"What I managed to analyze quickly before coming here was the blood of one of those mysterious individuals," Kaerith said. Her comment immediately caught everyone's attention.
"And what did you discover?" I asked, eager for her answer.
"Well, that your theory was correct."
I opened my eyes wide, surprised by her confirmation.
"For the most part, the blood was composed of elements only found in humans. I won't go into technical details, but it wasn’t pure..."
"What do you mean by that?" Eldrek asked, frowning.
"To give you an idea, it's as if it were contaminated. This is what I could find from a quick analysis. I need to conduct more thorough studies to have clearer answers. What is clear, though, is that these individuals were once human... and something is transforming them into those creatures."
Kaerith didn’t wait for our reaction. She immediately got up from her chair and began walking toward the exit.
"And now I must continue working. It's better to study those bodies while they're still fresh."
With that, she left the meeting, leaving us with more questions than answers.
Thalrik quickly voiced his frustration. "If it weren’t because we need her, believe me, I wouldn’t allow her to linger around the village... she has no respect for anyone."
Eldrek stood from his chair, looking thoughtful. "This complicates the situation. They're literally abducting people to transform them into those creatures. Taking them down will be harder if we consider this."
"But how are they doing it?" I blurted out, frustrated.
I had already killed some of them before, and a sense of guilt began to creep into my mind. Had I killed people who might have still been saved?
"Does such a spell exist?"
Eldrek and Thalrik exchanged glances, but neither seemed to have a clear answer. Finally, Eldrek spoke gravely.
"We are dealing with things beyond our knowledge. We must give Kaerith the space she needs to see if these questions can be answered. In the meantime, we should continue fortifying the village and moving forward with the agreement with the lizardmen."
He was right. There was much to do, and we couldn’t waste time. Meanwhile, I told them both about what had happened in the swamp and how I had secured the agreement through combat. Depending on how one looked at it, it could be considered a success... or a problem.
The treaty meant not only would we have nagas roaming around the village, but also the lizardmen, known for their hostility.
I could only hope things wouldn’t spiral out of control.
We were racing against time. The uncertainty kept us on edge. We didn’t know if they would attack again or if, in the meantime, they were attacking other villages and turning more people into those creatures to come after us later. The questions were so many that the entire village lived in constant alert.
Eldrek, along with Gronn, suggested setting aside a space exclusively for the lizardmen. A messenger had already been sent to inform them that the agreement was ready and that they should come as soon as possible to help us. Meanwhile, we worked on preparing their area, and I helped wherever I could.
During a pause, I overheard Thalrik talking with some families. The same question came up repeatedly:
"Where will we stay in the meantime?"
The fear on their faces was visible, and it was understandable. We weren’t just facing external threats; now we would also have hostile races living among us. For many, this was no more reassuring than the dangers outside the walls. After a long discussion, the village chief proposed building an underground shelter, large and strong enough to house all the families in case of an attack.
The idea wasn’t well-received at first.
"How are we going to do that so quickly?" they asked, full of skepticism.
Thalrik wasted no time and called for Eldrek. The idea had to be presented to all the semihumans.
When he brought him to the meeting, he explained immediately, "Eldrek, I’m considering that the villagers who cannot defend themselves should stay within a safe area in the village. And I think the best option would be to build an underground shelter, impervious to any attack. Do you think it’s possible to do it in a short time?"
Eldrek remained expressionless for a moment, thinking.
"I’m not sure how quickly it could be done. With my magic, I could work faster, but... I would tire eventually. Mana recovery isn’t quick."
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Eldrek's words, far from reassuring the villagers, only generated more doubts. From a few steps behind, while organizing tools, I couldn’t resist intervening.
"What if there were a way for you to recover your mana faster, Eldrek?"
Everyone stared at me incredulously, and Eldrek was quick to ask:
"How would we do that?"
"Well," I replied confidently, "we now have an alchemist in the village. Surely she can create some kind of potion for that, don’t you think?"
Eldrek nodded, thoughtfully.
"That could work. Perhaps Kaerith can help us with that."
The villagers’ faces showed distrust. I didn’t blame them; there was still a lot of unease toward Kaerith. But I wasn’t willing to waste time.
"I understand your concerns," I said, raising my voice slightly as I stepped closer to them. "But... what other options do you have? If this allows us to move faster, it’s worth considering."
My words managed to calm the atmosphere a little. Finally, they agreed. We organized a group to accompany Eldrek in the excavation, while others focused on reinforcing the walls and finishing the construction of a large tent to house the lizardmen.
Thalrik offered to seek out Kaerith. Before he left, I advised him to take some coins with him. We knew her help wouldn’t come for free, and Thalrik was well aware of that.
We all felt like we were in a race against time, and although no one said it out loud, we all shared the same worry:
Would it be enough?
