Micky had been schmoozing the party, moving from person to person. He hadn’t even gotten to, or bothered with the matron yet. But when he looked over she seemed to be having a life crisis and out of her depth. Ha, serves her right! Everything she wanted in a room and it turns into a social fopuax! Micky wanted to gloat over her ineptitude some more but his master was waving him over to her little mini party of her own. So far Micky had been avoiding that little group of obviously overpowered people and been working the rest of the room, or in this case the yard. But, he couldn’t ignore them anymore apparently.

“This here is my second to last disciple!” She said. Micky paused, hitching in his step. She replaced him already? Well whatever, it’s not like he wanted to be the youngest for a little while or anything!

“But now he brought me some grand disciples so he is my favorite of the moment, even if he is a bit lacking in other areas! He is a little shameful and a little slovenly, and doesn’t have much going for him… But that is all water under the bridge! I have grandbabies! It’s been so long...” Said Master Yolanda. Micky internally returned, this disciple is so sorry he is so disappointing, this disciple has only been trying to do exactly as Master has instructed. If this disciple failed doing exactly what he was told, then he can’t help the instruction and will strive to seek better instruction next time!

Ignoring Micky’s internal monologue, the other’s decided it was time to judge him… They were disappointed but not but more than they were expecting. “He doesn’t seem all that bad, maybe I could introduce him to my 105th disciple. She is a bit unfortunate, but she is energetic!” Said an old man making eyes at Master.

“Oh pah at your 105th! She’s a freaking gorilla! And she isn’t energetic she’s vicious and cruel like a monster. I actually think I would prefer to match my disciple to a real monster instead! No, he can take my 42nd. She is a kind girl, if a bit unsociable. She fears men a little bit, and likes women a little too much...” Said another old man. He was also looking a little too much at Master for Micky’s liking. He was pretty sure that these old lechers were just trying to get on his Master’s good side. It also seemed that these old people talked about nothing but their disciples and their children’s children… at least while he was around anyway.

“Hmm, he doesn’t seem all that bad. In addition he is already a noble. I could probably see if my 63rd is interested. They were always into the shy weak type.” Said the old women with the young body and white hair.

“Oh come off it! You 63rd is a man! Don’t listen to her child!” Said the second old man.

The old woman started to mumble. “Oh come on now, they would be so cute together! And then they would do a little this and that! And I could get a recording on that secret enchant I have set up in his bedroom...” But nobody but Micky seemed to be paying attention to that part… He was paying extra attention to that part… and getting a little cold around his backside.

The first old man agreed with the second “Yeah! You should marry the 105th instead!” Well, it seemed he had ulterior motives…

Micky just wanted to get out of here. This intro was getting disastrous and ridiculous! But Yolanda wasn’t about to let him go without introducing him to all her little friends, now was she? She may already be a bit drunk… Just a teensy little bit!

“I’m telling you there’s a better way! Where I’m from, in a far off country there’s no strife! None like that’s here anyway. We could reform the country and make a much better place! Everybody would have rivers of gold and power at their fingertips!” Said one of Micky’s neighbors. The man had been going at it for much of the party. If Micky remembered right he was in another one of the rentals.

“Ugh, isekai! I hate isekai! They always think they know better than almost a billion years of history!” Said the woman that tried offering him to her 63rd.

“Hahaha! Don’t take it personally, he just doesn’t know any better. They live in a much kinder place so they’re all soft boiled and touched in the head.” Said the guy that offered Micky to their 105th.

Micky latched onto the change of topic like a fish on dry land trying to get out of the frying pan into the pond. “Isekai? What’s that? Could you please tell me Yolanda?” Said her desperate disciple.

Yolanda turned back towards Micky with unfocused eyes. She had been busy with a very important discussion about dowry for her disciple and how he would be treated in the house of the 63rd. Micky was all too happy to interrupt that discussion. “Oh, it’s people that come to this world involuntarily. There are a lot of reasons and ways to do that. My guess is he came from one of the namby pamby verses that don’t have a lot of fighting… at least not with monsters or with a real threat to themselves anyway. He’s too civilized to be from a more tribal world, and he doesn’t know jack shit about mana, the major contributing factor for monsters. I actually don’t know a mana infused verse that doesn’t have monsters. Not like I travel the verses anyways. Asneldean, do you know anything?” Yolanda turned back to the woman that was mumbling about how cute a couple Micky would make with her ‘little boy’.

