^^Dimitri, 8'2", Athletic Build (SFW)^^

--- Dimitri ---

We passed down a long hallway made of crystal, which I knew could arc Lightning at the command of the Council, and kill or incapacitate intruders. Beautiful work, really, despite its intended use.

After we were cleared into the Council Chamber, the wooden doors at the end opened, and we strode into a massive circular room, built almost like a Strip Mine, in layers, and split into four sections.

These rings of seats surrounded a Pit, with an indiscernibly dark bottom, and a giant wooden pillar rose out of it to Eye-Line with the Speaker's Podium/Throne.

The pillar was made from the trunk of the Great-Oak Tree that was chopped down to build the Chamber, almost 8,000 years ago. The wood is fossilized, sturdy, but still very much alive, somehow.

We halted in the center, on the Pedestal, and the Speaker of the Council hummed. "This is Dimitri the Dwarf, then? Supposedly your greatest smith?" He asked grumpily.

"He is." Petrie nodded.

"Hmm... and you are Half Human, yes, boy?" He looked at me.

"That's what my father tells me." I nodded.

"You do not know?" He asked, now more curious than spiteful.

"I was Three when my mother died. I do not remember much more than her face, which seemed Giant enough to me, just as all children see their parents. She was smaller than my father, however." I shrugged.

"Hmm... I suppose that's true. Is the Council satisfied that he speaks truth?" He asked the house.

There were no naysayers, so he nodded. "Good... so you are not a liar. Your skills as a Blacksmith, though, that I doubt. Would the Council wish a demonstration?" He asked the house again.

Nods all around.

I pulled out my sphere, and held it up. "Then would you like me to show you my latest Homunculi?"

He chuckled. "No one creates Homunculi, boy, that's a lost art." The surrounding Giants laughed at my audacity.

I activated the sphere into its feline form, and the room silenced as my pet purred loudly. "I have created many Homunculi, though they eventually run out of power." I said clearly, and he rolled back into a ball at my mental command, then turned into a wolf.

He began trotting around the stage, then shifted in mid-stride into his Avian form, flying around swiftly, and finally turning into his spider form, scuttling back into my pocket to hide, as was it's instinct.

I pulled out the sphere, and then bowed slowly. "My Chimera Sphere, Elders."

They began talking amongst themselves, and the speak banged his cane, silencing the room. "It seems I was incorrect in saying that Homunculi were a Lost Art. My apologies for calling you a liar, Dimitri the Dwarf." He bowed his head a little.

I bowed deeply. "Accepted, Elder."

"Now, his Mechanical Prowess has been proven, I hope... House?" He banged his cane again, that same booming echo resounding on the open rafters.

They silenced once more from their whispers, and then nodded. One giant on the far left stood. "Elder Lemas, petitioning to speak?" He called out.

"Speak, Elder Lemas." The speaker nodded.

"How do we know he created this homunculi? And why have we never seen this technology? I don't like calling a Warriorborn Smith of the Fell a Liar, but it must be observed, to be believed." He spoke calmly, and almost apologetically, but with a stern undertone that said he wouldn't be ignored.

"You've been heard, Elder Lemas... does the house hold the same view? All who say he should be taken for his word, stay silent. Those who wish him tested, Speak Aye." He thudded his cane again.

A wave of Aye's roiled across the room, and he nodded, banging his cane once. "Then the Majority Overrules the Speaker. Ruling: Dimitri the Dwarf's Skills as a Smith must be witnessed by the Council. Guards, bring him a hammer, flames, and metal." He waved.

I cleared my throat. "Fire and hammer are Unnecessary. Metal is all I need."

He hummed, but nodded to the guard, who handed me his shield. It stood as tall as me, and twice as wide, in a perfect circle.

I immediately cut it into small pieces with lightning, and melted them, gathering the steel sludge into a pile.

I then started drawing plans on the fossilized Oaken floor, despite the Council's murmurs of disapproval, (I was desecrating a sacred symbol of our People, I suppose,), for an Owl.

I glanced at the Guard, and hummed. "More metal, please, and a whetstone?"

He shrugged and handed me his comrade's shield, then a whetstone from a pouch on his belt. "I'll get that back, yes?"

