Chapter 114 Customers
“Do you think I went too far?” Van asked of no one in particular.
Amie nodded. “Asking for the blood of a noble in most nations would be a capital offense. Something that can see you hanged for… you should be lucky my mother was in a good mood…”
Van turned his gaze towards her in surprise and incredulity. “That’s a good mood!?”
Amie returned the gaze. “You did ask for her blood. Do you have any idea what you could do with it? She was putting a lot of trust in you. Which is surprising considering you were practically a stranger…”
Lyn then gave her two cents. “I don't’ think it was so much that she trusted Van, but that she trusted you, Amie. Even if you two don’t get along, I think she trusts your judgment more than you realize. Even I know that, and I think I kinda hate her… no offense…”
Amie gave a small laugh, “ya… she does tend to make people… dislike her a bit…” trying to word it a bit better.
“So what now?” Van asked as both Amie and Lyn seemed to lose themselves in thought.
Amie spoke up. “Well, we just do what we were planning to do. Me and Lyn will try to drum up business… or more like… I will do my best to drum up business as Lyn will be too busy fighting the war. You will do your best to rank up or evolve anyone that comes your way. We’ll use this opportunity to gain power and influence. And yes Van, money too.” cutting Van off before he had a chance to say it.
Van felt a little embarrassed, and also… a bit odd… it was not normally like him to be so greedy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he changed? Or perhaps he finally realized how poor he actually was and how much everything he wanted to do actually cost? Whatever the reason, he will try to be careful that his newfound greed did not get out of hand.
After that, the two started to talk about the time frame they will be operating on. Van asked for a few days off every so often so that he can do his own thing. After all, he still had a fort to run and resources to gather and so much more. More importantly, his coming here was all about training, something he can’t really do if he spent most of his time doing nothing but ranking up people.
After a bit of haggling, they agreed that he will work for four days a week. There will also be a limit to the number of customers that he had to see so as not to overwhelm him. He was also to work today since they already have a few people waiting to see him.
After that was done, he gave the two girls a kiss goodbye and sent them on their way. Wishing them well and much more.
“You stay safe okay? I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to you.” Van said as he said his goodbyes to Lyn.
“Jeez… you worry too much. After the power boost, you gave me, the chances of anything bad happening will be close to zero! You have my word that I’ll come back to you. After all… If I didn’t come back, I would miss out on my favorite thing in the whole world!” she said as she floated down and gave a playful kiss on his crotch area and then looked up with a wink.
“Okay, that’s enough, get out of here,” he said, rolling his eyes and gently turning her and pushing her out, much to her delight and giggling. “Amie, please keep in touch with Lyn and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” he said looking at her and handing Lyn off to her.
Amie accepted the pass-off and began pushing Lyn the rest of the way out of the tent. “I’ll only promise to try. After all… no one can truly stop Lyn from doing something stupid if she’s determined enough,” she said.
“Hey!” Lyn shouted as she was fully pushed out of the tent.
After that Van made the last few minute adjustments and prepared for the first few customers that he will be receiving. It wasn’t long before a surprisingly chubby fairy floated in, looking around bewildered as she was ushered in by two flanking zapper insect-kin. There to no doubt help make sure that the customers got in and out safely. She was also accompanied by a maid who floated alongside her.
Making sure his hood was on correctly, he greeted the fairy kindly. “Hello there, please come forward to be tested,” he said with a professional smile.
“Tested!?” the fairy said nervously. “I didn’t know there would be a test!” looking a little panicked due to the fact she didn’t study anything before coming.
“Not that kind of test,” he assured her. “It’s more me looking at you with my magic sense to determine what you need and how much you need of it. Which will be used to determine the price and how long it's going to take for your potential rank up. It is also to test if you can even be ranked up in the first place as well. Once we have determined that you can indeed rank up and that you can pay the price, we will proceed to the circle over there and commence with the ritual.”
“Oh, I see…” she said, still looking around nervously. “So uhh, what do I do?”
“Just continue to float there for a while longer. I’m almost done scanning you.” Van replied.
The chubby fairy blushed and looked like she was going to try and cover herself, but forced her arms to the side because she knew it would just look silly.
“Annnd. Done. I think I have an idea of what you need.” Van said.
“And what do I need?” now nervous that it could be very expensive or worse, she would require something very rare that was impossible to find.
“Hmm… it seems like you will need about a hundred ranks worth of mana cores, some sylph weed, a small emerald, and a small orb containing about twenty units of pure nature essence,” he said. “Also… you are just a regular fairy, correct?” interested because it was a little odd that such a low-ranking fairy had such a high bar for rank up.
