The Stubborn Skill-Grinder In A Time Loop

Chapter 41: A New Mastery & Upending Expectations

“As long as you think you’re ready, Zukelmux.”

“I am, Teacher!”

He was standing before his seated student, preparing to use Absolute Soul Dominion on the eager goblin warrior.

Three weeks had passed, and many gains had been made.

Magically, he’d developed quite a bit, to the point where jokes were made that he could enter a magic academy as a decent prospect now. Draconic Fireball went from 21 to 32, a massive gain of eleven levels which pushed the skill into the Apprentice-level. It was already a skill of great power, which when combined with his Draconic Mana Channelling and ability to generate endless power, meant that Orodan could likely kill a Grandmaster through magical barrages alone. Yes, the skill was merely at the Apprentice-level, but Orodan’s lack of power limitations meant that even a relatively low-level spell could become exceedingly deadly.

Draconic Mana Channelling itself went from 47 to 51, pushing it into the Adept-level, and Flare went from 32 to 44. Frankly, Destartes was most impressed by just how powerful Orodan could choose to make the spell. Flare was meant for lighting campfires, sending signals out across long distances, or producing a little lightshow. Only eccentric idiots trained the skill any higher than Adept-level, according to Destartes. Grandmaster pyromancers spent their time focusing on deadlier spells such as the Fireball, the Meteor, or the Fire Bolt.

Orodan however, in combination with his various methods of empowerment, could launch a Flare strong enough to rival an Elite-level pyromancer’s Fireball, which was utterly ridiculous according to Destartes, but within expectations according to his half-dragon tutor. She’d explained that true masters of any magical craft focused on bringing even the lowliest skill to the Grandmaster-level, and she accordingly approved. One thing that Flare was better at than other deadlier pyromantic spells though… was brightness. And Orodan took pleasure in knowing he could make Novar’s Peak look like it was high noon in the dead of the night via a single overcharged cast of Flare into the sky.

Consequently, all the practice in fire magic increased Fire Magic Mastery from 8 to 16, and Orodan felt his flames grow hotter, his control over them better, and their effects more potent. And finally, Mana Manipulation went from 55 to 57.

Magic aside, his crafts were going very well, and Orodan could likely make a generous living as a multi-talented craftsman if he so chose. Jewelcrafting went from 27 to 36, pushing into the Apprentice-level, and Orodan had begun to learn the method for empowering precious stones. Already, the skill was beginning to show promise in that he could use it to help train his Magical Rituals skill when the time came or provide some of the materials for higher-level enchantments by himself.

Enchanting itself went from 43 to 47, making good progress and would soon reach the Adept-level. By this loop, Orodan felt he’d have the minimum pre-requisites needed to broach the matter of soul energy-based enchantments. If anything, he was probably one of the best soul specialists in the world due to just how critical his soul was in his fighting style and the various things he could do with Absolute Soul Dominion. Given his talents with soul energy, managing the energy part of the enchantment wouldn’t be a problem when he began learning soul-energy enchantment methods. His precious sword and shield which he woke up with each time, were due for an upgrade eventually.

Blacksmithing increased from 37 to 42, and time dilation helped make gains despite Orodan’s lack of natural talent in the craft. Yes, his physical strength, action increases and Fire Resistance meant that the physical part of Blacksmithing was but a joke for him. But he’d seen some prodigious blacksmiths who just knew how to work metal and knew he wouldn’t be matching their talent anytime soon. Still, he was approaching the Adept-level in this craft as well, and then… he would upgrade the very base of his weaponry.

Alchemy gained two levels, going from 58 to 60. Levels were beginning to come slower now as going by the books and following established recipes could only do so much. Soon, the time would come for Orodan to experiment and pioneer his own recipes and attempt to make potions with effects of his own creation.

Woodworking gained three levels, from 59 to 62, and of all his crafts he likely enjoyed it the most; alongside his new Cooking skill that was. The Cooking skill had gained only nine levels and sat at 10, as he didn’t dedicate too much time to such a craft. But, alongside his Gourmand which was now at 8, Orodan found something truly enjoyable. At the very least, going around the various places his loops took him and sampling the food was something to keep him from being bored. The culinary tutors he learned under would often say that both he and his student Zukelmux had the same weird palate for exotic ingredients. Orodan didn’t deny the fact that he liked goblin cuisine better than human food. Aliya looked ill when he tried explaining how good the texture of a depths worm’s flesh paired with the crunch of a death roach’s fried carapace when mixed together in a curry flavored with herbs and spices from the depths.

Whatever… more for him and Zukelmux.

And Tool Mastery had increased from 61 to 63, amplifying his work on the crafts and the kitchen.

Crafting and cooking aside, Teaching was making good progress. His own skill went from 21 to 25 and approached the Apprentice-level. Vespidia explained to him that the Teaching skill was an amplifier for the teacher’s own expertise and methods, which was why she’d actually benefitted from training her own Physical Fitness and Unarmed Combat Mastery under him, as he was approaching the Master-level in those, and she wasn’t quite there.

It was also her excuse for why she hadn’t gained anything when Orodan practically threw her towards any Grandmaster-level monsters he saw in the depths and insisted she forgo her invisibility and train without it while trading blows. Orodan had been called stupid, but when it came to combat and his intrinsic understanding of fighting styles, he wasn’t bad. He knew that Vespidia relied on invisibility, however he also knew that sneak attacks alone wouldn’t be enough to force Othorion Evertree to temporarily surrender control to Faraine for the purposes of her plan.

She needed to present a bigger threat than merely being an invisible assassin, and while she could use her strange ability to cut the divine connection, that wouldn’t liberate Faraine, but would simply cause Othorion to lose power. How Orodan saw it, was that Vespidia needed to develop her skills enough that she could engage in a trade of blows against Othorion and actually push the elf back. Yes, she was a reincarnator and already a Grandmaster, but that was in a skill related to doing gruesome amounts of damage in a single surprise strike. Her ability to stand toe to toe in combat needed work, and Orodan hoped to improve on that.

Othorion Evertree wasn’t particularly skilled, and this was where Vespidia could seize the advantage. As long as she bridged the gap in power somewhat, her existing Combat Mastery and Dagger Mastery would do the rest in skilfully pressuring the elf.

The reincarnated elf’s sarcastic remarks didn’t impress Orodan however, and he consequently much preferred his two bright-eyed and hard-working original disciples.

Aliya was getting stronger, to the point where she could get halfway through a Level I monster infestation site by herself now. Of course, the Adept-level monster at the end was still beyond her, but Orodan planned on having her engage in a supervised battle against it later. Uphill battles against impossible odds were the recipe for growth.

