Symbiotic Ascension : A Progression Fantasy Adventure

Glenn winced as he slipped into his new Langley-style clothes.

'Looking good is a requirement if you want to rule the world,' said Diamanes with a wise tone. 'Clothes like these are perfectly fitting. One step closer to total domination!'

"I'm not exactly sure strength and style are correlated," retorted Nelg.

'And that's exactly why you're not the strongest around. So shut up and let the pros talk, yeah?'

"Says the guy forced to live in someone else's hand."

Glenn sighed. 'Both of you, shut up.' He stepped out of the changing cabin, stretching out and breaking in the new fabric. A gasp of amazement startled him. Camille clenched her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

"You outdid yourself, Mistress Langley," said one of her assistants in awe.

Camille walked around Glenn, observing him with a sharp gaze.

"The Devil's Hand, the sole mage who seems able to wield the stars." She pinched her chin with a squint. "Sky-night blue was the only choice for the tailcoat, as were the embroideries. The silver linings marry themselves quite well with purple, you see?"

Glenn nodded, acting as if this whole thing wasn't going completely over his head.

"Now, the key was to connect your... trademark," she vaguely waved at his left hand, "...to the rest of your clothes. For that, a royal purple brocade vest was the most suitable."

He looked down at said vest, his eyebrows raised. Intricate celestial patterns woven in silver patterns made it glimmer slightly in the light. Below it, a simple yet delicate white silk shirt. A black cravat, secured with a silver pin, was a complement to the whole. His pants were as dark as a night's shadows, helping to deepen the somber outfit.

"I'd recommend picking up some rings, amethyst or rubies to put on your other hand. As well as silver earrings, that'd be the best..." Camille cleared her throat when she noticed Glenn's barely concealed sneer. "... Nothing mandatory, of course, simply it would compliment my work best."

Glenn shrugged. "I'll see if I can find something. What about Sahro and Liara?"

Her eyes lit up, and she turned to the other changing cabins, just in time for the two Black Heirs to come out.

"Ah, perfect! Considering your companions' reputations, choices had to be made!" She lowered her voice and added in a whisper, "And considering you asked me to make you the stars of the show, well..."

"G- Good job," stammered Glenn as his eyes struggled to leave Liara's figure. Camille happily started explaining the reasons for such 'simplicity', why such color and something about the exact length or something, but Glenn couldn't hear her. His heart raced madly, not with fear or excitation, but something entirely different.

Liara took a few hesitant steps, embarrassed. One of Camille's assistants had taken the time to style the Black Heiress' hair, braiding it and revealing the slightly sharp ends of her ears. She was wearing a dark blue cocktail dress that matched with Glenn's tailcoat, an elegant yet tantalizing slit revealing her right leg. Her shoulders were bare, a few white scars traced upon her tanned skin.

She glanced around the shop quickly, ensuring there were no other male presences than Glenn and Sahro.

"They really suit you," she whispered, "The clothes."

Glenn gulped and shook himself awake. "Thanks. Can't say I can compare to you, though."

Liara blushed slightly and lifted the flaps of her dress with some embarrassment. "It's odd. I... I'm not used to wearing this kind of thing." She grabbed her scarred shoulders as her gaze dropped to the floor, her countenance darkening.

"...I am not certain it suits me."

"It absolutely does," said Glenn immediately, without thinking. "Really, I can't think of anyone who'd wear this better than you."

Liara perked up with a surprise smile. "Really? Not even Milena?"

"Not even her." Glenn nodded, struggling for words as Liara's bewitching figure captivated him.

"Don't you know how to be embarrassed?" Sahro grumbled, breaking off the magical moment. Camille and her assistants hurriedly hid away the popcorn they were devouring, a little disappointed the show was over.

"Embarrassed?" Glenn repeated confusedly, before blushing and turning away. Liara pushed a stranded strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks similarly reddening. Both were looking around the tailor's shop with fleeing eyes, as if the multiple fabrics had suddenly become the most interesting things around.

"What the hell is going on? Don't tell me Liara has a crush on you or I swear I'll start breaking shit!" Nelg shouted within Glenn's mind, furious.

Diamanes pumped up a mental, victorious fist. 'YES! Please, skip all this boring stuff and get to fucking! It's been thousands of years, I can't even imagine what sex looks like!'

