So, to all the readers... I've been sick for a few days now, so that's why there's been a delay. I'm still ill so this chapter will be a bit short... about 2500 or so words.

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The atmosphere was tense, like walking on hot coals type of tense. Everyone in the room could feel it and even knew what was causing it… unfortunately, no one was brave enough to say anything or even look in that direction. Instead, everyone had their heads ducked down, trying to ignore the hostility emanating from a certain table occupied by three certain individuals… while trying to overhear anything juicy.

Said table had some interesting looking occupants. One of them was happily shoveling down the bland, steamed potatoes, assorted greens, and the rubbery looking slices of beef as though it was the best meal ever. The half sized person was even making ‘yum yum’ noises if that was even possible.

Unfortunately, what amusement anyone could have taken from watching him was ruined by the other two. One of them was a half sized person as well… but was definitely not happy looking. Indeed, the halfing had a huge scowl on his childish face, which was a bit lopsided considering it had a large bruise forming on one side. There was also a large, blackish foot print on the halfling’s backside pretty much around his butt, and his uniform along with his green and blue tabard seemed torn in a few places. The halfling was gripping his fork in a tight fist, holding it like it was a weapon while staring at the even more disheveled looking human across the table.

The black haired human had a black eye along a busted lip on his grim face and a couple of bite marks on his scratched up arms, which were folded across his chest. Also, the man’s face was a bit… red. The reason… well… he learned the hard way that halflings with their height have a pretty good, easily identifiable target when fighting fully grown human males.

What had happened between the three people was well known to the entire dining hall, especially since many of the guardsmen had been involved in trying to break up the… ‘friendly squabble’ earlier. They all had their mementos from the ‘little disagreement’ in the form of bruises. Truthfully, they were curious about what was going to happen next, especially since they knew all about the halfling’s crazy personality. Mind you, the other, happy looking halfling wasn’t as interesting, but the black haired human… well… they all knew who he was of course: ‘The Shit Slayer.’

Richard felt his temper barely restrained and was only keeping it that way since the little monster’s friends were kind of all over the place. The last fight… had been a bit spontaneous and pretty much rage driven. Truthfully, Richard couldn’t really remember what had happened. Only that, when he came to, there was a dog pile of guardsmen holding him down, while the captain was yelling at everyone to “take both the idiots outside to cool down.” That had unfortunately involved quite a bit of shoving and name calling by the other guardsmen, but Richard hadn’t minded it much, since Welks had been included in it as well.

After that, somehow, Richard, Welks, and Meran had ended up in the familiar dining hall… surrounded by a small horde of guardsman, waiting for a rematch and secretly… or at least trying to secretly take bets on what would happen next. Richard ignored them all and tried to get his mind around the crazy thing he had heard earlier… Welks was Meran’s cousin. It was like ‘duh’ and ‘no wonder.’ Thinking back to how Meran had completely screwed up the fight with the boar, Richard shivered thinking about how he was sitting next to two related, omens of disaster.

Just then, a happy, contented voice spoke. “This is yummy! Can I have yours?!”

Richard, who was still staring at Welks, automatically said, “Sure”….

Just as Welks also replied, “Sure.”

Richard scowled as Welks snarled back.

And Meran said, “Yay! Thank you Cousin Welks. Thank you Mr. Jaeger.” And, the happy go lucky halfling leaned across the table to drag off both trays of food.

“Muffffhahahah!” The laughing broke the mounting tension, and Richard’s head swerved to find a nearby brown haired, guardsman coughing while trying hold in his chuckles.

Before Richard could tell the man to shut it, Welk’s voice cut through the dining hall. “Don’t make me come over there an’ yank yer tongue out, Peter!” Almost immediately and to Richard’s satisfaction, the young guardsman blanched and ran out of the hall like his pants were on fire. Richard smiled grimly and turned back to staring at Welks… who had a similar sardonic smile on his face.

It was a bit of shock to Richard, who wondered if the crazy, halfling guardsman was thinking the same thing. That was a bit… weird, like learning your hated mother-in-law liked to eat your favorite ice cream in the same way or something. Still… seeing Welks also become a bit surprised, Richard suddenly felt nauseated…

Eventually, Welks broke the silence. “I heard you saved my cousin’s life...”

“Yep.” Richard muttered the reply.

“Also, it seems that he’s working for you now…”

“Yep.” Richard was wondering where this conversation was going.

