Karl had no idea that his mother and his Dana were getting along so well, or even that they had met.
Instead, he was busy with a much more important matter, making sure that a horde of small Elven children made it home safely and that the people who came for them really were their parents.
The chances that someone was trying to steal one of the kids seemed pretty low in a village like this, where everyone knew everyone, but the risks were never zero, especially when there were likely to be people who had skills that allowed them to disguise their appearance.
The obvious advantages of that sort of skill for persuasion and trickery were obvious, and he didn’t want to mess things up at the last minute by passing one of the kids off to the wrong person.
So, he waited and watched as the Elves set up a feast in the forest below the Mayor’s office, and everyone from town began to gather to welcome the kids back.
It was a touching scene, proof that people here really did care for their little ones, even after they had gathered great power for themselves.
Back home, politicians were better known for passing their kids to a nanny to raise, so they would rarely actually see each other, unless it was for a social event. But here, the kids were part of everything, and there were Elves from every age group present. From the ones that could barely walk, all the way to ones that could barely walk anymore.
“Sir, if you would like to come down, the food is ready. I know how your people feel about all vegetable dinners, but I promise it will be good.” The Mayor insisted.
“I have no doubts about that. If I wanted meat, I could cook it myself. The beasts have a plentiful supply stored. But personally, I have gotten quite familiar with the food creation abilities of my Green Dragon Cleric companions back home.” Karl explained.
“Rice and Beans!” One of the kids shouted, before the rest burst into laughter.
“Exactly. But she also has the advanced spells, so she can make other forms of food products with her magic. That gives us a wide variety of options, and we’re never wanting for flavour.”
The elves all seemed to be delighted with those answers, and they had prepared a veritable feast to celebrate the return of the kids. Some were even still in mourning clothes, which they were hastily changing out of when they were reunited.
They did it the same way that Karl did, just with a swap from their bonded items, so the system must have been a very common thing here, not exclusive like it was in the Golden Dragon Nation with the Elites. The presence of so many people with combat skills would make for a well defended village, even if they only had lower Ranks available. Karl knew full well that one war cleric who could buff the group was worth dozens of soldiers when the monsters attacked, and the Elves had more than a few clerics with them, though they all appeared to worship Elven Gods, not the Dragons.
Not that it made all that much difference to Karl. The Elven Gods seemed to have a gentle nature, as the clerics were all treated like parents among the village. They also had a number of tamed beasts in the town limits, including a small blink cat, who was keenly interested in Karl from the moment that their eyes met.
The version of Blink Cat that Karl was familiar with didn’t get powerful, so it wouldn’t be much of a combat pet, but seconds later, it was on Karl’s shoulder, snuggled against his neck and purring happily.
Hawk mentally rolled his eyes at the cat’s lack of self-preservation instinct, but Thor thought it made sense. Karl was the biggest predator around, and he looked vaguely like the Elves. So, cuddling up to him and making friends was the smartest idea that a small creature like the Blink Cat could have.
They survived by being able to escape, not by being able to fight.
Karl was just taking his seat when he got a message from the System. [Mission Complete: Reward calculating]
[Class Quest Reward triggered: The Perfect Pet.]
[Using the coordinates provided, find the perfect pet for your level and skill combination.]
Karl stared at that for a few seconds as he tried to make sense of the reward he had gotten. It was a reward, but also a class exclusive quest? Couldn’t it just give him the pet instead of making him hunt it down? Or was there a reason that he had to go look for it? There might be additional requirements along the way that he hadn’t encountered yet. Or perhaps the hunt itself was part of the requirement? He had found all of the others legitimately, they hadn’t been given to him.
Well, Hawk nearly was, as his egg was among the monster resources that had been prepared for the newly injected Elites and their guards. But he had still picked it up himself, and nobody handed it to him with clear instructions.
Perhaps that stage was vital to the development of the mental bond between partners?
That made sense to the beasts. If it was already born, and not coming from an egg in his space, wouldn’t he need to make friends before he kidnapped it? You couldn’t just steal people, they would never forgive you, and your team needed to be on your side and loyal.
The thought made Karl smile.
[Loyal, like not running off with my team members.] He sent to Rae.
Thor snorted in amusement at the spider, but Remi laughed at them both.
[Thor isn’t innocent this time. How many times did he ignore deployment orders so that he could go charging through enemy lines with Tessa?] She asked, rhetorically.
[Three.] Hawk added.
[Not more than two. One of those times was after I got permission.] Thor countered.
Karl shook his head. [I am glad you understand the issue. Rae gets a bit more leeway since she can shadow step, and return instantly, but Thor has buffs centred on him, so he needs to be in position or other team members could be unexpectedly without circle of protection.]
Karl sat at the table of honour with the Mayor and a few elderly clerics, while the children of the village ran around and played.
“Hey, I’m almost grown now, you’re only eighteen, just a little kid.” One of the young teens was shouting at another.
Karl couldn’t resist laughing, and the Mayor politely hid his laughter behind his hand, while the old woman to Karl’s left just smirked.
“Don’t feel too bad about being youthful, son. I can’t even argue that I’m middle-aged anymore. I’ve been alive a hundred years for every one that you have.” She whispered.
Karl turned to face her. “I didn’t know that Elves lived that long.”
The old woman laughed. “That depends on how powerful they are, now doesn’t it? As powerful as I am, I have bought myself an extra thousand years. Elves get more extra time than humans do as they get more powerful.
So, when you’ve reached even my level, you get three times the lifespan instead of double. I would imagine that you’ll live a good long time if you aren’t cut down in your prime like so many of the violent humans are.”
Karl chuckled. That was a very real possibility.