Ch227: A Gift from the Countess

Warm water splashes into Krvavy’s face. “Mngh...” A tinge of discomfort arcs through her incredibly bent back, the annoyingly ‘low’ height of this sink forcing her to so heavily hunch over, lest she make a mess of this otherwise pristine countertop...

Soft beams of sunlight filter in through the high window, a brilliant golden orange stretching across the land, leaving those dewdrops dripping down the polished band of her Far-Speaking ring shimmering like little gems. It isn’t all that bright outside, not at this early hour, but it was bright enough to wake Krvavy up.

That is a downside to living underground. This Drakling simply isn’t used to the sun rising and lighting everything up like this. And the last week of travelling wasn’t enough to change that. Not with her welcoming the chance to be on the move from dawn ‘til long after dusk.

Granted, it is probably for the best that Krvavy woke up so soon. She wouldn’t want to keep Rina waiting. Or to give Vera more reason to hate her.

Knock, knock, knock.

As if on cue, an insistent and impatient sound echoes across the room, those rapping strikes perfectly spaced apart.

The barbarian takes a brief moment to dry her face, before stepping from bathroom into bedroom.

Knock, knoc–

The door swings inward, revealing a certain albino maid standing there on the opposite side, her gloved fist quickly being lowered. Pale pink eyes narrow into slits, glaring through the lenses of some thick glasses... as if annoyed by the fact that Krvavy is already awake. There is just no pleasing this girl.

“Glad to see that you are already up and about.” Rina warmly smiles, stepping into the space her retreating maid occupied mere moments ago, the silver-trimmed hem of her dark dress swishing across the hardwood floor. Those brilliant amethyst eyes of hers drop away from this Drakling’s face. “Though perhaps we are a little early~?”

Oh. Maybe that is what annoyed Vera so much.

The realization that she is completely and utterly naked pops into Krvavy’s head. “Sorry...!” A deep crimson hue quickly colours her cheeks, only burning brighter as Krvavy tries to cover up her cock, that oversized shaft simply too large to hide behind her hands... “I just... I’ll, uh...”

“No need.” The Countess steps into the room, followed closely by her maid. Who is pushing... a cart with a sheet draped over it...? The door forcefully clicks shut behind this Lady and her handmaiden. “That you have not yet dressed is convenient, for that is why we are here. Though had someone seen you answer the door in the nude... it may have started rumours. So do please be more conscious of that in the coming weeks.”

“Right, yeah.” Krvavy sighs and idly rubs the back of her neck. Her semi-soft cock throbs, that subtle twitch enough to see a scowl spread across Vera’s face. Well, more of a scowl than what was already there. “So... you’re here to play dress-up then?” She lightly replies, trying to sound more confident and less embarrassed than she actually is.

“Yes indeed~.” A playful gleam dances across this elegant half-Elf’s eyes, her painted lips curling into an almost teasing smile. “I did promise you an assortment of outfits and some armour as a bonus for taking this job. But, as we have limited time this morn, forgive me for skipping the former in favour of the latter. After all, this armour that I had made for you shall effectively be your ‘uniform’ as my bodyguard. It is what you will be wearing for the majority of our time together, at least until we reach Vratsa. And I suspect that you are more interested in it than proper clothing anyway~. Vera?”

The albino maid reaches beneath that obscuring sheet, grimacing as she pulls free a bit of fabric, holding it between gloved finger and thumb. Without any fanfare, she tosses it towards the Drakling, earning herself a disappointed tut from the Countess.

Krvavy catches it with ease. Her mild confusion quickly fades away as she recognizes it as underwear. Underwear that has clearly been designed and made for her, having noticeably more fabric in the front and a rather ‘Y’ shaped back, perfect for her meaty tail. Without wasting any time, Krvavy steps into it.

“Not too tight? Good.” Rina nods, appreciatively giving the now only half naked Drakling a good look over.

As expected, a rather obvious and fairly obscene bulge fills the front of this underwear, made all the more prominent by the fact that is is basically a thong. There really isn’t much fabric to it beyond that pouch at the front. The thin but rather strong band reaches up over Krvavy’s hips and over her waist, nearly at the same level of her bellybutton.

