70 – A hard matter.

Yolin guided me through the market in search for a store that sold what we were looking for.

I looked around, growing more nervous and conscious of the people staring at me. A woman accompanied by three men passed next to us. Their heads turned around, following me with curious eyes.

I ignored them and focused on Yolin.

We passed a small store and the Oni went in.

I looked at the sign above the door.

It read 'Fresh Fruits Forever', which was an outrageous claim in my opinion.

With a relieved sigh I followed her inside. The shop had a large amount of baskets and crates full of fruit, vegetables, grain, and bread.

Yolin bought a couple fruits and we left. She held an apple and split it in two with her bare hands, which I thought wasn't that hard with increased strength.

“Here,” she offered me half of it.

I took it and kissed her cheek, “Thank you.” I bit it and the citric and sour taste made my face scrunch up. “The fuck is this?”

She smiled and took my free hand, then pulled me to walk with her. “Parrus fruit. They're popular in Red Island.”

I followed her while chewing, “The taste is... unique.”

She nodded and took a bite of the fruit. “I grew up eating these. Fought my older brothers for the biggest Parrus.”

I noticed her tusks cut the fruit in bite sizes that perfectly fit her mouth.

“Sounds like a fun childhood,” I chuckled and ate another bite.

Yolin closed into my ear and whispered, “Did you fight with your brother?”

I shook my head, “Nah. We got along nicely.”

“I see,” she muttered with a nod. Then gave me a smile, “Sounds boring.”

I shrugged, “Different worlds. Can't do much about it, right?”

We continued chatting while walking towards the north part of the market. I asked about her childhood, her family, and life in Red Island.

Yolin cheerfully answered, going into detail about how many fights she got into and how much fun she had before she got her first class.

Around us, people looked at me with interested eyes. I was probably the first Halve they had seen based on the more surprised faces of the younger-looking pedestrians.

None approached, however, which was nice.

After a while we reached a tall building with an unassuming front. It had a plaque that read 'The Fun Chase (Always Open!)'. The thing had a male genital drawn next to the text. Also, the shop was in plain sight for all to see.

I cringed with my entire being. The hopes that the store would be a little hidden from view fell down the abyss of despair.

Yolin walked in, and I followed.

The inside had a cozy atmosphere with gentle purple walls and soft orange furniture. Much to my surprise most items on display were clothes and costumes.

A tall Shishi Tigea wearing a professional suit walked to us and curtsied. “Good morning, valued customers,” she greeted us in Kator. “My name is Amelia. How may I be of service?”

[Amelia, Shishi Tigea Lvl 115 Carver]

Yolin bit her lips. “Sorry, I'm not that learned in Kator.”

The Tigea smiled and shook her head, then said with a heavy accent, “Not a problem. I have been learning Common for a while.”

Ah! I rejoiced inside with a smile. The first person with a heavy accent other than me! Glory be to fate!

“I'm Yolin, she's Natasha,” the Oni introduced us. “We're looking for sex toys,” she bluntly declared.

The Tigea's eyes widened a little, then slowly turned to me. “You are a warrior, correct?”

“Yes,” I replied with a nod. “Would that be a problem?”

The clerk winced, “For a... uhm... female customer, yes. We women... uhm... tighten up?” she asked, unsure of the choice of words. “Unless I'm jumping to conclusions and you would be the partner on top. Apologies if I'm overstepping any boundaries.”

Yolin laughed. “Not at all,” she assured the clerk with a smile. “Mainly for her, yes.”

“I see,” the Tigea nodded, looking down at the floor and thinking for a few seconds. Then looked up at me with an apologetic smile, “In spirit of not breaking any taboos, I will show you a selection of materials. Would that be uhm... acceptable?”

I felt a little more hope go down the abyss of despair. “Sure,” I sighed.

“Then, please follow me,” she turned and gestured for us to accompany her.

I turned to Yolin with a sad face.

She chuckled and nudged my shoulder. “You may break it if the material is not tough enough.”

I smiled, “I like your bluntness.”

“Any time, Natty,” she replied and hugged my waist.

