Chapter Text
"I see, so you aren't branded yet?"
The blond human asked her traveling companion.
"Indeed, as I left in secret I planned to brand myself in the future."
The demi-human answered, his steps accompanied by heavy thumps on the ground.
"Isn't that sad? To have to be branded as a foreigner by your own family and friends? Though, if everything goes according to plan you will have no need to do so."
The shorter girl said, a rather sly grin on her face.
"To say the truth, I probably still will, food scarcity wasn't the only reason why I left in the first place… I just got tired of it all, the bloodshed, the war, the constant fear of running out of food… I just wanted to leave it all behind me and see the world."
He admitted accompanying his words with a heavy sigh.
"And even if I returned, I would still not be treated too badly, considering I am the wielder of Frost Pain and brother of the chief… quite selfish, wouldn't you say?"
He continued; his eyes lost in the wilderness before them.
The blond noble swordswoman lost her grin. That was quite a direct thing to admit to someone you had known for a few days. But even then, demi-humans might have different ways of expressing their emotions compared to humans.
"If that is selfish, I might be the most selfish person in the world then."
She admitted catching both Leinas' and her new friend's gaze.
"I was born a noble, you could compare it as being born into a chief's family… my parents raised me with love and care as the eldest child, my future was already decided, marry someone prestigious, strengthen my family's political standing and give my future husband many children…"
She said, it was the first time she voiced such a thing, saying it like that made the whole thing look quite easy.
"I hated it, I hated it all, I wanted to live freely my own life my own way, I went against all my parents wanted me to be… Instead of caring for my looks or enticing men, I chose to harden my skin and embrace my blade, for that was what I loved to do… when they tried to force me into it, I escaped, and now here we are, me living my own way and my parents probably cursing me till their last breath… quite selfish, wouldn't you say?"
She rebutted, giving the lizardman a shit-eating but rather sad grin.
They continued to walk in silence for a couple of minutes.
"Then it seems we are more alike than I initially thought, lizardmen and humans."
Zaryusu said, seemingly amused. Lakyus was about to retort with a witty response when she was interrupted by what seemed to be a low whimper, if not a whine.
She immediately turned toward her left, the sound was near but not so near that whatever was making it was in direct sight.
She tightened the grip around her blade, constant vigilance was something embedded on the back of her head by now.
She moved quietly through the thick vegetation, Leinas crouched behind her and Zaryusu blended in with the trees and ground thanks to his coloring.
The whines were getting nearer and once she moved the bush in front of her again, she could finally see it.
Stuck in mud, unable to free its hindlegs that by now were buried more than halfway into the ground. Four heads attached to long necks flailing around in panic.
Lakyus amazement was so much that she didn't notice the root in front of her, which was why she ended up face first into the ground ruinously.
"Ouch!"
She cried out in surprise and pain. She pushed herself on all four before she noticed the strange creature was no longer struggling but instead had its four heads fixed on her, wariness in its eyes as Lakyus managed to get back on her feet.
She took a couple steps forward before the creature started hissing loudly at her and snapping its jaws threateningly, she was reminded of an angry toddler at that scene.
"Hey, hey, calm down… I don't want to hurt you."
She tried to say soothingly, the creature remained wary of her, but didn't hiss again, until both of her companions showed themselves, then the creature immediately doubled its efforts to get away as it cried out openly in despair.
The bigger figures probably scared it, Lakyus was already quite taller than it but both Leinas and Zaryusu basically towered over it.
She gestured to the two to stay back, to which they kindly obliged, taking a few steps back but not disappearing from view.
Lakyus silently closed the distance between her and the creature as she placed a gentle hand on its back. The multi-headed creature immediately stilled, frozen in place and silent, its muscles tensed to their maximum.
Lakyus gently caressed its back, which was already sporting quite the hard skin if she had to judge, before using her hand to trace all the way to one of its necks, she continued to stroke until she reached the top of one of its heads and patted it gently.
That seemed to do the trick as the creature was now eyeing her with wariness but what seemed to be curiosity lingering in its gaze too.
Lakyus knelt to its level before she slowly brought her hands toward its trapped legs. The creature's heads following her all the way to observe what she was doing.
