A grim look came into the hobgoblin's eyes as he felt the truth of Raiken's words. That was the eventual fate of many creatures with normal strength, like the humans and the goblins. The weak lived to labor for the strong, and die for their benefit.

"Put those beads around your neck, soon you're going to be treating them with the same importance you have for your very life".

Ogres were strong humanoid beasts, a magical treasure crafted in their style will be a good match for the hobgoblin, who was a more minor humanoid beast. Those channelling beads were what senior Ogre shamans made to train apprentices. In actuality, the Ogre Shaman channeling beads were too high grade an item for someone of Blamha's status.

If the Ogre shaman learned about Raiken giving away an item that was treated as an important rite of passage by their youths to a lesser monster, they'd splutter in rage.

Upon hearing Raiken's insistence that he put on the beads, Blamha took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a surge in his heart as he was swept away in the moment.

The esteemed lizard could make precious energy pellets by merely flicking it's fingers. Whatever treasure that was made by it's hand shouldn't be any less impressive than that golden pellet from before.

Power was something he dreamt of every night, it consumed his thoughts. He wanted to learn the strongest spells in the world, with enough strength, he wouldn't have to worry about getting bossed around. His treasures would be his, no one could make him risk his life for their own gain!

Having to constantly live under the pressure of those more mightier than you wasn't pleasant. No one could stand having their life in the choking grip of another. Many beings with strength regarded those weaker than them like the dirt under their shoes.

For goblins, their usual fate was to serve as a fighting force, while they were making themselves useful to their masters, it was up to the heavens whether they would continue to survive.

Feeling a familiar weight in his heart at the thought of going back to the tribe, Blahma stared at the necklace in his grip. His eyes were immediately drawn to a symbol of two entwined lines reaching out to an impenetrable darkness. All of his attention was captured taking in the image.

Before he knew it, his mind entered a state of no awareness. It was like he never existed. Although his body stood there, his spirit seemed to have gone somewhere else.

With a swish, his pupils morphed into two characters of rough script. They seemed to come from a primitive language, very raw and to the point.

Everyone in the crowd was watching closely, waiting to see another shocking scene, but no one except Raiken saw when the beads appeared around Blahma's neck.

His skin shrunk close to his skeleton, becoming as thin as a slip of paper. Rumbling grunts of astonishment came from the crowd who witnessed the rapid changes come over the goblin.

Layers of fresh new skin covered his original casement of flesh. The hobgoblin's bald head gained a brighter sheen, someone would probably get the urge to rub it for good luck if they saw him.

His muscles were also trimmed and spread to where pulses would be transferred more fluidly within their activity ranges.

The hobgoblin's arms, legs, back and chest were being held in a balanced way. They seemed to rest on a spring which could immediately snap like an bow string.

Keeki's eyes looked like they were about to pop out as he looked on. "This won't do at all. My days will be numbered for sure if nothing is done".

After his power up, the hobgoblin would surely be looking for someone to share the taste of it together with him. Keeki was certain he would be the first one to get an invitation, but he wasn't too keen on testing this dish given the recent developments.

Although he hadn't gotten a chance to see how the item benefited the hobgoblin in battle yet, Keeki chose not to underestimate anything that involved the silver lizard's hand.

"It seems the esteemed lizard won't discriminate with who it sells it's products to either. Species like the goblins, humans, and Phitoth might even be able to find strengthening methods if they could afford it's prices"!

One of the red skinned males in Keeki's group said in a daze.

While everyone was thrown into disbelief at the climb in Blahma's aura after wearing the beads, the hobgoblin himself seemed to have finally regained his awareness.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath with his head raised. With numerous eyes on him, he held that position for some moments.

"Stop trying to put on a cool act, all that happened was you were introduced to the energy of higher order beings who are of similar kind to yourself. It only seems impressive to rookies like you all".

Feeling that these small timers got excited over any little thing, Raiken dumped a bucket of cold water on Blahma before he could start showing off and putting fear in his future victims hearts.

An expression of trepidation was on the hobgoblin's face as he kneeled before Pernoaken's giant form. From what he could feel from the necklace so far, Blahma was smart enough to know that the creator of it must be a being of vast power. A puny goblinoid like himself wasn't of any significance whatsoever before someone of this status.

