Lotus stared expectantly at Karl as he entered the room. "So, where are the Acolytes? Did they send cute ones? Why aren't they here?" Karl patted her on the head and gave the little cleric a pitiful frown. "I'm afraid that they sent all Blue Dragon Acolytes, and they couldn't be pulled away from new knowledge so easily. They're still at work, and they will be staying at the lab tonight. However, they are all beastkin Clerics. I suspect that it was a little prank played on the lab, as half of them were sent home, leaving only five Acolytes.
But they have all learned the basic skills that they are going to need, and from there, we can start building their skills."
Lotus frowned. "So, am I going to have to go there?"
"No, I will bring them back in a day or two, once they sort out the dangerous situation here. But one day I will have to bring everyone from the lab out to meet you. There is a Gnomish woman named Fizzspark there that you would get along very well with. She even rides Cara around the lab like a Cerro."
Karl realized when he finished speaking that the logical word would have been 'horse', but none of them had ever owned a horse as far as Karl knew.
Once he was in the suite, the rest of the team came back out, even Hawk, who had decided to use the transformation token to look humanoid again. This time he had a bird head and four wings, with long clawed toes on his feet. But his hands were very nearly human.
He flapped his wings and rotated his head halfway around to get a better look at them, which freaked out the maids. But he was satisfied with his transformation skills.
Four wings might actually be better than two.
"You decided to come out twice in a day. Aren't you feeling adventurous." Karl joked.
Hawk squawked in amusement. Then, he actually answered. "Someone dared to target our new nest. I can't let Sister Rae have all the fun."
His voice was raspy, and a few times, Karl was certain that he heard a keening cry in the undertones of the voice, which made him wonder if the System was translating for him.
But the Maids were smiling, and they didn't have System access. So, Hawk had finally made a head that could speak Common.
Or he had learned to speak in everyone's minds at once. Both were possibilities with Hawk's transformational limitations.
"Should we prepare separate rooms for the newly arrived guests?" One of the maids asked.
"That would be appreciated. Until they are certain that everyone is safe, I suspect that they will prefer to remain active in the outside world.
Remi, stop teasing Lotus, she just wants to pet the bird."
Remi had the little cleric wrapped right to her armpits, stopping her from running to Hawk.
Reluctantly, Remi let her go, and Lotus ran over to bury her face in Hawk's wings. For once, he wasn't covered in fire, and she could feel the soft feathers.
Ghostfire Body was still active, he had just pulled it back to a warm layer over his body, so he could move freely.
As an added safety measure, Karl called the Guardian and both Bodyguards. The Lamia pair glided across the room to bask in the late afternoon sun by the patio door, while the Guardian remained near Karl, her scaled and bark covered body barely visible to others as her Camouflage skill passively activated.
[Oh, that's a great idea. Anyone who comes to bother us will think that's me at first. Then chop chop chop.] Rae cheered.
She had a good point. Intruders would definitely see the Guardian first, and if they attacked her, they would be defenceless when Rae arrived.
"These new ladies..." Karl's maid asked.
"Are summoned. Like a living Golem. They don't sleep, so they don't need beds. But I am feeling a bit hungry. When is dinner?" He asked.
"Whenever you would like, Sir. The other guests have been sent away, so dinner will be here in your suite, and it can be ready in fifteen minutes whenever you request."
Dana nodded in agreement, and Ophelia gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up, so the Maid ducked her head out the door and had someone outside run with the message.
There was an underlying tension in the suite that was definitely coming from the maids. They weren't Elites, or even combat trained. Their job was to clean and assist guests. So, the day's news had them rattled.
The Palace hadn't come under threat since any of them had started working here, making this the first time that they had actually had to use the security protocols.
Even worse. While they were relatively safe for now, with the Elites, their friends were still at work elsewhere in the Palace, and nobody knew what the target was.
If they realized just how eager the beasts were to find out what the threat was, they might not feel as safe here with Karl's group.
But for now, the presence of so many powerful creatures in this one suite had put all thoughts of seeking safety in the bed of a Guardsman at the barracks for the night vanish from their minds.
That sort of protection came with not just a price, but implied future obligations. But staying here to watch over a group of monsters and Elites was just passively safe. Assuming that the monsters were actually safe to be around. It seemed that they should be, as they were summoned by a spell. However, none of the maids were familiar with intelligent summons, and there was nobody they could ask for reference.
The food arrived quickly, and the maids retired to the servants' quarters of the suite for their own meal, leaving only one behind to fill drinks and clear the empty plates.
Rae dropped from the ceiling to join them at the table for a strategic discussion, only appearing in humanoid form when she was already seated on the sofa.
"So, what are we going to do about the attackers?" She asked.
"Whack a mouse?" Hawk offered.
Smash them when they dared to poke their heads out? That sounded about right.