Careless of the mud she was getting all over her, the blonde swordswoman began digging in the mud with her bare hands. It took some minutes but she finally managed to remove enough mud from around the creature's leg for it to manage to get it free.
The second one was far easier and finally it managed to get itself free from the natural trap.
Slightly tired but satisfied nonetheless, Lakyus got up but immediately she felt something almost… cooing? And… snuggling? On her side.
She looked down only to see the creature's four heads all over her right side, snuggling and cooing, trying to cling to her light leather armor.
'So cute!' was the only thought that passed through her mind as she knelt once more in front of the creature and started playing with it, much to its amusement apparently.
"Of all the things I thought I would see, a hydra was not one of them."
The voice of Zaryusu interrupted the tender moment as he finally gave a name to the creature before her.
"A hydra?"
She asked as she heard of such a creature but never imagined it to be so small or cute. It was said that they were fierce beings of power, dominating the seas or great lakes. Now that she thought about it, many hints pointed toward it but she never made the connection nonetheless.
"So you are a hydra… a little hydra… the most beautiful hydra there is."
She continued to play with the hydra's head as it cooed in happiness.
"Yes, you are… yes, you are…"
She didn't even notice Leinas getting closer.
"It must be a child, we should get going before the parents return."
That was indeed a concern, Lakyus decided to get up and start to move away before they were forced into an unwanted and probably dangerous confrontation.
"Bye bye."
She said to the little thing before they started moving away.
It didn't take more than a few meters to understand that the little hydra didn't seem to catch her words as it continued trotting behind them.
"No, little one, you must wait for your parents."
She said in exasperation, as the little thing just started desperately whining and flaying its heads around .
"It is strange though, hydra are supposed to have eight heads, and to find a young one alone like this so far from the shore… her group might have exiled it or abandoned it."
Zaryusu offered his grim opinion, which didn't bode well in Lakyus' book.
Who the hell would abandon their child? For these stupid reasons? Well, if they didn't want it, she would take it!
"Very well then, in that case, it comes with us."
She declared icily in a tone that didn't allow for any rebuttals. She grabbed a fish from the backpack she was carrying before offering it to the baby hydra which proceeded to eye it curiously before sniffing it and proceeding to take tentative bites out of it with all her heads.
In less than a minute it was gone, bones and all.
"You are a hungry little thing, aren't you?"
The warrior said amusedly as the hydra proceeded to coo in response.
"Well, I guess you will need a name… uhm…"
She mumbled as she thought of something fitting.
"Oh, I got it! Since it was fate that brought us together, I will call you Luck!"
She declared as she patted the content hydra, now Luck, once more.
"Lady Lakyus always seems to affiliate with the strangest beings."
Leinas commented with a straight face even if the shorter noble could swear she heard a hint of amusement in her tone.
"Are you including yourself in that statement my dear knight?"
She teased, prompting said knight to recoil.
"Indeed, I might, maybe I should start cooing at you as well?"
It was Lakyus' time to blush in embarrassment at the unexpected retort.
"Do humans usually give names based on their own?"
She had no idea if the lizardman's question was meant as teasing or as genuine curiosity, but the fact he pointed that out was reason enough to intensify her blush of embarrassment at the current situation. 'Gods damn it! He is actually right!' finding no appropriate response she proceeded to wallow in her own despair and embarrassment the rest of the trip.
{Draconic Kingdom's Royal Palace}
{Brain's P.O.V.}
The blade went through the dummy as if it was paper.
'Worthless, all of it, this training isn't working anymore' the thought passed through his mind as he felt no change whatsoever in his Martial Arts.
[Instantaneous Flash] wasn't enough, he needed more power, for he realized how weak humanity was in the face of true power.
Though, he will not give up! He will not resign himself! He will see the peak of humanity with his own two eyes! But he realized, he will not be the one to achieve it, no, he already met someone capable of absorbing everything the strongest swordmen possessed and make it hers.
'Damn brat' he scoffed as he severed two more dummies with a single strike.
To achieve the top training wasn't enough, she would need stepping stones, obstacles to achieve that level of power, and only by surpassing them she would finally achieve true power.
The higher the obstacle, the better the final result will be. And so he trained, awaiting that day when he will be sent flat on his ass and see humanity rise to new levels untapped till that day.
It was only due to his battle awareness that he caught the silent observer staring at him from afar.
