Karl closed the lid and took the box. “Pick your ten. I will guarantee their safety while they are here.”
The mage looked relieved that his offering had been enough. He didn’t know quite what the Relic did yet, but it was an opportunity for ten people, so some would have demanded an exorbitant price for it.
Most of the duels for access were a result of a price too high for the challenger to easily afford, though Karl didn’t know that and thought it was just a matter of ego.
Karl gave the box to Remi, who began grinding a Monarch Rank Earth Stone that she had pilfered from the Cyclops invasion.
[This will be such a good thing. We can’t feed it to Rae, though. She’s already a bit too Earth Element. So, either we can feed it to Thor, or sell it and get something Holy for him.] She suggested as she worked.
[More Earth Shields? Rae already does Earth Shields.] Thor complained, feeling slighted with a duplicate ability.
[No, this is what my book calls an Exuberant Vitality Potion. Well, before I added the Earth Stone to it. Now it just says that it is good for you. It’s more health and plant based, and less dirt.] Remi explained.
Thor thought about it for a second. [So, you’re saying it might be better to feed it to the Lotus.]
Remi considered that. [She might explode if we give her any more energy. She’s been playing with children for over an hour, and she’s not tired yet.]
The Spellblade brought through ten teenage acolytes from his Clan, all at the Ascended to Commander Rank bottleneck. The System Interface said that they were all classically trained mages, so if they were compatible, they would be getting Classes today.
That might eliminate some of the bottlenecks for them and let them advance. Getting to Commander was difficult, but getting past it was considered nearly impossible. So, for a faction that sent a Royal as their Champion, it was better to get more Commanders than to take risks trying to get another Royal.
Ophelia stepped up beside Karl and motioned for the young ones to follow her. Protocol said that Karl would remain here with the other leader, and someone should bring them food while they waited.
Karl waved his hand, activating [Earth Shield] and created a crude set of stone chairs and a table.
“Why don’t we sit and wait? There are some conditions to access, so it takes a few minutes for most.” He offered.
The mage smiled and sat on the chair, subtly activating a barrier underneath himself in case Karl tried to use the skill to attack.
Rae transformed into a human again and stepped out of her space with a plate full of roasted pork and berries.
“Sorry for the lack of cookies, I hope this suits your taste.” She greeted them.
The mage did a double take as he saw her and couldn’t immediately identify her species, other than that she was a Royal Rank beast and had managed to sneak up on him.
“Thank you, Rae. I have some in my inventory.”
Karl took a small package of travel biscuits that the Elves had provided for him and placed them on the tray.
He had close to fifty kilos of the biscuits, and they didn’t often eat them, so this was a great chance to bring them out.
“Are those… Elven travel biscuits and Royal Rank Giant Boar meat? You have extravagant tastes, my friend.” The mage stammered.
“Far from it. The Giant Boars appeared in an Anomaly spawn not long ago, so I have an abundance, and the Elven biscuits are something of a unique snack option that I reserve for special occasions.”
[Like finding someone who likes to eat bread.] Hawk noted.
[Rae, tell your Lotus to make more of those fried rice ball snacks with the red bean paste in the middle. I like those.] Remi added helpfully.
Rae agreed. She liked the rice balls, and wondered what this mouth made them taste like, so she [Shadow Stepped] to where Tessa was standing to inform her of their dinner order.
“By the gods, that is terrifying.” The Mage muttered.
Karl laughed. “She has a knack for terrifying people, and she has mastered using her movement skills without a power surge, so she just kind of vanishes.”
“I take it that she’s more friendly than she looks?” The Mage chuckled.
“Not really. But she doesn’t like being in the sunshine, so she’s unlikely to start murdering people in the middle of the afternoon.”
All of the beasts laughed in Karl’s mind as Rae nodded in agreement, both mentally, and in person, which confused Tessa, who had to try to decipher what body language was intended for her and what was for someone else.
Rae was not yet used to keeping her body language for the person in front of her, as for so long, she had only been able to speak to Karl and the other beasts, who could all hear her thoughts.
“What did you say her name was?” The Mage asked.
“That is the Lady Rae. Princess of the Bloodbath Spiders.”
The mage went even more pale than he had been when Rae vanished.
“I see. So, she’s using a transformation spell, then?”
“She obtained one from Bethoke Fortress, and she’s working on mastering the skill so she can transform on her own. It will be a great victory for her mobility if she can access human scaled corridors.” Karl agreed.
Many human fortresses were designed with ceilings just over two metres high and narrow hallways for exactly that reason. So that monsters couldn’t run wild inside the fortress, even if they managed to enter. A Royal Rank beast loose in the hallways was the last thing that they wanted, and the most powerful beasts were far larger than humans.
“Is it possible for a beast to learn a skill like that?” The mage asked.
“With the right motivation, it is. Lady Rae even learned how to summon Golems with a little assistance. She’s become quite the versatile hunter.”
[Karl is learning our ways. The mage is terrified.] Rae laughed.
[I knew he would catch on eventually. We should have brought Thor over so he could see how much a Lightning Cerro could advance. His mind would be blown.] Remi agreed as she finished her concoction.
[There we go. Now, we can either feed it to Thor and see what happens, or wait until we’re bored and then feed it to Thor and see what happens.]
Thor chuckled. [Those are the same options. You’re bored right now.]
