^^ Chaste Markings in use ^^

--- Dimitri ---

I grinned amicably. "Heeey, let's talk about this, I don't really wanna hurt anyone today-"

Tamil snarled at the elf who was apparently commanding them, but I was concentrating on the spears, not her voice.

They conversed for a moment, and then seemed to reach an understanding, because he nodded slowly, and looked up at me, then sneered and looked back at her. "Tell him to disarm, Tamil. No one except the Warriors enter the Gard with weapons, you know this! I will have a word with your father about this disgrace!!!"

She raised an eyebrow slowly, and stepped into his personal space. "Was that a threat, Finn? Tell me you're not that stupid?"

He gulped, leaning away from her face, which was inches from his own. "I simply inform you that I will be talking to your father about this departure from tradition! I'll not be bullied into silence!"

She snorted. "Coward. Don't speak to me about traditions you don't understand... and don't you EVER command MY men again, do you understand?" She shook him by the collar, and shoved him away, allowing him to recover his composure. "Now we will discuss this with my father together. I am not afraid of listing my accomplishments." She said primly, straightening her hair.

I sighed and spoke in Canaanite. "Are you quite done yet? I've been patient." I looked at Tamil as he froze. "Do I really have to disarm?"

She nodded. "I told you."

I hummed and slowly pulled my sword off my back, still in its sheath, watching the stoic elves with spears to make sure they didn't flinch and stab me.

I held it out to her, along with the daggers on my belt, and nodded. She took it slowly, unsure for some reason, and groaned as the weight took her to her knees.

She leaned it against the wall laboriously, and huffed for breath. "That... is simply not funny. No weapon should be as heavy as that. Anything else?"

"I've a dagger in both my boots, but I won't reach for them with spears on my throat." I said clearly.

She nodded and quickly knelt, removing them and stepping back, placing them in my dagger belt, and hanging that over the Guard of my sword.

"He carries no more weapons?" The elf man asked her.

"I'm standing right here, elf, and your continued reticence to address me respectfully is proving distasteful and simply Rude. Now You will address me when you speak of me, or I will bury my boot so far up your ass you will burp shoe leather. Am I clear, sir?" I asked simply, straightening my clothes.

He glanced at me, and then back at her. "He's remarkably rude when speaking to his betters." He said haughtily, ignoring her look of blatant disgust.

My hand thwacked upside his skull gently, meaning to chide him, but instead ended up tossing him across the room and into a wall like a leaf.

"Oops... I meant to chide him. My apologies, Tamil, if that creates problems for you."

She smirked. "I'm actually amused. He deserved... well, maybe not that, but he deserved something close. Now let's go meet the Council and Chief Chaste, and leave this imbecile here to wake up with a headache."

She simply flicked two fingers at the guards, (who hadn't reacted to me hurting the man at all,) in a sign they seemed to understand, because they stood at attention, then marched away to their posts smartly.

I nodded and followed her, leaving Chimera to guard my things.

---

A long walk around in circles up the sloped floor, though crowds of elves that almost all looked completely female to me, and 11 more thorough guard checkpoints later, we arrived at a large door, out of place because of its material, an odd Metal/wood I found fascinating.

"Sorry about the security-" Tamil began apologetically.

"No, no, I respect your security, and the guards in here are much better trained, unlike the sentinels at the gates... what wood is this? It's impressive..." I nodded.

"Ironwood? It's a specialty of Canaan forest. Stronger than steel, but made of wood and magic. It can't be burnt easily, and it can be sung into beautiful shapes and colors." She smiled.

I simply placed a hand on it, and she yelped, seemingly afraid for my life, as electricity arced over the door, gently tasting the power in my blood, and then playfully jumping between my fingers and hairs, which now stood up.

I laughed softly. "Well hello! Aren't you adorable! A lightning Sprite? Would you like a snack, miss?" I asked the Sprite in the wood, and fed her electricity a little bit at a time.

