They headed for the nearby building, and Karl checked the Skill Master bonds. The ability wasn’t feeling stretched at all, or limited without him watching. During the early days, when Skill Master was still at Rank One, he had to actually watch the process and focus, but now it appeared that simply activating it with deliberate intentions would help them learn the skills as well as they could.
“We will start with the least likely portion first. We have a group of Special Forces soldiers here, well, special forces cadets, who the President and his advisor Generals believe would be a suitable test force to follow in your footsteps. They have been working with the Moor Cats that the University is training, but have been unable to form the sort of bond that you have.” The Inquisitor with his head shaved announced.
None of them had given their names, and while Karl could look at their system status to find out, that always seemed to occur to him a few minutes too late.
Besides, you could just call people by their title, and it would make them happy.
“Of course, Inquisitor. But that will most likely involve going to the university to get the beasts involved. A personal touch is the easiest way to change their minds, especially if they’re already stronger than the trainees.
After all, a bond like mine would kill them if they tried to bond with an Ascended beast while still at Common Grade with no preparation.”
The bald Inquisitor nodded. “They do have some training. Though they aren’t Elites, they were trained both physically and mentally as Monks. It was done for unorthodox combat purposes, but I am told that your mental skills are similar, with a heavy requirement for mental fortitude.”
One of the men stepped out of the room and came back in with ten young men and women about Karl’s age.
“These are the cadets. Can you see any obvious flaws in our plan?” The Inquisitor asked.
Cara came out of her space to examine the group, not particularly impressed until she got to one who crouched down to pat her head like she was a dog and not an intelligent Royal Rank monster.
[This one definitely suits being bonded to a Thor.]
Karl nodded in understanding. “Alright, why don’t we do the university portion first, and then we can finish the questions after?” The cadets looked excited, and the one who had tried to pet Cara looked over to address Karl.
“Do you really think that we can bond the newborn Moor Cats?” He asked.
“I don’t know yet. But I have a good feeling about it. The process might not have a one hundred percent survival rate, but I think that most of you should get it after a few tries.”
The cadets paled, and the Inquisitor tried not to laugh. Whatever the Beast Master had in mind was very different from their plans if he didn’t expect everyone to survive.
So, the procession back out of the room only a minute after they entered was a silent one, as was the shuttle ride to the University.
Only when they reached the building marked [Animal Husbandry and Genetic Research] did anyone begin to speak.
“So, this is it. After an entire year of trying, we might finally succeed in bonding one of the young beasts.” One of the cadets whispered.
Karl turned to the Inquisitor. “They’re not going to try to bond a year old Ascended or Commander Rank juvenile Moor Cat, are they?”
The bald man smiled. “Fortunately, no. The mother cat that we have just had another litter that is ready to be weaned to solid food. They have been feeding the kittens for a few days now, and they’re still Awakened Rank.”
“Does it have to be Moor Cats? They might actually do better with a weaker but fast-growing beast first.” Karl asked.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well, you said special forces, so you want the beast as a combat companion. Something that can reach Commander easily enough, instead of the Moor Cats, who can be Royals at their peak, would be easier to bond. It would also make it easier to get a unified force if the Moor Cats reject them.”
“We will keep it in mind. There is a small pack of Lightning Cerro here now, with many of them newly hatched. They were brought to study how you managed to evolve Thor, but they could also make good companions for an assault force.”
As they approached the door, a young woman with a leather glove over one arm came running frantically towards them.
“There is a Devil Snipe on the loose. Please wait here until I recover it.” She pleaded.
Karl turned to inspect the area, then pointed at one of the trees. “It’s right there. Holding some sort of fruit seed. Would you like me to grab it?”
The Devil Snipe was a Common Grade Monster, and at full growth could still fit in the palm of a grown man’s hand. They were named devils for their temper, not their power, though they did have a small amount of wind magic.
“Oh, you are the Beast Master, right? Please, if you have a skill to get it back, I have put in significant effort with that one, but he’s got an odd food obsession and flew away when someone left the fruit bowl out.” She pleaded.
Karl took out a single Commander Rank Mountain Gooseberry from Hawk’s space, which made the napping Thunderbird laugh. No mere Snipe could resist such a good snack. freeweɓnvel.com
Karl held his hand out with the snack, and the small bird’s head immediately turned. It raced down out of the tree and gently landed in Karl’s hand, then cooed in pleasure as it took small bites.
Karl stroked the back of the bird’s head, then passed it, along with the berry, to its handler.
As she received the bird, the young woman’s gaze went vacant for a few seconds, then Karl felt her aura shift.
He inspected her more closely with his system interface active and saw that she was now shown as Arabella, Common Rank Ranger.
“Well, that went better than expected. Congratulations, young woman. You have successfully bonded with your Snipe. Who, I would note, is quickly advancing to Awakened Rank.” Karl informed the group, as she was still in shock.
The bird looked smug, and the woman rolled her eyes, answering its mental demand.
“Is it that easy? You just touched her, and she gained a class.” The Military Representative asked, shocked at the development.
“Actually, the fruit made the bird advance, and it was the bird’s advancement that cemented the bond that they already had. If my guess is right, it realized that humans reliably have food, so it wanted a human to keep it fed.” Karl explained.
Arabella sighed. “Yes, that is very close to how it went. Flicker requested a contract, and when I accepted, I awakened a class.”
That small revelation changed everything. Karl forged bonds with the beasts, not the other way around. But getting the cats to want to be with the humans would be so much easier than having the cadets try to move a kitten into a separate space and convince it to stay without tearing their mind apart for fun.