"Yes, I just need to sharpen its talons." I nodded, and began the basic structure.

The Brain and Eyes were expected to be the most complex parts, and easily the best I'd ever built, because I wanted it to be able to record and inscribe everything it saw, in perfect detail, as a Council Scribe, but also store everything it ever saw, and never forget.

It's final, and hardest part, were vocal cords and a mouth capable of speech. I decided to leave its beak alone, and then simply chose to make the voice come from the back of its throat.

I finally sharpened its talons, then leaned back, and stood in front of my newest creation. It's neck, which naturally spun fully around, was also its main generator, so I sparked it to life with magic, and stepped back as it shook its head, then shivered, spinning its head.

"Oh! My word! Rather interesting birth, that was, eh master?" It asked in a squeaky female tone.

I hummed and tuned them again, nodding. "Very interesting, Scriba."

"Scriba is my name, hmm? Indeed." She hopped onto the Speaker's chair, and settled down, before looking at him. "Hullo, Elder Speaker! I shall be your Scribe!" She snitched a pad of paper and a quill, and started writing lightning fast, creating an entry about today's events since I walked into the Chamber.

He chuckled softly. "Indeed... is the house satisfied that Dimitri the Dwarf is a very capable Smith, as his chief reported? Elder Lemas?"

They nodded, and Aye again rolled across the chamber.

"Good... now on to the vote for his Rite of Passage. As his Chief, you, Chief Petrie, have the first Vote for his Rite. Speak now." He nodded.

"I vote that he take a Rite as an explorer. I want him to go to the human world, and discover anything that's changed since the last was sent, twenty years ago, then bring it back." He said clearly.

The speaker nodded. "Sensible... he may pass amongst the humans without being hunted, perhaps, making his Expedition a peaceful one... perhaps we can open trade routes once more. I second, but would like to stress the trade route situation, as that would allow for us to discover new things as an Effect. East House?" He asked clearly.

They conferred openly for the first time, while the other three did the same, and came to a consensus eventually. "We vote for Combat, Speaker. Let this Halfling Prove he is a Warrior." Their eldest spoke clearly, gazing at me calculatingly.

I nodded and looked at the next group, along with the Speaker. "And the North?"

"We Vote for a Trade Expedition, Speaker."

"The West?"

"We vote for Combat, Speaker. We, too, wish to see if he is more Giant than Human." Their representative rumbled.

"And the South?"

"We Vote for Combat as well, Speaker. We require proof he is a Warrior." The last vote fell.

I blinked. "A tie?" I whispered.

Chief Petrie covered my mouth, gazing warily around.

The speaker hummed. "It would seem that we are Tied. As is Precedent, the last vote shall now fall to you, Dimitri the Dwarf. What do you choose as your Rite?"

I blinked slowly. "Is... is it possible to chose both?"

He flinched. "Excuse me?"

"I wish to prove myself as a Warrior, but the Trade Expedition would also bring honor to my Clan, and so I would Vote for Neither and Both, Elder Speaker. I wish Trial By Combat, and then a Trade Expedition." I spoke clearly.

Chief Petrie growled at me. "You stupid Halfling, I'm trying to save your life!" He hissed under his breath.

The Speaker leaned back in his chair slowly. "Hmmmmm... House... I think that his enthusiasm should be noted? And his drive to honor his father and clan is definitely as a warrior should act..."

The Giants around us, even those who didn't like me, nodded begrudgingly.

"And the GALL!" The speaker lost his composure. "HE ASKS FOR TWO TRIALS!!! HAHAHAHA!!!" He giggled and then calmed himself as the room laughed alongside him.

They settled down, and he cleared his throat. "I apologize, Dimitri the Dwarf, for laughing at you. You astonish me... I will propose... a different solution. You shall have Trial By Combat, as you wish, but you will take your Trade Expedition as a Man, not a boy."

"I don't understand?" I asked.

"Your Rite shall be Combat, but your Expedition shall come afterwards, and bring even more honor to your Clan, should you succeed." He explained. Then he looked around. "This satisfies the House?"