The Lightning turned from deep blue to a beautiful silver, and the small sprite made herself known, kissing my cheek and disappearing again shyly. I laughed. "Always the Flirts, Lightning and Fire Sprites." I nodded to Tamil.

She blinked slowly. "You just made a Sprite appear..."

"No, no. She did that on her own. I just gave her a gift, a token of my admiration." I smiled and stroked the door.

"That door kills people who touch it. We open it with magic." She said softly.

"Oh? I suppose she's quite territorial, then! Aren't you, darling?" I fed her a little more electricity, and spoke in a crackling language I'd known since birth, the language of Lightning Spirits.

She gasped inaudibly, and giggled, making lightning arc once more over the Door. 'Yay! Someone to talk to!!! But you're very big for a Lightning Sprite! Are you undercover?' She whispered conspiratorially, giggling childishly.

I laughed. "You betcha. They think I'm normal, after all! Shhh!"

She gasped and covered her mouth, disappearing. "Did I blow your cover?!?" She asked timidly.

"No, no, not at all. They don't understand this language, remember?"

I grinned at her Elemental Naivety, which was caused by her inability to communicate. She was likely born in this forest, and with no one to talk to, she knew very little.

She shivered. 'The Elders of the Council do. They know a lot of languages, but they're mean to Sprites, say we aren't allowed to be seen. We are Secrets. Humans think we're extinct, cause Dwarves used us all for Golems.'

"I see... then I'll be extra careful!" I winked conspiratorially, and she giggled, blushing, then disappeared for good, hiding, as the door was forced open from inside.

I stepped back, and whispered to Tamil. "Let's never speak of that. She said that she would get in trouble for appearing before us."

She nodded slowly. "Right... Consider my lips sealed."

"Enter." A deep voice echoed out of the dark room.

I smirked. "Really playing up this vibe, huh? Whatever." I strolled in, letting lightning arc over my skin continuously to light up the room.

I spotted a few braziers, and lit them, then let my lightning fade. "Cool, let there be light, eh? Ahem... Greetings, Council and Chief of the Rain-Walker Tribe."

They gazed at me impassively, all twelve of them, so I switched to Canaanite and repeated myself.

They seemed mildly surprised, but the one directly in front of me spoke clearly. "And who are you?" She asked.

"I am Dimitri Termini, Warrior of the Fell, a Halfling Giant-Elf, and Trade-Craftsman from Giant Country."

They reacted to my name, and looked even more surprised, debating for much longer before she sighed, ending the staring contests universally. "Your parentage, Halfling?"

"Lila Termini and Wyler-"

She flicked a hand dismissively. "We care not for your Giant Ancestry." She said simply.

I choked down my rage, and the smallest of them, a boy with white hair and scars coating his entire body, flinched visibly.

I powered over her words when she went to speak again. "I am Dimitri the Dwarf, Son of Wyler the Driven, both of the Fell, and I will not have my Clan disrespected to my face, nor my Kin, and so you will show the Respect we are Due, or you will feel the Wrath of the entire Fell Clan, and all the Lightning in the heavens, Crash upon your tiny mind and skull." I spoke as calmly as I could, but my rage was tangible, and the small white-haired boy stood slowly, hand on his sword gently.

She nodded slowly, looking between the others as if having a silent conversation. "And your purpose in Canaan?" She asked after a few minutes of silent debate, without acknowledging my rage.

"Acknowledge your Mistake, Coward." I growled.

She blinked slowly, and the boy pulled his sword from his scabbard in a single, elegant motion. She glanced at him, and then nodded. "I see I have wronged you. It was not my intention, and I will not make that mistake again. Please, Dimitri the Dwarf, Accept the councils sincere apology."

I relaxed, and bowed my head. "Thank you. I also apologize. I am very sensitive about insults to my Clan. As a Warrior, we are taught to meet every challenge to our clan's Honor head on, and with a rage befitting the insult. Perhaps our cultures need time to become... Acclimated to one another, once more." I attempted to smooth the situation I'd unintentionally stirred up.