The maid looked a little peeved, and was about to say something, but was stopped by her mistress who nodded sadly. “Ya… I'm just a fairy…”
“Oh! I’m so sorry, I did not mean any offense. It was… just odd how you require so much for a…” Van stopped himself from saying anything more. “Apologies.” he instead finished with, bowing his head a little.
“No need, I understand your confusion,” she replied in a melancholic tone, then changed the subject, sounding a little more hopeful. “If I get these ingredients I can rank up though?”
Van nodded. “Most definitely. I’ll even put my pride on the line and make sure you rank up even at cost to myself should it not be enough.”
“No need for that.” she said, “I’m in, if it doesn't work it doesn't work. I’m used to it…” she then realized the way she was acting and changed the topic again. “So… how much will this cost?”
“Well…” Van thought about it for a bit. “Obviously you will have to pay for any materials you don’t have, and that’s even if we have the material on hand to sell. Then will take whatever the overall cost of everything is and charge you a percentage on top of that. Say… thirty to fifty percent.”
“Hmm… so instead of paying a hundred ranks worth of mana cores… I will have to pay somewhere between a hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty. Is that correct?”
Van nodded, “as well as the cost for the other materials that I will have to work with. It should also go without saying that you will be bringing the mana cores that you will be using to pay and use as materials. You will also have to talk to Amie about any other costs that you might be charged with. I hope that is okay with you.”
The fairy nodded. “That sounds fair… it will take some time to gather the materials though…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here waiting for your return, I also think you are the only customer I have at the moment, until the next few hours since we are recently opened. So do not fear losing your place in line or anything like that. Even if we did have a customer right after you, it's no problem to reschedule a little later.”
After that, the two talked out the finer details and they were soon escorted out by the two insect-kin.
Two hours later, they returned with another fairy and her maid. When the fairy entered, her nose crinkled and she looked around in disgust. Which made her already thin appearance and face look somewhat scary.
“Disgusting…” the fairy said. “But what am I to expect from the mate of that violent mutt.” She then looked at Van, or rather, looked down at him despite the height difference with a look of disdain and an imperialist attitude. “You should be lucky to even be graced with my appearance, now… get to work, I don’t have all day. I’ll be damned if that fat sorry excuse of a fairy ranked up before me. Chop chop now, I don’t have all day, and unlike you, my time is precious.”
Van already hated her. First, he called Lyn a mutt, then she gave him attitude, and finally talked down about his previous customer who was actually very sweet once they talked a bit. He wanted to turn her down then and there, but he hesitated. He knew that Amie was the one that helped arrange these meetings. So if such a horrible person was seeing him, it meant that she either had no choice in the matter, there was an important reason for her appearance, or that it was out of her hands.
There may also be political reasons as to why such a person was here. So with that in mind, he did his best to keep a professional appearance, stopping himself from going all the way with his frown, and tunned her out a bit and started to mechanically explain the rules to her.
“You dare! You dare expect me to pay! You should be honored that I even dined to come to your sorry and very much shabby excuse of a- a- whatever this place is!” the fairy yelled at him. “Change your attitude this instant or you will face the consequences of my house! Bow and grovel right now!” she said as if expecting him to do that.
Van couldn’t help himself, he frowned but was just barely able to keep his annoyance and slight hostility from his eyes and in a neutral tone responded to her. “I’m very sorry, but I honestly don’t know which house you belong to, nor do I care, I am merely here to provide a service. Nothing more and nothing less, all will be treated equally here.”
The fairy looked shocked, but by the look of her expression, less so by being turned down than by him saying he was going to treat her equally like everyone else. It seemed she had an almost visceral response to such a notion like it jeopardized her entire worldview.
“Equal? Equal!?” The fairy then exploded with rage and started screaming so loud it sounded like she was dying. The two insect-kin rushed in a panic, wondering what was going on. Saw the screaming fairy then looked at each other in a loss. They then left and a few moments later, fairy guards in armor went in and demanded to know what was going on.
Van did his best to explain what happened through the screaming fairy who was cursing everyone out. And the lead fairy sighed and nodded her head as if she was expecting something like this to happen. They then restrained the fairy the best they could and moved her out of the tent, much to his relief.
But for some reason, that didn’t excuse him from getting into trouble. The fairy guards returned and effectively told him off for letting things get out of hand. A part of him felt offended, but he kept that inside as well and just nodded to whatever would see them go the fastest.