Crimson reptilian eyes fixed on him, no, on his sword, with bottomless hunger and greed.
"It is impolite to stare, royal brat."
He mumbled knowing well that she could easily hear him with her amplified hearing or read his lips.
Said child proceeded to approach him, dignified coldness on her face as she gestured for the other training soldiers to go on with their own work as they tried to bow.
"You are quite rude for a commoner swordsman."
She stated imperiously.
"You are quite full of yourself for a queen of a kingdom on the brink of collapsing."
He rebutted, not interested in being patronized by those who did not understand the fine art of swordsmanship.
"Tch, you are an asshole."
This time her tone was lower and lacked much of the previous decorum.
"Didn't expect a queen to use such vulgar language, didn't your mother teach you it was unladylike?... Well, I had to admit I might be part of the issue seeing as my last encounter with a noble ended up."
He commented as he took once again his signature stance, he will not fail this time, there must be a way to reach a new breakthrough in his Martial Arts.
"You are unbearable, why are you even here?"
She scoffed at his remark asking a question of her own.
"I heard there are stronger demi-humans than that big cat, I will need to face them and end them… only through the reaching and breaking of my limits will I manage to advance to the next level."
He just stated his objective clearly, he was not one for subterfuges or wordplays, he was a true swordsman, direct to the point.
"Is that what motivates you? The thrill of battle and the lust for power? Do you perhaps wish to become the strongest swordsman ever to live?"
She questioned seemingly mocking him judging by her tone.
He almost felt like chuckling at the accusation.
"Oh no, that dream is not mine, but I will help the one who wishes for that title to achieve it, but for that I need to be stronger, for next time we meet I will beat her once again and show her just how weak she still is."
The queen seemed to be confused at his words.
"So the one you are trying to help become the strongest is still weaker than you? Why in the world don't you just strive for that title yourself if that's the case?"
That was a fair question, the whole reason behind him not wanting to pick up a blade ever again. Because if he did he wasn't sure he could stop, he didn't know if he would be able to restrain himself from facing that Monster again, to know that all he did was meaningless yet once more.
But Lakyus made him see the truth, she shoved it down his throat with her words. And the truth was a bitter thing, still something that would allow him to go on and not fear to gaze up at the unknown, knowing he will never reach it.
"It's because I am a coward."
He said aloud, not really meaning to answer the queen herself as much as to answer his own delusions.
The half-breed just stared at him in confusion, curious if he would elaborate on that, he kindly indulged her.
"I saw the true peak of power, I gazed at it and felt insignificant, like I was when I was but a toddler playing knight with a stick… all those years of efforts, blood and sweat meant nothing in the face of true power…I was broken that day… knowing I would never reach that level and leaving my blade behind me, afraid of seeing it happen again and again… and yet, I saw someone stand and defy that truth, no matter how weak she was… she went on and challenged that power gap without fear or reservation."
He gave form to his thoughts the best he could using mere words that were simply not made to express such things.
"If there ever will be someone challenging that absolute, that would be her… I will never gaze again at the top, but I will continue to climb, showing the way to the one who can reach it, that is until that someone will finally surpass me, and then I will know, I did my part."
He proclaimed solemnly, a few seconds of silence followed his statement before a childish laugh filled the air as the queen was now openly laughing without any decorum affiliated to her position.
"Oh gods, this is actually too funny!"
She said unable to stop her laughter.
Brain scoffed in annoyance at the half dragon antics, not that he concerned himself with her opinion in the first place.
"D-did you just understand that now?!"
Her answer took him aback as he was about to return to his training.
"Y-you are too much Unglaus! Did you really believe you would have reached the pinnacle of power one day? There is no hope of that happening, let me assure you of that, I have lived far too much to not recognize talent when I see it, and you have tons of it, but not nearly enough to even dream of reaching those heights reserved only for the highest life forms in this world."
She said as if she was speaking to a mere child.
"Now… why don't you let me have a little bit of that blade's magnificent energy while you tell me about this, oh so great swordswoman you so much speak of?"
He could have refused her, just leave the city and never return to that infuriating woman, but something prevented him, he did not understand it himself. But he sat nonetheless and, as the queen fed off that dark miasma emanating from the Monster's blade, he told her of a stupid child with an even stupider dream and how she did all she could to make it come true.
