The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 704  Team Leaders

Karl instinctively disliked this man, even before he noticed that the man was using a transformation spell to keep up his young master disguise. He couldnʼt really judge the man for his vanity when he had also been considering using magic to increase his height, but something about him just struck Karl as off.

Soul sight told Karl much more about the head of Research and Development. He was definitely human, but his soul looked slimy. Like food scraps left outside to rot in a bucket of water, the outer layer of his soul seemed to have a greasy, rotten sheen.

The man swung a lazy kick at Fizzspark, only to pull up short when Cara appeared between them, baring her teeth.

”Put your beast away, researcher. Such a creature doesnʼt belong in the lab.”

Karl sighed, but he didnʼt reprimand Cara.

”I would recommend that you refrain from kicking coworkers. We enforce a zero tolerance for bullying policy.” Karl insisted instead.

”Since when?” Ambrose scoffed.

”Since about four minutes ago. Now, it was a pleasure to meet you, Researcher Ambrose. But I have an orientation to finish with Engineer Fizzspark.”

[Can we ask for new people? These ones are defective.] Remi asked.

[Probably not. But I think we can sort them out easily enough without killing anyone and ending up in a Royal Prison cell.]

A third person came over to their argument, and Karl smiled as he saw a familiar facial structure for the first time in ages. Duke Ambrose was 190 centimetres tall and whip thin, while Fizzspark was half a metre tall. Not at all like home. The other researchers had also been gathered from across the nation, with a dozen different regional appearances.

However, this man stood a solid hundred and forty centimetres, no matter what direction you measured him in, rippling with muscles, and a beard that he tucked into the apron at his waist.

He kind of reminded Karl of a shorter Commander Rank version of his dad.

”Will you two idiots cut it out? Youʼre already on thin ice as it is, and picking fights with each other to lay claim to the newbie is only going to cause an incident that will get you both reassigned.

The Monarch isnʼt just a researcher, heʼs a War Hero, and heʼs here with the blessing of the Archbishop himself. You donʼt want that kind of trouble.

My apologies, young Beast Master. I am Forgemaster Granite, Head of Production here in the lab. As you can see, things here have been tense for some time. Unlike you, most of us donʼt have the luxury of leaving here daily, and they are going stir-crazy without the sun.”

Karl chuckled. ”That happened a lot in the mines as well. Some people are only suited for work topside. Donʼt worry, I donʼt hold any grudges. But I would appreciate it if everyone could get along well enough to get through orientation.”

Duke Ambrose looked like he was going to start screaming, but Karl raised a hand to stop him.

”I can see on your face that you want to complain again, and I will warn you now that you donʼt want to press your luck.

I am not so morally upright that I wouldnʼt slap the stupid out of a manager. In fact, itʼs tradition where I come from.

I will apologize for scaring the Chief Engineer, but I donʼt give a damn about your interpersonal drama.”

Forgemaster Granite laughed. ”I think weʼre going to get along well. Alright, son. Follow me to the fifth station, and we can see how your new technique works on a freshly crafted blade.”

That calmed the other two, and Karl resisted the urge to smile at the way that you could see how upset the short man really was with every stomping step that he took.

Karl strongly suspected that Forgemaster Granite was an actual full-blooded Dwarf. He didnʼt have any proof of that, but all the evidence was pointing in that direction. Especially with the clearly Gnomish Fizzspark working here as well.

The blade on the cooling rack was exquisite. Forged of an unknown alloy, but the tiny details worked into the handle, as well as the perfect angles of the blade, without any signs of tool marks, even before being polished, couldnʼt be the work of anyone but a true master.

”How hard is this alloy right now? Can I etch with a chisel, or should I use a skill?” Karl asked.

Granite shook his head. ”At this point, I could bend it in my fingers. Itʼs nearly as soft as pure silver. It was made for mana compatibility, not actual use.”

Karl nodded, then mentally began to calculate the design before Remi held up a sheet in her space.

”I think this is what you need. Stronger, more durable, sharp edges, and an amplifying effect for skills that pass through the blade.” She offered.

It was nearly two hundred runes in total, but Remi had done her homework, and she had included depths for all of them as well as spacing between the portions that werenʼt linked. All Karl would need to do was arrange them for use on the bladeʼs particular shape.

[Thank you Remi. Youʼre a lifesaver.]

Cara was still standing between the human and the Gnome, until Fizzspark climbed on Caraʼs back to get a better view, as the Void Badger was taller than she was.

The Gnomeʼs fear levels had fallen faster than expected, and Karl just wondered how long it would be before she realized she was now Caraʼs friend. Whether she liked it or not.

Karl began to carve the runes, working from the root of the blade to the tip, flipping the blade regularly so he could write everything in order and not lose the meaning behind the phrases that he was adding to the blade.

When he finished the Runic inscription, it was time to test the bladeʼs actual quality.

The runes went from bronze to silver, then to gold. The three team leaders all breathed a sigh of relief, then Karl continued, bringing the runes to a rich Amethyst as the inscription reached Royal Rank.

”Now for the moment of truth.” Karl informed them.

All three looked confused, but Karl continued, and the deep purple runes slowly turned to the glowing red of deep earth rubies.

The blade pulsated with power as Karlʼs work reached Monarch Rank, then it settled to a gleaming surface so smooth it could be used as a quality mirror.

”That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Monarch Rank Runic blade in the Dwarven Runecrafterʼs style. Now, how about we test it to see how well the intended attributes merged?”