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

There was no one in Tophua's room

Since there was no point in standing around, we headed to the tavern. I assumed that if Tophua was anywhere. It would be where the food was. Even if he wasn't there, the regulars might know where he might be.

We stayed away from the outdoor market on our way there if for no other reason than to keep Aelin from haggling with the vendors. While it was adorable to watch the petite blonde argue with the salesmen, I knew that she could spend the entire day in that area. I had a feeling that Miel had given her more All and the brown woman would have no problem spending a good chunk of it before the auction.

Trent had been the one to give me some currency before I left. Since I wasn't using anything to mask who I was, there was a certain reputation that he was hoping to maintain. I had over three million All in my CB, though considering how much Miel had let Aelin spend yesterday, I had a feeling that both she and Kara were holding significantly more than I had.

We didn't run into any vagabonds as we wove our way through the log houses like we had the last time we'd been here. It was probably a good thing too, since Kara wouldn't be as restrained as we had been. While fighting with Mundane was easy enough for us at Tier Zero, a Tier Two would be able to break an entire group without any effort.

It wasn't difficult to locate the tavern; we just had to move towards the second loudest part of town. Lively music was our first clue as to the direction, then laughter and shouts joined the upbeat songs.

Kara held up her hand to stop us once we could see the building. "I should go inside first."

"Why?" Aelin looked around the older woman at the tavern.

The ivory woman scowled for an answer.

The blonde grinned. "Wouldn't we be in more danger out here than in there with you?"

Kara looked at me for help. "I've been trained in how to secure an area and to protect important people. Going into a building without scoping it out first is a huge security risk."

"Won't we be going into the Auction House without being able to check it out first?" Aelin sidestepped the red-eyed woman. "Might as well change protocol now!"

Kara started to speak as she reached for the brown woman, but my reply cut her off and took her attention.

"Aelin has a point, Kara. We need to stay together as much as we can." I looked at the other three women. "Or at least where we can see everyone."

The ivory woman huffed as Aelin walked up to the double doors and threw them open.

The tavern was about half full of patrons, with them spaced mostly with empty tables between each group. Living in Zeb, I'd seen my share of Bandits on the street to know when I was looking at ones who weren't trying to hide. I also knew what type of gear and clothes Adventurers wore and didn't see many inside that looked like they had a Mantle.

The happy blonde drew everyone's attention as she skipped up to the bar and leaned on the counter. She started chatting with the solemn Minotaur behind the bar.

He was larger than most of the bull-men that I'd seen. His deep red fur was the rarer color as well, which marked him as exotic, even among his own kind. His black horns were polished, and his brown eyes were narrowed in a scowl. He wasn't shy about showing off his toned muscles since he was shirtless, save for the dirty white apron that he had on over the tight leather pants.

Kara guided me away from the bar towards the empty southeast corner of the room. It was the only place where a corner table was available, and the white-haired woman sat me in the corner before taking a seat on my right. Ren sat on my left while Oz sat across from me. Jenne had strutted after Aelin, and at some point the two of them had turned the footwear into heels.

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I didn't see Tophua in the room, though he had bragged about how he'd hung out in the kitchen back in Wurn. Considering the look the bartender was giving the women, I doubted we'd be allowed back there.

A group of men began forming a ring around the women, each of them doing their best to impress the ladies while also attempting to one-up the others. We were too far away to hear the fish stories that were being told, though from the flirty laughs that Aelin and Jenne were making, I had a feeling they were unbelievably impressive.

"Should we help them?" I looked at Kara, then nodded at our other companions.

"If they need it." Kara turned to face the scantily clad Raijin woman that walked up to our table.

"Service to the table is extra." The monkey-faced woman ran her hand through her golden fur. Her yellow eyes were focused on me.

Kara reached into her pocket and pulled out a few coins, then tossed them to the other woman. The waitress caught them and tucked them into her brazier without looking at them. I forced my eyes to stay on her face. She was obscenely endowed, and most bikinis covered more.

"Six servings of whatever the lunch special is." My bodyguard grumbled. "No liquor. I want him to stay sharp for later."

The seductive woman wagged her hips while she leaned on the table. Oz had to scoot out of the way when the demi-human brushed against her.

"Wouldn't you want to be merry while you were bidding?" She inclined her head at Kara as her voice turned into a purr. "I bet you'd have a much better time with me for a lot less than you're paying her."

Warning bells were going off in my head even before Ren kneed me in the thigh. I shut down whatever stray thoughts she was trying to provoke and moved her to the 'no' category in my mind. My attracting this woman would only compound whatever training she had in flirting extra tips out of the customers.

"Sorry, but I've got all the companions I need." I ran my left hand over Ren's shoulders. I smiled as I felt a wave of Aura hit me. This woman was an Adventurer even though she wasn't wearing a CB. And what she hit me with was more than enough to charm anyone through Tier One with a pair of eyes, but I'd been hit with Klix's Aura multiple times. Compared to that, this woman might as well have been farting for all the effect it was having.

Kara was a different story. The Ivory woman had her sword out and against the waitress's neck, which silenced the entire room.

"You just attacked my master." The Scarlet turned the blade slightly, shaving some of the golden fur off of the woman's neck.

I could see multiple men reaching for weapons and knew this was going to turn into a brawl soon if something wasn't done to diffuse it. While Kara might not mind killing a room full of people, it wasn't on my list of things to do today.

I started laughing as I waved at my bodyguard. "Kara, it's fine." I increased my volume. "Her charm attack didn't even tickle." I took a gamble. "You don't kill every child with poor manners that bumps into you, do you?"

The waitress's mouth hung open as Kara started laughing. The ivory woman withdrew her sword, though she kept it out. "I guess not."

"Good." I turned my attention back to the Raijin woman. "That was very rude, and reparations need to be made." I nodded at Kara.

The older woman narrowed her red eyes. "We're looking for the blacksmith, Tophua." She held out her hand. "And on second thought, I'd rather not eat somewhere that charms their customers."

The golden-furred waitress scowled as she dug the coins out of her bra. Instead of handing them over, she dropped them on the table. "Fooda ain't welcome here no more." Her smooth voice was replaced by one that was raspy, and her accent got thicker as her flirty demeanor vanished. She turned around and marched off.

Kara started to move after her, but I shook my head. While letting her go might have looked weak, I wasn't in the mood to prove that we were the strongest people in the room. I nodded at the women at the bar as I stood up. Staying here would only antagonize people, and we weren't going to get anything useful.

We made it to the door before someone decided to try to stop us. They made the mistake of reaching for Jenne, who sidestepped and tripped them in the same motion. The silver Bandit fell face first to the floor. Before he could get up, Kara stabbed her sword into the floor in front of his face. The man squealed as he backed up on his hands and knees, pushing back the other Bandits that had followed him.

"That's two." I sighed. "The next time we're attacked, I will let the ladies bathe in your blood." I glanced around the room. "Any volunteers that want to donate some?"

I could see from the look on many of their faces that there were plenty that wanted to try, but none of them could hold Kara's glare, and they all backed away.

"Good." I twirled my finger in the air. "Let's try to find somewhere else to kill time."