Zukelmux however, was a beast during their trips to the wilderness to kill things. The goblin warrior wielded spear and shield with fantastic skill and had a Legendary skill which taken together with his various Elite-level ones, let him fight at the peak of the Master-level. Master-level monsters facing Zukelmux died while being riddled with holes from the spear and getting smashed by the shield. It was like fighting a small porcupine that was akin to a juggernaut.

He would constantly give his students new and insane ‘challenges’ during these trips which both took to with fervor. Vespidia could only attempt to protest when he had challenged Aliya to fight a group of ten skeleton warriors while blindfolded and with one hand behind her back. And she outright felt it dangerous when he challenged Zukelmux to use his spear and shield with only his feet against a Master-level great spider in the wilds.

With Orodan supervising, it was entirely safe, so he felt she was just whining as he challenged her to such things as well, although she didn’t take them as seriously.

Cleaning increased from 79 to 81, and Vision of Purity gained a level from 48 to 49, one away from the Adept-level. The Imperial citadel was the cleanest it had ever been, and the entire structure positively glowed like a beacon of luminosity in a grim world. The cleaning staff for the royal citadel had entirely given up on matching Orodan by now; his talent in Cleaning was simply too great.

Absolute Soul Dominion had increased from 67 to 68 during his efforts in helping members of the Novarrian military and intelligence service permanently improve their mana generation, and Orodan felt at the Elite-level he might finally get it high enough to push past that System barrier within the soul core. He might very well be able to cleanse Blessings from people then.

For now, though, the skill’s purpose was to help his student improve his natural mana generation.

“You realize Zukelmux, that I’ll be seeing some of your most intimate memories, yes?” Orodan asked. “I’d only recommend this if you’re truly comfortable with that fact.”

“Teacher, I’m at peace with myself, and whatever you see are things I’ve accepted as part of who I am,” his student replied. “And as you say, your skill naturally targets the memories most significant to the person, so I have no issues.”

In other words, the chances of him stumbling upon embarrassing memories were naturally low, unless they somehow were integral to Zukelmux himself.

“Alright then, I’m going to begin now. Remember to relax and not consciously resist much,” Orodan said. “Initially, you’ll feel your mana pool drain itself dry as your soul naturally attempts to resist me. This is natural, and only once your energy is out will the real work begin. I’ll be guiding you into churning your soul harder to generate mana faster, and it’ll be upto you to adapt to the changes and make them your own permanently. It’ll hurt, that goes without saying, but you wouldn’t be my student if you weren’t willing to taste some pain.”

Zukelmux nodded with a grin, and Orodan began as his soul shot out to begin the work of enveloping the goblin’s soul.

It was just the two of them and the book. Orodan had sent Aliya into a section of the city’s sewers to gather ingredients and work on her Gathering skill. In truth, Orodan didn’t need the ingredients she would collect, but it was more to develop her Pathfinding while also developing her independence and ability to traverse foreign environments by herself. A member of the Intelligence Service had been ‘borrowed’ to shadow her for the duration of this task.

Vespidia of course, had national security matters to assist with and she would be unavailable for the next week or so according to Balastion.

Regardless, the work started, and Orodan had to admit Zukelmux’s soul was rather robust to begin with. His student had no soul skills that he knew of, yet the soul could be naturally stronger or weaker in general depending upon the individual’s willpower. Orodan’s soul was naturally strong to begin with, and Zukelmux’s seemed decent as well. His student’s natural mana generation was quite potent too.

“You know, Zukelmux, you could’ve trained to be a mage with such reserves and generation to begin with,” Orodan said. “Are you sure this isn’t a skill or a Bloodline?”

“Teacher…! To sully myself by becoming a cravenly mage would bring shame to your teachings!” his student replied.

“Now that’s my-” Orodan’s praise was interrupted by his book slamming down upon his head.

“What your ‘teacher’ means to say, is that magic is just as much a weapon in the arsenal of a warrior as the spear and the shield are,” she lectured. “Do not limit yourself little goblin, even magic which empowers your movements is a great boon, and refusing to accept the natural mana within you would be foolish. Do not fall for the same narrow-minded philosophy that this fool used to believe in.”

Orodan resisted the urge to use Warrior’s Reciprocity, mainly because he had to grudgingly agree. She was right, as usual.

“She speaks true. Once we’re done this process, you should consider picking up a branch of magic on the side, your mana generation and reserves would make it a potent addition to your arsenal,” Orodan said. “If you can already jump a tier and fight foes at the peak of the Master-level, imagine how much stronger you could be with magic on your side supplementing your combat style. Anyhow your mana pool’s almost empty, I’ll be entering your memories soon.”

His student nodded, and within five seconds the mana pool emptied.

The first thing he saw upon entering was a memory of a warm, loving figure who adored Zukelmux very much. It became apparent that this was his student’s mother. The surroundings were slightly blurry, typical for a young memory, but that this was a goblin village on the surface was apparent.

“My little clover, one day you shall grow up to be a mighty warrior and bring the light back to our peoples once more,” Zukelmux’s mother spoke. “But… all mighty warriors must eat their vegetables!”

A scene of a goblin mother attempting to shovel mushrooms, root vegetables and fruits into her son’s mouth then unfolded. However, the toddler who was eating suddenly gained awareness, and looked directly at Orodan.

“A-ah… Teacher! Of course, this memory should not have you… we’re undergoing the process of molding my soul then?” Zukelmux asked, and Orodan nodded. “Good, good… is there anything you need of me?”

“At this time, no… but I’ll leave the sanctity of your memory be,” Orodan said as he turned away to face the blurry surroundings. It was not his memory to see, and he would respect that. “Just be prepared for pain, and… don’t push yourself too hard. Yes, the harder you push the more permanent gains you can acquire, but if you push beyond what your willpower can handle, you risk a soul explosion and your untimely demise.”

In fact, Orodan was lucky his first attempt at empowering the soul of another was with Vice Director Kalemar Cosanox. The man was a near-Master Psionic, and his soul skills were rather decent. As a result, Kalemar had managed to extract some excellent benefits from Orodan’s empowerment, leaving with quadrupled mana regeneration which made the man one of the Intelligence Service’s strongest mind specialists.

In Zukelmux’s case, the goblin leaving with even tripled mana generation would be a phenomenal result as his student had no soul skills. Orodan would’ve liked to teach the goblin, but six months was too little time to train his student in both martial techniques and the soul arts.

