It had been almost two weeks since he started living in his house and the bear siblings had started working for him. They made pretty good roommates and kept things lively anyway. Things had been going fairly well. Chuck had picked up his new clothes and was fairly satisfied with them. The materials weren’t quite the same of course but they would work. They amounted to a few pairs of t-shirts and jeans, along with socks and underwear. He would have to look into more shoes eventually. His dress clothes consisted of a long sleeved, button up shirt and black pants. Chuck figured it would be good enough, although he was a little worried about proper etiquette. He had never been to a fancy restaurant and certainly hadn’t dined with anyone important. Of course, this was a different world so who knew what they did here. Raz and Maz didn’t know either.
He had thought about asking Nox or someone at the guild but didn’t want to bother them. It seemed like the governor wasn’t too uptight, plus he was one of the guests of honor so they shouldn’t get too mad at him. He had made a few trips to the guild to show off his items and truck. They had finished washing it too, which he appreciated. Chuck gave the guild two main projects to work on. The first was to duplicate gasoline or somehow convert his truck to be an actual magical carriage. The second was to make more gunpowder based ammunition for his guns or a magical equivalent. He didn’t know if either was possible but it was worth a shot. He had managed to siphon some of the gas out of the pickup to give them. He also handed over a few rounds of each type of ammo for his guns. Chuck demonstrated both guns which caused a lot of excitement. They were also excited when he started the truck and explained how the engine worked. Finally, he invested some of his new wealth into the project. Without his technology, Chuck felt he couldn’t compete in this new world. It didn’t seem like he would be able to perform magic, which was a big letdown. He was told some otherworlders could use magic and some couldn’t, and he definitely couldn’t.
Soon the day arrived and a carriage was sent for him. Raz and Maz waved goodbye and Chuck was taken to the governor’s mansion. When he arrived, he met Torj and Kyt who he hadn’t seen since the rescue mission ended. They were both getting off a similar carriage. After greeting each other, they were escorted inside. Torj and Kyt were dressed in colorful tunics without their leather armor. They were taken to a large room with a number of tables and were shown to an elevated table. Fol was already there and welcomed them warmly. The only other person he recognized was guild master Alz, who was also seated at their table. There were several people wandering around in fancy tunics, gossiping. They all stopped and stared at Chuck when he entered the room. He always hated to be the center of attention and sat down nervously.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
After chatting with Torj, Kyt, and Alz for a short time, governor Feli arrived. The noise died down and Feli gave a short speech. We each stood as we were introduced, with Chuck getting the most attention. Then Fol said a few words, thanking us again for saving him. Everyone sat back down and the meal started to be served. Chuck expected there to be multiple pieces of silverware but there was only a two tined fork. It seemed they didn’t need knives with sharp claws, fangs, and beaks. The meal was delicious even with the meat a bit raw as usual. Watching the people of this world eat always left him a little uncomfortable however, with how they savagely tore at their food. Afterwards he was introduced to several officials. He knew he wouldn’t remember the names of most of them.
The one that got his attention was a dog beast person from the capital named Vos, who was some big time merchant. Chuck had been curious about the capital and wanted to see it some time. He figured the capital would have a bigger variety of races, which would be interesting. Maybe one of them would have a more human appearance. Ultimately, he was hoping for someone more compatible as he really wanted a girlfriend. He was still young and didn’t want to think of a future without female companionship. Vos was quick to shatter his dreams however, and told him he had done a lot of traveling and had never seen anyone who looked remotely like Chuck. Chuck sighed heavily in defeat. Vos was silent for a bit, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then he pronounced that he had an idea.