“Now,” Rina softly claps her delicate hands together. “Let us truly begin. There were a number of designs that were presented to me, some quite standard and others more exotic, so to speak. Ultimately, I decided upon a set that rested somewhere in the middle of that scale. One which is alluring and imposing, functional and aesthetic. A design that will have a use to you even beyond this trip, I would hope. What sort of gift would it be otherwise?”

As the Countess speaks, her albino maid gets to work... unceremoniously uncovering the formerly concealed cart and the various pieces of dark metal armour that rest atop it. Some are a lot more obvious in what they are, but others are not quite as clear in their purpose. Mostly because of how they are all stacked and arranged.

The albino maid grimaces, her arm stretching to its full extent as she holds out what is undeniably a loincloth, its fine leather backed with beige-white fur. The corner of her eye twitches as the Drakling takes that off her hands.

Like her new underwear, this loincloth is a bit different from the others that Krvavy had worn before. Those previous ones could more or less just be wrapped around her hips before getting their ends tied together, tightened into place. But this one seems a bit more... solid. She has to step into it, for one.

Luxuriously soft fur brushes against Krvavy’s pale skin and black scales as she pulls this first piece of armour up her legs. A large metal ring rests at the very front of it, binding the wide belt to the even wider flap that dangles down from that point. Two rounded metal plates – a slightly lighter shade of grey than the ring – rest over her hips, holding up the corners of the front loincloth flap and the smaller but even wider one in the back. Krvavy pulls a padded strap over the top of her meaty tail, securing this whole thing in place.

“The first and most important piece.” Rina seriously states, a smile on her elegant face as she entertains herself with this narrated explanation. “It emphasizes your more ‘barbaric’ nature, but not in a crude or base manner. No, this loincloth is of exceptional quality. The leather is from one of the woolly rhinoceroses of the east, incredibly tough and resilient like the Orcs who raise and hunt them. The fur is that of a stoat, or rather that of many stoats. Not as luxurious, for they are bred locally for this very purpose, but quite comfortable, yes? As for the metal... that is simply Tenebrine steel. Not the most exotic of materials, but not too common either.”

Vera rolls her pale pink eyes and grabs what is quite obviously a cuirass, pushing it into Krvavy’s hands.

Two separate plates make up that piece of armour: one for the front and another for the back. Both are lined with thick, padded layers of what looks like the same furs as the loincloth. It definitely feels equally soft and luxurious. The breastplate, more true to its name than is typical, barely covers more than the barbarian’s breasts. It reaches from rib to collarbone, roughly conforming to the swell of her chest. A few leather straps secure those two pieces together, buckled beneath her arms.

“I was so very tempted to commission a much more bold breastplate for you~.” The Countess confesses, her black painted lips curling into a teasing smile. “One which would have you truly show off that amazing body of yours~. But sculpting your breasts in metal is not particularly professional, and would not have been looked kindly upon at the council we are heading to. So forgive me, Krvavy, for providing you a piece of armour that only slightly emphasizes your femininity. Though, I must admit, what you are wearing thus far does quite the amazing job of highlighting those delectable abs of yours~.”

A faint crimson hue creeps onto Krvavy’s cheeks once more. But she hardly even gets the chance to realize that before an entire chain of thick metal plates is thrust upon her. She blinks rather blankly, looking down at the layered line dangling from her arms with confusion clear in her eyes.

This half-Elf’s pink and pointy ears wiggle with amusement, those subtle motions enough to make the pair of pearls dangling from each ear tinkle like gentle chimes. “That is for your tail, dear.”

Vera stiffens as her Lady uses that affectionate word, even if Rina’s tone was more friendly and joking than anything else. Her pale, pinkish lips press into a thin white line, this albino maid bristling with ever growing animosity towards this crude barbarian that has butted into her life.

“Right...” The Drakling lightly nibbles on the inside of her cheek, twisting her torso around and clumsily laying the thoroughly padded plates atop her meaty tail. It takes a bit of effort, but she is able to secure the uppermost part to her loincloth belt, which makes buckling the various other straps dangling down from this odd piece of armour a bit easier. A squire, or even just a helping hand, would be much appreciated... if not strictly needed.

