Ch103: A Talk of Divine Favour & Dwarven History

“Mm... If you don’t mind me asking, what are you currently saving your Divine Favour for?”

The Drakling pauses partway through pulling a brick out of the wall. “Honestly? I’m not entirely sure.” She shrugs, briefly glancing over at Inanna. That grey-skinned shortstack is sitting by the fireplace... with her back to the barbarian.

“Nothing catch your eye?” Inanna idly questions, speaking over the repeated dinking sounds of her chisel striking a chunk of quartz.

“Kind of, but also kind of the opposite. There are a bunch of good things in there, but I’m not sure what to get next.” Krvavy answers, clicking her tongue as she gets back to dismantling the wall she had previously built. It is a bit annoying having to undo her work like this, but at least it wasn’t a complete waste: she is leaving parts of it to create a single large arch on either side of the fireplace. “I’d love to upgrade my Soulbound weapon, but it has to be level ten before I can do that.”

“What level is it currently?”

“Four...” Krvavy slowly sighs, shoulders slumping slightly. “And it hasn’t increased in some time. I’m not even sure how it levels. Just practicing with it doesn’t seem to do anything. I assumed that I just needed to kill things, but it didn’t level up from the slimes... Though maybe they just weren’t enough...? It is kind of annoying. Especially because it’ll only cost ten favour to upgrade, so I’d be able to get it pretty soon if I could just level it up...”

“Mmm. Yes, that does seem rather frustrating.” The Dwarf holds the crystal she has been working on up into the air, closely looking at it from different angles. “What else do you have your eye on?”

“Well, there’s the Inventory. Have I told you about that?” Krvavy pauses briefly, looking over to Inanna just in time to see the Dwarf shake her head. “Right. I’ll just read part of the description out to you. It is, and I quote, a ‘personal pocket dimension within my soul that can be used to store items in complete stasis’.”

“Mm. Sounds incredibly useful.” The grey-skinned woman almost idly replies, bringing that shaped chunk of quartz back down to her lap. She resumes chiselling a mere moment later. “I take it that it is also incredibly expensive?”

“Yup. Costs seventy-five favour.” Krvavy shakes her head and adds another brick to the tall pile beside her scaffolding. “I’m not going to be getting it any time soon...”

Small, flaked shards fall down to the ground as this Dwarf dutifully works away. They’ll need to sweep all of that up later, lest someone step on any of those potentially sharp pieces. “Surely there are more affordable options? Ones that you are still interested in?”

“Well, yeah, there’s my Naturists Blessing. Wouldn’t hurt to upgrade that again. But...” The barbarian scowls just a bit, feeling rather annoyed. “It costs twenty-four favour. And there is another one I want that costs twenty-five... Skilled Soul. That’ll give me another attribute point each level.”

“Even for the levels you already have?” For the first time in this whole conversation, Inanna looks away from her work. Only to quickly turn back to it once she sees Krvavy nod. “Mmm... That sounds rather potent.” She muses, putting her chisel aside and instead grabbing a bit of fabric, using that to polish the freshly carved quartz crystal.

“Exactly, that’s the problem. Between those two I don’t really know which one I’ll get first...” Krvavy grits her teeth and exhales quite heavily. “I know that attributes aren’t everything, but I do like seeing those numbers increase... And I’ll be able to get the milestone traits quicker, which would be pretty nice. But the fact that it’ll give me extra points for all of my levels, not just future ones, means that I’m not in any rush to get it. I’ll still get the same amount of points if buy it now or if I wait a couple dozen levels...”

“But your blessing, on the other hand, would immediately give you more True Defence. And that could be the difference between life and death.” The Dwarf finishes Krvavy’s thought. “At least you won’t need to make a choice any time soon. You might need to level up seventeen times before having enough favour to buy either of them. Unless you have any other strong desires to fulfill? Perhaps finishing this bedroom?”

“I have spent quite a bit of time and effort on this...” The barbarian idly mutters, before shaking her head. “But I can’t imagine a bedroom giving me much favour. Maybe one or two at most.”

“Every little bit helps.” The Dwarf calmly states, gently placing the polished quartz down and picking up another chunk.

Neither Dwarf nor Drakling speak for the next few minutes, both content to continue their work in comfortable silence. The sound of Inanna’s chisel fills the air as Krvavy climbs down the scaffolding, having finished off one of the wide arches.

