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10 HOUR | The First Legendary Beast Master Part 8 | Audiobook (SleepStudyGym) — Transcript

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0:00The totem ranked giant roared at the
0:02dragon. Are you looking down on my
0:04people? Do you think that I am just
0:06going to bring one of my people here to
0:08be amusement for the dragons? We could
0:11let them fight. The dragon suggested.
0:14And if he really can kill a monarch in
0:16one hit, what is the difference? The
0:20giant complained.
0:22Carl was beginning to suspect that this
0:24part of the negotiations was actually
0:25the most time-consuming portion of the
0:27settlement of disputes. They all had
0:30different ways of doing things and the
0:32black dragon served the death god. So
0:34his suggestion was obviously going to
0:36always be to kill someone unless there
0:38was something more amusing available.
0:40Sure, the black dragons upheld the
0:42balance of life and death, but where
0:44that balance lay was a bit of a murky
0:46topic, and one or two dead wouldn't sway
0:48things too far. The Archbishop was a
0:51healing cleric aligned with the world
0:53dragon, so he would naturally choose
0:55peace in most situations, which meant
0:57either a challenge or a non-violent
0:59wager. Carl didn't know much about the
1:02personality of the others, but they both
1:04seemed fairly hotheaded. The black
1:07dragon tapped the ground with a massive
1:09onyx claw. Why don't you bring out your
1:12strongest monarch, and we will pit him
1:13against the beast master? That should be
1:16fair, right? No matter what skills he
1:19has, it shouldn't overcome your
1:21strongest monarch. We're totally going
1:24to get to loot someone. Ry cheered.
1:28No, pick another challenge. The giant
1:32insisted. The archbishop tapped his
1:35staff on the ground to stop their
1:36bickering. I have an even easier
1:39suggestion.
1:40Why not something less personal? There
1:43have been dozens of anomalies in New
1:45Bond lately. This one isn't the sort
1:48that we can wager on easily. But if we
1:50send a team to one of the others, we can
1:52have them race. The other totems
1:55considered that for a bit. It would be a
1:58good way to solve things, but that would
2:00involve moving, and none of them trusted
2:02the others enough to leave here until
2:03the matter was settled. There were
2:06already teams here from three of the
2:07four arguing nations. But if the totems
2:11left, it would be a bloodbath for
2:12control and not a civilized contest.
2:16How about a slap fight? Cara suggested.
2:20Carl chuckled a little and the totems
2:22all turned to see what was so funny.
2:25Sorry. One of my friends suggested a
2:27slap fight. Carl chuckled. The mountain
2:31giant smile spread wide and he nodded
2:33happily. That's a wonderful idea. We
2:37have contestants here. Do Nubon and the
2:40Golden Dragon Nation have a monarch rank
2:42contestant? We can do best two of three
2:45from commander to monarch. The general
2:48nodded. I can get a contestant here.
2:52Standard elimination style. The giant
2:55nodded and the archbishop turned to
2:57Carl. Is your team up to this or should
3:01we bring someone? Carl turned to Oilia
3:04who smiled. We're up for this contest.
3:08It should be fun. The four totems
3:11silently consulted each other, then
3:13nodded. This challenge is acceptable.
3:16The leader of the giants agreed. Carl
3:19looked up at the black dragon, then
3:21checked his name plate using the system
3:23interface.
3:25It was a white name denoting a cleric
3:27and simply said, "Lord,
3:30Lord Knacked, will you be calling
3:32contestants?"
3:33He inquired, curious to see who the
3:36divine beasts would send. No, the divine
3:40beast nation and the chromatic dragons
3:42will wager on the golden dragon nation
3:44being the winner of this contest. You
3:46have beasts and the favor of the world
3:48dragon. It is close enough for us. The
3:52archbishop side then nodded. Agreed.
3:57If we win, we will share. Bring out your
4:00third competitor.
4:02The general insisted as he opened a
4:04portal and brought a monarch rank
4:06gorilla bodied centaur to them. That
4:09thing barely had a neck and the body
4:11looked like it was a rhino, not a horse.
4:14It would be like trying to slap out
4:15Thor. Carl had Remy call one of her
4:18bodyguards and then gestured to Oilia.
4:22I do hope that skills aren't prohibited
4:24other than attack skills. He asked. Of
4:28course not. Skills are what makes it
4:31fun.
4:32but no attack skills and no barriers.
4:35All right, we have our contestants.
4:38Which of the giants will you choose? The
4:41general replied.
4:43Three mountain giants stepped forward,
4:45and the black dragon rumbled happily.
4:48Then his body seemed to melt and shrink
4:50as he transformed into a blackroed
4:52humanoid that looked eerily like Ray in
4:54human form, except male. It was even the
4:57same 190 cm tall. I will referee this
5:01match. Starting with the commanders, we
5:04will draw lots for the first match.
5:06Short straw goes last. The contestants
5:09will trade slaps until one is knocked
5:12out or forfeits.
5:13Then we will have a recovery period
5:15before the winner faces the final
5:17contestant. If the final contestant
5:20wins, the first loser may challenge, he
5:23explained.
5:25Carl patted Oilia on the shoulder and
5:27activated haste, trollish regeneration,
5:30and terrorize as the extra growth from
5:33brutality didn't stack with her berserk
5:36terror and titanic berserker skills. She
5:40stepped up to the black dragon along
5:42with the commander ranked giant and a
5:43burly bison type minotaur. We're having
5:46a slap fight with a girl. The giant
5:49chuckled. It's my specialty.
5:52Oilia joked. The dragon held out his
5:56hand with three sticks, and the
5:57contestants pulled. The minotaur had a
6:00shorter stick with a red stripe on the
6:02bottom, giving him the pass, so Oilia
6:05and the giant would face off first. Her
6:08stick had a number one on the bottom,
6:09while his had a number two, marking the
6:12order of attack. Contestants, prepare
6:15yourself. The Golden Dragon Nation has
6:18drawn the first strike. the dragon
6:20announced. The giant did a short
6:23stretching routine and then Oilia raged,
6:25activating Berserk terror, Titanic
6:28Berserker, and Dire Bear form all at
6:30once, turning her into a 7 m tall Dire
6:33Bear, towering over the 5 m tall
6:35mountain giant. One massive paw flashed
6:38out, and the giant was thrown from his
6:40feet to land in the dirt, unconscious.
6:43Oilia rumbled with laughter as the
6:45groggy giant got to his feet, facing the
6:48wrong way and staggering away from the
6:49contest. His friends turned him around
6:52so he was facing the fight and stood him
6:54in place in front of Oilia. As his
6:57vision cleared, a look of grim
6:59determination took over the confusion,
7:01and he lined up his swing for his turn.
7:04The massive palm of the giant codilia on
7:06the cheek and blood flew from her mouth
7:08as her head snapped to the side. But
7:10trollish regeneration had her back in
7:12peak form by the time she had stabilized
7:14herself and turned forward again. She
7:17nodded at the dragon and the giant
7:19braced himself for the strike. Second
7:22strike. Contestants ready. On your time.
7:26The dragon announced.
7:28Oilia lined up the strike and smacked
7:30the giant again. This time there was a
7:33sickening crunch as the giant spun and
7:35fell limp to the ground. That is a win
7:38for the golden dragon nation. The dragon
7:41announced. The other giants rolled their
7:44comrade over only to find he was out
7:47cold with a broken jaw and numerous
7:48missing teeth. The archbishop of the
7:51golden dragon church waved them away
7:53with a gust of wind and cast a healing
7:56spell on the fallen contestant.
7:58He will wake up soon. He is fully
8:01healed. The minotaur looked terrified as
8:04he took his position, but the black
8:06dragon didn't hesitate.
8:08Challenger 3 has the first strike.
8:11Whenever you are ready, the minur nodded
8:14and swung a mighty blow at Oilia that
8:16nearly rocked her off her feet. He was
8:19certainly stronger than the giant. She
8:21realized
8:23he also had an extremely thick neck, so
8:25he wasn't likely to get whiplash.
8:28So, she wasn't expecting much when she
8:30put her all into the first swing.
8:33However, when her paw made contact, the
8:35minur fell with his legs still extended,
8:38knocked out cold at the moment of
8:40impact. Oh, poor call on my part. Who
8:44knew he would have a glass jaw? The
8:46newborn general sighed while the other
8:49soldiers rushed to help him up off the
8:50ground. The archbishop healed him, and
8:53the black dragon smiled under his hood.
8:56That makes one round to the Golden
8:58Dragon Nation. I have to say a Titanic
9:02bear totem berserker was not what I was
9:04expecting for the first round of our
9:05betting, but the next round should be
9:08even better. I have prepared a platform
9:10for the contestants as even with skills
9:13active, the royal rank combatants are
9:15very different sizes. The three royals
9:18came forward and Carl immediately
9:20noticed that the minotaur had been
9:21swapped out for a boar man of some sort.
9:24He wasn't quite a giant, but at 4 m, he
9:27was still nearly a head taller than
9:29Carl's enlarged form. The giant, on the
9:32other hand, was well over 6 m tall. Both
9:36of the other contestants would need to
9:38stand on a stage for their head to be
9:40the proper height for a slap. The dragon
9:42held out his hand, and they drew lots.
9:46The giant got the draw this time, and
9:48Carl had the number two stick, meaning
9:50the boar man would strike first. The
9:52giant smirked at Carl as he faced down
9:54the muscular monster. "When you are
9:57ready," the dragon announced. The
10:01monster was incredibly fast, and the
10:03sound of the slap echoed through the
10:04ruins as Carl was tossed into the low
10:07stone of a ruined wall. Carl stood up
10:10and brushed himself off, knocking stone
10:12dust off his armor. The strike was less
10:15than 10% of his health, and he had taken
10:17no damage, but void body didn't negate
10:20the momentum, and the boore man's arm
10:22weighed half as much as his entire body.
10:25Good hit. Carl congratulated him,
10:28stopping the boore man's victory
10:30celebration. "You got up?" the big man
10:34asked, thoroughly confused. "Of course.
10:38Did you think I would volunteer if I
10:40couldn't take a hit?" The boar snorted
10:42and took his place for the return blow.
10:45Oh, this should be fun. I wonder how
10:48much additional strength Carl got from
10:50his new skill. Thor cheered. The
10:54packmaster gains an increased percentage
10:56of base stats from bonded beasts. That
10:59was all that the system had to say about
11:01it, and Carl didn't understand the base
11:03and modifier system for stats that it
11:05had. So, he had no practical reference
11:07for just how strong he was now with all
11:09his buffs active.
11:11However, with the 50% damage increase
11:13from pack tactics, his new class skill,
11:16he would be hitting with plenty of
11:17force. Carl checked that haste was
11:20active, then snapped an attack at the
11:22boar. There was a booming crack, then
11:25the sound of flesh on flesh before the
11:27boar man was sent flying and pain
11:29radiated up Carl's arm. Without the
11:32barrier up and with only his own skills
11:34to protect himself, Carl had dealt
11:36himself enough damage with the strike to
11:38nearly break his arm. even after the
11:40reduction by void body. That is fast.
11:44Stupidly fast. Who has ever heard of a
11:47supersonic pimp slap? You didn't even
11:50need the skill, Cara exclaimed, eager to
11:53see if she could do that as well. Even
11:56the totem rank masters were staring at
11:58Carl in shock. Did he just? The giant
12:02asked. The general nodded. He did. The
12:07black dragon pointed at the body of the
12:09boar man. If you would be so kind,
12:12Archbishop,
12:14his soul is beginning to detach. That
12:17shook the leader of the golden dragon
12:18nation from his stuper, and he quickly
12:20resurrected the fallen monster. But that
12:23left the giants in a dilemma. If Carl
12:26hit a mountain giant like that, the
12:28result was likely to be the same. They
12:31could tell that he didn't use an attack
12:33skill. He had just increased his own
12:35stats to the point that he could move an
12:36arm at supersonic speed. It had
12:39obviously damaged him, but the way that
12:41Carl was rubbing his arm, he would
12:43recover soon enough. The general knew
12:46that Carl had trollish regeneration,
12:48either as a skill or as part of his
12:50racial traits. It still wasn't 100%
12:53clear whether he had been part troll all
12:55along. Looking at his build, the general
12:58suspected that he was actually part
13:00dwarf. His build was a bit too sturdy
13:03for human and the musculature wasn't
13:05quite right. Likely a quarter-blooded if
13:08he had to guess enough that his family
13:11would have been considered human for
13:12some time, but they had likely been
13:14matching with mixed blood humans for
13:16generations.
13:18Most species were like that. Many of
13:21them could interbreed with humans, so
13:22there was always a chance of other
13:24bloodlines.
13:26Generally, those ones were considered
13:28weak and were a genetic dead end. But
13:30sometimes a lineage would continue among
13:32humans.
13:33Carl shook the numbness from his fingers
13:35and waited for the giant to prepare for
13:37his turn. That put the totem ranked
13:40giant in a tight spot. If he forfeited
13:43this match, Carl would win, making it
13:45two to zero for the Golden Dragon Nation
13:47and giving them the overall win in the
13:49contest. But if he let them compete,
13:52there was a chance one of his giants
13:54would be slapped to death. The proud
13:56mountain giants would never accept that.
13:59It would do irreparable damage to their
14:01pride to be slapped to death by a human.
14:04Unlike the monster species, they weren't
14:06so forgiving. Losing a giant's dignity
14:09versus the slim chance that they could
14:11maintain this trial was a difficult bet.
14:14If Carl had gone first, there would have
14:16been no question the giant would have
14:18gone. However, with such slim odds, it
14:21might be better to cut their losses and
14:23find a way to get more of their people
14:25to the trial in secret. The giants were
14:28categorically incapable of holding a
14:30poker face, and even the groggy and
14:32freshly resurrected Boore Man could see
14:34that the totem rank mountain giant was
14:35trying to formulate a plot to get out of
14:37this agreement. To the other leaders, it
14:40was no surprise. This happened nearly
14:43every time they agreed on something. One
14:46of them would back out of the deal or
14:48have one of their allies serve as a
14:50proxy to act on their behalf. The giants
14:53withdraw from this round.
14:54Congratulations to the Golden Dragon
14:57Nation on your small victory here today.
15:00The leader finally agreed.
15:02Thank you for your kind words. The
15:05Archbishop replied with so much fake
15:07kindness that even Carl felt a little
15:09nauseous. The giants immediately opened
15:12a portal and left while the general
15:14turned to the transformed black dragon
15:16with a smile.
15:18So, I know that the humans are going to
15:20send as many people as they can before
15:21this trial fades, but how much will it
15:24cost to buy some of your spots? The
15:26general asked. The dragon's face was
15:29hidden in magical shadow under his hood,
15:31but his voice was amused.
15:34Now, I suppose that we can work
15:36something out. The leaders appeared to
15:38be making plans for what they were going
15:40to do next. They couldn't just hang
15:42around here forever. They had far too
15:45much work to do for that, and the
15:47general had been stationed on the
15:49mountain giant border specifically to
15:50keep them from causing trouble with
15:52their overlords.
15:54Shall we retire to dinner and let our
15:55subordinates take care of the rest?
15:58Knacked the black dragon totem asked.
16:02Yes, dinner sounds wonderful.
16:05Prince Carl, kindly wait here for
16:07someone to relieve you. The archbishop
16:09replied. The general nodded. I will have
16:13someone come to take over, but
16:15unfortunately I am needed on the line.
16:18The giant's leader said nothing and
16:20simply left with his people. The general
16:23turned to his people and gave them a
16:25polite nod. I will send reinforcements
16:28here within the next 5 minutes. You just
16:31need to make sure that nothing happens
16:32while they're attempting to awaken their
16:34system interface.
16:36Understood, General. This all appeared
16:39to be part of the ritual. pretending
16:41that they didn't know that there was
16:42going to be an imminent attack at the
16:44lower levels and that the deal they had
16:45made actually held any weight. The black
16:48dragon opened a portal with a wave of
16:50his hand and left with the archbishop.
16:53Then the general left and a unit of 100
16:56commander rank soldiers and 50 ascended
16:58and awakened rank support staff rushed
17:00through only to realize that they had no
17:02orders other than be here. Carl cleared
17:05his throat. Listen up. Every new arrival
17:09is to follow the directions on the
17:11plinth to give thanks to the world
17:13dragon for the opportunity to gain
17:14access to the system. Once you have
17:17accomplished that task, you will be
17:19stationed here for guard duty of the
17:21orb. Do you understand?
17:24Sir, yes, sir. They responded in unison,
17:27then swarmed the orb. Colonel Louu
17:30chuckled at their response.
17:32Carl wasn't even part of their army, but
17:35they were so used to just following
17:36orders that they naturally assumed
17:38anyone giving them orders had the right
17:39to. It only took a few seconds before
17:42the first of them had vanished, and the
17:44rest were gone within 2 minutes. This
17:47unit was all younger soldiers, likely a
17:49frontline shock troop unit that the
17:51general happened to have stationed near
17:53his camp. The old minotaur rubbed the
17:55shoulder of his freshly regrown arm,
17:58distinguishable by the lack of tattoos
17:59and scars, then smiled at Lotus.
18:03Well, little cleric, I told you I would
18:06love to try your food again, and it
18:08looks like I'm going to get a chance
18:09sooner than expected. It appears that
18:12your merchant group on a pilgrimage
18:14routine is a bit far gone to salvage,
18:16though. Lotus laughed and winked at him.
18:20Never underestimate our shamelessness.
18:22We fully intend to continue with the act
18:25as soon as we are done here. We're
18:27headed for the jungles and then to
18:29wooden temple. That much hasn't changed.
18:33We will just have to leave someone else
18:34to help you with the mess here. The old
18:37minotaur smiled at her, then reorganized
18:39his troops to surround the plinth.
18:42Everyone, I believe it's time to come
18:44out and be sociable. Hawk, you can scout
18:47the area in case they're forming up in
18:49the distance. The beasts appeared in the
18:51ruins and Hawk made a quiet screech
18:54along with a comealong gesture to Dana
18:56that said he intended to have a rider
18:58for the scouting mission. Tessa hopped
19:00up on Thor's back with her spear ready,
19:02leaving Oilia and Lotus to wait with
19:05Carl. Or roll around in the dirt playing
19:08with Cara. How are we going to handle
19:10this? There will definitely be a
19:13challenge for the orb soon. Colonel Louu
19:16asked. If it's orcs, I say that we let
19:19them. Same with the nomadic demons if
19:22they're brave enough to approach. If the
19:24giants challenge, I will deal with their
19:26leader. The Lameia pair will guard my
19:29flanks, while the trio of Naga warriors
19:32are with Remy, the Naga queen. Remy and
19:35Tessa will work together as a pair, and
19:37Lotus heals. Oilia and Cara are
19:40berserkers, so just stay out of their
19:42way. One of the demons, a slender woman
19:46who almost looked like she should be
19:47undead with her skin the color of a
19:49drowning victim, gestured at Cara. That
19:52is a winged void badger, isn't it? You
19:55cow brains should stay well away from
19:57her. Those things are a menace to
20:00society.
20:01She taunted the colonel. You have no
20:04idea. She's got a monarch rank attack
20:07skill. I've already seen it in action.
20:11That was fast. The giants are back. Two
20:15monarchs, 10 royals, and 500 troops,
20:19almost all commanders. The giants are
20:22back. 5 km from here, just over a hill.
20:26Carl informed the minur colonel. Oh, did
20:30they send enough to make it fun? Carl
20:33patted him on the shoulder. Did you ever
20:35doubt it? There are 500 commander ranked
20:38soldiers out there. That doesn't sound
20:41fun at all.
20:43They outnumber us 5 to one even after
20:45the others come back. What did they send
20:48for a leadership squad? They normally
20:51have a five giant officer squad for a
20:53full regiment of soldiers. Colonel Louu
20:56asked. Two monarchs, 10 royals. The
21:00minotaur side. I will inform my people.
21:05With the few who got a class, we might
21:07stand a chance using our new skills.
21:10You're too pessimistic.
21:12I will take one monarch. Remy and her
21:14bodyguards will take the other. The rest
21:17of my team will focus on the command
21:19squad. Remember, they don't know that
21:22half the team is summoned. What they see
21:25are six monarchs, eight royals,
21:27including your team, and a handful of
21:29soldiers.
21:31They're not going to be hasty when we
21:32have the advantage in visible monarchs.
21:35If they hesitate long enough, we will
21:37have another 100 soldiers and then
21:39whatever other reinforcements we get.
21:42When you put it that way, it doesn't
21:44sound so bad. They certainly can't allow
21:47any of those monarch rank Naga warriors
21:49or Caraloo in their commander rank
21:51backlines.
21:53It would be a massacre. As Carl had
21:56expected, the giants paused as they came
21:58into sight of the orb and saw the
22:00defending team. Some of them would be
22:02hidden from sight, but the giants could
22:04get a good enough estimate to slow them
22:06down. From a distance, it was much
22:09harder to guess relative power level,
22:11especially with mixed species. If they
22:14were all giants, you could guess by
22:16their size. Though, Hawk had better
22:19senses than that. But when it was a
22:21dozen different species, you had to
22:23guess how they compared to their own
22:25species, and then the humans would be a
22:27wild guess. It wasn't like humans
22:30normally got bigger as they got more
22:32powerful. How long do we have? One of
22:35the younger minotaurs asked. If they
22:38charge, we have 3 minutes. It's hard to
22:41say how long they will plan for now that
22:43they have an estimate of our power
22:45levels. Expect them to spread out their
22:48formation first so they can see how we
22:50respond.
22:51Once they have started to shift
22:53positions, the attack is imminent. The
22:56moment that the attack became imminent
22:58turned out to be about 10 seconds later.
23:01The leaders moved to the far end of the
23:03line and Carl adjusted his position to
23:05match them with Remy close to him but
23:07toward the main body of the mountain
23:09giant force. Remind me again why I am
23:12doing this? Carl asked as he watched the
23:15commander ranked giants form ranks
23:17behind their leaders. Because they're
23:19mad that you showed them up and they're
23:21not going to let you leave without a
23:22fight. Tessa reminded him. Right. Almost
23:27forgot about that part. All right. If
23:30everyone is in position, I will move
23:32forward with Remy to make the unofficial
23:34challenge. When Carl moved, the monarchs
23:38and royals all moved to match his group.
23:41That made life a lot easier on everyone
23:43else, and the giants were already
23:45charging forward, aiming for the trial
23:47orb with superior numbers.
23:49Hawk, see what you can do to slow the
23:51attackers once I have the strong ones
23:53busy. Carl instructed
23:56all the fire. Hawk agreed. Carl moved to
24:01lure the stronger giants away from the
24:02group while the rest of his team grew
24:04increasingly concerned about the odds on
24:06his side. With all the royals gone, they
24:09would have an easier time with the
24:11commanders. But 12 on two or seven,
24:14depending on how you counted it, was not
24:16great odds when Remy was a ranged
24:18fighter.
24:19The bodyguards were monarchs, though
24:22that should make enough of a difference,
24:24Tessa hoped. Thor was itching to charge
24:26into battle, and she could feel the will
24:28of her goddess flowing through her. The
24:31will of the red dragon wanted a war, and
24:33there was one waiting for them only a
24:35few hundred meters away. Or at least
24:38they would get to enjoy a small sample
24:40of the ongoing war at the borders right
24:42here in their own backyard. That was
24:44close enough for the war goddess. Carl
24:47equipped the haint claw as gauntlets on
24:49his hands and then drew his sword. The
24:52monarch ranked giants smiled at the
24:54sight, not realizing the hell that was
24:56waiting for them and increased their
24:58charging speed to take out Carl before
24:59they dealt with the others. Carl pushed
25:02his speed as much as he could manage,
25:04testing the limits of the enhancements
25:06that he had gotten from the new class
25:08and the bonus he received from each of
25:09his pets. With disintegration on his
25:13sword, Carl lashed out at the largest of
25:15the monarch ranked giants, internally
25:17wincing at the sound of his blade
25:19breaking the sound barrier. He either
25:22needed to stop doing that or invest in
25:24some earplugs.
25:25It had been the same thing when Lea
25:27fought the emperor, a cacophony of
25:29violence that could be heard for dozens
25:31of kilome. The giant was unprepared for
25:34that sort of speed and hastily erected a
25:37guard barrier to defend itself. But the
25:40skill didn't hold, and the lingering
25:42remains of disintegration, along with
25:45the ghostly trail from the haint claw,
25:47were still in effect as the blade
25:48pierced the giant's throat. Carl jumped
25:51to stop his momentum by kicking off the
25:53monarch and managed an almost smooth
25:55backflip to land on his feet. "Not bad.
25:59Eight out of 10. You need to work on
26:02your form." Remy congratulated him.
26:06However, the giant wasn't dead. at least
26:09not yet. But it was bleeding heavily
26:12from the neck, and a stream of pale
26:14green energy was being ripped from its
26:16body as it struggled. The other monarch
26:19saw this and came to the rescue, but the
26:21trio of bodyguards intercepted it while
26:23Remy threw chain lightning to slow the
26:26royals until Carl's Lameia bodyguards
26:28could cut off their advance. It took
26:30Carl a moment to realize what had
26:32happened to the wounded giant as he was
26:34evading the strikes of its enraged
26:35companion. But when the stricken monarch
26:37began to have seizures, he finally
26:39understood. The blow had come so close
26:42to killing the target that the haint
26:44claw had grabbed a hold on the giant's
26:46soul and was forcibly ripping it from
26:48his body with lingering psychic damage.
26:51Carl parried with his full force and
26:53both blades rebounded away, nearly
26:55putting the tip of his blade in the dirt
26:57as the giant's chest was exposed. The
27:00monarch twirled away from Carl's
27:02counterattack, but immediately found
27:03itself falling. A Naga warrior had taken
27:07advantage and wrapped its legs with its
27:08muscular lower body. And once the giant
27:11was face down on the ground, the warrior
27:13went wild attacking with all four arms
27:15and blades coated in tsunami water
27:18magic. Crude but brutally effective.
27:22That left Carl and the warrior free to
27:24engage the royals as the first monarch
27:27struggled for its life while fending off
27:28one of Remy's bodyguards from a kneeling
27:30position. The increased speed was an
27:33unfair advantage, and while the Giants
27:35had no problem keeping up with Carl's
27:37running speed, his hands speed was far
27:39too high for them to effectively
27:41counter. However, after only a dozen
27:44strikes on his way through the crowd,
27:46his arms were getting sore. There was an
27:49imbalance in his stats. He could move
27:52faster than his body could currently
27:53sustain. Human bodies were not beast
27:56bodies. And despite all the
27:58enhancements, he was actually dealing a
28:00significant amount of damage to himself,
28:03which was being negated by void body.
28:06That was going to have to change. Once
28:09they got out of here, or at least found
28:11time to go through their loot, he needed
28:13something that was going to increase his
28:14durability,
28:16even if it was a workout routine and not
28:18a magical item. It was either that or he
28:21would have to hold back in combat to
28:23avoid injuring himself and the amount he
28:25would have to hold back would increase
28:26with every beast that advanced. Worse,
28:30if it didn't work, he would have to
28:31change his role from frontline fighter
28:33to ranged support. The Lameia moved to
28:36Carl's flank as the royals doubleteamed
28:38all three of them. That shouldn't be
28:41right. There weren't that many royals in
28:43the group. Then Carl noticed that once
28:46the monarchs were both dead, Remy had
28:48taken her trio of bodyguards into the
28:50flank of the commanders to set up a
28:51combination of Blizzard and Hellstorm.
28:55The defenders were in combat now, and
28:57Hawk had just arrived, striking at the
29:00back of the force with a wall of
29:01Hellstorm vortexes that were moving
29:03forward at a walking pace while Dana's
29:06golems attacked the survivors, and she
29:08assisted Hawk in raining attacks down on
29:10the giants. Being attacked from three
29:13sides was not in their plan. And despite
29:15the giants outnumbering the defenders by
29:17an overwhelming margin, they were unsure
29:19what side to send reinforcements to.
29:22With that being the case, Carl held back
29:24against the Royal Ranked Giants, testing
29:26the limits of his physical durability
29:28compared to his maximum strength. It was
29:31fast enough that the Giants could only
29:33hap-hazardly parry and took indirect
29:35hits from most of his attacks, a
29:37distinct advantage on Carl's part as
29:39they were forced fully onto the
29:40defensive. The bodyguards appeared to
29:43have gotten faster as well, but Carl
29:45couldn't be certain as he hadn't spent
29:47much time actually watching them fight.
29:50Prince Carl, the reinforcements are
29:52here. A sadder runner shouted from a few
29:55dozen meters behind him. Have them join
29:58the main force and push the enemy back
30:00into the flaming vortexes.
30:02Carl shouted back. The goat-legged demon
30:06ran off to relay the message while the
30:08royal ranked giants rallied into a
30:10circular formation where each of them
30:11would have a helper to cover their blind
30:13spots and defend against tricky attacks.
30:16There were still five of them to Carl's
30:18trio of attackers who now had them
30:20surrounded.
30:22Carl was about to move in for the kill,
30:24aiming to cut through one giant and
30:26attack the others from behind when a
30:28portal opened, and the giants, including
30:30the dead, turned incorporeal.
30:33Then they vanished, and the portal
30:35closed. All that they had left was a lot
30:38of scorched grass and blood, plus one
30:40monarch rank body. The unfortunate
30:43giant, whose soul had been siphoned by
30:45the haint claw, had not been recovered
30:47with the rest of their force. Remy
30:50tossed the body into Rey's space for
30:51later, then took stock of her
30:53bodyguards.
30:55They were a little beat upl looking, but
30:57with trollish regeneration and eternal
31:00lightning, their bodies were still
31:02solid. Then they refreshed their armor
31:04spells, and they were back to pristine
31:06appearance.
31:08Resounding victory. Is it lunchtime yet?
31:12What portion of them do you think that
31:14we killed before they ran away? Colonel
31:16Louu asked as the defenders were
31:18catching their breath and preparing for
31:20the next attack. Carl shrugged.
31:23At least a third, but I don't think that
31:25it matters because they took the bodies
31:27back. They will most likely resurrect
31:30them right away and then they will have
31:32suffered no losses. The minotaur side.
31:36Whereas our losses are permanent, so
31:38they're running a campaign of attrition.
31:40Carl gestured behind them. Who said ours
31:44are permanent? We have Lotus, high
31:47priestess of the nature god and a
31:49healing specialist here with us today.
31:52It looks like she started with the
31:53strongest of the fallen and then the
31:55cutest. She might not be able to save
31:58them all before she is exhausted, but
32:00with two dragon god clerics here, we
32:02shouldn't have too many casualties.
32:05They had many wounded fighters. Almost
32:08all of them had some level of injury
32:09after the battle, but about half of
32:11their force had been heavily injured and
32:13were slowly moving around, getting used
32:15to the feeling of their limbs again. It
32:18was a measure to prevent lingering
32:19mental trauma that would reduce healing
32:21effectiveness in the future, an
32:23accelerated version of rehab to remind
32:25the body that it was healing properly.
32:27At least there are more reinforcements
32:29incoming now that the first group is out
32:31of the trial. Tessa noted as she rode up
32:34beside Carl on Thor's back. Carl looked
32:38back in the direction she was pointing
32:39and saw an entire army regiment coming
32:41out to surround the ruins. Dozens of
32:44white robed clerics, nearly a thousand
32:46soldiers, and a full artillery battery
32:49had arrived so far on top of hundreds
32:51more soldiers from Newon and one adult
32:54blue dragon. We should likely go speak
32:56to the dragon before they have to come
32:58here. Blue dragons love knowledge more
33:01than anything, and if we give it to
33:03them, they will like us by extension,"
33:06Carl suggested.
33:08Tessa smirked at him. "Is that your plan
33:10to gaslight the clergy? Just play to
33:13their aspect?" "Hey, I brought you a
33:16whole battle with the world's best
33:18charger to ride, didn't I? I think I'm
33:21doing all right." Tessa rolled her eyes.
33:25You provided this lovely charger, but I
33:27don't think that you can take credit for
33:28the whole battle. The giants were coming
33:31whether we were here or not. The not
33:34Dana mages are coming back. Hawk updated
33:37as Carl prepared a good reason why he
33:39should get credit. Oh, there are spellb
33:42blades incoming as well. We should
33:45prepare to welcome them. Carl announced
33:48changing the topic while letting Tessa
33:50know what was happening. What direction?
33:52I will go update them on the situation
33:54so that there aren't any conflicts
33:56between allies today. Tessa asked
34:00Hawk. He's circling them now and
34:03preparing to land. The Minotaur wondered
34:06how that was going to help with the
34:07stated goal of not starting a fight
34:09between allies as the gigantic ghost
34:11fire Thunderbird was not a comforting
34:13sight to strangers. Thor rushed off to
34:16greet the people which would give him
34:18time to socialize while Tessa explained
34:20the situation. Of course, Dana was on
34:23Hawk's back, and she knew most of it
34:25already, but that didn't sound like
34:27nearly as much fun as going over
34:28himself. Why would they appear all the
34:31way over there instead of being here
34:33with the rest of the reinforcements?
34:35Colonel Louu asked as the group came
34:37back into sight. They were likely sent
34:40from their clan compound or another
34:42mission, so they didn't want to appear
34:43right on top of someone in an already
34:45chaotic situation.
34:47They're only a 5-minute walk away. Carl
34:50replied with a shrug. The royal ranked
34:53minur decided to leave it alone. He knew
34:57that the one who had found them was
34:58Hawk, so the rapid response was
35:00perfectly reasonable, and there were
35:02more forces expected from both sides, as
35:04they would be sending as many people as
35:06possible to take the trial and attempt
35:08to awaken system functions before the
35:10orb ran out of energy or the ruins
35:12vanished again. That was what usually
35:15happened with these things and why they
35:17couldn't just get along and peacefully
35:18use the resources that appeared. There
35:21were too many factions with too many
35:23people who all wanted or needed that
35:25power. Whether it was for survival,
35:27political gain, or like the blue
35:29dragons, just because they didn't
35:31already know. Carl and the colonel
35:33waited with a few other officers as the
35:35spellb blades approached. The uniforms
35:38were simple, so nobody would have known
35:40which nation they represented without
35:42the introduction. So sending out someone
35:44to greet them and verify their identity
35:46was actually a good idea, no matter how
35:48redundant it seemed. Corbin nodded at
35:51Carl as he approached, then at the minur
35:53and the sadder runner who was waiting
35:55behind them. I am Prince Corbin of the
35:58Golden Dragon Nation. You can just call
36:01me Corbin. My people will be on guard
36:04here until the incident has ended, he
36:06explained.
36:08Not headed in to gain the power of the
36:10orb, Colonel Lu asked. We have been paid
36:14handsomely for others to get that
36:15opportunity.
36:17Our instructions are that it is likely
36:19to be usage limited, so we are to
36:20prioritize not letting unauthorized
36:22users in. Should we be expecting anyone
36:25else? The minur asked. Orcs.
36:30There is a group of orcs headed this
36:32way. My instructions are that the nomads
36:35are considered part of the New Bond
36:36delegation, but I am aware that your
36:38people have had some issues with them in
36:40the past. So, we will have Prince Carl
36:43escort them in if they do choose to come
36:45here. Corbin explained.
36:48I saw them in the distance. And Dana
36:51told him, Hawk explained.
36:54I understand
36:56though the thought of orcs with a system
36:58is a frightening one. I had expected
37:00that such an honor would be reserved for
37:02more civilized factions,
37:05Colonel Louu grumbled. A lineup was
37:08already forming around the orb, as it
37:10appeared to have reached its usage
37:11capacity. That would likely drain it
37:14much faster than anyone would prefer,
37:16but Corbin had already received a
37:18message by portal describing the
37:19situation. The content of a magical
37:22message was easily intercepted by the
37:24totems, but a small portal to drop a
37:26physical letter would not be noticed.
37:28His excuse was a good one. The
37:32Spellblades were a powerful faction, but
37:34they were willing to be paid for their
37:35work and pass up other opportunities.
37:38So, the Minotaur and the other Newborn
37:41officers wouldn't question why they
37:42weren't trying to barge to the front of
37:44the line. The Spellblades weren't the
37:47only ones that had been sent here. The
37:49military regiment was only the start, as
37:52they were not expected to be system
37:53compatible. The government was
37:56assembling elites who had been out on
37:57missions to come to the orb as soon as
37:59possible, and Carl could hear the
38:01military commander talking to someone on
38:03the radio about the next expected
38:04arrivals. Both nations had more people
38:07coming, but the blue dragon was
38:09beginning to look impatient.
38:11I will see you all in a few minutes. I
38:14need to go greet our draconic visitor
38:16and make a good impression before they
38:18start reading everyone's minds. It was a
38:21male blue dragon, so at least they
38:23didn't need to worry about Thor hitting
38:25on this one. But if the dragon started
38:27searching for information directly from
38:29everyone's mind, they were going to find
38:31countless things that Carl would rather
38:33they did not. Greetings, Prince Carl. I
38:37am librarian Gareth. The dragon greeted
38:40him as Carl approached.
38:43Welcome, Librarian.
38:45It's a pleasure to meet you.
38:47I presume that you have a number of
38:49questions about the inner workings of
38:50the orb as well as the many historical
38:53events that the visitors have seen. Carl
38:56replied, "Indeed,
38:59the historical events that I have heard
39:00so far have added many pages to the
39:02history book, and there are so many more
39:04to go through. But it is the advancement
39:07opportunities and how they might
39:09function that is of the greatest
39:10interest to me. So much about the system
39:13is unknown to us now." Well, I can
39:16describe how it went for me. After I
39:19entered, there was a group of mannequins
39:21or illusions. They all looked like me,
39:24but in slightly different armor with
39:26different weapons. When I used the
39:29system interface to look at them, I
39:31could see the different class names and
39:33a few minor details about them, like the
39:35starting details or a theme for the
39:37class. The dragon had heard all of that
39:40before and it wasn't all that interested
39:42in hearing it again. So Carl added some
39:44juicy details to bring its attention
39:46back. However, I had a number of skill
39:49points and one more skill for my
39:51existing class that I wanted to add.
39:54There was a skill called rampage, a
39:56passive skill that adds damage to my
39:58strikes every time I hit the same
40:00target. A bit like stacking damage
40:02overtime effects, but I have to keep
40:05hitting them for it to take effect. or
40:07if I could poison them, I suppose that
40:10would work as well. But the part that
40:12actually applies to this situation is
40:14that when I learned the skill, it gave
40:16me another option that got his
40:18attention. Adding a skill gave you a new
40:21option. Perhaps it was the combination
40:24with the other skills you already knew.
40:27There has long been a theory that the
40:28progression of elites was individualized
40:30and that not every person with a certain
40:32class would get the chance at the same
40:34advancements.
40:35But to hear that it could be directly
40:37related to the skills that they had
40:39mastered is wonderful news. Carl nodded.
40:43If I happen to return to see Orthos at
40:45the Beast God Temple, I will be sure to
40:47train some of the children there in new
40:49skills. Then when they grow up, you can
40:52study them and see what paths they
40:54follow. The dragon's massive blue head
40:57turned to look off into the distance.
40:59This wouldn't have anything to do with
41:01the Naga queen and the nature priestess
41:03wanting more time with the pups and
41:04welps of the beast nation, would it?
41:07Carl gave him his best fake innocent
41:09smile, and the dragon laughed. I will
41:12consider extending an invitation at some
41:14point in the future. Orthos has enough
41:17on his hands right now without bringing
41:18others to cause chaos.
41:21But your people will get to see the pups
41:23again. We are sending many acolytes here
41:26before the orb deactivates so they can
41:28try to gain access to the system. Carl
41:31nodded in agreement. That sounds good.
41:35We will look out for the children and
41:36keep away any attackers.
41:39The faster that we get through the
41:40advancement of the defense groups, the
41:42more secure the area will be. However, I
41:45do expect that we will face attack by
41:47either the giants or one of the other
41:49nations soon. If experience has taught
41:52me anything, it's that nothing on this
41:54continent remains a secret once more
41:56than two people know of it. With that in
41:58mind, most of the continent will know
42:00about the situation by tomorrow. I will
42:03leave you to it then. Please send your
42:06people by individually and we can finish
42:08the debriefings.
42:10I will be providing a copy to the
42:12Capital Cathedral's library as well as
42:14to Orthos at the Beast God Temple as per
42:16our agreement on information sharing.
42:19Carl nodded. One last thing before I go.
42:23Which location do you call home? The
42:26dragon gave him a toothy grin. Neither.
42:30I am from Whitten Temple. When there is
42:33new knowledge of this level, the blue
42:35dragons hold a lottery to see who gets
42:37to go. Carl walked away and sent Tessa
42:40over to give her report next. If there
42:43were children coming, her and Lotus
42:45would likely want to be nearby. The red
42:48dragon prioritized protecting children
42:50during battle, and the green dragon
42:51loved all creatures, so it was a duty
42:54that neither would have any problems
42:55with. That left just the waiting for
42:58things to go wrong part of the day. They
43:00were slowly getting more soldiers and
43:02monsters back to the defensive lines
43:04around the ruins. But there was still a
43:06long line of them waiting to use the
43:08orb, and most of the ones who had
43:09success were too giddy with joy to
43:11actually pay attention to anything.
43:14Thankfully, they had hawk overhead and
43:16he could keep watch for approaching
43:18threats. But if there was one, Carl
43:21wasn't sure he would be able to get
43:22anyone's attention in time to have them
43:24actually respond.
43:26The tension held on long enough that the
43:28defenders were beginning to relax.
43:30Almost all of them had completed their
43:32attempt to activate a system interface,
43:34and another round of candidates was
43:36being brought in. These ones were mostly
43:39youngsters from the Divine Beast and
43:40Newborn Empires, while the Golden Dragon
43:43Nation was holding off for fears of
43:45overcrowding.
43:47But for Carl, librarian Gareth, and a
43:49few others with good intuition or a lot
43:52of combat sense, the quiet was
43:54unnerving. The kids who were waiting
43:56their turn had been moved to the former
43:58slums of the town, where no ruin
44:00survived, and Ry had built a maze of
44:02stone walls and pillars for them to play
44:04tag in. The clerics were all sitting on
44:07the walls keeping guard and watching for
44:10injuries while the soldiers finished
44:12their turn. Bring them out 10 at a time.
44:16That should be a smooth enough pace that
44:18they won't have to wait now that the
44:19line is gone. Gareth directed using the
44:22advantage of his enormous size to simply
44:24swing his head over to the clerics.
44:27All right, the next 10 who are it and
44:29tag someone come to high priestess Tessa
44:31at the entrance.
44:33She will lead you to the trial while
44:35everyone else plays. Then you can come
44:37back after one of the beast clerics
44:40instructed.
44:42That brought an increased energy level
44:44to the game as everyone either wanted to
44:46go to the trial or play as long as
44:47possible before they had to work. The
44:50children formed an orderly line to the
44:52orb, expertly shepherded by the clerics,
44:54and Carl turned his attention to the
44:56distant horizon, scanning for danger.
44:59There, I found it. 50 meters from the
45:02edge of town, a giant-sized portal is
45:05about to open. Hawk announced, "Incoming
45:09portal!" Carl shouted with a gesture
45:12toward the portal, which would be under
45:14100 m from him. Both Carl and Remy
45:17called their bodyguards in front of the
45:18portal location, and the attack began,
45:21but not how Carl had expected it. A
45:24barrage of spells crashed into their
45:26barriers and an armed unit of human
45:28soldiers in shining red plate armor flew
45:31through, attacking everything that they
45:33saw. Artillery.
45:35Someone shouted from the Golden Dragon
45:37Nation lines. That triggered a barrage
45:40of anti-aircraft guns and artillery
45:42rounds which were aimed through the
45:44portal to delay the reinforcements.
45:47Three of the commanders broke off and
45:49targeted Dana who was nearby but behind
45:51the lines. Then the others focused their
45:54attacks on the spellb blades and the
45:56soldiers from Newbon. Thor put up a
45:59barrier around the orb, protecting the
46:01children, while Tessa took her spot on
46:03his back. The attackers could move
46:06through the air, but like Dana, they had
46:08to run on air, and that meant it was
46:09more efficient for them to fight on the
46:11ground, surrounded by larger enemies
46:13where they couldn't be focused on with
46:15multiple attacks. For the first few
46:17seconds, they appeared to be ignoring
46:19Carl. Then a monarch rank mage came
46:22through the portal just as Carl fired a
46:25disintegration coated arrow through the
46:27opening. The mystical bolt hit his
46:30shield and shattered it in a single
46:31strike, drawing his attention and blood
46:34from his cheek. Oh, he took that one
46:37personally. If he didn't want to be
46:39embarrassed, he should have put more
46:41effort into his defenses.
46:43Remy laughed. You damnable beast. I will
46:47put you in your place today. the mage
46:50shouted. Carl took out the haint claw
46:53and let it form on his left hand while
46:55he wielded the sword of champions in his
46:57right. In my place, "Don't be
47:00ridiculous.
47:02Your mother's bedroom is nowhere near
47:04here, but you can still call me daddy if
47:07you like." Carl's shouted reply made a
47:10good portion of the Golden Dragon Nation
47:12soldiers burst into laughter while the
47:14Newbond soldiers began to make crude
47:16jokes about the inexhaustible stamina of
47:18a rock troll. The mage dove at Carl, who
47:21sent a barrage of rend attacks at him.
47:25Each was hardly commander rank, but Carl
47:27sent dozens of them, five at a time. The
47:30mage laughed as he decided that was all
47:32the ranged attack power that Carl had.
47:35Trolls, as he assumed Carl was, were
47:38close combatants, and the mage had no
47:41intentions of getting close enough to be
47:42hit with that sword. He only needed to
47:45be close enough that his attacks
47:47couldn't be parried. The rampage skill
47:50caused an increasing damage buff with
47:52every hit, but Carl kept reducing the
47:54power he was putting into his strikes to
47:56keep the final effect the same and
47:58conserve energy. He could feel the
48:01bonuses from pack tactics and bestial
48:04champion taking effect as his pack came
48:06under attack and had to cut the damage
48:08back even more to lull the mage into
48:10complacency as he approached. It had
48:13only been 5 seconds, but Carl had sent
48:16nearly a hundred rand attacks at his
48:18barrier, all on the low side of
48:20commander. The mage was beginning to
48:22sweat with exertion for maintaining the
48:24defense. And Carl could see that he was
48:26going to go for the kill as soon as he
48:28thought he was too close for Carl to
48:29avoid the attack. 10 m. That was the
48:33distance he chose. Unfortunately for
48:36him, with Carl's increased speed and
48:38strength, that was melee range. The
48:41myithal blue blade of the sword of
48:42champions glinted in the light as Carl
48:44launched himself forward with a thrust
48:46extending disintegration in front of his
48:49blade like a spear. The mage spun as the
48:52skill shattered his barrier and Carl
48:54flicked his wrist turning the thrust
48:56into a slash as disintegration missed
48:58its target. One armored arm fell to the
49:01ground as the mage howled in pain. Then
49:03the air shattered as Carl's left fist
49:05came around and the haint claw smashed
49:07into his opponent's face. Like a puppet
49:10with its strings cut, the mage crumpled
49:12to the ground, leaking ghostly green
49:14energy into the hint claw. A long boine
49:18bellow echoed through the city, followed
49:20by the deep voice of a commander rank
49:22minotaur.
49:23First blood goes to champion Carl. The
49:26voice must have echoed through the other
49:28side of the portal as the incoming mages
49:30all turned in Carl's direction.
49:33There was one royal with 10 commanders,
49:35a standard deployment. But Carl had no
49:38idea what nation had sent them. To
49:40Carl's left, he could see that Remy had
49:43transformed back into spirit snake form
49:45to protect Cara's neck and catch a ride,
49:47while Rey was tearing her way through
49:49the incoming mages at a truly ridiculous
49:51rate. The extra damage from the new
49:54class skills stacked with the damage
49:56increases she already had, and even the
49:58royal rank mages had a hard time taking
50:00more than one or two attacks.
50:02However, it was Oilia that was
50:04surprising everyone. She had learned
50:07some sort of ground slam ability that
50:09either increased gravity or negated
50:11flight magic. And when she used it,
50:13dozens of mages fell from the sky. Once
50:16they were on the ground or close to it,
50:18the 7 m tall dire bear simply mauled
50:21them. Angry bear is funny. Look how she
50:25chases after the terrified not Dana
50:27mages. Hawk laughed. kind of busy right
50:31now. Make sure that nobody manages to
50:34hurt her. The mages weren't giving up as
50:37easily as Carl had expected. They had
50:40built a barrier around the portal that
50:42was withstanding the artillery barrage.
50:44And while Carl and Oilia terrified them,
50:46the mages were not hesitating to engage
50:48with the monsters of the New Bond army.
50:51More of them were pouring through the
50:52portal by the second to establish the
50:54beach head outside the city. Thor, how
50:57are things going there? The faster the
51:00kids get finished, the faster they can
51:02be relocated to somewhere safe, Carl
51:05asked. Most are inside right now. Tessa
51:09has the others calm, and they're waiting
51:11for the last few soldiers to come out.
51:14That was as good as they could hope for.
51:17As long as the defenders could keep the
51:19invading force away from the orb until
51:21the kids could finish and be extracted
51:23from the combat zone, it should all be
51:25fine. They were mostly awakened and
51:27ascended rank magical beasts or
51:29monsters.
51:31Most of them were only half grown and
51:33they wouldn't have done more than the
51:34very basics of combat training so far.
51:38Carl faced off with the mages who had
51:40come to challenge him and considered his
51:41options. Helltorm wouldn't work as he
51:45didn't have the control to keep the
51:46vortexes in midair. Remy already had a
51:50thunderstorm going, but the mages all
51:52had barriers, so it wasn't taking them
51:54out until they were already heavily
51:56injured. The question was, what was the
51:58fastest way to achieve that? Carl
52:01decided to start with the classic crowd
52:03control skill, chain lightning. The bolt
52:07came out ethereal blue from his left
52:09hand and arked to 10 more targets,
52:11shattering commander rank barriers and
52:13knocking mages out of the sky. They
52:16didn't have a chance against the skill
52:18and Carl simply continued to channel it,
52:20allowing the damage to stack and the
52:22lightning to function as a magical stun
52:24batten. The leaders of the attack squad
52:26realized that within seconds and began
52:29erecting a barrier to block the
52:30lightning before it could hit an ark
52:32that let some of the mages get to their
52:34feet and make a shaky retreat back to
52:36the safety of the portal. It wasn't like
52:39Carl had something in particular against
52:41these mages from one of the other human
52:43nations. But that didn't mean that he
52:45was going to give up an opportunity for
52:47his people without negotiation.
52:50If they had sent someone powerful, the
52:52leaders would have sorted it out between
52:53them. The fact that they hadn't implied
52:56that they were either too weak of a
52:58faction for it or they wanted it to be
53:00solved this way. With their shield
53:02isolating them from Carl, the mages
53:04retreated. The same was happening on the
53:07other side of the battlefield where they
53:09were facing Oilia and the battle was
53:11quickly turning into a route. Hawk and
53:14Dana were raining spells down on the
53:16barrier defending the portal, but it
53:18didn't appear to be faltering at all.
53:20There was most likely a powerhouse on
53:22the other side keeping it active, though
53:24it was only at the royal rank. If they
53:27couldn't exhaust the power behind that
53:29barrier, they would be unable to do any
53:31more than hold the battle to a
53:32stalemate. The kids are all done.
53:36Tessa is moving them to raise stone maze
53:38and I will keep them all protected.
53:41Excellent news. Thank you, Thor. While
53:45Thor prepared to protect the kids, Carl
53:47studied the barrier that was erected
53:49between them and the portal. He had
53:51enough power that he could shatter it
53:53with one strike of the mall, but it was
53:55definitely being fed power from the
53:57other side of the portal. If he broke
53:59it, he could get through, but it would
54:01be back up in under a second, and that
54:03would be troublesome for him. Trapped
54:06inside a barrier full of enemies with a
54:08portal to their home base was a terrible
54:10idea, even by his standard of bad ideas.
54:14However, that didn't mean that he
54:16couldn't mess with them, at least a
54:17little bit. Carl put away his sword and
54:20took out the mall to stack
54:22disintegration on it. The first swing of
54:25the mall shattered a hole in the barrier
54:27through which Carl hurled chain
54:29lightning into the startled mages. Off
54:32to his right, Cara was torturing the
54:34mages in a different way. She had
54:37blocked a group of them from retreating,
54:38and she was just repeatedly casting
54:40nullify every time they tried to cast a
54:43spell to get around her. On foot, they
54:46weren't fast enough to get around her,
54:48and she wouldn't let them use magic, but
54:50without using skills, they couldn't harm
54:52her either.
54:54She was having a great time and every
54:56mage that saw it was absolutely
54:57terrified. So, it was a win on both
55:00fronts. Cara knocked them all over once
55:03more and then sent Carl a mental
55:05message. Tell them to stay put. They are
55:08my prisoners now. What are you going to
55:11do with prisoners?
55:13Carl asked, "I don't know. Poke them
55:16with a stick, maybe. They're funny when
55:19they're frustrated."
55:21Carl laughed and walked towards where
55:23she was pummeling a mage's face in the
55:24dirt before flying off to recapture
55:26another one who had made a run for the
55:28barrier. Gentlemen, I believe you have
55:32found yourselves prisoner of a void
55:33badger. If you will kindly stop
55:36resisting and trying to run away, she
55:38can stop beating you, he announced. The
55:42closest mage cursed and tried to throw a
55:44skill at Carl, but at the end of his
55:46sword swinging gesture, nothing
55:47happened. Cara had nullified his skill.
55:52It seems that you are slow learners. You
55:55can either sit here and behave or I can
55:57stun you into submission. Which would
56:00you prefer? The mages put away their
56:03blades and sat down on the grass while
56:05their comrades only a dozen meters away
56:07watched with concern. Now, my lovely
56:10associate here just wants to poke you
56:12with a stick to see what noises you
56:14make. But I have a few questions.
56:17First, what nation are you from? Second,
56:20what will it take to make you go away?
56:23This matter has been settled between the
56:25totems. It is not up for discussion or
56:27such impolite attempts at poaching. The
56:30mages gritted their teeth, unwilling to
56:32provide him any information that he
56:34didn't already have. There from Bara.
56:37The Dana mage recognized a token on a
56:40body I collected. Hawk informed him.
56:43Fine, I will start the question and
56:45answer period for you. You were sent
56:48here by Bara to try to gain the benefits
56:50of the relic. That much is plainly
56:53obvious. We can skip those basic details
56:56and I don't care what faction, clan, or
56:59spellblade sect you were hired from. So,
57:02we can skip straight to the important
57:04part. What will it take to make you go
57:07away? Will your people leave
57:09voluntarily?
57:10Should I call for a couple of overlords
57:12to come here and flex their might?
57:15What's your directive on retreat? The
57:17mages that were caught outside didn't
57:19want to say anything at all, so Carl
57:21simply stepped over and smashed a hole
57:23in the barrier through which he cast
57:25another chain lightning. The retaliation
57:28was half-hearted, only a dozen commander
57:30rank fireballs that were crushed to
57:32nothingness by flaming body. Is my
57:35inflection unclear?
57:37I am being nice for now. Don't make me
57:40send a fist of monarch rank mercenaries
57:42into your barrier with orders to kill
57:44anything that moves. Carl suggested.
57:48Fine, we can do this the hard way. Then
57:52once Carl made his threat, a new
57:54spellblade came through the portal. He
57:56was monarch ranked and wearing the same
57:59black robes and shining red armor as the
58:01others, but with a gold embroidered
58:03cloak hung over his shoulders and
58:04clasped with a gold chain studded with
58:06rubies. Who do you think that you are to
58:09threaten my people? He demanded.
58:12Prince Carl of the Golden Dragon Nation.
58:15And from what I can tell, I personally
58:17command more monarch rank combat power
58:19than your clan does. So, I am asking you
58:22politely to take them and go home. If
58:24you want a piece of the action here
58:26after this pathetic attempt at poaching,
58:28you need to ask the archbishop or one of
58:30his people. The mage paused, considering
58:34his response before this situation got
58:36even more out of hand. Spellb blades
58:39trained to fight above their rank and
58:40were considered an elite force all over
58:42the continent. The elites, on the other
58:45hand, were a new force without a lot of
58:47the respect that the spellblades had
58:49earned over the centuries. But some of
58:51them had unique classes that were more
58:53than a match for anything else at their
58:54level. The clan leader knew the stories
58:57of some of the other elites who had
58:59achieved things that were considered
59:00conventionally impossible.
59:02But that didn't mean he would back down
59:04from a challenge. At least not just on
59:06the off chance that this particular one
59:08was capable of such remarkable feats.
59:11And if I say that my people aren't
59:13leaving, the spellblade replied.
59:16Carl called the two lay bodyguards and
59:19the mage pald. Monarch ranked
59:21intelligent summons were far more
59:23dangerous than a conventional golem, and
59:25these ones had immediately created their
59:27own monarch ranked barriers.
59:30Carl smiled. As I said to your men, we
59:33can do this the hard way. I was only
59:36extending a measure of courtesy to you.
59:39The pair faced off across the barrier
59:41around the attacking clan, who were all
59:43looking haggarded and exhausted from the
59:44effort of holding the barrier against
59:46the constant artillery barrage. the
59:49artillery and Hawk Carl mentally amended
59:51as Hawk was taking full advantage of his
59:54evolution to ghost fire Thunderbird to
59:56sit on top of the barrier and let his
59:57flames drain the defender's energy
59:59without having to do anything himself.
1:00:02It was a brilliant move and as soon as
1:00:04the barrier cracked, Dana could cast her
1:00:06golems inside. With the barrier up, you
1:00:10couldn't cast spells from the outside
1:00:11in. But every time Carl cracked the
1:00:14barrier with his maul, you could for the
1:00:16next second or so. at least spells that
1:00:19didn't try to move through the solid
1:00:21parts of the barrier. Remy came over
1:00:23with her trio of bodyguards, reminding
1:00:26the mage that if they pushed, the
1:00:28defenders could get inside the barrier
1:00:29and wipe out the Spellblade Clan in a
1:00:31matter of minutes now that they were
1:00:33tired and low on mana. Release my people
1:00:36and we will retreat for today. The clan
1:00:39leader relented.
1:00:41That should be fine. The energy of the
1:00:44relic won't last much longer. Cara, if
1:00:47you would kindly send the spellb blades
1:00:49back to their bubble. Carl agreed. Cara
1:00:53mentally cheered as Remy passed her a
1:00:55large stick out of her space, allowing
1:00:56the void badger to poke and heard the
1:00:58mages, who she was still preventing from
1:01:00using any spells. There was no
1:01:03particular reason to make them walk the
1:01:05rest of the way to the barrier. But Cara
1:01:07wasn't willing to give up her game yet.
1:01:09The clan leader turned and walked back
1:01:11through the portal to his home sect, and
1:01:13the others quickly followed, leaving an
1:01:15empty barrier for half a second after
1:01:17the portal vanished. Oilia came over to
1:01:20where Carl was standing, and Hawk circle
1:01:23down to land nearby now that his perch
1:01:25was gone. What did they say? Are they
1:01:29giving up? Oilia asked for the day
1:01:33anyhow.
1:01:35They might not be back, but someone else
1:01:37will, and likely with a larger force,
1:01:39now that they know that this one failed.
1:01:42Well, there are more reinforcements
1:01:44coming now, so we will be able to relax
1:01:46a little and let the new arrivals take
1:01:48over for us. Carl replied with a sigh.
1:01:52The others all laughed as Carl finished
1:01:54his speech. There was no way that the
1:01:57next group to come invading them not was
1:01:59going to expect an overpowered royal
1:02:00rank elite and a 7- m tall dire bear to
1:02:03be part of the force. Oilia took a small
1:02:06notebook out of her inventory which
1:02:08looked ridiculous in her werebear hands.
1:02:11All right, ladies and gentlemen. Get
1:02:14some rest. I am taking wagers on when
1:02:17the next group arrives.
1:02:19Closest to the time wins the pool. She
1:02:22was about to continue when energy surged
1:02:24in the air, only a few meters from where
1:02:26she was standing. Let me amend that. I
1:02:30will take wagers on the one after this
1:02:32because that was too fast to even get
1:02:34our bets in. The soldiers from both
1:02:36nations began to laugh at the absurdity
1:02:38of it all. They were still recovering
1:02:41from the last battle, and there was
1:02:43another portal already opening in front
1:02:44of them. The others retreated, leaving
1:02:47Carl at the front with Cara standing on
1:02:49his left side like a guard badger. She
1:02:52now nearly reached his hip and was
1:02:54thicker in the body than any dog Carl
1:02:56had ever seen. She had to be close to 70
1:03:00kilos of pure muscle, but when Carl
1:03:02extended his fingers and gave her back a
1:03:04rub, the skin still shook loosely in the
1:03:06odd way that void badger's fur did. You
1:03:09could pick them up by the excess skin,
1:03:11and they wouldn't feel anything other
1:03:13than a gentle massage.
1:03:15In fact, Cara had considered picking
1:03:17fights a few times just to get someone
1:03:19to properly massage her, but had given
1:03:21up the notion when she realized she
1:03:23could just ask Remy and Rey. In front of
1:03:26them, a royal rank mage in ornate armor
1:03:28stepped through the portal with a
1:03:29barrier around himself, then stopped and
1:03:32addressed the defenders proudly. The
1:03:34stepbia tower would like to negotiate
1:03:36for access to this relic. He declared.
1:03:41Everyone turned to Carl and he realized
1:03:43that his positioning had nominated him
1:03:45as the official spokesperson for the
1:03:46defenders. The newborn army was happy to
1:03:49let him deal with the humans who were
1:03:51notoriously rude to monsters, as most of
1:03:54the New Bond army still didn't believe
1:03:56that he was actually a human despite his
1:03:58allegiance.
1:03:59His own allies were happy to let him
1:04:02simply because he was the strongest one
1:04:03here. It was either him or Corbin, and
1:04:06Corbin was more interested in looking
1:04:08after his spellblades.
1:04:10Carl nodded in response.
1:04:13All right, I think we all know the
1:04:15routine. The relic allows 10 people to
1:04:18attempt to use it at once. There are no
1:04:21known rank limits, but the benefits are
1:04:23greatest for those who have at least one
1:04:25specialty skill and time to grow. He
1:04:28agreed. The mage nodded and held out a
1:04:31small metal box. Carl flipped the lid
1:04:34open and saw a potion inside. He
1:04:37couldn't identify it at first, even with
1:04:39the system interface. But Remy did. It's
1:04:43not finished. They think it is, but
1:04:46they're just humans. If we add a
1:04:49powdered earth stone to that, it will be
1:04:51good stuff. Carl closed the lid and took
1:04:54the box. Pick your 10. I will guarantee
1:04:58their safety while they are here. The
1:05:00mage looked relieved that his offering
1:05:02had been enough. He didn't know quite
1:05:05what the relic did yet, but it was an
1:05:07opportunity for 10 people, so some would
1:05:09have demanded an exorbitant price for
1:05:11it. Most of the duels for access were a
1:05:14result of a price too high for the
1:05:15challenger to easily afford, though Carl
1:05:18didn't know that and thought it was just
1:05:19a matter of ego. Carl gave the box to
1:05:22Remy, who began grinding a monarch rank
1:05:25earth stone that she had pilered from
1:05:26the Cyclops invasion. This will be such
1:05:29a good thing. We can't feed it to Ry
1:05:32though. She's already a bit too earth
1:05:35element. So either we can feed it to
1:05:38Thor or sell it and get something holy
1:05:40for him. She suggested as she worked
1:05:44more earth shields. Rey already does
1:05:47earth shields. Thor complained, feeling
1:05:51slighted with a duplicate ability. No,
1:05:54this is what my book calls an exuberant
1:05:56vitality potion.
1:05:58Well, before I added the earth stone to
1:06:00it. Now it just says that it is good for
1:06:03you. It's more health and plant-based
1:06:06and less dirt. Remy explained.
1:06:10Thor thought about it for a second. So,
1:06:13you're saying it might be better to feed
1:06:14it to the lotus. Remy considered that
1:06:18she might explode if we give her any
1:06:20more energy? She's been playing with
1:06:23children for over an hour and she's not
1:06:25tired yet. The spellblade brought
1:06:28through 10 teenage acolytes from his
1:06:30clan, all at the ascended to commander
1:06:32rank bottleneck. The system interface
1:06:35said that they were all classically
1:06:36trained mages. So, if they were
1:06:38compatible, they would be getting
1:06:39classes today. That might eliminate some
1:06:42of the bottlenecks for them and let them
1:06:44advance. Getting to commander was
1:06:46difficult, but getting past it was
1:06:48considered nearly impossible.
1:06:51So for a faction that sent a royal as
1:06:53their champion, it was better to get
1:06:55more commanders than to take risks
1:06:56trying to get another royal. Oilia
1:06:59stepped up beside Carl and motioned for
1:07:01the young ones to follow her. Protocol
1:07:04said that Carl would remain here with
1:07:06the other leader and someone should
1:07:08bring them food while they waited. Carl
1:07:10waved his hand, activating Earth Shield,
1:07:13and created a crude set of stone chairs
1:07:16and a table. Why don't we sit and wait?
1:07:19There are some conditions to access, so
1:07:22it takes a few minutes for most, he
1:07:24offered. The mage smiled and sat on the
1:07:27chair, suddenly activating a barrier
1:07:30underneath himself in case Carl tried to
1:07:32use the skill to attack. Ry transformed
1:07:35into a human again and stepped out of
1:07:37her space with a plate full of roasted
1:07:38pork and berries.
1:07:40Sorry for the lack of cookies. I hope
1:07:43this suits your taste. She greeted them.
1:07:46The mage did a double take as he saw her
1:07:49and couldn't immediately identify her
1:07:50species. Other than that, she was a
1:07:52royal rank beast and had managed to
1:07:54sneak up on him. "Thank you, Ry. I have
1:07:58some in my inventory."
1:08:00Carl took a small package of travel
1:08:02biscuits that the elves had provided for
1:08:04him and placed them on the tray. He had
1:08:07close to 50 kilos of the biscuits, and
1:08:09they didn't often eat them, so this was
1:08:11a great chance to bring them out. Are
1:08:14those elven travel biscuits and royal
1:08:17rank giant boar meat? You have
1:08:19extravagant tastes, my friend. The mage
1:08:23stammered.
1:08:24Far from it. The giant boores appeared
1:08:27in an anomaly spawn not long ago, so I
1:08:30have an abundance. And the elven
1:08:31biscuits are something of a unique snack
1:08:33option that I reserve for special
1:08:35occasions,
1:08:36like finding someone who likes to eat
1:08:38bread. Hawk noted. Rey, tell your Lotus
1:08:42to make more of those fried rice ball
1:08:44snacks with the red bean paste in the
1:08:46middle. I like those. Remy added
1:08:50helpfully.
1:08:51Rey agreed. She liked the rice balls and
1:08:55wondered what this mouth made them taste
1:08:57like. So, she shadowstepped to where
1:09:00Tessa was standing to inform her of
1:09:01their dinner order. By the gods, that is
1:09:04terrifying.
1:09:06The mage muttered. Carl laughed. She has
1:09:10a knack for terrifying people and she
1:09:12has mastered using her movement skills
1:09:14without a power surge, so she just kind
1:09:16of vanishes.
1:09:18I take it that she's more friendly than
1:09:20she looks." The mage chuckled. "Not
1:09:24really, but she doesn't like being in
1:09:26the sunshine, so she's unlikely to start
1:09:28murdering people in the middle of the
1:09:30afternoon." All of the beasts laughed in
1:09:33Carl's mind as Rey nodded in agreement
1:09:35both mentally and in person, which
1:09:37confused Tessa, who had to try to
1:09:39decipher what body language was intended
1:09:41for her and what was for someone else.
1:09:44Rey was not yet used to keeping her body
1:09:46language for the person in front of her,
1:09:48as for so long she had only been able to
1:09:50speak to Carl and the other beasts who
1:09:53could all hear her thoughts. "What did
1:09:55you say her name was?" the mage asked.
1:09:59That is the Lady Ry, princess of the
1:10:02bloodbath spiders. The mage went even
1:10:05more pale than he had been when Ry
1:10:07vanished. I see. So, she's using a
1:10:11transformation spell. Then she obtained
1:10:14one from Bet Hoke Fortress, and she's
1:10:16working on mastering the skill so she
1:10:18can transform on her own. It will be a
1:10:21great victory for her mobility if she
1:10:23can access human scaled corridors.
1:10:26Carl agreed. Many human fortresses were
1:10:29designed with ceilings just over 2 m
1:10:31high and narrow hallways for exactly
1:10:33that reason. So that monsters couldn't
1:10:36run wild inside the fortress, even if
1:10:38they managed to enter. A royal rank
1:10:41beast loose in the hallways was the last
1:10:43thing that they wanted. And the most
1:10:45powerful beasts were far larger than
1:10:47humans. Is it possible for a beast to
1:10:50learn a skill like that? The mage asked.
1:10:54With the right motivation, it is. Lady
1:10:57Ray even learned how to summon golems
1:10:59with a little assistance.
1:11:01She's become quite the versatile hunter.
1:11:04Carl is learning our ways. The mage is
1:11:07terrified.
1:11:09Ry laughed. I knew he would catch on
1:11:12eventually. We should have brought Thor
1:11:14over so he could see how much a
1:11:16lightning ser could advance. His mind
1:11:19would be blown. Remy agreed as she
1:11:22finished her concoction.
1:11:24There we go. Now, we can either feed it
1:11:27to Thor and see what happens, or wait
1:11:29until we're bored and then feed it to
1:11:31Thor and see what happens. Thor
1:11:34chuckled. Those are the same options.
1:11:37You're bored right now. Within 5
1:11:40minutes, all of the youngsters had
1:11:42managed to follow the instructions and
1:11:44enter the relic's separate space. Now,
1:11:47all that was left was the waiting. Carl
1:11:50was just getting comfortable when
1:11:51another portal opened and Ry used shadow
1:11:54step to go greet their visitors.
1:11:57Ah, monster. The woman on the other side
1:12:00of the portal screamed. No. Carl
1:12:03realized half a second later. That was a
1:12:06man with an exceptionally high-pitched
1:12:08screaming voice. Because the woman who
1:12:11stepped through looked disgusted with
1:12:13his cowardice.
1:12:14Princess, are you the leader of this
1:12:17team? I have been sent by the Steambbia
1:12:20Tower to negotiate access to the relic,
1:12:23she announced.
1:12:25Ry smiled at her, a gleaming crescent of
1:12:28serrated teeth. No, my Carl is the
1:12:31leader here. But I could have sworn that
1:12:33we already had your person here. Ry
1:12:36replied, confused by the way that the
1:12:38humans were using the same name twice.
1:12:41The woman gave her a perplexed look,
1:12:43then turned to where Carl and the royal
1:12:45rank mage were sitting. What are you
1:12:48doing here, Joseph? She demanded.
1:12:52The same thing that you are. I paid for
1:12:55my students to access the relic. He
1:12:58replied with a smug smile. The woman
1:13:01glared at him, then held out a box. I
1:13:04suppose that he also paid with one of
1:13:06these. She asked, showing Ry a potion
1:13:09identical to the first, except higher
1:13:11quality. This one is better than the
1:13:14first one. I can give you a chance to
1:13:17try the relic along with your 10
1:13:18tributes for that price. Rey offered.
1:13:22The leader of the first group of mages,
1:13:24Joseph, turned to Carl. Can she do that?
1:13:29Normally, there are politics involved in
1:13:31which faction gets to make the decision.
1:13:34He whispered, "It's fine. We're in
1:13:37agreement on the price." Carl replied,
1:13:41dismissing the mage's concerns. The new
1:13:44mage woman turned over the box, which
1:13:46Rey tossed in her space for Remy to
1:13:48upgrade later. They had one ready to go,
1:13:51and now they could make another. That
1:13:54way, they could feed them to both Thor
1:13:56and Lotus to see what happened. All she
1:13:59needed was to find another monarch rank
1:14:01earth stone or a nature stone. It should
1:14:05work with a nature stone, too. Assuming
1:14:08that she could find one, I will check my
1:14:11swamp first.
1:14:13I might already have some," Remy noted.
1:14:17Rey was busy playing hostess, so Remy
1:14:19would get started on the work. "I have a
1:14:22royal rank nature stone. Is that good
1:14:25enough?" Remy asked after a few seconds.
1:14:29"Probably,"
1:14:31I recall Hawk saying that humans can't
1:14:33absorb resources well, so you can't give
1:14:35them really good things. A monarch rank
1:14:38potion would be two full ranks above
1:14:40Lotus, and that might be too much for
1:14:42her to handle. Normally, humans used
1:14:45potions at their own level to advance,
1:14:47not ones that were already above their
1:14:49rank, simply out of access issues. Any
1:14:52resource that they could use was usually
1:14:54consumed by the finder or traded for one
1:14:57that they could use. So, there were no
1:15:00overlevel resources available. The human
1:15:03nations simply weren't capable of
1:15:05keeping up with demand.
1:15:07The identify skill that Carl had gotten
1:15:10and passively shared with the team was
1:15:12practically a cheat code for Remy when
1:15:14she started to study potion making. She
1:15:17only had to see the combination that
1:15:18would be good for one of the team
1:15:20members and then try to make something
1:15:22that wouldn't kill a human. She had
1:15:24wanted to make a growth potion that
1:15:26would make Lotus taller, but one of the
1:15:28ingredients was her own venom. If it
1:15:30didn't work to make her taller, it would
1:15:32probably kill her. You're really fine
1:15:35with a royal rank mage using the relic?
1:15:38The woman asked. Of course. But only on
1:15:42the condition that you give our friend
1:15:44librarian Gareth a full description of
1:15:46what happened inside. The blue dragons
1:15:49hate when they miss out on possibly
1:15:50useful information.
1:15:52Rey insisted.
1:15:54Plus, it will be funny to find out what
1:15:57insults the system came up when we send
1:15:58another old woman in. She mentally
1:16:01added. The woman led her group in just
1:16:04as the first 10 came out, all within 30
1:16:07seconds of each other. Once they were at
1:16:09the relic and the blue dragon was
1:16:11debriefing the young mages coming out,
1:16:13Joseph finally gave into temptation and
1:16:15asked Carl the question that was burning
1:16:17in his mind. What are you expecting to
1:16:20happen that you are willing to risk a
1:16:21foreign royal advancing with the aid of
1:16:23the relic you're assigned to? Carl
1:16:25laughed. That relic won't immediately
1:16:28advance anyone. Your people will explain
1:16:31to you soon. But there is a sentence
1:16:34inside the relic and it loves to insult
1:16:36people. Rey let her enter just so that
1:16:39she would be forced to describe the
1:16:40experience to the blue dragon. They can
1:16:43read minds and they will know if she's
1:16:45lying or trying to hide anything. Trust
1:16:48me, you don't want to leave before she
1:16:50gets out, especially if you're rivals in
1:16:52the same sect. Joseph blinked slowly,
1:16:56then looked at Rey, who was very proud
1:16:58of her idea. That's brilliant. Evil, but
1:17:02brilliant.
1:17:04Now, as I'm going to find out anyhow,
1:17:06what sort of relic is it? He asked. It
1:17:10gives the chance to awaken a system
1:17:12class if you are compatible, or view a
1:17:14historical video if you're not, but you
1:17:17see, the system was typically awakened
1:17:19during puberty. Your counterpart is
1:17:22significantly older than that, as is
1:17:24Colonel Louu, the royal rank minur over
1:17:26there. It berated him the entire time
1:17:29that he was there, even though it gave
1:17:31him the reward.
1:17:33So even if she is successful, we are
1:17:35expecting entertainment.
1:17:37Joseph chuckled as he waited for his
1:17:39acolytes to be returned to him after
1:17:41interrogation by the blue dragon. His
1:17:44nation also followed the dragon gods,
1:17:46though they didn't follow the golden
1:17:48dragon church. But the actual religious
1:17:51faction didn't matter much when it came
1:17:53to showing respect for the dragons. Even
1:17:56the beast god followers were kind to the
1:17:58chromatic dragons, and most of the
1:18:00others on the continent followed suit
1:18:01out of common sense. After all, you
1:18:04never wanted to upset someone who might
1:18:06eat you. Once the first group of
1:18:09acolytes were finished with librarian
1:18:11Gareth, they returned to Joseph and
1:18:13explained the situation to him in
1:18:14detail. All of them had managed to
1:18:17awaken the mage class. And while some
1:18:19had considered other options from the
1:18:21base classes, they had ultimately all
1:18:23chosen to go with the one they knew. As
1:18:26with the spellb blades under Prince
1:18:27Corbin, they had to worry about messing
1:18:29up their future by picking a class that
1:18:31was incompatible with the sect
1:18:32teachings. Unlike the golden dragon
1:18:35nation, there was really only one path
1:18:37for most of the other nations, and that
1:18:39was the path of the combat or research
1:18:41mages. That was the only way that the
1:18:44humans could compete with the other
1:18:46species without technology. And the
1:18:48Golden Dragon Nation was the only one
1:18:50that had focused on technological
1:18:52development thanks to their previous
1:18:53lack of mages. It was the largest human
1:18:56nation on the continent. But before the
1:18:58elite program began, it had only three
1:19:01spellblade clans in the entire territory
1:19:03when most capital cities and other human
1:19:05nations had at least two plus all the
1:19:07ones that were scattered through the
1:19:09countryside.
1:19:10Oh, Janice is out already and she
1:19:13doesn't look happy. Joseph chuckled. She
1:19:16began stomping toward the portal with a
1:19:18glare on her face, but she was
1:19:20intercepted just outside the ruins by
1:19:22the massive body of librarian Gareth,
1:19:24who hadn't gotten his part of the
1:19:26bargain yet. We had a deal. No leaving
1:19:30without telling me everything that
1:19:31happened inside.
1:19:33Janice sighed and gathered her thoughts
1:19:35while the blue dragon smirked at her and
1:19:37read her mind. When I first entered, I
1:19:40was in a space with a clone image of
1:19:42myself where I was allowed to choose a
1:19:44class from the system.
1:19:46But it only gave me one option. Spellb
1:19:48blade, she began. Did the system say
1:19:52anything? Give you an idea why you only
1:19:55got one option? Many of the young ones
1:19:58got a halfozen choices, but only one of
1:20:00them could choose spellblade, the dragon
1:20:03asked. The mage gave him an annoyed
1:20:06look, then sighed and mumbled something
1:20:08too low to be heard. Sorry, I didn't
1:20:11catch that. Gareth informed her. I said
1:20:16it called me fat and lazy, then berated
1:20:18me for not awakening the system
1:20:20interface before now. I'm a researcher
1:20:23for world dragon's sake. When would have
1:20:25I awakened the system? Yet it yelled at
1:20:28me for five straight minutes before it
1:20:30let me choose and leave. So you selected
1:20:33the only option and left as soon as it
1:20:35let you? The dragon asked. That is
1:20:39correct. All right, that's all I needed
1:20:42to know. You can wait at the table if
1:20:44you like. There are refreshments.
1:20:48Carl created another chair so she could
1:20:50sit with them. And Janice eyed the tray
1:20:52of snacks with curiosity.
1:20:54Who provided these? What an odd
1:20:57grouping? She commented.
1:21:00That would be me. It was what I had
1:21:03available, but they go well together.
1:21:06There is tea as well. It's pretty good.
1:21:09A little minty. Carl informed her with a
1:21:12smile. The tea was a Remy creation and
1:21:15it was technically boiled leaves, even
1:21:17if most of them came from medicinal
1:21:19herbs growing in her swamp. Janice
1:21:22sipped the tea, then did a double take.