"I, Blahma of the body magic, will forever be grateful to the esteemed, grand merchant, for bestowing on me their blessing"!

Because he wanted to be sure Raiken didn't doubt his gratitude, he roared at the top of his lungs, fully expressing his thanks at being presented the opportunity to become his own boss.

Raiken wanted to be sure that this subject he chose to present the strength of his products wouldn't let overconfidence get the best of him. If the hobgoblin ended up dying after receiving items from him, people might doubt his reliability. Those first few individuals to get possession of the merchandise that would mark his brand had to stand out if he wanted to create a frenzy for the market he wanted to bust open.

"Don't think you can take on the world just because you have an object made by my hands. Even with that, there will still be individuals who could best you and claim your items for themselves. In that case, you'll be helping your foe walk further on the road to becoming stronger".

Although he didn't know what kind of beings inhabited this world, Raiken wouldn't be surprised at some extraordinary existences being among them.

This hobgoblin needed to train with the Ogre Shaman channeling beads for a long time before he thought about doing whatever he pleased.

"Yes, I will remember your words esteemed merchant"!

Looking down at the puny hobgoblin, Pernoaken wanted to spit on him in disgust. He was puzzled over why the Little Deity enjoyed granting worms access to power. Other than that, he was stunned over the range of phenomenon Raiken could cause with only a few movements of his fingers.

He and his two scouts were feeling even more positive at their decision to follow him. The founder of House Nar was the only orc to reach beyond the Lord stage. Pernoaken was very eager to know what that level of power looked like. He barely made it to the lord stage as it is, he puked blood and crawled to arrive there.

His chief Merken's advancement to the Lord stage was way less gruesome.

It would probably take for him to lose an arm or an leg before he reached the level beyond Lord if he went by his usual pattern. That option might not even be neccessary if he had the Little Deity's aid though!

As Blahma backed away, still maintaining his bow, Raiken looked around at the other bystanders. Without him noticing it, he had gotten caught up in the feverish atmosphere. Now that he'd already proven his credibility, he was prepared to give a description of the dark blue pellets to really bring them to the floor.

"It seems an esteemed guest has found their way to my Grey-Wolf village. But I must ask, was it really neccessary to get so rough with the officers of my guard squad"?

A voice oozing with smoothness spoke up, hearing it would actually make one feel at ease. When everyone looked for the owner, they froze at the figures walking down the lane going towards the gate.

One of the figures in the group was especially imposing, their towering form stood high as they walked towards the area where the crowd gathered.

It wasn't them who spoke just now though. A man who looked to be in his 30's with short grey hair regarded Raiken with an unreadable gaze. He wore a yellow shirt of thinly braided fur on his lean and sharp upper body. The shirt hung above a belt that had a silver wolf buckle.

Bright yellow eyes looked at everything with an assessing glare in his pupils.

These 4 individuals who appeared had commanding auras. When the feeling that these beings gave off reached the supernaturals standing around, the hot blood pumping in their veins cooled off somewhat.

While they were getting excited over the opportunity to power up, these guys forgot about the rulers of this place. The guard captain lay over there knocked out, and they were cheering happily for the culprit responsible for his state.

They hoped the village heads didn't choose targets to vent on, using them as a means to recover some of the village's sad image.

Still maintaining his unreadable expression, Enruzan, leader of Grey-Wolf village, observed Raiken and the three orcs. An Orc Lord's strength was at a level where he would have to appear personally to make sure none of his subordinates were lost in a conflict. If it was one that was skilled at techniques, he might have to transform for extra assurance, which would waste precious energy pellets.

Raiken's sparkling scales caught his eye, he ran his gaze across them as a feeling of admiration couldn't help entering his heart. Regardless of what angle you looked at it from, the silver lizard seemed to be one of those precious creatures of nature. It's scales looked like high quality silver, a greedy person might even get the thought of peeling them off, or simply just selling the whole thing instead of damaging such a valuable good.

When he tried to get a closer look at the steady light Raiken's scales gave off, Enruzan felt a piercing sting in both of his eyes, making him let out a startled shout.

A man who had ears that curled at the tips on top of his head was shaken by the Wolf chief's outburst. "Pack leader, what's the matter? Surely we aren't already under attack at this range"?