“What? Oh! Yes, probably from one of those. Right, monsters are usually in places with mana flux, which also usually include aether flux as well. I don’t know why the creators would make things that way, but I’ve never really met one to ask. Either way, I wouldn’t get involved with that one. He seems the type to stick his dick into trouble then have the door slamed shut on it.” Said Asneldean. Her illustrative metaphor ended up causing all the males in earshot to shiver. Of course, the one in question didn’t seem to be listening.

“Well I better get back to hosting. I must say it has been… enlightening talking to all of my Master’s friends” Said Micky.

“Oh how diplomatic! Keep it up boy, and you’ll end up as a high noble yet! Then you can become a jaded old meister like us and join the big old farts table!” Said the man that wanted to pimp him out to his 105th. Micky escaped like it was a house on fire, being attacked by a dragon. They laughed at how fast he ran and then returned to themselves. Apparently they were gambling on something to do with their disciples. It seemed almost like a swap meet with gambling instead. They brought out low ranked treasures, insulted each other to bring out other low ranked treasures that they didn’t need but would be good for somebody else’s disciple, and then made a wager according to the value. Honestly, Micky was interested in that but he was too afraid to go back.

He was stopped by the vamp dude he spotted from before. It was another out of town rental. He and his three other buddies were renting a place together. The other three were also a part of the more monstrous humanoid races. He saw an arachnid like humanoid. Not a beastman or anthromorph but what looked like an arachnid that had been formed into a human. He didn’t know the race, but from what he could see of him, he only had the face of an arachnid. There was also a lion woman, another of the more anthropomorphic types but this one was a beastman. Then there was the last member, this one seemed to be either an intelligent monster or a type of spirit beast, she was a doppelganger as far as Micky could tell, or a sentient slime of some type.

“Hello! We must apologize, we haven’t been the politest guests and spoken to our host yet! We are also new in town and would love to be friends!” said the vamp.

“I don’t see why we have to greet the host. I’m just here for the food!” Said the lionkin.

“And this is why we must greet the host. It is impolite to just come here and eat all his food… Yes, I know that other people brought the food. But they brought the food to him, like a present or a gift… And no, drop it. Just play nice for a little bit.” Said the vamp as he massaged his temples. It seemed he had many troubles with this group. Also that he was either the leader or the diplomat. Though considering that none seemed to listen, probably the ‘real’ leader and the diplomat.

“It’s my pleasure to meet new people. I was wondering what might have brought you here if I may ask?” Said Micky.

“Ah, you may! We are actually here on a mission. We were wondering if you knew anything about this mess actually. From what we understand you have met these monsters at least twice?” said the vamp.

“Ah yes! Well, so I saw them in the dungeon but from what I gather you’ve already read the reports on that and I probably can’t add much more than you likely already know.” Said Micky. The group gave nods to that. “Then I also met some while I was traveling up towards the town from my village. At first I didn’t know that I had seen them, they are quite fast and you can only see a blur or a shadow as they jump around. But they had been in a gob den I smashed on the way here.” said Micky.

The vamp interrupted with “Ah yes, these monsters have all females except a select few. Of course, they can transform into kings and a queen should the others not be present but that is how they would be found in nature. Of course, dungeon dynamics screw up what is and isn’t natural and what can and cannot be done, in particular with monsters. However this is interesting. This means they were driven here, and not transported. Hmm, maybe lead would be more apt? They could have been lead by a sympathetic individual, they are a monster race, even if even less intelligent than goblins, at least at the lower levels of castes. But the top castes are even more intelligent then some sapient races...”

“Ahh, is that so?” Said Micky.

“Oh, sorry. Don’t mind me I was just musing things, please continue. Something about a goblin den?” Said the vamp.

“Oh yes, so there were a few shadows that faded out as I passed. With a hoard of gobs on my tale as I was running a hit and run I wasn’t about to check things thoroughly unless I saw somebody with my own eyes. It seems I did miss things though.” Micky said, bringing back his previous adventures. It was not interesting enough for a flashback though, so we will save time and skip it, moving on.

“It seems I’ve been called somewhere else, if you’ll excuse me.” Said Micky. As he was called over by his friends. He did make a note to talk to his other neighbors as well though. He didn’t want to snub anyone, but he was not expecting to have such a large party. At least Prin was enjoying herself drinking a dwarf under the table. Micky had to run around greeting all the parents and other people that had come do to their boredom.

“Yo! How’re things?” Said Micky.