Orodan got to work and began exerting the full force of his control upon the goblin’s soul. He targeted the mana generation functions… and forced them to gradually churn harder.

Immediately, Zukelmux began to scream.

Orodan wasn’t heartless, and it was easier to see a man you didn’t know but were trying to help scream in pain compared to one’s student. He was considering stopping when Zukelmux himself spoke up.

“I can do this! Don’t stop!” his student roared, and Orodan complied.

He churned Zukelmux’s mana generation coils harder and harder, emboldened at seeing his student’s willpower capable of keeping up. Just above a five times mana generation increase, Orodan stopped as he felt Zukelmux’s concentration was beginning to flag. He stopped there and kept it at this level.

“Zukelmux! Look deep inside and remember who you are when all else is stripped away,” Orodan advised. “Focus, get in tune with your soul and claim dominion over it. Your soul belongs to you, demand that the increased generation become permanent. Endure the pain, don’t give in, this is your new reality!”

Much to Orodan’s pride, his student complied and focused hard. To the point that blood began leaking out of his nose in the real world. That was merely the side effect of hard work, in Orodan’s opinion.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Zukelmux permanently acquired triple mana regeneration.

“You’ve tripled your existing mana generation already, this is a safe point to stop if you want Zukelmux,” Orodan said.

“Not yet!” the goblin shouted back.

In the mindscape, all around was now the scene of a burning village. Halfling warriors ran amok slaughtering all the inhabitants, and Zukelmux lay within a baby carriage carried by his mother. About to be handed off to a younger Griok who was upon a boar.

“Dirty greenskins… your kind don’t belong here!” shouted an angry halfling, and even Orodan himself felt anger and a desire to strike this fool down.

“Focus Zukelmux! You aren’t a child any longer! Take up your spear and shield, stand like a warrior and reverse the course of this ill memory!” Orodan barked, causing the young babe within the carriage to gain awareness. His student suddenly transformed into his adult self, and his weapons formed within his hands.

Who was Zukelmux? Goblin warrior? Tragic survivor? Orphan?

Orodan could merely hypothesize from what he’d seen, but the actual answer was up to Zukelmux to discover. Only then could his student access the full benefits of what Orodan had done. Essentially, Orodan had overdrawn the mana generation capabilities of Zukelmux’s soul, and it was now up to the goblin to use his willpower and determination to prevent the beneficial changes from slipping away and acclimatizing to the faster generation. Painful as it might be.

Fifteen more minutes passed, and Orodan felt his student’s soul dangerously tremble.

“It’s getting rather dangerous now, I’m putting a stop to this,” Orodan said. Yes, if it was himself, he wouldn’t have cared, but he had another person’s life in his hands. “You’ve made gains enough, Zukelmux.”

“Wait! Give me a chance Teacher, I know I’m capable of reaching a bit further,” his student said. “I ask of you, please trust me.”

Against his better judgement, Orodan decided to respect Zukelmux’s agency. He felt it was a dangerous situation, but if the goblin wanted to push further, then Orodan wouldn’t deny him the opportunity.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Orodan said. “I’ll be quite displeased if I have to go explaining to your chief why you died and there are no remains due to the soul explosion.”

No reply came, but Zukelmux’s soul continued to go through the turbulence of catching up and acclimatizing to the changes Orodan was forcing.

Thirty more minutes passed, and a critical point was reached.

The mindscape changed once more, and Zukelmux stood amidst a field of defeated halfling killers. His village safe, his mother alive. Tears rolled down the goblin’s cheeks as he hugged her. Orodan respectfully turned away.

It wasn’t real. And yet such a thing, the ability to delve into a mindscape for a chance to change a past tragedy or spend a bit more time with a lost loved one, was an incredibly sought after service provided by psionics and certain soul specialists.

and Zukelmux had been warned of that prior. But the action allowed his student to understand more about himself. About who he really was.

Both student and teacher opened their eyes in the real world.

“Zukelmux… you’ve achieved it,” Orodan said. “Your mana generation has more than quintupled and even your reserves have increased by a substantial amount. Yet, I suspect you learned more in another way.”

His student remained silent for some time before he spoke.

“I had almost forgotten what she looked like, under the gentle glow of the sun… we lived on the surface once upon a time,” Zukelmux spoke. “She held them off that day so that the survivors could flee.”

“She must’ve meant a lot to you,” Orodan said. “I’m sorry you had to relive the sorrow in those memories.”

“On the contrary… I got to see her again and save her, even if it wasn’t real,” Zukelmux said. “We were peaceful, but the nearby halfling clan resented our success and burned our village to the ground once there were talks of us trading with the by the local human town nearby.”

“Oh? So, you encountered humans before in an official manner? I’m surprised there’s no record of such an encounter…” Orodan muttered. “Perhaps the local town wanted to keep it a secret?”

“Quite so. The Chief tells me that even if humans wanted to trade with us, it would be under the guise of secrecy,” Zukelmux spoke. “Our more warlike and greedy cousins who lean towards the darker side of our nature don’t help the matter.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Orodan said. “You persevered despite your tragic beginnings however, and that deserves respect.”

“I wonder if bringing somebody back from the dead is possible, if I had the power, she’d be the first person I choose…” Zukelmux said. “Honestly, I’m beginning to learn magic might not have limits… look at what you’ve granted me Teacher. I have five times the mana regeneration I used to have; your power is… godly.”

Was it? Orodan had merely given Zukelmux a temporary boost of the soul which the goblin warrior had claimed permanently through hard work and determination of his own. The people Orodan had helped with Absolute Soul Dominion in such a manner, were individuals of exceptional willpower to begin with. He would either need a higher skill level or other supplementary skills working in concert to begin simply granting people permanent boosts without any work from their end.

“I wouldn’t say it’s godly,” Orodan said, finding the descriptor unsavory given all his conflicts with the Gods. “But I suppose it has its uses. Now that I’ve seen how well it works with you, I might do Vespidia next.”

“Lady Vespidia? She’s already monstrously strong… to receive such a boon from yourself on top? That would be tremendous,” Zukelmux spoke.

Well, sort of. Who knew what energy pools Vespidia primarily used? Granting a warrior like Zukelmux a quintupled mana generation rate was strong and gave him a far brighter future filled with potential if he were to begin using magic. But it didn’t instantly give him usable combat power. A mage on the other hand would receive massive benefits since they already had a repertoire of powerful mana-powered skills. Vespidia on the other hand might use soul energy or good old bodily stamina for her skills, so there was no way of knowing without asking her.