Krvavy slowly swings her thick tail left and then right. Those overlapping plates shift as she moves, but they don’t feel like they’re going to slip off any time soon. Maybe she didn’t need to pull those straps quite as tight...? They’re kind of digging into the pale underbelly of her tail. Not exactly uncomfortable, but not quite comfortable either...

“Apologies for only covering half of your tail – the scaled half at that.” Rina slowly shakes her head, a subtle smile still playing at her beautifully painted lips. “We did not have enough measurements to fully encase it. Though I suspect that doing so would have looked a bit odd, what with your belly being entirely bare.”

Clearly wanting to get through with this as quickly as possible, the albino maid begins moving the next few pieces onto the bed. Before being asked to do so.

“Vera, dear, we may be limited on time but we are not yet rushed.” The Countess softly scolds her maid, who simply continues to glower and glare at the Drakling. Rina stifles a sigh. “It would seem that the armour for your legs is up next.”

Ignoring the murderous gaze directed her way, Krvavy carefully sits down at the edge of that pleasantly plush bed, its mattress bending beneath her weight. One by one she grabs those dark and fur-padded pieces of metal, trusting the order that Vera placed them in as she pulls and straps them onto her legs.

As antagonistic as that maid is, she clearly doesn’t want this to take longer than it has to. So sabotaging the barbarian would just be counterproductive.

“Admittedly, I have little to say about these pieces.” Rina’s delicate brow furrows just a bit, as if mildly annoyed by that fact. “The cuisses were designed to leave your inner thighs, as well as the areas immediately adjacent to the loincloth’s belt, uncovered. That helps to tie the whole outfit together by making your bare belly less of an anomaly, adding more ‘accents’ of your skin and scales. From there down it is fairly standard armour, not unlike that of my knights, though with one exception: your feet.”

Krvavy pauses for just a brief moment as she reaches that part of the armour. She often forgets just how inhuman her scaled feet are, their digitigrade nature alone making them so different to those of Elves and Dwarves. And Humans too, of course. The fact that she only has four toes – three larger forward facing ones and a single smaller, seemingly useless, ‘thumb’ claw nearer to her ankle – only serves to make that part of her body feel even stranger.

“The designers had some difficulty dealing with your more bestial form.” Rina admits, an apologetic smile playing at her painted lips. “But ultimately they came to a solution: rather than create full sabatons for your feet, they only built the top halves and, much like your tail, added numerous straps to secure the armour in place.” She idly watches on as Krvavy buckles each bit together. “Hopefully they are not uncomfortable.”

The Drakling curls her toes, testing the flexibility of this articulated armour. It doesn’t hinder her in the slightest. She can barely even tell that it is there. Well... except for the bits that go over the tips of her toes. Those pieces of metal are shaped into decorative claws which overlap her own, and while they’re not sharp... they do extend out a bit further than what she is used to... “Yeah, they feel fine.”

“Good. We are nearly done. Let us do your left arm next.” The Countess turns towards her maid, who does what is expected of her. “This was one of the more complicated pieces, yet was also one of the easier ones to make. It is, after all, quite similar to the standard armour of my personal guard.”

Vera almost seems to make a harrumphed huff of a sound as she drops an entire metal sleeve, disassembled it may be, onto the bed beside that seated barbarian.

Silken fabrics of luxurious purple and deep black softly swish as Rina steps to the side, the click clack of her heels still audible even as she crosses the carpet. “My smiths are quite practiced in making rerebraces, vambraces, pauldrons, couters, besagews, and gauntlets.” She lists all of that off, raising a delicate finger with each counted piece. “Of course, yours are slightly different than usual. Plate armour is typically made to be worn in layers, but, as you have obviously noticed by now, that is not the case for my gift to you. Instead of a separate layer of padding, we built that in with the stoat fur. While not quite as effective a cushion, that makes equipping the entire set a much faster affair, even with our fairly slow pace.”

Krvavy secures the last piece in place, before flexing her armoured fingers. Just as with her feet, these overlapping metal plates are so well articulated that they hardly restrict her movements at all. Honestly, this gauntlet is only really noticeable when she tries to make a fist, on account of the fact that each of her fingers is capped with an exaggerated claw. She idly pokes herself in the belly, wincing slightly. Unlike her ‘boots’, these metal claws are sharp.

