Chapter 369: Unexpected Reunion
The man was taken back by Jace’s response. But Jace could hear some chuckling from a table that was partially filled with men. They were not dressed properly either. They wore military outfits but not Vexical ones. Nor were they any mercenary company he had seen. Then Jace took a second before he realized he actually recognized two of them.
One of them was Commander Tyler of the former New Hexarian Republic. It was already undergoing massive changes. Apparently it was a powder keg of civil war that Jace’s squad set off. With its military crippled at the border, the factions seeking to grab control succeeded. Especially when they realized their commanders and high ranking politicians were deceased.
The result was the republic appealing to the Victorium to join under the banner that the Vexical Empire had already started to create. They in turn secured their borders until everything could be finalized. So now on top of the Woltar joining the Vexical, the former territories known as the New Hexarian Republic were joining the Vexical people in joining the Victorium as well.
He did not realize it at first, but after some time when he began his vacation he began to piece together that the operation was Director Fenrir’s plan from the start. She had contacts and spies in the New Hexarian Republic who were no doubt the moving force behind the civil unrest that is still holding onto that country. In a way he was mad about that, in another way he had a lot of respect for the director for keeping that information from them.
But that was something else entirely. At the moment he realized that these people were here because this was the Victorium’s human faction headquarters. So they had to send a few representatives as well as volunteers. Representatives to talk to not just the High Priestess but the temporary governor that the Victorium Government Council had sent. While the volunteers were for the High Priestess to figure out how they would fit in their military.
Most of the soldiers around Commander Tyler, Jace did not recognize. They seemed like they were from the republic as well. But their features were distinct, making him realize they all probably came from different parts of the republic. But sitting next to Commander Tyler was the dwarf whose name he never learned.
But Jace’s attention was drawn back to the server. He scoffed and shook his head. "Regardless, we do not have nearly enough seats to accommodate your group as well-"
"Pull over some chairs here. They can join us!" The Dwarf called out, "I doubt that will be much of a problem, you porcelain sniffer!"
"Porcelain sniffer?" Allie asked while looking at Jace.
"Slag for a brown noser. The more expensive style toilets are made of porcelain." Jace explained with a chuckle then turned to the man who had become red in the face. "Grab your supervisor or I am actually going to put your head through this fancy podium."
The man seemed to suck in a breath. Then they turned and marched away. "The most uncivilized pieces of garbage. My word..."
The dwarf climbed out of his seat while walking over with a glass bottle of bear in his hand. But he was treating it gently like he was not used to carrying something so weak and fragile. "That fool will probably call the police first. He tried the same thing with us. Then got cuffed over the head by the MPs that showed up."
Jace shook his head and chuckled. "Dude’s got a rot about his shiner. Probably the reason for his trip up the stairs." Jace responded, causing the dwarf to blink in surprise before bursting into laughter. While the girls and others listening were confused, Cho tilted her head as she processed what he said and was thinking.
"Youngun human can speak tacky tacky like the drivel dravel. How you figure that out? Or you just tryin’ it for the laughs of life?" The dwarf asked in turn. Jace processed his words. The first sentence was him saying that he can talk like him. Then he was asking how he learned how to do that.
"Planetbound Orphanages, they really let a kid loose. Tacky tacky was the common slang and drabble of the ordinary and uneducated. Few things encourage shortcuts like fighting for survival." Jace answered with a grin.
But the dwarf then frowned and pointed at him while laughing. "You’re the sneaky snake that knows how to make trash into art with a few booms. You get fired or just kicking back at home?"
"Eh..." Jace shook his head, "neither. Victorium mandated vacation. Apparently they have issues with overworking. Bunch of nags they can be. But they know talent and good things when they see them." Jace answered with a shrug.
"Mhmmm..." The dwarf nodded and then noticed the toupe wearing man was walking back with a chef. He was smirking like he had just won a fight. "Good luck! It should be good entertainment for the end of our meal."
Jace watched the chef that was following the toupe wearing man flinch and frown for a moment before he burst into laughter. Surprising the man who was grinning a moment before. The chef quickly walked forward before reaching his hand forward. Jace took a moment as well to realize why the man was laughing. "Well it has been awhile. You got the forced vacation boot too?" Jace asked.
"I did indeed. Man, last time I heard anything about you was that you entered a special program following completing your cadet training. As for me, I became a chef as you can tell." The man waved at his clothes.
"So you stepped out of the path of fighters to just cook?" Jace asked with a raised eyebrow. "Although you did prefer to make our meals during training. So I suppose it makes sense."
"Eh?" The man shrugged as he looked around before pointing at a table. "Let’s get you seated over there and we can catch up... what is it now? Commander? Sergeant?"
Jace chuckled and shook his head. "They do not have a clear transfer for Spectres just yet. So just Jace is fine." Jace told him as they ignored the toupe wearing man as he stared slack jawed as they walked to an open table.
"Dropped the Steel eh?" The man asked.