My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 257: Hidden Gems

"Thanks for the gift." Sophia gave Kace a radiant smile after she was finished being fitted up for her new armour. "Where'd Shadow go off to?"

"He's away to find the tribe. I figured this was a good chance to get everyone prepared for the war." Kace shrugged his shoulders as he returned her smile. "It's not like the council outfitted them for me. It's something that completely escaped my thoughts until just now."

"Makes sense. You need your troops to be ready. Since you're going to be busy for a while, I should probably head back and make sure the army is ready." Sophia had a perplexed look on her face as she said this. "To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of supplies I have to work with."

"What have you been doing all of this time then?" Kace asked with a surprised voice.

"Ah, it's not like I've been slacking off, you know! I've been looking over the maps of the area. Trying to get the lay of the land. Then I've been talking to our warriors, getting there take on how our opponents operate." Sophia sighed as if she was expecting them to be dealing with a lot of problems.

"So what's the verdict then?"

"It won't be easy. The first city we have to capture is about a three-day march from here. That's across a blistering desert that works against us when we have so many supplies to cart around with us. If it's not the desert, then it's the issue of crossing the canyons. The scouts from the last time the army set forth reported that the heroes have some hidden camps in the canyons."

"So, they basically plan to launch constant ambushes as we're tired from the march. Meaning we'll be too exhausted to defend ourselves once we get to the city. If they attack from the city as soon as we arrive, then there's a good chance the army will shatter." Kace fell into deep thought. 

"Exactly. I had hoped we could use one of the airships at least, but all I get told is that they're needed to defend our western borders for now." Sophia sounded utterly exasperated by the issue.

"What about the natives? How many of them are joining us?" Kace asked when he realised they were perfect for protecting their army in such an environment.

"That's the problem! None! The ruler of this city won't even see me! She's supposed to be an ally of ours, but she won't give us any military aid! The guards said something about she was waiting for our end of the deal to be upheld first. I have no idea what that is!"

'Our end of the deal? Don't tell me!' Kace became worried as to what it could mean. According to the captain of the airship, he had received an invitation to meet with the city's ruler. However, the council had kept their mouth shut about it. Which meant that they did not want them to meet. 'But we need some of these natives to make this assault work.'

"What's up? You've got your thinking face on." Sophia could quickly tell that Kace was struggling with his own thoughts. She hoped that he might have figured out a way for them to get a meeting with the ruler.

"I think She's waiting for me." Kace's voice was slow and steady as he said this. 

"" Sophia was momentarily speechless, with a confused expression she had to ask. "Why would she be waiting for you?"

"I don't know. However, she expressed an interest in meeting with me." 

"Well, as soon as you get your people kitted out you should head over and see if she'll meet with you. In the meantime, I'll prepare the army. We've sat about for far too long. Who knows how long it will take us to conquer the rest of these borders."

Kace nodded to her suggestion. They had their mission to complete, and they had already wasted quite a bit of time. If Sophia wanted the vampires to be totally accepted as members of the council, she had to make sure they succeeded as quickly as possible. It was just a shame that Dao had to be left behind to represent their race during the meetings.

Kace bid her farewell as she left the store in a hurry, all he had to do now was wait for Shadow to return. Since he had nothing else to do until then, Kace decided to check out the rest of the store. The entirety of the downstairs was devoted to armour and weapons. They failed to impress Kace as he found that his own equipment was slightly superior. 

'That reminds me, I still have to complete Sylvan's quest. I should be able to handle the first increase in his power now. This war is a good opportunity to get it done.' Kace was busy making his plans for how he could get the requirements done during this campaign as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. 

This floor seemed dedicated to everyday clothing for the more prosperous inhabitants of the city. Kace was utterly disappointed. After the first floor, he had expected this entire store to hold things suitable for battle. He had no use for fashion at all. He furrowed his brows after giving the floor a cursory look. 'Yeah, let's skip this one.'

He took his time climbing up to the last floor. There was no need to rush, and he did not have much hope for this one either. However, he got a surprise on the final floor. The displays were full of potions! Now that he had access to the Shadow Realm, it would not hurt to buy a few. He could store them over there for whenever he needed them instead of relying on Grugda.

'Grugda obviously brews his own potions. However, he's limited by how many he can carry in those strange bones of his.' Kace was enamoured by the idea of having his own secret stash. The staff member assigned to this floor seemed honestly surprised to find a customer on her floor. Causing her to become overenthusiastic as she approached him.

"Welcome, sir! Is there anything I can help you with?" She beamed at him as she was as polite as possible.

Kace instantly deduced that this particular floor must perform quite poorly. 'I guess it would depend on their needs? There are no signs so I can't tell what each of them does.' This did not deter him, however. He was confident that he should find something useful on this floor. 

"Can you give me a tour and an explanation of each of your products?" 

"That is no problem at all, sir. Please, follow me."

She led him to the first display that was full of different sized vials that held a yellow liquid inside. She removed one of the largest potions from the collection to allow Kace to get a better look.

"This here is our renowned energy potion. If you're feeling tired in the middle of a battle, this will let you fight on! Quite convenient, right!" Once she finished her explanation, a small screen appeared in front of Kace. 

[Large AP Recovery Potion: Restores 100 AP over 5 minutes.]

Kace narrowed his eyes. This was the first time that the system was given him a proper explanation of items. 'Is it because she explained it?' Kace was puzzled by this development. It was like the system was upgraded along with him. Revealing more features as time passed. 'Still, this is pathetic. It will only give 20 AP per minute at that rate.'

Kace shook his head, showing the woman that it did not interest him at all. However, it did confirm his suspicions that he should be able to find something useful. He also guessed that this shopkeeper was trying to get him to buy their worst products that did not sell very well. He got this impression because the bottles in the last display that they would come to held several vials that had the same colour of liquid.

"I see you have a very discerning eye, sir. Since this one is no good for your needs, let's move on to the next display." The next lot of vials held a dark brown liquid. "Perhaps you're looking to impress a lovely woman. This one here would make a perfect gift. It has the effect of removing impurities from your skin!"

Kace almost gave her a mouthful, until the screen popped up again.

[Small Charm Potion: Permanently increase Charm by +1]

That grabbed his attention! 'A permanent increase to my stats! What a find!' Kace glanced around at the floor and tried to guess how many of the potions might hold such a marvellous thing. 'This is definitely what I need right now!' Kace felt like his desire for more power was getting out of hand recently. It had become more like a constant craving in the back of his mind.

"Show me all of the best options you have that modify the body in some way," Kace demanded.

"Of course, sir! Right, this way"