By the time that Karl had enough clothing options to satisfy Rae, the shop staff was exhausted, and the illusionary copy of Dana that Karl had created was starting to give him an annoyed look that reminded him entirely too much of the real Dana when he indulged the beasts too much.
"Alright, let's release your berserker friend from his escort duties, and then we can go to the restaurant. We should arrive there right about the proper time for our meeting."
"You know where it is?" The mage asked, shocked.
"I can sense one place up in a massive tree near the centre of town that is using Supreme Ranked magic in the kitchen. My guess is that is where we're going, since everyone made such a fuss about it."
The guards following them chuckled as the fox guessed correctly that only one restaurant in town would have Supreme Ranked chefs.
Even a city as wealthy as theirs couldn't sustain more than one.
Cara came to meet them, as she had obtained all the interesting loot, and had managed to subtly tweak the future of a few young Elves. Giving [Lucky Coins] to toddlers was definitely going to keep someone's life interesting.
You never knew what a toddler was going to wish for.
Plus, they appreciated her cupcakes far more than others. They would even fight their parents when the older Elves tried to take the treats away, and a toddler's grip was surprisingly strong when they wanted something.
"Alright, are we all done?" Karl asked the badger, who was moving faster than he expected her to, if she hadn't just done something that was guaranteed to get her in trouble.
"Yep, all finished. I got all the things."
Then, she vanished back into her space, and the berserker began to cuss.
"Dammit, I just brought her back, where did she vanish off to now? I don't even sense her this time."
Karl placed a hand on his shoulder. "This one's not on you. She's in a separate space now, resting. She won't be any more trouble today, so you don't need to panic."
"Easy for you to say. I was seen standing next to her, and who knows how many people have realized the trouble that she caused. Did you know that she actually dared to interfere with a young Elf's magical awakening?"
Karl frowned. "What did she do?"
"That's just it, nobody knows!"
Cara was laughing hysterically in her space, and Karl realized that she had cast [Randomize] on someone who was just beginning to awaken their System. Honestly, the Elf was lucky that they came out the same species and gender.
Well, Karl assumed that they did, or people would be panicking WAY more than they were right now.
"In that case, it couldn't be too bad. She has a skill to improve the luck of people, so she likely just blessed them. A bit of badger luck when they're awakening the System could lead to a way more interesting class than whatever they were likely to get before."
"And what of their planned apprenticeship?"
"It might still be viable?"
Karl clearly didn't understand the Elven way of following a set path so that they could fully master a specific set of skills to perfectly fill a particular role. Changing to some rare or random class would cause a thousand years of social disorder for the young one, unless they could get their class sorted out.
While Karl didn't know, Cara never bothered to ask.
"Never mind, we can deal with that later. If they awaken some strange Class, they might end up as a wanderer or a hunter. That's still a valid life path for most. I don't know if the badger's actions will have deliberately negative outes, but the System normally optimizes classes to what the person is suited to.
But for now, we need to get to the dinner, since you volunteered me to e with you."
"Don't play innocent, you're looking forward to seeing what the food there is like."
The berserker smiled. "If you don't want to go, I can chaperone him."
"Oh, shut it. Let's get a move on, or we're going to be late by the time that we get through the rituals with the door host."
"There is a ritual? I should have prepared notes in advance."
"It's more of a cultural thing. If they don't think that you're worthy, they will make it hard for you to enter the restaurant, even if you have a reservation."
Karl nodded. "Oh, it's like that. I knew that the Elves had a big thing for social structure, so I really should have expected that. Alright, it's not a problem. I know how to deal with stuffy Noblemen."
Both Elves seriously doubted that was true, but there was no way to argue with Karl, who was already leading the way to the restaurant, nimbly hopping between platforms and skipping the stairs.
Most of the young Elves did the same thing, but Karl seemed to float in the air. For a moment those watching were enchanted by his agility, then they began to realize that it wasn't pure physical skill, the fox could fly.
That was not an ability that they gained from their System as they advanced.
He was wearing the robes of one on the path of magic, as expected of a Divine Fox. The species was naturally magically adept, after all. So, they shouldn't have been surprised, but seeing the fox dart gracefully between tree walkway platforms in the forest city was still quite the unusual event.
Especially when he had a whole retinue of guards chasing him.
Only when he reached the door of the restaurant did he slow and straighten his clothes, then ensure that his hair was perfect before approaching the host.
Karl let about a third of his [Fox Charm] slip as he smiled at the host and slipped a hastily enchanted {Ring of Agility} at the Epic Grade into the host's hand.
"Kind host, I have been invited by the mistress of these fine guards. Would it be possible to have wine brought to mentally prepare myself for the evening's more serious topics?"
The host smiled back and transferred the ring into his inventory.
This was a fox that knew the art of the bribe very well. If he turned Karl down now, with the fox charm active at that strength, he would look like a heartless bully. The guest was in Epic Dreamcloth, perfectly groomed, and wearing Peerless Grade accessories.
Even if he wasn't an Elf, he was clearly a man of great means, and could afford to dine here on his own tab.
Even with guests.
User Comments
0 comments from readers