1:21:25What did you put in this? Is this some
1:21:27sort of regional delicacy?
1:21:30Joseph laughed. It's an acquired taste.
1:21:34I like the devil mint and spirit leaf
1:21:36grass combination, though. It goes well
1:21:39with the divine chamomile.
1:21:41Calming and refreshing at the same time.
1:21:44The female mage shook her head. What a
1:21:47waste using them for making tea. Such
1:21:50precious resources should be
1:21:52appreciated, not treated as a snack. Her
1:21:55counterpart chuckled and slid a bit of
1:21:57roast pork belly on an elven travel
1:21:59biscuit to make a sandwich. You need to
1:22:01get out of the library now and then.
1:22:04Have a sandwich and some berries. It
1:22:07will help your mood. Joseph popped a
1:22:10berry into Janice's mouth and her eyes
1:22:12went wide in shock as she realized what
1:22:14he was feeding her. You bastard. I could
1:22:17have sold that. She gasped. Joseph put
1:22:21on an innocent expression while Carl
1:22:23laughed. There were literally thousands
1:22:26of those berries ripe in Remy's space
1:22:28right now, grown as a peace offering for
1:22:30Hawk when she irritated him with her
1:22:32inconsiderate use of water magic. Carl
1:22:35took out another handful and put them in
1:22:37her palms. There you go. Plenty for
1:22:40later. They're good in cakes and muffins
1:22:43as well. I grow these at home. No need
1:22:46to be shy. Janice held the berries in
1:22:49her cupped hands and gave Carl the most
1:22:51confused look that the beasts had seen
1:22:53so far. It was like he had told her that
1:22:56he was actually aricolor hydra who lived
1:22:58on the moon. She simply couldn't compute
1:23:01his words. But the berries were the same
1:23:03ones that came from Carl's balcony at
1:23:05the academy. Only these ones were
1:23:08commander rank resources, enhanced by
1:23:10the space they were grown in, and not
1:23:12just a bit of tasty junk food. In fact,
1:23:16the roast meat that they were enjoying
1:23:17had been seasoned with them and a few
1:23:19other plants from the beast spaces.
1:23:22Janice managed to get the berries into a
1:23:24pouch without spilling any, and finally
1:23:26managed to ask the important questions.
1:23:29Do you perhaps live in one of the
1:23:30protected sects of the Divine Beast
1:23:32Nation? Carl shook his head. I have a
1:23:36dorm at the Golden Divine Academy. Or at
1:23:39least I assume I still do. I haven't
1:23:41been there in a while. And you can grow
1:23:44resources like this there. That sounds
1:23:47frankly unbelievable.
1:23:50Carl winked at her. Trade secret. I
1:23:54can't go giving away all my horicultural
1:23:56knowledge. You don't know anything about
1:23:59hordes or their culture, though. Rey
1:24:02reminded him. Horiculture is the
1:24:04knowledge of growing plants. Remy
1:24:07clarified for her older sister. Silly
1:24:10name for it. Carl tried his best to
1:24:13ignore them, bickering and joking as the
1:24:15second batch of mages came out to meet
1:24:17with the dragon. This group had a
1:24:20special class with them, a magical
1:24:21knight that should still be compatible
1:24:24with the rest of the spellblades, and it
1:24:26was an advanced class, so it had powers
1:24:28in the skill tree that should be
1:24:30superior to many of the basic ones that
1:24:32the regular mage class got. Well, it
1:24:35looks like you got your money's worth. I
1:24:37do hope that you enjoy your evening.
1:24:40Carl informed the two group leaders,
1:24:42then stood to shake their hands and send
1:24:44them on their way. We certainly did. our
1:24:48money's worth and more. It was a
1:24:51pleasure doing business with you, Prince
1:24:53Carl and Lady Ry." Ry bowed politely,
1:24:56delighted that they had thanked her
1:24:58directly and not through Carl. She could
1:25:01get used to this form if people were
1:25:02going to be so nice. Then Kof giant
1:25:06spider. Cara laughed. Precisely.
1:25:11They'll never see it coming. That was
1:25:14just diabolical.
1:25:16Ray's humanoid form already terrified
1:25:18people and made it far too easy for her
1:25:20to sneak up on them. If she started just
1:25:23changing back into a spider right behind
1:25:25people, she was going to give someone a
1:25:27heart attack or make them soil
1:25:30themselves.
1:25:31Pick your targets wisely, sister. We all
1:25:35have sensitive noses,
1:25:37Thor added. For a few minutes, the ruins
1:25:40were quiet as the last of the trial
1:25:42takers left. Then a portal opened back
1:25:45to Bru's temple, and one of the clerics
1:25:47came through to take the children of the
1:25:49divine beast nation home. She waved at
1:25:52Remy from across the ruins, then began
1:25:54the task of making sure nobody forgot
1:25:56anything so they could be returned home
1:25:58in one trip. Then a portal opened and
1:26:01council head Arnold, the troll that led
1:26:03the newborn council, came through.
1:26:06Merchant Carl, I have come to collect
1:26:08the kids. Thank you for your efforts so
1:26:11far. He greeted them. Not a problem at
1:26:15all. I was asked to remain here for the
1:26:18time being and I couldn't really refuse.
1:26:21Is there anything entertaining coming up
1:26:22in the next few minutes? I could put off
1:26:25my return. Arnold suggested.
1:26:29It's hard to tell really. We're mostly
1:26:32waiting on the next group to come
1:26:33challenge for the relic or more
1:26:35reinforcements to be sent to take over
1:26:37from us and have their turn. It doesn't
1:26:40show any signs of instability yet, Carl
1:26:43replied. The troll nodded. You've likely
1:26:47got a full 24 hours worth of access. As
1:26:50powerful as that one is, I can't see it
1:26:53lasting longer than that. But until
1:26:55then, you're going to have an
1:26:57interesting day. But before I go, tell
1:27:00me something. Did you get a new benefit
1:27:03from the relic? Carl nodded. I got a
1:27:07most curious new class. It only has
1:27:10three skills available right now, and
1:27:12they're all insanely expensive. I will
1:27:15have to work hard to see the true
1:27:16benefits. The blue dragon turned to the
1:27:19troll. Do you know the beast master? How
1:27:23was his strength before? I don't have a
1:27:26frame of reference for what he was at
1:27:27before and after encountering the relic.
1:27:30Arnold just shrugged. You would have to
1:27:33ask Overlord Lea, but she's confined to
1:27:35the fort on security detail for the time
1:27:38being. She was the one who saw him in
1:27:40combat. If you wish to visit, just send
1:27:43a message and we will welcome you.
1:27:46Librarian Gareth nodded his massive
1:27:48head. I believe that I will. This relic
1:27:52is absolutely fascinating and the
1:27:54potential growth of the ones who have
1:27:56benefited from it is astounding. I
1:27:58suspect that many of them are hiding the
1:28:00extent of the skills that they could
1:28:02use. so that they can advance in
1:28:03private, but that is normal. Even the
1:28:06mighty predators returned to their den
1:28:08when they want to advance. Oilia poked
1:28:11Carl in the back and he made a face at
1:28:13her. Come on, we know you're holding
1:28:16out. Just give the potion to Lotus if
1:28:18you don't want to give away Thor's
1:28:20advancement.
1:28:21She whispered.
1:28:23All right, I know exactly how to do
1:28:25this. Carl whispered back. Hey, Lotus.
1:28:30Sister Remy made you a new type of
1:28:32juice. Carl shouted over to where the
1:28:35clerics were gathered. That brought the
1:28:38nature cleric running and Carl took the
1:28:40potion out of Remy's space. She says
1:28:43you're supposed to drink it in one shot.
1:28:46Carl explained.
1:28:48Thank you so much, Remy. I wonder what
1:28:51it tastes like. What kinds of juice do
1:28:54Naga even like? Lotus wondered while
1:28:57everyone else stared at the glowing neon
1:28:59green potion in her hand. Lotus sniffed
1:29:02at once, then tipped it to her lips and
1:29:04sipped a little. Her eyes widened in
1:29:07excitement, and she began to gulp down
1:29:09the potion like it actually was a glass
1:29:11of juice. Then the cleric began to glow
1:29:14the same green as the potion, then rise
1:29:16into the air, suspended by a pair of
1:29:18vines under her feet. The vines wrapped
1:29:21around her until Lotus was nearly
1:29:23engulfed in them.
1:29:25She looked a bit like a tree stump with
1:29:27a head on top, but she was radiating
1:29:29healing magic. Then branches and leaves
1:29:32began to grow from the vines, and she
1:29:35really looked like a tree that was
1:29:36slowly moving around the open area
1:29:38around the ruins. The tree was giving
1:29:41off an area healing aura that was far
1:29:43stronger than any that Lotus had used in
1:29:45the past, and it was hard to tell if she
1:29:46had advanced or if the potion had
1:29:48brought her right to the bottleneck of
1:29:50royal rank. I love this new skill. There
1:29:54are birds in my branches. Lotus giggled.
1:29:58The birds were part of the skill and
1:30:00could be dispatched to heal people by
1:30:02flying into them and turning into
1:30:03healing energy. But the visual effect
1:30:06was perfect for a nature cleric. Tree of
1:30:09life is the name of the skill that the
1:30:11potion gave me. To think that the spell
1:30:14blades gave us such a good thing to
1:30:16access the relic. She gave a twirl in
1:30:19tree form, shaking her branches and
1:30:21sending gold dust scattering to the
1:30:23ground where it healed any lingering
1:30:24wounds on those nearby.
1:30:27Librarian Gareth chuckled. "Little
1:30:30cleric, they didn't give you something
1:30:31that good. They gave you a decent
1:30:34enhancement potion, but not one that
1:30:36would grant an epic grade healing
1:30:37transformation spell. That must be the
1:30:40result of whatever your friend Carl, or
1:30:42did you say that it was Remy, did to it
1:30:44afterwards?"
1:30:46Now, I wish that I had analyzed it
1:30:48before you drank it. Who knows what sort
1:30:50of thing I might have learned from the
1:30:52concoction.
1:30:54Carl sensed that he was going to have to
1:30:55give a step-by-step description to the
1:30:57dragon, but he had already been
1:30:59expecting that when he agreed to Oilia's
1:31:01suggestion that they test the first
1:31:02potion on Lotus. "Does it take a lot of
1:31:05effort to maintain the tree?" Gareth
1:31:08asked. Lotus shook her head, which made
1:31:11the upper branches of the tree shake.
1:31:13"Nope, it's just here.
1:31:16It's kind of slow and heavy though. I
1:31:19can't move very fast.
1:31:22So, limited mobility, but greatly
1:31:24enhanced healing effects.
1:31:26Is there anyone here with a lingering
1:31:28ailment? A limb that has recently
1:31:30undergone regrowth or other injuries
1:31:32that were still healing. The dragon
1:31:35asked. All the defenders looked around,
1:31:38then shook their heads. They had been
1:31:41picked because they were in good health.
1:31:43I was recently healed in my arm and by
1:31:46high priestess Lotus herself. I don't
1:31:49know that there is any more lingering
1:31:50injury to repair, though. Colonel Lu
1:31:53explained.
1:31:55That's all right. Please go stand in the
1:31:57shade under her branches. The Minotaur
1:32:00complied without question, and the
1:32:02dragon cast a series of spells on him
1:32:04for observation as he stood in the
1:32:05healing aura, being regularly sprinkled
1:32:07with golden dust falling from the leaves
1:32:09as Lotus danced around in tree form.
1:32:12Fascinating.
1:32:14It is healing the lingering nerve and
1:32:16tissue damage that regular healing won't
1:32:18touch. The traumatic damage that leaves
1:32:21so many crippled from repeated magical
1:32:22healing spells, Gareth explained.
1:32:26Colonel Louu flexed his arm and
1:32:28shrugged. I will take your word for
1:32:30that, but I feel like a young Minotaur
1:32:32again, all refreshed and full of energy,
1:32:36a skill well worth its reputation as one
1:32:39of the grand healing magics. Then he
1:32:41turned to Lotus. The cathedral will be
1:32:44glad to see you returned. I assume that
1:32:47you are going back there after this
1:32:49engagement. Lotus giggled. Nope. We're
1:32:54going to the headarters of the Sebingan
1:32:55River to find a temple for research and
1:32:58then to the Witten Temple to hug
1:32:59Beastkin and then we will take the long
1:33:01way back home. Maybe we can go back to
1:33:04the beast god temple first. The dragon
1:33:07turned the questioning gaze on Carl.
1:33:10This sounds like a nature cleric set the
1:33:12route. Why are you headed to the middle
1:33:14of the jungle? Lotus stuck out her
1:33:17tongue at the dragon while Carl laughed.
1:33:20The jungle itself isn't the target.
1:33:23We're going to study ancient
1:33:24architecture.
1:33:26There are more examples of it popping up
1:33:27in the ruins and anomalies. So, we want
1:33:30to study a temple that has survived the
1:33:31years to see what sort of differences
1:33:33there might be and if there is some clue
1:33:35that might have been missed in the past
1:33:37because of a lack of knowledge. The
1:33:39dragon was suspicious, but he likely got
1:33:42most of the real reason from Carl's
1:33:43mind. The blue dragons were sneaky like
1:33:46that. That is understandable.
1:33:50I would ask that you bring an escort
1:33:52with you as I have many questions for
1:33:54you once you reach Wooden Temple.
1:33:56However, all of that is for later.
1:33:59Today, we get to babysit a newly
1:34:01appeared relic and test all of the newly
1:34:03awakened elites on the skills that they
1:34:05have mastered. Surely one or two of them
1:34:08had a skill point available to upgrade a
1:34:10spell or attack skill. It didn't take
1:34:13long before another group of
1:34:14reinforcements arrived. A team of
1:34:16monarch rank elites led by a warrior
1:34:18class overlord in a black latex bodysuit
1:34:21that looked more at home in an idol
1:34:22video than on the battlefield.
1:34:25Who is in charge here? She demanded.
1:34:28Carl rose from his seat to face her. I
1:34:32am responsible for this location at the
1:34:34moment. You can call me Carl. The
1:34:37overlord nodded. I am Tabitha and this
1:34:40is my team. We will be taking over
1:34:43control of this relic. Thank you for
1:34:46your dedication. You may continue about
1:34:48your assigned duties if you were not
1:34:50assigned to remain here. It was a
1:34:52dispassionate response. Not like she
1:34:55wanted him gone, but more like she
1:34:56didn't care where he was as she was only
1:34:59here to do a job. Understood, Overlord.
1:35:03We were headed east. So once I introduce
1:35:05your team to the other leaders here, I
1:35:07will take my group and be on my way
1:35:09again. First, we have librarian Gareth
1:35:12from the Witten Temple. He has come to
1:35:14study the effect of the relic on the
1:35:16various candidates.
1:35:18Then we have Colonel Louu, who is
1:35:20temporarily in charge of the New Bond
1:35:22Empire forces. He's an excellent warrior
1:35:25and easy to get along with, especially
1:35:28if you have some knowledge of farming.
1:35:30In charge of the artillery regiment is
1:35:32Commander Jameson, and beside him is
1:35:34High Priest Dolores, who oversees the
1:35:37infantry. The red robed war priestess
1:35:40nodded a simple greeting to the
1:35:41Overlord, only sparing her a few seconds
1:35:44before she returned to rearranging her
1:35:45troops. There is no leader from the
1:35:48Divine Beast Nation here. Overlord
1:35:51Tabitha asked. Gareth chuckled, then
1:35:54gestured between himself and Carl. We
1:35:57are serving as the representatives of
1:35:59the divine beast nation today. They
1:36:02didn't see fit to leave a military force
1:36:04here while they had no trainees present.
1:36:06How could an elite serve as leader for
1:36:08the divine beast nation? She asked
1:36:11confused.
1:36:13He is a beast master. There are four
1:36:16royal ranked divine beasts with him and
1:36:18they represent the only divine beasts
1:36:20present.
1:36:22So, Prince Carl leads their force while
1:36:24I am the impartial researcher.
1:36:27The overlord shrugged, and Carl noticed
1:36:29how Dana blushed, and Tessa looked a bit
1:36:31disgusted by the way that her
1:36:32tight-fitting latex suit shifted and
1:36:34pulled with the motion. But he also
1:36:37noticed that it was an overlord ranked
1:36:39defensive skill. Why it looked like that
1:36:41was a mystery, but why she didn't wear
1:36:44anything over it was even more of a
1:36:45mystery, unless her skills gave her
1:36:47extreme agility, and she needed the
1:36:49flexible material with no impediment to
1:36:51her movement. In that case, you are
1:36:54dismissed, Prince Carl. The honorable
1:36:57librarian can take over the duty of
1:36:59leadership until such time as the divine
1:37:01beasts see fit to send a replacement.
1:37:04Carl bowed to the overlord and motioned
1:37:06for his team to join him. Five people
1:37:09would be too much to be comfortable on
1:37:11Hawk's back, so Carl let Dana mount up
1:37:13while the clerics hopped on Thor's back,
1:37:15and Ray prepared her golems for riders.
1:37:18The other elites looked intrigued by the
1:37:20process and even more when Thor began to
1:37:22jog away with his passengers while Hawk
1:37:25rocketed into the sky. This time he used
1:37:28his barrier to hold Dana in place,
1:37:30cradling her like an ergonomic chair
1:37:32with head support. That made riding much
1:37:35easier when he wanted to make extreme
1:37:37changes in direction. Gareth sighed as
1:37:40he saw them running away. They weren't
1:37:42actually afraid of the overlord's
1:37:44temper. They just wanted to go do fun
1:37:46things and not sit here being attacked
1:37:48while they sat at a huge glowing target.
1:37:50He couldn't blame them. Their plan to go
1:37:53explore an ancient temple sounded like
1:37:55way more fun than getting information
1:37:57about the same three basic class options
1:37:59over and over. Very few of the
1:38:02volunteers got an advanced option, and
1:38:04Gareth had already realized that the
1:38:06advanced options were related to the
1:38:08skills that the applicant had. In fact,
1:38:11he even had a pretty reliable chart to
1:38:13tell whether a mage would get the
1:38:14spellblade option or not. The young ones
1:38:17got to choose classes, but the nations
1:38:19kept sending ones that were already
1:38:21undergoing training for a specialty, so
1:38:23they weren't picking any of the fun
1:38:24options that they had described. That
1:38:27had to change. Gareth sent a message to
1:38:30the Bruised Temple in the Divine Beast
1:38:32Nation. He needed 50 young beasts or
1:38:35beast kin who hadn't started training
1:38:36yet so that he could encourage them to
1:38:38try the other classes and see what they
1:38:40all did. They had a full listing of all
1:38:43of the promising children of the nation
1:38:44that had been brought to one of the
1:38:46temples for the traditional blessing of
1:38:47the newborns and they had all of the
1:38:49school enrollment information for those
1:38:51who were in the right age group to be
1:38:53gaining system skills. There had to be
1:38:55some good ones in there and if he didn't
1:38:57get to see them, it was a huge waste of
1:38:59the opportunity. It only took a moment
1:39:02for Gareth to craft a message and even
1:39:04less time for a positive response to the
1:39:06idea to be sent back. Orthos took one
1:39:10look at the incoming message, then
1:39:11decided that he had the perfect group.
1:39:14There was a misfit class at the school
1:39:16in Holi specifically for beasts and
1:39:18beast kin who wanted to pursue paths
1:39:20that were not well suited to their
1:39:21species. If they could get an actual
1:39:24class for their ambitions, they would
1:39:26have an excellent chance to grow up as
1:39:28something more than wast.
1:39:30Carl was almost to the horizon when the
1:39:32portal opened, and Hawk began to laugh.
1:39:35A hundred juvenile beasts and beastkin
1:39:37had just arrived to use the relic, which
1:39:40was fair by the rules of usage
1:39:41splitting. But the students that the
1:39:44newly arrived elites were seeing were
1:39:45not what anyone expected. There was a
1:39:48forest weasel dressed as a blacksmith,
1:39:50despite only weighing 2 kilos, a dire
1:39:53bear with shamanistic bead necklaces, a
1:39:55fox kin wearing leather pants, and
1:39:57carrying twin battle axes. And it only
1:39:59got more insane from there. That idea
1:40:02spurred Colonel Louu to do the same
1:40:04thing. What if the key wasn't to find
1:40:06the most qualified, but to find the
1:40:08oddballs and make them qualified?
1:40:11So, he called for another 20 from his
1:40:13nation, and they arrived within the next
1:40:1510 minutes. As the first group was
1:40:17getting organized at the orb, they had
1:40:19sent all sorts of wild options from
1:40:21Newon.
1:40:23There was an Orish war chief that wanted
1:40:25to be a mage, but could currently only
1:40:27cast fist.
1:40:29a succubus that had sworn vows of
1:40:31celibacy and only fed secondhand and a
1:40:33minur boy who desperately wanted to be a
1:40:35chef. That one the colonel recognized as
1:40:38one of his neighbors. They must have
1:40:41taken him to the fortress after the
1:40:42colonel and the other royal ranked
1:40:44defenders were called to duty. What is
1:40:47with all the misfits? Overlord Tabitha
1:40:50demanded as she saw the new arrivals
1:40:52lining up and realized there was a
1:40:53pattern. It's an idea that the librarian
1:40:56had. What if the orb is best used by
1:40:59those who don't want a conventional
1:41:01path? The ones who want to defy fate and
1:41:04become something more than what they
1:41:05were born for. Humans can be anything
1:41:08really because they're not born with any
1:41:11real worth or skills. They're not even
1:41:14strong enough for farming or mining
1:41:16until they train. But our people have
1:41:18innate paths that are easy for them. But
1:41:21this orb, it could be the key to
1:41:23unlocking more futures for our children.
1:41:26We will see when the first ones come out
1:41:28if they manage to accomplish that.
1:41:31Colonel Louu explained. And you are
1:41:33expecting this to succeed? Tabitha
1:41:36asked. The minotaur nodded. Just wait. I
1:41:41am sure that at least some of the beasts
1:41:43will succeed while the others will at
1:41:45least have a path they picked for
1:41:46themselves. The first one out was the
1:41:49fox kinboy who was now glowing with red
1:41:52energy and wearing black metal armor. I
1:41:55have found my new calling in life. I
1:41:58will be a blood knight. He declared.
1:42:01Librarian Gareth smiled. That is
1:42:04wonderful news and not a rogue type at
1:42:07all. Just as you wished. Now come tell
1:42:11me all about it and you can go practice
1:42:13your new skills in the open area. Carl
1:42:16and his group had made so much progress
1:42:18by the time that the sun went down that
1:42:20they had no idea how much chaos Carl had
1:42:22caused by simply ordering everyone to
1:42:24get started using the orb. Everyone else
1:42:27had assumed that was an order from the
1:42:28archbishop, so they just went with it.
1:42:31However, when the totems returned after
1:42:33dinner, they were thoroughly baffled to
1:42:35see hundreds of newly awakened
1:42:37adolescent system users. They had just
1:42:40come to an agreement on the schedule to
1:42:41use the orb. But everyone who had been
1:42:43called was just lined up double file,
1:42:46allowing the nations, including the
1:42:47Beastkin nation, who hadn't even been
1:42:50part of the negotiation, to use the orb
1:42:52equally. What is this? Lord Nact, the
1:42:56black dragon demanded. We are following
1:42:59the instructions passed to us by the
1:43:01group we relieved. Double file, equal
1:43:04access for both groups. The divine
1:43:07beasts were said to be part of the
1:43:09newborn delegation and the
1:43:10representatives from the beastkin nation
1:43:12paid for their access as part of the
1:43:14golden dragon nation's quota. Overlord
1:43:17Tabitha explained not understanding why
1:43:19the dragon was upset. And who did you
1:43:22relieve that set this policy? The dragon
1:43:25asked. That would be Prince Carl the
1:43:28beast master. The black dragon began to
1:43:31laugh while the archbishop gave a rofal
1:43:33smile. I don't suppose that he said
1:43:36where he was going, did he? The
1:43:38archbishop asked. To a temple in the
1:43:41beastkin nation near the headarters of
1:43:44some river. Tabitha replied with a
1:43:46shrug. The sebing in river. Librarian
1:43:50Gareth clarified.
1:43:52All right, I know where that is. It
1:43:55appears that all our negotiations were
1:43:57unnecessary if everyone can share so
1:43:59well. Now we are going to have a long
1:44:02discussion with a certain young elite
1:44:04about what the words executive decision
1:44:06mean. Tabitha began to laugh as she
1:44:09realized what had happened. Someone had
1:44:11decided to just act while the totems
1:44:13were negotiating and hadn't expected
1:44:15them to come back in time for anyone to
1:44:17catch him. The young prince was a brave
1:44:20one. She would give him that much.
1:44:23Perhaps not too bright, but he had
1:44:25initiative. On a positive note, even
1:44:28among the ones who were found to be
1:44:29incompatible, there have been no
1:44:31injuries and no fatalities.
1:44:34Librarian Gareth informed the two totem
1:44:36rank leaders. That made this a superior
1:44:39resource to the divine injection. And
1:44:41the trial here had a success rate that
1:44:43was over 50% overall and increased with
1:44:46youth. Among those who were under their
1:44:4915th birthday or equivalent for their
1:44:51species, it was nearly three in every
1:44:53four that obtained a class. Wonderful
1:44:56news. We will ensure that there is a
1:44:59steady supply of candidates for as long
1:45:01as the trial remains open. Do we know
1:45:04the exact time it opened? The archbishop
1:45:07asked. I don't, but as I understand it,
1:45:10the portal opened early this morning.
1:45:13The archbishop nodded. Then we have
1:45:16plenty of time left. As if the world
1:45:18wanted to spite him. It was at that
1:45:20moment that the light of the orb began
1:45:22to flicker. The energy from it appeared
1:45:25to be as strong as ever, but something
1:45:27was changing. Then it stabilized,
1:45:30appearing just as it had before. No more
1:45:33red flags. The black dragon insisted.
1:45:38Seconded. Let's see who comes out next.
1:45:42Perhaps an interesting choice was made.
1:45:45Who is in there right now? Lord Knacked
1:45:48asked, turning to his fellow dragon.
1:45:50Librarian Gareth shrugged. a bunch of
1:45:54misfit kids from the newborn capital and
1:45:56a couple of acolytes from the divine
1:45:57beasts. Almost everyone has entered
1:46:00already. The rest are just practicing
1:46:02their new skills over there. The blue
1:46:05dragon explained. The two totems looked
1:46:08around at the situation and nodded in
1:46:10satisfaction.
1:46:12All right, we will leave this to you who
1:46:13are here now. Send a message when you
1:46:16are finished or run out of volunteers
1:46:18and we will come back. Lord Knack
1:46:21insisted. "Yes, brother." Gareth
1:46:25replied. The Archbishop closed his eyes
1:46:28to focus and then frowned. "How can he
1:46:31be 5 km apart from himself? I think that
1:46:35his beasts are messing with my
1:46:36targeting." The black dragon chuckled
1:46:39and ducked down so that the archbishop
1:46:41could climb on his back. "Open the
1:46:43portal in the air and we will find
1:46:45them." Carl pulled his golle mount to an
1:46:48abrupt stop as a massive dragon had
1:46:50appeared through a portal 20 m in front
1:46:52of him. Lord knacked. Good afternoon.
1:46:56How was your dinner? Carl greeted the
1:46:59dragon, then realized the archbishop was
1:47:01on his back. Archbishop, may the
1:47:04blessing of the world dragon be upon
1:47:06you. The archbishop floated down from
1:47:09the dragon's back and knack transformed
1:47:11back into his humanoid form. We have
1:47:14been informed that you waited less than
1:47:155 minutes after we left to discuss the
1:47:17rotation of use before you decided to
1:47:19just send everyone present into the
1:47:21trial and start calling for more people.
1:47:24The archbishop began your eminence. I
1:47:27would like to clarify that I was not the
1:47:29one who called for more people to come
1:47:30for the trial. I simply set out usage
1:47:34guidelines that everyone could work with
1:47:35until your final decision was made.
1:47:38That's a beautiful way of saying that
1:47:40you didn't pay any attention at all and
1:47:42just did what you wanted. Nact agreed.
1:47:45Thank you. The archbishop hid his
1:47:48amusement at the way that the beast
1:47:50master didn't back down even in front of
1:47:52a totem ranked black dragon. It might be
1:47:55confidence or he might just be oblivious
1:47:57to the danger, but he could sense that
1:47:59Carl's attitude was partially from his
1:48:01bonded beasts. And with three apex
1:48:03predators linked to him, it was no
1:48:05wonder that he was self assured to the
1:48:06level of arrogant. "Are you thinking
1:48:09what I'm thinking?" Cara asked. "If he
1:48:12takes two more steps forward, I will
1:48:14consider it." Carl agreed. Nact tilted
1:48:19his head curiously and cast a spell,
1:48:21then another spell. You're trying to
1:48:23determine what my beasts are saying to
1:48:25me, aren't you? Orthos told me the
1:48:28easiest way is to listen to my thoughts
1:48:30because I will think the words as I hear
1:48:31them. Carl suggested.
1:48:34The black dragon nodded. That's not my
1:48:38specialty. I am looking at your intent
1:48:41and it keeps fluctuating like a rainbow
1:48:43of different intents all mixed together.
1:48:46I am wondering which one is which. I
1:48:49would assume the one that is focused on
1:48:50mischief is the Naga Queen. Carl shook
1:48:54his head. No, that's the winged void
1:48:57badger. She has a thing with dragons.
1:49:00The archbishop looked concerned that
1:49:02Carl might do something stupid, but Nact
1:49:05was just amused. The dark goddess is
1:49:07fond of small and fearless creatures.
1:49:10They often get away with things that no
1:49:12larger creature could. I heard what she
1:49:15did to Orthos.
1:49:17I think that's a warning. Cara noted.
1:49:21He's definitely on to your shenanigans.
1:49:24Remy agreed. I will have to find new
1:49:27ones. The archbishop cleared his throat.
1:49:31We will escort you all to the temple on
1:49:33the off chance that there really is
1:49:35something there. Unfortunately, the
1:49:37Spellblade clan won't be able to join
1:49:39us, but Prince Corbin will get credit
1:49:41for his reports if there is something
1:49:43found. Corbin really had gotten cheated
1:49:46on this deal. He was the one who wanted
1:49:48to go there in the first place.
1:49:51Carl just hoped there was good stuff
1:49:53there for Thor. That sounds wonderful.
1:49:57Thank you for your assistance.
1:49:59The Black Dragon or the Archbishop must
1:50:01have known exactly where they were going
1:50:03because the portal opened right beside a
1:50:04temple that looked exactly like the step
1:50:06temple in the very first trial instance
1:50:08that Carl had entered. There is an
1:50:10opening at the top. Would you like me to
1:50:13fly you up there to begin the
1:50:15investigation?
1:50:16Knacked asked. Carl shook his head.
1:50:20No, I think it is important that you
1:50:22walk up the steps. This is identical to
1:50:25a world dragon temple in a trial I was
1:50:27in. The goal was to get as far up as you
1:50:30could. Now, this one might be broken,
1:50:33but if there is even a little lingering
1:50:35magic, it will be important that we have
1:50:37walked all the way up under our own
1:50:39power, Carl explained.
1:50:42All of the beasts came out to examine
1:50:44the temple, and Hawk was filled with a
1:50:46sense of nostalgia.
1:50:48It would be much easier to walk up the
1:50:50steps now. He was huge and he might even
1:50:53be able to do three at a time. Carl led
1:50:56the way, then paused and went around to
1:50:58the left side of the temple. If I'm
1:51:01right, this one used to be the strength
1:51:03test side, he explained.
1:51:06Carl stepped onto the temple and began
1:51:08his ascent. There was no magical
1:51:11resistance, no sign of response from the
1:51:13temple, but he continued up the thousand
1:51:15steps to the top anyhow.
1:51:18If nothing else, it was a good workout.
1:51:21The others followed behind, curious to
1:51:23see if Carl would be able to provoke a
1:51:25response from the temple by mimicking
1:51:26the way that it used to function as a
1:51:28trial. They were about to give up on the
1:51:31whole notion when Carl reached the top
1:51:33and nothing happened. But when he took
1:51:35one more step forward, the temple began
1:51:37to slowly pulse with energy, a faint
1:51:40signature, but growing. Well, I'll be.
1:51:44It really did respond to your technique.
1:51:47What do you think you should do next?
1:51:49Knacked asked. The archbishop was making
1:51:52notes as he walked up, ensuring that no
1:51:55detail was missed. The old cleric surely
1:51:58had ideas as he was the greatest expert
1:52:00in the world on the topic. But Carl went
1:52:03with the simplest idea first. There is
1:52:06what looks like an offering box on the
1:52:07altar. I will start with that.
1:52:11The altar was made of the same ancient
1:52:12gray stone as the rest of the temple,
1:52:14but the box was heavily weathered brass
1:52:17and most likely bolted down if it was
1:52:19still there. Carl reached into his
1:52:21inventory and took out a piece of gear
1:52:23that he knew was system compatible from
1:52:25the last resurgence and placed the
1:52:27magical dagger in the offering chest.
1:52:30The dagger vanished as soon as he placed
1:52:32it in the box, and Carl waited to see if
1:52:34anything happened or if everyone had to
1:52:36make an offering. The power in the
1:52:38temple was growing, but not everyone was
1:52:41at the top yet as the clerics and Dana
1:52:43lacked the superhuman stamina of Carl,
1:52:45Oilia, or the dragon. Eventually, they
1:52:49did all make it to the top of the
1:52:50temple, and the power level began to
1:52:52grow proportionally to the number of
1:52:54people gathered around the altar. "Are
1:52:56we going to do something?" Oilia asked.
1:53:00"First, we wait a few more minutes. Then
1:53:04we will offer it a few more system
1:53:05enhanced treasures in the offering box.
1:53:08It accepted the dagger I offered, so I
1:53:11know it works at least a little, Carl
1:53:14explained.
1:53:15After a few minutes, the power growth
1:53:17seemed to slow to a crawl, but the
1:53:19archbishop had an idea. I think it just
1:53:22lacks the mana to continue. You clearly
1:53:25triggered it well enough. It just can't
1:53:27complete its desired task. Between
1:53:30myself and Nact, we should be able to
1:53:32fix it. He explained in a tired voice.
1:53:36For the first time, Carl noticed that
1:53:38the Archbishop was not a young man or
1:53:41what could be called middle-aged or even
1:53:43aging. Behind his beard and his clear
1:53:46eyes, he was very obviously elderly and
1:53:49might not have more than a handful more
1:53:50years left. But once he recovered from
1:53:53the long walk up the stairs, the strong
1:53:55aura was back. And the two totems began
1:53:58to focus their energy on whatever was
1:54:00happening in the pyramid that was
1:54:02bringing it to life. And Carl smiled as
1:54:05he realized that Corbin was right. There
1:54:07was something immensely powerful here.
1:54:10It was faint, but the energy coming off
1:54:12it was like nothing that Carl had ever
1:54:14felt before. It almost felt holy, but
1:54:17not in a way that Carl could put his
1:54:19finger on. Perhaps they really had found
1:54:22the tomb of a demagod. If that was the
1:54:25case, Corbin was going to be devastated,
1:54:27even if he was given the credit for the
1:54:29initial find. The black dragon smiled. I
1:54:33can feel it. There is something
1:54:35remarkable here. Prepare yourselves. I
1:54:39think that it is going to activate. The
1:54:41air seemed to twist as if an anomaly was
1:54:44opening and then Carl was floating in
1:54:46the void. There was nothing around him,
1:54:49only absolute darkness for the first
1:54:52half of a second. Then he felt wind
1:54:55rushing past his face and altered
1:54:57flaming body so that it gave off a large
1:55:00amount of light. On his right, Lord
1:55:02Knacked was spreading his wings to begin
1:55:04a gentle glide around the area. So Carl
1:55:08called Hawk out only to find that the
1:55:10beast hadn't been returned to his space,
1:55:12and he wasn't here wherever they were.
1:55:15Carl shifted to flatten himself against
1:55:17the wind, slowing his fall, and waited
1:55:19for the ground to come into sight. Nact
1:55:22was already far above him as the dragon
1:55:24had simply opened his wings. He hadn't
1:55:27realized right away that Carl was beside
1:55:29him and couldn't fly, so his first
1:55:31instinct was to explore the area. Then
1:55:34Carl realized that he didn't have to
1:55:36actually fly. He could change his armor
1:55:39and hope it adapted. Bestial Raymond was
1:55:43removed and reactivated, giving him a
1:55:45new pattern of armor with a layer of
1:55:46cloth connecting his limbs that allowed
1:55:48him to soar through the air, greatly
1:55:50reducing his fall speed. Good call,
1:55:53boss. Remy congratulated him. You're
1:55:57with me. I thought we were all
1:55:59separated. Remy gave a mental shrug.
1:56:03When things started getting weird, I
1:56:05just went home. That was a very Remy
1:56:08thing to do. She wasn't fond of trouble
1:56:11and liked to watch new things from the
1:56:13safety of her swamp. Only once she knew
1:56:16what was going on would she come out.
1:56:19Carl realized that the others were
1:56:20likely in the same situation he was in
1:56:22right now and frowned. I hope they're
1:56:25all all right. Hawk can fly. So can
1:56:29Cara. Dana can walk on air, but the two
1:56:32clerics, Thor and Ray, could be in
1:56:34trouble. He had other things to worry
1:56:37about, though. He could see the ground
1:56:40now, or at least a mountain range in the
1:56:42distance, and Nact had come to soar
1:56:44beside him. "What a curious thing this
1:56:47trial is. If there was anyone else in
1:56:50this instance, I would have expected it
1:56:51to be the old man, not you," he offered,
1:56:55keeping pace beside Carl. "It is a shock
1:56:58to me, too. I wonder how it sorted us,
1:57:01or what sort of trial this is. It
1:57:04clearly didn't sort us by power level,
1:57:06and it doesn't make sense to sort us by
1:57:08size. Carl agreed.
1:57:12Land there on that ledge halfway up the
1:57:14mountain. Then, if we need to fly again,
1:57:17you can get on my back. Carl steered
1:57:20himself awkwardly toward the ledge,
1:57:22slowly getting the hang of maneuvering
1:57:24in freef fall with his adapted armor. He
1:57:27could likely achieve the same effect
1:57:29with a cloak or cape if he tied it to
1:57:30his ankles. So, he wanted to remember
1:57:32this skill for later. As they approached
1:57:35the cliff, Carl could see that there was
1:57:37a cave at the back, but he could also
1:57:39see that there was something alive in
1:57:41there. There's something in there. I can
1:57:44see the aura of its soul. Carlin formed
1:57:47Knack as he steadied himself on his feet
1:57:49and refreshed his armor so it would
1:57:51spawn a more practical design. Then he
1:57:54dimmed the light of flaming body so that
1:57:56it didn't draw the attention of whatever
1:57:58he had seen. You have the soul sight as
1:58:01well. How did you manage that? Nact.
1:58:06It's a benefit of being bonded with Hawk
1:58:08who has evolved into a ghost firebird.
1:58:11I gain the sensory specialties of my
1:58:13beasts, but most of them are duplicated
1:58:16or inferior to a version I already have.
1:58:19But I have thermal vision, echolocation,
1:58:21and soul sight to work with, which
1:58:23ironically makes it even more
1:58:25disorienting to be high in the air in
1:58:27the dark. Nactards entrance to the cave.
1:58:31Shall we? If we're in a trial, standing
1:58:34around out here isn't going to do us any
1:58:36good, but we might have an advantage on
1:58:39some of the others, as we found
1:58:41something living the moment that we
1:58:42landed. He had a point. He had forgotten
1:58:46that he should be seeing anything
1:58:47living, if there was something alive in
1:58:49the trial. But Carl hadn't seen anything
1:58:52else living beneath them, only the
1:58:53ground and the mountains. Knacked moved
1:58:56toward the cavern entrance, shifting
1:58:58into human form so he would fit within
1:59:00the confined space. The ceiling was over
1:59:035 m tall, but in his adult dragon form,
1:59:06he was still far too large to fit within
1:59:09the available space. Carl also ended the
1:59:12brutality, skill, and let himself shrink
1:59:15back to his normal size, which suddenly
1:59:17felt very short compared to the height
1:59:19that he had gotten used to on his
1:59:20travels through the New Bond Empire. So,
1:59:23you're not an exceptionally tall human.
1:59:25You just keep a skill active all the
1:59:27time to be taller. That's an odd choice.
1:59:31Nact noted. It also increases my
1:59:34strength by 50%.
1:59:37When there is heavy lifting or fighting
1:59:39to be done, it is much better to have it
1:59:41in effect. But if we're headed down into
1:59:43the tunnels, it pays to be a bit shorter
1:59:45than average. Knacked laughed. His own
1:59:49human form was quite large, but Carl was
1:59:51roughly 180 cm tall. Taller than most
1:59:55women, but not particularly tall for a
1:59:57man. However, he was broad and muscular.
2:00:02The tunnel was gently sloping and
2:00:04carefully carved, not a natural
2:00:05formation in the stone. Carl used silent
2:00:09movement to reduce noise to the point
2:00:11that echolocation was only a faint
2:00:13image, and he was relying almost
2:00:15exclusively on thermal imaging to
2:00:17navigate the darkness.
2:00:19Nact didn't appear to be suffering from
2:00:21the low lighting situation at all, so
2:00:23Carl took the lead and followed the
2:00:24winding passage down into the mountain.
2:00:27As they descended, Carl picked out
2:00:29patterns on the walls and motioned for
2:00:31Knack to stop. A tap of his knuckles on
2:00:34the stone to give him an echo image of
2:00:36the hallway clarified the situation for
2:00:38Carl. There were dwarven runes carved
2:00:41all over the walls around them in two
2:00:43lines, one at just over waist height and
2:00:46one near the ceiling. "Can you read
2:00:49those?" he asked Knack. Once he realized
2:00:52the extent of the carvings, the dragon
2:00:55created a small light and began to
2:00:57mumble to himself. The system was
2:01:00translating, but it was just random
2:01:02words. Stone, forge, ale, deep, hammer.
2:01:07Then Carl realized what they were
2:01:09reading. It was a recounting of the
2:01:12names of the rulers of this place. We
2:01:14are in the legendary city of Grasa, or
2:01:18more correctly, a replica of it. This
2:01:21place was home to a population of dark
2:01:23iron dwarves and perhaps in a trial it
2:01:25still is. Knacked explained. It isn't
2:01:29populated anymore in reality. Carl
2:01:32asked. The dragon smiled at him. Most
2:01:36likely not, but it was never a real
2:01:38place in our world in the first place.
2:01:41If we go by when the legends were first
2:01:43recorded, the actual city's minds would
2:01:45be hundreds of thousands of years old by
2:01:47now and surely played out. The dwarves
2:01:50wouldn't remain forever if there was
2:01:52nothing but stone. They would have
2:01:54rebuilt the city on another nearby
2:01:56mountain. But when dwarves move a city,
2:01:59they give it a new name. And the upper
2:02:01line of runes clearly says that this is
2:02:03Grasa and that we are coming in from the
2:02:05southern entrance. What I'm more
2:02:07interested in is what is causing that
2:02:09soul glow. Something is alive down there
2:02:12and powerful enough that we could both
2:02:14see its aura from the entrance.
2:02:16Carl shrugged and used flaming body to
2:02:19bring back the light. We might as well
2:02:22walk proudly into the city. Perhaps it's
2:02:25an ancient guardian left behind. This is
2:02:28a trial and there is no reason to think
2:02:30that they are trying to play mind games
2:02:32with us, he explained. The black dragon
2:02:36chuckled. The young human had many
2:02:39things left to learn about the true
2:02:40nature of the gods and the nondraconic
2:02:43members of the pantheon. That was a
2:02:45common oversight of the humans nations.
2:02:48They taught about the dragon gods, but
2:02:50they tended to overlook the others. This
2:02:53place rireed of ancient power, and
2:02:55ancient power meant the laughing god, an
2:02:57ancient demon god who had once operated
2:03:00a system for the humans, separate from
2:03:02the one that the world dragon operated
2:03:03on the worlds that he protected. Nact
2:03:06had heard rumors that this human with
2:03:08him had encountered remnants of that
2:03:09system in the past. So it wasn't
2:03:11impossible that his luck and affinity
2:03:13for fate had dragged them both into
2:03:14another laughing god align trial. What
2:03:17do you know of the laughing god? Nact
2:03:20asked as they walked through the ancient
2:03:22corridor. The god of pranks and
2:03:24ascension. Not a lot. He's supposed to
2:03:28be the god you turn to when you have
2:03:30reached your limits and you need divine
2:03:32favor to survive. But according to my
2:03:35parents, his sense of justice is
2:03:36questionable and the favors are often
2:03:39granted in the most unlikely ways.
2:03:41Personally, I think he's the scapegoat
2:03:43god. When things don't quite work out
2:03:46and you don't want to say that another
2:03:48god's decision caused you hardship, you
2:03:50say that it's the favor of the laughing
2:03:52god. Nact chuckled. In a way, yes. The
2:03:58random choice options in the system
2:03:59selection, the ones that can change your
2:04:01gender and species, those are almost
2:04:04certainly his additions.
2:04:06But you are right about his aspect. He
2:04:08is known to help humans reached the
2:04:10status of demigods even during times
2:04:12when no other god was willing. This
2:04:15place we are in, it might be a relic
2:04:17left by the laughing god or the ancient
2:04:20system he implemented. It doesn't feel
2:04:22like dragon energy. So, I don't think
2:04:24that what is here is a relic of the
2:04:26world dragon. Carl nodded. If Prince
2:04:30Corbin is right, this might be the
2:04:32resting place of a Titan demigod. I
2:04:35should have asked him more questions,
2:04:36but I was expecting to travel here with
2:04:38him. With the additional light, the
2:04:41details that had been painted on the
2:04:42walls became clear, as well as the fact
2:04:45that the city had most likely not met
2:04:47with a peaceful end. There were scorched
2:04:49spots on the walls, and some cuts in the
2:04:52stone that Carl had originally mistaken
2:04:54for tooling marks were actually weapon
2:04:56strikes. That gave the area a very
2:04:58different feeling than simply being
2:05:00abandoned for many years, and the two
2:05:02intruders began to move with a bit more
2:05:04caution as they followed the sole energy
2:05:06towards its source. The tunnel ended in
2:05:09what looked like a forge district, the
2:05:11furnaces long dormant. However, the
2:05:14buildings were intact, and Carl took the
2:05:16opportunity to look inside a few to see
2:05:18what he could find. The first was
2:05:21completely bare, nothing but a stone
2:05:23shell, but the second had a forge left
2:05:25in it covered in magical writing. "I
2:05:28will need a moment before we move on. I
2:05:31have never seen anything like that
2:05:32before." Carl whispered to Knact. "Good
2:05:36call. Brother Hawk will love me for
2:05:39writing these runes down for him. I
2:05:42don't know what they do, but if they're
2:05:44in a forge, they should all be fire
2:05:46related, right? Remy agreed. The dragon
2:05:50waited patiently, well aware of the
2:05:52curiosity of humans. Carl was also very
2:05:55young, and he wouldn't be familiar with
2:05:57dwarven forge runes. It wasn't something
2:06:00that they taught in school, and Nack
2:06:02didn't know if there were any dwarves
2:06:04left in his nation. Before the thought
2:06:06crossed his mind, he hadn't cared. who
2:06:10lived in the Golden Dragon Nation was of
2:06:12no concern to him. The signs of battle
2:06:15had been everywhere in the city as they
2:06:16traveled, but the houses had been
2:06:18carefully vacated, and there were no
2:06:20signs of the destruction that usually
2:06:22came with looting. There were no broken
2:06:24housewares or low- value items, and even
2:06:27the paintings on the walls had been
2:06:28removed and not left damaged or
2:06:30discarded. Perhaps whatever battle had
2:06:33caused the dark iron dwarves to leave
2:06:35the city was not a losing battle after
2:06:37all. It might have simply been
2:06:39infeasible for them to continue living
2:06:41here. Nact gestured left. It's that way
2:06:46through the opening in the stone and
2:06:47further up toward the peak. Carl
2:06:50followed Nack through the city once Remy
2:06:52had finished copying all the runes she
2:06:54could see. The ramp spiraled up to
2:06:56another layer of the city laid out much
2:06:58like the one they had just departed.
2:07:00Only this level appeared to be more
2:07:02residential and less industrial. There
2:07:05were also fewer signs of battle here and
2:07:07more signs of belongings left behind
2:07:09both in the houses and in carts by the
2:07:11doors. The soul energy was on this level
2:07:14and Carl could see it glowing from its
2:07:16source. It wasn't moving and it wasn't
2:07:19pulsating at all, just a steady glow of
2:07:22immense internal power. As they
2:07:24approached, Carl saw that the power was
2:07:26coming from a stone sarcophagus, but not
2:07:29one for the Titan demagod that Prince
2:07:31Corbin had expected to be here. The
2:07:33entire stone box was less than 2 m long,
2:07:36though it was on a much larger pedestal,
2:07:38surrounded by stone pillars that were
2:07:40covered in runes and beautiful carvings.
2:07:43That was when progress became difficult.
2:07:46Every step forward that Carl tried to
2:07:48take seemed to put an increasing strain
2:07:50on him. Not a physical pressure, but a
2:07:53mental one, crushing his soul and
2:07:55attempting to break his will. He knew
2:07:57that if he slipped up just a little, he
2:07:59would instinctively take a step back and
2:08:02that would probably be the end of his
2:08:03progress. "Well, this is an unexpected
2:08:06challenge," Knack noted as he stroed
2:08:09towards the grave with his hands behind
2:08:11his back. "Oh, it doesn't look all that
2:08:15difficult to me. You've certainly got an
2:08:18easy time of it," Carl replied. "While
2:08:22that is true, I can't touch it. I have
2:08:25the protection of the black dragon, god
2:08:27of death. My soul is immune to attack.
2:08:31However, that means I cannot subject it
2:08:33to the attack of this trial to find out
2:08:35what it is supposed to do. I will have
2:08:38to watch your struggle and see if you
2:08:39can make it close enough to touch the
2:08:41stone that is set on the lid. If you can
2:08:44manage that much, you should receive a
2:08:46significant reward. There are immense
2:08:48amounts of divine energy in this place,
2:08:51waiting for someone to pass the trial
2:08:52and activate it.
2:08:54Carl continued to walk forward,
2:08:56completely focused on not letting the
2:08:58pressure drive him to the ground as he
2:09:00moved past the point that it was simply
2:09:02trying to force him away. Fascinating.
2:09:06Your soul is compressing under the
2:09:08pressure. Carl didn't even hear Knack's
2:09:10words. He was completely focused on the
2:09:13task at hand. From the outside, it would
2:09:17look ridiculous, a grown man staggering
2:09:19down the street like he was drunk. But
2:09:22the normally invisible force was far
2:09:24stronger than anything Carl had ever
2:09:26felt. Even the aura that the emperor of
2:09:28Newon emitted when he was enraged wasn't
2:09:31close to this powerful. Carl wished that
2:09:34he had Thor here with him. His stalwart
2:09:36friend would know the best way to get
2:09:38across the road to his destination.
2:09:41Carl nearly stumbled as he moved from
2:09:43the cobblestone street to the soft
2:09:44gemstone gravel surrounding the tomb.
2:09:47resting with his hands on his knees as
2:09:49he leaned forward. Carl saw the target,
2:09:51a large white opal stone. It was the
2:09:54source of the energy, and if he could
2:09:56just put a hand on it, he should have
2:09:58completed the trial. Just a little
2:10:01further. Today will be a good day. I can
2:10:04sense it." Nact chuckled, excited to
2:10:07find out what sort of trial they had
2:10:09been sent to that could accept a dragon
2:10:10of his power. It was absurd to think
2:10:13that someone had set a trial capable of
2:10:15accommodating totems, unless this place
2:10:17was truly a legendary relic. But here he
2:10:21was, and although he couldn't fully
2:10:22partake because of his affiliation with
2:10:24the god of death, he was still part of
2:10:26the trial. Carl could feel his mind
2:10:29beginning to shatter as he took another
2:10:31step forward. But Remy, who was
2:10:33unaffected by the trial in her space,
2:10:35was singing as she worked on potions,
2:10:37and that was just enough to ground him
2:10:39and keep Carl moving. A final step and
2:10:42millimeter by painstaking millimeter. He
2:10:45extended his hand to the opal. Trial
2:10:48successfully completed. Calculating
2:10:50rewards.
2:10:52The pressure vanished and the soul aura
2:10:54that had been leaking from the stone was
2:10:56retracted, leaving it as a simple opal
2:10:58that was practically vibrating with
2:11:00power. You really did it. I can see the
2:11:04system message that the reward is
2:11:05calculating.
2:11:07Carl gave Lord Knack a weak thumbs up as
2:11:09he sat down on the gemstone gravel to
2:11:11catch his breath and let void body
2:11:13overcome the damage that had been done
2:11:15to his soul. Reward calculated
2:11:19evolution stone awarded
2:11:22error some functions unavailable.
2:11:25Randomizing
2:11:27Nack began to laugh as they both saw the
2:11:29message at the same time. I will see you
2:11:32shortly, friend.
2:11:34Good luck on remaining a dragon. Carl
2:11:37laughed. They had gone through all that
2:11:40only to get a glitched reward that
2:11:41didn't even work properly. The totem
2:11:44ranked black dragon seemed to think that
2:11:46this was the funniest thing that had
2:11:47ever happened to him. And his laughter
2:11:49echoed through the city as Carl waited
2:11:51to find out his fate. Optimal
2:11:53advancement skill selected. Iron within
2:11:57rank three. The flesh is weak. Remy
2:12:00giggled. Well, it's not wrong. Your
2:12:04flesh is weak. That was the real issue
2:12:07here. Carl mentally rolled his eyes at
2:12:10her. And what are we going to do if it
2:12:12changes me into something strange? Then
2:12:15you get to be the monster man for real
2:12:17seas. We can just keep doing fun stuff
2:12:20forever instead of going back to work.
2:12:23Passive skill active iron within three
2:12:26beginning transformation.
2:12:28Pain shot through Carl's body. worse
2:12:30than the side effects caused by any of
2:12:32the experimental treatments that the
2:12:33bureau agents at the academy had
2:12:35provided for him. And he felt his bones
2:12:37shattering then regrowing. Error
2:12:40encountered. Incompatible skill active.
2:12:43Adjusting.
2:12:45No, adjusting wasn't necessary.
2:12:48Carl was thrilled with whatever it had
2:12:50come up with as long as it wasn't
2:12:51planning to make this process worse. It
2:12:54had to be void body that was messing
2:12:57with the skill implementation. But in
2:12:59his current condition, Carl couldn't
2:13:01change any of his skills, not even to
2:13:03turn it off. Adjustments completed.
2:13:07Continuing,
2:13:08the pain resumed, but this time it was
2:13:10fading to numbness, and Carl could see
2:13:13parts of his body turning to mist before
2:13:14reforming to look like they originally
2:13:16had. Once the wave had crossed his
2:13:19entire body, and Carl was fairly certain
2:13:21the process was complete, he slowly got
2:13:24to his feet and tested his body. It felt
2:13:27the same as it had before, but his
2:13:29footsteps felt heavier on the gravel
2:13:31than they had before.
2:13:33Status, he thought. Everything looked
2:13:36similar to how it had before, but with
2:13:38one notable change. Name: Carl. Class,
2:13:43Beastmaster, Pacmaster.
2:13:45Rank: Pending. Constitution: Void Iron
2:13:49Body. Bonded beasts five. There had
2:13:54never been a line there for a special
2:13:55constitution before. Carl had feared
2:13:58that it was going to make him something
2:14:00other than human, as the description of
2:14:02the reward had said evolution, and that
2:14:04tended to make his beasts something
2:14:05other than what they were. But once he
2:14:08got through the miscellaneous details,
2:14:10Carl looked back up at the top. Rank
2:14:13pending. Did that mean he was in the
2:14:16middle of the transition from royal to
2:14:17monarch? If the change in his body had
2:14:20triggered a promotion, this reward would
2:14:22be considered one of the highest tier
2:14:24rewards ever encountered. Nact was
2:14:26distracted with whatever reward he had
2:14:28gotten from the trial. So Carl waited
2:14:30for him to finish with his progression.
2:14:33You're really the monster man now. I can
2:14:36feel the difference. You smell like Cara
2:14:39and metal. Remy informed him as they
2:14:42waited for the black dragon. Nact slowly
2:14:45recovered his senses and smiled at Carl,
2:14:48then pushed a bit of energy to him. The
2:14:50power filled Carl with a lingering warm
2:14:52glow that seeped into his bones and
2:14:54remained, driving away the stranges of
2:14:56his remade body. It appears that your
2:14:59luck is infallible, young friend. I have
2:15:03officially reached the status of an
2:15:04ancient black dragon, and with it, I
2:15:07gained the gift of potential.
2:15:09However, the gift is not for me, but for
2:15:11a successor.
2:15:13Normally the advancement is made in
2:15:15one's own nest surrounded by family and
2:15:17clan. And the most promising of the
2:15:19youngest generation is given the gift
2:15:21because it can only be granted at that
2:15:23very moment. Today you are the only one
2:15:26here that I might grant it to. So you
2:15:29have been given the gift of potential
2:15:31ordained by the god of death, the great
2:15:33black dragon. May you rise forever to
2:15:36the skies and taste the aura of divinity
2:15:38long denied to your ancestors.
2:15:41The last bit felt like a ritual, and
2:15:43Carl could feel the dragon's resignation
2:15:45and dismay that such a gift couldn't be
2:15:47given to his own offspring. "I will do
2:15:50your legacy proud." Carl assured the
2:15:53transformed dragon with what he hoped
2:15:55was an understanding smile." Nack sighed
2:15:58again, then turned his head to the sky
2:16:00and closed his eyes for a moment. But
2:16:02when he looked back down again, there
2:16:04was mischief in his smile. "I wonder
2:16:07what nation has the strongest claim on
2:16:09you now. I dare say nobody would mistake
2:16:12you for a human anymore. And you've got
2:16:14the blessing of a dragon god that isn't
2:16:16the world dragon now. Perhaps you should
2:16:19come back with me and get to know some
2:16:20of the beast nation's leadership. He
2:16:23suggested.
2:16:25Carl chuckled. I will have to come back
2:16:27and visit soon, but I suspect that I
2:16:30will be expected to return home first,
2:16:33at least to check in. However, I really
2:16:36do need to stop at Whitten Temple before
2:16:38I get there.
2:16:39There might be a chance to evolve Thor,
2:16:41who has reached the end of his natural
2:16:43progression path. If we can increase his
2:16:46potential to monarch rank with a
2:16:48resource, then I can use the skills of
2:16:50my class to increase it from there. Nack
2:16:53shook his head. You're not going to find
2:16:55anything stronger than whatever holy
2:16:57resource he has been using. If they had
2:17:00the ability to elevate clerics and holy
2:17:02beings to the monarch rank with any sort
2:17:04of reliability, the beast kin would be
2:17:06among the strongest forces on the
2:17:08planet. Unfortunately for you, they will
2:17:11be more interested in how you manage to
2:17:13get Thor to royal rank than they are
2:17:14likely to be able to help. Carl frowned.
2:17:18I guess that settles it then. I'll have
2:17:21to force an evolution and then I can
2:17:23work on finding a way to get through his
2:17:25next bottleneck.
2:17:27Ry likely won't be that far behind him.
2:17:30She hasn't evolved at all, and I don't
2:17:32know how far a bloodbath spider can go
2:17:34on their own. Nact smiled. Further than
2:17:38you might think. They're very
2:17:40instinctive, and with a safe spot to
2:17:42advance, plus plenty of blood, her
2:17:45evolutions will be subtle, but powerful.
2:17:48The spider goddess is kind to her
2:17:50children, and they often have more
2:17:51adaptability than any other species
2:17:53would consider reasonable. Carl
2:17:56chuckled. Like allowing them to learn
2:17:59earth magic because they bathed in hill
2:18:01giant blood when they advanced to royal
2:18:02rank. I can see how other species would
2:18:06find that somewhat unreasonable.
2:18:08If humans could adapt like that, the
2:18:10whole species would be nightmare fuel.
2:18:13Nacked laughed. Humans are already a
2:18:16pain in everyone's ass with their
2:18:18excessive breeding rate and magic use.
2:18:21If they could evolve, we would likely
2:18:23have quarantined them. The trial began
2:18:25to fade around them, and Carl wondered
2:18:28how the others might have fared. Not all
2:18:30of them would have easily entered the
2:18:32city from halfway up the mountain. There
2:18:35might have been an entrance at the
2:18:36bottom, or perhaps there were other
2:18:37spots in the area that they could have
2:18:39landed and searched. When Carl's vision
2:18:42cleared, he was back on top of the
2:18:44temple where all three clerics, plus
2:18:46Thor, were waiting for them. "Oh,
2:18:49welcome back. We were wondering how long
2:18:52you would take." Tessa greeted them with
2:18:54a smile. I hope we didn't make you wait
2:18:57long. The archbishop chuckled and Lotus
2:19:00giggled as she lay curled up against
2:19:02Thor's side. You could say that. We've
2:19:06been back for nearly 2 days already.
2:19:09Carl and Nack turned to each other in
2:19:10confusion, wondering if this was
2:19:12actually part of the trial, and they
2:19:14weren't really out yet. "Two days? We've
2:19:18only been in a trial for an hour and a
2:19:20bit?" Carl asked carefully.
2:19:23Lotus looked up from her nap spot. That
2:19:26was our thought as well. We appeared in
2:19:29a forest village full of elves, had
2:19:31lunch with a human cleric lady, and then
2:19:33we were back here. Did you get a reward?
2:19:37Carl asked, wondering what sort of trial
2:19:39they had undergone.
2:19:41We did. We just don't know what yet.
2:19:45When we checked the system interface, it
2:19:47still says rewards calculating.
2:19:50Tessa explained that made both Carl and
2:19:53Knack believe even more strongly that
2:19:55they were still in the trial. But then
2:19:57Knack received a message which shouldn't
2:19:59be possible in the separate space.
2:20:01Before we go any further, what happened
2:20:03to Prince Carl? The Archbishop demanded,
2:20:07waving a hand in his direction. Carl
2:20:10nodded in agreement. I suppose a rundown
2:20:13is in order. We landed on a ledge
2:20:16outside an ancient dwarven city. Then we
2:20:19followed a powerful soul aura to an opal
2:20:21mounted on a tomb deep in the city. And
2:20:23it gave us a test and a reward. I was
2:20:26given a gift of evolution and a skill
2:20:28called iron within that appears to have
2:20:31reforged my body and granted a special
2:20:33constitution.
2:20:34A special constitution?
2:20:37It sounds more like is partially changed
2:20:39your species or perhaps entirely changed
2:20:42it with minimal change to your outer
2:20:44appearance. The archbishop retorted.
2:20:48Then he got a curious look on his face
2:20:50and opened a portal. Jeeves, come here
2:20:53and bring your assistant. The elderly
2:20:56archbishop demanded. A blue robed dragon
2:20:59kin poked his head through, then nodded
2:21:01and vanished back to wherever he had
2:21:03been. Only a minute later, he came back
2:21:06out with a young blue robed girl that
2:21:08immediately made Lotus stand up and
2:21:10smile. Carl discreetly sniffed at the
2:21:13air, then chuckled. The young one was a
2:21:16juvenile blue dragon, not a dragon kin.
2:21:19Lotus must have noticed faster than he
2:21:21had. Jill, it's so good to see you
2:21:24again. You will never guess what we have
2:21:27been up to since I saw you last. Ask the
2:21:30big meanie if you can stay a while after
2:21:32he finishes working and we will catch
2:21:34up. Lotus insisted, speaking so fast
2:21:37that her words were jumbled together.
2:21:40Jill winked at her and continued
2:21:42following the cleric known as Jeves.
2:21:45According to the system interface, his
2:21:47name was Geraldo, but the archbishop
2:21:49might either know him by a nickname or
2:21:51simply forgot his name long ago and
2:21:53hadn't realized it. Your eminence, I
2:21:56have brought all my tools. What sort of
2:21:59new species have you found for me? He
2:22:02asked that one. I suspect that a system
2:22:06gift made him no longer human. I would
2:22:09like to know what he is. Demihuman.
2:22:12Some form of monster. An unknown
2:22:15species. The Archbishop replied. Geraldo
2:22:20smiled at Carl. My class is scholar. I
2:22:24have a skill to allow me to compare a
2:22:26sample against any information I have
2:22:28ever read. So, if you are changed into
2:22:31another species, I should be able to
2:22:33tell. Carl nodded, and the cleric took
2:22:36out a needle. Ting. Everyone turned to
2:22:40see what the metal on metal noise was
2:22:42while Carl and Geraldo stared at the
2:22:44needle. Well, that was unexpected.
2:22:48I'm sure I found a vein. Do you have a
2:22:51skill active? Carl shook his head. I
2:22:54have all my invulnerability and
2:22:56regeneration skills deactivated at the
2:22:58moment. The new one isn't something I
2:23:01can turn off, though. When it interacted
2:23:04with another skill I have, it became
2:23:06that new constitution.
2:23:08Were there any other oddities?
2:23:10Geraldo asked. My rank is listed as
2:23:14pending at the moment. The cleric looked
2:23:17impressed.
2:23:19You're going to make it to monarch rank
2:23:21once your advancement finishes.
2:23:23That is incredible.
2:23:25I'm sure that everyone will be delighted
2:23:27to find out that there will be a new
2:23:28monarch. However, that does explain the
2:23:32issue.
2:23:33Archbishop, I may need your assistance.
2:23:36Can you coat the needle in holy energy
2:23:38so that I can draw a blood sample? I'm
2:23:41not powerful enough to puncture his
2:23:42veins. The archbishop took the needle
2:23:45from him and carefully drew a sample
2:23:47from the underside of Carl's forearm.
2:23:50The blood came out deep black and
2:23:52faintly shimmering, which intrigued
2:23:54everyone present. Carl included. They
2:23:57had never seen blood like that before.
2:24:00And when Geraldo tried to test it, he
2:24:02just shook his head. There is nothing
2:24:04about this in any of the research
2:24:06materials that I have seen. I could
2:24:09study some of the more obscure entries
2:24:11that I haven't prioritized, but that's
2:24:13mostly for extinct species and mythical
2:24:15creatures," the blue dragon cleric
2:24:18explained.
2:24:19Nact stared at the blood sample for a
2:24:21moment, then took the needle and let a
2:24:23drop fall on his hand. "I think that it
2:24:26has been permanently altered by his
2:24:28skill. If I apply small amounts of death
2:24:31energy to it, the blood regenerates.
2:24:34If I'm right, you're not getting a
2:24:36reading because the skill that has
2:24:37modified his body is stabilizing the
2:24:39sample. You're going to have to send it
2:24:42to one of your scientists if you want
2:24:43answers, and they'll have to do a whole
2:24:45research project. The dragon explained.
2:24:49Tessa smirked at the dragon. So, you're
2:24:52saying that even if his blood is
2:24:54spilled, the blood itself won't degrade?
2:24:57The dragon nodded, but the archbishop
2:24:59realized the implication right away. And
2:25:02if he happens to impart that ability to
2:25:04his beasts, the elderly cleric began. An
2:25:08immortal bloodbath spider, Ry announced
2:25:11as the remainder of the team exited the
2:25:13trial at the same time. "Welcome back.
2:25:17Did everyone make it safely?" Carl
2:25:20asked. "As safely as could be expected.
2:25:24That trial was wild and we didn't have
2:25:26the clerics or Thor or Remy. I couldn't
2:25:29even get her to give me stuff from her
2:25:31space. Fortunately, the buffs you cast
2:25:34on everyone were still active. Rey
2:25:37replied, "All right, you had a very
2:25:40different trial than the rest of us.
2:25:42There was nothing to fight in ours." Ry
2:25:45seemed lost in a fond memory for a
2:25:47moment. Me and Cara appeared with Dana
2:25:50and Oilia, and Hawk was in the sky over
2:25:53us. We thought that everyone else must
2:25:56have gotten separated, but then there
2:25:57was angry bacon and zombies and the
2:25:59whack-a-mole lady and not quite humans
2:26:02and some blue not quite humans.
2:26:05Everything was attacking, and I got to
2:26:07squish the zombie lady again, but with a
2:26:09hole in the middle of the stone, so she
2:26:11sprayed into the air. Oilia shook her
2:26:14head in dismay while Dana did her best
2:26:16not to laugh.
2:26:18The berserker was back in her own form
2:26:20for the first time in weeks, and it was
2:26:22strange hearing her normal voice instead
2:26:24of the deeper voice of her werebear form
2:26:26as she added details to the explanation.
2:26:29The trial told us that we would get a
2:26:31reward for every target killed before
2:26:33the timer ran out. Of course, with the
2:26:36three beasts, we were searching for
2:26:38targets halfway through the timer and
2:26:40then it kicked us out with 10 minutes
2:26:41left on the timer, but it gave me a
2:26:44reward, so I guess we did it right, she
2:26:47added. Dana nodded. It gave me a reward
2:26:51as well, but it says that it's
2:26:53calculating, so the reward is still
2:26:55pending. I'm pending, too. Hawk noted.
2:27:00What do you mean you're pending?
2:27:02Did you get a reward from the trial? Not
2:27:05quite. I'm just stuck halfway to
2:27:08Monarch. My skill advanced while I was
2:27:11playing with the not food, and now I'm
2:27:13pending. Oh, Hawk had learned a new
2:27:16word, and it somewhat fit his situation.
2:27:19He would advance to monarch very soon,
2:27:22but something was stopping him. Maybe it
2:27:24was his space.
2:27:26Carl was also stuck in limbo, so it
2:27:29might be a deficiency in the stored
2:27:30energy levels or quality. I don't think
2:27:33so. The spaces have plenty of energy.
2:27:36Remy informed him as she worked on more
2:27:38healing potions to give out to the group
2:27:40so they would have some if she wasn't
2:27:42nearby. Is there someone here who has to
2:27:45make a selection within their system
2:27:46interface?
2:27:48Carl asked, wondering what the holdup
2:27:50was. Remy, why don't you come out? Maybe
2:27:54that's the issue. Remy remained in her
2:27:57Naga Queen form and came out to grab
2:27:59Lotus, picking the little cleric up in a
2:28:01princess carry. One after another,
2:28:04everyone confirmed that they didn't have
2:28:06anything waiting for them to select an
2:28:08option. So, the system must have just
2:28:11hung up and wasn't processing the
2:28:12rewards at its usual speed. "Well, if
2:28:16we're waiting anyhow, why don't we give
2:28:17Thor a potion and see if that changes
2:28:19anything?" It's here and ready. Remy
2:28:23suggested.
2:28:25The two totems chuckled. Watching what
2:28:28the beast came up with regarding new
2:28:29concoctions was brilliant entertainment.
2:28:32Well, there's nothing to lose. Thor
2:28:35agreed, still worried he wouldn't get
2:28:37anything but a duplicate skill that Rey
2:28:39and Carl could already use. But he
2:28:42dutifully tilted his head back for Remy
2:28:44to feed him the potion that she had
2:28:45upgraded. And power surged through him
2:28:48as well as the beast spaces.
2:28:50Far above them, thunder rumbled and
2:28:52power surged from the temple beneath
2:28:54them as Thor began to grow. Oh, it works
2:28:57really well. I should find good things
2:29:00to feed everyone. Remy cheered. His
2:29:04height increase wasn't excessive, but
2:29:06Thor's seemed to have gotten noticeably
2:29:08longer than he was before in proportion
2:29:10to his height. Carl guessed the length
2:29:13increase between his legs to be a bit
2:29:14over a meter with about the same added
2:29:16to his tail, while the armored ball on
2:29:18the end had turned nearly all golden as
2:29:20had his horns. Thor was definitely the
2:29:23first of them to reach monarch rank. And
2:29:25while Carl didn't have a proper name for
2:29:27his evolution, it looked like Knack did.
2:29:30Well, isn't that interesting? You found
2:29:33a way to turn a lightning sero into a
2:29:35divine thunder sarrow. Thor bugled
2:29:38happily as he realized that the potion
2:29:40hadn't disappointed and that he was
2:29:42actually ahead of the others for the
2:29:43very first time. Not for long as Carl
2:29:47could feel that the bottleneck was
2:29:48released and Hawk would advance in the
2:29:50next few minutes. But Hawk was happy to
2:29:53let his little brother have this victory
2:29:56and you have gained another monarch
2:29:57ranked divine beast. I must say the
2:30:01potential of this beast master class is
2:30:03absolutely incredible.
2:30:05Nack amended.
2:30:07Actually, I might have an idea about
2:30:09that. I can't do it yet, but I think
2:30:12that by the time I am an overlord, I
2:30:14should be able to teach the core ability
2:30:16to create a beast space to others. Once
2:30:19they have that, they should either be
2:30:20able to awaken with the class or choose
2:30:23a variant similar to it during their
2:30:24next advancement trial. Carl explained,
2:30:28mostly for the benefit of the
2:30:29archbishop, who was currently giving
2:30:31Thor gentle head rubs as he examined the
2:30:33changes.
2:30:35Fascinating.
2:30:36He really has changed species with just
2:30:38a potion. I knew that it was possible
2:30:41for some beasts, but I never expected
2:30:43that a lightning ser would manage it.
2:30:46The odds are lower than a carp jumping
2:30:48through the heavenly gates to become a
2:30:50dragon. The archbishop noted. Nack
2:30:53grumbled with laughter at the thought.
2:30:56There was such a legend, but as far as
2:30:58he knew, it was nothing more than that.
2:31:01No known dragon had ever evolved from a
2:31:03karp, though it was said that during the
2:31:05early days when the system was active, a
2:31:08few had come from lesser species like
2:31:09drakes and dragonkin.
2:31:12What new skills did you get, buddy? Carl
2:31:15asked Thor, who was immersed in the head
2:31:17paths. Hm. Eternal lightning didn't
2:31:20change. I got thunder stomp and
2:31:24lightning zone. Those both seem pretty
2:31:27fun. That's it for new skills, but I'm
2:31:30working on Oilia's new one. Gravity
2:31:33slam, she called it. I think I will have
2:31:36it soon. Reward calculated random reward
2:31:40skill book. 20% bonus experience.
2:31:44In Carl's experience, those bonus
2:31:47experience rewards were the ones that
2:31:48made huge and unexpected changes to a
2:31:51person's power level, as they appeared
2:31:52to be retroactive for some time and
2:31:54didn't just increase the bonus that you
2:31:56got for the trial. Either that or trials
2:32:00gave a massive influx of power to start
2:32:02with. Carl checked his inventory for the
2:32:05skill book, which was sitting on top of
2:32:07a pile of supplies left over from the
2:32:08elves on the other continent. That
2:32:11seemed to be a prophetic placement. Or
2:32:13perhaps it was a reminder of areas in
2:32:15which Carl was still lacking. He had
2:32:18incredible defense for someone of his
2:32:19level, and his attacking skills were
2:32:21both powerful and well-rounded for use
2:32:23on nearly any target. Combat was not an
2:32:26area where he was lacking. He even had
2:32:30silent movement for stealth operations,
2:32:33plus strength and stamina for long runs.
2:32:37So, the system had given him something
2:32:39that he hadn't really focused on during
2:32:41his development.
2:32:42Non-combat skills. Epic grade skill,
2:32:46rune crafting. Run crafting. The fine
2:32:50art of inscribing magical power runes to
2:32:52supplement the abilities of a magical
2:32:54object. Carl thought about that for a
2:32:57moment. He didn't have any crafting
2:32:59skills, and he wasn't sure that it would
2:33:01actually help to add runes to Remy's
2:33:03potions.
2:33:05However, he knew someone with a skill
2:33:07that would go very well with rune
2:33:08crafting. Morgana's enhancement tattoos
2:33:11combined with rune crafting would make
2:33:13for incredibly powerful buffs to the
2:33:15target. Once they made it back home, he
2:33:18would have to find a way to get time to
2:33:20study her skills. Or even a library book
2:33:23that had more details about magical
2:33:25tattoos.
2:33:27Carl used the book in an entire language
2:33:29began to flow into his mind, complete
2:33:31with syntax rules.
2:33:33The language was far more complex than
2:33:35the common spoken and written languages
2:33:37with over 6,000 base runes which were
2:33:39compounded to make a form of single word
2:33:41sentence. Then they were strung together
2:33:44in one of eight different ways to create
2:33:46a complex concept with an activation
2:33:48order for the magical effect you were
2:33:49trying to create. Even with the skill
2:33:52book teaching him how it worked, Carl
2:33:54wasn't certain that he could completely
2:33:56comprehend the skill. While Carl was
2:33:58busy deciphering an entire new language,
2:34:01everyone around him was seeing their
2:34:02status change, and in most cases, they
2:34:05were advancing. While Carl had left the
2:34:07royal rank behind him, with both Thor
2:34:10and Hawk advanced to the monarch rank
2:34:12alongside him, all of the ladies had
2:34:13reached the royal rank. How does this
2:34:16work? The boys all advanced and were
2:34:19left behind. Cara complained, "You've
2:34:23got a monarch rank skill, though." Remy
2:34:26reminded her. Still not caught up to
2:34:29them. I need to work harder. Once I'm a
2:34:33monarch with an overlord rank skill, I
2:34:35can taste test all the dragons. Remy
2:34:38carefully considered the outcome of
2:34:40that. Yes, I think that should work. If
2:34:45it's disintegration that advances again,
2:34:47you can run away in a safety bubble.
2:34:50Hawk was rapidly expanding as he
2:34:52advanced again and took his place among
2:34:54the monarchs of the Beast Kingdom. With
2:34:56a 30 me wingspan, the Ghostfire
2:34:59Thunderbird was as large as most adult
2:35:01dragons, and his innate abilities were
2:35:03far beyond what most beasts could claim.
2:35:06His fire most likely challenged dragon
2:35:08fire for pure power, but the dragons
2:35:10wouldn't take it well if Carl suggested
2:35:12that to them directly. They were proud
2:35:15creatures and enjoyed the thought that
2:35:17they were better than other species.
2:35:19As he finished his advancement, Carl
2:35:22realized that they had visitors. The
2:35:24portal was already closed, so he must
2:35:27have been distracted for a while, but
2:35:28Rey wasn't concerned, and she wouldn't
2:35:30miss a chance to tease Hawk about
2:35:32missing danger. Carl [snorts] turned to
2:35:35the new arrival and saw an unfamiliar
2:35:37overlord along with Colonel Valerie of
2:35:39the Bureau of Elite Development.
2:35:42Colonel Valerie, excellent timing. I
2:35:45have things to inform you about. Carl
2:35:48greeted her, then turned to the other
2:35:49person. Overlord,
2:35:52monarch.
2:35:54Sorry, I don't know who you are either.
2:35:57How does that even happen? Are there so
2:35:59many overlords and monarchs now that
2:36:01it's even possible that we don't know
2:36:03each other? The man replied.
2:36:06Carl checked him with the system
2:36:08interface and saw that he was a ranger,
2:36:10but his system wasn't fully active and
2:36:12it wasn't giving Carl his name. Then he
2:36:15just had to go through the overlords. he
2:36:17knew about. But none of the ranger types
2:36:20looked anything like this man. He must
2:36:23be one of the hidden assets of the
2:36:24nation, not one of the public-f facing
2:36:26idol type powerhouses.
2:36:28I am Carl from last year's intake at the
2:36:31Golden Divine Academy. The overlord
2:36:34nodded. I am Jorum, mostly stationed
2:36:37along the mountain giant border. The
2:36:40colonel was visiting my station when we
2:36:42got the message that your group had been
2:36:43found. Carl nodded. Did we forget to
2:36:47tell anyone where we were going? Sorry
2:36:50for the trouble. The overlord chuckled.
