CHAPTER 49: SHOPPING

Just a quick word before the Chapter starts!

Almost at 100k views! Thank you all for reading this story of mine! Never expected it to blow up in popularity like it did a week back! Hope you all continue to enjoy Lilly’s journey going forward!

Anyhoo back to the story at hand!

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As the footsteps got closer I began to wonder if it might be worth just leaving this strange shop. The oppressive feeling of not being able to utilise any external mana was very off putting. But before I could decide one way or another the voice came back.

"Sorry about that got tied down sorting out a delivery. What can I help you with?" Walking out from behind a shelving unit was a stunning woman. She stood around 6ft tall had a dark complexion, her loose robes of a blue silk like material couldn’t quite hide the striking musculature that lay beneith them. She was a wolfkin perhaps, defiantly cainine related based on the ears and tail. Her hair was a midnight black, with her tail and ears matching.

She froze when she laid eyes on me in my revealing dress a blush quickly rising to her cheeks before she quickly averted her eyes and looked at my two companions only for her eyes to open even wider and her blush to deepen. Understandable I though given that we are all quite attractive I suppose. Feeling a smile blossom I stepped up to speak. "Well I am hoping you can help us, we were told that we could find something useful here and whilst I do admit that this is quite the unique store I have to say I’m quite lost as to where to look."

Looking back up at me she lets a small smile grace her lips her beauty shining through in that moment. "Well we do have some quite unique items in offer but it would be quite hard to suggest something to you without knowing you better."

I smile at that and say back in a light teasing tone. "Oh? It almost sounds like your asking me out in a date there?" Seeing her freeze and her face return to crimson I cannt help but let out a soft laugh before continuing. "Sorry, sorry I just couldn’t resist teasing." As my laugh dies down I do make sure to glance at both Kana and Amanda and see them both smiling, Kana even gives me a subtle nod as if encouraging me to fort with her some more. Emboldend by my companions encouragement I push on.

"But I wouldn’t be opposed for you to get to know me better, what is it that you would need to know to give us some.. recommendations?"

She takes a moment to gather herself before replying, her face still flushed and her voice halting at the start. "U-umm well I-I would need to know your speciality. By that I mean combat role, are you a mage? warrior ect. or if your not looking for something combat related what professions do you have an interest in?" She managed to regain her professional demeanour towards the end but clearly was still feeling a touch embarrassed based on her rosy cheeks.

"Well I’m personally a mage but I also have been enjoying cooking, mana cooking to be specific. Do you have anything that would work with that?" I ask her.

"Oh yes we have plenty of items that could help a mage focus their spell or improve mana regeneration and other similar boosts." She happily informs me.

"Oh that would be wonderful I will be happy to have a look over what you have available."

Kana then spoke up whilst taking Amanda’s hand in her own. "We will just have a look around by ourselves go enjoy yourself." She gave me a fairly obvious wink which judging from the increased blush of the chocolate skinned shopkeeper she saw it too. Amanda seemed quite nonplussed about the whole situation.

Shrugging my shoulders at their antics I turned back to the shopkeeper and smiled at her. "Well would you care to show me around your lovely establishment?"

She smiled wryly at me but nodded her head and turned around before speaking again. "It’s not actually mine, I’m just covering for my uncle as a favour. But I can still show you what we have in offor." She then proceeded to take me through the winding passage of assorted items.

The shop truly was a marvel in how utterly unorganised it all looked, their seemed to be no rhyme or reason to where items were placed and the layout was confusing at best and downright labyrinthine at worst. The high shelves bloomed line of sight and I quickly found myself lost in the supprisingly large store. We eventually stopped in front of a selection of staves or was it staffs? Either way in front of me was a selection of magical implements that seemed to be focused on enhancing spell craft.

"So this is where the good staffs are kept they vary from either bolstering mana efficiency boosting a particular elemental affinity or providing an additional spell built into it. Anything in particular that you would like?"

Looking over the assorted items I found that whilst my magical sense were indeed restricted they were still enough to allow me to get a basic understanding of the items in front of me. And looking over what was shown my eyes widened in amazement, their was truly a staff for any occasion. I saw one that seemed to have an inbuilt fireball spell, which I was quite tempted to get as I did always want to be able to throw a fireball but I shook my head and moved on to look over the rest.

As I was browsing through them one in particular caught my eye. It was a long staff that looked to be made of woven vines with a singular pink and red flower crowning the staff. Something about it called out to me like nothing else here had and I subconsciously found myself slowly extending my hand towards it. "Oh that’s an odd choice." I heard as my fingers slowly clasped around the staff causing me to jerk back in supprise. I was slightly worried how easily I had lost myself there and turned to the woman next to me with a sheepish look.