{Green Claw village}
{Satoru's P.O.V.}
He observed as the lizardmen dug deep into the shore, creating a semi-circular ten meters deep pitch. He could do nothing but admire the natural advantages of their species. They could do heavy work for hours without much tiring while their amphibious nature allowed them to not worry if their pitch was continuously filled with rushing water.
It was nothing compared to the endless strength and stamina of undead but, seeing how he has only been around humans for years, such resilience was admirable to say the least. 'They would make for great workers in the construction industry' he thought. If everything went according to plan he might even convince some to come and live in his territory to start a new colony there.
But that was a thought for the future, as of now, he had to demonstrate the validity of Renner's idea.
Not far from the pitch another group of lizardmen were scavenging for rocks they would later levigate and use as the base of the pitch and to fix to the lake's bottom the net that would close up the farm. As for the top of the net, they would just create a small wooden platform to attach it to and fix it in place.
As for the net itself, Satoru was the one providing it with his creation magic. He had some lizardmen examine it and see if they could reproduce it with their own resources. But, even if that wasn't possible, Satoru said he was willing to trade with them, maintaining amicable terms and open trade could always come up as useful in the future.
Still, the pitch was pretty big and was currently occupying most of the labor force of the village. Satoru was sure that if he wasn't there providing free food the elder council would have never accepted trying this out.
By a few of Renner's estimations, the pitch, at full capacity, would be able to feed the village for around a month, that is, with the actual population and taking in account it would take a year for the fish to mature to the right point.
It wasn't much but the lizardmen had enough space to build at least a couple dozens of those.
They should not be constantly reliant on those though, they could still hunt, but it would be nice to have a plan B in case the hunt came up short.
Not counting that the Lizardmen could also feed on berries and fruits in extreme cases, even though a diet of only that would result in muscle reduction and generally weak individuals according to the elders.
"I didn't see the light of hope shine in their eyes for a while now, from before the war."
The magic caster turned toward the gruff voice belonging to none other than the chieftain, Shasuryu.
"Working toward a greater goal than simple survival seems to have given them a vigor I thought they lost."
He continued, moving closer to Satoru.
"I'm grateful Sir Satoru, from the bottom of my heart, if this works it might change the lifestyle of all lizardmen."
The chief passed him, observing his people at work.
"Don't mention it Sir Shasuryu, as my friend always said, to offer a hand to someone in need is nothing but mere common sense."
The caster answered, there was a reason why Touch-Me was the charismatic one and Punitto Moe the strategic one, and Satoru learnt from both.
"If there were more people like your friend, the world would be a safer place."
He said seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
"Umu, I prefer to see it as a mutually beneficial relationship, if all parties are in agreement there is no need for conflict and peaceful exchange can bring great growth… unfortunately, it is a fragile balance, it just needs one to disagree to bring down all the system."
Satoru thought back at some inner workings of the megacorporations back in his old world, it was left unsaid that usually those who created disagreement were swiftly dealt with.
"Yes, I can understand what you say Sir Satoru… if a tribe refuses to cooperate peacefully… we will have no other choice but destroy it unfortunately."
The undead tilted his head, unsure if he heard that right. 'Eh? Did he just say destroy? What the hell is he talking about?' to say he was lost would be an understatement.
"Are you sure about that?"
The undead asked in hope of having the lizardman chieftain explain in full his train of thought.
"Indeed, Sir Satoru, you may not know the lizardmen very well but we are a proud bunch, and with old wounds still open, there is no guarantee Red Eye and Dragon Tusk will join us, even if your plan for the farm is a success."
Shasuryu explained with what seemed to be a grim expression on his face.
"In that case, we would find ourselves with a united three tribes who would be prospering while two others were suffering… envy brings resentment which usually devolves into hatred quite easily… we would find ourselves at war among each other again, we against Red Eye and Dragon Tusk, the tribes with the strongest druids and the tribe with the major number of warriors against us."
That was indeed a grim prospect but nothing they could not deal with considering their food reserves and generally improved strength.
"You think you would lose?"
Satoru asked, curious to know if he was missing something, the lizardmen shook his head.
"No, that would not be the problem…"
He said lowly before sighing in resignation. Satoru continued to wait in silence for further details.