Glenn took a mental step back, overwhelmed. 'Both of you, stop. I- I was just taken aback, alright? Nothing to get yourselves so worked up, so just shut up. I can't be in a relationship anyway!' He glanced at his left, purple hand with a condemning look. 'Thanks to a certain someone.'

'Hey, if you can't stop me from watching, you just have to start enjoying it!'

"Fucking disgusting."

Glenn left the two entities to war in one corner of his mind as he finally turned to Sahro, searching for any good excuses to stop staring at Liara. The Black Heiress was testing out the dress, spinning gently on her black high-heels. 'No, stop looking at her!' He forced himself away and grabbed Sahro's shoulders.

"My friend, I will be damned if none of the highborn ladies try asking you out for a dance or more."

Camille nodded, suddenly stepping back into the conversation. "I can't agree more. While Miss Liara had a princess' presence, like you so accurately pointed out, Sir Glenn, I can't say the same for Sir Sahro." She adjusted the Black Heir's sleeve and nodded to herself. "Maiming is rare among nobility, you see."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Sahro reached out with his mechanical arm, moving around in his new set of clothes.

"Sir Sahro, you have that peculiar look about you, something wild, primal perhaps? I wouldn't know how to pinpoint it exactly, but I felt like it would be a good gamble to bet on that peculiarity."

Where Glenn and Liara's outfits hinted at the dark, starry sky, Sahro's clothes showed a ruler of the sands. The crucial piece was a dark gray mantle covered in ember gold, filigranes similar to the mark the Black Heir bore on his forehead. Dark brown furs were weighing down on his shoulders, a majestic mix between a wolf and a lion's pelt. Below, a vest with similar color schemes was decorating his chest, rose gold chains giving him a regal look.

A handsome yet wild haircut straightened Sahro's usually wavy, messy, and voluminous chestnut-gold hair. Yet, it still possessed a sentiment of freedom, of wildness.

"You're beating out Lucian," remarked Glenn. "Not even he wore clothes that nice."

Camille gasped. "You know his Highness? I've had the honor of presenting him a few works, but I believe he prefers constantly wearing battle-suits, unfortunately." She paused, taking in the sight of Glenn, Sahro and Liara together.

"This is my magnum opus," sighed Camille, exhausted. "The work of a life. The perfect clothes for the right individuals. I can die peacefully now."

"Thank you for that, Ms. Camille. How much do we owe you?" Glenn asked, satisfied. He hadn't been looking this good since...ever.

"Uhm...I'll send you the invoice once I'm done calculating it."

Glenn shook his head. "Send it to the Cleaner's Workshop instead. I practically saved the world twice over for these people. I'm sure they'll pay for my suits."

Camille nodded. "As you wish. Also, please tell your friends it would be my pleasure to outfit them." She pursed her lips and smiled wickedly. "Even more if they're all as handsome as you."

"For sure, Ms. Camille. Have a great day."

***

"I can't fight in this thing..." Sahro grunted as he kept his hand close to his dimensional pouch, where his sword was resting. Liara chuckled softly as Glenn sighed.

"We're not supposed to fight in them, Sahro. For the love of everything that is just, when we get there, do not fight."

Sahro looked at him bemusedly. "Are you sure that you, of all people, are the right person to say this?"

"Yes," replied Glenn shamelessly. He glanced at Liara, who was struggling to walk on the paved streets with her high-heels. "Need any help?"

She shook her head, as if saying, 'It is my burden to bear!' or something the like. Nelg still popped out of Glenn's inventory soul and offered his arm, which she declined. Glenn's armored doppelganger still stood beside her, ready to help if needed.

'Nelg...' Diamanes spoke slowly, almost in disbelief. 'Don't tell me you have a crush on Liara.'

"What if I do? It's not like Glenn loves her or anything, is it? The, er, spot is free, I guess," Nelg jeered, answering mentally. Glenn ignored both of them, wondering if he'd just become the equivalent of Messenger for the two.

'Just telling you, it won't ever go further than kisses, since, well, you still can't take off that tin can of yours, right?'

"I say you piss off and take care of your own stuff, Diamanes. I'll let you insult me the day you walk with your own two feet again."

'Tch!'

Glenn finally shut the two up. He needed to think by himself, and the incessant banter wasn't helping whatsoever in that direction.

