“Oh god, this hurts so much. There really is no kindness in this universe,” Ben complained, feeling a pain deep in his core that was completely separate from any of the nerve endings within his flesh, getting no sympathy from his girlfriend beside him.

“You deserve this,” She said in a singsong voice, not able to muster many feelings for a suffering of his own creation. “You seem bound and determined to damage your soul, you literally knew this could and would happen if you weren’t careful.”

“Ugh, I was hoping I’d just get another level of soul expansion instead of going the opposite direction.”

Quiet you.

“So how bad is it then?” Thera sighed, wanting to know the extent of the damage to his soul, even if she couldn’t help but get silence at first. “Ben, tell me already.”

“A ten percent decrease to both my mana and vitality.”

“...Yeah, we’re going to see Yuzu if we can find her.”

“Sure, but later. You know we’ve got our priorities today.”

“I kind of wish you’d treat your soul like it was a priority!”

“Hey, it’s not like I’m taking in any more mana right now and it will heal on its own eventually so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, you know I’ve been waiting for this, there’s no way I’d cancel.”

“Fine, but when we’re done I’m dragging you out to them. I swear, half of the reason you want me to become a soul mage has to be so you’d have one around.”

“There’s lots of good reasons to want you to become a soul mage, I’m not turning my nose up at any of them. Now come on, this is going to be exciting.”

He tried to keep his complaints to himself from there as he dragged her along through to the gate network. After all, that was a very special day for him and he didn’t want to keep Thera thinking about something that really was due to his own poor planning when it should have been so exciting. The gods' time to pay up had finally come and they were going to get to see the mythic items of the world.

Tools that were seeing constant use due to the need to slaughter the demons who had made their way into the world along with whatever other uses they might be put towards, he may have only known about a couple already but he was more than prepared to examine them all in whatever detail he could, nearly quivering in anticipation by that point as he just imagined what he’d get to see as they went through their first gate to the dwarven city beyond and made their way to what looked to be a castle.

Huh? Myriad, I’m literally always polite one hundred percent of the time though?

<...You know what? I don’t even know why I try. Do whatever you’re going to and I guess I’ll just be up here trying to prepare for whatever sort of meeting or international incident you’re going to put me through.>

Genuinely so hurtful that you think so low of me. It will be fine.

While his god despaired, the two made their way up to the castle doors, Ben displaying the relevant details of his card to the castle guards.

“Apostle Ben, here for a pre-arranged meeting,” He told them and was led inside without incident after that, with the ones standing out front expecting him as he was led within, deep into the castle’s heart until they were standing before a throne, the king of that dwarven nation before them.

Baring the slightest consideration for what Myriad had told him, Ben at least gave a small bow, trying to make a decent impression. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am the apostle of Myriad, Ben Heph, here to enjoy the honour of viewing your nation’s great treasure along with my companion, Thera Oress, daughter of Anailia’s queen, Pelenia Oress. It is our pleasure to be here.”

“Ha, the pleasure is mine, Apostle Ben,” The dwarf said, giving a nod. “I’ve heard much about you, one of my countrymen was even lucky enough to witness your first awakening and more have benefited from your help to achieve their own.”

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The way he said ‘first awakening’ made Ben wonder how many that king suspected he’d gone through but felt no need to push. He was well within Ben’s range and there was no malice in his mind, a good sign that things would go smoothly.

“I remember getting to see what the dwarves put out during the contest, getting to see their work was a pleasure and helped me immensely in my own work as well.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to hear it but rumour has it you’ve only grown more since then. I don’t suppose I could tempt you to visit our city for a few weeks to give some guidance to some of my kin?”

Again Ben felt nothing nefarious from his mind, just a genuine desire to help his countrymen grow, earning him a positive response, even if it wasn’t going to be exactly what he wanted.

“While I unfortunately have too much to do in the name of contributing whatever I can to the war effort to give up so much time, in the event we win in the end I’d be happy to make a visit back for whatever humble guidance I can give.”