For a few seconds Welks went quiet as he stared intently at Richard. Then, he finally spoke again. “Come to the Drunken Goat tonight. I got some things I need to go over with ya... If ya don’t, well, I’ll come looking for ya, got it?” The last part was said with the halfling running his thumb across his throat, like he was making some kind of clichéd threat.

Richard bared his teeth in annoyance but just asked, “Where?”

Welks got off his bench and began walking off as he said, “The place ya went with Haroken before, moron.” With that the halfling left the dining hall, whistling.

Richard continued to scowl for a while before asking Meran, who was still eating heartily, “Is your cousin always that crazy and annoying?”

Meran paused shoveling food down for a few seconds and looked up at Richard with a slight tilt to his head like he was thinking about the question. Then he said, “Yep. That’s Cousin Welks” before going back to his food.

An hour so later, Richard was walking down a familiar street with Meran tagging along still gawking at everything and asking annoying questions. The neighborhood looked as calm and peaceful as it did more than a week ago. Most of the people moving around were dressed either like well to do residents or servants, but they all avoided the bizarre duo of Richard and Meran like the plague. Richard just snorted at their antics and ignored them for the most part.

Finally, reaching the familiar looking house, he entered the small courtyard and knocked on the door, while Meran kept nagging. “Do you live here Mr. Jaeger? It’s so big. Da told me that only rich people live in big houses. Are you rich?”

After a minute or so, the door slightly creaked open, and a familiar bald head appeared in the doorway. Master Mulfow blinked owlishly through his glasses before broadly smiling. “Ah yes, Richard, my good fellow. You have returned. Good. Very good. Come in. Come in, dear lad.”

“It’s good to be back Master Mulfow… but I’ve brought some company.” Even as he stepped into house, walking past the old man, he brought up Meran… hoping the old man wouldn’t kick out the halfling without giving Richard a chance to explain. In any case, he quickly realized he shouldn’t have worried.

“Hi! My name is Meran. It’s an honor to meet you, elder. Mr. Jaeger told me that you’re the wisest man he’s met!” Even as Richard watched a bit amazed, the halfling actually bowed from waist respectfully.

Elder Mulfow looked up at Richard with a baffled expression before turning back to Meran. “Yes… umm… Meran was it. Welcome. Yes, welcome. My name is Arcmaes Mulfow. It is good to meet you.” As Meran nodded happily and went skipping into the house, Master Mulfow turned to Richard and said, “You seem to have made an… interesting friend. You must tell me all about it and also why you look like a vagabond… covered in blood in some places if I’m not mistaken.” By the end of his sentence, the old man was peering closely at Richard’s torn up armor, poking and prodding curiously.

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Richard sighed and said, “Yes sir. It’s been… interesting…”

It took a couple hours to explain ‘interesting,’ and this time around Richard didn’t leave out or hide anything. He talked about the slavers, his ‘Critical Luck’ skill, the sergeant in Ortesse, and generally everything he had learned about the world. Honestly, Richard spilled his guts, venting his worries and anger at the things he had seen and experienced. For some reason, he felt comfortable with the old man, and maybe it was the simple fact that he needed someone who he could trust in this crazy world.

When Richard was done, Master Mulfow remained quiet for a while, staring at the floor. When the old man looked up, it was with a worried face. “You have possibly made some dangerous enemies, Mr. Jaeger. I cannot blame you for your actions, since you did only what was right, but you must remember well Mr. Jaeger, that every action has a consequence. Those petty slavers and that sergeant… they were nothing more than minor flunkies in the rot that has been spreading through Serenthal. By eliminating them, you may have drawn unwanted attention, both bad and possibly good to yourself. Especially since it seems Captain Finovin has taken a deeper interest in you. He may not be ‘evil’ or ‘good’ as we think of it due to his oath to the Guards, but whatever he points you towards will have some… unwanted consequence.”

Richard grimaced as he slightly nodded. He knew that there would be problems sooner or later as nothing would remain a secret forever, but having Master Mulfow confirm it was a bit… worrisome. But then again… Richard clenched his fists as he thought about the bastards he had killed. Even if it led to trouble, those pieces of trash had deserved what they got. As far as Captain Finovin went, Richard didn’t know what the man was up to, but if he had wanted Richard dead or enslaved, there had been more than a few opportunities already.

Master Mulfow interrupted Richard’s thoughts. “But seeing your determined face, lad, I guess you already understand all that… So, now, we just have to focus on making you stronger.”