2:36:54You have all been missing for months. I
2:36:56don't know what you've been up to, but
2:36:58it is possible that there is a time flow
2:37:00difference within this trial. I can
2:37:02sense it below us, but for some reason,
2:37:04I can't access it. Carl nodded. You have
2:37:09to walk up all the steps. But none of us
2:37:12suspected that so much time had passed.
2:37:15I had thought it had only been a few
2:37:16days. Colonel Valerie looked him up and
2:37:19down, inspecting Carl's enhanced
2:37:21physique against her memory of him as a
2:37:23new student. Well, on the bright side,
2:37:26you missed winter. Most of it anyhow.
2:37:30The end of semester exams at the academy
2:37:33are coming up soon, and then spring
2:37:35break starts next month, she explained.
2:37:39Carl winked at Dana. Should we request a
2:37:42ride back? We can see if my balcony
2:37:45survived and maybe take the exams to
2:37:47graduate formally. Overlord Jorum
2:37:50laughed. What exam? The teachers are all
2:37:54commanders, remember? A royal rank mage
2:37:57would destroy the testing equipment, and
2:37:59it wouldn't hold up any better to
2:38:01whatever you've done to yourself. Carl
2:38:04shrugged.
2:38:05Skill-based physical enhancement.
2:38:08The system calls it iron within rank
2:38:10three, but that isn't a primary
2:38:12enhancement.
2:38:14It's something that developed because I
2:38:16was accidentally injuring myself with
2:38:17physical skills. Lord Knack, the black
2:38:21dragon, was the only one unconcerned
2:38:23about missing multiple months of time.
2:38:26After all, he was a venerable dragon of
2:38:28the death god. He had taken naps longer
2:38:31than 2 months. How are things going
2:38:34politically? I should have been more
2:38:36careful.
2:38:38the archbishop asked. Everything is
2:38:41stable for the moment. The white dragon
2:38:43sent a totem to keep things running
2:38:45smoothly within the church while the
2:38:47army has been learning to play well with
2:38:49the civilian government and the elites.
2:38:51Overall, it has been as smooth as
2:38:53possible and your subordinates have
2:38:55proven themselves quite capable.
2:38:58However, the same is not true of the
2:39:00situation on the continent in general.
2:39:03The orb incident, as it has been named,
2:39:05was only the start. We have nine more
2:39:08stable dungeons on the continent now,
2:39:10all appearing and stabilizing within the
2:39:12last 2 months. Eight of them are
2:39:14ascended rank or lower. One is commander
2:39:17rank. However, that is not the problem.
2:39:21The new commander rank dungeon is also
2:39:23randomly awakening party members who
2:39:25finished the challenge with a group that
2:39:26has never entered before.
2:39:29We know of 18 cases so far from four
2:39:31different nations. The Archbishop took a
2:39:34deep breath. And where might this new
2:39:37commander ranked dungeon be? Colonel
2:39:40Valerie hesitated before responding. The
2:39:43New Bond capital, New City. It appeared
2:39:47over an ancient monument in the middle
2:39:49of the city. That's two stable commander
2:39:52ranked dungeons in the same nation now.
2:39:54And we have no way of verifying how many
2:39:56monsters have gained access to the
2:39:58system. However, with the restriction
2:40:01and the fact that it doesn't appear to
2:40:02be a guaranteed awakening for a single
2:40:04member, as we have observed at the one
2:40:06in our nation, it shouldn't be too far
2:40:08from our estimate. It has been open 6
2:40:11days now. Of course, they couldn't
2:40:14verify the numbers. If they didn't have
2:40:17someone there to inspect them with the
2:40:18interface on the way in and out, the
2:40:20monsters would look the same on the way
2:40:22in and out. It wasn't like they
2:40:24immediately gained a rank when the
2:40:26system activated.
2:40:28However, having a commander ranked
2:40:30dungeon right in your capital city would
2:40:32be a huge advantage once the chaos of
2:40:34other nations trying to gain access
2:40:35ended. Knack rumbled in annoyance.
2:40:39How many of the other confirmed stable
2:40:41dungeons are in Newubon? Valerie shook
2:40:44her head. None. There is an ascended
2:40:47rank dungeon in Baria near the divine
2:40:50beast nation border, but all of the
2:40:52other new dungeons appeared along the
2:40:53coast or on islands, so they're all
2:40:55nominally under human control except
2:40:57that one and the one in New City. Nact
2:41:00frowned. Bara is a human nation. Or do
2:41:05you just mean that it is the only one
2:41:06that didn't appear near the coast?
2:41:08It is 20 m from the river that marks the
2:41:11official border. However, there is a
2:41:14Phoenix nest in the ruins where the
2:41:15portal opened, and the matriarch won't
2:41:17let anyone near her clutch. Carl perked
2:41:20up, and Colonel Valerie laughed. That
2:41:23includes you. In fact, it explicitly
2:41:27includes you. I don't know where you
2:41:29met, but she called you out by name as
2:41:31someone to be kept away until her eggs
2:41:33hatched. Lord Nact, you are on that list
2:41:36as well as are Orthos, librarian Gareth,
2:41:39Doug McKenzie, the king of Krellnon, a
2:41:42succubus named Marie, and Overlord Leafa
2:41:45of Newon. The rest of the continent was
2:41:48just warned away in general. Carl and
2:41:50Nack shared a confused look. They didn't
2:41:53know what they had done to the Phoenix,
2:41:55but it could have just been a
2:41:56premonition. basic visions of the future
2:41:59could be unclear, and the phoenix might
2:42:01have just blanket banned everyone she
2:42:03saw in the visions. The archbishop
2:42:06shrugged. That's not our problem, though
2:42:09it is odd that all the dungeons are
2:42:11appearing at the edge of the continent.
2:42:13I will have to find out what is
2:42:15happening in the rest of the world. Lord
2:42:17Nact, if I might prevail upon you to ask
2:42:20some of your overseas contacts as well.
2:42:23This might be a worldwide awakening. The
2:42:26archbishop opened a portal and the two
2:42:28stepped through. But before anyone else
2:42:30moved, the portal closed and Carl was
2:42:33left staring at a very dismayed Overlord
2:42:35Jorum. Did they just? He asked.
2:42:40Yeah, they're like that. I think they're
2:42:42actually old friends. They are so in
2:42:44tune sometimes that it's scary. Now, do
2:42:48we have a way to get picked up or are we
2:42:50going to have to run away and leave you
2:42:51here with the colonel while we go
2:42:52looking for fluffy beastkin?
2:42:55Lotus laughed and gave a fist pump of
2:42:57appreciation for that idea. While
2:42:59Colonel Valerie sighed and gestured at
2:43:01the ground near the base of the temple.
2:43:03"There is a helicopter right there. If
2:43:06we follow the river north to the lake,
2:43:08we can fly over the water and be back in
2:43:10the capital by morning," she explained.
2:43:14Carl looked down and a vaguely familiar
2:43:16pilot waved up at him. He waved back,
2:43:20then smirked at the colonel. "I hope
2:43:22your legs are feeling good. It's a long
2:43:25way to the bottom. Like hell. I'll call
2:43:29the helicopter to come to us instead.
2:43:32How do you think we got up here? You
2:43:34really were out of it, weren't you? New
2:43:37skill. I was absorbed in the details.
2:43:41Still, I'm surprised that nobody warned
2:43:43me about the helicopter.
2:43:45Rey thought about it. You know, one
2:43:48moment they weren't here, then they were
2:43:50repelling down to the platform. Time
2:43:53might still be strange here. I don't
2:43:56remember the helicopter coming at all.
2:43:58Carl motioned for the colonel to call
2:44:00the helicopter.
2:44:02I think that time is still strange here.
2:44:04Not just inside the trial, but also
2:44:06right here on the top of the temple. If
2:44:09we wait much longer, we could end up
2:44:11missing for weeks or months. Again, that
2:44:14got things in motion. But even as they
2:44:16were stepping into the helicopter and
2:44:17leaving the temple, Carl could see that
2:44:19the formerly midday sun was fading to
2:44:21the horizon.
2:44:23Well, it looks like we will be flying
2:44:25all night, but we can still make it to
2:44:27the capital in time for breakfast. How
2:44:30are your rations holding out? You've
2:44:32been in the field for quite a while?
2:44:35Colonel Valerie asked, noting their lack
2:44:37of packs. Oilia chuckled. We're more
2:44:41than good. With the two clerics and
2:44:44Carl's meat hoarding tendencies, we've
2:44:46not had a bad meal yet. Ry woke Carl as
2:44:49they approached the city across the lake
2:44:51just before dawn. I think that we're
2:44:54going to land soon. We talked about it
2:44:57while you were asleep, and we want to
2:44:58come out and be welcomed with you. Carl
2:45:01chuckled. I don't see a reason why not,
2:45:04as long as there is space. Rey seemed
2:45:07excessively happy with that answer, and
2:45:10Carl wondered what she had in mind and
2:45:11how badly it was going to terrify the
2:45:13locals. Fortunately for Ray's plan,
2:45:17someone had notified the media that they
2:45:18were coming, and there were dozens of
2:45:20press members, blur-eyed politicians who
2:45:22had been dragged out of bed before the
2:45:24crack of dawn and corporate reps waiting
2:45:26in a large field for their arrival. "Oh,
2:45:29that will be perfect." Ry cheered. Carl
2:45:33refreshed his armor and got a new
2:45:35version in black with a dark light host
2:45:37tabed under a blue steel chest plate. It
2:45:40was almost nightly if you ignored the
2:45:42part where everything but the chest was
2:45:44leather and kiten or cloth. He skipped
2:45:47on the helmet and waited as the
2:45:49helicopter approached the ground. Nobody
2:45:52else had changed, so Dana was in her
2:45:54cargo pants and hoodie with the armor
2:45:56underneath while Oilia had her heavy
2:45:58plate armor on. The berserker was in her
2:46:01human form, though. That was a change,
2:46:04and it took Carl a minute to remember
2:46:06that she was normally a human and not a
2:46:08werebear. She had spent so much time in
2:46:11her transformed disguise that everyone
2:46:13had gotten used to her being twice the
2:46:14size of the other women, and not just
2:46:16slightly taller than Tessa. Even Carl
2:46:19had deactivated most of his skills for
2:46:21the flight, and the group only had
2:46:23Eternal Lightning active on them. Ready
2:46:26to face the press? Colonel Valerie
2:46:29asked. I feel so short. Carl replied
2:46:34with a smile. Oilia laughed. You feel
2:46:38short. I'm freezing. How did I ever
2:46:42survive winter without fur? Colonel
2:46:44Valerie chuckled, though her expression
2:46:46didn't change from its usual resting
2:46:48frown of general disapproval.
2:46:51Good thing we're sending you all for a
2:46:52combat mission check after this. You
2:46:55need a few days to acclimatize to
2:46:57civilized life again, but we will do
2:47:00this the standard way. As the host, I
2:47:03will exit first, then you follow by
2:47:05rank. How you sort that is on you. There
2:47:09was a fair bit of space in the cargo
2:47:11hold of the helicopter. So, everyone
2:47:13else arranged themselves in a double
2:47:15file line. Dana and Oilia behind Carl
2:47:18with the clerics at the back.
2:47:20Then Rey came out in human form to stand
2:47:23between the mage and Berserker while
2:47:25Remy transformed back into spirit snake
2:47:27form to hang herself around Carl's
2:47:29shoulders for the best view. Finally, a
2:47:32shining silver and gold knight with a
2:47:34horned helmet on appeared between Tessa
2:47:36and Lotus.
2:47:37Thor, is that Thor in human form? Your
2:47:41armor is beautiful. Tessa greeted him.
2:47:45Thor nodded and gave her a shoulder bump
2:47:47that made the cleric laugh. He always
2:47:50did that as a greeting, but she had been
2:47:52trying to get him to speak. Hawk's voice
2:47:55in humanoid form was strange, while Ray
2:47:57was beautiful and haunting.
2:48:00So, she wondered what Thor would sound
2:48:02like. We will escort the ladies out, and
2:48:05then we will join you. Thor informed
2:48:08Carl in a deep masculine voice that
2:48:10closely matched his mental voice. Out of
2:48:13everyone, he was apparently best at the
2:48:15transformation.
2:48:16Tessa poked him. It is customary to take
2:48:20your helmet off to meet people, but my
2:48:22horns are attached to it in this form.
2:48:25Thor complained, suddenly sounding much
2:48:27younger. Tessa smiled and took the
2:48:30helmet off, revealing a handsome young
2:48:32man with long green hair, long ears, and
2:48:35shining golden eyes. He almost looked
2:48:38like an elf, but twice the size that any
2:48:40elven man should be. Thor was nearly as
2:48:43tall as Rey was, but burly to the point
2:48:45that he could nearly block both Tessa
2:48:47and Lotus from view by standing in front
2:48:49of them. Lotus ran a hand over his
2:48:52armor. We need to get Thor a shield.
2:48:56When we have time, we should take him to
2:48:58the armory with Carl's credit. He is
2:49:01basically a paladin, right? A holy
2:49:04warrior. He can do all the paladin
2:49:07things. We will work on it. Carl agreed.
2:49:11The helicopter touched down and Colonel
2:49:14Valerie stepped out as soon as the back
2:49:16ramp was open. Carl didn't know why
2:49:18these things had side doors. Nobody ever
2:49:22used them. Carl led the way out while
2:49:25Remy checked out the crowd of people in
2:49:26front of them. And Hawk eagerly awaited
2:49:28his opportunity to make a grand
2:49:30entrance. Unlike Ray and Thor, he didn't
2:49:33intend to transform into a human. Cara
2:49:36didn't either, so they would both show
2:49:38up later. Once the first impression was
2:49:40made, Carl took his first step onto the
2:49:43grass and realized that their grand plan
2:49:45had completely confused the crowd. They
2:49:48had no idea who Rey and Thor were and
2:49:51wondered what nation they were visiting
2:49:53from, as both were clearly inhuman. If
2:49:56they didn't know what nation they came
2:49:58from, they didn't know all the proper
2:49:59formal courtesies or how to properly
2:50:02address them as a royal and a monarch.
2:50:04Colonel Valerie cleared her throat.
2:50:07Introducing the beast master monarch
2:50:09Carl. With him are the princesses Remy,
2:50:12Oilia, and Dana with the Lady Ray
2:50:15Bloodbath.
2:50:16Then we have the royal high priestesses
2:50:18Lotus and Tessa with King Thor of the
2:50:20Sero. Lady Ray Bloodbath. I like it.
2:50:25Soon I will be Queen Ray Bloodbath, and
2:50:27it will be glorious. But I need to ask a
2:50:30favor first. I've got all these great
2:50:33flavors of bath products, but do you
2:50:36suppose that I could have just a bit of
2:50:37Carl? Maybe a shampoo. That new skill
2:50:41smells wonderful.
2:50:43Carl mentally chuckled at her request. I
2:50:46will see what I can do. With my
2:50:49regeneration, I'm sure I can spare you
2:50:51some blood. Carl led the group to a spot
2:50:543 m in front of the gathered
2:50:56dignitaries, and Ry stepped back from
2:50:58her spot between Oilia and Dana. She
2:51:01joined Thor at the back of the group
2:51:03just as the cameras were getting set up
2:51:04and the assistants were ushering the
2:51:06others into position. Now is good. Hawk
2:51:10decided then appeared behind the group
2:51:12in all his glory with his wings spread
2:51:14over the team. Cara came out to stand
2:51:17beside Carl as she was too short to be
2:51:20seen over the group. While Thor and Ray
2:51:22returned to their original forms, Remy
2:51:25remained around Carl's neck, satisfied
2:51:27that she would be prominent in all the
2:51:29photos without being large. Screaming
2:51:32filled the air, and nearly half of the
2:51:34assembled civilians either fainted or
2:51:36ran away, leaving Hawk and Ray
2:51:38congratulating each other on their
2:51:39brilliant plan, and Cara laughing
2:51:41hysterically, rolling on the ground and
2:51:43pointing at the terrified humans.
2:51:46Carl, damn it, did you have to do that?
2:51:50We have a schedule to keep. A deep voice
2:51:53boomed in the distance. Overlord Neil, I
2:51:57didn't see you back there. Carl shouted
2:52:00back, impressed at the man's stealth
2:52:02skills. It wasn't easy to hide an aura
2:52:05that powerful from him, especially now
2:52:07that he had soul sight. The rogue smiled
2:52:10behind his mask as he stepped into
2:52:12sight, his black Holy Inquisition
2:52:14uniform standing out among the business
2:52:16suits of the dignitaries. His presence
2:52:19brought most of them to their senses.
2:52:20But Carl noticed that one camera
2:52:22operator was dutifully snapping photos,
2:52:24oblivious to the chaos all around him.
2:52:27He was so focused on getting the perfect
2:52:30shot that Carl was certain he hadn't
2:52:31even registered the fact that those were
2:52:33real magical beasts in front of him. The
2:52:36dignitaries began to return to their
2:52:38spots now that the overlord from the
2:52:39Inquisition was in sight. while Colonel
2:52:42Valerie glared at Carl. And the ladies
2:52:44did their best not to laugh along with
2:52:45Cara, who was slowly regaining her
2:52:48composure. If you finished having your
2:52:50fun, Valerie began. Of course, of
2:52:55course. Group photos.
2:52:58How are we arranging this? Meet and
2:53:01greet style or with a large group pose?
2:53:04Carl agreed. Overlord Neil chuckled. Can
2:53:08you ask your friends to stay near their
2:53:10current position and we can set up a
2:53:12photo shoot? There are mobile bleachers
2:53:14to lift your team up for the photo. Ray
2:53:17dipped her head while Cara wandered
2:53:19through the crowd to examine the rogue.
2:53:22He stopped to look down at the void
2:53:24badger who flapped her wings to help
2:53:26balance on her hind legs, which put her
2:53:28closer to his height, though still less
2:53:30than shoulder high. "Well, hello there."
2:53:33Neil greeted her. Cara licked him. Neil
2:53:38laughed as he wiped drool off his face.
2:53:41Now I am wondering if you simply wanted
2:53:42to taste test overlord ranked human or
2:53:45if that was some sort of greeting among
2:53:46winged void badgers.
2:53:49Cara balanced on her hind legs and made
2:53:51a non-committal gesture. Yeah, that's
2:53:54what I thought. A bit of both, but we
2:53:57should get into position for the photos.
2:54:00Cara dropped back to all four feet and
2:54:02rushed over to stand on top of Thor so
2:54:05she could see over the gathering.
2:54:07The dignitaries were standing in two
2:54:09rows, short then tall, while a long
2:54:11folding bench had been placed for Carl's
2:54:13team with the beast standing behind
2:54:15them. It would be a brilliant photo, and
2:54:18Carl wanted a copy as soon as possible.
2:54:21The photographers got to work focusing
2:54:24on various people. Then Carl's team was
2:54:26cycled through the back rank so that
2:54:28they could get close-up shots with all
2:54:29the dignitaries.
2:54:31Carl was actually surprised how
2:54:33restrained Ry and Cara were being. He
2:54:36thought that the pair would prank
2:54:37someone, but they were behaving fairly
2:54:39well. Except that point when Cara stole
2:54:42someone's hairpiece and had to be bribed
2:54:44to give it back. It did look good on
2:54:47her, though. Monarch, might we have just
2:54:50a few minutes of your time? We are with
2:54:52the Duboce Banking Conglomerate.
2:54:55A short man in his 50s began. I'm very
2:54:58sorry, sir. I am not currently booking
2:55:02any collaborative efforts or accepting
2:55:04employment offers, but if your offer is
2:55:07not about that, please continue. The
2:55:10banker bowed politely.
2:55:12I understand, sir. You have been on an
2:55:15extended assignment and required time to
2:55:17decompress.
2:55:19I will check with you again in the
2:55:21future. There were a few others who had
2:55:23the same idea, but as Carl was less
2:55:25approachable as a monarch, they were
2:55:27much more interested in going after the
2:55:29two new royals who might be much more
2:55:31amunable to their ideas.
2:55:33Monarchs normally already had solid
2:55:35plans, and while Carl was young, it was
2:55:38generally assumed that it would be the
2:55:40same for him. There were rumors that he
2:55:42was working with the Roth Savings and
2:55:44Loan Company on a major property deal,
2:55:46but such a project normally took a year
2:55:48or two before the details were
2:55:49finalized.
2:55:51Plus, it was likely to involve an
2:55:53exclusivity clause so that the elite
2:55:55didn't end up as the face of a competing
2:55:57company or project. In the meantime, the
2:56:00only ones who were moving away from him
2:56:01were the ones who were only here as
2:56:03business representatives.
2:56:05Most of them were here to make friends
2:56:07with powerful elites or as government or
2:56:09military representatives.
2:56:12Carl found a familiar face in the crowd
2:56:14and went over to say hello. Director
2:56:16Jones of military finance, wasn't it? he
2:56:20asked. "You have an impeccable memory,
2:56:23your majesty." The bureaucrat replied,
2:56:27"The whole your majesty thing is a bit
2:56:29excessive."
2:56:31Carl laughed. "Certainly, Lord Carl. I
2:56:35heard that you were on quite the
2:56:37adventure and missed most of the chaos
2:56:38of recent days." "Indeed,
2:56:42but not all of it. I got to see some in
2:56:44person while I was out of the country.
2:56:47But I'm more interested in your job. How
2:56:50is the finance and supply situation with
2:56:52all of the additional anomalies and
2:56:54monster spawns?
2:56:56Carl asked, "How did you know that the
2:56:58spawn rate was up? We hadn't made that
2:57:01public yet. I know a little about how it
2:57:04started and why. So, it's only natural
2:57:07that it would increase here as well. At
2:57:09least we haven't been inundated with new
2:57:11dungeons.
2:57:13If that had been the case, we would have
2:57:15been in much more trouble than even New
2:57:17Bond with their commander ranked
2:57:18dungeons and newfound influx of monster
2:57:20spawns. I won't bore you with all the
2:57:23details, but it was quite the shock to
2:57:25them. Bored wouldn't be the word that
2:57:27the director would choose, but he was an
2:57:30accountant, not an elite or any sort of
2:57:32soldier. Carl caught a blur of motion in
2:57:35his peripheral vision just before he
2:57:37felt something bounce off his armor. It
2:57:39hadn't made it past eternal lightning,
2:57:42but it was clearly an attack, and Carl
2:57:44turned to see who would be so brave. The
2:57:47situation almost looked calm and normal,
2:57:49but soul sight revealed Overlord Neil
2:57:52dragging someone out of the crowd while
2:57:53invisible. On the ground, Carl found a
2:57:56small metal needle that radiated magic.
2:57:59That must have been the projectile
2:58:01weapon, so he picked it up and put it in
2:58:03Remy's space wrapped in a large leaf so
2:58:06she didn't get poked accidentally.
2:58:08As soon as he stopped focusing on it,
2:58:10the needle disappeared, marking it as
2:58:12the creation of a skill, not an
2:58:14enchanted object. Oh, someone is brave.
2:58:19Do you think that there are more of
2:58:20them? Rey asked in his mind as she
2:58:23realized what had happened. Where there
2:58:25is one, there are three. Well, that is
2:58:29about earth mice in the house, but I
2:58:31think it works for other sorts of vermin
2:58:32as well. How do we know which ones are
2:58:35which? Can I just kill them all for
2:58:38safety? No. Some of them are important
2:58:41and useful. The Inquisitor should take
2:58:44care of the situation, but don't let any
2:58:46sketchy people near the ladies. It took
2:58:49all of 3 seconds for Cara to take that
2:58:51literally. A rather sleazy looking
2:58:54businessman was getting too handsy with
2:58:56Oilia for her liking, and the void
2:58:58badger grabbed him by the legs, spun him
2:59:00in a full circle, then body slammed him.
2:59:03The whoosh of air leaving the man's
2:59:05body, then the pained we had a few
2:59:07people laughing discreetly behind their
2:59:09hands. But the ones who hadn't seen the
2:59:11start were concerned that Cara had gone
2:59:13feral. But the way that she was rubbing
2:59:16his face in the dirt made it clear after
2:59:17a few seconds that this was personal.
2:59:20Cara, you can let him up. I think he
2:59:23will promise to keep his hands to
2:59:25himself. Cara got off him, then wandered
2:59:28over and took something from a nearby
2:59:30woman's purse. The wealthy executive was
2:59:33shocked at the fact she had just been so
2:59:35casually mugged by a royal ranked beast.
2:59:37But Cara gave back the purse and only
2:59:39kept one small item in her mouth. "What
2:59:42have you got there?" Oilia asked. "It's
2:59:46a barbecue sauce package." "No, you
2:59:50can't barbecue him. I don't think that
2:59:52he would even taste good." Oilia
2:59:55laughed. That was the last straw for the
2:59:58humiliated pervert. He bolted out of the
3:00:01meeting and began running for the
3:00:02questionable safety of the nearby
3:00:04buildings. The event lightened the mood
3:00:07of the meeting, though some were highly
3:00:08concerned about the actual safety of
3:00:10having the beasts around. After all,
3:00:13Cara had threatened to eat someone, and
3:00:15even Thor was large enough to
3:00:17accidentally crush someone to death.
3:00:20Sure, he had elites loving on him and
3:00:22rubbing his scales, but a casual
3:00:24collision with him would be like walking
3:00:25in front of a car. Overlord Neil
3:00:28returned after a few minutes of
3:00:30socialization, smelling faintly of human
3:00:32blood, and motioned for Carl to join
3:00:34him. Carl followed him to the edge of
3:00:37the green space and into one of the
3:00:39signature marble buildings that were all
3:00:40over the capital and realized that this
3:00:43one was actually familiar. It was
3:00:45identical to the Inquisition holding
3:00:47building in design, but not an interior
3:00:49decoration.
3:00:51It might serve the same purpose, but the
3:00:53upper level looked more like the lobby
3:00:55of an upscale hotel.
3:00:57Monarch, if you don't mind a short chat.
3:01:00Neil began with a gesture to a door
3:01:02labeled conference room C. Carl followed
3:01:06him in and felt a spell activate as the
3:01:08door closed. Then Neil barred it with a
3:01:11steel beam, which made Carl laugh. The
3:01:14door was made of solid oak, but he could
3:01:16kick it clear across the lobby, so the
3:01:18bar wasn't for either of them, just to
3:01:20keep nosy people out. First off, welcome
3:01:24back. It's good to see you again and
3:01:27quite the shock to see how you have
3:01:28advanced. But more pressing is not the
3:01:31known fact that you are a soant, but the
3:01:34fact that your entire group are now
3:01:35royals. You have no idea how much of a
3:01:38stir it caused among the leadership when
3:01:40the archbishop returned and casually
3:01:42informed everyone that your group were
3:01:44all now royals.
3:01:46Of course, he's so busy with other
3:01:48duties that he was most likely never
3:01:50informed that they were all ascended a
3:01:51year ago. But for those of us with more
3:01:54time to be familiar with such things, it
3:01:56has raised plenty of questions. If there
3:01:59is some sort of technique to speed
3:02:01progression to that level, it is of
3:02:03national security level critical
3:02:05importance that we know. Your
3:02:07misadventures have raised more royal
3:02:09rank elites this year than the rest of
3:02:10the nation. And nobody understands why.
3:02:14Carl took a moment to fully appreciate
3:02:15what the Inquisition's top assassin was
3:02:18saying. Overlord Neil had a point. There
3:02:22were so few royals that they would
3:02:23normally all know each other. He was the
3:02:26outlier as he didn't really know anyone
3:02:28and he was never around others. But now
3:02:31he had blown past that milestone and
3:02:33advanced to monarch rank while the rest
3:02:36of his group was also progressing
3:02:37insanely quickly. There was nothing in
3:02:40his skills that would explain that. And
3:02:42other than Dana, the others had been
3:02:44growing at a perfectly normal rate
3:02:45before they met with him. Could it be
3:02:48that he had some hidden skill to help
3:02:49his group grow?
3:02:51He could for his beasts, but that was
3:02:53linked to their space. It didn't really
3:02:56apply to the rest of the group members.
3:02:58I think that it is more closely related
3:03:00to luck and the favor of the gods than
3:03:02any level of skill that I possess. The
3:03:05number of exceptional opportunities that
3:03:07we have been encountering is higher than
3:03:09most other elites could claim in years
3:03:11of training. We have been in two
3:03:13separate opening events for commander
3:03:15ranked dungeons and what might be a
3:03:16demagod level trial in the last season
3:03:18alone. Neil shook his head. The trials
3:03:22alone don't explain it. Unless the last
3:03:24one actually forced the advancement, but
3:03:27as I understand the reports, you were
3:03:30already exhibiting well beyond royal
3:03:31rank firepower before your rank had
3:03:33officially advanced, according to the
3:03:35system. Carl thought about it for a few
3:03:38minutes in silence, then decided to
3:03:40share a small tidbit about his powers
3:03:42with the inquisitor. I have a skill
3:03:45called skill master and I believe that
3:03:47it takes effect on my entire group and
3:03:49not just the beasts I am bonded with. It
3:03:52lets them learn new skills more easily
3:03:54and improve the ones that they have. I
3:03:57suspect that the improvement in their
3:03:59skills might actually be driving their
3:04:00progress. Most people advance as their
3:04:03skills improve, right? Well, with skill
3:04:07master, the skills can be advanced to a
3:04:09rank over the user. It's never happened
3:04:12to another group member that I know of,
3:04:14but it does work for the beasts. I have
3:04:17had skills at monarch rank for a while
3:04:19now, and that is a large part of my
3:04:21excess combat ability." Neil took a
3:04:24chair off the stack by the wall and sat
3:04:26down at the large boardroom table. "What
3:04:29you're telling me is that there is a
3:04:30possibility that you will have an
3:04:31overlord ranked skill while you are
3:04:33still a monarch," he asked. "Not a
3:04:37possibility, an almost certainty.
3:04:40How far through my progression will I
3:04:42manage it is the real question. It might
3:04:44be one of the beasts and it may or may
3:04:46not be shared with me, but it will
3:04:48happen. Carl agreed, taking a seat
3:04:51across from the overlord. Neil took a
3:04:54small object from his storage bag or
3:04:56perhaps his inventory.
3:04:59Carl couldn't tell how active the man's
3:05:01system was. Squeeze that for me. I want
3:05:05to test your raw physical strength, he
3:05:08instructed.
3:05:09Carl shrugged and picked up the
3:05:11resistance scale. It had a D-shaped hand
3:05:14grip on one side and a scale needle on
3:05:16the other, so Carl just squeezed it and
3:05:18watched the needle smoothly spin in
3:05:20circles three times around before the
3:05:22lever bottomed out. Neil chuckled.
3:05:26Well, that defeats the purpose. But it
3:05:29is an answer in its own way. Your
3:05:32strength isn't on the human scale
3:05:33anymore, even for warrior classes. Do
3:05:37you think that there is a way you could
3:05:38help a few of our promising recruits
3:05:40advance as well? What I was thinking was
3:05:42to send them as apprentices to your
3:05:44group. Did they do something to upset
3:05:47you? Sending children to accompany a
3:05:49group like mine is basically a death
3:05:51sentence.
3:05:53Heck, even our protection couldn't hold
3:05:55up when Overlord Lea and the Emperor got
3:05:57into an argument over her vacation
3:05:59plans.
3:06:00Carl replied,
3:06:02Neil stared at him. Come again. I know
3:06:06all those words, but I'm not sure that I
3:06:08understood what you were saying. I'm
3:06:11sure the reports will make it back to
3:06:12you soon. The overlord decided that she
3:06:15was overworked and decided to go on an
3:06:17unapproved vacation. It led to an
3:06:20exchange of blows with the emperor of
3:06:22Newon. Neither was seriously injured,
3:06:25but there was a lot of property damage.
3:06:28Carl explained, "That did not make it
3:06:31back to our reports, but I believe that
3:06:33I know the incident. You mean it simply
3:06:35wasn't explained the same way and was
3:06:38passed off as an anomaly related natural
3:06:40disaster. It is actually less concerning
3:06:43to know that it was just a dispute
3:06:44between powerhouses.
3:06:47At least that way it's unlikely to
3:06:49happen again. Carl wasn't sure he would
3:06:52go that far. Eventually, Leifa would
3:06:55break free again, but trying to explain
3:06:57the whole situation would just lead to a
3:06:59never-ending set of questions he didn't
3:07:00know the answers to, and probably
3:07:02someone wanting to study his weapons. He
3:07:05was quite fond of his weapons. Overlord
3:07:08Neil took out a notepad and placed it
3:07:10between them. Now, we can move on to the
3:07:13reason I actually called you in here. I
3:07:16interviewed the failed assassin, and it
3:07:18appears that you have made the growing
3:07:19threat list of at least one foreign
3:07:21nation. The toxin from the spell scroll
3:07:24should have been potent enough to kill a
3:07:26royal rank elite if it had landed. If he
3:07:29hadn't missed, we would have had only
3:07:30seconds to prevent your death. Neil
3:07:33explained, "He didn't actually miss."
3:07:37Thor keeps eternal lightning, his
3:07:39defensive barrier skill, active on the
3:07:41whole group at all times. He doesn't
3:07:44like any of us being in danger. So, the
3:07:47attack hit a monarch rank barrier skill
3:07:49and simply fell to the ground. I thought
3:07:52it was a poison needle and tried to
3:07:54collect it, but it vanished after a few
3:07:56seconds. Do you have any idea what group
3:07:59might be after your life? Neil asked. I
3:08:03didn't get their names, but a human
3:08:05nation that uses spellb blades with
3:08:07black robes and red armor would be my
3:08:09first guess. They seemed a bit upset
3:08:12that we rejected their attempt to force
3:08:13their way into the trial that the
3:08:15archbishop met me at. Of course, it
3:08:18could be the giants.
3:08:20They have more than enough reasons to
3:08:22want me dead, especially after Lord
3:08:24Knack trolled them during that same
3:08:25event. It's probably not the divine
3:08:28beasts or the mages from Septtonia.
3:08:31We all had a rather cordial relationship
3:08:33as of our last meeting, and the mages of
3:08:35Septtonia were very pleased with our
3:08:37arrangement and the fact that we didn't
3:08:39argue with their price. The potions that
3:08:42they provided were an excellent base for
3:08:43an upgraded potion using resources that
3:08:45we obtained from the monster spawns. One
3:08:48of them gave high priestess lotus a tree
3:08:51of life healing form and epic grade
3:08:54spell and the other allowed Thor to
3:08:56evolve into his current divine thunder
3:08:57sarero form. Thor has thunder abilities.
3:09:01Neil asked only one stomp ability. But
3:09:06he has a couple of lightning based
3:09:07skills so it fits with the general theme
3:09:10of his progress.
3:09:11Carl thought about his new skills and
3:09:14realized that while he could make skill
3:09:15books and use skill master to help
3:09:18others learn skills, he would soon be a
3:09:20great asset to elites in general simply
3:09:22because he could teach them random
3:09:24skills. Maybe he should try to get the
3:09:27overlord to help him learn a few more
3:09:28skills before he left the capital again.
3:09:31Back on topic, we are concerned about
3:09:33the risk that someone is sending
3:09:35assassins after you, but the leadership
3:09:37is also determined to see if your luck
3:09:39will extend to a larger team. Obviously,
3:09:42they're not going to be able to spare an
3:09:44entire team of royals to follow you
3:09:46around when you've already got four of
3:09:47them on contract. I will look into the
3:09:50issue of the assassination attempts
3:09:52personally while your team is being
3:09:53debriefed and assessed after your
3:09:55deployment. Then the apprentices will be
3:09:57sent to you. Carl drumemed his fingers
3:09:59on the table as he considered ways to
3:10:01make that work. Can you send us
3:10:04acolytes?
3:10:05you know the ones who are going to go
3:10:07for the divine injection at the end of
3:10:09the school year. I can test them
3:10:11personally for compatibility and then we
3:10:13can take five of them with us to train.
3:10:16He suggested
3:10:18you want common rank kids who are still
3:10:20in middle school. Neil repeated ensuring
3:10:23he hadn't heard it wrong. Maybe from the
3:10:26orphanages.
3:10:28That way there won't be a fuss if things
3:10:29go wrong during training. Plus, I don't
3:10:33want some politician's snobby brat. I'd
3:10:36end up feeding them to Remy the first
3:10:38week. You wouldn't, Neil countered. But
3:10:42Carl could see that he wasn't convinced.
3:10:45Neil was a good judge of character, so
3:10:47he shouldn't take long to determine that
3:10:48Carl wasn't joking. Fine, maybe you
3:10:52would. I will see what we can find for
3:10:54your team. How long do you think that it
3:10:57will take to test them? He added, "We
3:11:01should be able to sort them in a day or
3:11:02two. I have a trick for it now. The
3:11:06cleric classes might be a bit harder,
3:11:08but the acolytes for me, Dana, and Oilia
3:11:11should be easier. I can probably verify
3:11:14their compatibility right away." Neil
3:11:17made a note for himself, then gave Carl
3:11:19an expectant look. What can you tell me
3:11:22about what happened to you and Lord
3:11:23Knacked in the trial? The black dragon
3:11:26was somewhat less than forthcoming with
3:11:28details.
3:11:30Carl chuckled. I can see how that would
3:11:33happen. He's not the greatest fan of
3:11:35humans in general, but he seems to be
3:11:38fond of you. I'm possibly the least
3:11:41humaneish human that you will ever meet,
3:11:43though. But I can tell you that there
3:11:45was an evolutionary resource in the
3:11:47version of the trial that we got. It
3:11:50gave me a special constitution, and that
3:11:52was a major factor in being able to
3:11:54reach monarch rank. His details are his
3:11:57own, and as much as I like to prank
3:11:58people, I'm not going to give out the
3:12:00private details of a totem ranked black
3:12:02dragon, Carl explained carefully.
3:12:06Understandable.
3:12:08Some inquisitors would take that
3:12:09personally, but the totems are said to
3:12:11be able to sense betrayal, and I would
3:12:13rather that he didn't come barging in
3:12:15here. Carl chuckled. We would likely be
3:12:19gone before he made it here. Overlord
3:12:22Neil shook his head. He's still at the
3:12:24cathedral. If he sensed betrayal, he
3:12:27could fly here in under a minute. But
3:12:30the inquisitor had asked anyhow, Carl
3:12:32noted. What are you going to tell the
3:12:35debriefing officers about your time
3:12:36abroad? Have you discussed it with the
3:12:39others? Neil asked instead of continuing
3:12:42his questions about the trial. Not yet.
3:12:46I think everyone understands what part
3:12:48shouldn't be spoken out loud, but most
3:12:50of the journey was eventful in one way
3:12:52or another, so there will be plenty to
3:12:54give them without looking like we're
3:12:56stonewalling the investigation.
3:12:58Besides, the Archbishop knows most of it
3:13:00already, and that's the important part.
3:13:03Whether anyone else needs to know is up
3:13:05to him. Overlord Neil made a few notes
3:13:08and then put the notepad away.
3:13:11All right, I will arrange for proper
3:13:13acolytes to join your team while they
3:13:15are in the city. I am looking forward to
3:13:17great results from you, and I will try
3:13:19to keep the annoyances away while you're
3:13:21all settling back into the civilized
3:13:23life for a bit. Is there anything else
3:13:25that you're going to need right away,
3:13:27other than somewhere to stay? That has
3:13:30already been arranged, of course. The
3:13:33archbishop wants your team close, so he
3:13:35has arranged rooms at the cathedral.
3:13:38Carl laughed. It's always the cathedral
3:13:41when we come to the capital. If I was
3:13:43there any more often, I would end up
3:13:45with my own room. That can likely be
3:13:48arranged. There is a separate building
3:13:51for high-ranking elites next to the
3:13:53Inquisition dorms. You're a monarch now,
3:13:56so it wouldn't be unusual for you to
3:13:58rent a room there to always have a place
3:14:00to stay in the capital. Even Yoan and
3:14:02Ahmad have rooms there, though they also
3:14:05have houses nearby, Neil explained.
3:14:09Oh, that does sound like a good plan. I
3:14:12will have to find out the costs and
3:14:14arrange something. The dorms in the
3:14:16cathedral aren't terrible, but the
3:14:18lights out policy is a bit strict. The
3:14:21rogue laughed at Carl's complaints.
3:14:24Indeed, the cathedral did shut down very
3:14:26early so that the pious could pray in
3:14:28silence for a few hours before sleeping.
3:14:31But if you weren't on a pilgrimage, it
3:14:33was an extremely early bedtime.
3:14:36Why don't I call them over now? There
3:14:38should be someone on duty. Carl nodded
3:14:41and Neil went to the phone on the wall
3:14:43to make a call requesting an agent for
3:14:45the ranking elite dorm as well as
3:14:47accommodation for two new royal high
3:14:49priestesses who would be confirmed later
3:14:51in the day and the two visiting royal
3:14:53rank elites. Lotus and Tessa would get
3:14:56permanent rooms here by default as well
3:14:58as wherever they were assigned when they
3:15:00were no longer traveling with Carl. Carl
3:15:03suspected that nobody was in too big of
3:15:05a hurry to make them quit that mission
3:15:07as they had gained so much already. But
3:15:09eventually they would all want some
3:15:11downtime with no violence.
3:15:13No violence?
3:15:15Rey asked in Carl's mind. Minimal
3:15:18violence? He amended.
3:15:22Still sounds boring. Can we leave yet?
3:15:25These people are annoying. Return to
3:15:28your space whenever you want. I will
3:15:31make excuses for you when I'm done here.
3:15:34That was all the motivation that they
3:15:36needed, and everyone but Cara was back
3:15:38in their space within seconds. Even
3:15:41Thor. That part was surprising, but the
3:15:44Sero looked harassed and ready for a
3:15:46nap. "You all right, buddy?" Carl asked.
3:15:50"Flash photography is evil," Thor
3:15:53replied as he sunk his head into the
3:15:55pond lined with holy stones. "That
3:15:58explained a lot.
3:16:00Thor loved people, but like all beasts,
3:16:02his eyes were sensitive, and if they had
3:16:05been taking constant photos in his
3:16:06direction with the flash on, he would
3:16:08have a terrible headache by now. The
3:16:11real question was what Cara was up to,
3:16:13and why was Carl so certain that it
3:16:15involved Lotus. But he didn't have long
3:16:18to consider what sort of chaos those two
3:16:20might be causing. The representative
3:16:23from housing had already arrived,
3:16:25possibly from outside with the welcoming
3:16:27committee. Monarch
3:16:29It is an honor to meet you. I am
3:16:32informed that you would be interested in
3:16:34renting a unit at the ranking elite
3:16:35apartments. The slim man greeted Carl
3:16:38before adjusting his poorly fit budget
3:16:41suit and taking a seat to spread out an
3:16:42array of diagrams and pictures. We have
3:16:45various options starting with infrequent
3:16:47visitor residences at under 100 square
3:16:50meters. Or if you are to be stationed
3:16:51here in the capital, we do have some
3:16:53options in the 500 meter range.
3:16:57Carl did his best to hide his dismay at
3:16:59the opulence visible in the photos of
3:17:01the units. Even the smallest of them was
3:17:03far larger than the house he had grown
3:17:05up in. And at 500 square meters, the
3:17:08largest would require cleaning staff,
3:17:10even if he had his whole team staying
3:17:11there. Though, if the beasts were in
3:17:14human form, they would take up a lot of
3:17:16space. So, a floor plan with more common
3:17:18area might be best. Overlord Neil
3:17:22gestured at one of the plans. I think
3:17:24that this one might be a suitable
3:17:26option. There are three bedrooms,
3:17:29including the master bedroom, but there
3:17:31is a large sitting room. It's normally
3:17:33for the sort of elite who has a lot of
3:17:35informal business meetings at home, but
3:17:37with your friends around all the time,
3:17:39it might be a good choice. The agent
3:17:42nodded.
3:17:43Yes, this one is suitable for task force
3:17:46teams when they are in the capital, and
3:17:48it has easy access to the rooftop
3:17:49helipad should you be on rapid response
3:17:52duty. But fear not, the soundproofing is
3:17:55excellent, and the noise won't unduly
3:17:57disturb you. Carl chuckled. I can hear
3:18:01your heartbeat and the shifting of your
3:18:03coat against your shirt. It takes much
3:18:06more than some basic soundproofing for
3:18:08me to miss a helicopter landing, but I
3:18:10am certain that it doesn't take much to
3:18:12get used to those interruptions, and I
3:18:14don't intend to be in the capital the
3:18:16majority of the time. "Oh, are you
3:18:19working on something?" the agent asked.
3:18:22I am in the middle of a deal with Roth
3:18:24Savings and loan to build a facility for
3:18:26magical beasts that can be raised as
3:18:28assistants to the elites, Carl
3:18:31explained.
3:18:32Fascinating.
3:18:34I know that many of the ranger classes
3:18:36struggle to find just the right partner.
3:18:39However, as I am not one myself, I am
3:18:42not privy to all the details.
3:18:44That's fine. It's not really relevant to
3:18:47this deal anyhow. Oh, get the one with
3:18:50the huge bathroom with the hot tub. I
3:18:53want that one. Remy insisted.
3:18:57Yes, a gigantic tub is what we need. Rey
3:19:01agreed. Carl gestured to the floor plan.
3:19:05Do you have an option with a large
3:19:06common area and the oversized bath area
3:19:09with the hot tub? I have this one. It's
3:19:13slightly smaller overall, but still has
3:19:15three sleeping rooms, a large common
3:19:17room, and the spa. However, it lacks a
3:19:21formal dining room and instead only has
3:19:23a smaller table and dining counter in
3:19:25the kitchen. Hot tub, Ry cheered. Can we
3:19:30go see the unit? Carl asked. Of course,
3:19:34sir. However, it is customary to put
3:19:38down a deposit first as a show of
3:19:40sincerity as the units are rather
3:19:42expensive.
3:19:44Carl nodded. How much? The deposit
3:19:47amount is 50,000 credits which will be
3:19:50deducted from the 240,000 credit total
3:19:53annual fee for the unit should you
3:19:54choose it. Give him shiny rocks. I got a
3:19:59whole bunch of useless ones from the
3:20:00grave. Remy suggested.
3:20:04Can you do conversions?
3:20:06I have no idea how many actual credits I
3:20:08have, Carl asked. I can bring an
3:20:12appraiser from the supply department.
3:20:15Wonderful. I can wait. Also, if they can
3:20:18send someone for the rest of my people,
3:20:20it would make life easier. I'm sure they
3:20:23are wondering where I went by now. The
3:20:26ladies came in with the appraiser, who
3:20:28was an ascended rank elite with a
3:20:29crafting specialty class.
3:20:32Remy, did you pick useless stones? Carl
3:20:35asked.
3:20:37Yeah, and give him some of this grass I
3:20:39picked. There is too much of it here,
3:20:41and it's in the way. The appraiser bowed
3:20:44a full 90° while Overlord Neil chuckled
3:20:47at the show of deference, or more likely
3:20:49at Carl's discomfort around it. Sir, I
3:20:53am told that you require a conversion
3:20:54for some items you have obtained. Codle
3:20:57set the fistful of delicately cut
3:20:59gemstones and the large bundle of
3:21:01magical grass on the table side by side.
3:21:04This should be enough, I think. If you
3:21:07can convert that to credits for me, I
3:21:09would like to rent an apartment and
3:21:10maintain a balance in my account for
3:21:12incidentals.
3:21:14The man just stared at the pile while
3:21:16Overlord Neil picked up one of the gems,
3:21:18a faintly magical garnet, low ascended
3:21:20rank by Carl's estimation.
3:21:23You know, a fire garnet of this quality
3:21:25and cut is worth a year's rent. You
3:21:28didn't need to make the man go through
3:21:30so much work. The overlord was staring
3:21:33at the gem with what looked like lust
3:21:34and examining it with the practiced
3:21:36movements of a jeweler or perhaps a
3:21:39jewel thief. Many rogue class elites had
3:21:42a questionable past. Carl shrugged. I
3:21:46never exchange anything. I didn't know.
3:21:49But if that's the case, you can keep
3:21:51that one for your assistance, and we can
3:21:53convert these two for credits, plus the
3:21:56pile of herbs. The appraiser looked at
3:21:58the pile of herbs with great concern.
3:22:01Are you certain that you wish to trade
3:22:03all of this? Make them go away. Those
3:22:07are the trash stocks that I pruned so
3:22:08much better ones would grow or to clear
3:22:11space. Remy agreed. Yes, those are the
3:22:16lower grade castoffs that I don't need
3:22:18anymore.
3:22:19The man seemed to freeze and began
3:22:21breathing too fast for a few seconds
3:22:23before Lotus cast something on him.
3:22:26Panic attack. He should be all right
3:22:28with a calming spell on him. She
3:22:31explained, "Sir, those stalks are all
3:22:34commander rank and they're worth nearly
3:22:3620,000 credits each." The appraiser
3:22:39stammered. "Do you regret picking the
3:22:41gem now?" Carl Mock whispered to
3:22:44Overlord Neil. Not at all. I don't need
3:22:48spirit grass for anything, but magic
3:22:51type classes like the appraiser go all
3:22:53googly over it. You should see if you
3:22:56can get some potions made with the
3:22:57portion you kept. Your girlfriend would
3:23:00benefit from them. Carl stared at the
3:23:03grass with his system interface up.
3:23:06Moderate quality feed for Thor. Mild
3:23:09intoxicant for Hawk. Combines with sage
3:23:12spirit herb to make minor soul
3:23:14strengthening potions for Hawk. That
3:23:17last line was a new one, but there were
3:23:19no other listed uses with identify, so
3:23:21it was no real use to his beasts. Good
3:23:24idea. I will look into that later. I
3:23:28have the ingredients needed, I believe.
3:23:31The appraiser carefully examined every
3:23:33stock and made notes while the group
3:23:35milled about and Lotus tried to teach
3:23:37Cara how to play Cat's Cradle with a
3:23:39piece of string. When he got to the last
3:23:42of the stalks, Carl stopped him,
3:23:44realizing that the total was an
3:23:45astronomical sum. That one is for you. A
3:23:49gratuitity for your prompt service. The
3:23:52appraiser stared lovingly at the long
3:23:54piece of grass. Are you certain, sir? Of
3:23:59course. There are how many of them in
3:24:01that pile? One is no loss. The
3:24:05conversion of those plus two stones
3:24:07should be more than enough for my
3:24:08immediate needs. Tessa shook her head in
3:24:11dismay. "You know, I tend to forget that
3:24:14while your stockpile of random stuff is
3:24:16useful in the field, you're actually
3:24:18insanely wealthy if you convert it to
3:24:20money." Carl laughed. Thor eats that
3:24:24grass as a snack. The appraiser and the
3:24:27real estate agent Winston paying at the
3:24:29cost of letting a giant beast eat such a
3:24:31valuable resource.
3:24:33The total will be transferred to your
3:24:34account and these two garnets will be
3:24:36sufficient to cover a year's rent on
3:24:38your chosen unit. Thank you for your
3:24:41patronage and the Cathedral Resource
3:24:43Warehouse appreciates your generosity.
3:24:46Overlord Neil watched the appraiser call
3:24:48for security as he loaded the grass into
3:24:50a secure cargo box on a dolly and hand
3:24:52the real estate agent a card on his way
3:24:54out. Now, should we go see that unit? As
3:24:58long as there is nothing wrong with it,
3:25:00I would like to get settled in. I have a
3:25:03long day of debriefings tomorrow. Carl
3:25:06suggested.
3:25:08You have debriefings tonight as well,
3:25:10but tomorrow will be even busier, so we
3:25:13should get ahead of the others. Neil
3:25:15agreed. Carl sighed and gestured for
3:25:18everyone to follow them out of the room.
3:25:21The apartment building was actually a
3:25:22high-rise tower that Carl had thought
3:25:24was part of the corporate district. 50
3:25:27stories tall and as large as a city
3:25:29block. There was certainly plenty of
3:25:31room for the apartments.
3:25:33Lotus spun in a happy circle as she saw
3:25:36where they were going. This is perfect.
3:25:39I can just invade your space when the
3:25:41dorms at the cathedral get too boring.
3:25:44The housing agent gave Carl a look that
3:25:46said, "Should I show you a unit with a
3:25:48spare room for high priestesses?"
3:25:50But Carl motioned for him to keep
3:25:52walking. I am sure that we can make
3:25:55space or we can look at other units if
3:25:58there might be a similar unit that keeps
3:26:00the large hot tub. That part is
3:26:03essential. Carl assured her with a nod
3:26:06to the realtor to let him know the
3:26:07response was for him as well. Dana
3:26:10winked at him and Carl smiled. Ry and
3:26:13Thor weren't the only ones looking
3:26:15forward to getting time to soak. The
3:26:17elevator took them to the 10th floor and
3:26:20a pristine whitewalled lobby area with
3:26:22thick red carpets. There was a gold and
3:26:25crystal chandelier hanging from the
3:26:26ceiling, and Tessa whistled in
3:26:28appreciation of the luxury. Red Dragon
3:26:31clerics spent most of their time in
3:26:33orphanages or combat training facilities
3:26:35before they graduated, and often after
3:26:37as well. They didn't see much luxury.
3:26:41There is a secure training facility on
3:26:43basement level two. It's not actually
3:26:46under the building, but under the
3:26:48courtyard and park. It was reinforced by
3:26:51the Archbishop and a group of overlord
3:26:53rank mages. So, there is no danger that
3:26:55it will be damaged as long as you pay
3:26:57the energy cost to enter. There is a
3:26:59public pool on the second floor and a
3:27:01gym on the basement floor 1. But the
3:27:04residential floors all look similar with
3:27:07different layouts based on apartment
3:27:08sizes.
3:27:10There are six units on this floor, only
3:27:12two of which are currently occupied.
3:27:15Carl decided he didn't want to think too
3:27:17hard about why there would be so many
3:27:19empty units in the building. Sure, it
3:27:22was expensive, but all the more powerful
3:27:24elites were regularly required to be in
3:27:26the capital for one reason or another,
3:27:28so it made sense for them to get an
3:27:29apartment somewhere in the city. It
3:27:32wasn't like they couldn't afford it. If
3:27:34Carl had checked his balance before
3:27:36asking for a conversion of resources, he
3:27:38likely would have had enough for the
3:27:40rent just off his elite payments, and
3:27:42those would be going up now that he was
3:27:43a monarch. The agent opened the door,
3:27:46and Carl stepped inside the apartment,
3:27:48which was decorated in what he
3:27:50understood to be the latest modern
3:27:51style, all white and stainless steel
3:27:53with hardwood floors in a light gray.
3:27:56Upon seeing the luxury, Rey came out in
3:27:59humanoid form and immediately wandered
3:28:01away before the sales pitch could even
3:28:03begin.
3:28:04The important parts of the tour were the
3:28:06bath and making sure that nothing here
3:28:08could rival her hammocks for comfort.
3:28:10Where did she come from? The property
3:28:13agent asked, confused by the new
3:28:15arrival.
3:28:17She's sneaky.
3:28:18Don't worry about it. Now, it looks like
3:28:22this place is fully outfitted. I see
3:28:24cups hanging from the racks, Carl
3:28:27replied.
3:28:28Yes, a full set of kitchen wear is
3:28:30included, as well as daily maid service.
3:28:33So there is no need to do your own
3:28:34cleaning. If you are hosting parties or
3:28:37don't wish to cook for yourself, there
3:28:39is a restaurant on the main floor
3:28:41exclusively for residents and their
3:28:42guests. They can prepare your meals to
3:28:45be delivered on request or on schedule.
3:28:48Dana looked impressed.
3:28:50So a top professional chef on call at
3:28:53all times for dinners. Now this is
3:28:55Swanky. Overlord Neil chuckled. Of
3:29:00course, elite is more than just a title
3:29:02saying that you've got magical powers.
3:29:05There is another building nearby for
3:29:07royals if you would like to take a look.
3:29:10Three of them technically, as there are
3:29:12more royal rank elites than there are
3:29:14monarchs and overlords.
3:29:16Would you like to view one?" the agent
3:29:19asked hopefully. Dana shook her head.
3:29:23No, this one looks good. Thanks. The
3:29:26agent blinked once as he realized the
3:29:28situation. then continued the tour,
3:29:30showing them around the kitchen, the
3:29:32balcony with sun loungers for summer
3:29:34use, then the huge living room with
3:29:36seating for at least a dozen. This is
3:29:39nice. There is room for everyone at the
3:29:42same time. But where did Ray go? Lotus
3:29:46asked, unable to find the spider.
3:29:49Normally, losing a bloodbath spider in
3:29:51the house would be a cause for concern,
3:29:53but Carl could sense that she had
3:29:54already finished exploring the other
3:29:56rooms and had gone to the kitchen to see
3:29:58what the strange smell was. It turned
3:30:01out to be a fully stocked spice rack,
3:30:03and she was collecting tiny samples for
3:30:05Hawk and Remy so they could add variety
3:30:07to their cooking. She's in the kitchen.
3:30:10Finish the tour and you can play with
3:30:12the ray. The ceilings are high. I can
3:30:16hang hammocks over the spare beds.
3:30:19Lots of room for sleeping, Ry informed
3:30:22Carl as they checked the remaining
3:30:23rooms. The hot tub was in a cedar room
3:30:27with a steam generating heater and a
3:30:28bench along the far wall. It should be
3:30:31great for relaxation, and the bedrooms
3:30:33were plenty for the group if Ry was
3:30:35going to hang hammocks. I think that
3:30:38this should be perfect for my needs.
3:30:40Thank you, Carl informed the agent.
3:30:43Wonderful.
3:30:45I will take care of the paperwork and I
3:30:47believe that the overlord had some more
3:30:49business to finish with you. Neil
3:30:51nodded. Not me in particular, but the
3:30:54Inquisition plus the bureau and the Army
3:30:57Strategic Intelligence Agency would all
3:30:59like to have a nice chat with you
3:31:00tonight while the details are still
3:31:02fresh in your mind. All right, you might
3:31:05as well send them all in. We can split
3:31:08up and everyone talks to someone at the
3:31:10same time. Or do we need to do this in
3:31:13the secure rooms?
3:31:15Carl asked. No need for that. Once you
3:31:19are over commander rank, almost all of
3:31:21this becomes a formality.
3:31:23Even if they suspected that you were
3:31:25likely to go rogue, it's not like they
3:31:27would try to imprison you. They just
3:31:29send me after you. I want a chance to
3:31:32play with the stabby overlord. Rey
3:31:35demanded.
3:31:37Maybe later.
3:31:38He lives nearby, so we can try to
3:31:40convince him to train with you in the
3:31:41gym to help you learn new combat
3:31:43skills." Neil noticed the puppy eyes
3:31:46attempt that Rey was making from the
3:31:48kitchen and turned to Carl for answers.
3:31:50"I don't get what she's pleading for.
3:31:53I'm not going to let her torture the
3:31:55representatives."
3:31:57He whispered. Carl chuckled. "That's not
3:32:01it. She wants to train with you in the
3:32:03gym before we have to go. It's a great
3:32:06way for her to learn new skills if I'm
3:32:08there to supervise and use my skills on
3:32:10her directly. It's so rare that we see
3:32:13someone who has compatible skills that
3:32:15are an improvement for her, but you're
3:32:16an overlord rank rogue. You have to know
3:32:18at least a few. Neil laughed. All right.
3:32:23I would like to see just what I could
3:32:25teach Ry and what she might be able to
3:32:27teach me. She has some rather unique
3:32:30skills, and I still don't understand how
3:32:32exactly an ambush predator learned to
3:32:34use golems." Tessa nodded in agreement.
3:32:38"That is a mystery that baffles us all,
3:32:41but somehow after seeing multiple
3:32:43different ways of casting golems, she
3:32:45came up with a way that works for her.
3:32:48It's brilliant and terrifying,
3:32:50but it's an incredible sign of what she
3:32:52might be capable of in the future. She
3:32:55already knows how to shadow step, create
3:32:58earth magic barriers to create her own
3:33:00portable shadows for better mobility,
3:33:02summon golems, and use lacerate to
3:33:04increase the bleeding. So, she has a
3:33:06constant supply of blood. There really
3:33:09aren't all that many more things that a
3:33:11blood bath spider could need for her
3:33:12perfect arsenal, except a few high
3:33:14output ambush attacks and possibly a
3:33:17form of invisibility that is better than
3:33:19her natural camouflage skills. Ray snuck
3:33:22over from the kitchen. You are taking
3:33:24too small of a view of things. I have
3:33:28almost mastered this skill to become
3:33:29bipedal now. And once I do that, I will
3:33:32need skills to pretend to be other
3:33:34people. Neil smiled at the ambitious
3:33:36beast. Oh, and why is that? Nobody will
3:33:41ever expect it if their friends and
3:33:43family are the ones that walk up and
3:33:44dice them into snack-sized cubes. Rey
3:33:48announced proudly. Neil nodded. I agree.
3:33:53We took too small of a view of things.
3:33:56Why hide when you can stand beside them
3:33:58like a friend in the darkness until it's
3:34:00time not to? That's actually a common
3:34:03infiltration technique for some of the
3:34:05intelligence service rogues. If you
3:34:07don't mind that they aren't as powerful
3:34:09as you are, perhaps we could invite a
3:34:11few of them over to help you master the
3:34:13art of disguise.
3:34:14Nope. I don't see any way that this
3:34:16could end badly. Oilia muttered to
3:34:19herself. Ry nodded. Exactly. All the
3:34:24outcomes are good. By the end of the
3:34:26evening, after the basics of everyone's
3:34:28current skills and combat status, as
3:34:30well as the major details of their
3:34:32recent adventures had been relayed to
3:34:34every applicable agency, and all of the
3:34:36same questions had been answered five
3:34:38times. Everyone in Carl's group was
3:34:40thoroughly ready for a nap. Overlord
3:34:43Neil had gone to his apartment hours
3:34:44earlier, leaving them with Colonel
3:34:46Valerie and the representatives of the
3:34:48government and military.
3:34:50Neither of them was particularly
3:34:52annoying on an individual basis. They
3:34:54just had to individually verify all of
3:34:56the reports separate from any influence
3:34:58by the other party members. That meant
3:35:01that they were spread through every room
3:35:02of the house to get their answers and
3:35:04everyone had to repeat everything for
3:35:06their assigned interviewer then as a
3:35:08group in case they missed something that
3:35:10might be important. Of course, they had
3:35:13all come to a silent agreement that
3:35:15there were some things they wouldn't
3:35:16talk about. If it wasn't public
3:35:18knowledge and the people involved could
3:35:20squish them like a bug, it got ignored.
3:35:23If it was embarrassing to a group
3:35:25member, it got ignored. But other than
3:35:28that, they gave a fairly complete report
3:35:30of the events as they remembered them.
3:35:33The real saving grace was that Lord Nact
3:35:35had brought a report from the divine
3:35:36beast nation with him when he arrived
3:35:38nearly a day earlier than they had and
3:35:40that outlined the parts which had
3:35:42happened in the Bruised Temple, at least
3:35:44in a vague way. So, while the
3:35:47interviewers were confused about the
3:35:48part where they were providing what
3:35:50sounded like daycare services for the
3:35:52acolytes, at least Carl didn't have to
3:35:54go into great detail about how that had
3:35:56come about or why they had agreed to be
3:35:58sent to the New Bond Empire in the first
3:35:59place.
3:36:01They simply said that it was an order
3:36:02from the archbishop and nobody
3:36:04questioned that fact. Colonel Valerie
3:36:07put her pen down as she finished
3:36:09summarizing all of the notes that she
3:36:10had collected. All right. I think that
3:36:13we have everything that we need from you
3:36:15today. I have been informed that you
3:36:17will be receiving a visit from the
3:36:19mental health professionals tomorrow and
3:36:21that there should be some acolytes
3:36:22brought to you for a training program
3:36:24being overseen by the Inquisition. Those
3:36:27students should arrive later in the day
3:36:29and I am looking forward to seeing what
3:36:30sort of results might come from the
3:36:32partnership.
3:36:33She declared, "You and me both. I think
3:36:37that letting them spend time training
3:36:39with the team should have significant
3:36:41effects on their growth, and there is
3:36:42some hope that we might be able to
3:36:44trigger a system awakening for them
3:36:45naturally without the use of an anomaly
3:36:48like the orb." The colonel sighed and
3:36:50rubbed the tension out of the back of
3:36:52her neck. "Don't remind me of that
3:36:54nightmare.
3:36:56It was open for four entire days before
3:36:58it ran out of energy and the ruins
3:37:00vanished. Nearly every elite over the
3:37:03rank of ascended was sent there to
3:37:04attempt to advance their class marking
3:37:06by the time that it had vanished. And
3:37:08the more we sent, the more confused the
3:37:10situation got. Most of the stronger ones
3:37:13could advance, but few of the weaker
3:37:15ones. Even with the same skills,
3:37:18different ranks didn't get the same
3:37:19options, and now we've got dozens of new
3:37:22class markings to collect data on. Carl
3:37:25shrugged. At least the new classes will
3:37:28have more of a system interface so they
3:37:30can tell you all about the class skills,
3:37:32the skill tree, and any other benefits
3:37:34that they get. It's a huge victory for
3:37:37the record keepers as they now get to
3:37:39file data for the next group of young
3:37:41elites, so there are fewer cases of
3:37:43unknown markings. Tessa winked at the
3:37:45haggarded colonel. Plus, you can pass it
3:37:48all off to the Blue Dragons and let them
3:37:50do all the recording and analysis. Then
3:37:53just read their summaries to guide next
3:37:55year's training. The academy should be
3:37:57nearly through the school year, right?
3:38:00We lost some time in an anomaly, so I'm
3:38:02not quite adjusted yet." Colonel Valerie
3:38:05nodded. "Yes, the next intake is coming
3:38:09soon. They will advance at the end of
3:38:11the standard school year, and that's in
3:38:13just over a month. But this round will
3:38:16be somewhat different from the previous
3:38:18ones as we have a new technique, a new
3:38:21trick. Carl asked, "Yes, we have
3:38:25numerous system imbued items from the
3:38:27dungeon. We will have each student
3:38:29attempt to wear one that our analysts
3:38:31think will suit them, and then if they
3:38:33awaken the system with the item, they
3:38:35don't need the injection. It should
3:38:37increase our success rate and greatly
3:38:40increase the number of new students.
3:38:42In fact, they are so enthusiastic about
3:38:45it that they're building another dorm
3:38:46building for the purpose. There is some
3:38:49speculation that this year's intake
3:38:51might be as large as the entire student
3:38:53population,
3:38:54both current and before the early
3:38:56graduation filings that were done for
3:38:58student soldiers who have been serving
3:39:00on the front lines. Carl had almost
3:39:02forgotten about that. There would have
3:39:05been many casualties on the line, and
3:39:07the students who had grown significantly
3:39:08stronger would have been graduated
3:39:10early. That sort of practical combat
3:39:13experience helped many of them advance.
3:39:15So, they might actually have many more
3:39:17commanders now than they had when Carl
3:39:18and his team had last checked in with
3:39:20the academy, even after combat losses.
3:39:23Will you be back tomorrow to check in on
3:39:25the new arrivals?
3:39:27Carl asked. Valerie shook her head. No,
3:39:32I will give you a few days worth of
3:39:33training before I start directly
3:39:35monitoring your progress, assuming that
3:39:37there is some. However, it will be my
3:39:40agents who bring them to you. So, you
3:39:42might see some friendly faces depending
3:39:44on who is back from their mission in
3:39:46time. Then, I will be looking forward to
3:39:48it. I will send you a message if there
3:39:51are developments.
3:39:53Colonel Valerie laughed and Dana pointed
3:39:55at the wall. We're in the city now. No
3:39:59need for radio phones, magical
3:40:01messengers, or anything fancy. You can
3:40:03just call her office. Right. Totally
3:40:07forgot about that. I suppose that means
3:40:10I should likely be expecting to start
3:40:12receiving calls soon. I'm not going to
3:40:15need a secretary to deal with spam calls
3:40:17from business reps, am I? Carl asked.
3:40:21Doubtful.
3:40:23All calls to the building go through the
3:40:25switchboard downstairs, and they will
3:40:27pass you the messages from anyone who
3:40:28doesn't have either prior authorization
3:40:30or the clearance to call. If you had
3:40:33spent more time in the academy, most of
3:40:35the calls would be coming from your
3:40:36fellow elites. But nearly everyone you
3:40:38know is already in this room, unless the
3:40:41two high priestesses are going back to
3:40:42the dorms tonight in preparation for
3:40:44their formal rank testing tomorrow
3:40:46morning. Lotus emphatically shook her
3:40:49head. Not a chance. I will have
3:40:52breakfast early and go over before they
3:40:54miss me, but I'm not sleeping on those
3:40:56rockard cotss when there are perfectly
3:40:58good beds available. Carl doubted that
3:41:01the beds for a royal ranked high
3:41:02priestess were that bad, but Rey was
3:41:04going to make hammocks in the spare
3:41:06room, and those were hard to beat. The
3:41:09next morning, when Carl woke up, he was
3:41:11completely disoriented for a moment. It
3:41:14was far too warm, or possibly too cold
3:41:17if he had slept in, and this large soft
3:41:19bed was quite comfortable with Dana in
3:41:21his arms. But it took his brain a few
3:41:24seconds to remember that he had rented
3:41:26an apartment and that he was home right
3:41:28now. Strangely, it wasn't the comfort
3:41:31that had thrown him off. It was the
3:41:33temperature control. The Divine Beast
3:41:35Nation and Nubon didn't use any of the
3:41:38human technologies. So, everywhere just
3:41:40fluctuated with the natural
3:41:41temperatures, unless it was getting cold
3:41:43enough that they had started a fire in
3:41:45the fireplace,
3:41:46but that felt different as the heat came
3:41:48from a direction where the apartment
3:41:50building had vents all through it to
3:41:52keep the perfect room temperature.
3:41:54The sun was just coming up, but the high
3:41:56priestesses had a formal testing and
3:41:58advancement ceremony this morning, while
3:42:00everyone else would likely be tested at
3:42:02the cathedral as well, but without the
3:42:04strict requirement. He could smell the
3:42:07food, and that was enough to rouse Dana
3:42:09from sleep and send her scurrying to the
3:42:11NSU bath to get ready for the morning.
3:42:14Carl followed her into the shower and
3:42:16ignored the fake cries of protest that
3:42:18he was going to make them late.
3:42:20Two people could shower as fast as one
3:42:22with that massive overhead shower head
3:42:24and the side jets while teasing Dana
3:42:26could wait until later. They both
3:42:29dressed in the commander rank suits and
3:42:30went out to see what had made it here
3:42:32for breakfast.
3:42:34Ah, good morning, sleepy head. Tessa
3:42:37greeted them with a smile. Are we
3:42:40though? I don't see Lotus or Oilia.
3:42:44Carl retorted
3:42:46in the shower still. I had the kitchen
3:42:49send up some food before our test. We
3:42:52have pancakes, eggs, battered fried
3:42:55toast, an assortment of toppings and
3:42:57meats. The way she said the last was
3:42:59with great disappointment, and Carl
3:43:01realized that the breakfast meat was
3:43:03just regular sausages and ham slices.
3:43:06While they were very highquality meats,
3:43:08they were not the commander and royal
3:43:10rank meats that the group had gotten
3:43:12used to. The energy content would be a
3:43:14small fraction of the usual and mostly
3:43:16it would just be filler. Do we have time
3:43:19to cook more or should I just have Hawk
3:43:22roast something? Carl asked. Hawk's
3:43:26flame control was impeccable and it
3:43:28wouldn't be hard for him to fry them
3:43:29something to eat. We can have a heavier
3:43:32meal later. We need to eat fairly
3:43:35quickly if we're going to make it over
3:43:36to the cathedral on time. I asked the
3:43:39staff when they brought the food and
3:43:41there is a shuttle that can bring us
3:43:42there instead of walking. However, it
3:43:45looks like it's just a golf cart, and
3:43:47I'm not sure whether that's faster than
3:43:49going on foot. The other two came out
3:43:52still wet from the shower and in their
3:43:53best formal clothes, Lotus High
3:43:55Priestess robes and Oilia's commander
3:43:57rank suit. You know, we really should
3:44:00have Ray make us something fancy for
3:44:02future engagements.
3:44:04Fortunately for the three of us, we will
3:44:06be changing to the white visitor robes
3:44:08when we get to the cathedral.
3:44:10Carl laughed. Or we can go shopping.
3:44:14We're in the capital now, and there are
3:44:16all sorts of high fashion shops around.
3:44:19Even if we each bought an entire
3:44:21wardrobe, it would come to a fraction of
3:44:23what it cost to rent this apartment for
3:44:25the year. Dana reminded him. Rey's sense
3:44:29of disapproval was strong in Carl's
3:44:31mind.
3:44:32Many of those outfits, especially suits
3:44:35and shirts, were made with someone
3:44:36else's silk. That was not acceptable.
3:44:40Anything that's not silk, Ry wouldn't be
3:44:44happy about that. Carl explained to the
3:44:46others. "Got it. So, we have an
3:44:50advancement trial, then likely a
3:44:52meeting, and then we can go shopping
3:44:54before they bring over our new
3:44:55acolytes." "Remind me again why we
3:44:58thought that was a good idea?" Dana
3:45:01asked. Because there is a chance that I
3:45:04can teach them skills and help them
3:45:05awaken the system more fully. The
3:45:08Inquisition is intrigued by the
3:45:09possibility that having experienced
3:45:11elites train acolytes might help them
3:45:13grow faster, the way that the private
3:45:15tutors in the school do for promising
3:45:17students. It will help build bonds
3:45:19between generations of elites and build
3:45:22the strength of the nation. But mostly,
3:45:25it's because my skills are so odd. and
3:45:27they already heard from Knack that my
3:45:29training is exceptionally helpful to
3:45:30young beasts, Carl explained.
3:45:34Tessa finished a mouthful of pancake.
3:45:37So, because you can train young beasts
3:45:39and beast kin, they think you might be
3:45:41able to train human children. Do you
3:45:44even have a plan for that? Carl smirked.
3:45:48Of course, I do. I believe that I can
3:45:51teach each of them at least one skill
3:45:52that will suit their personality
3:45:55and then we can test them to see if they
3:45:57really will advance faster right from
3:45:58the start with our help. There were
3:46:01numerous options when I went to advance
3:46:04like nearly a dozen. So even if they
3:46:07wanted to be bonded to a beast, it might
3:46:09not make them like me. But it could be a
3:46:12ranger or a beast warrior type class. If
3:46:16they can make friends with a good boy
3:46:17like Thor, think of how highly desired
3:46:20they would be in any young adventuring
3:46:21group. Every team at the academy would
3:46:24be clamoring for a student who could
3:46:26maintain a refreshing lightning barrier,
3:46:28especially if they trained as a
3:46:30frontline warrior while their Sero
3:46:32defended the mages. Tessa nodded. I see
3:46:36where you're going with this. If you can
3:46:39teach them a skill book, they will gain
3:46:41the skill and a class. And then you are
3:46:43hoping that at least one will get a
3:46:44class which can bond a beast who will
3:46:46speed their growth. They get the power
3:46:49every kid craves. The nation gets
3:46:51another elite and they will quickly
3:46:53reach at least ascended or commander
3:46:55depending on what beast they got with a
3:46:57chance to grow further in the future
3:46:58using their class skills.
3:47:01Precisely.
3:47:02And if they can't learn to bond a beast,
3:47:04we can teach them other skills and
3:47:06spells to help them gain other classes.
3:47:09It will also be a great test of just how
3:47:11many people can actually gain power, and
3:47:13how many are simply incompatible with
3:47:15the serum. The trip to the cathedral was
3:47:18a short one in the electric cart, which
3:47:20did turn out to be faster than walking,
3:47:22but not faster than riding on Thor would
3:47:24have been for the clerics. The
3:47:26archbishop himself was there to greet
3:47:28them in front of the trial temple along
3:47:30with Lord Nact and an elderly high
3:47:32priest from the red and green dragon
3:47:34factions.
3:47:35Welcome high priestesses and honored
3:47:37guests. It is such a pleasure to have
3:47:40you here today. We have gathered to
3:47:43express our most sincere wish that the
3:47:44gods recognize the ascendancy of two
3:47:47royal high priestesses today and show
3:47:49them their favor. The archbishop began.
3:47:53The morning entrance to the temple will
3:47:54begin in 10 minutes, and we asked that
3:47:56the guests make way to allow the
3:47:58priestesses to enter first. That was
3:48:01when Carl noticed that they weren't the
3:48:03only ones here today, just the only ones
3:48:05who had taken this path into the temple
3:48:07area. There were dozens of young
3:48:09acolytes on the cathedral side, all
3:48:11kneeling on the stone floor out of
3:48:13respect for the Archbishop, and so that
3:48:15the ordained clerics behind them could
3:48:16see. There was a brief round of polite
3:48:19applause for Tessa and Lotus, who the
3:48:21Archbishop motioned forward as the first
3:48:23signs of the temple awakening for the
3:48:25morning began to show. The stones inside
3:48:28were building power that Carl could feel
3:48:30in his bones. And it wouldn't be long
3:48:32before the trial was activated, and the
3:48:34two clerics could go in. "Would you like
3:48:37to follow the high priestesses in to
3:48:39have your advancements officially
3:48:40verified?"
3:48:42One of the cathedral staff clerics asked
3:48:44Carl quietly. I think that we will wait
3:48:47a few minutes. We don't want to come out
3:48:50overlapping them, so let the kneeling
3:48:51kids go first, then we will enter. Carl
3:48:55whispered back. The cleric went and
3:48:57informed the others, and they began to
3:48:59get the kids into double rows, ready for
3:49:02a smooth entrance once Tessa and Lotus
3:49:04had entered. The temple's magic
3:49:06activated, and the two priestesses
3:49:08entered without hesitation, confident in
3:49:10their respective goddess favor and their
3:49:12ability to pass the trials. Then the
3:49:15kids were escorted in, leaving only the
3:49:18remainder of Carl's group and the senior
3:49:19clerics. The elderly red dragon high
3:49:23cleric addressed Carl with a faint
3:49:24smile. Monarch princesses,
3:49:28welcome to the capital cathedral once
3:49:30again. Your new acolytes will be chosen
3:49:33from the orphanage training programs in
3:49:35the hopes that their drive to improve
3:49:37themselves will give better results.
3:49:39It doesn't actually affect the outcome
3:49:41rate of the injections, but the red
3:49:43dragon does hope that it will improve
3:49:45your success rate in training acolytes.
3:49:48At the very least, they should be
3:49:50motivated to try hard and not lazy or
3:49:52unambitious.
3:49:54Carl nodded. At the very least, we can
3:49:57try to teach them a few different skills
3:49:59to see if they can awaken the most
3:50:00common classes if their first option
3:50:02doesn't work out. But I think that if
3:50:05they show promise, we might be able to
3:50:07awaken a few unique skills just by
3:50:09teaching them the things that we already
3:50:11know. The old man in red robes smiled.
3:50:15That was the greatest goal of the
3:50:16orphanages that the red dragon clerics
3:50:18operated. If they could bring up a
3:50:21generation of heroes who managed to
3:50:23change their fate, they would give hope
3:50:24to every orphan that came after them.
3:50:27The orphanages were filled with tragic
3:50:29backstories. But with just this, they
3:50:31might be able to give the kids hope that
3:50:33they could be more than hourly employees
3:50:35or infantry for the front lines of the
3:50:37army, assuming that they weren't one of
3:50:39the lucky few who was compatible with
3:50:41the injection. Anyhow, the archbishop
3:50:44gestured to the temple. Please enter and
3:50:48confirm your ranks. The high priestesses
3:50:51should be out soon, and then we have a
3:50:53short ordination ceremony before they
3:50:54will be available again.
