Lowan wiped his eyes after they separated from the hug, it had lasted seconds, but to Rava it had been a small eternity. “There’s still walking to be done boy” he said sternly, his demeanor back to its usual casual coldness. Walking up to the unconscious man he slit his throat without a moment's hesitation and started walking away.
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Rava noted after they had walked for a while that the forest was alive again, the spell must have broken. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUM1R0ibU17
“What was that spell I cast? It just came to me” he said with a bit of trepidation. “It left me… cold,” he said.
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“You fueled a spell beyond your abilities with your very soul, it was a damn miracle you didn’t die, boy, Never do that again”. Lowan said and changed the subject; “While we walk you will breathe like I taught you and when you awakened”
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“What you’re doing is called channeling, the very first step to casting any spell, some do it with movements, some do it with incantations” He said and looked to Rava. “Breathing is the most difficult but I find it the most versatile; If you’re not breathing you have bigger problems than casting a spell”.
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“Now, as you channel the mana you are to circulate it through your limbs, if you don’t expend the energy it will poison you. Use it to strengthen your legs and arms, walking, running and jumping should be almost a weightless sensation, when you have mastered this we will move on to more advanced applications of magic”. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxLnX3XESm
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Rava nodded and began, his walking became uneven, sometimes a step as heavy as normal, sometimes light as a feather, sometimes in between. Lowan shook his head. “I will allow you to bumble like a newborn foal until we reach the lower peaks of Honul, if you haven’t reached a passable level by then I might have overestimated you, brat.” He said and moved on ahead. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxcYl0JTE8
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Rava gritted his teeth and refocused. Lowan knew exactly what buttons to push to light a fire under his disciple. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1FVE045fo
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After two days of walking, camping, hunting and channeling Rava had become quite adept at strengthening his limbs, he hadn’t mastered it yet by any means but as they stood by the towering peaks of the Honul mountains Lowan regarded him. “Passable”
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“A good grade as any” Rava surmised. Lowan stopped by an inconspicuous rock “Harader udr dvarguun, tva vandûruz reodoro Lowan Holder or Rava Holder sokr radslag mod kungr Heradrum”. He said in perfect dwarvish, Rava translating in his head: “Greetings honored dwarves, two wanderers, Lowan Holder and Rava Holder seek council with king Heradrum”
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Nothing happened for a long while, until the rock started shaking, soil sent every which way as the rock then began to sink down into the ground, revealing a perfectly cut rectangular entrance in the ground. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tl6qU2Mpd
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Two stocky dwarves came up the stairs leading to ground level. Rava regarded them, the first dwarves he had seen outside illustrations in books. They looked like two moving pieces of a castle battlement, dressed head to toe in the most intricate yet functional armor he had seen. It must have weighed more than him and Lowan put together but they carried it like it was nothing.
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The only part of their body visible was braided beards that touched the ground, held together with thick iron beads. Rava knew that these signaled which clan they were from, though he did not know which clan. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBDvmOejKY
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“You speak our king's name with a casual tone Lowan Holder, as if you only know half our customs or you are his friend, which is it?” One said, his voice dark but tinny from under his face covering helmet. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbtLAmupBZ
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“I hope I might still call Heradrum a friend in your halls, honored Deepbellow,” Lowan said and took a pointed pause, letting it dawn on the dwarf that he knew which clan this particular one was from. “Though I have not met him for many years and fear he will only remember me over a bout of Alewhack, perhaps Dorvah can join us as well, if he still walks these halls”214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcR2wQyuS7
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“You know one of our elders then?” The other dwarf said, his head turning to Lowan. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVuZroMa9m
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“I did, grumpy old fucker that one” Lowan said, Rava’s eyes widening at the insult and irony of it all. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauI14bKiCg
“You’re one to talk” he thought to himself.
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A moment of silence that seemed to drag on past the moment where the joke was accepted was interrupted by raucous laughter from both the dwarves. “Aye, that he is, he still walks these halls, though I think drunkenly stumbles is a more accurate term, he has long retired and awaits the embrace of the Everdeep now, Hinna is elder now”214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4gzrFCAaf
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“Oh she is? Splendid! Good and thick head on that one” Lowan said, matching the tone and pace the conversation was taking. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQdWCBiOyZ
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“And who is this?” The other said and pointed towards Rava with his massive two headed axe. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtN05kaQYQl
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“My grandson, Rava, introduce yourself!” He said and clapped Rava on the shoulder, leaving him a bit perplexed, never having seen Lowan use this adept social charm before. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVvSY2RL81
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“Harader udr dvarguun, I am Rava here on a journey with Lowan to meet his old friend Heradrum Ironwrought, king of Hanul Pass and purveyor of the finest metals and rarest gems, tomekeeper and stalwart defender of dwarvenkind and long of beard” he said with a small bow of his head. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLem6uyUCiD
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Lowan nodded as well, Rava had done good in his eyes. The dwarves nodded as well “Good head on his shoulders for having no beard” one said to the other and they nodded. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jre8NgJ1V
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“You may enter and seek your council, friends of Heradrum Ironwrought, king of Hanul Pass and purveyor of the finest metals and rarest gems, tomekeeper and stalwart defender of dwarvenkind and long of beard” One said as they parted, giving the pair space to use the stairs. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjmktbIOnY
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After they entered and came down the stairs one of the dwarves pulled a lever and the stairs sank down to become perfectly even floor and the stone rose up once more. Darkness enveloped them for short moments before crystals started lighting up down the corridor they now found themselves in. It seemed to rava to go on with no end. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJytVeSIpk
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The dwarf that didn’t push the lever came up to them with a big iron bound book. “Sign the ledger” he said and they did, Rava noticed that the name signed before theirs had been 84 years ago. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX2xOgtI3M
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“Alright, on you go, six hours to a rest stop and twelve hours to Honul Pass proper.” The dwarf that had pulled the lever said, Rava almost balked, a tunnel that would take twelve hours to walk through? Good diggers these dwarves if ever there where any. Lowan nodded to him and Rava followed suit and started walking. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiUiUuO19V
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Two hours later they reached what looked like a perfectly fine inn like the ones pictured outside in books, Rava had seen dwarven architecture illustrated before, square and functional, this was more akin to human architecture. “That didn’t take six hours,” Rava said. Lowan let out a small chuckle. “Dwarves take their time walking and have short legs.” He said and strode up the stairs leading to the door of the inn. 214Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWLGh10B6E
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“Tonight we sleep on proper beds”.
