"Should we have Opal make a proper forge for the two of you to work in? I’m sure that there are some requirements to actually work the metal if you’re going to get the best quality out of it." Karl noted.

"Yeah, that might be necessary. I can make up to Epic Grade with just pure magic. But if I’m going to make a peerless grade item using only my own magic and skills, I’m going to have to put in the work.

Little Mister Tian here as well, as much as I can see that he doesn’t want to be anywhere near the actual forge," Rue agreed.

Tian shrugged. They all knew how he felt about getting dirty.

However, he was also highly driven to be helpful, and if he could make better items in the forge than simply creating them with runes on them, he would do that.

With [Earth Manipulation], he could already make pretty good items. But pretty good and top of the line special stuff that would sit on the top shelf with pride were two different things, and if he couldn’t do the second one, Sister Rae would make fun of him.

Rae had strong feelings about making the very best items that you could, even if it was a hassle.

She would even custom make items while a customer waited, just so that she could get the perfect shade for their skin tone. That’s how far she was willing to take it, so Tian did feel a bit bad about not wanting to get dirty, knowing that he could just use a burst of magic or a barrier to clean himself off again.

Opal appeared in the room with them and bowed politely to Rue, then spun in a full forward circle as she straightened, which made the dragon laugh.

"I will make you a forge upstairs in the crafting area. It will be wonderful, and I bet that you can recruit a few other blacksmiths to come work with you as well. Of course, you will have to teach them how to do it, but I’m sure that the Lycan Pack has at least a few who would like the job."

"You’ll have to come with us then. I’m not Cara, I can’t use your head pat skill." Tian reminded him.

"Rae has learned it too."

"Rae also enjoys giving head pats. They make people panic for a split second, thinking she’s going to stab them in the head."

Karl would not be at all shocked if that was really the reason.

Cara could use it simply because she was Cara, and it caused Chaos every time that it was activated. But it had been surprising that Rae had managed to learn the skill as well. Perhaps one day, Thor would also learn the trick so that he could imbue new skills onto his pack members.

It seemed unlikely, as he would just turn to Karl for it, as anyone in the pack having it meant that the pack had it.

But it could happen.

Opal raced off to the second floor so that she could make the forge for them, and Karl rose to his feet.

"I should let you two get practicing. I have more items to sell, and the others are going to wonder what took us so long in here. They think that we’re just haggling over a pair of rings."

Rue laughed. "Now that I think about it, didn’t I just get swindled? I can make the rings that I bought. In fact, I can make better rings than I just bought because I’m Supreme Ranked."

Karl winked at her. "If you want, I can refund you, and we can put them back up for sale later today. Then you can make yourself a fresh set."

Rue shrugged. "Don’t worry about it. I will wear these for now, and save the Supreme Ranked gear for later. Turning out too many Supreme Ranked pieces in this region will cause an even bigger war than there already was, and I’ve just lost one Clan, I can’t take having it happen again."

Karl nodded. "I will tell the others that we’re taking you in while you recover from soul damage. Nobody will question that, and they won’t ask about your power level. It will also cover for why we were talking so long.

Recruiting a new member, especially an injured one, is always a delicate process."

Tian led Rue upstairs, while Karl returned to the front shop.

"Sorry for the delay everyone. We had a few other matters to discuss. Now, who needed something special?" He asked, while placing a few more Peerless Grade items up on the shelf to take the spots where the rings were.

"Not a problem at all. The goods will wait for you to come back, Branch Leader," a burly warrior replied, clearly doing his best to get on Karl’s good side.

"Did you have a piece in mind? Or perhaps something from the other cases? We have a number of beautifully balanced Epic Grade items in stock."

The warrior considered it. "I think that I will actually go for three of the Epic Grade items. And then I would like to commission a custom piece. I would like a rapier is focused on fire elemental damage, made for a berserker."

Karl considered the options. "Alright. Does he have a signature skill? And is he opposed to using transformation magic?"

"You’re thinking [Elemental’s Wrath]? He has the skill and uses it often. After all, it’s bonus fire damage to everything."

Hawk laughed as he heard that in Karl’s thoughts. That was a good berserker.

"Alright, I know just the thing, though a rapier for a berserker is a bit... odd."

The warrior shrugged. "It seems to suit him. He’s not the super bulky berserker, he’s the small and crazy sort of berserker."

"Ah, that makes perfect sense now. Alright, I have a few partially finished Rapiers in stock, and I can have something finished up for him at the Peerless Grade for tomorrow."

"Then I will take these three Epic rings for my apprentices, and pay the deposit for the custom piece."

Tian would be happy. It was his first custom order.