That towering figure who stood among them had a ferocious head which closely resembled the Beast-Master brothers, except on a bigger scale. He was just about to go towards where the two conscious brothers had dragged Blitz-Jaw, next to Grim-Jaw's motionless form. Enruzan's reaction made him halt in place.

Something that could hurt the Wolf chief without them being able to tell what it was had to be watched out for!

When the pain in his eyes faded and his vision cleared, Enruzan was relieved. It felt like his eyes were poked out a moment ago. He didn't dare to stare too hard when he looked back at Raiken.

"I see you guys finally noticed the festivities I've brought to your village. I knocked those two dogs out earlier because they didn't know how to entertain a special guest like myself".

Behaving as if he had every right to barge into someone's home unannounced, Raiken's crimson eyes looked at the Wolf chief nonchalantly.

As the crowd tried to keep as quiet as they could in hopes of being forgotten, Enruzan listened to Maim-Jaw give a review of everything that occurred when the lizard showed up. An expression of disbelief flickered across his eyes when he heard the lizard could refine treasures out of basic materials. From what he was hearing, this trespasser was quite skilled, able to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary.

He looked at the Crying Dart tribe members standing a little away from Pernoaken. A scan brought his senses to one of the females, who was giving off the aura of an elite. Those with that level of strength could influence some matters related to their village's function.

Once the little lizard made a move, the Crying Dart female went from above average to elite in a stroke. It didn't even use any equipment or energy crystals to assist it in creating mystical objects.

A character who had such startling capabilities was the sort shrewd village heads tried to build a connection with. An opportunity to advance themselves could result from the ties they forged with someone who was a talented material refiner.

Although the lizard should be made to answer for it's action of knocking out his officers, Enruzan was relieved that the creature hadn't gone for the kill.

Whatever it's aim was, it was better for the lizard to be out in the open like this than to act behind the scenes if it was up to no good.

"Well, seeing as my people were the ones who failed to recognize the sky, how about we start over to a better beginning of making an acquaintance"?

Seeing that the lizard came here and kicked off such a huge disturbance, there must've been something it wanted from them. Enruzan judged it was too risky to engage it for now, the lizard's insult of causing trouble at their village had to be overlooked in light of the situation.

These 4 individuals who made the crowd hold their breaths were the heads of the 4 leading families of Grey-Wolf village. The grey haired man with the sharp bones was Enruzan, leader of the Grey-Wolf family, and chief of the village.

A red nosed pitbull standing next to him had his hand on the hilt of the blade sheathed at his hip. He had an edge in his eyes that seemed to never lose it's keenness.

"Those orcs are warriors who have put a fair share of beings in the ground. The huge one will especially be a pain to deal with. Each one of his attacks should be capable of reaping a number of lives. The little lizard seems to be the one in charge, which makes it a bigger threat than the Orc Lord".

In a tone with an even volume, the red nosed pitbull gave his assessment.

"That damned lizard, stick, whatever it wants to be, better be planning to give me some pellets as an apology after violating my sons"!

Standing there with his arms that were wider than a person folded, the head of Beast-Master clan, Gnash-Jaw, grumbled at his sons being taking care of with such ease by the lizard.

While the four family heads were trying to get a measure of him, Raiken was looking at these wolf descendants curiously. Only the Beast-Master clan head and Red-Nosed Pitbull clan head shared any resemblance to their ancestors. At least the head of the Blood-Hound clan had dog ears, yet the Grey-Wolf family members who were direct descendants looked like regular humans.

There was nothing in their appearance that linked them to their lineage, other than their yellow eyes.

Flashing his fangs in a grin, Raiken leaned forward from his seat on the Trollsbane's large head. "What value is there in me getting to know a fading wolf? But if you turned it around, there's alot you could get out of making a good impression on me".

Listening to the arrogant tone Raiken took with the Wolf chief, the supernaturals glued to the scene couldn't hold in their gasps. For a creature with such a tiny body, the silver lizard sure did things in a big way.

Enruzan narrowed his eyes at being talked down to like this. He took a deep breath, observing it with his senses as it traveled through his energy passages, before he decided to humor the lizard instead of stooping to it's petty level.

"I heard you were quite excellent at making spirit pellets and magical items. I'm sure we could gain much from your services at our village". He replied in a strained voice.

