Leaving the store, they were quite pleased with the accessories that they purchased. Jill chafed slightly at the amount of gold each of them had spent. He and Red ended up spending the most, with him using 74 gold to her 100 gold. Although, once he explained that the most expensive gems were for his siblings presents, she relaxed significantly. Showcasing the items they got, they started making silly posses with them. It degraded into acting as though they were noble, which just caused Red to grow embarrassed. Mash felt a little bad, but he wasn’t used to being with nobles, having spent years joking about them with his sister. They always seemed to need such peculiar treatment when they visited his mother’s clinic.

Red’s jewelry was probably the best jewelry among the group, although her only competitor was Luke, who purchased a single set of earrings. Mash had never seen beastmen earrings, they were wide loops, and he had small blue crystals placed along the ring. It was a relatively simple design, especially when compared to Red’s complex necklace. It wasn’t unappealing though, the thin design of the metal making it seem fitting. The crystals were small spheres that were connected by a series of thin metal threads, each metal specifically chosen as to not be sharp. She even had a specific design in mind for it to be easily removable. Did she plan to wear it while fighting? That seemed foolish, and he hoped it was just a precaution.

On the other hand, Mash and Jill didn’t really buy proper jewelry, instead making some rather unique pieces. Mash had his two half masks, both of which were well received by his friends. The mouthpiece was perfect for highlighting the changes to his eyes and would work well for whatever they had planned for the rest of the night. They joked about how scary it looked when he made it open and close along with his own mouth. Finally hiding his inhuman features with the other mask earned a much more genuine applause. The clear crystals would reflect the small light that emanated from his eyes, essentially hiding them with their own light. He could still see too; the shop owner having used magic to let him see through it despite the reflecting light. She said it wasn’t magic, only having changed the shape of the crystal internally. He didn’t understand but was happy with the result.

Jill got three small crystals, which were surrounded by a thin layer of barely visible metal. Having them shaped into raindrops, she wore one on her forehead. They all shone faintly gold, reflecting the color of her hair. She placed the final two underneath her right eye drawing attention to the changes there. The armor essentially occupied every other place that jewelry might go, and the special metal it was made of would clash with most other colors. After she finished with her purchases, they left the shop looking for a meal and the inn.

The night went by quickly after that, a rush of meeting people who commented on their accessories. He too gave his fare share of complements, finding that it helped them better fit into the crowd. They didn’t find a standalone restaurant but managed to get to the inn. It wasn’t hard to find, every wall of the building having pictures of enormous glowing suns etched into them. The shown brightly enough to illuminate the surrounding streets, and there were inviting smells leaking through the entrance. it didn’t take much convincing and they entered the inn, finding a tavern on the lowest floor. It was sectioned off by wealth, lines easily discernable among the floor and walls.

Although, nobody seemed to care right now, people happily chatting with those across the divides. They were expecting to be unable to find a seat, but several tables had enough empty seats for them. It wasn’t that the place was empty, rather that the round tables had almost ten seats at each table. Most were occupied by a group of adventurers, and they didn’t take up the whole table. Several tables were full, and he guessed that you would just find a seat at any available table. Before grabbing a seat, they made their way to the bar, to speak to the barkeep.

He was a tall lanky man, an elf by the shape of his ears and his unusual height. Having never spoken to an elf, Mash was eager to approach him despite the imposing presence he gave off. Whatever his abilities or level was, the entire building was covered in his mana. He had long green hair, and brown skin that was covered in intricate tattoos. Different symbols patterned across his arms and neck. He wore a robe that hung over his shoulders and covered his entire body, but oddly enough his arms were fully exposed as though the sleeves had been cut off.

“Hello, my name is Mash, and these are Red, Jill, and Luke. We were hoping you would have some rooms or tonight.”

Mash spoke first, eager to get to know the elf. He still wanted to visit that forest town he had seen in the painting.

“Greeting’s children, I am known as Iviran. I do indeed have some rooms that I can offer, though every available room only has two beds in them. Two rooms for the night will be one gold piece, and may I say, that is a rather nice Mask. It fits you perfectly.”

Mash was surprisingly happy to hear the compliment. The elf sounded vaguely regal, even giving a casual bow at his introduction. Honestly, Iviran seemed like some untold prince, with his natural poise and tone. His words carried easily despite the noise the crowd behind was making. They paid for the rooms. It was a little expensive, but not so much so that it was unreasonable. After seeing how crowded the city had been, they expected it to cost more. They paid for two nights, deciding that they might want to explore the town more. Mash ordered an excessive amount of food, but the barkeep didn’t seem at all fazed by the amount. Many of the other adventurers didn’t seem bothered either. Maybe, skills that changed a person’s hunger level was more common among those who experienced transformations.

After ordering his food he looked over the tables, seeking out a good place to sit. Most of the tables were filled by adventurers, and some even seemed to be around his age. Those were the tables he absolutely did not want to sit at, though the others didn’t seem to share his opinion. They choose a table near one of the walls, four of the seats were filled by people that looked to be around their age. Mash reluctantly followed them but scoured the tables for any better seats.

