“This is availability. I am the only one in this town who is able to make a party of three.”
Joe sat in silence for a bit but a glance at Garnedell showed him to be quite angry. Is she… trying to cheat us? Garnedell’s pretty pissed, the siblings don’t seem too happy either. Joe continued to ignore Muonooan for a bit as he pondered before speaking out quietly, “What about Shirna… Shinrak… the partier that got us in a group, Garnedell. Maybe she can…”
Muonooan replied immediately with a bit of disdain, cutting off Joe, “Shirnacou can only make a three party group.”
“And I only need a three party group, “Joe replied, pointing at Garnedell, Kilniara, and himself. She’s… pretty pushy… and that wasn’t…
“But she needs to be in the group to form it. So, a four party group.”
Joe fell silent at that before replying, hiding his steadily growing dislike “Then how are you able to make a four party group. You are of similar age, so your level will be the same.”
“My skill has increased,” Muonooan replied haughtily.
“It has? The partier job has a growth skill?”
“Mine has grown.”
“Would you mind proving it?”
Muonooan seemed to be uncertain at this point before nodding cautiously, “How may I do so?”
“Please show me your skills on your status screen.”
Muonooan remained silent at this, saying nothing for some time. Many of the tables around them also grew quiet, now quite interested in the drama playing out. Joe waited a moment before continuing on.
“I will show you how if you do not know,” Joe spoke while finding himself struggling to remain courteous.
She thought for a few moments before finally nodding and stepping forward, bringing up her arm and showing her status. Huh, thinks it’s attached to her arm? I guess most would, because cutting off the hand can release the ID cards, I guess… but…
Joe focused back in the moment and raised his hand to point at the available skills tab at the top of the screen, “Please press here.”
She looked at him with some confusion, but he kept his finger pointed at the tab and simply waited. She seemed to take some time to respond but finally lifted her finger to press on the area he was pointing to. When the screen changed, she jumped slightly and gasped in some shock.
Joe took a look at her screen before nodding to himself. She only had two jobs listed: commoner and partier. The commoner job showed no available skills as it was likely not even leveled, but her partier job showed skills up to about level twenty five, possibly thirty if she was level thirty and there were no skills at thirty. The only thing he could guarantee, though, was that she was at least twenty five and had no skills above that. The level twenty five skill was the skill that seemed to be the one necessary to make a group, but it didn’t matter as all the two skills available to her were not growth skills. One was the scrambled skill he got like in the theorists jobs, and the other was named ‘grouper (3)’ and her skill was less than one. Which made since as she did not have any char skill linked to it.
Joe looked up to her, “Then what is needed to create this four party group?”
“I will need access to one of your status.”
“Just one?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“You cannot do it without?”
“It is the only way. Who you chose does not matter, but one must allow me access to their status.”
Joe nodded and fell silent for several moments before he began again.
“Are there others able to make a party of more than four or five?”
She snorted at that and said nothing, remaining silent, although she did begin to smirk with a mockingly evil grin. Joe sighed before waving a waiter over, “I need to form a party of three. Please send a partier who is capable of such.”
Joe then ignored the woman and sat down for the meal. The waiter seemed to stand around a bit uncertainly before coughing slightly and leaning towards Joe, “Sir. Muonooan is capable of forming a party of three.”
“Is she the only one in this city?”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“No, but…”
“But?”
“The others are in the employ of the Matriarch.”
“So then she is the only one in the city available to me.”
The waiter had opened his mouth for a quick reply but then stopped, dumbfounded. He stood in silence for a moment before nodding in reply, “Ah… yes.”
“That would have been nice to know.”
Muonooan, who was growing ever angrier as Joe ignored her, smirked and interjected, “Ten copper. Per person.”
Each statement brought a separate gasp; anger from his own table and one of schadenfreude from some of the tables around them. Joe stared at the woman for a bit before once again turning away and ignoring her. He took a bite of his steak, chewing slowly, each movement deliberate and obvious. After he swallowed, he looked to the waiter.
“Could you please ask for Shirnacou to come here,” Joe asked.
The waiter bowed and escaped quickly, not wishing to be in the middle. Joe then turned back and continued taking another bite. He finished another bite then turned to look at Muonooan.
“Your price seems to be extravagant. Have I insulted you in some way that you wish for such an extreme price?"
She said nothing but looked down on him with disdain before finally replying, “You are correct. You can easily pay for this service. Ten brass per person.”
Garnedell began sputtering at this and even Kilniara and Zilnek became incensed although they kept their cool. Joe looked at her for some time, considering. He didn’t know why she was so willing to push things, but she seemed to be trying to really piss him off. He just didn’t know why. Escalating things seemed unwise, but one thing he learned in this world, looking weak was also very unwise.