No matter what, it wouldn't do if the lizard went and set up shop in some other village. That village would have direct access to the spiritual items it made. A strong rival who could topple their position might emerge from the out flow of energy pellets coming from the lizard.

"Before that though, there was something important that occupied our attention. An urgent matter we have to look into has come up, so I'm afraid the time I and the family heads have will be short".

Raiken was only slightly curious about these wolf descendants, they weren't his primary reason for coming here. It just happened that their village had a famous cook. He wanted their services for him to have delicious food no matter where he went in the myriad constellations.

"What you guys do is your own business, but if you help me recruit the best cook in your village, I can show you how to hear the call of the moon again".

This declaration being thrown at him caused Enruzan's expression to change. A wild look like a beast ramming the bars of it's cage flitted across his face. He had to get himself under control in a hurry before he ended up giving all advantages away to the lizard.

Which was better said than done since every Grey-Wolf descendant would do nearly anything for the ability to transform at will.

"We can discuss it after I've dealt with the urgent matter. I'm very interested to hear your methods esteemed guest".

Enruzan sounded quite pinched getting those words out. He wanted to escape before he agreed to something he would regret in the face of irresistible temptation!

"How about a taste to boost you on your way"? Returned Raiken in a whisper that was nearly a croon.

Converting some of his energy to a lunar essence of high purity was nothing to him. It was even the kind with a high yin content that werewolves especially enjoyed. There wouldn't be a need to spend long sessions cycling it to raise it's volume either.

A white light swirled around his index finger as he released the lunar essence he created. The purity of the yin energy was concentrated, a fog that hung close to the ground started to gradually appear under it's effect.

Everyone else got goosebumps, other than the Wolf chief, who stared at the light on Raiken's finger like a starving infant seeing it's mother's nipple.

Even the Trollsbane could feel a difference with his low sensitivity. He didn't register the lunar essence spreading in the surroundings, but something in him reacted to the yin energy flowing around him.

Some of the lunar essence was absorbed hungrily by Enruzan's body. Feeling a sudden surge of heat all across his body, the Wolf chief couldn't resist the impulse to throw his head back, giving a resounding howl to the sky.

Pernoaken and Gnash-Jaw's expression changed when they felt a quake in their bloodstream. Just the howl of the Grey-Wolf was able to effect them, the Trollsbane started taking the grey haired human looking guy more seriously. Before this he thought that he wouldn't even need to draw his sword to crush him, now he had to get rid of this underestimation.

Those present at the scene watched in grim fascination as a crackle went down Enruzan's spine. His leg joints let off two hard pops, with a satisfied grunt, he got down on all fours.

The yin energy and lunar essence brought his Grey-Wolf aspects further to the surface. Standing around him, the 3 clan heads felt their blood stir a little.

"So the little lizard wasn't bluffing when it said it could show the pack leader how to hear the call of the moon", said Rochi, head of the Blood-Hound clan. His voice was solemn, as the startled light in his eyes had yet to fade at this astonishing scenario.

"That damned lizard is actually the real deal, it wasn't unjustified that my boys lost to it"!

Amidst his fellow clan heads shocked outbursts, kiszac, the copper colored red nosed pitbull, stared at the Wolf chief with a deep gaze.

With the claws that had grown on his fingers stabbed into the ground, Enruzan faced Raiken with a conflicted look in his expression. Feeling his wolf aspect rouse his blood filled him with ecstasy. He wanted to sprint at full speed and feel the wind blowing his fur.

It would normally be a cause for him to roar in celebration at the possibility of fully awakening his bloodline. Having that possibility be in the grasp of someone else was quite sobering for the Wolf chief however.

His blood energy was becoming more active after a cycle of refining the lunar and yin energies. These bits of energy were only stray strands Raiken let loose, but they were still enough to circulate around Enruzan's body a few times, giving rise to the shadow of a werewolf in his materialization field.

Raiken only gave him a little because if the Wolf chief absorbed too much at once he might be effected by the werewolf's bloodlust.

"Who are you? And what are you really after?"

With his wolf aspect being triggered, Enruzan's voice came out in a growl when he sought answers to this nagging question. He refused to believe that someone with Raiken's capabilities would come here just to hire a cook. There had to be something more going on here for such a character to show up.