"Oh sorry I don’t quite know why but this staff just really called to me. Don’t suppose you could tell me more about it could you?"

She frowned slightly at that before shrugging her own shoulders and answered. "Honestly not much I’m afraid." She said whilst scratching her chin awkwardly. "All I know about it is that it has been here for longer than iv been alive as my uncle has never managed to sell it since it required nature mana to activate. I don’t even know what the staff would do." She shrugs her shoulders helplessly.

I however was trying hard to hold back a wide smirk from being plastered in my face as I realised that this could be perfect for me. "Hmm how interesting." I muttered to myself trying desperately to only sound intrigued and not let on how much I wanted this staff now. I did try to use identify on it but the magic didn’t work thanks to the shop itself seeming to prefect any external magic’s.

"How much would this staff cost out of interest, iv been curious about nature mana and wouldn’t mind investigating this staff some. Plus little dawn here is nature attuned so maybe she could help me use it." I said whilst giving Dawn some skritches as she seemed to have woken up and was now staring at the staff in my hands with obvious interest.

The wolfkin seemed taken aback by Dawn likely thinking she was just an elaborate necklace. And given Dawn did like to act like one more the time I canny really blame her for thinking so. "W-wait is that a dragon?" The wolf girl managed to stutter out.

"Indeed she is quite the cutie and I love her like a daughter." Saying so I tilted my head down to plant a gentle kiss on the top of dawns head and revived a plus of love and affection through our bond.

The woman seemed slightly amazed by that before shaking her head in apparent amazement before her eyes softened at our display. "Well she is absolutely adorable I have to admit, can I pet her?" She asked looking slightly embarrassed by the question. Laughing I gently unwrapped Dawn from my neck to her disapproval before holding her out on my arm which she promptly wrapped herself around refusing to let go of me.

"Go ahead she is quite shy but shouldn’t mind." I did also send calming thoughts to Dawn so she wouldn’t get too agitated at a ’stranger’ touching her. But to my supprise when the woman started scratching behind her slowly budding horns Dawn instantly began to purr and leant into the scratches. I blinked in supprise and barely held in my laugh at the sight.

"She is just the cutest little thing ever!" The shopkeep squeeled, she was almost bouncing in excitement at this point. "Iv always wanted to meet a dragon! I just never imagined that the first one I’d meet would still be a little baby! Ahh I love her!" At that I did let out a laugh at seeing this muscular wolf fawning over little Dawn like I would with a puppy.

After letting her indulge for a minute I eventually pulled my arm back and Dawn dutifully wrapped herself back around my back feeling very satisfied at her new friends attention. "Well as adorable as it was to watch you like that I would be interested in purchasing this staff." I said whilst winking at the wolf. To which she dutifully flushed in embarrassment before coughing and trying to put her professional demeanour back in place.

However, I could see her shoot glances at Dawn regularly and several of those glances traveled lower towards my cleavage which made me smirk. She eventually got resell under control and managed to tell me the price of the item which was supprisingly cheep at only 10 Silver. Seeing as I had enough for it I happily passed over the required coinage happy with my new and still mysterious staff.

"Well I must thank you for your excellent service today." I said whilst smiling warmly at the wolf. "But I also realise that we have yet to introduce ourselves. I’m Lilly and what might I call you?"

She flushed slightly at that but managed to squeek out. "I-I’m called Zara, it was a pleasure to meet you." She flashed me a delightful smile which I matched with my own.

"Well as much as I would love to stay and chat with you for longer I probably should find my companions so they don’t get in too much trouble without me." I said sounds slightly disappointed as I truly had enjoyed teasing and talking to the lovely wolfkin. She also seemed slightly disappointed but did help me find the two girls who had managed to find 1 item each that they liked the look of.

Kana had found a new bow that seemed to be able to add a layer of wind to each arrow fired boosting its speed and penetration damage. Whilst Amanda held a ring which boosted her agility.

They too quickly completed their purchases and we were soon led out of the maze of shelves towards the front door. "Well I do hope to see you again at some point Zara, it was a pleasure to speak with you." I said whilst extending my hand out towards her.

She took it and gave it a shake, her grip was firm and I could feel the calluses on her palm. I also got hit with a sudden idea about what she sectretly desired from me which caused my eyebrows to raid slightly and my own cheeks to blush slightly. It would seem that I had found a fellow masochist in this delightful wolf.