The agent opened the door and Karl stepped inside the apartment, which was decorated in what he understood to be the latest modern style, all white and stainless steel with hardwood floors in a light grey.
Upon seeing the luxury, Rae came out in humanoid form and immediately wandered away before the sales pitch could even begin. The important parts of the tour were the bath and making sure that nothing here could rival her hammocks for comfort.
“Where did she come from?” The property agent asked, confused by the new arrival.
“She’s sneaky. Don’t worry about it. Now, it looks like this place is fully outfitted, I see cups hanging from the racks.” Karl replied.
“Yes, a full set of kitchenware is included, as well as daily maid service, so there is no need to do your own cleaning. If you are hosting parties or don’t wish to cook for yourself, there is a restaurant on the main floor exclusively for residents and their guests. They can prepare your meals to be delivered on request or on schedule.”
Dana looked impressed. “So, a top professional chef on call at all times for dinners? Now this is swanky.”
Overlord Niall chuckled. “Of course. Elite is more than just a title saying that you’ve got magical powers. There is another building nearby for Royals, if you would like to take a look. Three of them, technically, as there are more Royal Rank Elites than there are Monarchs and Overlords.”
“Would you like to view one?” The agent asked hopefully.
Dana shook her head. “No, this one looks good, thanks.”
The agent blinked once as he realized the situation, then continued the tour, showing them around the kitchen, the balcony with sun loungers for summer use, then the huge living room with seating for at least a dozen.
“This is nice. There is room for everyone at the same time. But where did Rae go?” Lotus asked, unable to find the spider.
Normally, losing a Bloodbath Spider in the house would be a cause for concern, but Karl could sense that she had already finished exploring the other rooms and had gone to the kitchen to see what the strange smell was. It turned out to be a fully stocked spice rack, and she was collecting tiny samples for Hawk and Remi so they could add variety to their cooking.
“She’s in the kitchen. Finish the tour and you can play with the Rae.”
[The ceilings are high. I can hang hammocks over the spare beds. Lots of room for sleeping.] Rae informed Karl as they checked the remaining rooms.
The hot tub was in a cedar room with a steam generating heater and a bench along the far wall. It should be great for relaxation, and the bedrooms were plenty for the group if Rae was going to hang hammocks.
“I think that this should be perfect for my needs, thank you.” Karl informed the agent.
“Wonderful. I will take care of the paperwork, and I believe that the Overlord had some more business to finish with you.”
Niall nodded. “Not me in particular, but the Inquisition, plus the Bureau, and the army’s strategic intelligence agency would all like to have a nice chat with you tonight, while the details are still fresh in your mind.”
“Alright, you might as well send them all in. We can split up and everyone talks to someone at the same time. Or do we need to do this in the secure rooms?” Karl asked. fгeewebnovёl.com
“No need for that. Once you are over Commander Rank, almost all of this becomes a formality. Even if they suspected that you were likely to go rogue, it’s not like they would try to imprison you.
They’d just send me after you.”
[I want a chance to play with the stabby Overlord.] Rae demanded.
[Maybe later. He lives nearby so we can try to convince him to train with you in the gym to help you learn new combat skills.]
Niall noticed the puppy eyes attempt that Rae was making from the kitchen, and turned to Karl for answers.
“I don’t get what she’s pleading for. I’m not going to let her torture the representatives.” He whispered.
Karl chuckled. “That’s not it. She wants to train with you in the gym before we have to go. It’s a great way for her to learn new skills if I’m there to supervise and use my skills on her directly.
It’s so rare that we see someone who has compatible skills that are an improvement for her, but you’re an Overlord Rank Rogue, you have to know at least a few.” Niall laughed. “Alright. I would like to see just what I could teach Rae, and what she might be able to teach me. She has some rather unique skills, and I still don’t understand how exactly an ambush predator learned to use Golems.”
Tessa nodded in agreement. “That is a mystery that baffles us all. But somehow, after seeing multiple different ways of casting Golems, she came up with a way that works for her.
It’s brilliant, and terrifying. But it’s an incredible sign of what she might be capable of in the future. She already knows how to Shadow Step, create Earth Magic barriers to create her own portable shadows for better mobility, summon Golems, and use Lacerate, to increase the bleeding, so she has a constant supply of blood.
There really aren’t all that many more things that a Bloodbath Spider could need for her perfect arsenal, except a few high output ambush attacks, and possibly a form of invisibility that is better than her natural camouflage skills.”
Rae snuck over from the kitchen. “You are taking too small of a view of things. I have almost mastered this skill to become bipedal now, and once I do that, I will need skills to pretend to be other people.”
Niall smiled at the ambitious beast. “Oh, and why is that?”
“Nobody will ever expect it if their friends and family are the ones that walk up and dice them into snack sized cubes.” Rae announced proudly.
Niall nodded. “I agree. We took too small of a view of things. Why hide, when you can stand beside them like a friend in the darkness until it’s time not to. That’s actually a common infiltration technique for some of the intelligence service Rogues. If you don’t mind that they aren’t as powerful as you are, perhaps we could invite a few of them over to help you master the art of disguise?”
“Nope, I don’t see any way that this could end badly.” Ophelia muttered to herself.
Rae nodded. “Exactly, all the outcomes are good.”