We followed the clerk into a room at the back of the store. There was a low table with six chairs around it.

She sat down and gestured for us to take a seat.

We complied and waited.

The clerk produced a variety of materials shaped in cylinders twenty centimeters tall and five wide, and placed them in front of us on the table. She turned to me and gave me a professional smile, “To better uhm... ascertain which material would fit your body best, please grab each sample and squeeze them with your hand using only your thumb and annular finger while applying no more than twenty percent of your total strength.” She showed me her fingers and did a gripping motion at the air.

There's a science for that? I thought in shock, then nodded.

“Let's begin with break-resistant glass,” the clerk gestured to a transparent cylinder.

I wrapped my fingers around the thing and gave it a squeeze.

It cracked immediately, then shattered in my hand with a loud crack.

A moment of silence followed the event.

“Damn!” Yolin exclaimed, then laughed.

The clerk nodded and gestured at the next one, a gray cylinder. “Next is a break-resistant alloy.” She produced a small hand brush and cleaned the table.

I rubbed my hands to clean them of any glass fragment that remained and went for the next one.

It felt like crushing a baked potato. The material bent, cracked, and broke under my grip. I even saw sparks fly when the broken pieces rubbed each other.

Oh, no... I felt my hope dwindle.

Yolin rubbed my back while shaking her head.

The clerk raised an eyebrow, then produced a mask to protect her face from anything that could fly off in her direction. She also summoned a neck protector and a chest plate. The woman then cleaned the table and nodded, “Next is Ergite mined from The Endless Pit.” She gestured at a semi-transparent, pink crystal cylinder.

I took a deep, motivating breath and grabbed the thing, then squeezed it. The pink color of the crystal was pretty nice so I hoped it would work.

At first nothing happened and joy filled my young heart, then the surface cracked along with my dreams.

“Fuck!” I groaned in annoyance and covered my face. I felt a few pebbles rub on my skin and hot anger rose inside me. A deep breath later, I sighed and rubbed my hands together to get rid of the material. What's the hardest material? I wondered, looking for an answer. Pokora said Diamond is shit for enchanting, but that should do the trick. “Do you have diamond?” I asked the clerk.

“We do not work with diamond, but I could order some to make a custom toy for you,” she reassured me with a smile.

I sighed in relief with a smile, “Nice. What size would it be?”

She thought for a second and said, “Seven centimeters the smallest, ten the biggest.”

I waited for her to say sike, but that didn't happen. Resting my elbows on the table and my chin on my hands, I leaned forward with a serious face, “I would like it to be twenty six centimeter long and six centimeters wide.”

Yolin nodded in understanding.

Even if it came off as narcissistic, I wanted a toy that was similar to what I had between my legs so I could experience the same as my girlfriends.

The clerk tightened her lips and raised her eyebrows. “Processed diamond comes in... smaller dimensions, dear customer,” she explained. “A toy with more than one part would not be ideal considering your... body capabilities.”

I sighed and covered my face in defeat. The prospects sank further and further into despair.

“Would you be able to make one if we supplied you with the materials?” Yolin asked.

I perked up at her words. I had the money, and Pokora said diamond is dirt cheap so it was totally doable.

Amelia nodded, “If you supply it, we will cut the final cost down. Diamond is already cheap as is, so it won't make that much of a difference from a price perspective.”

I eagerly nodded, “That's not a problem. Do you know where I can buy diamonds that big?”

The woman gave us a polite smile, “I believe the largest diamond available in the market is around ten centimeters at the widest.”

That's huge! I thought, then sighed. Still, too small.

“I see,” Yolin nodded, then stood up. “If we find anything, we'll let you know.”

I stood up and the clerk copied us.

“Please do so, we'll be happy to provide you with a toy that will satisfy you,” she said with a smile.

I nodded with a small disappointment in my heart.

The clerk guided us back to the reception and gave us a business card, then Yolin and I left the store with empty hands.

I looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh. “Well, that was a bit of a let down.”

Yolin chuckled and hugged my waist with one arm, “We just have to find a big enough diamond. Maybe we should visit a few mines, or you could ask Royalty for information about it.”