A wave of enthusiastic Aye's and boot stomps shook the room, as even the Giant's who hated the idea of a Halfling like me were somehow in awe of my guts.

"Good... do you understand your Trial, Boy?" He asked me.

I nodded. "I believe I do, Elder Speaker. When do I fight?"

He grinned. "Right Now."

The guards seized my arms, and I walked with them as best I could, until they realized I wasn't resisting. They set me on my feet, and I followed them more fluidly this time.

Chief Petrie walked beside me. "You shouldn't have done that, boy, you almost survived this day."

I turned on him suddenly, roaring in rage at his continued lack of faith in me, and hauled him over my shoulder like a sack of rice, ramming him into the ground.

Then I stood on his chest, staring at his surprised features. "I am not so weak as to have lost your faith, am I, Chief Petrie?" I snarled, then walked down the hall again, ignoring the incredulous Guards.

We entered the Arena, just as a Feud was settled, and the Speaker spoke to the announcer quietly, then sat in the shade.

The announcer cleared his throat, and then began his job. "Today, my Kith, my Kin, we witness a Rite of Passage!" He boomed out, silencing the crowd with his voice alone.

"Yes, my friends, a Rite of Passage unlike any you've ever seen here before... today, Dimitri the Dwarf, Halfling of the Fell Clan, has Chosen to attempt TWO RITES of MANHOOD, one of which is by COMBAT!!!"

They either cheered or jeered, but I ignored them, focusing on the Giants on the other side. 'One of them will be my opponent... one of them will fall beneath my determination...'

"And so welcome Dimitri the Dwarf, of the Fell Clan!" He roared, and the gate opened.

I stepped into the Arena, my head held high, my chest out, and simply glared at the Giants on the other side, ignoring the jeers and thrown things from the crowd. 'I will win, for father, mother, and for myself, most of all. Halfling, they call me. Dwarf. I will give them pause, and reason to respect me, and my clan, once and for all.'

"And his opponent, Tauren the Savage!!!"

I blinked as I heard the Chief's roar, outraged. "This is just murder!!! There is no honor in this fight!"

My fathers voice rose above even his. "KILL HIM, DIMITRI, AND SHOW THEM WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FELL!!!"

I grinned. 'Perfect... this is perfect... After all, if a Half-Giant Boy of the Fell Clan is equal to the Champion Giant Adult of their Clan, what does that make them versus us? There is no better way to bring honor to my clan!'

My grin faltered a bit, though, when my Opponent stepped into the Arena. He stood an insane 80hands tall, and was Massive in every sense of the word.

He wore banded steel armor across his stomach, a metal pleated skirt of armor, scaled bracers, and steel plated boots and leggings, along with a Spartan-style helmet.

Across his back was a Bastard sword as big as he was, but poorly made. I could see, in the little bit visible, cracks in the Guard from long use.

(^Tauren^)

A Spear landed in the sand at my feet, nearly twice my height, and I frowned at the Armorer, who shrugged helplessly.

"Your weapon seems... insufficient." Tauren spoke.

I snapped the shaft where I wanted it, and held the two new spears, one in each hand. "I'll make do." I shrugged.

He nodded. "I will give you an honorable Death."

I laughed sarcastically, then snarled at him, enraged by this continued pattern of people pitting and hating and underestimating me for no reason beyond my size. "I'M GETTING REALLY PISSED OFF WITH PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATING ME!!!" I roared.

The announcer laughed, along with the audience. "And let the Trial By Combat, To the Death, between Dimitri the Dwarf and Tauren the Savage begin!!!"

Tauren stayed still, only drawing his horrendously large sword, and holding it ready.

"COME ON YOU UGLY WHORE, I HAVEN'T FUCKING GOT ALL DAY!!!" I roared at my opponent to jog him forward.

He narrowed his eyes inside his helmet, and tsk'ed. "I had hoped not to kill you too quickly." Then he darted forward, deceptively fast for a Giant his size.

I raised half my spear, and simply lanced it at his sword guard, filling it with lightning.

It struck as he guarded easily, and simply shredded his sword's guard, dropping the shattered blade on the sand.

He was brought up short, staring at the crumbling remains, and I grinned. "Done underestimating me?" I asked.