Standing with a hand on her hip, the barbarian looks across the fireplace to the other part of the wall that she needs to tear down. She stifles a sigh steps around the seated Dwarf, getting straight to work.

“Have you considered upgrading your Superior Stud trait again?” Inanna asks right as the barbarian pulls the first brick free.

“Yes.” Krvavy confirms with a nod. “I could do it right now. It only costs six favour. But that feels like a complete waste. It just makes me more fertile and makes all of my ‘sexual activities’ cause more pleasure. Neither of which are particularly useful or needed.”

“The increased pleasure would synergize well with Thea’s magic.” Sharp chiselling sounds fill the air, quick and precise.

“It would. But it’d also be overkill.” The barbarian shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe it’d be worth it if I somehow had an absolutely ridiculous amount of total mana that would take forever to refill, but I can’t imagine that happening any time soon.”

“The increased fertility would also be useful, when you are ready to father some children.”

“Which I also can’t imagine happening any time soon.”

“But it will happen, yes?” Inanna puts her quartz crystal down and looks up at the Drakling. “Because when the time comes you will need the extra fertility. Interbreeding is complicated, and not even possible for many races. You are a Dragon, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. But I am a Dwarf, our ovum are rather... durable. Even if we are compatible in such a way, it would take considerable effort to impregnate me.”

“Where is this coming from?” Krvavy cautiously questions, looking back at Inanna and meeting that shortstack’s intense copper-orange gaze.

“I do not want children just yet, do not worry. Nor am I trying to convince you to purchase that trait right away.” The busty grey-skinned woman reassures. “I am simply speaking my mind. I do not want you to disregard that trait. It may be needed in a few years, or even a decades time.”

“Wait.” Krvavy narrows her eyes as she stares at Inanna’s almost unreadable expression. “Before, when you... when we talked about our relationship... Didn’t you say that... well, that I wouldn’t be able to breed you? But now you think I might be able to?”

“Mhm.” The Dwarf hums in affirmation. “But that was before I learned that you are the chosen of a God. Divine influence changes everything.”

“So you think that... that I could find some way to get you pregnant?” A shiver runs down Krvavy’s spine as she slowly breathes out that question.

“Mmm. Perhaps. Perhaps...” Inanna’s thoughtful expression softens a bit. “That ‘points shop’ of yours is bound to have some way to ensure our compatibility. Otherwise I would feel rather... left out when it comes time for you to have children with the others.”

Krvavy perks up. “Wait, you really think that I could actually have children with them?” She asks, not noticing the hopeful smile spreading across her face. “Without magic or any special traits?”

“Of course.” The faintest bit of amusement shines in Inanna’s copper-orange eyes. “There is no doubt in my mind that you would be able to impregnate Thea, at the very least. Humans... have a habit of being able to interbreed with the other races. This is not my area of expertise so I do not know how rare such unions are, but I do know that throughout history there have been cases of Humans having children with... nearly every single race that comes to my mind.”

“Huh.” Krvavy’s smile twists ever so slightly into a smirk. She’s sure that Thea, her lusty little loveslave, would be so happy to hear that her people have a bit of a reputation for being sluts~.

“Elves and Orcs, on the other hand, are not quite as prolific.” Inanna continues talking, her thick brow furrowed in thought. “Normally I would say that, for your case, if you could impregnate one then you would likely be able to impregnate the other as well. They are, in essence, distant cousins to each other. Even if such a statement upsets both races. But Khalia’s current state... goes beyond the reach of my knowledge. Beryl does believe you could impregnate her though, so I will defer to the Elf on that matter.”

The barbarian’s brow knits together, her excitement waning as she guesses what comes next. “But Dwarves are different?”

“Yes. And I do not say that out of pride or arrogance.” The shortstack replies, her intense gaze not leaving Krvavy for longer than a blink. “We are, perhaps, the oldest race in the world. Elves would also make that claim, but they have changed a lot throughout the eons. Dwarves have not, at least since our inception. We have spent most of our long history secluded from the world, stagnant and unchanging. We hold very little relation to the other races, having severed our ties in the most ancient of times, when Dragons still ruled the lands...” She trails off for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Our history is not a happy one. It is a tale of near continual decline. A decline from a peak that was not as tall as many think...”

The Drakling frowns as she sees a somber expression flit across Inanna’s face, visible for only a few seconds before the Dwarf opens her eyes and continues.