"Generations ago, our people arrived to this lake with eight tribes, but these lands were partially occupied by the Toadmen race already… we warred and we lost, casualties were so severe one of the tribes completely disbanded for lack of males to breed with."
Satoru hummed, that was quite the new turn, he lacked such important background information before, it would not do, he needs to press the chieftain for all possible information.
"The remaining tribes settled on these shores and regrew their strength, in case the Toadmen decided to retaliate."
He continued.
"But we were fools, so focused on numbers and strength to eventually defend ourselves from a possible conflict, we did not notice the food scarcity until it was too late… by then there already were too many lizardmen and too few food… and so, the Shortage War happened."
The story made sense in Satoru's mind, after all, as guildmaster, he himself had both to manage Nazarick's power growth and resources as well, after all, what use would be using all resources to create a powerful NPC if then you had no gold to revive it? Or materials to equip it?
"We lost much in that war, by the end we were down another tribe, our numbers were as low as ever and we were as divided as we could ever be… I have no idea what miracle happened, but the Toadmen did not attack us."
Shasuryu continued.
"But if another war comes to be… and even if the result would be us winning, I don't doubt the casualties would be great… at that point, with only three weakened tribes remaining, I have little doubt the Toadmen would jump in and finish us."
The hard tone of the lizardman gave finality to his words. It was a sound way of looking at it in Satoru's opinion, it almost looked like guilds' wars, what Shasuryu said was completely possible and he had little doubt a stronger guild would not jump to the occasion of finishing off a weakened one. Ainz Ooal Gown used that tactic often, causing guilds' wars only to come in and swipe the weakened remains. Punitto Moe was very fond of that tactic.
But then again, this could also be a perfect occasion for him, a third and neutral party to come in and rip the goodies.
"So, to be clear, you intend to wipe out with a surprise attack the tribes that do not join the alliance, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and weakening your people even further? Zaryusu is already aware of this I guess?"
He asked to be completely sure he understood that right. The chief silently nodded in confirmation, prompting Satoru to capitalize on this new information.
"If it is war that preoccupies you so much… I may be of service on that front as well."
With those words he seemed to have caught the chief's attention.
"You see, Sir Shasuryu, I am no simple merchant of the Re-Estize kingdom, I am the main provider of magic items for the whole country, recently I started providing partially for both the Baharuth Empire of the east and Draconic Kingdom of the south, I can show you those on my map later."
He began before bringing out of his inventory some of his store's products and placing them in front of the bewildered Shasuryu.
"These are some of the items I can provide for your cause, if war ever comes to your doors… this blade here is enchanted with the equivalent of a 2nd tier ice spell, not quite as powerful as your brother's Frost Pain, but nothing to scoff at either, while this armor is capable of withstanding fire spells up to the 3rd tier… of course I also deal in scrolls which are magic items capable of containing spells anyone can cast regardless of their own magical capability, they are one time use items, but they can make the difference between life and death sometimes."
As he explained his own business further and further he could see the chief's eyes going wide and his jaw slightly hanging open. He played some of his cards and he was sure that this could be a lucrative endeavor… not monetarily speaking of course, but there were many other things far more valuable than money to obtain here.
His red dots hidden behind his mask shined brightly for an instant at the thought of what he could easily obtain here.
"So, Sir Shasuryu, should we discuss this further in private?"
{Red Eye's Village}
{Zaryusu's P.O.V.}
Their group just arrived at the Red Eye's village, it was quite smaller than he thought and even its population was far smaller than he expected considering they did not join the war. Surely many died of hunger or illness but still, they wouldn't have lost as many just to that.
He put the thought aside for now, he might ask the chief later. Now, it was time for his diplomatic skills to come out, they needed this alliance at all costs.
His human companions were waiting alongside him for the guards to return with their chief's answer to his request for a meeting.
The older human, Leinas, was currently watching over her younger charge who, in the meantime, was playing with the cooing baby hydra. It was quite the adorable thing if he had to state his opinion.
He initially didn't have that much of a good impression about the humans but young Lakyus showed him they had a certain honor they answered to and they were capable of compassion as she wouldn't have helped the hydra otherwise. He did not doubt there were cruel humans, as good and bad seemed to be a constant in every race, but he was happy he managed to find the right people who might finally solve their greatest problem. They would provide the means, now, it was for him to provide the right circumstances.