The boy sheathed his sword, as if sensing my regret of the incident, and sat down.

I hummed, while they debated, and then simply looked at him, and directed the very blackest rage I could find in my soul at him, but kept my face blank, to test my theory.

He flinched visibly and leapt up like a leaf in the wind, as fast as a sparrow, then drew his sword and held it across his chest in an instant.

I hummed, completely calm. "An Empath... very interesting... I apologize for startling you, I wasn't sure you really were an Empath."

He sat down slowly, looking mystified.

The elderly elf spoke again. "Yes, what you say is true. Acclimation is necessary for a healthy relationship... and we also respect your protection of your Clan's Honor. As a Warrior of the Fabled Fell, we would expect nothing less of you... though we did expect someone... taller." She smiled gently, and chuckled.

I laughed. "I get that a lot, you know. Hence the name, Dimitri the Dwarf... but yes, I hope we can bridge the gap between our peoples."

She smiled and nodded. "Good... now please state your purpose in Canaan for the Elder Council?"

"Ah, yes. Of course. The Fell Clan and the Aurum Council of Giant Elders would like to extend respectful greetings and salutations to the Canaanite Elders and their Council, in the hopes of re-establishing our diplomatic and mercantile relationship with you, the People's of Canaan Forest, as well as proper thanks, for protecting the sanctity and secrecy of the Portal to our country, as well." I responded as genially as possible, ignoring Tamil's shocked features.

They debated, and then she looked at me curiously. "Re-Establish? Your people have never been in a Mercantile relationship with ours in our memory, and our records go back at least 3,000 years."

I blinked slowly. "Only 3? Ours go back 8, if you don't count the Memory Tomes and only mean written documentations. The Memory Tomes, which go back a grand total of 42,000 years, and are nearly indiscernible, because of the language barriers, so I suppose they are not fully reliable."

She blinked and discussed with her people, and eventually looked at me. "We've heard of the Memory Tomes, and we even possess one of the Giant Tomes... but as you say, no one can interpret them... and they are the most closely guarded secrets of our people... what do your histories say of us?"

"Around 5,000 years ago, we had a steady trade with both you, and the Dwarf Kingdoms of Numægir and Kalægir. They were our main competition for Metalworking, and you our biggest competition for Woodworking. After about 400 years of goodwill, a traitor on both sides, an Elf and a Giant, beguiled the leaders of our people into waging war, and closing the portals." I nodded.

She conversed mentally, and then nodded slowly. "Our legends of the Giant Wars are thin and weak, but they are there, nearly myth. I will chose to believe you, for now. But why are you here now? Is this time... celestially important or some such?"

"After the Giant War, we barely left Giant Country to contact your people, except as Rites of Passage, such as Hunting a White Buck, or a Chaste Warrior, or something similar. Now we exist separately, apart from each other in every way, but we wish to change that... to mend the Bridges. And no, the timing is just because I am now a Man, and I chose to explore and create Trade Routes with the Kingdoms of this realm, with the Council's Blessing." I nodded.

"Why you?" She asked without deliberating, causing them to glare at her for a moment.

"I was sent as the Liaison because of several reasons; my parentage, my physical similarity to you, along with my own personal request to be sent. I want to create a Trade Caravan, or several, that will bring goods to and from Giant Country, spreading new prosperity and cultural knowledge wherever it goes." I sat on my heels, keeping eye contact, and relaxed.

They conversed silently for much, much longer, almost an hour, and then nodded, one by one, though two shook their heads firmly. Another deliberation, just as long as the first, followed, and they grudgingly nodded, making whatever decision they'd been talking about Unanimous.

The Elder Woman spoke again with a finality that had been missing until now. "The Council has decided that you will be allowed access to and from Canaan, and bartering privileges, should you follow our Laws."