“Due in part to that, it is almost unheard of for a Dwarf to have a relationship with anyone other than another Dwarf. To my knowledge, it has only happened on a few occasions, exclusively with Humans. Most of those relationships failed to produce children.” Inanna gently shakes her head. “You must understand that we Dwarves are... notoriously infertile. It is difficult enough for two Dwarves to have a child together, and not for lack of trying.”

“And I’m not a Dwarf.” Krvavy states, a slight bit of displeasure audible in her voice.

“No, you are not.” Inanna replies, her intense copper-orange eyes staring straight at Krvavy. “I am not sure you understand just how different we Dwarves are from the other races. How much do you know of my people? Of our origins?”

“Absolutely nothing beyond what you’ve told me.” Krvavy answers without hesitation.

“Mmm.” Inanna appears ever so slightly disappointed by that admission. “How unfortunate, though not unexpected. An outside perspective would have been wonderful to hear...”

The barbarian lightly bites her tongue. There is no point in suggesting that Inanna ask that question to Thea or Beryl. Partially because the ignorant brat and the Wood Elf would both have rather predicable responses... and partially because Inanna has almost certainly thought of that herself.

The grey-skinned shortstack closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I shall start at the very beginning, in the most ancient of times when the Dragons held dominion over the world. But it is important to remember that much of what I am about to tell you was recorded later, primarily from oral traditions that were passed down for hundreds to thousands of years. Keep that in mind.”

Krvavy glances at the wall that she should be taking apart... only to shrug and lean against it instead.

“Mnnhmh...” The Dwarf clears her throat and finally seems ready to begin. “Back then there was but a single people who roamed these lands. And though they were similar enough in form to be considered a single race by today’s standards, they were not all the same. Different tribes had different cultures and traditions, which helped to gradually split them into the different races of today. Of these many tribes, I will focus on just one: my ancestors, those who eventually became Dwarves.”

Krvavy raises an eyebrow, already quite intrigued by this impromptu history lesson.

“It may not surprise you, but my people have always been known for our craftsmanship. The earliest known record to specifically reference these ‘proto-Dwarves’ mentioned their skill in working stone and copper.” The faintest bit of pride can be heard in Inanna’s voice. “And, as time went on, they further refined their skills. That is, in fact, quite relevant to how they became what you see in front of you today. But before I talk of that, you likely need another piece of information...”

Despite her beautiful and oh so very busty Dwarf’s rather neutral and admittedly droning tone... Krvavy is eagerly listening to her every word. Even if this is more legend than truth, she still wants to learn more about one of the women that she has grown to truly love.

“In these earliest days of history, magic was... not as accessible.” Inanna plainly states. “This was long before our current system of levels and experience. Before the Gods that created it were even born. In this time magic was something only the Dragons could reliably use, as that primordial energy was too chaotic for the ancient peoples to safely harness. They still tried, of course, just to often fatal consequences. But each failure led them closer towards success. And this is where it begins to get more complicated, the timeline less certain. There are two important elements, though it is unknown which came first.”

The barbarian blinks. If she was still in the mindset of thinking that this was all just a video game... No, she doesn’t want to linger on that. Not now, not ever...

“The one I will speak of first is the earliest and oldest method of reliably using magic: runes. My peoples’ ancestors were said to have been the pioneers of runic magic, the first to create runes of their own. Whether that is true or not is irrelevant, as what is important is that these ‘proto-Dwarves’ quickly became known as the best Runesmiths. Runic magic goes hand in hand with craftsmanship. And this,” Inanna emphasizes, “is the point in which my ancestors truly started to diverge from what would become the other races.”

“Oh?” Krvavy can’t help but speak up, shaking her head lightly and ridding herself of any distracting, off topic thoughts. She also does her best to not ogle those bare, and incredibly big, breasts sitting in front of her. Which is easier said than done. “So runes are what made Dwarves into Dwarves?”

“Yes and no.” The shortstack replies with a slight shrug. Her large, grey-skinned tits bounce just a bit because of that... “The second element had a much greater role, but the fact that my ancestors stuck with runic magic helped to... direct their change. And that second element was the saturation of magic, mana, into the world. That itself could take weeks or even months to fully explain, so I will attempt to simplify it as best I can...”

Silence hangs in the air for a few long seconds. The fireplace continues to gently crackle away.

