Zagul was eating the meat prepared by… himself. Despite Lawley appearing to be the official cook of the tribe, she wasn't eager to be near fire, unlike Uzu and Zagul who very much needed to have some semblance of body warmth. He asked if he could start the fire and was granted permission by Kayland for the reasons mentioned above, but also because the tribe needed to discuss things in private in their own language. A language they made themselves since they very much knew they couldn't rely on the spoken ones across the world.
“[What do you think of him?]”, Lawley asked as she cleaned her hands from the butchering.
“[Zagul? He is fine, as far as I can tell.]”, Kian side eyed the Lacerta, “[I mean, he did save my life.]”
“[You two shouldn't have trusted the human. Seriously, why can't we move out of this place?]”
“[Our family ties to generations in the Isodera Forest. We can't just leave, my dear.]”, Kayland explained apologetically.
“[What good are traditions when they harm our way of living?]”, Ballara shot back, her brows frowning in irritation, a common thing to children when the answer is not what they wanted to hear, “[They are doing more harm than good to us!]”
“[It's not that simple, sweetie.]”, The father tried to downplay the situation as he smiled to the girl.
“[You could have died, Kian! How long until you and Tarasuno are actually harmed beyond recovery?!]”, The mother rebuked, very much done with this because we have to mentality.
The shout was enough to make the other two non Moperans turn their head towards the discussion, not that they could actually understand them.
“[I think we have more pressing matters than arguing about tradition.]”, Kayland spoke firmly, “[We need to deal with the other tribes and their dispute for territory. We are neutral towards that but we need to ensure we aren't involved on any of the sides.]”
“[Zagul said he was going to Edhelraen and took a detour here. If he isn't careful he will get in the middle of this.]”, The father said worriedly, even if the Lacerta was met just today.
“[Are we going to tell them that? The human also needs to know.]”, Ballara added her own mind to the problem.
The Elder thought for a few seconds, “[I believe it's better if we do tell. They need to know the risk they are pulling themselves into.]”
They continued talking, but on the other side Uzu was apprehensive about something, or rather, someone. He quietly munched the pieces of meat handed by Zagul as he silently observed Tarasuno on the mat, worriedness in his face, fingers nervously tipping the food. The lizard noticed that but didn't comment right away as he was focused on trying to decipher even the slightest detail of the conversation between the Morepans, watching carefully their body language and facial expressions. The obvious answer will be the recent hunting that almost killed them all, but it was quite the heated conversation if it was just that. No pun intended.
His eyes panned back to Tarasuno and his injuries. They weren't light, but the fact that only he was badly injured to the point of being unconscious was odd, especially after they managed to kill two cougars and make the rest flee. Was it an ambush? Did that human have anything to do with it? If so, why was he worried about him? Things seemed off, but he doesn't know these people or why they are together. All he can muster right now is that his position is safe and all he can do right now is address future problems that might come to them.
As the conversation of the Morepans finished, Uzu seemed to want to ask something, but hesitated briefly.
“What do you want?”, Zagul asked impatiently, his voice filled with disdain and menace.
Uzu backed off a bit but eventually spoke, “Is he going to be ok?”
“I don't know what that ok means.”, The Lacerta said irritatedly, “But, if what you are asking is if Tarasuno is going to be fine…”
He finished his mean and walked near Tarasuno, kneeling beside him to have a better look, something that everyone noticed. The man was mauled here and there, his neck being the main target. From the crude understanding of biology he has over the Homomorphic species is that the veins, organs and tissues are similar to the point some of them are in the same positions, meaning that the carotid artery might be damaged. Looking through the bandages and poorly positioned medicinal herbs, out of sheer luck, the vein was protected and healing. Other parts of the body had marks of the fangs and claws piercing and slashing the flesh, but nothing death threatening. It wasn't pretty, of course, but not fatal. And that was enough.
“He is going to survive.”, Zagul gave his final judgment.
“Thank the Gods.”, Was all Uzu said.
The Lacerta side glanced at him, not sure if it was genuine relief or not. The horse was cracking his hooves on the ground as he waited for his own pieces of food. That made Zagul groan in annoyance as he searched the satchel in order to give the horse a basket of some fruits, which mind you, cost a lot thanks to the current season. The horse neighed as he tried to bite the fruits from Zagul's hand as he put the basket down.
