Dharen stood, frozen, as the pair of Nulzan did the same. They looked at one another, before the Nulzan on Dharen’s left responded. Fortunately, though his speech was awful, Dharen had no trouble translating the clicking to something he understood.

“The light-bringer speaks?” it asked, crossing its arms in such a way so as to display confusion.

Dharen, his vocabulary somewhat limited by his inability to produce the proper noises as of yet, responded simply. “Yes,” he affirmed.

After a brief conversation that was slightly too quiet for Dharen to overhear, one of the Nulzan gestured towards him. “Come,” he said.

The pair of Nulzan began to lead him to a new location. One Nulzan walked ahead of him, while the other took its place behind him. Dharen felt a prickle of tension at his back, knowing that the monster held a positional advantage over him in case of a fight. However, he knew that the Nulzan were taking their own precautions. He fingered his Spatial Ring, finding some relief in knowing that he had prepared measures inside in case of treachery.

They led him across the small constructions that bridged the gaps between the Skywood trees. As he walked, Dharen noted that any creature that attempted to cross would require a high degree of agility; though sturdy enough to resist breaking, the bridgepoints swayed like the wind, moving back and forth as they crossed. The difficult passageways were likely one of the defensive measures that was taken when creating the village.

The Nulzan moved comfortably upon them, shifting their large weight perfectly in order to match the sway, walking steadily as if moving on nothing more than solid ground. Dharen, despite his high Agility, had more difficulty. However, after a few moments to adjust to the variations in sway that occurred with multiple individuals upon the same bridge, he managed to adopt a relatively comfortable gait.

Having grown slightly more accustomed to the sway of the pathways, though still somewhat concerned about the possibility of falling, Dharen peered around cautiously. Eyes stared back at him from various alcoves that lined the Skywoods, a mixture of fear, anger, and curiosity contained within. He noted with some degree of surprise that children were among them. For some reason, he had not considered the presence of children; the idea of the Nulzan caring for their children humanized them, somehow, changed them in his eyes.

Eventually, they reached what Dharen took to be their destination: a central Skywood from which all of the other paths held their origin point. He had delved further than he expected; there were more Nulzan than he had previously believed, their various alcoves dotting the surrounding monoliths.

Despite that, he could see that many of the alcoves were empty. It was as if there had once been a far larger population, and the village’s structures were more numerous than necessary now. A few of the Skywoods closer to the edge of the strange village had been marred terribly; they suffered burns, wilting leaves, and drooping branches - as if poisoned and set ablaze. Dharen detected a note of sadness in the Nulzans’ posture each time they passed one such tree, in the way that they couldn’t help but slow along their course.

He followed his guide into the main alcove of the central Skywood. Though it held a relatively small entrance, the area quickly opened up. Dharen’s brows raised as he took in the size of the chambers. Despite seeing the enormity of the Skywoods from outside, it was hard to believe that rooms of this magnitude had been carved into its flesh, all without killing the tree or harming it unduly. The various chambers of the Skywood alcove were separated by sheets of hide that served as makeshift doors.

They approached one such hide sheet, the leading Nulzan pushing it aside and entering while the other blocked Dharen’s passage and indicated the need to wait. A few moments later, the first Nulzan returned.

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“Come,” he said once more and entered the room. Dharen, with no reason to refuse, followed behind. The chamber was decorated in various skins and hides, tusks and spines; it was filled to the brim with trophies of the hunt.

In the center of the room was a table, around which were set numerous chairs. A single Nulzan sat at the head of the table, his four arms folded in front of him.

He was not bedecked in riches, nor was he surrounded by retainers. Nevertheless, there was a palpable aura of power about him. A marked difference between the Nulzan that awaited in the room and those that he had seen before; it was clear that this one was not newly Awakened as were the others.

As if to confirm his suspicions, the Nulzan shifted his arms, revealing a soulseed that was notably different from the black Seeds of Fear that were embedded in the skin of the majority of the other Nulzan, matches for Dharen’s own Seed.

Instead, the figure had a Seed of royal blue, flecked with streaks of gold. The small crystal seemed to emanate a sense of unwavering duty, of resolute responsibility. That very same sense of Duty filled the air around the creature, an unmistakable presence.

“What is it that you want, light-bringer?” the Nulzan spoke with the clicking manner of his people.

Dharen hid any nervousness, restraining himself from displaying worry. “I wish Alliance,” he said in response, once again cursing his poor speech. Still, it was clear that being able to replicate it at all was a boon. It had gotten him this far, anyway.

The Nulzan considered for a moment before responding. “And what do you bring to our table, light-bringer, fire-bringer, death-bringer?” A hint of anger crept into his tone.

Dharen paused for a moment, considering his response. The Nulzan was angry. That was understandable. After all, it was only recently that a large group of humans had pushed them far enough to spike a Clustered Awakening into Fear for the majority of the Unawakened Nulzan. Though it had increased their power greatly, it was not something that they would be thankful for.

He pulled aside a small portion of his cloak, reaching his hand within. While his hand was concealed, he summoned an item from within the safety of his Spatial Ring. Though he was attempting to make an agreement with the Nulzan, he did not wish them to be aware of all of his cards at this juncture. He brought his hand out of the concealment of the cloak once more; this time, it held a dagger. The blade was dark and wavelike, in the fashion of a Keris, with a soulseed embedded in the slightly-curved white bone handle.

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“Noxious Edge”

Dagger Type

Imbued with a Seed of Malice, this blade enhances the efficacy of all poisons applied to it.

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So as to not startle the watching Nulzan, he slowly placed it upon the table and pushed it forward. The creature took the blade into one of his hands, examining it carefully. He nodded, placing the offering to the side.

“You help me, and I will give more than just enchantments,” Dharen said, gradually becoming more comfortable with the strange language as he heard and spoke at greater length.

“And what do you wish in return?” the lead Nulzan questioned.

“I have enemy, a light-bringer,” Dharen said, searching for the proper words. “Leads many light-bringers. I wish help in defeating.”

The Nulzan looked at him appraisingly. “We cannot reach the home of the light-bringers; only when they arrive among flashes of light may we fight back.”

“I will find a way,” Dharen replied.

Before he could elaborate further, a forceful rumbling shook the great Skywood. At the same time, the chieftain grew furious, veritably boiling over with rage. He jolted to his feet, the newly-acquired keris grasped tightly in one of his upper hands.

Dharen began to speak, to make clear his innocence in the matter. However, before he could do so, the creature stalked past him. He exited the carved-out room, pushing the hide covering that blocked the doorway forcefully aside.

Dharen continued to sit, as the rumbling grew to a crescendo over the following minutes before subsiding. It wasn’t long afterwards that the monster returned with a cold expression.

“Light-bringer. I have an enemy, as well. If you wish for our aid, you will kill it for me.”