On their way, he noticed another table that interested him more. The table was slightly tucked behind a wall, but the colors along the floors and wall meant that it was not meant for nobles. There were only two people sitting at the table, both were of races that Mash had never seen before. He had heard of them, but both races were comprised of relatively isolated communities. One was a squat man and was a head shorter than Mash himself. Despite his stature, his muscles were thick, and he had a lot of facial hair. It was tied into a braid, much like the hair on his head was, each braid was bigger than Mash’s palm. He was a dwarf, but Mash thought that dwarves couldn’t leave their cities.

The other person at the table was even more of a standout. At first, he thought that the person had been drastically change by his class, but he managed to remember reading about a race that fit this description. A race of people who spent most of their lives living within ocean cities, away from any influence of other kingdoms. The man had violet scales covering his entire body, and his face reminded Mash of a dragon. His build was surprisingly sleek, not quite what Mash had expected from his readings. It was a lizardman, a race that was so rare on land that most people just assumed that they were monsters. With his knew knowledge of what dungeons were, he wondered if many of the races in their kingdom were visitors from another world. It would make sense as to why each race seemed so drastically different.

The lizardmen was most likely the reason for the emptiness of the table. Also, as to why it was in a relatively hidden location. It didn’t bother Mash, if anything the obscurity of the location made him want to sit there even more. So, he spoke up as they were going to go by. He only spoke for himself, not wanting to stop the others from talking to whomever they wanted to.

“Can I sit here?”

He didn’t really know of a better way to ask for a seat. Expecting them to be hesitant, he thought that he would be rejected. The dwarf’s response came out merrily, sounding surprisingly pleased to have someone take a seat.

“Aye, you can take a seat. Can’t be worse company than this.”

His words were a little strange, and he always seemed to make sure the last word of his sentence was said the loudest. The dwarf gave off an exaggerated gesture of disgust as he spoke, but the lizardman ignored him and shrugged in acceptance towards Mash. Happily taking the seat, he wondered if his friends would do the same. Even if their party wasn’t all human, both of these races were not often well received. Their isolation leading to a lot of bad rumors and stories about their kind. There were nine seats at the table, and sitting down, he noticed that there was an extra glass next to the dwarf. Looked like they had at least one more companion.

“Hi, I’m Mash. Got any interesting stories worth telling?”

Introducing himself, he took a seat beside the lizardmen. He was only a little surprised when the others took the seats beside him. He ended up becoming the divider between the two groups. Not minding his role, he was happy to hear the others introduce themselves. After which, the Lizardman took the opportunity to introduce themselves.

“I am Zisha, and this is Hengul. While it is indeed true that I have interesting stories to tell, do you have any that we would like to hear.”

Two things surprised Mash about the lizardman’s words. First their tone was feminine, strangely like Priscilla’s projected voice, which meant that he was wrong to assume that they were male. The other thing was the clearness in their voice, even Mash’s own voice was more inhuman. His changes weren’t very drastic, his body having adjusted to the wooden portion of his neck. Though he could notice the faint echo that seemed to trail his words now. However, her actual words only made him grin. One of the things he was certain he had, was interesting stories. He was not so disillusioned, that he couldn’t realize how many impossible encounters he has had over the past few months.

He started to tell them of the dungeon they were just in, but was interrupted by a cough from Red. She made a little gesture with her hand, moving it as though she were signing something. Her concern was unnecessary, he was not foolish enough to break the contract. He knew that he could talk about most of their dungeon experience without breaking its terms and gave her a small nod in acknowledgement. So, he continued telling them of the dungeon experience, minus the encounter with the bandits. At first, they seemed disinterested, but that changed once he mentioned the World Carrier. They looked skeptical at first but got reassurances from everyone else in his group. He made a show of his eyes, explaining that one was an imitation of the beings. The other was of another similar being. Before he could start explaining that story, the food arrived and took up his attention.

The food had come out, the barkeep himself having brought it to their table, before he took a seat beside the dwarf. That was their missing companion. Mash wanted to continue his story but couldn’t resist the temptation of food at his table. He started to eat, there was a surprising variety to the food that they brought out. His favorite was some western dish that was oddly spicy. It was served over a puffed grain, and he enjoyed its fluffiness more than the typical bread he was used to. Their guests didn’t seem pleased at him not finishing his story, nor of him not elaborating on the other great being that they met. Jill picked up where he left off though, explaining their encounter with the String of Fate, though she left out the visions that they had.

They didn’t appear as skeptical anymore, accepting their story now. He wondered why, and it turned out that they had seen the very same creature before, it seemed like the creature was often spotted, but most were not foolish enough to approach it. With that little bit of criticism given, the group went on to tell their own stories, and Mash eagerly devoured any information that they had to offer.