“Yes, do be careful with those.” The amethyst eyes of this pink-skinned noblewoman glimmer and gleam like beautiful gems, those pointed Elf ears of hers subtly swaying with amusement.

Without prompting, the albino maid pushes a couple more pieces of armour towards Krvavy.

Rina doesn’t seem to mind that though, gesturing towards those dark metal plates. “With these we introduce a degree of asymmetry: what will cover your right arm differs from what covers the left. It is a bit lighter, with a spaulder instead of a pauldron and nothing for your elbow. Aesthetically, it ties in with the plates on your tail and the bare skin of your bicep once again connects to your exposed midsection.”

Despite only being only able to use one hand, the Drakling has a fairly easy time securing these few pieces of armour in place. Strapping down the plates that rest atop her upper and lower arms isn’t a hard job, neither is securing the articulated shoulder piece to her breastplate. Really, the only ‘difficult’ part is the gauntlet which, much like the armour for her feet, leaves her palm and the undersides of her fingers bare. There are quite a few little straps that need to be pulled tight there.

“Are the claws necessary?” Krvavy asks, a hint of light laughter underlining that question.

Rina sashays over to the nearly empty cart, hips swinging from side to side with each step she takes. “Of course~.” Her delicate fingers pick up what appears to be the front, face plate of a helmet. “They help to make you look imposing and intimidating. More so than usual~.”

Vera’s snow-white brow furrows a fair bit as she watches her Lady hand that piece of armour over to that detestable Drakling.

“This, admittedly, is more decorative than functional.” The Countess sighs, sounding rather apologetic. “It was initially intended to be a helmet, but... Of the proposed designs, the vast majority looked incredibly unappealing. My smiths are not accustomed to working around horns as thick and prominent as yours. Or any horns at all. Thus, their usual expertise was lacking. A helmet would have little use if it transferred all of the force it could block into your horns and, through them, into the base of your skull. Avoiding that would have resulted in an incredibly bulky and cumbersome helmet. So do forgive me for choosing style over form on your behalf.”

“That’s alright.” Krvavy nonchalantly replies, already bringing that metallic, fur-padded thing up to her face. She pulls the thick leather straps over the bases of her upper horns, tucking them beneath her crimson hair as she ties the ends together like a headband. And that honestly is what this piece of armour feels like, even with the angular metal reaching down from the chunk on her forehead to cover the majority of her cheeks. “I’d probably have done the same. I don’t really wear helmets anyway.”

Rina simply nods. “Now, before I give you the last few finishing touches of this gift, how about you head over to the mirror and see what you look like in all of this?” A warm and almost excited smile tugs at her painted lips, her delicate hand gesturing towards and through the open bathroom door.

The corner of Vera’s eye twitches as she hears that simple suggestion.

A quiet creak can be heard as Krvavy rises back onto her feet, the dent that she left in this softly cushioned bed fading further with each passing second. “Sure.” She casually rolls her shoulders, getting used to the weight of her new armour. Not that there is much weight to it. Honestly, it is a bit lighter than she expected...

It only takes a few not entirely silent steps for the Drakling to make her way on over to that mirror, stopping and standing in front of it. One after the other, her hands come to rest on her hips, armoured claws lazily curling over the curves of her thighs... their sharp tips touching her new leather loincloth and the belt that holds it up. She ever so slightly cocks her head to the side, taking in that sight.

Here is the image I made for Krvavy’s armour, without any shading because I suck at that. Please ignore the fact that I forgot to draw her Far-Speaking ring (which she should have on her lower right horn) and that the image isn’t mirrored even though this is supposed to be her reflection.

“Do you like it?” Rina’s melodic voice softly dances through the room, echoing across the tiles that line the walls and which cover the floor. A hint of pride can be heard in her words... as if she already knows what the Drakling’s response will be.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” Krvavy honestly answers, looking her reflection up and down. The central ring of her loincloth draws her gaze. That patch of her pale skin really makes it look like she isn’t wearing anything underneath it. Suppose that is really more a consequence of how skimpy her underwear is... “It’s great. Pretty comfortable too. But, uh, is it just me or does it look a bit evil?”