That woke Richard up, and he looked questioningly at the old man, who was slightly smiling. “You mean like the Blood Viper Venom skill?”

Master Mulfow nodded. “Indeed. It was a perfect fit for your ‘Biohazard Domination’ class of magic. With your ‘Mimic Skill’ ability, obtaining it was possible, but you needed someone to keep you from dying. That’s why I sent you to Nevel instead of just telling you about where to hunt the Blood Vipers.”

Richard realized there was more to it than that. “You know more, don’t you, sir? Other places I might be able to get some other skills, I mean…”

Master Mulfow leaned back in his comfortable looking armchair and smiled slyly. “Indeed, lad. Indeed, I do. I haven’t spent a life time learning and researching without achieving something, you know…” Then, the old man’s smile faded, replaced by a serious look. “As we agreed, Mr. Jaeger, I will place my knowledge at your disposal as long as you share your knowledge. What kind of help would I be, if all I gave you was useless garbage?”

Richard nodded and said, “Not much… Thank you, sir. The venom skill and the ‘Stone Projectile’ skill have both been life savers more than once.”

Master Mulfow rubbed his bald head, seeming a bit embarrassed. “Now, now, lad. Don’t be praising me like that… We still have much to accomplish. But that brings up something else…” Looking through a pile of books on a table nearby, Master Mulfow pulled out one that looked a bit battered. He flipped through a few pages until he seemed to find the one he was looking for. Clearing his throat, he said… “Listen to his Mr. Jaeger and tell me if it sounds familiar… ‘And the Gods will bestow their favor or hate upon those who draw their attention. But we wary as the attention of the Gods comes at a cost that may be a blessing or a curse…’” The old man stopped speaking and looked up at Richard with a questioning gaze.

Richard slightly nodded. “Yeah… That sounds like my ‘Critical Luck’ skill… but blessings and curses… I’ve never heard that since coming here.”

Master Mulfow put away the book, saying, “Of course not, Mr. Jaeger. Blessings and curses are special, as in very few receive them… Even among the worlds of the World Labyrinth, the Gods do not meddle needlessly or dare I say… on a whim. If you’ve caught the attention of even a few Gods… then you will find that you may end up in situations that are not what you expected them to be.”

Richard was a bit confused, until he remembered the stupid shit monster amazingly forming when he was shoveling manure, boarzilla showing up out of nowhere, and the fact that he had met Meran in the middle of nowhere… “Oh, crap… What, you mean like godly intervention or something?”

Master Mulfow nodded with a thoughtful look. “Indeed, and the way you described what happened with your skill… if not for godly intervention, how would you explain it?”

Richard didn’t have an answer to that question, but the whole thing left him with a bad taste in his mouth… like he was some kind of character in some freaky story the Gods, whoever they were, were playing out.

Master Mulfow cleared his throat and said, “Though I have some understanding regarding the event that brings you otherworlders to the Labyrinth, I am not a foremost authority on the Gods. What I have learned about them is either second hand knowledge from adventurers like yourself or theories and mysticism from various priests. In some ways, you might say that you know more about the beings called ‘Gods’ than I do.”

Richard sighed, saying, “I had a feeling it might be something like that… but what you said about curses and blessings is a good place to start though. Hopefully, I’ll be able to pry something out of someone down the road.”

The old man nodded and replied, “Indeed… the labyrinth is enormous after all, so you should find some guidance out there sooner or later. However, I’ll continue looking into things to see if I can find any more leads.” After a few seconds of silence, the old scholar spoke up again. “But we must focus on the here and now at this time. You mentioned some of the equipment you salvaged and the mana stones. Have you found a way to dispose of them?”

Richard pushed back his worries and replied, “Uhh… No. Unfortunately not. I sold some of grassard skins in Ortesse, but I think I was cheated in that deal. I still have everything else either in my inventory or with the donkey I left with Haroken. I was thinking of selling it here in the city…”

Master Mulfow smiled. “Well then. I would like you to meet with an associate of mine. He’s a merchant, but unlike most, he deals… well, let’s just say various items, some of which may come in handy down the road. One thing he will want to buy from you for sure is the mana stones you’ve recovered. We can go there today once…”

CRSSHSHHHH!

Just as the old man was about to finish, there was a crashing noise from the living room, followed by an “Owie!”

Both Master Mulfow and Richard turned to look in the direction of the living room, before the old man turned back to Richard with a confused expression.

Richard face palmed himself, muttering, “Meran...”