“Ha, then another reason to hope for the best in the end, but you’re right, I shan't keep you so let’s show you what you came for. Draught, come forth.”

A dwarf that had seemed like a simple guard at first glance stepped forth before holding out a sheath, an item that by itself was ranked as being in the middle grade of legendary just for being able to hold the thing it contained as Ben took it and pulled out the sword within.

While it would have been a shortsword to him, it was a perfect length for the dwarf who wielded it, being an item he’d already heard about from the grey and was strangely familiar in some ways as well. What he held was a weapon not made of metal but instead the same condensed spacetime that would form around voidstone, though lacking that very stone at its heart and instead continuing to exist through the power bound to it alone.

“Beautiful,” He couldn’t help but mutter as he held it, pouring over everything it was in wonder as he made sense of what he was seeing.

The item of a proper crafting god, the enchantments bound to it were some of the best he’d seen by that point, beyond even the creations of the magic god Galwax he’d studied and of a better quality than what he or his teacher could pull off, even with the latter taking his own steps into the same sort of godhood. It was the exact sort of thing he’d been hoping to get his hands on as he studied it, forming his ideas and theories as he did.

Supposedly a sword that could cut anything, the immediate question was how it was even able to exist in that form, with the answer looking like it was related to the underlying power that existed beneath the enchantments and was imbued within the material itself, an act of some complex bestowal holding it together and letting it exist at the very least and likely strengthening it in other ways he couldn’t see, filling Ben’s heart with desire once more.

God, I want bestowal so freaking bad at this point. I have one enchanter job left to choose from currently, please please please let me get the skill if I take that one. It would mean so much to me.

It was a prayer he didn’t have much hope for but still couldn’t keep himself from feeling with everything he had as he imagined all of the things he might create if he could only get that skill but did his best to regulate that desire to the back of his thoughts as he focused on the mythic item in his hand. Sitting at the high end of the spectrum, he knew he had to test it.

Materializing a lump of iron, Ben tossed it lightly in the air before swinging the sword down, not even feeling as it cut through like there was nothing there but leaving two halves to fall to the floor.

Immediately he tried again, materializing mythril that time and applying the strongest defensive enchantments he could create, only to get the same result as he gazed at it in wonder. It was clear why its sheath needed such a ranking, anything less and the sword was certain to fall through it from the weight alone.

Still though, there was more he wanted to try and he turned to Thera for his next attempt. “Could I get you to make a small barrier and fill it with darkness for me? Preferably making both spells as strong as you can please.”

She did as he asked and once more he attempted to cut through, watching both spells dissolve despite the massive power that was put into them with the same ease as everything else, with a flash of annoyance crossing Thera’s face for that fact while the sword’s current wielder grinned and the king laughed.

“Not so simple, is it?” He asked. “Though I’d appreciate some care. It can cut beyond its reach and I’d rather not have to rebuild my home.”

“Not to worry, I won’t pour a drop of mana into this thing, I can imagine that might kill some goodwill. There’s just one more thing I want to test.”

Using a skill the god who made it couldn’t have expected that time, Ben actualized a basic board, not bothering to define it down to any molecular level and instead focusing only on its shape and strength as it floated in the air before him before he sliced through, feeling the instant hit to his mind as he did and flinching for the pain it brought.

Okay, could have expected that but it still sucked. Still, good to know I can’t count on the skill if I somehow end up on the wrong end of that thing.

With his examination and testing done though, Ben gave one more bow before handing it back.

“Thank you for giving me this time, I deeply appreciate the opportunity to look over such a wonderful item.”

“The thanks belongs to my god for both making it and allowing this meeting but I have no doubt she appreciates it. I hope we’ll enjoy the chance to host you a bit longer in the future.”

“Should the chance come I’ll look forward to your people’s hospitality, but for now there’s a few more places we need to be today so thank you, it was a pleasure.”

The pleasantries went on only a little longer before the two were able to leave, Ben already excited to get a look at the rest for whatever depths they might contain.