"Yir Kav othok keovid? Tha'm busy," said a dwarf with goggles on top of his bald head. His nose occupied half his hairy face and gold metal clips held his thick dirty gold braided beard.
(Pic)
Ryu frowned when he couldn't understand the dwarf on the crystal orb.
"Nice oz meet othok too, Rigulus." Faux's eyelids fluttered, and she said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak in Mortal tongue."
"Yir?" Rigulus raised a brow. Then his gaze drew to Ferris and Ryu. He coughed and cleared his throat and said, "Wha' do ye wants? I be busy."
Ryu's eyes sparkled when he finally understood the dwarf, and he tagged Ferris's clothes and pointed the crystal ball.
Ferris shrugged. "Everyone knew human language since they mostly waged war in Mortal soil. Most old human even knows how to speak the different tongue."
Ryu wondered if there was a way that he would know all the language without studying it. Like a spell and skill scroll or an item or something.
Faux chuckled and introduced, "This is Ferris, a half-demon, and this is Ryu, a half-beast. They want you to make a weapon for him."
"Be that right?" Rigulus thick eyebrows almost covered his eyes when he frowned. "Wha' kind o' weapon?" His interest was piqued.
Faux waved her hand at the crystal orb, urging Ferris to take the lead.
"I'd like a weapon for him. He fights with his bare hands. Also, I want a lightning attribute imbued in the weapon."
Rigulus kneaded the beard on his chin. "Garr . . . a pup who fights wit' his fist. I like it. Come here lad 'n show me yer hands."
Ferris pushed Ryu in front of the crystal ball, and Ryu prompted his hands for Rigulus to see.
"I see . . . I see . . . ye've got strong hands 'n the contour o' yer bones suggest that yer can extend yer nails. The muscles in yer knuckles are a wee worn out . . . Shower me ores . . ." Rigulus thick bushy brows rose, showing his pair of brown eyes. "I say a gauntlet be perfect."
"You'll do it then?" Ferris said with suppressed eagerness.
"Nyeh" Rigulus shrugged, "Depends if ye can get me the materials."
"What do you need?" Ferris asked without a second longer.
Rigulus hairy face went at rest, and his bushy brows covered his eyes. "I needs two Thundaga Ores, one Orihalcon Ore, four Mythril Ores, two Adamantite Ores, one Legion Steel, one Materia Silver, and a Queen Horns Mackarel."
". . ."
". . ."
"Why so many?!" Ferris wanted to pluck Rigulus beard one by one if she could.
Rigulus gave a half shrug. "I jus' needs the Thundaga 'n Orihalcon ores. The rest be me payments."
Ferris slowly closed her eyes, and Ryu stayed at least a meter from her. And when she shouted, Ryu and Faux covered their ears.
"Ya' stinkin' ugly dwarf! Do you know how rare a Legion Steel is? It's compoundable! And what do you even need a Horn Mackarel? And a Queen at that?! They're not common in the Mortal Realm! In fact, it's abundant in the Elven Realm! Why don't you get it yourself?!"
Rigulus poked his ear and flung the dirt from his finger. "No can do. Its chaos outside wit' the elves invadin' our lands. Those pale mongrels' want us t' submit t' 'em 'cause we live in thar land. But we be already here afore they even appeared."
"Anyway, I've been eatin' naught but beast meat. I wench those slimy creatures." Rigulus folded his hands. "That's me final offer."
"Grr . . ." Ferris gnashed her teeth.
"Rigulus is a stubborn man. All dwarves are." Faux prompted her chin and smiled. "I'd say that it's not a bad offer considering his position in the Dwarven colony. The weapon he'll make is surely top-notch that no money could buy. Maybe it would even turn out to be an artifact."
Ferris shot a shut-up glare at Faux, and the latter zipped her lips, scrunching her eyes in a cutesy smile.
Faux was just pulling her leg. For the weapon to be an artifact, either a soul was inhibiting it, or it had to withstand thousands of battles, accumulating auras nonstop.
Grumbling and with a heavy heart, Ferris flung all the ores that Rigulus wanted on the table, which she accumulated for many years. "I'm missing Legion Steel and, of course, that stupid fish."
Rigulus tiny eyes sparkled at the sight of so many raggedy ores. Then his thick brows hid his gaze. "That we'll do. The rest we can negotiate through Seal o' Promise. Faux can be me proxy."
Ferris was about to cut her hand once more when Ryu stepped in front of her. "I'll do it," he said.
"Eh?" Ferris looked over at him.
"You've already done so much for me . . . I want to . . . take some of your burden . . ."
Ferris was dumbfounded for a moment. Then she blinked in rapid succession, and her gaze dropped on the floor. Her heart was accelerating for some reason . . .
Faux leaned in and teased, "The pup is becoming a man. Hmm . . .?"
"Shut up." Ferris barked and coughed between her fist. "When can we have that weapon?"
Rigulus counted, eyes and brows rose on the ceiling. "I'd say . . . within a week."