Whatever conversation was occurring around him, Lak Lok couldn’t care less, concerning himself with the conversation his tongue was having with the loathsome meal he was eating. The rocky taste of shroom salt and lichen sugar was palpable on the caramelized crust. The chef who cooked this had to be a goblin. In his experience, all goblins were fungivores by nature. By the time he’d swallowed down the last of the gamey hydra fat, he’d only caught the tail end of the conversation. 

Interesting. It was convenient that they had an experienced outdoorsman as part of their party. Images of hacking away at a dead unicorn corpse wandered into his mind before he brushed it away, trying to focus on the task at hand. He had two choices now. Either, he could accompany the corpse-conjurer or go along with everyone else to the sheriff. 

If he chose to investigate the sheriff’s office, he would no doubt be at risk of arrest for some of his…past misadventures. The thought of accompanying the black magician was much more appealing. Corpse conjuration was a magic that had many applications. Especially for cooking. The thought of violating the laws of nature to bring back once extinct flavors made Lak Lok’s mouth salivate. 

Besides, it would reduce his future restaurant’s expenditure on acquiring rare ingredients. This….corpse interrogation was a learning experience he couldn’t miss out on. 

“ Very well. I volunteer to accompany the corpse conjurer”  Lak Lok wiped the oil off his scaly lips with the napkin and shuffled closer to the group, nearly tipping off the precariously long-legged stool. “ It will indeed be interesting to see -” 

“ Sir?” 

Lak Lok grumbled as he slowly turned to his back. It was that same damned waiter, holding a piece of paper in his trembling hands. It appeared he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Perhaps, there was something admirable behind all that incompetence after all. 

“ Sir, are you going to…..” The half-elf visibly gulped, lifting up the paper for him to see, a price scribbled on it with coal “....Pay for your meal?”  

Did that waiter seriously just -? The kobold stayed eerily silent, just staying still, an unreadable stony look on his face. He then replied in a deathly low murmur. 

“ You’ll pay.” 

The half-elf opened his mouth to say something but Lak Lok silenced him by slowly pulling out his chef’s knife. With a whimper, the half-elf slowly began to pull one coin and the next out of his pockets. Whenever there was a slight hesitation, Lak Lok gestured towards the pommel of his knife. When the last coin fell, Lak Lok pursed through the pile of coins before shaking his head and tutting in mock disappointment.

“ You’re missing ten sliver.” The bill now in his hand, Lak Lok waved it towards the waiter. “ Pay. Up.” 

“Bu- buh, this is for my rent…..” 

Lak Lok didn’t care. He just pointedly looked towards the pile of coins on the bartop and then, looked expectantly at the waiter. Half-blubbering, the waiter reluctantly deposited the last of his measly salary on top of the bar-stool. 

“ Thank you for your service.” 

Oh great, he was now crying. Lak Lok waited politely until the waiter was out of earshot, resuming what he was saying. 

“ I’m so sorry for that terrible waiter. As I was saying previously, it will be interesting to see such magic for the first time.”   Lak Lok waved his hand towards another waiter for a refill of his spring water before speaking to the entire group as a whole. “ I suppose if that’s all settled, then, I’m ready to begin this task. The food here has already worn my patience thin.”