Eric’s happiness about the prospect of food was dulled by the arrival of his fellow sect members. They had barely managed to leave the Mayor's house before six men in black robes surrounded them.

“Former disciple Eric Badi,” said a rat-faced man as he approached with a scroll in hand, “I am here to deliver a writ of excommunication. As of this moment, you are no longer a member of the Rock Mountain Mollusk Sect. We have already reclaimed our property from your lodgings, and request that you turn over any other items that might be in your possession.”

The General accepted the scroll, reading it over with a growing sense of disgust for his former sect. They claimed that his inability to cultivate made him unsuitable for membership. In addition to that, they were seizing his assets and distributing them among the sect elders.

“You must turn over all sect property at once,” demanded the rat-faced man, “If you do not, we will take it from you by force.”

Before Eric could reply, Jeffries stepped between them. “Hello, Disciple Raton,” he said pleasantly, “Why are you attempting to rob one of my citizens? Do you hold the city of Hero’s Step in such low regard that you would commit a crime right in front of its Mayor?”

Raton blinked. “What do you mean? He's a member of the sect. We're just asking him to return our property.”

“No,” Jeffries corrected him with a smile, “He was a member of your sect until you handed him that scroll. Now he's my guest, and a citizen of this city. Eric Badi has no obligation to turn over his personal property to you. And if you attempt to force the issue, I will consider it a personal insult.”

Raton grimaced as he realized how much a simple mistake had cost him. Pissing off the Mayor was something he had not counted on. “Fine, it doesn't matter anyway. The Crashing Wave Otter sect will kill him before sunset,” he said, visibly fuming.

“Thank you for your grace and understanding,” Jeffries replied with a bow before he guided his companion past the angry sect members.

Once they were clear of the group, Eric pulled him aside. “You didn't have to do that,” he said, “I don't want to cause trouble for you.”

Jeffries patted him on the arm. “Don't worry about it. I like to remind the sects that they can't throw their weight around my city like they do in the lowlands. Besides, I hate bullies.”

Eric shook his head. “You know none of this matters, right? I appreciate it, and I'm thankful. But I'm a dead man walking.”

“Let me worry about the Crashing Wave Otters,” Mayor Jeffries said, “I've got a plan, but first we need some breakfast.”

“You have a plan?” Eric asked with a raised eyebrow, “Just like that?”

“I don't know if it will work. But it might have a way of persuading them to leave you alone,” he said with a sly grin, “After all, what's the point of being a politician if you can't help your friends out every once in a while?”

***

Back at the restaurant, things were going poorly. “What do you mean you can’t change back?” Zane asked.

Pinky growled and shook her head, sending two very fox-like ears flopping back and forth. “It’s getting harder and harder to maintain the transformation. I’ve been having trouble hiding since we killed those assholes in the valley, and my illusions are a lot less convincing if I have two big ears and a tail sticking out of them.”

“Fuck,” Zane cursed, “Lily, do you mind taking orders for now? Groucho can take tokens and hand out food.”

The former sect member shrugged. “Yeah, I can do that. I don’t think anyone will recognize me if I wear a mask.”

“Good!” the rogue cultivator called out as he dashed off to start brunch. They were a bit behind schedule, but he was determined to catch up. Thankfully Zane had super speed and his core was almost completely recovered. Now all he had to do was remember to stop and regenerate every few seconds so he didn’t accidentally cook himself.

Moving at lightning speed had some strange consequences besides the risk of self-immolation. The kitchen was constantly filled with the sounds of whip-like pops as the tips of his tools broke the sound barrier. Knives in particular tended to warm up from all the friction, which was detrimental to the quality of the food. Zane found himself needing to constantly cool them down to avoid cooking the fruit he was trying to cut.

Eventually he got the chance to slow down, then it became a much more manageable slog through the brunch rush. He watched as the last boxes of crepes, pancakes, and waffles were handed out to happy customers. That was a good feeling, it made his Chef class happy. Or possibly it was the Mesh providing some kind of positive reinforcement. He had no way of finding out, besides remembering to ask someone later, which was probably a lost cause.

Stolen novel; please report.

“I guess I’ll never know,” Zane said as he leaned against a table and took a deep breath.

Then a familiar voice fluttered in through the open patio window. The young man grimaced as his class informed him that, once again, someone had decided to feed General Badi. Zane popped his head around the divider and gave Lily a look of extreme annoyance.

“Would you care to explain what you were thinking?” he demanded.

“I know I fucked up!” Lily replied as she ducked behind the divider, out of sight from the guests on the patio, “But he wasn’t the one who ordered. It was Mayor Jeffries.”