3:50:57Carl simply smiled and stepped through
3:50:58the doors of the temple, letting the
3:51:00energy engulf him and pull him into the
3:51:02trial. Once again, he found himself
3:51:05standing at the foot of a world dragon
3:51:07pyramid temple, but this one was
3:51:09incomplete, still under construction
3:51:11with a gantry and earthen ramps all
3:51:13around it to facilitate the movement of
3:51:15massive stones. There wasn't anyone
3:51:18here, and the temple felt like it was
3:51:20missing something. without anyone to
3:51:22guide him and the beasts trapped in
3:51:24their spaces. The obvious answer seemed
3:51:26to be to go to the top of the temple and
3:51:28see what had been holding up the
3:51:29progress. An unfinished temple should
3:51:32mean waiting for materials. So perhaps
3:51:34the test was for him to declare
3:51:36allegiance or provide an offering to the
3:51:38gods. That might make sense for the
3:51:41cleric classes at the very least. This
3:51:44was a temple trial, so perhaps it was
3:51:46for everyone who attained his rank. So
3:51:49he made his way to where the
3:51:50construction was ongoing, using the
3:51:52smooth ramps that had been made to move
3:51:54the stones and examined the ongoing
3:51:56construction. He wasn't a mason, but
3:51:59he'd spent enough days in the mine to
3:52:01know what good stone looked like and
3:52:03what was flawed. And the core stone was
3:52:06definitely flawed. There was a tall
3:52:09square obelisk in the center of the
3:52:10temple, and there were visible
3:52:12inclusions in it, which would certainly
3:52:14crack when the construction was
3:52:15finished, and the stone was expected to
3:52:17carry weight.
3:52:18He could fix that though. Earth shield
3:52:22could make stone or reshape existing
3:52:24stone to make the shield. So that was
3:52:27what Carl did and removed the flaws
3:52:29along the way. Now the obelisk was
3:52:33perfect and the temple was ready to be
3:52:35completed. But it was still missing
3:52:37something. There was a small hole
3:52:40through the obelisk near the top with an
3:52:42engraved platform for some sort of holy
3:52:44relic to sit on. It would be buried
3:52:47within the temple, but it would serve as
3:52:48the core for the sanctified ground
3:52:50effect. Every temple had one, though it
3:52:53was normally in a case behind the altar
3:52:55where visitors could admire the holy
3:52:57relic. The great question was, what did
3:53:00he have that might qualify as a holy
3:53:02relic for a temple? He had some holy
3:53:05stones in Thor's space, but that likely
3:53:08didn't qualify.
3:53:09Maybe it should be something system
3:53:11related. He had a number of system
3:53:14linked reward items.
3:53:16But he could do better than that. He was
3:53:18certain of it. He had skill merger,
3:53:21which would let him make a whole new
3:53:23skill and skill book to write it out. So
3:53:27if he made the very best skill that he
3:53:29could manage, and put the book there, it
3:53:31should count as an epic grade monarch
3:53:33rank system blessed item. That had to be
3:53:36better than picking stuff from his
3:53:38inventory.
3:53:39Carl did hope that this wasn't expected
3:53:41to be a short process, though, because
3:53:44making a new skill could take some time,
3:53:47and then learning to make one that could
3:53:48be made into a skill book with the
3:53:50materials that he had available would
3:53:51take even longer. Perhaps this wasn't
3:53:54the right way forward, given how long it
3:53:56would take. But it felt right, and if it
3:53:59felt right, then it most likely was
3:54:01right. Carl stared at the small platform
3:54:04and tried to determine what might be
3:54:06just the right thing to combine to make
3:54:08a new skill. His first thought was skill
3:54:11master, evolution, and skill merger.
3:54:15Those three together had to create some
3:54:17sort of fun effect for new people. You
3:54:20know, trying to combine bone crusher and
3:54:22disintegration to make the perfect slap
3:54:24skill is still an option. Cara reminded
3:54:27him, "No, spicy tornado." Hawk insisted.
3:54:33Ry sounded like she had put more thought
3:54:35into her answer. If you combine your new
3:54:38iron within skill with limited
3:54:39invulnerability and ghost fire body, you
3:54:41could make something awesome, she
3:54:44suggested.
3:54:45Carl focused on the three skills using
3:54:48skill merger to see if he could get an
3:54:49idea of what might happen. Lord of
3:54:52Destruction totem rank transformation
3:54:54skill. Ignores most damage types.
3:54:57Incorporeal deals fire damage to both
3:55:00physical and metaphysical targets.
3:55:03Currently unavailable.
3:55:05Cara was practically drooling in her
3:55:07space. I want it. I can be a totem. I'm
3:55:11certain of it. Perhaps we should go with
3:55:14something more realistic.
3:55:16A skill that we might be able to
3:55:18actually combine is what we need here.
3:55:20Next, Carl moved on to his first idea.
3:55:24Skill master, evolution, and skill
3:55:26merger. When combined, the three made a
3:55:30skill called randomize.
3:55:32Randomize. May the odds be occasionally
3:55:35in your favor. Creation of this skill
3:55:37book requires ground pulp of 10
3:55:39different commander rank or higher
3:55:41plants and 10 different elemental stones
3:55:43set in the blood of the writer. That was
3:55:46not a description at all. But at least
3:55:48he knew how to make it. Oh, this is the
3:55:52right skill. I need some of your blood
3:55:54anyhow. How fast did you regenerate? Rey
3:55:59asked. Fast enough. Have you picked the
3:56:02other blood types that you wanted for
3:56:04your bath? Carl asked. We're a bit
3:56:08limited. I have a lot of monarch ranked
3:56:11Cyclops. I'll get a bunch of yours to go
3:56:13with that for the earthy side. Then I've
3:56:16got some royal rank drake and five drops
3:56:18of totem rank troll blood from that
3:56:20little fuss with Leafa. But I also got a
3:56:23bunch from monarch rank whack-a-ole
3:56:25lady. It doesn't smell great, but I
3:56:28think if I add some other stuff, it
3:56:29should be all right. She sounded dubious
3:56:32about that. Everyone knew Ry wouldn't
3:56:35take the bath if it was going to make
3:56:36her smell bad, no matter how many cool
3:56:39skills the zombie summoner had. Well,
3:56:42you can work on that tonight after the
3:56:43trial. First, we need a core for the
3:56:47temple. I will get the plants, Thor
3:56:50insisted.
3:56:52I have lots of stones from the trial. I
3:56:54will pick 10 that we have a lot of, Remy
3:56:57added. Let me stab you. Rey insisted.
3:57:02You can't leave the space in the trial.
3:57:05I will give you the blood. Carl
3:57:08deactivated void body and limited
3:57:11invulnerability so that he would
3:57:12actually bleed, but left trollish
3:57:15regeneration active so that he could
3:57:17continually funnel blood to Ry. With the
3:57:20haint claw on his left hand and a bowl
3:57:22set under his right hand, Carl was ready
3:57:24to start. With the claw, he punctured
3:57:28the large vein in his wrist and let it
3:57:29bleed down the claw into the bowl, where
3:57:31Rey claimed it for the pool in her
3:57:33space. The haint claw seemed happy with
3:57:36the arrangement, as did Rey, who had
3:57:39already portioned some off for Remy to
3:57:40make the ink mixture for the skill book.
3:57:43The problem was that Carl didn't bleed
3:57:45quickly, even with a major artery
3:57:47punctured, and the blood was thick and
3:57:49metallic.
3:57:50Don't worry, I don't need too much. It
3:57:54would make me smell like void badger. I
3:57:57have a plan for this time. It's all
3:57:59about the compound blend. Once I get the
3:58:02scent right, I'll know it. You see, Carl
3:58:06smells like car and metal. Cyclops blood
3:58:09smells like fire and earth. Then I have
3:58:12this nice splash of troll to put in with
3:58:14a strong plant and healing energy
3:58:16refreshing scent. Trust the process.
3:58:20Carl let the process go on for another 5
3:58:22minutes while Remy finished the ink for
3:58:24the book. And then Rey finally decided
3:58:26she had enough blood. All right, that
3:58:29should do. I will work on it after we
3:58:32finish here so it doesn't get stale
3:58:34before my bath. Carl took out a
3:58:36clipboard and set it on a nearby stone,
3:58:39then settled in for a long writing
3:58:40session. The randomize skill book was
3:58:44incredibly long and utter gibberish,
3:58:46unlike most of the books where Carl had
3:58:49actually understood what he was doing as
3:58:50he wrote it. The hours seemed to flow
3:58:53from one into another, but the sun never
3:58:55moved from its spot high in the sky, no
3:58:57matter how long Carl wrote for. Finally,
3:59:01the book was finished. It bound itself
3:59:04into a golden tome covered in dragon
3:59:06scales with a spine that looked like the
3:59:08clay tile roof of the oldest buildings.
3:59:11Currently flat slate tiles were in
3:59:13fashion and the clay tiles were rarely
3:59:15used. Book of randomize cannot be
3:59:18learned. Use now. Yes. No. No. You are
3:59:25going in the obelisk.
3:59:27Carlin formed the system just to be 100%
3:59:30clear that he didn't want to randomize
3:59:32himself. With that sorted, he placed the
3:59:35book in the hollow and stepped back as a
3:59:37powerful barrier formed over the stone.
3:59:40Monarch rank epic grade core detected.
3:59:43The system informed him. The stones of
3:59:46the temple began to move and Carl jumped
3:59:48down to a spot on the temple that was
3:59:50already completed. The top of the
3:59:52building was rearranging itself,
3:59:54creating a completed temple. The closer
3:59:57to complete that it became, the more
3:59:59powerful the magic surrounding it grew.
4:00:02Then it faded to a steady thrum and
4:00:04between one breath and another, Carl
4:00:06found himself back outside holding a
4:00:09small golden loop in the shape of a
4:00:11dragon. It's a crown. You got your own
4:00:14crown. That is awesome. Remy cheered.
4:00:19The archbishop stared at the loop in
4:00:20Carl's hands, then at the trial
4:00:22building, which was giving off an
4:00:24incredibly powerful aura. Welcome back.
4:00:28I can see that you succeeded. Though I
4:00:30do wonder what sort of trial did it give
4:00:32you? The aging cleric asked. It wanted
4:00:36me to make a core item for a new temple
4:00:38under construction. I take it that the
4:00:40time flow isn't the same on the outside
4:00:43because I was there for at least a half
4:00:45a day and you're still standing here.
4:00:48Carl replied, "Yes,
4:00:52you have been gone about 5 seconds and
4:00:54you are the first one back." The
4:00:56archbishop replied vaguely, more
4:00:58concerned with the trial building. Then
4:01:01something seemed to sink into his mind.
4:01:04Did you say that it asked you to make a
4:01:06new core item for a temple? What did you
4:01:08make it? Carl shrugged. A skill book
4:01:12called randomize.
4:01:14It's a combination of my skill learning
4:01:16abilities and evolution.
4:01:18It can't be learned, only used. But the
4:01:22trial accepted it as the core of the
4:01:23temple, so it must have passed the power
4:01:25verification.
4:01:27The elderly representative from the
4:01:29green dragon smiled as he took a few
4:01:31steps Carl's way using a walking stick
4:01:34to remain upright. I doubt it was about
4:01:37power. The trial knew what your rank was
4:01:40as soon as you entered. I believe that
4:01:42you passed the vibe check. The Red
4:01:45Dragon high priest chuckled as his
4:01:47counterpart continued to the trial
4:01:48ground while the Archbishop shook his
4:01:50head in dismay. "You're not going to try
4:01:53that skill, are you?" the Archbishop
4:01:56asked the green dragon cleric. "Of
4:01:59course I am. If I don't, then the first
4:02:02one to find out if the new monarch made
4:02:03a core for the trial will be a blue
4:02:05dragon, and they always get to do the
4:02:07fun stuff," the old man grumbled. "They
4:02:11really didn't ever change," Carl
4:02:13decided.
4:02:14They were both giving him concerned
4:02:16looks, but neither of the priests was
4:02:18trying to stop him from going in to
4:02:20verify if Carl's trial really had made a
4:02:22new core for the temple. It certainly
4:02:24felt like it. Nact walked over in human
4:02:28form and nodded politely at the others
4:02:29as they watched the old man totter his
4:02:31way to the temple. Where's he going? The
4:02:35ancient dragon asked. I may have created
4:02:38a new core for the temple during my
4:02:40trial, and he wants to go try it. Carl
4:02:43informed him with a wink. The dragon
4:02:46sighed. And what might that core be?
4:02:49Please say you didn't put a weapon at
4:02:51the core of a trial temple. A skill book
4:02:54for the skill randomize.
4:02:56Is that skill usable by clerics? The
4:02:59dragon replied.
4:03:01Carl shrugged. I don't see why not. It's
4:03:05just a combination of skill master and
4:03:07evolution, which are both training and
4:03:09advancement type skills. It's not a
4:03:12skill that anyone can learn, but it's a
4:03:14book that everyone should be able to
4:03:16use. At least everyone with an affinity
4:03:19for the system. Lord Knack chuckled, and
4:03:22a cold aura of death magic surrounded
4:03:24him. I will pray to my goddess to send
4:03:27him back alive. That is the best we can
4:03:30hope for. Carl put his hands over his
4:03:33heart and faked his best wounded
4:03:35expression. You make it sound like I did
4:03:37something sinister.
4:03:39I assure you that skill is not intended
4:03:42to cause damage to anyone. It's just for
4:03:44helping system users advance, he
4:03:47pleaded. The black dragon and the two
4:03:50remaining clerics all gave Carl
4:03:52identical knowing smiles.
4:03:54That assumes you didn't let a nature
4:03:56cleric use them. There is nothing that
4:03:58they can't use him properly. And if that
4:04:00thing gives him the chance to evolve
4:04:02into a butterfly, I can't guarantee that
4:04:04he won't take it, even if it's got a
4:04:06oneweek lifespan. the Archbishop
4:04:09replied. He made a most excellent point.
4:04:13But more concerning, Carl's nature
4:04:15priestess was still in there. Who knew
4:04:18what Lotus would do if the trial updated
4:04:20and let her pick random options? Perhaps
4:04:23this was not as well thought through as
4:04:25Carl had believed. When it was a
4:04:27theoretical solution for a problem in a
4:04:29trial, there was no reason to think
4:04:31about real world consequences.
4:04:34He hadn't expected his trial to have any
4:04:36effect on reality, and there was a
4:04:38chance that it still wouldn't. But the
4:04:40faint trial energy was significantly
4:04:42stronger now than it had been when he
4:04:44entered. Not long after the high priest
4:04:47vanished into the trial, the first
4:04:49person exited the doors. That was when
4:04:52Carl knew that he was in trouble. For
4:04:54the person who came back out was a small
4:04:56gnomish girl in a pretty green dress,
4:04:59and Carl didn't know which of the nature
4:05:00clerics it was likely to be. The little
4:05:03girl was royal rank, which narrowed it
4:05:05down to Lotus and the old man. But then
4:05:08the girl took out a walking stick and
4:05:10took a few steps before stopping and
4:05:12staring up at everyone. I got short, she
4:05:16announced in a squeaky voice, then froze
4:05:19and cast a spell that created a mirror
4:05:20out of water. "What did you do to me?"
4:05:24the little girl shouted, running over to
4:05:26Carl and pounding on his legs before
4:05:28yelping in pain and holding her hand.
4:05:31Sorry, I'm quite sturdy. You should be
4:05:34careful of that until you grow up. You
4:05:37didn't happen to say yes when it asked
4:05:39if you wanted to randomize, did you?
4:05:41Carl asked. Lord Knack burst into silent
4:05:45laughter, doubled over and holding his
4:05:47sides in what was clearly magical
4:05:49silence. But the red dragon high priest
4:05:52had a look on his face like a deer in
4:05:53the headlights. He was frozen, unable to
4:05:57believe what he was seeing. What do you
4:05:59mean? Did I randomize?
4:06:02Of course, I did. I wanted the random
4:06:05skill. Now, what did you do to me? The
4:06:09cleric complained.
4:06:11Randomize doesn't grant you a random
4:06:13skill. At least not always.
4:06:16Carl began, then double checked to
4:06:18ensure the gnome was still a royal rank
4:06:20cleric. Fortunately, that part hadn't
4:06:24changed, and even in a new body, they
4:06:26were still a high priest. No, make that
4:06:28priestess of the nature god. Randomize
4:06:31randomly changes something about you if
4:06:33you don't have a fully operational
4:06:35system interface and presents you a
4:06:37random option if you do. At least I
4:06:40think that's how it works. I haven't
4:06:42been brave enough to choose the random
4:06:44option on my own though I have been
4:06:46given a few random rewards. The gnome
4:06:49glared up at him. And what am I supposed
4:06:51to do with this? I can't even reach the
4:06:54counter anymore. Carl shrugged. No
4:06:58offense, but when she gets back out,
4:07:00Royal High Priestess Lotus might be able
4:07:02to help you with that. She also
4:07:05struggles with counter heights. That is,
4:07:08of course, assuming that she didn't turn
4:07:10herself into something strange. The next
4:07:13ones out were a few of the new acolytes,
4:07:15and with his system interface active,
4:07:17Carl could see that they were all now
4:07:19clerics and common rank. The transformed
4:07:22nature cleric gestured to them as they
4:07:24stood around, confused as to what they
4:07:26should be doing. Come over and make your
4:07:29report. Don't dally. One of the boys
4:07:33laughed. You talk just like the high
4:07:35priest, but we're real clerics now. We
4:07:38don't take orders from a little girl.
4:07:40Light flashed and the boy jumped as a
4:07:43smite spell hit him on the backside. I
4:07:46am the high priest.
4:07:48Now, what did you see in the trial?
4:07:51Don't keep me waiting. I have better
4:07:53things to be doing. The redroed cleric
4:07:56made a get on with it gesture, and the
4:07:58confused acolytes began describing
4:08:00various trials where they had to
4:08:02accomplish a task and then got a reward.
4:08:05They were all quite normal, as were the
4:08:07rewards, which sounded a lot like the
4:08:09default skill for the different aspect
4:08:11gods. Carl turned to Lord Knacked. At
4:08:15least, it sounds like nothing strange
4:08:17happened with the kids.
4:08:18Knack winked at him. It's supposed to be
4:08:21a standardized test of their healing
4:08:23ability to prove that they're up to
4:08:25entry standards. It was the same test
4:08:27for common grade acolytes for a century.
4:08:31Only the higher ranks who have chosen a
4:08:33god to devote themselves to got
4:08:35individual trials. I don't see it in
4:08:38their information, but I suspect that
4:08:40they have already been sorted by patron
4:08:41deity, and they just don't know it yet.
4:08:44The archbishop rubbed his temples as he
4:08:46took in the news.
4:08:48Things were changing too fast lately and
4:08:50it was giving him headaches. He was
4:08:53already well over a hundred years old
4:08:55and this was not in the plans for his
4:08:57retirement years. Why had the trial
4:09:00asked for a new core? Why now? Why a
4:09:03monarch ranked elite who wasn't even a
4:09:05cleric? None of it made any sense at
4:09:08all. But the fact remained that the
4:09:10temple had been renewed and the level of
4:09:12power that it possessed now made it a
4:09:14truly magnificent relic. What he hadn't
4:09:17realized yet, as he was a naturally
4:09:19awakened cleric of the world dragon, was
4:09:21that the system was now fully active
4:09:23within the temple and that it was fully
4:09:25capable of handling system users up to
4:09:27monarch rank. That lack of knowledge
4:09:30would be corrected much sooner than he
4:09:32would have preferred. There was another
4:09:34group of people coming, these ones in
4:09:36the white robes of visitors looking for
4:09:38an advancement test. They were led by a
4:09:41cleric in a doctor's coat, so they must
4:09:43have come from the hospital for the test
4:09:44before their discharge back to regular
4:09:46duties. One of the elites waved at Carl,
4:09:50then did a double take. Not only for the
4:09:53fact Carl radiated power, but that the
4:09:55archbishop and someone terrifying were
4:09:57there as well, just casually chatting
4:09:59with him. Carl looked over and saw
4:10:02James, who had entered the academy at
4:10:04the same time Carl had, and who
4:10:06specialized in avoidance tanking with a
4:10:07two-handed blade.
4:10:09or at least he had in the first year
4:10:11when Carl had seen him last. Now he had
4:10:15a huge scar down his face that was
4:10:16freshly healed and the sole aura around
4:10:19one of his arms was weak, so it was
4:10:21likely reattached or regrown in the last
4:10:23few months. The small group stopped and
4:10:26bowed politely with their hands over
4:10:27their chest, fingers spread in the sign
4:10:30of the dragon. The archbishop smiled at
4:10:33the group. Good morning, young friends.
4:10:37Are you here for a rank confirmation?
4:10:39The doctor answered for them. Yes, your
4:10:42eminence.
4:10:44These young faithful have reached the
4:10:46ascended rank and they would like the
4:10:47confirmation before they return to
4:10:49battle. I'm sure you're aware of the
4:10:52change in policy. As new ascended, they
4:10:55would be reassigned to a commander-ledd
4:10:57group for their next mission instead of
4:10:59serving in the lines with the other
4:11:00awakened.
4:11:02Carl chuckled and everyone turned to
4:11:04look at him. My apologies. I didn't mean
4:11:07to interrupt. But the ascended with a
4:11:10commander-ledd team also have the chance
4:11:11to be assigned to the hill giant front
4:11:13instead of serving along the frost giant
4:11:15front with the artillery. The weather is
4:11:18significantly better. The archbishop
4:11:21smirked at Carl and chuckled, then
4:11:23nodded at the newcomers.
4:11:25In that case, you have my best wishes
4:11:27for success and a warmer deployment. The
4:11:30doctor led everyone into the trial as
4:11:32the first round began to return along
4:11:34with Oilia, the first of Carl's team
4:11:37other than Carl to return. Well, that
4:11:40was different. It didn't test me in any
4:11:42way that I could tell. I entered, Cara
4:11:46poked me with a stick, and I chased her
4:11:47around for a couple of minutes. Then I
4:11:49was back here. Lord Knacked began to
4:11:52laugh. Oh, it tested you. All right. The
4:11:56void badger is out here and has been out
4:11:59here. I think the trial tested your
4:12:01suitability to advancement as a
4:12:03berserker.
4:12:04She poked you with a stick and you
4:12:06raged, then chased her around for
4:12:08messing with the trial, right? The black
4:12:11dragon asked. Oilia nodded, then turned
4:12:14to stare at the temple. What an evil
4:12:17test. But it gave me a thing. She held
4:12:21up a small purple stone carved to look
4:12:23like a panda. Well, that's a mark of
4:12:26success in a royal rank trial, so there
4:12:28is no doubt that the trial approves of
4:12:30you. Congratulations, Princess Oilia,
4:12:35Nact replied. The Archbishop smiled at
4:12:38her while the doctor looked confused.
4:12:41That is the strangest test I have ever
4:12:43heard of. Did you upgrade the testing
4:12:45for personality?
4:12:47He asked the archbishop.
4:12:49The old man shook his head. No. For some
4:12:54reason, the trial asked this monarch for
4:12:56a new core. The changes seemed to be the
4:12:59result of that. Another cleric arrived
4:13:02with a group of applicants, all in suits
4:13:04that said they were businessmen, not the
4:13:06soldier sort of elites. They all bowed
4:13:09deeply to the archbishop, who gestured
4:13:11for them to go ahead. There was one
4:13:14commander with this group, or very close
4:13:16to it by Carl's estimation.
4:13:18Now that he had soul sight, there wasn't
4:13:20much question. He could just look at
4:13:23them and tell the answer without having
4:13:24to wonder if they were hiding their
4:13:26power or waiting for them to use a skill
4:13:28at full power. He was good at guessing
4:13:31before, as were most beasts. But now it
4:13:33was almost as clear as if rank were part
4:13:35of their basic visible information.
4:13:38Tessa and Lotus both came out with small
4:13:40trinkets in their hands before the
4:13:42second group reached the door, followed
4:13:44closely by Dana, who was wearing a new
4:13:46set of mage robes with loose- fitting
4:13:48pants underneath for ease of movement in
4:13:50combat. She quickly changed back to her
4:13:53usual hoodie and pants, but not before
4:13:55Carl was certain that it was one of her
4:13:57class skills, as it was royal rank
4:13:59armor, though probably not epic grade
4:14:01like Bestel Raymond. They all held up
4:14:04small stone trinkets, and the bystanders
4:14:06quietly cheered them on. More royals was
4:14:10a huge thing, but with the archbishop
4:14:12here, some measure of decorum was
4:14:14necessary. "I know what you did," Tessa
4:14:17announced, staring at Carl. I have no
4:14:21idea what you mean. I've been standing
4:14:23right here since my trial ended. I have
4:14:26witnesses.
4:14:28She put her hands on her hips in a
4:14:30gesture that made the old red dragon
4:14:32priest laugh. It was the same one that
4:14:34orphanage matrons used when the kids
4:14:36were in trouble. Oh, and when you were
4:14:39in the trial, you didn't happen to
4:14:41completely ignore the detailed
4:14:42instruction text and give it a skill
4:14:44book designed to troll users with random
4:14:46outcomes instead. She demanded
4:14:50instructions.
4:14:51There were no instructions,
4:14:54just the incomplete temple. Now she had
4:14:57the attention of all the other clerics.
4:15:00When I entered the trial, you were
4:15:01standing at the top of an unfinished
4:15:03temple. Then a voice announced that the
4:15:06trial was to find the perfect holy relic
4:15:08to reactivate the system in the temple.
4:15:10I went up and tried to talk to you, but
4:15:13we couldn't interact. I had suggestions,
4:15:16but you couldn't hear them. But I could
4:15:18hear you. Even the inside thoughts you
4:15:21shared with your beasts. I know that you
4:15:23put a custom-made skill book designed to
4:15:25create random options in the core, then
4:15:28finish the temple. Tessa explained.
4:15:31Lotus frowned. You got to see all that.
4:15:35It made me plant trees. Not even fun
4:15:38trees, just the same one over and over.
4:15:42I filled the whole clear cut with trees.
4:15:45It's much prettier now, but I could have
4:15:47used a few more varieties.
4:15:49Dana just shrugged. I only had to duel
4:15:53myself. The archbishop nodded as Dana
4:15:56confirmed Carl's words. A skill for
4:15:59randomization is how he described it as
4:16:01well. Though he didn't mention that the
4:16:04skill was designed to troll users. Give
4:16:07them a random option from the system.
4:16:09It's a thing. I swear it. Carl corrected
4:16:13him quietly.
4:16:14The last of the first group came out
4:16:16just after that, and the answers were
4:16:18all different, but all quite mundane.
4:16:21But now that they knew what was likely
4:16:23to happen, the clerics were much more
4:16:25interested in what the others would say.
4:16:28Oddly, the commander from the final
4:16:29group was the next out after the last of
4:16:31the first group, and he looked just as
4:16:33confused as everyone else. "What did you
4:16:36see, friend?" the archbishop asked. "It
4:16:40gave me the option to advance my class.
4:16:44A random class upgrade, it called it. I
4:16:47am a paladin now. See? He held up his
4:16:50arm, showing off the mark of a glowing
4:16:52shield with a lightning bolt on it, the
4:16:55sign of a paladin. Nacked rapidly
4:16:57shifted to dragon form and picked the
4:16:59man up, holding him in front of one
4:17:01massive golden eyeball for closer
4:17:03inspection.
4:17:04The first advancement trial. He really
4:17:08did change classes at commander rank.
4:17:11How fascinating.
4:17:13Then he dropped the paladin and began to
4:17:15wander away, pacing as he was lost in
4:17:17his thoughts. The baffled commander
4:17:20dusted himself as he got back to his
4:17:21feet. But nobody else was concerned
4:17:23about his state. The fact that the trial
4:17:26temple had advanced his class was much
4:17:28more important in the grand scheme of
4:17:30things than a bit of dirt on his
4:17:31backside or a bruised ego. In fact, he
4:17:35was so overjoyed about the situation
4:17:37that he wasn't even made about being
4:17:38accosted by the dragon. He had advanced
4:17:41from being a basic warrior to a paladin,
4:17:44and he had a whole selection of new
4:17:45skills to choose from on top of what he
4:17:48already knew. That was the greatest
4:17:50thing that he could have possibly hoped
4:17:52for, and he got it just from showing up
4:17:54here to have his rank verified.
4:17:56I think that I missed something. Can
4:17:59someone explain what is going on and why
4:18:01I have such a great opportunity?
4:18:03The commander asked once it was clear
4:18:05that nobody intended to explain. Carl
4:18:08gestured toward the temple. It asked me
4:18:11for a strange thing when I was in there
4:18:13earlier. And because the system is so
4:18:15much more active for me than for others,
4:18:17it began to activate the old system
4:18:19functions within the temple. One of the
4:18:22functions that these temples used to
4:18:23have was to allow those who had reached
4:18:25sufficient level to choose an advanced
4:18:27class as they would have worked their
4:18:28way through all the skills that their
4:18:30starting class had. So, you are a
4:18:33commander and you should have learned
4:18:34all the skills of a warrior, which means
4:18:37that now you are ready to be a paladin.
4:18:39If you check your system interface, you
4:18:42should have at least a few skill points
4:18:43available that you can use to choose
4:18:45paladin skills. It's an instant learning
4:18:48function, and you will become quite the
4:18:50formidable combatant once you have
4:18:51chosen some of the new options. The
4:18:54commander's eyes went blank as he
4:18:55searched through his interface, and a
4:18:57smile slowly grew as he discovered all
4:18:59that he could potentially learn now that
4:19:01he had advanced. All right, I have a
4:19:05number of new defensive abilities, plus
4:19:07holy light, an area damage and
4:19:09protection type combination skill. Man,
4:19:13it's good to be a paladin. I even got
4:19:16lay on hands healing as a class skill.
4:19:19It's not one of the remarkable heels of
4:19:21the white clerics, but it's much better
4:19:23than nothing. The commander cheered as
4:19:26he finished using up his points.
4:19:29Excellent.
4:19:30Now, when the others come out, we will
4:19:32be able to check if they also can now
4:19:34access their skill tree. We know that
4:19:37you can as it upgraded your class. But
4:19:40for those who were partially awakened by
4:19:42the serum, we don't have enough data
4:19:44yet. Nact explained as he transformed
4:19:47back to human after his walk around the
4:19:49area. The archbishop nodded happily.
4:19:53Yes, this is a wonderful day, and I am
4:19:57greatly looking forward to seeing what
4:19:58else the elites will manage with a bit
4:20:00of assistance.
4:20:02At first, the randomness appeared to be
4:20:04a drawback, but perhaps it's not. If
4:20:07it's just the best way to give the users
4:20:09an option, then the church can count it
4:20:11as a boon. Carl shushed Tessa, who was
4:20:14about to remind the archbishop that Carl
4:20:16actually had no idea what he was doing
4:20:18at the time, so he could hardly be given
4:20:20credit for a positive outcome. The old
4:20:23man was happy, and that was all that
4:20:25really mattered. Slowly, the rest of the
4:20:28elites who had gone into the trial began
4:20:30to come back out again, and the clerics
4:20:32on duty got to work taking their reports
4:20:34while Carl tried to determine just how
4:20:36long it was polite to remain here before
4:20:38they ran away once more. Fortunately,
4:20:41the clerics had that covered for him.
4:20:44Monarch Carl, if you would like to
4:20:46return to your apartment, we can bring
4:20:48the acolytes by later in the day,
4:20:50perhaps a few hours after lunch.
4:20:53That should be enough time to get to
4:20:54know them this afternoon and then you
4:20:56can begin training them after your visit
4:20:58with the doctors tomorrow. Just routine
4:21:01diagnosis, making sure that you are not
4:21:03suffering from your extended time in the
4:21:05field. The red dragon cleric suggested
4:21:08as they waited for the rest of the trial
4:21:10takers to finish. Yes, that would be
4:21:13perfect. I will go prepare for their
4:21:15arrival and then once we meet, I can
4:21:17develop a training regimen based on
4:21:19their specialties.
4:21:21I have high hopes for our options here.
4:21:24Carl agreed, then gestured for everyone
4:21:26to follow him back to the apartment.
4:21:28With some luck, they could cook a proper
4:21:31meal and get a nap in before they had to
4:21:33meet new people, and that would make the
4:21:35day nearly perfect. It wasn't often that
4:21:38they had the time to get a proper nap
4:21:39during the day, and certainly not while
4:21:41they were traveling. But such lofty
4:21:44hopes were dashed the moment that they
4:21:46got back to the building and realized
4:21:47that there were dozens of other messages
4:21:49waiting for them from all over the city
4:21:51and not all the messages could simply be
4:21:53ignored. The ones that were just looking
4:21:56for them to join some business venture
4:21:58could be put aside for now as they had
4:22:00many more important things to do. But
4:22:02there were also the ones that were from
4:22:04other elites looking for a meet and
4:22:06greet, which could be anything from just
4:22:08saying hello to looking for team members
4:22:09for larger missions, resource gathering,
4:22:12or even a rapid response team. Those
4:22:15could not be set aside so easily without
4:22:17looking like a complete jerk. But they
4:22:20weren't only for Carl. There were
4:22:22requests for the entire team waiting for
4:22:24them, and he simply got the majority of
4:22:26them, as this was his apartment.
4:22:29Oilia smirked as she looked at the small
4:22:31handful of messages she had received
4:22:33compared to everyone else. It's good to
4:22:36be the low-key one. I only get a few
4:22:39people messaging me and none of them are
4:22:41super long portfolio binders,"
4:22:44she joked. Then she opened the first
4:22:47message that had been left written on
4:22:49red paper and sealed in an envelope
4:22:51showing that it was handd delivered and
4:22:52not relayed to the concierge.
4:22:55She read a few lines, skimmed through
4:22:57the rest with a disgusted look, and then
4:22:59handed the letter back to the
4:23:00receptionist.
4:23:02Kindly burn that. The words alone should
4:23:05be enough to have it declared a
4:23:06biohazard.
4:23:08Once they were back in the apartment,
4:23:10Lotus mad a grabby hands gesture towards
4:23:12Carl. Turn over the good meat. There are
4:23:16plenty of cooking implements in this
4:23:18apartment, and I want to make us
4:23:19something. I will put a proper stew on
4:23:22for dinner as well as we're not going to
4:23:24be going anywhere, so it will have time
4:23:26to simmer. Don't go saying anything that
4:23:29will raise flags. We want to actually
4:23:32get through a meal without major
4:23:33interruptions here. Dana laughed. Lotus
4:23:37stuck out her tongue at the mage and
4:23:39took out a slow cooker, then frowned and
4:23:41looked around the kitchen again. All of
4:23:44this is for bachelors or newlyweds.
4:23:47None of the pots and utensils are large
4:23:49enough for our whole group. She realized
4:23:53if the travel utensils aren't suitable
4:23:55for use on the stove, you can send the
4:23:57ingredients down to the main kitchen and
4:23:59tell them what you want. That should
4:24:01work well enough. They might not be
4:24:04nature clerics, but they are
4:24:05professional chefs. I'm sure that they
4:24:08have most of the spices that you want
4:24:10them to use. Carl suggested.
4:24:14Oh, that's a great idea. There's a
4:24:16directory on the phone here. Dial zero
4:24:20for the concierge end. Hello. Can I get
4:24:23a kitchen worker up to Monarch Carl's
4:24:25unit? I would like to have dinner
4:24:27prepared with some of the royal rank
4:24:29ingredients that we brought back, but
4:24:31the kitchen isn't stocked for as large
4:24:32of a group as we are expecting. Yes,
4:24:36that would be wonderful. Thank you. Then
4:24:39she turned to give everyone a thumbs up.
4:24:42Done and done. They will be here in 10
4:24:45minutes to collect the special
4:24:46ingredients and they will have the meal
4:24:48ready for whatever time we pick. I also
4:24:51got them to bring up a cart full of
4:24:53snacks for while we wait. She explained,
4:24:56"Who knew that Lotus was secretly
4:24:58organized?"
4:25:00Tessa joked. "When it's about food, I am
4:25:03excellent at organization.
4:25:06There is nothing more natural than not
4:25:08wanting to miss a meal." As promised,
4:25:10the snack soon arrived and Carl loaded a
4:25:13large roast on the cart for the kitchen
4:25:15and then a second one in case someone
4:25:17else had a special event. Even in a
4:25:20building like this, high-ranking beast
4:25:22meat was not easy to get. So, if they
4:25:24could incorporate a little of the bore
4:25:25meat into their menu meals for the next
4:25:27few days, it would buy Carl a lot of
4:25:29goodwill with the other residents. He
4:25:31had a sneaking suspicion that he was
4:25:33going to need that soon once the beast
4:25:35started to settle in. With their skills,
4:25:38it would be nearly impossible to keep
4:25:40them out of an apartment if they wanted
4:25:41to enter, and restraint was not a word
4:25:43commonly found in their vocabulary.
4:25:46Do you have a large amount of that meat
4:25:48available? We might be interested in
4:25:50making regular purchases,
4:25:52assuming you can maintain it at this
4:25:54level of freshness. That is, the chef
4:25:58suggested
4:25:59food doesn't go bad in system storage.
4:26:02So, it will remain that fresh
4:26:03indefinitely.
4:26:04I have a limited amount of the royal
4:26:06rank, but I can spare at least a ton of
4:26:08commander rank bore meat. Carl agreed.
4:26:12Lotus giggled while Dana silently
4:26:14mouthed the words, "Hawk, you glutton,"
4:26:17towards Carl, knowing that the bird
4:26:19could see her. Each of the boores
4:26:21weighed more than that, even deboned and
4:26:24prepared for cooking. But the bones were
4:26:26valuable as well, not just as a
4:26:29resource, but to render down to make
4:26:31soup stock. There was one in the roast
4:26:34today, and Hawk would not mourn the loss
4:26:36of the bones. They were too crunchy and
4:26:39tasteless.
4:26:41That gave Carl plenty of time to finish
4:26:43the messages before their lunch was
4:26:44ready, so he could send the responses
4:26:46with the delivery worker and relax for a
4:26:48while before the kids arrived. However,
4:26:51the time that they got to themselves
4:26:53before the kids arrived turned out to be
4:26:55even less than Carl had expected. They
4:26:58had only just finished eating lunch when
4:27:00the phone rang to inform them that their
4:27:01new trainees were on the way up with an
4:27:03old friend. That sounded promising, and
4:27:06Carl wondered who they had sent. He was
4:27:09hoping for one of the McKenzie brothers,
4:27:11or perhaps one of his teachers from the
4:27:13academy. However, the long beard and
4:27:16deeply stoned eyes that smiled back at
4:27:18Carl from the other side of the door
4:27:20were none of those people. Dr. Skittles,
4:27:23welcome. I don't know how you got
4:27:25assigned to escort the trainees here,
4:27:27but it's good to see you again. Carl
4:27:30greeted the nature priest from the
4:27:32wounded veterans hospital. I had hoped
4:27:34that name wouldn't stick, but I was the
4:27:37one in charge of ensuring the selected
4:27:39trainees were mentally suited to the
4:27:41task at hand. I know that your team
4:27:43isn't for the faint of heart, and if you
4:27:45release an aura of killing intent, it
4:27:47might break the will of many of the
4:27:49youngsters. We wouldn't want that, and I
4:27:52suspect that you wouldn't appreciate
4:27:53having someone pee on your floor in
4:27:55terror. The old doctor joked. There were
4:27:59five children behind him, though Carl
4:28:01felt a bit odd thinking that they were
4:28:04only really 3 years younger than he was,
4:28:06a year from undergoing the awakening
4:28:08injection themselves.
4:28:10They did look determined, so at least
4:28:12someone had warned them about what was
4:28:14coming. But more than that, they looked
4:28:17aruck.
4:28:18The building was extremely luxurious and
4:28:21the room was filled with people more
4:28:22powerful than anyone they were likely to
4:28:24have met so far in their lives. I should
4:28:27inform you that this experiment will be
4:28:29treated as an actual scientific
4:28:31experiment and not just a game. There
4:28:34will be someone monitoring your progress
4:28:35while you are in the capital and the
4:28:37participants have been selected to have
4:28:39no connection to any of you. Dr.
4:28:42Skittles added, "Well, that's not out of
4:28:45the realm of expectations.
4:28:47I thought that we would have to make
4:28:48daily reports, but if they're going to
4:28:50have someone watching us train, then we
4:28:52can skip that step. Will you be the one
4:28:55today? Carl replied.
4:28:59Indeed. There shouldn't be too much to
4:29:01report today. It's just a meet and
4:29:03greet. He shrugged. Carl took out a
4:29:07handful of jewelry and smiled at him.
4:29:10Oh, I wouldn't count on that. It's a
4:29:13shame that I couldn't learn randomize to
4:29:15cast on them, but I think that there is
4:29:17a chance one or two of them might be
4:29:18able to awaken their class by equipping
4:29:20a system imbued item. Carl motioned for
4:29:23the acolytes to come forward with his
4:29:25empty hand and then offered each of them
4:29:27one of the many giant strength rings
4:29:29that he had acquired. Do I want to know
4:29:32where you got so many of those? Dr.
4:29:34Xander, better known as Skittles, asked.
4:29:38Probably not. But if you're doing the
4:29:41psych evaluations tomorrow, it might
4:29:43come up anyhow. Oh boy, do we have fun
4:29:46stories for you. The doctor sighed and
4:29:49the kids took the rings from Carl,
4:29:51holding them curiously, as they had no
4:29:54idea what such a crude metal band was
4:29:56supposed to be for. Four of them were
4:29:58nearly identical to the point Carl
4:30:00thought that they might be siblings with
4:30:02the same straight black hair. But there
4:30:04was one blonde girl in the group, and
4:30:06she was clearly the feral child of the
4:30:08group. The first thing that she did when
4:30:10she got the giant ring was to bite it
4:30:12and then slide it over her hand like a
4:30:14bracelet. She gave her arm a happy
4:30:17shake. Then her eyes went wide as the
4:30:19ring equipped and it moved to her left
4:30:21ring finger. She made an inarticulate
4:30:24squeaky happy noise and Skittles turned
4:30:26around to see what was going on.
4:30:29Cibible, where did you come from and
4:30:31where is Jon? He demanded while also
4:30:34signing along with his words. Is Cibil
4:30:37deaf? Carl asked. "Yes, and she
4:30:41definitely isn't supposed to be here.
4:30:44She's 2 years younger than the others,
4:30:46and she's supposed to be on security
4:30:48restrictions after stabbing another
4:30:49child at the orphanage,"
4:30:51Skittles explained. Ry stepped out of
4:30:54her space and stared at the small blonde
4:30:57child. "I want this one. She's got
4:31:00potential," the spider announced.
4:31:04You're just saying that because her
4:31:06first instincts are to bite and stab.
4:31:09Carl retorted.
4:31:11Well, yes, but I think that she will
4:31:14make a pretty good robe. See, she
4:31:16already picked her class or got it
4:31:18assigned. Carl checked her with the
4:31:21system interface and realized that yes,
4:31:24her name was in the odd yellow that was
4:31:26assigned to rogues. Carl considered his
4:31:29options for a moment and then realized
4:31:31he had the perfect skill for a deaf
4:31:33rogue.
4:31:34echolocation.
4:31:36If he gave her an additional sensory
4:31:37skill, she would be able to see in the
4:31:39dark, detect most hidden targets, and
4:31:42she wouldn't be distracted by noises as
4:31:44she couldn't hear them anyhow. All
4:31:46right, I have prepared a plan for the
4:31:48development path of the young rogue
4:31:50class elite. The other four of you,
4:31:53please introduce yourselves and try to
4:31:54get the ring to fit and adapt to you the
4:31:57way that Cibil did. Carl instructed.
4:32:01I am going to look for John. We're short
4:32:04one of the original students and he was
4:32:05with us at the doors. Skittles
4:32:08whispered. If she had attacked someone
4:32:11to steal his spot, the feral child might
4:32:13not be a good person, but from what Carl
4:32:15could tell, she was an incredible rogue.
4:32:18Nobody had even noticed the switch. If
4:32:21they had, they surely would have
4:32:23snitched on her to the doctor. It wasn't
4:32:26like she would hear them telling him.
4:32:28The next to succeed was a boy standing
4:32:30near the door. His eyes went vague as
4:32:33the ring fell to the ground, and then he
4:32:35began to do a little happy dance. His
4:32:38name had turned the light blue of a mage
4:32:40in Carl's interface, so he couldn't
4:32:42actually equip the ring, but it had
4:32:45still worked to activate his system
4:32:46skills. Carl picked up the ring and
4:32:49patted the boy on the back. I will
4:32:52introduce you to your new tutor. This is
4:32:55Princess Dana. She is a mur battlemage
4:32:58and she will be helping you with your
4:33:00basic magical skills starting tomorrow.
4:33:03Thank you, your majesty.
4:33:05Princess, I will be in your care. The
4:33:08boy replied politely. The next two
4:33:11advanced at the same time, and a new
4:33:13pair of warriors was born. I am Aaron
4:33:16and this is my sister Jamie. Thank you
4:33:20so much. We both get to be warriors like
4:33:22our dad was. The boy replied, "Sorry for
4:33:26your loss." Carl replied, "Oh, he's not
4:33:31dead." He was resurrected or
4:33:34reincarnated,
4:33:35reborn into a new body, and he lost his
4:33:38status as an elite. But before that, he
4:33:41taught us all sorts of fighting skills
4:33:43just in case we were successful with the
4:33:45injection. Aaron explained.
4:33:49That would have made him one of the
4:33:50early test subjects that have been
4:33:51pulled from the army to beta test the
4:33:53injection. The kids were a couple of
4:33:56years too old for him to have been a
4:33:57regular injection student. Well, unless
4:34:00he had kids in middle school, but that
4:34:02seemed even less likely. And I am Joan.
4:34:07I don't know if this thing works for me,
4:34:08but the red lady says that I need to be
4:34:10here to keep the children under control.
4:34:13The last student explained. Tessa
4:34:16smiled. I will be here as well. But we
4:34:20will get you all trained up. Here, why
4:34:23don't you try to wear this instead? The
4:34:26red dragon god wouldn't let the clerics
4:34:28wear strength items either, perhaps
4:34:30viewing it as unfair or likely to
4:34:32distract them from other duties. But the
4:34:34simple necklace that Tessa gave Joan
4:34:36equipped immediately, and the girl's
4:34:38name appeared in white over her hat in
4:34:40Carl's overlay. That's five out of five
4:34:43without having to do anything strange.
4:34:46Now we just need to know what happened
4:34:48to Jon and wait for Skittles. Carl
4:34:51announced, then pocketed the two rings
4:34:53that couldn't be used. Cibil was
4:34:55watching him carefully and made a series
4:34:57of hand gestures to answer, but Carl
4:35:00didn't speak sign language.
4:35:02Fortunately, Lotus did. She knocked him
4:35:05out and stuffed him through the access
4:35:07door for the fire suppression system on
4:35:09our floor. Lotus translated.
4:35:12Please go get the lost student. We can
4:35:15take on a sixth if Skittles allows it.
4:35:18Lotus ran out to the hallway, then right
4:35:21back in. Skittles found him. There is a
4:35:24stretcher and another cleric and some
4:35:27guys with guns and uniforms.
4:35:29Carl watched as Cibil ducked below the
4:35:32height of the sofa and then scured
4:35:33across the living room to hide under a
4:35:35large reclining chair. If he didn't have
4:35:38thermal imaging, she would have seemed
4:35:40to simply vanish, and she was incredibly
4:35:42quiet. Even Rey was impressed, though.
4:35:45She did go to sit on the chair so that
4:35:47nobody tried to search under it. That
4:35:50was her new student, and she was keeping
4:35:52the crazy one. The guards came in with
4:35:55their hands on their weapons, looking
4:35:56for Cibil. Sir, do you know where the
4:35:59young offender is? She escaped custody
4:36:03and has seriously injured another
4:36:04student. the guard asked. "She's around
4:36:08here somewhere. Why don't you let me
4:36:11take custody of her? I will get her
4:36:13behavior straightened out by morning,
4:36:15and you won't have any more troubles
4:36:17with her in the future," Carl suggested.
4:36:20"You would like to personally take on
4:36:22the duty of caring for a troubled
4:36:23orphan." "My apologies, your majesty,
4:36:27but do you know how much effort such an
4:36:29undertaking will involve?" Carl nodded.
4:36:32"I understand.
4:36:34I will explain the situation to the
4:36:36doctor. Besides, she has awakened as a
4:36:40young elite now, so it is only right
4:36:42that we take charge of her punishment.
4:36:44The guard saluted. Dr. Xander will
4:36:47return soon. He is seeing to the
4:36:50treatment of the wounded child. He
4:36:52sustained a major head injury from a
4:36:54dislodged fire extinguisher.
4:36:57Skittles came in and the guards left,
4:36:59which confused the doctor. I told them
4:37:02that I would take care of our feral
4:37:04rogue. Technically, I'm going to let Ray
4:37:07train her, but if a bloodbath spider
4:37:09queen can't keep her out of trouble, I
4:37:11doubt anyone can. Carl explained.
4:37:15She fractured the boy's skull with that
4:37:16fire extinguisher strike. Now, I'm
4:37:20impressed that she could even lift it at
4:37:21her age, but she is dangerous. The other
4:37:25four nodded in agreement. Carl shrugged.
4:37:29We are elites. We're meant to be
4:37:31dangerous.
4:37:33Besides, all of you are elites now as
4:37:35well. We can start everyone else's
4:37:38training tomorrow, but I will keep Cibil
4:37:40here for the night so we can calm her
4:37:42down and explain how things are going to
4:37:44work. The warrior laughed quietly at the
4:37:46thought of their troublesome pier
4:37:48finally meeting serious discipline,
4:37:50while Owen the mage was more concerned
4:37:51with the way that Dana was floating half
4:37:53a meter off the ground, showing off her
4:37:55skills. Only Joan, the one that Tessa
4:37:59suspected was awakening as a red dragon
4:38:01cleric, was looking around to try to
4:38:03find the lost rogue. That was also good
4:38:06training for her, as the red dragon
4:38:08clerics were often battle tacticians
4:38:10with the army, and they would need to
4:38:11have good analytical skills as well as
4:38:13keen senses.
4:38:15Now, before you all go, I want to ask
4:38:17you what skill you would most like to
4:38:19learn. I have some connections, and I
4:38:22might be able to help you learn that
4:38:24skill right from the start. Carl asked
4:38:26the students.
4:38:28Slash. The two warriors replied in
4:38:30unison. Do you not already have that? It
4:38:34should be the basic warrior skill that
4:38:36you got when you awakened. Carl reminded
4:38:39them. We already have a skill. It just
4:38:43told us that we were warriors. Aaron
4:38:46replied, "Think or say the word status,
4:38:49then go through your menus to see what
4:38:51you have. Slash or cleave should be your
4:38:54starting skill.
4:38:55Then you will have a skill tree showing
4:38:57you the skills that you will be able to
4:38:59learn in the near future. Then Carl
4:39:01turned to Owen the mage. I would like to
4:39:05learn lightning spells. My starting
4:39:07skill is magic missile and I am totally
4:39:10asking to use the training room at the
4:39:12cathedral when we get home. Carl nodded.
4:39:16That should be possible, but we will
4:39:17have to work on your mana and stamina so
4:39:19that you can use it as well as lightning
4:39:21magic deserves to be used. Joan, the
4:39:24young cleric acolyte, smiled. I would
4:39:28like to learn protection magic to keep
4:39:29these idiots from hurting themselves.
4:39:32Carl nodded. We know just the thing. Rey
4:39:36stood up and pulled the startled rogue
4:39:38out from under the chair. Then she
4:39:40turned her to face Lotus, who could
4:39:42explain the situation in sign language,
4:39:44but left the girl hanging upside down.
4:39:48Once Lotus asked the question, Cibil
4:39:50started to smile and gesture
4:39:51frantically, seemingly overjoyed that
4:39:54someone had asked her. She would like to
4:39:56learn flaming sword skills so that she
4:39:58can burn every bully in the world to
4:40:00ash. Lotus translated.
4:40:03Or perhaps that wasn't joy. She might
4:40:06really just be crazy. But now both Hawk
4:40:10and Ray were impressed with her
4:40:11dedication to all the right things in
4:40:13life. Now that he thought about it, an
4:40:16extra stabby tiny creature with a fire
4:40:18obsession was practically made to be a
4:40:20new friend to the beasts. Even Cara
4:40:23would like this one. They were both
4:40:24feral creatures. Ray set her down and
4:40:28Cibil immediately tried to escape out
4:40:30the door, but was dragged back by a
4:40:32collar of silk around her neck. Lotus
4:40:35smirked at the girl as she attached the
4:40:36web to the ceiling and then borrowed a
4:40:38notebook and pen out of Carl's
4:40:40inventory. Is she going to be all right?
4:40:44Skittles asked, growing concerned about
4:40:46the short-term survival of the girl. She
4:40:49will be fine. Rey has good reading
4:40:52skills, so they'll be able to
4:40:53communicate even if she doesn't know
4:40:55sign language. I wonder if we can teach
4:40:58them to mind speak. That would be good,
4:41:01Cara suggested.
4:41:03That was part of their bond, but there
4:41:05might be some similar function in the
4:41:07system that they just hadn't uncovered
4:41:09yet. I will look into it. Jaime, the
4:41:13formerly silent half of the warrior
4:41:14pair, raised their hand and spoke in a
4:41:17surprisingly high voice. Who will be our
4:41:20warrior trainer, sir? They told us that
4:41:23you work with beasts, but none of us got
4:41:25a class like that. Carl had originally
4:41:28thought that they were twin brothers,
4:41:29but apparently Jaime was just tomboy-ish
4:41:32with the same haircut Aaron had. I will
4:41:34help with it, but the lovely Princess
4:41:36Oilia here is a berserker. If anyone
4:41:39knows about melee combat, it is her.
4:41:43Oilia smiled and waved while the
4:41:45warriors nodded happily. Then Carl
4:41:48continued, "I also have Thor, who is
4:41:51actually a monarch ranked divine thunder
4:41:53sarero, but with a bit of effort, he can
4:41:55transform into a humanoid form to help
4:41:57you learn defensive tactics, while Oilia
4:42:00teaches you offensive skills. Between
4:42:03them, you will become the sort of
4:42:04well-rounded warriors that your father
4:42:06would be proud to know. He also had Remy
4:42:09to help Dana with the aspiring lightning
4:42:11mage. So, it was only Cibil and Joan who
4:42:13didn't have two specialty teachers. That
4:42:16was still better than Carl had expected.
4:42:19You never knew what you would get from a
4:42:21system assigned class. But Carl was
4:42:23slowly discovering that there was a core
4:42:25set that appeared more often than
4:42:26others. Dr. Skittles smiled at Carl and
4:42:30gestured to the four children who
4:42:31weren't in hiding. Should we head out
4:42:34for the evening? I will see you all
4:42:36tomorrow morning along with some of the
4:42:38other doctors and the students can
4:42:40return at any time you are free. He
4:42:42suggested
4:42:44that works for us. I assure you that
4:42:47Miss Cibil will be alive and better
4:42:48behaved by morning. Carl agreed. The
4:42:52doctor nodded, then gestured for the
4:42:54kids to follow him out. They all waved
4:42:57happily knowing that they would not only
4:42:59be back, but that they had the greatest
4:43:01ever story to brag about with their
4:43:03friends tonight.
4:43:05In fact, they intended to practice their
4:43:07new skills until lights out or until the
4:43:09clerics forced them to go to bed,
4:43:11whichever came second. Once the door was
4:43:14closed, Tessa turned to Rey. Why don't I
4:43:17try talking to her about what was going
4:43:19through her head that made her think it
4:43:20was all right to attack another student?
4:43:23Cibil glared at her and began gesturing
4:43:25frantically in Lotus direction. "I can
4:43:28read sign language as well," Tessa
4:43:31replied, gesturing along with her words.
4:43:34Maybe it was an oversight in Carl's
4:43:36education that he didn't. Or it might
4:43:39just be a cleric thing. While Tessa and
4:43:42the young rogue had a silent
4:43:43conversation, Lotus came over to
4:43:45translate for everyone else. She says
4:43:48that she actually won the draw, but the
4:43:50bullies beat her up and stole the
4:43:52winning stick. So, when the teachers
4:43:54came to see who had been chosen to go,
4:43:56Jon had her stick. That's why she
4:43:58ambushed him and took her spot back. Oh,
4:44:02that's interesting. According to
4:44:04Skittles, she was previously in
4:44:06protective custody because she killed
4:44:07her foster brother. Lotus quietly
4:44:10narrated. Dana and Oilia gave Carl
4:44:14dubious looks, but he was more
4:44:15interested in watching the interaction,
4:44:17even if he needed translation to learn
4:44:19what they were saying. Tessa told her
4:44:22that she's considered an elite now, and
4:44:24that sort of behavior will get her
4:44:25drugged to limit her powers while she is
4:44:27locked up for life. It looks like she
4:44:30understands. And now that she's becoming
4:44:32more certain that she will get to stay,
4:44:34she's not speaking with so much anger.
4:44:37Lotus continued. We need to teach her
4:44:40shadow step. If she had that, nobody
4:44:43would have noticed the bully going
4:44:44missing. Rey suggested, "She's a rogue.
4:44:49She will get to it eventually. Did you
4:44:51want to teach her stealth skills first
4:44:53after we have helped her senses?" Carl
4:44:56replied.
4:44:57That should be good. Her starting skill
4:45:00is backstab. So, she needs a way to get
4:45:03behind the enemies.
4:45:05All right, I will work on teaching her
4:45:07silent movement and echolocation,
4:45:10assuming that she can learn both. Carl
4:45:13agreed. Are you really going to train
4:45:16her? The girl likely belongs in prison.
4:45:19Oilia asked with her back turned to
4:45:22Cibil and Tessa. She likely does, but
4:45:25yes, I intend to train her into a proper
4:45:28rogue class elite, and then she can take
4:45:30over duties that will make her childhood
4:45:32bullying seem like a happy memory.
4:45:35Besides, training is the only way that
4:45:37anything is going to change for her, and
4:45:39she's just going to get worse if we
4:45:41don't do something. So, if we've got a
4:45:44tiny psychopath on our hands, why not
4:45:46train her up and set her loose on
4:45:48someone else? I am certain that she
4:45:50would be just as happy on the frost
4:45:52giant front as she is in her dorm at the
4:45:54orphanage. Carl had forgotten that she
4:45:57could see him, but he didn't miss the
4:45:58panic as she read his lips. It had never
4:46:01occurred to her that elites might be
4:46:03sent somewhere terrible. She hadn't
4:46:06thought about it past the part where
4:46:07they had the power to get away from the
4:46:09bullies.
4:46:10So, her responses to Tessa were becoming
4:46:13increasingly concerned that she might
4:46:14immediately be sent off to warn now that
4:46:16she was an elite. Tessa was patiently
4:46:19explaining that there were requirements
4:46:21and that she still had to learn to
4:46:23behave before she was sent off to the
4:46:24academy so that she could gain more
4:46:26power after their group got her started.
4:46:29It was a strange situation, but even
4:46:31Remy was getting in on the excitement,
4:46:33and she had found some shadow element
4:46:35items from the giants, both plants and
4:46:37magical stones that she could grind into
4:46:39potions.
4:46:41I still need more books. Tell the
4:46:43delivery person that I need books. Remy
4:46:46reminded Carl. All right, I will have
4:46:49them send up some related alchemy and
4:46:51shamanistic magic books for you after
4:46:53they deliver dinner. Does anyone else
4:46:56need anything? I will let you know after
4:46:59my bath," Ry replied while the others
4:47:02just ignored the question as they didn't
4:47:04need anything that a human could deliver
4:47:06them. Instead of wasting more time, Carl
4:47:09took a seat at the table and started to
4:47:11write out the echolocation skill, which
4:47:14he wasn't certain would be compatible
4:47:15with the girl at all. Then he went on to
4:47:18silent movement, his lone personal
4:47:20stealth skill. He didn't actually use it
4:47:23much, but he suspected that Ry could use
4:47:26it as a passive as she was uncannily
4:47:28silent as she moved around the house.
4:47:31Being the only thing around which was
4:47:32not making noise would make it easy for
4:47:34Ry or a rogue to spot any other movement
4:47:37in the dark by using an echolocation
4:47:39type skill. Tessa looked up from their
4:47:42conversation.
4:47:43All right, I think that we've got things
4:47:45sorted well enough. Were you going to
4:47:48teach her a skill tonight? Carl nodded.
4:47:52At least one. Likely two. Then Ry has
4:47:56training planned for her tonight. Our
4:47:58new friend might be up past her bedtime,
4:48:01but we won't start the training until
4:48:03after dinner. What would happen if a
4:48:05common rank elite ate a whole bowl of
4:48:07stew made from royal rank ingredients
4:48:09was a mystery. Higher rank ingredients
4:48:12were great for growth, but the academy
4:48:14simply didn't have anything with that
4:48:16big of a power gap available. Carl hoped
4:48:19that having a constantly open commander
4:48:21ranked dungeon might help with that,
4:48:23though. Elites could repeat it, though
4:48:25not immediately.
4:48:27So, they could farm resources, which
4:48:30should include at least some edible
4:48:31ingredients and potions from the
4:48:33rewards. Growth potions, the sort that
4:48:36enhanced an ability or physical status,
4:48:38were normally only beneficial once. So,
4:48:41after the dungeon repeating group
4:48:42members had used them, they would become
4:48:44a tradable resource for others. All
4:48:47right, Cibil, come over here and try to
4:48:49read these books. If they work, you will
4:48:52get good things. Carl instructed after
4:48:56making sure she was looking at him.
4:48:58Cibil came over to inspect the books
4:49:00that Carl had set on the table in front
4:49:02of him, not quite understanding why they
4:49:04were important. She had gotten so used
4:49:07to nobody caring what she was up to that
4:49:08she had long since stopped paying
4:49:10attention to gossip. So, she only picked
4:49:12up what was in her textbooks, and the
4:49:14details of how elites advanced were not
4:49:16part of the core coursework. The methods
4:49:19were common knowledge, but she had
4:49:21missed out on a lot of that and until
4:49:23today hadn't cared. But she liked to
4:49:26study, so she flipped the silent
4:49:28movement book open without hesitation,
4:49:30then looked around in confusion as it
4:49:32vanished, wondering if some trick was
4:49:34being played on her. It's a skill that
4:49:37lets you move without making a sound.
4:49:40I know you can't tell the difference,
4:49:41but it's an essential skill for a rogue,
4:49:44and it goes well with the other skill
4:49:45that we have prepared for you, Carl
4:49:48explained.
4:49:49She quickly grabbed the second book and
4:49:51flipped it open, then stared around the
4:49:53room as it took effect. Then she snapped
4:49:56her fingers and watched the world change
4:49:59as the readings from echolocation came
4:50:01in from all directions and not just
4:50:03forward. It appeared in front of her
4:50:06eyes like a second layer of vision and
4:50:08it didn't seem to matter to the skill
4:50:10that her ears didn't work. She made a
4:50:13series of hand gestures and the clerics
4:50:15began to laugh. Carl waited for someone
4:50:18to explain and Cibil took out a small
4:50:20notepad and pen. This is absolute
4:50:23Now I can see sound and I'm
4:50:26still deaf. Carl did his best not to
4:50:30laugh at her suffering. Well, I don't
4:50:32know a spell that will allow you to hear
4:50:34again. But this is magic. I guess you
4:50:36don't need to hear to be able to use it.
4:50:39When the lights go out, now you're not
4:50:41deaf and blind. You can function in
4:50:43perfect darkness or even blindfolded.
4:50:46For a rogue, an elite who is likely to
4:50:48take on infiltration and stealth roles
4:50:50in the future. This is one of the most
4:50:52important passive abilities that you can
4:50:54have," Carl explained.
4:50:57Cibil reluctantly nodded, then began to
4:50:59write again.
4:51:01What else were you going to teach me?
4:51:03This was really fast. Carl gestured to
4:51:06Ry who had an evil grin on her face. You
4:51:10already know the skill backstab. So, I
4:51:13am going to teach you how to shadow
4:51:15step. With that skill, you can move
4:51:17through darkness to appear in any other
4:51:19shadowed place that is large enough. My
4:51:22Carl will use his skills to help you
4:51:24learn. And I will start with exposure
4:51:26therapy to help your body understand.
4:51:29Carl focused on the pair with skill
4:51:31master to help them learn faster and
4:51:33then smiled as Ry turned out the living
4:51:35room lights and began to move rapidly
4:51:37back and forth between the living room
4:51:39and spare room until Cibil pleaded for
4:51:41mercy as the dizziness overwhelmed her.
4:51:44The spider turned her tiny charge to
4:51:46face her and patted Cibil on the head.
4:51:49Now you just need to focus on the
4:51:51feeling of moving through the shadows.
4:51:53When you understand it, you will be able
4:51:55to escape and my training will be
4:51:57complete.
4:51:58She started bouncing back and forth
4:52:00again after gagging the rogue with a
4:52:02strip of silk cloth. And Oilia turned to
4:52:05Carl in concern. "How long are we going
4:52:08to let the spider torture a middle
4:52:09schooler?" she asked. "Technically, I
4:52:13think she's in her last year of primary
4:52:15school." Skittles said she was younger
4:52:18than the others by a couple of years,
4:52:20but I have skill master at rank four
4:52:22now. And there are few skills that Rey
4:52:24is better at than Shadow Step. She loves
4:52:27that skill. I give it 2 hours at the
4:52:30most, and the newest elite will manage
4:52:32to escape. An hour in, everyone was
4:52:36researching their training methods for
4:52:37the next day, and the doorbell rang with
4:52:40room service delivering the stew that
4:52:41Lotus had requested for dinner.
4:52:44Ironically, that was the trigger for the
4:52:46great escape. Sibil vanished from Ray's
4:52:49arms and appeared under the food cart,
4:52:51then made a run for safety down the
4:52:53hall, only for Ry to grab her a half
4:52:55second later and drag her back inside.
4:52:58Not bad. Only 1 hour and you're getting
4:53:01the hang of the skill. Now sit down and
4:53:04eat. You're going to need the energy for
4:53:07training tomorrow. Carl instructed as
4:53:10Cibil realized she couldn't shadow step
4:53:12away when she was being held by the
4:53:14ankle. I have a potion for her.
4:53:17Put it in a cup. I want to see what it
4:53:19does. Remy informed Carl as Ray set the
4:53:22rogue down at the table. Wait for
4:53:25tomorrow. I want to know everything that
4:53:28she's capable of before we start feeding
4:53:30her new supplements.
4:53:32Tonight, we will focus on skills. You
4:53:35can make potions for all the acolytes if
4:53:37you would like, and then we can test
4:53:39them all at once. Carl suggested.
4:53:42Oh, that's a good idea. Everyone at the
4:53:46same time will be much better
4:53:47entertainment and then if strange things
4:53:49happen, the others won't be able to
4:53:51refuse. I knew you were the Carl for a
4:53:54reason. Remy agreed. What exactly she
4:53:58thought the job of a Carl was remained a
4:54:00mystery, but he felt like it had become
4:54:02a middle management job and less of an
4:54:04elite powerhouse position. But if
4:54:07nothing else, Remy would have potions
4:54:09for all five of their acolytes the next
4:54:11day during training. And once she found
4:54:13time for a new beauty routine, Rey
4:54:15should advance and possibly pick up new
4:54:17skills that she could leverage to take
4:54:19back her top spot. Having Rey at the
4:54:22monarch rank would motivate Remy and
4:54:23Cara to advance as well, even if the
4:54:26power of the separate spaces advancing
4:54:27wasn't enough to immediately force them
4:54:29to break through. In short, tomorrow was
4:54:32going to be a very busy day for Carl and
4:54:34the team. But before that, he should
4:54:37likely rescue the young rogue from
4:54:39whatever had happened to her. Now she
4:54:42was turning red in the face and
4:54:43squeaking, but she appeared to be
4:54:45breathing well enough, so she hadn't
4:54:47choked on her soup. I think it's an
4:54:49energy overload. We're all used to the
4:54:52condensed power of the bore meat, but
4:54:54she's never had anything like it before.
4:54:57Maybe take her to the training grounds
4:54:59in the basement to burn some of the
4:55:00excess off before something bad happens.
4:55:03Thor offered.
4:55:05Right. Good call. You have to be careful
4:55:08with giving humans good things. Rey
4:55:11grabbed her trainee along with their
4:55:13soup and vanished. Carl could feel them
4:55:16directly beneath him, so she must have
4:55:18gone to the training areas. But why she
4:55:20had decided to bring the food was a
4:55:22cause for concern. It was too much
4:55:25energy for a common rank elite to
4:55:27handle. So if she was intending for
4:55:28Cibil to eat more of it, she would have
4:55:30to intensely train her skills. It was
4:55:33still early in the evening, but she
4:55:35wouldn't be able to burn off that much
4:55:37energy quickly with the amount of energy
4:55:38that she could currently handle.
4:55:41However, Carl did have Skill Master
4:55:43active on them. So, if Ry was going to
4:55:45combat train her, maybe Cibil could
4:55:47learn some new skills that she could
4:55:48overload with energy. You know, there is
4:55:51a good chance that Ry will kill her
4:55:53accidentally.
4:55:55Lotus quietly reminded them. Carl
4:55:58nodded. That is possible. But I think
4:56:00that as long as she can burn off all
4:56:02that excess energy, there is a good
4:56:04chance that Rey can actually force her
4:56:05to advance tonight. Rey has an
4:56:08advancement bath coming, so she will
4:56:10want to get as much training as possible
4:56:12done before she goes to bed for the
4:56:13evening. It wouldn't be surprised if we
4:56:16find a rogue dangling from the ceiling
4:56:18in the morning, though. Rey likes it
4:56:20when her prey stays where she puts it.
4:56:23The ladies chuckled at that, but Carl
4:56:25was right. Ry would definitely cocoon a
4:56:28flight risk so that Cibil remained where
4:56:30she was put until morning. Should we get
4:56:33ready for bed or do we wait up until Ry
4:56:35comes back with our new charge? Dana
4:56:38asked. I've got it handled. Let's sleep
4:56:42first. We have a long day coming
4:56:44tomorrow. Carl retired to bed with Dana
4:56:48while Oilia transformed back into
4:56:50werebear form and slung Lotus over her
4:56:52shoulder. Tessa chuckled as the bear
4:56:55claimed her teddy, while Lotus made
4:56:57half-hearted complaints about how a were
4:56:58bear was too warm to sleep with when you
4:57:00had temperature control. Carl also woke
4:57:03up far too warm the next morning with
4:57:06Dana's warm body on one side and Cara
4:57:08curled up against the other. Is this
4:57:10going to be a new thing? He whispered to
4:57:13the void badger. It is my duty to keep
4:57:16your relationship wholesome until
4:57:18brother Thor manages to find a
4:57:19girlfriend. Carl smiled and petted her
4:57:22head, which made Cara stretch out in the
4:57:24bed and wake Dana. She rolled on top of
4:57:27Carl, then rolled back when Cara licked
4:57:30her face. "What was that for? Good
4:57:33morning, Cara. I'm awake now." Carl
4:57:37looked into his space and found that Rey
4:57:40was still in the middle of her bath
4:57:41preparations.
4:57:43She had the base ready now, but Remy had
4:57:45made her a potion to work into her body
4:57:47before she began, and Rey wanted to
4:57:49finish that before she added the totem
4:57:51blood. It opens the pores and exfoliates
4:57:54loose outer layers. It was an error
4:57:57during my research, but it works really
4:57:59well as a body scrub for Rey. Remy
4:58:02explained, "The blood bath spider was
4:58:05lost in her preparations, oblivious to
4:58:07the fact that it was already morning and
4:58:09that everyone was getting up for the
4:58:11day.
4:58:12Carl carried Dana to the shower while
4:58:14Cara polished her fur. And then he let
4:58:16his senses wander to the others to make
4:58:18sure everyone was doing well. Thor was
4:58:21in human form with Cibil in the kitchen
4:58:23with Tessa while Lotus was making a lot
4:58:25of noise in bed, possibly trying to
4:58:27escape from the grip of a gently snoring
4:58:29Oilia.
4:58:31Hulk was in his space, as was Remy. So
4:58:33Carl worked through his morning routine
4:58:35and then realized he was actually short
4:58:37on normal clothing for a casual day. He
4:58:40decided to go for the uniform suit
4:58:42without the coat or tie and made a
4:58:44mental list of items to request from the
4:58:46delivery service. Mr. Carl, good
4:58:49morning. We're just about done making
4:58:52breakfast.
4:58:53Cibil greeted him in sign language as he
4:58:55reached the main room with Dana and Cara
4:58:58behind him. You look like you slept
4:59:00well. Cibil gave him a rofal smile. Lady
4:59:05Ray tied me to a hammock and I couldn't
4:59:07shadow step out of it, so I didn't
4:59:09really have a choice. I was stuck there
4:59:11until Mr. Thor came to rescue me this
4:59:14morning. Carl chuckled as Tessa
4:59:16translated.
4:59:18Ray's webs didn't have knots, so there
4:59:20was no way for an escape artist to untie
4:59:22themselves, and a common rank elite
4:59:24wouldn't be able to break the silk. Thor
4:59:27smiled at Carl. When are the hatchlings
4:59:30coming? As soon as we finish with our
4:59:33morning meetings, we can call for them.
4:59:35Have you come up with a training program
4:59:37for the warriors? Thor nodded. I have
4:59:41the perfect thing. And Sister Remy made
4:59:43me potions to help. It's going to be
4:59:46very productive. If they're good
4:59:48warriors, they might even show progress
4:59:50in just one day. Tessa smiled at the
4:59:53transformed Sero. I've already called
4:59:56the doctors to finish our evaluations,
4:59:59but are you sure that you'll be all
5:00:01right staying in human form? I believe
5:00:03that those items are usage limited. Thor
5:00:07shrugged. It's not a big problem. Sister
5:00:11Ray will learn the spell soon, and I can
5:00:13just stay like this for a while. My pond
5:00:16is comfortable even without my scales.
5:00:19Thor secretly likes wearing armor. Cara
5:00:22added in Carl's mind. That was valuable
5:00:25information to have. When he had time,
5:00:28Carl knew that he would have to study
5:00:30more so that he could keep useful spells
5:00:32like that one available for the team or
5:00:35one that would allow them to shrink. If
5:00:37they were able to reduce themselves to
5:00:39carsized or smaller the way that Remy
5:00:41could, there would be little reason for
5:00:43any of them except Rey, who wanted to
5:00:45jump scare people, to transform. The
5:00:48trick was to convince Thor, who valued
5:00:50power and the ability to protect, that
5:00:53being small was a good thing. He had
5:00:55even made his human form the largest out
5:00:57of all of them. Plus, a sheep dog-sized
5:01:01Thor would be adorable. While Carl
5:01:03answered mundane questions about his
5:01:05mental state for the doctors, Ry was
5:01:07hard at work with her advancement. She
5:01:10had finished her exfoliation routine,
5:01:12and she had the perfect blend of blood
5:01:14in the bath for her upcoming
5:01:15advancement.
5:01:17She wasn't entirely certain what sort of
5:01:19skills it would give her when she did
5:01:20become a proper queen, but she had high
5:01:22hopes for this blend with the little bit
5:01:24of totem rank blood that she had managed
5:01:26to acquire. It was only a few drops, but
5:01:29it contained ridiculously potent healing
5:01:32abilities, and it was two full ranks
5:01:34over her. She settled into the pool and
5:01:37began the work of pulling all the energy
5:01:38out of the blood. The process was simple
5:01:41for a bloodbath spider and instinctive.
5:01:45You just absorbed all the energy from
5:01:46the bath and then you found out if your
5:01:49body adapted to it well enough to break
5:01:50through the bottleneck and if you
5:01:52learned any new skills. The cyclops
5:01:55species might have an innate skill that
5:01:56she hadn't gotten to see during their
5:01:58battles as they were almost all crazed
5:02:00by the spawn, but Carl's blood
5:02:02definitely had some special properties
5:02:04as did the emperor's blood. She could
5:02:07feel the energy from Carl and the
5:02:08newborn emperor mixed in with the
5:02:10monarch ranked Cyclops blood
5:02:12revitalizing her while the blood from
5:02:14the two creatures that could regenerate
5:02:16also strengthened her resistances.
5:02:19The emperor's blood worked on her
5:02:20elemental resistance as trolls were
5:02:22immune to all but fire where Carl had
5:02:25limited invulnerability as part of his
5:02:26core skill set and the iron within skill
5:02:29that made his blood into living liquid
5:02:31metal and improved his already
5:02:33impressive invulnerability.
5:02:35It was the perfect time for her
5:02:36advancement. Ry decided she had gotten
5:02:40to have fun for most of the night, then
5:02:42a good nap, and now she got to skip all
5:02:44the boring stuff before the trainees
5:02:46showed up. Ry briefly wondered how fast
5:02:49a baby rogue would improve their shadow
5:02:51step if a giant spider was actually
5:02:53trying to eat them. Just a little bite
5:02:55would do it, and then the clerics could
5:02:57heal her after. But it would add all the
5:02:59motivation in the world. Even if she did
5:03:02have to chase her down every day to
5:03:04continue the training, her mind wandered
5:03:06to many similarly pleasant things as she
5:03:08bathed. And then Rey noticed that there
5:03:10was another source of energy that nobody
5:03:12had bothered to remind her of. That
5:03:15sword and the ghost tree stick both had
5:03:17lots of energy in them, but they were
5:03:19stored separately, and she couldn't
5:03:21reach them from the bath. It was
5:03:23unfortunate, but she would remember them
5:03:25for next time. More energy was always a
5:03:28good thing, and who knew how hard it was
5:03:30going to be to get a proper bath for her
5:03:32next few advancements.
5:03:34Today's bath was particularly
5:03:36refreshing, Rey realized.
5:03:38The energy just seemed to keep coming as
5:03:40Carl refreshed the energy in her space,
5:03:43and the combination of Carl's and
5:03:44Emperor Trolls blood regenerated the
5:03:46damage she was doing in the process of
5:03:48remaking her body as she filtered an
5:03:50entire bath's worth of blood. It was
5:03:52like having an energy drink that just
5:03:54didn't run empty.
5:03:56She carefully stirred her bath and
5:03:58rolled over to refresh the coating on
5:03:59her back, then floated with her legs up
5:04:01for a few minutes as she enjoyed the
5:04:03influx of energy. Ry was gaining the
5:04:06faintest hint of a new skill. And though
5:04:08it was going to take some effort to
5:04:09focus on it, she knew that when she got
5:04:11it right, it would be beautiful,
5:04:14everything that a spider could hope for.
5:04:17Carl was nearly finished with his
5:04:19interview with the psychology team. When
5:04:20Ry finally got it right, she had
5:04:23invented the most incredible combination
5:04:25of skills with Carl's skill merger
5:04:28ability. Ghost Beast had combined with
5:04:30iron within and shadow step to make a
5:04:33new stealth ability for Ray. Night
5:04:35Haunter ignores physical damage in
5:04:38spectral form. Allows movement to any
5:04:41point that can be seen or touched with
5:04:42the incorporeal body. Invisible to
5:04:45optical vision. Regenerates life while
5:04:48in spectral form.
5:04:50But the skill wasn't the only benefit.