'I wonder how important the reward ceremony is. If it's only with nobles of the Bourgeoisie, it'd barely be worth anything. I need to find the people close to Mortelli, the ones who mix up with the mosquito bastards, and anyone connected to Milena's matriarchal family. If she wants to return to the Court, fine.' His eyes hardened, his fists clenched. 'But I doubt that's the case. She would have told us otherwise. No, it's much more probable that whoever taught her those powerful mind spells took over her mind. Or that she was threatened. I'm certain it's out of her control anyway.'

"-enn? Glenn?" Sahro waved his hand in front of Glenn's eyes, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Wha- Yeah?"

"Are you sure it was necessary to come to the Cleaner's Workshop? Couldn't we have just waited at the manor and used the time to do something more productive?"

Glenn smirked. "Like what, training?"

Sahro took a step back, startled. "How did you read my mind? Did you learn some of Milena's magic?"

"I didn't, that's just the only thing you think about, alongside getting stronger and fighting stronger people. And eating meat too, probably."

"Fuck you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Glenn pinched his glabella, drawing a deep breath in before entering the Cleaner's Workshop. "To reply to your question, we came here because we need information, and also because I don't want you both to ruin your clothes by fighting each other in them. Right now, we're all in perfect conditions to charm everyone on our path, and I don't want to lose that. Got it?"

Sahro shook his head dejectedly. "I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this dumb plan."

Liara patted his arm with a gentle smile under Nelg's glare. The Black Heir rolled his eyes and pulled a rag out to clean his prosthesis. In the meantime, Glenn had gone past the Fixers hovering in the Main Hall waiting to take on contracts or discussing with their fellow fighters and directly to the counter. Three, probably-undead-yet-pretty ladies were sitting in a row, welcoming Fixers and managing tasks with uncanny perfection.

"Hello, Fixer Glenn. What can we do for you?" The clerk lady asked with a polite smile. Glenn took no notice that she knew his face, considering he was pretty much a celebrity, and instead went straight to the point.

"I'd need a private lounge and my handler, Kevin."

The clerk nodded in understanding. "Of course, please wait an instant." She glanced over a sheet of paper, reading something off it, but Glenn knew better. He had activated his Mana Sight out of curiosity, and was watching a flow of dark energy depart from the clerk lady and deeper into the Workshop. It was an energy perfectly similar to the Divinity Veil handled in battle, or what Manalok Calopea Truant—the Head Cleaner Director of the Northern Town—felt like.

"A lounge has been freed up for you, Fixer Glenn," she finally said. She pointed her chin to a passage nearby. "Your Fixer's Dagger will guide you."

Glenn thanked her and led his teammates deeper into the Workshop. The soul bound dagger, which he hadn't used in a very long while, glimmered with pale light as it guided them to a walled-off passage. A keyhole appeared, which Glenn stabbed with no hesitation. A door opened itself, leading into a luxurious lounge where a very nervous assistant was pacing incessantly.

"Kevin, it's been a while." Glenn ushered himself in without warning, startling the mouse-like assistant. Kevin hadn't changed much, aside from deeper dark circles under his eyes and new, gold-rimmed glasses.

"Sir Glenn!" Kevin sighed in relief. "And you brought Sir Sahro and Miss Liara, and..." He looked at Nelg for a moment before shaking his head, choosing to ignore the matter. "Thank the gods!"

"Did he just ignore me?" Nelg's indignation echoed in Glenn's mind, only for the latter to not spare him a thought.

"I'm not sure the gods are to thank, but happy to see you too, Kevin." Glenn comfortably sat in the nearest sofa. Sahro took an armchair for himself while Liara politely nodded at Kevin and sat next to Glenn. Once again, warmth pulsed through Glenn's chest, at least until Nelg sat between them.

'God damn it, I don't have time for that,' he thought. 'I... I need to bury this thing and get over it.'

"Please stop joking around, Sir Glenn." Kevin adjusted his glasses position and dropped his notepad on the closest table. "There have been fresh developments since Sir Reginald and Sir Veil met you. I was halfway to the Manor before the Workshop called me back."

"Fresh developments?" Glenn was curious. "What do you mean?"

Kevin drew a breath and composed himself. "Y- Your comrade, Milena."

"They have announced her marriage."