NABC Chapter 703 The Lab
Chapter 703 The Lab
chapter 703 the lab
the inquisitor led karl down a hallway opposite the direction of the scanners that the others were going to take him through, then down a set of spiral stairs, which led to another long hallway.
that ended in a massive circular blast door with an entire team of palace guards standing at it.
"interesting. the actual labs are not under the university facility at all, but to the west. this isn't under a residential area, is it?" karl asked.
"how can you tell that?" the inquisitor demanded, visually scanning karl for a compass or other tracking device.
"i'm from the mines. never once in my life have i been lost underground. now, can you tell me what is a kilometre west of the university? i haven't had a chance to see the surface of the city." karl explained.
"woodland hills cycling and recreation park. it's a former gravel pit that was replanted and shaped into a public park when the city expanded past it. we're currently beneath the park."
that would leave some risk of civilian injuries, but minimal, and if there was a blast from the battle, it could be explained away as the gravel pit settling, should anyone notice from the surface.
"five hundred metres below it. four hundred eighty-five, if my guess is right. even with the air circulation, i can feel the depth." karl added.
[it sounds cozy there.] rae agreed from her hiding spot in the palace suite. well, not exactly a hiding spot, as she was incorporeal and sitting on the sofa watching nature documentaries with lotus. but technically hidden.
the massive underground facility was basically one huge burrow, and if she killed the lights, it would be a perfect nest, already fully stocked and everything.
the inquisitor was giving karl a strange look, but he kept walking to the guards. karl held up his pass, which they pressed a small stone to, waiting for it to turn green.
once it did and the spells on the pass were verified along with the picture and karl's face, they opened the door to let him into the laboratory. the doors slid into the stone, reducing the chance they could be pried open. they also extended a half dozen metres past the hallway, from the sound of the machinery moving them.
truly a formidable barrier, even without the magical enhancement.
cara put on a show of apology, even patting the gnome on the head before allowing the terrified gnome to retreat. but her thoughts said that she was in no way repentant, and fully planned to do it again.
"what sort of devil being did you bring to my lab? i tasered it four times, and it didn't even slow down." the chief complained.
"that's a winged void badger. petty things like a taser are far from enough to convince her to stop. you would have better luck using words. she's intelligent enough to understand where you want to go, and anything else you say. she just doesn't care if you want to stop." karl offered.
"and how did you get her past security?"
"i am a beast master. they have a separate space attached to me. wherever i am, they can be as well. but don't worry, i will keep her out of the clean rooms, so we don't get fur in anyone's work." karl informed her with a shrug of his shoulders to explain that it couldn't be helped.
the gnome glared at him. "if there was another option, i would have you replaced right this instant.
but for now, let's see what you can do to enhance a weapon. thanks to the forgemaster and his team, we've got a collection of blades, flanged maces, mauls and axes created from highly mana compatible alloys unsuitable to combat use in their current state.
now, can you manage that without supervision?"
karl gave the tiny woman an unimpressed look.
"did you know that cara is currently looking for a hug pillow to enhance her nap time experience?" he threatened.
the two glared at each other for half a minute, not saying anything, before one of the researchers, a blue dragon cleric with his head shaved bald, revealing scattered blue scales, came over to break up the standoff.
"chief engineer. please forgive him. the monarch certainly didn't mean to insult you with his partner's antics. the runecrafting skill is invaluable to our work here, and i will assign someone to ensure that he doesn't trouble you further." the cleric pleaded.
chief engineer fizzspark began to relax a little, until a nasal voice came from behind her. "what, someone has been picking on the failure again? hardly shocking." a handsome young man in a lab coat was sneering at the gnome with utter disdain on his features before he turned to karl.
"duke ambrose, head of research and development. it's a pleasure to meet you, researcher karl. i believe you will find your time here quite enjoyable if your skills match your recommendation."