“You, assistant man. Get my bag. I have the stone we need in there.” She demanded of one of the staffers who had come in with her.
“You can likely change back now that the interviews are done.” Karl reminded her.
The Archmage sighed. “Do you think this frilly whore costume is bonded? It takes two hours to get into this and do all my makeup, then half as long to get it back off again.”
Perhaps she had a lot in common with Dana. Not her temper or language, but she certainly didn’t seem to be enjoying the idol life, though the rumour was that she had chosen it for herself after she advanced to Commander.
Instead, she donned a light silk dressing gown over her outfit and sat back down on the chair from the interview while they waited.
“Can you make me both of those skills, or is there a limit?” She asked.
“There is a limit, but two books in a day is possible. The [Lacerate] books for the clerics can wait, and I will make you both today. Do you know where they’re sending you next?” Karl replied.
“Right here. I have shows all down the Hill Giant border this week, Military Inspiration Shows, as they call them. If there are attacks while I’m here, I help out. If there aren’t I just go around doing Idol shows.” The Archmage explained.
The assistant returned with a High Cleric from the Blue Dragon, and three Inscriptionists, letting Karl know that his comments would not be allowed to slide. They expected books, and they wanted them now.
“Did you bring the materials?” Karl asked. The Cleric nodded and put a pile of paper and a handful of Lightning Element stones at Commander Rank in front of him.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
It didn’t take long to make either book, as he could use both skills and didn’t have to refer to Remi. He just needed some of the grass from her space to mix with the base ink for the Blizzard spell.
Everyone sat silently as he made two copies of the [Chain Lightning] spell, and then two more of [Blizzard].
“Alright. Now, hopefully, this will work. It says that Mages with Expert or higher affinity in the element should be able to use it, as well as shamans and suitable element beasts.” Karl explained.
“Mages and Shamans can both use the spells? Now we’re talking.” The Blue Dragon High Priest sighed. He had been fully prepared to be ridiculed for the obnoxiously restrictive books that Karl produced. They weren’t broken or flawed, they just had such stringent requirements that they might as well be quest rewards of their own.
Karl felt Hawk’s suspicion. [You’re teaching more mages to use evil magic.]
[No, to use Blizzard, they already need a strong ability with Ice magic.]
[It’s still evil magic.]
The Archmage reverently picked up the [Chain Lightning] book and flipped the cover open.
It seemed to hesitate for a split second, then the book vanished, and she jumped on Karl’s lap, wrapping him in a hug.
“Thank you, thank you so much. That is a fantastic spell. How did you obtain it?”
“It comes from Remi, my Spirit Snake. Both of these are skills that she was born knowing, and since she’s a Shaman, they were more transferrable than the other skills.”
“And you didn’t teach your group?” The High Priest asked.
“None of them are Ice or Lightning Element mages or Shamans. They couldn’t use them without high enough proficiency in the Element.
But now your team can make copies of the books for every mage and shaman that is of those elements, and the Archmage can do her next photoshoot with two new spells. In fact, if you tone down Blizzard, it might be cool as a stage effect.”
She looked confused, so Karl pointed at the cameraman and surrounded him with a very reduced Blizzard, but with high winds and thick snow, which sparkled in the light as it swirled around him.
“Just be careful of the distance. The wind can cause wardrobe malfunctions.” Karl added.
The Archmage shifted on Karl’s lap to pick up the [Blizzard] book, which vanished without as much hesitation, suggesting that her affinity with ice was actually higher than Lightning. She sighed in satisfaction, and got back to her feet. “They are going to want me to do more appearances before the late night show. Good luck, Prince Karl. You will need it once those bloodhounds from the special interests get to you.”
She was turning to leave when Israel laughed. “I don’t think he needs to worry about it. He terrified half of them and chased the other half away with a veiled threat to join the Inquisition. I don’t know who taught him to play the game, but his angry hillbilly face doesn’t match his craftiness.”
“Hey, I will have you know that I was considered a handsome young man.”
The idol laughed and shook her head. “You still are, but that aura you give off will scare the tar out of the non-Elites.”
Then she was gone from the tent, and Karl just shrugged at Israel. He didn’t recall threatening to join the Inquisition at all, but that might be how the politicians would have taken him, addressing the Royal Rank Inquisitor more familiarly than anyone else.
“Was there more that you wanted to share with the Church today, or do you need to hold off on the other skills that you might be able to copy?” Inquisitor Israel asked.
He hadn’t missed how Karl had said that two books in a day should be possible, but he had actually made four of them.
“I’m mentally beat on that front. I was already pushing my luck with the fourth. But I should be able to make another tomorrow after a good night’s rest. The problem is that most of the skills just aren’t well suited to humans.
If I could make a book for Remi’s Poison Flame Totems, that would be great, but even if I could learn the skill, it’s a Spirit Snake exclusive skill.”
The Inquisitor frowned. “There are so many restrictions on your skill.”
Karl shrugged. “If I was making them for other Beast Masters, it would be fine. All they would need was a pet compatible with mine, and they would be able to use all of these picky books.
I’m hoping that one day I will find a way to transfer my core skills to others. Right now, it’s not an option for the Skill Books, but I think that one day I might be able to create a book that will contract a beast. Then we can try making budget version Beast Masters out of people who don’t have system access. If they could get even one space and grow with a beast, they could be maybe not on par with all Elites, but still stronger than the average soldier now.”
The Inquisitor smiled. “Now that is a goal that I can get behind. I can see it now, a whole line of soldiers with their bonded beasts. They wouldn’t even need to be combat beasts, just something with a good skill to share, and our army would be on par with any of the other magical or monster nations.”
Karl sighed. “I’m not even sure that it will ever be possible. I’ve never heard of a way to transfer class skills to someone without the Blessing, but I’ve got a feeling that it should actually be possible if we can find a way to form the contract.”