"What? You think that there's something in your little village that could seriously interest me? Just bring me to the cook and stop having so many unnecessary thoughts".

Unwilling to waste time putting this paranoid wolf descendant's suspicion at ease, Raiken waved his concerns away with a dismissive hand. "In any case, I could've just flattened the whole village and took away the cook without asking for opinions if I wanted to. I'm doing you pitiful fellows a favor by coming here".

Gnash-Jaw wasn't used to anyone daring to speak like this in front of them, they were used to respectful attitudes and complements on how developed the culture was at their village. Even gnomes of noble status didn't think it was beneath them to pay a visit.

"You think my Grey-Wolf village is easy to bully? I'll admit you're pretty great, but I don't believe you'll come out unscathed if it came to it!"

There was an amused twinkle in Raiken's eyes as he looked upon the Beast-Master clan head. "If I really made a move, you guys wouldn't be able to do anything but bear witness as your comrades became dust in the wind".

Although he might end up in dire straits from going toe to toe with the lizard, Gnash-Jaw just couldn't take being looked down on too well. He was just about to erupt, casting aside all pretense, when Raiken pointed his glowing finger at the Wolf chief.

"I don't even have to act myself to remove any obstacle from my path".

More yin energy and lunar essence spun around Raiken's finger, they twisted into the shape of a werewolf standing proudly on two legs. Crimson Optic energy was also added, attaching themselves as symbols on the werewolf's body.

"I'll give you a good taste that will leave you satisfied. I'm sure you'll appreciate my manners a lot more afterwards".

Before Enruzan could begin to resist, the white wolf made of energy flew from Raiken's finger, entering his forehead with a howl that made his consciousness rumble. A crimson eye appeared in his sea of consciousness, a black hand extended from it, reaching for the absolute depths of his mental space.

In the outside world, a white light burst out of Enruzan's body, forming a crackling dome that covered him. It released a strong wind that blew the 3 clan heads back, their hands blocked their fronts as they slid across the ground.

"This is definitely not looking good. That lizard is doing something to the pack leader"!

The energy used to materialize the white dome was very concentrated. It could override the physical body's resistance to cellular manipulation. There were preset commands that a caster would give to a particular sort of energy. An effect could be brought about when energy was given a form which was able to maneuver the base components of the material world.

Within the white dome, Enruzan's flesh was stripped down to the bone. His shrieks of pain couldn't be heard because the dome surrounding him was so solid. He lay in a pool of his own blood miserably, even his eyeballs were melted under the dome's effect!

He was dragged to the brink of death by who knows what. Feeling the last embers of his life ebbing away, Enruzan thought about his children.

Would his family struggle to hold onto their positions when he passed away? Will the lizard really raze the village his ancestors built to the ground, while he, it's current chief, could do nothing but die like a mangy wolf?

Fretful thoughts slowly whirled as the Wolf chief's consciousness faded.

Just as the light of his spirit was on the verge of spluttering out, a big grey claw reached out, it tapped it's nail on the darkness of Enruzan's mental space.

A scorching hot gush of air came from the pool of blood beneath him. It released an oily steam with thick mucus bubbling inside it. Those were the impurities his body discharged when his corporal form was broken down into refined organics.

After using the undesirable components in his biological system as fuel to recreate the vital organs, the pool of blood began to move like it was alive. It whirled and began to form seals that burst out with a field of red light.

After the red field of light washed over Enruzan's skeleton, it began to morph and enlarge. His tendons, veins, muscles and blood vessels regrew as if from nothing. Everything was regenerated after being broken down to nearly nothingness! When his skin grew back, a coat of grey fur began to crawl across his writhing inner flesh.

Kiszac was staring at the dome as a premonition came over him. He had remained silent all this while, only his eyes moved. Now that the situation was spiraling out of control, there were finally signs of movement from him.

Raiken's image was stark in his reflective eyes as the pitbull looked up at him. "Esteemed guest, I believe you've proven your might to everyone here. Is it neccessary for things to come to this even when we aren't irreconcilable enemies?"

Crackling sounds started coming from the dome as cracks began spreading across it's surface. Raiken gave it a reluctant glance, he wanted to observe his handiwork in action, but it appeared that there was someone sensible among these wolf descendants.