“Perhaps, but she still has more work to do, and increased mana generation is but one advantage of many,” Orodan replied. “Given the enemies she has… she’ll need more than just a bit more mana.”

In any case, Zukelmux wasn’t wrong about magic potentially having no limits. As a matter of fact, today’s session with Destartes could very well be where Orodan himself unlocked a branch of magic that finally allowed him to surpass many of the limitations he had.

This would be the culmination of four weeks of hard work.

Orodan’s nose bled, his ears leaked blood, and his eyes poured red. All fourteen minds focused on the spatial ripples coming from the orb, and he brought his own soul energy to bear through Absolute Soul Dominion.

He’d been studying this orb for four weeks now, and alongside time dilation, that time span was far longer. The orb had two quirks which Orodan had come to discover. First, the orb itself was a dimensional storage, not a regular one, but a decaying one. This decay in turn caused it to emit the spatial ripples beginner students were meant to study. The second, was that periodically the orb would release spatial bubbles into the surroundings. These were essentially miniature moving pocket dimensions themselves, and Orodan studied these to understand what a proper pocket dimension should look like, even if these moving bubbles popped shortly after.

It wasn’t groundbreaking to realize that the orb itself was a decaying pocket dimension, but what was noteworthy… was Orodan’s insistence on not only controlling the spatial ripples, but completely controlling the pocket dimension of the orb and attempting to repair it and prevent the decay.

And on this day, he was determined to succeed.

Fourteen minds brought titanic amounts of soul energy to bear upon the problem, and Absolute Soul Dominion captured everything within its purview.

He strained, and he struggled, and yet he felt no closer to attaining Space Mastery.

What was Orodan missing?

Half an hour passed in the real world, and ten hours passed within the time dilation chamber before Orodan finally understood a key fact.

One couldn’t use soul energy to control space without also accounting for the spatial properties of the soul and soul energy itself.

What was the soul? It was partly metaphysical, but also existed in the real world. It was how Orodan acquired Divine Resistance, by extending his soul core outward till it encompassed every cell, every particle of his body. And Absolute Soul Dominion also worked by extending his soul core out and connecting to the soul of another.

The soul then, was a medium, but to truly control space using the soul… one had to account for the spatial properties of it and the soul energy it produced.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

There were no gaps or spaces within the soul. Using Vision of Purity, even the very smallest measurement of space he could normally see, wasn’t present within the soul. On the other hand, the soul energy he produced did have spatial gaps within it. And now he could see the problem. Attempting to control space through the soul and soul energy wouldn’t be possible until the soul energy he used as fuel was also condensed to the point it had no spatial gaps within.

Like attempting to grip sand in one’s fist; how could it be possible unless the container, the force being used, had no holes?

Orodan focused deeply upon his soul energy, and he began condensing it as powerfully as he could, ensuring there were no spatial gaps all throughout.

The strain caused blood to flow freely from his orifices, yet his concentration did not waver.

Five more hours, and he had the breakthrough he’d been looking for. All of the soul energy he produced, was without any spatial gaps whatsoever.

[Absolute Soul Dominion 68 → Absolute Soul Dominion 72]

[Soul Mastery 61 → Soul Mastery 63]

Four levels gained with one critical insight, and a Mythical skill which was pushed into the Elite-level.

Using this momentum of discovery and innovation, Orodan pushed onwards, and his newly empowered soul energy wrapped entirely around the spatial orb, seizing each and every emitted ripple… and brought it all together into a perfect pocket dimension.

[New Skill (Rare) → Space Mastery 11]

[New Skill (Exquisite) → Dimensionalism 1]

The first reaction was from Destartes who got to his feet immediately.

“What the devil? You perfectly repaired the dimensional orb too?” Destartes asked. “I mean, it was a training tool meant to be decaying, but this is the best possible result! Did you acquire Space Mastery?”

“I have 11 Space Mastery right off the bat,” Orodan replied. “And… I obtained the first level of Dimensionalism too.”

Destartes’s eyes widened.

“This is truly excellent news! Why, you’re among the more talented spatiomancers I’ve seen, to acquire Dimensionalism on the first try,” Destartes said excitedly. “How about we try having you perform the Spatial Fold spell then?”

Orodan agreed, and this part would be a mere formality. With Space Mastery in hand and the fact that he’d been studying the form and function of the Spatial Fold skill, to perform it now was but a trifle. But before that…

“Let’s go outside,” Orodan spoke. “I have a feeling my first cast of Spatial Fold might be a bit… different from a regular beginner’s.”

“If that isn’t an understatement,” his book companion replied. “Where will you go? Halfway into another town?”

Orodan didn’t reply, and instead they cancelled the time dilation on the chamber and made their way out, with Destartes having his memory slightly altered by an on-duty psionic as per agreement when using this particular chamber.

The royal district of Novar’s Peak was chock full of gigantic towers, and finding their way to the top of one of the taller ones was called for. Blue skies greeted him, the sun was setting on the horizon. He could see all the way to the sea from so high up. Some of the very distant towns of Novarria were visible, and Orodan felt this was a good spot.

“I’m actually quite excited to see how this plays out,” Destartes spoke. “If your soul is as powerful as you say it is, you could likely fold space all the way to another town and cross the distance in a single step.

In fact, Orodan was excited to see just how powerfully he could fold space as well.

Everything would be powered by the soul, and Orodan had a lot of it to give. Consequently, his ambitions were high, and he aimed not for a nearby town he could see hundreds of miles away, but for the farthest things, a thousand miles away, a massive mountain in the direction the sun rose from each day.

Eternal Soul Reactor flared to its utmost limit and his body began to suffer damage, which was then healed by Harmony of Vitality. Everything was churned to its maximal output and All-Consuming Rage was also activated not to drain anything but merely for the regular boost to his capabilities.

His hand grasped out and space was manipulated in the exact manner it would be for the Spatial Fold spell. Within the bounds of Novar’s Peak, he felt some very slight resistance from what was doubtlessly the city’s wards which countered enemy spatiomancers. However, he easily overpowered them and continued onward.

“T-the mountain’s collapsing! You can reach that far…” Destartes muttered.

Frankly, even Orodan wasn’t sure where the end target of his Spatial Fold was going. It was why he wisely targeted an uninhabited mountain with nothing of value around it or behind it. He felt the spell rip right through the mountain, fold space and continue onwards.

It simply kept going until he finally felt some resistance. Space was folded completely in a straight path from his hand to some point all the way behind the mountain, and Orodan had no clue where it was, but his Vision of Purity was giving him a strange reading and he couldn’t yet extend it through the Spatial Fold and out to the other side properly.