"The acting chieftain will receive you now."
The returning guard informed him before leading them toward a house in the middle of the village, as was customary Zaryusu announced himself.
"My name is Zaryusu Shasha, wielder of Frost Pain, I come in the name of Green Claw to discuss matters of great importance!"
He announced himself.
"My name is Lakyus, I am a human of the Re-Estize kingdom from the west, I come accompanying Sir Zaryusu!"
The smaller human announced herself following Zaryusu's example before removing her weapons and handing them to her guard.
"My Lady, are you sure this is wise? You will be unprotected."
The older female didn't seem convinced of her charge's choices.
"Nonsense Leinas, I am sure no harm will come to us and it's impolite to meet a commander under parley while armed."
The green eyed one retorted while making sure Luck would stay there and not follow her inside the house, something the hydra did not enjoy at all judging by the low hisses.
"Be good and stay here, I'm coming back soon."
He heard her whisper to the baby hydra.
"Please, do come in."
A light and clearly feminine voice answered. It wasn't unheard of for the tribe chief to be female though it was rare, as there were few females strong enough for the position.
Clearing his mind from any possible prejudice, he flapped open the tent and stepped inside followed by Lakyus.
His breath was immediately caught in his throat as the figure before him truly stole his ability to breath.
Eyes red as blood and skin as pale as snow, her form as elegant as it could be, even the form of her mouth was perfectly uniform, her slowly swishing tail as enticing as a fish after a month of starvation.
"Welcome Zaryusu of Green Claw and… human Lakyus, I am the acting chief of the Red Eye tribe, Crusch Lulu."
A most beautiful name for a most beautiful lizardman.
Without even knowing why, as if his body was acting on instinct, Zaryusu began to close the distance between them, much to the surprise of his host. He forced his body to stop midway and try saying something without looking like an idiot, but when he opened a most peculiar thing happened.
An acute sound left his jaws, a most unusual one, but still recognizable for what it was, a mating call. He immediately covered his mouth with both his hands. He tried to retain some semblance of decency as he was making a fool out of himself in front of a foreign chief he needed an alliance with, this could not be allowed to continue!
"Uhm, is this some kind of custom among lizardmen?"
The young voice of his companion asked, seemingly curious about the strange interaction during the last minute. He almost forgot he wasn't there alone, but that was a good thing, he must remain focused.
Taking a few steps back he sat on the floor, motioning the human child to do the same.
"I… apologize… it was not my intention to offend you, Red Eye's chief, Crusch Lulu."
He immediately apologized for his sudden behavior.
"I… see, there is no problem, you are forgiven, maybe you were taken aback from my coloring? It is quite rare for lizardmen like me to be born after all."
She indeed gave him the impression of being exotic.
"No! I think your skin is extremely beautiful, like the full moon in the night sky!"
There were not the words he wanted to say, 'What the hell is wrong with me?!' he cried out in his head as his stupidness was risking jeopardizing the whole thing.
"I… uhm… I…"
Crusch seemed lost as much as him.
"We are here to discuss important matters concerning the lizardmen as a whole, regardless of tribes."
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on what side you are on, Lakyus interrupted the awkward moment going directly to the point.
"Ah, yes."
Zaryusu cleared his throat to try and retain some semblance of officiality.
"We are here to officially invite Red Eye to a council held in the Green Claw village, we have already called for Small Fang's and Razor Tail's participation, if you accept we would reunite four of the five tribes, with a bit of luck we might convince even Dragon Tusk to join in."
He explained to a bewildered Crusch.
"I see that last one would be very hard to come true, the bad blood between the old alliance's survivors and your own tribe is still fresh in the mind of those who found safety in Dragon Tusk."
The female acting chief said what he already knew.
"Of that I am sure, grudges are not easily forgotten, but we might have found a way to stop any possible further Shortage Wars from happening, this I think it's a worthy endeavor to bring on the table."
That caught the attention of the white lizardman who sharpened her gaze.
"And what is this miraculous cure to starvation Green Claw has come up with?"
She seemed pretty suspicious.
"That is all thanks to our new friends here. I personally met a group of humans in the forest who had been interested in seeing the lake… after hearing of our dire situation one of them proposed a new fishing method which could potentially end our struggle for resources."
