CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 79 - Closing a Deal

While setting a hard pace, Kalistra adroitly sidestepped or slipped through the throngs of pedestrians on the streets.

I gamely tried to keep up, but with each collision with another passerby, I slipped further and further behind until I no longer had the short feline girl in my sight. Offering a polite apology to my latest victim, I decided to slow down my pace and avoid further collisions with pedestrians on the street. My master knew what was my destination: Roen's Sign Maker Shop. Before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of the small, two-floored shop.

"What took you so long?" a female voice demanded.

I turned around to face Kalistra and offered my master a deep bow. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep up with you."

The cat girl waved her paw in dismissal. "Let's hurry in and get this secret mission of yours over with." She tried to reach for the door handle to open and enter the shop when I quickly stepped in front of the door and blocked her.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure if you should go in with me," I said apologetically. Hopefully, she won't do a shoulder-poke again with her claw.

"I'm just a shopper who happened to be around when you entered the store," Kalistra answered with a grin. She reached for the handle again.

I held up my hands. "Master, please allow me a moment to confer with the gods. If they are not opposed to your presence, then you can come inside with me," I suggested.

"Fine!" the fickle cat girl spat out. She folded her arms and turned her head to the side. Her tail whipped back and forth with impatience.

Wincing at her response, I dismissed Kalistra from my mind. Instead, I recalled the image of Musa, the middle-aged matronly looking woman who wore glasses, and directed my thoughts to the goddess: Lady Musa, I would like Kalistra to enter Roen's shop and serve as an independent witness. If you are opposed to her presence, please let me know.

I closed my eyes and waited for the telltale sign of a tingling sensation from my brand. However, I felt nothing; I took the absence of a response as Musa's acquiescence. Thank you, Lady Musa! I opened my eyes and smiled at Kalistra, who was now watching me closely. "Let's go," I said.

The cat girl reached around my waist and grabbed the door handle. Without waiting for me to step aside, Kalistra pulled on the door, smacking it against my back. "Oops! I'm sorry!" the evil minx offered a mocking apology as her pale green eyes lit up with delight.

"-2 Health." I dismissed the message and stepped away from the door. Once my master entered the shop, I followed her and closed the door behind me. There was no point in complaining to Kalistra about the door. After all, it was obviously intended as payback for preventing her from entering the shop. Yup, my master was that petty and I had to grin and bear it.

As usual, the half-elf was hunched over his workbench. "I'll be with you in a moment, sirs!" Roen said without looking up. He was holding a paint brush and writing on a sign.

I was very surprised that he knew there was more than one customer in the shop. I will have to ask him how he knew without looking at us. I waited patiently near the door while my master felt the need to roam around the shop. Thankfully, her natural feline grace allowed her to navigate the floor of the shop without distracting the shopkeeper.

Finally, Roen was finished with his work and looked up at us. "Ah! Perfect timing!" he grinned as he held up his latest piece. It was a piece of wood some six inches wide and four inches tall, colored in light green, with the words, "Do Not Disturb," in clear black letters. The sign was small enough to be tied to a string and hung on the door knob of a guest room.