“You know what, horse? You have a serious problem.”, Zagul commented with crossed arms, wondering why the horse was so impatient.
The horse's response was to nod upwards.
“Yeah, fuck you too.”
“You can talk to horses?”, Uzu asked, slightly perturbed by the brief chat between the two.
“Why was that the first thing to cross your mind?”, The Lacerta turned to face the man questioning his sanity, “You are either racist or stupid.”
“Said the non-racist member of the cave.”, He huffed, “I find it interesting, truly. But at the same time I don't want your hypocrisy to be a debate on my head, so just fuck off.”
“Yeah, sure.”, Zagul's eyes opened slightly, not really giving a passing thought to the response.
“You two are getting along well.”, Kian joked, none of them laughed, “Suth, how is my brother?”
“He is fine from what the gecko told me.”, Uzu pointed at Zagul, a frown very visible in his face, “It's not fatal, but he'll manage.”
“Good. That way we can discuss something more important right now.”
“What is it?”, Zagul asked as the topic caught his attention.
Everyone sat around Tarasuno, enjoying the meat as they prepared to discuss the topic at hand.
“Here, there you have it.”, Kayland gave the pieces of meat to everyone that hadn't eaten yet.
“The thing is that we are, obviously, low on supplies.”, Lawley's shoulders slumped a bit, “As Suth said, we didn't farm or cultivate any plantations, meaning we need to rely solely on meat this winter.”
Her voice carried disappointment and regret, all too familiar emotions to the Lacerta.
“That and the fact that even with our secluded position, the ensuing battle between the other tribes can surface here.”, Kayland explained with a grim face, tattered with discomfort.
“The other tribes?”, Zagul asked.
“Essentially, there was a scandal where the son of one of the tribe leaders took the virginity of the future wife of another tribe leader.”, Uzu said with a bored face, but it quickly turned to a grin right afterwards, “Or in this case, future ex-wife.”
“They are going to solve this by fighting with the intent to destroy the totems of each other.”, Kian resumed, “Which means they mean to exterminate.”
“And the scope of the war can reach you all here that has nothing to do with it.”, Zagul concluded.
“Correct.”
“Forgive my ignorance, but what are totems?”
“Oh, oh! Can I explain?”, Ballara was surprisingly eager to volunteer, “Please?”
“Sure, go on.”
Ballara's eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she began to explain, gesturing animatedly with her hands, “Totems are sacred objects for the tribes. They represent the spirit of the tribe and hold the blessings of our ancestors. Each tribe has its own totem, and they’re considered the heart and soul of the community. Destroying a totem is like ripping out the heart of a tribe; it breaks the connection to the ancestors and is seen as a declaration of war.”
Zagul nodded, absorbing the information, “So, the tribes believe that by destroying a totem, they weaken their enemies spiritually?”
“Exactly!” Ballara replied, “It’s not just about physical destruction; it’s an attack on the identity and strength of the tribe. That’s why these conflicts can escalate quickly.”
Lawley added, “The problem is, once the fighting starts, it’s hard to contain it. And if it spills over into our territory, it could be disastrous for us.”
Zagul pondered this for a moment, scratching his chin. “If they’re fighting over something so crucial, it means they’re less likely to negotiate. But perhaps there’s a way to keep the fighting away from your home.”
“That’s what we hope,” Kayland said, glancing at the others. “[If we can remain neutral and show that we’re no threat to either side, maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
“And if they don’t?” Uzu asked, a note of skepticism in his voice.
“Then we might have to fight or flee,” Kian answered grimly. “But that’s why we need to be prepared. We can’t be caught off guard.”
“Do you think there’s a way to mediate it?” Zagul asked. “I know it’s not my place, but sometimes an outside perspective can help.”
Kayland sighed, “Possibly. But both sides are deeply invested in their honor and pride. It would take a lot to bring them to the negotiating table.”
“The problem relies if we can secure both safety and food until the whole thing settles down.”, Kian allowed his back to hit the ground, exhausted both physically and mentally.
“Hmmm.”, Zagul, with a hand on his chin, pondered on what to say next.