"Sure, I can stay my hand. If you agree to persuade the owners of the dining hall to work for me".

Moti was surprised behind his unreadable expression, Raiken had really stirred things up to this extent all because he wanted to hire a cook. It was difficult to believe at first so they ignored it when the lizard mentioned it. But to think it was really serious and that was the whole reason for this.

"It should be the Maplean family dining hall you're speaking of. And you say this is just a recruitment venture"?

Moti couldn't help but ask this, the humans of Grey-Wolf village were his duty to protect as a clan head. In exchange for helping them live comfortable, pleasurable lives as they lived on this savage mountain, the wolves and their descendants promised the humans to watch their backs.

None of these clan heads were scared so witless that they'd fail to honor that agreement. Abandoning their human brethren to save their own skin wouldn't even cross their minds.

After being suspected repeatedly by these chumps, the baby demon couldn't resist sighing helplessly.

"I won't say anything further, take a look at your chief"!

As Raiken said this, the white dome turned into a buzzing gas, it got sucked into the nostrils of a grey wolf who had an extremely intimidating stature. It's over 3 meters tall body didn't have much bulk, but the yin energy coating it's muscles was capable of unleashing shocking power.

The white fog clinging close to the ground grew thicker as the trim wolf stretched it's spine. As it appeared, it wasn't in a hurry to acknowledge it's surroundings.

"Is that really you pack leader"?

Rochi ventured uncertainly, this transformation looked different from what they'd seen and heard about. A normal transformation should be a wolf with a higher muscle mass, the arms, legs and chest were like iron blocks. The muzzle was also more broad, with a shaggier coat that had wild tangles.

This wolf like being they were looking at now had the familiar grey fur, yet it's appearance was too fresh. He gave off the sensation of a Lord looking over the prairie. Although his appearance was beastial, there was a grace that beasts shouldn't have to him.

"Mwhhmmm"?

After getting a hold over his senses and energy circulation, Enruzan, who had undergone a werewolf transformation through Raiken's actions, picked up on Pernoaken's enormous vitality.

His thoughts weren't as finely structured as they would normally be, the werewolf transformation had irresistible effects on all of it's users, especially on their first transformation. Changing to a wolf took a heavy toll on their blood energy, it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see them in a frenzy to replenish it.

Hearing the sound of the Trollsbane's vigorous heartbeat stirred the werewolf's appetite!

"Ho, ho, ho. He wants to eat you big guy, incoming"!

Since this muscle head was always thinking about fighting, Raiken decided to grant his wish on this occasion. After he ignited the Grey-Wolf blood in Enruzan's body with lunar and yin energies, he also inserted a bit of his Optic essence. More of the werewolf's capabilities would be unleashed under those circumstances.

He wanted to see if the giant orc could suppress the beast, or will he end up being the one on the losing side.

Raiken turned into a silver ray, appearing before Yotta, who gave a squeal of surprise when he was suddenly in her arms. A delighted expression lit up her gorgeous face at the opportunity to forge a bond with the auspicious lizard.

The other Crying Dart females standing with her were envious at her good fortune.

With his shining yellow eyes zeroed in on the Trollsbane, the werewolf turned Enruzan lowered his body, placing one slim claw on the ground. His other claw was held at his side with the fingers close together.

As a high ranked member of a warrior race, and one who personally enjoyed a good fight, Pernoaken wasn't intimidated at all by the werewolf's imposing manner. He was actually happy at the chance to finally show off his skills to the Little Deity. Many things went through one ear and out the other that were told to him, but he didn't forget about the mysterious power he didn't know he possessed that the Little Deity mentioned earlier.

Looking at the the wolf's opening stance, Pernoaken judged that he would suffer a fatal injury if he carried his usual casual attitude when he faced an opponent. The table sized sword on his back let off a deep ring as it slid out of it's sheath.

With the sword in his hand, his body began to release a physical force that caused the wind to stir. Smoke twisted around him from the activity of his muscles working in almost complete concert.

While everyone was silently thanking their ancestors that they weren't the ones about to face him, a smile spread across Pernoaken's face as he positioned his sword between his stomach and chest.

"I have no problem conceding that this wolf guy is finally someone worthy of the Little Deity's blessing".