[New Skill (Uncommon) → Spatial Fold 14]

Fourteen levels gained on the first cast. What the hells had he even done to warrant that?

“Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Orodan said as he stepped through.

White rock contacted his feet. That was the first clue that he wasn’t anywhere normal. The sky was but a void with no clouds, and the stars were so incredibly clear.

Where even was he?

“You absolute… ugh!” his book companion exclaimed, although her voice carried a bit differently than usual, more ethereally.

Orodan tried to reply but found no sound coming from his mouth. And for that matter, no air went into his lungs. Good thing he didn’t need to breathe, otherwise it would have been quite the problem and an end to the loop.

“Orodan, you marvellous bastard,” his companion spoke in a magically amplified and ethereal voice. “Your Spatial Fold went all the way to the moon!”

The moon? Truly?

He was standing in the middle of a crater of oddly compressed rock, and everything around him was composed of this white stone. In the distance, there were strange creatures roaming about, and Orodan had never seen their like before.

Idly, he let go of the Spatial Fold he was holding onto, and the crater shot back to normal with an outward shockwave.

When he targeted the mountain earlier, what was behind it then… must’ve been the moon.

There was no air to breathe and consequently, no way for him to talk unless he experimented with soul energy. He was on a completely different celestial body, and it was incredible.

Was this the power of Spatial Fold when combined with his existing power? He’d expected a full power cast of the spell to take him to a distant mountain a thousand miles away. Matter of fact, Spatial Fold wasn’t even a teleportation or travel spell. It was simply meant to fold space and bring two points closer together, usually quite destructively hence Orodan’s target being an uninhabited mountain. It was as though he’d folded paper together and connected two separate points on a page together for a moment.

Even a previously recorded Grandmaster of the spell had only managed to fold space up to a thousand miles out from his casting position. And here was Orodan, who’d folded space on his very first cast, encompassing just over three hundred-thousand miles. How utterly ridiculous.

Yes, he had Space Mastery, and yes, he had fourteen minds that could work together to amplify the concentration and mindpower he could pour into a spell… but the aspect which truly broke all known convention, was his ability to generate endless power. Just one cast of that Spatial Fold could likely power an entire nation’s mana batteries for decades, but to Orodan it was merely the amount of power he used in a single spell. Without the need to convert his soul energy to mana, he could instead empower any spatial effects or skills with his soul energy alone, which was akin to drawing directly from the tap. And Orodan’s was endless.

The ability to manipulate space in the hands of someone who could also field endless energy.

“Ridiculous”, he thought to himself.

With this, pulling the Eldritch Avatar down to Novar’s Peak was more than just a possibility. It was looking more like a certainty now. Orodan was already brainstorming some methods of using a Spatial Fold to pull that thing towards him and alter its course when the time came.

However, that was for later. For now, he was being approached by some of the denizens of the moon. It appeared the moon too had monsters, and the ethereally floating butterfly which reflected the pale light beautifully was one of them.

He used Observe.

[Name: Eigonkus the Final Rest (Species: Soul Devouring Moon Butterfly)

Title 1: Soul Grandmaster

Title 2: Flight Master

Title 3: Grandmaster Slayer

Title 4: Combat Elite

Title 5: Wing Combat Elite]

Rather pitiful by the standards of a Grandmaster-level monster if Orodan was being honest, and once it came within sensory range of him it realized too that he was beyond it; the hasty retreat it beat after was almost comedic.

He felt a strange form of energy wrap around his head, and suddenly, his lips could produce sound again.

“Thank you,” Orodan said. His voice taking on a strange ethereal tone. “Without air I think it’s a little difficult to speak. How are you doing that anyways?”

“Mana,” she spoke as she floated about his head. “Still no air as it’d simply disperse into the void unless I were to maintain it. Hope you’re okay with holding your breath for a while longer, as I haven’t been up here in so long.”

“You have memories of this place?” Orodan asked. “I thought you barely remembered anything about who you were.”

“I still don’t know who I am,” she said. “But being here, I get the feeling I’d come up to the moon often.”

“We can stay and see the sights for a while,” Orodan said. “I see some interesting herbs and plants which look rather alien and might be good for training Alchemy.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” she replied. “I’m somewhat at your mercy as I have no way of getting back to Alastaia from here.”

Orodan rolled his eyes at her. As if he’d simply leave her to rot up on the moon.

They spent the next thirty minutes walking around, seeing the sights of the moon and collecting all manner of strange plants and herbs. His Gathering skill gained a level, as did his Pathfinding thanks to the unfamiliar environment and novelty of traversing it.

Across the moon there were various monsters of flying, subterranean and terrestrial origin. The average level of strength was decently high as well, and there seemed to be no limitation about Grandmaster-level monsters running amok like there was on Alastaia. In fact, there were various ruins in the distance too, and Orodan’s Vision of Purity sensed some signatures placed at important points, likely guardians of a sort. He got close enough to a ruin to have his instincts tell him that the guardians were strong, but around the level of triple-Grandmaster monsters at most. Not a challenge for him.

According to scholars who studied ancient Hasmathoria, the records of the fallen empire indicated that even their historians theorized that the moon once upon a time had civilization. The popular scholarly theory was that the moon used to be a world until something came by and wreaked devastation upon it. His companion couldn’t tell him much either as her memories were missing.

In any case, the landscape was a rather desolate one. A land composed almost entirely of white rock, with various craters dotting the terrain and monsters wandering about preying upon each other or fleeing from him. Amidst all this, the ruins which were scattered about painted the story of a once glorious civilization that had fallen to ruin. It was quite melancholy.

And who knew how depressing and morbid the dark side of the moon would look?

“I’m sure any historians would pay me a royal ransom for an opportunity like this,” Orodan said. “I’m not as appreciative of seeing some dusty ruins on the moon as they might be.”

“Hah! None of those cellar-dwelling runts would survive such an environment,” his companion derided. “Out of ten-thousand scholars, maybe one of them might be the adventurous type used to fighting and traversing hostile terrain.”

“Maybe in your time,” Orodan replied. “Nowadays we do have plenty of warrior-scholars who do their own fighting and ruins-delving. Reclaiming the lost heritage of the ancient empire from before the collapse thirty-thousand years ago is rather important to most nations.”

