Everyone went silent as the weapon was placed on the desk.
"That, it's beautiful." Governor Shin sighed.
"That has to hit harder than I'd smash your sister." One of the Dwarves announced, smiling at the Governor.
"You'd need two hands either way. His sister is a big ol' gal, and you've got stumpy legs." Karl agreed.
{WTF?} Ashbringer queried in a private ssage, but Karl just winked at him as the Dwarves comnced to laugh.
"Freshly made, Runes haven't even settled overnight yet. It's not a fake." The oldest of the Dwarves announced.
"Oy! That's in Dwarven." One of the emissaries declared as he examined the runes.
"Well, I am sowhat better at Dwarven poetry than any other language when the topic is the finer aspects of striking stone." Karl shrugged.
The Dwarves stared at him suspiciously, so Karl took the Governor's notepad and wrote out the Dwarven runes he had used for Overlord Othello's new blade back in the Golden Dragon Nation.
"This is the first one I made using that technique, and the result was spectacular. Even gave her a personalized effect of extra damage against perverts." Karl explained.
The dwarves read the sheet and began to laugh.
"Transform back, let's get a look at you then." The eldest Dwarf insisted.
Governor Shin looked curious, but Karl didn't hesitate to dismiss [Beast Form] and stand on his human legs for the first ti in a month or more.
"What do you know, you're not a Dwarf? You kind of sll like one, though. So perhaps just a little bit." The old man muttered.
"Not a human, either. Now, I've done so things I'm not proud of while drinking, but did soone shag a Void Elental?" One of the other n asked.
The old man laughed. "Don't be silly. That would be like taking a Fire Elental to bed."
Karl cleared his throat. "Ashbringer is half Fire Elental."
The Dwarves roared with laughter, and Karl comnced to wonder if this whole visit was just entertainnt for them, and not so serious political matter, the way that Governor Shin saw it.
Karl sneered at one of the younger n, a ginger haired Dwarf with soot embedded deep in the lines and pores of his hands.
"Don't even play like you wouldn't give it a shot if the lady of the forge ca to life." He added.
Ashbringer smirked, and the Dwarf looked pensive for a mont before nodding in agreent.
The elderly Dwarf leading the delegation sighed. "Alright, enough jokes. I see that you've managed to obtain a single actual Runemaster. If there were more, Drodh wouldn't need months and months to prepare for a visit.
The quality of the weapon, as well, is incredible. Especially for a Demon. We will accept that you are a proper producing city, but we can't say that Drodh is a weapon making nation. In light of that, we will halve the tariff." Governor Shin lanted in relief, until the old Dwarf picked up the axe.
"How much? I can trade you another artifact, or various items of equal value." He insisted.
Governor Shin got a shrewd look on his face. He hadn't expected the Dwarves to actually want the weapon. He was trying to show off and avoid getting embarrassed during their trade negotiations, even if it cost him Totem Ranked resources.
"I will let you deal directly with the creators." Governor Shin deflected.
Ashbringer acquiesced at Karl, who grinned at the Dwarves.
"How about this. I need a short list of materials, and I would like to request free access to your Bara City's dungeon." Karl requested.
The Dwarves smiled. He hadn't queried for anything outlandish, just crafting materials to make more equipnt.
Ashbringer brought out his list of materials for making Overlord Rank weapons, which was mostly tals, with a few gems. Karl could use those to finish any of the enchantnts the weapons needed, but he added one more item to the list. Mythic Rank magical beast blood. Five gallons worth.
He was certain that Rae was doing a happy dance in the Dungeon right now, but Karl was also reasonably sure that he could secure her next advancent's bath products.
The Dwarves frowned at the last addition to the list. "Does it have to be from a beast?"
Karl shrugged. "Demon, Shadow Elent Monster, or even Dragon blood would work as well. But I have found that sentient beings get quite particular about being stabbed and bled."
The Dwarves began to seriously consider it. It wasn't like there were no Mythic Rank creatures in their nation. In fact, there were quite a few. But as Karl had pointed out, they would get more than a little bit insulted if soone stabbed them. And the more civilized of the Mythic Beasts had agreents in place with the Dwarves to control a region of the nation so that the Dwarves didn't have to continually eliminate growing threats.
Killing one would leave a territory open and cause more problems than it solved.
However, the oldest of the Dwarves had a plan. "I know a source. But before I agree to it, I need to know what it is for."
Karl considered how he would answer, then decided that the simple truth would be easiest.
"The System gave the class of Beast Master, now Beast Master Packmaster. I have a bonded partner, a Blood Destruction Demonic Spider, forrly a Bloodbath Spider. Her advancent process involves higher Rank blood in large quantities.
In order for her to reach Totem Rank, I will need that blood."
The Dwarf nodded. "There is a long tradition of bonded animals in Dwarven culture. Now, it's normally one of the Mountain Goats, a Stone Wolf or a Dire Bear, but Spiders aren't unheard of, as they also like to live in the mountains."
The Dwarves had a class that could bond monsters? Now that was convenient. But perhaps his class wasn't as special as it had seed in the Golden Dragon Nation. Unless they were sothing like the Beast Rangers, who only got a single partner.
The old Dwarf extended his hand. "I agree to your price. We will bring you and Grandmaster Ashbringer to Bara and register you with the guard station for entry to the Dungeon.
It is a ten-person instance. Does your Guild have enough Overlords?"
Karl shook his head. "We can get close, but there aren't ten of us at Overlord Rank. We are primarily a crafting Guild."
Two plus the beasts was close to ten, in a way.
But the old man seed to expect that. "There are places to form a group in the city. I will arrange for soone to show you around and take you in on a visit. The first ti you visit, the guide normally charges a large fee to protect the newbies from the Elves and Spiders, but for a Runemaster, I am certain I can get a group to compromise."
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