At his words the female's gaze went from him to the human next to him.
"Is that the case? I never saw a human, but are you all supposed to be so small?"
The question was asked without malice and maybe it was for that reason that Lakyus didn't seem to take offense.
"I am still growing, I am still in my maturing period."
She answered the lizardman without hesitation.
"I see… so this is your saving grace, Zaryusu of Green Claw, a group of human children?"
She asked, her tails swaying from side to side faster and faster.
"No, that is not so, even if the fish farming idea came from one of them… the elders would have not accepted such a thing without other assurances."
The older lizardman admitted.
"The true reason why this all can be done, is only due to one of the human adults accompanying these children… a magic caster capable of multiplying anything he wants with just one spell."
He explained.
"Such a spell does not exist."
The acting chief answered immediately without hesitation.
"The two barrels full of identical fish we have brought as both a proof and a peace offering would beg to differ."
Zaryusu retorted.
"Look at them, they are of identical dimensions, identical weight, identical color… if we reach an agreement, he is willing to provide us with food until we manage to build enough of those farms to sustain ourselves even during harder times."
The lizardman continued to explain much to the shock and astonishment of Crusch.
"Have you captured this caster?! Is he working for you now?! Are you trying to subjugate all the tribes under you?!"
The chief of Red Eye almost cried out in alarm, that was… not the reaction he expected, he had no idea what put her so much on edge but he wanted to clear that misunderstanding.
"I assure you that is not the case, we do not hold him prisoner, I doubt we could even if we wanted as he is a 6th tier arcane magic caster."
Zaryusu tried to defuse the situation, but his words may have just made it worse as now Crusch looked quite scared.
"You must be joking? There is no such power! The last of that died with the Evil Deities 200 years ago!"
Her tail slapped the floor in anger and refusal.
"That is not the case."
This time it was Lakyus who spoke.
"Fluder Paradyne of the Baharuth Empire, a human, is capable of 6th tier spells… Satoru, the magic caster Zaryusu was talking about, and him clashed in a duel a year ago and it ended up into a tie between the two of them."
The young human explained much to the bewilderment of both lizardmen, as not even Zaryusu had known of someone else, other than Satoru, capable of the legendary 6th tier.
"Why are you even here then? With the help of that caster you could completely subjugate every other tribe, what is even the meaning of this farce?"
The chief asked, seemingly more resigned than anything else by now.
Without even knowing why, Zaryusu could not stand such a view and he stood up closing the distance between him and Crusch as he placed, what wanted to be, a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I fought in a war already, war is hell, I wouldn't wish another one on the worst of my enemies… and my brother, the chief of Green Claw, thinks the same as me… we want to try and establish peace between all tribes, so that no one has to starve anymore, so that we may not see our children perish either of hunger or slain by others in war."
He whispered as he tried to comfort the beautiful lizardman in front of him.
"Satoru is very peaceful, he would not attack anyone without cause, unless you wish harm upon us, there is no way he will ever attack you, of that I am sure!"
Lakyus added, complete faith in her voice. But this reaction was still strange, they may have suffered through a famine, but there was something deeper than that at work here. Something radical he was missing.
Once the chief managed to gather herself once more Zaryusu decided it was time to bring the matter up.
"I heard that you have been referred to as acting chief, that is quite a particular title, I would like to know the reason for it, as to avoid any future problems with the actual power of your decisions on the tribe."
He asked as Crusch simply nodded.
"Yes, I have not been nominated chief yet, the previous one… passed away in an unordinary way, and we are still trying to reform the command structure."
That sounded quite strange in Zaryusu's mind, he understood the passing of the chief without leaving a heir but what did this have to do with the rest of the council, or the headhunter and druids?
"I don't mean to pry, but I also saw that your numbers are very low… I understand famine took a toll on you, but you have less members remaining than almost any other tribe that joined the war, can I ask what happened here?"
He had never been much for subterfuges, so he decided the best way was to be straightforward, if Crusch wanted to tell him, she would, otherwise he was fine with it.
The white lizardman squirmed as a grimace came over her face, those red eyes fixed on his, the untold misery and pain fluttered in those orbs. And so, the tragic tale of Red Eye was revealed.