The rogue cultivator rubbed his forehead. “Ok, now that’s two problems. I don’t want the Mayor snooping around or asking for a tour of the restaurant while Pinky is in full fox mode.”

As if hearing Zane’s words, Jeffries came up to the window and gently cleared his throat. Lily returned to her station and waited for him to speak.

“If I might ask a favor of you, young lady,” the Mayor said with a curt bow, “But I would very much like to talk to the master of this restaurant, once he is finished with his duties. I have a friend who has been injured, and would like Master Zane’s expert opinion on the matter. ”

Zane summoned a green fox mask to match his robes, and stepped out where the man could see him. “I politely decline,” he replied.

Jeffries looked at him with a critical eye. “I would owe you a favor,” he pointed out.

The rogue cultivator shook his head. “I don’t need favors, thank you.”

“Well, then what do you need?” the Mayor asked, “I’m sure I have something that might interest you.”

Zane hesitated. The second General Badi heard his voice, he was cooked. But still, there might be a way. “Fine, but I will not speak to your friend. And it will cost you one hundred cores.”

Lily visibly flinched. That was an insane request, borderline insulting. But the Mayor simply nodded. “One hundred cores, if you can restore his ability to cultivate. He has fallen victim to a dark technique. And ten if you cannot, for your time.”

“Sure,” Zane said as he stepped towards the door, “I’m no apothecary, but I’ll take a look.”

***

General Badi knew what was happening as soon as he saw Jeffries walk up to the order window a second time. “Damn him to the many hells…” Eric whispered. He didn’t want this, and there was no point in getting his hopes up. What was done was done.

A tall cultivator in a green robe wearing a fox mask exited the restaurant. Eric wished he could use his abilities to get a sense of the man, but they were long since gone. The hidden master walked towards the portable table and chair that the General had summoned from his storage bracelet. Wordlessly he pointed at a section of the menu, the part that said food was “to-go” only.

“I am sorry,” Eric said, bowing his head, “I did not mean to insult you, or your wonderful restaurant.”

The man in green waved his hand dismissively and grabbed General Badi by the chin. Eric tolerated his touch, but wondered why it was necessary. After a moment, the man released him and pulled Jeffries aside. The two of them talked for a few minutes, Jeffries’ face wavering between surprise and hope.

The regular morning crowd had already dispersed, leaving the three of them alone on the patio. Something about that felt wrong to Eric. Usually people stuck around to enjoy their food and chat.

He craned his neck to see what might have driven them off, and spotted a dozen men in blue robes. The members of the Crashing Wave Otter sect approached from all sides, surrounding the restaurant to ensure that their prey did not escape.

He let out a snort of laughter. In a way, things had worked out like the thought they would. One last good meal, some decent conversation, then a quick death. The weather was even crisp, but not cold, exactly the way he liked it.

Eric got up from his chair and walked out into the street. “I’m not running,” he said, “If you want me, here I am.”

The men in blue robes circled around him. Even in his prime he would have had trouble taking out so many. With a busted core, he stood no chance.

Just as Eric began to make peace with his impending doom, the man in green took up a position beside him. They squared off with the closest attacker without saying a word.

“Who is this then?” Asked a bearded cultivator as he took a step back, “Did you hire a bodyguard?”

“This isn’t your fight,” Eric told the man in green, ignoring his attackers, “I’m a dead man anyway.”

The man didn’t respond, at least, not with words. A kitchen knife appeared in either hand, each thin blade was nearly three feet long. The General felt a strange sense of deja vu as he saw yet another cultivator using kitchen cutlery as weapons.

“Have we met before?” Eric asked. The man in black had thrown a cleaver at him, and the two men were of similar heights. “You seem familiar.”

Zane sighed as he looked down at the weapons that had given him away. “Ah fuck,” he said, “And I was doing so well too.”

The General looked at the man (or possibly creature) that had maimed him. “Just so you know, I hate you,” he told Zane before turning to face the men in blue. The angry sect members had backed off and were waiting for them to make the first move. “I mean, I really, really, really hate you.”

“I don’t really care,” Zane informed him, “My class would throw a fit if I let a customer get killed outside my restaurant. And your friend the Mayor is paying me to fix you, so don’t die before I get a chance to collect.”

As if to start off the festivities, a man in blue collapsed with a wet gurgling sound. A black fletched arrow was sticking through the side of his neck. The rogue cultivator grinned beneath his mask as he turned to face the General. “Oh, and Lily sends her love, she’s the only reason I didn’t kill you. Maybe think about that while I save your life.”

Then, before Eric could reply, Zane was gone.