After all, the ‘researcher teams’ for the ancient machine under Mount Castarian had consisted of Master-level individuals such as Duke Arestos of Novarria and Baron Viglas Argon. It wasn’t a lie to say that both the Republic and the Empire had quite the interest in discovering ancient relics from the lost eras. In the wake of a cataclysm such as the Void Horror’s ascent, it was only natural that the newly formed nations and cultures would want to re-discover the past and find out about their roots. Eldiron in contrast didn’t have quite the same culture of adventurous ruins-diving and archaeology that Inuan did. Partly because their civilization had been going on for a hundred-thousand years and they likely had good continuity.

“Anyhow Orodan, I think I’ve had enough of this place,” his companion spoke. “As entertaining of a stroll as this has been, my attempt to jog my memories is proving fruitless. I miss the green color of grass, and I look forward to seeing that space mage’s face when we tell him where we’ve been.”

Orodan agreed and focused his sights upon the world of Alastaia which looked like a clear blue jewel in the void between stars. It was beautiful, and it was his home, and he could appreciate it even more so when he’d spent the last half hour seeing nothing but a desolate landscape which was a stark reminder of the failure of its former inhabitants.

Geographers and mapmakers would also pay him their life fortunes for the opportunity to see the world from this perspective. Some details were difficult to make out otherwise. For instance, no map ever mentioned that there was a small island near the world’s deepest energy well in the Great Zalabian Ocean. Nobody who was interested was strong enough to venture around those parts and confirm it, but Orodan now could from here.

Still, the moon had been an interesting trip, but it was time to return home, to Alastaia.

All his empowerment skills were pushed to the limit, and his basic understanding of geography had him choose a patch of land near Novar’s Peak that he knew was uninhabited. Spatial Fold shot out, and at least three floating asteroids between the moon and his destination was destroyed during the folding process.

He would gain more control and cause less unintended destruction as the skill gained levels, but as it stood, Orodan was a low-level spatiomancer attempting to effect space on absolutely colossal levels. Of course there would be slip-ups in control. He just had to pick his targets wisely and consider what lay between them.

[Spatial Fold 14 → Spatial Fold 18]

[Space Mastery 11 → Space Mastery 13

He felt his Spatial Fold reach Alastaia, and it brought up the question of how far it could really go if there wasn’t a planet in-between, but he shelved that thought for now. Interestingly enough, it might also function quite well as a destructive spell if he set a city as his target and aimed for something behind it. But such thoughts of offensive potential were a bit muted when he could destroy a smaller nation as collateral damage now anyways.

He took his book in hand, and stepped through the extremely folded space, crossing a distance of over three-hundred thousand miles in a single step. Now this…

…this was spatiomancy.

He touched down upon compressed dirt and the surroundings were a crater of mulched trees and plant life which had unfortunately received the brunt of his Spatial Fold. He cancelled the fold and things returned to normal, albeit still destroyed.

“You’ll have to work on controlling that,” his companion spoke. “You won’t only be traveling back and forth from the moon, and it’d be rather inconvenient if you destroyed an entire town every time you cast Spatial Fold.”

“I have an instinctive feeling that my control will be better on a smaller scale,” Orodan replied. “Going from here to the moon was a feat of high power; something which naturally causes my control to slip a bit. Going from town to town shouldn’t be as destructive.”

“All I hear are excuses,” she mocked. “We’ll have to train this rather rigorously and also work on teaching you other skills from the school of spatiomancy. Imagine how useful actual teleportation would be to you?”

As they spoke, a portal opened up near them, with the familiar face of Destartes stepping out. A mad look of excitement upon the space mage’s face.

“Orodan Wainwright! Have you actually done it?! Did you truly go to the moon itself?!” he asked in a frenzy.

“Yes, I may have overshot the spell slightly,” Orodan replied.

“Heh… ‘slightly’ he says…” his book companion muttered from the side.

“Mister Wainwright… you must help us reach the moon! I beg this of you! It has been one of my academic dreams to eventually reach the moon and uncover what exactly happened to it,” Destartes pleaded. “Whatever you need, the entire research fund of Bluefire, all the discretionary spending in the Republic’s budget, the entirety of my personal wealth, I will provide it all. I simply implore you help me open a way to the moon. Hells! You needn’t even bring me back… just to see it with my own eyes…”

Orodan placed a hand upon Destartes’ shoulders.

“You’ve helped me immeasurably by tutoring me in spatiomancy and being instrumental in my acquisition of Space Mastery,” Orodan said. “If you need to go to the moon, or anywhere for that matter now or in the future, simply let me know whenever you wish, and it will be done. Wasn’t planning on leaving you up there either, although you may want to prepare atmospheric spells and enchanted items for a hostile environment, there’s no breathable air up there.”

The space mage’s eyes widened, and he frantically nodded his head.

“In two months then, I shall prepare an expedition to the moon, and I hope to call upon your aid if you’re willing Mister Wainwright,” Destartes spoke.

“Of course, I’ll be waiting for you on that day,” Orodan said.

“I look forward to it,” the space mage said. “On a side note, you must possess power rivalling that of a dragon. I was expecting you to fail at bypassing the city’s wards, but you er… caused quite the alarm when you brute forced past them.”

“Apologies, the resistance was minor, and I didn’t have the time to rein myself in before I smashed past them,” Orodan said.

“Minor? Those wards should have power enough that it would take an entire dragon flight working together to have energy enough to brute force them,” Destartes said. “You could probably breach any warded area once you learn teleportation… a scary thought. I look forward to seeing just how far you can push the field of spatiomancy Mister Wainwright. Please do call upon me whenever you intend to break all known conventions of spatiomancy in the future; I’d love to take notes and document it.”

Orodan agreed easily enough. He really had stumbled upon something that would drastically change how he approached things.

Space Mastery.

The Spatial Fold spell was simply the beginning too. He’d been studying the teleportation spell idly in his free time as well, and it really didn’t seem all too difficult. With Space Mastery, what were the limits to where he could go?

Fleeing enemies? He could lock down space around them, and with his raw power, who could hope to contest the space lock? Enemies in need of killing? Orodan would now make a terrifying assassin, as he could simply brute force past any anti-spatiomancy wards and combine Spatial Fold with a Flash Strike to slaughter people in heavily guarded areas with impunity, even if it’d be a little destructive. Travel? He could step to Guzuhar, Eldiron and any nation in the world in an instant now. Collecting his companion at the beginning of each loop would waste time no longer.

He still had more practice before he could reliably do many of these things without collateral damage, but he was now on the path for it. And this wasn’t even mentioning the Exquisite rarity Dimensionalism skill he obtained which would allow him to begin creating pocket dimensions of his own.