Political matters with tribes are more sensitive and hard to deal with by nature. The whole I fucked your future wife is already a real messed up ordeal, and to top it off a battle to destroy the enemy morally and physically. A compromise needs to be reached but with little information on it, it's hardly an easy task. The tribe needs food and safety, a thing that is very much in danger even here, they are one member down and in great need of help. If he is going to assist these Morepans he needs to go to the tribes and try his best to gather all information necessary, maybe try a non-aggression pact and hopefully a supply line, but that's wishful thinking. Being pragmatic is the best thing he can do right now.
“What are you scheming, gecko?”, Uzu asked, tired of seeing the deep thoughtful face of Zagul.
“I think I can help with that.”, He said simply.
“You can?”, Kayland asked hopefully.
“What are you going to do?”, Uzu asked sarcastically, “Are you going to the middle of the war as ask pleeeaaase, leave us alone?”
“...”, Zagul didn't answer on purpose.
“Oh my God, you are.”
He liked the reaction.
----------------------------------------
“This is not going to work.”, Uzu said, still doubtful that a single request might grant the so seeked safety.
Zagul and Uzu were selected to go do the task by Kayland, and they are currently at the back of the horse carefully galloping so as to not trip on the tree roots. After all it's tricky to even walk, so imagine it with a horse. The snow didn't make it easier thanks to the storm of yesterday, and not to mention the lit torch making its presence known thanks to the necessary heat, but also the uncomfortable feeling that it is to awkwardly hold it while also guiding the horse with the reins.
“I am open to ideas.”, Zagul replied offhandedly. It was a miracle that they had a plan given the circumstances.
“What about if we moved away from Isodera? That sounds like a good plan.”, The human offered the obvious answer.
“If they have a reason to stay here, I am not going to force them to move out.”, Zagul twisted his neck to eye the man behind him, “Besides, where would they go?”
“Where? I don't know.”
“Neither them.”, The Lacerta turned forward, his voice getting a very important point across, “If what I got from them is true, their entire lives were here in the wilderness. If they ever went to a village they'd feel out of place, never mind a town or capital.”
“Probably victims of other people with bad intentions.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Zagul hummed affirmatively.
The path became difficult to travel, even with the horse doing more of the heavy work. They were forced to dismount and walk on foot, guiding the mount to carefully reach a road not entirely covered in snow. It took a while but eventually they could ride the road again. The first tribe camp was on sight, making the Lacerta pull up the monocular to survey the area from a distance. It was a camp positioned near a river, perfect for fishing in any season as well as a great amount of timber to cut and use as either firewood or construction materials. The totem was visible too, and from the looks of it it was the totem of an Elk.
“An Elk.”, Zagul commented.
“The symbol of strength, nobility, power, freedom and agility.”, Uzu explained as he listed the traits in his fingers, “Warriors through and through, no matter the circumstances.”
“Charming.”, He said with no enthusiasm, “Everyone seems to be a warrior these days.”
“Well, this is the tribe that got cucked. The problem lies with the other tribe.”, Uzu snorted, finding something way more amusing than he should.
“And that is…?”
“Their totem is a sparrow. Hehehehe.”, He was trying really hard to hold his laughter.
“Let me guess, a sparrow means fertility and desire?”, Zagul's annoyance quickly turned to anger after hearing a bunch of nonsense. His sarcastic remark was almost the last straw for this stupidity.
“AHAHAHAHAHA!”
…Which made Uzu cackle and become teary eyed that Zagul was spot on. Seriously, how come a tribe worship an animal and plant the idea that it is a Lustful totem? It's amazing how much dumber the general species are.
“Oh, you gotta be kidding.”
“I-I’m sorry…”, He wasn't, “But that's the truth. Hehehe, I just didn't expect you to be so right.”
“No comments.”
“None needed. But now that you know that it's a matter of he fucked my wife and he is a pervert, how are we going— You are going to deal with it?”
Indeed. That puts the chances of this on a rock bottom. How would he address this without being disrespectful? Or does he have to? Is there anything he can do to that or can he ignore it and go with what he planned originally? The Morepans need food and safety to work for him in the future, but that's a thing that can very much have the opposite results if he doesn't make the correct decisions or say the incorrect words. But as he kept thinking on the cons, an idea struck him that could be genius if not revolutionary. Ok, not that much but the feeling was the same.
“What is the totem that the Morepans worship?”, He asked as he rested his elbow in his arm, pinching his chin as he pursed his lips.