"Which include?" I asked to be sure.

"Duels are formal affairs, and will be held in the presence of a member of the Elder Council. Theft or other basic crimes are punishable by having the appropriate limb removed, such as a hand, or tongue... or in the case of sexual crimes, the genitals." She said severely.

I nodded. "Basic Martial Law, good to know. I have a companion, if I forgot to mention that, and her name is Davila of the Fell. She's a Full-Blooded Giantess, same size as me, with reddish-blonde hair? I'll make sure she follows your laws as well."

They conversed swiftly, and then she nodded. "Your companions are also welcome, but will have to be escorted at all times by a Sentinel. You have gained our trust, for now. They have not."

I bowed my head, my fist to my heart in a salute. "Your Village, Your Rules. I will rest, and acclimate myself to your culture for a few days, and then begin mapping and exploring a Trade Route, unless...-"

"You are welcome to our Trade Routes, Dimitri the Dwarf, but as all outsiders, you will pay tax on it, for its maintenance and improvement." She smiled.

"Logical, responsible, and I thank you... now do you have a specific currency that must be used? Or does the entire continent have their own?" I grinned.

They simply glanced at each other, and she nodded. "Tamil will lead you to the Guild headquarters. They will answer your questions."

I nodded and backed away, then gazed at the boy with the white hair, and grinned. "One last thing... can I Fight the Empath? He looks like a Warrior, but wears no Rings, and I believe he is Chaste."

Tamil gripped my arm as hard as she could, surprising me. "That is the Chief, the Chaste Warrior who protects our entire village!!! Don't challenge him!!!" She hissed savagely.

He laughed softly, halting her tirade. "It's alright... I'm happy to have a simple duel to First Blood with you, Dimitri the Dwarf. I've wanted to fight a Giant for a long time. I guess I can settle for you." He grinned playfully, speaking standard Giant's Tongue. (which seemed to be a common language here, as everyone knew it.)

I gazed at him blankly, and sent a feeling of intense disappointment over my emotions. "I expect more from a Chief than Petty Taunts and Jokes. You do not Settle for me, you accept my challenge like a Man, little Elf Chaste." I chided him.

He blinked slowly. "No witty banter for you? Odd. This isn't a serious fight, after all. Only a little Spar."

"Every fight is serious." I said simply. "Now where's your Arena?" I asked Tamil.

She tsk'ed. "It's around the Gate... are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" I grinned, and stepped out, mentally waving to the Sprite in the door.

Chimera answered my call, arriving in Dog form with my weapons on its back, and I grinned, sheathing them in their rightful places, and then patted its head appreciatively. "Good Chimera! Now go check on Davila, make sure she's not causing any trouble, and relay to her the entire Meeting, yes?" I ordered it.

It barked an affirmative, and then leapt out the window, turning into a Falcon while every elf in attendance stared at it.

I followed, grabbing Tamil and the Chaste, and tossing them on my back as I grabbed the Falcon's talons.

It squawed at me, annoyed, but flapped harder, slowly lowering us toward the ground.

Once nearly there, I let go, and landed on my feet, ignoring the loud noises and screams of the residents. I set Tamil and the Chaste down, and grinned, starting off towards the Gate.

Tamil caught up quickly, looking thoughtful, and after a few paces spoke. "So you really are a Termini?"

I shrugged. "That was Mother's name, so it's mine as well."

She nodded slowly. "And so... you can do magic... how many spells do you know?"

"Spells? None. I call lightning, heal, and create Homunculi. That's all." I looked at her, confused.

She hummed. "I see... Wild Magic. That's useful, I suppose. Magic is allowed during duels, by the way, so be ready for anything."

I laughed loudly and patted her shoulder as the carriage came into view, and a large indention, like a crater, beyond that. "I'm always Ready, Tamil."

She sighed, and when we reached the edge, she spoke again. "Clearly not." She kicked my knee, and shoved me forward, towards the Crater.