“Is one copper the normal price you ask for, or am I special in some way?”
“Twenty brass per person.”
Joe said nothing before sighing and looking away, “Tell me your normal price and I will gladly lay it. Continue this charade and I will destroy you… well… at least your business.”
This last statement seemed to really anger her, and she growled out, “One iron per person!”
“Why?” Joe asked in genuine confusion, “What… just… why?”
“Ten iron per person.”
At this point, Joe knew any further conversation was meaningless and Joe turned away from her and cut another piece of the wyvern. All of the drama had driven it form his mind, but the meal was delicious, beyond almost anything else he’d tasted. I’m eating a fricken’ dragon! A dragon! Well… at least a close cousin!
“So, I’m sure all this drama isn’t fun, but I really don’t want your meal to grow cold. Eat. Enjoy the meal. We can continue this when the other partier gets here.”
The other three seemed a bit embarrassed to eat, awkwardly and silently eating their meal and too overwhelmed to truly enjoy the meal.
“Come on! It really is very good. Taste it. Enjoy it. Don’t let this woman ruin our good meal,” Joe urged the other three.
This brought a small smile from the others, but Muonooan cursed angrily and turned to leave. Joe saw her leaving before sighing and calling out to her.
“You may wish to stay. You have one more chance to save this.”
Muonooan turned to yell at him angrily, but his passive face gave her pause. She considered for a bit but the anger crashed down on her face once again, mouth opening for a scathing reply.
Before she could, though, Shirnacou came in and rather quickly an interrupted her, “Sir. I know you are looking for a party of four, but truly, only Muonooan is capable of such. Please.”
Joe’s eyes rose as he looked at Shirnacou, his opinion of her much higher than this Muonooan. His look measured her for a bit before he nodded and turned to Muonooan. Shirnacou actually sighed quietly in relief, but Joe’s next statement had her even tenser.
“Last chance. Offer me your normal price or see the consequences of your actions.”
Muonooan scoffed, her reply dripping in mockery, “Please. Show me the consequences of my actions.”
Joe stared at her for a few moments, but she did not budge at all, and finally Joe turned to Shirnacou, “Would you please make me and my two apprentices a party.”
Shirnacou seemed to twist slightly, staring at Muonooan in worry and then looking back at Joe, “Sir, I tol…”
Joe raised his hand and turned to her, his face smiling, “It’s ok. I understand. I know how you can do so. I will teach you and you may then also be able to make parties of three.”
With this, Shirnacou’s face froze before she looked to Muonooan. Muonooan herself paled with fear, saying nothing for a bit then leaping forward, “No! I will offer you …”
Joe looked at her and shook his head, “I told you. That was the last chance. I have no further business with you.”
She stood before him, her eyes now pleading but Joe did nothing but stare at her. After a few moments, she stepped back, refusing to leave and looked on with some trepidation.
“Please, do as you must. I will say, my first apprentice and I are in a group already. I am uncertain what must be done in this case.”
Shirnacou stared at him for a moment before nodding and stepping forward, subdued excitement obvious enough to be seen jittering through her, “Yes, of course.”
Joe soon saw a pop up asking for her to join his group and she nodded as soon as he accepted her request. Man, a window showing party members would be nice… Joe thought, then flipped open his screen to see if he could find it. Or maybe it’ll show up? But nothing happened and Joe sighed before returning to what they were doing.
He pointed to Kilniara, “Please ask her to join the group. But, Kilniara, do not accept or say ‘yes’ when you see the information appear to you.”
Muonooan shifted nervously at this and Joe struggled to keep his relief and smirk hidden. Got you! Shirnacou nodded at this and soon Kilniara jumped a little in her seat then began to look at something floating before her, an obvious reaction to a status display. Joe nodded at seeing this then called Shirnacou close to him before whispering quietly too her.
“You must bring Kilniara into our group at the same time as you leave it, or possibly immediately after you leave our group. Our group will then be only two, and she will be able to join us as you will be gone.”
Shirnacou’s eyes popped open at this and Joe smiled, “Make sense?”
She nodded quickly in response, her own bright smile shining before she glanced at Muonooan in mocking triumph. Before she could do so, Joe interrupted her one more time.
“To make sure of this, you can ask to have access to the status of the other person and you can make sure they are pressed quickly and in the proper order. However, many do not like to allow other’s access to their status, I assume. So, I offer this so you may offer better service that Muonooan, and hopefully kinder and more professional as well. Do not ask to have access to their status. Say only you wish to see their single dialog box.”
“Dialog… box?” Shirnacou asked with some obvious confusion.
“Yes. And make sure they think or offer access in the same. Not of their status, but of their dialog box. Kilniara, are you ready?”