Mantle of the Gods [LitRPG / Slow Burn / FTB Harem]

The smell of burgers filled the air.

Aelin waved at the others as soon as they walked in. There weren't many people in the restaurant, which was probably because the lunch rush was over, but it may have also had something to do with the focus the local Goddess was putting on eateries at the moment.

Oz marched over to me and sat down on my right while Gesai took the seat to my left. Miel was sitting across from Oz, and Aelin was on the other end, which left the only open seat for Jenne across from me.

"What did you-?"

Miel snapped her fingers, and my ears popped.

I blinked as I looked around. Any Adventurer should have felt the sound bubble being cast, and I was surprised that the Scarlet had even been able to do it. Most restaurants had wards in place to stop Adventurers from not only casting spells or using skills but also to keep them from taking items out of their inventories. It was a protective measure for the establishment and one that should have been a very high-level spell. Considering that Miel was in the seventies, casting something stronger than a Tier Five protection should have been no problem for her.

While no one seemed to notice the change around our group, Jenne's face lit up. She toggled through the menu of her CB, then reached in and pulled out a change of clothes.

"I'll be right back." The golden woman slid out of her seat and headed to the bathroom.

When she came out, she wasn't wearing the black miniskirt and low-cut red top. Instead, she had on a black skirt with lacey trim that went halfway down her thighs and a green blouse that looked a lot similar to Aelin's. Instead of high heels, she was wearing a pair of wedges, so she was shorter but still taller than Aelin if the two women stood side-by-side.

I glanced down at my CB and realized that all of its functions were unlocked. Whatever Miel had done had blocked the protections on the building. It probably had something to do with her capacity as a Scarlet, but it was still impressive.

"That's better." Jenne smiled her thanks at Miel as she took her seat next to the older woman. "This is secure?"

"Anyone looking at us won't be able to read our lips, and anything we say won't be heard past this table." Miel sat up straight as the waitress came over with our food.

She was a Raijin, about average height for a human woman, with orange fur, long white hair, and a clipped ear. Her tail was likely pinned up under the yellow dress that she wore to keep it out of the way. It was also a defensive thing that the demi-humans did, as there were plenty of Adventurers who would 'accidentally' step on a tail.

"Here are your burgers!" She smiled warmly, which allowed us to see her sharp teeth. "I'm Rhuma, and I'll be your server if you need anything! Is there anything I can get you?"

Aelin's eyes got wide as she looked at the hole in the waitress's ear.

Gesai took the burgers from the Raijin. "I think we're good." She slipped a coin out of her CB and passed it to the woman.

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Rhuma's eyes lit up when she saw the denomination on the coin. "I can't..!"

Gesai's hands folded the demi-human's over the coin. "Of course you can." The silver woman smiled. "I'll signal you if we need anything."

There was a tear in Rhuma's eye as she nodded and hurried off.

"How much did you give her?" Jenne shook her head. "You know she's going to be watching us now."

"A thousand." Gesai shrugged as she took a large bite out of her burger. She swallowed before continuing. "I know, but now she'll keep anyone else away from us."

Considering that the average Mundane in most cities made around thirty thousand a year, what Gesai had just handed our waitress was almost two weeks worth of pay.

Jenne waffled her head and accepted her burger.

"Was she…?" Aelin was still staring across the room.

"A freed slave?" Miel put what remained of her burger on her plate, then wiped the breadcrumbs off her shirt. "Probably. The tags are cheaper than collars, though a lot less reliable. All they have to do is cut a chunk out of their ear to remove it, and even if they don't, it's only a tracker. A small piece of ear is a small price to pay for freedom."

"Isn't slavery illegal in Klix?" Aelin finally peeled her eyes away from the counter.

"Just because it's illegal doesn't mean that people don't try to find ways around it." Miel sighed. "Even without collars or tags, the rich can use magical contracts or seals to bind others to them."

I instinctively touched my heart. I could feel the seal underneath it. I knew there was a lot that I could do with it to any of the women who'd accepted it, but that was exactly why I'd been very reluctant to give any hard orders. The last thing I wanted was for it to override who they were. The seal was supposed to be for their protection, even though I knew there were plenty of people who would abuse the power it gave them.

"There's a decent population of freed or runaway slaves in Klix." Miel tapped her fingers on the table. "Technically, the Goddess could get in trouble with other Gods if the wrong slave ran here and she didn't hand them over, but..." She grinned. "This is a big city. It can take years or decades for us to find someone who knows how to hide."

Aelin's eyes bulged. "She does that?"

"Few other Gods want to openly fight Klix, and very few would walk away from a one-on-one fight." The ivory woman's grin widened. "Why do you think that she set up the city the way she did? Mundane usually don't have CBs, so it's nearly impossible to keep up with them. As long as they have the right paperwork, the building managers don't care so long as they put in their work quota."

"That's…" Aelin seemed at a loss for words.

"Cool." Oz finished for the blonde as she stole a fry off of my plate.

"Hey!" I glared at the grinning woman beside me. "You still have fries!'

"Yours taste better." The brown woman reached for another.

I smacked her hand only to have a gloved hand snatch one from the other side.

"Yum, you're right, these are better." Gesai smiled.

"You…" I sighed and pushed my plate forward. I'd already eaten my burger and if they wanted my fries, I really didn't mind.

Even Aelin joined in demolishing what was left on my plate.

"Can we talk about what you learned?" I looked at the golden woman in front of me. "Did you find where the bandits are hiding?"

Jenne cautiously looked at the older woman on her left. "Are you going to tell Klix?"

"In the mood she's in, I won't report anything that isn't concrete and verified." Miel folded her arms in front of her.

Jenne seemed satisfied with that answer. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a coin and set it on the table.

"I think I got us invited to their hideout."