Strangely enough, after those first two outliers, all the fairies that came after were plain and normal people. Though that seemed more due to the fact that they may have come from smaller houses. While some were actually commoners.
Van did not know what was the criteria for the customers he got. But he trusted Amie, and so rolled with it. Planning to save his questions for later.
Like this the days past, he must have seen at least over a hundred fairies from various houses and dispositions. Thankfully, it was rare that a fairies ego was larger than her body. Making the fairy he had to deal with on the first day an outlier.
On the fourth day, the chubby fairy came back with all the ingredients that were required for her rank up. But for some reason, looked a little guilty about it.
“What’s wrong?” Van asked
“Oh… it’s nothing… my mom is just a little…” she shook her head “she cares too much… I have the ingredients you asked for.” She then placed almost twice the agreed-upon amount. Something that would be worth a small fortune.
“I also wanted to apologize for what happened after I left. I heard Christina found out I came here before her… so she probably wasn’t in a good mood…” she said with a downward expression and in a melancholic voice.
“Why are you apologizing for her? Are you her friend?” he asked, curious how such a sweet fairy was friends with such a rude and arrogant one.
She hesitated, “not… exactly…”
“Then there's no reason to apologize. Now, please enter the circle. It’s time we begin.” Van said, wondering if there was some sort of bully and bullied dynamic going on here. “Poor thing, probably so used to being hurt that she just accepted it as her lot in life.”
Once the fairy got in the circle, he began the ritual using the materials provided. At this point, he was very used to the process and completed it in record time. The only thing different was what came out of the circle this time, and the future potential that the fairy exuded.
The fairy herself lost her chubbiness, and instead gained a slime bombshell-like figure with a thick ass and breasts so large they looked almost comical on such a small body. She looked like a miniature fertility goddess with vibrant dual emerald and pink wings and soft green and pink eyes.
“Oh… that felt… weird, but… I feel so much… stronger!” she said, coming out of it and looking at her hands. She then looked down at her body with interest and then looked at him. “Am I pretty?” she asked as if she herself was not sure.
Van nodded. “you are… very… beautiful,” he said in awe.
The fairy blushed a little at the sincerity in his voice. “Be-beautiful enough to have sex with?” she asked, nervous but hopeful.
Van hesitated, “uhh…” he thought hard on how he should respond, after all, he already had his hands full with Luna and everyone else. But on the other hand… ever since he awakened his incubi blood, his lust had spiked. And he would have trouble dealing with it from time to time.
“I guess not…” she said since Van took too much time figuring out a response. “No matter how pretty I am… no one would love or want to make love with a mutt like me…” whatever ounce of confidence she gained from the rank up, already flying out the window as she became dejected and sad once more.
Van sighed, giving up and giving in. there was no right answer, and he was horny right now. So he walked up to her and grabbed her with a large hand, deciding action was more important right now.
“Wha-!? What are you doing!” she said in a panic as her arms were stuck to her sides. Then Van revealed himself. “Oh… oh my…” her eyes widened like dinner plates and she swallowed. “It's bigger than my entire body.” she finished with a tone of complete disbelief. Yet couldn’t help the excitement that leaked out of her mouth as she salivated.
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Van left said his goodbyes to the completely wrecked fairy who needed her maid to help her get out of the tent. He felt a little relieved since it had been a long day and she felt amazing. It then occurred to him that he didn’t know the fairies' name.
“Hey… before you leave… What is your name?” he asked.
The fairy looked back, this time her body a little chubby again, though it seemed she didn’t mind this kind of weight. “It’s Elena… Elena Wisteria.” she then blushed in embarrassment, “though my mom sometimes calls me Ella... you can call me Ella if you want though...”
“I think Elena is a beautiful name,” Van said wholeheartedly making Elena go redder in the face.
She looked away, then back to him. “Umm… if it’s not too much to ask… Can I… come visit from time to time.” she said, though by the look of her face it seemed she was already prepared to be turned down.
“I would love for you to come visit me again. Till next time Elena…” Van said with a smile.
Elena looked like she fell in love and blushed again. “T-till next time,” she said and left with a lovestruck smile on her face.
A few moments after she left, Van shook his head wondering what in the hells got into him. “I need to control this new part of myself or it will control me. I can’t go having sex with strangers willy nilly, and I’m pretty sure I just added her to my harem if her expression was anything to go by.”
He then sighed. “At least tomorrow I have the day off. Maybe some hunting will help clear my mind…” he then did the rest of the fairies that came in that day and left. Excited for tomorrow.