“Evil~?” The Countess brings an elegant hand up to her painted lips, hiding a soft giggle. “I suppose that is a matter of perspective. Is there something that you are not telling me~?”

“Ha, ha.” Krvavy sarcastically rolls her emerald eyes, smiling as she does so. “No, it’s just... The metal is pretty much black and is a little dull, not shiny and bright like what your knights wear. Then there are the claws. And, well, my horns don’t help either. I’m not complaining,” she hastily adds, “just pointing out what I see.”

The pink-skinned half-Elf simply smiles and shrugs. “All of that was intentional, yes. This armour is not purely a gift. As previously stated, it is also your uniform on this job that you will be doing for me. And looking intimidating is half of what a good bodyguard does.” The tip of a single delicate finger trails across a plate of dull black metal. “The matte finish on the metal is meant to make the armour as a whole appear more lived in and used, as opposed to an ornate display piece. But if you would like it to be polished to a fine shine, then I can have that arranged for when the job is done.”

Krvavy lightly bites her bottom lip, glancing back at her reflection. “Thanks, but... nah. I kind of like this.”

“You enjoy looking evil~?” The Countess teases, grinning widely and so warmly.

“Ahem.” The albino maid impatiently clears her throat, pushing the near empty cart forwards and thumping it against Krvavy’s armoured tail. “The sun is rising, my Lady.”

“Yes yes, dear, I know.” Rina dismissively waves her hand. “The remaining pieces of armour here are optional. You need not wear them on the job if you do not wish to. Personally, I feel they take away from your alluring barbarian aesthetic.”

“A gorget for your neck.” Vera’s cold voice drips with contempt as she holds up an articulated metal collar, pushing it into the Drakling’s chest. “And these cumbersome tassets for your upper thighs.” She taps a gloved finger against one of two angular shield shaped plates.

The Countess softly sighs, but doesn’t otherwise reprimand her pale maid. “Now,” she speaks up after a few long seconds, having given Krvavy enough time to put on those last pieces of armour. “I do have one final addition to your uniform. But it is not a gift: you will need to return it once the job is done.”

With that fact emphasized and made clear, Rina steps forward, reaching up and pinning something onto the corner of Krvavy’s breastplate... at the point where it meets her pauldron and arm.

“This besagew, more decorative than functional, will be your badge of office.” The Countess declares, her tone stern and authoritative, as is fitting for a ruler such as herself. “Do not do anything nefarious or unbecoming whilst wearing it, else I will have to punish you. And not in a way either of us will enjoy. Remember my station, and remember the role that you are being paid to play.”

“Got it.” Krvavy responds, forgetting about the mirror and instead craning her neck to look directly at the little ornate shield now hanging over her armpit.

Its face is diagonally divided in two parts by a thick silver line, climbing from left to right. The top is a rich purple colour adorned with silvery, upwards pointed crescent moons. The bottom is large scaled pattern of the same purple along with a reddish, almost maroon, colour. In the very center, overlaid on top of all that, is a crow or a raven standing and facing to the side.

Here is the image I made for Krvavy’s armour in its entirety, with Rina’s coat of arms as a small, non-round and more decorative besagew. I actually prefer it without the big tasset hip plates or gorget, hence why I showed that first.

“Oh. Is this your coat of arms?” The Drakling asks, meeting this elegant half-Elf’s amethyst gaze.

“Yes indeed, it is that of my family.” A hint of pride shines through Rina’s composed and regal expression, her black painted lips curling upwards just a bit. “Quite similar to the heraldry of Raseyne itself, albeit the city uses sable instead of purpure, and greatly simplifies the raven.”

Krvavy slowly nods her head and turns away from the mirror, stepping around Rina as she exits the bathroom.

Vera doesn’t look particularly appreciative of that, despite the Drakling doing what she wants and moving this along. There really is no pleasing this girl.