His stance was completely offensive, paying no mind to defense at all, like he was leaving himself open to trade off for a killing blow. "Now let's see if it could prevent my blade from biting his flesh"!

The werewolf didn't charge in wildly as you'd expect from an existence such as itself. His conscious mind was inactive, but his body's intuitive governance took over to operate the physical vessel. A regular first transformation werewolf would have been gone wild, lunging for the kill. This one happened to be injected with Optic essence, it's higher senses were what it was responding to more at the moment.

His body was held still like a statue, seeking a sure strike that would hinder the target's ability to resist.

"How long do you plan on standing there like that? Whatever. I'll get the party started then since it looks like you want me to do the honors".

When he saw that the wolf wasn't going to make a move after a minute passed, Pernoaken decided he'd have to be the one to kick it off.

The ground under his feet sunk low when he moved forward, rushing ahead like a storm.

And in the exact moment that he moved, Enruzan's form became a static image which bent peculiarly before disappearing!

A shadow flickered next to Pernoaken as he stomped the ground to pause his forward motion. Sparks flew out when a glimmer streaked pass, sliding across the side of Pernoaken's blade. When the sword slashed out, a blast of air made the earth shake. Anyone observing could see the peril of engaging an Orc Lord at close range.

Even if his sword missed, the blast of wind following the swing could still heavily injure you!

Gulps sounded as the traders watched the Orc Lord swing his sword at a group of faded images. Each slash of the Trollsbane flew a smooth route without losing much of it's force. Seeing him wielding that huge sword so lightly, blasting out crushing winds, could make an onlooker's heart tremble.

Only a static image of Enruzan could be made out amidst the flying debris. He appeared to be able to judge the incoming angle of the sword and blast of wind. The huge blade came at him bringing a storm, his figure bent unnaturally, flickering like a light that was about to go out when he evaded the blade, tapping the sides of it, building a mystical force in his forearm and shoulder.

Pushing himself off, he appeared at Pernoaken's blindside with the lower part of his body extending behind him in a whistling streak. The werewolf's moves were very tough to keep track of, a glittering claw reached for the back of Pernoaken's shoulder.

It was a difficult attack to block or evade, the Trollsbane wasn't able to bring his sword around to counter attack either, despite him being able to wield it with much ease. He could only give out an enraged roar as the werewolf's claw stabbed the armor covering his shoulder.

Sparks splashed and lit up brightly, Enruzan pushed his palm against Pernoaken's shoulder to send himself flashing away to avoid a headbutt from the angry orc.

He landed firmly on his feet a distance away, crouching back in that stance with a claw on the ground. His pupils were drawn to points, just his yellow irises were visible if you were up close.

Five holes pierced the armor deeply, but didn't make contact with the Trollsbane's flesh. At an ordinary time he would've complimented his opponents technique, the werewolf was the first one to almost breach his armor after all. This wasn't a normal time though, the Little Deity was watching with a twinkle in his crimson eyes!

"It would really be a pity if you were to die here like that, big guy. I'll give you a heads up since I like you. The wolf is conserving it's true strength for critical moments. He'll never come at you with all he has until he's certain to get a kill".

With Optic essence scanning his surroundings, relaying information back to his intuitive governance, Enruzan would be very hard to defeat. His judgment in this state was brought to a higher stage. Things like incoming attack angles and the range of effect were seen through before they could completely launch.

A possessor of Optic essence could easily harry their foes to death!

"You're saying this guy has even more strength he hasn't unloaded? I'm not concerned. Just because I'm not an energy user doesn't mean I don't have a method or two of my own"!

Feeling that Raiken may start taking him for a joke if he ended up kissing dirt at the hands of this annoying bastard, the Trollsbane decided that tiring himself a bit to activate his technique became neccessary.

The Red-Nosed Pitbull clan head didn't feel comfortable watching any longer. Something unfortunate could happen when things got too heated. He stepped forward, cupping his fist towards Raiken, snuggled comfortably between Yotta's big breasts.

"We understand your point. If you had wanted to, you could've secretly took control of the chief, thereby seizing control of the village. With no one the wiser".

It truly was their village's bad luck to draw this kind of terrible existence to their door. The lizard was even able to strengthen and control people, their village would suffer greatly if they angered it in some way. If all it really wanted was to hire a cook, then that would be enough for them all to feel relief.