Of all the new skills he acquired, that one held some interesting connotations which he’d have to explore.

“I’m told you travelled to the moon and then proceeded to destroy a mile of imperial forest preserve outside the city.”

Orodan looked sideways in shame and coughed.

“That’s on me,” he said. “I have yet to acquire full control when performing very high-end feats of spatiomancy.”

“I only jest Orodan,” Balastion said with a smile. “The fact that you’ve exceeded all expectations in learning Space Mastery and then folding space from Novar’s Peak to the moon is tremendous. With this development, I’m certain you’ll be more than capable of drawing our enemy into Novar’s Peak when the time comes.”

“Even as I am right now, I feel I could potentially manage it through combining Spatial Fold with another skill such as Whirlpool Whirlwind,” Orodan replied. “Still, we have five more months remaining and I intend to hone myself as much as possible before then.”

“Indeed, I believe your potential is endless,” Balastion spoke. “Destartes spoke as though you must’ve had a Bloodline to obtain Space Mastery instead of Space Magic Mastery, but I suspect this isn’t the case. Historically, there have been cases of those without a Bloodline obtaining an ability to manipulate an element with their soul, but it’s exceedingly rare. I suppose we can add Orodan Wainwright to those records now.”

“Admittedly, it took a full month aided by time dilation for me to get a handle on it,” Orodan said. “Frankly, without the enchantment on that chamber which stopped aging, I’d be almost two years older by now.”

“Of course, your time loops would reset you back to your starting age all the same,” Balastion spoke. “In any case, I actually wanted to speak with you to talk about an upcoming diplomatic meeting.”

“One where you feel I should be present?” Orodan asked.

“I know your feelings about engaging in open warfare on behalf of Novarria, and I wouldn’t ask it of you,” the first emperor said. “But this meeting may very well prevent war if all goes well.”

“The elves?” Orodan asked.

“Yes. Eldiron has asked for a ceasefire in the Dokuhan war in a bid to meet with us,” Balastion spoke. “Specifically, they wanted to meet you. Your actions in displaying your Divine Resistance have made some waves, Orodan.”

“And you want me to present myself as a Novarrian military asset in a sabre-rattling competition?” he asked.

“You are far too cynical my young friend,” Balastion spoke. “Yes, to an extent seeing you is a form of warning them that you exist and cautions them against trying anything stupid. But loathe as I am to admit it, it’s also a chance for you to meet the elven divinities and their leaders for yourself and see how they are. I am not so insecure that I would prevent you from seeing the other side. I’m sure you’ll spend a loop here and there upon Eldiron at some point. All I ask, is that you do not forget us when that time comes, and you do not act against us.”

Surprisingly amenable words from the first emperor, and Orodan naturally found the arrangement acceptable.

“I see, and I assume you have expectations on what I shall and shan’t say?”

“Not much besides keeping any national secrets to yourself,” Balastion said. “I would say not to speak of the time loops, but it’s your decision to do as you wish provided you can bear the consequences.”

“Do you think any of the elven Gods would act like the Prime Five and attempt to manipulate me?” Orodan asked.

“Cithrel, the God-Queen of the elven pantheon is a notorious schemer who would see even her fellow Goddess Faraine imprisoned,” Balastion said. “I admit, coming from me the opinion might seem a bit biased, but the fact that Faraine is imprisoned speaks for itself. I simply advise you move with caution whenever you deal with them. I do not think Cithrel, or her pantheon would be stupid enough to antagonize you if they learned of the time loops, but attempting to find a way onto them is a different matter.”

Like Agathor, Eximus and Ilyatana had tried in the last long loop. Orodan took the warning seriously and would keep it in mind for whenever he had dealings with elves in the future.

“How far away is this meeting then?”

“Tomorrow, actually.”

The Dokuhan Mountains were in the southern part of Inuan. While the popular sentiment among the humans of the continent was that Inuan was human dominated, this wasn’t the case for the southern part of the continent. Human dominance ended where the Dokuhan Mountains began, as the common folk didn’t want to settle such a hot and arid region.

On the surface, the terrain was mountainous, hot, and treacherous. Monsters frequently migrated upwards from the arid badlands to the south of the Dokuhan Mountains, and the place was quite inhospitable. The only civilization that had managed to survive on the surface of the Dokuhan Mountains, were various wandering orcish tribes who went from peak to peak and hunted local wildlife, traded furs with the humans and in general struggled to survive as the rest of Inuan wouldn’t accept them.

These orcs often had tensions with the dwarves, however in no way was the conflict even. The dwarven holds would gleefully exterminate any orc tribes who stepped out of line or even dared to wander near mountains under which their under-mountain holds were. The orcs knew this and accordingly gave the dwarves a wide berth.

However, the dwarves also periodically performed ‘censuses’ of the orcs and culled any who were a little ‘too’ strong. A disturbing practice quite in line with the dwarves’ ongoing extermination efforts against the drow.

And whether by luck or misfortune, Orodan’s Spatial Fold had carried him near an orcish tribe which was undergoing one such ‘census’.

“Greenskins, line up! It’s census time!” shouted a dwarven overseer in robes, his hands crackling with the threat of runic magic. Behind him, a battalion of heavily armored dwarves in formation waiting for the slightest indication that an orc stepped out of line; ready to commit violence. “You! Come up and put your hand on the Observer orb so we can get the readings.”

A look of anger was upon the orc youth’s face, but he complied and moved forward to put his hand on the orb.

“Hmm… your Axe Mastery is nearing the Elite-level… think you’re better than us do you, greenskin? Not like your kind could ever wield an axe like the dwarves,” the arrogant rune-priest said. “What’s with that angry look on your face? Wipe it off before I decide you’re an Elite-level axe master and in need of proper education in a dwarven hold.”

Greenskin. It shouldn’t have made him so angry, but it did. He’d seen his student’s memory, the fall of Zukelmux’s village and how his mother had died, and how that halfling killer had called him a greenskin.

Orodan’s fist clenched strongly enough to cause a powerful gale. He didn’t like this disgusting scene one bit. The thought of anyone speaking to his student Zukelmux and calling him a greenskin, made his temper run hot. To see it here, wasn’t acceptable either.

He stepped forward.

“A human? Identify yourself! Are you with Novarria? We’re oath-sworn of High-King Vokrim, leader of the Under-Mountain Confederation.”

Was he with Novarria? Orodan wasn’t sure he could easily say that when they were allies with such people.

“What’s going on here?” Orodan asked.

