THE FIRST LEGENDARY BEAST MASTER

Ashbringer was in such a good mood that the flames on his head were dancing as he worked to sort the ores.

The happy singing was enough to bring the off-duty guards who were having a smoke break on the bench over to see what was going on in the workshop. If they didn’t want to be disturbed, they closed the door. But today it was wide open, and Ashbringer was clearly singing, which he never did.

“Oh, someone got a whole shipment of ore in. That’s quite the haul, Ashy.” One of the guards joked.

Ashbringer winked at the female wrath Demoness and went back to sorting the pile.

“Overlord Karl went to the dungeon in Bara and managed to convince a group to give him the whole ore haul from their run. I’ve got enough loot here to keep the ladies dripping with priceless treasures for years to come.”

The Guard laughed at his response. “Since when have you ever paid any attention to the ladies? The only ladies you even talk to are the sculptors who work here with you, and they’re all too young for you.”

It was clear that she was attempting to flirt, but Ashbringer was still more interested in his new pile of ore, and the Guard was second, or possibly third, on his priority list. That was no change for him, though. The ladies had always come well behind the forge on his list of priorities.

“So, does that mean that we can commission some Overlord Ranked metal items now? Assuming that we can afford them, that is.” One of the other guards asked.

Ashbringer nodded. “Custom orders are welcome. Master Crafted, Runecrafted, both. Prices will vary, but we can make you anything you like.”

The Guard smiled, and Karl knew that they would have a wealthy merchant or District Overseer by to see them soon. The guards’ equipment came from the city, and didn’t belong to them until their contract terms were over. The weapons and armour were worth years of their salary, so if they quit the guard early, they had to repay the cost of the bonded items.

It was great for retention, and gave the city a good reason to put a bounty on former guards who ran off with their gear.

They were both getting settled in for the day’s work when the stomping of multiple boots caught Karl’s attention. That was a lot of customers at once, and Karl assumed that it was most likely some local merchant group coming to look for a custom order.

So, he finished the [Flooding Canals] Overlord Ranked charm statue he was working on and went out to greet them.

Only, it was not a local merchant, but Shaman Petros and a whole group of Dwarves.

“Lord Petros, it’s a pleasure to have you here at my Guild House again. Please come in, what can I help you with today?” Karl greeted them.

“What is that in your hand?” The shaman asked, staring intently at the statue Karl had not set down when he finished.

“Oh, the statue has a spell effect for flooded canals. We had some requests from farmers for help with water shortages in the irrigation system for the rice fields. This will create a steady flood of water when activated, and should be enough to fill a whole county’s canal system.”

It would create a whole minute worth of flow from a kilometre wide river, as it was based on the [Thousand Year Flood] skill. But spread out over an hour, so it didn’t actually flood the entire region.

Shaman Petros held out his hand, and Karl passed him the statue, which was shaped like a smiling Remi, but made from white and red mana jade at the Monarch Rank.

“This is incredible. That has to be based on Shamanistic water magic, right?” He asked.

“Yes. A spell that I learned from the Naga Shaman Queen in my team.” Karl agreed.

Petros passed back the statue, and looked around the courtyard.

“You know, I didn’t fully appreciate the subtle magic here the first time. The runic altar is obvious, but the increased mana level inside the house, the cistern well that never runs dry, the Ghostfire Forge. The art of the Runecrafter is truly incredible.

But we actually came here today to see if you can assist us with something more akin to your class skills.” He asked.

Karl nodded and led the group up to the third floor common area sofas, where they could sit and talk.

The kitchen staff brought up a bottle of Rum, glasses and a large bowl of mixed nuts and pretzels. Karl assumed this was a traditional Dwarven snack, as he didn’t even know that they stocked it at the Guild House.

Once they had the first drink in them, the Dwarves were ready for business.

“What we have is a dilemma. I don’t even know if you can help us with it, but one of the Dwarven Mythical Rank Paladins wishes to join his family with that of the Kirin Clan through marriage.

However, the Mythical Beasts have no respect for paper contracts like marriage, and want something more tangible as proof of lifelong commitment.” The Shaman explained.

Karl thought about it. “What rank are Dwarves when they get their class, and what Rank are newborn Kirin?”

Shaman Petros gave Karl a strange look, wondering why he was missing basic knowledge about the world.

“Dwarves are born as Common Rank beings, and grow quickly as they mature. But most are still Common or Awakened when they awaken their class. Kirin are born as Overlords.”

Karl sighed. “Well, then my first plan isn’t going to work, the power difference is too great.”

Petros waited for him to explain.

“I was thinking of a bond between youngsters, much like my beasts with myself. But you can’t be more than a Rank apart, or it will tear apart the mind of the host Beast Master. Well, it might be possible for the Kirin to be the host, but I don’t think my skills are compatible that way, as even by the largest stretch of the phrasing, Dwarves aren’t a magical beast.”

That made the dwarves laugh.

“Well, not when young.” One of the men, a Berserker with blue paint stripes on his face, joked.

“Is there a Ranger among the eligible candidates? An advancement to Beast Ranger class is possible, and then they could be bonded at the same Rank.” Karl offered.

The Shaman looked confused. “And how would that be equal, and not just subjugation of the Kirin Clan?”

Karl smiled. “If the bonded beast attacks the space, they can cause massive mental trauma to the bonded partner. They can also read each other’s thoughts, there are no secrets. So infidelity would not only be impossible, but the Kirin could kill the Ranger if they tried. It also isn’t a bond that can be broken. Till death do they part.”

If Karl combined the [Beast Space] ability with [Follow Me, Little One] and [Skill Master] he should be able to make a skill book equivalent to the System Tokens that let the beasts pick their partners.

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