A guard led Karl to a room down the hall that had a large shower and bath, plus a dressing room and a few more options of clothing.
“We will knock fifteen minutes before dinner. Let us know if you need anything before then, we will be outside the door and there is a manservant available should you require assistance.” The Guard explained.
“Thank you, I will let you know if there is anything missing.”
The guard closed the door and Karl headed for the shower room.
It was stocked with a dozen different body washes, shampoos, brushes, scrubbers and even an assortment of trimmers. There wasn’t much that he couldn’t do to make himself presentable, so Karl started right in on trimming his beard and cutting his hair.
The sink area had adjustable mirrors, so he could even see the back of his head in the reflection, and the process was going much more quickly than he had expected.
He considered letting Remi out to see what his hair would look like after she had her way with it, but Karl suspected that he was still under surveillance, and having a random Naga Queen appear in his bath would be hard to explain.
It didn’t stop her from giving suggestions anyhow, and by the time that he was finished with the trim, she was delighted with his makeover.
[You just need tusks. I wonder if we could make Trollish Regeneration grow you a set of tusks?] She pondered.
[That would be more Trollish. But I don’t think that we have time to experiment. I spent too much time getting my hair perfect, now I need to get clean and dressed.]
Remi was sad, but she did have a few minutes to spare as Karl showered, and she could practice on her own claws in an attempt to shape them into a new design while making them grow out.
If she could do it with nails, they should be able to do it with teeth as well.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t working as well as she had hoped. She had made a pretty design out of her claw, but it didn’t grow out like they would need Karl’s teeth to do in order to make tusks.
It just returned to its default state if she damaged it too much. It didn’t get longer than that.
Karl finished his shower and quickly changed into the provided outfit. Then looked at it in dismay. The colour combination was horrible, pale gold and green. There had to be something better in the racks.
A short search turned up a white shirt, black pants and a silver and black tailed jacket.
[You need the waist band.] Rae reminded him.
[Right, there we go. How do I look?]
[Like you’re going to a meeting with nobles ten thousand years ago.] Remi laughed.
[That’s perfect. As long as I don’t look too ridiculous, a little bit of oddity will help sell the story that I’m from the past. With any luck, this should be our last meeting with the Council, and then we can grab Thor and the ladies to make our escape.]
Karl added a spritz of each of the three fancy perfumes that were on the counter, hoping to hide his natural scent, and then double-checked to make sure that he hadn’t messed up anything on his outfit.
The guard knocked at their door and gave Karl an approving look as he saw that everything was in order.
“The Council will be ready soon, and it is considered polite to arrive before they do.” He explained.
“Lead the way. Are the ladies ready?” Karl asked.
“Hopefully, soon. The tiny one is a menace, and the head maid had to rescue one of her staff, but they should have things sorted out by now.”
Karl chuckled. “Nature Priestesses are like that. They’re a bit too wild and free for most social situations, and they love meeting new people. I wouldn’t be shocked if she dragged a maid into the bath with her.”
The guard laughed. “I hope that it wasn’t that extreme. But such things are the ladies’ private business.”
Karl followed the guard to the dining room, where the others were already gathered, along with a group of maids who had brought them.
They were all elegantly dressed with intricate hairstyles and immaculate makeup, except for Ophelia, though Karl suspected that there were highlights in her fur that were not there before.
Once he had arrived, the guards and maids backed away, except for a pair of maids who guided them to their spots at the table.
They were all seated along one side, and the other side of the table was set with five spots, plus one at the head and one at the foot.
That should mean seven Overlord Council members in total, or fewer than that plus a few other guests.
Karl had met three of them so far, the Naga, tree lady and troll. The others hadn’t met any, and it was just the guards and staff that were showing concern for their safety while Karl was away.
The trio that Karl had already met were the first ones to come out, followed by what Karl thought might be a Pixie, who transformed into a human sized form as she reached her chair, a Chimera who did the same, smoothly shifting from four feet to two, and finally Morrisa, the Minotaur Overlord.
The last to arrive was the Oracle, who took a spot at the foot of the table, across from the Troll, who took the seat at the head.
“Welcome everyone. I will do the introductions for the day.
From my right, we have the Lady Ophelia, Mage Dana, Priestess Lotus of the Green Dragon, Priestess Tessa of the Red Dragon, and Merchant Karl of the Stone Trolls.
Guests, I would like to introduce you to the Oracle, Overlord Morrisa of the Minotaurs, Overlord Thrax of the Chimera, Overlord Tink of the Faeries, Overlord Sslyth of the Naga, Overlord Leafa Oak of the Haints, and I am Council Head Arnold of the Forest Trolls.”
Everyone nodded politely as the names were read, then Morrisa turned to Karl with narrowed eyes.
“You look familiar, a lot like a human I met not long ago.” She insisted.
“I have heard that a lot lately. Tell me, did you find anything interesting in the humans’ territory? Once I make it past Whiton Temple, I might keep going and check out the lands to the north before coming back through the Divine Beast Nation.”
The Minotaur scoffed. “That would take most of a year to complete.”
Karl nodded. “It will be a good opportunity. And, I can find some new trade partners for the next trip. If I skirt the edge of the Mountain Giant territory just right, I should be able to bring some quality imports across the wilderness.”
The Fairy, Tink, looked incredibly excited about that idea. “That would be great. They have all sorts of new and shiny things, and you could almost pass as a human. Their sense of smell is terrible, so they would never know the difference.
They might just think that you were big.”
“That’s the plan. As long as they don’t mistake me for an Ogre, I should be fine.” Karl joked.
Their discussion on trade routes was interrupted by the servants bringing out the food, and Karl made a note of the way that Council Head Arnold ate. If there was some odd way that Trolls liked to eat, it was best that he noticed it before he outed himself as human.
Fortunately for Karl, the Council head wasn’t doing anything odd, just gnawing the smoked ribs clean of meat and popping the diced and deep-fried potato bits into his mouth like everyone else.
Having perfect peripheral vision saved Karl a lot of trouble at dinner. He didn’t have to look to the side or turn his head to see what everyone was doing, only to let them know he was talking to them.
“Is that your goal? To bring the clerics to the temple at Whiton?” Thrax, the Chimera Overlord, asked.
“Yes. We’re going to trade and let the clerics do their work all the way from here to Whiton. We’ve made it this far from the coast already, so we’re doing pretty well.” Karl agreed.
“A proper pilgrimage it is, then. Not many choose to make the trek across the continent from west to east, but the combination of a War Cleric and a Nature Priestess does make for an interesting balance.” The Chimera added.
“Good food too. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but as well as their combat duties, all the Red Dragon Priestesses are trained in the basics of caring for War Orphans, so they’re excellent cooks.” Karl informed him with a pleased look at his plate.
“Perhaps as good as your Fortress Chefs. My compliments to them, by the way, this is spectacular.”
The Chimera nodded, and the meal moved through the courses without interruption.
Once they were finished eating, the Overlords began to excuse themselves from the table, saying goodnight to the Council Head and the Oracle in turn before getting up to leave.
Karl and the others rose when the Oracle did, and the visionary nodded his head towards the door.
“Sleep well tonight, and you may continue on your way in the morning. I will have the maids deliver you a token before you go. Lady Oak is quite intrigued by your past, and she may wish to contact you again in the future.” He explained, then turned and walked out.
“Council Head, it was a pleasure to meet you. My apologies for any trouble we might have caused.”
Arnold simply nodded his head and walked away, leaving the door open for the maids to come in and escort Karl’s team to their suite.
