But for a Slime

Chapter Ninety Five

“I would like to introduce my master, Joe McConnell. Dungeon diver, dungeon clearer many times, killer of Great monsters, Master monsters, Guardian monsters, and Boss monsters. Slayer of a six core, boss, city killer, single handedly. This is the Bunarl clan representative, Joe. Of his earlier accomplishments, I know not. These are only the accomplishments I know in my time as his apprentice of four months.”

Joe quirked an eyebrow at Garnedell’s over the top description but kept his face smooth otherwise. Joe looked at the man and offered a short bow of his head but not much else. The man blinked but offered no other response, keeping his face utterly neutral. Neither man, the clansman nor his personal voice, spoke. Joe watched them carefully but there was no action. A subtle movement on the corner of his eye caught his attention and he flickered a glance to his right. There, he saw the odd amorphous blob begin questing forward towards the other four. Joe stifled a frown but was not able to hold back a slight twitch to his left eye. Magic? Why is he sending… no… not magic. That’s not magic. That’s … what is that… no mana streams… no mana points… no… I’ve seen that before… that… Presence! Seriously? Right… not something I’m going to let happen…

Joe stepped to the side to stand in front of the other four then pushed hard. His Presence exercises had been added to his regular morning practice, but he still found the effort quite difficult, unlike his current mana practice. That said, he was still able to push out his Presence. Seeing how it was pressing towards them, he decided to see if could make some kind of wall, especially since the man’s Presence was not a typical sphere. Can change shape, right?

He released his Presence and focused on stretching it out and was surprised to see it respond to him easily and it stretched out to act like a wall across the entire inn. He separated the inn in half, blocking off his side and watched as the clanner’s Presence drifted closer. Joe looked at it and frowned, curious as to why it was moving so slow. Shortly, it hit his wall and billowed up against it like a cloud. Joe kept his eyes on the other cautiously to watch how the man would react. If Joe hadn’t been watching carefully nor been able to time when the other’s Presence hit his wall, he likely wouldn’t have noticed the subtle tightening of his face. However, the frown was pretty easy to see, and Joe fought to hide a quirked eyebrow at the discrepancy of such an obvious tell.

The clanner’s presence billowed outward, seeping along the wall slowly and finally Joe grew tired of the man’s silent disregard. Right… dumb. And obviously he’s acting against us. Joe stepped forward, pushing his entire wall of Presence forward at once while also curling it and around the man, tightening it down sharply until he had the man’s Presence tightly contained in a sphere around the other man. The man took a step back in surprise, a soft widening revealing bit of fear.

“Don’t like it when other’s try to do something to me or mine, sneaky or otherwise. Keep your Presence to yourself and stop blowing it all around the room. It’s not appreciated.”

The man took a step back, pausing. He frowned then changed his Presence. The amorphous blob with faded edges immediately changed. The blob firmed up, but still remained rather amorphous, if slightly less so, while its edge firmed tighter along its edges, the faded wispy edge now replaced with a firmer border. It slammed up against his and Joe frowned. That’s… nothing? Why does it feel so… wispy… like… nothing is there…

Joe cautiously sent a spike into the man’s Presence and found he was able to pierce directly in without any effort, the man’s Presence folding against his own like wet tissue. Joe felt his eyebrows knit with surprise at that but decided to make a point and immediately pressed his Presence immediately down upon the other man, pushing until his Presence repressed the other’s all the way back to his body.

The clanner immediately took a step back and froze. Joe kept his Presence pressed up against him and followed him back, keeping him very much in a cocoon sized perfectly for him. The clanner’s breathing grew a bit unsteady at that and Joe stopped, frowning.

“I’m getting pretty annoyed. Speak what you have to say and leave. I am not much for your actions.”

The clanner immediately bowed deeply, his breath still unsteady, “Apologies, eccentric. I had to be certain that our people were well cared for. It would not do well for overlord clan Bunarl to be unable to protect its subsidiary clans.”

“By attacking the person you cannot defend yourself against?”

The clanner flinched at that, remaining bowed, “Apologies.”

Joe huffed, anger simmering but controlled, “Need to say something?”

The clanner paused at that before speaking softly, “I wished to simply meet you.”

“Well, you’ve met me. Now you can go.”

The man immediately stood, then bowed as he stepped backward, “I am grateful for your polite restraint, eccentric.”

