The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 731  Looking Good

It took a few minutes for the changes to sink in, but once Dana finally got a good look at Karl, she was stuck staring at him in shock.

"You changed. Did something weird happen? Not that I mind, this is a much better look than super muscled. But it's a rapid change." She asked.

Thor and Rae already knew, but they hadn't warned anyone. Or, at the very least, they hadn't warned Dana.

"The extra bulk was from a new skill that hadn't properly activated. [Bestial Form] is that same sort of massively muscled." Karl explained.

Dana smiled, and Lotus ran over with an expectant look. She was not missing the grand reveal.

Karl activated the skill, and Dana gave him a secret smile while Lotus clapped and cheered.

"Now we have a tiger and a bear. Nap time will be spectacular." The Nature Priestess cheered.

The others had more subdued reactions, but some of the guards had conflicted expressions. Built so wide that your shoulders brushed both sides of a door frame was a life goal for a few of the more muscular ones. Nobody got past you in a hallway if you took up the whole hallway. Being massive was the ultimate passive defensive build.

Karl was going to settle in and watch a movie, but the excitement level in the suites was too high, and even Overlord Othello was eager to see him keep working on the project that had been disrupted with the destruction of the labs.

But that reminded Granite of one important oversight. "Should we have destroyed the Ghostfire Forges before we left?" He asked.

Karl shook his head. "No, I think that they will make a new entrance to the lab soon, and then you will want to have your forges intact. We sealed the roof with earth magic when we left, so it's not going to fill with water or anything, and most of the spells are still online." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was enough to assure the workers that they weren't permanently unemployed, and with heavy encouragement, Karl sat and brainstormed Runic Inscription ideas with the Acolytes and the workers from the lab all through the afternoon. They only stopped long enough for dinner, and then called it a night when it got dark outside.

The Acolytes had all been taught the [Talisman] spell, which would let them create a paper version of a spell that they knew. But it could also be used for more creative magical effects, such as a custom rune string.

They had quickly mastered the basics, such as locking a door shut with the talisman when it had no lock, and creating a barrier of silence to prevent eavesdropping.

But a [Talisman] didn't have to be paper. They could also create a single use wooden or other type of Talisman. It was only the temporary nature of the spell that made paper the best idea. For the Acolytes, it only lasted a few hours after activation. For Karl, the spell had lasted half the day. However, that meant neither was suitable for engraving on a permanent object, and none of them had mastered the art of simplifying runes to make Runecrafting as easy as creating a Talisman.

Karl suspected that the simplified nature and reliance on the caster's will was the reason they were temporary, and that it wouldn't be possible to make them permanent. But they had already been able to get a good grasp of the spell's possibilities, and using the Runic Language was much more compact than writing in common.

Just after dark, a messenger came from the Royal Family. "Elites, Nobles and gathered employees of the Crown. The Coronation ceremony has been moved up. King Axel will be crowned by the Queen Dowager tomorrow at noon. Please be in attendance.

Also, attendance at breakfast has been requested for the Elites. Not for the King, but for Totem Ahmad, who will be arriving in the morning." The messenger announced.

Then he handed them a formal announcement card, addressed to the residents of their suite as a group.

That was a change. From what Karl had heard during his brainstorming session today, the ceremony was normally exclusive to the ones closest to the King, and then there would be seven days of public parties which he would attend, so the people could see him. Or her, if the new leader was a Queen.

This was incredibly quick, though. Especially with the city mostly destroyed, and heavy damage to some portions of the Royal Palace. But perhaps they wanted to get it out of the way so that the new King could focus on fixing things. Bright and early the next morning, Melanie tapped at the door to wake Karl up. Not that it was necessary. Lotus and the other Nature Cleric had been experimenting with new coffee blends since before dawn, and they had enlisted the Blue Dragon Acolytes as their taste testers.

Few beings could sleep through that.

Karl put on a casual outfit of slacks and polo shirt made by Rae, then gathered both teams of Elites and headed for the dining room, where Ahmad was waiting for them.

Being a new Totem Rank Mage, it wouldn't do to keep him waiting. Plus, Karl had a gift for him.

The Catman's ears perked up when they entered, and Karl smiled at his excitement.

"Lord Ahmad, it's an honour to get a breakfast invite." Othello greeted him with a slight bow, which Karl copied with a wink that made the mage laugh.

"I've known the two of you for how long now? No need to stand on ceremony. Welcome everyone. I wanted to see you all before the ceremony, and I have some news for you after." He explained.

Karl nodded and patted him on the shoulder to transfer [Meteor Swarm] the combination spell that he had modified for the staff originally intended to be his gift.

Then he held out the bracelet with the [Life Link] gem on it.

"A combined effort between myself and the research team. Congratulations on your advancement." Ahmad slid a magical bracelet off one wrist and put the new one on with a surprised smile as it bonded, allowing him to see the stats on it.

"This is... amazing. Life Link to my Golems? All of them, it seems. Now that's a cheat code for a Mage.

And the extra skill power as well. I have never seen a Monarch Ranked created item before, but if they're all at this level, I can understand the context behind the news I have for you much more clearly.

But that's for after the ceremony. First, let's eat."