I turned to her and looked into her blue eyes, “You're a genius, Yolin.”

She giggled and kissed my cheek. “Not really, but thanks. Also, you acted like it was the end of the world back there.”

I let out a defeated chuckle, “Well, I want you to rearrange my innards too. If I have to go on a hunt for materials it gets a little discouraging.”

She raised her eyebrows and her eyes widened, “Rearrange your innards?”

I nodded with a smile, “Yep.”

She laughed and pulled me along with her, “Let's check out other places.”

“Alright,” I replied with a nod.

We went around the market for a while but didn't buy anything in the end. The amount of people out and about thinned by the time we agreed to meet the other two so we returned to the spot we parted ways at.

I was sitting down next to Yolin and chatting about silly things when a kid approached us.

He was a Shishi Tigea around seven years old. His eyes were wide and he was playing with his tail while standing right in front of us.

I looked around but didn't see any adult nearby that looked like him.

“What are you?” he asked in common.

Yolin laughed and leaned forward with a broad smile, “I'm a Red Oni.”

I gave the kid a wave, “And I'm a Halve.”

He nodded and stared at us for a few seconds. “Are you strong?”

I smiled and stood up, then turned to Yolin.

She nodded.

I put an arm around her waist and lifted her, then placed her on my shoulders.

“Woooaah!” the kid breathed in amazement. “That's cool!”

Yolin and I laughed, enjoying the kid's innocence.

“What's your name, kid?” Yolin asked.

“Alberto,” he replied.

“Which path do plan to follow?” she asked next.

The kid thought for a second and smiled, “I want to be a Warrior...”

“Ohhh!” she clapped then patted my head, “She's a Warrior, you know?”

The kids eyes widened and his ears twitched. “Really?”

I nodded.

“Where did you train?” he excitedly asked, taking a step closer to us.

“Uh...” I didn't know how to reply. I couldn't just tell the kid 'Hell'. I chose an inoffensive reply, “I was born this strong.”

He frowned, “What? That's cheating!”

I looked up at Yolin, not sure how to handle the situation.

She smiled and got down from my shoulder with a fluid motion, then bent over to reach the kid's height, “Halves are born strong, Alberto. I'm sure you'll learn about them soon.”

He sulked. “Mama says I can only get strong with training,” he muttered a little dispirited.

I bit my lips to hold back a smile. “Your mom is right. I still have to train, you know?”

The kid gave me a skeptical look, “You do?”

I nodded, then placed a hand on Yolin's shoulder. “We train together to be stronger. It's fun and good for the body.”

“How strong do you want to be?” the kid asked me.

That's a deep question coming from a kid, I thought.

“The strongest in the world,” I replied with a confident smile. “How about you?”

“I also want to be the strongest!” he cheered. “I'll be stronger than you one day.”

Yeah, I doubt that, I kept that to myself.

Yolin chuckled and straightened up. “Where are your parents?”

The kid looked at the ground and tightened his hands around his tail. “I don't know. I sneaked out.”

I nodded, “I see. Do you love your parents?”

The kid nodded.

I hummed. “How would you feel if they sneaked out and you can't find them?”

He giggled, then turned serious, then a sad frown formed on his face. His eyes watered a little and a sniffle escaped him.

“How about you ask a Watcher for help?” I gestured at one of them walking around the market. “I'm sure they'll help you find your parents.”

The kid rubbed his eyes and nodded. “Yeah,” he muttered and turned around, then walked to the Watcher I pointed.

I watched him walk to the adult and then turned to Yolin.

She was looking at me with a surprised face.

I tilted my head, “What?”

“You'll make for a strict mo-parent,” she corrected herself and blushed.

I sighed, “What will I be?”

Yolin thought for a second, “Hmm. Maybe the four of us together can think of an answer? It's not a simple matter, either.”

I nodded, feeling a little disassociation, “If we have children-”

“When,” the Oni corrected me with a challenging smile.

I gulped and my face burned. “Alright, then. We'll cross the bridge when we get to it.”

She laughed and hugged me, “You're so cute when you're shy.”