“They don't.”, Uzu answered simply, “If they did, there is no indication of which they worship. But if I were to make a guess thanks to their family bond, I'd say Wolf.”
Alright, makes sense.
“And my species, are they any closer to a totem?”
He eyed him suspiciously, wondering what he could possibly mean by that, “Why do you want to know that?”
“You haven't denied it.”, Zagul pointed out.
“Well, argh, yes there is one. Yet I fail to understand why that's relevant.”
“Which one is it?”
“Alligator, symbol of Stealth and Survival.”
“Perfect.”
Uzu was trying to understand, but then a dangerous conclusion came of it, “Wait, you aren't going to pretend to be a worshiper of the Alligator, right?”
“That's right.”, Zagul nodded, unimpeded and unperturbed by the worried voice of the human.
“B-But, you don't know how tribes even work! Nor their religion!”, The simple idea that the Lacerta would interpret a worshiper of a religion he didn't know was bad already, but even more so when there are people who worship more than one totem.
“I think I am very capable of offering something that he might consider.”, Zagul said as he handed the torch to the human.
“Like what?”, He waved his hands in confusion, “You don't have any information on what he could possibly want.”
“That's the thing, you don't need someone to tell you what they want to know what they want.”, The Lacerta had a big smirk on his face, and in the midst of Uzu's utter disbelief, he vanished just like that.
“What?! How can a yellow gecko disappear in all this white!?”
The answer was simple, trees. He was uphill and the forest continued on the path downwards, but his clothes blended somewhat with the background. Thanks to this he could safely use his claws to climb the trees and jump from branch to branch, covering the majority of the ground. That idea arose thanks to the Sharpshooter Connor killed on Tenure, and it seems to be effective, despite being very drainy. Zagul eventually got to a point where the trees had a great distance from one to another, so he decided to climb down and time his movements from cover to cover as a solution.
The tribe’s denizens were, unsurprisingly, a different species than what he encountered before. This time it was the Waxenians, Spider-Like Homomorphic species that is funnily enough, mostly spider than Homomorphic. Why would they worship an Elk instead of the Spider itself was unclear, but at this time and situation, Zagul couldn't really care about it. He crawled between cover on the trees, being careful as to not be spotted from too far away, but thankfully there was a commotion in the center of the camp that attracted attention of the majority of the tribesmen. With that window of opportunity, he stepped in hastily, but with careful elegance to successfully enter the camp without alerting the guards.
As he peeked out of the corner of a tent, he saw the, apparently, young leader of the tribe doing his duties as the head of the tribe. Good, that shows that despite being young, he at least has decency to help his own kind. The leader was offering judgment on a debate that was happening in the center of the camp. A man, probably a fisherman, was asking for more workforce to gather more fish on the nearby lake while another was requesting assistance on the firewood, since they need to stay warm. From what Zagul could understand, there wasn't enough to spare between the two, so they were trying to come up with a solution. The leader was stressed at that, but the Lacerta could see a face of I have another problem in my mind when he saw one, and it wasn't hard to think of which problem was distracting him.
Zagul decided to look for the main tent of the camp, and if the good ol' reliable common sense is anything to be worth, is that a leader will have the best tent of a tribe. After changing his gaze thirty degrees to the left, he saw a great candidate, which ensured that the Lacerta carefully navigated between the tents and denizens, those who discussed mundane topics or gave snarky remarks at the debate at the center. Upon entering the tent, he needed to pat himself on the back for successfully guessing the place he needed to go. He climbed to the top of the tent, grabbing on the solid stakes that raised the fabric that covered the entire thing. Thankfully it didn't make cracking noises nor it seemed to be in any way destabilized in any shape or form.
All it was left to do was to wait.
*CLACK*
And it wasn't for long.
----------------------------------------
Waxenians Tribe, a few minutes earlier
Arpi was stressed.
Contrary to normal belief, being a leader sucks. The tribe leader sighed as he surveyed the village. Everyone assumed being in charge was all about glory and power, but it mostly involved listening to everyone's problems and trying to maintain peace. Every morning, it was the same routine: someone’s goat had escaped, the food supplies were running low, or the hunters were arguing over who got to use the best spear.