Kiszac hoped it only had this in mind, but when he considered it, the lizard was already resourceful enough to where it wouldn't need to rely on plundering to sustain itself. He was interested in the pellets those Beast-Master cubs spoke of earlier as well. Those represented the advancement of a practitioner's training, he was even willing to kill for one if the lizard were to offer it as the payment for an assassination.

"Ah, you're quite sensible. Unlike the dumb looking big guy who only knows how to seek death".

Gnash-Jaw frowned at that but chose to keep quiet out of fear of being controlled and made to kill his comrades by the lizard.

By now, Raiken had already cemented his esteemed status in everyone present here's hearts. Not only was he powerful, the lizard was also capable of creating magic treasures. It was certain that the little horror had other terrifying methods at it's disposal!

Just look at the Wolf chief, even he was nothing to the lizard. It only needed to use a finger to render him obsolete.

When Enruzan looked like he was prepared to charge again, Raiken felt that he'd had enough fun for now, it was time to end the show. He flicked a finger toward the Earth-Child's corpse, slicing off a big bloody chunk. Then he pointed his finger in the werewolf's direction, sending the meat hurtling towards him.

The werewolf's eyes were unwavering, focusing hard on the Trollsbane. A sharp whistle sounded in his ear, yet before he could check what it was, something wet smacked him hard across the face. He was about to howl in rage when a pleasant scent made his nose twitch.

Looking down, he noticed a sizable hunk of meat on the ground. Normally it would be unbecoming of a village chief to eat something off the ground, even if he was a monster. But why would Enruzan think of this with the gnawing hunger of a werewolf jabbing his gut?

Letting out a satisfied growl, he dove on the meat, ripping off a mouthful, blood was splashed everywhere. Raiken tossed him some more chunks since he knew the werewolf needed a lot to replenish his blood energy.

While the Wolf chief was busy with that, Raiken turned to Kiszac. "Alright Mr. Red-Nose, lead the way to the dinning hall. Get someone to bring my kill after us, I'll have my new cook fix something up for me to celebrate the joyous occasion"!

Apparently the Red-Nosed pitbull clan head was respected by the two other clan heads. "Rolli, Gnash-Jaw, you guys look after things here while I escort the esteemed lizard to the Maplean family's dinning hall".

The Beast-Master and Blood-Hound clan heads nodded at him affirmatively without asking questions.

Because he didn't want the Orc Lord's presence to frighten the humans, Raiken had him and the scouts wait behind for him as he and the Crying Dart tribe members followed Kiszac towards the main market square.

On their way, the rock houses began to take on a rounded shape. Two story structures began to appear as the Red-Nosed pitbull clan head quietly led the way. When Raiken's eyes pierced the walls of these places, he saw human families gathered together in their living rooms, discussing some matter seriously.

He saw humans his size, ones who were smaller, as well as those who were bigger. These were the children of the human species, they tried to follow the adult's conversation before becoming bored, eventually running off to play indoor games. Some of the older children who wanted to be like the adults stuck around, wanting to be near all matters of importance.

It seemed that the current state of affairs occupied the human's attention, to where they could hardly closely supervise the children.

As a baby Optic Demon, Raiken didn't feel much connection with those of the junior generation like himself. Very few of them were concentrated enough to achieve an advanced level in their refinement practices so early on.

There was no one on the streets, signs were on some of the two storied rock buildings they passed by. The signs had pictures and brief explanations of their services across them. A good number of specialties were being offered.

Some of the fields would actually work well together with certain schools of refinement. Take the architectural profession for example, someone with earth element capabilities could enjoy plenty success at a reduced expense.

An individual with water element capabilities could build sewage systems and improve hygiene as well as sanitation.

A wood element practitioner would do well as a carpenter.

All of these could be turned into training resources to advance Raiken's strength!

While he scanned the village with his Optic senses, they arrived before a 3 story building with a triangular roof. The sign over the wide door showed a big sandwich with patties of meat on a long bread. Chopped vegetables were placed neatly on top of the patties, it was dressed in a way that made it look deliciously crunchy.

A smile of anticipation lit up Raiken's adorable draconic face when he looked at the sign.