“We’re simply performing a census of this tribe, we’re here on the High-King’s authority,” the leading rune-priest spoke. The dwarf had a tone of caution as he uttered his words. A lone human wandering the Dokuhan Mountains wasn’t likely to be some powerless commoner. “We can leave if you wish. In fact, our superior will be on the way shortly.”

The rune-priest was smart enough to suspect Orodan was a foe beyond him, and soon enough, a portal opened, and five heavily armored dwarves stepped out. The rune-priest leading the ‘census’ was an Elite, but these dwarves who’d appeared were all at the Master-level.

“Human, might we inquire what you’re doing here?” the leader among them asked. “Our Confederation has an alliance with the Empire of Novarria. Part of the terms include non-interference in one another’s internal affairs. Can we direct you to our hold as a guest where someone can receive you properly?”

“No, actually. I’m wondering why you’re performing this farce of a census upon these people,” Orodan said. “I’d heard rumors about this practice, but to actually see it first-hand? This is just pathetic. Your rune-priest here would have carted this orc off for no reason. And ‘education’? Really? Are any of these ‘educated’ orcs seen by their tribes again?”

The Master-level dwarf’s communications amulet glowed; he doubtlessly informed someone of the situation while his hand went to the axe upon his waistband.

“You’re interfering in dwarven business, human,” he spoke. “We don’t go around interfering in your business, do we? You’ll be causing problems with both the Confederation and the Empire if you pick this course of action. I don’t know who you are, but there are powerful people on both sides who’ll come for you. I understand that this might disturb you, but orcs are known to collaborate with the dark elves often. However, we can leave this tribe be for now if you’re so insistent.”

Whether they were stalling for stronger reinforcements or genuinely attempting to avoid conflict, Orodan didn’t know. He had an inkling that the dwarves had some method of gauging the relative strength of people, for unlike his encounters with humans, they seemed to possess an instinct similar to that of a monster’s and both negotiating dwarves had called for backup.

Another portal opened, and three Grandmaster-level dwarves stepped out. The leading dwarf’s eyes widened, and he began sweating when he saw Orodan however.

“T-this is…” the dwarf stuttered.

“Honored guest, Orodan Wainwright,” one of the dwarves spoke. “We humbly apologize for not recognizing you; your reputation precedes you but only in higher echelons of power. We’d like to invite you to cordially join us at the High-King’s table alongside the other imperial dignitaries.”

“And what of this farce going on here?” Orodan asked. “Why should I not exterminate every last dwarf here who engages in this foul practice of keeping a tribe pushed down for no reason besides racial ones?”

[Intimidation 11 → Intimidation 13]

“Esteemed guest… our contacts in the Empire tell us of your power,” the dwarf spoke. “I am Gokrim Stoneshaper, please accept my humblest apologies. If you wish, you may reap the lives of these worthless dwarves before you in recompense. We shall also cease all census activities henceforth if that offends you.”

It was a start, but Orodan would be having words with Balastion about keeping allies with such pathetic practices. It made him further reconsider which side was the correct one in the Dokuhan War.

He looked to the hapless dwarves and uttered one word.

“Scram.”

They dutifully complied and ran for the hills while only the three Grandmaster-level dwarves remained.

“We are grateful for your mercy,” Gokrim said. “Please… let us make way for the table of the High-King, we’ve been awaiting your presence.”

The under-mountain holds of the dwarves were grand and ostentatious beyond measure. The halls were carved of beautiful stone with intricate patterns of ancestral battles and heroes, flowing banners of the Confederation and all sorts of decorations.

They had teleported inside, so Orodan hadn’t gotten to see the city proper, but he was sure it would rival Novar’s Peak in terms of splendor.

Unfortunately, Orodan was too angry to appreciate much of it, and the first thing he did when reaching the table of the High-King, was beeline directly for Balastion Novar; ignoring High-King Vokrim outright. An absolutely ancient looking dwarf who was witness to all this, simply laughed as though greatly amused.

“What manner of folk do you call your allies?” Orodan pointedly asked. “The first thing I see upon reaching the Dokuhan Mountains is sand, the blistering sun, and a company of dwarves bearing the banner of High-King Vokrim carrying out a ‘census’ to cull an orcish tribe of any strong members.”

“Orodan, sometimes alliances of necessity are-”

“I understand ruling a nation can’t be easy, and I’m not going to stand here and tell you what to do,” Orodan said. “But if any such maltreatment occurs while I’m here, I won’t hesitate to separate the offender’s head from their shoulders.”

He declared this in full hearing of the High-King, and the entire table erupted into angry shouts.

“Who the hells are you?!”

“You can go sod off, human!”

“What would an outsider understand of our ways!”

Came many of the immediate protests. Yet, Orodan cared not a whit. He was stubborn, and he would always approach situations in this sort of bull-headed manner. A more calculative and scheming time looper would’ve been smarter, perhaps attempting diplomacy or negotiations. Some might even say it wasn’t their problem to meddle in.

In Orodan’s opinion such a person was spineless and indecisive.

If he saw a problem he didn’t like, he would make it his problem. This was how Orodan was. He would promise to help those who did him a good turn, and if he saw something he didn’t like, he’d fix the issue then and there. And hearing some arrogant dwarf tyrannize an orcish tribe and referring to them as greenskins just didn’t sit right by him. Not when his student Zukelmux had been referred to similarly in his darkest memory.

High-King Vokrim’s fist slammed onto the table, and the dwarf rose.

“Human, we’ve heard of your might, but coming into my hall and threatening us for how we live our lives is beyond disrespectful,” the dwarf said.

“I care not,” Orodan replied. “If you think yourself strong enough to act the despot towards those beneath you… then how about you stand and draw your weapon against me? You’re merely at the Master-level though… how about your strongest ancestor comes forth and fights me? If I lose, I drop the matter. Hells, feel free to kill me if you like. But if I win, this disgusting practice stops lest you face death at my hands.”

[Intimidation 13 → Intimidation 14]

The table had gone silent at the bold and bull-headed proclamation.

And to the side, Balastion Novar, the first emperor of Novarria, could only sigh and shake his head.

And the ancient looking dwarf who’d laughed before when Orodan ignored the High-King… laughed like a madman as he rose to his feet.

“Orodan Wainwright, was it? I am Thavri Grimbreaker, first of the Grimbreaker line and oldest of the under-mountain crown bearers,” the ancient dwarf spoke. “I respect your bold mannerisms. If you can prove your strength, all you ask for will be yours. Fight me.”

He saw in the incomparably old dwarf’s eyes, that this one was a true warrior.

Orodan couldn’t be happier.