Then there were the fighting ceremonies, which were supposed to be a display of strength and courage, but they often just turned into brawls. It was the leader’s job to ensure things didn’t get out of hand, stepping in when tempers flared and bruised egos needed soothing. Sometimes, it felt like babysitting a bunch of overly enthusiastic warriors who couldn’t handle a simple sparring match without getting riled up. Truly inspiring.
And the Elk totem ceremonies—what a hassle! Sure, the tribe worshiped the great Elk and its majestic antlers, but why did the leader have to organize everything? It was always, “Leader, the Elk ceremony needs more berries,” or “Arsi, the firewood is damp.” As if the Elk cared about damp firewood!
Sometimes the leader daydreamed about escaping into the forest to live with the Elks, where no one would ask him to solve every little problem. But then Arsi remembered his duty to keep things running smoothly and honor the traditions. Someone had to do it, right? Still, it would be nice if the Elk totem could lend a hoof once in a while! And now? The fisherman needs men to work, but also the firewood. Couldn't they just have half the people and get along without giving him a headache every five minutes?
And to top it all, if not already a big pile of goldshit, his future wife was seduced by the son of another tribe?!?
Fucking amazing! Hilarious!
He walked back to his tent, aiming to enjoy as much of this little break of his leadership duties as possible. His staff poked the ground firmly as his impatience surfaced at every step he took, some of the warriors gave a few glances of concern as he passed by them, wondering what could possibly let their leader in such a mood. Oblivious as always. How did they expect Arsi to act? He is seventeen years old, full of responsibilities and with little to no advisors to back him down. And somehow, someway, he did a good job at his role, even when the world seemed to be against him. Of course something had to happen in order to fuck things up.
As his staff made a cracking sound as he entered the tent, he allowed his face to relax, sighing deeply as he just fumbled at his bed. Arsi wished he could just rest for a good few days before he has to even get near the staff he is holding, the symbol of the Tribe’s Leader. He thought it was going to be hard, but not this hard. The denizens proved to be even dumber than he could've predicted them to be, because even the slightest problems were given to him to handle. Those actions made him respect the previous Leader, even if he didn't know him that well.
“Hello there.”, An unfamiliar and snake-like voice came from above.
“What?!”, Arsi jumped from his bed, searching for the origins of the person, but without success, “Where are you?! How did you get here!?”
“An Alligator can be very sneaky when he wants to be.”, A Lacerta appeared right behind him, startling the Young Leader who almost fell to the ground.
“So, the Sparrow worshipers decided to make a move?”, He pointed his staff at the intruder with fire in his eyes, ready to kill if necessary.
“If they did, why would I stop to talk to you if you haven't noticed my presence when you entered the tent?”, The Lacerta said, dismissive of the accusation he just got, “Besides, I do not worship the Sparrow, nor do I wish to fall in such an ambitious line of thinking.”
While not outright hostile, Arsi still had his guard up, “Who are you?”, He repeated the question.
“The name is Zagul, and I come here on behalf of the Morepans.”, The now named Zagul said, offering the small gesture of a bow.
If he was showing respect, keeping etiquette or mocking the Young Waxenian Leader, Arsi couldn't tell. The whole situation was suspicious as hell and the so called representative didn't make it better with his whole demeanor screaming paid assassin. But if he was one he wouldn't talk, right? Is he going in circles with this conclusion? And how can a conclusion go in circles?
Thinking hurts.
“The blizzard loving guys? What would they want from us?”, Arsi denied the gesture by questioning the lizard man, “If you have the gall to enter my tent, you know there will be consequences.”
A warning, with a tint of menace. If this Zagul guy has any personal value he'd consider his next words since the Waxenians can back up what they say. Regardless, the Lacerta was still calm and collected, somehow giving a both regal and humble aura.
Zagul retracted his arm since the boy wouldn't shake it, “More what they don't want, but yes, they have something to gain from this.”
“...Elaborate.”
“They would prefer not to get involved in the foreseeable war between you and the Sparrows.”, He said, walking to the tent's curtains and looking outward, “You are without a doubt formidable foes. If the battle reaches them, the Morepans would certainly perish.”
Turning his back to Arsi, he is either stupid or very confident to not consider him as a threat. He presented himself as a representative of peace from what he could gather, but why would he take such a dangerous route to meet him? That didn't make sense, but there are still unanswered questions here.
