Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Inter-realm city, Sector DS0909, Chaos Dwarven District
Wyatt hardened his gaze at the Chaos Dwarf and said, "For fuck's sake, make up your damn mind. Do you want to ban me or keep me in the Chaos Dwarven District?"
"Give me a second," the Chaos Dwarf replied, thinking hard about what exactly it wanted. Just as Wyatt was about to move around him, the Dwarf stepped in his way again and yelled, "All I want is to see your Orbiumite ore!"
"Why the fuck would I show you my Orbiumite ore when you've been nothing but a pain? Get out of my way, or do you want me to get you blacklisted like I did with your workshop?" Wyatt warned the Chaos Dwarf. He didn't actually have the power to do that, nor did the Chaos Dwarf seem to care about being blacklisted by the Devil Merchant Code—or anything else, for that matter.
The Dwarf clearly had a few screws loose. A crowd was beginning to gather around them, and the demon and devil merchants were starting to misinterpret their conversation and the Dwarf's pestering.
"Did he just say he got that Chaos Dwarf's workshop blacklisted?"
"That's not possible. The greedy Devil Merchant Code would never blacklist a Chaos Dwarven Workshop."
"But that's what he said, and the Chaos Dwarf didn't deny it."
"Well, if you're from a ruler-class force, it's possible to get someone blacklisted with enough evidence and a good offering."
"Whatever. I'm just happy someone finally taught these damn Chaos Dwarves a lesson. We spend a fortune on their items, but they treat us like trash."
"That might be true for a small, no-name workshop, but to get a Chaos Dwarf's workshop in the Chaos Dwarven District blacklisted, the force behind that demon merchant must be top-tier—even among ruler-class forces."
"You're right. Every time I buy something from them, I lose all the excitement I had about getting a new item and just feel sad. Still, I do end up getting a lot of practice done that week."
"Which force is powerful enough to get a Chaos Dwarf's workshop in the Chaos Dwarven District blacklisted? That demon merchant's appearance doesn't match anyone I know from a ruler-class force."
"Are you guys seriously gossiping about someone from a ruler-class force and a chaos dwarf right behind their backs? Unless you're from a ruler-class force yourselves, you're courting death."
The surrounding demon and devil merchants had only heard part of the conversation, but that didn't stop them from wildly exaggerating their gossip. The Dwarf, however, didn't seem to care. It was as if he couldn't hear them at all and continued pestering Wyatt.
Though the Chaos Dwarf didn't appear to fear the Devil Merchant Code, he seemed well aware of its rules and was exploiting them to harass Wyatt without giving him a valid reason to file an appeal.
Even though the Dwarf was blocking Wyatt's path, every time Wyatt took a step forward, the Dwarf would step backward, maintaining a minimum distance between them. It looked less like the Dwarf was blocking Wyatt and more like he was walking backward in front of him. This tactic meant Wyatt had no grounds to make an appeal to the Devil Merchant Code. As for public nuisance, the spectators didn't mind the spectacle; in fact, they hurried to clear the way to avoid getting involved.
Wyatt could just show the Orbiumite ore to the Chaos Dwarf and get it over with, but if he caved to its antics now, what if it later demanded that he give it the Orbiumite ore? Should he just hand it over to make the Dwarf stop pestering him? That wasn't going to happen. Yes, he was beginning to regret taking out the Orbiumite ore, but he was not about to let this Chaos Dwarf walk all over him. Besides, a properly preserved Orbiumite ore—though a conversation starter—wasn't worth the trouble the Chaos Dwarf was putting him through. He blamed his luck for stepping into such a Chaos Dwarf's workshop in a district filled entirely with Chaos Dwarf workshops.
"Fine, how about this: you're interested in buying a corpse puppet, right? How about I show you the best corpse puppet I've ever crafted in exchange for you showing me your Orbiumite ore?" the Chaos Dwarf finally proposed, offering a compromise instead of simply demanding or threatening Wyatt to show his ore.
"I've seen the corpse puppets displayed in your workshop. They're not worth my time," Wyatt rejected. So what if the Chaos Dwarf was starting to be reasonable? It was Wyatt's turn to give it a taste of its own medicine. Not to mention, if he were to quickly agree to the Dwarf's first compromise, he'd look desperate.
"How dare you!" The Chaos Dwarf glared at Wyatt in rage and then demanded, "Take that back!"
"Why should I? You've displayed the crappiest corpse puppets I've ever seen and tagged them with exorbitant price tags. Have you no shame? Even though I haven't crafted a corpse puppet before, I think I could do a better job than you. Good ingredients wasted in a fool's hands," Wyatt snapped, deciding to vent his pent-up frustration on the stubborn Chaos Dwarf before him.
As Wyatt finished speaking, the crowd around them gasped, while the Chaos Dwarf grinned.
"Did he just issue a corpse puppet crafting challenge to the Chaos Dwarf in the middle of the Chaos Dwarven District?" "Yes, he did. He just issued a challenge to a Chaos Dwarf!"
"Holy shit, I can't believe I'm lucky to witness this. No matter who wins, I get to see someone put a Chaos Dwarf in their place—or a ruler-class brat learn the cruel reality."
"It's been a millennium since anyone dared to challenge a Chaos Dwarf in the Chaos Dwarven District."
"Fuck! I knew it—he must belong to a top-tier ruler-class force."
"Even though I hate to agree with you, that's the only explanation. Otherwise, who would be stupid enough to challenge a Chaos Dwarf in the field of crafting?"
"I don't know. There are plenty of forces that aren't semi-ruler or ruler-class level but still manage to craft better corpse puppets than the average Chaos Dwarf."
"But those are experienced crafters who've spent millennia developing their skills. This demon merchant doesn't even look a century old."
The Dwarf's grin morphed into manic laughter, fueled by the crowd's misinterpretation of Wyatt's words. He heroically declared, "So be it, mortal. I accept your challenge. If I win, you will hand over your Orbiumite ore mine to me. And if I lose—what do you want, mortal?"