up. "I have calls to make." He checked the time on his CB. "It's early, but if you're already up, you might as well get ready for this evening."

I watched him walk away, but the powerful presence that he usually emanated had dimmed. It was like seeing a malnourished Adventurer who'd been stuck on a lower floor for days walking out of the Hub.

"He'll get better." Gesai rubbed my back.

"Yeah…" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "At least we know Rix and Pixie are okay."

"That's a situation Wards away that you can't influence." Miel's voice drew me into the present. "You need to focus on this evening."

I nodded. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Last time, you went in unarmed and got stabbed." Miel nodded at her daughter. "While it won't stop a Tier Three weapon, we can get you some clothes that will keep you from getting stabbed by a Mundane knife."

"Won't it be obvious if we go in there wearing armor?" I tried thinking about the leather gear most of us wore. Oz, Fray, and Ether wore more metallic armor since they were always near the monster, while the rest of us had some form of leather.

"We'll be wearing dresses." Kara seemed excited about that prospect. "Mom brought in a tailor and everything! We already got Aelin, Oz, Jenne, and Ren fitted for dresses." Her eyes widened as she looked at the woman on my right. "Did you already talk to them?"

"I did. He said I can come." Ren grinned.

"Wait a second! Who said what?" Miel looked at her daughter.

Kara's red eyes pleaded with me for help.

"I told Ren that she could come with us." Looked at the older woman. "Having a Healer last time would have been helpful, and if things had gone differently, necessary."

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"You realize this means I have to get another Tier Zero return stone? They actually cost more than the Tier One versions!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Weren't you bragging about how much All you got when you went farming with your mother?"

"That was...!" Miel glared at me. "That's not the point. Time is something that everyone spends at the same rate. Now I have to spend more of my time getting another emergency exit for one of your girls!"

"And that's why you're the best mom." Kara hugged her mother.

Miel thumped her daughter on the head. "Don't try to butter me up; I know what you're doing, and it's not going to work."

Kara frowned and sank back in her chair.

"O-kay…" I had no idea what they were talking about. "So all the ladies have clothes; what about me?"

"We got your measurements from the Temple when you were fitted for gear." Ren's voice was giddy, almost like she'd eaten too much sugar or something.

"So we all have clothes that are really armor." I looked at Miel. "I'm assuming they're going to be okay with Kara being armed?"

"Outside the building, yes, but inside, they should be checking everyone for weapons. With CBs jammed, your skills will probably be shut down too." She eyed Ren. "You'll have to use what you can get your hands on." She tapped her finger on the table. "Lots of things can become a weapon in an emergency, but I've got some ideas on things that they should let you bring in."

"So what exactly are we doing there?" Now that we knew where Rix was, this seemed like a big risk.

"You won't be doing anything except spending money and looking pretty." Kara winked at me.

"Jenne is going to be doing most of the work. Just follow her lead." Gesai sighed. "If Tophua wasn't in there, I doubt Trent would let you go, but he was sure you'd be safe with the blacksmith there."

"Trent and mom aren't here, but they are both worried about a centralized Dungeon that anyone could walk through." Miel looked at me. "That's what you're going in there for. We need more information. If we thought we could get away with just sending Kara and Jenne in there, we would, but we need you to work with Tophua."

"We're still going to take precautions." Miel motioned at her daughter. "Kara is going to keep the All, so you won't have to worry about someone trying to rob you." A wicked smile spread across her face. "You won't be defenseless."

"The main thing is that you have a return stone." Gesai squeezed my hand. "And we'll be on the other side if anything chases you out."

"Right." I tried to summarize what they'd talked about. "Spend All, figure out if it really does connect across the Ward, and find out everything we can about it without attracting attention to ourselves." I shrugged. "What could go wrong?"