“So the benefit is to not get involved, you say.”
“Hardly. It would help, no doubt, but the people need sustenance to live.”, Zagul turned back to the Leader, “The season is harsh.”
Food, of course. The Morepans don't usually hunt, they are few and they don't have nearly the training necessary to successfully get game consistently. The snow makes it even harder to find it or even survive the weather. The man is trying to secure food and safety, something that they probably desperately need if they sent an Alligator worshiper. They are cunning linguists, so maybe they wanted to secure a privilege, instead of an alliance.
Hmm…
“If that's the case, I can manage to help.”, Arsi said, cracking the staff on the ground.
“If…?”, Zagul was quick to ask, because no one in good faith would just offer something without a paycheck.
“Straight to the point.”, The Waxenian groaned, hopeful that he'd be able to have control of the conversation, “We have a connection to the major villages surrounding the Isodera Forest. They have roads that connect them to major selling points, which guarantee good supplies.”
“I assume that comes with a cost.”, The Lacerta said as he turned his head to the noise coming from the still occurring argument in the center of the Camp.
“Yes…”, Arsi groaned in awkwardness, “Since they'd rather fight with each other instead of doing their job, I will need you to do it. We know some caves that have some veils in them, you mine the specific crystals and stones, you get a part of the supply.”
Zagul nodded as he thought of a response, “What kind of minerals are we talking about?”
“Anything that shines, I don't know.”, He waved his hands in frustration, “They pay, I don't die of starvation. But if it helps, something that the Magic Sensitive guys like to get, it's smooth and somehow has plants near it. They pay a lot for these things.”
“Like a green crystal?”, The Lacerta asked in minor curiosity.
“Sometimes there are those in the bags, but, yeah, pretty much.”
With a firm nod, Zagul thought about it. It sounded like The Emerald of Verdant Resonance. The Emerald is a deep green gem with swirling patterns of lighter hues within its crystalline structure. The gem is often set in intricate silver or gold amulets, rings, or staffs, enhancing its natural beauty. Its surface is smooth to the touch, but upon closer inspection, faint inscriptions can be seen, believed to be remnants of ancient alchemical symbols. The Emerald of Verdant Resonance possesses the unique ability to harmonize with the natural world, allowing alchemists to tap into the life force of plants and forests. It was funnily enough used a lot by Wood Elves, but as the species got quiet, the usage of the gem diminished as it rose in rarity.
He didn't know much aside from the basics of the stone, but if it's as easy to spot as to seek for roots sprouting out of literal rocks, he can do it.
“How many do you need?”, He asked after some consideration.
“Enough.”, The Young Waxenian Leader said, firm and stoic. Almost like an actual leader. Almost, “The caves are near the river up north.”
Zagul sighed, “Fine.”
Arsi put a hand on his forehead, a headache making him squint his eyes. Such stress for such a basic need made him question if he was actually fit to rule these people. He is still waiting for the Elk to help, but as it seems, he can only rely on other people to solve his tribulations.
“By the way, what…”
He wasn't there anymore.
“What the fuck? How am I gonna tell everyone about this?”
----------------------------------------
Uzu was waiting and waiting for a good while now. He wondered if the Lacerta was caught up in his sneaking, which honestly would put all the big talk on the fuck around, find out you suck segment of his consciousness, a big letdown after all the planning. Actually, what was the planning? Zagul refused to tell whatever the plan was as if he signed a NDA, avoiding or changing the topic as swiftly as a water take form on… Argh, who cares! He was just that good a not telling what he wanted to do, and that pissed him off.
“Hey.”, Zagul called.
Speaking of the devil…
“Grhag! Don't do that!”, Uzu jumped in the air, surprised by the sudden voice of the gecko.
“Can I ask you something?”, He said, ignoring the screams.
“Huh? Y-yeah.”
“Why do the Morepans call you Suth?”
“... That's what you have to say after coming back?!?”
“I was just wondering.”
“Fuck. You.”, Uzu pointed very angrily at him.
“He sounds like Connor.”
“Seriously, why do they call you that?”
He sighed, “It means Foreigner to them.”
“Alright. I will tell you the plan now.”, Zagul nodded as he mounted the horse, offering a hand to Uzu.
“Will you?”
“And it's going to be a pain.”