CH367 Melee Shaman

***

Agrut had been betting that, as a noble, Alex would eventually have the opportunity for interplanar expeditions. Attaching Mordor to him was a calculated move.

Such expeditions usually gave the young orc the chance to test his skills across multiple battlefields, facing diverse opponents and combat styles. It was also more likely he'd encounter weaker enemies alongside stronger allies, compared to a direct battle on Pangea.

As for why Agrut chose Alex specifically, it was also obvious. He was the human noble with the closest ties to the Orc tribe who would genuinely care about Mordor's safety.

This, Alex knew, was the most crucial point.

Agrut was a Grand Mage connected to far higher and more influential nobles than Alex. But those nobles, busy with their own affairs and ambitions, could not be trusted to properly look after a promising youth.

Mordor, by all accounts, was invaluable to the Brownskin Orc tribe—likely the only proper Shaman candidate of his generation.

"I understand," Alex said. "But I'll need to test him first—to see if he's the kind of talent I want on my team."

"That's only fair," Agrut nodded, and Mordor mirrored the gesture.

The young orc raised his sword, ready to spar and demonstrate his abilities, but Alex stopped him.

"We don't need to spar," he said. "I just need to cast a detection spell on you to check one thing."

Mordor raised an eyebrow but glanced at Agrut, who gave him a slow nod. The young Shaman relaxed, allowing Alex to perform the spell.

[Detection]!

'Six rune slots,' Alex noted with a small sigh of relief.

"Alright. He passed. I'll bring him along—if he's willing," Alex said.

"Was that a modified [Detection] spell?" Agrut commented, "I could not tell what exactly you used it to detect."

Alex nodded.

"It checks an individual's compatibility with one of my class's support abilities. I want all my party members to benefit from it, so I only select those who are compatible," he explained carefully.

It was an honest explanation, without revealing anything too sensitive about his class nor Rune Tattoos.

He added, "Mordor is compatible with my support method. With or without your recommendation, I'd love to have him on the team. Of course—only if he wants to join."

"I am willing," Mordor said immediately, his voice firm. "I'm ready to leave and join you at any time."

"Excellent," Alex said with a smile. "Pack your things, say your farewells, and meet me at the main tower tomorrow. I'll introduce you to the rest of the party then."

"Understood," Mordor nodded.

Alex turned back to Agrut. "I need to go now. Some errands still require my attention."

"That's a pity. We would have liked to host you longer," Agrut said with a warm smile.

"That's indeed a shame, but we'll leave it for another time," Alex replied.

He quickly departed, leaving behind the sparkling yet disappointed stares of the Brownskin Orc tribe.

-

Alex's next destination was a smithy in the city—but not just any smithy. This was the home and grand workshop of one of the Enclave's Tier V Grandmaster Forgesmiths.

Grandmaster Sinla Ironhost was one of the craftsmen Alex had worked with while building the first Rune-Net server, making him one of the few who knew the origins of the artefact now called the Arcane Library.

Alex didn't worry much about that. One of the reasons Zora had recommended Ironhost was for his discretion. Even if the dwarf had a penchant for ale, spilling secrets wasn't something he would ever do.

Well, there was also the matter of the confidentiality contract, which made it virtually impossible for the dwarf to reveal anything—even after a few drinks, and dwarves were notoriously hard to handle when intoxicated.

"Alex, you're here!" Grandmaster Ironhost greeted with a warm smile.

The roughly five-foot dwarf guided Alex away from the bustling workshop where apprentices clattered about, leading him to the quiet residence at the back of the smithy.

The house was a modest two-story building, tastefully furnished, and in true dwarven fashion, adorned with minerals, forging implements, and a variety of weapons.

To a casual observer, it might seem simple, but anyone versed in the three major crafts would recognise it as a showcase of Ironhost and his wife's craftsmanship mastery.

"You're in luck today. My wife is free. This is the first time you're meeting her, right?" Ironhost said with a proud grin.

It was often joked that the Grandmaster loved three things more than ale: two of them were forging and his wife.

As they entered the home, Alex saw a beautiful, mature half-elven woman preparing tea.

"This is my wife," Ironhost introduced, pride evident in his eyes. The dwarf's admiration for his wife was unmistakable.

Kaylyn Mitchell, his wife, was no ordinary woman. She was a peak Tier IV Alchemist, just shy of reaching Grandmaster status herself—a force to be reckoned with in her own right.

It was rare to see a dwarf marry outside their race; rarer still to see a dwarf marry an elf. But, Sinla and Kaylyn had both grown up within the Enclave, unbound by the usual racial distance—if anything, they seemed perfectly matched.

"Come, take a seat, Young Master Alex," Kaylyn invited with a warm smile.

"Please, just call me Alex, Master Kaylyn," he replied respectfully.

"In that case, just call me Kaylyn," she said with a gentle smile.

"Alright, ma'am," Alex nodded.

Kaylyn poured the tea she had prepared, and Grandmaster Ironhost immediately gulped down the cup, asking for more with childlike enthusiasm. Alex watched, amused, as the couple bickered lightly over Ironhost's lack of appreciation for the fine art of tea drinking.

Unconsciously, Alex straightened his posture and drank with an etiquette he rarely observed in himself. Almost instantly, he felt his mind clear, a refreshing clarity sweeping through him.

"Your mind feels clearer, right?" Ironhost smirked knowingly.

"Yes," Alex admitted. "I can already feel it will be much easier to concentrate on work… and get better results."

"I'm glad. It's a concentration brew I made from boiling herbs I modified using simple grafting techniques," Kaylyn explained.

"Don't let her humble words fool you, Alex," Ironhost interjected, clearly proud. "Even though she's not yet a Grandmaster, Kaylyn is already one of the Enclave's foremost experts in genetic modification of organisms.

"Thanks to her efforts, the Alchemy Society has restored access to several previously extinct flora and even developed new plants with much-needed exotic properties. Her work is one of the contributors to the Enclave's potion superiority to anything you might find outside. And once she becomes a Grandmaster, it will only get better."

Alex gained a new appreciation for the woman before him.

The dwarf grandmaster he knew was usually reserved and modest, rarely speaking of his own achievements. Seeing him earnestly brag about his wife's genius struck Alex in a way that was surprisingly heartfelt.

"Oh, stop it, Sinla. You're embarrassing me," Kaylyn finally said, laughing as she playfully scolded her husband.

The three shared a few more moments of light-hearted banter, giving Alex insight into alchemy, the Enclave's crafting community, and the precision required for their craft. Eventually, the conversation turned to the purpose of his visit.

"The person I want to recommend to you is our son," Grandmaster Ironhost revealed.

**(17/70)**

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