5:04:53Her body was rapidly growing more
5:04:55powerful. The advanced abilities of the
5:04:58blood she was ingesting were remaking
5:05:00her in a much more drastic fashion than
5:05:02her previous advancement. Though Ry
5:05:04could see that she still looked like
5:05:05herself. Her outer shell now would be
5:05:08nearly impervious to attack thanks to
5:05:10Carl and the Emperor. And her physical
5:05:12strength was off the charts. If she
5:05:15wanted to, she could now leap over a 100
5:05:17meters to get into combat faster or take
5:05:19her prey by surprise. From that
5:05:22distance, most of them wouldn't even
5:05:24know that she was waiting for them until
5:05:25she was already on top of them. But that
5:05:28wasn't all that she wanted. Trolls and
5:05:31Carl both had humanoid forms, and she
5:05:34wanted one. She was quite literally the
5:05:36thing that haunted the darkness now, and
5:05:38that only worked if she could get to her
5:05:40prey.
5:05:41The lingering power of her advancement
5:05:43helped skill merger and skill master
5:05:45function more efficiently. But the power
5:05:47was waning as she took in more than the
5:05:49blood could regenerate and imbued her
5:05:51body with the energy. But she still had
5:05:54the token and a lot of determination.
5:05:57All she had to do was learn to use the
5:05:59spell without the amulet. Carl was
5:06:01shaking hands with the doctors now, so
5:06:04they must be nearly done. But Rey was
5:06:06confident that she had the right method.
5:06:08All that was left was to try it out.
5:06:11A surge of power activated humanoid
5:06:14disguise and she was in her two-legged
5:06:16form in her space with only her own
5:06:18power. Then a thought activated night
5:06:21haunter and Ray stepped out to stand
5:06:23beside the door, forgetting that she was
5:06:25still dripping with blood. The effect
5:06:28when she let the spectral form fade and
5:06:30reappeared in front of the psychologist,
5:06:32covered in blood from head to toe with a
5:06:34row of serrated teeth smiling at the
5:06:35cleric was even more beautiful than she
5:06:37had hoped for. The man screamed like
5:06:40Lotus did when she was scared, then
5:06:42vaulted backwards and over the kitchen
5:06:44island before crashing to the ground and
5:06:46scurrying across the floor towards the
5:06:48back wall. 10 out of 10. Perfect form.
5:06:53Cara congratulated her. A celebration is
5:06:56in order. Doctors, may I introduce to
5:06:59you Queen Ray Bloodbath, the most
5:07:02powerful known member of her species and
5:07:04our nation's newest monarch rank
5:07:06resident. Carl announced.
5:07:09Skittles took a drag off one of the
5:07:11nature cleric specialty cigarettes as he
5:07:13glared at Carl. You're going to give an
5:07:15old man a heart attack one of these
5:07:17days. Carl smiled.
5:07:20Fortunately for us, not only do we have
5:07:23two clerics present, we also have one
5:07:25that can resurrect.
5:07:27It's fine if Ray sneaks up on people now
5:07:29and then. The terrified man on the floor
5:07:32scoffed.
5:07:33In my professional opinion, bringing
5:07:35them back to life won't undo the mental
5:07:37trauma of being literally scared to
5:07:39death. Ry gave the man two thumbs up. I
5:07:43will keep that in mind for next time. No
5:07:46scaring them all the way to death.
5:07:49Halfway is fun enough. The other four
5:07:52acolytes came in, then stopped when they
5:07:55saw that Ry was soaked in blood, which
5:07:57was rapidly being absorbed into her
5:07:59skin. Did we come at a bad time? The
5:08:02lady at the door said that the doctors
5:08:04were on their way down. Joan, the
5:08:07dark-haired red dragon cleric in the
5:08:08making, asked. No, you have impeccable
5:08:12timing. They were just on their way out
5:08:14when Lady Ray decided to show off her
5:08:16advancement to monarch rank and startled
5:08:18them. Carl explained.
5:08:22Skittles was laughing so hard that he
5:08:24had tears in his eyes, but no noise was
5:08:26escaping from him, and his posture was
5:08:28both unnaturally straight and formal
5:08:30until he could get his amusement under
5:08:32control. Congratulations, Queen Ray. I
5:08:36am certain that we will see each other
5:08:38again soon. The hippie doctor announced,
5:08:41doing his best to avoid giving the new
5:08:43arrivals a poor impression of his
5:08:45professionalism.
5:08:46The doctors left and Carl's group split
5:08:49up to talk to their charges while Carl
5:08:51sat down at the table with his writing
5:08:53implements.
5:08:54Most of them would need a skill book and
5:08:56he hadn't even started on the ones he
5:08:58already knew he could make. Chain
5:09:01lightning for Owen the mage wouldn't be
5:09:03too hard. It was usable by most types of
5:09:06elemental magic users. Not Dana, at
5:09:10least not anymore, but it should be good
5:09:12for Owen. circle of protection was more
5:09:15questionable.
5:09:16It was theoretically usable, but the
5:09:19description said suitably blessed
5:09:20clerics.
5:09:22What exactly that entailed was anyone's
5:09:24guess. Compared to that, the warriors
5:09:27would be easier. They had wanted slash,
5:09:30which they should already have, but Carl
5:09:34had rend and shred, which were both
5:09:37better sword attacks.
5:09:39A couple of books of shred didn't take
5:09:41him long while the others got acquainted
5:09:43with the students. Cibil already had a
5:09:46head start and she had Ray guiding her
5:09:48while Cara gave helpful hints from the
5:09:50pile of blankets she had amassed in her
5:09:52space. Ladies and gentlemen, I have some
5:09:55books ready for you. For our warriors, I
5:09:59have copies of Shred to increase your
5:10:01damage output. For Owen, I have Chain
5:10:05Lightning. Then for Miss Joan, I have a
5:10:08copy of Circle of Protection. I have a
5:10:12spare one as well if Lotus or Tessa
5:10:14needs it. The two older clerics both
5:10:17shook their heads. We can already use
5:10:20it, but it doesn't stack. So, we just
5:10:22let Thor as his is stronger. Carl
5:10:25nodded. That made sense. Carl could
5:10:29extend eternal lightning or refreshing
5:10:32lightning over the whole group, but he
5:10:34rarely did it as Thor had it handled. It
5:10:38seems that we're all relying on you."
5:10:40Carl informed the transformed Sero, who
5:10:43now had a shield hung from the back of
5:10:44his armor. "That was odd." Carl didn't
5:10:48recall getting a shield as an item drop
5:10:50anywhere. Then he realized that Remy had
5:10:53a whole new stack of books and a fancy
5:10:55wooden shelf on the altar in her swamp.
5:10:58Someone ordered delivery while I was
5:11:00asleep, didn't you? We put it on your
5:11:03account. No problem. Remy agreed easily.
5:11:07It's a good thing we're not short on
5:11:09money. Was there anything else that we
5:11:11needed? Carl asked. No, I think we got
5:11:16everything. I also gave them different
5:11:19ingredients to make snacks for the kids
5:11:21during training. The soup was a bit too
5:11:23strong for the rogue, but we have lower
5:11:26grade stuff left over in here. Remy
5:11:28informed him. At least the beasts were
5:11:31taking good care of the new trainees.
5:11:34Their initiative was admirable, and this
5:11:36was the most excited that Carl had seen
5:11:38the team get about something in quite a
5:11:40while. The acolytes had hesitated at the
5:11:43table and hadn't opened the books yet.
5:11:46Everyone else was giving them expectant
5:11:48looks, even Cibil, who was still
5:11:50periodically trying to test Ray's grip
5:11:52on her to see if she could escape.
5:11:54Little did she know, there was a single
5:11:56strand of royal rank silk attaching
5:11:58them, so the young rogue wouldn't be
5:11:59able to go far without learning to pull
5:12:01Ry along with her. Owen, the mage, was
5:12:04the first to try, and the chain
5:12:06lightning book vanished in his hands as
5:12:09his eyes went wide in shock. Ry clapped
5:12:12happily. All right, lightning mage
5:12:15obtained. Who is next? Joan, the cleric
5:12:19trainee, came forward and took her book.
5:12:22Opening it made her glow with bright
5:12:24golden light. Then her entire body
5:12:27glowed red and blood began to drip from
5:12:29the corners of her eyes while eternal
5:12:31lightning healed her. The girl was lost
5:12:34in a vision of something, staring off
5:12:36into nothingness. So Carl didn't try to
5:12:39interrupt her experience.
5:12:41Whatever the red dragon wanted her to
5:12:43see was probably an important part of
5:12:45becoming recognized as a cleric of the
5:12:47god of war. The two warriors looked
5:12:49concerned for their friend, but they did
5:12:51step up and collect their books. Nobody
5:12:54had heard of warriors getting more than
5:12:56a headache and sore muscles from
5:12:58attempting to learn things, so the book
5:13:00shouldn't hurt them. The skill books
5:13:02vanished, and the two young warriors
5:13:04shared a high five. All right. Now, what
5:13:07path did the two of you pick? I believe
5:13:10the system should have given you options
5:13:12for your first few skills. Carl asked
5:13:15the warriors before Oilia and Thor could
5:13:17steal them away. Aaron smiled. I picked
5:13:21the defensive route while Jaime picked a
5:13:23fence. Then we can teach each other the
5:13:26opposite fighting style. Carl nodded.
5:13:30They won't be able to pick the skills
5:13:32from the tree, but there is a chance
5:13:33that they can still learn some of the
5:13:35skills through hard work. And knowing
5:13:37how to fight both offensively and
5:13:39defensively will make you more
5:13:40versatile. Many times in the future, you
5:13:43may need to serve as attackers while
5:13:45your group has a golem distract the
5:13:46target. Oh, that is an idea. I should
5:13:50see if I can teach the mage how to
5:13:51summon golems. It's a core skill that
5:13:54the academy wants all mages to know if
5:13:56they can learn it. Some aren't
5:13:58compatible with the skill book, though.
5:14:01The problem was that Ray's golem spell
5:14:03wasn't a standard variation, and Carl
5:14:05couldn't summon them themselves. Dana
5:14:08shrugged. I will contact the supply
5:14:11warehouse and let them know about the
5:14:13situation. If Owen can't use it, then
5:14:16that's that. But I have high hopes for
5:14:19him. He started with the same basic
5:14:21skill that I did back when I was a
5:14:23common rank freshman. All right. While
5:14:26Dana calls to order a skill book, we can
5:14:28all get ready to go to the basement
5:14:30training area if it's available. If not,
5:14:33we will train in the cathedral's guard
5:14:35training practice ground, Carl decided.
5:14:39But they don't have a system. They're
5:14:41just warriors,
5:14:43Owen noted. All the more reason to
5:14:46practice with them. They are simple
5:14:48warriors, regular humans relying on the
5:14:51favor of the gods to survive, not
5:14:53special skills or magic.
5:14:55You might be fledgling elites now, but
5:14:58rest assured, anyone on those training
5:15:00grounds is likely to be able to humble
5:15:02you in a matter of seconds. Cibil didn't
5:15:04look impressed. She had all these new
5:15:07skills that Lady Ray had taught her. How
5:15:10could she not be better than some church
5:15:12soldier? The skill book delivery was
5:15:15shockingly fast, and the hotel staffer
5:15:17who came up with the book on a silver
5:15:19tray appeared nearly as eager to see
5:15:20what was going on as the kids. Dana
5:15:23smiled at the delivery man. Thank you
5:15:26for the prompt service. Young Owen here
5:15:29is going to try to learn to summon a
5:15:30golem. Owen, you know the routine. Just
5:15:34focus on the golem you would like to
5:15:36summon as you cast the spell for the
5:15:38first time. Then every time after it
5:15:40will be the same. But not until we get
5:15:42outside. My golems are well over 2 m
5:15:46tall and we wouldn't want to damage the
5:15:48floor in here if you get a lava or stone
5:15:50golem. The kids all rushed for the door,
5:15:53ready to try out their new skills. But
5:15:55Tessa hadn't forgotten Carl's
5:15:57suggestion. And when they left the
5:15:58elevator, she led them out the front
5:16:00door and towards the church soldiers
5:16:02training area. This is the perfect spot
5:16:05to train. The soldiers use holy magic on
5:16:08their weapons, so the training ground is
5:16:10more than capable of dealing with some
5:16:12common rank attacks. she explained. The
5:16:16acolytes didn't quite understand why she
5:16:18thought so highly of it until they got
5:16:20to the large sandy area that was used
5:16:22for training and saw that the red dragon
5:16:24clerics also worked on their combat
5:16:26magic here to keep teams buffed and
5:16:28protected as they sparred with each
5:16:29other. Wow, what spell are they using?
5:16:33Aaron used as he saw the elite guards
5:16:36sparring.
5:16:37Spell. That's non-magical training with
5:16:40wooden blades. The ones over there are
5:16:43using defensive and blade enhancement
5:16:45magic, Tessa explained.
5:16:48But they're so fast, the young warrior
5:16:51complained, trying to explain the
5:16:53impossibility of the soldiers being
5:16:55normal humans, though there were no
5:16:57elites in those units. Resources from
5:17:00the church help enhance their physical
5:17:01abilities. When you grow up and train,
5:17:04you will be much stronger and faster
5:17:05than that. which is why we will ask them
5:17:08to help train you right after we find
5:17:10out what Owen's golems look like. That
5:17:13got the attention of the soldiers who
5:17:15were on a break. Oh, do we have a few
5:17:18special cases who were awakened off
5:17:20schedule? Let's get a good look at these
5:17:23new elites before they're lording it
5:17:24over us. No offense, sir and priestess.
5:17:29Carl laughed and waved off his concern.
5:17:32We've got an interesting group of
5:17:34acolytes today. The archbishop has asked
5:17:37that we try to train them up as a team
5:17:39to see if working together helps them
5:17:41grow faster. A holy assignment.
5:17:44Wow, you must have done something right.
5:17:48Carl shook his head. The opposite. I
5:17:51think we get to train a group of the
5:17:53next generation as an experiment to see
5:17:55if it keeps us all out of trouble for at
5:17:57least a week. Many of the elites
5:18:00assigned to the academy for short
5:18:01durations were the same way, making up
5:18:04for causing someone trouble by taking on
5:18:05a job that would rehabilitate their
5:18:07image. Dana talked Owen through the
5:18:10process one more time. Then the new mage
5:18:12focused and began to cast the golem
5:18:14spell. The surface was smooth and pale
5:18:17like a child's doll or a store mannequin
5:18:19and didn't appear to be gaining any
5:18:21features as it grew to human-sized.
5:18:24Not as large as Thor, but a hair taller
5:18:26than Carl. But as it finished, Carl
5:18:29noticed that it was not as solid as it
5:18:31looked. The surface was flexing and
5:18:33shifting slightly as it formed. Dana
5:18:36stepped forward and inspected it. Not
5:18:39bad. Clay golems aren't the most
5:18:42powerful, but they are highly durable as
5:18:44they can absorb most blunt attacks with
5:18:46minimal damage. Now, part of the
5:18:49challenge as you grow will be keeping
5:18:51the golem properly equipped. It can
5:18:53attack with its bare hands, but it's
5:18:55better if you give your golem a weapon.
5:18:58Owen nodded. Do you give yours a sword
5:19:01or a club? Dana shook her head. I have
5:19:05an advanced version of the armored
5:19:06constructs skill. My golems appear with
5:19:10armor and weapons, so I don't need to
5:19:12provide them. But that skill will take
5:19:14you a while to learn if you ever do. So,
5:19:18for now, you need to work on how to
5:19:20coordinate your golem with your magic
5:19:22and later with your team. The goal is to
5:19:25have your golem block for you so that
5:19:26you can continue to cast without being
5:19:28hit. Do any of you fine gentlemen have a
5:19:31moment to assist us? King Thor will
5:19:34happily put a defensive barrier on you
5:19:36so that you're not injured during the
5:19:38test. All you need to do is get past the
5:19:40golem and hug the mage to win. The
5:19:43soldiers who were on break motion for
5:19:45their sergeant who came over bowed
5:19:47slightly to Carl, then turned to Dana.
5:19:51Did you need a few of my soldiers to
5:19:52assist with your training, Princess?
5:19:55Dana smiled. Likely not all day, unless
5:19:59you have some who don't need your full
5:20:00training regimen. This is their first
5:20:03day with as elites with a class. So, our
5:20:05trainees are starting from nothing. The
5:20:08sergeant nodded. If you would like, I
5:20:11can spare you these four as they're all
5:20:13on light duties after injuries.
5:20:15Then if you would like, I can take the
5:20:17youngsters for basic combat forms
5:20:19training with the rookies starting at
5:20:21three. They're also only a few weeks
5:20:24into their training and mostly only a
5:20:26few years older. Oh, that should be good
5:20:29for the warriors and the rogue. I'm not
5:20:31sure about our fledgling cleric, but I
5:20:34will be working on mana volume and
5:20:35control with Owen all day. Dana agreed.
5:20:39The sergeant made a get on with it
5:20:41gesture to his injured men, then
5:20:43returned to the crowd. I will go first.
5:20:47How far off should I start? One of the
5:20:50men asked. 20 m is far enough. By the
5:20:54time that a mage needs to go into
5:20:56defensive mode, the enemy is at least
5:20:58that close. That was actually a lot more
5:21:01warning than a mage got in most battles.
5:21:04But for the first day of training, it
5:21:05would give Owen more time to work with
5:21:07his golem. The better that he understood
5:21:10defensive tactics, the better the golem
5:21:12would understand them.
5:21:14So, as he had no other combat training,
5:21:17this was the best they could do. Ry
5:21:20smiled at Cibil. I like this game. We
5:21:24will have a soldier try to keep you from
5:21:25reaching me as well. It's nice and sunny
5:21:28out, so do your best. The spider's mirth
5:21:32was not lost on the young rogue. She
5:21:34couldn't shadow step on an open field in
5:21:36the middle of the afternoon, and she
5:21:38wasn't Ry, who could create a stone to
5:21:40appear under when she wanted to move.
5:21:43Thor motion to the warriors. We will
5:21:46train here. I have a defensive barrier
5:21:49up on everyone, including our
5:21:50volunteers. So, don't worry about
5:21:52getting hit. I will start with Aaron
5:21:55while Oilia starts with Jaime, and then
5:21:57we will switch once you have a good
5:21:59grasp on how to use guard and shred. The
5:22:02young warriors weren't certain that
5:22:03would be anytime soon. But Carl knew
5:22:06that there were skill books for the
5:22:07skills if they needed them, and the
5:22:09instructors in question shouldn't have
5:22:10any problem teaching the skills.
5:22:12Thor would be faking guard with his
5:22:14eternal lightning, and Oilia would be
5:22:16imitating Shred by using rake. But the
5:22:19visual effect would be close enough that
5:22:21with some instruction, they should learn
5:22:22some version of the skill without using
5:22:24a point. Carl took a seat off to the
5:22:27side of the training grounds along with
5:22:29a few of the elder clerics who were
5:22:31supervising the training and not
5:22:33actively involved in the process. An old
5:22:36woman on Carl's left gestured towards
5:22:38where the warriors were training.
5:22:40It looks like you got a batch of
5:22:42naturals.
5:22:43They already understand about basic
5:22:45sword stances and blade techniques.
5:22:48Carl nodded. They were raised by a
5:22:51soldier, a fallen elite. The other ones
5:22:54might need a bit more work, but the
5:22:56warriors should have the basics down. As
5:22:59they talked, Owen was spun in a circle
5:23:01by the soldiers again, as they had
5:23:03gotten past his golem and dodged his
5:23:05magic missile. Dana was giving him
5:23:08hints, but he had zero combat sense.
5:23:11So, she changed the routine. Instead of
5:23:15having the golem defend, it was on the
5:23:17attack with the soldier defending her.
5:23:20Now, the young mage could see what it
5:23:22took to keep an enemy away from the mage
5:23:24for as long as possible. Further down
5:23:26the sandy field, Cibil was also having
5:23:29issues. Despite her dimminionive size,
5:23:32she was completely stonewalled by the
5:23:34warrior on defense and couldn't even
5:23:36make a step of progress towards Rey. All
5:23:39she had to do was get close enough to
5:23:41touch Rey, who was standing still, and
5:23:43she would win the round, but it just
5:23:45wasn't happening. A messenger came over
5:23:48with a note for Carl in the apartment
5:23:50building stationary envelopes.
5:23:52If your blood bath spider isn't busy
5:23:54tonight after dinner, I will be free to
5:23:56train with her in basement 3 training
5:23:58gym.
5:23:59I have it booked and I will be there all
5:24:01night. Neil, thank you. If you see him,
5:24:06let the overlord know that Rey will be
5:24:08there at sunset." The messenger nodded,
5:24:11then returned to the apartment, but not
5:24:13before stopping to watch the practice
5:24:15for a few seconds. The soldiers of the
5:24:18church were an extremely physically fit
5:24:20group and not gender segregated during
5:24:22combat training, which the messenger
5:24:24obviously viewed as an opportunity for I
5:24:26candy. The aging cleric woman next to
5:24:29Carl was watching the training with
5:24:30sharp eyes, making sure nobody was in
5:24:33real danger, but she continued to talk
5:24:35to Carl. Were you going to try something
5:24:37new with these ones? I see that you've
5:24:40awaken some extra skills for them, but
5:24:42that's pretty standard for individually
5:24:44guided students, she asked. I believe
5:24:48that we might have a way to speed their
5:24:50initial level increases.
5:24:52With a couple of herbal supplements and
5:24:54a specialized training regimen, we
5:24:56should be able to make them at least
5:24:57awaken before the school year even
5:24:59starts with a good shot at ascended the
5:25:01first semester.
5:25:02After that, we will likely be moved to
5:25:05another assignment. But I believe our
5:25:06plan has potential. If we manage to
5:25:09bring these five to ascended in half a
5:25:11year, they might start implementing the
5:25:13method on a larger scale. From what I
5:25:16can tell, the goal is to more reliably
5:25:18bring elites up to ascended or commander
5:25:20rank, where they are in a position to
5:25:22challenge the main combat forces of the
5:25:24giants and anyone else who might invade.
5:25:27If we can prove that it is possible, the
5:25:29status of the elites will change quickly
5:25:31to gain the sort of respect that the
5:25:33spellblades command elsewhere,"
5:25:35Carl elaborated.
5:25:37The old woman smiled. "I can only
5:25:40imagine.
5:25:42With all the different classes the
5:25:43elites have, they would have so many new
5:25:45skills in battle if they were stronger.
5:25:48It wasn't bad like this until recently.
5:25:51When it was just the feral beasts and
5:25:53some monster spawns, we could take care
5:25:55of it with the armies of the faithful.
5:25:58But with the giants invading and that
5:26:00new dungeon that seems to attract
5:26:02trouble, I understand why they're trying
5:26:04this. But how did you pick these five?
5:26:07They seem like an odd group. And I think
5:26:09that Rogue is deaf.
5:26:11Carl chuckled. She is. However, they did
5:26:16the selection by lottery and she stuffed
5:26:18a bully in a storage closet when he
5:26:20tried to steal her place. So, she's got
5:26:22the motivation. The old woman smiled.
5:26:26That is what the elites need. Too many
5:26:29of them are after the fame and fortune.
5:26:32Not enough of them are willing to stab
5:26:33someone to get where they need to be in
5:26:35life. Are you sure that you're from the
5:26:38red dragon and not the black? Carl
5:26:40joked, "War is war. It doesn't matter if
5:26:44it's external forces, a civil war, or a
5:26:47cultural revolution. If they want to
5:26:50turn their movement into a war, the red
5:26:52dragon approves under certain
5:26:54conditions." The cleric next to her, a
5:26:57middle-aged man, also in the robes of
5:26:59the red dragon, nodded in agreement.
5:27:02"The elites are a cultural revolution.
5:27:05Who would have thought 15 years ago that
5:27:07we would be recruiting every child
5:27:08capable of becoming superhuman and
5:27:10giving them the chance to become the
5:27:12hero from their childhood stories? The
5:27:14elites might have all but won the war of
5:27:16public opinion, but were you not nearly
5:27:18assassinated just a few days ago. She
5:27:21has a point. They might not have
5:27:24understood that they were hopelessly
5:27:25outmatched, but whoever they were, they
5:27:28were willing to sacrifice their lives
5:27:29for their cause. Remy agreed. Carl
5:27:33considered the answers. You know, I
5:27:36never thought about it that way. I
5:27:39thought about how the extra combat power
5:27:41of the elites made things safer when
5:27:42monsters appeared near my hometown and
5:27:45how they put on shows on the TV in the
5:27:47cafe. But I suppose that it makes sense
5:27:50that there would be push back, even if
5:27:51it didn't primarily come from GDN
5:27:53residents. The cleric nodded. Nothing in
5:27:58life is ever as simple as it seems. And
5:28:00the war dragon sees every conflict. then
5:28:02judges its worthiness.
5:28:05The old woman smiled. Even between the
5:28:08Spellblade clans, the Red Dragon
5:28:10recognizes states of war. Small and
5:28:13petty wars where they are both
5:28:15subordinates to someone else, but
5:28:17determined enough to have earned the Red
5:28:18Dragon's recognition. There was a time
5:28:21that she even recognized a workers's
5:28:23uprising and attempt to unionize.
5:28:26Carl chuckled at that. It had been the
5:28:28miners who had risen up against their
5:28:30employers and they had fought against
5:28:32the mine bosses for over a decade,
5:28:34shutting down nearly all resource
5:28:36production. They had eventually lost and
5:28:39the leaders of the unionists were
5:28:40executed. But it was a legend of heroes
5:28:42to the miners of Carl's generation.
5:28:45Is that why you watched the soldiers
5:28:47training? Because they're the ones who
5:28:49are most likely to please your god in
5:28:51the future? Carl asked. Oh, perceptive.
5:28:56That is part of the reason. We find it
5:28:59relaxing to be here. But we are actually
5:29:02working. We are the supervisors for the
5:29:05clerics on duty and in charge of
5:29:07preventing serious incidents. When you
5:29:10give swords to a thousand people who may
5:29:12or may not like each other, things can
5:29:14happen. Friendly fire is not friendly.
5:29:18Thor chuckled.
5:29:20Indeed. The younger cleric laughed out
5:29:23loud, making Carl think that he had
5:29:25heard Thor's mental voice. But the
5:29:27cleric was watching where Thor had
5:29:28changed training techniques and was
5:29:30having Aaron charge at a training post
5:29:32with his shield up. What on earth is
5:29:34your warrior teaching him? He asked,
5:29:38"Shield bash." Thor is a firm believer
5:29:41in the usefulness of smashing posts as a
5:29:43training tool. Just watch. The young
5:29:46warrior will learn to adapt his guard
5:29:49ability soon and use it as an offensive
5:29:51slam attack with his shield. It was only
5:29:54natural after all. Carl was putting a
5:29:58lot of energy into rank four skill
5:30:00master to help everyone teach and learn
5:30:02skills. With a little luck, his beasts
5:30:05might even pick up a new combat
5:30:06technique from watching all the
5:30:08training. I think I have just the right
5:30:10thing for the baby elites to try.
5:30:13Nutrition is important and Ray's new pet
5:30:16grew really well last night, though she
5:30:18couldn't properly digest the soup. I
5:30:21know that they have lunch coming soon,
5:30:22but I have made a mild berry juice to go
5:30:24with it. Remy informed Carl while the
5:30:27warriors were taking a break. Is it good
5:30:30for recovery? You could give it to the
5:30:33Warriors now, Carl suggested. The others
5:30:37would be going for a break soon as well.
5:30:40They were getting frustrated with their
5:30:41inability to win against the veteran
5:30:43soldiers even though they were elites.
5:30:46It was a humbling first day for them. A
5:30:48chance to realize that being a common
5:30:50rank elite didn't make them better
5:30:51fighters than regular veteran soldiers.
5:30:54So, it should build their motivation to
5:30:55grow their powers. It should be good for
5:30:58energy. So, I guess it could be used to
5:31:00recover between training rounds. Remy
5:31:03agreed. And what is it made from? I've
5:31:07got these berries I collected when we
5:31:08were back in time and the tea made from
5:31:10the moss and this minty leaf from Thor's
5:31:13space for flavor. It's not strong
5:31:16ascended rank, so I think that they'll
5:31:18be able to digest it. The moss was a
5:31:21potent resource and according to Carl's
5:31:24identification skill, the minty leaf was
5:31:27good for growing mana density. The
5:31:29berries didn't have a specific use
5:31:31listed, so he assumed that they were
5:31:33some sort of ascended rank food. Make
5:31:36one more. I want to taste test it before
5:31:39you pass it out. I know that your taste
5:31:42buds aren't the same as humans. Remy
5:31:45happily passed him a potion bottle full
5:31:47of the juice and Carl sipped at it while
5:31:49the clerics gave him confused looks.
5:31:52Sorry, I was out of clean cups. It's
5:31:55just a berry smoothie, he explained. It
5:31:59was tart but refreshing, very suitable
5:32:02for drinking. The old woman gave the
5:32:05potion bottle an intrigued look, and
5:32:07Carl wiped the mouth of the bottle, then
5:32:09passed it over. She smiled and took out
5:32:12a long straw, then sipped the thick
5:32:14mixture. "It's mixed with ice." "Oh,
5:32:18that is beautiful. What flavor is it?"
5:32:22"I don't think I know that one," Carl
5:32:24shrugged. "I actually don't know the
5:32:27name of the berries either, but they're
5:32:30mixed with silver mint leaf and moss
5:32:32tea. You can have that one if you would
5:32:34like. I was just taste testing it before
5:32:37I gave it to the students with lunch.
5:32:40Once the break started, Remy came out in
5:32:42Naga Queen form to hand out the
5:32:44smoothies and take notes on the effects
5:32:45that they had on common rank elites. The
5:32:48fact that they were being used as
5:32:50experimental test subjects for a new
5:32:52blend of energy smoothie was lost on the
5:32:54students. But after feeling the surge of
5:32:56energy from the juice, the old war
5:32:57cleric knew very well that this was not
5:32:59just a simple snack. The lunch delivery
5:33:02from the apartment arrived at the same
5:33:04time, and by the time that they had
5:33:06finished eating, the students were
5:33:07practically vibrating with energy, but
5:33:10more importantly, their bodies were
5:33:11quickly refining the existing energy to
5:33:13push them up through the common rank.
5:33:16That is fascinating.
5:33:18Do you think that it's a sympathetic
5:33:20reaction between the food and the
5:33:21drinks? They don't appear to be taking
5:33:24damage from the situation, and the
5:33:26quality of the energy in their body is
5:33:27increasing.
5:33:29I think it's the moss tea and silver
5:33:31mint combination. The two are usually
5:33:34used together at lower quality for
5:33:36cleanses, but it appears that they are
5:33:38completely cleansing the nent energy
5:33:39from the Oh, there they go. As I said,
5:33:43full cleanse. Lotus began to laugh as
5:33:46the five trainees began running for the
5:33:48training area restrooms.
5:33:50The effect of the juice was cleansing
5:33:52all impurities from their bodies.
5:33:55Absolutely all of them. I will add that
5:33:58to my notes. May have side effects, but
5:34:02we will see how they're doing when they
5:34:04get back. It might become a standard
5:34:06issue item for the academy if it works
5:34:08well, Remy declared, speaking serpent.
5:34:13That was a fair wait nearly an hour
5:34:15before anyone returned to the training
5:34:17ground. They all had suspicious looks
5:34:20that said they would not be willingly
5:34:21accepting random food products from Remy
5:34:23in the near future, but they were
5:34:25definitely more powerful.
5:34:27The old woman beside Carl nodded. If
5:34:30you're giving that recipe to the bureau,
5:34:32tell them to issue it during the last
5:34:34day of the train rides. At least then
5:34:37they won't be losing a training day.
5:34:39Joan, the new priestess, gave the woman
5:34:42a pleading look. You still intend to
5:34:44give that evil juice to people? Did we
5:34:47not suffer enough? The old woman just
5:34:50smiled at her. One hour of suffering to
5:34:53move most of the way through common
5:34:55rank. If it wasn't for diminishing
5:34:57results, I would be tempted to ask them
5:34:59to issue it every morning for a week.
5:35:02Tessa patted her small charge on the
5:35:04shoulder. Now that you're back and fully
5:35:07energized, we can get back to training.
5:35:10Your mana levels have increased, so we
5:35:12can increase the frequency of your
5:35:13casting. The others realized they
5:35:16wouldn't be getting off easily either,
5:35:18and their respective trainers dragged
5:35:19them off to practice.
5:35:22They still had most of the afternoon
5:35:23left in their training schedule, and the
5:35:25warriors were swapping between offense
5:35:27and defense while Owen was moving to
5:35:29mana training. Unfortunately for Cibil,
5:35:32Ry wasn't feeling merciful and had
5:35:34decided that the problem with her
5:35:36attempts to bypass the soldiers was a
5:35:38lack of practical skills training. So,
5:35:40she was learning blade skills with the
5:35:42soldiers. And then, when the rookies
5:35:44arrived, she would be moving on to
5:35:46unarmed combat techniques.
5:35:48As a rogue, she needed to know as much
5:35:50about fighting as possible. Skills burn
5:35:54too much energy, and using them would
5:35:56alert elites and magic users to your
5:35:58presence. However, Carl suspected that
5:36:01the intense schedule wasn't as much
5:36:02about Cibil's lack of skills as Ray's
5:36:04frustration that she had to wait until
5:36:06dark to play with overlord Neil. The end
5:36:09of the day couldn't come early enough
5:36:11for any of the trainees, or even Carl,
5:36:13who was getting that disquing feeling
5:36:15that someone was talking about him. The
5:36:18feeling was validated soon after the
5:36:20trainees had started their afternoon
5:36:21training when Carl saw visitors from the
5:36:23Inquisition and the government headed
5:36:25his way with determined looks on their
5:36:27faces. Once he was back at his
5:36:29apartment, they would be less likely to
5:36:31come bothering him. But out here in
5:36:33public, everyone could see that he was
5:36:35just overseeing the training of juniors.
5:36:38Monarch, if we could have a bit of your
5:36:40time. The president and the bishops have
5:36:43a few questions that they believe you
5:36:45can answer. If I say no, they're just
5:36:48going to show up at my house later, so
5:36:50we might as well do it now with the
5:36:52conference room over their work. I have
5:36:55a training skill active, and I would
5:36:57prefer not to get out of range of my
5:36:59students. Carl reluctantly agreed. Of
5:37:03course, the topics at hand are private,
5:37:06but not particularly sensitive. They
5:37:09headed for the nearby building, and Carl
5:37:11checked the skill master bonds.
5:37:14The ability wasn't feeling stretched at
5:37:16all or limited without him watching.
5:37:19During the early days when skill master
5:37:21was still at rank one, he had to
5:37:23actually watch the process and focus.
5:37:25But now it appeared that simply
5:37:26activating it with deliberate intentions
5:37:28would help them learn the skills as well
5:37:30as they could. We will start with the
5:37:32least likely portion first. We have a
5:37:35group of special forces soldiers here.
5:37:38Well, special forces cadets who the
5:37:40president and his adviser generals
5:37:42believe would be a suitable test force
5:37:43to follow in your footsteps. They have
5:37:46been working with the more cats that the
5:37:48university is training but have been
5:37:50unable to form the sort of bond that you
5:37:52have. The inquisitor with his head
5:37:54shaved announced
5:37:56none of them had given their names and
5:37:58while Carl could look at their system
5:38:00status to find out that always seemed to
5:38:02occur to him a few minutes too late.
5:38:05Besides, you could just call people by
5:38:07their title, and it would make them
5:38:08happy. Of course, Inquisitor,
5:38:12but that will most likely involve going
5:38:14to the university to get the beasts
5:38:16involved. A personal touch is the
5:38:18easiest way to change their minds,
5:38:20especially if they're already stronger
5:38:22than the trainees.
5:38:24After all, a bond like mine would kill
5:38:26them if they tried to bond with an
5:38:28ascended beast while still at common
5:38:29grade with no preparation.
5:38:32The bald inquisitor nodded. They do have
5:38:35some training. Though they aren't
5:38:37elites, they were trained both
5:38:39physically and mentally as monks. It was
5:38:42done for unorthodox combat purposes. But
5:38:44I am told that your mental skills are
5:38:46similar with a heavy requirement for
5:38:48mental fortitude.
5:38:50One of the men stepped out of the room
5:38:52and came back in with 10 young men and
5:38:54women about Carl's age. These are the
5:38:57cadetses. Can you see any obvious flaws
5:39:00in our plan? The Inquisitor asked. Cara
5:39:04came out of her space to examine the
5:39:05group, not particularly impressed until
5:39:08she got to one who crouched down to pat
5:39:09her head like she was a dog and not an
5:39:11intelligent royal rank monster. This one
5:39:14definitely suits being bonded to a Thor.
5:39:18Carl nodded in understanding.
5:39:20All right, why don't we do the
5:39:22university portion first and then we can
5:39:24finish the questions after. The cadets
5:39:27looked excited and the one who had tried
5:39:29to pet Cara looked over to address Carl.
5:39:32Do you really think that we can bond the
5:39:33newborn more cats? He asked. I don't
5:39:37know yet, but I have a good feeling
5:39:40about it. The process might not have a
5:39:43100% survival rate, but I think that
5:39:45most of you should get it after a few
5:39:47tries. The cadets pald, and the
5:39:50inquisitor tried not to laugh. Whatever
5:39:53the beast master had in mind was very
5:39:55different from their plans if he didn't
5:39:56expect everyone to survive. So the
5:39:59procession back out of the room only a
5:40:01minute after they entered was a silent
5:40:03one as was the shuttle ride to the
5:40:05university. Only when they reached the
5:40:08building marked animal husbandry and
5:40:10genetic research did anyone begin to
5:40:12speak. So this is it. After an entire
5:40:16year of trying, we might finally succeed
5:40:19in bonding one of the young beasts. One
5:40:22of the cadets whispered. Carl turned to
5:40:24the Inquisitor.
5:40:26They're not going to try to bond a year
5:40:28old ascended or commander ranked
5:40:30juvenile more cat, are they? The bald
5:40:33man smiled.
5:40:35Fortunately, no. The mother cat that we
5:40:38have just had another litter that is
5:40:39ready to be weaned to solid food. They
5:40:42have been feeding the kittens for a few
5:40:44days now and they're still awake and
5:40:46rank. Does it have to be more cats? They
5:40:50might actually do better with a weaker
5:40:51but fast growing beast first. Carl
5:40:54asked, "What did you have in mind?"
5:40:58"Well, you said special forces, so you
5:41:00want the beast as a combat companion.
5:41:03Something that can reach commander
5:41:05easily enough instead of the more cats
5:41:07who can be royals at their peak would be
5:41:09easier to bond. It would also make it
5:41:12easier to get a unified force if the
5:41:14more cats reject them. We will keep it
5:41:17in mind." There is a small pack of
5:41:19lightning ser now with many of them
5:41:22newly hatched. They were brought to
5:41:24study how you managed to evolve Thor,
5:41:26but they could also make good companions
5:41:28for an assault force. As they approached
5:41:31the door, a young woman with a leather
5:41:33glove over one arm came running
5:41:35frantically towards them. "There is a
5:41:37devil snipe on the loose. Please wait
5:41:40here until I recover it," she pleaded.
5:41:44Carl turned to inspect the area, then
5:41:46pointed at one of the trees. "It's right
5:41:49there, holding some sort of fruit seed.
5:41:52Would you like me to grab it? The devil
5:41:55snipe was a common grade monster and at
5:41:58full growth could still fit in the palm
5:42:00of a grown man's hand. They were named
5:42:02devils for their temper, not their
5:42:04power, though they did have a small
5:42:06amount of wind magic. Oh, you are the
5:42:09beast master, right? Please, if you have
5:42:12a skill to get it back, I have put in
5:42:15significant effort with that one, but
5:42:16he's got an odd food obsession and flew
5:42:18away when someone left the fruit bowl
5:42:20out. she pleaded. Carl took out a single
5:42:24commander rank mountain gooseberry from
5:42:26Hawk Space, which made the napping
5:42:28Thunderbird laugh. No mere snipe could
5:42:31resist such a good snack. Carl held his
5:42:34hand out with the snack, and the small
5:42:36bird's head immediately turned. It raced
5:42:39down out of the tree and gently landed
5:42:41in Carl's hand, then cooed in pleasure
5:42:43as it took small bites. Carl stroked the
5:42:46back of the bird's head, then passed it
5:42:49along with the berry to its handler. As
5:42:52she received the bird, the young woman's
5:42:54gaze went vacant for a few seconds. Then
5:42:56Carl felt her aura shift. He inspected
5:43:00her more closely with his system
5:43:01interface active and saw that she was
5:43:03now shown as Arabella, common rank
5:43:05ranger. Well, that went better than
5:43:08expected.
5:43:10Congratulations, young woman. You have
5:43:13successfully bonded with your snipe, who
5:43:16I would note is quickly advancing to
5:43:18awakened rank. Carl informed the group
5:43:22as she was still in shock. The bird
5:43:24looked smug and the woman rolled her
5:43:26eyes, answering its mental demand. Is it
5:43:30that easy? You just touched her and she
5:43:33gained a class. The military
5:43:36representative asked, shocked at the
5:43:37development. Actually, the fruit made
5:43:40the bird advance, and it was the bird's
5:43:42advancement that cemented the bond that
5:43:44they already had. If my guess is right,
5:43:47it realized that humans reliably have
5:43:49food, so it wanted a human to keep it
5:43:51fed. Carl explained. Arabella sighed.
5:43:57Yes, that is very close to how it went.
5:44:00Flicker requested a contract, and when I
5:44:02accepted, I awakened a class. That small
5:44:06revelation changed everything. Carl
5:44:09forged bonds with the beasts, not the
5:44:11other way around. But getting the cats
5:44:14to want to be with the humans would be
5:44:15so much easier than having the cadets
5:44:17try to move a kitten into a separate
5:44:19space and convince it to stay without
5:44:21tearing their mind apart for fun. The
5:44:23researcher was quickly collected by the
5:44:25Inquisitor before she could escape their
5:44:27grasp. She was proof that their method
5:44:30might actually work on a larger scale
5:44:32unless it was proven that the outcome
5:44:34was a result of Carl's interference.
5:44:36The more cat enclosure is this way.
5:44:40Monarch Carl, how certain are you that
5:44:42this will be feasible? The inquisitor
5:44:44asked without removing his hand from the
5:44:46researcher who was engrossed in
5:44:48conversation with her bird. With more
5:44:51cats, I would say the chance is slim. If
5:44:55we go to the ser pens, I think that they
5:44:57will have good luck. Lightning love to
5:45:01meet new friends and expand their herd.
5:45:03The other officials looked like they
5:45:05were much more set on the more cats than
5:45:07the Inquisitor was. But he was likely
5:45:09the only one of the group that really
5:45:10realized that trying to bond the more
5:45:12cats was likely to get many of these
5:45:14cadets killed, even if they succeeded.
5:45:17These are the cat cages.
5:45:19Is there anything you need to do in
5:45:21preparation?
5:45:22The military representative asked. I
5:45:25need to go speak with the mother cat
5:45:27first. Is she in the same cage as the
5:45:30little ones? Carl asked.
5:45:33No, they have been separated for safety
5:45:36now that the young ones are on solid
5:45:37food. Carl sighed and shook his head,
5:45:40then walked to the door with a
5:45:42full-grown more cat in it. If you would
5:45:44kindly open the door, I will go speak
5:45:46with her. The university staff and
5:45:49officials all looked at him like he was
5:45:51crazy.
5:45:52Sir, that more cat is not sedated. You
5:45:56can't go in there. I thought that you
5:45:58were trying to train them to help you.
5:46:00If you have to sedate them to be near
5:46:02them, you're clearly failing. But I'm
5:46:05not concerned.
5:46:07Open the door. One of the researchers
5:46:09shrugged, then took out what looked like
5:46:11a smoke grenade, likely of seditive gas,
5:46:14expecting Carl to be attacked. He
5:46:17stepped through, then closed the door
5:46:19behind him as the massive Moore cat,
5:46:21taller on all four feet than Carl was
5:46:23standing upright, stared at him. Good
5:46:26afternoon. My name is Carl.
5:46:29These gentlemen would like to form a
5:46:30life bond with your cubs. The young
5:46:33humans that is. Is that permissible to
5:46:37you? He asked. The big cat growled and
5:46:41glared at him, but Carl continued
5:46:43anyhow. What about one of them? There is
5:46:46one of them brave enough to pet a
5:46:48full-grown winged void badger. Carl
5:46:51offered. The cat looked curious but kept
5:46:54its hostile stance. The cubs will have
5:46:57to agree to the contract, of course. But
5:47:00I am going to offer each of the cubs the
5:47:02chance to pick a partner," he continued.
5:47:06One massive paw flashed out, and Carl
5:47:08raised a hand to stop it, letting the
5:47:10force slide him across the floor a
5:47:12little, but a simple sweat wouldn't harm
5:47:14him. That got the more cats interest.
5:47:18"Oh, I think that I get it. You don't
5:47:21have any respect for the weak humans, so
5:47:23you don't want them dragging down the
5:47:24futures of your cubs. Carl guessed. The
5:47:28cat rumbled in agreement, then snarled
5:47:30at the humans outside the cage.
5:47:33System quest activated. If they die,
5:47:36they die. Use the contract tokens to
5:47:39allow each recruit one attempt to bond
5:47:41with a magical beast and activate their
5:47:43system assignment.
5:47:4510 tokens appeared in Carl's hand and he
5:47:47smiled at the more cat. See, these are
5:47:51the tokens. Nothing dangerous.
5:47:53The humans will use one to try to bond
5:47:56with a new partner. Then your cubs can
5:47:58show them how powerful a more cat is.
5:48:01The big cat wasn't happy with him, but
5:48:03it reluctantly nodded, and Carl turned
5:48:06halfway to knock on the door. Showing
5:48:08his back to the mother cat would be
5:48:10rude, so he sidestepped through the door
5:48:12before turning to face the students. You
5:48:15might want to bring a cleric. I suspect
5:48:18that this might not go how they were
5:48:20hoping. The cats need to be fully
5:48:22cognizant and unrestrained for the next
5:48:24part. Carl explained
5:48:27that wasn't part of the rules. Cara
5:48:30reminded him the bond isn't instant.
5:48:34Nothing is stopping them from turning on
5:48:36the cadets later tonight when the drugs
5:48:38were off if they're trapped that way.
5:48:40When you put it that way, Cara wasn't
5:48:43sure which would be funnier. Watching
5:48:46the cats, which were nearly her size
5:48:48already, beat up cadets or knowing that
5:48:50they would wake up from a drugged stuper
5:48:52later and tear apart the elite from the
5:48:54inside out. They went one cage over to
5:48:57where the kittens were receiving
5:48:58instructions from their mother, and the
5:49:00cadets approached the bars with
5:49:02determined looks.
5:49:03All right, we will do this one at a
5:49:05time. Who wants to go first? All you
5:49:09have to do is prove to your chosen
5:49:11partner that you are worthy. Carl asked.
5:49:15The guy who had tried to pet Cara raised
5:49:17his hand and stepped forward, as did one
5:49:19of the kittens, who had paused its
5:49:21grooming midb and still had its tongue
5:49:23sticking out as it came to rub against
5:49:24the bars. The mother cat was visibly
5:49:27embarrassed at such behavior, but the
5:49:29two were clearly fond of each other.
5:49:32Carl grabbed the key card from one of
5:49:34the researchers and stepped inside the
5:49:36cage. You follow me. I will use this
5:49:40token and you have one chance to make
5:49:42your choice believe that you are a
5:49:44suitable lifetime partner for them. Carl
5:49:46activated the token as the man crouched
5:49:48to hug the cat and murmur something in
5:49:50its ear before he was tackled and
5:49:52licked, then turned into a pillow as the
5:49:54cat simply curled up on top of him. The
5:49:57cadet laughed as the huge kitten needed
5:49:59his leather armor with its paws. Then
5:50:01the baby Moore cat vanished and the bond
5:50:03was completed. His class was beast
5:50:06ranger, which was somewhat close to what
5:50:08Carl had expected. And while it wasn't a
5:50:10beast master, he had a more cat and a
5:50:12class, so it was certainly what anyone
5:50:14would call a resounding victory. Well,
5:50:17that's one for one. We're off to a good
5:50:20start. Who is next? A confident young
5:50:24cadet swaggered into the cage, then
5:50:26gestured to the largest of the kittens.
5:50:29Bring me that one. I mean, I would like
5:50:32that one. Please, Monarch. He corrected
5:50:36as he realized who he was making demands
5:50:38of. Carl caught the mother cat's smirk
5:50:41and ushered the successful candidate out
5:50:43of the room. Carl motioned for the more
5:50:46cat alpha cub to come forward and
5:50:48activated the token. As soon as he did,
5:50:51the cat growled and the token put up a
5:50:53shimmering black and green barrier over
5:50:55Carl, then a second one over the cage.
5:50:58Oh, it looks like this is a test of
5:51:00worthiness.
5:51:02Good luck, young cadet. What the hell?
5:51:06Are you not supposed to give me a more
5:51:08cat? The cadet demanded as the cub began
5:51:11to stalk him. That's not how it works.
5:51:14You have to prove you're worthy as a
5:51:16partner. I have been informed that
5:51:19you've been trained as a special forces
5:51:20soldier. You've got this. It's just a
5:51:23kitten. The cadet drew a training sword,
5:51:26and the kitten growled, as did the
5:51:28mother. Weapons were cheating in their
5:51:31minds. But that didn't matter for long.
5:51:34The cat pounced, and the cadet was too
5:51:37slow to respond, for black claws tore
5:51:40his face open, popping an eyeball, and
5:51:42then continued slashing down the front
5:51:44of his armor, while the other front paw
5:51:46tore apart his sleeve as he flailed
5:51:48helplessly at the kitten's back. The
5:51:51Inquisitor tried to cast something, as
5:51:53did the cleric outside, but Carl could
5:51:55see the spells hitting the barrier.
5:51:58Monarch, do something. The Inquisitor
5:52:01demanded.
5:52:02What exactly?
5:52:04Shatter a divine barrier to save a cadet
5:52:06from his hubris. I'm not certain I can
5:52:09manage that. The barrier should fade
5:52:12once the test is over. Carl replied
5:52:15calmly. He will be dead by then. The
5:52:19priest reminded him. That's very much a
5:52:22you problem, not a me problem. Or we can
5:52:25call High Priestess Lotus over as she
5:52:27can resurrect the failed candidate if
5:52:29she gets here in time. The white robed
5:52:32cleric sighed, then winced as the kitten
5:52:34tore the throat out of the cadet, then
5:52:36proudly strutdded away as the barriers
5:52:38fell. C. All as the gods intended. Who
5:52:43wants to go next? Everyone just stared
5:52:46at Carl as he stood next to a growing
5:52:48puddle of blood as the cleric worked to
5:52:50heal the cadet in preparation for
5:52:52resurrection.
5:52:53Why didn't you tell us you were serious?
5:52:56One of the others demanded. Did everyone
5:52:59think that I was joking about you dying
5:53:00if the cat disagreed? I wasn't lying. I
5:53:05am also not joking about you only
5:53:06getting one chance. The token won't work
5:53:09for you again if you fail and live. But
5:53:12there are other beast species options
5:53:14here if you want to try one of them.
5:53:17Carl reminded them. One young woman
5:53:20stepped forward as she wrapped her hands
5:53:22in some sort of cloth. I would also like
5:53:25to try for a more cat kitten. The young
5:53:27lady with the white stripe on her neck.
5:53:30She insisted.
5:53:32The kitten turned to stare at the
5:53:34audacious upstart of a human kitten. It
5:53:37didn't particularly dislike this human.
5:53:39But to think that a human thought they
5:53:40could be partners in any meaningful way.
5:53:43Ridiculous.
5:53:45The cleric pulled the body out of the
5:53:47cage and began the hard part of his work
5:53:48while calling for reinforcements.
5:53:51Resurrection took a huge amount of
5:53:53energy. And for some reason, healing
5:53:55this victim was harder than usual. If he
5:53:58couldn't do the resurrection alone, he
5:54:00might need to cast the reincarnation
5:54:02ritual and have the cadet reborn in a
5:54:04new body. The tokens that Carl was using
5:54:07appeared to be some sort of divine
5:54:09blessing, and the gods themselves were
5:54:11interfering in the casting of his
5:54:12spells. "That should have been
5:54:14expected," Carl thought. Both the nature
5:54:17god and the god of death approved of
5:54:19permanent death by stupidity as a
5:54:21punishment. They also both rewarded
5:54:24those who were brave enough to try
5:54:25anyhow, assuming that they survived. The
5:54:29modeled black and gray kitten with the
5:54:31white stripe on its neck marched over to
5:54:33Carl, demanding he use his spell so she
5:54:35could find out if this fake monk was
5:54:37worthy. "Do you think she's getting
5:54:39eaten?" Cara asked. "I think that she
5:54:43knows something about that cat in
5:54:45particular." "If it was a lingering
5:54:47injury or deformity, she wouldn't have
5:54:49chosen that one as a life partner, so
5:54:51it's likely about personality,"
5:54:54Carl suggested. When both appeared
5:54:57ready, Carl used a token on them and the
5:54:59cat pounced only to have the cadet punch
5:55:01her paw. In the next few seconds, dozens
5:55:05of strikes were parried and the girl
5:55:07nimly dodged strikes with the jaws as
5:55:09well as a 4-footed pounce intended to
5:55:11pin her to the ground. Interestingly,
5:55:14while the barrier was up around the
5:55:16cage, Carl was not blocked this time. He
5:55:19could move freely around the cage, but
5:55:21chose to sit along the wall between the
5:55:23mother cat and the action. The cadet was
5:55:26beginning to sweat heavily with exertion
5:55:28by the end of the second minute, but the
5:55:30kitten was losing focus. It had
5:55:32forgotten that it was supposed to be
5:55:34making the monk prove that she was a
5:55:35worthy partner and had reverted to
5:55:37simply playing with the human like she
5:55:39did with her other siblings. 2 minutes
5:55:42after that, the cat vanished and the
5:55:44girl smiled.
5:55:46Name: Nikki. Class Tiger Monk.
5:55:50Congratulations. You have succeeded with
5:55:52only minimal injuries.
5:55:55Carl informed her. The girl was actually
5:55:58bleeding very heavily and was likely to
5:56:00pass out from blood loss soon. It was
5:56:03only adrenaline and joy keeping her
5:56:05conscious right now. A newly arrived
5:56:08cleric cast a healing spell on the
5:56:10exhausted monk, while Carl warned away a
5:56:12few of the other cubs that thought it
5:56:14might be a good opportunity to eat a
5:56:15human while they were exhausted.
5:56:18After all, defenseless humans were
5:56:20basically just giant steaks, and they
5:56:22loved it when the white coats fed them
5:56:24stakes. Carl saw the longing looks as
5:56:27the kittens backed away, unwilling to
5:56:29start a fight with the powerful male.
5:56:31So, he took a small sample of commander
5:56:34rank meat, the lowest grade that Hawk
5:56:36had in his repository, to cut and toss
5:56:38to the others. There, a little treat for
5:56:41everyone. Thank you for helping us so
5:56:44far," Carl whispered like it was some
5:56:47secret he was feeding them. Then he
5:56:49tossed a larger steak through the bars
5:56:51to the mother cat, who rumbled in joy
5:56:54that Carl was kind enough to give her a
5:56:56decent portion for her body size. Too
5:56:58many of the workers tried to give her
5:57:00little bites that wouldn't even cover
5:57:02half her tongue. After a few seconds,
5:57:05the monk gave Carl a weak thumbs up, and
5:57:07the kitten appeared in front of her with
5:57:09a flash of green light, a phenomenon
5:57:11that didn't happen when Carl's beasts
5:57:13left their space. It marched over with
5:57:16all the imperious pride that a kitten
5:57:17could muster, then gave him a pleading
5:57:19look and whine for food. Everyone else
5:57:22had gotten a snack, but she was stuck in
5:57:24a separate space.
5:57:26Carl patted the Moore cat's head and
5:57:28then fed it chunks of meat as it hung
5:57:30from his arm, attached with long black
5:57:32claws that were unwilling to let him
5:57:34escape. Fascinating, it has become so
5:57:37gentle after being bonded. One of the
5:57:40university staffers noted. Carl laughed.
5:57:44Don't be mistaken. Its claws are pierced
5:57:46deep into my arm. But I have trollish
5:57:49regeneration, so it's doing less damage
5:57:52than I regenerate.
5:57:54He was also immune to this level of
5:57:56damage. But that wasn't a fact that they
5:57:58all needed to know. Who would like to go
5:58:00next? Any volunteers?
5:58:04Carl asked.
5:58:05Silence.
5:58:07Then one of the boys spoke up. I got to
5:58:10meet your Thor once before. Could you do
5:58:12the same for the lightning ser
5:58:14hatchlings? Huh? I knew they were all
5:58:16herbivores,
5:58:18but it's a shame we don't get to watch
5:58:20more of them commit suicide.
5:58:22Cara joked. You can't expect everyone to
5:58:26be able to handle a strong personality
5:58:28right off the start, but I'm sure that
5:58:30they will make for an excellent herd of
5:58:32elites with their lightning sero
5:58:33partners.
5:58:35Yes, if that's everyone who would like
5:58:37to try for a more cat as their partner,
5:58:39we can move on. I am certain that the
5:58:42army will be overjoyed no matter what
5:58:44you pick. Carl agreed. The mother more
5:58:48cat gave a derisive snort and Carl
5:58:50winked at her, letting the beast know
5:58:52that they were on the same page about
5:58:53the competence of this group. Carl just
5:58:56understood the limitations of humans
5:58:58better than the more cat did. The more
5:59:01cat kitten climbed up Carl's arm to sit
5:59:03on his shoulder, much to its new
5:59:05partner's dismay. "Will you come down
5:59:07here?" Monarch Carl isn't going to give
5:59:10you more food just because you're close.
5:59:12The newly minted tiger monk demanded.
5:59:16The cat gave her a skeptical look, then
5:59:18rubbed up against the side of Carl's
5:59:20face while the mother cat looked away,
5:59:22unwilling to be associated with such
5:59:24shamelessness, even if this strange man
5:59:26did have the best snacks. Cara dropped a
5:59:29small bit of meat in front of the kitten
5:59:31as Carl stood up to walk out of the
5:59:32cage, and the beast gave its partner a
5:59:35smug look. You are stronger than you
5:59:37look," the monk noted, confused at the
5:59:40ease with which Carl could stand while
5:59:42carrying a 20 kilo cat draped over his
5:59:45back and shoulder. "Soon you will be as
5:59:48well. If you advance along with your
5:59:50partner, it shouldn't be difficult for
5:59:52you to become a proper royal rank
5:59:54elite." Her eyes lit up with excitement
5:59:56as she followed him back to the group,
5:59:58envisioning the day when she was one of
6:00:00the powerful ones. The lightning sero
6:00:03area was much less heavily guarded.
6:00:06The baby Sarah were not too threatening,
6:00:08so as long as you wore shinuards, you
6:00:10would be all right until they grew up a
6:00:12little. Oh, I have bribes for the baby
6:00:15Thortype beasts. Cara announced, "Oh,
6:00:19what did you come up with?" Cara held up
6:00:22a hazelnut, and Carl wondered where it
6:00:24had come from. "The lotus made them for
6:00:27breakfast food, and I claimed some nuts
6:00:29for trees," she declared proudly. They
6:00:33weren't naturally a magical resource.
6:00:36They were just hazelnuts.
6:00:38Tasty, but not rare or special. But
6:00:41after growing up in a royal rank beast
6:00:43space, even the common hazelnut tree was
6:00:46imbued with mana. What Cara had done was
6:00:49to make a crude copy of the hazelnut
6:00:51butter and inserted into small apples
6:00:53with the core removed. Even a young
6:00:55Lightning Sarah would treat those as a
6:00:57one or two bite snack, and Carl couldn't
6:01:00deny that they looked pretty tasty. The
6:01:02inquisitor nudged Carl, reminding him
6:01:05that he still had someone else's more
6:01:06cat on his shoulder. In response, he
6:01:10handed the monk girl a bag full of diced
6:01:12commander rank meat. Feed her that when
6:01:15she needs a snack. Highrank monster meat
6:01:18is the best way for a young beast to
6:01:19grow. So, don't be too stingy, even if
6:01:22the food costs are high. I don't know if
6:01:25your ability is like mine, but if it is,
6:01:28you might eventually be able to keep
6:01:29food for your cat in a separate mental
6:01:31space, he explained.
6:01:34Nikki looked confused and shrugged. When
6:01:37she's not out here, she wanders my
6:01:39spirit ocean, the spot in my mind where
6:01:42I focus energy to grow mental strength.
6:01:45So, she didn't get a separate space for
6:01:47the beast. That was unexpected.
6:01:50It also ruled out keeping resources
6:01:53there.
6:01:54In that case, you can put the meat in
6:01:56your inventory. You don't need to keep
6:01:58holding it. Carl reminded her, "Right,
6:02:02inventory.
6:02:03I have a class now. And don't forget to
6:02:06check your class skills in your skill
6:02:08tree so that you can plan your
6:02:09advancement. You have a lot to do." The
6:02:13same for our first success story. Where
6:02:16did he go, by the way? A hand waved from
6:02:19the back of the group. And then Carl
6:02:21noticed that the clerics were taking
6:02:23away a body covered in a white sheet.
6:02:26They really hadn't been able to
6:02:27resurrect the one who had died to the
6:02:29more cat kitten. He was going to have to
6:02:32be reincarnated and that couldn't be
6:02:33done here. It was a six high cleric
6:02:36ritual. The grown Sero group came over
6:02:39to greet Carl and much to his surprise,
6:02:42they had a lot to say. It's a pack
6:02:45leader. Are we going to move the pack?
6:02:48This place is small.
6:02:50Why do you smell good? Do you have food?
6:02:53Aren't the little ones cute? Are you
6:02:56keeping the predators away? Carl had no
6:02:59idea why he could hear all the Sarah in
6:03:01his mind, but he took a pile of feet out
6:03:03of Thor's space for the pack. Thor
6:03:06wouldn't begrudge them the good stuff,
6:03:07and it bought Carl some time to try to
6:03:09determine why he could hear the sero
6:03:11pack. If the reason was nothing more
6:03:14than that he was a beast master
6:03:15packmaster so he could hear pack animals
6:03:18Carl might actually give up on trying to
6:03:20understand the system in his mind Thor
6:03:23laughed all lightning so share a mental
6:03:26link we can all hear each other's
6:03:29thoughts when we're close to another
6:03:30pack so we don't need to bugle except as
6:03:33a warning I can hear them so you can
6:03:35hear them probably
6:03:38Carl accepted Thor's idea as the most
6:03:41likely one and addressed The Sero
6:03:43elders, I came to make a request. Some
6:03:47of these humans want to start packs with
6:03:49the young ones. They will take care of
6:03:51them and have their packs help the
6:03:53little ones grow up strong. Do you know
6:03:55of Thor, my Sarah partner, or is he too
6:03:59far away? Carl asked them, focusing on
6:04:02both Thor and the pack. We can sense
6:04:05him, but he's not close enough to talk
6:04:07to. The current pack leader agreed. That
6:04:11made things much easier. If they knew
6:04:14that this agreement could grow stronger
6:04:16than usual lightning sparrow, they were
6:04:18more likely to agree. How many of them?
6:04:21Our pack is already small. The leader
6:04:24asked.
6:04:26Not more than seven. But these white
6:04:29coats will continue to look after your
6:04:30pack and keep predators away. The Sero
6:04:34considered it and grunted before turning
6:04:35to eat. If the little ones wanted to try
6:04:38joining the human pack, they would allow
6:04:40it. The human pack that looked after
6:04:43them was strong after all. All right,
6:04:46everyone who wants to try for a
6:04:48lightning sero partner, come forward. I
6:04:51will provide you with snacks for your
6:04:53potential partners and then activate the
6:04:55tokens.
6:04:56Carl passed out Cara's apple
6:04:58concoctions, then took one for himself.
6:05:01These are good. We should make more of
6:05:03them. Cara nodded with hazelnut spread
6:05:06on the fur around her mouth. I agree. I
6:05:10will prepare more of them. She was using
6:05:13disintegrate to core the apples. So, the
6:05:16only time-consuming part was making the
6:05:18hazelnut paste. The little ones came
6:05:21forward to see what sort of snack was
6:05:23being offered. And only a few seconds
6:05:25later, the first bond formed. Carl saw
6:05:28that this one was also tagged as a beast
6:05:31ranger by the system. and the small
6:05:33serrow in front of him was marked as his
6:05:35partner. Then two more cadets gained the
6:05:38same class and everyone began to notice
6:05:40the pattern. Beast ranger was the
6:05:43default class for people partnered with
6:05:44one of the serrow as a regular ranger
6:05:47was unable to bond with magical beasts,
6:05:49only common animals. Two more cadets
6:05:52gained the class and the group was
6:05:54beginning to think that lightning ser.
6:05:58Then things began to go wrong. One of
6:06:01the rangers began to convulse, and Carl
6:06:04sensed the distress from his bonded
6:06:06partner. It was part of his pack now,
6:06:08and the pack member was in danger, but
6:06:10the Sero didn't know what to do. It had
6:06:13already put a refreshing lightning
6:06:16barrier over him, but it couldn't see
6:06:18the attacker. Carl examined him as
6:06:20thoroughly as he could, but it just
6:06:22didn't make sense. The man had the
6:06:25class. The Sarah was a common rank
6:06:27hatchling, and everything looked normal.
6:06:30The white robed cleric realized at first
6:06:33the mental link is too strong. It's
6:06:36breaking his mind. I will sedate him,
6:06:39but I don't know what we will do after
6:06:41that. Carl wasn't sure that would work.
6:06:45The mental link was active even when you
6:06:47were sleeping. But being unconscious
6:06:50should give him the best chance to focus
6:06:51and stabilize his mind. That left only
6:06:55two of the cadets. And while the
6:06:56hatchlings happily accepted all the
6:06:58snacks that they could offer, they
6:07:00wanted nothing else to do with them.
6:07:02Then a second cadet dropped to the
6:07:04ground with blood pouring from their
6:07:06eyes and nose. The cleric rushed over,
6:07:09but the boy waved his hand. I will be
6:07:12all right. He's just energetic.
6:07:15There is a tree of life in my soul. See,
6:07:17and Devon, my Sarah, charged it with his
6:07:20horns. He mumbled.
6:07:23Carl chuckled. You have a smashing post
6:07:26in your mental space. You're in for a
6:07:29very rough week until you build your
6:07:31mental strength. The others all looked
6:07:33confused, so Carl created an earth
6:07:36barrier post on the far side of the
6:07:38enclosure. The Sarah herd cheered and
6:07:41began to line up to take turns smashing
6:07:43into it. Damn it, we were finally
6:07:46breaking them of that habit. One of the
6:07:48university workers grumbled. It's
6:07:51essential to their mental health.
6:07:54You need to let them play. If they can't
6:07:56charge at posts, they need to charge
6:07:58each other, and that isn't as much fun.
6:08:01If you have mages, they also like mage
6:08:04barriers,
6:08:05Carl explained. A number of the nearby
6:08:08Sero nodded in agreement, making the
6:08:10cadets, who were not having a hard time
6:08:12with their new partner laugh. Mage
6:08:15barriers were good. Posts were better.
6:08:19Magical posts were the best. If they
6:08:22could find one that made a better noise
6:08:23when they hit it, they would revise the
6:08:25ranking system. What is wrong with me? I
6:08:29swear I'm a good partner. One of the two
6:08:32men who were left out of the selection
6:08:34pleaded with the little lightning serow
6:08:36in front of him. The beast stole the
6:08:38offered snack from him and ran away
6:08:40victorious.
6:08:42Carl discreetly sniffed to see if there
6:08:44was something he was missing. It was
6:08:46buried under soap and alcohol-based
6:08:48sanitizer, but there was something
6:08:50rancid, like the worst possible
6:08:52combination of body odor and rotting
6:08:54fruit. He couldn't pin down what it was,
6:08:57but there was something wrong with him.
6:08:59When Carl focused on soul sight, it was
6:09:02immediately evident. The normal light
6:09:04blue glow was tattered and corrupted,
6:09:06profoundly wrong. The other one was
6:09:09similar, but not in the same way. Their
6:09:12soul was just wrong and gave Carl a
6:09:15feeling of evil like someone who takes
6:09:17pleasure in bullying others. It wasn't
6:09:20something that he could point at and
6:09:21say, "This is what is wrong." But it was
6:09:23definitely there and the herd could
6:09:25sense it as well. But the cadets had
6:09:28already used their one token, and there
6:09:30would be no second chances,
6:09:32at least not with quest item assistance.
6:09:35Whether those two could convince a beast
6:09:37to bond with them in the future was
6:09:39unknown. But now that they knew the
6:09:41trick, the researchers should be able to
6:09:43find at least a few more successful
6:09:45rangers among their ranks. The
6:09:48Inquisitor turned to Carl for answers,
6:09:50but he didn't want to say it out loud. I
6:09:53will explain privately later. I think
6:09:55that this quest should be nearly
6:09:57complete. The word quest told the
6:10:00Inquisitor all he needed to know about
6:10:01why this should be a private
6:10:03conversation.
6:10:04He had thought that the tokens Carl had
6:10:06taken out were related to a skill that
6:10:08he had. But if they were from the
6:10:10system, that changed things immensely.
6:10:13Carl looked over the young elites. The
6:10:16rest of them appeared to be having
6:10:18better luck with their bonded partners,
6:10:20and only the one was in serious trouble.
6:10:22That's not bad. 60% success rate, Carl
6:10:27noted as the clerics worked to save the
6:10:29man in an induced coma. 60% among
6:10:33trainees who weren't able to gain a
6:10:34class with the serum but showed signs of
6:10:37compatibility with magic. The inquisitor
6:10:40added, "Did you try the system linked
6:10:42item trick already?" Carl replied. The
6:10:46Inquisitor nodded. We did with no luck
6:10:50on this batch. The real question is how
6:10:53many might have succeeded without the
6:10:54tokens.
6:10:56Carl considered it. I would say three.
6:11:00Three of them struck me as compatible
6:11:02with the technique from the start. The
6:11:04two successes among the more cats and
6:11:07one with the serero herd. Do you think
6:11:09that these last two might be able to
6:11:11activate a system interface with an
6:11:13appropriate skill book? The inquisitor
6:11:16suggested.
6:11:17Honestly, I have no idea. I don't think
6:11:20that everyone was ever able to access
6:11:22the system, and we've already sorted
6:11:24these by their ability to use mana.
6:11:27among the general population, the
6:11:29chances will be much lower. It was
6:11:32beginning to sink in that while they
6:11:33were trained as special forces soldiers,
6:11:35the two who were not deemed suitable by
6:11:37a serero and didn't try with a more cat
6:11:39would have to be transferred from this
6:11:41unit. But the leadership was not
6:11:43concerned with losing a few research
6:11:45volunteers.
6:11:47If they had six healthy test subjects in
6:11:49a unit to attempt to train up with their
6:11:51magical beasts, that meant that they
6:11:53could begin working on methods to
6:11:54increase growth speed now for when they
6:11:56found a way to make the projects
6:11:57applicable on a larger scale. Carl was
6:12:00playing with the baby so group while the
6:12:02students and scientists began to work,
6:12:05recording data and getting responses
6:12:06from the successful cadetses. Then one
6:12:09of the hatchlings bumped Carl's hand,
6:12:11nuzzling at his ring, then looking at a
6:12:13student researcher with her hair dyed
6:12:15the same gold as Sarah eyes. "Oh, you
6:12:19want to give a gift to your sweetheart?"
6:12:22Carl asked the little beast. The Sarah
6:12:25nodded happily. So Carl took an awakened
6:12:27rank ring from the spare trash in his
6:12:29storage and hung it over the little
6:12:30beast's nose horn. The student laughed
6:12:33and petted his head as he came strutting
6:12:35over, then reluctantly put on the ring
6:12:37at his repeated insistence.
6:12:39Then the Sero vanished. "Hey, what are
6:12:43you doing now? I thought you only had
6:12:46quest items for 10," the inquisitor
6:12:49demanded. "I did. I actually just gave
6:12:53the Sero a ring of minor agility as an
6:12:55engagement ring for his beloved handler.
6:12:58The rest was unexpected, but I think
6:13:00that she awakened a class as well. The
6:13:03inquisitor sighed and ran his fingers
6:13:05through his hair. "Are we going to have
6:13:07to let everyone in the nation try on a
6:13:09system imbued item to find out if they
6:13:11are actually system compatible?" He
6:13:13muttered. "That's probably the easiest
6:13:16way. It looks like a lot more people are
6:13:19compatible than we had thought by using
6:13:21the serum alone. You can't blame anyone
6:13:24for it, though. It's not like we had
6:13:27system linked items available even a
6:13:29year ago. Carl agreed.
6:13:32Now more of the baby Sarah wanted rings
6:13:34as a method of recruiting new herd
6:13:36members. Just wait. When it is time, the
6:13:40right herd members will come to you. You
6:13:43don't have to hurry to find them when
6:13:45your pack is already strong. Did a
6:13:47hatchling just get engaged? How is that
6:13:50fair? I have been rejected by so many
6:13:53and he gets his first choice. Thor
6:13:56complained. He went after a common rank
6:13:59student with no scales at all. Don't
6:14:02worry about it, buddy. You'll find your
6:14:05perfect woman one day. Carl assured him.
6:14:09No scales. Did he propose to a human
6:14:12woman? What a strange kid. Thor
6:14:16definitely did not see the appeal. Carl
6:14:19noticed Carl leaving the area and
6:14:21tracked her movements as she left the
6:14:22building entirely heading for another
6:14:24section of the university.
6:14:26Try not to get yourself in trouble. Carl
6:14:30warned her. I have a plan. Trust me.
6:14:34That did not reassure Carl at all. Cara
6:14:38and plan in the same sentence generally
6:14:39meant that there was going to be trouble
6:14:41of some sort.
6:14:42So Carl was not shocked when under a
6:14:45minute later a runner was coming to get
6:14:47the inquisitor for a situation.
6:14:49Cara had found the orphan school at the
6:14:51side of a university compound and she
6:14:54had started handing out sweet grasses
6:14:55from her space along with magical items
6:14:57for the kids to try on. Oh, they sent
6:15:00people to help. Cara informed Carl
6:15:03happily. I think they're actually coming
6:15:06to restrain you. What did you do? Lotus
6:15:10told me that the kids don't get birthday
6:15:12presents at the orphanage, so I'm giving
6:15:14them all presents. You should see how
6:15:16happy they are. Oh, and that one got a
6:15:20warrior class. We're on a roll here.
6:15:23Cara, don't worry. I'm almost done.
6:15:27There's only like 50 kids here. The
6:15:29Inquisitor turned to Carl with an angry
6:15:31glare. Care to explain? Obviously, he
6:15:36had already seen Cara, so the report
6:15:38would have told him immediately what was
6:15:39happening with the ball of chaos at the
6:15:41school. The nature priests told her that
6:15:44orphans don't get birthday presents.
6:15:47So, she made an executive decision to go
6:15:49distribute them, and you didn't stop
6:15:52her. Telling this man he thought it
6:15:54would be funny probably wasn't the
6:15:56correct answer. But Carl was saved from
6:15:59saying anything when the inquisitor
6:16:01continued, "Never mind. I can tell that
6:16:04you have no intention of stopping her as
6:16:06long as nobody is getting injured. I
6:16:08will ask the recovery team to bring her
6:16:10back to you. He complained.
6:16:13Just trying to capture Cara was likely
6:16:15to cause more chaos than it stopped. In
6:16:18fact, there was a decent chance that the
6:16:20kids at the orphan school would think it
6:16:22was some sort of comedy gag routine.
6:16:25That's likely not necessary.
6:16:28It's not like they can capture a winged
6:16:30void badger and she will come back when
6:16:32she is done.
6:16:33They are specialists,
6:16:35the Inquisitor insisted.
6:16:38She can nullify skills and she's got a
6:16:40monarch rank bubble of disintegrate.
6:16:43Plus, she can fly. Are you sure you
6:16:46don't want me to call her back instead?
6:16:49Carl suggested.
6:16:51The Inquisitor considered it. No, let
6:16:54them try. It will be a good experience
6:16:57for them. We have a challenger.
6:17:00Quick, I need more loot. Boss, toss some
6:17:04trash items into my space, Cara
6:17:07demanded. What in the seven hells are
6:17:10you doing now? Don't taunt the teachers.
6:17:13I would never do something so low and
6:17:15cowardly. The teachers called for
6:17:18reinforcements.
6:17:20Cast a barrier on me, will you? Ha.
6:17:24Nullify.
6:17:25Those must be the response team that the
6:17:27Inquisitor called. As Carl could hear
6:17:30chaos over the radio headset that the
6:17:31man had put on, the Inquisitor's frown
6:17:34had turned to a sharp glare at Carl,
6:17:36then to resignation, and finally to a
6:17:39faintly amused smile. Man, am I glad I
6:17:42don't have to write this report? The
6:17:45Inquisitor muttered. "That bad?" he
6:17:48nodded. Would you want to tell your boss
6:17:51that your target dropped their barrier
6:17:53to give your team leader a wedgie, then
6:17:55gave a giant strength ring to a
6:17:56preschooler before running away with a
6:17:58nature priestess on her back? Not Lotus,
6:18:02I hope. Carl asked.
6:18:05No, one from the response team. They
6:18:08apparently thought that they could pin
6:18:10the suspect, but they have now been
6:18:11abducted by a monster that all the
6:18:13children think is a funny-looking dog
6:18:15running loose in the park. And I'm out
6:18:17of loot. Cara announced as she returned
6:18:20to her space, breathing heavily from
6:18:23laughter and exertion. The chaos
6:18:25continued over the radio for a few more
6:18:27minutes as the security team had to
6:18:29convince a group of school kids to turn
6:18:31over the magical items they were given
6:18:33and deal with the fact that some of them
6:18:34had actually awakened a class early. A
6:18:37security guard ran in a few minutes
6:18:39later, panting for breath. Sir, we have
6:18:42lost the target. I regret to inform you
6:18:46that there is a royal rankwinged void
6:18:47badger loose in the city. The inquisitor
6:18:50patted him on the shoulder. Relax, son.
6:18:55The beastmaster took care of it, and the
6:18:57troublemaker has been given a timeout.
6:19:00How bad is the damage? The soldier
6:19:02sighed and shook his head. We have three
6:19:05confirmed class awakenings in the middle
6:19:07school section. 10 more probable class
6:19:09awakenings for aggressive preschoolers
6:19:12with giant strength that we left to the
6:19:13red dragon clerics and a few bruised
6:19:15egos.
6:19:17No major injuries unless Jill is injured
6:19:20wherever she went. Carl frowned. Is Jill
6:19:24your nature priestess? The guard nodded.
6:19:28I take it that the agent of chaos is
6:19:30your bonded pet. I'm going to punch him
6:19:32in the face. Partner. She is one of my
6:19:36bonded partners.
6:19:38Sorry for the trouble. She gets quite
6:19:40excited about new projects and she
6:19:42wanted to give all the kids a gift to
6:19:44make up for all the birthday gifts they
6:19:46missed. Great. And now we have to feel
6:19:49bad for taking the presents away. I
6:19:52suppose that they can keep most of them,
6:19:54but the dangerous items will need to be
6:19:56collected. The guard side. Carl was a
6:20:00monarch, and even if he was a little
6:20:01eccentric, nobody actually got hurt. So
6:20:04the worst that would happen was that he
6:20:05got yelled at for a while.
6:20:08What did she give them? I thought it was
6:20:10all just random stuff from my inventory,
6:20:13Carl asked. Yes, that's the issue, isn't
6:20:17it? It's just random stuff from your
6:20:20Monarch rank inventory.