* * *

The representative cursed as he sped down the street, muttering without any coherence as he kept his curses to his mind not wishing for the eccentric to hear his complaint. Kicking a steel plate! His face remained impassive and he maintained the perfect image of a clan representative. If it wasn’t for that brat… He ground his teeth in anger, frustrated over everything that had gone wrong. A closed gate… overland travel from the nearest gate… and an eleven digit eccentric! The fool! Why did he call for me? There is nothing I can do… I should leave! Now! He almost did it. He almost fled, abandoning the foolish Galgandar brat to his fate even if it cost him karma and damaged his dao seed. He sighed softly and calmed. By the time he returned to his guest villa back in the Galgandar clan, he was able to return to serenity. He would not sacrifice his dao seed for the favor owed nor would he sacrifice his life. The boy will be happy with what I offer and no more.

* * *

Joe bit back an angry reply when the clan representative bid his farewell and simply watched the man scamper in reverse out of the inn. The door closed and Joe retrieved his Presence, a long thin wall that cut the inn in half, the other half where the arrogant jackass had stood now flooded with his Presence. It seemed to retreat into him like a deflating balloon or blimp, sucked into him. Joe frowned at that, curious as to why it would function in such a way but was interrupted when Kilniara leapt to his side and pressed a hand to his arm while Gwenvair stepped to his other side, looking up at him with pride and a small amount of awe.

Garnedell and Zilnek, however, slapped him on the back and chuckled while exuberantly offering physical exchanges that now included high fives, having learned that odd interaction from Joe. They all giggled and chatted amongst themselves but Joe turned away and simply settled into his chair.

“I’m hungry. You can keep chattering away, but I want to eat.”

The inn keeper immediately leapt at that, scuttling around the bar and bringing a bowl of soup and a small plate of sides to Joe’s side. Joe was surprised at that, meaning his comment to be directed at his own group, but still offered a grateful thanks to the man and took the food. The other four also called out for their food, settling down to join Joe, although it seemed Garnedell and Zilnek had already eaten, and they called for a beer instead. Joe frowned at that, but let it go, the laws for underage drinking several hundreds, if not thousands … hundreds of thousands?... of light years away. Maybe… teach them the importance, though?

While Joe enjoyed the company, the confrontation still remained pretty conspicuous in his mind and after about half way through his conversation, Joe finally turned to Gwenvair.

“Is it… inappropriate to ask after the stats of your clan overlord?”

Gwenvair smiled with some bitterness, “I am unable to reveal such to you.”

Joe frowned, “You have an oath?”

“A compelling, yes.”

Compelling? That… no… focus.

“You cannot tell me of overlord clan Bunarl.”

“No.”

Joe paused at that, his mind running through options before finally coming up with a possible exception, “Who are the overlord clans?”

“They are the clans that hold the ruling clans of the planes.”

“They are the ruling clans?”

Gwenvair quickly shook her head, “Of this plane, now. There are great clans, greater clans, and the greatest clans. Beyond them lie many more, but I know nothing of them.”

“Hmm… Then who are the overlord clans?”

“Besides the Bunarl clan?”

“Yes.”

“There are many.”

“I would assume so. Then… who is the greatest of the overlord clans?”

“On our plane? Or in the cradle?”

Joe blinked at that, then considered. Huh… forgot the whole cradle thing, but… “Just this plane.”

“That would be overlord clan Dunlan.”

Joe nodded at that, “Then Dunlan, you know of them… pretty well?”

Gwenvair shrugged, “Only in hearsay.”

“Then, do you know what their normal stats are?”

Gwenvair stared at him, then began laughing softly, “Only rumors, but they are said to be in the high triple digits. Some even four digits.”

Joe nodded, “Hmm… that helps me. Thank you.”

Gwenvair frowned, then smirked, “You are quite… cunning.”

Joe shrugged, “I act as I am able.”

Gwenvair giggled and Joe didn’t respond, ending his conversation with a smile before turning back to the others. Gwenvair rejoined the conversation as well and the evening turned to an enjoyable time as Joe was able to more confidently relegate the Bunarl clan representative to unimportance.

The meal complete, all four spent the afternoon enjoying one another before calling an early evening. Joe retired to his room, the two girls joining him about a half an hour later although the guys spent most of the time in the common room and outside with Garnedell’s bow and arrows. The long day soon had Joe exhausted, and he fell asleep long before anyone else did. He slept, dead to the world, without noticing the boys return, the snuffing of lights, or the soon quiet snoring of all returned.

* * *