“Mmm.” Inanna hums, looking quite certain about what she has to say. “The exact mechanisms are unknown, but it occurred in a time in which the conflict between these ancient peoples and the Dragons was... very widespread. Dragons themselves are very magical beings and to stand against them with just mundane means is essentially suicide. To have even a chance of survival, the ancient peoples had to risk using magic. And so, to put it simply, the increased use of magic led to more ambient mana in the environment, which made it easier and safer for the ancient peoples to use magic. I’m sure you can see how it spiralled from there.”

“Yeah...” Krvavy idly nods her head, before a thought comes to her. “But wait, if there wasn’t much ambient mana before all that, and that made it difficult to do magic, then how were they able to cast spells in the first place?”

“Good question.” Inanna smiles ever so slightly. “That is not entirely known, though there are many theories regarding that very question. It is possible that an incredibly high affinity was needed to perform even the most basic of magics, which functionally gave those ancient peoples a foot in the door. It is possible that at the very beginning harnessing magic was impossible for them outside of specific locations, places of power. It isn’t even known if leylines existed at that time, if they were just better insulated to avoid leaking mana into the environment, or if they formed later when there was enough mana lingering around to form currents. But enough of that...”

Any followup, and slightly off topic, questions that Krvavy may have are quickly forgotten as the Dwarf dismissively waves her hand through the air. Those absolutely titanic tits of hers sway so beautifully from that sudden motion...

Inanna clears her throat again. “Mmnm. Magic, by its very nature, causes change. The high levels of ambient mana accelerated the divergence of the various tribes into different races, but it also caused something much greater. The birth of Spirits into our world. And, for those that would become Dwarves, the most important of those Spirits were the Elementals, particularly those of Earth and, to a lesser degree, Fire.”

“Oh! I think Beryl said something like that once...!” The barbarian blurts out. “Before I, uh, met you.” A faint bit of awkwardness hangs onto those words, quickly getting brushed aside. “She was talking about magic and how there used to be so much of it everywhere that trees would walk around and rivers would speak. Guess she wasn’t just being poetic, huh?”

The Dwarf simply shrugs at that. “As far as I am aware, Spirits were never so widespread that that would be a common occurrence, but maybe things were different in the early Elvish lands? They are a more magical people than my own.”

Krvavy’s fingers drum atop her toned thigh, but she doesn’t get much of a chance to linger on that before her Dwarf continues on.

“But either way,” the grey-skinned shortstack gently shakes her head, “the Spirits that Beryl likely referenced would be different than the ones I am speaking of. Elementals are a specific subcategory, so to speak, and are arguably the most basic of Spirits. They were the first to form, magical energies coalescing into physical elements. Hence the name. The vast majority of Elementals couldn’t even be considered intelligent. And I do not mean the same intelligence that people have, but more in the way that animals are intelligent. It is rare to find an Elemental with any form of desire, far rarer still to find any that can think or act like people.”

Krvavy idly nods her head. “All right, so most Elementals kind of just exist? I assume that you could get them to do specific things with magic?”

“Correct.” A gentle, and ever so slightly proud, smile plays at Inanna’s dark-grey lips. “Even as beings simpler than animals they were incredibly useful. Tireless and unyielding beasts of burden. And they only got more useful as my ancestors cultivated them. They could aid in mining. They could be living forges. They could even be livestock of a sort for ores and earthen materials. And as they grew more intelligent and more powerful, my ancestors did something more drastic than any of the other ancient peoples. They merged with their Elementals.”

“What?” The barbarian’s brow raises up, almost feeling mental whiplash from that sudden jump.

“My ancestors merged with select Elementals.” The Dwarf repeats, clarifying herself just a little. “And it isn’t just a legend.” She adds, cutting off Krvavy’s response. “By this point in history written work, primarily carved into tablets, had become quite common. This process was... rather well documented.”

“Yeah, but how would someone made out of meat mix with something made out of stone? Or fire?” Krvavy confusedly questions. “I mean, magic is definitely the answer, but you aren’t made out of stone. And I also feel like being half elemental would make you better at doing magic, but that clearly isn’t the case for Dwarves, so...”

“Mmm. Yes, I understand the confusion.” Inanna calmly states, nodding her head once. “The simple answer is that they didn’t stay in that state forever. And yes, I do understand that that sounds like an excuse to justify an old legend, so listen and let me explain.”

A faint frown plays at the Drakling’s lips. If her Dwarf’s tone wasn’t so neutral, then she’d think that she was just being spoken down to... But she knows better than that.

