Jonathan scoffed and raised his hands, ready to fight. The Uthraki roared in anger, and leaped into the air, his sword glinting in the ambient light. Some of the other villagers had come out after hearing the commotion, and were watching the battle in silence.

As the leader came down, Jonathan danced to the side. However, a charge of energy ran up and down the length of the blade as it fell, carrying intense destructive potential. Clearly recognizing this attack, the nearby Uthraki scurried away.

The other man screamed as he brought his sword down, not seeming to care that Jonathan was out of the way. As it turned out, it hardly mattered. A blast wave of light and heat erupted from the point of impact, wrecking the nearby houses and blasting Jonathan off of his feet. His bones snapped under the force, and he flew through the air like a missile, his fall only being broken by a nearby house. Behind him was a scene of utter devastation.

A fifty foot wide crater stood where a series of huts had been, with the Uthraki leader standing in the middle, his skin flayed off by the force of the blow. However, he was still standing strong. Jonathan on the other hand had been flattened into the ground by the strike, and was somewhat dazed.

The bones in his right leg and arm had been snapped by the blast, and the rest of his body was bruised all over. With a snarl of rage, he got to his feet, relying on his superior stats to keep him standing. He could already feet the bones snapping back together, but it would still take some time for him to be back in full fighting form. However, his new ranged skill was perfect for this situation.

With a roar, he pumped thousands of points of mana into his Void Cannon ability, creating a shell of condensed energy that rocketed towards his foe at supersonic speeds. Perhaps if he had been in top condition, the Uthraki could have dodged, but as it was, there was no time. The attack slammed into the man like the fist of a god, blasting him off his feet. There was a crack like thunder as the skill detonated, further widening the crater.

When the dust cleared, Jonathan saw the Uthraki lying on the ground a few hundred feet away, out for the count. With mingled curses and grunts, Jonathan made his way towards his fallen foe, waiting for the other man to wake up. The nearby Uthraki regarded him with awe, as they had likely never seen their leader defeated. It wasn't like the man was at the peak of Tier 2 or anything, but he was at least 10 or 15 levels higher than the other Uthraki.

By the time that Jonathan had reached the man, the Uthraki was already starting to wake up.

“We had a deal,” Jonathan said as he approached, ready to smite the fighter out of existence if he proved to be dishonorable. However, the Uthraki simply levered himself to his feet, and sighed.

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“That we did. I will listen to you.”

The fact that the man was standing, while half of his body was flayed down the bone was astounding. Perhaps the Uthraki simply felt less pain than other races.

The Uthraki lumbered towards a shard of broken rock, and sat down on it. Jonathan found another one, and sat too.

“You claim that you can deliver vengeance upon the Betrayer. How do you plan to do that?” The Uthraki said, his voice a lot calmer than before. His manner of speaking was at odds with his appearance, but Jonathan supposed that the Uthraki were simply another sapient race like all the others. They just looked more intimidating.

“I possess the ability to leave and enter this world, while bringing one person with me. I wanted to propose that you join me, and help my city fight Granath’s forces,” Jonathan replied, choosing his words carefully. He did not want to project a sense that he was ordering the other man around.

“Interesting. What about the mana density? I remember that the elders spoke of a desert of power in the outside world, one where an Initiate could not manifest his full power.”

“Initiate?” Jonathan asked, confused.

“What your kind call Tier 2. We rank them by orders of ten, but there is little call for any above Tier 2 in this realm.”

“Oh. Well, I have a solution for that, but only if you agree to fight alongside me, without betraying my people,” Jonathan replied.

“You insult my honor,” the Uthraki said, spitting to the side. “But I suppose that is fair. After all, there is no bond between us. My name is Hushar, son of Alkar.”

“My name is Jonathan,” he said. “Jonathan Harlowe.”

The Uthraki leader, Hushar, sat back as he contemplated Jonathan’s words. Although it was tempting to think of him as a mere brute, incapable of any advanced reasoning, Jonathan knew that would be a mistake. A calculating mind existed behind that barbaric facade, and it was one bolstered by the System. A few moments later, Hushar responded.

“You certainly know how to incentivize one of my race, Jonathan. However, how do I know that you speak the truth? This could all be an elaborate ruse, concocted in order to kill me.”

“You insult your own strength by saying that,” Jonathan replied, knowing the words that would motivate the other man. “Do you really think that I could kill you easily enough to be confident in trapping you? You almost defeated me back there.”

“Hah! You speak like a true Uthraki. If not for your runty body, you might pass as one of us.”

Ignoring Hushar’s predilection for calling him a runt, Jonathan simply laughed. He could tell that he had scored some points with the other man by using his own logic.

Now that the Uthraki had stopped fighting, the other villagers had left the scene, sensing that negotiations were underway. None of the bloodthirsty demon-like beings wanted anything to do with that.

“I will go with you. However, if there is any double dealing, you will be the first to fall. As well as that, I want you to give me the artifact, or whatever it is that allows you to resist the mana desert of the outside world.” The Uthraki leader snorted as if in derision of the thought that Jonathan would dare to defy him, and then eyed him up, waiting for his answer.

“That is agreeable,” Jonathan replied, beginning to channel his Divinity, ready to create the runic array.