“I should also add that each individual piece of your new armour is enchanted.” The Countess states, much to her maid’s chagrin. They were almost done here... “Though, in the interest of time, I will be as brief as can be. With that in mind... Your armour is self-cleaning, self-repairing, can moderate its temperature, is lighter, is more durable, and is more protective of what lays beneath each piece. There are limitations to those enchantments, so do not expect too much of them. And you need not worry about powering said enchantments: they function off of ambient mana and your excess regeneration. I had wanted to add wards as well, but they would have required dedicated power sources and would run the risk of overlapping in... less than ideal ways...”

“Ahem.” The stern albino clears her throat, pale pink eyes narrowed as she glares through her glasses... at Krvavy, despite her Lady being the one holding them up.

“Right.” The Countess softly shakes her head. “Is your luggage packed and ready?” She asks, quickly moving the conversation on as she gestures to the backpack resting on the ground. Her amethyst eyes linger on the tall, conspicuously wrapped object nestled between it and the wall. An object shaped quite suspiciously like a giant axe...

Krvavy strides over to the bedside table, grabbing the leafy bracelet that she left there. “I guess?” The barbarian shrugs, squeezing her gauntleted left hand into the band of woven living wood, using a bit of magic to make the bracelet that Beryl gave her quite some time ago fit on top of this fairly bulky armour. It looks a bit odd, but whatever. “There’s nothing important in there. Just a couple snacks that probably shouldn’t be left sitting around for a couple weeks...”

Rina simply shrugs as she hears that, her slim shoulders so elegantly rising up and dropping back down. “We have space in the convoy, so you can bring it all the same if you would like.”

The Drakling squats down beside her backpack. The padded plates of her new armour thump against each other, but that noise is rather muffled. Much quieter than the clanking that she would have expected. All thanks to the ample amount of stout fur padding, no doubt. “Nah, it is mostly empty.” She reaches into the bag and removes the few things that she’d like to bring: a small coin purse, a wrapped bundle containing the last of her snacks, and the gourd that Thea delivered on Beryl’s behalf.

Each one gets attached to her new belt, with the pouch of coins getting tucked beneath one of the large shield-like tassets while the other two end up hanging against those cumbersome plates and her tail. Sitting may be a bit of an issue, but... that is a problem for later.

“There. It can just stay here until I get back.” Krvavy straightens up, taking a moment to make sure the gourd filled full of her Dryad’s nectar isn’t going to get crushed as she walks and moves around. Nope, it’s all good. “Not like I’ll need my pelts on this trip, yeah?”

“No.” The Countess agrees, smiling quite playfully. “You will not be short on outfits to wear while working for me.” Her amethyst eyes glance towards the wrapped object. “And that is your axe, I presume?”

“Yup,” Krvavy nods. “I figured that it was best to cover it up like this instead of just walking around town with it over my shoulder, or something. Wouldn’t want to make your people panic, thinking they’re about to get attacked and killed.”

“How considerate.” A tinge of melodic sarcasm underlines that lightly spoken statement. “But you need not worry about that while on the job, while at my side. So,” the Countess taps what is clearly a covered haft, “may I see it? You have talked a fair bit of this weapon in the past, and I am curious to finally lay eyes upon it.”

Vera shakes her head, softly tapping her foot on the ground in an obvious and almost exaggerated display of impatience. How impertinent of her.

“Sure.” Krvavy grabs her wrapped weapon, tugging at the various little twine strings holding the tarp-like fabric in place. The barbarian pulls that cover away, letting it fall down onto the ground, and carefully lifts her axe up... doing her best to avoid banging it into the floor or ceiling as she rights it. “Tada!” A wide and carnivorous grin fills the armoured Drakling’s face as she softly thumps the metal capped end onto the carpet, holding her axe straight and tall beside her.

“My, that is quite the weapon~!” Rina reaches over, brushing a delicate finger along the wobbled wooden haft. “I dare say that it fits you quite well~. And it, thankfully, does not clash with your armour.”

The albino maid stands by the bedroom door, looking almost like a cat annoyed that no one is letting her outside.

Rina spares a brief glance towards her impatient servant. “You now have everything that you need, yes?” She asks the barbarian who – for the next few weeks – will serve as her bodyguard, smiling as she gets a nod in response. “Good, then let us be on our way.”

Vera silently sighs in relief, opening the door for her Lady. And the Drakling whom she detests.