“As you correctly assumed, being ‘half Elemental’ did make my ancestors far better at using magic. Those that survived the ritual were no longer beings of flesh and bone, but of pure magic. The First Dwarves were living masses of molten stone. They did not need to eat or sleep, could shape rock and metal with just their will, could heal themselves of nearly any wound, they were far stronger than they had ever dreamed, they didn’t age. They were practically immortal.”

“That–”

“Sounds even more like a legend?” Inanna finishes the barbarian’s thought for her, a slightly wry smile on her face. “Yes, it does. How could a people so powerful, so magical, turn into the nearly magically inert Dwarves of today?”

That question hangs in the air for a few seconds, just long enough for Krvavy to start to worry that it wasn’t, in fact, rhetorical.

But thankfully, the grey-skinned woman soon begins to speak again. “The process that made my ancestors what they were was not perfect. It had many... consequences. They only went through with it out of desperation, under threat of extermination at the hands of the Dragons. The ritual itself had a high mortality rate, and those that survived were rendered completely sterile. They were the last of their tribe, limited in number. And, as I said, they were practically immortal. Not fully immortal. They could still die. Especially when facing the Dragons. But eventually that conflict came to an end. The ancient peoples, who had since separated into different races, had won.”

The barbarian very, very slowly nods. She... can kind of see where this is going.

“That victory was a hollow one for my ancestors.” The Dwarf states, almost with a sigh. “They had lost so much over the centuries since their transformation, and would only continue to lose more as time moved on. So, while the other races began to squabble amongst themselves, my ancestors retreated to the mountains and built their home, all the while searching for a way a back to mortality. And, as you can obviously tell by my presence, they succeeded. At least partially. Their previous forms were forever lost to them, so they had to become something new, something marked by their former Elemental nature. Their new bodies were sturdy as the mountains, their new skin resembled stone, their souls were magically scarred, and they were unable to fully regain their fertility. They became the Dwarves of today.”

“And... you’re sure that isn’t just a creation myth?” Krvavy tilts her head and asks. “Not that I doubt you, but all of that would have happened... a very long time ago, and the truth could have been slowly twisted since then.”

“I completely understand your skepticism.” Inanna replies, clearly not offended by the barbarian’s skepticism. “It is quite convenient in explaining how we came to be. And I will admit that the fine details may not be entirely accurate, but I tried to avoid them in my shortened explanation. What I have said is considered to be the truth. And not just by Dwarves. The Elves recognize it as well, though I am not sure if Beryl could confirm that. Wood Elves are... not the most studious of the Elves, and outside of direct conflicts my people would likely just be footnotes in her peoples’ histories.”

“Well, I guess with magic being involved there is no reason to really doubt it...” Krvavy idly muses. “And after all of that I can definitely see why you’d think that we wouldn’t normally be able to have children together... So you think that even if Superior Stud doesn’t fix that, I’ll be able to get something that will?”

“Mmm?” The grey-skinned Dwarf tilts her head, a brief look of confusion passing through her face. “Oh, right. That is what we were discussing.” A dark hue colours Inanna’s cheeks. “I must apologize for getting so sidetracked and going off on that rambling tangent. I... enjoy history. It fascinates me, how time can cause some peoples to change so much while... others remain unchanged. If I weren’t so enamoured by runes...”

A smile plays at Krvavy’s lips as her Dwarf’s normally neutral expression twists into a slight scowl.

“Apologies, I nearly did it again.” Inanna softly sighs, looking a little disappointed with herself. “I started off simply speaking my mind regarding our potential compatibility in breeding. So, to get back to that... It will almost certainly be difficult, to say the least. But that isn’t the reason I am curious about your Superior Stud trait. It... will sound rather shallow after all of that, but... how can a stud truly be superior if she cannot fit her member inside all of her women?”

“Hah!” Krvavy can’t help but laugh out. “Sorry, sorry... It just feels a bit absurd, going from talking about history to that...”

“I understand.” A faint smile graces Inanna’s lips.

“So... you’re hoping that I’ll be able to actually fuck you one day, huh~?” The barbarian teasingly asks. “Is my tail not enough for you~?”

“I do hope that, yes.” The Dwarf nods her head. “As for your tail... it is alright.”

The barbarian narrows her eyes at that ever so slight hint of playfulness in Inanna’s otherwise neutral tone.

“Perhaps we should both get back to work now?” Inanna suggests, picking up a half carved chunk of quartz. “I have wasted enough of our time already.”

Without waiting for a response, the Dwarf resumes chiselling away at that crystal.