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Two days had passed, and everything was going well. The village hadn’t been attacked, and Eldrek had made impressive progress in the excavation. Without Kaerith’s potions, it would have been impossible to work at such a pace. His control over the earth was incredible. When I went down to check on the progress, I was pleasantly surprised. A spacious chamber of about a hundred square meters, solid and well-structured, strong enough to avoid collapses. By the end of the second day, Eldrek and the villagers were securing the structure, preparing it to serve as a functional shelter.
Gronn, who had been helping with various tasks, suggested making the shelter's entrance more discreet. He proposed building a watchtower above it, which would also serve to better monitor the surroundings. The idea was well-received, and with the walls nearly finished, both giants and semihumans joined the tower's construction.
The calm of the night was abruptly interrupted when a semihuman sentry shouted from the entrance:
"The lizardmen have arrived!"
The tone of his voice didn’t convey relief or joy, but rather concern. I approached alongside Eldrek as the gates opened. The first thing I saw was a giant riding a skarnill; he was the one tasked with informing them that everything was ready for their arrival.
But what caught my attention most were the creatures the lizardmen were riding: drakkin, as Eldrek had called them, muscular animals adapted to any terrain. They had broad feet with webbed toes, allowing them to move easily through mud and rocks. Their skin was rough, covered with bony protrusions, and they exhaled a low, constant growl with each breath. Each had a long snout with sharp teeth and glowing yellow eyes. Their thick, spiny tails struck the ground as they advanced, intimidating anyone nearby.
The atmosphere changed instantly. The villagers stepped back, visibly fearful and rejecting the newcomers. For many, it was the first time they had seen lizardmen in person. Eldrek and I exchanged glances from the entrance to the shelter. His eyes reflected the same worry as mine: we just hoped everything would go smoothly.
We walked toward them with Thalrik and Gronn to welcome them. The lizardmen, with their fierce expressions, looked at us with distrust, especially me. Some of them hissed and made guttural noises, a mix of growls and sibilant sounds. Their stares were openly hostile.
Zardak, the leader of the lizardmen, was among them. I quickly counted at least twenty as we approached. At the front, Zardak rode a drakkin larger than the others.
With a motion of his hand, Zardak ordered his group to stop. We all expected Thalrik to deliver a few welcoming words, but he was visibly nervous. His hands were trembling, and the lizardmen noticed it immediately. Some of them laughed mockingly, throwing out humiliating comments. One even spat on the ground in front of him without a shred of respect.
Eldrek took the initiative to diffuse the tension.
"We are glad you’re here and that we’ve reached an agreement," he said, pointing toward the village.
"We’ve prepared a large tent for you. Inside, you’ll find food, water, and alcohol. If you need anything else, let us know."
Zardak leaned slightly forward on his mount, his tone filled with disdain as he replied.
"And what if we need the services of semihuman women? Will you provide those too?"
His group roared in unison, beating their chests in approval, making a loud commotion. Gronn clenched his fists tightly, his face burning with anger. I noticed it before he could act and placed my hand on his forearm to stop him.
I stepped forward toward Zardak and firmly replied,
"That wasn’t part of the agreement. What you have in the tent should be enough. Also, remember that this village is full of families who are already nervous about everything they’ve had to face lately. Please, don’t make them more uneasy than they already are."
The lizardmen began insulting me, clearly resentful. I knew it was because I had defeated one of them before. Zardak slowly dismounted and walked toward me. His gaze was intimidating, but I stood my ground.
"You’ve got guts, human," he said in a low, threatening tone. "But don’t think you can keep us trapped in that piece of crap tent. You need us more than we need you. Don’t forget that."
His words were directed at everyone present. Then, with a gesture, he signaled his group to head toward the tent. Gronn was seething. I could tell by his heavy breathing and tense hands.
Eldrek placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down. We’ll need to keep a close watch on them. We can’t trust they’ll respect the others."
Thalrik, who hadn’t said a word until then, finally let out a long sigh. He was sweating and used a handkerchief to wipe his forehead.
"I’m sorry. I couldn’t say anything. Both the lizardmen and those creatures they’re riding caught me off guard. For a moment, I thought they’d slaughter us."
Eldrek tried to reassure him with a few words, while I watched the lizardmen settle into the tent.
"Let’s get back to work," I finally said. There was too much to do and too little time to waste on what we couldn’t control.
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Some noises pulled me out of sleep. I had fallen asleep outside after helping with the tower’s construction. Still half-asleep, I got up and tried to figure out what was happening.
The source of the noise wasn’t far. When I focused my gaze, I saw a group of lizardmen surrounding Kaerith. Her two guards were trying to keep them at bay with their spears, acting as a shield, but there were four lizardmen, and none of them seemed intent on stopping.