He smiled and darted forward once more. I charged up the second half of the spear, and aimed for his eye, hauling back and releasing.

He blocked with one hand, only for the spear to rip through his hand, and be mostly stopped by the plate from his wrist guard, though it still savaged his left eye.

As he howled with pain, I rolled between his legs, only to yelp as he snatched my ankle, and began slamming me around, into sand and stone.

I grunted and simply bore it, as it was negligible compared to Father's Training in 'Getting hit and getting back up', his longest and completely irreplaceable class.

Then he threw me straight up, into the Sky, and I grinned savagely. "Bad move, letting go." I laughed, and summoned all the latent lightning in the clouds around us, creating a massive Warhammer out of pure electricity.

"HA! I KNEW MY SON WOULD KILL THAT UPSTART WARRIOR LIKE A RAT!" Father roared in approval.

As I came back down, I released upon his helmeted skull the contained Fury of a thousand lightning strikes.

Unlike his sword, his helmet was of good make, but it still shattered, taking the first hit, while the rest of it struck him squarely, scorching and harshly burning his face and skull.

He lurched backwards, holding his cracked skull, which would no doubt be Fatal in a few minutes, but now I had to survive a few minutes in the Arena with a pissed-off Giant three times my size, with no weapon.

I picked up a reasonable sized shard of his sword, and decided to end him, before he recovered even a little bit.

He kicked at me, but I dodged by a hair's-breadth, and jumped, stabbing the unarmored back of his knee. He roared in pain and lurched backwards, grabbing the wall for support.

I took my opportunity, sprinting up onto his chest as nimbly as I could on the shaking giant. When I reached his throat, I drove the jagged metal into his jugular, and ripped it out, spraying his blood over the crowd and sands.

He fell into the Arena, and I hopped onto the wall, tossing the shiv-like blade into the bloody sands next to his body.

The Announcer was silent, until the Speaker prodded him, and he cleared his throat. "And... with a completely unexpected victory, Dimitri the Dwarf of the Fell Clan!"

I grinned and held up my fists, just as I caught view of Father, sitting above the announcer's gazebo.

He grinned and roared out a victorious battlecry, then stomped his foot. Chief Petrie did the same, and any members of the Fell Clan echoed it.

I leapt down from the edge, into the crowd, and then frowned when two more Giants stepped into the arena, only to hum and nod when they dragged Tauren off the sands.

One of my older brothers hauled me onto his shoulder, and paraded me up to the Announcer's Gazebo, and then set me down, bowing to the Elders.

Father and Petrie entered as well, and I noticed father receive a large bag of shining things from Petrie, and another from Elder Lemas.

I snickered. "You bet on me?!? Better yet, against me?!? You old bastards!!!"

Elder Lemas shrugged. "I don't regret it. It was a good battle, if short."

"All real death-battles are." I shrugged back.

The announcer reached and shook my hand. "Well done, Dimitri. Well done. I can't say I'm happy to lose my Champion, but from what the Elder's have told me, we would've lost a lot more if he'd won... of course I had all faith in you-"

"Save it. You sent your Champion against my son during his Rites to murder him in the Arena. Sacred Ground! You Coward." Father snarled.

He turned to my father. "Do you want to perhaps start a Feud with the richest Giant in the City?"

Chief Petrie gripped the significantly smaller, yet much heavier man by the throat. "Don't... you... DARE, threaten the man for defending his son." He snarled, and shoved the fat giant away.

I chuckled. "I can handle myself, chief, and father, you know that as well. We all saw what he did, but he lost, and I won, so the matter is done and all settled. Correct, Elder Lemas, Elder Speaker?"

Elder Speaker nodded. "Correct."

Elder Lemas nodded slowly. "Correct... now as for your Expedition-"

"Can the man get a moment to breath?" Elder Speaker laughed softly.

The other Elders laughed, and I leaned against the wall. "I'll talk with the merchants in the city tomorrow, get a handle on what we have to trade, and who's willing to do so... should that become possible." I nodded.

They looked at me, and Chief Petrie nodded. "I'll send a few boys with you, to carry anything that needs carrying... and because I think it'll be funny." He grinned.