6:20:22Most of it is magical gemstones, a few
6:20:24random potions, and food, but there are
6:20:28some magic items as well, including a
6:20:30number of giant strength items. The
6:20:33awakened classes are a minor issue and
6:20:35not my problem.
6:20:37But some of the kids were not entirely
6:20:39human and the influx of power has had
6:20:41unexpected results. Do you want me to go
6:20:44sort it out? We're nearly done here. The
6:20:48test is finished and we've proven the
6:20:50secondary theory that we were after as
6:20:52well. So, I can go over to the school
6:20:55and calm the situation.
6:20:57Carl offered. The inquisitor smirked.
6:21:01You know, I think I would like to see
6:21:03this. Yes. Let's see how you calm down
6:21:06an entire middle school. In his mind,
6:21:09Cara laughed. She had given a bunch of
6:21:12the kids juice that Remy had made to
6:21:14increase energy. Nobody was getting them
6:21:17to calm down for hours. You know, we're
6:21:20going to get a bad reputation in the
6:21:22city after this. Only with annoying
6:21:25people. The kids already love us, and so
6:21:28do the soldiers. I heard that they will
6:21:31let Thor and Remy give stuff to the
6:21:33other cadets to see if they can awaken a
6:21:35class. Carl left the university
6:21:37researchers and the representatives from
6:21:39the military and government behind as he
6:21:41followed the Inquisitor out of the
6:21:42animal husbandry section of the
6:21:44university, waiting for the right moment
6:21:46to ask his question. Inquisitor, how bad
6:21:49have the casualties been with the giants
6:21:51that we are trying so hard to find new
6:21:53ways to awaken elites? I was under the
6:21:56impression that the government was happy
6:21:57with the current arrangement.
6:22:00he asked quietly. The Inquisitor sighed
6:22:03and shook his head. About 20% since the
6:22:06war started. If they keep it up another
6:22:09year at the current rate, we will have
6:22:11lost half our elites just trying to
6:22:12defend the nation, and we've already
6:22:14fallen back in many sections, giving up
6:22:16the more difficult to defend regions to
6:22:18the giants. Carl frowned. What the hell
6:22:22are they after? They can't be doing this
6:22:25without a reason. The Inquisitor
6:22:28shrugged. For a few weeks, they stopped
6:22:31pushing and sent invasion teams towards
6:22:33all of the newly opened dungeons.
6:22:35But now they're back at the border in
6:22:37full force and pushing harder than ever.
6:22:40Whatever they're after, the official
6:22:42word is that it is likely to be system
6:22:44related. The current motivational videos
6:22:47say that they are jealous of the elites
6:22:48and our power, so they're trying to stop
6:22:50us before we grow. The Titan gods can't
6:22:54use the usual relics to awaken their
6:22:56people.
6:22:57They need the fancy things. Cara
6:23:00suggested the system stones or the lost
6:23:03fragment of the world dragon scale that
6:23:05was supposed to be buried on this
6:23:06continent. Carl agreed. You know
6:23:10something. The inquisitor stated.
6:23:14Indeed, but that's between me and the
6:23:16archbishop.
6:23:18I'm afraid I'm not free to explain.
6:23:21telling the Inquisitor that the giants
6:23:23were likely to overrun the nation,
6:23:24trying to find a lost relic that could
6:23:26awaken the system and their people now
6:23:28that everyone else was getting in on the
6:23:29fun wouldn't do the haggarded-l
6:23:30lookinging man any good. The schoolyard
6:23:33was chaos when they arrived, even with a
6:23:35swarm of teachers trying to calm them
6:23:37all down. As they reached the grassy
6:23:40area where the kids were gathered for
6:23:42their break, Carl switched to his armor
6:23:44and then used brutality to increase his
6:23:47size, then haste to buff his speed to
6:23:50the level he would need for his next
6:23:51show. A sharp clap of his hand sent out
6:23:54a boom of dislocated air at supersonic
6:23:57speeds and caught the attention of
6:23:58everyone on the playground.
6:24:01Listen up. I need everyone gathered here
6:24:04in front of me. If any of the little
6:24:06ones have gone inside, I need them back
6:24:08out here. Come on, we don't have all
6:24:11day, he shouted before letting his size
6:24:14reduce back to normal. The children
6:24:17dutifully lined up in front of Carl in a
6:24:19jumbled group with a few beast kin at
6:24:21the front. They seemed almost drawn to
6:24:24him, and it was their response that
6:24:26brought the others. Hello everyone,
6:24:29my name is Carl, and you already met my
6:24:31friend Cara, the void badger. Now, it
6:24:34has come to my attention that the
6:24:36clerics are not happy with some of the
6:24:37gifts that she picked. So, instead of
6:24:39having them confiscated, I came over to
6:24:41give you a chance to exchange them. You
6:24:44see, young Cara just learned that the
6:24:46orphanages don't celebrate birthdays,
6:24:48and she wanted everyone to have a late
6:24:50birthday present from her, so it
6:24:52wouldn't be right if it was taken away.
6:24:55A small boy ran up and hugged Carl while
6:24:58the teacher smiled. It's my real
6:25:00birthday today," the boy explained, then
6:25:04held up a hand wearing a giant strength
6:25:06ring. He was too young to have awakened
6:25:08a class, but the item had equipped to
6:25:10him, so Carl was fairly certain that he
6:25:13would be awakening one in the near
6:25:14future, and the teachers thought that
6:25:17making you super strong was likely to
6:25:19break stuff." Carl agreed. Cara was
6:25:23working frantically to prepare gift bags
6:25:25full of snacks, each with one special
6:25:27treat at the bottom. nothing that would
6:25:29cause the chaos of the rings she started
6:25:31passing out after the security team
6:25:33began chasing her. Though Cara wanted
6:25:36them to have one long-lasting item to
6:25:38remember her by, so some of the items
6:25:40were looted broken magical items,
6:25:42decorative jewelry that she had stuck a
6:25:44pretty stone into, replacing the ugly or
6:25:46missing stones or other similar items.
6:25:50She passed Carl a bag and he traded the
6:25:52preschool-aged boy for the ring of giant
6:25:54strength. He pulled it out and found a
6:25:57simple brass amulet on a chain. Then
6:25:59opened it to find a crude self-portrait
6:26:01of Cara carved with one of her claws
6:26:03into a quartz flake. It's so pretty. I
6:26:07will keep this forever. The boy
6:26:10declared. I will tell Cara that you like
6:26:13it. Happy birthday. The ring returned to
6:26:16its normal size as the boy took it off
6:26:19and Carl set it back into one of his
6:26:21inventory spaces.
6:26:23There were far more trash quality
6:26:24magical items in there than Carl
6:26:26remembered. Sure, they looted the
6:26:29giant's bodies empty, but there had to
6:26:31be thousands of damaged or extremely
6:26:33lowquality rings, bracelets, amulets,
6:26:36and other bits of magical jewelry in
6:26:37there. Did we really kill that many
6:26:40monsters?
6:26:42Carl asked. I don't think so. Well,
6:26:46maybe before I got here. Lots of that
6:26:49stuff smells like cold. That was right.
6:26:53They had looted the frost giant city or
6:26:56Rey had. Remy wasn't coming out of her
6:26:59space in that weather, but Rey had
6:27:01stockpiled everything that she could get
6:27:03her hands on just so the giants couldn't
6:27:05have it. You can pick items that protect
6:27:08against the cold to give to the kids as
6:27:10well. Nobody will complain about those
6:27:12if they don't increase strength or
6:27:14magical power enough for the kids to
6:27:16become a problem. That made Cara's gift
6:27:19package giving much easier. though she
6:27:21was going to pick the food bushes in her
6:27:22space clean by the time they finished.
6:27:25She only kept them for decoration and
6:27:27the others were all busy except Hawk,
6:27:30who was still asleep enjoying his day
6:27:32off. There were only a halfozen items
6:27:35that needed to be swapped and a few kids
6:27:37that Cara had missed the first time
6:27:39through as everyone was moving around
6:27:42and she was being chased by annoying
6:27:44people. "Did we miss anyone?" Carl
6:27:47asked. The twins are in the closet and
6:27:50the doofus with funny hair is sick
6:27:52today. One of the boys announced, "His
6:27:56name is Ronald and he's not a doofus."
6:27:59One of the girls defended him, though
6:28:01Carl noted that she didn't mention his
6:28:03hair. "The teachers were the ones that
6:28:05caught the important part." "Why are the
6:28:08twins in the closet?" the old woman
6:28:11asked. "Because they're stupid and
6:28:13nobody likes them." One of the boys in
6:28:16back muttered. Too low for human hearing
6:28:18to pick up. Carl turned to the teacher.
6:28:22Bullying. How about I give you this for
6:28:25Ronald and you can go get the twins. The
6:28:28teacher nodded and jogged off to get the
6:28:30twins while a number of the students
6:28:32gave the boy who had outed them a dirty
6:28:34look. It didn't take long to find the
6:28:36twins and even less time for the
6:28:38teachers who remained outside to
6:28:40determine who the culprits were. The
6:28:42twins were brought out to meet with him
6:28:44and Carl gave them a quick inspection.
6:28:47They didn't appear to be injured, and
6:28:49there was nothing visible strange about
6:28:51them. He had expected that they might
6:28:53have something odd about them, like part
6:28:55beastkin lineage, being too small for
6:28:58their age, or even an unusual hair
6:29:00color, but they seemed perfectly normal
6:29:03so far. The twin girls glared at the
6:29:06boys from their class, and the teacher
6:29:08sighed. One of the teachers, a younger
6:29:11woman and still an awakened rank red
6:29:12dragon cleric, leaned over to whisper to
6:29:15Carl. Their recent arrivals.
6:29:18They lost their family to a monster
6:29:20spawn a couple of months ago, and they
6:29:22don't get along well with the boys.
6:29:25They're fine at the dorms, but classes
6:29:27are mixed, she explained.
6:29:30That was understandable.
6:29:32They had just lost their family and now
6:29:35they were in a new place. Strangers
6:29:36among a group of kids who had mostly
6:29:38grown up together. I have just the right
6:29:41thing. Here, give them these bags. The
6:29:45bags contained matching pendants which
6:29:47added three points to agility. Not a
6:29:50major increase, though it would be
6:29:52noticeable for the children. The
6:29:54important part was that they were two
6:29:56halves of a matched set, so the twins
6:29:58would have their own thing, but not
6:30:00something that the other didn't have.
6:30:02The chaos around the school began to die
6:30:04down now that everyone had their
6:30:06birthday presents and the teachers
6:30:08started to corral their students back
6:30:09into groups so they would go to class.
6:30:12With the students all gone, the
6:30:14inquisitor could finally relax for a
6:30:16moment. Then he realized that the actual
6:30:18cause of all the chaos had not been
6:30:20handled as he was still standing right
6:30:22there holding the void badger in reserve
6:30:24for the next time that they got bored.
6:30:26We should return to the university. The
6:30:29government and military reps have their
6:30:31hands full, dealing with a bunch of
6:30:33hyper new elites, and they won't stay
6:30:35under control long without someone who
6:30:37can actually handle them present. The
6:30:39inquisitor sighed. Carl chuckled.
6:30:43Well, I suppose that we should do some
6:30:45actual work, but the students shouldn't
6:30:48be that much trouble. There are only two
6:30:50more cats among them, and the rest are
6:30:52all Lightning Sarah who are going to
6:30:54naturally want to hurt up and make
6:30:56friends with the new people. It's hard
6:30:58to explain, but the presence of a beast
6:31:00in your mind is highly influential. Like
6:31:03a second track of inner monologue giving
6:31:04you different suggestions to the point
6:31:06that you need to remember what is you
6:31:08and what is your partner. If you're not
6:31:10careful, it can start to influence your
6:31:12personality.
6:31:14The inquisitor gave Carl a blank look.
6:31:17Did he not realize how much his own
6:31:19personality was influenced by the beasts
6:31:21that he was bonded with? Or was this him
6:31:24speaking from experience as he had
6:31:26already let his beasts shape his mind.
6:31:28So now he was warning others to be
6:31:30careful. Don't leave yet. There is a
6:31:32dragon coming. Cara announced.
6:31:36She knew that she had to behave, but
6:31:38this was a red dragon anyhow. She
6:31:41already knew what they tasted like. Head
6:31:44mistress.
6:31:45The inquisitor welcomed the dragon who
6:31:47was in the form of a middle-aged woman
6:31:49with flaming red hair. I came to thank
6:31:52the monarch. The kids are so happy today
6:31:55with their gifts. As you know, our
6:31:58budget is limited, and giving out
6:32:00durable items, especially magical ones,
6:32:03is far beyond our means." Carl bowed
6:32:06slightly. "It might be a once-
6:32:09ina-lifetime thing, but everyone should
6:32:11have a present to call their own.
6:32:13Something that they can bring with them
6:32:15to remind them of the good times." The
6:32:17red dragon nodded happily. What do you
6:32:20carry? I don't have one. We could never
6:32:24afford anything that would last. The
6:32:27headmistress nodded while Cara laughed.
6:32:30You have an emotional support, Sarah.
6:32:32Instead, we have made a listing of what
6:32:35belongs to which student in case
6:32:36something is reported stolen or an
6:32:39incident of bullying escalates to theft.
6:32:42It is harshly punished, but often the
6:32:44victim is too afraid to report it. Carl
6:32:47nodded. They still have to live with the
6:32:49bully. After all, the best you can do is
6:32:53try and have your teachers be proactive.
6:32:56Like the twins, it might pay to find out
6:32:59why and by who they were locked in the
6:33:00closet today. Nobody ever moved to my
6:33:03hometown that didn't at least have
6:33:05family there, but I suspect that being
6:33:07new is hard. There was a commotion
6:33:10behind them, and Carl saw a group of
6:33:12small so running his way, being chased
6:33:14by their partners.
6:33:16Oh, the little ones got to run out on
6:33:18open grass. It's a good day to be a
6:33:21Sero. Carl laughed as one of the little
6:33:24beasts came up to bump against his leg.
6:33:27It was knee high, still a hatchling, and
6:33:29just as eager to explore everything as
6:33:31Thor had been when he was young. The two
6:33:34young Morats were out as well, sniffing
6:33:36around and headbutting the Sero
6:33:38hatchlings.
6:33:39The bond had helped them understand
6:33:41everyone was on the same team, and while
6:33:43they were still working on it, they were
6:33:45getting along better than expected. Only
6:33:48the one unfortunate case of mental
6:33:49weakness had been taken away, and the
6:33:51other bonds appeared to be increasingly
6:33:53stable already. "What was next on your
6:33:56schedule?" the Inquisitor asked Carl, as
6:33:59the beast master played with the small
6:34:01beasts. "We have a few more hours of
6:34:04training for the acolytes, as they have
6:34:06no combat experience at all.
6:34:09They were all recruited before the
6:34:10attempt at the divine serum after all,
6:34:14Carl explained.
6:34:15Ah, yes. With the five of them, plus all
6:34:19these successful attempts, there is a
6:34:21lot of training to be done. Carl slowly
6:34:24realized that his success had
6:34:25volunteered him to train these beast
6:34:27related classes as well, adding a group
6:34:29of special forces cadets to his roster
6:34:32of acolytes.
6:34:33But that wasn't all bad. They now had
6:34:36beast rangers and a tiger monk to add to
6:34:38their group of common rank acolytes, and
6:34:4111 people was enough that Carl might be
6:34:43able to convince someone to let him lead
6:34:44them on an adventure. The area where he
6:34:47had first gone to collect resources was
6:34:49a good start, as it had moss that Aero
6:34:52would love, and he could swing by the
6:34:53cave to get them crystals for their mana
6:34:55development. Plus, there was a chance
6:34:58the instance would open for them. Carl
6:35:01smiled at the Inquisitor. What are the
6:35:04chances that I can take them on a field
6:35:05trip not far from the train tracks and
6:35:08my team will supervise the 11 of them?
6:35:12There is a spot with resources that the
6:35:13Sero love and a chance at weak monsters
6:35:16so they might be able to test their
6:35:18skills and let the more cats hunt for
6:35:20their first time. Likely not for the
6:35:22next few weeks. The research team wants
6:35:25solid data on how well your technique
6:35:27works to advance them in the early
6:35:29stages. and letting them go on a field
6:35:31trip introduces all sorts of variables
6:35:33that aren't part of their methodology.
6:35:35The bald inquisitor explained, "So, what
6:35:39you're saying is that we're school
6:35:40teachers for a while, but with 11
6:35:42students instead of five." Carl sighed.
6:35:46But now we have beasts for you to prove
6:35:48your skills on. How much do you think
6:35:51that you can teach them? Carl smiled.
6:35:54More than might be considered reasonable
6:35:56by a sane person. Carl motioned for the
6:35:59newly chosen elites to come forward so
6:36:01that he could make a lesson plan. First,
6:36:04as I'm being assigned to help train you,
6:36:06I need to know what you know besides the
6:36:08basic combat training of the church
6:36:10soldiers. What skills did you get from
6:36:13your class and what do you have
6:36:14available? Other than Nikki the tiger
6:36:17monk, you are all beast rangers, so your
6:36:20skills should be similar. Carl began.
6:36:24The others gestured for the odd man out,
6:36:26the lone beast ranger that had a more
6:36:28cat to do the explanation.
6:36:31Well, beast ranger is a ranged combat
6:36:33class with our teammate as our close
6:36:35combatant. The first skill that I got
6:36:38was deadly accuracy which boosts my
6:36:41skill with a bow. But I also got a
6:36:44system reward for going first and it
6:36:46gave me shadow melt for hiding in the
6:36:48forest to set up an ambush. If I am
6:36:51reading the class description right, we
6:36:53should all gain extra stats and
6:36:55abilities from the bonded beast that we
6:36:56chose. For certain, my agility and
6:37:00strength have increased substantially,
6:37:02he explained.
6:37:04One of the other boys nodded in
6:37:06agreement. For those of us with a
6:37:08serrow, it's our strength and stamina.
6:37:11Jogging over here behind them wasn't
6:37:13even enough to raise my heart rate. I
6:37:16got the same starting skill, but no
6:37:18bonus. Once I have a couple of points,
6:37:21however we get those, I can start
6:37:23picking bow skills like infinite arrows
6:37:25and lightning bolt. The others nodded.
6:37:29The skills seem to be the same for all
6:37:31of us. So, we will be good at working in
6:37:34a group. Carl chuckled. You have no idea
6:37:38how true that is. You see, your
6:37:41lightning ser can learn to extend
6:37:43refreshing lightning over you with
6:37:44relative ease and the whole group with a
6:37:47bit more difficulty.
6:37:49So you will be excellent at working in a
6:37:51group as your partner is specialized in
6:37:53team defense. For the one friend with a
6:37:56more cat, you are clearly the team scout
6:37:58as you specialize in stealth and I will
6:38:01start training you with the rogue types
6:38:02in my group to build your skills. You
6:38:05have a powerful rogue in your team. The
6:38:08ranger asked. Technically, no. But I
6:38:12have a monarch rank bloodbath spider.
6:38:14And if there is anything in this world
6:38:15that knows about ambushing and becoming
6:38:17the reason other species fear the dark,
6:38:19it's Ry. The cadet looked concerned
6:38:22about actually being able to learn
6:38:24anything from a spider, but Carl hadn't
6:38:26mentioned that Ry could take on human
6:38:28form yet. Now, for the tiger monk, what
6:38:31are your skills? Carl asked, "I have two
6:38:35basic skills right now. energy strike
6:38:38and merger. One is self-explanatory. The
6:38:42other lets me boost my power with my
6:38:44more cats presence when she is in my
6:38:46mental space. There are skills in my
6:38:48skill tree for us to fight together. So,
6:38:50I don't think it's supposed to be an all
6:38:52the time thing, but more for when she is
6:38:54recovering or it isn't practical for us
6:38:56both to fight. Nikki replied, "And you
6:39:00already know basic unarmed combat, so
6:39:02there is no issue there. Your training
6:39:05should be fairly easy. You can train
6:39:08with the warriors, but on a higher
6:39:10level, as the other two that I have in
6:39:12training right now are freshmen. More
6:39:15pack members? One of the Sero hatchlings
6:39:18asked.
6:39:19Indeed, young Sero. There are more
6:39:22military pack members there for you to
6:39:24meet, as well as my pack members and a
6:39:27monarch ranked Sarah named Thor. That
6:39:30was all that the young ones needed to
6:39:31hear to be back at full energy and
6:39:33running around the playground. While the
6:39:35rangers were shocked that Carl could
6:39:37understand what the Sarah wanted to
6:39:38know. Follow me everyone. We're going to
6:39:42the guard training grounds where the
6:39:44rest of your fellow trainees are waiting
6:39:46to meet you. Well, they don't know
6:39:48you're coming yet, but they will soon.
6:39:51There are only a few hours left in
6:39:53today's training routine, but before we
6:39:55call it a night, there is time for you
6:39:57all to get to meet your other
6:39:58specialists.
6:40:00Carl explained as he waved goodbye to
6:40:02the headmistress of the orphan school
6:40:03and started to walk toward the training
6:40:05grounds with a pair of more cats
6:40:07circling his feet and a line of Sarah
6:40:08hatchlings behind him. It's like the
6:40:11pied piper. They will follow him
6:40:14anywhere. One of the rangers complained,
6:40:18and that was what they did in an odd
6:40:20little procession all the way across the
6:40:22park to the training area. They had
6:40:24gathered quite the crowd by the time
6:40:26they arrived, all intrigued by the
6:40:28presence of the baby beasts and eager to
6:40:30find out what sort of thing they were up
6:40:32to at the cathedral today. The training
6:40:34areas weren't precisely off limits to
6:40:36the public. They just weren't popular
6:40:38visiting spots for anyone without a
6:40:40reason to be there. So the small crowd
6:40:44followed them back and saw the recruits
6:40:45learning basic combat skills along with
6:40:48Carl's group of acolytes who were using
6:40:50skills. That immediately marked them as
6:40:53elites who would normally be finishing
6:40:55their first year at the academy right
6:40:57now. But those beasts who were following
6:40:59Carl weren't a year old yet. And that
6:41:01started the rumors that the whole group
6:41:03nearly a dozen students had gotten their
6:41:06classes early.
6:41:07That was huge gossip for the board
6:41:09residents of the capital even before the
6:41:11group of ser hatchlings raced across the
6:41:13sand to go see Thor. The site was so
6:41:16adorable that everyone wished there was
6:41:18a reporter here to take proper
6:41:20professional pictures. Then Thor began
6:41:23lining them up in a row while Dana made
6:41:25barriers for them. The onlookers were
6:41:28confused but Carl got everyone moving.
6:41:31Sarah team, head to your partners. You
6:41:34will be practicing working together as
6:41:36they charge. More cats. Nikki will be
6:41:39with Oilia, learning offensive
6:41:41coordination, and Pat will be with Lady
6:41:43Ray to practice your stealth skills.
6:41:46Carl gestured in the right directions,
6:41:48and Cibil gave a relieved sigh as she
6:41:50saw that there was finally someone to
6:41:52distract Ray's full attention from her.
6:41:54Little did she know that the special
6:41:56forces cadet was at a higher standard of
6:41:58basic training than she was, and other
6:42:00than skills, she had a long way to go to
6:42:03catch up.
6:42:04For the new Rangers, the idea of
6:42:06fighting from a distance while avoiding
6:42:08hitting a very enthusiastic teammate was
6:42:10much more difficult than they had
6:42:11expected it to be. They understood basic
6:42:14tactics from their cadet training, even
6:42:16some advanced group tactics, but none of
6:42:19those were prepared for an overeager
6:42:20Sero who finally got a chance to charge
6:42:22a smashing pole. Thor had made the poles
6:42:25short, only a little taller than the
6:42:27Sero hatchlings, as there would be times
6:42:29when they were fighting smaller
6:42:31monsters, especially when they were
6:42:32common and awakened rank. But that meant
6:42:35that they had to hit the target without
6:42:37hitting the SEO, and the hatchlings were
6:42:39not good at following directions to get
6:42:41out of the way. They tried. They
6:42:44actually tried very hard. They just had
6:42:47no idea what their new herd members
6:42:49actually wanted. So, they ended up
6:42:51simply switching posts or running around
6:42:53in circles for a minute before they were
6:42:55instructed back to order. Thor thought
6:42:58that it was hilarious, but there wasn't
6:43:00much he could do to accelerate the
6:43:01process, as the whole point was to teach
6:43:03the elites how to give orders to their
6:43:05beasts in a way that they would
6:43:06understand while working together as a
6:43:08team. Both Aaron and Jaime were working
6:43:11on their offensive attack skills for the
6:43:13remainder of the evening, guided by
6:43:15Oilia, while Carl took on the training
6:43:17of their new tiger monk. All right,
6:43:20first things first. You have two very
6:43:23different combat styles.
6:43:25However, after the bonding, the levels
6:43:28of physical capability aren't as
6:43:29different between the human and the more
6:43:31cat as they were before. So, we have
6:43:33these lovely volunteers from the cadet
6:43:35force to assist us. The others were
6:43:37doing the same training earlier, and the
6:43:39concept is simple. There are three of
6:43:42them and two of you. You will pretend
6:43:45that I am your team's cleric or mage and
6:43:47prevent them from getting to me. I have
6:43:50cast a barrier over them so you can go
6:43:52all out. They are using training
6:43:55weapons, but they will still hurt if you
6:43:57mess up, so be careful. Now, show me
6:44:00what you can do when you are working
6:44:02together. The Tiger Monk class should
6:44:04have a number of defensive abilities,
6:44:06and Nikki's durability was greatly
6:44:08increased, while her more cat would be
6:44:10in no real danger from a training blade
6:44:12unless she got hit too hard on the head
6:44:14or poked in an eye. That left Carl free
6:44:17to see how the others were doing. And
6:44:19the chaos that was an exhausted Cibil
6:44:21and a confused Pat trying to find a way
6:44:23to attack Ry. The spider had five guards
6:44:26encircling her, and Pat had ranged
6:44:28attacks. But Rey was not an easy target
6:44:30to hit, even if she was taller than most
6:44:33of her defenders. Every time he thought
6:44:35that he had a good shot, she would move
6:44:37so that a defender was between them or
6:44:39someone would force him to retreat and
6:44:41change his angle. They were allowed to
6:44:44retreat, and the guards wouldn't chase
6:44:46them, letting them set up assaults on
6:44:48their own. So, it was just a matter of
6:44:51time until he finally found a way to get
6:44:53past the defenders. The more cat
6:44:55charged, forcing a defender to the side
6:44:58as an arrow raced past, only to be
6:45:00caught in Ray's slender fingers, then
6:45:02crushed to dust. Wonderful timing.
6:45:05You've learned to shoot past defenders.
6:45:08Now you just need to do that every time.
6:45:11She congratulated the beast ranger. Pat
6:45:14smirked.
6:45:16You know, being a ranged attacker is so
6:45:18strong. If we were close to the same
6:45:21rank, wouldn't I have a huge advantage?
6:45:24Ray smiled at him, then activated Night
6:45:27Haunter, and shot out a stream of silk
6:45:29faster than the ranger could process.
6:45:32Not as an attack, but as an extension of
6:45:34her body. Anywhere that she could see or
6:45:37her body could reach, she could move to
6:45:40an incorporeal form. Faster than Pat's
6:45:43mind could process what was happening.
6:45:45The slender monster woman was gone from
6:45:47the encirclement, and a massive black
6:45:49bloodbath spider was towering over him
6:45:51from behind with clicking mandibles.
6:45:53Of course, Pat had yet to learn any of
6:45:56the advanced detection skills of his
6:45:57class. So, to him, Ry had vanished for a
6:46:00split second after activating Night
6:46:02Haunter, and he had no idea how she had
6:46:04gotten behind him. Ry tapped him on the
6:46:07head with her mandibles, then changed
6:46:09back to humanoid form. You're not the
6:46:12only one that can ambush from a
6:46:13distance. This is good training for
6:46:16forcing mages and clerics onto the
6:46:18defensive, but learning to defend
6:46:20against other ambush attackers will come
6:46:22later. Cibil stared at Ry with open
6:46:25adoration.
6:46:26Lady Ray was simply too cool. She hadn't
6:46:30shown off at all when she was forcing
6:46:31Cibil to learn to use shadow step more
6:46:34efficiently, but this type of attack was
6:46:37precisely what Cibil had been trying to
6:46:38master all day long.
6:46:40She would keep training hard and soon
6:46:43she would learn the trick to moving
6:46:44undetected.
6:46:46For now she was working on a more
6:46:48practical approach than trying to use
6:46:50the shadow step skill. Lunge, parry, and
6:46:54roll to launch an attack towards Ry. All
6:46:57she had to do was get around the
6:46:58defender and she [clears throat] would
6:47:00get her shot at success.
6:47:02What she failed to realize was that the
6:47:04volunteers in this group all had
6:47:05children and many years of practice with
6:47:08escaping youngsters to add to their
6:47:09combat training. They knew all the ways
6:47:12that a kid would try to get around them
6:47:14and they weren't falling for Cibil's
6:47:16tricks. The only way for her to succeed
6:47:18was to build up her combat skills. Ry
6:47:22intended to add evening classes where
6:47:24they could move freely in the dark after
6:47:25the first week of going over basic
6:47:27attack and defense moves to supplement
6:47:29what Cibil had learned from her class
6:47:30activation.
6:47:32Her first impression was proving to be
6:47:34correct. Though the girl had promise and
6:47:37she was a fast learner. While she
6:47:40couldn't hear anything, the skill called
6:47:42echolocation was a passive skill
6:47:44ability, not a physical trait for her.
6:47:48For Ray and Carl, it was simply an
6:47:50improvement that modified their natural
6:47:51bodies. But for Cibil, it was a skill
6:47:54that had been added by the system, and
6:47:56her damaged ears made no difference to
6:47:58its effectiveness.
6:48:00She was learning to use it well, as the
6:48:02skill told her when someone was about to
6:48:04grab her from behind or hit her with an
6:48:06attack. It made her extra slippery, and
6:48:10a number of times she had nearly made it
6:48:12through the defenders already. Not bad
6:48:14for a first day. Once the training was
6:48:17done, the 11 new acolytes were moved to
6:48:20the elite dorms in the cathedral. They
6:48:22were on the main floor with all of the
6:48:24other common rank acolytes of the
6:48:26church, and they were all sharing one
6:48:28large dorm, but the atmosphere there was
6:48:30completely different from what they had
6:48:31experienced at the orphanage or in the
6:48:33common dorms of the cadetses. The other
6:48:36cadets were all jealous of the ones who
6:48:38were chosen for special forces training,
6:48:40and the nomination had previously given
6:48:42the new beast rangers a level of
6:48:44arrogance, putting themselves above the
6:48:46others, though none of them were elites.
6:48:49Now they were sharing a dorm with the
6:48:51acolytes that had been chosen before
6:48:52them, and everyone in the room was on
6:48:54the same level. Over the course of the
6:48:57day, they had seen enough of the younger
6:48:59acolytes training to know that while
6:49:00they were less trained, they were not
6:49:02weaker than the Beast Rangers. It was a
6:49:05humbling experience,
6:49:07but for four of the five chosen orphans,
6:49:09it was a much more tense situation.
6:49:12They had finished dinner, and it was
6:49:14nearly to lights out. Lights out meant
6:49:17nearly complete darkness in the room. A
6:49:20room shared with Cibil, who could shadow
6:49:22step, and who they had bullied for being
6:49:24deaf all her life. None of the ones here
6:49:27were lead participants in her bullying,
6:49:29as they simply didn't see her as worth
6:49:31the effort. But that didn't necessarily
6:49:34mean she didn't hold a grudge, and she
6:49:36was known to stab others, even before
6:49:38she had a class that specialized in it.
6:49:40Counter measures were needed. Cibil was
6:49:43about to climb up onto a top bunk in the
6:49:45corner of the room when Joan whistled
6:49:47softly, catching her attention through
6:49:50echolocation.
6:49:51The rogue turned to see what the fuss
6:49:53was, as the whistle was usually for the
6:49:55clerics to get the children to do
6:49:57something, but the girl was just smiling
6:49:59at her before she began to sign.
6:50:01Excellent work today, Cibil. You really
6:50:05were born to be an elite. Cibil smiled.
6:50:09That was the first nice thing that
6:50:11anyone had said to her in years. What is
6:50:13she saying? Nikki asked from the next
6:50:16bunk over. Oh, right. I forgot that you
6:50:21all couldn't sign. I was congratulating
6:50:23her on her good work the first day. We
6:50:26were all chosen as test subjects for
6:50:28Monarch Carl's group to train, and they
6:50:30helped us all awaken our classes with an
6:50:32item and a skill book, Joan explained,
6:50:36signing as she went, then translating
6:50:38the responses for Cibil. Oh, Monarch
6:50:41Carl used tokens to help us bond with
6:50:43our beasts. From what I learned, you
6:50:46have to have the potential and convinced
6:50:48the beast to bond with you. It's not
6:50:50easy without guidance and we have been
6:50:53trying for almost a year before today
6:50:54when he showed up to help. Nikki
6:50:57offered. You got an adorable kitten. I'm
6:51:01jealous.
6:51:03Cibil signed while Joan translated.
6:51:06The others laughed. Adorable and more
6:51:09cat didn't often go together in one
6:51:11sentence, even when they were little.
6:51:13But for some reason, the cats liked
6:51:15Sibil and didn't ignore her or shy away
6:51:18from her during the walk to the
6:51:19cathedral. after training. Just wait
6:51:22until she's big. More cats are enormous
6:51:25when they're fully grown. As big as
6:51:27Princess Oilia in her dire bear form.
6:51:30Well, the one before she uses her skills
6:51:32to become massive. What sort of skill is
6:51:35that anyhow? How is anyone supposed to
6:51:38fight a bear the size of a house? The
6:51:41tiger monk complained.
6:51:44Oilia had shown off for them a little
6:51:45towards the end of the day. And while
6:51:47she had kept her speed down, it was
6:51:49still nearly impossible for the warriors
6:51:51to deal with her size. With the giants
6:51:54attacking, elites were expected to be
6:51:56trained to fight both large and small
6:51:58enemies. But Cibil was certain that
6:52:00small was the easier half. Then she can
6:52:03block for you while you go for the vital
6:52:05points. It will be a good pairing. I've
6:52:08been trying all day to find a way to get
6:52:10around the guards. Maybe tomorrow I will
6:52:12try using Pat's partner as a
6:52:14distraction. But if I could find a weak
6:52:17spot on the bear, how would I even reach
6:52:19it? I'm stronger and faster than I was.
6:52:22But the bear is huge. Cibil agreed.
6:52:26Everyone was so excited about the next
6:52:28day that they forgot about their
6:52:29worries, even when the lights went out
6:52:31and the cathedral clerics began making
6:52:33their rounds to ensure everyone was in
6:52:35bed and not wandering in the dark. Back
6:52:38at Carl's apartment, a training summit
6:52:40was in progress, and it had attracted
6:52:42all the talents. Overlord Neil had come
6:52:45to train with Ry for the evening, but
6:52:47had gotten sucked into the discussion
6:52:49when overlords Jorum and Tabitha had
6:52:51come knocking at Carl's door. They both
6:52:54had rooms on another floor and had seen
6:52:56the training today from their windows.
6:52:59Joram the ranger was intrigued by the
6:53:01abundance of ranger types with beast
6:53:03partners. And Tabitha, who was normally
6:53:05a strict and serious warrior, was
6:53:07intrigued by the idea of forming a
6:53:09tactical response squad out of these
6:53:11recruits.
6:53:12They weren't strong yet, but they would
6:53:15be soon enough. And Princess Remy had
6:53:17laid out quite the plan for them. You
6:53:20see, giving a human too many resources
6:53:22burns their potential. Their bodies
6:53:25can't adapt that quickly. Like with the
6:53:28concoction that some use to bypass the
6:53:30royal rank bottleneck when they are
6:53:31stuck. However, these six with the
6:53:34beasts have an advantage.
6:53:36They will grow with their linked
6:53:38partners.
6:53:40So, we can give the resources to the
6:53:42beasts. We know that they are going to
6:53:44grow rapidly and all the human half will
6:53:47need to do is to work on their mental
6:53:48strength so they don't take damage from
6:53:50the imbalance as they're pulled along.
6:53:53Remy didn't bother to use a
6:53:54transformation skill. So, she was
6:53:56speaking serpent, but Neil had brought a
6:53:59magical tablet with him that displayed
6:54:01the words for everyone who didn't speak
6:54:02the language.
6:54:04So, the goal is to try to bring up a
6:54:06group of regular human elites at the
6:54:08same speed as the beasts are growing
6:54:10while keeping the elites bonded to the
6:54:12beasts from taking mental damage.
6:54:14Overlord Tabitha asked, "Exactly.
6:54:18We can give them skill books and use the
6:54:21Carl's learning skills on them and train
6:54:23them all day long. If we do it right
6:54:26with the proper nutrition, I think that
6:54:28we can do it. I had a whole bunch of
6:54:30books delivered to me today and I read
6:54:33in the ones on nutrition that humans
6:54:34only eat basic magical foods. Your slow
6:54:38growth could be due to a lack of
6:54:39nutrition. A bunch was an
6:54:42understatement.
6:54:43There were entire shelves of them in her
6:54:45space now. a small library of technical
6:54:48tomes and magical reference books.
6:54:50Tabitha chuckled. Or it could be an
6:54:53aversion to using too many magical
6:54:55resources to grow and crippling or
6:54:57unbalancing their potential. Everyone
6:55:00treats higher ranked foods as more of a
6:55:02growth resource than just food. But look
6:55:04at your other humans. They don't seem to
6:55:07be suffering in the potential
6:55:08department. and they've been eating
6:55:10highly potent magical plants and meats
6:55:12every day on a level that is far beyond
6:55:14what would normally an elite.
6:55:17She made a good point. Normally, you
6:55:20would expect that sort of fast growth to
6:55:21lead to damage, but nobody in the group
6:55:23was showing signs of it yet. There has
6:55:26to be something about it. Maybe because
6:55:29it's not refined, so it's easier to
6:55:31digest. I will study it more as we feed
6:55:34our trainees.
6:55:36I have potions for them as well, but not
6:55:38too many. You have a very helpful Naga
6:55:41queen on your side. Overlord Jorum
6:55:44congratulated Carl. She started life as
6:55:47a spirit snake shaman, and she has
6:55:50always been obsessed with learning. I
6:55:52had totally forgotten that I should be
6:55:54careful while ingesting magical
6:55:56resources.
6:55:57If they taste good, their food, right? I
6:56:01just went for whatever tasted best. Carl
6:56:04replied with a shrug. Making it through
6:56:07life on pure blind luck. Neil chuckled,
6:56:10then turned to Ray. How about we head
6:56:13down to the training grounds? We've got
6:56:168 hours before breakfast to train. And
6:56:19then they were gone, having escaped to
6:56:21the training ground with shadow step.
6:56:24Rey was delighted that the overlord had
6:56:26not forgotten his side of their deal.
6:56:29Now, she was a monarch and only one rank
6:56:31beneath him, so it should be a good
6:56:33sparring opportunity.
6:56:35So, which form would you like to
6:56:37practice in first? Neil asked. I think
6:56:41human first. It should be easier to
6:56:44learn your tricks if I'm in the same
6:56:45shape you are. Then we can go all out
6:56:48when I'm in spider form with golems,
6:56:51Ry suggested.
6:56:53Neil nodded and launched his first
6:56:54attacks as Ry activated night haunter
6:56:58and extended her fingernails out into
6:56:59proper claws to parry his attacks. The
6:57:02overlord rank rogue tracked her
6:57:04movements with ease and Ry had to slip
6:57:06away using her web to keep him from
6:57:08getting behind her. He could also step
6:57:10on air the same way that Dana did,
6:57:13meaning that even moving to the ceiling
6:57:14didn't put her out of his range. But the
6:57:17human was also faster than she was. and
6:57:19they were both constantly using movement
6:57:21skills to flit around the room. To the
6:57:24commander in the security office, it
6:57:26looked like the room was filled with
6:57:27shadows and smoke as the combatants were
6:57:30moving faster than the recording
6:57:31cameras.
6:57:33Someone in the upper ranks was going to
6:57:34be extremely disappointed that they
6:57:36couldn't get a recording of the battle.
6:57:38But with the skills of stealth type
6:57:39classes, recordings were normally
6:57:41useless, even if they weren't this fast.
6:57:44After 5 minutes, a bell rang, and the
6:57:47combatants returned to the center of the
6:57:48room, breathing heavily. "How do you see
6:57:51me?" Rey asked, confused about her
6:57:54inability to hide. "Nigh haunter should
6:57:58make her invisible to both normal and
6:58:00thermal vision. I have present sense,
6:58:03and I'm a rank over you. Unless you can
6:58:06completely hide your aura and life
6:58:08signs, you won't be able to hide from
6:58:10me. But what is that skill you are
6:58:12using?
6:58:14I've never encountered anything like it.
6:58:16It's stealth and movement at the same
6:58:18time and something more. Unless you have
6:58:21a separate skill that is making you
6:58:23incorporeal and immune to regular
6:58:25damage. Ry shook her head. It's all one
6:58:29skill. Night haunter. It's not really a
6:58:33movement skill, though. It only lets me
6:58:36move my whole body to places I can see
6:58:38or touch. But it counts my silk as part
6:58:41of me until I detach it.
6:58:43So I can weave a web and then move
6:58:45around the room with ease and the
6:58:48transformation. Is that you or are you
6:58:50still using the token from newborn?
6:58:53That's all me. I put in many hours of
6:58:56effort to make a babysitter form for
6:58:58dealing with small humans. It is quite
6:59:01effective.
6:59:02Overlord Neil chuckled. Do you think
6:59:05that you will do better in spider form?
6:59:07Rey looked around the room then frowned
6:59:10and shook her head. No, I'm too large
6:59:13for my extra speed to matter. I might be
6:59:16able to land a strike or two with my
6:59:18legs, but I won't be able to win without
6:59:20much more space. Then, let's keep
6:59:23practicing.
6:59:24Maybe you can learn one of my attack
6:59:26skills.
6:59:27Really, Neil was determined to learn
6:59:29more about Night Haunter, and he could
6:59:31feel that Carl's training skill was
6:59:33active on both of them. Chances for an
6:59:36overlord to learn a new skill were few
6:59:38and far between, so he would make the
6:59:40best of his night with Lady Ray
6:59:41Bloodbath. He wasn't the only one
6:59:44training late that night, though. Thor's
6:59:47advance had granted Carl the ability to
6:59:49use lightning zone, while Hawks had
6:59:51improved flaming body to ghost fire.
6:59:56So, Carl had to practice both new skills
6:59:58so that he would know how they worked
7:00:00and their limitations before he needed
7:00:02to use them in combat. Ghostfire body
7:00:05was very similar to the old skill other
7:00:07than the fact that it appeared to burn
7:00:09away the soul energy of the target as
7:00:11well, but the lightning zone was going
7:00:13to take some work. By default, it
7:00:16created a charged area around him that
7:00:18would shock anything that entered other
7:00:20than the targets he specifically
7:00:22excluded. It would be much more useful
7:00:24if it could be focused away from himself
7:00:26or into a barrier line where the
7:00:28lightning would shock and stun at a set
7:00:30point and not randomly all over the
7:00:32zone.
7:00:34It would make him difficult to sneak up
7:00:35on, as he would feel the activation when
7:00:38anything was shocked, but it was a bit
7:00:40too indiscriminate for Carl's taste. He
7:00:43practiced for an hour after all of the
7:00:44overlords had gone to bed, but with no
7:00:47progress, he decided to put it aside for
7:00:49now and work on it later. Hawk had some
7:00:52insights on the problem. Maybe you just
7:00:55need to make it more Carl flavored. You
7:00:57are good at using our skills, but
7:00:59they're not really your skills, are
7:01:01they? just a copy of ours. If you tweak
7:01:05them, it might be better. So, more focus
7:01:08on using skill master and skill merger
7:01:11on myself. That's actually a good idea.
7:01:15Maybe I can advance a skill or two.
7:01:18Learning an advanced version would be a
7:01:20huge boost. Hawk considered that. You
7:01:23have that fancy writing skill, too. It's
7:01:26for more than just writing books, right?
7:01:30Yes. Room crafting was for more than
7:01:32writing skill books, though it did also
7:01:35make writing skill books easier. Carl
7:01:38thought about it and took out a piece of
7:01:40paper to write on. Then he realized that
7:01:43he was short on supplies.
7:01:45A pen wouldn't do for this application
7:01:47as the runes he needed to write had
7:01:49specific thickness ratios and he didn't
7:01:51have a paintbrush.
7:01:53I will have to test that tomorrow after
7:01:55I get supplies.
7:01:57Maybe I can leave skills behind if I
7:01:59write the runes on an object, he
7:02:02explained to the beasts who were
7:02:03watching with great interest. Who knew
7:02:06that we could be stumped by something as
7:02:08simple as a paintbrush? But you can be
7:02:11like this heroine in my book, Remy
7:02:14commented. What book? Remy held up a
7:02:17small paperback and Carl sighed. Spirit
7:02:21summoner Onio and her lustful demon
7:02:23lord. Where did you get that? Let me
7:02:27guess. You ordered it from the library
7:02:28because you liked the title. Carl side.
7:02:32It's a good one. Lots of romance, but
7:02:36the main character writes runes on paper
7:02:38to cast spells and banish demons. Remy
7:02:41agreed easily. Putting aside the fact
7:02:44that the book appeared to be a white
7:02:45cover trashy demon erotica, it wasn't a
7:02:48bad idea. With rune crafting and focus,
7:02:51he should be able to transfer some of
7:02:53his skills to paper and use them as
7:02:55wards on an area. In theory, anyhow,
7:02:59the practice could wait until morning.
7:03:01Carl decided as he climbed into bed next
7:03:03to Dana, only to have Cara come out to
7:03:05snuggle between them. She was taking her
7:03:08self-appointed duty to keep Carl
7:03:10wholesome until Thor found a date
7:03:12entirely too seriously. But the void
7:03:14badger was actually rather soft and
7:03:16warm, not at all unpleasant to sleep
7:03:18next to.
7:03:19Dana would have much preferred that the
7:03:21badger not lick her face to wake her up,
7:03:23though. All right, I'm getting up
7:03:26already. Now, what are we up to this
7:03:28morning? She complained.
7:03:32Same as yesterday. Breakfast. Rescue the
7:03:35acolytes from themselves, then training.
7:03:38Carl replied with a shrug, then jumped
7:03:40as Cara smacked his ass. Hm. Getting
7:03:44soft. You need to work out more. Carl
7:03:48stroked Cara's fur backwards to rile up
7:03:50the void badger, then left the room to
7:03:52go find breakfast.
7:03:54The first order of business was to call
7:03:56the concierge and have them bring up a
7:03:58stack of parchment paper slips, a set of
7:04:00brushes, and some ink along with a
7:04:02selection of casual clothes for everyone
7:04:04to wear when they weren't training. Rey
7:04:07had been busy lately, and she was still
7:04:09training with Overlord Neil, even now
7:04:11that the sun was coming up. The two of
7:04:14them had made great progress last night.
7:04:16if Ray's impression of the evening was
7:04:18correct, and they were at a point now
7:04:19where even with her golems out, she
7:04:21couldn't keep up with the overlord's
7:04:23tricks. Ry got a lot of combat practice
7:04:26relative to her age. But Neil had spent
7:04:29a lot of his time since reaching
7:04:30Overlord doing security work, and he
7:04:32hadn't had the chance to really go all
7:04:34out for a long time. It was a refreshing
7:04:37chance for him to hone his skills
7:04:38against someone with a similar skill set
7:04:41instead of his usual training partners
7:04:43whose moves he already knew as well as
7:04:45the other overlords themselves did. With
7:04:48new practice partners, he would be
7:04:50better prepared should another nation
7:04:51send their own stealth type overlords
7:04:53against him instead of the usual mage or
7:04:55monster type infiltrators and
7:04:57challengers.
7:04:58For that, he was even willing to upgrade
7:05:01Ray's reward for the outfit she had made
7:05:03him to a bit of his own blood instead of
7:05:05monarch ranked as they had originally
7:05:07agreed. Now that Thor was awake, he was
7:05:10casting eternal lightning barriers over
7:05:13them both to increase their stamina
7:05:15regeneration so that they could get the
7:05:16most out of the last few minutes of
7:05:18their training. But soon enough, the
7:05:21overlord would have to go back to work
7:05:22and then get some sleep after spending
7:05:24all night training with Rey. A gentle
7:05:27knock on the door caught Carl's
7:05:29attention and he looked over as Oilia
7:05:31opened it to reveal Cibil along with a
7:05:33staff member from the lobby of the
7:05:34building. It was the employee who spoke
7:05:37first. Lady Oilia, a group of trainees
7:05:41is here to see your team. They claim to
7:05:44have morning training scheduled with
7:05:45you, but it is not on the building
7:05:47schedule for approved visitors.
7:05:49Oilia nodded. We didn't expect them to
7:05:52be up and moving so early in the
7:05:54morning. But if they are this energetic,
7:05:57perhaps we went too easy on them
7:05:59yesterday.
7:06:00Please invite them up and we will get a
7:06:02high energy breakfast into them before a
7:06:04full day of training. The concierge
7:06:07nodded. Will you be requiring any
7:06:10ingredients?
7:06:11Oilia turned to Tessa who handed a short
7:06:14list to the delicate featured man. That
7:06:17should do for breakfast. We will cook
7:06:19the rest ourselves. Very good, high
7:06:22priestess.
7:06:24He agreed, then turned to leave with
7:06:26Cibil still standing in the hall. She
7:06:29turned to follow him, clearly only here
7:06:31because she was interested in what they
7:06:33would have to say and not because she
7:06:35had been escorted. But Oilia was faster
7:06:38and grabbed the little rogue by the back
7:06:40of the neck to put her inside the
7:06:42apartment. Lotus laughed and signed
7:06:44along as she spoke. "You can wait here
7:06:47for the others to arrive." The building
7:06:50staff won't keep them away. Tessa had
7:06:53ordered a stack of omelettes, which
7:06:55arrived before the acolytes had even
7:06:57been brought upstairs.
7:06:59It would go well with the huge pile of
7:07:01bacon that the clerics were making, ever
7:07:03so reluctantly donated by Hawk. After
7:07:06his evolution, Hawk actually ate less
7:07:08than he had before, despite his size
7:07:10increase. He would be an overlord before
7:07:13he even made it through the royal ranked
7:07:15boores if their progress remained
7:07:17steady. But he did enjoy looking at his
7:07:19mountains of food. Good morning
7:07:21everyone.
7:07:23Sit and eat to get some energy for the
7:07:25day. Carl instructed as the acolytes
7:07:28finally made it up to the apartment.
7:07:30Sir, we already ate breakfast at the
7:07:33cathedral. Aaron reminded him. And now
7:07:36you will have a second breakfast with a
7:07:38lot of high-grade protein. We were
7:07:41informed that you were all full of
7:07:42energy and eager to get training this
7:07:44morning. So, we have a more intensive
7:07:46routine planned for the day. The
7:07:48trainees began to wonder if the
7:07:50cathedral schedule had made Carl think
7:07:52that they were more energetic than they
7:07:54actually were. They had to admit they
7:07:57were excited to get into training today.
7:07:59But that didn't mean that they didn't
7:08:00have sore muscles, even after healing
7:08:02and a good night's rest. But it might
7:08:05also be the monarch testing them to make
7:08:07sure that they were sufficiently devoted
7:08:08to learning and deserved to keep their
7:08:10spot in this elite team. For the special
7:08:13forces group, it was a given that
7:08:15everything in life would be a test until
7:08:17they graduated. But for the others, they
7:08:20hadn't had a chance yet to learn just
7:08:22how creative the instructors of the
7:08:23church army could be with their training
7:08:25methods. What is first on the schedule?
7:08:28Tessa asked as she finished serving
7:08:30breakfast.
7:08:32Strength training. Even mages need some
7:08:35muscle tone and stamina. And with all
7:08:37this extra energy, plus Thor's magic
7:08:39refreshing them, they should be able to
7:08:41build some strength in a hurry. Getting
7:08:44a class increases strength for warriors,
7:08:46but it still takes a lot of training to
7:08:48get to peak form, especially for the
7:08:51rangers who will be moving through
7:08:52difficult terrain and chasing their
7:08:54beasts. Building that muscle tone will
7:08:56be essential to your survival, Carl
7:08:59informed the group. It made sense, but
7:09:02they all got the ominous feeling that
7:09:04they were going to end up doing laps
7:09:05around the field to start their day.
7:09:08Thor was not nearly that uninspired.
7:09:11There were no laps around the training
7:09:13area for the acolytes under his training
7:09:15regimen. Instead, he brought out a
7:09:18number of weighted vests made of raised
7:09:20silk and had the trainees do sprints up
7:09:22and down the bleachers while he kept a
7:09:24milder version of refreshing lightning
7:09:26active so that the muscles had time to
7:09:28strain, heal, and repeat. If he kept too
7:09:31powerful of a spell active, they didn't
7:09:33suffer the strain needed to grow the
7:09:35muscles. But this way, they should get
7:09:37the gains in a single morning that would
7:09:38otherwise have taken them months. Thor
7:09:41was very proud of the plan, but Carl
7:09:43noticed that he put a stronger version
7:09:45of the regenerative spell on the Sero
7:09:47hatchlings, who were happily chasing
7:09:49everyone up and down the stairs. They
7:09:51didn't need the work to grow up big and
7:09:53strong. They needed higher quality feed
7:09:56and a good smashing post to practice
7:09:58their skills. Chasing the herd was just
7:10:00fun. Thor had prepared both for them,
7:10:03and he was happy to ignore the hateful
7:10:05glares that he was getting from 10 of
7:10:07the 11 trainees. For laps in, Cibil was
7:10:11too exhausted to even glare at him
7:10:12anymore. But that was quickly solved
7:10:15with an adjustment to her protective
7:10:17spells, and Rey was happy to keep her
7:10:19running. No disciple of hers would be
7:10:22lazy. One of the training sergeants came
7:10:25over to coordinate assistance for Carl's
7:10:27acolytes today and paused when he saw
7:10:29their physical training. Did they do
7:10:31something personal to you? Waited. Gut
7:10:34laps up the bleachers is pretty extreme
7:10:36for rookies, he asked. Nope. We have a
7:10:41healing and stamina regeneration spell
7:10:43on them. In theory, this should build
7:10:46muscle at a rate that no steroid could
7:10:48compete with. We have limited time to
7:10:51train, so we're pushing them as hard as
7:10:53humanly possible without damaging their
7:10:55potential. It's the core of what the
7:10:57church asked us to do when they assigned
7:10:59us these lucky recruits. My group has a
7:11:02number of training specialty skills, and
7:11:05they were hoping that we could push up a
7:11:06fresh group of elites, then teach others
7:11:08the method. It's only day two, but I
7:11:11already see progress.
7:11:14Take a look at that monk. What do you
7:11:15see? Carl replied, "Just a monk running
7:11:19up the stairs with everyone else." Then
7:11:22the sergeant paused, then noticed one
7:11:25more detail, "Much more easily than she
7:11:28should be with that much weight on her
7:11:29back. How monstrous is her strength?"
7:11:33Carl chuckled. "If I am right, it's not
7:11:36about her strength, which is actually
7:11:38monstrous.
7:11:39I believe that she has learned a
7:11:41movement skill to reduce her weight. A
7:11:44new skill learned on the second day of
7:11:45training.
7:11:47How ridiculous is your method behind
7:11:49them? Dana laughed. The monk isn't the
7:11:53only one. The mage is using a barrier
7:11:56under his weighted vest so that he
7:11:57doesn't have to carry the weight
7:11:58himself. He's still dying trying to run
7:12:01up the stairs, but that's expected. Oh,
7:12:05you taught him the barrier spell
7:12:06yesterday? Carl asked. No. Apparently,
7:12:10he got a skill point from yesterday's
7:12:12training, and he used it to buy the
7:12:14barrier spell once he found out that the
7:12:16day was going to start with weighted
7:12:17laps up the bleachers. Having a fully
7:12:20active system was going to be a huge
7:12:22advantage. And if Carl wasn't proactive
7:12:24with his own growth, there was a chance
7:12:26that the average overachiever in this
7:12:28next intake might actually shatter his
7:12:30growth speed records. If he told the
7:12:32academy that, they would likely laugh at
7:12:35him. But Carl was fairly certain it was
7:12:38an actual possibility.
7:12:40The lack of system access was what was
7:12:42dragging everyone down in the past. And
7:12:44with these new students being close to
7:12:46fully active, they should grow steadily
7:12:48and they would be able to just buy
7:12:49access to new skills to improve their
7:12:51abilities. Thor let the students run for
7:12:54two full hours before he called a stop
7:12:56to it and had them come down to eat. At
7:12:59this point, even the Sero hatchlings
7:13:01were looking exhausted. But once Thor
7:13:03put out the pile of feed for them and
7:13:05Remy passed out stakes for the pair of
7:13:07more cat kittens, all of the beasts were
7:13:09regaining their enthusiasm for life. I
7:13:12can see that everyone's physical
7:13:14strength has improved in just one
7:13:15morning training session. Don't worry
7:13:18about your weight. You're going to burn
7:13:20off every single bit of energy that you
7:13:21can take in during your training. Just
7:13:24eat, Thor informed them. Cibil read his
7:13:28lips and decided that escape might be
7:13:30the better option, but she was only gone
7:13:32for half a second before she returned
7:13:34with Ray's hand on her shoulder. The
7:13:36rogue slumped in defeat after realizing
7:13:38that it would not be so easy to get out
7:13:40of the hard parts of the day, even with
7:13:43shadow step. But then the volunteers
7:13:45from the army came over and she realized
7:13:48that they were on to combat training,
7:13:50which was way more fun than strength
7:13:51training, even if it was just as
7:13:53exhausting.
7:13:55Or more exhausting as she would be
7:13:57constantly using her improved physique
7:13:59to try to defeat the guards. Or so she
7:14:02thought. Rey smiled at her. The rest of
7:14:06the morning will be focused on ranged
7:14:07weapons training. I have fashioned or
7:14:10obtained three different types, and once
7:14:12you have 100% accuracy with all of them
7:14:15at a reasonable range, we can add new
7:14:17ones. She had obtained throwing stars
7:14:20and throwing knives, as well as a hand
7:14:22crossbow that was a common grade magic
7:14:24item and created its own basic bolts. It
7:14:27would only be a decent weapon if there
7:14:29was poison applied or a skill added to
7:14:31the bolts, but it was perfect for
7:14:33training, as it took minimal energy to
7:14:35make the bolts. Carl shuddered to think
7:14:38of the hit that his wallet was taking
7:14:39now that the beasts had learned about
7:14:41ordering shopping for delivery. But as
7:14:44long as they kept it reasonable, he
7:14:46shouldn't run out of spending money
7:14:47before they went on their next proper
7:14:49mission. Carl clapped his hands. Now
7:14:53that everyone is done eating, the beasts
7:14:55are with me and the rest of you can head
7:14:57to the same trainers you had yesterday.
7:14:59The Sarah herd was stoked to play with
7:15:01the beast master, but the more cats
7:15:03looked skeptical.
7:15:05You two lovable furballs will be doing
7:15:07hunting training with my bodyguard here
7:15:09while I set up a training ground for the
7:15:11herd. He explained as a summoned the
7:15:14Lameia. The snake woman was fast, much
7:15:17faster than any human both in movement
7:15:19speed and reflexes. So the more cat
7:15:21kittens would have their work cut out
7:15:23for them. For the Sarah, Carl was just
7:15:26going to set up a field of smashing
7:15:28posts made of earth barrier and then
7:15:30draw a course for them. If they hit the
7:15:32posts hard enough, it would break their
7:15:34fledgling, refreshing lightning
7:15:36barriers, and then they would have to
7:15:38refresh it for the next strike. It
7:15:41really was the best training that they
7:15:42could get until their partners were
7:15:44ready to start working together with the
7:15:46herd in combat. The issue wasn't
7:15:48accidentally hitting the SEO with an
7:15:50arrow. The special forces cadets were
7:15:53better than that, but the SEO were still
7:15:56very young, and the bond needed time to
7:15:58develop so that both halves of the
7:16:00partnership were on the same page. when
7:16:01it came time to fight. Until they
7:16:04reached that standard, it would just be
7:16:06chaos.
7:16:07Why are you going so far from the
7:16:09training ground? The sergeant asked as
7:16:12Carl began to heard the freshly fed
7:16:14Sarah herd away from the others. Do you
7:16:17think that four baby Sarah frolicking in
7:16:19the grass will be productive for the
7:16:20other trainees? If everyone is watching
7:16:23them, who will be training? Carl
7:16:26laughed. One of the Sero rammed into
7:16:28Carl's leg and bounced off, bringing
7:16:31laughter from the soldiers on the sand
7:16:32behind them as if to prove his point.
7:16:35Ah, I overlooked the human factor. I
7:16:39will have one of my corporals wait
7:16:40nearby in case you need anything. Carl
7:16:43shook his head. No need to pull someone
7:16:46from their training. I'm just going to
7:16:49go out off site behind the bleachers.
7:16:52That's far enough that we can train and
7:16:54I can still hear the others in case of
7:16:56trouble.
7:16:57You never know what might happen with
7:16:58new elites trying skills that they
7:17:00haven't fully mastered. Things can go
7:17:03wrong, and I'm pretty good at sorting
7:17:05out wayward troublemakers.
7:17:07Or you just want to be close enough to
7:17:09watch it all go down," Cara added. "I
7:17:13can jump onto the bleachers from here.
7:17:15It will be a great view." Thor laughed
7:17:18quietly at the pair as he prepared his
7:17:20warriors for their training. Sitting on
7:17:23the bleachers would give a much better
7:17:24view, but he had trainees of his own to
7:17:26work on, and Oilia was going to be
7:17:28working with the rangers today. Instead,
7:17:31he had a pair of Rey's bodyguards to
7:17:33help with the one-on-one training. They
7:17:36had four arms and four swords, so they
7:17:39could keep constant pressure on the
7:17:40warriors as if they were fighting
7:17:42multiple targets. When Carl had the
7:17:45smashing poles erected and the orders
7:17:46given to the Sero hatchlings, all of the
7:17:49excess spectators moved away from the
7:17:51training grounds, leaving the rest of
7:17:52the group to train in peace. While Carl
7:17:55barked orders like a hurting dog and
7:17:56kept the procession moving, then he got
7:17:59a great idea. He could give them a
7:18:02competition to get to a specific pole as
7:18:04fast as possible when he called the
7:18:06number. Not only would it help them burn
7:18:09energy from the feed that Thor had given
7:18:11them, but it would help develop their
7:18:12tactical thinking as they worked to be
7:18:14the fastest. Carl jumped on top of one
7:18:17of the pillars. Everyone attacked the
7:18:20pillar that I am on. He called to the
7:18:23four eager Sarrow. A tiny stampede
7:18:26started as they all rushed at the same
7:18:28time, tripping over each other to be the
7:18:30first to hit the pole. No, you have to
7:18:33actually reach the pole again. Carl
7:18:37called as he hopped to another. The
7:18:39second attempt was a bit better, but
7:18:41still not well organized.
7:18:43You're a pack. You need to work like it.
7:18:46Organize your charge to hit multiple
7:18:48spots on the pole, then peel off for the
7:18:51second rank to strike again. Over and
7:18:55over, the seropac worked to better their
7:18:57coordination.
7:18:58By the time that lunch rolled around,
7:19:01they were actually getting good at it,
7:19:02and Carl was having fun making them run
7:19:04around for the crowd as they learned to
7:19:06coordinate an attack that looked much
7:19:08more like scaly puppies running into
7:19:09posts. The SeroPac weren't the only ones
7:19:13that were improving at a notable rate,
7:19:14though. The bonded partners, as well as
7:19:17the five acolytes that Skittles had
7:19:19brought them, were also making
7:19:20remarkable progress,
7:19:22fast enough that the soldiers had
7:19:24noticed the difference between yesterday
7:19:26morning and lunch today. They were all
7:19:28eager to find out what the trick was and
7:19:31how the cadets could pick up new combat
7:19:33lessons after only seeing them one or
7:19:35two times. That was a side effect of
7:19:38skill master that Carl hadn't
7:19:39considered. They were all working their
7:19:42way towards learning the combat skills
7:19:44that they were practicing, but there
7:19:45were many other lessons to be learned
7:19:47along the way before the actual
7:19:49activation of a new skill. Not that they
7:19:52were likely to pick up another new skill
7:19:54so quickly, but there was a decent
7:19:56chance that they would have won by the
7:19:57end of the week. Carl was having lunch
7:20:00on the bleachers with Cara and Remy when
7:20:02the training ground suddenly went silent
7:20:04and most of the crowd dropped to one
7:20:05knee in the formal bow. Carl turned to
7:20:08see who it was as he could only sense an
7:20:11overlord rank presence, then realized
7:20:13that he had no idea who the knight
7:20:15approaching the grounds was.
7:20:17Fortunately, the system was there to
7:20:19save him. Overlord Drath, commonant of
7:20:22the church armies, first general of the
7:20:25Golden Dragon Nation. Carl stood and
7:20:28made his way down the bleachers to greet
7:20:30the Overlord, who was currently making
7:20:32his way through the officer's ranks,
7:20:33greeting various leaders and their drill
7:20:35sergeants. Once he was done greeting his
7:20:38subordinates, the overlord made his way
7:20:40to Carl. Monarch Carl, it's good to
7:20:43finally meet you. I have heard a lot
7:20:46about you the last few days. You're the
7:20:49talk of the capital. Command Dantrath,
7:20:52it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I
7:20:55appreciate the loan of the special
7:20:56forces cadetses. They're turning out to
7:20:59be quite talented. Carl agreed. Oh, I
7:21:04wasn't sure you would know who I was.
7:21:06The middle-aged soldier chuckled. Your
7:21:09system interface is activated enough
7:21:11that I can see your name and class
7:21:13assignment.
7:21:14Carl chuckled. Drath smiled. Who would
7:21:18have thought it would be so effective on
7:21:20an old man like me? Carl took a second
7:21:23to look more deeply at the man's details
7:21:25and found the important bit of detail
7:21:27that he had missed. Species: Bronze
7:21:30Dragon, which brought up another vital
7:21:33question. How many of the older
7:21:35powerhouses in the Golden Dragon Nation
7:21:37weren't actually humans, though it was
7:21:39nominally a human-run nation? Ortho said
7:21:42that all he needed was an item that was
7:21:44fully system activated to bring his
7:21:46dormant system functions back online.
7:21:49Are you still missing any? Carl replied.
7:21:53Drath laughed. And just how old do you
7:21:56think that I am? I understand you met
7:21:58the old man in his youth, but I'm not
7:22:00yet seen my hundth year. Even the
7:22:03archbishop is older than I am. Carl
7:22:06shrugged.
7:22:08Well, you are an overlord, so I assume
7:22:10that you had some years on you. I don't
7:22:13actually know much about the maturation
7:22:15rate of bronze dragons.
7:22:17Overlord Drath looked toward the
7:22:19students, then to Carl's beasts, who
7:22:21were doing their best to teach them new
7:22:23things, explaining theory even during
7:22:25the lunch break. How hard do you think
7:22:27that you can push those new elites
7:22:29without damaging their potential? he
7:22:32asked carefully. We have a potion for
7:22:35the five orphan volunteers that might
7:22:36immediately push them to awaken, but
7:22:39then they will need significant time to
7:22:40recover. The ones with bonded beasts
7:22:43will grow closer to the growth rate of
7:22:45their partner. Though the system will
7:22:48help them grow faster, but pushing the
7:22:50elite to advance will only create an
7:22:51imbalance where one side is stronger
7:22:53than the other. It happens to me
7:22:56constantly and I'm constantly working to
7:22:58keep both myself and all the members of
7:23:00my team in balance.
7:23:02So there is only so fast you can push
7:23:04them and they will eventually need
7:23:06practical experience to help them grow.
7:23:09Carl explained.
7:23:11Drath sat silently as he mentally
7:23:13calculated something. So awakened by
7:23:16autumn then ascended by second year is
7:23:18realistic for most of them. Carl nodded.
7:23:22if their growth rate holds or whoever
7:23:24takes over after my team is reassigned
7:23:26keeps them on the same training regimen.
7:23:29I can't speak for other methods, but
7:23:31ascended by the end of the first term
7:23:33shouldn't be a problem. We've got some
7:23:35clerics over there taking scientific
7:23:37notes on everything that we're doing so
7:23:39that they can try to replicate it with
7:23:40others. Some of the advancement is
7:23:43directly due to my own skills and my
7:23:45team, though, so I would expect limited
7:23:48gains from a repeat. Drath chuckled.
7:23:52Like following the same diet and workout
7:23:54plan designed to maximize gains, but
7:23:57having the second group do it without
7:23:59steroids.
7:24:00Carl nodded.
7:24:02Something like that. The real issues
7:24:05won't start until commander rank,
7:24:07though. The overlord sighed. Oh, I am
7:24:11well aware of that. What I was hoping
7:24:13was now that I've got some system
7:24:15equipment from the dungeon, I might be
7:24:17able to boost some of my sergeants.
7:24:20They're already established in the army.
7:24:22So, if I can grant them a system and
7:24:23smash them up to the ascended or
7:24:25commander rank in a matter of months, I
7:24:27can give the units a champion to
7:24:28maintain morale. Not the officers.
7:24:32Carl asked. Drath shook his head. The
7:24:36officers make plans and give orders. The
7:24:39sergeants carry them out. We don't need
7:24:41powerful combatants giving orders. We
7:24:44need them fighting. Cara laughed and
7:24:46nudged Carl. promoted past the point of
7:24:49usefulness.
7:24:51Drath noticed the exchange and waited
7:24:53for a translation.
7:24:55She says they have been promoted past
7:24:56the point of usefulness.
7:24:59In a battlefield sense, that is true.
7:25:02The lieutenants still lead larger teams,
7:25:04but beyond that, they're rarely on the
7:25:06front lines other than the commasaars.
7:25:09The commasaars in question were a
7:25:11special forces team from the church,
7:25:13part of the Inquisition in charge of
7:25:15military morale. They were all insane as
7:25:18far as Carl could tell, but they made
7:25:20the Red Dragon happy. "I take it that
7:25:23they're making plans to spread this
7:25:25rapid training method as soon as
7:25:26possible." Carl asked, knowing that the
7:25:29overlord in charge of military strategy,
7:25:32as the first general of the nation was
7:25:33not here on a whim. Overlord Drath
7:25:36sighed and nodded. "There are two
7:25:39competing plans right now. One wants to
7:25:42make a potion that will boost freshly
7:25:44tested elites to commander directly,
7:25:46burning their potential in the process.
7:25:48The other group believes that we need to
7:25:50find a way to use your rapid training
7:25:52methods on more soldiers.
7:25:54Carl nodded. Actually, I think that I
7:25:57have a solution for that. I have been
7:26:00thinking about it for a while. And if we
7:26:02can find a number of young beasts like
7:26:03the Sero Hatchlings, I believe that
7:26:06there is a way to bond them to those
7:26:07with the potential to become an elite. I
7:26:10had a system quest for it and it had a
7:26:1260% success rate among the special
7:26:14forces students. As you likely already
7:26:16knew, I believe that with runic
7:26:19talismans, I could initiate that mental
7:26:21bond and those with the potential would
7:26:23gain a class. Most likely beast ranger.
7:26:27And why didn't you mention this to
7:26:29anyone? Because the rest would probably
7:26:32die. The elite program has a roughly 1%
7:26:35fatality rate. Initial numbers for this
7:26:38method are 20 to 30% rejection with a 10
7:26:41to 20% fatality rate. The outcome is
7:26:45significantly better, but you can likely
7:26:47reach those numbers with the equipment
7:26:49testing this year. It's just that they
7:26:51will mostly have the basic classes and
7:26:54not an advanced one. The first
7:26:56advancement trial that is now happening
7:26:58at the Cathedral Temple for commanders
7:26:59and up allows us to upgrade classes. And
7:27:02from what I can tell, Beast Ranger would
7:27:04normally be an option then to upgrade
7:27:06rangers.
7:27:07Carl offered draft took out a binder of
7:27:11papers and began to flip pages.
7:27:14Yes, that is correct. We have observed a
7:27:17small number of them who have advanced
7:27:18to beast rangers after entering the
7:27:20commander rank dungeon. It is listed as
7:27:23a commander rank minimum requirement,
7:27:25but it appears that your method might be
7:27:27able to do it early. That would be a
7:27:30huge bonus for our forces.
7:27:32Sarah knights charging to break enemy
7:27:34lines before the infantry follows behind
7:27:36them is a bit primitive as a military
7:27:38tactic, but if they're lightning Sarah
7:27:40and the knights are the sergeants, they
7:27:42can defend their units as they charge.
7:27:45Carl laughed at the thought of lines of
7:27:47Sarah with infantry running behind them
7:27:48on the attack. You know, they're
7:27:51actually better on defense.
7:27:53Mine likes to pair with the red dragon
7:27:55high priestess and they work together on
7:27:57the unit buffs while the nature cleric
7:28:00does the majority of our healing. Drath
7:28:02smirked. You haven't told her that you
7:28:05can give her a chance to have a monster
7:28:07as a pet, have you? The nature
7:28:09priestess? I mean, we might not have any
7:28:12left if they knew. Carl shook his head.
7:28:16I don't think it would work. They're
7:28:19already claimed their class won't change
7:28:21so easily. They didn't get an option to
7:28:24change even when the rest of us were
7:28:25doing our advancement trials. But if I
7:28:28learn to create a skill that will let
7:28:30them talk to monsters, they might never
7:28:32get anything productive done again. Is
7:28:35there another way to reliably create
7:28:36specialists?
7:28:38The random assignments are great for
7:28:40elites, but I need uniform training
7:28:42regimens for hundreds of soldiers at a
7:28:44time. We can do that with warriors, at
7:28:47least the ones who have their whole
7:28:48skill tree active, which I'm not certain
7:28:51will be true of all the new elites. Lack
7:28:54of data, you understand?
7:28:56Carl looked through his skills using the
7:28:58restrictions listed by skill book to
7:29:01determine if there was anything that he
7:29:02could give them all to create some sort
7:29:04of uniform class. The problem was that
7:29:07most of his skills were either
7:29:08specialized for beasts or usable by more
7:29:11than one group of elites. So there was
7:29:13no guarantee that those who used it
7:29:15would awaken the same class. I think
7:29:17that most of them should have a fully
7:29:19active system. All five that I awakened
7:29:22with items had the skill tree. It's
7:29:25mostly just the serum that was
7:29:26incompletely activating the elites.
7:29:29Well, that or something has changed with
7:29:31the appearance of the higher rank active
7:29:33dungeon. That was when the majority of
7:29:36my inactive features were awakened. But
7:29:39if we want to activate only one class,
7:29:41that could be an issue. We could narrow
7:29:44it down to warriors and rogues or
7:29:46various casters. But I don't see a way
7:29:49to only get one type. Remy was in full
7:29:52agreement with Carl's thoughts on the
7:29:54grand solution for their problem. Why
7:29:56not have like three different
7:29:57specialties?
7:29:59As far as battle tactics go, there
7:30:01really are just warriors, mages, and
7:30:04others, she offered. My partner Remy,
7:30:08the naga queen over there, has a
7:30:10suggestion.
7:30:11Why not increase flexibility?
7:30:14You can have teams led by warriors or
7:30:16mages, and then the others can fill in
7:30:18since there are far more mages and
7:30:20warriors than anything else. And how do
7:30:23you guarantee that we will have enough
7:30:24of them if we try bringing them up among
7:30:26our ranks? Carl smiled. That's the easy
7:30:30part. Plead with the blue dragons to
7:30:33give them skill books. The overlord gave
7:30:36Carl a look that said two things. First,
7:30:39he wanted to strangle Carl for
7:30:41suggesting it. Second, he had already
7:30:44tried it and had been not so politely
7:30:46told that they would not be making
7:30:47thousands of skill books for him. After
7:30:50all, they had to be handwritten by a
7:30:52suitably powerful user, and the number
7:30:54of blue clerics and inscriptionist mages
7:30:57was limited. Carl relented when he
7:30:59realized that the plan was already
7:31:01rejected. I joke. No. Send them all to
7:31:06the trial at the cathedral and order
7:31:07them to pick mage or warrior if they are
7:31:09given the option. If they're compatible,
7:31:12the trial ground should awaken system
7:31:14users now. Drath side. We tried that
7:31:18too. It only worked to awaken clerics.
7:31:22However, it is a great advancement
7:31:24resource for elites who have reached
7:31:26commander rank. It seems that military
7:31:29efficiency and the system do not mingle
7:31:31well. However, I do think that it would
7:31:34be best to just go with it. Train
7:31:37everyone in the same combat technique so
7:31:39that they can fight together as needed
7:31:40and then let the units work it out at
7:31:42their end with the ranged and close
7:31:44combat attackers. From a practical
7:31:46standpoint, it doesn't matter if that
7:31:48enemy at 100 m died to a magic missile,
7:31:51an enchanted arrow, or a battle cannon
7:31:53on a mobile artillery piece. Drath
7:31:56chuckled, looking younger than he had
7:31:58when he arrived. That was my suggestion
7:32:01as well, but the president and the other
7:32:03generals voted it down as too chaotic.
7:32:06That's why I have been looking for a
7:32:08better proposal. Count yourself lucky
7:32:10that you didn't get roped into a
7:32:12political position. It's a giant pain in
7:32:15the ass, and when you actually use the
7:32:17power you are given, you end up stepping
7:32:18on well-connected toes and making your
7:32:21next effort harder than it has to be.
7:32:23Carl tried not to laugh.
7:32:26Most of the problem was that the
7:32:27politicians were still a generation or
7:32:29three behind. Tactics have been evolving
7:32:32rapidly over the last decade with the
7:32:34introduction of the elites. But most of
7:32:36the senior politicians and military
7:32:38officers had been serving for 30 or 40
7:32:40years already. The archbishop was over a
7:32:43100 years old. The president was nearing
7:32:4670. And most of his senior advisers were
7:32:48close to 60. You're thinking that we're
7:32:51all fossils and behind the times, aren't
7:32:53you? the general asked with his eyes
7:32:56flashing bronze as his draconic
7:32:58instincts sensed a challenge. For a
7:33:00dragon, you're quite young. But for
7:33:03humans, most of the others in charge are
7:33:05ancient. As I understand it, a bronze
7:33:09dragon is too attached to the letter of
7:33:10the law to bend the rules yourself. And
7:33:12that's why you're looking for a solid
7:33:14reason to adjust the regulations, right?
7:33:17Carl replied, "Precisely.
7:33:21And technically elites are outside my
7:33:23purview as they are no part of the
7:33:25church armies. But we need the firepower
7:33:28and we have a procedural handbook to
7:33:30follow. I did consider just eating them
7:33:33all so they stopped saying no to all the
7:33:35good ideas, but there are laws against
7:33:37that. If you taught them all offensive
7:33:40adaptation, they could likely bond with
7:33:42blood bath spiders. Ry suggested
7:33:46an army of giant spiders and Carl clones
7:33:48would be funny. Well, once we have these
7:33:51ones trained, you will have enough data
7:33:53to prove one way or the other whether
7:33:55entire units of system users within the
7:33:57army is a viable tactic. It might take
7:34:00an amendment or two so that they're
7:34:02actually soldiers and not just attached
7:34:04to army units, but it should be easy
7:34:06enough to get a regulations addendum
7:34:07passed if we get a huge influx of new
7:34:10system users. Drath's eyes shown with
7:34:13amusement as Carl finished his sentence.
7:34:16You know, if it wouldn't collapse
7:34:17society, we could just have everyone we
7:34:19meet put on a system linked item until
7:34:21they're all depleted or everyone has
7:34:23tried. It would be the greatest
7:34:25challenge that a bronze dragon could
7:34:27ever face. His tone was a bit manic as
7:34:30he envisioned the challenges of
7:34:31maintaining law and order in an entire
7:34:33nation full of workers who had suddenly
7:34:35gained a system class. You couldn't be
7:34:38an elite if everyone were one, or even
7:34:41if the majority of people were. He would
7:34:43never willingly allow the collapse of
7:34:45society to actually happen. It was
7:34:47completely contrary to his nature. But
7:34:50like a kid dreaming of becoming a
7:34:52superhero, Carl was beginning to
7:34:54understand that bronze dragons
7:34:55fantasized of bringing order to chaos
7:34:57and implementing rules and regulations
7:34:59to keep everything orderly. Then the
7:35:02dragon side, I think it is time for you
7:35:05to use that potion you mentioned. Try to
7:35:08advance your students to the awakened
7:35:10rank today, even if just the five with
7:35:12classes that aren't beast linked. You
7:35:14need to make your method stand out as
7:35:16superior to any other. If things are
7:35:18going to change, giving that level of
7:35:21resources to every student in the next
7:35:22intake will be a massive cost. Unless
7:35:26senior elites empty their stockpiles to
7:35:28provide all the resources, it might not
7:35:30even be possible. But even then, the
7:35:33cost will exceed the entire year's
7:35:35revenue. Convincing everyone that it is
7:35:38worth it will take results so far beyond
7:35:40anything that we've seen so far that the
7:35:42senior staff will believe that it would
7:35:43cost us more not to. Yes, potion time.
7:35:48I've had them ready all day long. These
7:35:51will be great. Trust me, I can make
7:35:54humans into proper elites. Remy cheered.
7:35:58All right, they're on lunch and we've
7:36:01been feeding them commander rank meat to
7:36:03overload them with energy for the
7:36:04afternoon training already. That's a
7:36:07worthwhile attempt, by the way. The
7:36:10progression just from sufficient
7:36:11nutrition has the clerics in a frenzy.
7:36:14Drath chuckled. If we had that many
7:36:17edible commander rank and higher
7:36:19monsters, I would consider it. Edible
7:36:22monsters are rare in the spawns, and
7:36:24it's not like we're farming them at that
7:36:25sort of power level. Remy used blizzard
7:36:29to make snow so that she could turn the
7:36:31potions into smoothies.
7:36:33Nobody said no to berry flavored
7:36:35smoothies. While Remy was confident,
7:36:38Thor had been listening to the parts of
7:36:40the conversations which related to
7:36:41ruining someone's potential with too
7:36:43much of a good thing. He trusted his
7:36:46little sister, but she got too
7:36:47enthusiastic about her projects. And she
7:36:50didn't study humans much. There was a
7:36:52risk that like the first day's royal
7:36:54rank soup, this was going to overwhelm
7:36:56them. But because this was a potion
7:36:58forcing them to gain power, it might
7:37:00cause permanent damage. Just wait. You
7:37:03will soon see that I know what I'm
7:37:05doing. It's even in the book as a safe
7:37:08advancement formula for baby elites.
7:37:11Carl examined the potions that she had
7:37:13made. And while they did have some
7:37:14commander rank ingredients, they were in
7:37:17minimal doses and heavily watered down.
7:37:20The potions could be considered awakened
7:37:22rank, at least after they were mixed
7:37:24with the ice to make a smoothie, so they
7:37:26should be safe enough. Potion of
7:37:28advancement was what the system called
7:37:30them all, though Carl knew they had been
7:37:32tailored to each individual student.
7:37:35Fortunately for everyone, Remy had
7:37:37labeled all of the potions before she
7:37:39mixed them into smoothies, so there was
7:37:41no confusion as they began to pass them
7:37:43out to the students. much to the dismay
7:37:46of the rest of the trainees and the
7:37:48suspicion of the recipients.
7:37:50They hadn't forgotten what the cleansing
7:37:52drinks had done to their insights.
7:37:54What is with this unfair training bias?
7:37:57We get extra work on our combat skills
7:38:00and mental fortitude, and they get
7:38:01smoothies.
7:38:03One of the rangers complained.
7:38:05Carl shrugged. If it helps, I gave the
7:38:09SOS and the more cats a special treat.
7:38:12They all looked to where one of the cats
7:38:14was happily nibbling at a bowl of
7:38:15commander rank meat and the beast
7:38:17covered it protectively.
7:38:19That does not make it better at all. Pat
7:38:22the ranger bonded with the cat in
7:38:24question, remarked.
7:38:26Carl could have sworn that the cat
7:38:28laughed at him as it resumed eating. The
7:38:30humans had gotten a pretty decent lunch,
7:38:32specifically chosen by the clerics with
7:38:34the help of the apartment kitchen to
7:38:36include some higher rank ingredients to
7:38:38spike their energy in what Lotus assured
7:38:40them was a safe way.
7:38:42But the cat got an entire bowl full of
7:38:44the good stuff. No filler, no nonsense,
7:38:48just meat. Remy did have mercy on the
7:38:51rangers and Nikki the tiger monk, and
7:38:54she passed them out similar smoothies as
7:38:56well. But that was part of the plan to
7:38:59distract the other five from their
7:39:00suspicions about being suddenly given
7:39:02treats. They had already gotten a fancy
7:39:05lunch and now a fruity drink that wasn't
7:39:07served with the meal. That was
7:39:09suspicious.
7:39:11But when everyone had one, it was less
7:39:13likely to be some sort of nefarious
7:39:15plot. Or so they assumed until the
7:39:18potion started to take effect. The
7:39:21system is showing me something weird
7:39:23appeared in Carl's vision, thoroughly
7:39:25confusing him until he realized that
7:39:27there was a name tagged before the
7:39:29words, indicating that it was sent by
7:39:31Cibil. How had she done that? Carl
7:39:34searched for the option, then focused on
7:39:37the words and realized there was a
7:39:38function button beside them with no
7:39:40label that he had simply hidden as
7:39:41useless. "What do you see, Sibil?" he
7:39:45asked out loud. The rogu's eyes lit up
7:39:49in excitement.
7:39:50Someone had seen her message. She had
7:39:53tried to use the mind talk thing that
7:39:55Carl and Lady Ray used to make their
7:39:57plans, and it worked. Well, mostly. It
7:40:01was supposed to go to Ray, but Carl got
7:40:04it instead. It says, "Warning,
7:40:06experience increase effects have a
7:40:08cumulative detriment modifier.
7:40:11Chance of success more than 98%.
7:40:14Chance of failure less than 1%.
7:40:17Chance of critical failure 1%.
7:40:20Modifier 0%."
7:40:23Carl read that twice, then nodded at
7:40:25her. Go ahead, that's as safe as it
7:40:28gets. Carl informed her, but Cibil was
7:40:31already finished the smoothie, not
7:40:33connecting the message with the beverage
7:40:35until it was too late. Slowly, her power
7:40:38began to grow, the same as Carl's had
7:40:40when he used growth resources at the
7:40:42academy. Her power was steadily
7:40:45increasing in quality, and Carl was
7:40:47nearly certain that she would make it to
7:40:48awakened rank with just the one boost.
7:40:51Power juice. The Sarah hatchlings began
7:40:55to cheer once they realized what was
7:40:57going on. Why doesn't it work for our
7:40:59pack? Is it just for the other pack? The
7:41:03Sero began to wonder. We didn't give it
7:41:06to everyone just in case it didn't work
7:41:08right. Instead, you got the good feed
7:41:11and your partners got juice. Thor
7:41:14explained through the Sarah mind link.
7:41:17That made sense to them. You had to
7:41:19share when there were only so many good
7:41:21things.
7:41:22The big SO always gave the good treats
7:41:25to the littlest ones, just like Carl had
7:41:27done for his Pax Hatchlings.
7:41:29Aaron and Jaime advanced to awaken at
7:41:32the same time with Joan and Owen only a
7:41:34few seconds behind them. Now it says
7:41:37modifier minus 20%, Cibil updated them.
7:41:41That was a dangerous category.
7:41:44The first one was basically guaranteed,
7:41:46but if there was a cumulative detriment
7:41:48to using that sort of resource, even a
7:41:50few of them would nearly guarantee a
7:41:51negative outcome. Or it might have
7:41:54something to do with the strength of the
7:41:56concoction.
7:41:57Overlord Drath might know. Common Dant,
7:42:00I don't suppose that you have one of
7:42:02those potions that they give to the
7:42:03bottleneck elites, do you? I would like
7:42:06to inspect it with a skill that I have.
7:42:09I suspect that I might be able to
7:42:11deconstruct it into a more effective
7:42:12form. Carl asked the Overlord potion.
7:42:18No, I don't carry that with me, but I
7:42:20can have some scent here if you need to
7:42:22study it. That potion of yours is
7:42:24brilliant. All five of them reached
7:42:27awakened rank in a single shot with no
7:42:29visible side effects. He gushed. Oh,
7:42:34there is a side effect, just not
7:42:36visible. Every time a system user takes
7:42:39one of those types of potions, there is
7:42:41a cumulative chance of critical failure.
7:42:44The overlord winced. He knew exactly
7:42:47what that entailed.
7:42:49Some who took the potion to break the
7:42:51bottleneck between commander and royal
7:42:52simply died, while others had their
7:42:54powers crippled. It was a low chance,
7:42:57but only a few had ever actually become
7:42:59an overlord directly, and most of the
7:43:02successful attempts ended up barely
7:43:03bumped over the bottleneck into royal
7:43:05rank with little to no growth ability
7:43:07left. Now that they knew more about the
7:43:10system and with Carl's input, it could
7:43:12be presumed that was the result of a
7:43:14failure or critical failure of the
7:43:16potion effects. That would also explain
7:43:19why some in the lower ranks who tried to
7:43:21push too fast ended up crippled from
7:43:22overuse of resources.
7:43:25They had pushed their luck too far
7:43:26without ever knowing the odds. The
7:43:29bronze dragon took out a magical
7:43:31communication token and sent a message.
7:43:34Someone will bring you a copy of the
7:43:36potion soon. If you can even tell us a
7:43:39few things about changes that will
7:43:40increase the odds, it would be an
7:43:42enormous benefit to the nation. He
7:43:44explained quietly.
7:43:46I will let you know what I can find out.
7:43:49With the ability to identify the odds,
7:43:52my alchemist can at least experiment on
7:43:54the potion until there is an
7:43:55improvement. Carl agreed. Then we can
7:43:59feed it to a new commander and see if
7:44:01they explode. Remy agreed. Your sisters
7:44:05are corrupting you. Thor lamented.
7:44:08Become powerful.
7:44:10Remy amended with an apologetic look at
7:44:12her big brother. The overlord potion, as
7:44:16common dantrath had called it, was handd
7:44:18delivered by a royal rank bishop of the
7:44:20church along with 20 elite church guard
7:44:23and a pair of inquisitors.
7:44:25First general, I have brought the potion
7:44:27as you requested. Who might the blessed
7:44:30one be? The bishop asked. Overlord Drath
7:44:34looked a little sheepish and rubbed the
7:44:36back of his neck. Bishop, my apologies,
7:44:39but there has been a misunderstanding.
7:44:42You see, Monarch Carl wanted a sample to
7:44:44study. His team managed to come up with
7:44:47a potion that immediately advanced these
7:44:49five cadets to awakened rank only 2 days
7:44:51after they gained their system. However,
7:44:54we learned a troubling fact during the
7:44:56process, and I believe his skill can
7:44:58shed some light on why the overlord
7:45:00potion malfunctions.
7:45:02All of the cadets and acolytes stopped
7:45:04what they were doing when they heard
7:45:05that. They didn't know what sort of
7:45:08super powerful potion warranted this
7:45:10sort of escort, but it had to be
7:45:11something incredible.
7:45:13May I touch the potion, Bishop? It is
7:45:16necessary for the skill to function.
7:45:19Carl asked. He would only see the odds
7:45:22once he had it in his hands and at least
7:45:24considered using it. The bishop passed
7:45:27Carl the potion, and the guards moved to
7:45:29surround him, protecting the potion as
7:45:32they were facing away from him. As Carl
7:45:34focused with identify on the potion, a
7:45:37few things became clear. First, this was
7:45:41a much better thing than he had
7:45:42expected. Second, altering the
7:45:45ingredients probably wouldn't help much.
7:45:48Overlord potion grade totem immediately
7:45:52upgrades the power level of the embber
7:45:55by a set range of levels. Maximum rank
7:45:58of overlord may be achieved.
7:46:00Warning. Experience increase effects
7:46:03have a cumulative detriment modifier.
7:46:06Chance of success 0.3%.
7:46:09Chance of partial success 10%.
7:46:12Chance of failure 2%.
7:46:15Chance of critical failure 87.7%.
7:46:19Modifier 0%.
7:46:22Success grants three ranks of
7:46:23advancement.
7:46:25Partial success grants one rank of
7:46:27advancement.
7:46:28Failure causes one random permanent
7:46:31debuff. Critical failure will result in
7:46:34death with no resurrection possible.
7:46:36Warning, full success not possible.
7:46:39Maximum rank of user exceeded. Now Carl
7:46:43understood why the potion had to be
7:46:44taken by a commander. Nobody else could
7:46:47get the full use of the effect as it was
7:46:49either one or three ranks of
7:46:51advancement.
7:46:52But those odds were dismal. Surely there
7:46:56wasn't a 90% chance of death for the
7:46:58regular users or they wouldn't have
7:47:00started using it on commanders at all.
7:47:03So Carl inspected the potion more
7:47:05closely trying to find the default
7:47:07values.
7:47:08Overlord potion
7:47:10grade totem immediately upgrades the
7:47:14power level of the embber to a set
7:47:16range. Maximum rank of overlord may be
7:47:19achieved. Chance of success 4%.
7:47:23Chance of partial success 40%.
7:47:26Chance of failure 54%.
7:47:29Chance of critical failure 2%.
7:47:32Success grants three ranks of
7:47:34advancement.
7:47:36Partial success grants one rank of
7:47:38advancement.
7:47:39Failure causes one random permanent
7:47:41debuff. Critical failure will result in
7:47:44death with no resurrection possible.
7:47:47That made more sense. The people using
7:47:50it were already at the limits of their
7:47:52potential, so they would have a heavy
7:47:54modifier. But if the chance of actually
7:47:56dying from it was only 2% and failure
7:47:58was a permanent debuff, many would be
7:48:00willing to risk it when they didn't know
7:48:02their personal odds. The bishop cleared
7:48:05his throat. What do you see with your
7:48:07system skill, Monarch? The system calls
7:48:10it an overlord potion with a 4% chance
7:48:13to take a commander to overlord or a 40%
7:48:16chance to take one to royal rank.
7:48:19However, other resources you've used in
7:48:21the past will modify that. For me, it is
7:48:24impossible as I'm already a monarch, and
7:48:26the potion doesn't grant a linear amount
7:48:28of power, but a set effect instead.
7:48:31However, you could theoretically use it
7:48:33on elites below commander rank to grant
7:48:35them the same 4% chance of gaining three
7:48:38ranks. About half would end up with a
7:48:41one rank advancement and half would take
7:48:43permanent injury. According to the
7:48:45potion's description, the wse that the
7:48:47bishop made when Carl mentioned giving
7:48:49it to people below the commander rank
7:48:51said that this was not a cheap or easy
7:48:53potion to make, but that should be
7:48:55expected from a totem rank potion of any
7:48:58sort. Is that all you can learn about it
7:49:00with your skill? Not that I'm
7:49:02complaining. Knowing the odds and exact
7:49:05effect is incredibly valuable, the
7:49:07bishop asked. Give me a while and I
7:49:10might be able to discover how to tweak
7:49:12it for more success, but I wasn't
7:49:14expecting it to be totem ranked. One
7:49:17rank over myself isn't too difficult,
7:49:19but two is pushing my luck, Carl
7:49:22explained. That made sense to the
7:49:24bishop. Many had tried in the past to
7:49:27improve the formula and just as many had
7:49:29failed. Carl tried to look deeper into
7:49:32the potion's construction when a
7:49:34notification caught his attention. Skill
7:49:37master 4 activation identification has
7:49:40improved by one tier.
7:49:42Skill analysis gained. That was the
7:49:46first time that the skill master ability
7:49:48had advanced one of his own skills by a
7:49:50tier, and Carl was startled that it was
7:49:52a utility skill and not one of the ones
7:49:54that he used constantly. Perhaps he
7:49:57simply wasn't pushing hard enough to
7:49:58force the evolution of the others. Or he
7:50:01might just need inspiration to cause
7:50:03them to evolve. With analysis, both Carl
7:50:07and Remy could tell much more about the
7:50:08potion. First, the primary ingredient
7:50:12was totem rank holy power in liquid
7:50:14form.
7:50:16So, these potions were personally made
7:50:18by the Archbishop or another nation's
7:50:20strongest cleric. There was a list of
7:50:23plant names there as well, none of which
7:50:25Carl had ever heard of. Then, he noticed
7:50:28something floating in the potion that he
7:50:30hadn't seen before. It was glowing, and
7:50:33Carl couldn't seem to figure out what it
7:50:35was. The system wasn't being any help at
7:50:38first, but after a few seconds, Carl
7:50:40realized that it was a rune. There were
7:50:43solidified magic runes in the potion.
7:50:46Rune crafting compound sigil recorded
7:50:48power surge. Remy's excitement filled
7:50:52Carl's mind, but it was Ray's mental
7:50:54laughter that caught his attention. That
7:50:56one really will make them explode. The
7:50:59spider cheered. She was right. The rune
7:51:03was nothing but a pure power transfer,
7:51:05as much as the user wished to imbue into
7:51:08it, but without form unless it was
7:51:09combined with others into a proper sigil
7:51:11or phrase. If Carl used it alone on
7:51:14anyone but the overlord, it would just
7:51:16drain every bit of his energy and
7:51:18overload the target. That much raw mana
7:51:21would literally make them explode.
7:51:24Fortunately, with rune crafting, Carl
7:51:26should be able to combine that compound
7:51:28rune into a sentence to empower a runic
7:51:30inscription that would otherwise have
7:51:32little to no effect. In a way, it was a
7:51:35new word, a more precise way of
7:51:38describing what he wanted to happen when
7:51:39writing with runes. It would take work,
7:51:42but he had been planning to practice his
7:51:44rune crafting anyhow. But the fact that
7:51:47there was no other sigil with power
7:51:49surge in the potion was a clue on its
7:51:51own. The flow of power was uncontrolled,
7:51:54which was what was likely damaging the
7:51:56users. If he modified that, it could
7:51:59improve the success of the potion. "How
7:52:02mad would you be if I modified this
7:52:03potion?" Carl asked the bishop. "It
7:52:07takes the archbishop 60 hours to make
7:52:09one," he replied simply. "Well, that
7:52:13changed the riskto-reward calculation."
7:52:17Carl stared at the potion for a little
7:52:18longer. He was going to modify it. He
7:52:22could apologize to the Archbishop later
7:52:24if it didn't work or maybe run away with
7:52:27Lord Knack, whichever seemed safer at
7:52:30the time. Fortunately, the runes were
7:52:33simple for what he wanted to do. So, he
7:52:37moved the potion to Remy's space and
7:52:39carefully portioned a little bit into
7:52:40another beaker.
7:52:421/3 of maximum power flow for three
7:52:44times the duration was one complex
7:52:46compound rune that attached smoothly to
7:52:49the power surge rune. Carl took that as
7:52:52a sign that he had done something right
7:52:54and carefully modified all the runes in
7:52:56the smaller vial. As the last one was
7:52:59completed, Carl got a notification.
7:53:02Vial of Overlord potion part one of
7:53:04three. Interesting.
7:53:07So he made two more and watched as he
7:53:10got the notification two more times.
7:53:12Then he carefully mixed them into one
7:53:15larger potion bottle, though still half
7:53:17the size of the original. Runic overlord
7:53:20potion. Chance of success 4% + 5%.
7:53:25Chance of partial success 40% plus 5%.
7:53:29Chance of failure 54% minus 10%.
7:53:33Chance of critical failure 2%.
7:53:36Warning, runic potions are incompatible
7:53:39with some species.
7:53:41Carl considered that for a moment. It
7:53:44didn't say what species, so this might
7:53:46either be flatout better or totally
7:53:48useless to the GDN if it didn't work on
7:53:50humans. He opened his eyes and realized
7:53:53that everyone around him was sitting and
7:53:55eating dinner as the sun went down. How
7:53:58long was I out of it? I lost track of
7:54:01time, he asked. About 6 hours.
7:54:06Tessa guessed and Overlord Drath nodded
7:54:08in agreement.
7:54:10Well, at least I have something to show
7:54:12for it. Here, the modified potion. It
7:54:16should have a 5% better chance of both
7:54:18one and three rank increases with 10%
7:54:21less failure chance as a result.
7:54:24However, the system says that some
7:54:26species can't use it, and I have no idea
7:54:28what ones. Carl informed the bishop.
7:54:32Before he could move, the potion
7:54:34vanished from his hand, and Lord Knacked
7:54:36was beside him, staring at the bottle.
7:54:39"Oh, this is good. We should test it."
7:54:43The ancient black dragon announced. The
7:54:46bishop who had brought the original
7:54:48potion looked like he was going to argue
7:54:50for a moment, then thought better of the
7:54:52notion. Fighting with a totem ranked
7:54:54dragon wouldn't end well for anyone.
7:54:57"Oh, do you have a baby dragon in mind?"
7:55:01Carl asked, "Why in the seven hells
7:55:04would I give this to a dragon?" Nacked
7:55:06asked. He had a point. Dragons didn't
7:55:10need it, and they weren't worried about
7:55:12growth rate. A portal formed near
7:55:15Knack's left hand, and he pulled an old
7:55:17woman in black robes through by the
7:55:19neck. One clawed hand tilted the woman's
7:55:22head back, and the dragon poured the
7:55:24potion down her throat. Slowly at first,
7:55:27then with increasing flow, power began
7:55:30to gather in the area. The disturbance
7:55:32had caught the attention of every
7:55:34powerful elite in the city, and Carl
7:55:36could sense people running their way, as
7:55:38well as a halfozen portals opening
7:55:40nearby. This had better work now that
7:55:43they had so many onlookers.
7:55:46Carl spun the ring of the beast lord on
7:55:48his finger. It increased his luck stat,
7:55:51and that had to help somehow. Avoiding
7:55:54embarrassment was a form of luck. Right.
7:55:57The black robed cleric gasped and
7:55:59collapsed to her knees, surrounded by a
7:56:01mist of dark power that had every bit of
7:56:03Ray's attention. But the process wasn't
7:56:06over. More power was still flowing into
7:56:08her body as her magic reacted wildly,
7:56:11restrained by Lord Knacked so that it
7:56:13didn't kill all of the lower ranked
7:56:14elites in the area. "Hm, it appears that
7:56:17you did it right. She's not dead." Nact
7:56:21noted, sounding dismayed. The cleric
7:56:25rolled over on her back, twitching in
7:56:27pain as the power flowed into her. She
7:56:30managed a single second worth of glare
7:56:32at the dragon before she was racked with
7:56:33pain again, and the power gathered by
7:56:35the process began to merge with her
7:56:37body. "Your god has an odd way of
7:56:40showing their favor." Carl noted as the
7:56:43woman's power grew. Divine favor. I was
7:56:47betting on the 2% chance it would kill
7:56:49her outright and I wouldn't have to
7:56:51listen to her whine again. The black
7:56:54dragon replied. Ry giggled quietly while
7:56:57everyone else in the area looked
7:56:59horrified. He had picked her because he
7:57:02didn't mind if she died. That was
7:57:04unexpected.
7:57:06As the effect faded, the cleric passed
7:57:08out. It didn't matter to the onlookers
7:57:11or to Lord Knacked. They could all sense
7:57:14the overlord ranked aura coming from
7:57:16her.
7:57:179% chance of success. Her luck is pretty
7:57:20good. Carl noted. The ancient dragon
7:57:24nodded. Yes, it was thoroughly
7:57:27satisfying.
7:57:28Now I have a new bishop for the black
7:57:30dragon who is going to hold a grudge.
7:57:34Carl added. Irrelevant.
7:57:37She's from here in the city and I will
7:57:39be headed home once my business is done.
7:57:42The archbishop came over with a smile.
7:57:45Is it true the potion's effectiveness
7:57:48could be increased?
7:57:50Carl nodded. Not the effectiveness
7:57:53exactly, but the chance of success
7:57:56increased by 5% for both stages of
7:57:59success.
7:58:00Now, the base success rate is over 50%
7:58:03before modifiers and luck. A week well
7:58:06spent. Then come with me. We need to
7:58:09discuss this in private. Carl didn't
7:58:12even have time to react before Knack was
7:58:14shoving him through a portal, followed
7:58:16by the two totem rank leaders and the
7:58:18unconscious bishop. Start from the
7:58:21beginning. What did you do to my potion?
7:58:24At your rank, you shouldn't have even
7:58:26been able to mix in a single ingredient
7:58:28without it fading. The archbishop began.
7:58:32I actually didn't add ingredients or
7:58:34remake the potion itself. There are
7:58:37magical runes in the potion, but they
7:58:39were incomplete.
7:58:41No, that's not the right word. They were
7:58:44unregulated.
7:58:46I added a runic phrase to slow the
7:58:48effect. That way, the users were less
7:58:51likely to explode, as my friend Remy so
7:58:54eloquently put it. Carl explained, then
7:58:57drew the rune in the air with his
7:58:58finger. The archbishop took him to a
7:59:01large oak desk and sat him in the plush
7:59:03leather chair in front of golden writing
7:59:04tools and a stack of paper. He had pens,
7:59:08pencils with various cores, paint
7:59:10brushes, and various paints and inks to
7:59:12choose from. But he wasn't making a
7:59:15skill book. It was just a rune. So he
7:59:17chose a small paint brush and plain
7:59:19black ink which the archbishop appeared
7:59:21to have ground from an ink stone and not
7:59:23purchased as a liquid. This is the part
7:59:26one added. And this is the compound rune
7:59:28that I formed. He explained a few
7:59:31seconds later. Knack leaned over the
7:59:33desk. Oh, I see. And you said that this
7:59:38additional part was already in the
7:59:39potion. Both Carl and the Archbishop
7:59:42nodded in unison, and the archbishop
7:59:44gestured towards a wall full of runic
7:59:46writing. It's one of the power runes for
7:59:49holy items of all sorts. This potion is
7:59:52my own creation, but my rune crafting
7:59:55skills are limited. I know the language
7:59:57fairly well, but I don't have it as a
7:59:59system skill. Carl considered that, then
8:00:03pulled a jar of silver ink and a stack
8:00:05of paper over. We might be able to fix
8:00:08that. I have the skill and a skill for
8:00:11creating skill books. Let's see how this
8:00:14goes, he suggested.
8:00:17Lord Knack laughed and the archbishop
8:00:20side then gestured at the bookcase.
8:00:23I already considered that, but I won't
8:00:25turn down a spare copy. Carl saw that
8:00:29there was a rune crafting book on the
8:00:31shelf, but it was ancient and damaged,
8:00:34not an active skill book. Carl got right
8:00:37to work on the book as the necessary
8:00:39inks were already on the table. Rune
8:00:42crafting was more of a dictionary than
8:00:44anything else, and every rune that Carl
8:00:46wrote slowly etched itself into his mind
8:00:49and in used language that he had never
8:00:50paid attention to. Sure, he had the
8:00:53skill to use them, but it was a bit like
8:00:55using Ren for the first time when he was
8:00:57on the train. It was possible, but he
8:01:00had not trained any sort of mental or
8:01:02muscle memory for it. So, it was
8:01:04somewhat like following a guide book for
8:01:05something that you had never seen in
8:01:07person. Just writing out the book was
8:01:10giving him ideas. If he had better
8:01:12crafting skills, he could make weapons
8:01:14and add runes to them, turning mundane
8:01:17items into quality magical weapons.
8:01:20making toys for fun and profit. Remy
8:01:23agreed, paying close attention to Carl's
8:01:25work. "Can you use this skill?" he
8:01:29asked, wondering how many of the beasts
8:01:31shared his more esoteric abilities. "I
8:01:34can, but not the others. Probably
8:01:37because I'm the only one that reads for
8:01:39fun." Remy agreed. Writing out a whole
8:01:43dictionary of runes took time. a lot of
8:01:46time, but eventually Carl had a massive
8:01:49bound tome in front of him that put the
8:01:51one on the shelf to shame. It was easily
8:01:54a thousand pages long, and Carl guessed
8:01:56that he had missed at least an entire
8:01:58day while he was working, even with the
8:02:00increased hand speed that he had to
8:02:01restrain just enough not to splatter the
8:02:03ink. There were no windows in the
8:02:06office, and the room was soundproofed
8:02:08with no clock in sight. That made it
8:02:11exceptionally easy to lose track of time
8:02:13and actively using a system skill seemed
8:02:15to keep you locked in so you didn't
8:02:17notice outside stimuli as much. And here
8:02:20we are. One skill book of rune crafting,
8:02:25he announced, waking the archbishop.
8:02:28The old man was napping on a dive van in
8:02:30the corner of his office, which was well
8:02:32equipped with blankets, suggesting that
8:02:34this was a regular occurrence. The
8:02:36archbishop slowly got to his feet and
8:02:38came over to the desk where he ran a
8:02:40reverend finger over the tome. It's
8:02:43beautiful. If I had to guess, I would
8:02:46say that it is an epic grade skill just
8:02:48going by the cover, but I suspect that
8:02:51it's actually something much more
8:02:52difficult to obtain than that. The old
8:02:55man rambled.
8:02:57More uncommon than an epic skill.
8:03:00Reverently, the archbishop opened the
8:03:02cover of the tome and nothing happened.
8:03:06At least until Lord Knack burst into
8:03:08laughter. Oh, that is grand. The
8:03:12greatest rune master on the continent
8:03:14can't use the rune crafting skill book.
8:03:16Do you perhaps already have a basic
8:03:18version of the skill? The black dragon
8:03:21taunted his counterpart. The archbishop
8:03:24shook his head. I don't have a skill for
8:03:27it. I know most of the language, though.
8:03:31It would seem that I still have much to
8:03:33learn with the size of this tome, but I
8:03:35am considered fluent in runic. The
8:03:38dragon inspected the tome, and then a
8:03:40slow smile spread across his face. Why
8:03:43don't we call the librarian?
8:03:45I bet that the head of the blue dragon
8:03:47clerics would love the opportunity to
8:03:49learn the most complete form of the
8:03:50runic language. It only took a few
8:03:53seconds for the librarian to enter after
8:03:55the archbishop called for her. She came
8:03:58through a side door and Carl realized
8:04:00that their offices were attached. That
8:04:03was incredibly convenient when there
8:04:05were questions or when Lord Knack was
8:04:08visiting and wanted to troll someone.
8:04:11Librarian, we have a rare skill book for
8:04:13you to try. None of us can use it and we
8:04:16have some hope that you can learn its
8:04:18secrets, then make a duplicate. The
8:04:21archbishop requested. The blue dragon
8:04:24carefully put on a pair of white cotton
8:04:26gloves as she approached and delicately
8:04:28inspected the entire tome, making mental
8:04:30notes before doing anything else.
8:04:33Beautiful. It will be a shame to remove
8:04:36such a beautiful book from circulation,
8:04:38but once I have learned it, I will
8:04:40immediately endeavor to make another."
8:04:42The librarian announced, then carefully
8:04:45opened the cover. Her eyes widened as
8:04:48the book vanished and a flood of
8:04:49information entered her brain, filling
8:04:51in all the details of the rune crafter's
8:04:53trade. This is wonderful. There is so
8:04:57much to know, so many things that were
8:04:59lost to time. I can fix the wards on the
8:05:02bookshelves and rebuild the automatic
8:05:04staircase.
8:05:06Oh, I do need to get another copy made
8:05:08as soon as possible. The juniors can do
8:05:11all of that while I study the rest of
8:05:13the knowledge hidden in here. She was
8:05:15clearly rambling now, but the dragon was
8:05:18happy, even if her subordinates were
8:05:20about to become very unhappy. The
8:05:22librarian ran out of the room without
8:05:24even acknowledging that the archbishop
8:05:26was waiting to ask her questions. Lord
8:05:29Knacked patted him on the shoulder.
8:05:31Well, you win some and you lose some.
8:05:34She will answer all your questions
8:05:36eventually. It's good that she was the
8:05:39one that it worked for because all the
8:05:40teachers in the cathedral are blue
8:05:42dragon clerics and your weaponsmith
8:05:44students are sure to want access to that
8:05:46knowledge as soon as possible. The
8:05:48archbishop nodded. Not just the
8:05:51students.
8:05:52Everyone is going to want to learn a bit
8:05:54more about magical runes. Carl thought
8:05:57about that and shook his head in dismay.
8:06:00There are runes and then there is rune
8:06:02crafting. Anyone can write the runes if
8:06:05they've seen them before, but making a
8:06:07magical item that can properly harness
8:06:08them is an entirely different matter.
8:06:11The archbishop didn't quite understand,
8:06:13but Carl had an easy way to explain. He
8:06:16picked up the paintbrush and some plain
8:06:18ink, then wrote the rune for shock. It
8:06:22was easier to recreate skills that you
8:06:24already understood, and he knew
8:06:26lightning pretty well. If you would
8:06:28kindly activate that rune, I can
8:06:30demonstrate.
8:06:32Carl informed the aging cleric. The
8:06:35archbishop just looked confused, but
8:06:37Lord Knacked tapped the paper and
8:06:38infused it with a bit of mana that made
8:06:40electricity crackle over the page like a
8:06:42stun gun. The paper was destroyed by the
8:06:45electricity, so Carl wrote another with
8:06:48the same ink, then activated it to
8:06:50create a shock effect on the black
8:06:52dragon. After all, the archbishop was
8:06:55old and somewhat frail. A small amount
8:06:58of electricity crackled over the
8:07:00dragon's barrier and the archbishop
8:07:02nodded in understanding.
8:07:04I see now it's the difference between
8:07:07the rune doing what it says and the rune
8:07:09doing what you will it to. There is so
8:07:12much more that I could do if I had that
8:07:14skill. But alas, I will have to leave it
8:07:17to the blue clerics and their students.
8:07:20Perhaps the skill will soon spread
8:07:22through the alchemists and the smiths,
8:07:24bringing us back to the glory days of
8:07:25item creation.
8:07:27The old man was completely on a tangent
8:07:29now, and the black dragon was trying
8:07:31hard not to laugh at him. I should
8:07:34probably tell you now. Run crafting
8:07:37won't work for anyone under royal rank,
8:07:39and only one in a hundred at best will
8:07:41be able to learn the trade skill. Don't
8:07:43get too lost in big dreams just yet, old
8:07:46friend. The dragon warned him quietly.
8:07:50And you had to ruin it. Fine, I'm going
8:07:53back to sleep. see the monarch out,
8:07:56would you?" Carl followed Lord Knacked
8:07:59out of the office and did his best not
8:08:01to laugh at the expression on the
8:08:02dragon's face. "You know something that
8:08:05I don't about the skill book, don't
8:08:07you?" Carl asked quietly as they walked
8:08:10through the silent halls of the
8:08:11cathedral at night." Nact smirked at
8:08:14him. "At my age, I know more about
8:08:17nearly everything. But what you mean is
8:08:20that I know that the old man already has
8:08:22alchemy as a trade skill and the system
8:08:24won't let you take another. So I'm a
8:08:27rune crafter by trade. I wasn't
8:08:30expecting that. Carl replied.
8:08:33It seems so. I would assume that it was
8:08:36a quest reward of some sort, but rune
8:08:38crafting is a particularly fine lost
8:08:40art. Which discipline have you chosen?
8:08:44Discipline.
8:08:46Nact shrugged. Nomish engineers, dwarven
8:08:49rune masters, on my demon slayers, ward
8:08:52crafters, rune mages, and a few others I
8:08:55have long since forgotten all rely on
8:08:57the rune crafter trade skill for their
8:08:59art. Normally, you would choose one of
8:09:01the disciplines, but it appears that you
8:09:04simply got the rune library without
8:09:05having to make a choice. So, eventually,
8:09:09you will have to choose a specialty if
8:09:11you're going to truly master the craft.
8:09:13No matter how many runes you know, only
8:09:16tireless practice will make you an
8:09:17actual master at using them. I was
8:09:20thinking of using them to make useful
8:09:22charms, but not as a trade, just as a
8:09:24parlor trick to make life easier. But
8:09:27I've been to an ancient dwarven city
8:09:29near the frost giant border, as well as
8:09:31that trial that we both entered. They
8:09:34had runes on every wall, and when they
8:09:36were active, they could do so much.
8:09:39Remy, my Naga partner, recorded the
8:09:41runes in the forges.
8:09:43Carl began. Nact nodded in agreement.
8:09:48That is part of the rune crafter's art.
8:09:50You could rebuild that sort of magical
8:09:52forge and even the weapons that they
8:09:54turned out from it. The Cyclops forge
8:09:57masters used a variation of the same
8:09:59art. They're much more like the dwarves
8:10:02in their crafting skills than either
8:10:03species would be willing to admit. They
8:10:06both have their own style, but they both
8:10:08craft rare items with incredible powers
8:10:10and beautiful details.
8:10:13Carl sighed. Why does it feel like all
8:10:16the progress we made with technology is
8:10:18quickly becoming irrelevant?
8:10:20The ancient dragon laughed. Not all of
8:10:23it. Many things in life are easier with
8:10:26technology, but it will never compete
8:10:28with magic for raw power and
8:10:30versatility.
8:10:31It's not impossible to mix the two.
8:10:33There are some nations who raise
8:10:35technologies,
8:10:36but the interaction is limited. They
8:10:39have the most wonderful magical guns,
8:10:42and it only took them a century to
8:10:44recover all the ones that were stolen
8:10:46from them during the Civil War. Now,
8:10:48they self-destruct if anyone other than
8:10:50the intended user tries to activate
8:10:52them. That made sense. It was the same
8:10:56thing with any powerful magical
8:10:57artifact.
8:10:59A magical bow that could do massive
8:11:01damage from a long distance was a prime
8:11:03target for theft, especially if the user
8:11:06could be discreetly killed. I take it
8:11:09that they don't bond, Carl asked.
8:11:12They're incompatible with the system.
8:11:15I've seen the ancient records and there
8:11:17were technomage armies then, but they
8:11:20were seen as being at a disadvantage
8:11:22because they could be disarmed by theft
8:11:23or magic and couldn't call the weapons
8:11:25back to themselves.
8:11:27Disarming them to capture the soldiers
8:11:29became the standard method of dealing
8:11:31with the tactic. Well, that or casting a
8:11:34spell to amplify fire magic and making
8:11:36all their guns misfire.
8:11:38Carl nodded in understanding.
8:11:41The hill giants plug artillery barrels
8:11:43with earth magic if they get close
8:11:45enough. Nact smiled. The giants
8:11:49surrounding your nation make life much
8:11:51easier than you know. They're a
8:11:53nuisance. But if the old man had to
8:11:55fight off a dozen nations of humans and
8:11:57the hundreds of subfactions, the church
8:11:59would have never managed to unify the
8:12:01nation. You come from the mines, don't
8:12:04you? You've got the look. That whole
8:12:07southern region between the capital and
8:12:09the beastkin nation used to be part of
8:12:11the wilds, a no man's land that competed
8:12:13with monsters for survival. Without
8:12:16strong magic or the blessings of the
8:12:18world dragon, the whole of the golden
8:12:20dragon nation would have been the same
8:12:22way. If the giants didn't keep
8:12:23competition out, Carl frowned. It's
8:12:27strange to hear it that way. Is that
8:12:30perhaps the perspective of your god?
8:12:32Nack shrugged. The god of death doesn't
8:12:35care about species all that much. But
8:12:38black dragon clerics are sensitive to
8:12:40the balance of life and death in the
8:12:42same way that the nature clerics are.
8:12:44Only we focus more on the higher beings
8:12:46than the plant life. I think that
8:12:49learning to make something of your rune
8:12:50crafting could be exceedingly valuable
8:12:52not only to you but to your partners.
8:12:55Take your friend Remy as an example. As
8:12:58a shaman, she would benefit greatly from
8:13:00runic jewelry. It would improve her
8:13:03elemental magic. You could boost her
8:13:05mana regeneration and casting speed as
8:13:07well. Or make armor for the Sarah,
8:13:10perhaps a muzzle for the void badger.
8:13:13Carl laughed. I don't think that she
8:13:15would go for that one.
8:13:17There are still too many species to
8:13:19taste test. Knacked laughed. Of all the
8:13:23species that you could have picked, why
8:13:25that one? Where did you even find one?
8:13:28It's not like there are a lot of them. I
8:13:31had a quest to find what the system
8:13:33called the perfect companion. I was
8:13:36headed across the Nia continent towards
8:13:38somewhere far to the east of my
8:13:40location. Then suddenly that quest
8:13:42target disappeared and the quest
8:13:44retarget Cara. The system said that she
8:13:47was the best companion and bonding her
8:13:49completed the quest. So that is what I
8:13:51did. Carl explained that makes more
8:13:55sense than you probably realize.
8:13:58The systems idea of perfect does not
8:14:00usually mean most powerful, fastest
8:14:02growing, or the current meta skill.
8:14:05Instead, it almost always means most a
8:14:08little bit of each of those, but also
8:14:09the most entertaining for the gods to
8:14:11watch. And it's hard to argue that
8:14:14anything but a void badger would be
8:14:16quite as entertaining at the monarch
8:14:17rank. She's not quite there yet. Carl
8:14:21reminded him, give her a few more days.
8:14:25With three of the five already advanced,
8:14:28plus yourself, it won't be long before
8:14:30the others either advance or hit a
8:14:31bottleneck. But a naga queen and a void
8:14:34badger shouldn't have any issues.
8:14:37Now you should sleep. There will be blue
8:14:39dragons coming to see you in the
8:14:41morning. I can almost guarantee it. Carl
8:14:44returned to his apartment and sighed as
8:14:46he realized Cara had already stolen the
8:14:48spot next to Dana right in the middle of
8:14:50the bed. What is this? Are you trying to
8:14:54steal my Dana mage? Carl demanded with
8:14:57amusement as he realized that Dana was
8:14:59sleeping with Cara half draped across
8:15:01her. You are part of me. I am part of
8:15:04you. We are basically one person. Cara
8:15:08replied.
8:15:10Really? Now? Yep. So, it's not your
8:15:13Dana, it's our Dana. There is definitely
8:15:17something wrong with that logic. If
8:15:19she's our Dana, you should be on the
8:15:21other side so we can share properly.
8:15:25Cara considered it, then used a wing to
8:15:27pull Dana across the bed with her. So,
8:15:29the mage was in the middle of the bed.
8:15:32Much better. Carl woke up the next
8:15:35morning with Cara's head on his chest
8:15:36and Dana against his side. The sun was
8:15:40already well above the horizon, and he
8:15:42was a bit shocked that nobody had woken
8:15:44them up earlier until he heard splashing
8:15:46in the hot tub. If there were multiple
8:15:48people soaking in the morning, they must
8:15:50not have anything planned. Carl got out
8:15:53of bed and noticed that the closet door
8:15:55was open with a lot of new clothing in
8:15:57it. He was headed to pick something out
8:16:00when Ray's voice called out to him from
8:16:02the other room. Put on pool shorts and
8:16:04come soak with us. There are bubbles.
8:16:08That made Carl wonder what they were
8:16:10planning for the day. He couldn't see
8:16:12any of them willingly getting out of a
8:16:14bubble bath early. Carl put on a pair of
8:16:17shorts from the closet while Dana tried
8:16:19to escape Cara, who was not ready to get
8:16:21out of bed yet. After a few seconds, the
8:16:24mage had convinced the reluctant badger
8:16:26to go back to the bed in her own space
8:16:28where she could rest comfortably. Then
8:16:30Dana began to search the closet for a
8:16:32swimsuit.
8:16:34Shoe, go play with your spider. I will
8:16:38be along in a few minutes. Dana
8:16:41admonished Carl as he lingered hopefully
8:16:43outside the closet. Spoil sport. Fine. I
8:16:47will see you there. All of the others,
8:16:50plus Rey and Cibil, were already in the
8:16:52hot tub, which was overflowing with
8:16:54bubbles. "Oh, are we not training
8:16:57today?" Carl asked as he settled in next
8:17:00to Rey, letting the hot water relax his
8:17:03muscles. Oilia smiled. The next two days
8:17:07are off days, then it's exam week for
8:17:09the students. Most people take the week
8:17:12off as it finishes with the divine
8:17:14injection ceremony. We decided that the
8:17:17cadets can have this last weekend. Then
8:17:19we will train them all week before we
8:17:21put them on the train to the academy to
8:17:23join their peers on the first day. The
8:17:25train is an important experience for all
8:17:27the students, even if they awakened a
8:17:29few days in advance. She had a point.
8:17:33That was where Carl had first met Dana,
8:17:35where he had competed to be the first to
8:17:37the school to pick his dorm, where he
8:17:39mentally adjusted to academy life.
8:17:42So, they're discharging the special
8:17:44forces group for training. Carl asked.
8:17:48Oilia shook her head. Not them. They
8:17:51will remain with the military for
8:17:53training. Officially, they want to keep
8:17:55the fact that there are so many new
8:17:57beast affiliated elites quiet. But our
8:18:00five young acolytes will be departing
8:18:02after next week. Carl smirked and
8:18:05ruffled Sibil<unk>s hair. Are they going
8:18:07to be ready to rejoin society after only
8:18:10one more week in our tender loving care?
8:18:13I could likely ask the bureau to send
8:18:15them back after the first few days.
8:18:17Sibil<unk>s look of panic made everyone
8:18:19laugh. Rey had been intensively training
8:18:22her since they first met, and the young
8:18:24rogue hadn't been out of the spider's
8:18:26sight for more than a few minutes at a
8:18:28time, with the exception of one night in
8:18:30the dorms. Ry didn't even let her go
8:18:33home. She kept her tied to a hammock in
8:18:35the spare room as part of her training.
8:18:38Ry smiled happily. I think she will be
8:18:41ready. I remember how we were when we
8:18:44were young. She should be at least that
8:18:46good by the time that I'm finished. At
8:18:49least she's already awakened, so she
8:18:51won't be too weak to train. Tessa
8:18:54smiled. Rey is in a good mood because
8:18:57she got to train with Overlord Neil
8:18:58again last night. The second training
8:19:01room is out of commission, by the way.
8:19:04They did some damage during their
8:19:06training. Ry smirked, but kept her
8:19:09thoughts about the training to herself.
8:19:11Cibil smiled as she signed, and Tessa
8:19:13translated.
8:19:15Brother Hawk promised to come out for
8:19:17training next week to help me learn fire
8:19:19attacks. You need to combine a flaming
8:19:22sword attack for her before we go back
8:19:24to training. I don't want to start from
8:19:26the basics. Hawk added from the nest in
8:19:29his space. Now Carl understood how this
8:19:32system would work. He made the skill.
8:19:35Then Hawk and Ray would teach her to use
8:19:37it properly. Did I miss anything while I
8:19:40was out for the day? The archbishop
8:19:43asked for a rune crafting book. Carl
8:19:46explained. Dana sighed then replied,
8:19:50"More than a day, actually. I guess it's
8:19:53easy to lose track of time while you're
8:19:55working on a skill. All five of our
8:19:58students have made progress now that
8:19:59they're at the awakened rank. The
8:20:02warriors have both mastered shred and
8:20:05guard, and Joan is coming along well in
8:20:07her healing training. Owen learned
8:20:10barrier, and he's made great progress on
8:20:12his mana. But it's Cibil that's the star
8:20:15of our show. The little rogue blushed,
8:20:18then squeaked as Ray pulled her into a
8:20:20surprise hug from behind. Cibil has
8:20:23backstab, shadow step, silent movement,
8:20:26lacerate, and poison blade in her
8:20:28repertoire now, Rey informed them.
8:20:31That's quite the list. How did you
8:20:34manage to teach all those? Carl asked.
8:20:38She got some skill points when she
8:20:40advanced, and she picked poison blade as
8:20:43her first chosen skill. She's waiting to
8:20:46get a few more to get the second stage
8:20:47of it instead of getting the other
8:20:49introductory skills, Rey explained.
8:20:53As long as it doesn't interfere with her
8:20:55versatility,
8:20:56mages can have a specialty spell, but
8:20:59rogues need to be good in every
8:21:00situation.
8:21:02Carl reminded her, though the warning
8:21:04was also for Cibil. With time off, Carl
8:21:08decided that it was likely best to just
8:21:09focus on personal improvement. He still
8:21:12had Remy and Cara at royal rank. And
8:21:15while the spaces were pushing them
8:21:16upwards, they hadn't managed to break
8:21:18through yet. It would only take a little
8:21:21longer to force them to advance. And if
8:21:23he could do it during the days off, they
8:21:25could have a party. Party? Cara asked.
8:21:30Yeah, a little celebration for you
8:21:32reaching a new rank. Since we have a day
8:21:35off, we could do something fun. Possibly
8:21:37order a cake. Carl suggested.
8:21:41Cara considered it for a few seconds,
8:21:43then began to roll around on the bed.
8:21:46Maybe later. Cara must be feeling lazy
8:21:49today if even the offer of a party
8:21:51wasn't enough to get her motivated. But
8:21:54Carl continued to work on the energy
8:21:56levels and quality in the spaces anyhow.
8:21:59Soon they would all need to be at the
8:22:01same level and preferably before the
8:22:03students went to school and the team was
8:22:05reassigned.
8:22:07Oh, you need to keep doing whatever that
8:22:09is. It's so good. Lotus nearly purred,
8:22:13pulling Carl from his meditation for a
8:22:15moment. Dozens of thoughts, each more
8:22:18LWD than the one before, were going
8:22:20through his mind. But when he opened his
8:22:22eyes, Lotus was frowning at him. "No,
8:22:25don't stop. You were leaking power into
8:22:28the tub, and it makes it both warm and
8:22:30tingly," she explained.
8:22:34Sibil nodded in agreement, still trapped
8:22:36in Ray's arms, but not trying to get
8:22:38free, as she was enjoying the extra
8:22:40bubbly hot tub. The cleaners were likely
8:22:43going to hate them for this brilliant
8:22:45idea, but for the amount that Carl was
8:22:47paying for the suite, they could suffer
8:22:49the occasional mess. For a few hours,
8:22:52everyone just relaxed, enjoying their
8:22:54time off. Then Ry called for room
8:22:57service, and that was everyone's cue to
8:22:59get dressed for the day.
8:23:01Carl noticed that before she even
8:23:03started to stand up out of the bubbles
8:23:05and without even attempting to dry off,
8:23:07Cibil changed into a black silk martial
8:23:09arts outfit that had to have been made
8:23:11by Ry. For one, it was bonded.
8:23:15Secondly, it was monarch rank silk, and
8:23:18Rey wouldn't let her baby rogue someone
8:23:20else's silk. It was an excellent gift,
8:23:23and now Cibil wouldn't have to replace
8:23:25her training and infiltration clothes
8:23:26for most of her lifetime, if ever. Most
8:23:30likely, it would become her most prized
8:23:32possession. There are towels over there.
8:23:36You don't need to get dressed while
8:23:37still wet. Carl informed her in case the
8:23:40rogue had simply missed their presence.
8:23:43Ry giggled. Cibil is body shy. She got
8:23:48into the tub fully dressed as well, and
8:23:50only after the bubbles were in place.
8:23:53Sibil nodded frantically, then grabbed a
8:23:55towel and ran to the bathroom to dry off
8:23:57and cycle her outfit so that it would
8:23:59come back dry. Carl got out of the tub,
8:24:02and everyone was drying off when Cibil
8:24:04came back out of the bathroom, then
8:24:06covered her eyes, squeaked, waved her
8:24:09hands, then ran away. She's easily
8:24:12embarrassed, isn't she? Dana laughed as
8:24:15Ry vanished to go recover her robe. The
8:24:18sibil is funny. She's ashamed to not be
8:24:21all muscles like the rest of you. Rey
8:24:24explained a few seconds later. Carl
8:24:27considered that with all the walking and
8:24:30traveling that they had been doing, they
8:24:32were all pretty ripped, even with the
8:24:33good eating. Despite what Cara thought
8:24:36about his backside, bring her back for
8:24:39breakfast. We're all dressed now. No
8:24:42visible abs to make her self-conscious.
8:24:45For the first time since he entered the
8:24:47Golden Divine Academy, Carl found
8:24:49himself with downtime in front of a
8:24:51television and time to watch the Daily
8:24:53Morning News. Of course, it would all be
8:24:56only a fraction of the truth, but there
8:24:58might be something on that would
8:24:59entertain him as he worked on forcing
8:25:01the energy in the spaces past the point
8:25:03where it would force Remy and Cara to
8:25:04advance. Both of them might have just
8:25:07been slow to grow as they were the newer
8:25:09arrivals, and Remy was still quite young
8:25:12for a Naga queen. Cara might be young
8:25:15for a void badger as well, but Carl
8:25:17couldn't actually find enough
8:25:18information on them to tell him if they
8:25:20were supposed to get larger or how fast
8:25:22they grew. They weren't native to the
8:25:24GDN, so the data in the public records
8:25:27was limited. The news reports of the day
8:25:30were unexpectedly boring. They must be
8:25:33in a slow news cycle because it was all
8:25:35about a plumbing issue in the capital
8:25:36that would take all week to fix.
8:25:39There was no mention of war or monster
8:25:41spawns or anything else that might be
8:25:43threatening.
8:25:45So Carl changed the channel to replays
8:25:47of sports highlights for background
8:25:49noise as he worked. Dana was doing the
8:25:52same thing with her head resting on a
8:25:54pillow in his lap, building her mana
8:25:56pool. Most of the day had passed when
8:25:59Carl began to feel resistance.
8:26:02One of the two spaces was resisting his
8:26:04attempts to advance it. And Carl had a
8:26:06sneaking suspicion that he knew which
8:26:08one. Cara,
8:26:10stop messing with the space. You can
8:26:13only hang out at royal rank so long.
8:26:16Nope. I'm not done yet. Name your price.
8:26:21Fine. You make good on the promise of
8:26:23cake. And we have a deal. Hazelnut
8:26:26chocolate fudge cake with strawberries
8:26:29and whipped cream. Rey, could you order
8:26:32that? My lap is occupied.
8:26:35Rey laughed and went to the phone to
8:26:37order the cake. The kitchen wasn't
8:26:40completely certain that they understood
8:26:41what she wanted, but they assured her
8:26:43that they would make a suitable party
8:26:45cake for them along with an assortment
8:26:46of other snacks to arrive with dinner.
8:26:49Once Cara stopped being stubborn, a
8:26:51sixth space started to form, and the
8:26:53quality of both her space and Rey's
8:26:55began to undergo a rapid qualitative
8:26:58change. As soon as the change started,
8:27:01Remy transformed back into her spirit
8:27:03snake form, using the logic that the
8:27:05smaller she was, the higher the density
8:27:07of energy she could pack into her body
8:27:09when she advanced. If she was a tenth
8:27:12the size, that should make the process
8:27:1410 times easier in the mind of Remy.
8:27:17Hawk woke up from his extended nap as
8:27:19the new space formed. Oh, are we getting
8:27:22ready for a new friend? Epic mission to
8:27:25steal a baby dragon. We could make it a
8:27:28black dragon to pass on Nack's legacy.
8:27:31He sleepily suggested.
8:27:33Thor chuckled at the idea. I believe his
8:27:36exact words were, "You cannot have a
8:27:38baby dragon." Now that she wasn't
8:27:41holding back, Cara was the first to
8:27:43advance of the remaining pair. Not much
8:27:46seemed to change at first. Her body
8:27:48wasn't changing, just the energy. Maybe
8:27:51that was why she didn't have the
8:27:52motivation that the others did. If she
8:27:55had learned or instinctively known in
8:27:57advance that she wasn't getting a new
8:27:58skill, she might have lost motivation to
8:28:01be stronger. Then, as her space
8:28:03stabilized and Remy's began to surge in
8:28:06power, Carl got an unexpected
8:28:08notification.
8:28:09Racial skill chaos void has improved
8:28:12shared skill nullify to overlord rank.
8:28:16You have a hidden racial skill, Carl
8:28:19asked. I do. Oh, I do. Huh? all the
8:28:24nullify.
8:28:26This is going to be so fun. That was
8:28:29going to be absolute chaos.
8:28:31But for the sake of their enemies, at
8:28:33least it wasn't disintegrate that went
8:28:35to Overlord as soon as she advanced.
8:28:38Cara waited to come out so that she
8:28:40could show off with Remy once they were
8:28:41both done. The process had already
8:28:44begun, so it could be said that they
8:28:46advanced at the same time, but Remy's
8:28:48monarch rank advancement was going to be
8:28:50a good one if the disruption of her
8:28:51space was anything to go by.
8:28:54All of the elements were swirling
8:28:55around, making a mess of everything
8:28:57except the safe spot on her altar where
8:28:59the queen in spirit snake form was
8:29:01meditating. Hellstorm vortexes littered
8:29:04the landscape, and a flaming blizzard
8:29:06filled the air while a hail of stones
8:29:08rained down from above. The unfortunate
8:29:11plants of her space were not fairing
8:29:13well, and she would lose a huge number
8:29:15of resources, but it appeared that she
8:29:17was learning a new class skill as she
8:29:18advanced. After a few minutes, the spell
8:29:22faded and the flames vanished, leaving
8:29:24charred plants all over her swamp. But
8:29:26Remy had transformed back into a naga
8:29:28with a pleased smile on her face. She
8:29:31was larger than before and more similar
8:29:33to her warriors with four muscular arms,
8:29:36but a more mature look than she had
8:29:38before.
8:29:39It was hard to say why it looked more
8:29:41mature other than the size and the fact
8:29:43that for some reason Rey's form had what
8:29:45appeared to be breasts over the upper
8:29:47arms pectoral muscles despite being a
8:29:49reptile. But she definitely looked like
8:29:52a young adult now in Carl's mind. Her
8:29:55armor spell was fancier as well with
8:29:57more gold and jewels as well as dangling
8:30:00bone decorations and a belt full of
8:30:02potions.
8:30:03Congratulations, ladies. Looking good,
8:30:08Carl. congratulated them. You finally
8:30:11got a skill that isn't evil. Hawk
8:30:13agreed. Remy nodded. It's even got a
8:30:17great name. Apocalypse.
8:30:21That is an outstanding skill name. We
8:30:24will have to find a spot for you to show
8:30:26it off. Carl agreed. Both beasts came
8:30:30out of their spaces at the same time,
8:30:32appearing in the middle of the living
8:30:33room in front of the sofa where Carl and
8:30:35Dana were resting. Tada.
8:30:38Remy cheered in serpent. Ooh. Ooh. Is
8:30:42that a queen Remy? Extra strong hug
8:30:45arms. Lotus shouted as she vaulted over
8:30:48the back of the couch and into the
8:30:50Naga's waiting arms. Cara laughed as
8:30:53Lotus realized mid-flight that she had
8:30:55only seen one of them from her vantage
8:30:57point, but both had advanced.
8:30:59Now she was caught in a dilemma. Remy
8:31:03had her in a tight hug, but there was a
8:31:05soft and fluffy Cara at ground level who
8:31:07had also just advanced. Remy knew
8:31:10exactly what she was thinking and
8:31:11lowered her upper body so Lotus could
8:31:14reach down to pet Cara, but stopped 10
8:31:17cm short so she couldn't quite reach.
8:31:20Carl, help. They have learned new
8:31:23torture techniques.
8:31:25Lotus complained.
8:31:27The ladies laughed as they realized the
8:31:29situation that Lotus was in and how much
8:31:32fun the two beasts were having with it,
8:31:34especially when Ry sat down on the sofa
8:31:37to smirk at the nature priestess and pet
8:31:39the badger. "Did you learn new skills?"
8:31:42Tessa asked as she settled down next to
8:31:44Rey. Remy nodded happily and motioned
8:31:48for Carl to explain. Remy got a new
8:31:51skill called Apocalypse that appears to
8:31:53be a fiery blizzard with helltorm
8:31:55multiplying vortexes and meteors.
8:31:58While Cara had her nullify skill
8:31:59advanced to overlord as soon as she made
8:32:01monarch. Carl informed the group. Tessa
8:32:05sighed and looked between the two proud
8:32:07beasts.
8:32:09I'm not sure which one of you to
8:32:10congratulate first. Those are both
8:32:13remarkable advancements.
8:32:15the pure destructive ability of a skill
8:32:17that is literally called apocalypse
8:32:20versus the usefulness of overlord ranked
8:32:22nullify.
8:32:24Just trying to get past Cara's defenses
8:32:26will be a national security threat level
8:32:28event. If she can mess with the
8:32:30overlord's most potent abilities, then
8:32:32it will just come down to the group's
8:32:34ability to deal with them. Tessa
8:32:36congratulated them with a smile. Remy
8:32:39put Lotus down and the nature priestess
8:32:42ran over to hug Cara, then back to hug
8:32:44Remy, then back to Cara again like a
8:32:46hyperactive pinball of celebration. "Now
8:32:50that you have the whole team at Monarch,
8:32:52you must be able to accept a new team
8:32:53member, right?" Dana asked, looking up
8:32:57from Carl's lap. "Technically, yes. The
8:33:01space has formed for another partner,
8:33:03but I'm not in a hurry. It's honestly
8:33:06not going to be easy to find a beast
8:33:08that has overlord or higher rank
8:33:09potential or one that I have the
8:33:11confidence to improve to that level. If
8:33:14we knew more about how to trigger
8:33:15evolutions for beasts, it would be so
8:33:18much easier. Look how far Hawk has come
8:33:21from the humble windspeed Hawk to a
8:33:22Ghostfire Thunderbird or Thor becoming a
8:33:26divine thunderrow.
8:33:28There is no formula or data on that. So,
8:33:30the only sure options would be a dragon
8:33:32or a phoenix. And I've been warned not
8:33:34to abduct the children of either on this
8:33:36continent. There should be stronger
8:33:38beasts on the other continents. Though
8:33:41when I was sent to the past, they warned
8:33:43me that there were regions with second
8:33:45and third advancement beasts, meaning
8:33:47there should be species peaking at
8:33:48overlord strength if I interpreted the
8:33:50danger level correctly.
8:33:52Perhaps, like Cara, I might get lucky
8:33:55finding new friends there. Again, Carl
8:33:58suggested
8:33:59you could try for an elemental.
8:34:02I don't know if they count as beasts,
8:34:04but they certainly have a peak strength
8:34:05that is high enough. There are totem
8:34:08rank water elementals in the ocean, and
8:34:10I heard a rumor that there is a totem
8:34:12ranked magma elemental in one of the
8:34:14coastal nations, Tessa offered. Well, we
8:34:18can sort that out when we find the right
8:34:20partner for the next week. We've got
8:34:23young ones to train, and we need to
8:34:25civilize Miss Cibil enough for her to
8:34:26successfully attend the academy. Cibil
8:34:29smiled at the mention.
8:34:31She was getting better with people. She
8:34:33was certain of it. It helped that people
8:34:36didn't try to bully her anymore. Once
8:34:39that had changed, she found it much
8:34:41easier to get along with people. In
8:34:44fact, being a deaf elite was almost like
8:34:46a cheat code. So few people could speak
8:34:49sign language that they rarely bothered
8:34:51her and instead went to others to get
8:34:53answers, but still gave her the level of
8:34:55respect that awakened rank elites were
8:34:57seen to have earned. That was not much
8:34:59compared to Carl's group, but it was way
8:35:02higher than what she was used to. A
8:35:04knock at the door caught Tessa's
8:35:06attention, and she opened the door to
8:35:07let a group of clerics in. "Monarch, we
8:35:11have an urgent issue. There has been a
8:35:13line breach." The first cleric in the
8:35:16door exclaimed, only to pause in
8:35:18confusion as a server with a large cake
8:35:20on a cart pushed past him into the room,
8:35:22completely ignoring his panic.
8:35:25"Continue, sir. There has been a line
8:35:28breach where I take it that you need an
8:35:31elite of my rank or you wouldn't be here
8:35:33in such a tizzy. Tizzy? That's a fun
8:35:36word. I like it. Cara noted. The cleric
8:35:41nodded rapidly. Then a blackroed figure
8:35:43appeared at his left. Overlord Neil.
8:35:47Carl greeted him. More boots were
8:35:50stomping down the hallway and Dana gave
8:35:52Carl a WTF is going on sort of look.
8:35:56Overlords Tabitha and Ahmad both burst
8:35:59into the room, skidding to a stop so
8:36:01they didn't bowl over the slower
8:36:02reacting clerics. Carl cleared his
8:36:05throat. First off, the advancement of my
8:36:08beasts didn't trigger a false invasion
8:36:10alarm, did it? There are a total of five
8:36:14monarch ranked beasts with me now.
8:36:16Ahmed's fluffy blonde cat ears perked up
8:36:19as he smelled cake. Is that hazelnut and
8:36:22chocolate with strawberries?
8:36:24Oh no, it wasn't you who panicked
8:36:26everyone this time. The mountain giants
8:36:29are pushing across the border at Sa. The
8:36:32mage noticed Carl's confused look and
8:36:34continued. That's under 100 km west of
8:36:38here. We're hoping to stop the advance
8:36:41before we have to scramble the entire
8:36:43capital defense force. We have portals,
8:36:46the mage explained, holding up a
8:36:48parchment scroll that was most likely
8:36:50the portal spell in question. Carl side.
8:36:54Cara, Remy, grab the cake. We will have
8:36:59to party later. Cibil, do we need to
8:37:02take measures or will you behave while
8:37:04we're gone? Cibil gave him a thumbs up
8:37:06and sent a message using the systems
8:37:08chat function. I will go hang out with
8:37:11the others for the rest of the day. They
8:37:14were talking about wanting to learn to
8:37:15work as a team, and Lady Ray says to
8:37:18give them a chance. Carl nodded and the
8:37:21rogue ducked under the table then
8:37:22vanished. Tabitha the warrior class
8:37:26overlord looked startled. You taught an
8:37:29awakened rank rogue to shadow step
8:37:31already. You've only been back a few
8:37:33days. Ry smiled at her. Not only did I
8:37:37teach her, we also awakened her after
8:37:40activating her class. She's a good
8:37:42protege. The warrior gave Ry an
8:37:45impressed look. Which one were you? I
8:37:49studied the portfolio on the way over,
8:37:51but it didn't mention a humanoid beast.
8:37:54Lady Ray Bloodbath,
8:37:56I learned how to mimic humans when I
8:37:58became a queen. Tabitha nodded and gave
8:38:01her a wink. It's a pleasure to meet you,
8:38:04Lady Bloodbath.
8:38:06I look forward to seeing what a spider
8:38:08queen can do in combat. In his space,
8:38:11Thor sighed. So much for their days off.
8:38:15Neil made a get on with it gesture to
8:38:18Ahmad and the mage opened the portal
8:38:20floating over the floor of the
8:38:21apartment. If any of you have
8:38:24obligations, you may remain, but we
8:38:26always appreciate more hands. We're
8:38:29stretched a bit thin today. Everyone
8:38:32else was called out last night. Neil
8:38:35explained as he double-checked the
8:38:36fastenings on his clothing. It was the
8:38:39outfit Ry had made for him, so Carl knew
8:38:41that it wouldn't have worn or torn, so
8:38:43it was likely a routine to focus and
8:38:45prepare himself. Carl's team changed
8:38:48into their armor, and Cara vanished into
8:38:50her space with the cake. Keeping the
8:38:53cake fresh was priority one. They
8:38:56stepped through the portal, and Carl
8:38:58called out the bodyguards, who were
8:38:59still monarchs, but felt somehow
8:39:01stronger now that Remy had advanced. The
8:39:04skill was a shared one, and it must have
8:39:06improved in some way when the Naga queen
8:39:09became a monarch. Remy came out with all
8:39:12three of her bodyguards while the others
8:39:14came through the portal behind them.
8:39:16"Careful,
8:39:18the intelligence was wrong," Neil warned
8:39:21a half second before trees came crashing
8:39:23down around them, and an entire platoon,
8:39:26or whatever the mountain giants called
8:39:27their military units, came into sight.
8:39:31Six overlords, 10 monarchs, and 20 royal
8:39:34rank warriors. "We should have brought
8:39:36more cake," Ry muttered as the last of
8:39:39the team came through the portal, and
8:39:41Ahmad closed it behind them. The leader
8:39:44of the mountain giant team stepped
8:39:45forward and began to speak in crude
8:39:47common. "Surrender now, and we will
8:39:50grant you a swift death," he demanded.
8:39:54"I don't think that is going to work for
8:39:56us." Tabitha laughed as she brought out
8:39:58a massive two-handed blade. The giant
8:40:02nodded. Then we will pin you to the city
8:40:04walls as your capital falls so you can
8:40:07watch the end of your pathetic church.
8:40:09Carl noticed a shiny thing on the ground
8:40:12and casually scooped it up into his
8:40:13inventory, then picked up a small stone.
8:40:17Hey, Tabs, what do you think the odds
8:40:20are that I can brain him with a rock?
8:40:22Carl could see the vein pulsing in her
8:40:24forehead at the nickname, but the
8:40:26mountain giant was literally spluttering
8:40:28in rage. Carl activated all of his buffs
8:40:31and coated the stone in disintegration,
8:40:33then nullify.
8:40:35His hand shot forward with the sharp
8:40:37crack of supersonic travel, and the
8:40:39stone rocketed towards its target.
8:40:42Unfortunately, Carl was never a
8:40:44professional ball player, and even with
8:40:46his improved physical abilities, his aim
8:40:48wasn't quite up to that standard. The
8:40:51nullify spell on the stone shattered the
8:40:53giant's defensive barrier, which then
8:40:56crashed into his helmet, sending the
8:40:58golden armor piece flying. "Good thing
8:41:00we didn't bet," Carl muttered as the
8:41:03giant staggered. Neil snickered and
8:41:06winked at him before vanishing. "Then
8:41:08the fight was on." The giant surged
8:41:10forward as Tabitha recovered, and the
8:41:12Thor came out to defend the back line in
8:41:14Sarah form. Behind Carl, Ry laughed.
8:41:19They are so going to kill you for that.
8:41:22You should slap one to death while you
8:41:24have the chance. We didn't get to do it
8:41:26last time. Did nobody ever teach you the
8:41:29negotiation tactics of giants? You
8:41:31psychopath?
8:41:33Tabitha muttered as she met the giants
8:41:35charge. We are negotiating.
8:41:39I learned this tactic from the troll
8:41:40emperor himself. The situation took a
8:41:43drastic turn as the wind began to howl
8:41:45and embers of fire filled the sky.
8:41:48Clouds gathered, turning the noon sky
8:41:50dark, except where it was punctuated
8:41:52with lightning. Then the helltorm
8:41:55vortexes formed, and a keening noise
8:41:57began far above them. The first meteors
8:42:00rocketed down through the clouds as Hawk
8:42:02came out to add his own helltorm
8:42:04vortexes to the chaos. The ethereal blue
8:42:07fire was an odd counterpart to Remy's
8:42:09bright orange flames, and the overlord
8:42:12ranked giants began to swear in their
8:42:13own language. Where is the shaman? make
8:42:17him cancel that. They were insisting.
8:42:21Only there was no shaman to be found.
8:42:24Cara had exited her space to a spot at
8:42:26the edge of the trees and had crept up
8:42:28on him, nullifying his counter spells
8:42:30until she could ambush him amidst the
8:42:32confusion. One of the giant overlords
8:42:35swept his blade towards the sky,
8:42:37dispersing a huge portion of Remy's
8:42:39spell and creating a swave of clear sky.
8:42:42The Naga Queen was already exhausted
8:42:44from the spell and had retreated to her
8:42:46space to recover. But half the spell was
8:42:48still going, and the attack had missed
8:42:50Hawk, who was still actively reigning
8:42:52fire on the battle. Neil reappeared to
8:42:55lodge a blade in the back of the
8:42:57unarmored head of the leader. Then Ray
8:42:59vanished, only to reappear in spider
8:43:01form with all eight limbs stabbed
8:43:03through gaps in a monarch ranked giant's
8:43:05armor. "Show off!"
8:43:08Carl heard the rogue mutter as both
8:43:09assassins vanished again, using their
8:43:12skills and movement to find targets that
8:43:14couldn't defend against them. Dana's
8:43:16golems marched forward as the giants
8:43:18tried to reach the core formation where
8:43:20Carl and Tabitha were forming the front
8:43:22lines with all three of Remy's
8:43:24bodyguards.
8:43:25Carl took out his blade in one hand with
8:43:28the haint claw on the other and prepared
8:43:30to delay the overlords until someone
8:43:32could deal with them. Ahmad was a golem
8:43:35mage with four legionnaire styled golems
8:43:37and they were standing just behind Carl,
8:43:39waiting for the chance to attack around
8:43:41him. Oilia had moved to the back of the
8:43:44group, defending against the attempts to
8:43:46encircle them, but Remy's initiative had
8:43:48effectively dealt with the majority of
8:43:50the royal ranked targets that the
8:43:52berserker would normally be responsible
8:43:53for. Loot. Cara cheered as she made her
8:43:58way through the back of the giant force.
8:44:00Bring some back for me. I need a nap,
8:44:04Remy pleaded. This new spell was great,
8:44:08but it was a oneanddone sort of deal.
8:44:10She could keep it active for a while,
8:44:12but there was no casting it twice, at
8:44:15least not at early monarch rank. Carl
8:44:19was fighting on the defensive, using his
8:44:21enhanced speed to keep a pair of
8:44:22overlords at bay as a mod, and his
8:44:24golems slowly wore them down. Tabitha
8:44:27was in a similar situation, but with
8:44:29Neil helping her. That left Remy's
8:44:32bodyguards holding off one more between
8:44:34them. Despite the early casualties, the
8:44:37giants were beginning to close in on the
8:44:39human force. And even Hawk and Remy's
8:44:42bombardment wasn't enough to completely
8:44:43stop them. Any brilliant plans, Beast
8:44:47Master? Tabitha asked as she was nearly
8:44:50knocked to her knees by her opponent.
8:44:52Give me a moment. They're running out of
8:44:54reinforcements.
8:44:56Carl called back, hoping to distract one
8:44:58of his targets for long enough to take
8:45:00advantage.
8:45:02Between Ry and Cara, they really were
8:45:04running short on reinforcements.
8:45:07The giants had no way to deal with an
8:45:09invisible bloodbath spider that was
8:45:10incorporeal and immune to brute
8:45:12strength. They had attack skills that
8:45:15could hurt her, but they had to find her
8:45:17first. Suddenly, the target to Carl's
8:45:20left howled in pain, then gurgled as his
8:45:22throat filled with blood. He downed a
8:45:25healing potion, then turned to attack
8:45:27behind him, looking for Ry. The spider
8:45:30had stabbed him in the throat, then run
8:45:32away, giving Carl a chance to attack.
8:45:35The blade was replaced with his maul,
8:45:37and five stacks of monarch ranked
8:45:39disintegrate slammed into the giant's
8:45:41hip, where the armor was already
8:45:43damaged. The overlord collapsed to the
8:45:46ground, missing a leg, and Cara mentally
8:45:48whistled at his durability.
8:45:50Even on an overlord, she had expected
8:45:52half his torso to be gone after that
8:45:54strike, but it had only gotten enough of
8:45:56his hip to sever a leg. However, that
8:45:59made him an easy target for Overlord
8:46:01Ahmed's golems, and the creature was
8:46:03decapitated only seconds later. Then,
8:46:06Neil was on the other, and Carl found
8:46:08himself free of an overlord ranked
8:46:10target for the first time in the battle.
8:46:13He couldn't go far. This was his spot on
8:46:15the front line, but he could switch to
8:46:17his bow and fire ghost fire arrows into
8:46:20the remaining monarch ranked giants. It
8:46:23was the lowest energy cost attack
8:46:24ability that he had, and the arrows left
8:46:27a ghostly string back to the haint claw,
8:46:29which was adding a soul leech effect to
8:46:31the flames. It wasn't immediately fatal,
8:46:34but every bit of bleeding and burning
8:46:36damage added up. The sound of truck
8:46:38horns behind them brought relief to
8:46:40Carl's group, marking the arrival of
8:46:42reinforcements.
8:46:44However, the truck seemed to have
8:46:46stopped a few kilome away. Hawk, what
8:46:49are they doing? Carl asked. They can't
8:46:53get close. We're fighting in a circle
8:46:56and the shock waves are traveling most
8:46:58of a kilometer. Then there is Rey's
8:47:01spell and my flames.
8:47:03That was right. Carl hadn't thought
8:47:06about the fact that they had barriers to
8:47:07defend against the attacks. The ground
8:47:10did not, nor did the truck bringing the
8:47:12reinforcements.
8:47:14Reinforcements who had no idea what
8:47:16spell effects would turn on them. Remy,
8:47:19you can take down the spell now and get
8:47:21some rest. There will be more fighting
8:47:24soon. The horns of the trucks had
8:47:26alerted the giants as well, and they
8:47:28were beginning to regroup now that the
8:47:30area attacks had ended. They had no
8:47:33intention of fighting to the end.
8:47:35Instead, they would rejoin the rest of
8:47:37their forces and push again.
8:47:40and it would be harder than ever to stop
8:47:42them. Half of the overlords were still
8:47:45alive and they were covering for the
8:47:46others as they backed away, forcing Carl
8:47:49and his team to advance to keep pressure
8:47:51on them. Then, as one, the giant
8:47:54overlords used a ground slam ability,
8:47:56sending a wall of stone rushing at
8:47:58Carl's team. The sides were separated,
8:48:01and by the time that the ability had
8:48:03been blocked and nullified, the giants
8:48:05were long gone, hundreds of meters away.
8:48:08That wasn't dampening the spirits of the
8:48:10overlords, though. That has to be a new
8:48:13record. Three permanent overlord kills.
8:48:18Ahmad cheered, his ears flat against his
8:48:20head in contrast to his happy words. Ry
8:48:23transformed back to humanoid to give him
8:48:25a confused look. Normally, the
8:48:28engagement breaks off earlier than this.
8:48:31Neither nation can afford to lose
8:48:33overlords at any sort of regular rate.
8:48:36So, if you're losing, you take your
8:48:38casualties with you and retreat.
8:48:40Speaking of which, I don't see the
8:48:42bodies. Did they manage to recover them?
8:48:46I thought that we had them secure behind
8:48:48us. Ry gave him a toothy smile. That's
8:48:52my loot. I'm not giving up my bath
8:48:55water. Overlord Tabitha gave a very
8:48:58undignified giggle. Right, bloodbath
8:49:01spider? In the most literal sense.
8:49:05Carl took a moment to look around them,
8:49:07checking for bodies that needed to be
8:49:09looted and any sign of additional
8:49:11attackers.
8:49:12But what shocked him was the pure
8:49:14devastation that had occurred during the
8:49:16battle. A swathe over 500 m per side had
8:49:20been raised by apocalypse.
8:49:22There were deep furrows in the ground
8:49:24from attack skills. The earth was
8:49:26churned as if someone had been tilling
8:49:27it for planting, and the entire stand of
8:49:30trees where the giants had been hiding
8:49:32no longer existed. There was an
8:49:34excellent reason that the army did their
8:49:36best to keep the fighting to the border
8:49:37regions, and this was part of it.
8:49:40Nothing survived a battle at this level,
8:49:42and if it happened in a resourcerich
8:49:44region or over top of growing crops, it
8:49:47would be difficult to recover from all
8:49:50this mess, and we were just getting
8:49:52started. If they had more than one
8:49:54shaman with them, they would have been
8:49:56able to hold out much longer. But Cara
8:49:58killed the dumb one as soon as the fight
8:50:00started. Ry noted. You might have just
8:50:03been getting started, but over on my
8:50:05end, I was doing all I could to keep
8:50:07them from killing the squishy people.
8:50:10Carl reminded her. Good thing you're not
8:50:13squishy. You took plenty of hits. Cara
8:50:17reminded him. I am going to be sore
8:50:20tomorrow for certain, but I suspect that
8:50:22we're not done fighting yet. They
8:50:25wouldn't have scrambled us for this when
8:50:27they weren't expecting us to be attacked
8:50:28the moment we stepped out. Carl offered.
8:50:32That got Cara and Rey excited. This had
8:50:35been a great fight, but it wasn't nearly
8:50:37long enough. With the area attack that
8:50:40Remy dropped on the giants, plus Cara
8:50:43busy attacking from behind. Rey only had
8:50:45to fight the monarchs and the overlords.
8:50:48But the monarchs were already taking
8:50:50constant damage, and the giants were
8:50:52ills suited to dealing with a being as
8:50:53glorious as herself. In contrast, Cara
8:50:57would happily maul the weaker giants so
8:50:59she could loot their bodies. She had
8:51:02given away almost all the trinkets that
8:51:04she had collected when she went on a
8:51:05birthday gifting spree. And now she
8:51:07needed more stuff to fill her loot box.
8:51:10Good stuff, broken stuff, shiny stuff.
8:51:14There was a place and time for it all.
8:51:17Overlord Ahmad cleared his throat to get
8:51:19their attention and smiled as Cara came
8:51:21over to nuzzle his hand. This one smells
8:51:24like cat. It's pretty good. I might have
8:51:28to trade sleeping spots with someone.
8:51:31Cara noted. I am fairly sure that he
8:51:34sleeps alone. Even better. The target we
8:51:38were intending to find is 5 km west of
8:51:40our location and currently engaged by
8:51:43another strike force. The message just
8:51:46came through. We have planes scouring
8:51:48the area for giants that might have
8:51:50evaded our patrols, but the strike team
8:51:52will need our assistance if they're
8:51:54going to survive without casualties.
8:51:56The Catman Mage informed them. Ry waited
8:52:00patiently for them to be ready, while
8:52:02Cara took the chance to check the ground
8:52:03one last time for loot. They had grabbed
8:52:06many of the bodies as they ran away, but
8:52:09there was a chance that there would
8:52:10still be valuables on the ground as the
8:52:12giants were not system users, so they
8:52:14didn't have a storage space.
8:52:16The clerics climbed up on Thor's back
8:52:18once the saddle Ray had made him was
8:52:20equipped. Then Ry placed Dana on one
8:52:23golem and Ahmad on the other. That
8:52:25should cover everyone who didn't have
8:52:27supernatural strength and they were
8:52:29ready to move. Is this how you usually
8:52:32travel? Ahmad asked, beused by the
8:52:35actions of the bloodbath spider. Yeah,
8:52:39mages and clerics can't run as fast as
8:52:41the rest of us. So, we let them rest and
8:52:43have either Thor or the golems provide
8:52:45transport.
8:52:46That way, they're fully rested when we
8:52:48arrive, and we don't have to slow down
8:52:50for them," Carl explained. The Overlord
8:52:54rank mage smiled and nodded in
8:52:56agreement, though he had spells that
8:52:58would let him keep up with the group,
8:52:59and knew that Dana did as well. Now that
8:53:02she was a murmur battlem, her physical
8:53:05skills were rapidly increasing. The
8:53:07martial arts aspect of her class was
8:53:09strong, and she had already possessed
8:53:11wind walking abilities, but riding on
8:53:14the golem was certainly easier. Plus,
8:53:17with eight legs, the ride was very
8:53:19smooth. You weren't jostled around like
8:53:21you were on a horse or on a Sero who
8:53:24swayed as he walked. The jogging pace of
8:53:27a group of highranked elites was fast
8:53:29enough that the vehicle convoy was
8:53:31falling further behind them on the rough
8:53:32terrain that used to be a main road.
8:53:35Someone would have to bring equipment
8:53:37out and grade the road back to smooth
8:53:38gravel, but that could take a few days
8:53:41and wouldn't start until after the
8:53:42battles in the region had ended. Until
8:53:45then, the vehicles would do their best,
8:53:47and elites with suitable skills would
8:53:49level a route for their own teams.
8:53:52Overhead, Hawk had already spotted their
8:53:54targets. Turn a bit northwest.
8:53:58They're fighting in a valley to keep the
8:54:00damage contained, he instructed.
8:54:03Got it. How is the battle going? The
8:54:07humans are outnumbered 2 to one, but
8:54:09there is only one overlord on our side
8:54:11and four monarchs.
8:54:13That would make it a standard strike
8:54:15team. Carl assumed
8:54:17five people was fairly normal for
8:54:19responses, and his own team was normally
8:54:22set up the same way. Compared to that,
8:54:25the team he had come with was akin to
8:54:26swatting flies with a hammer. As soon as
8:54:29we're over this ridge, we will be on
8:54:31them. Hawk says it's two standard
8:54:34patrols on their side versus one on
8:54:36ours. Carl informed Overlord Tabitha,
8:54:40who was running beside him. All right, I
8:54:43will take the left side, you take the
8:54:45right. We will drive forward to our
8:54:47team, then spread out to give them a
8:54:49free side to retreat to our clerics.
8:54:52Hawk, we're coming in. You can start
8:54:55clearing a path for us now. About time.
8:54:59These giants need to learn that fire is
8:55:01better than earth magic. Hawk agreed.
8:55:05They've been throwing stones at you
8:55:06again, haven't they? Constantly.
8:55:10Carl led the charge down the hill,
8:55:12hoping that the monarch ranked eternal
8:55:14lightning barrier that was over the
8:55:16whole group would trick the elites into
8:55:18thinking that it was just a large group
8:55:19of monarchs that were coming to the aid
8:55:21of the outnumbered force. Normally, the
8:55:24extra overlord with the fancy armor that
8:55:26the mountain giants were wearing would
8:55:28be enough for them to still have the
8:55:29advantage. But with three new overlords
8:55:31on the human side, this would be a short
8:55:33and messy battle. Tabitha's plan was to
8:55:36surround the force, making them fight in
8:55:39both directions and preventing them from
8:55:41retreating, which would prevent them
8:55:42from reaching a healer who could
8:55:44resurrect their fallen. If it worked,
8:55:46they would rack up two more confirmed
8:55:48overlord kills for the day, bringing
8:55:50them to five. Battles between overlords
8:55:53rarely ended in permanent death, so it
8:55:56would be a huge change in the balance of
8:55:57power at this end of the battle. Others
8:56:00had told Carl in the past that the
8:56:02overlords were generally only there to
8:56:04keep the peace. But that didn't seem
8:56:06true of the mountain giants, who had
8:56:07more of them than anyone else on an
8:56:09individual national basis. As they
8:56:12charged into battle, one of the mountain
8:56:14giant overlords held up a talisman made
8:56:16of what looked like pure diamond. Then a
8:56:18pair of portals began to form, allowing
8:56:20reinforcements to arrive. Crap. They
8:56:24tricked us. "It's an ambush," Neil
8:56:28noted, his voice more amused than
8:56:30concerned. Ry shifted back to her
8:56:32humanoid form without breaking stride
8:56:34and smiled at him. "Do you want to play
8:56:37a game?" The overlord smiled back at
8:56:40her, and both of them vanished, while
8:56:42Tabitha cussed them out. We've got an
8:56:44entire battle ahead and they've already
8:56:47run off to play. She complained.
8:56:50Carl focused on Ray's position and
8:56:52realized she had gone through the
8:56:54portal, but he could feel her magic only
8:56:56a few kilome away, and she was keeping a
8:56:58kill count as she worked. Don't worry
8:57:01about it too much. Those portals only go
8:57:04a few kilome.
8:57:06They're in a mountain giant army camp,
8:57:08causing chaos now that all the overlords
8:57:10are gone. Tabitha shook her head in
8:57:13dismay. Then Hawk swept across the
8:57:15battlefield, throwing out monarch ranked
8:57:18helltorm vortexes that were rapidly
8:57:20spawning smaller spells through the
8:57:22newly arrived giants. If there is one
8:57:25thing that we're good at, it's area
8:57:26suppression. Go pick your overlord and
8:57:29we will deal with the rest. There was
8:57:32only one with the reinforcements, making
8:57:34it three on three, counting the overlord
8:57:37that was with the team they were
8:57:38relieving. Thor, charge into the middle
8:57:41with the clerics and relieve the
8:57:42defenders,
8:57:44Carl ordered. Ahmed's golems were
8:57:46hacking a path through to the newly
8:57:48arrived overlord, and Carl's team was
8:57:50moving to join the encircled forces,
8:57:52forcing a gap in the attackers, while
8:57:54Carl hung back and used his bow to keep
8:57:56the path clear. Disintegrate was
8:57:59incredibly effective on the arrows and
8:58:02punched through armor-like cloth. The
8:58:04golden plate was absorbing most of the
8:58:06energy from the spell, but the arrows
8:58:08were finding their marks deep in flesh,
8:58:11even if they weren't carving holes in
8:58:12their chests. Carl smiled as he saw the
8:58:15giants trying to deal with Oilia, whose
8:58:18fully buffed dire bear form was nearly
8:58:20as tall on all four feet as the mountain
8:58:22giants were on two. They clearly were
8:58:25not expecting that sort of foe, and the
8:58:27berserker was handily hurting them to
8:58:28where Dana and Cara were waiting for
8:58:30them. Remy was half-heartedly casting
8:58:33spells, but it was clear that she was
8:58:35still exhausted from trying to keep up
8:58:37such a large spell at full power. Oilia
8:58:40slammed her front paws down, using
8:58:43gravity slam to knock a row of giants
8:58:45over for Dana and her golems to deal
8:58:47with. Oh, that's it. I get it now. Thor
8:58:52cheered, and then a tail slam took
8:58:55another group of monarch ranked giants
8:58:56to their knees. Isn't it kind of them to
8:58:59kneel in respect for the might of a
8:59:01Sero? Carl joked. Wait, what are you
8:59:05guys doing there? It sounds fun. 87 88.
8:59:11Ry interjected.
8:59:13Whatever they had found at the camp, Ry
8:59:15was going on a rampage.
8:59:17A group of giants charged Carl, who was
8:59:20now isolated and standing by himself, a
8:59:22bit further up the hill where he had
8:59:24stopped when the reinforcements arrived.
8:59:26It was a great spot to shoot from, but
8:59:29nobody would be able to get to him in an
8:59:30emergency unless one of the beasts
8:59:32returned to their space. Carl charged
8:59:35into them as fast as he could,
8:59:37forgetting that his physical stats had
8:59:38been pushed so far beyond normal by the
8:59:40packmaster class and the bestial
8:59:43champion skill that buffed him even
8:59:45further when the pack was in danger. The
8:59:47Blade of Champions buried itself to the
8:59:49hilt in the chest of a monarch ranked
8:59:51giant who simply stared at Carl in shock
8:59:54for a few seconds, unable to comprehend
8:59:56what had just happened. Carl followed up
8:59:59using ren coated in nullify aimed at the
9:00:02throat of the beast on his left. Blood
9:00:05sprayed into the air and something
9:00:07tugged at Carl's sword arm. A sharp tug
9:00:10pulled it free, and Carl saw a spectral
9:00:12image of the dying giant being
9:00:14forcefully ripped from its body by a
9:00:16string attached to the hint claw. The
9:00:19weapon was getting thirsty, and while
9:00:20the giant's body was healing as it tried
9:00:22to retreat, the soul siphon was
9:00:24stubborn. The others were shouting
9:00:27something in giant, but Carl couldn't
9:00:29make it out as he used Ren to parry the
9:00:32attacks coming his way. The giants in
9:00:34the back were horrified by the attack,
9:00:36so Carl decided to take advantage. Ghost
9:00:40fire coated on four arcs of ren curled
9:00:43from his fingertips barely grazed the
9:00:45giants, but it set them on fire and
9:00:48established the soul damage to give the
9:00:50weapon a link. Oddly, that made it
9:00:52easier for their shaman to free the
9:00:54mortally wounded fighter. There must be
9:00:57a limit on how much soul energy the
9:00:59haint claw could steal. And when it was
9:01:01pulled from multiple targets, it was
9:01:03easier to deal with. A flash of his
9:01:05blade and the judicious application of
9:01:07nullify over disintegrate took the head
9:01:10off another giant right before Carl was
9:01:12hit by the flat of a blade and sent
9:01:14flying. He twisted in the air to keep
9:01:17his eyes on the giants and landed on his
9:01:19feet, sliding a few more meters before
9:01:21he came to a stop unharmed. "Oh, they're
9:01:25in trouble now." Cara laughed from the
9:01:28far side of the battlefield where she
9:01:30was helping Thor and Tessa pushed the
9:01:31giants away from the defenders on that
9:01:33side to give everyone a break. Carl
9:01:36braced his feet and pushed off to jump
9:01:38back into battle, then threw a flurry of
9:01:41rend attacks ahead of him to put the
9:01:43defenders off balance. Another soul was
9:01:46grabbed by the haint claw as Carl took
9:01:48an arm off the giant, then followed up
9:01:50with a slash across the back of its legs
9:01:52as it turned to defend the weakened
9:01:54side. This time the giant was too close
9:01:57to death and the haint claw ripped its
9:01:59energy free of the body causing the
9:02:01giant to crumple dead on the ground.
9:02:04Then a roar went up through the giants
9:02:06as an overlord fell to the combined
9:02:08efforts of Ray and Neil. The giants were
9:02:11surging in their direction, but the
9:02:13feeling was different. They were not
9:02:15looking to overrun the humans. They
9:02:17wanted to recover the body and retreat.
9:02:20Let them have that one. It will make
9:02:22them go away. Carl instructed Ry. Fine.
9:02:28I've done pretty good today. They can
9:02:30have one to bring back to life. We will
9:02:33just kill him again later. With the
9:02:36death of the overlord, the giants had
9:02:38realized that things were not going
9:02:40their way and began to retreat towards
9:02:42the portals. They were in for a shock
9:02:44when they got there, as Ry and Neil had
9:02:47killed anything that moved in the camp
9:02:48on the other side and then had returned
9:02:50here to ambush an overlord together. It
9:02:53was good to see Ry making friends with
9:02:55similar interests. Carl rejoined the
9:02:58others as the giants ran away but didn't
9:03:00let down his guard. Keep ready. They're
9:03:04going to find a massacre on the other
9:03:06side of the portals and they might come
9:03:08back. He warned before Neil could. The
9:03:12monarch leading the other team came over
9:03:14to shake his hand with a smile. I've
9:03:16already greeted the others. I am Lady
9:03:19Athell, head knight of the silver
9:03:21blades. She introduced herself.
9:03:25Carl, the beast master. She smiled. I
9:03:29gathered that much from the Sero. I must
9:03:32say, young Thor is quite the cavalry
9:03:35unit. I don't think that I've ever seen
9:03:37a breaching charge quite so effective.
9:03:40Thor stomped his feet and wobbled his
9:03:42head in pleasure at the praise. Gravity
9:03:45slam and earthquake worked amazingly
9:03:47well to put the giants off balance for
9:03:49him to charge into the defense lines. I
9:03:52appreciate the rescue. Even with a
9:03:54paladin of my power, we were having
9:03:56issues, but what is that combat power
9:03:59you have? Not your beasts, which are an
9:04:02unfair advantage to start with, but your
9:04:05personal combat power. Lady Athell
9:04:09asked, an excited gleam in her eyes at
9:04:11the chance to gain new knowledge. I can
9:04:14share some of the skills and physical
9:04:15stats of my beasts. With five of them at
9:04:19monarch rank, I would estimate that my
9:04:21base physical abilities are twice what
9:04:22an average monarchs are. Mostly, I only
9:04:26use a few of the most efficient attack
9:04:28skills, though there are more like soul
9:04:31chain. The overlord rank paladin asked.
9:04:35Carl shook his head. I have a weapon
9:04:38with soul steel and soul damage on it.
9:04:41That's the effect you're seeing, not one
9:04:43of my personal skills. She shrugged.
9:04:47Either way, you should have seen how
9:04:49terrified they were when you literally
9:04:50ripped the sole essence out of a monarch
9:04:52ranked giant. It makes a bit of a
9:04:55spectacle, and I do hope that you have a
9:04:57plan for when they start to focus on you
9:04:59to eliminate the threat."
9:05:01Carl nodded silently while Rey
9:05:03transformed back to human and rode one
9:05:05of her golems over to the conversation.
9:05:08Are we making plans to deal with the
9:05:09mountain giants? I vote genocide.
9:05:13Lady Athell looked confused at the new
9:05:15arrival, but Neil just laughed. Lady O,
9:05:19meet Queen Ray Bloodbath,
9:05:22one of Carl's bonded partners and a
9:05:24monarch ranked bloodbath spider. He
9:05:27explained with a wink toward his
9:05:28counterpart. Athell smiled at Rey. I saw
9:05:33your handiwork today and I have no doubt
9:05:35that it is an actual possibility.
9:05:38Tabitha came over and cleared her
9:05:39throat. I hate to break up the happy fun
9:05:42time, but the giants have clearly
9:05:44advanced past our lines. We need to
9:05:47scout them out and find the advanced
9:05:49strike force teams that have made it
9:05:50past the defenders. That brought
9:05:53everyone back on task. Carl nodded in
9:05:56agreement.
9:05:58Right. We found the first group nearly 5
9:06:00km from here, closer to the capital.
9:06:03They were waiting next to where we
9:06:05entered by portal. They seemed
9:06:07determined that they would raise the
9:06:09capital with this offensive so they
9:06:11won't be alone. Hawk, what do you see?
9:06:15Any more targets?
9:06:17Carl asked. Sure. Do you want weak ones,
9:06:21lots of weak ones, strong ones, or lots
9:06:24of strong ones? How many groups do you
9:06:27see that aren't fighting? Maybe 50. Carl
9:06:31cleared his throat to get everyone's
9:06:32attention back on him. Hawk says there
9:06:35are at least 50 groups of mountain
9:06:37giants past the defenders, and that's
9:06:39just the ones that aren't fighting
9:06:41anyone right now. Only four that have
9:06:44big ones stronger than you. Four of them
9:06:46with overlords.
9:06:48Carl added, "This portion of the border
9:06:51near Lake Chipton marked the closest
9:06:53spot for the giants to cross their
9:06:55border and head to the GDN capital. It
9:06:58was a long way from any mountain giant
9:07:00population center, as far as anyone else
9:07:02knew. So, it was normally a safe route
9:07:05for travelers to pass through to move
9:07:07between the Golden Dragon Nation and
9:07:09Newon." "Should we split up?" Lady
9:07:13Athell asked. The other overlords nodded
9:07:16and then Tabitha sideighed. I think it's
9:07:19for the best. I will go with your
9:07:22response team and the other two will
9:07:24stay with the beast master and his team.
9:07:27Most of the giants should be operating
9:07:28with one overlord at the most and this
9:07:30will give us the advantage. Carl
9:07:33frowned. There are a few large groups as
9:07:36well. Should we deal with them before we
9:07:39split? Athell looked at him like he was
9:07:42insane. You want to get into a fight
9:07:44where you know you're outnumbered? Carl
9:07:47smiled at her. More loot from the loot
9:07:50god. Besides, we specialize in it.
9:07:54Athell hummed to herself as she thought
9:07:56about the answer, then realized that
9:07:58Cara was wearing a goddy golden chain
9:08:00around her neck. Wait, I don't remember
9:08:03that. When did the void badger start
9:08:06wearing bling? She asked. Carl inspected
9:08:10the chain, then laughed. Chain of
9:08:13Disruption grants the wearer's crowd
9:08:15control and interrupt type abilities a
9:08:175% greater chance of success. It looks
9:08:20Cyclops made and its monarch rank, so my
9:08:23guess is she got it sometime in the last
9:08:25hour. It looks good on her, though. Very
9:08:29fashionable.
9:08:31Carl definitely wasn't going to mention
9:08:33that it looked like a cat collar made of
9:08:35gold. Dana reached down to pet Cara's
9:08:38head. It increases her chance to disrupt
9:08:41enemy attacks.
9:08:43You know, the fact that the giant's
9:08:44equipment doesn't bond or vanish with
9:08:46the dead makes [clears throat] them a
9:08:47pretty good target for upgrades.
9:08:50My own gear could use a bit of a
9:08:52refresher, but nothing that they wear is
9:08:54suitable for a battle mitch who needs
9:08:55mobility. Athell shrugged. Most of the
9:08:59Cyclops made gear does bond to the user.
9:09:02However, bonded gear that is in use
9:09:05remains on the body when you die. It can
9:09:07be claimed by anyone after you're gone.
9:09:10It's just the items that are put away
9:09:12that remain locked away. Tabitha side as
9:09:15the group got sidetracked.
9:09:18So what first? The big group or hunt
9:09:21another overlord. We have three
9:09:24permanent kills today. And if we had
9:09:26claimed the body, it would have been
9:09:28four. Neil shrugged. It was better to
9:09:31encourage them to leave than to make
9:09:33them fight for the body. Besides, we can
9:09:36get another when we hit a group with
9:09:38only one overlord. Overlord Ahmad nodded
9:09:41in agreement. We should hit the largest
9:09:44groups in the area first so they don't
9:09:46reach the city, then go hunting
9:09:48overlords.
9:09:49For on one, they won't even be able to
9:09:51run away. Who knows? Maybe our young
9:09:54friends here will manage to get an above
9:09:56rank kill at Monarch. Wouldn't that be
9:09:59something? The others laughed and Carl
9:10:02smiled at the Catman Mage. Now we just
9:10:05need to find a way for you to get one at
9:10:07Overlord and shake the world. Carl
9:10:10offered. The mage laughed. Now you're
9:10:14pushing it. Totems are just built
9:10:16different. Literally.
9:10:19Their attack power is usually only half
9:10:21again as much as a peak overlord, but
9:10:23the totem advancement does something to
9:10:25them. And they take a tiny fraction of
9:10:27damage from anyone who isn't a totem. I
9:10:30don't know what sort of defensive skill
9:10:32they all get, but even the archbishop
9:10:34has it. So, it's not a warrior type
9:10:36ability. That's why they're so important
9:10:38to their nations. If you had to go
9:10:4150on-one with overlords to take on a
9:10:43totem, even a healer specialist would be
9:10:45impossible to beat. Perhaps it should
9:10:48be, especially a healer would be
9:10:50impossible to beat. 3 km north, there is
9:10:54a huge group passing by us soon. Not
9:10:57strong. Mostly Dana mage level. Hawk
9:11:01updated. We have a target. There is a
9:11:04large group passing 3 km from us. Nobody
9:11:08has intercepted them, so they'll be
9:11:10headed straight for the city if we
9:11:12don't. Carl informed them. All right, we
9:11:16trust your scout. Lead the way. Hawk was
9:11:20suspiciously happy. Like, I just found
9:11:22water magic users to torture. Happy.
9:11:25Normally he was only bloodthirsty in
9:11:27specific situations, so Carl wasn't sure
9:11:30why this was different until they topped
9:11:32the hill and saw the army array below
9:11:34them. Mountain giants, hill giants,
9:11:38frost giants, ogres, etin, cyclops, and
9:11:41others that Carl had no name for were
9:11:43marching in formation towards the
9:11:44capital, nearly 2,000 strong. Most were
9:11:48not at royal rank. There were hundreds
9:11:50of ascended and commander rank ogres and
9:11:52giant subspecies at the back working in
9:11:55the supply section. The number that were
9:11:58actually at royal rank or higher was
9:12:00closer to a quarter of the total. That
9:12:02should make the start quick and bloody.
9:12:05Where are the leaders? Neil muttered,
9:12:08not seeing the overlords that should be
9:12:10with them. In the scouting groups all
9:12:12around the army, clearing the way for
9:12:14their advance. Our last fight let them
9:12:17move past us. And now we're behind their
9:12:19lines. Carl quietly replied, relaying
9:12:23Hawk's scouting intelligence.
9:12:25Lady Athell turned to face them with a
9:12:27questioning look. What's the plan? We
9:12:31fight. The overlords hold back for now.
9:12:35You can tag team the reinforcements when
9:12:37they try to stop us. Put the bodies in
9:12:40your inventory or call for one of my
9:12:42beasts to do it. They can't take them
9:12:45back to resurrect that way. Carl
9:12:47suggested.
9:12:49You're going to try to solo an army?
9:12:51Tabitha asked in disbelief.
9:12:54I have a team. Besides, look how happy
9:12:57the war god is. Tessa was literally
9:13:00glowing red with divine energy, and the
9:13:03army in the valley below them would
9:13:04notice it soon. I called for
9:13:07reinforcements.
9:13:09If you can hold them here for 5 minutes,
9:13:11we will have hundreds of elites and an
9:13:13entire regiment of cleric-led infantry
9:13:15on site. Athell informed them. Dana
9:13:19rolled her eyes at Carl, then sighed in
9:13:21resignation.
9:13:23Don't worry, Carla will look after you.
9:13:26If anything happened, it would mess up
9:13:28her sleeping arrangement.
9:13:30Carl joked. Remy woke up a little from
9:13:33her nap. Are we fighting again? And it's
9:13:36a big one.
9:13:38We will need your spells again, but
9:13:41don't go too hard. They're going to have
9:13:43clerics trying to counter spell them.
9:13:45Remy came out with her bodyguards, and
9:13:47Carl prepared for the charge. For the
9:13:50record, this is a terrible idea.
9:13:53Overlord Ahmad reminded them, noted. But
9:13:57I'm going to do it anyhow.
9:14:00Remember, don't get too involved in the
9:14:02battle at the start. You'll need to be
9:14:03free to deal with the overlords when
9:14:05they arrive. The Catman mage smiled. Go
9:14:10enjoy your personal flavor of crazy.
9:14:13Carl started the charge down the hill
9:14:15towards the back of the convoy where the
9:14:17commander and low royal ranked giants
9:14:19were pulling the supply carts. Every
9:14:22army moves on its stomach, and while
9:14:24they were only a few hours from the
9:14:25capital at a giant's marching speed,
9:14:27destroying their food and gear would
9:14:29make a siege much more difficult. Plus,
9:14:32there were other advantages.
9:14:35Hawk Remy area suppression if you would.
9:14:39Dozens of helltorm vortexes spawned in
9:14:42the rear of the army, demolishing wagons
9:14:44and tearing apart the commander ranked
9:14:46giants and weaker support team members
9:14:48before they could even understand what
9:14:50was happening. The royals fared a bit
9:14:52better, but everyone was so distracted
9:14:54by the attack that they didn't even
9:14:56notice Carl's team until Tessa led Thor
9:14:58past him and into their lines with her
9:15:00golden spear leveled. Thor knocked an
9:15:03entire column to the ground with gravity
9:15:05slam, then trampled them as Tessa spun
9:15:07her spear and slit throats as they
9:15:09passed. The Tessa really is one of us
9:15:12when she gets feisty, isn't sha
9:15:15laughed. Normally, she was on defense
9:15:18with Thor, but a war cleric in combat
9:15:21was a fearsome sight. Especially when
9:15:24she had a long spear and a monarch
9:15:26ranked Sarah mount. Carl sent his Lameia
9:15:29bodyguards to the right towards the main
9:15:31force with him while Remy went left with
9:15:33hers to finish the back of the supply
9:15:35column. Carl laughed as the giants
9:15:38hurled stones, ice, and spears at him.
9:15:40All of which simply bounced off his
9:15:42barriers, doing too little damage to get
9:15:44past the reduction of void body. Skill
9:15:48master 4 activation skill rampage has
9:15:51improved by one tier. New skill rampage
9:15:552 gained. Rampage tier 2. Every time any
9:15:59enemy is damaged by the packmaster or a
9:16:01bonded beast, increase the damage done
9:16:04by the packmaster and all bonded beasts
9:16:06for one minute. It was a one-word change
9:16:09from the original version, but a
9:16:11critical change. Every bit of damage
9:16:14they did would increase everyone's
9:16:15damage, not just their own. The damage
9:16:18caused by the hellstorm vortexes wasn't
9:16:20only increasing the damage done by Remy
9:16:22and Hawk anymore, but the entire team.
9:16:26Carl returned fire using disintegrate
9:16:29covered rend attacks for area coverage.
9:16:33He was mildly horrified by the way that
9:16:35the first rows of commander and royal
9:16:36ranked giants were simply eviscerated,
9:16:39split in half by the attacks as the
9:16:41damage continued to stack. Over and
9:16:44over, Carl hurled the flat arcs of power
9:16:46into the giants, cutting the weaker
9:16:48members down as if he were harvesting
9:16:49wheat. That was sure to get someone
9:16:52powerful's attention, and then he could
9:16:54really test the extent of the new
9:16:56Rampage upgrade. In his mind, Rey was
9:17:00laughing hysterically as her legs
9:17:02punched through armor like warm butter.
9:17:04All the blood was hers. She didn't even
9:17:07particularly want this flavor, and she
9:17:09could have it with just a casual stab.
9:17:12So, instead of keeping them for herself,
9:17:15she started hurling the bodies into the
9:17:17air. The severed limbs detached as they
9:17:20flew, causing the bodies to rain blood
9:17:22over the battlefield as Ray wo her webs
9:17:24and made the killing fields an
9:17:25impossible maze of sticky silk. This was
9:17:29the single greatest day of her life. In
9:17:32the distance, the overlords watched in
9:17:34horror as Carl's group went wild through
9:17:36the back ranks of the army. You know, if
9:17:39the reinforcements don't get here soon,
9:17:41he really is going to solo an army.
9:17:44Overlord Neil noted. He's certainly
9:17:47efficient at removing targets below his
9:17:49rank. But what is up with that spider?
9:17:52That is the most gruesome thing I have
9:17:54ever seen. Athell agreed. What you fail
9:17:58to realize is that she's not even
9:18:00serious yet. She is a night haunter and
9:18:03I taught her to use vibrating blade. The
9:18:07rogue overlord laughed. The paladin
9:18:10frowned. You're saying that she could be
9:18:12invisible, incorporeal, and immune to
9:18:15physical damage, but she's just running
9:18:17around enjoying herself. No wonder the
9:18:20old generations tried to exterminate her
9:18:22species.
9:18:24Oh, you knew about them? Neil asked,
9:18:27surprised at her recognition.
9:18:29History buff, what can I say? But the
9:18:32first overlord led group of giants is on
9:18:35the way. We should get going. Neil
9:18:38nodded. I will move us all with advanced
9:18:41shadow step. Below them, Carl had
9:18:45finally reached the first of the monarch
9:18:46ranked giants that had come to
9:18:48intervene. Fully equipped with shaman
9:18:51barriers, they had charged through the
9:18:53vortexes to reach him. Carl opened his
9:18:56fingers and hurled disintegrate coated
9:18:57in nullify at them, shattering barriers
9:19:00and cracking armor with the first
9:19:01strike. The power of his improved skills
9:19:04was a heady thing and combined with void
9:19:07body, Carl was beginning to feel like an
9:19:09invincible god of battle. Then the
9:19:12counterattack hit and he realized that
9:19:14he might have overestimated his
9:19:16immortality.
9:19:1710 cleave attacks from the monarch
9:19:20ranked giants hit him at once,
9:19:22shattering eternal lightning and carving
9:19:24deep lines in his armor, then the flesh
9:19:27underneath. His body began to rapidly
9:19:30mend itself, but the point was made. 10%
9:19:33of his life reduced from every attack by
9:19:36void body was no small amount, but all
9:19:3910 of them were at the same rank as he
9:19:41was, and Cleave was a slow casting high
9:19:43damage skill. Carl charged into their
9:19:46ranks as he reactivated eternal
9:19:48lightning, getting too close for them
9:19:50all to attack at once.
9:19:52Three frost giants fell in the first 10
9:19:55seconds, hacked apart with ghost fire
9:19:57laced attacks that targeted their
9:19:59weakness to heat. But the mountain
9:20:01giants had cyclops forged armor, and
9:20:04they were smart enough not to fall for
9:20:06simple tricks. Carl spun and parried for
9:20:09a few seconds before the bodyguards made
9:20:11it to him. The Lania pair sliced into
9:20:14the giants with Ren, allowing Carl to
9:20:16break free of their attacks and target
9:20:18one to take down. There is a cap on the
9:20:21stacked damage. It's not growing
9:20:24anymore. Hawk complained. It says 1
9:20:28minute. Carl reminded him. Not the whole
9:20:32minute. It stopped before that. Hawk
9:20:35amended.
9:20:37So, there was some hidden soft cap to
9:20:39keep him from using an army of small
9:20:41creatures to stack millions of minuscule
9:20:43attacks for the skill effect. Well, now
9:20:46we know how strong we can be. Is it
9:20:49enough? Carl asked as he defended the
9:20:52Lameia pair, allowing them to land
9:20:54constant attacks. It should be, Carl
9:20:58threw up an earth barrier between
9:21:00himself and the rest of the battle, and
9:21:02realized the weakness in his new skill.
9:21:05Rampage only increased damage, not
9:21:07overall power. His defensive skills
9:21:10weren't getting any better with time,
9:21:12only his offensive.
9:21:14So in a way he was becoming a glass
9:21:17cannon. Assuming that he was fighting
9:21:20something of similar skill that was.
9:21:23These monarch ranked giants were good
9:21:25but nowhere near his increased speed
9:21:27even if they were nearly equal to him in
9:21:29strength. The stone barrier came down
9:21:32only seconds later. Hacked apart by the
9:21:34earth magic of the hill giants who were
9:21:36trying to pelt him and the Lameia with
9:21:38magical stones.
9:21:40The size that they could throw without
9:21:42risking hitting the giants he was in
9:21:43combat with was not large enough to make
9:21:45it past void body, so Carl wasn't too
9:21:48concerned.
9:21:50However, the constant pelting made it
9:21:52hard to keep his balance, so he had to
9:21:54split his attention to avoid the
9:21:55majority of them. Progress was down to a
9:21:58crawl for the moment, but the fight
9:22:00behind Carl was close to over, and then
9:22:02Remy and Hawk would be able to focus
9:22:04their attacks on the main force of the
9:22:06army. Behind Carl, Neil popped in and
9:22:09dropped three Overlord ranked giant
9:22:11bodies, then vanished again, going back
9:22:13to his team. Carl tossed the bodies in
9:22:16Ray's space, knowing that the giants
9:22:18would be hurting badly after that day's
9:22:20fighting. Overlords are here for Lotus.
9:22:24The cat overlord died. Thor updated him.
9:22:28How did that happen? Did they get there
9:22:31fast enough? Carl replied, trying not to
9:22:34get too distracted from the fight.
9:22:37Fast enough. He's standing again, but
9:22:40Lotus is tired. Tessa is tying her to my
9:22:44back. Well, that was a start. At least
9:22:48they had managed to save their fallen
9:22:49overlord while collecting three more
9:22:51from the giants. By Hawk's early
9:22:54scouting reports, that meant there was
9:22:56only one more giant overlord nearby, so
9:22:59the strike team could afford a moment to
9:23:00rest and recover. The other weak groups
9:23:03are coming this way. Rey, can you warn
9:23:06the Tessa on it? That was another 200
9:23:11giants. By Carl's estimate of Hawks
9:23:13reports, they were going to need
9:23:15reinforcements of their own soon because
9:23:17the number of hell storm vortexes was
9:23:19falling, and there were still enough
9:23:21giant shamans that they were only up for
9:23:235 or 10 seconds each before being
9:23:25dispelled.
9:23:26Even eternal lightning couldn't refresh
9:23:29energy fast enough to keep up a full
9:23:31assault. And as a result, the stacked
9:23:33damage would soon start falling when the
9:23:35total fell below the cap. Carl was sent
9:23:38flying by a strike to his side that
9:23:40shattered ribs as it cut through his
9:23:42armor. And then the Lameia were in
9:23:43trouble. They were frantically parrying
9:23:46the giants attacks, but they were more
9:23:48of a caster type than melee combatants,
9:23:50and they didn't have the brute strength
9:23:52of the Naga warriors. Carl focused on
9:23:55refreshing his armor spell and waited a
9:23:57few seconds for his regeneration to heal
9:23:59his ribs. Then called a fresh pair of
9:24:01bodyguards beside him, giving up some
9:24:03ground but gaining time to recover some
9:24:05energy. "How long has it been?" Carl
9:24:09asked, trying to time the arrival of the
9:24:11reinforcements.
9:24:13"10 minutes," Remy replied grimly. She
9:24:17had also been keeping time, and the
9:24:19reinforcements were well overdue. or not
9:24:22coming at all, depending on whether any
9:24:24of the giants forces had reached the
9:24:26capital security zone. The giants
9:24:29approached carefully, waiting for Carl
9:24:31to make a move. They knew that they
9:24:34couldn't afford to be reckless against
9:24:35his speed, but this strange human also
9:24:38appeared to heal unnaturally quickly
9:24:40despite being separated from his
9:24:41healers. Carl was using Rend with
9:24:45nullify to get past the defensive
9:24:47abilities of the giants and force them
9:24:49to parry the skills which kept them at a
9:24:51distance. The fight speed had slowed to
9:24:54a crawl and the whole battle was falling
9:24:56into a lull as the human stamina ran
9:24:58low. Thor's efforts would have them
9:25:01recovered in no more than 5 minutes, but
9:25:03that was a long time in combat. The
9:25:06giants backed off a little and a horde
9:25:08of ogres advanced. They were only royal
9:25:11rank, the leaders of their species. But
9:25:14fighting them would burn more energy,
9:25:16and the giants didn't care about
9:25:18expending them as cannon fodder. They
9:25:20had put stronger barriers over the
9:25:22weaker species. But when nullifi hit
9:25:25them, the barriers put up no real
9:25:27resistance.
9:25:29But another wave stepped over the bodies
9:25:31of the fallen. Then another, and
9:25:33another. We're done at the back. You can
9:25:35retreat to our position, and we will
9:25:37prepare to attack again.
9:25:39Thor informed Carl, who was alone with
9:25:42his bodyguards, fighting the seemingly
9:25:44endless tide of ogres.
9:25:46One full force backwards leap disengaged
9:25:49Carl from the attackers and showed him
9:25:51that the ogres were nearly depleted and
9:25:53the remainder were being forced forward
9:25:54by the giants as they weren't willingly
9:25:56fighting anymore. The move put the
9:25:59battle in a tense standoff with the two
9:26:01sides 30 m apart and staring at each
9:26:04other, waiting for some sort of trigger
9:26:06to continue.
9:26:07More groups of giants were joining the
9:26:09survivors, but they wouldn't make much
9:26:11difference in the short term. What they
9:26:14needed was someone who could challenge
9:26:15Carl one-on-one and keep him from
9:26:17sweeping through their ranks. "What's
9:26:20the news?" Carl asked as he reached the
9:26:23others, while Tessa cast a small healing
9:26:25spell and a refreshing ability on him.
9:26:28"We weren't fast enough to respond. The
9:26:31capital is under attack by the giants
9:26:33allies.
9:26:35Right now, it's ogres and goblins.
9:26:38We've got the giant armies slowed down
9:26:40enough that they haven't engaged yet,
9:26:42but there should be more forces in the
9:26:44area, which may or may not have been
9:26:46engaged by the other strike teams and
9:26:48the border guard. There is nothing on
9:26:51the radio at all. We think that they
9:26:53might have a spell that is blocking the
9:26:55signals. Even trying to communicate
9:26:58between groups we can see doesn't work,
9:27:00Neil explained.
9:27:03So, we finish up here and then hunt. Or
9:27:06do we return to the capital to defend
9:27:08the city walls? Carl asked. The four
9:27:12overlords looked at each other. Without
9:27:14orders, it was their call. Ahmad looked
9:27:18to the sky as if for inspiration.
9:27:21Well, we're all on the stronger side of
9:27:23Overlord, so we're needed in both spots.
9:27:26I don't know which would be better, but
9:27:28now that I've recovered enough, I will
9:27:29mount a full assault against the
9:27:31remainder of the army. My skills, like
9:27:34yours, are not great against single
9:27:36targets, but highly effective against
9:27:38large groups, though the energy drain is
9:27:40incredibly high. I'm a rank over the
9:27:43strongest of the remaining forces, so I
9:27:45should be able to wipe them out if I can
9:27:47last long enough. We just need to keep
9:27:49them from running away until I finish.
9:27:52With your Thor here, I will recover
9:27:54quickly enough to be ready for the next
9:27:55battle. I hope. Then we can follow the
9:27:58scouting reports of Hawk to see if we're
9:28:00still needed here. Carl nodded in
9:28:03agreement. I will have Hawk and Remy
9:28:06assist you so that there are too many
9:28:07spells for the giant shamans to
9:28:09effectively dispel them all. It will
9:28:12save you some mana and hopefully allow
9:28:14us to clear this group. Overlord Athell
9:28:17smirked. You know, after this they are
9:28:20going to make us suffer through another
9:28:22of those godful award ceremonies.
9:28:25Neil winked at her. That's if they find
9:28:28out. We can just tell them that we were
9:28:30busy wiping out the overlords and the
9:28:32smaller patrols all day and pretend that
9:28:34this force never existed. The overlords
9:28:38looked over at Carl's group, assuming
9:28:39they would want the fame and glory of
9:28:41such a feat. After all, even with the
9:28:43presence of the overlords, they were
9:28:45still outnumbered by more than 100 to
9:28:47one.
9:28:48If it wasn't for the completely broken
9:28:50skill that Carl had, which allowed his
9:28:52beasts to tear through the weaker
9:28:54portion of the army, they would have
9:28:55been almost immediately overrun. The
9:28:58overlords were still trying to work out
9:29:00what sort of skill that was, but Carl
9:29:02wasn't saying anything. It's a good
9:29:05thing that we have the vortexes to start
9:29:06the fight. It gets the skill all stacked
9:29:09up before we have to actually fight.
9:29:12Hawk noted. How is your range? You're
9:29:16not going to get stones thrown at you
9:29:18when you try to attack, are you?
9:29:20Currently, Hawk was hiding among the
9:29:22thick clouds overhead, out of sight from
9:29:24the ground, even with his prodigious
9:29:26size. It will be fine. I know where they
9:29:30are relative to you. So, I don't even
9:29:32have to come down for this one. Right.
9:29:35He had soul sight now, so he didn't need
9:29:37to rely on his impressive natural sight
9:29:39to find the enemy. Overlord Ahmad,
9:29:42whenever you are ready, my team will
9:29:44join you with the hellstorm vortexes.
9:29:47The catman mage took a deep breath and
9:29:49began to focus.
9:29:51Spears of lightning formed overhead.
9:29:53Dozens of them, then hundreds, then
9:29:57thousands.
9:29:58The giants were charging, but Hawk and
9:30:00Remy had started with the vortexes,
9:30:02which were cloning with every strike,
9:30:04creating a wall of spinning fire for the
9:30:06giants to run through in order to reach
9:30:08the humans.
9:30:10Then the first volley of spears lashed
9:30:12out, taking down an entire row of
9:30:14giants. Then another and another and
9:30:17another. The giant army was falling in
9:30:20waves as the vortexes chased them across
9:30:22the battlefield and spears tore through
9:30:25their retreating bodies. Then Hawk
9:30:27switched his vortexes to the far side,
9:30:30blocking the retreat as the last of
9:30:32Ahmed spears cleared the survivors.
9:30:34Cara forward, "Loot!" the badger shouted
9:30:38to herself before racing off with Remy
9:30:40and the bodyguards to double tap
9:30:42anything that might have survived and
9:30:43clean out the bodies. "What are they
9:30:46doing?" Tabitha asked, watching them
9:30:49moving silently across the battlefield.
9:30:52"Cing the corpses.
9:30:54We don't want them regrouping with the
9:30:56others and telling anyone what happened
9:30:57here." Rey was making a mod a hammock
9:31:00hanging off Thor's side opposite Lotus,
9:31:02who was just beginning to wake up after
9:31:04overexerting herself with a resurrection
9:31:06during the battle. The mage was out
9:31:09cold, but with Thor's barrier over him,
9:31:11he was in no real danger. His energy
9:31:14would recover, and a bit of food when he
9:31:16woke up would have him right as rain.
9:31:19"All right, what is the call?" Carl
9:31:22asked quietly. "Let your beasts finish.
9:31:25Then we will clear this area and head
9:31:27back for the city. They won't have sent
9:31:29the majority of their troops on foot.
9:31:31This was probably intended to be a sneak
9:31:33attack while the forces arriving by
9:31:36portal would have been detected. Neil
9:31:38instructed
9:31:40Hawk, find us more targets.
9:31:43Let's make it a full clear. Head
9:31:45northeast. There is a group that will be
9:31:47crossing behind us on a path to
9:31:49intercept where this team should be.
9:31:51Hawk instructed, then remembered to add
9:31:54details.
9:31:55Three teams led by the monarchs and made
9:31:58up mostly of royals.
9:32:00Carl didn't set a fast pace, so everyone
9:32:02would be mostly rested when they made it
9:32:04to the target. But this shouldn't be a
9:32:06hard battle. The numbers were very close
9:32:08to even, and Carl's group was much
9:32:11stronger than their adversaries.
9:32:13I can take care of this with Hawk. They
9:32:16will never even know what happened to
9:32:17them. Ry suggested as Carl and the
9:32:20others casually jogged along. I won't
9:32:23stop you if you want to play. Hulk can
9:32:26find us another target. After Ry
9:32:29vanished in spider form, followed by
9:32:31Overlord Neil, who was more interested
9:32:33in what she was up to than staying with
9:32:35the group. Turned further east towards
9:32:38the city. There is a monarch group that
9:32:41way as well, but only five giants, Hawk
9:32:44suggested, and Carl quietly altered the
9:32:47route.
9:32:48Nobody asked where the two assassins had
9:32:50gone. They just accepted that they were
9:32:52doing sneaky things. The Inquisitor
9:32:55frequently vanished to take care of some
9:32:57secret objective and the other overlords
9:32:59were used to it. So when Ry did the
9:33:02same, they just assumed that it was part
9:33:04of some established plan. A minute
9:33:07later, the group came into sight, and
9:33:09Carl chuckled as he realized what Hawk
9:33:11had done. These were all frost giants,
9:33:14and the water-hating bird had sent
9:33:16everyone else to deal with them while he
9:33:18played with the mountain giants. He
9:33:20hated water magic, but not enough to
9:33:22willingly expose himself to it. There
9:33:25weren't many things that Hawk could do
9:33:27now that would actually surprise the
9:33:29group, and sending them all to deal with
9:33:31the parts that he didn't like was no
9:33:32shock at all. What was surprising was
9:33:35that there was a monarch ranked frost
9:33:37giant here. As Carl had been informed,
9:33:40the Frost giants were the weakest of
9:33:41their kin, so there shouldn't be many
9:33:43monarch ranked giants in the entire
9:33:45nation. And now to see one here with
9:33:47five royals was certainly a surprise.
9:33:50Perhaps he should talk to them for a
9:33:52moment first, at least long enough to
9:33:55satisfy his curiosity.
9:33:57I want to try to talk to this giant
9:33:59before anything else happens.
9:34:01Something is off if we're finding
9:34:03monarch ranked frost giants coming from
9:34:05the west. Carl informed the group as
9:34:08they advanced.
9:34:10Monarch frost giants. I wonder which
9:34:13one. I might have met them before. Lady
9:34:16Athell suggested.
9:34:18That about settled it. If he didn't want
9:34:21to talk to them, someone would. Carl
9:34:24slowed as he came into sight of the
9:34:26giants, then raised a hand in greeting
9:34:28and stopped 20 m from the group who were
9:34:31all facing him with weapons drawn.
9:34:33Greetings. I am Carl and this is
9:34:36Overlord Athell. We have a few questions
9:34:39and a request for you. Carl informed the
9:34:42leader of the group, a frost giant
9:34:44shaman woman wearing long white robes.
9:34:47The human wants Parley. The giant seemed
9:34:50confused.
9:34:51Why are you invading from the west so
9:34:53far from your borders when your presence
9:34:55is needed at home? Carl began. The frost
9:35:00giant looked annoyed. The mountain
9:35:02giants rallied all the giants to their
9:35:04great benefactor.
9:35:06Today we conquer the humans and claimed
9:35:08the system for ourselves.
9:35:11Well, as a reason that made sense. But
9:35:14Athell had a question. A great
9:35:17benefactor, not the mountain giant sage.
9:35:20She asked, "Old sage is dead. Titan
9:35:24benefactor wants the system. We know
9:35:27that the humans have it in their
9:35:29capital. You beast man. Why do you work
9:35:32with the humans? The shaman demanded,
9:35:35gesturing to Carl. I was born here. The
9:35:39human nation is my home. That was a good
9:35:42enough reason for the giant. And she
9:35:44just nodded before turning back to
9:35:46Athell. You, I know you. You should
9:35:50leave this place. The great benefactor
9:35:53will kill all humans once he has system
9:35:55stuff for the giants. Athell side. Turn
9:35:59around and go back. If you continue, we
9:36:02have to fight. You came. You did your
9:36:05duty to the great benefactor and delayed
9:36:07us here. Now go and return home. The
9:36:11giants might not be very bright, but
9:36:13they could do enough math to know that
9:36:15royal versus overlord equal dead. If
9:36:18there was a fight, it would be a very
9:36:20short one. The frost giant shaman took
9:36:23out a delicately carved magic stone from
9:36:25her pouch and opened a small portal,
9:36:27then led her people through. It wasn't
9:36:30as good as dead, but they weren't on the
9:36:32attack anymore. More importantly, Carl
9:36:35had many questions about who this
9:36:36benefactor was that appeared to have
9:36:38killed the old sage that led the
9:36:39mountain giants. That wasn't the
9:36:42mountain giant totem that Carl had met,
9:36:44or so he assumed. But it had to be a
9:36:47strong totem ranked creature. Perhaps
9:36:49even a second mythical ranked creature
9:36:51had appeared on the continent. I think
9:36:53that we need to go back to the city
9:36:56right now. Athell whispered. I will call
9:37:00the others back. Ry can lead Neil back
9:37:03to us. Carl agreed. I heard the
9:37:07conversation.
9:37:09Neil knows now. We're just cleaning up
9:37:11our mess and we will be back. Rey
9:37:14agreed.
9:37:16That made life easier for everyone. Two
9:37:19groups reduced, plus the army of
9:37:21reinforcements. But if there was a new
9:37:23force driving the mountain giants to
9:37:25hunt in the GDN for system relics, this
9:37:27war would not be ended easily. Let's go.
9:37:30They will catch up if we just jog. I
9:37:33would assume that Ahmad is the one with
9:37:35the portal spells. So, we're not going
9:37:37to be getting an instant trip back until
9:37:39he wakes up, and that's not going to be
9:37:41anytime soon. Carl suggested.
9:37:44Tabitha sighed and began to jog toward
9:37:47the city, leaving everyone else to catch
9:37:49up. Hawk, how far are we? Carl asked.
9:37:54About 70 km.
9:37:572 hours at a jog should be enough. Maybe
9:38:00a bit more than that, as Thor's jog was
9:38:02a bit slower than others so that he
9:38:04didn't dislodge his passengers.
9:38:07But given a couple of hours, they would
9:38:09be back at the city walls and they would
9:38:11be able to pass on a message. Wait, turn
9:38:14right. There are trucks stopped on the
9:38:17road. You can steal those. Hawk
9:38:20corrected. Overlord, this way. There is
9:38:24a convoy on the road. A convoy that was
9:38:28definitely not expecting to have their
9:38:29vehicles commandeered.
9:38:31Tabitha didn't even wait for them to get
9:38:33out. She just threw the driver into the
9:38:35passenger seat and turned the truck
9:38:37around with a shouted order for everyone
9:38:39else to follow her. There has been a
9:38:41thing. We're going back to the city. The
9:38:45overlords will explain once we're there.
9:38:48Carl offered as the others climbed into
9:38:50the back of a munitions truck, and Thor
9:38:52transformed into his humanoid form to
9:38:54keep them company. Carl climbed in the
9:38:57passenger seat while a very harassed
9:38:59looking driver flinched at the glare
9:39:01Lady Athell was giving him in the
9:39:02mirror.
9:39:03I suggest that you follow them as fast
9:39:05as humanly possible, plus a few if the
9:39:09truck is up to it. Trust me, it's that
9:39:12important, Carl instructed.
9:39:15The ride was rough, and the engine was
9:39:18screaming as the cargo truck did its
9:39:20best to follow Tabitha down the gravel
9:39:21road with the other vehicles falling
9:39:23further behind. Ry and Neil had found
9:39:26their way to the lead vehicle, only
9:39:28appearing among the troops sitting in
9:39:30the back with one perplexed cleric once
9:39:32they were already comfortably settled on
9:39:33the floor. Can you tell me what is so
9:39:36important that we had to turn around? We
9:39:39were expected to be the reinforcements
9:39:40for a group of overlords who were
9:39:42fighting a large invasion force. They're
9:39:45going to be pissed that we're not
9:39:46coming. The driver asked timidly. That
9:39:50was us. That fight is already over, but
9:39:54we learned what is happening and why.
9:39:57It's crucial that we get the information
9:39:59to the cathedral so that they can
9:40:00properly protect what needs to be
9:40:02guarded," Carl explained. The man's eyes
9:40:06briefly flashed pure black and his scent
9:40:08changed just a little. A transformed
9:40:11spy, Carl was certain of it. "Ry, check
9:40:15all the humans in your truck to see if
9:40:16they're actually human or something else
9:40:18disguised as human. I think that my
9:40:21driver is a spy, Carl instructed.
9:40:25That put all the beasts on high alert,
9:40:27and overhead, Hawk began to scour the
9:40:29auras of all the soldiers. The driver of
9:40:33yours and the driver of one of the other
9:40:34trucks don't match the rest of the
9:40:36soldiers. They're not the same thing.
9:40:40Hawk updated.
9:40:41That was good enough for Carl. Incoming
9:40:44on the left. Carl warned his driver who
9:40:48turned to look out the window right as
9:40:50Carl hit him in the back of the head
9:40:51with a disintegrate attack. The head
9:40:54vaporized and Carl was about to throw
9:40:57him in the passenger seat when the body
9:40:59began to grow. So he threw him out the
9:41:02passenger window. Hawk, tell me what
9:41:05that dead driver turns into. The body
9:41:08should be far enough from the road that
9:41:10the other drivers don't see it. some
9:41:12sort of giant forearms, blonde body
9:41:16hair. Hawk updated, then swooped down to
9:41:19grab the body and toss it into his
9:41:21space. It was a young giant, still with
9:41:24the perfect skin of one who hadn't seen
9:41:26a life of combat or exposure to the
9:41:28elements, but already at the commander
9:41:30rank. Whatever species that was, it had
9:41:34to be a powerful one if it could hit
9:41:35commander before it had even finished
9:41:37puberty. I killed the truck with the
9:41:40other suspect in it. He also turned into
9:41:43a giant. Rey updated.
9:41:46Carl wasn't sure what she meant by
9:41:48killed the truck, but dead was dead and
9:41:50it looked like they had removed the
9:41:52spies from their convoy. Overlord Athell
9:41:55climbed out of the canvas covered bed
9:41:57and into the passenger side through the
9:41:58window. Care to explain what that was
9:42:01all about? And do you even know how to
9:42:04drive? She asked. I can drive a mining
9:42:08truck and it's kind of similar. I've
9:42:11never taken one above 5 km an hour
9:42:13before, though. The overlord laughed.
9:42:17Change seats. I will drive. You explain
9:42:21why you threw a body out the window and
9:42:23where the driver went. Carl gave her an
9:42:26overview of what he had found and
9:42:27suspected, then waited for her to
9:42:29process it. So, there were spies passing
9:42:32information, dressed as regular soldiers
9:42:35from the supply department, where they
9:42:36would be able to see our deployments
9:42:38just by what we needed for the area.
9:42:40insidious.
9:42:42We're going to have to get the
9:42:43inquisitors to do a full search of the
9:42:45service after this to root out all of
9:42:47the others. To think that there are so
9:42:50many spies that they sent two in the
9:42:51same convoy. It might have been
9:42:54deliberate as they were coming to aid
9:42:56us, but it could well have just been
9:42:57coincidence.
9:42:59If it was just by chance, we've got a
9:43:01real problem, she muttered, mostly
9:43:04talking to herself, while Carl had Ry
9:43:06relay her thoughts to Neil. I'm a super
9:43:09secret Inquisition spy asset. Ry
9:43:12giggled.
9:43:14Really? She was just whispering what
9:43:16Carl was hearing to Neil. But if it were
9:43:18arranged, she really would be an
9:43:20incredible spy. The trucks were making
9:43:22good time back to the city, bouncing
9:43:25along the gravel road, which was in
9:43:26surprisingly good condition, considering
9:43:28that the nation typically didn't improve
9:43:30roads that went to the borders. It would
9:43:33take them under an hour to get to the
9:43:35city limits. But well before that, they
9:43:37were starting to see signs of battle,
9:43:39and Hawk had picked out defense patrols
9:43:41in the distance. There are battles on
9:43:44the north side of the city. I think that
9:43:46they're trying to force the humans into
9:43:48the water. Hawk noted with disdain.
9:43:52That made a cruel sort of sense. The
9:43:55giants sounded like they didn't want
9:43:56survivors after they took the city, so
9:43:58they would want the residents backed
9:44:00into the lake and not able to flee out
9:44:02the far side in trucks and buses. Most
9:44:05likely, they would try to surround the
9:44:07city once the rest of their forces
9:44:09arrived. A frantic message from Cibil
9:44:12using the systems message function
9:44:13caught Carl's attention. Mr. Carl, they
9:44:17say that we're being activated to defend
9:44:18the city and we're all in a bus, but
9:44:21they're talking on the radio and nobody
9:44:23is signing and there are no clerics on
9:44:25the bus. What direction are you headed?
9:44:28We're coming back from our mission with
9:44:30information, but we're not in the city
9:44:32yet. Carl replied, "North.
9:44:37The others are talking about goblins
9:44:38now, but I'm not with the rest of the
9:44:40trainee group. They split us all up into
9:44:43different buses with ascended ranked
9:44:45team leaders,"
9:44:47Cibil explained. "No clerics, and they
9:44:50split up a team that hadn't even made it
9:44:52to the academy yet to send them out on
9:44:54patrol against goblins and whatever
9:44:56other small monsters the ogres had
9:44:58managed to force to join them. What a
9:45:00mess. I will send people to you as soon
9:45:03as I can. Let me know if your bus stops
9:45:06and where it is when you stop. There are
9:45:09so many people in the street. The bus
9:45:11can barely move. I will tell you when we
9:45:14get somewhere or when someone starts
9:45:16talking where I can see them. Carl
9:45:19turned to Lady Athell. I just got a
9:45:22message that the traffic in the city is
9:45:23at a crawl. We won't get far with
9:45:25vehicles.
9:45:27I don't know where you need to go, but
9:45:29they are deploying the lower ranks to
9:45:30the north side to defend against a
9:45:32goblin and ogre attack. You sound
9:45:35personally invested in that. The
9:45:37overlord noted, "In a way, my group was
9:45:41working on a way to rapidly boost
9:45:43trainees, and we had gotten a group to
9:45:45advance to awaken within a week of
9:45:47training. They haven't even started at
9:45:49the academy yet and won't for another
9:45:51week. But they've been split up and sent
9:45:53to the city walls with random ascended
9:45:55rank team leaders. I know the policy is
9:45:59that awakened rank and up are ready to
9:46:00fight outside the training environment,
9:46:02but this is a bit different. Carl
9:46:05explained. Athell looked impressed. You
9:46:09managed to help them skip the entire
9:46:11common rank grind. That is impressive
9:46:14just by itself, but I can see how it
9:46:16would be an issue if they were at the
9:46:17cathedral today. Is there one in
9:46:20particular that you're concerned about?
9:46:22Carl nodded. There is a rogue with them
9:46:25who is deaf, and the message she sent me
9:46:27says that she's with a group that
9:46:29doesn't have a cleric or anyone else who
9:46:31knows sign language.
9:46:33So, she can't understand any of the
9:46:35orders coming over the radio because
9:46:37nobody is speaking them out loud. A
9:46:40message? Lady Athell asked. Oh, right.
9:46:45There is a system function for that.
9:46:48Cibil, the baby rogue, found it. Carl
9:46:51sent Athell a message, startling her so
9:46:54much that she almost swerved off the
9:46:56road. Sorry, I didn't think that it
9:46:58would be that obtrusive.
9:47:00It just appears at the edge of my
9:47:02vision. Carl explained, "I see how you
9:47:06sent it now, but it appeared in front of
9:47:09me like the system alerts inside a
9:47:10trial. I will have to find a way to
9:47:13change that.
9:47:15Maybe if I just focus on moving it and
9:47:17perhaps making it a little transparent.
9:47:20Yes, that's better. Athell sent him back
9:47:23a brief message. I will circle to the
9:47:26north of the city and enter from the
9:47:28north gates. That is closest to the
9:47:31cathedral anyhow.
9:47:33So their convoy took a turn following
9:47:35the edge of the city towards where it
9:47:37was becoming clear the battle had nearly
9:47:39reached the walls. They were under 5 km
9:47:42away and Carl could see the fight when
9:47:44they came over a hill. Would you be
9:47:47particularly mad if I jumped out and
9:47:49left you to deliver the message? My team
9:47:52would surely be a morale booster along
9:47:53the line since the leaders there are
9:47:55mostly commanders the same as along the
9:47:58Frost Giant border. He suggested
9:48:02I don't mind. Do you need time to tell
9:48:04your group? Carl shook his head. No,
9:48:08they know already.
9:48:10Thor is in humanoid form, so he just
9:48:12told them directly. I don't know if you
9:48:15can hear them over the wind. Athell
9:48:18shook her head. No, my senses aren't as
9:48:21keen as yours, but I hear that you might
9:48:24be able to change that. There was talk
9:48:27of an elite passing out strange skill
9:48:29books, and my guess is that was you. If
9:48:32there is time after the battle, I will
9:48:34see if there is a sensory skill that you
9:48:35can use. I don't really have one
9:48:38specialized for paladins, but there
9:48:40might be something. Even passive night
9:48:43vision might be possible if I can find a
9:48:45way to isolate the change to make it
9:48:47into a skill book. I got it as part of a
9:48:50package upgrade when I first got my
9:48:52class, Carl explained.
9:48:55Good enough for me. I've made it to
9:48:57overlord without it, after all. But
9:49:00every little bit counts, and not relying
9:49:02on present sense when fighting blind
9:49:04would be a huge advantage.
9:49:07Carl spotted familiar faces in one of
9:49:09the buses headed for the battle and
9:49:11gestured out the window. There are four
9:49:13of the five trainees.
9:49:16The Dana says that she will go to them.
9:49:18Thor informed Carl a second before Dana
9:49:21was flying out of the truck towards the
9:49:23slowmoving convoy of buses. Take
9:49:26everyone else and go help her and
9:49:28whatever section that they're assigned
9:49:29to. I will go find Cibil. Carl informed
9:49:33Vero. The others hopped out of the truck
9:49:36one after another, leaving only a mod in
9:49:39the back, still protected by eternal
9:49:41lightning as he recovered. He was
9:49:44somewhat conscious now, and they had fed
9:49:46him, so he would only need a few more
9:49:48minutes before he was in fighting form
9:49:50again. "I sense my baby rogue. She is
9:49:54about to come out of the hole in the
9:49:55wall," Rey announced. The gate was only
9:49:59a 100 m ahead, so Carl prepared to exit
9:50:02the vehicle. This is my stop. The last
9:50:05of them is just ahead. We will help
9:50:08organize this end of the battlefield and
9:50:10take over from whoever got pressed into
9:50:12the duty. Assuming they don't outrank
9:50:15me, that is. You can let the cathedral
9:50:18know that we're not slacking. He
9:50:20informed Athell.
9:50:22Send a mod up front. We will have to
9:50:24park the trucks here anyhow. See,
9:50:27Tabitha is about to pull over and then
9:50:29I'm betting she's going to run into the
9:50:31city.
9:50:32She's impulsive like that. Absolutely
9:50:35hates when things aren't going her way.
9:50:38The paladin laughed. Sure enough, the
9:50:41truck in front of them was pulling off
9:50:43into the grass between the road and the
9:50:44wall, and the warrior class overlord was
9:50:47out and running into the city, looking
9:50:49for whoever needed their intelligence.
9:50:51"Good luck. We will likely see you
9:50:54soon." Carl joked as he got out of the
9:50:57truck. With a full assault from the
9:50:59giants incoming, it was almost certain
9:51:01they would see each other within the
9:51:03next few days as they would be assigned
9:51:05to fight some of the same groups of
9:51:07attackers.
9:51:08Rey had already stolen Cibil from the
9:51:10bus she was in and was standing next to
9:51:12the truck with her. Hey Cibil, what
9:51:16group were you with? I'll explain the
9:51:19situation and then you can be my
9:51:20assistant while we start to organize the
9:51:22lines. Without the radios, it is chaos
9:51:26all along the line.
9:51:28But we know how to send system messages
9:51:30now and we can use that to organize
9:51:32without the radio. Carl informed the
9:51:35panicked young elite. She gave him two
9:51:38thumbs up and Carl relayed his
9:51:39intentions to the rest of the group both
9:51:41in person and with a system message. He
9:51:45included the four overlords in the
9:51:46communication and saw Neil and Ahmad
9:51:49pause as the incoming message startled
9:51:51them. This was going to make battle
9:51:53planning so much easier once they had
9:51:55met all the section commanders.
9:51:57Ry picked up Cibil and ran off to join
9:52:00the others while Carl headed for the bus
9:52:02she had been taken from. Monarch, how
9:52:05might we help you? The driver asked as
9:52:08he approached the door. I have collected
9:52:10awakened elite civil on orders of the
9:52:12Inquisition.
9:52:14She is part of a specialty training
9:52:16program and should not have been
9:52:17separated from her team. It interferes
9:52:20with the training data. However, I will
9:52:23be leading a group to guide battle
9:52:25tactics for the region. So, please find
9:52:27a replacement for her position until one
9:52:29can be assigned to your unit. Carl
9:52:31informed the driver. Yes, sir. Did you
9:52:36just arrive in the capital? We were
9:52:38informed that there were no ranking
9:52:40elites available for the north side
9:52:41defense. Carl nodded. My team returned
9:52:46with intelligence from the border, and I
9:52:47saw the situation here. Now, I need to
9:52:51go. My scout is already sending data and
9:52:54I need to get in contact with some of
9:52:56the regional leadership. Carl sprinted
9:52:59off to the section where Hawk had
9:53:00indicated that the line was being
9:53:02tricked out of position looking for the
9:53:04commander in charge. There was a
9:53:06commander rank mage, most likely female,
9:53:09with her hood up looking over a table
9:53:11full of maps. That seemed like the best
9:53:14choice.
9:53:15Commander, my scout reports that there
9:53:18is a group of 80 led by an ogre and a
9:53:21team of hobgoblins waiting in the valley
9:53:23here for your troops. They're being
9:53:25pulled off course for an ambush, he
9:53:28announced, gesturing to the map before
9:53:30he looked up at a familiar face. Danny
9:53:34McKenzie, the golem specialist of the
9:53:36McKenzie twin sisters.
9:53:38Oh, Danny, good to see you again. If you
9:53:41tell your people to pull back and hit
9:53:43the goblins here and here, you can fight
9:53:45them without reinforcements as the
9:53:47stronger team will be stuck waiting for
9:53:49you. Hawk is overhead giving updates to
9:53:52everyone. Carl explained
9:53:55Monarch. Carl Danny McKenzie stammered.
9:54:00It's been a minute, hasn't it? It's good
9:54:03to know that I wasn't totally forgotten.
9:54:06The other leadership team members, none
9:54:08of them elites, just strategists and
9:54:10army officers, chuckled at her baffled
9:54:13expression. They hadn't expected to see
9:54:15anyone of his rank here, but now there
9:54:17was not only a monarch, but a monarch
9:54:20with what sounded like a flying scout.
9:54:22We have followed the team members to
9:54:24their spots. We're spread out to be with
9:54:27all four zone commanders for the north
9:54:29now. Cara updated Carl as he was about
9:54:32to send more directions.
9:54:34Do you have a way to pass on Hawk
9:54:36scouting messages?
9:54:38Carl asked. Ry and Thor could be human,
9:54:41but Carl had never seen Cara do it. Of
9:54:44course, I just asked the silly bird to
9:54:47send the others a message directly.
9:54:50Cara informed him smuggly. Carl could
9:54:53feel Hawk rolling his eyes, but he
9:54:55didn't refute it, so he must be able to
9:54:57send messages.
9:54:59That had to freak everyone out. Carl
9:55:02laughed.
9:55:03They all think the messages are from
9:55:05you. This will be so much fun later. No,
9:55:09a disaster is what it was going to be if
9:55:11a mischievous void badger started
9:55:13sending people messages in Carl's name.
9:55:16Once he knew to check, Carl realized
9:55:18that the messages had both his name and
9:55:20Hawks on them. So, at least it wasn't
9:55:22just tagging all messages as having come
9:55:24from Carl directly. Hawk sent enemy
9:55:27positions and movements as he saw them
9:55:29and the team relayed them to the
9:55:30commanders on the ground. Who paired up?
9:55:34Carl asked as Cara had said there were
9:55:36only four zones. Tessa is with Thor.
9:55:41Oilia is with Ray and her baby Rogue. I
9:55:44am with Dana and Lotus watching the
9:55:46other four cubs. And Remy is napping in
9:55:48her space. Cara explained that worked
9:55:52out well. The combat power might be a
9:55:55bit imbalanced with Thor and Tessa
9:55:57together, but they would have the
9:55:59strongest buffs out of anyone for the
9:56:01church soldiers.
9:56:02Carl turned left to observe the fight
9:56:05and saw a towering tree in the middle of
9:56:06the line, which had to be a transformed
9:56:09lotus. He could clearly see the birds
9:56:12flying around in the branches, as well
9:56:13as the golden dust sprinkling down from
9:56:15the branches to the line.
9:56:18They held the spot along the road where
9:56:19the buses were unloading, which would
9:56:21naturally be where the injured were sent
9:56:23to for treatment and removal. So having
9:56:25a tree of life there would greatly
9:56:26reduce the number of casualties that had
9:56:28to be evacuated.
9:56:30Does everyone have enough red dragon
9:56:32clerics for their soldiers? Carl asked.
9:56:36There were three here that he could see,
9:56:38one of them a commander. We have a
9:56:40commander plus some. Cara agreed. We
9:56:45have the orphanage matron plus two other
9:56:47high priestesses.
9:56:49Rey added, "I have my Tessa plus two
9:56:52commanders."
9:56:53Thor cheered. And Carl sensed that the
9:56:56Sarah was greatly enjoying the chivalous
9:56:58night act while also working to
9:57:00understand the humanoid transformation
9:57:02spell that Ry had already mastered. He
9:57:05had even found time to carve a picture
9:57:07of a Sarah on his shield. Ry did it for
9:57:10him. Thor can barely color inside the
9:57:13lines. Remy quietly joked. I'm not that
9:57:18bad. It's just that Sister Ray is too
9:57:21good. With the constant stream of
9:57:23updates from Hawk, Carl had resorted to
9:57:26using colored stones on the map to
9:57:28update positions and group sizes in real
9:57:30time. Hawk could see much further than a
9:57:33regular scout could. And for some
9:57:35reason, there were no planes flying
9:57:36patrols in the area. It took Carl a few
9:57:40seconds to realize that it was because
9:57:41the radios weren't working, so they
9:57:43couldn't report back. That left Hawk as
9:57:46the only aerial scout in the region and
9:57:48a much more valuable asset than even
9:57:50Carl had expected. There are portals in
9:57:53these five spots. The ones on the east
9:57:56and west have giants gathering at them.
9:57:59Hawk updated. Carl immediately relayed
9:58:02that to the overlords he had been
9:58:04traveling with so they could update
9:58:05command and got a swift reply from Neil.
9:58:09You can send them directly to Tabitha.
9:58:11She is with the Archbishop and his
9:58:12assistants planning the defense. Keep
9:58:15her in the loop as much as you can. The
9:58:18rogue explained.
9:58:20No problem. I will send her updates
9:58:23every 5 minutes on the status of the
9:58:24battlefield if it significantly changed.
9:58:27What Carl didn't know was that the two
9:58:29were standing side by side in the room
9:58:31with the archbishop, and Neil's smug
9:58:33look had not gone unnoticed by the
9:58:35warrior overlord.
9:58:37Overlord Tabitha didn't realize right
9:58:39away what it was that the rogue had
9:58:40done. But she was immediately certain
9:58:42that he was messing with her in some
9:58:44way. It was only when she received the
9:58:47next message from Carl that she realized
9:58:49that the scoundrel had told the beast
9:58:50master to send all updates directly to
9:58:52her as the liaison to the archbishop to
9:58:55keep everyone updated on the battlefield
9:58:57situation.
9:58:58Did I do something in particular to you?
9:59:01She asked before relaying the message to
9:59:03the archbishop and his team. Not at all.
9:59:07You were simply standing in the wrong
9:59:09place at the wrong time and he only
9:59:11knows so many people who are here to
9:59:12pass on the status updates.
9:59:15Neil replied with his most sincere
9:59:17smile. The Archbishop and Knack both
9:59:20chuckled as they realized what the
9:59:21overlord had done right before Neil
9:59:24excused himself from the room by simply
9:59:26vanishing. That didn't stop anyone's
9:59:28planning as he was only there to provide
9:59:30intelligence confirmation anyhow, and
9:59:33they had already discussed the majority
9:59:34of what had happened while the overlords
9:59:36were out with Monarch Carl's team. On
9:59:39the north side of the city, Carl had his
9:59:41hands full with the constant new
9:59:42arrivals,
9:59:44not just of elites and soldiers to
9:59:46replace the ones who have been wounded
9:59:47in combat and brought into Lotus Radius
9:59:49for healing, but also the constant
9:59:51arrival of the giant's allies. They were
9:59:54appearing from portals in the distance
9:59:56in numbers that suggested they had
9:59:58cleared out the majority of the three
10:00:00nations.
10:00:01Strangely, they had not brought many
10:00:03higher ranked monsters to this side and
10:00:05were attempting to flood the city with
10:00:07weaker ones. instead of softening it
10:00:09first by defeating the most powerful
10:00:11elites. There must be more to their
10:00:13strategy that Carl wasn't understanding.
10:00:16He was certain of it. Hawk, remember how
10:00:19the frost giants were scouring the area
10:00:21in a search pattern before the first
10:00:23advancement trial spawned? Do you think
10:00:25that they could be doing the same thing
10:00:27here today? Something is off with their
10:00:30tactics, and they aren't sending their
10:00:32strongest, just loads of cannon fodder.
10:00:35They can't be expecting us to send all
10:00:37our strongest and tire them out before
10:00:39the real fight starts. There has to be a
10:00:41deeper motive, Carl suggested.
10:00:44If there is, I don't see it. They're
10:00:47attacking in nice ordered lines, working
10:00:50together, but there are only a few of
10:00:52the strong giants in the back guiding
10:00:53them. It doesn't look like some fancy
10:00:56search pattern. Hawk replied, uncertain
10:00:59whether he too was missing something
10:01:01about their attack. It looked perfectly
10:01:04normal to him. But deeper motives were
10:01:06the Carl's department, not his. The
10:01:09numbers are increasing too fast. We're
10:01:12going to need commander led teams on the
10:01:14next bus full of reinforcements.
10:01:16Dana noted as her central defense point
10:01:18repelled another attack wave. This time
10:01:21it was mostly ogres with some
10:01:23hobgoblins, but they were beginning to
10:01:25get more commander ranked beasts in the
10:01:27mix and the defenders couldn't easily
10:01:29keep up even with the high priestesses
10:01:31blessing their weapons. Overlord, please
10:01:34inform the archbishop that the attackers
10:01:36have stepped up the assault by a rank.
10:01:39We are now seeing many more commanders
10:01:41among the assault groups. The command
10:01:44officers on the north side request
10:01:45higher rank reinforcements.
10:01:48Understood. We will send who we have.
10:01:52They are pulling elites from the border
10:01:53via portal, but we don't want to reduce
10:01:55our capability too far in case this is a
10:01:58diversion for a major border assault.
10:02:01Overlord Tabitha replied. Carl relayed
10:02:04the message so that the teams fighting
10:02:06could have some hope. What they needed
10:02:08were more wide area defenders.
10:02:11The blessing of the red dragon
10:02:12priestesses made a decent armor barrier
10:02:15over the troops, but it was a oneanddone
10:02:17sort of spell. They didn't have the mana
10:02:20to keep refreshing it as everyone took
10:02:22damage. They could only get it active
10:02:23and hope for the best. With hundreds of
10:02:26soldiers for every capable priestess and
10:02:29a thousand or more for every high
10:02:30priestess, they had to do the best that
10:02:32they could with what they had. Carl
10:02:35looked down at the map in front of him,
10:02:37taking stock of where all of the enemy
10:02:39troops were and briefly wondered where
10:02:40the commanders who would normally be
10:02:42doing this went. Were they with the
10:02:44reconnaissance planes that couldn't send
10:02:46radio signals or possibly stuck in town?
10:02:50Worse, had his attempt to rescue his
10:02:52trainees simply rendered them obsolete.
10:02:54So, they went back to their offices.
10:02:57Monarch, we have an update for you.
10:03:00There are commanders on their way to the
10:03:02north side, but not as many as you might
10:03:04hope. The east and west walls are
10:03:07straining our higher rank capacity.
10:03:09Tabitha informed Carl. He could sense
10:03:13the grim tone behind the message, even
10:03:15though it appeared as text. A glance at
10:03:18the stones for troops that were not part
10:03:19of his battlefront, the ones he had
10:03:21simply updated from Hawk's messages and
10:03:23forwarded, showed Carl that things
10:03:25really were that bad. The Western Front
10:03:28had nearly 6,000 giants above commander
10:03:30rank facing it down, and that was taking
10:03:32most of the higher ranked elites in town
10:03:34to deal with. Whereas on the eastern
10:03:37wall, they were besieged by an ogre
10:03:39army, assisted by frost giants, and that
10:03:42would need every commander-ledd ascended
10:03:43team that they could get. How is our
10:03:46artillery looking? Carl asked. There are
10:03:50only 40 units stationed in the city for
10:03:52point defense. Tabitha replied simply.
10:03:56We will make do with whatever you can
10:03:58spare. If it comes down to it, I will
10:04:01activate a large area spell over the
10:04:03north side to improve our odds. Do what
10:04:06you have to. If they send a challenger
10:04:08over to contest your actions, deal with
10:04:11it however you see fit. That worked well
10:04:14enough for Carl. Hey Remy, how large can
10:04:17you make a thunderstorm at ascended
10:04:19rank? We don't need to kill everything.
10:04:22We need to make them think that we have
10:04:23a way for lower ranked mages to work
10:04:25together on one huge spell. Carl
10:04:28suggested.
10:04:30I think that I can do that pretty well.
10:04:32If I make it high ascended, that's under
10:04:345% power output. I can spread that out
10:04:38large enough to almost make it look like
10:04:40a natural storm. Remy agreed. Do it, but
10:04:44stay in your space when you do so that
10:04:46the enemy can't trace it back to its
10:04:48source. I've noticed in the past that
10:04:50others have a hard time finding the
10:04:52source of spells from the space unless
10:04:54they are visibly leaving from our
10:04:56location.

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